mama says sew

Weathered Headboard and Pillow Covers

2012-03-10T15:29:00.001-08:00

I've entered the American Crafter contest over at Naptime Crafters. This week's project category was Hardware Store Gems.

I originally wanted to make something completely different, but I saw some 1x4s on the cull cart at Home Depot. They were warped, so they were perfect for a project that I wanted to be imperfect.

I made the aqua pillow using the same method I did for this shirt. I sewed a pillow case for the body pillow. The tutorial for the flower pillow is here.

I painted the headboard with a thin coat of gray acrylic paint, because I already had it on hand. Then I mixed some white latex paint with a glaze medium and gave the headboard a quick coat, wiping it with a damp cloth as I went.

I love how much brighter and more cheerful my bedroom looks. And I finally feel like my burlap lamp matches the rest of the room.

I'd love if you stopped by Naptime Crafters to vote. You can pick your three favorites.

Ruffle Flower Shirt

2012-03-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in this post that it was my second attempt. This started out as my first attempt and turned into a colossal fail-at least for that shirt. I managed to salvage it. I've been wanting to put some ruffled flowers onto a shirt for a while. Taupe probably wouldn't have been my first choice of color, but since I'd made this shirt already, I decided what the heck.

I also sewed a stretched elastic to the inside on both side seams, creating ruching.

The stitching for the flowers pulled on the fabric, which created an asymmetrical neckline which I like. If you want to make one, the tutorial for the flowers is here.

Peruvian Connection Tunic Knock-Off

2012-03-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

I found this shirt from Peruvian Connection and pinned it with the intention of making one similar. I tried and failed, and it ended up on the back burner. This is my second attempt, which turned out better than the first.

This is the original, which is no longer available.

source

I cut the shirt out long, like the original, but I didn't like how it looked on me, so I trimmed some off the bottom so the shirt would hit at my hips. I also didn't get the wavy look that the under layer had on the original, so I improvised. I used a lettuce edge to add some interest to the bottom.

You'll need about a yard and a half of knit fabric, and about a yard of some sort of sheer fabric for the under layer. I used a chiffon knit. If you want the lettuce edge on the under layer, make sure you use a fabric that stretches.

First, cut out the body of the shirt. I used a more fitted tee for a pattern, so I added some width toward the bottom. Also cut out sleeves.

Cut out the front and back, and cut the front neckline lower, as pictured.

Cut out the bottom layer using the piece you've already cut as a pattern.

Make sure the bottom layer is longer so it will show.

Stitch both layers right sides together at the side seams only.

Both shirts should still be inside out. Insert the top piece into the bottom piece, matching up shoulder seams.

Stitch the shoulder seams together.

Stitch sleeves along the underarm. Turn right side out and finish the ends.

Insert the sleeve into the arm hole with right sides together. Stitch through all three layers of fabric.

Finish the bottom hems. I used a lettuce edge stitch for the bottom layer and a regular stitch for the top layer. This post talks more about lettuce edges.

St. Patrick's Day Decor

2012-02-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

I like the chevron pattern from my chevron heart so much, I decided to use it again for St. Patrick's Day. I made a new board {even though it looks exactly the same}, using the same technique I did with the original.

I made more rosettes using scrap fabric, this time in rainbow colors. I glued them on in rows. I had the specimen art idea in mind.

Then I printed out the word "lucky" and cut and pasted {literally}. I also added a four leaf clover. I got the font here. It's called Aon Cari Celtic.

That's it. I have a bunch of rosettes left over, so at least one of my girls may end up with a rainbow hair accessory for St. Patrick's Day this year.

Retro Shirt Pattern and Tutorial

2012-02-23T11:23:00.001-08:00

In case you missed this over on Prudent Baby, here's the pattern and tutorial for the Retro Inspired Shirt.

I had this flowered fabric in my stash. I wasn't sure what I'd use it for, until I came up with the idea for this Retro Inspired Shirt. The green fabric was the perfect color for a cardigan to match. I threw in the shorts and had an outfit for my girl.

This is the tutorial for the shirt. You can find the tutorials for the cardigan here and the shorts here.

The pattern for this shirt is available here. It's probably about a 3T/4T. There is a scale on the page with the back pattern piece to help you make sure it printed to the correct size. This is my first time making a pattern to share, so let me know if there is anything I can do better next time.

To make this shirt, you will need:

Fabric {1 yard will give you plenty}

Scraps of knit fabric

Scrap of 1/8'' elastic

Button

Thread

Seam widths are 1/2 inch unless specified.

When you cut out the front and back pieces, you will need to lengthen them. Give the bottom of the shirt a slight A-line as you do.

Once you cut out the back of the shirt, you'll need to cut on the fold above the keyhole so that the top of the keyhole is separated.

When you cut out the collar pieces, make sure for both the fabric and the lining pieces that they are going in opposite directions, as shown below.

Stitch the front and back pieces together at side seams and shoulder seams.

Cut a piece of your scrap fabric long enough to go around the keyhole and about 1 inch wide. Make sure that it stretches along the length of the trim piece.

Match the right side of the trim to the right side of the shirt fabric. Stitch close to the edge around the keyhole.

Fold the trim over to the back, covering the raw edges of your fabric.

Topstitch around the trim close to the edge, as shown.

Cut two more pieces of your scrap fabric, long enough to go around the outside of each collar piece and about an inch wide. Again, make sure it stretches along the length of the trim.

Press each piece in half the long way with the right sides showing.

Match up your collar pieces with their lining, right sides together.

Insert the trim in between the fabric and lining along the outside edge of the collar. The fold should be on the inside. You'll need to use lots of pins to keep the trim where you want it.

Stitch along the outside ONLY close to the edge of your collar fabric. Trim close to stitching. Clip the curves.

Turn right side out and press. Repeat for the other collar piece.

