Hello Pickle Toes Fans!  Looking for a quick but still impressive sew?  We’ve got an awesome tutorial today for that special tiny toy car hoarder collector in your life. I have 2 little guys that are equally obsessed with tiny cars.  I find them everywhere--under the sofa, in the TV cabinet, in the tub after bath time, even in the freezer after they became second place to a bowl of ice cream.  Every time I do the laundry I always find a few that have gone on one wild ride through the washer and have wiggled out of my son’s pockets somewhere in the dryer. Cue banging sounds in dryer. Hahaha

 My boys always stuff their cars in their pockets.  Sometimes my 2 year old gets really grouchy when he can’t fit them all. My 4 year old already knows he likes to carry more than his pocket can hold, so he’s started carrying a backpack--Which always gets “too heavy”.  So basically I’m carrying around a puppy dog backpack full of cars, a diaper bag, and 2 toddlers with 2 big girls trailing behind.  What a sight, I’m sure. :P

Enter the Travel Car Mat.

Basically this came out of necessity. I NEEDED to stop carrying this backpack full of cars and teach my boys to be a little more independent.  I still needed these darn cars to come with us everywhere because they keep my boys busy and super calm when we’re out.  If something keeps my toddlers busy, even for 4.2 seconds, it’s a total win for me. Bonus--that means I get 4.2 seconds of uninterrupted thought and zero sweating, but, ya know, your mileage may vary.

Here’s what you need to create this Travel Car Mat:

-11”wx12”H woven fabric (2 pieces, 1 for front and 1 for back)

-3”hx11”W woven fabric (this will be your pockets)

-3”hx11”w black felt (2 pieces, these will be your roads)

-1”wx1/2”h yellow felt (8 pieces, these will be the yellow lines on the roads)

-closure of choice (either 8 snaps, hook and loop tape as desired or 9 inches of 1/4” elastic

-ribbon or webbing 9”long (2 pieces)

-thread to match

 

(I am using the vehicle fabric for front and back, as well as the pocket)

Cut all your fabric out and gather all your materials.

Begin by hemming the pocket piece about 3/8”.

Next, you will create the pockets for your cars to fit into. I decided on about 2” and all our average sized cars fit inside. First, lay your hemmed pocket piece on top of your 11”x12”front fabric piece. Be sure to line up the 2 sides and bottom edges as best as you can. Clip or pin the pocket to the fabric to where it was hemmed.  This will hold it still.

 Next, measure ½” from the left and right edges of your fabric-I used a clip for this. This will be the seam allowance when we sew the front and back together. From that clip on the left side, measure 2” and mark it with a pin. Continue marking the lines for your pockets every 2” until you have 5 pockets. Your last pin should be about 2 and ½” from the right edge of your fabric.  Alternately, you can just simple create 2 large pockets by measuring and marking right down the middle of your pocket piece. **If you are adding snaps or Velcro for closure, this would be a good time to add the one side. Add 4 snaps or 3pieces of Velcro as desired, staying away from where your pocket stitches will be.  Be sure to only attach your Velcro or snaps to your pocket piece and not the top 11”x12”piece.

Now we will sew our pockets. Starting from the top of your pocket, sew a straight line to your pin, being sure to remove your pin and sew to the end of your fabric. Repeat for your 4 other pockets. You should now have 3 closed pockets and 2 end pockets that are open on the sides. We will close these later.

Next we will sew the yellow lines onto your roads. Determine how you want to place them on your road and pin. Sew yellow felt to the black felt, sewing down the middle of your yellow rectangle. Full disclosure, I used white thread NOT yellow and you can’t tell the difference.

Repeat step 5 for your second road. **As another option, you can create a “figure 8” for your road. It will need to be about 7” tall and 10”wide. Sew the yellow lines onto your “figure 8” in the same way, doing your best to space them evenly.

 

Now it’s time to sew your roads down. Measure 1” from the top of your front 11”x12” piece.  Pin one of your roads to the front piece, making sure the entire road is 1”from the top of your fabric and lines up with the sides of your front piece. Pin it in place. Top stitch 3/8” along the top and bottom of your road.  **If you chose a figure 8, pin and topstitch 3/8” along the outside and inside edges of your 8.

 

Measure 1” from the bottom of the road you just sewed. Pin your second road to the front piece, making sure the entire road is 1”from the bottom of your first road. Top stitch 3/8”along the top and bottom of your second road.

