Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Becky and Jimmie from Make made a beating heart headband. We love fashionable geek-tastic crafts; with brocade ribbon from Britex, and a scratchbuilt perfboard Arduino build from Mintduino parts, this is a twinkling success.

Megan at HoliDash made this awesome tutorial for a handy car kit to keep in your car’s glove box. Sew one with Britex Fabrics’ sports fabric from our 4th floor, and then pack it with all the necessary tools and emergency accruements. Band-Aids, tweezers, stain remover, a flashlight, a cell phone battery, toiletries…..and who knows what else. This would make a swell Father’s Day gift for all the dads in your life.

Jeffery from the tailoring blog, Made by Hand: the great Sartorial Debate presents this classic video tutorial on making hand-sewn buttonholes called “Hand Made Buttonholes: Making suit sleeve buttonholes by hand one Sunday morning”, set to music played by Pablo Casals. All that is lacking is a mug of spiced hot chocolate and a sleeping cat.

Pam from off-the-cuff-style has helpfully posted a page from a vintage sewing book, “Dressmaking Made Easy”, 1941, McCall Corporation, on making two piece sleeve plackets. She says, “This is the way I was trained to sew a sleeve placket (also known as a “gauntlet”) by my mentor, an “old world” Tailor with exacting standards of excellence. I still use this method almost every time…a placket with 2 separate pieces, the overlap and underlap. By using 2 pieces, I find I have more control to fold and press most accurately. Additionally a 2-piece placket offers more design opportunities, such as using different fabrics for the over and underlap….even changing the top (peak) of the overlap…perhaps making it square, curved (rounded), and more.” We love these plackets for the debonair touch it adds to shirt sleeves, and are enormously enamored of making ours with a contrasting scrap of fabric; wee bits of flowered Liberty of London cotton lawn are perfect for this purpose!

I’ve been longing for hedgehogs; their cute stubby paws, upturned snouts, twinkling eyes, and snuggly bushy ‘do. I’m thrilled that I can get my hedgehog fix with this easy-peasy tutorial for a winsome hedgehog felt decoration by Kali over at Totally Stitchin and Baby Lock. Can you imagine a pine wreath festooned with dozens of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles?

All children should have the skills to hunt, forage and gather….well, at least bake a tasty and sturdy loaf of bread in style. YouCanMakeThis and Kimberbell Kids & Carla C Dolly Designs teamed up to design this nifty tutorial for a child’s chef’s hat, and while we can’t guarantee it will turn your wee one into a baking wizard, it is darn adorable. There is a pattern for a chef’s hat for grown-ups too….we can’t let the tykes have all the fun!

Carla, from ScientificSeamstress and molecular biologist turned patternmaker, developed this rockin’ tutorial for making 1″ single-fold bias tape, and points out that it is but one fold away from being 0.5″ wide double-fold bias tape, which is incredibly useful for binding and finishing edges. Make some in a contrasting print to accent necklines, aprons, a child’s frock, baby bibs….let your imagination run wild!

Who doesn’t need a satin stole for glamorous nights on the town? Make this wrap in midnight black silk satin, with the reverse in deep crimson for rabble-rousing, or in gleaming silver satin for sedate nights with Carmen at the opera. This easy-to-make stole is brought to us by the talented Don at Weekend Designer.
“L’oiseau que tu croyais surprendre
Battit de l’aile et s’envola;
L’amour est loin, tu peux l’attendre;
Tu ne l’attend plus, il est là!
Tout autour de toi vite, vite,
Il vient, s’en va, puis il revient!
Tu crois le tenir, il t’évite;
Tu crois l’éviter, il te tient!
L’amour, l’amour, l’amour, l’amour!”
(Carmen by Bizet)

It is looking like an avian All Hallows Eve! Shauna from the creative blog, Shwin&Shwin made up a tutorial on how she created a tutu-esque peacock costume for her daughter from some knit fabric for the top, and poufy netting and felt for the tail…..and a generous dollop of talent. It would be super lovely with some sparkly sequins added to the feather eyes! All materials are available at Britex Fabrics. We love the way the tail bellows out, and her attention to peacock feather detail and coloring.

Just in time for All Hallows Eve, Natasha from NattyJaneSews has a tutorial for swoopingly fabulous bird wings. Natasha says, “Flamingo, parrot, toucan, imaginary technicolor falcon! The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.” She made these flapping wings with polyester satin — it would be fun to layer sheer organza on top of the satin for additional lightness! I’d love to make a pair in shades of brown with a brick red underside, and chirp show tunes while handing out sweets.