To attach the collar to the shirt, insert the collar inside the shirt along the neckline. Make sure the back of the collar is matched up with the back of the shirt. The right side of the collar should be touching the wrong side of the shirt.

Stitch around the collar. Clip curves.

Turn the collar right side out and press.

Lift the collar up and stitch the raw edges to the shirt, leaving the collar free. This will help the collar lie flat.

Cut two pieces of trim the length of the bottom of each sleeve. Stitch close to the edge with right sides together.

Flip the trim over to the back, covering the raw edges. Stitch again close to the edge.

Stitch sleeves along the underarm seam. Sew a gathering stitch onto the curved part of the sleeve.

Turn the shirt inside out. Turn the sleeve right side out. Insert the sleeve into the armhole of the shirt. Stitch. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Sew a zig zag stitch along the bottom of the shirt.

Fold under and hem. I used two rows of stitching.

Sew a loop of elastic to the back of the keyhole. Add a button and you're done!

Satin Rosettes Tutorial

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

This tutorial comes to you courtesy of my husband. He was teaching our children a lesson on Monday night and used a ribbon to make a flower as part of an object lesson. I thought it turned out pretty neat, and tried it with some satin. This was the result;

I added some pearls and a feather and they ended up as a headband. I really love how they turned out. I think I'll be making more of these flowers.

I used some satin scraps to make mine. It doesn't take a whole lot of satin. Varying the width and length will make the flowers bigger or smaller.

First, start by sewing the satin into a tube and turning it right side out. The blue flowers are made from strips of satin about 2-3 inches wide and 23 inches long. I'm not sure on the pink one. It was my first experiment.

Fold the satin in the center as shown.

Then take the ends and fold back and forth. In the picture above, you'd fold over the right end next. In the picture below, you'd fold the left end over next.

Fold it until you run out of satin.

Stretch it out, keeping hold on the ends.

Pull one end only, and it will scrunch up into a flower shape.

Glue the short end to the back.

Then you can either cut off the long end or wrap it around the flower, twisting it and securing it with glue as you go. I wrapped the long end around all my flowers. Also glue the middle as needed.

Then I made some more.

I glued my flowers to a piece of fleece and added a feather.

Then I trimmed the edges of the fleece.

I added some stretch lace for a headband and I was done. I think these flowers would be great for a headband for a newborn photo shoot.

PB Flower Pillow

2012-02-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

I saw this pillow from Pottery Barn a little while ago and loved it. Now that it's no longer available in the store, I've finally gotten around to knocking it off.

The original is made with felt, but I couldn't find felt in the creamy off-white color I wanted, so I used fleece instead. It makes for a wonderfully soft pillow. Not that anyone is going to actually use this pillow. It took enough time that it is just for looking at. Which is why as soon as I was done taking pictures, it left the living room. I think it may end up on somebody's bed. But again, only for looking at.

I made mine in a rectangle shape instead of a square, mainly because I underestimated how many flowers I would need. But I like it this way, so it's one of those happy accidents.

I used a yard of fleece and had a little left over. Maybe enough to have made it square? I'm not sure.

First, cut out your fleece {or whatever you're using} to the size you want.

Then cut out lots and lots of circles. Mine were about six inches across.

Cut the circles in a spiral pattern, just like those rolled paper flowers that are all over. I've used them before here.

Then cut notches along the outside edge to form petals. Vary the size as you go.

Start rolling up from the outside, making sure the petal side is facing up.

Finished flowers will look something like this:

You can either stitch the flowers or hot glue them. If you stitch, make sure you get all the layers so that the flowers don't start to unravel. I started by stitching and it was taking too long, so I ended up ~~cheating~~ hot gluing.

Add the flowers to one layer of the pillowcase, leaving a section along the edges for a seam allowance.

Once you have all the flowers sewn or glued on, it should look something like this:

Lay the other half of the pillowcase right side down on top of the flowers.

Stitch around the edges, making sure you don't get any petals stuck in the seam. Leave an opening to turn the pillowcase right side out.

Turn it right side out.

Then just stuff it and close the rest of the seam. Now it's ready for display.

Family Love Blocks

2012-02-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

I've never been that much into the romance aspect of Valentine's Day. But I love the idea of a holiday to celebrate love. My mom always gave my siblings and I presents on Valentine's Day because she said we were her little Valentines. So for me, Valentine's Day is about everyone I love. Hence these Love Blocks.

I wanted to coordinate with my chevron heart decoration, so I painted stripes on my blocks. I printed out a picture of my family and used that as my "o".

And here it is with the rest of my Valentine's Day decor.

Here's the tutorial.

I wanted to print the picture on tissue paper, because that seems to me to be the best way to Mod Podge a picture to something. I got the idea here. I found it works best if you tape all the edges of the tissue paper to your regular paper. Then just feed it through your printer as you would any other paper, making sure that the tissue paper is on the side that will be printed on.

To make my family picture into a circle, I copied it into Paint and resized it so it would be the same size as the rest of my letters. Then I drew a black circle around it and used the eraser to erase everything outside the circle. Here it is printed onto the tissue paper. For the l,v, and e, I just printed them on regular paper and cut them out.

I painted all my blocks white, then used painters tape to mark stripes on three blocks.

I painted the blocks pink.

Then I went over the plain white block with a layer of Mod Podge.

I placed my "O" right in the middle. Make sure you place it where you want it. The tissue paper will tear if you try to move it. Pat down any bubbles-again, don't move it. I didn't go over it again with Mod Podge because I didn't want the ink to smear.

I took the tape off my striped blocks.

Then I applied the letters with Mod Podge. I also gave these blocks a top coat of Mod Podge.

And here they are. My whole family of Valentines.

