How to Sew Easy Pot Holders with Hand Pockets
How to Sew Easy Pot Holders with Hand Pockets

I’m reviving a tutorial from my old blog for these handy, easy to sew DIY pot holder mitts. I sewed a bunch of these up for Christmas that year, so I tried to create a design that was easy to mass produce — no fussy bindings or anything like that! I think it would be fun to whip up another batch this many years later, to gift to my current local friends, which is why I went looking for my old tutorial!

I love this style of pot holder in particular because it has pockets for your hands, so you’re not in as much danger of burning yourself as you are when using a basic square pot holder. Also, when cooking with kids, these mitts are great because they can grasp pans more easily that when wearing huge, clunky oven mitts!

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tutorial, gifts, home decor, pattern shopNikki Schreiner Comments
5 Tips for Costume Sewing (and how to do it on the CHEAP)
5 Tips for Costume Sewing (and how to do it on the CHEAP)

It’s no secret around here that I looooove costume sewing! I’ve been making DIY Halloween costumes since my kids were little tykes and I’ve shared pretty much all of them here with you over the years. But today I wanted to share some tips and tricks for sewing Halloween costumes that I’ve picked up that have made costume sewing both easier and cheaper. You CAN DIY your kids’ costumes, and your own too!

If you want to DIY some home made costumes this year, but don’t know where to start, how to find costume fabrics, how to do it frugally, or how to find patterns for that obscure cartoon character your kid wants to be — you’re in the right place!

I’ve been having some fun over on my YouTube channel lately, so in addition to writing these tips here, I created a video with my costume sewing tips too! Enjoy :)

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costumes, Fall, Halloween, tips and tricksNikki Schreiner Comment
How to Sew a Baby Hat, 3 Ways! A Beginner-Friendly Tutorial
How to Sew a Baby Hat, 3 Ways! A Beginner-Friendly Tutorial

I set out to create a truly simple, easy, fast baby hat pattern and I think I’ve succeeded! Learn to sew these cute knotted baby hats or hat with adorable bear ears with this beginner friendly video tutorial. These baby hats are sewn with soft stretch knit fabrics and can even be made with t-shirts from your giveaway pile as a frugal option.

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sewing for baby, free pattern, pattern shopNikki Schreiner Comments
How to Sew Simple Baby Burp Cloths: A Video Tutorial
How to Sew Simple Baby Burp Cloths: A Video Tutorial

My husband has a few coworkers who have recently become parents and he asked I'd like to make them some little baby shower gifts. He suggested burp rags and although I made many of these when my own kids were babies, I've never made a tutorial for them. So here we are! How to sew easy baby burp cloths: a totally beginner friendly tutorial.

I realize this is a very simple project that most people can figure out on their own, but I wanted to create this easy sewing tutorial for those who may not really know where to start. In fact, this would be a great first sewing project for someone just getting started! We'll cover the best fabrics to choose for burp rags, whether or not to line it for extra absorbency, and what size to make them.

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sewing for baby, tutorialNikki SchreinerComment
Secrets to Fabric Shopping at Hobby Lobby: Updated for 2021!
Secrets to Fabric Shopping at Hobby Lobby: Updated for 2021!

If you’ve been following along with me here or on Instagram for a length of time, you’ll have noticed how many of my fabrics I get from Hobby Lobby. I am lucky to live very near to one currently, which hasn’t always been the case for me, and may not be in the future, but I’m thankful for it now! Not only is JoAnn not as conveniently located for me, I almost always leave there frustrated, so I rarely ever go. Hobby Lobby, on the other hand, I have had great success with for fabric shopping! Hobby Lobby sells such nice fabrics and I’m willing to bet they have way variety than you think!

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sewing room, sewing tools, tips and tricksNikki Schreiner Comments
Sewing Ballet Costumes: Patterns & Resources
Sewing Ballet Costumes: Patterns & Resources

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve recently been tasked by my daughter’s ballet studio with sewing a new solo costume for the part of Dove of Peace for this year’s Nutcracker. My 16-year-old daughter Natalie will be dancing the part this year, so I was VERY excited to say yes!

