I am sewing monster!

Tutorial: Baby BiB

2012-01-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

Ah... you must be wondering why I am sewing so many baby stuff lately. First the baby wipes and now a bib. That's because my gf has a baby girl that we adore and I just like to make girlie stuff/baby stuff for her :D

So here's the bib that I'll be showing you guys how to sew today. It's abit complicated I can say, so just follow closely.

It is made using waterproof PUL and has a pocket in front, just in case the food drops down. Especially when they are feeding themselves.

From top left to right: This is how I prepare my template. I used an existing bib and drew a mould around it.
No need of you to worry about the template, you can download it here, there are 2 pages:
For the pockets and also the back piece.

Top picture: for the pockets. Cut according to the template. Seam allowance added.

Bottom picture: match both the pieces , right side facing each other. Pin them.

Top Picture: Sew them together using sewing machine.
Bottom picture: Cut V shapes around the bending areas for easy folding later. (NOTE: Be extra careful not to accidentally cut your stitching)

Top picture: Sew a line according to the curve on the smaller piece

Bottom picture: open up the cloth and use your finger to press on the sewing between the 2 pcs of fabric.

Top Picture: Fold the fabric according to the sewing at the bottom piece
Bottom Picture: This is what you will get when you fold according to the line you have sewn just now.

Sew it up with sewing machine and this is what you will get for the pocket.

Place the bigger piece and the pocket together and pin them up just like the picture.

Then put the flannel / bottom layer on top just like the picture.
(sorry about the crumpiness of the flannel. Gosh! I was sewing this on new year's eve and was rushing out to a party. So I didn't iron it. So shy now :P)

Sew around it but remember to leave an opening for you to turn your fabric over. Also make V cuttings around the sides. These V cuttings will make bending/curves looks neater when you fold them to the right sides.

Turn the fabric over. Noticed that the opening is still opened? Fold some fabric into the hole and sew it up with sewing machine or even hand sew it.

Sew around it. And add velcro Or button.

And you're done!

Happy Sewing!

Tutorial: Baby Wipes

2012-01-06T00:58:00.000-08:00

Made from Elmo printed flannel which I had asked my friend to buy for my from Australia long time ago and also Bamboo fleece, left over from my previous project.

Oh ... this is my first tutorial in Sewing Monster and this can be classified as the basic for sewing since it only involves sewing straight lines. Anyone can do it!

What you need is :

a piece of paper (cut to the size that you want your wipes to be . e.g 6 in x 6 in)

flannel (printed or non printed) (you can find some flannel via the shop here)

bamboo Fleece or Bamboo Velour (you can find it from here)

Sewing pins

If you do not have bamboo fleece, you can also use flannel for both sides. I like using bamboo fleece cos it can keep more moisture and its good when you're wiping your baby's face. Plus also it's more gentle especially when your baby is down with runny nose (touch wood!) and you gotto wipe her/his nose more often and normal hanky will make it red and skin starting to peel.

Okay so here are the steps. Actually it is very fast but since I gotto take pic and I was in a rush so my pics are very blur :( .

For every wipe you need one piece of flannel and one piece of Bamboo fleece.

Pin both the pieces of cloth with the right side facing out. Make sure you pin all the corners. Flannels and bamboo fleece can distort a bit while sewing.

Then sew around the cloth like this.

Once you're done sewing the sides. You can sew the edging using your sewing machine.

And you're done.

If your sewing machine has only the basic stitches, you can also bring it to the sewing shop and ask the shop to help you sew the edging. Since I am giving these away to my friend, I have asked the shop to do a fine edging for the wipes.

Limited edition baby wipes that you cannot buy anywhere cos I made them myself ^_^

Happy Sewing!

Washable Pads

2011-12-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

I know.. I know.. what a "thing" to sew after a long hiatus. Of all thing! Washable Pad! Just like many people I too was like "WHAT??? WHY???People created disposable for a reason- Convenience! why make your life so damn difficult?" But ever since I got my first panty liner as s gift from my customer (I designed her pamphlet) it just make me wanna explore more. Then my other customer was having some sale, so I thought hey, why not? Biz PR right? So I bought 2pcs and then tried it on. To my surprise, I love it. And I noticed a few changes in my body too after using it (read about the benefits here). So after that I bought more and then been using ever since. But I have never thought of sewing it myself. Cos I thought it's rather hard to find the materials unless I were to buy it online from USA.

So the other day I dropped by Supplies Surprise Bazaar (you will be able to find many things from all over the world!) , and I met this lady selling PUL (waterproof fabric)

and also the Bamboo Fleece (70% bamboo and 30% Organic cotton)

Super soft!

So I got home and started to google for templates. Too many of them, just gotto slowly look one by one. And I thought better test it first, just in case I sew it wrongly. So I tried sewing a panty liner. Using the PUL and also just flannel and snap button.

But since the flannel and the PUL is very thin, the snap button came off easily.

So after that I decided to try and sew a bigger pad and this time I'll add some fabric at the area where I will place the snap button. Googled for some 11" pad and then began to sew. Seriously, it is very easy to sew!

Added some fabric at the side for the snap button placement.

Noticed a mistake : The middle bamboo fleece should be rectangle but I cut it curved according to the pad pattern.

So this is what it looks like when I turn it over and sew the ends.

Voila!

*LOL* You must be thinking "is she sewing a cloth diaper or pad?" The pattern is so cute and actually they use it for baby cloth diaper but what the heck! I'm not gonna flash it and show everyone "Hey! look I have got an ellie pad!" right?

My neighbour came over and asked me what have I been busy with and I passed her this

I said "Guess what it is".
She said "It's a foldable BAG? ermmm blouse? "
I said " Open it up"
And she was like "PAD?????????????????????????"
I said "yeah!"
and she said "err.....nice"

That will always be the same expression for non CP user and I don't blame them. Cos I was once like that too. But what I can say is " if you try it, you will like it. Once you see the difference in your body, you will love it".

And the price for sewing it yourself, is really very affordable. You can sew like 15? pcs of pad with one yard or PUL and also Fleece. And the left over can be used as baby wipes and its really absorbent compared to the normal hanky.

If you wanna get some of the materials and try and sew them yourself, Sylvia will be at Crafty Bazaar and also Bettr Weekend (2 bazaars at the same time in Jaya One) this Dec17 with her lot of imported fabrics, fleece and also PULS. :)

I am back!

2011-12-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Oh yes! After a very long hiatus, I am finally back.

Thank you all for supporting me all these while. I am very grateful to have fans like you guys.

There will be some changes in Sewing Monster. I won't be sewing for sale but will be sewing for FUN and maybe even add in a few tutorials or give away patterns and even promote sewing/craft shops.

So thanks again for dropping by and BRB! Will be back with my first post soon :)