Ragdoll making is my most recent facination. A traditional children's toy, made by hand, with so much care and creativity. The type of thing that will be kept and treasured and passed down through generations. I made this one for my Godchildren, who like to play Mass with their toys and dolls, but did not have a good priest figure. I thought Padre Pio would be a great addition to their play and a great role model for them. They loved it, and wanted to learn to make ragdolls themselves too.

I embroidered the hair and beard using yarn. The robe and hooded cape are removable, with a very small snap button as a fastener. The green and violet vestment is reversible. There are so many possibilities for accessories and each one is so fun to figure out. It is also a great activity to do with children while teaching them some basic sewing skills.

I am hoping to make a PDF pattern and guide for ragdolls. If you would be interested in this, let me know. I also have an email group where I share these sorts of updates. To join, email me at ani.slattery@gmail.com

⁣⁣⁣May the Lord reward your works,
Ani Slattery

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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

⁣To make a pouch of this size, cut the starting fabric to 6" wide x 7" long (and sew with 1/2" seam allowance)


For the drawstring loop, mark the fabric 3cm and 4.5 cm from the top. This is the gap you will leave open when sewing the two pouch pieces together.


The ribbon is measured at around 18-20"

Please let me know if this was helpful and if you have any questions!

May the Lord reward your works,
Ani Slattery

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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

Here is a method of sewing lace trim to the edge of a hem, where the stitches are (mostly) invisible and the lace and hem do not overlap. It produces a nice heirloom look that can only be done by hand sewing.

This lace is being sewn onto the edges of a purificator which I made for a man who will be ordained in the coming weeks. What an honor to serve the Church and the Priesthood in this way!

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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

These can be made in under an hour and they make great gifts! They will hold a large amount of plastic bags squeezed tight in there and free up space in the kitchen, especially if you're like us and keep all the bags after grocery shopping (we use them to wrap dirty diapers or on mini trash cans throughout the house).

I hope this tutorial was easy to follow. It's a challenge talking to myself and recording it instead of actually having someone beside me. But I did figure out that if I do my talking while I record, instead of adding voiceovers afterward, it saves me a lot of editing time.

If you end up making a bag holder, let me know how it turns out!

May the Lord reward your works,
Ani Slattery

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⁣Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

A little demonstration of a new skill I'm trying to learn. It looked intimidating to start but is not so bad once you get the hang of it! Tatting is used to make a unique style of lace trimmings. Since it is essentially just a series of little knots, it is quite a time consuming work. But I think it is enjoyable and there's just something about these slow, traditional handiworks that brings us closer to God.

Have you tried tatting before?

A walkthrough of how I repaired this particular tear in my daughter's dress. Each repair is so different and takes some creativity to figure out thr best way to tackle it, given what (sometimes limited) tools and time we have. It is such a useful thing to know how to do and I find the best way to learn is to just start doing it! I hope this video helps those who might be too intimidated to start. If you have already been sewing a while, I'd love to hear if you have any strategies for repairing garments.

This video is dedicated to my dear friend A. L. who started sewing after her son was born, in order to be able to sew clothes for him and repair her husband's clothes. What a beautiful way to serve her family!

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⁣Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

If you already have basic crochet skills, this is an easy and fun little project you can do in one sitting! Here are the detailed instructions:

⁣Ch 65, turn
Row 1: Sc in each ch. ch 4, turn
Row 2: Skip 3 st, then do a V stitch (dc, ch 5, dc) in next st. Skip 4, do a V stitch in next. Repeat this until the end of the row and dc in last stitch (should total 13 V stitches) ch 2, turn
Row 3: 10 dc in first V stitch, sc in the space between Vs. Repeat until end of row, doing a sc in last stitch. Leave a long tail and fasten off
Finishing: roll up your petals so it forms a rose. Once satisfied, use a needle and the tail of yarn to sew the base of the rose together. Weave in ends.


Please note: I'm not used to typing out detailed patterns for crochet, so if anything is off, please let me know! And if you try it out and it works, I'd appreciate hearing about it so I'll know I explained it right!

⁣May the Lord reward your works
Ani Slattery

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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

⁣Trying out this idea and would love to hear what you think - is this something you'd use for your baby/toddler girls? Or know any parents who would?

I was trying to think of a style of veil that very young girls could wear and keep on their heads throughout Mass. This is the first style I tried with my daughter and because we started young, she has always kept her veils on (shoes and socks is a whole other story..!) So I thought I'd make some in case other families are looking for a starter veil.

They're not very fancy, but they're hopefully affordable and practical. I know it doesn't make sense to spend a bunch of money on a beautiful veil that will be pulled off the minute it goes onto her head. These are priced at $6 and $7 (and if you can't afford that but could really use one please send me a message!) The baby style is a headband and the toddler style clips on to the hair - both sit right on the head so it won't be a temptation to pull at it.

I have a few of each in my shop right now and if there is interest I would love to make more of them! I can also customize it with different lace/trimmings so if you'd like something specific, let me know.

~Ani Slattery


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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

⁣I did this for my daughter but it can be done with adult clothing too. It works very well with tops that are loose (especially at the bottom) and is a great solution to a too that is too long to wear properly with a skirt, but too short to be worn as a dress. Just add the extra inches of fabric and it will become a nice modest dress!