The studio owner pretty much gave us creative license, but definitely wanted it to use a white platter tutu, for which we can make an overlay. Then Natalie and I could decide what to do for the top. We spent the entire drive home that night talking about our ideas and came up with a plan. So fun!

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costumes, fashion sewingNikki Schreiner Comment
How to Sew Quilted Doll Sleeping Bags (In 3 Sizes!)
How to Sew Quilted Doll Sleeping Bags (In 3 Sizes!)

Introducing, the newest pattern in the Pin Cut Sew pattern shop! This pattern is for a quilted doll sleeping bag that you can sew up in three sizes. This is one of those things I keep wishing I’d come up with sooner, as my own kids would have really loved them for their dolls when they were younger. Luckily, these will make great gifts, so I’ll be able to make other peoples’ kids happy with them, haha.

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dolls and doll clothes, quilting, sewing for kidsNikki SchreinerComment
They're Here! Phoebe Cow & Pig Doll Patterns
They're Here! Phoebe Cow & Pig Doll Patterns

Whew! When I first started this project, I knew I wanted to create a trio of rag doll patterns and I was super determined to get them all done before we started our homeschool year. Some of the best business advice I’ve ever heard is to “finish things”, so I’m proud to say that I am done and Cow & Pig are listed in my pattern shop, right alongside the baby doll pattern and Cat & Mouse.

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dolls and doll clothes, pattern shop, sewing for kidsNikki SchreinerComment
Sewing Patterns for Build-A-Bear Clothes
Sewing Patterns for Build-A-Bear Clothes

There are a few things that I’ve wanted to sew over the years that I had a hard time rounding up sewing pattern sources for and Build-A-Bear clothes is one of them! All three of my kids loved their Build-A-Bears when they were younger, though, and I DID eventually manage to find a few good sources for patterns.

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dolls and doll clothes, sewing for kidsNikki Schreiner Comments
Hand Sewing Projects to Take on Road Trips
Hand Sewing Projects to Take on Road Trips

I just got back from the BEST trip with my husband to the Outer Banks to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Since we were driving 6 hours and planned to have some restful down time while we were there, on the morning we left I woke up wondering if there was a portable hand sewing project I could take on our trip with me. I normally take a crochet or knitting project, but hadn’t even thought about it so I didn’t have one in mind, and those are more winter hobbies for me anyway.

I knew there had to be some travel friendly hand sewing projects that I could take to work on while traveling. I needed one that wouldn’t require much prep since we were leaving in just a few hours, so I googled some ideas and landed on one that was easy enough to take in just one shoe box sized bin.

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ideas and inspiration, quiltingNikki SchreinerComment
Phoebe Rag Doll Cat & Mouse Pattern
Phoebe Rag Doll Cat & Mouse Pattern

In case you missed it! Last week I released another doll sewing pattern in my shop, the Phoebe Rag Doll Cat and Mouse pattern, with the cutest little clothes! This new pattern is a sister pattern to the Phoebe Rag Doll I released a few weeks ago with the sleep sack and diaper. The baby doll pattern has already been very popular and the new animal dolls are catching up fast, making me just giddy that so many are finding this pattern both adorable and doable!

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dolls and doll clothes, pattern shop, sewing for kidsNikki SchreinerComment
How to Sew a Shirred Dress (It's easier than you think!)
How to Sew a Shirred Dress (It's easier than you think!)

I’ve hopped on the shirred dress train! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen the shirred dress I made recently using a vintage pattern from the 70’s. Shirred dresses are so comfortable for summer, it didn’t take me long to want to add another one to my wardrobe!

I picked up some tips and tricks for shirring when I made that first dress, so this time I recorded the process to share with you in a video tutorial for sewing an easy, rectangular shirred dress with your sewing machine! I’ve posted the video below along with a list of the tips and troubleshooting ideas so you can refer back to it easily.

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fashion sewing, tutorialNikki Schreiner Comments