Sew influential

We are looking for a Sewcial Influencer... if you think that can be you, then email us your details right away.

We are looking for someone who loves our sewing patterns (of which I know there are many of you)! You must be someone who really just loves to sew. All we require of you is that you have loads of followers on social media (preferably Instagram), at least 1,000 plus, who are also interested in sewing, and that you will regularly create gorgeous garments from our sewing patterns - that we will supply to you for FREE!

The influencer that we choose will be required to set up a Fiverr account (don’t sign up yet, we will send you the link), so yes! This is a paying gig too! We will pay $5+ per garment that you create and share for us! (The better your influence, the more we will be willing to pay).

So if you believe that this could be you email your name, a picture of yourself and your social media handles too, to sales@nonstopcraftcom – please also include a short description of yourself and how active you are online!

This week’s pattern for subscribers

The Lucy Top

We love this fun, light batwing blouse, it looks great with jeans, with shorts, and as beach wear... in fact we love it so much that we’ve decided that it’s this week’s FREE sewing pattern going to our newsletter subscribers and Sewing Club Members (Not a member yet? Click Here to sign up today)

Featured pattern of the week

Strap Dress

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner as we enter the Month of Love, we think that this is the perfect dress to share with you. Our knee length strap dress sewing pattern makes the perfect Little Black Dress for those romantic dinner dates you may be going on.

Tutorial of the week

Reversible knot bag

This is our own take on the Japanese style knot bag. We have use two different fabrics to make it reversible and more versatile.

What you need:

CLICK HERE to download your free sewing pattern

1 yard / 1 meter each of 2 different fabrics

Sewing thread to match

Steps / Details:

** To help with the explanation process, we will refer to one of the fabrics as “the fabric” and the other as “the lining”

Your seam allowance, included in the sewing pattern is 1.5cm / 5/8”

Step 1: Right sides facing of the fabric sew closed the seam along the sides and bottom

 

Step 2: Right sides facing of the lining, sew closed the seam along the sides and bottom BUT leave a gap open in the centre bottom of the seam, about 2” / 5cm long.

 

Step 3: Right sides facing, join the fabric and lining sections together along the handle sections, leaving the top of the handles not sewn. Clip along the curved seam.

 

Step 4: Through the gap in the lining’s base, pull your bag right side out. Press flat for a neat finish.

Step 5. For each of the straps: Right sides facing, line up the straps open ends with each other and pin together. Pull the strap, together through the hole in the base of the lining, so that one half of the strap is inside of the other. With right sides of fabric facing, sew closed the seam. Push the straps back through the gap in the bag and push them right side out, press for a neat finish.

 

Step 6: Stitch along the edges of the opening of the bag, about 5mm / 1/8” from the edge.

 

Step 7: Sew closed the gap in the bottom of the lining of the bag using a small, hidden stitch.

Your knot bag is now ready to use! Enjoy and... Happy Sewing!

 

Have you joined The Sewing Club yet, for all its exclusive benefits?

 

Free Sewing Patterns

Tell us what you think of our free tutorial below for sports sleeves on twitter @MySewingPattern

We are so excited to share with you our latest update on our sewing pattern subscriptions. For those who don’t know, we have two types of subscriptions.

1. Free Newsletter Subscription

For those who sign up for our weekly newsletter, they will receive a free sewing pattern every Friday along with our latest newsletter. That’s 52 FREE sewing patterns a year.

1. Paid for subscription

Our paid for subscribers will also receive the free weekly newsletter and sewing pattern AND for those months with only 4 Fridays in them (which is most of them), paid for subscribers will receive an additional pattern on the last day of the month.

For January, our paid for subscribers will receive the sewing pattern for this sports top on the 31^st of January

In addition to these 5 patterns, paid for subscribers will receive a pack of 5 sewing patterns on the 25^th of every month.

On 25^th January our subscribers will receive the following sewing patterns:

Basic Runners Shorts

 

Runner’s slip on belt

 

Merri dress

 

Runner’s ¾ Pants

 

Ladies Fashion Tank Top

 

These patterns will be made available to purchase individually on the 26^th of every month from $1.99 per pattern – whereas subscribers pay from $1.99 per month for ALL 5 patterns (plus the additional other 5 patterns) – a HUGE bonus! SIGN UP TODAY!

This week’s pattern for subscribers

Sew your own Runner’s Wrist Weights

Since we are busy designing a brand new fitness range (you will have noticed this month’s sewing pack is full of basic workout wear, easy to make for beginner sewists), we decided to launch a very different sewing pattern this Friday coming. A sewing pattern for runner’s wrist weights. Great for training.

Make sure to SIGN UP TODAY to make sure you receive this pattern this Friday!

