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Archive for the ‘TUTORIALS’ Category

Man’s shirt becomes Woman’s Apron – a Tutorial + Boo Boo Bags giveaway WINNER!

Posted in DIY, For Home, Giveaway, Scraps, TUTORIALS, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 8, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Oh my goodness … the last few days (and by few, I mean like a TON of a few!) have been hectic.  I told y’all that I’d pick a winner for the Boo Boo Bags giveaway two weeks ago … shocker!  I did not.  But I haven’t forgotten!!!!

I’ve been having a blast making dresses from my flash sale a few weeks ago AND >>> I’ve been coming up with a couple of new pieces to offer in my shop AND >>> I’ve been making aprons!

Here is my new Caftan Tunic (also available as a dress and a maxi dress) .. I'll be offering this in lots of different fabric combinations.

Just in case you'd like to see what it looks like on a real live person ... although, I've not had any coffee so I'm not technically "real live" yet! (sorry mom, I keep taking photos of myself without makeup!)

And this is my new Moonview Dress ... available in any color combination - great for those color blocking dreams of yours!

And finally - today's tutorial project : an apron made from a man's XXL button-up shirt. (which was thrifted for $2.50!)

Just like last week’s project, I saw this in a book somewhere … I would LOVE for you to believe that I can look at a shirt and say to myself “hey you, turn this into an apron!” … but I’m a horrible liar!  So settle for knowing that I didn’t create this idea, I’ve simply just executed it.  Just in case you don’t have a bookstore nearby that’s filled with lots of crafting books to read aimlessly, here’s a tutorial for How To Turn a Man’s Shirt into a Woman’s Apron!

Start by raiding your husband's or your father's side of the closet (or a thrift store) for a size XL or bigger button-up shirt. I got mine for $2.50 at Savers.

To make the bodice of the apron, unbutton the shirt, and cut off the lower half of the shirt. I cut up the righthand side to the armhole, then across to the button holes. (Here is the first of several gratuitous blurry photos! Hey, it's a FREE tutorial!)

Now cut off the rounded part at the bottom so you have a square or a rectangle, whichever shape makes more sense for your apron. NOTE: keep the button hole placket in tact.

You'll end up with something like this.

Now go to the back of the shirt - to make the skirt of the apron: cut up the left side to the armhole, then around the armhole to the upper back, cut across the upper back to the other armhole and straight down. Here you can see half of what you end up with.

Then cut a straight line from armhole to armhole. (Yes, you can skip this step if you're good eyeballing a straighline across.)

 

I put a couple of small pleats just off the center of the skirt portion, then I sewed the two pieces together.

If you have a serger, you're back side should look like this.

Now, cut yourself a long strip of contrasting/coordinating fabric to become the tie of the apron. Cut it twice the width you desire + seam allowances.

Sew the tube right sides together, then turn right side out and press.

Center the tube on the apron, and carefully sew it along the upper edge of the skirt - all the way across the seam of the bodice and the skirt - and continuing to the other side.

Tuck in the ends of the strip, press and stitch closed.

Form a casing at the top of the bodice to thread ribbon through. Then, duh, thread your ribbon. You're done! Bam!

Here's your cute little homemaker ditty. So fun, huh!?!

I chose to keep the bottom of the shirt in tact, so it's rounded at the bottom and not straight across. Why reinvent the seam!?!

So there you go … an easy repurpose project for cheap.  Here’s the breakdown:

Cost: If you have scrap fabric on  hand for the tie, then all you’ll pay for is a shirt.  Go cheap – you might be tempted to pay $8 for a nicer shirt but DON’T!  It’s an apron… the fun of this project is not the fabric but the fact that it used to be a man’s shirt … and now you have that shirt cooking in the kitchen!  Ha!

Time: If you are privileged enough to get to do this at one sitting, I think you can easily do this in one hour.  (unless you’ve got Parenthood on in the background)

Are you going to make one???

I know, I didn’t forget!!!

The winner of the giveaway for a set of Boo Boo Bags … is …. SUZANNA!

(Now, usually I’ll choose winners at random, but I feel obligated to choose Suzanna because she was able to identify the book that came up with the project!  This makes me soooo happy because let’s face it – good people give props to good people.  I’m working on being that good people kind of thing!)

Congratulations Suzanna.  I’ll get to work on your set of Boo Boo Bags this weekend!  Send me your address!

