{michellepatterns.com}

Mid-Century Fabric Vintage Blues and Greens

Mid-Century Fabric available from Pattern like

Vintage Scandinavian Mod Fabric

Vintage Scandinavian Mod Fabric available at European Modern

Creamy White Round Ceramic Buttons

creamy white round ceramic buttons from Sheppard Handmade

Art Gallery Fabrics Coquette - Flower Bed Blush

Coquette - Flower Bed Blush

Belted Tote in Grey Melton Wool + Tip for Strap Turning

This summer I used this linen version of the Belted Tote quite a bit.  The fabric was not good quality, so it didn't take long before it wore through and an ever growing hole developed on the back.  :0[

But fall is here, so it is time for a wool bag!  Yesterday I finished making a Belted Tote shown above.  It is a very dark grey Melton wool. 

Last week I pulled out a few wools and started thinking about making a bag, but the thing that tripped me up was I wanted the straps to be wool too.  Wool is a pleasure to sew, but it gets bulky really fast. 

So the method of folding the strap piece and enclosing the raw edges in the center does not work.  It is pretty much impossible to get four layers of wool under the presser foot. 

The other option of turning a strap right side out is something I dread--I just don't have the patience for it, and it is so hard your fingers. 

But recently I saw a tutorial via Pinterest that gave the perfect solution for turning a strap right side out!  Sadly, I didn't pin the tutorial.  If you pinned it, please drop a link to the original in the comments and I'll link to it. 

Here is the basic idea:

Cut a piece of ribbon 1-2" longer than your strap. Center the ribbon down the length of the strap piece on the RIGHT side of the fabric.  Stitch the ribbon in place on one end.  Sew it down well.

Fold the strap in half, RIGHT sides together, encasing the ribbon in the center.  Pin down the length making sure the ribbon stays in the center.

Sew the length of the strap, making sure not to stitch through the ribbon. 

Tuck the end with the sewn ribbon down into the tube to get it started.

Gently pull the other end of the ribbon to turn the strap right side out. 

 

 

If You've Ever Wanted to Make Your Own PDF Sewing Pattern

For the last few weeks I've been quietly working on a special project, and yesterday I finished! 

If you've ever considered making your own PDF pattern to sell, read on... 

I've shared my pattern making secrets, tips, and experience in this 20 page document.  It covers the things I've learned while making patterns for the last 5 years, plus instructions for how to use OpenOffice to format a PDF sewing pattern. 

Let me tell you part of one of my secrets--OpenOffice (OO) contains a special feature that makes it IDEAL for putting together a PDF sewing pattern.

I discovered this feature by accident and it has really helped me out a lot in the last 3 years. It took away one of the most frustrating aspects of creating the pattern document.  Of course, it is possible to make a pattern in other programs, but it isn't nearly as simple.  Before I knew about this feature, the final formatting of the pattern document was by trial and error, with a big dose of "hope this works!".

This information isn't easy for me to part with, since pattern making is how I support myself, but there is a method to my madness. In the coming days I'll talk more about the reasons for sharing this information. 

About half of the document goes over the specific instructions for applying the different formatting you'll need to use to make a pattern.  Screen shots show the menus for the more complicated parts. They aren't actually all that complicated, but it helps to have visuals.

These are all the formatting tools I regularly use to make my patterns.  It took me time to consistently and easily remember how to do some of these things, so I think you'll appreciate having this document as a reference while you write your pattern.  I should have written them down for myself long ago!

The other half includes:

• What the pattern user needs
• Basic overview of the pattern making process
• General photo info - test photos, file formats, number of images, image size, etc.
• General info about the pattern pieces - how I make them, margin guide, text to include, etc.
• Setting up and saving a template so your document will be ready for future patterns
• Tips for writing the instructions - style, voice, font considerations, etc.
• Inserting the instruction images
• Inserting, testing, and troubleshooting the pattern pieces (the hardest part!)
• Exporting to pdf
• Testing the pattern
• Lots of tips from my own experience

 It does NOT contain instructions for taking or making your images.  You'll need to know the basics of how to use an imaging editing program.  This is pretty common knowledge these days, and you really only need to know the basics--crop, enhance, add text/graphics, and how to use a few other simple tools in the editing program.