This is where creativity meets practicality to bring the art of sewing into your simple living journey. From thoughtful handmade gifts to functional projects for your home, this space is filled with inspiring ideas to help you sew with purpose and joy.
Discover step-by-step tutorials for crafting personalized presents, sustainable home goods, and timeless pieces that add charm and functionality to everyday life. Whether you’re a seasoned seamstress or just threading your first needle, these projects are designed to be approachable and rewarding.
Ready to sew something special? Explore our articles and find inspiration to create items that reflect your values and the beauty of simple living.
When we go to the library we always wind up with a huge stack of books. I’m sure it’s just because there are so many of us. All the children have their own cards and I guess I should have them each check out their own books, but then its a mess when we try …
Boy, these summer weeks are moving fast! I can’t believe that this is our 5th sewing class. Today we are making lined tote bags. Tote bags are great for the beginner sewer because you don’t have to be exact, you just have to be consistent. For this bag, we will be using a 1/4 inch …
Note: If you’re wondering how to sewing and not break your budget, I’ve written a guest post for Money Saving Mom titled Five Ways to Save Money on Sewing Supplies. There are some great ideas in the comments so be sure to read those also. In the hustle and bustle of getting ready for children’s …
I hope you guys had fun making your pincushions last week. We had a great time and everyone finished their project here at the house. So, now that we have your pins and needles all organized we’re going get on with another useful project. Making hotpads. There are a million and one ways to make …
I hope you had a great time last week making your needlebooks. We had 8 girls, a couple of moms and 7 boys who played Risk and Clue! We had a really great time. We didn’t quite finish the books, so the girls took them home to finish them. I can’t wait to see them. For …
Our first project for Summer Sewing School is to make a needlebook to keep all of your needles organized. Depending on how you design your needlebook you will learn how to sew on a button and how to sew a blanket stitch, a whip stitch, a running stitch and a back stitch. Supplies Needed: Two 9″ …
There are a few basic hand stitches that everyone should know. You will be amazed at how much you can do with these few stitches. If you are stitching an item that will not be washed you do not have to use real knots. Thread your needle with both ends of the thread so that you …
This week is preparation week for our Summer Sewing School. Since this class is geared toward non-sewers I wanted to give everyone time to get their supplies together. I’ll repost the supplies each week for the next week, so don’t think you have to have everything the first week. If your just starting here’s some …
Note: I’ve mentioned before that all my boys have various levels of sewing ability. They all have learned to at least sew a button and do some simple mending. So while most of the stories I draw on will be about Phoebe since she is by far the most proficient sewer, please remember that sewing …
This weekend our local homeschool group sponsored a graduation ceremony for any seniors who wanted to participate. This was the first time we have been able to go, it was very touching. There were 10 students participating, I personally knew all but 2. There was a video presentation for each student that each family put …
Phoebe and I have finally ironed out all the details for the Summer Sewing School. At least I hope we have. I wanted to be sure that the projects were, in fact, something that an elementary or jr high child could not only do but also enjoy doing. Phoebe helped me quite a bit with this. …
Since we homeschool we have the freedom to arrange our schoolwork in a way that works best for us. We’ve done it all… schooled year round with a predetermined schedule; schooled year round because that’s just how life worked out that year; started school after labor day, took holiday from Thanksgiving until New Years and …
We have some dear friends whose oldest son is getting married in a few weeks. Carl and I love weddings and try really hard to make the gift that we give something that is truly useful – something that goes beyond picking a gift off of a registry. Because sometimes newlyweds really don’t know what they …
On Friday afternoon Phoebe and I ditched all real work and made some baby shower gifts for a friend who is expecting her first baby. We grabbed some onesies and cloth diapers at the store and went to work. I’ve always used cloth diapers as burp rags, but apparently this has eluded Phoebe since she …
For the vast majority of our marriage, Carl and I have used a “cash” only system for budgeting our money. It works well, if we don’t have the cash for something we just don’t get it or we save until we do have the cash for it. What I haven’t done so well in the …
We, as in Phoebe and I, decided that the girls needed matching Christmas dresses this year. Because of their age difference, we had a hard time finding matching patterns. So we used several different patterns and altered them… it’s good that I have a thing for NOT following instructions. The rest of the photo shoot: …
When I started sewing, I really knew nothing. I knew I needed needles and thread, pins, scissors, a sewing machine and fabric, of course. But I didn’t really know what kind of scissors or pins to buy. I made a few buying errors along the way that served as teaching tools. I hope with the following …