Chevron Heart

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

I was looking for some ideas for Valentine's day decor and came across this mantel. I loved the idea of using a chevron pattern. {Formerly known as zig zag. Why is it that chevron is so much trendier when it's called chevron? And why is it called that at all? I thought that was just a name of a gas station. Although now that I think about it, their logo does have a zig zag to it. But I digress. And I'm not affiliated with Chevron. Just so you know.}

Anyway, I painted the above mentioned pattern onto a piece of wood and distressed it, then added some fabric rosettes in the shape of a heart. I'm really liking the pink and gray color combination lately. I added some blue jars for a little contrast.

I really love the way it turned out. I know they've been around awhile, but I still really like the look of these rolled fabric rosettes.

I wanted something to coordinate with it on my shelf, so I made these LOVE blocks. Even my husband liked how they turned out. And that is saying something. Generally our decor styles don't coincide.

Click below for the tutorial for the chevron heart. I'll have the tutorial for the Love blocks up later this week.

First I painted a square piece of wood white. I used a handy panel from Home Depot. You can find them in the lumber yard. My husband cut mine for me, but they'll usually cut it there if you ask nicely.

Then I made my chevron/zig zag pattern. I had some fabric in my stash that I used. I just ironed some freezer paper to it and traced one of the lines, top and bottom. It worked out perfectly because the zig zag on the fabric was the same width as my painters tape. If you don't have the stars align for you like this, you could just trace the bottom and then use tape along the line to give you the thickness you want.

I measured the width of my pattern so it would start and end where I wanted it to on the board. I marked it by folding {on the left in the picture below} and cut it to size.

Then I cut out the pattern and put tape on the back.

I used painter's tape to tape along the bottom of the pattern.

And along the top. Then I moved the pattern up so that the last row of tape was along the top.

I kept taping until I had tape all the way up. I taped mine while my paint was still tacky so that when I was done and pulled the tape off, it would pull some paint off with it.

Then I painted over my tape with gray paint.

Once the paint was dry, I peeled off the tape. I let some of the gray paint come off with the tape to add to the distressed look.

Then I sanded it.

I added a layer of Mod Podge so that I didn't get any unwanted distressing.

Then I cut a heart out of cardstock. I just free-handed it.

Then I rolled rosettes. And rolled some more. I glued them on with a hot glue gun, going around the edges first.

Then filling in the middle.

I placed the rosettes off the edge of the paper a little so that the paper wouldn't show on the right side.

Then when it was done, I just covered the back in glue and attached it to my board.

Linking here:

A Little Tipsy

Tiered Cardigan

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, here we go with round 2 of the retro look outfit. This time the tutorial is for the cardigan. I'm actually working on a pattern for the flowered top. I'm hoping to have that up sometime next week.

I made the cardigan with flat tiers. I was thinking about doing ruffles for the tiers, but I ended up not going that route. I still think it would be adorable with ruffles. All you'd need to do is cut the strips of fabric for the tiers longer and gather them before you sew them on. If anyone tries it, I'd love to see the results! Or maybe I will. Hmm....

As always, click below for the tutorial.

First, start by cutting out the front pieces. I used a knit tee for my pattern. I moved it slightly over from the fold, so that I would have extra fabric to finish the raw edges down the middle front. Cut the piece in half along the fold down the middle.

Now cut out the back. And sleeves.

I cut the strips and layered them across the front pieces of the cardigan to see how many I would need.

Then I sewed them on by topstitching along each tier. This is the back after the tiers have been sewn on. Trim any overlapping tiers so your pieces are shaped correctly.

This is what the front will look like.

To finish the middle edges, turn over the middle edges and press. Turn and press again and stitch.

Stitch front to back at side and shoulder seams.

Stitch the sleeve seams. I also finished the edges so I wouldn't have to later. Turn the sleeves right side out. Turn the cardigan inside out. Insert the sleeves and stitch them to the body of the cardigan.

Now just turn the neck edge under and stitch and you're finished with a simple cardigan that has a little something extra.

Cuffed Shorts Tutorial

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you want to replicate the look from this post, here's a start. Even if you don't want to replicate the look, these are some simple cuffed shorts that would be great for spring. Both my girls are probably going to get at least one more pair.

Click below for more.

First, cut out your pieces. I used a pair of shorts as my pattern for the front and back pieces. Also cut out two long rectangles for the cuffs. They should be long enough to go around the bottom leg openings and double the height you want them, plus seam allowances.

Sew the front and back leg pieces together at the side seams, right sides together.

Turn one leg right side out and insert it into the other leg. Stitch along the crotch area. I usually do a double row of stitching.

Fold the top of the shorts under and press. Fold over again and press.

Stitch along the edge, leaving room to insert your elastic. Then insert your elastic and stitch it together. Stitch the rest of the top closed.

Now for the cuffs. Stitch them into a tube, right sides together.

Fold them in half the long way so that you have two layers of fabric and the stitching line is on the inside.

Turn the shorts right side out if you haven't already. Place the cuff on the inside of the leg, matching the raw edges of the cuff with the raw edge on the leg. You should have three layers of fabric all the way around. Stitch all three layers together.

Pull the cuff to the outside of the shorts.

Fold it up and press and you're done! Now make a pair in every color for the summer.

Going Retro

2012-01-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

Over at Project Run and Play this week, the theme is Sewing Through the Decades. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon to create this Retro Look.

I was originally going for the 70s with the Peter Pan collar and the shorts, but I think the headband sets the look solidly in the 60s.

I don't know which decade the cardigan comes from. Cardigans are timeless, right?

I also created a braided suede belt to give a little shape to the shirt. I loved the idea of a keyhole back for the shirt as well. The fabric is perfect for the 60s look. The red trim gave it a little something extra.

She loved the outfit so much she didn't want to take it off.

Here are some details of the headband. I used six strands, two strands of each color, to create the braid. I followed the tutorial found here.

Then I sewed the ends to keep the braid in place, and attached a hair elastic at the back so it would stretch around her head.

I'll have some tutorials for the cardigan, shirt, and shorts posted soon {or as soon as I get them together!}.

