Two - toned (Color block) Hoodie DIY

Several weeks ago, my daughter's boyfriend asked me to create a matching two-tone hoodie for her birthday. Since this was a surprise, I needed to be very careful not to spill the beans. Now, she has already received the hoodie (and yes, she really loves it!), I get to share a tutorial on how I accomplished this highly secret mission. hahaha.

He provided two hoodies and stay tape. I just needed to find the time to work on them when she was not around.

* You will need

Two different color hoodies
Stay tape
Jersey needle
Thread

* How to

1. I asked him to wash them first. I guess you don't have to, but I felt that it would be better. I ironed them and made sure they had no wrinkles.

2. Lay one hoodie on the cutting table completely flat; no wrinkles on the front and back. Make sure the shoulder seams and side seams are straight. These things sound tedious, but these things make the finished result much cleaner and better. Determine the cutting line. I decided to cut from one of the shoulders to the opposite side of the side seam line a few inches above the bottom line.

3. Use the part of the hoodie you just cut, cut the other hoodie the same way. I pinned the shoulder and the side together, so it will stay better when I cut. I used my cutting mat and rotary cutter for this. If you don't have these tools, you can draw a line and cut it with the scissors. Pining near the cutting line helps to keep the fabric aligned better.

4. Swap the hoodies to create two sets of two-toned hoodies.

5. Take one set of the hoodie parts and sew together. To prevent the fabric from stretching out and becoming wavy, I used stay tape. This one wasn't adhesive tape, so I pinned it with the seams. Take the right sides of the hoodies parts together and place stay tape on top of the one side of the seam line and pin all three layers together and sew. I used the jersey needle to sew with my sewing machine.

6. I used my Baby Lock Victory to serge all around the seam. Having the serger made this process very quick and I was able to sew with confidence.

7. Press the seam with an iron and do the same process with the other set of hoodie parts.

Mission complete! The seam lines are crisp and clean and my daughter and her boyfriend loved the result.

Sewing with My Baby Lock Victory ~ Skirt

As I mentioned in my previous post, all my projects in 2024 were quilts. After receiving the Babylock Victory serger, my desire to sew more garments increased by 100%! I have many Japanese sewing books and American patterns I bought from Joann's. I have many apparel fabrics and knits for future projects. I have no shortages there. All I need is to just start. I guess the hardest part for me is deciding the perfect match of sewing pattern and fabric. Sometimes this process takes months and years for me, because I see many possibilities with the fabric piece and I have a hard time making a decision. I don't want to cut into the fabric and go "oops, I should have used this for something else". But, I am starting to think differently… saving the fabrics for a "special" occasion or purpose doesn't do any good for me or the fabric. I am not getting any younger and I should just sew something I want, wear them and enjoy them while I can!

My first project with my Victory was a simple white t-shirt. Today, I am sharing a skirt I made. Nani Iro Sewing Studio is a great sewing book and it is translated into English. If you are interested in trying Japanese patterns, this is a great one. I thought this skirt was totally my style and such a great design for day to day living.

After I traced the pattern pieces, it was time to start cutting into the fabric! I just needed to get over the fear of messing it up and just enjoy the process.

This is a pretty simple pattern to follow, but having a nice and dependable serger makes the process so much faster. I love to look at the clean edges too.

I love the waistband of this skirt, the front is smooth...

and has elastic on the back. I think it makes a little more elevated look.

The skirt was done in one afternoon.

Mr. TRH and I took a quick trip to southern Utah and I decided to take this skirt with me. Cotton skirts are always my favorite. Even in hot weather, it was breezy and comfortable. I love how this skirt fits me, so I will definitely repeat this one. I already sewed a couple garments after I sewed this skirt and I am going to share them soon. :)

Baby Lock Serger Victory, Me and My First Project

I have been SO excited about my new Baby Lock Victory. Because it's all new to me, I had to read the manual and watched some videos, but I was able to figure out how to thread the machine and sew my first project with the serger! Seriously, the jet air threading and needle threading system makes threading the machine a breeze! I used to dread threading my previous machine, but not anymore!

I decided to make a simple white t-shirt for the upcoming season. I used one of my favorite t-shirts as a template, tweaked some things and made a pattern. I love the neckline and the sleeve length.

