Pretty Retro Aprons for Barbie Dolls - Free Pattern Friday

Retro Aprons For Barbie

Scraps and bits of trim are all you need to make these pretty retro aprons for Barbie. So easy you can make them in a jiffy. Download pattern to make these three doll aprons for the perfect stocking stuffer for children and doll enthusiasts alike. Courtesy of the Vintage Pattern Marketplace. Visit all of our members' shops for unique vintage sewing patterns and supplies.

1950s Pullover Cowl Hood - Free Pattern - Easy to Make

Advance 7858 Cowl Hood Pattern

This easy to sew pullover hood fits snugly over the shoulders and around the face. Line it in contrast fabric or faux fur for an extra warm and cozy Winter head covering. Make it in lightweight fabrics to tuck into a sweater or jacket neckline for a carefree way to keep your mane in place on a windy day. This download prints on 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper. Download HERE.

Facings - A Primer for Finishing

Perhaps dread is too strong of a term but when it comes to facings, avoidance is usually the route many a seamstress take. In reality, facings do not have to be such a hurdle and the difference between a faced neckline or armhole and one that is folded over and stitched is like night and day. Take pride in your garment by seeing to the details all the way to the end. You will wear your garment proudly. 

A Primer for Facings

Print this easy to follow primer (Download Here) and keep it in your sewing area as a reference.

Felt Needle Books - Gifts for Those Who Sew

Felt Needle Cases

Needle books made of felt are travel ready or just a handy and whimsical holder for sewing needles. These are small, quick and easy and made from scraps of left-over felt and floss or yarn. Choose a butterfly, turtle, fish or bird. Great gifts for those who sew. Add one to a May basket. How about a needle book used in place of a bow on your gift to Mom on Mothers' Day? No matter how you give these they will always be treasured. Download instructions HERE.

Scrap Busting - Patchwork Potholders - Easy Last Minute Gifts to Make

Patchwork Potholders

Double duty scrap busting never looked so good. Use those bits to make this patchwork potholder. No quilting experience required. Create a shabby chic, country cottage gift for Mom with these easy to follow instructions. Download HERE.

Strawberry Potholder - A Springtime Gift for Mom

Strawberry Pot Holder

Springtime to me, is a wooden box of strawberries picked fresh from the garden, covered in a feed sack towel and presented to a kind neighbor, friend or Mom. Don't have a garden? Why not whip up some of these quick and easy pot holders dressed up as strawberries to give instead. A pair of these would be both a thoughtful and delightful gift to brighten any kitchen. Download instructions HERE.

Straw Gardening Hat Pincushion Pattern - DIY Gifts For Mom on Mothers' Day

Straw Hat Pin Cushion

What says Summer more than a straw gardening hat? This sweet pincushion made of burlap makes a pretty little presentation to anyone who sews or just loves gardening. Make one for Mom or for your child's favorite teacher as an end of the year thank you. Stick a place card on top with a pin for a place-setting and take-along memento for guests at a bridal shower. This cute pin cushion is not only versatile but so easy to make you will want to make more and more. Download instructions HERE.

DIY Gifts for Mom - Victorian Corset Shaped Laundry Bag

Victorian Corset Laundry Bag

The hourglass figure, also known as the Victorian scallop or the serpentine line was the proportion that defined beauty in the 19th century. Also known as the Golden Section, the shape defined generations of women and continues today. We have long discarded those constricting garments but our nostalgia for them lives on. For Mothers' Day why not gift Mom with a corset that hangs in her closet and collects the dirty laundry. Make it out of pretty fabrics and trim with rick rack or laces. It uses a common metal hanger and is a clever way to be green. Download instructions HERE.

Mother's Day Gifts To Make - Pretty Covered Hangers

Pretty Covered Wire Hangers

Where would we be without our Moms? Our first memories are probably of none other than the woman who gave and did the most for us, loved us more than anyone else, and shaped our lives to help us become what we are today. Mom. Mother's Day should be every day but since Hallmark specified May 10th as the official day to celebrate our Mothers, let's make it even more special with a handmade gift. 

These easy to cover hangers are more than just a simple gift. Fabric covered hangers keep tops and dresses from slipping off. The fabric covering absorbs excess moisture and the thinness of the wire hangers allows for more compact storage in the closet. Cover those wire hangers (that dry cleaners send your clothes home with) with pretty scraps of fabric. Decorate with bits of ribbon, lace and silk flowers. A thoughtful, useful and environmentally friendly diy gift for mom. 

DOWNLOAD HERE.

Look for more Mothers' Day gifts to make in the next few weeks.

Quick and Easy Easter Basket Gifts for the Seamstress

Easter baskets are traditionally filled with candy and trinkets ... little treats after the Lenten fast. But for the sewist in your family perhaps another kind of treat would be more appropriate. 

Fill a plastic egg with a few sewing essentials. Thread, threader, snaps and buttons and a length of stitch witchery and a thimble. Whatever you can find to tuck into an egg. Maybe your sewist is a vintage enthusiast? Fill your egg with vintage notions. Whatever you stuff your egg with will be a treat that travels or comes in handy in an emergency. And what a fabulous last minute addition to an Easter basket and a gift that keeps on giving. 

Happy Passover or Easter from the folks at the Vintage Pattern Marketplace!

Free Pattern - Lacy Crochet Gloves - Just in Time for Spring

Pretty Crochet Gloves

Just in time for Spring. Easy to crochet lacy gloves are a tuck in your purse take along project. Make them in pretty pastels for day wear or sexy black or silver lurex for evening. An essential accessory for every retro gal. Download this pattern HERE.

