Cinderella Sews

Mending and fixing clothes—or anything—doesn’t have to be seamless, nor ugly! So many people think that if they don’t have seamstress-professional-level skills, they can’t fix their clothes, and this is just NOT true! Here are 5 fun examples of how to fix holes in shirts, ripped collars, and other issue-laden clothing.

“Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.” We lived by these words when I was little. Most of my family (with the exception of one Southern Debutante great-grandmother) had very humble beginnings. No matter how well-off they are now, many grew up during the Great Depression—and I personally was trying to work myself through college during the Great Recession (I literally graduated high school two months before the housing market collapse).

I’ve known my share of having to make-do and it’s such a normal part of how I operate now, that—in the interest of saving the planet and saving money—these habits have stuck around without too much effort.

Without going full-on Ear…

I’m sew excited to share this pattern and tutorial with you today! Inspired by Eric Carle’s classic picture book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” this little felt play set is perfect for older kids to learn to sew and for younger kids to learn about the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly! 

 My two boys are totally obsessed with “CATERPILLAR BUTTERFWWWHHYYY” at the moment. The oldest likes crawling around like an inch worm and over-feeding his caterpillar in the tablet app of the same name. 

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My youngest spins himself into a cocoon and pops open as a new butterfly about 632 times a day. With the spring equinox and Easter coming soon, I wanted to make them a little cocoon pouch that t…

Whether you’re going to the renaissance faire, comicon, a Victorian street festival, or need to spruce up a Halloween costume, these DIY hip pouches and fan holder are cute, useful, and easy to make!

The first weekend of every December, there is a Victorian Christmas festival held in our local historical district called “Dickens on the Strand.” Since most of my state was frontier land until after WWI, the rare Victorian architecture is celebrated and historical societies work hard to preserve it. 
This festival celebrates the time of Charles Dickens as both a fundraiser, and a way to keep people interested in history. Festival attendees dress up, there are street vendors, bagpipe bands, parades, and plenty of historical impersonators. 
“The Queen” whom I’m assuming is probably the historical society’s president, always has her guards following her, she rides a lovely carriage in both the Queen’s parade and the lamplight night parade.
My oldest son even got to meet her!
She was walkin…

Last week on Instagram, I showcased one of the little drawstring bags that go home with each of the tiny dolls from my shop. They are super simple to make, with just one strip of fabric and one piece of ribbon. This is the perfect beginner project if you're new to sewing on a machine!
You'll need one piece of fabric that is twice as long as it is wide (halving a fat quarter is the easiest piece you can cut).

Fold in your seam twice, so there are no raw edges and sew both sides (vertical sides).

Do the same seams on the shorter ends.

Fold your fabric in half length-wise, right-sides together, pin and sew the sides. STOP sewing just under your short-side (top) seams. This will be the opening where you'll insert the ribbon for your drawstring.

Turn your bag right-sides out, and use a safety pin to run a ribbon through the top loop edges. Tie your ribbon, and voila!

If you're looking for a little more advanced version of a drawstring pouch, try my 
Cinderella Satchel Pattern!

It i…

I have a plethora of different things on my work bench at the moment, and even more ideas stuffed inside my head! The forefront of which is tiny doll making. 6 inch mouse dolls of all personalities and a fancy quail tribute to my pet quail, Marie Antoinette, have me excited for spring!

The temperatures are beginning to warm up here. Wood sorrel is springing forth with lovely lilac flowers, my bed of purposely-transplanted wild onions is becoming a thick carpet of yumminess, and our prolific Mulberry tree is full of leaf buds and baby flower blooms. We'll likely have over 1,000 berries from her this spring (not bad, considering I only planted her 4 years ago as a two inch stick in the ground)!

Our two quail hens are beginning to lay on time again. Over the darkest times of winter--even with a heat lamp at night--their laying schedule was 2 AM, 3 PM, skipping a day altogether, or laying two back-to-back!



Yes, I raise backyard quail for eggs. They're quieter, cleaner, and better…

Make this scented sachet for a little Valentine’s Day love charm or as a miniature pillow for one of your stuffed babies! The free sewing pattern can be found below, as well as ideas for stuffing and embellishment for your Valentine’s Day charm.
Oh my stars, I just can’t seem to get away from this upcycled linen fabric! You may recognize it being the same as my textile rose from this post. It’s just the perfect lovely shade of soft pink, so naturally the wheels are turning in my head with ideas to use it in the sweetest ways.
When it comes to seasonal and holiday decorations, I lean toward the handmade, naturally inclined—with lots of herbs and candles—so when thinking of a Valentine’s Day project to share with you, I reached into the Victorian-loving space in my heart for something antique-y and shabby.
Deciding at the last minute to make this a decorative sachet for my mantle shelves, I’ll likely make another one filled with natural, comfy wool as a pillow for Miss Tulip Rabbit, Miss M…