Going out of print......

It's time for a change!I have loved designing and creating new patterns, seeing them printed out and them working with distributors to have them sold worldwide! what a thrill! 

This process has taught me several things. One of them is that you have to keep producing. There are so many printed sewing patterns coming out all the time and the sewing shops want what's new. I have also learned that I love to create more than just sewing patterns. What usually happens is I come up with an idea to sew, then accessories to match and other projects that would go along with it. Hmmmm.....how do I make all that work in a printed pattern for an affordable price? These ideas seem better suited for a booklet.

I have also learned I love and appreciate the "ease" and affordability of creating a ePatterns and eBooks. I am able to combine more of ideas in 1 pattern and offer it for a great price since there are not printing and shipping costs. Yeah!

So - to get to the point of this blog post is, I am phasing out of printing my sewing patterns and booklets for now. They are going to be deeply discounted (and an even better price for my wholesale customers!) and when they are gone......they will be gone.

The good news is more ePatterns and eBooklets will be coming out over this summer and into this fall! I am really excited to show you what's coming up!!! Stay tuned.....and thanks for all your support!

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Party Box...... #1 - Banner Tutorial

A Party in a box! The items crafted up in this tutorial are easily customized for any event - Birthdays, GAME day, Baby Shower, Holidays, different seasons, etc.

This week we will create a :

Party Banner!

*For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be creating our party items in a Birthday Theme!

Materials needed:

Banner:

Fabric - around the size of a fat quarter works great! (We used 7 different fabrics of a smaller size and repeated them a couple of times)

paper/pencil

Scissors/pinking shears and/or

Rotary Cutter and mat

Pins

Thread

Extra Wide Double Folded Bias Tape (3 yds)

Sewing Machine

Iron

Fabric Marker

optional - interfacing/fusible fleece/heat n' bond

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Making the Banner:

1. Create a Pattern Template - Choose any size of triangle that fits your occasion and space. For our template we took a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and folded it down the middle lengthwise. Open it back and up and fold each side from the corner to the middle crease creating a triangle. Cut away the excess paper. (see illustration) If this size is too big, simply cut to desired size.

2. Options: Reversible or 1-sided

Reversible - If you want your triangle pieces to have more "weight" or a stiffer shape to them you can use interfacing between them or heat n' bond to adhere the two fabrics together. You can also use nothing in between them if desired.

1-sided - Again, to add more weight and shape to the triangle pieces we recommend using a fusible fleece on the back side of your fabrics. You can also create a banner without anything on the back of the fabrics.

(*We created a reversible banner. One side is for a girl's birthday and the other for a boys birthday)

3. Creating -

Layer your fabrics wrong sides together (if creating a reversible banner) and add any materials in between them that you'd like as mentioned above and follow the package instructions for use. Pin the fabrics together if necessary.

Position, trace and cut the triangle shapes with all the different fabrics. You will need (11 triangles for 3 yds of bias tape if using the same size of template). Sew around 2 sides of each triangle piece stitching ¼” inside of the pattern line.

Cut out the pieces using a rotary cutter, scissors or pinking shears. *think about cutting more than one triangle from the same fabric.

Once all the triangles are cut, it’s time start stringing them together! Starting about 8" in, place the triangles in between the two layers of the bias tape and pin in place. This allows enough space to have room to tie the banner if necessary.

Repeat until you reach the end the opposite end, again leaving about 8”. You can choose to create a pattern of colors or have no pattern at all! Your triangles can also be overlapped slightly, placed end to end, or have a bit of space in between. The design is up to you! (*for this project we place our triangles end to end)

Once all the triangles have been placed and pinned, sew down the entire length of the bias tape securing all the pieces in place.

You are finished! Find a fun container, fabric box, etc to store it in and we will be adding more to it! Then all of your fun party decor will neatly be stashed away in the one place.

Extra options: Add felt letters to spell out an event phrase (i.e. Happy Birthday!, Baby Shower, Go Team, Autumn, etc). The letters could be ironed or glued on. Another option is to stencil the letters on with paint. Get creative! Just be sure you have enough triangles for the letters you need. :)

If you want to make your banner longer, simply sew another strand of bias tape to one end and continue. If you want to make the banner shorter, cut the bias tape to the desired length.

next TUESDAY......we will create another item to for our "party box!"

upload and share your banners in the Brassy Apple Flickr Group - Get your CRAFT ON! have fun!

linked up with DIY day on A Soft Place to Land and Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog

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