Layers of Petals Pencil Skirt

2012-01-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

A while back I saw this dress at Shabby Apple and loved it. When I came across this tutorial for making scalloped edges, I knew I had to give it a try. I made a pencil skirt instead of a dress and ended up with this result.

I love how the layers and layers of scalloped edges look like layers of petals on a flower.

I made mine with a high waist. I've been a little scared of high waists because I was afraid a high waist would emphasize the mommy-tummy. It ended up having the opposite effect, which made me really happy. Hooray for high waists!

Click below if you want to make your own. {Just a warning, this is a little time intensive}.

I used about 3 yards of a stretchy bottom weight fabric. You can use a fabric that isn't stretchy, but you'll have to add a zipper.

I used a cup to make my scallops. Instead of making a grid, I taped where I wanted the curve to begin and end.

Then I used a ruler to measure 2 inches up from the bottom of my paper to the tape on both sides of the cup.

I traced a scallop, then repeated the above step to get a row of scallops on my freezer paper.

Then I traced my original row of scallops onto 13 more strips of freezer paper to give me a total of 14 rows of scallops, making sure my scallops were straight.

Now for the fabric. For the main part of the skirt, measure from your waist to your knee, adding extra length for seam allowances. You'll need quite a bit at the bottom to account for the scallops. This will give you the length of your skirt. Measure around your hips at the widest part. Add for seam allowances. I also added a couple of extra inches so the skirt wouldn't be skin tight. Half this measurement. This will give you the width for your skirt. Cut two rectangles using the length and width you just figured out.

Now cut 12 pieces of fabric the same width of your skirt. Mine were about 9 inches long, but this will vary depending on the length of your skirt and the size of your scallops. Notice there are 2 fewer strips of fabric than there are scallops. The other two scallops are for the bottom of the main pieces of fabric.

Now cut out the waistband. Double the height you want your waistband to be. I wanted a nice thick waistband, so mine is 10 inches high. Measure your waist at the point where you want the waistband to sit and add seam allowances. This will be the width of your waistband.

Now we're going to start the scallops. Since mine were a little less than 2 inches high, I folded my fabric over about 2 inches and pressed. The fabric piece below is right side up and the folded part is showing the wrong side.

Then I ironed the freezer paper on. I didn't cut on the scallop like the original tutorial. This was a mistake. Pulling the freezer paper off after sewing was awful. Do NOT follow my example.

See where I'm stitching right on the freezer paper? Bad idea. You should have cut on the line and then you'll be stitching next to the freezer paper.

So you'll have scallops like this, without the hassle of pulling the paper off.

Make sure you clip right to the stitching {but don't cut the actual stitching!} in between your scallops.

Turn it right side out and press. I also folded the raw edge on the top over and pressed. Do this for all 12 of your fabric strips and the bottom only of your two main pieces of fabric.

Line up your rows of scallops, using the bottom scalloped edge on the main piece of the skirt as a guide. There should be your main skirt piece with the bottom scalloped edge, plus the 6 strips, for a total of 7 rows of scallops per side of your skirt.

I pinned along the main piece to show me where each row of scallops should go. Then I pinned one row of scallops at a time and top stitched.

Press each row after stitching.

When you've done the front and back, they should look something like this.

Fold one piece of your skirt in half lengthwise and trim the top corner. This will help lessen the bulk of the waist. Do the same for the other piece.

Lay one piece on top of the other, right sides together. Stitch one side seam ONLY.

Press your waistband in half lengthwise and stitch the short sides. Clip your corners. Turn right side out and press. Measure the length of your waistband.

You want the top piece of your skirt to be the same width as your waistband. Measure the length of your skirt as sewn. Take the difference between the width of your skirt and the width of the waistband and divide it by four. This number will be the width of each of four darts you'll need to add. Add a dart by folding your skirt over where you want the dart to be and stitching a small diagonal line. To keep it from puckering, stitch the last several stitches right on the fold.

When you're done, it should look something like this:

Now that the top of the skirt is the same width as the waist band, pin the raw edges of the waistband to the top of the skirt, as shown. I stitched two rows of stitching, since my skirt was pretty heavy with all those rows of scallops!

Press the waistband up, as shown. With right sides together, stitch the other side seam, adding a zipper if you need to.

Lace Legwarmers Tutorial

2012-01-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

I love how these legwarmers turned out. The lace adds a nice vintage-y feel, and I love the burst of sunshine-y color the yellow rosette adds. I was originally inspired by this pin. Another plus is that with the elastic they stay up really well.

And along with the headband, they complete my version of the Junebug Dress nicely. Not that Cita thinks so. She just wanted to be done.

Click below for the tutorial. You can also see more pictures of the whole outfit here.

Start by using a pair of leggings {or tights} to measure how high you need to cut your fabric. I made mine so they'd hit below the knee, but you could make them longer if you wanted. Then I cut the width to double the width of the leggings front and back. You need two pieces of lining fabric and two pieces of lace.

Lay the lining on top of the lace, right sides together. Stitch the top and bottom.

Turn right sides out and press. Trim the edges if you need to.

Cut pieces of elastic long enough to go around the leggings you're using as a guide, with a little extra for the seam allowance. I cut five pieces for each legwarmer, so a total of 10 pieces, using 1/8 inch elastic.

Line them up so that they are evenly placed on the wrong side of each legwarmer. The elastic should be about half the length of the legwarmer. Pin them in place.

Start by removing the pin for the first elastic. Sew a few stitches to secure the elastic to the fabric.

Then stretch the elastic the length of the fabric and sew it in place. I just used a regular stitch.

When you let go of the elastic, it will scrunch up, like this:

Keep going, sewing all the elastic pieces to your fabric. It gets a little tricky because you want to make sure your fabric is flat where you're sewing elastic to it. You'll need to stretch the fabric as you go.

Once you have all the elastic sewn on, it should look like this:

{I like this look. Next time I'm going to try it without the lace.}

Turn it so the right sides are together and sew. This seam is the back of the leg warmers.

