Custom Fitted Sheets

 

Custom fitted sheet

     I had a neighbor reach out to me to see if I could help her with an annoyance she had.  She and her husband had bought a camper van.  The bed was a 'shelf' in the back.  It had a memory foam topper that was cut to fit into the corners as the van had doors that opened in the rear.

     The queen sized sheets and mattress pad were rectangular and would get all bunched up in the corners and then pop off.  She wanted to know if I could some how make them fit better.

Left corner template

Right corner template

     I decided the best option would be is to make the sheets and mattress pad fit more like a cushion.  I measured the foam width and length and then made patterns/templates of the two cut out corners.  I then took out the stitching in the corners of the sheets and made them as flat as possible.  I did have to tack the elastic on either side of that seam so it wouldn't all spring into the casing when I cut it.  I then cut out the center of the sheet 1 inch larger than my measurements, allowing a 1/2 inch seam allowance all around.  

     I used the templates I made of the corners and cut the corners of the sheet.  After seaming the four pieces with the elastic back together I made sure they were all the same depth.  I then started sewing them back on, pivoting at the corners and clipping as needed.  I made sure to serge all the seams also to prevent fraying.  The piece I put back on was a little bigger then the cut top, I just pleated it to fit.  

Finished left corner

     As there was also some batting glued to the cut edges, the fitted corners weren't real crisp but when we put it back into the van it was great.  She was thrilled that I was able to help her overcome the problem of the sheets sliding off.

Kids Clothing Camp

 

Darby and her skirt

     I had scheduled a Clothing Camp for the summer based on a program I bought from Hipstitch Academy.  The three things they were to make were a Flower Petal Skirt, a Shorts Romper and a Halter Wrap Dress.

Ava and her skirt

     The pattern for the skirt stated it would fit up to a 36" waist.  I thought 'Great'.  That should fit everyone.  I had the moms send me the girls' measurements so I could draft the patterns ahead of time.

Evie and her skirt

     I started by making up a sample of the petal skirt.  Oh My Gosh it was so tiny, I did't think it would even fit my 6 year old granddaughter.  When I contacted the person I bought the program from to ask advice, she just said to add a petal or two.  Well that wasn't going to fix the length problem. I figured since the skirt was so tiny that the other two projects also were not going to fit my students.

Darby and her t-shirt

     I figured we could draft our own pattern for the skirt based on their measurements but I needed to do something different for the other two projects.  I chose a t-shirt and then a pair of shorts.  I contacted the moms to let them know the change of plans in case any of the girls wanted to change their mind.  They were all good with the change of plans.

Ava and her t-shirt

     

     We drafted a triangle based on their hip measurement as I knew it had to go over the hips to go on.  The length of the triangle was based on how long they wanted their skirt to be.  They turned out okay but a bit bulky in the waist with all the layers and elastic.  On the last day of camp, we took out the casing and added a waistband instead.  That helped a little.  If I do this again I would do the waistband in two steps to reduce the bulk more but we didn't have enough time this camp.

Evie and her t-shirt

     I drafted the patterns for their t-shirts from other patterns in my stash.  The sewing was straight forward but a challenge for the girls due to the knit fabric. They learned how to quarter the neck band and the neck opening so that the ribbing went on smoothly.  They all did a great job and they turned out great.

Darby and her shorts

     Then it was on to the shorts.  The girls were so happy to be working with a woven fabric again.  We did tweak some of the length and the crotch length as they were sewing.

Ava and her shorts

     There was just one other wretch thrown into all of this, Ainsley on the Friday before camp broke her foot.  She made it to camp on Monday on crutches and part of Tuesday before having to leave early for a doctor's appointment.  She was not able to make it to the last two days though.  

Evie and her shorts

     All in all camp went well and the girls had fun.  This is the second time I have used a program from Hipstitch Academy for a summer camp and things did not go well.  Last time, the yardage requirements were off and I did not check before sending out the supply list.  I did learn my lesson to always sew up samples before the start of camp to check for that and to be sure the directions are clear.

Beginning Sewing Camp June 7 2021

 

Finished projects

     Last week I had the first sewing camp of the summer.  It was Beginning Sewing and I had four students, two boys and two girls.  It was extra special as I had my grandson in the camp.

Autumn and her pillow

Caleb and his pillow

Colton and his pillow

Kate and her pillow

     After learning how to operate the sewing machine, they all earned their Sewing Machine Driver's License.  I have a special certificate that I add their photo to and have them printed and laminated.  As they finish a project their earn a star sticker.

Autumn and her drawstring bag

Caleb and his drawstring bag

Colton and his drawstring bag

Kate and her drawstring bag

     After sewing several samples they chose fabric to make a patchwork pillow.  It was interesting to see how each designed their pillow front.  My grandson Colton included several pieces of fabric leftover from masks that I had made for their family.  The girls both opted for all the same fabric while Caleb chose just three fabrics and arranged them in a stair step layout.

Autumn and her book bag

Caleb and his book bag

Colton and his book bag

Kate and her book bag

      Their next two projects were a drawstring bag and a book bag.  As they worked on these projects they learned about zigzagging to finish raw edges and how to sew and clip curves.

Autumn's projects

Caleb and his projects

Colton and his projects

Kate's projects

     They all worked hard and did a great job sewing.  They also seemed to have a lot of fun.  In fact one day my husband (who was working upstairs) asked if we were partying or sewing.  

Colton hard at work

The End of the Year After School Sewing 2021

April

Aly and her llama pajama pants

Anna Catherine and her hot chocolate cozy

Anna Catherine and her pillowcase

Ava and her journal cover

Ava and her pillowcase

Donna and her drawstring backpack

Donna and her patchwork tote

Kali and her aunt's t-shirt quilt

Katie and her pillowcase

Lucy and her book bag

Lucy and her pincushion

Kali's quilt

Val and a sundress for her granddaughter

Victoria and her apron

Victoria and her drawstring backpack

      Here is a showing of what my students did from the beginning of April until the end of after school sewing the first week of June.  

May

Anna Catherine and her journal cover

Ava and her drawstring backpack

Ava and her coin purse

Ava and her patchwork tote

Donna and her apron

Katie and a diaper

Libby and her pretty dress

Lucy and her hot chocolate cozy

Lucy and her pillowcase

Victoria and her card holder

Victoria and her coin purse

Zoey and her patchwork tote

     Each batch of photos represents something they finished in that month.  

June

Anna Catherine and her patchwork tote

Donna and her coin purse

Isy's quilt

Isy and her t-shirt quilt

     As I write this blog, I am teaching my first camp of the summer.  It is a beginning camp with four kids, two boys and two girls.  One of them is my grandson who I helped with his First Communion banner.  He liked using the sewing machine and wanted to do more.  It has been fun. (and tiring)