Sheelin's Closet & Attic GIVEAWAY

Love vintage?

Love the French marketplace?
Love {SIG}?

This is a great pairing!

Nicole has come up with beautiful designs for her very first collection.

We have sewn out the pieces.

That means great quality and great style combined!

Here are the last 2 items that were created for The French Marketplace Collection.

The Marie Claire Peasant Dress comes in 2 prints.

This is the white polka dot on blue with bicycle patch and sash.

My Sofi LOVED wearing it.

SOOOOO FEMININE!

Above are the Jolie Pants.

2 gorgeous layers of ruffles and ruching detailing really make

these a stand alone piece or perfect for layering under the Marie Claire!

So what can you win?
Nicole is offering up a $25 gift certificate to Sheelin's Closet & Attic!

She is also have a fabulous sale on her Sheelin's Attic

one-of-a-kind pieces so you will be able to use it toward

a super fantabulous piece and build on to it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We love using Rafflecopter and hopy you do to!

Sure makes it easy to run a giveaway but even easier for you to enter!

And now that I have your attention,

don't forget that today is Tuesday Totes on our Facebook page.

Check out the 2 beautiful selections we have this week.

2 lucky commenters will receive a FREE matching key fob.

Tuesday Totes will be from 8pm to 10pm CST.

{be sure to come back next Tuesday where we will feature university colors}

Happy Tuesday Peeps!

{SIG} Travel Wallet Tutorial

Time for the final tutorial in the Millie Tote series!

So far in this series we have:

~ Turned the {SIG} Millie Skirt Pattern into the Millie Tote

~ Created a matching key fob to hook onto the Millie Tote's d-ring

and now you can create this fab {SIG} Travel Wallet!

This cutie will also clip right into your Millie Tote
OR

hook onto your keys for easy carrying while out and about!
This would be fantastic to keep on hand during your travels,

quick trips or shopping excursions!

It will hold a good amount of folded bills, cards and change...

all safe and secure and small enough for your pocket!

So let's get to it!

(Remember, you can click on any of these pics to enlarge!)

Gather your materials:

~ (2) 9.5" x 5.25" pieces of fabric 

~ (2) 3.5" x 5.25" pieces of fabric

~ (1) 2" x 2.5" piece of fabric

(I used coordinating fabrics, but you can use all the same fabric if you like)

~ (2) 9.25" x 5" pieces of light to medium weight interfacing

~ (1) 3.25" x 5" pieces of light to medium weight interfacing

~ 1.5" length of velcro

~ purse strap clip

(clips usually come 2 to a pack, so use the extra one from your key fob creation!)

~ zipper (at least 6" long)

Go ahead and add the interfacing to the two largest pieces

and one of the 3.5" x 5.25" pieces.
Follow manufacturer's instructions for the interfacing.
I also shared step-by-step details for this in the Millie Tote tutorial.

Now, lay your two large pieces on top of each other,

right sides together, and stitch with

1/4" seam allowance along the two long sides

and one of the short sides.

Clip sewn corners and turn right side out,

using a sharp instrument (chopstick, knitting needle, etc.)

to poke out the corners to make them nice and square.
At this time, get your smallest piece of fabric

and fold it in half with the 2.5" together 

and sew along that long side at 1/4".

Turn it right side out.
Press both pieces.

Fold the open end of the large piece inwards

about 1/2" and press the edge.

Stitch open end closed, close to the edge. 

Grab that little tab that you have created,

insert it through the purse clip

and stitch closely to the raw ends.
The stitching here is just to hold it in place while attaching it.

Place the raw edge of the stitched tab

along the short edge of one of the

smaller rectangles, centering it.
Lay the other rectangle on top of the first,

sandwiching the clip in between.
Pin through all layers to hold the clip/tab in place while sewing.

Sew with 1/4" seam allowance along the two short sides

and one long edge of the "sandwich".

Clip sewn corners, turn right side out,

poke corners out and press flat.

You now have the two main parts of the wallet! 

Time for some zipper fun!

Grab the larger piece and lay the end that you folded

in and closed up a minute ago alongside the zipper.

Align one corner of the fabric about

1/4" beyond the start of the zipper.

You can carefully pin the zipper to the fabric here

if you need help holding it in place

or just head to the machine and start stitching

(closely to the edge)!
I use the setting on my machine that shifts the needle to the far left.
This lets you get much closer to the edge.
You can also use a zipper foot if your machine doesn't do this.

Now, lay the long side of your smaller rectangle along the other side of the zipper.
Align it with the piece on the left, pin if necessary and stitch close to the edge.

