sew

Free pillowcase dress sewing tutorials!

by modes4u June 19, 2020

Depending on where you happen to live, the thought “summer is coming” may well bring to mind some memories of stifling heat, regardless of all otherwise happy associations with the beach, camping, holidays etc.! A positive way to deal with that feeling is to get creative, and sew some very light clothing items that will make you feel as cool as a cucumber. Think of light quilting cotton or knits, linen, double gauze fabric, rayon and viscose etc. There are many different types of lightweight fabrics in our kawaii shop that will fit your summer projects perfectly.

And what would you do? We love SIMPLE patterns and quick crafts, so the absolute winner in these circumstances is always the same: the sleeveless pillowcase dress in all its versions. You can make a delightfully fresh and wearable summer dress in no time and with very little effort, out of fabric such as solid color fabrics or prints with colorful patterns. We found a great tutorial you can follow for an adult sized dress, courtesy of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas, who did a lovely pillowcase dress with a belt. Or you can check out We All Sew or The Ribbon Retreat for tutorials on how to make these dresses for children. These sites provide patterns and easy to follow instructions to help you get sewing!

With a bit more time and fabric, you can get a fairly chic maxi dress with a halter-like neck version out of the basic pillowcase pattern, just make it longer and remember to add lateral slits to make walking easy. Or you can cut it shorter, and have a boho flowy top to pair with your most comfy shorts or mini skirt!

Below are some images for inspiration, plus some fabric recommendations from us. Please do send us your own pictures if you decide to give this a try, we would love to see and share them!

Beautiful!! Courtesy of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas

These are too cute for words! Courtesy of We All Sew

This is sooo pretty! Courtesy of The Ribbon Retreat

blue Cosmo double gauze fabric with small colorful flowers

solid light pink-peach double gauze fabric by Cosmo

zebra stripe rayon linen fabric by Kokka from Japan

Robert Kaufman brown and orange brush stroke fabric

Robert Kaufman light blue and metallic silver mini dot fabric

Timeless Treasures dark blue batik nature fabric with leaves

rainbow batik fabric with polka dots by Timeless Treasures

June 19, 2020 0 comment

Check out these AMAZING dresses made by our customer, Estelle!

by modes4u September 17, 2019

Yay! We’ve got more wonderful images to share, of some really lovely garments made with our fabrics by one of our super creative customers! This is undoubtedly one of our favorite topics of all times: the beautiful things you manage to create with our products. We feel very lucky to have such skilled crafters and sewing enthusiasts as customers!

This time, you will find below several pictures featuring pretty dresses, robes, aprons etc. that Estelle B. has been recently making with fabrics she purchased from us. Check them out, and visit her Instagram page for a lengthier look at her sewing creations. As part of her brand, The Little Star Factory, you will find some wondrous clothes for women and girls. There are some amazing garments, like the asymmetrical dress or the child apron with little dwarves; stunning textile designs cleverly combined, like the matryoshka fabric of her yellow apron; marvelously light and elegant dresses for the summer, like the one with cherry blossoms all over, or that of the flowery white design!

We find they are de-li-cious-ly kawaii!! In fact, we are unable to choose our favorite among them, would you like to help us? Let us know which you like best! And remember, if you decide to make anything with items available in our shop, we would love to see it! A big thank you, especially to those who send us pictures of their finished projects, so that we can enjoy them and share them here with all our readers. 🙂

This dress is GORGEOUS!

How cute are these designs, for little ones?

This is a fun top for kids!

Matching dresses for adults and kids! This combo is so sweet!

Colorful and kawaii!

What a lovely apron!

Little ones will love wearing this design!

September 17, 2019 0 comment

We have brand new soft shell fabrics just for you!

by modes4u September 6, 2019

We would like to warmly welcome a new type of fabric that just arrived in our online shop: say hello to soft shell fabrics! From now on, and just in time to get ready for autumn and winter, you will find this kind of revolutionary textile material in our fabrics category. Our soft shell fabric, from Quality Textiles, is water resistant on one side, with a really soft material on the other. Therefore, it is very popular for sewing active wear and jackets for outdoor use, as it helps you keep dry and warm in cold damp weather.

Water resistance does have different degrees, though, and soft shell fabrics are not completely waterproof. They combine a certain degree of impermeability with another vital quality of these fabrics intended for high output activities and sports: breathability. This is the ability to absorb and release perspiration, which our bodies generate during physical activity. Our soft shell fabrics will protect you from light wind, while keeping you comfortable due to their being very breathable.

