Get Crafty with Babyville Boutique! A review!

I love to sew, but since having a baby, my machine has been gathering dust. I really wanted to jump back in, but was lacking inspiration. That's why I was so excited about the opportunity to review some of Babyville Boutique's wonderful products!

I was sent two of Babyville Boutique's books, "51 PUL Projects" and "51 Babyville Boutique Projects," along with an assortment of PUL, EZ Adjust tape, fold over elastic, appliques, buttons, snaps, snap pliers, and an awesome mini iron! It was inspiration overload!

I poured over the two books, trying to decide what I'd like to make first. Once I saw the Little Hoot Book Tote featured in the 51 PUL Projects book, I knew that's what I wanted to make! I decided to change it up just a bit and use the adorable Babyville Boutique Robot PUL and appliques.

For this project, you'll need Babyville Boutique PUL (2 different colors), EZ Adjust Tape, a Robot Applique, a Babyville Boutique label, cotton fabric for lining, and of course thread.

I read over the directions before beginning the project to be sure I understood everything before making any fabric cuts. Since I hadn't worked with PUL prior to this, I was a bit apprehensive. I love that the Babyville Boutique books come with a "Basic Instructions" section that includes detailed photographs illustrating how to work with Babyville Boutique materials. The directions were very easy to understand and progressed in an order that made perfect sense. You'll need to be familiar with basic sewing terminology and skills like topstitching and sewing fabric sides together before you begin. If you're not familiar with them, don't worry, a quick internet search will bring you right up to speed.

As instructed, I started by making the flap closure for the bag. I was actually relieved to start with a smaller endeavor like the flap since I hadn't worked with PUL before. I figured if I made a mistake, at least I wasn't wasting much fabric. Fortunately, it was much easier than I'd anticipated! I love the design of this closure system and how a cute Babyville Boutique label will hide the hook and loop tab on the backside of the flap.

Next, I moved onto to making the handles. Although the design is for a book tote and is meant for a child to hand carry, I decided to make the handles a bit longer so it would resemble a tote bag. This is precisely what I love about Babyville Boutique projects - the directions are clear cut for you to follow them word for word, or you can tweak them to customize the project to fit your needs.

The pocket was up next. I couldn't wait to use a Babyville Boutique applique! I picked out my favorite robot, then set up my mini iron! While the instructions say to stitch the applique to the pocket, I really wanted to try using the mini iron and fusing the applique to the PUL. Thanks to the "Basic Instructions" section of the book, I felt like an old pro when it came to pressing the PUL! Attaching the applique was super easy and it came out perfect!

Next, it was time to sew my cute little pocket on the front of the tote. At this point, I hadn't assembled the tote yet, but when I read on to the next step in the directions, I was able to see exactly where my pocket should go. This is also where I attached the loop for the hook and loop closure system.

Now I was ready to sew the main compartments of the PUL tote and cotton lining. This process is super easy and took no time at all. Once I had finished that step, it was time to work on bringing all of the components together: attaching the flap closure and handles to the PUL tote. Again, the instructions guided me through, step by step.

Then, it was time to bring the PUL tote and fabric lining together. I simply slipped the lining into the bag (wrong side facing the PUL) and folded the raw edges under, pinning them into place to prepare for topstitching.

Then, I simply topstitched the lining and PUL tote together. That's it! Super easy and so adorable!

I'm already planning my future Babyville Boutique projects! There are so many fun projects listed in the Babyville Boutique books and many can be made in an hour or less! So, get creative and start sewing!

Connect: You can connect with Babyville Boutique on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Pinterest. You can also follow their blog for additional tips, tutorials, and giveaways!

Buy it: You can purchase Babyville Boutique products at Hancock Fabric & More, select Wal-Mart stores, and JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores. Check out the store locator on the Babyville Boutique website.

Win it: One lucky person will win an awesome prize package from Babyville Boutique valued at $75!

Open to the US and Canada. Ends 5/5 at 11:59 PM.
Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good Luck!

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