⁣Details and tips:

1. Measurements: if your scrap fabric is not hemmed at the bottom (like my bedsheet example), add an additional 1" to your measurement to allow for hemming, plus an additional 1/2" seam allowance for sewing the top of it to your shirt. As for the width, the 50-100% you're adding is to allow for gathering. The longer your fabric, the fuller and "poofier" the skirt part will be.

2. Cutting your fabric: your strip of fabric will be very long! It helps to fold it in half (and even in half again) so it fits on your cutting surface. You can use a pencil or chalk to mark it up.

3. Pin and sew: if your fabric has a hem, the "wrong" side should be facing you when you are sewing the two ends together.

4. Mark halfway point: put your mark on the raw edge (not the hemmed edge). The other side of your fabric strip will be the seam that you sewed.

5. Sew running stitch: this is simply a stitch made using the longest stitch length on the sewing machine, through just one layer of fabric. Making it 3/8" from the edge will ensure that this stitch is hidden on the inside of the garment later when you sew the final seam attaching the fabric strip to the bottom of the shirt.

6. Gathering: this can take some practice but it is a very good skill to have and even a beginner can do it with some patience! Take your time and be gentle when pulling the thread and sliding the gathers along so that your thread does not snap. If you need help with this step please leave a comment or message me! I can even make a separate video showing a slower/more detailed explanation of gathering.

7. Pinning fabric and shirt together: lay the shirt (which is right side out) down. The gathered fabric strip should be inside out so that when you slide the end of the shirt into it, you will have the right sides of the shirt and fabric strip touching. If your shirt has a hem at the bottom that is bigger than 1/2", you can pin your fabric a little higher up so that this hem will be hidden on the inside of the garment.
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8. Sewing it together: take your time to straighten up your fabrics and make sure the gathers are sitting nicely as you are sewing it all together. Sew 1/2" away from the edge so that your seam is further in than the running stitch you made for the gather. This will ensure that that first stitch does not show through your garment. If your scrap fabric frays at the edges like mine did, I would recommend stitching along the raw edges with a zigzag stitch in order to prevent fraying, preserve the seams and give it a neater, more professional look. If you need help with this let me, I can share a video.

This can all be hand sewn if you do not have a machine! If you are planning to sew it by hand, let me know and I can give you some additional tips that might help.

If there is something specific you'd like to see more in detail, let me know and I will make more focused videos on those techniques.

I hope this was helpful. If you try it out, please show me what you make, I would love to see your creations! And as always let me know if I can help in any way.

May the Lord bless and reward the works of your hands.
~Ani Slattery



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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

⁣My demonstration is with little half-aprons for the sake of simplicity and being able to show it all on the screen, but these same principles apply with anything that is gathered. For example for a gathered skirt, this should give you a good idea of the fullness you are looking for and how to calculate it. Or for gathered sleeves, you can plan for how puffy you want the sleeve to be.

The 3 levels of gathers I did here are:
50% gather (6" + 3" = 9" starting length)
100% gather (6" + 6" = 12" starting length)
200% gather (6" + 12" = 18" starting length)

As you can imagine, fuller gathers take significantly more fabric so that is another consideration when planning your sewing project. A half-apron can be done with any amount of gather and still would look beautiful and be practical, so I usually use up scrap pieces of fabric instead of planning out the gather amount. However, for skirts, dresses or sleeves, I do more planning because I want to decide what the garment will look like.

If you're using a pattern to sew, you won't have to worry about calculating gathers, but having this skill will allow you to adjust the pattern to better suit your style.

I hope this all makes sense and gives a useful visual. Since I am new to SpiritusTV, I am not yet familiar with the individuals on this platform, especially with your level of sewing skill, so I would appreciate any comments and messages letting me know about yourself and what you might want to see from me. I can do videos for beginners who have never touched a needle and thread before, or if you're more experienced, maybe we can learn some new techniques together. Just let me know!

May the Lord reward your works
Ani Slattery

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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com

A few notes and tips:
- I used a medium size golf shirt which gave me a final skirt length of 14.5"
- You can use a different type of shirt but I recommend one that is knit (stretchy like a T-shirt or polo) otherwise the edge you cut will fray if not finished properly
- I used a 3/4" wide elastic for this. You can use one that is wider but it would be best not to go narrower
- When sewing the gap after the elastic is inserted, you might have to stretch it while you sew so the fabric doesn't bunch up
- This can all be done without a sewing machine! It took me 15 minutes, but it may take an hour or so if sewing by hand

I hope this makes sense, let me know if you try it and if you have any questions! I'd be happy to help troubleshoot if you get stuck, just message me.

May the Lord reward your works
Ani Slattery

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Thank you for watching and please let me know what you think of the video, and if you have any requests for what you'd like to see in the future.

Our family has felt a strong call to pursue traditional skills that have been lost in the modern world, and we want to share it with others as much as the Lord will allow. My husband does carpentry, animal husbandry, butchery, writing and publishing. Find his channel here: https://spiritustv.com/@Traditional_Skills

I share traditional handiworks such as sewing and embroidery and I also have a little shop where I sell some of my handmade goods such as aprons, head coverings, embroidered neckties, Catholic embroidery kits and rosary pouches. Or you can follow me on Instagram to see my past or current works.

My shop: https://www.taurusnecrus.com/ani
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ave.domina.angelorum

Or contact me for custom sewing requests or to get in touch: ani.slattery@gmail.com