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Boo-Boo Bags …aka. Rice Bags … a Handsewn Tutorial…you might want to read all the way down…

Posted in DIY, Giveaway, kids, Scraps, TUTORIALS, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on January 26, 2012 | 136 Comments »

Yes, I’m afraid you did, in fact, read the title correctly.  This here post will in fact most certainly be a project that is … oh gosh..this is hard for me to say … er, um … HAND SEWN.  Yes.  The hands that did the hand sewing were my own.  I’m simultaneously so proud and yet so ashamed of this.  (I apologize to you meticulous types out there but I am NOT a gal who loves to do things the slow way!)

These are Hand Sewn Rice Therapy Bags!

I’ve been intrigued by rice bags ever since I bought these for my sister-in-law for Christmas.  They’re simply nice rectangles of fabric stuffed with rice instead of pillows.  You simply heat up or freeze the bags – then place over your eyes to soothe or over your “boo-boo” to comfort.  I saw this handmade project (almost exactly) in a book at Barnes & Noble, and I just HAD to make a set.

Thanks to Thimble Times for recalling the name of the book - and thank you SEWN BY HAND for such an approachable book on hand sewing!

Here’s how you make these fun Boo-Boo bags:

Choose your fabric - you don't need much. Depending upon how large or small you want your bags to be...I'd suggest between 1/3 and 1/2 a yard. I chose a linen cotton blend for sturdiness and coordinated with a quilting weight cotton (top fabric). HINT: use scraps, like I did, so your project is just about FREE.

Cut out 3 sets of rectangles from 1 each of both fabrics. For this project, I knew I wanted to stack them on top of each other, so I cut them in 3 different sizes. You can, of course, do them all the same size if you like.

Before I started sewing, I stacked them on top of each other just to make sure I was happy with the sizes.

Then, for each bag, sew a running stitch all the way around - leaving a hole on one side for turning. Oh, and you can see how I tripled the thread so that I could have a sturdier stitch. I almost never sew by hand, so I have no idea if this is a necessary step. Anyone out there agree or disagree with loading up the thread?

When you finish, your bags will look like this. Be sure to get those corners really closed up or else they'll pop out when you turn the fabric.

Turn each bag right side out, fill with rice, then whipstitch closed.

The book where I saw this suggested adding a topstitch along each bag. I decided I don't really like that look, so I only did the small one.

As much as I loathe hand sewing - I still really love this set! I mean really, who could resist such darling "ice packs" and "heat packs"..??!!! I'm almost hoping my kids bang their heads on something today!

I love this little set!  I am going to keep it safe and sound until someone I know gets sick … what a fun Get Well Soon present!  Here’s the breakdown:

Time: Okay….sooooo…. this is NOT a fast project – but only because it’s sewn by hand.  If you machine stitch these, you’re done in about 30 minutes TOPS!  Hand stitching is going to run you about 1 1/2 hours.  I’ll let you guess which way I’ll create the next set!

Cost: Rice will cost you about 80 cents per bag.  I used 2 bags.  Since I used scrap fabric and have embroidery thread on hand, this project cost $1.60!  YOWZA!  If you pay for everything, you’re still looking at only paying about $5!

So there you go.  A darling little project … so so cheap … not so quick … but really worth it!  Send me photos if you make one!

Oh…and since you read all the way down … I’ll make a set of these* for on of YOU….IFF: you leave me a comment about why or why you do not enjoy hand sewing!  I’ll choose a winner Saturday night, 1/28/12.

****Here’s the fine print: I am most certainly going to sew these with a machine.  Also, I’ll need to send them without rice so that they’ll fit in the shipping envelope.  All you’ll need is rice and the ability to sew them up.  Sound fair?

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Got 30 minutes? Make a clutch! – yep, there’s a tutorial in here!

Posted in DIY, Scraps, TUTORIALS, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 20, 2012 | 5 Comments »

Can you guess I’m excited about this latest project???  I almost never take photos of myself but last night, I couldn’t help it.  I was compelled to be associated with this clutch both mentally and visually!

I was inspired by this little sewing book I purchased from Stitch Social.

It’s a really fun book filled with crazy anecdotes from the 1950′s plus lots of pages to jot down ideas for your own projects.  Most of the stories are excerpts from an article where women shared what they made and how much they sold it for.  Crazy thing – most women were making things and selling them for $1!  Wow, their profit margin must have been AMAZING!

Well, somewhere in the back of the book is a simpler version of what I’ve done here.  The drawing in the book looks similar to my tissue pouches … and it inspired me to wrap up the day yesterday by making my very own clutch.

Don't you just LOVE this fabric designed by Ty Pennington!?!