Soft shells are mainly used for outerwear, especially garments apt for mountaineering and snow sports, trekking, etc. However, they will no doubt be useful whenever you are active outdoors in a cold humid climate, to keep you or the kids comfortably warm and dry. Covers for tablets, laptops, and glasses are good creative projects where soft shell may be used. If you are especially interested in keeping your soft shell sewing project as water resistant as possible, remember to use polyester thread for the seams!

Check out the new soft shell fabrics we have!

colorful snail soft shell fabric in green

pale grey soft shell fabric with elephants

dark grey soft shell fabric with colorful dinosaurs

colorful forest animal soft shell fabric with foxes and birds

soft shell fabric in dark turquoise with colorful umbrellas

soft shell polka dot fabric in peach

brown soft shell melange fabric with skulls

soft shell fabric with ladybugs in grey

colorful butterfly soft shell fabric in pink

grey soft shell fabric with colorful classic race cars

solid lime green soft shell fabric

September 6, 2019 0 comment

The importance of good design, as expertly shown through Cosmo fabrics!

by modes4u April 15, 2019

Yes, we are back to Cosmo’s showroom, because there are still many pictures of their most recent textile designs that we would love to share with you! We are certain you will enjoy these beautiful fabrics, and we know these will definitely inspire your sewing projects. You will notice at first sight that the items shown in this batch of Cosmo fabrics‘ images include plenty of great design ideas, especially for bags. However, there is also a short tunic dress in a delicate flower pattern that is perfect for Summer and will make you instantly want to wear it, or a striking colorful apron with cats and flowers that really stands out by itself. Check them out!

How cute is this? We love it!

Most of the fabrics shown below feature original patterns inspired by nature, whether in the form of the cutest animals, especially cats and birds, exquisite flowers, painted-looking fruits, or any combination of natural elements. There are some other wonderful designs featuring detailed ornaments, geometric shapes and gold embellishments, colorful charming matryoshkas, some vintage items etc. A few textiles revel in patterned motifs, using mini dots, stripes, checkered designs and other minute prints to decorate bigger shapes, as in the fabrics with patterned vases, birds and fruits shown in one of the images we’ve included in this blog post. We also believe that many of these stylish designs owe a lot of their attractiveness to a sophisticated color palette, and great attention to detail.

We could stare at these fabrics all day!

Now, many of the fabric bags look simply gorgeous! Just check out the extremely chic twin totes with designs of many leaves on white and pastel-colored geometric shapes, or the two ample bags with wonderfully daring designs of schematic birds with big red dots and fairy tale mushrooms in saturated colors. The drawstring handbag with delightful bunnies and golden embellishments is definitely one of our all-time favorites! We keep staring at the gorgeous combination of outer dark blue with inner light purple fabrics, and marvel at the clever design that makes the upper part fold outward like tender lilac rabbit ears. So incredibly cute! Which of these bags made with Cosmo fabrics do you like most?

So many kawaii bags!

We have included some other images of fabrics from our shop to go with this post, mainly kawaii patterns inspired by nature, and a few selected feats of textile design that we have available for you in our kawaii shop. Fortunately, we work with world-class fabric providers from Japan, USA and Europe who are fully aware of the importance of good design, thus we can both enjoy and spread the artistic creations of many first-rate textile designers. Feel free to comment on what you love best about these pictures, and do not forget to send photos if you decide to use our fabrics for your creative projects! We would love to share them here!

What a gorgeous display!

Wow! Look at all these beautiful items!

What great inspiration!

Can we get one of these bags too, please?

brown and dark blue Matryoshka Quilt Gate fabric

double border Matryoshka fabric by Quilt Gate in yellow

fruit Cosmo oxford fabric in grey

canvas fabric by Cosmo with flowers in blue-grey

oxford natural color Cosmo flower and leaf fabric

April 15, 2019 0 comment

FREE Sewing Pattern! Quilting with coyote fabrics for beginners!

by modes4u April 12, 2019

This one goes out to all the quilting beginners who have just learned the basics of the art, and are looking for good opportunities to put their new sewing abilities to the test. We have this delightful FREE sewing pattern, made with one of our newest collections of Robert Kaufman fabrics, Coyote Cowboy. Andie Hanna is the designer behind these sweet 100% cotton textiles, that recently arrived in our shop. They feature the cutest coyotes dressed in cowboy clothes and accessories, fabrics with cowboy hats and cowboy boots, as well as other traditional patterns like checkered designs and small paisley motifs. The color palette revolves around red, blue and black, therefore perfectly fitting all those cowboy-styled patterns.