Tutorial of the week

Sports sleeves

Whether you're planning on starting an early morning run, and want to keep warm or if you have tattoos you want to protect from the sun while be active outdoors, then sports sleeves might just be the solution for you

What you need:

1 meter / 1 yard good quality lycra

Sewing thread to match

Pattern tissue to trace pattern onto

1 meter / 1 yard of 1cm / 3/8” wide plastic / silicone see –through ribbon (the type use in creating lingerie)

Steps / Details:

Your Pattern

• Measure the length of the top of your arm, around the height where you want your sleeve to sit. Draw a line of this width on your pattern tissue.

• Measure the length of your sleeve. Add 1.5cm / 3/8” to this length. On your tissue paper, at the centre point of your last line, at a 90 degree angle, draw another line of this new measurement.

• Measure around your wrist, at the end of your last line drawn, draw out this line.

• Draw two additional lines, matching up the opposite corners

Your sleeve – make sure to use a stretch stitch setting

• Using your newly made pattern, cut out your fabric

• Right sides facing, stitch closed the side seam with a 1cm / 3/8” seam allowance – note that we didn’t add a seam allowance in the measurements, this is because you want you lycra sleeve to fit as tightly as possible. Overlock / serge seam for neatness (If you don’t have an overlocker / serger, you can create a French seam)

• At the wrist, fold fabric inwards by 5mm / 1/8”, stitch and press flat. Fold over a second time by 5mm / 18”, stitch and press flat.

• At the top of the arm, fold the fabric inwards by 5mm / 1/8” stitch and press flat.

• Measure a length of the plastic / silicone ribbon, the same as your top arm measurement less 2.5cm / 1”. Place along the inside of the top of the sleeve, along the seam, and using a medium size zigzag stitch, stitch it into place. This will help to prevent your sleeve from falling down while you wear it.

Your sports sleeves are now ready to wear! Enjoy and...

Happy Sewing!

Win A Sewing Machine

It’s that time of year again, where we raffle off a sewing machine to raise funds for our favorite charities.

This year we are raffling off an Elna 220 Explore in support of our favorite animal rescues. CLICK HERE to get your tickets now! GOOD LUCK!

Pattern of the week

Merri Blouse Sewing Pattern

We have had such an amazing to or new blouse sewing pattern. It’s easy and stylish. If you haven’t got yours yet CLICK HERE to get yours now!

This week’s pattern for subscribers

Workout mini shorts

 

These shorts are cute and comfortable, and the sewing pattern is going out to our subscribers this Friday! If you’re not yet a subscriber SIGN UP TODAY to receive 10 sewing patterns a month from only $1.99

Tutorial of the week

Create your own day planner

We have created a sewing tutorial for this gorgeous day planner just for you. CLICK HERE to download your free tutorial, and pattern as well printable 2017 diary pages to insert into your brand new day planner.

What you need:

2 x sheets thick A4 Cardboard

0.75 meters / 0.9 yards of thick woven fabric

A spring clip file mechanism

2 x 10mm eyelets with washers

Happy Sewing!

WIN BIG with our 2017 Sewing Challenge

We are happy to announce our 2017 Sewing Challenge!

This year we’re changing it up a bit, instead of having just one big winner at the end of the year, we have also decided to add monthly winners too!

How do you enter:

Step 1: Purchase our annual sewing pattern subscription - CLICK HERE to subscribe now!

Step 2: Every month, make one of the sewing patterns you receive through your subscription and share a picture of it with us on Twitter @MySewingPattern use the hash tag #SewChallenged2017

This year it’s not compulsory to enter every month to stand in line for the grand prize announced at the end of the year AND every picture your share with us of one of your creations, equals a place in the draw (so if you manage to make all 100 patterns we send you, that will be 100 places in the draw for you)!

Step 3: Follow us on twitter – winners will be announced at the end of every month! The grand prize winner will be announced 31^st December 2017 (Read below... you’ll just LOVE this year’s GRAND PRIZE).

Keep coming back to this post, every month we will update the new prize list:

January 2017 – Winner will receive a Copy of our brand new eBook being launched in February 2017 “Sew Basic” by Nathalie Marran PLUS a $20 gift card to spend in our online store!

February 2017 - TBA

March 2017 - TBA

April 2017 - TBA

May - TBA

June 2017 - TBA

July 2017 - TBA

August - TBA

September - TBA

October 2017 - TBA

November 2017 - TBA

December 2017 - TBA

31^st December 2017 – GRAND PRIZE DRAW of a MacBook Air, plus a $100 gift card to spend in our online store!

 

Pattern of the week

Really Easy High Waist Shorts

 

We just have to share this vintage style sewing pattern with you this week. It has been our BEST SELLING sewing pattern for the last 3 YEARS in a row... and with good reason. It looks good and it’s REALLY easy to make.

