Learning to Sew

Sewing a pillowcase for my husband’s birthday present was the easiest project that I have done yet. My husband is a big fan of the monkey Julius from Paul Frank. I got a yard of fabric featuring the character from EBay (a good place to look for hard-to-find fabric).

I then laid out and measured a pillowcase that I already had in order to see how long and wide to cut the fabric, as well as examine the stitching to get an idea of how to put the pillowcase together.

Then I measured and cut my fabric, leaving enough seam allowance on each side, as well as making it longer so there was room to fold it over to make a finished top. I then stitched the sides and then folded the top over two inches and stitched to make a finished top.

I was very happy with the finished product and my husband loved his present!

I had my first try at freehand sewing and was very pleased with the outcome. I bought the dust ruffle seen below for one dollar at a thrift store. When I first saw it I thought it would be possible to make it into a toddler dress. I just sort of imagined the dress in my head and began cutting fabric.

Although I had a bit of difficulty with the sizing, having no toddlers readily available to measure, I am pretty happy with the outcome. I want to do more projects without a pattern because it make me feel more creative. I also don’t have the frustrated feeling I get when I cannot do something that the pattern describes.

Do you always follow patterns when you sew or do you like to do things freehand?