Hooray for Fall Craftastic Monday Link Party

We're officially into fall my crafty friends!  Are you feeling festive?  Got projects to share or looking for ideas?  Then head to the link-up below!

Last week I shared my newest sew - a Magic Softshell Jacket: 

If you haven't seen this fabric, you've got to check it out.  Look what happens when it gets wet!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now let's see the new Craftastic Picks!!

The Kittchen created these yummy apple pie stuffed apples:

Creatively Homemade made an adorable (and free!) crochet candy corn pattern: 

Bombshell Bling shared this quick & easy fall hedgehog wreath:

Busy Being Jennifer had this rolled fabric rose farmhouse wreath:

Refresh Living turned some old glass jars into pretty fall candy corn candle holders:

Chas' Crazy Creations showed how to make some faux tree bark candles:

If you're one of this week's features, be sure to grab my Featured On button over on my Buttons Page to share the good news. 

 Want a Chance to 
Be Featured Next Week?  

Link back to the party somewhere on your blog.
I can't feature your post if you don't share the party.  
  

I also feature these projects on Sew Can Do's Craftastic Picks Pinterest board 

AND share each of them on Twitter too for even MORE exposure for YOUR blog!

Follow me there to see more great projects (and see if yours is one of them)!   

On Twitter: Follow @sewcandoblog

On Pinterest: Sew Can Do

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

 

Party rules are simple: 

• As long as it's crafty, and made by you, it's Craftastic (no links to shops, link parties or other people's work).  Add the link to your specific post. Product reviews, plagiarized or sponsored posts for random items will be immediately deleted.  
• Grab my party button & put it on your post, party page or blog somewhere.  If you want the chance to be featured, this is key.  The button code can be found HERE.
• Check out some of the other fabulous links and share some crafty comment love.  We all love getting comments!!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Making A Magic Softshell Jacket

Can a jacket be magical?  After this project I can honestly say, absolutely!  For my daughter's birthday I decided to make her a new jacket to wear as the weather cools down. I wanted something she could wear in fall, spring & summer and maybe even on a few warmer winter days.  Something lightweight, but protective from the elements.  So I made this little number:

By using softshell fabric it's both wind and water repellant to keep her warm and dry.  If you're not familiar with softshell, it's a polyester that is a smooth woven on the outside (to keep the elements out) and napped on the inside for lightweight heat insulation.  It's also very breathable and has just a hint of stretch.  Perfect for outerwear.  Nice & practical, right?

But it has a hidden secret that gets revealed when the jacket gets wet:

These galloping ponies appear!

It adds a layer of awesomeness to an otherwise basic jacket:

Getting caught in the rain has never been more fun:



The great thing about using softshell fabric is no lining is required.  Just be sure to use clips when stitching, not pins, since pinholes will be visible (much like with PUL or laminate).  It has a cozy brushed fleece wrong side, which makes for both any easy sew and a comfy, bulk-free feel for the littler wearer.



I bought this awesome fabric as an imported pre-order from Frollein S, a custom fabric group that also has a retail site.  I shared a bit about How To Shop Custom Fabric Groups a few weeks back here.  They have some regular print soft shells and a couple of the magic reveal prints left on their retail site here right now.  



The pattern I used is an old one from the 80s my mom gave me from her stash, McCalls 2967.  I did make a few adjustments though.  First was making it about 4 inches shorter - the original design was mid-thigh length which looked odd.  I also used FOE to gather the sleeve cuffs instead of leaving them wide.  I liked how the grey trim coordinated with my grey zipper and the snugger fit would keep wind and rain out of her sleeves.

I also had to size down the patch pockets to fit the shorter front and did a little FOE trim at the tops to make everything match-y like a store bought jacket would be.

Except I haven't seen any jackets in stores that make sweet ponies appear in the rain, like ours does:

This was my first experience working with softshell and I'm looking forward to making more things with the other magic reveal prints I bought.  I just need to find the ideal jacket pattern for my 11yr old and one for myself.  And figure out what to do with the cool scrap bits I have left over - they're too awesome to just toss in the bin!  

What would you make with softshell fabric?

Here Comes Fall at the Craftastic Monday Link Party

It's going to be fall later this week!  Are you feeling it? I've got a double helping of features to celebrate the incoming season.  I am ALL about the fall food!!  Link up your new ideas below to make this week festive too:)

Last week I shared my experience trying out the new CHI® Electronic Retractable Clothing Iron: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now let's see the new Craftastic Picks!!

The Scrap Shoppe Blog created these cute framed book page pumpkins:

Delightful E Made made this pretty and tasty looking apple cider cake with caramel cream cheese frosting: 

Simply Darrling shared this quick & easy pumpkin front door sign:

Honey and Birch had this easy green onion dip recipe:

Marilyn's Treats offered up some homemade hot spiced cider in apple mugs:

Muchmore Creative showed how to make a fun Shopkins style piñata:

You Brew My Tea had a heathy pumpkin cupcake recipe for us:

If you're one of this week's features, be sure to grab my Featured On button over on my Buttons Page to share the good news. 

 Want a Chance to 
Be Featured Next Week?  

Link back to the party somewhere on your blog.
I can't feature your post if you don't share the party.  
  

I also feature these projects on Sew Can Do's Craftastic Picks Pinterest board 

AND share each of them on Twitter too for even MORE exposure for YOUR blog!

Follow me there to see more great projects (and see if yours is one of them)!   