I wanted a t-shirt that is not so see through; I was able to use thicker material. It is a little oversized style with shorter length, which is perfect for my short torso. This reminds me of one of the reasons why I love sewing; you can customize your creation to your needs and wants.

I know I just sewed one of the most used t-shirts for this Spring and Summer. Stay tuned for more sewing projects in a future post! :)

Nightingale Quilt Completed and Gifted

I finished this quilt at the end of last year, but I didn't have a chance to take a picture until recently. I am finally ready to share it!

I made this quilt for my second son as a "grown man quilt". As I was browsing for design ideas, this came to my mind. You can find the pattern at Lo and Behold Stitchery and the shop has other beautiful patterns you will fall in love with! I just changed up the colors to make it more for my son and he loved it. :)

Guess what? Shortly after I started making this quilt, my son got engaged. Their wedding is in less than a couple months! I am going to start making their wedding quilt. I gotta go!

Meet My New Serger! ~ Baby Lock Victory

Hello everyone! This is the very first post of 2025 and I have exciting news to share. I have been an ambassador for Baby Lock for the last several years, and I created some fun projects with the sewing machines Aria and Sashiko. They are such excellent machines and I recommend them wholeheartedly. Now I have an opportunity to work with their serger, Victory!

Look at this beauty… decades ago, my husband bought me a simple serger as a surprise and it has been a good machine, but I always wanted to try a Baby Lock serger. I had a feeling that I would love their serger as much as I love my sewing machine.

Victory is on the more affordable side of sergers among Baby Lock, and it has all the bells and whistles that I wanted. The main feature that I was curious about and interested in for YEARS was the JET-AIR THREADING. With just the touch of a lever, thread is sent through the tubular loopers. The NEEDLE THREADING SYSTEM will make threading the top threads a breeze. Hold the needle threader in place for quick and easy threading. I really didn't care for threading my previous serger… Now I can spend less time threading and more time sewing and having fun.

Two bright LED lights help me clearly see every stitch, fabric and thread color. Having no tension adjustments and an adjustable presser foot height of up to 6 mm is AMAZING!

Also, I really love this ACCESSORY STORAGE! It's like when a girl is showing off her dress, and she says "Look! there are pockets!" Hehehe

I started looking through the manual and played with my new serger. I am already in love with my Victory. All of my major projects in 2024 were quilts. I have a feeling that I am going to do a lot more garment sewing this year.

Baby Lock Sashiko Machine Project ~ Scarf

In the morning and in the evening it is getting a bit chilly where I live. I prefer cold weather to hot weather (the heat sucks out my energy) and I am anticipating the upcoming seasons. Fall is where I can start incorporating sweaters, cardigans, jackets, coats, boots and scarfs and have fun with layering. Speaking of scarfs... what I have here today is a quick tutorial on how I made a light weight scarf using my Baby Lock Sashiko.

* You Will Need

2 yards of Gauze or other lightweight fabric
Various Yarn, threads you want to use on the scarf

Note: I decided to use two yarns. One is a little thicker with waves and the other one is thinner and smooth to give variety and visual interest. For the thread, it is recommended to use medium weight thread because the machine doubles the stitches. Using a heavier thread can cause shredding and inconsistent stitching. Some recommend smooth cotton threads, like Aurifil; I personally love Aurifil. I made several projects with Aurifil on my Baby Lock Sashiko and the sewing process went smoothly and I liked the results. Also, remember to avoid metallic threads that can be too elastic or loosely spun. If you want to know more about thread and other tips, my friend Evy from A bit of Stitch has a fantastic Youtube video about Thread recommendations.

* How to
1. I cut the gauze in half, so the scarf will not be so wide. My scarf is going to be 25" wide x 2 yards. Then I used my regular sewing machine to zigzag the side so it doesn't fray.

2. From this point on, you can be an artist. Just imagine how you want the stitches and yarns to look on the scarf and start stitching. I started out with cream color thread first with stitch length of 5 and space length of 5. The stitch won't show much, but I love the subtle texture it creates on the fabric. Run a few lines on the scarf top to bottom.