Turn it right side out and add embellishments if you care to.

Aren't they great? And Cita didn't even try to take them off, which is pretty amazing for her.

Junebug Dress Remix

2012-01-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

A new season is starting over at Project Run and Play. The first week's theme is a Remix of the Junebug Dress. It's an adorable dress, so I decided to play along, and came up with a dress that I love. I don't care if everyone else hates it; I'm totally happy with it.

I kept the bodice the same as the original. I used some vintage-y looking buttons that I got off a thrifted shirt. {Where else would I get my buttons?} I used some knit fabric in ivory for the sleeves. I wanted to give the effect of a jumper. I ruched the bottom of the sleeves for a little extra detail.

Then I added ruffles to the skirt. Lots of them. Because I love ruffles. I machine ruffled for the first time in my life, and I can't believe I've never done that before. All you do is set the stitch length to the longest possible and crank up the tension and you have the most even ruffles I've ever made.

One of my favorite parts of the outfit is the lace legwarmers. I'll be posting a tutorial for them soon. I used the same fabric as the dress and added some lace from the same lace curtain panel that has been with me through thick and thin.

It needed a little something to pull it all together, so I added a headband made with the same mustard colored fabric I used for the rosettes on the legwarmers. I added a rosette made with lace and the blue fabric and I was done. So was she at this point. Check out those pouty lips.

See the Smarties? That's how we made it through this photo shoot.

Guest Post at Me Sew Crazy

2012-01-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I'm guest posting today over at Me Sew Crazy today for the Re*sew*lution series. I'm talking about this cathedral window quilt. It's my big project for 2012. Head on over and check it out!

Top Ten of 2011

2011-12-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

I decided for the end of the year to do a round up of some of my favorite projects over the past year. Most of them are from the first half of the year, when I had a lot fewer people reading my blog, so I hope at least some of these posts will be new to some of you. Thanks so much everyone who stopped by in 2011. Here's to 2012!

#10. Vintage Style Swimsuit

#9. Jane Austen Pillow Tutorial

#8.Vintage Rosettes

#7. Tied Circle Skirt

#6. Butterfly Bookpage Wreath

#5. Turqouise Knot Necklace

#4. Swirled Circles Lamp

#3.Felt Hydrangea Headband

#2.Ruffled Burlap Lamp

#1. Ruffle Flower Scarf

J.Crew Knock-off

2011-12-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

I'm going to let you in on a little secret about this top. Usually I find inspiration on the internet or sometimes I come up with ideas as I'm falling asleep at night. The point is, before I start a project, I have some idea of what I want to do. Not so with this one. The inspiration for this shirt: the weather forecast. It was supposed to be a sunny warm day. So I hurried to make something so that Bella and I could take advantage of an unexpectedly warm day for a photo shoot.

I hopped on the internet to see if I could find some quick inspiration. I found this top from J.Crew. It was cute, and, more importantly, I had some grey striped fabric already, left over from these ruffle dresses.

I was in a hurry {had to make it before the sun went down!} so I skipped the detail on the hem. I love it paired with skinny jeans and boots. So does Bella. It's usually the first shirt she grabs when laundry is done.

Instead of one flower, I used five. The buttons in the centers of the flowers came from a thrifted shirt, and the flowers were scraps. I made them using the same method as I did for the fall wreath flowers.

Click below for a quick tutorial.

First I grabbed a shirt that fits well and used it as a template. I cut the bottom longer and wider so it would fit as a tunic.

I cut out half of the tunic body, then folded it over and used that as the pattern for the other half. That way I could be sure it would be symmetrical.

I cut the neck a little lower in the front.

I stuffed the shirt into the sleeves and used that as a pattern for my sleeves.

Stitch the shoulders and side seams.

Stitch the sleeve seam. Finish the sleeve ends. It's much easier to do it before you attach the sleeves to the shirt. You can also finish the collar and hem the shirt.

Turn the sleeve right side out and insert it into the arm hole. The body of the shirt should be inside out, so that right sides are together. Use a stitch that stretches to stitch the sleeve to the arm hole.

Then just hand sew on the flowers and you're done. A tip: if you use this tutorial, either use a fabric that won't fray or fray check the raw edges. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure that the edges of the flowers will fray in the wash.

Scarf Hanger from Cupboard Door

2011-12-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I saw this project on Pinterest a while ago, and decided to make one for myself. Hers is intended for coats, but I wanted mine as a place to hang scarves. I've been making a lot of them lately, and they were piling up.

This way they can hang and look pretty instead of being in a pile on top of my cedar chest. It also works for necklaces, like the turquoise knot necklace.

I used flat backed glass marbles to create my hooks. I was going to use drawer pulls, but then I saw they were several dollars each for ones that I liked. So I made my own for free with supplies I already had. Plus I like these better. They work for what I wanted to use them for, but I don't think they'd work to hold something heavy like coats.

Click below for how I made it.

First I started with some glass marbles. I like to use magazines to find the backing. This picture of orange flowers against a gray backdrop worked well for the color scheme I had in mind. I cut them out and used Mod Podge to glue them to the backs of my marbles.

Then I painted my cupboard door white with gray edges.

I used a ruler to space my nails evenly across the board.

Then I hammered them in.

I attached some hanging hardware to the back of the door. Make sure to do this before you add the glass marbles. In fact, it would probably be easier to do this before you hammer in the nails.

Then use a strong glue to attach the glass marbles to the nails. I used nails with large heads to give more surface area to attach to the marble. This is why I don't think something heavy and bulky like coats would work. With scarves and necklaces, all the weight is on the nail, but with coats I think it would put too much strain on the glue holding the marble to the nail and the marble would fall off.

Now you have a lovely place to display scarves!

Cutting Edge Stencils Winner

2011-12-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

The winner for the Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway, via random.org is:

Kacree

Congratulations!

Please send me your contact information so that you can receive your prize!