If you’ve got about thirty minutes …. Why don’t you make one for yourself!

First you need to decide how big/small you want your clutch. I decided that I wanted mine to be half the length of this magazine and exactly the same width. So, I just used this as my template.

You can see I just cut about .5" from the magazine at the bottom and the sides. PLUS: I extended my shape beyond the magazine so that I have a fold over to close up the clutch. My finished shape was roughly 17" x 10".

Next, cut out an identical piece from your lining fabric.

I also knew I wanted to add a little row of ruffles/pleats on the clutch flap, so I cut a strip off the selvege of my lining fabric. This way, I could use the frayed selvege as an accent and not have to hem it!

Get yourself some of this Pellon Decor Bond fusible interfacing. It's pretty rad. It is a lot stiffer than regular interfacing but it isn't crazy stupid stiff!

Cut the Pellon the same size as your fabric - only cut one piece. Fuse it to your outer/main fabric - shiny side down.

If you're adding an embellishment, add it now. Also - it should be noted: if you're going to use one of those awesome purse snaps, do it NOW. I forgot this step last night so I had to come up with something inferior! Read on.

Now pin your lining to your outer fabric - right sides facing.

Stitch all the way around the fabric, leaving an opening like you would a pillow. Clip your corners, turn right side out....and PRESS! I haven't said it in a while, but ....IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO PRESS YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO SEW. Am I clear??? wink.

When you press, be sure to tuck the opening in nicely and press firmly.

Lay your piece in front of you with the lining facing up. Bring the bottom up to form the actual purse part. When you determine how far up you want it, you can pin it if you like. CONFESSION: I didn't use a straight edge when I cut my fabric, so you can see here that I got a little crooked. BIG WHOOP! The flap covers that up! Whew!

Starting with the bottom right corner, stitch all the way up, around over the flap section and back down to the other corner. You're enclosing the purse portion and will end up topstitching the flap portion.

Here you can see how the stitch runs from the bottom all the way around to the top ... and back down again (except that's not showing!)

Be sure to do some sort of reinforcement stitch where the bottom meets the flap. This will get alot of tugging everytime you put something in or take something out of your clutch, so be sure it doesn't start coming apart!

At this point last night, I proudly patted myself on the back and enjoyed my beautiful clutch. Oh. Wait. Yuck. I had forgotten to add any sort of enclosure. DANGIT. So, I was forced to add little squares of velcro. Not horrible but not great.

As a result of that tiny little detail (cough cough), I needed to add something to cover up the seams from the velcro. So, I added a fun little yo yo and a button. I would've added this anyway, but I had planned to place it on the SIDE of the clutch and not the dead center!

I've decided to call it a "happy accident" because I am super thrilled with my clutch! Sorry '50s gals, I'm not selling this one for a buck!

Here’s the breakdown for y’all:

Time: 30 MINUTES!  Seriously.  If you’re super meticulous, maybe (MAYBE!) an hour max.  I triple dog dare you to do it in 30 minutes though!

Cost: Anywhere from FREE if you use what’s on hand…to about $5.  You’re using such a small amount of fabric and a tiny bit of Pellon!

I know I said I want to be generous….but I’m keeping this one!!!

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Hearts Aren’t Just for Valentines – a Mug Rug tutorial

Posted in DIY, For Home, Scraps, TUTORIALS, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2012 | 21 Comments »

Wherever you are – will you take a moment to look around for some kind of horn that you can blow really loud?  I really need someone to sound the proverbial alarm today …. why???

I have had this idea for a mug rug in my head since Christmas: a mug rug (which is a small placemat) with an appliqued heart pocket that can be used to send messages/give gifts.  I thought it would be such a cute thing for Valentine’s day … but I also wanted it to be useful for the rest of the year too.  I mean seriously, who likes to spend so much time on projects that can be used/worn once a year!?!

Well….here it is, not even February, and I’ve DONE IT!!!  Insert laughing hysterically here.

I mean really y'all. Who wouldn't love to wake up to this on Valentine's day... or Mondays???

These were really simple to make but they look really impressive (and expensive!)  Read on for how to make these fun mug rugs / small placemats.  (NOTE: you can make these ANY SIZE you want – if you prefer full size placemats, I won’t look down on you!)

Choose your fabric. I made sure to use fabrics and colors that complimented my home instead of being specific to just Valentines Day. You do what you like! Hearts are ALWAYS in season .. just ask Tiffany's.

I started with the hearts. Cut out twice as many hearts as the number of mug rugs you'll be making. I made four, so I cut out 8 hearts.