 

Next we will sew some “fold lines”. I like to add this detail because it makes it easier for little hands to fold the car mat. Looking at the mat, we have created a gap between the two roads and a gap between the bottom road and the pockets. This is where we will create our “fold lines”.  Increase your stitch length just a touch, it doesn’t need to be too long. Sew a straight line across the middle of the gap between the roads, the entire length of the mat. It should be about ½” from each road but you can easily eyeball this part.  Repeat for the gap between the bottom road and the pocket. **If you created a figure 8, you should still create these fold lines.  Measure about 4 ½” from the top edge. This will be your first fold line.  Next, measure 4 ½” from the top of your pockets. This will be your second fold line. Straight stitch the length of your Car Mat.

Now it’s time to pin your straps. Take your ribbon/webbing and pin one end on fold line you just created. Pin or clip the other end to your second fold line. Be sure your ribbon sits ON TOP of your Car Mat and NOT OFF the edges.  Repeat with the ribbon/webbing on the opposite side to create your second strap.

I chose to use an elastic strap that could be pulled around the Car Mat after it was folded. Measure about 2 ½” from the upper right corner of your Car Mat. Pin or clip and overlap the ends, making sure your elastic creates a loop and lines up with the edges. Again, be sure your elastic loop sits ON TOP of your Car Mat, NOT off the edges.

 

It’s time to close your Car Mat! Lay your back 11”x12” piece on top of your front piece, right sides together. Clip or pin all the way around, leaving a 4” opening in the middle of the top for turning. When you reach the spots where you pinned the straps, be sure to remove to pins/clips and re-clip or pin to include the bottom fabric. You should have 3 layers here-- top fabric, strap, and bottom fabric. When you reach your elastic strap, remove the pin and re-pin or clip to include the bottom fabric. Here, you will have 4 layers, top fabric, elastic and bottom fabric. Top stitch about 3/8”all around the edges. Be sure to catch all your layers including your roads pockets, elastic and straps. **If you made a figure 8, It is not necessary to catch the road when you sew it shut since it was already top stitched.

Turn your Car Mat right side out and double check that all layers are sewn.

Now it’s time to top stitch. Fold the fabric at the opening inside and iron it flat. Top stitch 3/8”, starting at the TOP left side of the pocket. DO NOT top stitch the pockets.  You will only topstitch the 2 sides and the top. When top stitching the top, be sure to sew your opening closed.

If you are adding snaps or Velcro, this is the time to add the second half. They should be place on the back piece, in the gap between the two roads.

You’re done! Now little hands can carry their own cars using the straps and they’ll have a little mat to play on. Fold it up and show it to your favorite car collector and anyone else that will think it’s amazing!

 

 

My boys have already discovered that toy dinosaurs fit really well in the pockets, along with cheese sticks and teddy grahams.  :P

 

Happy sewing Pickle Toes Fans!

By Lindsay Stroup

 

 

Hi everyone! This is Brandi from the PTP team and I have a cool new hack for you today!

The Snail Hunters pattern is one of my favorite PTP patterns! It is so versatile and I love that I can use the same pattern for both my son and daughter. As great as this pattern is, today I will show you an easy hack to make them even better! I will be showing you how to do some cool color blocked, wide stripes that you can add to one, or both, legs.

This was my first experience with hacking a pattern. I must admit, at first, I was a little intimidated by the thought of it! I really shouldn't have been because it turned out to be so quick and easy!! The best part?? My son loves them!

Items needed:

-Snail Hunters pattern. If you don't already own the pattern, you can purchase it here.
-Fabric. The number of different fabrics needed will depend on how many different stripes wanted. I used two.
-paper scissors
-fabric scissors
-tape
-ruler
-pencil
-and, of course, a sewing machine/serger and matching thread

Start by printing and taping together the pattern. I printed two copies of the front, back and side panel pieces. One for the regular leg and one for the new color blocked leg. One copy will work, but make sure to cut fabric for the regular leg first, because the pieces will need to be cut and taped together for the other leg.)
Note: If doing the faux fly, be sure to do this on the non color blocked side.

Take one set of pattern pieces and lay them out with the front piece and the side panel piece right sides UP. The back piece will be placed right
side DOWN. This is done so that it will make a complete leg piece that will be cut out as one piece. Now, cut the seam allowance (3/8") from the
straight edge of each of the 3 pattern pieces.

Once this is done, tape the 3 pieces together, making sure that the front
and side panel pieces are right side up and the back piece is right side down.

