Sewspire – Page 2 – Sewing instruction & creative inspiration with Andrea Chapman

How to sew a linen hipster crossbody bag + studio tours

Posted on March 10, 2018March 14, 2018 by SewSpire

Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

Today, I am here to show you how to sew this fabulous crossbody hipster bag. I especially love this bag because it is crafted from linen and premium cotton prints.

How to sew a linen crossbody hipster bag by Sewspire

For this project you will need a half yard of linen and a half yard of cotton; plus a half yard of Pellon heavyweight iron on interfacing, a swivel d-ring clasp/closure and a swivel key fob.

To begin, precut the follow fabric pieces

Cut four 9″ x 11″ body panels (two from linen and two from cotton; line all with Pellon)

Cut one 28″ x 3″ interior gusset (from cotton, line with Pellon)

Cut one 28″ x 9″ exterior gusset (from linen, line with Pellon after pleating)

Cut one 5″ x 10″ fob strap (from cotton, no Pellon)

Cut four 5″ x 8″ exterior and interior pocket (from cotton, no Pellon)

Cut two 10″ x 9″ flaps (from cotton, line one with Pellon)

Cut one 16″ x 4″ closure strap (from linen, no Pellon)

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and will subscribe to my YouTube Channel! If you enjoy making bags, I’d like to invite you to take advantage of my Bag Maker’s Tutorial Bundle which includes 5 of my most popular bag tutorials in PDF Format for instant download for only $5.99!

Also, for your reference, I am using: Pellon Decor Bond 809 Firm Iron On Backing #1925944 which you can get for $2.77 p yard at Walmart.

In this weeks studio update I have included informal tours of my home and commercial sewing spaces as well as a special offer for my newest business endeavor, The Fourth Seam. If you or someone you know is considering opening an Etsy shop you’ll want to take advantage of my $9.99 read only membership so you can explore the ins and outs of running a successful Etsy shop:

I will be back soon with another inspired sewing project and studio update. Until then, please know the creative genius in me will be celebrating the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

How to sew a laminated traveler’s notebook journal cover

Posted on March 3, 2018March 3, 2018 by SewSpire

Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

How to sew a traveler's notebook journal cover by Sewspire — How to sew a traveler’s notebook journal cover by Sewspire

Today I am here to show you how to sew a laminated traveler’s notebook / journal cover. For this project you will need two pieces of laminated cotton fabric which measure 9.25″ x 8″ for the pockets and two pieces of laminated cotton fabric which measure 9.25″ x 12.5″ for the body panels; plus, two pieces of 1/4″ elastic which measure 11″ long.

The notebooks which fit in this measure 5.5″ x 8.25″. If you would like to create a custom cover to fit your specific notebooks you will add 1.5″ to the width of your notebook when it is open and laying flat on the countertop and 1″ to the height. The pockets will measure the same height as your body panels by 8″ wide.

I will be back soon with another inspired sewing project. Until then, please know the creative genius in me celebrates the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

P.S. In this week’s studio update, I announce the winners of last week’s giveaway as well as the results of our sewing machine survey. I hope you enjoy both video segments and will subscribe to the Sewspire YouTube channel:

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How to sew a phone wallet with wristlet strap and mini card case

Posted on February 24, 2018 by SewSpire

Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

How to sew a phone wallet by Sewspire.com

Today I am here to show you how to sew a phone wallet with wristlet strap and mini card case. For this project you will need approximately a half yard of cotton fabric and some Pellon firm iron on interfacing, a 7″ zipper, a key ring, small swivel fob and one snap set.

To begin, precut the following pieces of material.

Three 8″ x 9″ (back two with Pellon)

One 8″ x 5″ (backed with Pellon)

One 3″ x 8″

One 2″ x 20″ (backed with Pellon)

Four 5″ x 6″ (back one with Pellon)

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and will share photos of your finished wallets with me over on Instagram and Facebook using @sewspire and #sewspire.

I will be back soon with another inspired sewing project. Until then, please know the creative genius in me celebrates the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

P.S. I can’t finish the whole cloth quilt I started…found out why in this video:

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Celebrate and inspire your Creative Genius!

Posted on February 23, 2018 by SewSpire

Creative Genius Sewing Machine Decal Sticker Art

Lost and found lunch tote bag

Posted on February 17, 2018February 17, 2018 by SewSpire

How to sew a reusable and washable lunch tote bag

Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

I have missed you!

Many thanks to all of you who wrote to inquire as to my whereabouts. I’m here to tell you a little story of how I got lost and found + as promised I have prepared a fun sewing project for you. I hope you enjoy the video(s) and will share pictures of your finished lunch tote bags with me on Instagram and Facebook using #sewspire and @sewspire.

For the lunch tote project you will need:

4 cuts of fabric which measure 5″ wide by 12″ long

2 cuts of fabric which measure 5″ wide by 10″ long

2 cuts of fabric which measure 10″ wide by 30″ long

plus one cut of sew in hook and loop tape that measures 7.5″

Until next time, please know the creative genius in me celebrates the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

P.S. If you didn’t already…there is still time to snatch up my 5 best selling sewing tutorials for only $5.99! You’ll find those in my Watermelon Wishes Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/241893401/bag-making-pdf-sewing-pattern-bundle

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The beginning, middle and end of three special projects.

Posted on January 20, 2018 by SewSpire

As you know I have been nurturing this idea of a whole cloth quilt for several weeks now. On Wednesday I took the leap and ordered four beautiful prints from the exclusive Hawthorne Threads Nectar Collection in the Lyrical Palette.