I used a slippery polyester fabric for the hearts so I made sure to pin them securely. Then, sew all the way around using a narrow seam allowance - and leave an opening. Just like you're making a pillow.

Then turn the heart right side out and press - make sure to press the seam allowance inside at the opening. There's no need to sew the opening closed right now because you'll do that at the end. Now set that aside until you're finished with the mug rugs.

Now for the rugs ... I used a standard 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper for my template . (confession - I had NO IDEA how big or small to make a mug rug so I guessed with this size. I'm super happy with the result!) You'll need to cut 2 rectangles per rug. Also, I find it's really helpful to cut your rectangles with the right sides facing - this way, you know that each side matches perfectly.

Here are my 4 sets of rectangles. You can see I have them right sides together.

I also decided to round off my corners by folding the set in half and ... rounding off the corners. (most books will tell you to take a plate or a bowl and use that as a guide ... yeah right, just wing it!)

For this project, I discovered something really wonderful - PREMADE PIPING!!! There is a chorus of halelujah's going on right now! This stuff is so fun and really opens up your embellishing opportunities w/o demanding a lot of extra time. I'm super bummed I haven't noticed this stuff sooner! (and again, I used a color that coordinated with my home and not the holiday)

Attach the piping all the way around 1 rectangle. If you don't have a cording/piping foot, I suggest using your zipper foot and positioning your needle close to the piping.

Look closely at how I started and finished the piping - at the corner. Begin with piping hanging off the edge at a corner, and end with it going off the edge as well. Then trim the corner so that it looks just like a rounded edge.

Now... you get to use that bag of FUSIBLE BATTING you've been wanting to get rid of! How cool is this stuff??!! You simply press it onto your fabric and it stays in place as you sew - miracles do still happen!

Cut one rectangle of batting for each mug rug. Fuse it (iron it) to the unpiped rectangle on each rug - according to package directions. Then layer your two rectangles with right sides together.

Sew all the way around .. place your piped rectangle on top so that you can just follow the stitches you've already made. This will be sure you don't sew over/on top of the piping. Leave an open - like you're sewing a pillow.

Turn right side out, press, and sew up the opening. If you're one of those crazy types, you can whip stitch the opening closed. I prefer to just machine stitch it. The batting gives the mug rug alot of lift, so the stitching is almost invisible.

Your piped corner should look something like this!

Give your rug a nice steam press .. and go find those hearts that you probably put somewhere around the house as you were chasing your little people!

Pin your hearts however you want them placed on your rug. I wanted mine to serve as message and gift pockets, so I left the top part unsewn. Use a very narrow seam so that you can make certain to close up the opening in the hearts. AND YOU'RE DONE! You're amazing. Your family will rise up and call you blessed!

Stand back and admire your work. You're a placemat/piping/batting genius.

I'm getting the feeling I need to make more versions of these mug rugs because THEY'RE SO STINKING CUTE!!!

One of these days … probably Valentine’s Day…I’ll post a photo or two of my hubs and my kids sitting down with their mug rugs and their notes and gifts tucked inside.  I’m super excited about that photo opp!

In the meantime – please make these.  You won’t regret it!

The breakdown:

Time:  okay … these are time consuming, and I hate to admit that, I really do.  Don’t confuse time-consuming with difficult.  These are NOT difficult, but the details will cost you some time.  I’m thinking about 2 hours… maybe 3 if you’re unsure about piping.

Cost: CHEAP!  You’ll only need about 1/2 yard to 1 yard of fabric and can get by with scraps for the hearts.  The batting will cost you about $4 if you buy it on sale – but you’ll only use a small portion of it, so let’s say it costs $1 for batting.  The piping is about $2 per package and I needed 2 packages.  So, in total, my 4 mug rugs cost $8.50!!!

Okay friends … tomorrowish I’ll have another project inspired by Valentine’s Day but that can be used (or maybe worn) all year!

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Saloon Skirt – a tutorial!

Posted in DIY, kids, TUTORIALS, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on December 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Sometime around Thanksgiving, I just-so-happened to be in a fabric store with all their Christmas fabric on sale for 60% off.  I mean seriously y’all…how can you afford NOT to purchase SOMETHING!?!

I’ve been using one of these fabrics throughout the holidays in just regular off-the-bolt form.  I hung it over a door to serve as a backdrop for fun photos.  I placed it over a table to serve as a table cloth, and I’ve used it as a makeshift tree skirt.  But, the real reason I bought this fabric was to become something for Ellie and/or Rosamund.  I knew I wanted to use some sort of creative energy to make something I’ve never made before….after all, that’s the real Christmas sewing spirit, right!?!

