:: Button Loop Tutorial ::

It has been BEYOND insanely busy here at the Two Peas studios in the last year. Many new projects and lots of exciting plans…one of those plans was hiring an intern.

My desire in wanting to give back and work with students in a learning environment led us to attend the Career Fair at our local art college where we met La-Neka. She has been learning all about the business and doesn’t even bat an eye now when I tell her we need to go run an “errand” (which is code for ice cream run in town). She has put together a great little tutorial for you below. Please take a moment to say hello and wish her best wishes as she continues in her fashion design career.

Here she is in her first blog post…a button loop tutorial. Great for using on bags, garments and more.

 Hi, You are probably wondering who I am. I am the new intern at Two Peas in A Pod Homegrown Designs. I am a student at a local college in Ohio and I am studying fashion design. I have made a few Tutorials and I hope you like them.

-La-Neka

Loop button holes

Materials

  • Scrap fabric 12″x12″
  • Thread

Directions

1) Cut 1 piece of fabric 5 ½”x 4 ½”

2) Cut 2 strips of fabric that at 2”x 1 ½”

3) Take the larger piece and fold the long side under ½” and press. Set aside.
4) Fold one of the short pieces in half long ways with right sides together and stitch a ½” seam. Back stitch at both ends.
5) Cut the seam with in half leaving it to measure ¼”.
6) Turn the tube to the right side and press flat.
7) Lay the piece vertically flat and take the top end of the piece and line it up beside the other end. It is like wrapping a scarf on some one.  It should have a kind of looped point at the top. Iron it down flat to create a point at the top. Set aside.
Repeat steps 4 through 7 to make the second loop with the second short piece of fabric.
Take the larger piece and unfold the seam.
On the backside of the looped pieces there is a small triangle at the top. Place the piece back side up. Line up the edges of the loops with the edge of the larger piece where the fold is. Pin it into place.
Sew along the folded edge, ½” seam in, and backstitch over the loop seam.

Button looped pocket – putting your button loops to good use

Materials

  • Sample made from button loop tutorial (see button loop sample)
  • Fabric 1
  • Fabric 2
  • 2 buttons the same size (1”)
  • Thread

Directions

Cut one piece of fabric 1 measuring 4 ½” x 5 ½

Cut two long strips. One for the lining and one for the exterior.

Stitch the pieces together with right sides together leaving one of the short ends open. Backstitch with a ½” seam on each side of the fabric.

Turn the pocket to the right side and press the seams evenly.
Press under the top that was left open with a seam allowance of ½”.
Fold the piece in half so that the short end that is open is lined up with the other short end. Wrong sides together.
Topstitch the side edges with a ¼” seam. Press flat and set aside.
Take the button loop sample and the short cut piece that is the same size as the samples beginning size and place it on top right sides together and stitch it on ½” seam on each side accept the opposite end of the button loops. Turn it to the right side and press the seams evenly. Take the open end of the button loop flap top and slide it into the pocket piece’s opening ½” down and tip stitch it into the seam. Press the seam flat. Flap the top of the button loops over evenly lined up with the pocket.
Make a mark where the loops are through the loop, make a dot. This is where your buttons will be. Flip it back and sew your buttons where you made your mark.
Now you’re all done with this great button looped pocket. Add a plastic bag and make it for snacks or store your safety pins in it.

 Great job La-Neka!

 

:: Mother’s Day project for Pediatric Cancer ::

A little boy in our area, Sam Bish, who was the same age as my “two peas”, passed away several years ago from pediatric cancer.  Cancer sucks enough as it is at any age but to strike a child – makes me weak in the knees and my heart ache.

I had the pleasure of meeting Cindy Bish, Sam’s Mom, through a mutual friend at church while Sam was fighting his fight.  It profoundly touched us all.  Cancer is something that has surrounded our family and still rocks us to this day.  When we get a chance to lift up someone else who is in the fight, it is a gift to us to be God’s hands at that time.