3. I added the thick yarn next. All you need to do is to hold the yarn and stitch on top of it. Remember, the yarn doesn't need to be perfectly straight. I purposely made mine a really soft wavy line.

4. Next, I used thin green yarn. I used 2 strands of yarn and braided it as I stitched it down.

5. I didn't take a picture of this process, but lastly, I added stitches with Blue thread. I used the setting of 5 stitch length/ 5 space length. In the picture, you can see blue stitches running through the scarf. I love how the color pops.

Here is a picture of that part of the scarf. As I said in the beginning, I didn't have a set plan of what and how I am going to stitch and add yarn. It is pretty random, but it worked out as I pictured in my mind. The great thing about this project is that you could add even more stitched lines and yarn if you want to make them even more the focus of the scarf. I usually like muted colors and subtle designs, and that's what I did, but your scarf might look very different from mine.

Time to take it for a test drive!

I love how it turned out and it is making me want to make another one with a different color. Perhaps Navy fabric with brighter colors? I am looking forward to using this often this fall!

Textured Gauze Top with Baby Lock Sashiko

I wanted to make a light and versatile top using gauze for a while. Also, at the same time, I wanted to add texture and a unique element to it. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to use my Baby Lock Sashiko and experiment with it. I bought 1 yard of gauze at Joann’s and used Madeira premium quilting thread for this project. I made a very simple pull over top; no buttons, no zipper, no fuss. Also, I usually wear XS or S, so for this project 1 yard was enough. If you have a sewing pattern you want to use it may require more fabric or you are blessed in stature, you will need to adjust the amount of the fabric you buy. Let me share what I did to make this top.

*You will Need

1 yard of gauze (as I mentioned in the beginning, adjust this according to the design or your size)
Good quality thread
T-shirt or knit you love and want to use as a template

*How to
1. I prewashed the fabric first just in case of shrinkage and then I lightly ironed it. There is a great blog post on prewashing at Seamwork, if you are interested. Then,I trimmed the top and the bottom of the fabric to make it into a nice rectangle. I drew a diagonal line from one corner to the other corner. This is the first line you stitch on. After that I attached my quilting guide to determine where to sew next. I set it so that there would be a 1 1/4" width between the lines. It is a simple tool, but it's such a time saver when you don't have to draw each line by hand.

2. Start stitching with the Sashiko machine. It is a very different machine compared to a regular sewing machine, and it might be a bit intimidating, but once you get used to it, it is such a fun machine to play with to explore and expand your possibilities. A bit of advice I can give you from my experience is to use quality thread and keep a slow and steady speed.

3. Once you are done with stitching the whole fabric with diagonal lines going the same direction, draw another starting line in the middle from opposite corner to corner. This way, once you are done stitching, you will have a criss cross design.

4.I used a French sleeve sweater as a template. The textured fabric I created is not stretchable like a knit or sweater, so make sure to use an oversized t-shirt or sweater as a template; unless you are making a shirt with buttons or zippers. Otherwise you might not be able to pull it over your body.

Make sure to add 1/4" to 1/2" seam allowance when you cut.

5. Because the fabric will not stretch, I cut the bottom wider than the actual sweater.

6. I cut the bottom of the front panel shorter than the back, but this is totally personal preference.

7. Cut around the neckline.

8. Sew the shoulders, then I used my serger to treat the edge to keep it from fraying. You could use different stitches from your sewing machine if you don't have a serger.

9.Use the serger on the side of the fabric, from one end all the way to the other end. Mark where you want to sew on the sides. I used the sweater as a guide to where I wanted to start sewing under the armpit towards the bottom. I didn't want to sew all the way to the bottom, So I marked a few inches from the bottom as a stopping point.

10.Sew the sides, open the seam and press with an iron.

11. Sew the seam around the armhole and stitch down.

12. Press the seam around the bottom and stitch it down.

Front view...

13.I cut 1 1/4" strips to make bias tape and sergered one side and sewed the other side to the neck line.

14.Fold and press the sewed bias tape with an iron. Stitch it down.

Done!

This is just an example of what you can do with textured fabric. The possibilities are endless and I think it will be fun to make a light Jacket for fall.

Time to test drive this new top!