In the free quilting pattern pictures included below, you will see the quilt design is pretty simple, with a double frame and 20 colorful star-blocks on a white background. We have added some images from our shop too, so that you can get a closer and more detailed look at the Coyote Cowboy fabrics.

There is an outer frame with a checkered pattern in blue and black, plus a thinner inside frame with paisleys on red; they surround five rows of 4 blocks, where each row alternates coyote-star and yellow-star blocks. All star shapes in the blocks are based on triangles and squares, with the coyotes taking center stage in large blocks, and rectangular strips framing the yellow stars in the small ones. For the binding, the white background of the star-shaped motifs, and the yellow stars, the quilt designer has used some solid-color textiles of the gorgeous Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton series.

This is a beautiful, easy sewing project if you have just a little experience with quilting. You only need some fabrics, and the quilt design is fairly uncomplicated. This is also a great chance for quilting beginners to learn how to use triangular cuts, and how to better arrange the resulting squares or star shapes into blocks. We encourage you to try your hand at this cheerful free quilt pattern, and share with us some pictures of your finished project: remember we love to see your creations!

Give this awesome quilt a try!!

peach Robert Kaufman fabric with coyotes in cowboy outfits

coyote cowboy Robert Kaufman fabric in red

Robert Kaufman blue and black checkered fabric

red and black checkered fabric by Robert Kaufman

blue cowboy hat fabric by Robert Kaufman

Robert Kaufman blue cowboy boot fabric

blue paisley Robert Kaufman fabric

paisley Robert Kaufman fabric in red

marigold Corn Yellow Kona fabric Robert Kaufman USA

solid white fabric Robert Kaufman USA White

April 12, 2019 1 comment

FREE sewing pattern for a STUNNING bag!!

by modes4u April 5, 2019

Now THIS is a bag that will definitely make you stand out from the crowd! Check out this FREE SEWING PATTERN for a beautiful bag you can use on a daily basis, that is not only super stylish, but also incredibly practical!

This particular cloth bag is made from stunning Kokka fabric, featuring a shopfront pattern. This is definitely an eye-catching design and it’s great for any season of the year. If you’re looking for a fun project to work on, then this one is definitely it!

Kokka, from Japan, creates stunning textiles that are great for all sorts of sewing projects. Maybe you can make this bag for someone close to you, they’ll certainly appreciate the effort and thought that went into it! If you happen to be new to sewing, you can also give this project a go, to help you sharpen up your skills. Don’t worry if the end-result isn’t quite what you expected it to be, it’s all just a matter of practice and after a few goes, you’ll definitely improve! What’s most important is for you to just have fun in the process!

Are you going to give this sewing project a go? If you do, please make sure to send us some photos! We’d love to see what you create using this pattern and our fabrics! Good luck!!

You can make this bag! Give it a try!!

storefront Kokka Japanese fabric

black travel city poster Cheater fabric Robert Kaufman Dream Vacation

lime green Michael Miller fabric colorful car building Park City

navy blue fabric with landmark gold metallic Lawn fabric by Cotton and Steel

Michael Miller blush-pink window fabric

Stof France bus and taxi fabric in white

cream Alexander Henry fabric colorful building ballpark vehicle In Town

animal town oxford fabric by Kokka with board game design

natural color Kokka town canvas fabric

April 5, 2019 0 comment

Free sewing pattern for a reversible apron!

by modes4u September 17, 2018

Need a new apron to use when you’re cooking or doing arts and crafts projects? With this free sewing pattern, you’ll be able to make your very own reversible apron! Isn’t it fun? This particular apron was made with gorgeous Kokka fabrics.

We have more Japanese fabric suggestions here in this post, if you’re looking to make your own apron! We’d love to see pictures of what you create, if you decide to give this a go!

Learn how to make this apron!

Kokka canvas fabric with French bulldogs

dog canvas fabric yellow Kokka with stripe

dog animal French Bulldog transport Canvas pink-mauve fabric by Kokka Japan

natural color Canvas fabric with dog animal by Kokka Japan

bag canvas fabric by Kokka in green

flower canvas fabric in black by Kokka

red circle canvas fabric natural color by Kokka

cat animal mirror item Canvas fabric blue by Kokka Japan

September 17, 2018 0 comment

Why Is Flannel Fabric the Best Choice for Customers?

by modes4u September 12, 2018

Flannel is a soft, warm material that is used to create a variety of items. Flannel fabric requires some cleaning steps to ensure that fabric is touchable and soft to remain the same as it was intended. Here are the best cleaning methods for washing flannel fabric shirts, blankets, sheets etc. If you are using a Flannel fabric for babies, it is going to give your baby something with a soft feel and help create a comfort zone.