I’m asking today if you will help Cindy be God’s hands.  Since Sam’s passing, her family created The Sam Bish Foundation and they bless families going though pediatric cancer treatments at the hospital Sam was treated – Nationwide Children’s Hospital here in Columbus, OH.  They bring meals to families, gift bags to the kids, pajamas, pillow cases – you name it, almost weekly, Cindy and her crew are there supporting other families.  She is truly, a saint, and a bright light in an otherwise dark day.  She posted about her next project she’s organizing for Mother’s Day…she writes,

Our next meal we will be providing at Children’s is next month and at that time I hope to give mother’s day bags to the mom’s on H12 fighting cancer right alongside their child. Many of you said you would like to help with this project. Please message me through this page if you are able to make up some bags or donate items for the bags. Many of the items can be found in dollar bins at Target, Michael’s, ect… Here are items we have put in the bags in the past- journals, note cards, chapstick/lip gloss, pens, tissues, hand sanitizer/hand lotion, body lotion, book marks, $5.00 gift cards (Starbucks/Tim Hortons/Hospital gift cards). If any of you are willing to help us pick up some of these items we would appreciate knowing that as well so we have enough products for the bags. We are planning to make up 30 bags. Thanks so much for your support. These bags have always been a blessing to the mother’s that receive them.

Here’s where YOU come in!  Can you help by making some Patchwork Wristlets for these Moms?  They require very little fabric – in fact, you probably have enough in your scrap basket to pull one of these together.  They require less than an hour of work.  These pretty little wristlets are a great bag for Mom’s to put a put a few dollars in and run down to the cafeteria.  Hold some hand sanitizer and chapstick.  I think they would find a million uses for them while they are at the hospital.

Will you join me in making these for Sam’s foundation?  Cindy would like these items by April 20th so they can organize for their April 30th delivery date.  She needs 30 of these.  Anything over that amount, she will use in future gift bags the following months since they are weekly, meeting and helping families.

Will you make a wristlet?  If so, please comment here that you are committing to making a wristlet.  Tell me how many you will be making and sending.  To save time, you can mail them directly to Cindy at : The Sam Bish Foundation – Mother’s Day Project, P.O. Box 323, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068.  If you are local to Columbus and want to pass your bag off to me, let me know and I’ll get it to Cindy.  Let’s see how many of these we can make and then Cindy will have a great stash of these sweet little bags to share with Moms…and even with the kids.  I know she has a hard time finding the right things to share with the teenagers receiving treatment and I think these would be fabulous.  Anything above the 30 quantity she needs for Mother’s Day – she will put to great use with patients and their families.

Pass the word to your sewing friends and thanks so much for helping to be the hands of God.

xoxo

:: dog gone it! it’s my birthday ::

Actually, it’s really the anniversary of my 29th birthday.  Let’s not talk about how many of these anniversaries I may have had.  But it is this weekend and I’m looking forward to cake and ice cream and a super yummy dinner with my family.  Probably a movie at home in the afternoon after church under cozy blankets and maybe some popcorn.  No work.  Sounds like a good day to me.  I’m pretty low maintenance.  And kind of a homebody to boot.  Good food, pajamas, and a fire in the fireplace is my kind of a perfect birthday afternoon.

So let’s celebrate with a giveaway.  My gift to YOU!   Here’s my gift…

A couple of Two Peas patterns, a key fob, a camera strap slipcover, a chalkboard tray (handmade by the Gardener himself), a pretty little bling bling ring, and a pincushion ring.

How to enter: Leave a ONE comment telling me what are your favorite patterns, handbags, home dec, quilts…PLUS tell me the name and location of your favorite local quilt store.  Where do you love to go hang out, talk sewing, take classes, shop for fabric and patterns in your neighborhood.

That’s it.  I’ll draw a name using random.org on Tuesday, March 26th around 10am EST.

Yea!