Free sewing pattern: How to sew a fabric egg - The Fabric-gé pattern

When I designed my Easter/Halloween basket pattern in the fall of 2012, I knew that I wanted to design a free fabric egg pattern this spring! So I set to work, designing the pattern, trying different versions, and photographing my steps. When I finished, I discovered a lovely tutorial online by the talented Retro Mama, and thought - wow, I can't improve much on those directions! So to give credit where credit is due, feel free to look through her tutorial for the step-by-step photos. My PDF pattern for a fabric egg creates a slightly larger egg, but the steps are the same. Feel free to print it - the directions are included - and share with your sewist friends! If for some reason the Google Docs link doesn't cooperate with your browser, please click here to download the pattern.
Because this pattern is great for beginners, this can be a fun family project. Our two girls chose the fabric and had a blast sifting through my scrap stash. My older daughter likes to sew - when she's in the mood :) - so she sewed some of the eggs:


And my younger daughter thoroughly enjoyed stuffing them:


Over the course of a weekend, we made an even dozen!


Enjoy the free fabric egg pattern and sew some to display, some to hide, and some to share with friends! :)

DIY Halloween projects! Let's see 'em!

Every August I start thinking about Halloween costumes for the girls, and it's always been somewhat important for me to make some aspect of the costume. Sometimes I haven't quite made that goal, but the past few years I've tried if our daughters have ideas that allow me to make them something.
This year our youngest, spurred on by the summer trip to Disney, wanted nothing more than to be a pink princess:

She was very particular about the style of dress. Of utmost importance: Lots of pink. It had to have sparkles, and had to have a "big" skirt. Underneath this dress is very puffy hand-tied tutu! I had the best "mom" moment when she declared the dress was perfect. Yay!
Our older daughter wanted to be an Olympic diver...not a very practical costume for northern Indiana, where it can either be in the 60s on Halloween or in the low 40s. So I suggested dressing up as an athlete in general, and taught her how to do some applique to add to a basic workout/warmup outfit.

There are a couple of parties and opportunities for the girls to wear their costumes before Halloween, and I need to finish their baskets, using the Birdsong Halloween basket pattern.
I'd love to see what you've made! Please post your photos on the Birdsong Facebook page through Tuesday, Oct. 30. On Halloween I'll choose two projects to showcase here - one made with a Birdsong pattern/tutorial (hair bow, hair flower, basket, etc.). The other will be a costume or something else of your choosing to share with a Halloween theme, but doesn't need to be made with a Birdsong pattern. One winner will receive a $15 gift certificate kindly provided by The Ribbon Retreat, and the other will receive a $15 gift certificate to Birdsong Patterns. Please note that this contest is neither sponsored, nor affiliated with, Facebook.
Have fun posting, and good luck!

New pattern in time for Halloween!

I really enjoy working on Halloween costumes for my girls! But I didn't like that their carefully thought-out costume was accessorized with a 99-cent plastic pumpkin, lol! This year I've designed Halloween baskets for them, and created the Halloween and Easter basket pattern so you can also enjoy making these, too!
There's templates for a jack-o-lantern and a three-eyed monster, and instructions on how to create ruffles for a beautiful princess tote:

And don't you just love these photos by Lisa G Photography? She did such a fabulous job capturing the fun of these baskets.

The pattern is available by instant download in my Etsy shop - the instant download feature is new and I'm so excited about it! All patterns will be e-mailed to the address you have on file with Etsy within 2-5 minutes (talk about lightning fast). I'm going to be bringing it to my website within the month as well...so watch for more exciting changes!

New Pattern: The Ribbon Star (Étoile) Ornament or Pendant

Last year I waited until the very last minute to create a PDF pattern for the holidays, and this year I decided I was not going to wait! The latest Birdsong pattern, the Ribbon Étoile, is a beautiful holiday ornament when made from 1 1/2" ribbon. But when made with 5/8" ribbon, it's a stunning accessory to wear! In the e-book I demonstrate it as a pendant or an ornament, but you can use it as a hat or hair accessory, a package topper, or as an embellishment for a sash, coat or purse.
This tutorial is great for beginners. These embellishments are great for crafting if you're a passenger in a car, or if you're watching TV or relaxing. The technique is based on the ribbon work techniques from the 1920s. In old magazines, you'll see these referred to as "cockades." Enjoy trying out this latest pattern!