I came up with THIS:  A Saloon Skirt

I don't know what the official name of this kind of skirt it, so I'm calling mine a Saloon Skirt. It reminds me of skirts I've seen in western movies! Except - they probably didn't wear green/red/maroon huge polkadots...but they would've if they could've!

Here's the side view ... and what give this skirt it's personality. The seam allowances are sewn down to create two casings on each side. Those casings are given ribbon which is then tied at the bottom after the fabric is rouched. I just love this angle of the skirt!

I’m certainly not the first person to make this kind of garment, but this IS the first time I’ve made one myself.  I didn’t use a pattern, I just used the technique as best I figured it could be done.

The awesome thing about this skirt – it can be for a GROWNUP just as easily as for a LITTLE’EN.  I’m already thinking of a linen version for me!

If you’re intriqued—– read on for a free tutorial.  It’s the same tutorial no matter what size you make.  The only difference in the sewing is the size of the rectangles that you start out with.

To begin, cut yourself 2 rectangles of fabric. For my 4 year old, I cut the fabric approximately 30" wide and I have no idea how long. sorry. For your skirt, you want it to be no longer than waist to floor length...probably a little shorter. Keep in mind that you'll be scrunching up the sides so you MUST make the beginning rectangles longer than your desired finished length.

Now, you have to hem the bottom edge of both pieces. It may seem weird to sew the hem first, but you must for this skirt.

Next - sew the sides together ...BUT START AT THE BOTTOM, matching the hemmed edges. Usually I recommend sewing garments from top to bottom...but allow me a crazy diversion here! You want your sides to match up perfectly. Sewing from the bottom up will allow for this! NOTE: use a wider seam allowance than usual so you can be sure to fit your ribbon through there.

It's been a while since I've said this ... say it with me ... "If you don't have time to press, you don't have time to sew!" So now go press your two side seams open. I also like to tuck the sides at the hem inside so that they don't get any ideas of peeking out after washing.

The next step is to create the casings for your ribbon drawstring. Do this by topstitching your seam allowances closed. I always prefer to sew with the rightside facing me ... but if you're unsure of yourself, you can get by with sewing on the wrong side...just this once! This could help you enclose that seam allowance more easily.

Cut yourself 4 equal-length strips of ribbon (or you could make ties about of fabric). I cut mine about 2 or 3 inches LONGER than my skirt.

This picture is hard to make sense of ... but I'm threading my ribbon through the casing using a large and long safety pin. Start at the top and thread the ribbon all the way through to the bottom. Each side will have 2 ribbons.

After you've threaded your ribbon, be sure a little bit is peeking out at the top and secure them in place with some stitching. Then you can trim the excess. (only at the top!)

At the bottom, just let your ribbon excess hang out. You can trim it once you've tried it on and know how long or short you want the ties to dangle. DO NOT secure the ribbon here, let it remain loose .

Now make your waistband casing for the elastic..leaving the opening to thread your elastic through.

Insert elastic and close up the hole. You are ALMOST FINISHED...HOLLAH.

Hold both ribbon ties in one hand, and push up the fabric with the other. Keep pushing up the fabric until you get it to the right height. Tie the ribbon into a bow. Repeat on other side. Give yourself a huge hug...you made yourself a super-fun drawsting Saloon skirt!

Here's what the side will look like. For this skirt, I wish I had large black Satin ribbon on hand, but this narrower version will work.

Ellie's going to wear this with a long sleeved black T and black leggings. What's awesome is, when she tried it on she said, "Wow, this is the coolest skirt EVER!" Mission accommplished!!!

Just in case you missed it, here is the full view again!

and just for grins…I had to add a tattered rose headband!

This was really fun to make.  I am pretty sure more of these are in my future…I’m wanting a long one for me to wear with my riding boots.  Hmmm…I need to get of this computer STAT!

Here’s the lowdown folks:

TIME: This took a bit of time, but I think it’s because I was figuring it out as I went.  I’m guessing for an experienced sewer – about an hour.  For a newbie – about 2 hours.  But the 2nd, 3rd and 4th versions will go much much faster!

COST: about $5 if you have ribbon and elastic onhand.  YOWZA YEAZERS!  About $8 if you have to buy everything assuming you stick with sale priced fabric!

There you go…will you make one of these, please!

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Covered Button Pushpins – A No-Sew Gift for $2!

