Fabric & Sewing How-To Guides

Shawls are a great addition to any outfit as a statement piece or simply to add some outer wear to your look. The nice fringe on this shawl makes it easy to dress up or down for any occasion. Just pick your fabric and get to sewing your new favorite piece in your wardrobe.

Got some cold little piggy's? Keep them warm with these Sherpa lined fleece slippers. These slippers are super easy to make and one yard of fabric is enough to make around 4 pairs of medium sized slippers so you can give them away as gifts or just have a few extra pairs for yourself.

Whether you're team Nikon or team Canon, I think we can all agree that the camera straps are pretty ugly. I'm going to cover an existing camera strap with new fabric and make a detachable lens cover pouch to go with it. This strap makes my camera feel unique and gives it some personality. This project is so easy, you can change out the fabric whenever you feel like it.

I say pah-jah-mus, you might say pah-jam-us, jah-mies, jam-ies, jim-jams… however you say it, learn how to make it! I'm making pajama pants out of a fun cotton print using an existing pair as a pattern, and I'll be adding an optional drawstring. These pajama pants make great gifts, especially for that holiday family photo with the matching pairs.

These pair of leggings consist of cotton jersey. I'm using an old pair of leggings to use as my pattern for a good fit. Any stretch fabric that has at least 5% of spandex in it will work fine for these leggings. Leggings are so comfy to wear especially lounging around the house!

Circle skirts are so versatile and can be made from a range of different fabrics. The best fabric to choose for a circle skirt depends on your desired look and feel. If you're looking for something light and airy, a lightweight cotton or rayon blend would work well. For a more structured look, something like a twill or denim would be a great choice; or go luxurious with silk or satin. Whichever fabric you choose, make sure to pre-wash if possible to avoid any shrinkage after the skirt is sewn.

Way back in 2015 we made a tutorial on how to make a simple wristlet. It's always been one of my favorites and I got a lot of use out of it. I've made many since then for myself and for presents and have improved the design over time. I updated the pattern sizes and added a zipper compartment. This new zipper compartment can hold cards and cash in a more secure way than the first model.

You've probably noticed lately scrunchies have made a huge comeback. Unlike in the 90's though, they're not being used as a fashion statement. As our knowledge about hair care grows we realized how bad regular elastics can be for hair growth. Using fabric as a barrier between the elastic and your hair helps cut down on breakage and general damage. The method that I came up with is really easy, and doesn't require stringing the elastic through any channels, and leaves you with a really professional looking end result.

For weeks I was looking for the right kind of dog collar for my new puppy Theodore. I wanted something that was personalized but I don't love traditional dog tags, I find that they always fall off and it was really important to me that he never would be without my contact information on him. I keep a collar on my dogs at all time, so I figured that the best way to keep my information on him was going to be embroidering it into the actual collar. So I decided that I wanted to make a really simple adjustable dog collar for Theo so it would look nice, and could grow with him as he grew, so I didn't have to ever worry about him getting lost.

Finally – our long awaited face mask tutorial. We are going to show you how to make this mask three ways, the first being so easy, that almost no previous sewing experience is required. We have been working for several weeks now to get this tutorial out, and we think that you are just going to love the fit of these masks once you try them out. They are super comfortable, can be altered easily for a perfect fit, and in our opinion – are some of the most breathable masks we have found. You can download the template for this mask by signing up to our mailing list below.

As some of you may know, we live in the illustrious Commonwealth of Massachusetts. New England is well known for their sports teams, quirky people, and of course the weather. If you have never had the chance to visit us in the Northeast, let me fill you in on a little secret known to all locals. The weather here is absolutely insane. If you are really lucky, you can sometimes experience all four seasons in just a week in New England.

Chafing. It happens to every one of us. The day the weather gets warm enough, all I want to do is put on my pretty summer dresses and twirl around, but every year my thighs are so rude and they chafe to the point of serious discomfort. I have tried shorts, but they're bulky and they totally ruin my favorite part about wearing a dress (NO pants, YAY! ) So I took to the internet, and I found companies making lacy garments that were super cute and super practical.

Learn how to make this super cute beach cover up with our simple DIY tutorial. It's a really unique piece and can be matched with all different types of tops, like this smocked tube top.

Today, I am going to show you how to make this super cute smocked tube top. They are really trendy and I made it to go with these pants for a full bathing suit cover-up which I will link here so you can get the whole look. Check out this article to learn how to shirr fabric.

There's this really interesting phenomena that has always fascinated me until I finally decided to ask the old interweb how it's done. Braided products that don't have any open ends or seams. The internet, per usual, came up with the answer right away and it was actually 100 times easier than I expected. So, I am going to show you how it's done. Sit back, relax, and get ready to have your mind blown.

Need the perfect beach bag? I got you covered. This beach bag is made out of Phifertex Standard Solids and an outdoor fabric so it is super cute, waterproof, and most importantly, allows sand and crumbs to pass through the bottom of the bag while keeping your valuables safe. This bag is super customizable, so you can make it in any color combination and size. They are inexpensive to make and make great gifts.

Bags. If it isn't painfully obvious, we love them over here at OFS. I probably have a bag for every day of the month and guess what- I am not done creating more. Enter the Slouchy Backpack. Debatably the king of all bags, this one gets bonus points because it can be tied as a backpack and an over the shoulder bag.