Next, the fabric for the color blocked leg will be cut out and sewn together. I measured my new pattern piece to figure out the size of my finished piece of fabric. The length of your strips will be determined by how many stripes are wanted. I chose to do four stripes. Two of each color. Make sure to add seam allowance (3/8") to the top and bottom of each strip. Also, the finished piece of fabric should be larger than the pattern piece. After the strips are cut, sew them together and top stitch each seam. This is how the fabric will look.

Once sewn together, cut out the pattern piece for the color blocked leg. This leg is done!!

For the second leg, the pattern pieces will be laid out opposite of how they were for the first leg. This means that if the piece was right side up, it will now be placed right side DOWN and vice versa.

The second leg and the rest of the Snail Hunters can now be finished according to the original instructions!

Here are my son's new Snail Hunters in action...

As Easter rapidly approaches images of cute little chickadees and bunnies come to mind. My daughter (and son for that matter) loves dressing up as animals so what better dress up play this year for Easter than to make a cute little set of bunny ears for my kiddos to wear when posing for photos! This is a super quick tutorial for wired bunny ears, so your little can be hopping along just in time for Easter. 

Supply list: 

Fabric

Pattern

Headband 

Light or medium weight jewelry wire (I used the $0.98 kind from Walmart)

Sewing Machine

Thread, needles, and scissors 

 

For tutorial purposes I used a white woven fabric (it shows up better in contrast with my ironing board and the wire color I picked). You could use knit fabric however, I would use interfacing to give the material more body.

1. We begin with sewing together the bunny ears. Place your fabrics right sides together and using 3/8 seam allowance you will sew around the ears. I left the opening where the knot will go for ease of turning. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end of your stitch line.

2. Once you have sewn this part together you will turn your ear piece right side out and iron, this way your opening will lay nice and flat.

3. Next cut a 20 inch piece of your wire and attach the ends together creating a loop. I twisted it together then put the twisted piece toward where the middle of my ears will be.

4. Now slide the wire into the bunny ear piece. It may take a bit of wiggling to get the entire wire though the opening but just keep wiggling it in until it is completely inside the ear.

5. Push the wire toward the center of the ear so you can topstitch around the entire ear piece making sure catch both pieces to close the turn hole (I topstitch at 1/4 inch).

6. Once you have topstitched all that is left is to tie your ears into a knot onto the headband and pull the wires toward the seams of the ears so they may be in the positioning you would like them in.

 

 Once you get your ears all straightened out, you are all done and ready for your bunnies to get hopping!

Pillowcase Tutorial

Pillowcases make excellent gifts and can be sewn up quickly for those last minute gifting needs.  

Supplies needed for 1 pillowcase.  

• 27" by width of fabric, w.o.f.,  ( 3/4 yd) of fabric for body of pillowcase for standard size case.  You will need 30" for queen or 35" for king.
• 2" strip by w.o.f.  of accent fabric
• 9" by w.o.f. for the band
• thread
• sewing machine

 

Once you have your fabric cut, measure each strip to make sure they are the same width from selvage to selvage.  Trim the selvages off and even them up to the same widths.  This is important for sewing the band in place.  

After all pieces are trimmed to the same width, sew with a zig-zag stitch, overcast stitch or serge the side and bottom of the body.  Go back and sew a straight stitch 3/8" from edge.

Now iron the accent strip and band pieces in half.  Sew the short ends of each strip together making sure to sew 3/8" seam allowance.  Overcasting or zig-zag stitching these seams isn't necessary as they will be enclosed.  

Fold and iron in half again and place one looped strip inside the other as shown.  Make sure to match up the seams on each strip and place the raw edges together.

With the body of the pillowcase inside out, tuck the band and accent strip inside the pillowcase as shown, being sure to place the seams of the band and accent strip against the seam of the pillowcase body.  Pin in place all the way around making sure the raw edges of the band, accent strip and body are all lined up.

Sew with a zig-zag or overcast stitch, or serge all the way around.  Go back with a straight stitch 3/8" from edge to secure.  

Turn inside out and use a pencil or chop stitch to push the corners out.  You can top stitch with a coordinating thread color to keep the accent strip in place and to give a more finished look.  The whole project takes about half an hour and will be a well loved gift.  

I love to package them with this sweet card and topper set similar to what is shown below.  It really makes the pillowcase gift special.  

 

Good Day All!