What makes flannel fabric a favorite choice for sewing, apart from its low price, is the variety of solids and prints that are available to be charming to anybody at any age, from babies to men and women. While probably most associated with items for newborns and children, flannel is incredibly versatile and a fantastic choice for making all sorts of crafts from quilts, to toys and games, home items, everyday clothing, sleeping totes, sleepwear, household slippers, scarves and hats, family pet wear etc.

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Types of Flannel Fabrics

2. How to wash flannel?

3. Bonus tips and advice

3.1 How to Stop Flannel From Fraying

3.2 Machine Washing Tips for Flannel Fabric Sheets, Shirts and Blankets

3.3 Hand Washing Tips for Flannel Fabric Sheets, Shirts and Blankets

4. 5 Easy Tips to Sew Flannel Fabric

Types of Flannel Fabrics

Some of the 6 best types of flannel fabrics include:

Baby Flannel:

Baby flannel is used for baby clothes and mostly blankets. This flannel is 100% cotton and also it is incredibly soft to protect your baby and keep your baby skin safe.

Bocking Flannel:

It is mostly used for gaming tables. It is a cotton or woolen blend, unlike most of the other flannels

Ceylon Flannel:

Ceylon is a cotton and wool blend. Mostly shirts and sheets are made of Ceylon Flannel because it is a soft and warm fabric.

Cotton Flannel:

Cotton flannel is heavy but it’s not actually heavy when combined with other wool. When combined with other clothing layers Cotton flannel becomes a popular clothing selection for chilled weather.

Diaper Flannel:

As the name itself suggests, it is a flannel fabric that is used for making cloth diapers as both sides will be soft.

Wool Flannel:

This is the original flannel fiber that is sometimes blended with other fibers. This wool flannel is 100% warm and strong.

What you will need for Washing

1. Mild detergent

2. Fabric softener

3. Warm water

4. White vinegar

5. Dryer sheets

Top 5 Steps to Wash Flannel

1. Fill your washing machine with warm water. Precaution: Don’t use hot water to wash flannel fabric.

2. Add a mild detergent as the regular detergent may fade the flannel fabric. Strong detergents or bleach or any kind of alternatives must be avoided.

3. Try washing the flannel on the permanent press. Also, it is best to keep the water at a consistent temperature.

4. Add some fabric softener to the rinse cycle. Use white vinegar as it is considered to be a natural fabric softener. It is necessary that you reduce the amount of lint on the flannel. If you don’t want to use fabric softener in your machine then a dryer sheet must be added to the drying cycle.

5. If your machine is drying then make sure to remove the piece that is dry because over-drying can cause fabric to become weak. Drying on low can keep your fabric in a perfect condition for a long time and also prevents shrinking.

Bonus Tips and Advice

Check out these bonus tips to keep your flannel fabric soft and prevent it from shrinking.

1. Make sure to check the label while washing any flannel fabric item. If it is made of wool flannel then it needs to be specially cleaned, in a way that is only done by professional cleaners.

2. Flannel is mostly known for shrinking and in some of the cases like bed sheets, is made slightly larger than needed to allow for shrinking to occur. While buying any flannel fabric shirt, keep this all in your mind and get the right size.

3. If the flannel fabric is losing its softness then it could be a result of the softener. Try to wash it without adding a fabric softener into the water and dry it without a dryer sheet. Also, running an extra wash cycle will remove any residue that can cause the fabric to feel stiff.

4. Flannel is known for its softness as there are several different qualities of flannel. It is suggested that you must carefully choose flannel fabrics as some of them are lower grade and don’t have the same softness that a high-quality fabric has.

5. Make sure that you empty the lint trap after each load as flannel will create lint in the dryer.

6. Here are amazing tips for sewing flannel fabric:

How to Stop Flannel From Fraying

Machine Washing Tips for Flannel Fabric Sheets, Shirts and Blankets

1. Set up your washer to warm wash and warm rinse. Do not use too much hot water.

2. Before starting a process add the correct amount of detergent.

3. To make fabric softer, add fabric softener or white vinegar.

4. Add flannel and start running the wash cycle until it completes.

5. Set the machine to low dry and remove. Once it dries, hang it to reduce wrinkles.

Hand Washing Tips for Flannel Fabric Sheets, Shirts and Blankets

1. Fill a container with warm water.

2. Add the detergent and mix it with your hands or any other tool once the water level has been reached.

3. Put flannel into the container and use your hands or any tool to rotate the flannel inside the container to mix it with the soapy water.