Interestingly enough the fabric was printed in the same order as it landed in my cart and as you can see the material was also printed in a continuous cut. The top edge of the material was pretty flush with the pattern and the bottom edge had approximately 8″ of the white border. To true this up I cut a 4″ strip off the bottom and stitched that across the top. The whole cloth measures approximately 81″ x 58″. In preparation to machine quilt it I have cut a like size piece of quilt batting. I will keep you posted on my progress and be sure to share lots of photos of the process and the finished quilt on the Sewspire Facebook and Instagram pages.

As promised, here is a sneak peek of the diaper bag which I told you about last week. It’s coming along nicely and will be complete soon. I just have to add the zip top closure.

If you enjoy bag making and would like to create something similar then you’ll want to take advantage of this week’s special offer. I’ve pulled 5 of my best selling PDF patterns out of the Watermelon Wishes vault and re-released them in a PDF bundle which you can purchase for $5.99 this week only. Sold individually the patterns retailed for more than $45. I hope you will take advantage of this crazy low price before the offer sells out or ends. You’ll find the bundle for sale in my Watermelon Wishes Etsy shop.

I will be back next week with more sewing inspiration…but, before I say goodbye, I want to congratulate Susan Kohler, the winner of last week’s fabric giveaway. Congratulations Susan! Please contact me via email with your shipping address and I will ship your material this week.

Celebrating the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

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How to match fabric + Anna Maria Horner fabric giveaway

Posted on January 13, 2018 by SewSpire

Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

This week over in the Sewspire studio we are talking fabric and celebrating my 12th year in business with an inspirational fabric giveaway. If you find it challenging to pair up fabric or you just like looking at pretty fabric — then this segment is for you.

I will be back next week with a special project. Until then, please know the creative genius in me, celebrates the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop Fabric Giveaway — Simply subscribe to my YouTube Channel, like this video segment and comment. Winner will be announced in my video on Jan. 27, 2018.

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Trying something new! How to laminate fabric

Posted on January 6, 2018 by SewSpire

Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

This week we are experimenting with a Pellon product called Lamifix Vinyl. It’s 100% polyester and designed to iron on and in turn offer water resistance to cotton fabric. I hope you enjoy the video and will check in next week for more creative inspiration from the Sewspire studio.

Until then, please know the creative genius in me celebrates the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

P.S. Here’s the link to the Pellon Lamifix

And, to the Snowberry Floral in Black Fabric

I have a feeling something is missing…

Posted on December 30, 2017December 30, 2017 by SewSpire

I have to admit I have never counted and as such was pleasantly surprised to realize I have produced 58 free sewing tutorials since launching Sewspire in October of 2015! While that is plenty to be proud of, I still have this nagging feeling that something is missing from this platform and I think I have finally figured out what it is.

When I was dreaming up Sewspire, I imagined it would be a place where I could inspire others to follow their hearts and pursue their innate creative desires. Sewing is just one medium in which I personally choose to express my creativity; but, it is not actually the source of my creativity.

It is that “source” which I want to better convey to you. While I have always been considered a creative person, it has only been within the last few years that I have come to realize that my perceived creativity does not actually reside within me; but, rather passes through me.

So, while it feels as if I could go on forever producing sewing tutorials, I really want to take a leap of faith here and focus on the inspiration half of this platform aptly named Sewspire.

You’ll still hear from me on a weekly basis; but, rather than spending all our time sewing, we’ll be acknowledging and celebrating our collective creative genius.

If that sounds interesting, I hope you will hang around and see how it all comes together!

For those of you who also subscribe to my newsletter over at The Fourth Seam (which is my newly launched maker and Etsy business coaching platform) you also received an email this week in which I shared my 2018 resolution “to be in direct opposition to fear”.

In a nutshell, I have spent my whole life making decisions based upon how much risk I perceived their to be involved and for the most part always playing it “safe”.

As of late, I have been asking bigger questions and dreaming bigger dreams and I know if they are to come true I have to step outside of my comfort zone.

In February I will celebrate my 47th birthday. All things considered, that’s plenty of years playing it safe! Now, as the beloved Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic it is time to put fear in the backseat!

Want to come along for the ride?

Andrea

Designing your studio space

Posted on December 30, 2017 by SewSpire

While it certainly is fun to dream up a big beautiful sewing studio — I have come to realize, the smaller the work space the more efficient and effective I am. So, please don’t let your perceived lack of space stop you from learning to sew and instead let us focus on how you can get creative with the space you have!

Another perk of working in a small space is that it is easier to keep clean and organized. Regardless of the size of your sewing area, organization and functionality should be a top priority. It can become very costly and time consuming to mistakenly duplicate purchases because you are unable to find the original materials.

If you are currently designing your studio space, you’ll want to incorporate five areas which each serve a specific function:

Sewing table and chair
Cutting table with layout space
Ironing board and iron
Notions storage and organization
Fabric storage and organization

Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum…

Let’s say you are lucky enough to have a dedicated and fully furnished sewing room; but, unfortunately have let it get totally out of control. You may not even be able to see the floor or perhaps the space has become a catchall storage room rather than the creative haven you once imagined. No worries, we have been there and done that and are totally committed to helping you take back your creative space. When you are ready, to roll up your sleeves and get down to business, you can download our handy dandy guide How to Reclaim Your Sewing Space with Ease and Grace which will gently walk you through a fool proof organization strategy…so that you can get back to the sewing table lickety-split!