Blog Post Categories

How to Minimize Waste when Cutting Fabric

Traditionally, most patterns suggest laying out all your pieces at once, pinning them to your fabric, and then cutting them. But there is a better way! Cutting pieces one at a time allows you to skip the pins (use weight to keep the pattern piece in place) for faster cutting, and also to fit the […]

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Video of Stylin' Snuggler Zipper Installation

This video was made for use by one of our fantastic brand ambassadors, Kristi Giba. We somehow lost the final clip showing how to tie off the threads, so it ends a bit abruptly, but the whole zipper installation is there! We'll try and fix up the ending at a later date, but for now […]

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How to Sew Piping

Piping is a deceptively simple detail to add to many different types of projects, for a really professional and elegant look - but it looks especially great on the Quadra Jacket! You can buy piping ready made from the store, or you can make your own - we'll save that for another tutorial though 😉 […]

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How to Shorten a Separating Zipper

One of our fabulous brand ambassadors Kristi Giba made a video for us showing how to shorten a separating zipper - a skill that is quite useful for the new Quadra Jacket sewing pattern. For reference, here is a list of the supplies she uses in the video: Needle Nose Pliers Diagonal Cutting Pliers Nippers […]

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DIY Snakes and Ladders Game Mat

Here’s a fun project for the whole family to work on! It can be done by sewing, or with a no-sew method! Click HERE to get a FREE tutorial with detailed instructions to make your own game mat. ***please note, the free tutorial version does not include templates – you will need to draw your own snakes […]

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Three Favorite Methods for Gathering Fabric

Gathering fabric is something that many sewists find difficult, and some even avoid – though it’s a beautiful element in many different styles of garments, and with the right method can be quite easy. There are a ton of different methods that can be used for gathering, and after experimenting with quite a few, I […]

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How to Add Arm Holes to ANY Car Seat Poncho!

Are you planning to sew a car seat poncho, like maybe the zippered/size adjustable Goober Pea Pod (shown in this tutorial) or the FREE Snuggle Bunny Poncho, and want to add on some arm holes? Here’s an easy (and cute!) way to do it! You can even add them to ANY existing car seat poncho!! STEP A – […]

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How to Sew a Tiered Skirt

***UPDATE: If you don’t want to do the calculations, we now offer a FREE sewing pattern for a dress with a tiered skirt, which you can mash with the Reverie or pretty much any other bodice with a seam at the natural waist! Check out the Talia Tiered Dress.*** When I was organizing my fabrics recently, […]

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Blending Sizes on Pants For the Perfect Fit

When sewing pants for children, it’s very common for their waist and height to fall into different sizes. Thankfully, size blending can be done using these simple methods. Note: the examples show a leggings-style pant (with no side seams), but this can be done in exactly the same way on front and back, with a […]

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Zipper Tutorial - Tips and Tricks for installation on a knit jacket

Installing a zipper on stretchy knit fabric can be very tricky. If the the fabric stretches or moves while you're sewing at all, it will pucker and/or end up uneven. Here are my best tips and tricks for a perfect zipper, along with a video of how to prepare your zipper for sewing! 1. Use […]

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How to Install Plastic Snaps: common mistakes and how to fix them

A lot of the patterns here at Goober Pea Designs use snaps - such as: our sleep sacks (Starlight/Starbright Sleep Sacks, Stellar Sleep Sack) size adjustable car seat poncho with removable hoods (Goober Pea Pod) the overall/dungaree dress (Gold River Adventure Dress) the Campbell Jacket and Vest Because of this, we often have questions about […]

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Beginner Video Series: Bands and Cuffs

This video shows how to sew a neckband and grow cuffs onto the Split Pea Tunic and Dress sewing pattern from Goober Pea Designs. However, all the steps are identical for any other shirt or dress with a neckband and/or cuffs (skipping the part about including the pleat in the neckband seam, which is only necessary for […]

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