Back-to-School Sewing Ideas

Editor’s Note: With the kids back-to-school, there's more time to sew! From Sept. 6-15, we’ll be celebrating “back-to-school” season in a number of different ways  — from ideas for sewing for children to inspiration for sewing for yourself!

With September officially underway, we're feeling so inspired to sew for autumn and the upcoming holiday season! From school clothes to seasonal décor to holiday garments, there is much to keep us busy. Since school clothes are on most parents' and grandparents' minds this time of year, we perused some of our fall issues of years past to put together some of our favorite back-to-school looks. Rather than heirloom finery, we tried to restrict this list to garments that are cute enough for picture day yet practical and comfortable enough for a child to wear to school any day of the season. Enjoy!

Frannie (left) and Jack & Jill's Bibbed Romper

Frannie - Lyn Week's "Frannie" pattern is a classic. This version made by Barbara Olsen in colorful coordinating floral prints was featured in issue #131. The collar and packet flap are ecru batiste and are scalloped and embroidered by hand with bullion roses and granitos.

Jack & Jill's Bibbed Romper - Martha Demere and her sewing students stitched up this version of our "Jack & Jill's Bibbed Romper" pattern in issue #132. Made from an apple print corduroy in combination with pink micro check, the outfit is embellished with pinked-edged ruffles as well as wool felted apples appliqued with blanket stitch.

Robots & Rocketships

Robots & Rocketships - The cute smocking plate pictured here is Janet Gilbert's "Robots & Rocketships," featured in issue #126. The little boy's romper is made from the same pattern as the previous project, "Jack and Jill's Bibbed Romper" (you can also use the "Jack and Jill's Overalls" pattern). The older boy's button-up bowling shirt is made from Simplicity 5581 (or you can use any short-sleeve camp shirt style you like).

Hemstitching is Hip (left) and No-Pattern T-Shirt Dress

Hemstitching is Hip - Sometimes the simplest details can make all the difference. This floral print blouse for an older girl features a series of box pleats and tucks topped with hemstitching - an embellishment that is both sweet and economical. The pattern used is "Bias & Blooms Blouse" by Kari Mecca, and Amelia Johanson's hemstitched box pleats instructions are in issue #126 and our Heirloom Sewing Favorites for Summer special edition.

No Pattern T-Shirt Dress - Turn a simple, long-sleeve T-shirt into this adorable dress designed by Dawn Wilson in issue #149. The comfort of the knit top combined with a coordinate print creates an easy-wear option for occasions that call for something a bit dressier than play clothes. They're so fun to make, you'll want to whip together a different color combination for every day of the week.

We're hosting a huge “Back-to-School Sale” in our online store! Almost everything is 50 percent off, including the patterns mentioned above! Click here to shop and discover the savings on books, DVDs, embroidery, fabric, laces, trims, notions and more!

We also have 30 specially selected products on sale for $9.14 the entire month of September in honor of National Sewing Month — click here to see a list of products included in this offer!

Celebrate Spring's Arrival with Floral Fashion

Floral prints are a perennial favorite when it comes to spring sewing and fashion trends, and this year is no exception. Floral fashion has been more prevalent than ever on spring 2013 runways, and that trend has carried over into the aisles of fabric stores and right into our sewing rooms. There are a variety of ways you can incorporate floral prints and designs into your own sewing projects. To help you, we've collected photographs of some of our favorite floral-inspired looks from past (and future!) issues of Sew Beautiful. We hope the photos will inspire you to cultivate your own floral favorites this spring.

1. Martha Demere used Lyn Week's "Frannie" pattern to create this green and blue dress from our March/April 2009 issue. Martha cut the collar from the high roll pattern included in "Frannie," but drew an eyelet edge and embroidered it by hand with a tiny blanket-stitched, scalloped edge using blue thread to coordinate with the fabric.

2. Laura Jenkins Thompson designed this revival of her ever-popular "Pascale" pattern in honor of the original design's 10th anniversary last year. Since the Pascale's first appearance on our pages back in 2002, we have featured it over 30 times, attesting to its versatility and popularity. On this version of the dress, which was featured in our March/April 2012 issue, Laura stitched bright yellow sunflowers against a beautiful sapphire blue silk.

3. Khristal Jouett designed this floral tunic using a vintage pattern she purchased at an estate sale, our "Dainty Designs" pattern and a pretty swirl-of-ruffles hem treatment. The dress was featured in our March/April 2011 issue.

4. This version of the "Pascale" was designed by Kathy Dykstra and appeared in our March/April 2012 issue. Kathy paired a floral print with a bright polka dot print for a modern appeal.

5. This adorable little girl's romper will be featured on the cover of our upcoming May/June issue. Designed by Janet Gilbert, this exclusive pattern was recreated from a vintage 1940s silhouette and uses a bright floral print from Liberty's new Classic Tana Lawn collection.

6. Connie Palmer crafted this fun daisy appliqué from ribbon petals. The project will appear in our upcoming May/June issue.

Flowers inspire a variety of other designs and embellishments in our upcoming May/June issue, like a fancy lace flower garden on Debbie Glenn's Italian organdy pinafore, functional flower pockets on the skirt of Trisha Smith's sundress and even a groovy mod flower appliqué from Kari Mecca, queen of whimsy. Pick up your copy of the May/June issue when it hits newsstands in mid-April. And be sure to check out our Spring Fabric Sale now, where you can find beautiful fabrics like Classic Tana Lawn florals as well as solids in cotton and batiste to help you craft all your spring projects.

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful, 
Kathy and Amelia

Frannie Pattern Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone to entered our Frannie pattern giveaway contest! We enjoyed reading all of your ideas and stories. Our two randomly selected winners are...

Amanda Swanson and Sharon Kirkpatrick!

Congratulations, ladies! Be on the lookout for an email from us so we can get a mailing address for you.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and don't forget that our Frannie patterns (Frannie, sizes 6mo - 4; and Frannie's Big Sister, sizes 5-8) are now in stock at our online store, so you can buy one of your own! Check back soon for more giveaway announcements and goodies from the SB team.

GIVEAWAY! "Frannie" and "Frannie's Big Sister" **Comments Closed**

If you've read the July/August issue of Sew Beautiful, you already know – we have purchased the ever-popular, out-of-print "Frannie" and "Frannie's Big Sister" patterns by Lyn Weeks, and we have reprinted these dresses as the newest addition to our Sew Beautiful Pattern Collection! In celebration of their arrival in our warehouse, we are offering a pattern giveaway to our readers. Two lucky entrants will receive copies of both patterns.

All you have to do to enter is reply below with your name and email address. We'd love to hear what you plan to do with your new pattern. Have you ever made a Frannie dress from Lyn Weeks's original pattern? Tell us about it!

Entries will close Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Winners will be selected at random and announced both here and by email, so make sure you include your address. Good luck and thanks for your support of SB!