Posted in DIY, Scraps, TUTORIALS, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on December 15, 2011 | 25 Comments »

Sewing Season Christmas Season is in full swing, isn’t it!?!

I don’t know about you, but the craziest gifts to come up with are not for family members or friends … but for the millions of SIX teachers I get to give gifts.  I am already pretty close to being out of budget for all gifts…so what’s a mom to do???

COVERED BUTTON PUSHPINS – BAM!

These are really super easy and super cheap – yet they really make people smile!  I have already delivered 5 of the 6 of these gifts, so I’m speaking from experience when I say that they don’t look like cheapo gifts – and the recipients are pretty stoked!

Here’s how to make them…

In addition to buttons to cover and thumbtacks , you'll need something to remove the shanks. I prefer to use one of these jewelry plier thingies. I have no idea what it's called but here's a photo. For gifts, I think 4 buttons should be the minimum. Give as many as you want, but 4 is a nice gesture. =)

Just grab the shank of the back of the button with your plier thingy and pull. Sometimes you have to kind of jiggy it a bit! Just do whatever you have to do to pull that out!

You'll end up with this - a button back and a loose shank. You can throw that shank away!

Now simply cover your button as usual. If you need a tutorial for that, go here.

Now you're ready to glue your tacks tot he back of your button. I prefer to use these heavy duty home decorator pushpins, but regular thumb tacks work too. (If you use a button larger than 3/4", I'd recommend these heavy duty ones b/c the smaller ones look pretty wimpy)

Put a dab of hot glue in the center of the button back, and then push your pushpin right in there. EASY PEASY HUH!?!

You'll get something like this ... except yours probably will not be blurry!

To up the wow-factor for the gift, just grab some cork squares from your hobby store. Cut them in half to get two small cork rectangles. Insert your pushpins and add a fun tag. done.

You can see my first five sets here.  I put them inside little fun cellophane bags.  It was really a fun project to make and to give.  I am fairly certain Ellie and Rosamund’s teachers felt loved.

Here’s the breakdown:

Cost: 5 covered buttons will cost you about $1.50.  Cork squares – about 25 cents when cut in half.  Thumb tacks – about 10 cents.  Fabric – SCRAPS so free!  Total cost (at most) per gift is under $2.  LOVE THAT!

Time: about 10 minutes per gift…depending on how crazy those shanks are to remove.

I hope you’ll make some …you probably have these materials on hand already!

Merry Christmas Sewing Season!!!

PS:  We made these at our Craft Crowd’s Make It Merry Christmas… head on over to their blog to see more photos!  (If they’re not there, check back – I’m looking for my camera uploader thingie!)

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Yay – a new ONESIE DRESS TUTORIAL!

Posted in DIY, kids, Scraps, TUTORIALS, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on November 21, 2011 | 25 Comments »

Oh my stinking goodness y’all – I don’t even remember the last post I made … much less my last tutorial!  It has been steadily increasing in crazy around here.  Strangest thing has been happening.  My baby doesn’t sleep ALL DAY anymore.  Weird.  I might need to take her to the doctor.

Anyhoo…tonight….because I’ve been developing hives from non-blogging-activity….I decided I simply MUST share a really fun (and of course FAST, CHEAP AND EASY) project for baby girls in your life.

Believe it or not, but in about 15 – 20 minutes, you can turn a cheapo / boring onesie into a faboulous, one of a kind DRESS…. like this…

Here’s how to do it …

Start with a Onesie. Duh. (sidenote: you'll probably want to choose a size bigger than your baby)

Fold the onesie in half lengthwise. (this is sort of optional, but folding in half guarantees that the sides are cut at the same place)

Cut that onesie at the waist. Of course, I just guessed where I wanted to cut...but feel free to measure if you're into that sort of thing.

When you open the two halves up, this is what you'll have.

Now, pull out some great fabric that you've had in your stash for a while. I chose a very lightweight cotton print ... but just about anything will work. Heavier fabric will produce a fuller skirt! Cut a rectangle - I use the entire width of the fabric and cut a length of about 12-18"..but again, I don't measure. I wanted the skirt to be long, but any length will work.

Join the two selvege edges, sew. Then, finished the bottom hem of the skirt.

Sew a gathering stitch / basting stitch along the upper edge of the skirt.

Now you're ready to assemble your dress. Take the bodice of the cut onesie and turn upside down.

Turn the skirt wrong-side-out, pull the gathers, and then pin the skirt to the bodice - right sides together.

