Free Patterns for Sewing Clothing and Accessories from SewCanShe

Learn how to hem pants, use your sewing machine feet, make bias binding, and more!

Button Up Bolero – new free pattern for fleece fabrics!
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Button Up Bolero – new free pattern for fleece fabrics!

I saw a sneak peek at the Black Friday ad for Jo-Anns Fabrics and guess what’s going to be 75% off? FLEECE! Oh, I hope I don’t get in trouble for telling you that. 🙂

So I thought I would share with you a sweet little pattern that I designed just for fleece fabric. It’s a bolero jacket that folds together like fabric origami and is secured only with buttons. And since fleece doesn’t fray, you can choose to finish the edges or not.

How to Sew Boutique T-Shirt Dresses – so cute and a little bit retro {free tutorial}
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How to Sew Boutique T-Shirt Dresses – so cute and a little bit retro {free tutorial}

You can sew cute boutique style girls’ dresses with just a tee shirt, some elastic, and some cotton fabric! Let me show you how with a free step by step tutorial plus how to use the fabric to make a matching applique.

I can’t tell you how much Cadie loves the little tee shirt dresses that I made her. And they were so, so, easy!

Sewing 201: Woven Fabric Binding… pretty and crisp
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Sewing 201: Woven Fabric Binding… pretty and crisp

Last month I wrote a Sewing 201 post about knit fabric binding, and it was so successful that I thought I’d write the next Sewing 201 about it’s cousin… woven fabric binding. Woven fabric can also be used for a self binding (like on the little dress above) or a contrasting binding on a woven fabric project. It can replace a facing or even a lining if your fabric will allow. It is definitely prettier than a hemmed neckline or armhole, in my opinion. The trick is that the binding must be cut on the bias to allow a tiny bit of stretch. This will make your bound edge pretty and crisp. Read on for all the cutting and sewing instructions below!

Sewing 201: Knit Binding Tutorial
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Sewing 201: Knit Binding Tutorial

It’s been ages since we’ve had a Sewing 201 post, hasn’t it? Well I’ve been sewing lots of knit binding on little knit tee shirts and dresses lately so I thought I’d show my process.

You can sew knit binding if your pattern calls for it, or as a substitute for facing or a typical ribbed neckline. If you are substituting it for a different edge finish, trim away the seam allowance.