4. Dump out water and squeeze flannel until all the water has been removed.

5. Again fill the container with warm water but this time without detergent and rinse the fabric by rotating it. When you see the flannel rinsed, remove the water and then again refill it.

6. Now add the fabric softener or white vinegar into the water.

7. Submerge flannel and leave it for 5 to 6 minutes before dumping water out.

8. After that rinse the flannel in warm water as previously done so that all the fabric has no soapy residue. Squeeze as much as possible.

9. Hang to dry and to reduce wrinkles.

5 Easy Tips to Sew Flannel Fabric

Here are the 5 best tips on which you need to focus while sewing flannel fabric.

1. Pre-shrink Before You Sew

Most of the flannels are designed with 100% cotton, it’s fabric that is notorious for shrinking a lot when washed so it is better to pre-shrink it before you sew. Maximize the shrinking process by setting the machine on hot while using both the washer and dryer.

2. Buy a Little Bit More

Normally ? to a ¼ yard is best for shrinkage when the fabric will undergo pre-shrinking.

3. Use Fresh Needles and Thread

Flannel can be rough on cutting tools and needles, so try to start with a fresh machine size 80/12 needle.

4. Flannel Can Be Messy Sometimes

The looser weave and brushed surface accord itself to tons of lint, especially around the sewing machine, so be certain to completely clean the bobbin circumstance and around the needle shaft of your machine after dealing with flannel.

5. Smooth-Edge Tracing Wheel for Marking

Due to the soft nature of the fabric, mark it with a smooth-edge marking tool rather than using a spoked wheel to prevent holes in the flannel fabric.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is a flannel fabric made of?

Flannel is a soft fabric made from cotton, wool or synthetic fiber.

Q2. Is flannel warm?

Flannel sheets are not warm. It has a fluffy surface. There is much more space for air to enter within the fluffy surface of flannel sheets.

Q3. Are flannel and fleece the same thing?

Flannel is a pattern or square, unlike fleece, and it is usually man-made. Flannel is made from a natural material, cotton. Flannel fabric is lightweight and soft against the skin.

Q4. Should Flannel be washed before sewing?

Most flannels are made of 100% cotton so the fabric is notorious for shrinking when washed. It is suggested you pre-shrink it before you sew as it is the best way to work with it.

Q5. Does flannel shrink?

Yes, flannel can shrink if you do not wash it properly according to the washing tips mentioned above. That’s why washing it properly is necessary.

bird animal flannel fabric Robert Kaufman pink Swan Princess

September 12, 2018 0 comment

Here’s a free sewing pattern for a mini balloon bag!

by modes4u September 7, 2018

Wondering what your next sewing project should be? Then we have the ideal free sewing pattern for you! This pattern is for a lovely mini balloon bag. This bag is perfect for day to day purposes, to carry around snacks or other small items, to use at work etc. Plus it’s super stylish! You could make this for yourself, or as a gift for someone. This fabulous pattern uses stunning Kokka fabric.

We’ve included some Japanese fabric suggestions in this post, to help you get started on this adorable bag project. Please do send us photos of what you sew with our fabrics, we’d love to see and share them!

Want to learn how to make this bag? You can with this free pattern!

dark periwinkle unicorn oxford fabric by Kokka from Japan

Kokka oxford fabric with animals and trains

peach-pink animal oxford fabric by Kokka from Japan

oxford fabric with Easter bunny rabbits by Kokka

owl budgie bird animal yellow oxford fabric by Kokka

cat animal oxford natural color with colorful flower fabric by Kokka

blue Oxford fabric small black bird animal from Japan

cream Oxford fabric small black cat animal from Japan

light cream Lecien oxford fabric giraffe hedgehog bear animal

green with cute funny panda animal oxford fabric from Japan

mauve cute owl animal circle hexagon Oxford fabric from Japan

September 7, 2018 0 comment

A super cool customer creation!

by modes4u May 17, 2018

One of our awesome customers, Ms. Julia, created a SUPER COOL lampshade cover using a fabric she purchased from us! She used a stunning and popular Michael Miller fabric to create the cover you can see in the image here. What a fantastic sewing project! If you feel inspired by this to create something funky as well, check out our other Michael Miller designs featuring dots and stripes, as well as other patterns (we’ve got some suggestions for you here in this post). Make sure to send us images of your lovely creations, we always love checking them out!