 

I am back again with a quick tutorial for making a triangle zippered pouch. These are great little sews that use up tons of scrap and are fairly practical. You can change the sizing of these to be as large or as small as you would like, plus they make a stellar hostess gifts; or in my case dice bags for my sons. If you have any dice game players in your family, this has been on one of my son’s lists for about 6 months, and since they take a few minutes to sew each of his Dungeons and Dragons buddies will be getting one with a new set of dice 😊. I apologize now that I do not have my son’s D&D dice (he refuses to let anyone else touch his) so I used his Cube Quest game for photo purposes and was promptly told I needed to now make sets for those games- lol.

 

 

So lets get started!

 

Supplies: For this tutorial I will be making approximately a 4 inch tall triangle pouch

2 pieces of 5x10 fabric, one will be your lining and one your outer.

2 Pieces of fusible interfacing (I had to piece mine together because I was running low. I used a midweight one but you can use the fleece or something heavier if you prefer the pouch to be stiffer)

1-7 inch zipper for the size that I am making, if you choose to resize this then you will want to make sure that your zipper length is longer than what is recommended here. I recommend using a vinyl over metal zipper

2-3 inch piece of ribbon (optional)

Sewing machine

Pins or clips

Zipper foot (optional)

 

******3/8 inch seam allowance is what is used throughout the tutorial********

 

Step 1 we are going to make sure we have the 2 pieces of fabric cut down to the 5x10 inch size then go ahead and interface both your lining and your outer. I opted for the mid weight for both pieces, if I were sizing this up, I would probably recommend at least one side fused with either heavier weight interfacing or fusible fleece to give it a shape that actually stands up well.

Next you are going to sandwich your zipper in between your outer fabric and your lining, with the fabrics right side together. You want to make sure if you are using directional fabrics as I did, that your zipper pull is at the top and face down on your outer fabric. This is where a zipper foot will come in handy, you want to sew as close to that zipper as you can get without actually sewing over the teeth of the zipper.

You will now flip the outer and lining over right side and topstitch along the edge you have just sewn (where my finger is pointing).

Now we are going to sew the other side. Place the outer fabric right side down on the zipper edge, you are going to be forming a loop with the outer fabric at this point since it will now be sewn on one side and pinned to the other side of the zipper.

You are going to do the same thing with the lining. After you pin it down, it should look like the photos below. Now you will sew this the same way that you did the other side, with your zipper foot getting as close as you can to the zipper.

Reach in between the 2 fabrics and unzip the zipper and turn your fabrics so your lining is on the inside and your outer fabric is right side out. We are now going to topstitch the other side of the zipper like we did earlier. Again using that zipper foot we are going to pull the fabric as tight as we can and sew down along the straightened edge making sure to stay clear of the actual zipper teeth.

This point you should have a tube shape with your zipper on top, you are going to turn your fabric so the lining is facing the outside and rezip the pouch. We are now going to sew the parts that will make the pouch a triangle. You will start with the zipper in the middle of the pouch and flattening the pouch so we can sew the bottom shut. Pin along the edge without the zipper pull.

You will now sew along this edge. Just a brief note, if you sew this edge and leave it like this it will have an unfinished edge. I recommend using pinking shears, a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine or serger to finish the seams.

We are going to unzip the zipper again and this time fold the pouch so that the zipper is folded in half and flatten the pouch again and pin. If you are adding a ribbon for a small loop you will add it now about ¼ of an inch from the zipper edge.

You will now sew this edge, finishing it with your preferred method you used earlier. Turn your little pouch right side out and you are all finished and ready to put what you would like in your little pouch!

 

 

Come show us in the group if you made any of these for stocking stuffers, teachers gifts or just because you thought they were cute!          

If you are new to sewing and would like to learn more about what starter machine to purchase, check out this blog for some great information.  

 

If you're like me,  you have a few old towles that have some holes in them.  This is the perfect project to upcycle those old towles or washcloths.  PLUS it's seriously a fast project.  I knocked out 3 of these in 30 minutes just today.  

Tutorial

You will need:
Terry cloth fabric or old towels
Knit Fabric Scraps
Cording/Ribbon/Rope/String cut to 9 inches long
Pins or clips
Iron
Sewing Machine 
Serger (optional) 

Pattern can be found here: Free Kids Bath Mitt Pattern

We will start just like every other pattern by printing and cutting the pattern.  Then lay your pattern piece and cut 2 from terry cloth fabric and 1 from knit fabric.  You could use woven fabric if you like, but you run the risk of it fraying over time.  