Now take the bum half of the onesie. turn it wrong side out - making sure to put the back side with the back side of the bodice -t then pin. You will have a sandwich: Inside - bodice, right side out. Middle - skirt, wrong side out. Outer - bum, wrong side out. Sew three layers together using a BALLPOINT needle.

And you're done! That's it y'all. I mean seriously - let me hear you holler - AWESOME!!!

And...if you've got an extra 5 minutes, add a fun fabric flower for an added punch. If you don't have time, don't ever think about it again - no big deal!

I love this more than just simply making a skirt because everything it attached - so much easier to create an outfit!

Seriously - loook at your watch. If you've got 20-30 minutes and a ballpoint needle, you can DO THIS!

Here’s the breakdown…

TIME:  Like I said – about 20-30 minutes…unless you can’t decide on a fabric!

COST:  About $2.  TWO DOLLARS!!!!  The only cost is the onesie because you probably have enough fabric on hand to make the skirt!

I think I need to go now because I want to make about 30 more before I go to bed.

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Candy Corn Bunting – a project with Kids!

Posted in DIY, felt, kids, TUTORIALS, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2011 | 4 Comments »

I love decorating for Christmas.  If I could, I’d have a tree in every room, wreaths on each window, real-live garland hanging over every doorpost.  Christmas decorating is fun to me.  I am, however, not usually the mom who decorates for every season.  I have been perfectly content to let Valentines, Easter, Fourth of July and dare I say it …. even Halloween (GASP!) go by without much decorating.  I think it’s the exhaustion factor.  =)

This year I want to change that.  I want my kids to begin having memories of a house filled with anticipation for lots of holidays and special events.  So, I’m starting with Halloween.  And —- I’m starting by including the kids in the process.

Owen, Ellie and myself spend a few hours together a few Saturdays ago to make this really fun and happy Halloween Banner (or bunting, for you official types).

It really was easy – Owen is 6, Ellie is 4 – and they will vouch for me – it was easy and fun.  (Confession: the hardest part is for mom – it is very difficult to allow this to look like a kid project.  I resisted the temptation to erase all child-like evidence … and I’m glad I did!  Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, but mostly it’s true!)

Sorry for the blurry shot but kids are a little challenging to work with! ... Draw the 3 sections of a candy corn, and assign each child one to trace and cut out many times on felt pages. I think we cut out 22 of each.

Once you have all 3 sections cut out many times, begin placing them in order - this is the preparation for sewing. You could skip this step if you make this without kids ... but I liked letting the kids see what they had been making.

While it's true that working with kids can be a little, shall we say ... free form...

... a little snip with some scissors cleans it up a bit. (I simply sewed each layer onto the next. Then I trimmed the sides.)

Once again we laid them all out to admire our work. Then, I chose some black and white ribbon and attached the candy corns with my machine.

I didn't measure the distance between each candy corn - but I suppose, if you're crazy, you could. Regardless, you'll end up with something like this.

And then you'll hang the banner in a prominent spot for all to see and admire. I chose to hang our banner so that the "front" / more polished side is facing the door.

You can see here the other side - and all it's lovely and perfect imperfections - I chose to not erase or cover up all the ink marks, etc. I am, however, considering turning the banner around so that it does look more perfect to passers by ... who knows.

Regardless what side is facing where, I just love this project because I love the memories we made.  I can’t wait to do it again for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines, Easter, blah blah blah.

Cost: About $4 – felt is so cheap.  I bought the ribbon on sale for $2.

Time: without kids – about an hour.  WITH KIDS – an eternity…I kid.  about 2 hours.

If you make your own – please do send photos – I’d love to see your little ones’ at work!!!

 

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Celebrate Fabric YoYos … Any YoYo can make them!

Posted in DIY, felt, Scraps, TUTORIALS, tagged , , , , , , , on September 27, 2011 | 1 Comment »

I have a small sheet of paper in my handly little note pad where I mapped out all the things I wanted to post for So Celebrate National Sewing Month.  Needless, to say, I have not even come close to completing that list.  Sigh.

One of the things on that list, however, is Fabric YoYos!

I had totally overlooked this on my list until I attended a baby shower on Saturday morning.  Darling Sarah Brumit gave the most darling onesies to our friend Lindsey … one she handpainted the sweetest polka dot trail, and the other she sewed three fabric yoyos across the top.  I so wish I had taken a picture of these little wonders because they were SO cute!