You have just attached a nifty and functional zipper! Yay!

Flip your whole piece over to the back side.

Fold the smaller rectangle over on top of the larger one,

which will place the zipper at the bottom of the fold.

Get this as flat and even as possible

and place a pin in the middle to hold.

Stitch about 1/8" above the raw edge of your small rectangle.

Trim off excess zipper from both ends, as close as possible.

Fold the zippered compartment up and over again

along the line you just stitched.

This stitched line will be the bottom of your wallet.

Now we need to attach the Velcro.

Place one half of the Velcro below the zipper about 1/4",

centering it along the width.

Hold your Velcro in place with one hand

and CAREFULLY unzip the zipper...but NOT all the way!
If you unzip all the way at this point, 

the zipper will come off and you will have to try to reattach it.
Save yourself that trouble...

pull it back most of the way and fold it down to lock it.

You will now stitch around the edges of the Velcro,

making sure that you are only stitching through

the FIRST layer of the compartment.
After it is sewn on, you can close your zipper back up.

Place the other half of your Velcro on the underside of

the wallet's flap and align it with the first piece.
Stitch it in place.

You are so close to being done now!

With your wallet in this position,

make sure all your sides are aligned and flush and place a pin through the middle of it to keep everything straight.

Stitch close to the edge along the two sides of the wallet,

making sure to stitch back and forth over

the zipper ends a couple of times for reinforcement.

Fold that flap closed and you have yourself some major cuteness!

Now clip it into your matching Millie Tote!

How pretty!

You CAN do this...

and you will be so proud to show off your talent!

Thank you for following along with our Millie Tote Tutorial series.
I love being able to help you realize your potential!

XOXO,

Sheelin's Closet ~ French Marketplace Collection

Many of you know The A Team was chosen to be

the seamstresses for a new clothing brand called Sheelin's Closet.

And we have been working hard with Nicole

to sew out her first collection, The French Marketplace.

Nicole has an awesome eye for vintage inspired fabric.

An even better eye for capturing the French style.

And what I love even more about this partnership

is that {SIG} wouldn't otherwise delve in to this

awesome style of vintage and French combined.

Nicole has decided to sponsor a giveaway.

Details have yet to be ironed out.

But it will be worth you entering.

These pieces are absolutely precious.

Perfect for a family photo shoot.

Maybe the first day of school.

Or for that special occasion that is coming up.

With the quality of our sewing and Nicole's designs,

it is definitely a win-win situation.

Here are some of the pieces we have completed.

The Annabelle Ruched Pants in Red Stripe and Blue Stripe

The Millies in red and blue

The Marie Claire Peasant Dress

The Vintage TeaPot Apron

The Charlotte Bloomers in Eyelet and Red Floral

The Estella Market Skirt

There are still a few more pieces that need to be completed

but you can totally catch the essence of the French Marketplace.

Through tomorrow, you can place an order for any of these pieces

and receive a 12% in honor of the Olympic Games!

AND, on Tuesday, I will announce the giveaway.

Be on the lookout and if you like what you see,

don't hesitate to purchase!

This collection will only be available while supplies last.

And you are helping {SIG} out as well!

We want to see Sheelin's Closet succeed and we hope you do to!

{SIG} Blog is Sporting a New Look

I love the team of people I have around me.

Tracey is an awesome blog designer and

has been the designer behind our blog.

Little Bitty Design Studio is her little business.

Like me, she is also a Stay (eh hem...work) at home mom.

And we love what we do.

I knew I would go back to Tracey for a new look.

I wanted to streamline the blog.

Make it easier to read.

have an excuse to use chevrons

Widen layout.

Clean it up a bit, ya know.

And as always, Tracey does not disappoint!

She is super fab to work with.

puts up with all my changes

She is quick.

Has a great design aesthetic.

Is just a great overall gal!

I love her to pieces!
You will also be seeing more buttons

and other wonderful graphics from her.

The partnership is set!

Now, we are test driving the header.

Not sure about me being so big.

Well, my face being so big.

So tell me what you think.

Holla if you like what Tracey did.

And most of all, have a fabulous Thursday!

The Bachelorette ~ The Final Rose

I called it!
My prediction was correct.

She is a good girl.

And she picked the man that is perfect for Ricki and her.

But before I talk about Jef and Emily,

let's talk about what happened.

I really didn't know what to expect this show.

After all, it seemed as though Emily was totally head over heals

in love with Arie as well, do you agree?

But I had a feeling when she went on the date with Jef

and let him meet Ricki, that the gig was probably up.