On Twitter: Follow @sewcandoblog

On Pinterest: Sew Can Do

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

 

Party rules are simple: 

• As long as it's crafty, and made by you, it's Craftastic (no links to shops, link parties or other people's work).  Add the link to your specific post. Product reviews, plagiarized or sponsored posts for random items will be immediately deleted.  
• Grab my party button & put it on your post, party page or blog somewhere.  If you want the chance to be featured, this is key.  The button code can be found HERE.
• Check out some of the other fabulous links and share some crafty comment love.  We all love getting comments!!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Product Review: CHI® Electronic Retractable Clothing Iron. Is It A Winner?

Good supplies and gear are a crafter's best friend.  Finding the right ones can be tricky though.  I'm sharing the low down on a brand new iron on the market and my experience determining if it really stands apart from the rest.

I bought CHI G2 flat iron years ago and have loved it.  I've never been good at styling my hair, but their flat iron has made it so easy to do, even for someone clueless like me.  And after many years of use, it's still like new.  When the lovely people at CHI reached out and offered me the chance to try out their new CHI® Electronic Retractable Clothing Iron, I thought it would be worth seeing if this new clothing iron could work the same magic on my fabric projects as the flat iron has on my hair.  

The CHI clothing iron has the same signature feature that make CHI's hair irons so popular, their non-stick golden titanium-infused ceramic soleplate, but has the addition of 400 steam holes for a much more even steaming option than most irons:

It also has a very handy retractable cord.  This is one of my must-have iron features, since my craft room is small and I need to quickly move my iron out of the way often, even when it's still hot.  My previous iron had one but it tended to stop retracting about 4 inches from the iron, so there was a frequent tug of war trying to get it all back into the iron.  Not with this one.  One quick press of the button and it all disappears inside every time. 

A plus for already strained sewing eyes is the large fabric selection display.  My old iron has a teeny digital display which wasn't the easiest to read, even though I don't usually have problems with reading or fine print.  I can't imagine how someone needing reading classes could see them.  The CHI iron is nice & clear and the selected setting lights up bright red (even brighter than I could capture in the photo):

The fabric settings are selected using a nice big dial below the handle and there's a level for choosing from many settings for how much steam and a useful self-clean button too.  As someone who uses a lot of stabilizers and things like spray adhesive in projects, keeping my iron nice & clean is key.

Another cool feature is this hidden slide open area to add water.  My previous iron had a big flip up lid (hence the tiny setting display).  The CHI also has a red leak guard that automatically swivels closed to prevent water drips or leaks.  It holds twice as much water as my old iron, so less refilling is nice, although it does make the iron a little heavier.

So how does it iron?  The CHI heats up really fast and beeps and lights up when ready.  It's also got the much needed automatic beeping turn off that I've come to rely on (with 3 kids, I frequently have to walk away in the middle of a project).  I've found the temperature to be nice and even.  No more hot in the center, but cool around the edges like my old irons that made fusing things a bit of a chore because I'd have to make more passes to make sure things were really fused together.  This knit shirt became smooth in no time:  

This evenness has been great when I've been doing small details like hemming where it's easier to use the pointed tip of the iron and it's just as hot as the rest of the plate: 

My verdict? The CHI Electronic Retractable Clothing Iron is a great quality iron.  It's also got the Good Housekeeping Best in Test rating, so I'm not the only one that thinks it's tops. Thanks to CHI for this wonderful iron and the opportunity to share this find at BedBathandBeyond!


I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received this iron from CHI and Bed, Bath & Beyond, to review & use as I desired.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.   For my complete disclosure policy, click here.

Craftastic Monday Link Party Time!

It's nearly mid-September and we're in full swing of back-to-school and the coming fall season.  Where is the time going?!?  There were so many great things linked up last week, there's a slew of fun features to share.  I can't wait to see what's new this week, so link it all up below!

Last week I revealed all my best tips for How to Shop Custom Fabric Groups and find the unique fabrics of your dreams.  If you've ever wanted to know where to find amazing fabrics and limited designs, you'll want to read this! 

And it's time to announce the winner of the Supernova Fabrics Giveaway: 

~~ Makaela ~~

Congratulations Makaela and a big thank you to Dear Stella for providing this fabric prize!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now let's see the new Craftastic Picks!!

Suzer Space created this incredible hot air balloon garland:

Howling At The Moon made these fun confetti hair bows:

Sparkle Living shared this tasty beet and spinach salad with red onion vinaigrette:

Kleinworth & Co. offered up this delicious banana apple muffin recipe:

Refresh Living turned a vintage dust pan into a fun fall door decoration:

Sum of Their Stories showed how to make a handy felt gift card envelope:

If you're one of this week's features, be sure to grab my Featured On button over on my Buttons Page to share the good news. 

 Want a Chance to 
Be Featured Next Week?  

Link back to the party somewhere on your blog.
I can't feature your post if you don't share the party.  
  

I also feature these projects on Sew Can Do's Craftastic Picks Pinterest board 

AND share each of them on Twitter too for even MORE exposure for YOUR blog!

Follow me there to see more great projects (and see if yours is one of them)!   

On Twitter: Follow @sewcandoblog

On Pinterest: Sew Can Do

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

 

Party rules are simple: 

• As long as it's crafty, and made by you, it's Craftastic (no links to shops, link parties or other people's work).  Add the link to your specific post. Product reviews, plagiarized or sponsored posts for random items will be immediately deleted.  
• Grab my party button & put it on your post, party page or blog somewhere.  If you want the chance to be featured, this is key.  The button code can be found HERE.
• Check out some of the other fabulous links and share some crafty comment love.  We all love getting comments!!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up