Thumbprint Bookmark

2011-12-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

It took me a little while to come up with a feasible idea for a teacher gift. I wanted to do something that was unique but also useful. After seeing some other great ideas on Pinterest, I came up with the idea for the thumbprint bookmark.

I got idea for the fingerprint here. I combined it with the idea for the bookmark here. Instead of using clay for the thumbprint, I used this cornstarch clay recipe. It didn't turn out quite as smooth as the pictures, but it works.

I wrote my children's names and the year on the back of the clay with a sharpie. Now their teachers can remember them while they enjoy a good novel. Like Pride and Prejudice.

I'm going to package them with some chocolate, because let's be honest. Chocolate makes everything better. I'll also include a poem. Are you ready for this? Prepare to be amazed.

Here is my thumbprint

Tiny and small

To keep in your books

Winter, spring, summer and fall.

Thanks for teaching what I need to know

And helping me to learn and grow.

Impressive, right? At least I'll be sure the teacher knows what the ~~blob~~ charm on the end is.

Click below for the tutorial.

First, start by making or buying your clay. I used this cornstarch clay recipe. It has a texture similar to salt dough, but a nice, bright white color.

Roll the clay into small balls. I learned it's better to work a few balls at a time {not like the picture}. Otherwise the clay dries out and cracks when you make the thumbprint.

Make the thumbprint and use a pin to make a hole. Make sure it's large enough for the jump ring or whatever you use to fit through. Let the clay harden. Mine took several days. Once it's hard, write your child's name and the date on the back with a sharpie.

Cut your ribbon to the size you want. Heat seal both ends, then use a ribbon clamp on one end.

Add several rings to the ribbon clamp.

Then attach the clay thumbprint. I used crochet thread through the hole in my clay. I was afraid that working a jump ring into the hole might be too rough and cause the clay to crack.

Ta da! A gift that is also a keepsake.

Cutting Edge Stencils Giveaway! (closed)

2011-12-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

I was recently contacted by Cutting Edge Stencils to try out one of their stencils. After looking {and looking and looking} at all of their amazing designs, I picked the Dandelion stencil to help me give my laundry room a face lift.

So in addition to using the stencil I painted the cabinet and the dehumidifier stand and made a wooden sign to sit on the shelf.

They also sent me a foam roller brush to use. They carry supplies as well on their website. I was planning on trying a regular brush as well to compare, but I changed my mind. I could see the brush strokes. If you don't use their roller, use one of your own. You'll get a much smoother finish.

I loved the way the dandelion seeds looked. They were fun to paint. I had Bella help me decide where to put them. Yes, it's that easy.

If you need some help, they have some great video tutorials.

Here are some other options on their website.

Nadya Damask Stencil

Marrakech Stencil

Rabat All-Over Stencil

And now for the good part. One lucky reader will win their own stencil (up to $50 value).

For one entry (mandatory):

Visit Cutting Edge Stencils and leave a comment telling me which stencil you'd pick if you won.

For an additonal entry:

Like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you did so.

Giveaway will be open until Friday night. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was provided a free stencil and brushes to try out. The opinions are my own.

Frayed Scarf Tutorial

2011-12-08T20:46:00.001-08:00

I have a problem. I like scarves. That's not the problem. The problem is I am too cheap to buy them. So I make them. For example: here and here.

But I've been thinking about making a more basic scarf, and finally tackled the project because it went so well with the buttons on the Boyfriend Cardigan.

Those frayed ends took a lot longer than I expected. So if you're like me and have an excessive amount of ~~cheapness~~ frugality, and also ~~chores piling up~~ lots of free time, give this scarf a go. Mine cost me a total of $1.50 to make. And I'm not sure how much time. Next time I'll throw in a movie.

You know the drill-click below for the tutorial.

All you need is a yard of fabric. Make sure that it's a loosely woven cotton {or similar} fabric. I found mine on the bargain shelf. If it's fraying a lot on the bolt, that's a good sign.

Cut your fabric in half lengthwise, right down the fold line.

Sew it together so you have one long piece.

Sew a straight line across both ends of your fabric. The higher you sew it, the longer your frayed ends will be {and the more time this project will take you}. Make sure to use a thread color that matches your fabric so it's less noticeable.

Fold your fabric in half lengthwise with right sides together. Stitch the open end closed, ONLY between your stitching lines. The part that will be frayed should be left open.

Turn it right side out.

Now for the fun part. Pull out all the threads of the fabric that are running horizontally. At first it will be tricky because the threads won't run the full length of the fabric. Unless you can cut a perfectly straight line. Or tear your fabric. Mine wouldn't tear.

I found using a pin to loosen the top thread was helpful. Once you get the hang of it, it starts going ~~faster~~ less slowly.

Once you've pulled out all your threads down to the stitching it should look like the above picture. Unless you can sew a perfectly straight line {I can't}, you won't get all the way down to the thread in some places. You can snip the fabric to the thread line, being careful not to cut through the thread, so that you can continue unraveling your fabric.

Then group your threads and tie them in knots. Be happy that you've just saved yourself some cash and made a cute scarf at the same time.

Boyfriend Style Cardigan

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

I really, really like cardigans lately. I decided to give the boyfriend style cardigan a try. It actually was easier than I thought it would be.

I love it paired with a scarf. A tip: I grabbed some buttons off a thrifted shirt. My local thrift store always has a section for a quarter {which is where lots of my refashions come from}, and sometimes I'll just buy a shirt for the buttons. Where else can you get that many buttons for twenty-five cents?

It can be worn without a scarf too. Either way, its super comfy.

Click below for the tutorial.

Also, I'm over at The CSI Project today with an easy neighbor gift. Stop by and say hi!

I used about a yard and a half of knit fabric for this project, but I was getting creative with my cutting. If you want some wiggle room, two yards would probably be better.

First I used a shirt to give me a rough idea of the shape of the cardigan. I cut out the left side first, leaving lots of extra length at the bottom.