It seemed a bit awkward at first but I think

Ricki ended up liking him a lot.

Of course, it helps that Jef is a kid a heart!

And I love how he let her push him off the bridge.

Pink goggles and all.

Priceless.

What is even more impressive,

Emily couldn't go on the date with Arie.

She couldn't bring herself to "fake" happiness when she knew

her heart was with Jef 100%.

And I'm sorry but that takes KAHUNAS.

I admire her.

Completely.

But poor, poor Arie.

If he needs a shoulder to cry on, he can come to me.

Oh...does anyone think he is the next Bachelor?

Sure would be a good show!
I'd watch it fo sho.

I think Arie will find happiness.

Gotta say I am glad he didn't do The Bachelor Pad.

{psssst...don't tell me anything, gotta watch it today}

With all that said,

guess this is my last post about the awesome Emily.

Congrats to the happy couple!

I hope to see your wedding on tv.

Seriously.

Would LOVE to see how beautiful it will be.

These 2 are definitely in love.

{SIG} Key Fob Tutorial

Andrea here again with part 2 of our Millie Tote tutorial series!

If you missed the tutorial for the Millie Tote, you can find it here.

This week I will be showing you how to make
a key fob to coordinate with your new Millie Tote.

Our Millie Tote design includes an interior d-ring strap,
so we will be creating the key fob to clip onto it!

(Click on any pic to enlarge.)

First, gather your materials:

~ 2 coordinating pieces of fabric (2.5" x 13")

~ 1 coordinating piece of fabric (2.5" x 3.5")

OR 1 piece of ribbon (3.5" long & at least 3/4" wide)

~ Stitch Witchery (not pictured)

~ 1 purse strap clip (can be found at Joann's)

Optional:

~ 1 jump ring (key ring)

Now that we have everthing we need, let's get to it!

Grab your 3 fabric pieces and head to your sewing machine.

If you are using ribbon instead of the small piece of fabric,

you will now only be working with the 2 main pieces.

Each piece will be folded in half longways

(right sides together)

and sewn together with a 1/4" seam allowance.

It is important that the 2 long pieces be sewn as identically as possible.

They will need to be the exact same width once finished.

Pay attention to which side you are sewing

on the smallest piece as the 2 sides only differ by an inch.

Fold that one in half along the 3.5" side.

After all pieces are stitched,

press open the seams and then,

using a safety pin, turn them all right side out.

Take your messy, sewn strips of fabric back to the ironing board

and press them with the seam in the middle of one side.

This seam will eventually be hidden.

Feel free to use spray starch to get them as smooth and flat as possible.

Your 2 long pieces should be exactly the same width at this point.

Now get out your Stitch Witchery and cut two 13" pieces.

Lay them along the seam side of one of your long fabric pieces.

It is fine if they overlap. 

This step is primarily for holding our pieces in place for stitching.

Lay the other long piece of fabric, seam side DOWN,

on top of the Stitch Witchery.

With your iron, press the entire length of the fabric,

keeping them as aligned as possible, for a few seconds.

Once it has cooled, you should have a sufficient bond

to temporarily hold them together.

Now, back to the machine to stitch along the 2 long sides,

about 1/8" from the edge.

Take your strap clip and slide it onto the long piece of fabric,
making sure that the fabric you are wanting
on the outside is on the same side as the clip.

Overlap the raw ends of the strap 1/4"
and sew with a zig zag stitch for reinforcement.

Align the new seam about 1/2" above the clip.

Grab your small piece of fabric,
fold it in half (seam towards the inside)
and place the fold on one side of the strap's seam.

Fold both ends of the small piece into the other side of the strap
until it is snugly tucked into the strap.

Ribbon option:

If you prefer, you can use coordinating ribbon to wrap around the strap.

Burn the edges of your 3.5" piece of ribbon to keep from fraying.

Place it around the strap in the same way as shown.

Holding it all in place, stitch along the top and bottom of the small piece/ribbon.

Sew along this line a couple of times for reinforcement.

Guess what?

You're all done!

Now admire your handiwork!

Add some keys to that puppy!

Attach it to the d-ring in your awesome new Millie Tote!

YOU are awesome!

That is what you will hear when you make these cool key fobs

for all of your friends and family!

Did I mention that Helen, one of our dear {SIG} customers,

WON this key fob with her Millie Tote purchase?

Check out our Facebook page,
because we will be regularly giving these away with tote purchases!

Next week, in our final tutorial of this series,

we will be creating a simple wallet to coordinate with a Millie Tote.

Hope to see you there!