I hadn’t originally planned on doing a tutorial for yoyos – I was just going to show a few ways that they can be used as sweet and sassy embellishments … BUT… when I asked Sarah if she made her yoyos herself, she said no.  What!?!  Could it be that Sarah doesn’t know how?  If that’s the case —- I really need to remedy that for her!  Hence, today’s post – How to Make a Fabric YoYo!

All you need is a circle of fabric, a needle & thread, and an iron.

Press the edges of the circle to the inside just a small little bit.

Take your needle & thread and sew a basting stitch all the way around the circle. When you get back to where you started, gently pull on the thread and the sides will pull themselves into the center!

Tie a knot with the thread, press flat. You're done. Hilarious how easy that is, huh!?!

I added a covered button in the center and attached it to a fast and easy headband for Ellie.

And I made a pin / brooch out of another one. Just cut a circle of felt, sew the pin to the circle and hot glue it onto the back.

Fabric YoYos...any YoYo can make 'em!

There’s today’s little ditty about sewing celebrating.  I hope to see you again tonight… to catch up!?!?

 

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Celebrate Anthro Knockoffs – How to make a Big Ruffle Scarf

Posted in DIY, TUTORIALS, tagged , , , , , , , on September 25, 2011 | 26 Comments »

I have had this project logged in my brain for about 2 months now.  I was “visiting” an Anthropologie store back in July during a huge sale.  Of course, very few things were yet in my price range, but I really enjoyed browsing around.  One of the things I saw on the sale rack was a huge scarf.  It was on clearance for about $50 – and it was 110 degrees outside.  Even if I had the bucks, there was no way I was walking out of there with a SCARF!

I didn’t take a picture, but I remember that all it was was one very long row of very lightweight fabric with ruffled sides.

Here is what I made as my version of what I remember.  (Admittedly, mine is quite a bit bigger – but such is life in Texas!)

Confession 1: This is not your average scarf. Confession 2: This is NOT a scarf for wallflowers!

If you like this little ditty …. read on….here’s how I made it for $5!!!

Start with 2.5 yards of lightweight fabric. Since I live in TX, I chose cotton because wearing scarves is more like playing house here than it is for keeping warm!

Cut 2 identical strips the entire 2.5 yard length of the fabric. I think my strips aer about 5" wide .. but make them however wide or narrow that you want. It's YOUR scarf.

Then, cut 8 identical strips across the crossgrain. To determine length, figure out how long/big you want the ruffle. Double that measurement and add 1" - 1/2" seam allowance on both ends)

Now join those 8 strips into 2 long strips. Meaning, sew 4 strips together twice.

For each of these two long strips, fold wrong sides together and press.

Tuck in a small seam allowance at both ends of the two long strips. Press. Sew ends closed.

Sew a long gathering stitch at the bottom of the long strips. (meaning the side opposite the fold) Gather the ruffles, and pin along one side of the main strip. Be sure to start and end about 1" away from the edge as shown. (to make it easier to end up with a uniform ruffle, I marked the middle to both the main strip and the ruffle strip)

Sew the ruffle to the main strip with about a 1/2" seam allowance. Then, fold up the ruffle and pin the center.

Repeat ruffle, sew, roll steps on other side. You'll end up with this concoction!

Now you're ready to get this scarf rolling! Put your second main strip on top of the "concoction" right sides together.

Pin all the way down to hold the strips and the ruffles in place. Sew down each side using about a 5/8" seam.

Now, very carefully, begin turning right side out. Remember, there are a TON of pins inside that tube - if you pull too fast you'll either stick yourself or rip your fabric. I may or may not have done both!

Now press that little baby ... you're almost done .. you just need to do something with those two ends ...

So tuck them inside the tube..

Press and sew shut.

Press very well ... and you're done!

It's big - but I think it's awesome!

It's just sooooo soft and so confident! I'm seeing this with a beautiful gray cape for winter.

And this much wow factor at your neckline - don't even bother fixing your hair - pull it back and you're done!

So, yeah, like I said – this is not a scarf for the faint of heart.  This scarf is powerful.  It’s feminine. It is NOT discreet!  =)

Of course, you can use the same tutorial and make it quite a bit smaller.  But why!?!

Cost: $5~ I got the fabric on clearance at Hancocks for $2/yd.  I used 2.5 yards.

Time: the only bad part about this project is that it is not a quick piece.  Give yourself anywhere from 1 t0 2 hours.  But I don’t think you’ll regret it!  Invite some friends over and make them together!!!

Anthropologie’s version: about $50.  sort of plain.

Handmade version: $5 – NOT PLAIN.

Take that!

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