Free Pattern - Easy Baby Bibs From Finger Tip Towels

Easy Bibs From Finger Tip Towels

Baby bibs are easy to make with finger tip towels. Think of the towel as your canvas and applique with some creative scrap-busting to make them gender or holiday specific. Or leave them plain with just a bit of neckline binding for grandpa. 

However you choose to decorate, you can't lose with these easy to make baby bibs. Download instructions HERE.

Free Pattern - Fabric Flowers to Make from Scraps

Easy to Make Fabric Flowers

Fabric flowers have long been used to decorate hats and bags or for boutonnieres for the tuxedo lapel. Indeed, the realism of some of the silk flowers available today will astonish you. No longer are we confined to carry fragile, just picked flowers in wedding bouquets that wilt before that lucky catch at the end of the evening.

Today's download has instructions to make a fabric flower for every month of the year. Using leftover bits of fabric you can make these as whimsical or realistic as you choose. Pictured above we have made an aster on the left from scraps of 3 layers each of two shades of blue dotted Swiss and  pale pink chiffon. The Chrysanthemum on the right is made of 10 layers of the same pale pink chiffon.

I used a spool of thread to trace the circles onto the scraps of fabric for the aster using tailors chalk.

I found this flower pattern in a 1940's embroidery transfer envelope. The directions are pretty straightforward and I was able to make a flower in just a few minutes.  Download the instructions HERE and get busy making pretty flowers for your Easter bonnet. Prints on two 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper.

Free Pattern - Pretty Book Marks are Easy to Make

Easy to Make Book Marks

Time to raid your scrap bag again. These easy to make book marks use up the smallest bits of felt and make some sweet little book marks for your favorite book worm. From the March 1954 issue of Workbasket. Download instructions HERE.

Free Pattern - Shamrock Pin Cushion

Shamrock Pin Cushion from Workbasket Magazine

Whether you believe in the luck of the Irish or think it's all a bunch of blarney, there is no question that celebrating Saint Patrick's Day is tradition that has evolved beyond faith and heritage. Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day! So what could be easier to make than this little shamrock pin cushion to celebrate the holiday. Made of felt and hand stitched, this is a perfect project for little hands and a great way to introduce sewing and gifting to your little ones. What a lovely gift for teacher or grandma. Give this shamrock pin cushion with a "top of the morning" wish and keep the rest of the day to yourself to sew. Download instructions HERE.

Child's Bonnet Pattern - Prettiest Little Girl in the Easter Parade

1950's Girl's Hat Pattern

With Spring on the way (but still being hat weather), what a lovely way to usher in the season with this easy to make embellished bonnet. Only two pattern pieces means quick sew leaving more time for pretty embroidered details. Perfect for left over scraps but by no means a scrappy cap. This pretty bonnet will certainly be the prettiest hat in the Easter parade this year. Download HERE!

Quick and Easy Dickey Scarf - One For You and One to Give

It may still be Winter but there are so many days when a wool scarf is a little overkill. This Wrap Around Dickey Scarf is the perfect solution. It is quick and easy to make and would make a lovely last minute gift for Valentines Day for mom or little sis or your best friend. 

I originally found the instructions for this scarf in a box of patterns I purchased at an estate sale. It is a page from SEW NEWS dated November 1987 and the pattern is designed by Claire Shaeffer. The instructions suggest a silky print but mine is made of cotton print. I imagine fleece or wool would work just as well.  Make a few for you and to give. Download instructions HERE.

Heart Potholders for Valentines Day Gifts

Download this Easy to Follow Heart Shaped Potholder Here

This 1950's pattern for a potholder from Workbasket Magazine is a quick and easy gift to make for sweethearts both old and young. For the grill master in your life make a pair in plaid flannel ala grunge rock. For mom or daughter why not use a red with white polka dot fabric for a strawberry heart. The combinations are endless. And what a clever idea. These pockets are a sure grip no slip solution to not getting burned. And what a thoughtful gift that is.

Stained Glass Trivets and Coasters - Easy to Make Holiday Gift Ideas - Free Pattern

Easy Glass and Poured Plaster Trivets or Coasters

Protect your tabletops from heat and spills with these festive stained glass trivets. Made of poured plaster of paris and pieces of colored glass, these easy to make trivets can be scaled down for coasters too. You choose the colors and shapes of the glass pieces as well as the design. Pour into the bottom of a half gallon carton for a square trivet. Keep the plaster white or paint with poster paint afterward or why not try adding food color to the plaster to color it before pouring. Stack half a dozen small coasters and tie with a pretty ribbon as a gift for the hostess this Thanksgiving or Christmas. The possibilities are endless. In a very large mold with poured concrete you can make decorative stepping stones for a pathway for your favorite gardener. Published in 1963 by the John Oster Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, maker of the original Osterizer. Download instructions HERE.

Free Pattern Friday - 1950's Santa Face Apron Pattern For the Ho Ho Hostess - Great for Gifts Too!

1950's Santa Face Apron Pattern

In the 1950's the "Face" apron was popular in many themes. This Santa face apron is easy to make with a bit of applique and embroidery to finish the details. How fun to wear this retro holiday apron while you play hostess to your friends and loved ones this Christmas. Or make a few to give as gifts. They surely will be cherished. Download HERE. Prints on 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper. Complete instructions included. 

Courtesy of CynicalGirl on Goodsmiths.