Then I folded my fabric in half to use as a pattern for the right side. Cut the neckline straight across for now. The fabric was already folded, so this gave me my front and back pieces.

I trimmed the neckline a little lower in the back.

Then I used a v-neck tee as a guide for the v-neck in front. I wanted my neckline lower on the cardigan, so I positioned the tee lower on my fabric.

Then I cut the front piece in half down the middle. I also cut out some sleeves, again using the first shirt as a guide {not shown}.

Sew the shoulder seams and side seams of the top. Also sew the underarm seam on both of the sleeves.

Insert the sleeves into the cardigan with right sides together and pin. Sew them in place. You should now have something that looks like this {minus the baby}:

This is a good time to check your fit. The back neckline was too wide for me, so I added some pintucks to make it smaller. This is optional.

Sew the bottom hem. I wanted mine to be nice and deep, but make it however you'd like it.

Cut out two long strips the width of your fabric and about four to five inches wide. This will be the trim around the front of your cardigan.

Sew them together so that you have one long strip.

Fold the strip in half lengthwise so that the raw edges of the seam are hidden. Match the seam with the center back of your cardigan and pin.

Keep pinning all around the neckline and down both sides. You should have three layers of fabric: the edge of the cardigan, and two edges of the trim. All the raw edges should be lined up.

Cut of the ends of your trim so that it's just a little bit longer than the bottom of your cardigan.

Fold the bottom of the trim the other way, so that the right sides of the trim are together. You may have to undo a pin or two for this.

Sew the bottom of the trim like this:

Then fold it back so that the right sides are facing out again and pin it to the bottom of your cardigan. Do the same with the other side.

Stitch the trim to the cardigan along the raw edges, all the way around. Press the seams to the inside. It should now look like this:

Mark your button holes and sew them. Sew on the buttons too.

Now it's time for the pockets. {Almost done. Aren't you getting excited?!} Cut two squares out the size you want your pocket to be, plus a little extra. Then cut out two rectangles the same width and about a third the height of your pockets.

Match the pocket with the pocket trim right sides together. Stitch.

Pull the trim up like this and press.

Fold it back down over the other side and topstitch.

Your pocket should look like this:

Fold the raw edges under and pin the pocket to the cardigan with the trim at the top.

Stitch the pocket to the cardigan. See the little triangles at the top corners of the pocket? This helps prevent the stitches from pulling out.

Now just hem your sleeves and you're done. Wahoo!

Click here for the tutorial for the scarf to go with it.

Christmas Shelf

2011-11-30T19:14:00.001-08:00

I found this shelf at a thrift store and bought it. The reason? I wanted somewhere I could decorate that was out of reach of little hands. Because little hands have been grabbing and destroying. I love those little hands, but I'd rather things not get destroyed.

So here's my first time decorating out of reach. I made the stars out of cardboard and faux metal paint. Here is the star tutorial or the original tutorial.

The trees are just styrofoam cones from the dollar store. I covered them in floral moss and glued them to glass candle holders {also from the dollar store} that I spray painted white. Then I topped them with some smaller cardboard stars.

And the mixed media art is from my guest post here. Now I have somewhere to put it.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Diamonds Top

2011-11-26T13:01:00.001-08:00

I was over at a craft night at a friend's house and she was making a pillow. I loved the texture she was creating and asked her to show me how she did it. It was super simple, so I used the same technique to make a top for Bella.

I used a woman's tee that I picked up for a quarter at a thrift shop. The color was perfect for the holidays. {And the price fits in nicely to my holiday budget.}

Click below for the tutorial.

I used the front piece of an old shirt, but any piece of fabric would work for this.

First, start by marking your fabric. I marked mine with pins in vertical rows. The pins were three inches apart. I staggered each row, as shown below. If you have a fabric pen, use that to mark your dots. The pins tend to fall out as you handle the fabric.

For every spot you've marked, grab the fabric and twist it.

Then sew back and forth a few times across the spot that you twisted. Keep going until you've done the same thing at every place you marked. Then you can just treat the piece like regular fabric and use any shirt pattern to make the shirt.

It's perfect for a holiday party or playing in the leaves. {Yep, those leaves that we still need to get rid of...}

Pink and Lace Infinity Scarf

2011-11-21T09:49:00.001-08:00

I really loved the color and fabric combination on the Tiered Ruffle Dress, but I don't think that dress would really work for me. I don't need the extra width the ruffles would add, for one thing. But I love infinity scarves, so I made one for me using the same fabrics. And I threw in some lace from that never-ending lace curtain panel.

I love how versatile infinity scarves are. You can fold them so many different ways.

This is a pretty simple project to make. It's also super inexpensive if you can find deals on fabric.

Click below for the tutorial.

First start by cutting your pieces. I cut a rectangle out of the striped fabric measuring about 54" long and 18" wide. Then I cut a rectangle out of the pink fabric that measured about 27" long and 18" wide. I used the pink rectangle as a guide to cut out a piece of lace the same size.

Lay the piece of lace over the top of the pink fabric, right sides facing up on both pieces. Treat them as one piece of fabric. With right sides together, sew the pink and lace piece to the striped piece.

Open it back up and it should look like this:

With right sides together, fold it in half the long way.

Stitch the entire long end, leaving the short ends open.

Turn it right side out. It should look like this:

Insert the lace into the striped end. Fold the raw edges of the striped end under and stitch the ends together. I used a blind stitch so it wouldn't show.

Now you have a nice big loop that you can twist around your neck any way you like.

Girls in White Dresses With Blue Grosgrain Sashes

2011-11-17T20:38:00.001-08:00

I saw this refashion on Make It and Love It and knew it was going on my to-do list. I had two white sweaters all ready to go. One was too small for me and the other I had picked up at a thrift store last year and never refashioned it.

Viola! More matching outfits for my girls.

