Muse of the Morning PDF Sewing Patterns

Wetfelting Wool Beads

Supplies:
hot water
soap (I like Sun or Dawn)
wool roving or top
your hands
a bowl

Step 1:
I like to do a bunch of beads at one time, so I keep water in two pots on the stove heating on low and have one where I’m working. Scoop about 2 cups of hot water into your bowl.

Step 2:
Tear off a bit of wool roving and submerse it in the hot water.

Step 3:
Put a teeny tiny dot of soap in the palm of your hand and roll the wool around and around, pressing harder as you feel the fibers mesh together, until you have a tiny little bead.

Pictures of the finished beads- aren’t they adorable? I love them!! You can use them on bracelets or as buttons on a pincushion. Larger ones can be used as pincushions themselves. Even larger ones are great play balls or dryer balls!

Here are some that I tried different things as I felted the beads. On the green and yellow one, and the orange and red on the right, I did two colors of roving. The other ones were different tries at wrapping roving around almost finished beads.

Have Fun!

Bubble Wrap Textured Paper

What You Need:
quality watercolor paper, water based paints, brush, and bubble wrap.

Cover your paper with the paint. I used burgundy wine.

Press bubble wrap onto the wet paper.

Press to dry with the bubble wrap still on.

When the paper is dry, remove the bubble wrap and wa-la! textured paper! Try this with crumpled foil or saran wrap for different textures!

Some tips for Sewing the Mini Diaper & Cover Pattern

Here are some tips and techniques to make the Mini Diaper and Cover easier to put together!

To save a little on FOE; after sewing the FOE around the sides of the cover, simply serge across the front, catching the PUL and lining layers. It may not save a ton, but it makes the sewing easier and if sew a ton of covers, it will add up!!

When using fleece for your cover, I highly recommend using 1 inch FOE, as it will gather more tightly.

When making single layer covers- especially for the newborn size, try putting a tiny bit of microfleece in the front- it will help avoid irritation from rubbing on that newborn umbilical stump! This is a yellow single layer PUL cover, with cream microfleece in the front.

Techniques For Hemming & Finishing Knit Clothing

Hemming:

To do a simple hem: fold the fabric up 1 inch, and then fold the raw edge under about 1/4 inch. To keep the fabric from stretching, I put a strip of tracing paper or tissue paper under the fabric as I sew it. Then I just rip it off when finished! Any little bits of paper that are left usually wash off in the first wash. You can also try a walking foot on your sewing machine. Other variations include using a double needle to make a more professional looking hem.

Onesie Finish:

I call this the Onesie Finish, because, well, that’s how a lot of onesies are finished! Simply serge along the edge without stretching the fabric. Because the pattern calls for hemming, you need to either serge off at 1 inch, or cut the hem up to about 1/2 an inch and then serge. This may not work as well on a lighter weight fabric. The lighter it is, the more it will stretch when you serge, even if you don’t try to. I notice that even if it stretches a little bit- like you can see in the picture- when it’s washed, the fabric will relax back into a nice shape. You can use this hem for boys or girls stuff.

Faux Lettuce Edge:

Faux Lettuce Edging is a nice variation of the Onesie Finish. Simply serge the fabric, but stretch it out as it goes through the serger by pulling back on the fabric. There is a special setting and foot for a real lettuce edge, but I find this to suit just fine. Because the pattern calls for hemming, you need to either serge off at 1 inch, or cut the hem up to about 1/2 an inch and then serge.

Turn The Practically Perfect Tee Shirt into a Practically Perfect Tank Top

The great thing about this pattern is that is has almost everything you need in a tee shirt! Long sleeves, short sleeves…. One thing that’s missing is a tank top. This tutorial will show you how easy it is to turn the pattern into a lovely- and modest tank for this coming summer!

You will need fabric and pattern pieces (A, B and C) for the body – back and front of the shirt, and ribbing, self fabric or a rib knit for the neckband and armbands. In addition to other normal sewing things, you will need a tape measure to measure out the armband.

Cut out front, back, neckline and 2 armbands from measurements below. Mark center of armband.

The narrow width of each armband should be 1 or 1.25 inches- I wouldn’t go wider than that because then the ribbing will bend under the arm and it looks funny. One inch might be a little small for beginners though, so I recommend starting with the 1.25 inches and see how you like that. The length of the armband ribbing is noted below by size:

Size 8 – 10.25 inches
Size 7 – 10 inches
Size 6 – 9.75 inches
Size 5 – 9.5 inches
Size 4 – 9.25 inches
Size 3 – 9 inches
Size 2 – 8.75 inches
Size 18 mos – 8.5 inches

Sew front to back and neckline as directed in the pattern instructions.

Fold armband in half lengthwise. Pin center of armband to shoulder seam.
With raw edges together (and right side of tee shirt body up), sew the armband into the shoulder, stretching and easing to fit.

Sew the sides of the body and the hem as directed in the pattern instructions. I did a faux lettuce hem because I really like the look.

I really love how this tank top whips up- and I really mean “whips up” – it’s a super fast pattern! You can find the Practically Perfect Tee Shirt Pattern on our shopping cart or our etsy.