And if you’re feeling creative, it’s a really easy pattern to adjust and create your own design with!

This week’s pattern for subscribers

This week our subscribers can expect to receive this gorgeous, ladies sports jacket sewing pattern. It’s super stylish and can be worn as formal or informal wear.

 

SIGN UP today and make sure you receive your pattern this coming Friday!

Tutorial of the week

I have been wanting to make one of these for a while now, every time I open my broom closet, piles of plastic bags seem to jump out and attack me, so here it is

The Plastic Bag Dispenser Bag

What you need:

• A fabric square roughly 50cm x 50cm / 0.5 x 0.5 yards
• Rope or ribbon approximately 70 centimetres / 28” inches long
• A section of 1.5cm / 5/8” wide elastic that is 15cm / 6” long

Steps:

• Step 1: overlock / serge all the edges of your fabric square, for a neat final effect.

 

• Step 2: On the wrong side of the fabric, sew your section of elastic along the bottom of your fabric square (use a large zigzag stitch). Fold fabric over inwards and stitch along the elastic again.

 

• Step 3: Right sides of fabric facing, sew closed the side seam

 

• Step 4: Along the top of the bag, fold the fabric over inwards, and stitch flat. Fold over a second time, but when you stitch flat, leave open a section about 2.5cm / 1” long at the back seam.

 

• Step 5: Feed your ribbon or rope through this opening. When both ends are out, tie it once (don’t knot it) this will help you to tighten / loosen the opening of the bag as you need to.

 

• Step 6: Knot the two ends together to create a hanging loop. Turn right way out.

 

Fill up with bags in the top.. and pull a bag out the bottom when you need one!

 Your plastic bag dispenser is now ready to fill and use! 

Happy Sewing!

Challenge yourself in 2017

A New Year! A fresh start, and time for some new challenges! This year I plan to create sewing patterns that are slightly more technically challenging. Why? Well I’m not really one for stagnating, I like to push myself to learn more and do more, growing my skills and knowledge, and growing more every year in my abilities.

 

I may have been sewing my whole life, and 2017 marks 14 years since I complete my studies and have been making a career out of it, but I never believe that I know it all, I always believe that I can learn more and become a better seamstress, dressmaker and business woman.

This week’s sewing tutorial is for a slit pocket, and it’s one of those things that I worked on creating a better version of (and will probably continue to do so), so that its process of construction is as simple as possible, but with the neatest, best quality version of it. So give our tutorial a try and let us know what you think of it.

Make It Sew!

We are so proud that out book Make it Sew, by Nathalie Marran made it onto the Amazon best reads blog! To celebrate, everyone who purchases a full year’s Annual Sewing Patterns Subscription during the month of January, will receive a FREE copy of our most popular eBook – what a brilliant way to improve your skills and grow your own Sew From Home Business

Merri Ladies Blouse Sewing Pattern

If you have signed up for our newsletter or our annual sewing pattern subscription, this is the sewing pattern you will be receiving this Friday for FREE!

Tutorial of the week

The Slit Pocket

 

The slit pocket, once you can master it, then you will love it. A recent query from a client inspired me to create this week’s blog tutorial based on this pocket, and you can also use this tutorial to add this kind of pocket to a finished garment.

This is quite a challenging pocket for most, and one that does take a lot of practice. Although in my patterns I share the general way of creating these pockets, I myself have recently been working on trying to create a simpler way of constructing them, which moving forward will be included in new pattern instructions.

What you will need:

• Iron on interfacing - specifically for these pockets, I like to use the one that almost feels like cardboard it’s so hard
• Fabric for your piping
• Fabric for your pocket sections

I have included a few pattern piece for you to download

Step 1:

On a hard piece of iron-on interfacing measure out and draw your pocket section. Cut it out with at least a 1cm / 3/8” border around it, and iron onto the wrong side of the fabric, in the space where you intend to attach your pocket.

Step 2:

Cut along the lines in the pocket are, and press them open towards the wrong side of the fabric.

 

Step 3:

Press your two piping sections in half, and pin them to the long sections of your pocket, with the fold facing inwards towards the pocket opening. Baste into position.

 

Step 4:

Baste your triangular corners to your piping section, this should help your corners as well as your piping sections stay in place, while you complete your pocket. Press flat again before continuing (this will help with the neatness of your pocket.

 

Step 5:

Attach your pockets sections to the long opening sections, stitching along the folded lines.

 

Step 6:
Attach the picket sections together, by sewing down the sides and bottom, making sure you include the sides of the piping sections, but don’t stitch to the main fabric section. Press flat – your pocket is now ready!

 

Tip: Tailors usually use an invisible hand stitch to sew the piping sections closed- this helps to keep the pocket in shape until the client purchases the garment.

Happy Sewing!