 

Next lay your knit fabric right side up over one piece of the terry cloth fabric also right side up as pictured below.  

Take the cording/ribbon/rope (whatever you have decided to make the loop out of) fold it in half and place it as pictured in the photo below.  Pin the loop taking care not to pin too close to the top so that you don't sew over your pin.  You will have about 1/2 inch overhang on the loop.  

 

Place the other cut piece of terry fabric over the knit/terry pieces you have pinned the loop to.  These should be right sides together.  Sew with a straight stitch or serge as indicated in the photo below using a 3/8 inch seam allowance.  

 

If you have used your sewing machine to sew around the mitt you will need to clip the curves or use pinking shears to cut the seam allowance so that it will turn more smoothly.  Turn the mitt right side out.  Use a turning tool or chopstick to smooth out the edges from the inside so that you have nice curves.  At the point you may press the mitt , but it isn't a must.  

Turn the bottom of the mitt under 1 inch, press the hem.  Sew around the hem.  You can use a straight stitch if you like or you can get fancy with another stitch.  I like to use my double needle to hem everything.  I just like the way it looks.  

 

So easy! You have completed your bath mitt!!  I tried it on and it fits my hand, so you could use this for adults as well.  I hope you make a ton and use all your scraps!  

 

 

As always take care and happy sewing, 
The Pickle Toes Patterns Team 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays to all. I love stockings. For me, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas until you have them hung up waiting for all your goodies from Santa. This year Kellie is super awesome and created a freebie for all our followers. And today I am going to walk you through creating your own special stockings like I did this year. Snag the pattern here.

 

 

Kellie has included 2 different sizes plus a color blocked larger stocking for you to choose from in this pattern. I have looked at several different ways to construct this pattern and found the method I am going to use to be the easiest. And lets get started making some fun holiday stockings!

 

Supply list:

Pattern can be found here: Christmas Stocking

 

Fabric (I had 3.5yds for 6 stockings)

Ribbon

Cutting mat

Rotary cutter

Interfacing (if you would like to use it, I did not use it in mine because I prefer softer stockings, however if you are loading your stockings very full with heavy items you may want to consider using midweight interfacing)

Pattern pieces

Sewing machine

Pins

 

 

*****3/8 inch seam allowance was used for this tutorial*********

 

First decide which pattern you are going to be using (for the sake of this tutorial, I will be using the color blocked version). Then cut out your pieces. You should have your outer fabrics (the stocking body and color block pieces and your cuff) and lining pieces (stocking body and cuff). If you are using interfacing, you will interface your pieces now.

 

 

Next for the color blocked version (if you are doing the plain version you can skip to the next step) you will pin the toe piece to the stocking body. I like to pin the middle then ease the curves together while pinning to the outside. Once you sew it, you’ll push the seam toward the body of the stocking (I like to iron here) and topstitch. You will do the same process for the heel.

 

Now you can begin attaching your cuffs to you your stocking bodies. You will attach your lining to your outer cuff piece, right side together for both the front and back of your stockings. Then you will attach your lining pieces to your outer cuff piece right side together also for the front and back of your stocking.

 

 

Now you will sew your stocking outer pieces together. Open up the cuff pieces at pin the stocking right sides together, making sure to line up the cuff seam. Sew from one corner of the cuff, down the body, around the toe and back up to the other side of the cuff.

 

 

 

You will do the same thing for the lining but if you are adding the ribbon so your stocking may hang then you will add it prior to pinning and sewing. I found the best place is just between the cuff and body. Now pin the lining and sew together.

 

 

The next step is to line up your stocking and lining, right sides together. And you will sew the stockings together at the cuff. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end, and also to leave a hole for turning your stocking (I like to put the hole on the back of the stocking).

 

 

Once you have attached your lining and outer together at the cuff, now you get to pull your stocking through the turn hole. Once you have pulled the stockings completely through the hole, you will push your lining into the stocking body so that your pieces are now wrong side together and you have fully enclosed seams. Press your stocking and cuffs so they are nice and flat, making sure that your turn hole is folded in, pin and close by top stitching the cuff.

 

 

 

Fold your cuff down and if you would like press the cuff again and you are all finished.

 

 

Make sure to pop over to the group www.facebook.com/groups/pickletoespatterns and show us your fabulous stockings!

 

Want a fun bag for trick or treating?  Or maybe just a fun bag for shopping, toys or the library?  This tutorial is just what you need.

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