I cut the one for Bella a little too wide, so I added the blue ribbon as a quick fix. It needed some color anyway, and this did the trick.

She loves it! Okay, actually she just loves playing with the leaves.

And here is my Little Miss wearing hers. I cut the sleeves too short, but the cuff of the sleeve on the original sweater was pretty long, so I just folded it up and made it a 3/4 sleeve dress. These are the easiest project ever. I did two in less than an hour. But it would have taken a little longer if I had taken the time to get my measurements right.

Another Lace Skirt

2011-11-15T19:34:00.001-08:00

I had some extra lace from the curtain panel I used to make these skirts, so I used it to make another one. It was originally going to be for me, but that didn't work out. It must have been wishful thinking or something, but it ended up being too small.

I made it the same way as the tiered skirts, except I used one large piece of lace instead of three smaller pieces. I even used the same leftover sheet, but I dyed it. I love the way the dark red fabric looks under the creamy lace. Perfect for the holidays!

Guest Post at I Heart Nap Time

2011-11-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

I'm guest posting at I Heart Nap Time today for the Crazy Christmas Crafters series. Head on over to find out how to make this Christmas Tree Art. While you're there, check out some of the other great projects. There are tons of great Christmas ideas.

Rolled Paper Christmas Tree

2011-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

This is a simple project that I did with things I already had on hand. I had planned on doing something from Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts book, but midway into the project I decided to go a different direction.

This will eventually be part of my Christmas decor. Right now however, it's in storage, so this will have to do for a picture:

First I framed a piece of green scrapbook paper and cut strips from an old book.

Then I rolled them up, and threw in some red ones too.

I arranged them how I wanted them...

...and hot-glued them to the frame. I also added a ribbon at the bottom and a few more rolls for a trunk. That's it. Simple, right?

Tiered Ruffle Dress

2011-11-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

I've never been the Mom who dresses her girls in matching outfits. Until recently, they didn't even really have coordinating outfits. But I made this dress, and I loved it so much, I decided to make two.

It features a tiered skirt in a pink color that I love, especially paired with the grey and white striped top. These dresses were super inexpensive to make. I found the pink fabric for $0.75/yard and the striped fabric was $1/yard.

It goes great with the Felt Hydrangea Headband. Okay, everything goes great with that headband. If only she'd keep it on!

Keep reading if you want to make your own.

First start with the top. You can either use an existing shirt or make one yourself. I made my own using shirts that fit my girls for reference. Trim it if necessary to get the higher waist.

Cut out two rectangles for the skirt. Mine measured about 12 inches long by 16 inches wide for a size 3T to 4T and about 10 inches long by 13 inches wide for a size 12 to 24 months.

Next, cut out three long strips for your tiers. Mine measured the width of the fabric and 12 inches high for the 3-4T and about 8 inches high for the 12-24 month dress.

With right sides together, sew the side seams of the skirt. Turn right side out and press.

With right sides together, sew your three tier pieces at the side seams. This will give you three big loops. Starting with the first tier, fold it in half so that the seam is on the inside of the fold. It's hard to see because of the texture of the fabric, but the seam is on the left in the picture below. Sew a gathering stitch around the top of your loop, going through both layers.

Gather the tier so that it's the same width as your skirt. Pin it to the top of the skirt and stitch in place.

Do the same with the next two tiers, gathering them and then pinning them to the skirt and stitching in place. Make sure the bottom of one tier overlaps the top of the next tier so that the stitching is covered.

Once you have all three tiers sewn in place, sew another gathering stitch in the top of the skirt, again going through all layers. It's easier if you actually sew two gathering stitches, one across the front and one across the back. Gather the skirt to fit the width of the top.

Turn the skirt inside out and insert the top so that right sides are together, as shown. Stitch the two pieces together.

Add a sash. Secure it by topstitching, aligning it with the side seams of the top and skirt of the dress.

http://todayscreativeblog.net/

Ruffle Flower Scarves on etsy!

2011-11-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Do you like my Ruffle Flower Scarf but don't want to take the time to make your own?

Then I have good news for you! For a limited time, they are available in my etsy shop.

I made a bunch of them for a local craft fair last month and they sold really fast. I was actually pretty surprised. But their success at the craft fair helped me to decide I would offer them online. I didn't make very many, because they take kind of a long time, and I get burned out. So if you want one, grab it now!

Happy Shopping!

Ruffled Infinity Scarf

2011-11-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

This was originally a guest post at Skip to my Lou.

Today I'm going to show you how to make this Ruffled Infinity scarf. It would make a great gift for your mom, a neighbor, a teacher, or just about anyone who likes scarves.

It's made with the same basic technique I used in my Ruffle Flower Scarf.

All you need is some knit fabric and coordinating thread. Okay, lets get started.

Usually knit fabric is about 60 inches wide. If you come across a fabric that is significantly less wide, I wouldn't recommend using it for this project. Your scarf will turn out too short.

Cut two strips of fabric across the whole width of your fabric. They should be the width that you want your finished scarf to be.

Lay one on top of the other, WRONG sides together. I know, it feels like you're violating a cardinal rule of sewing, right?

Now we're going to ruffle the edges. First, set your machine to a zig zag stitch. I like to make the stitch wider and shorter than the default settings on my machine. As you sew both pieces together, you want half of the zig zag to land on your fabric and the other half to land off the edge of your fabric {see below} so that it kind of wraps around the edge of your scarf.

Also, make sure to stretch your fabric as you sew. Yep, breaking rules all over the place here. As you sew, the stretched fabric will shrink back up behind the stitches, creating the ruffles. Do this along both long sides, leaving the short ends open.

Turn the raw edges to the inside. Press.

Now match both ends up. Make sure your scarf isn't twisted. You want one smooth loop.

Use a blind stitch to sew both ends together. Using a hand needle, slip your needle into the fold of one end of your scarf, as pictured below.

Then do the same thing on the other side of the scarf. Keep going back and forth all the way around your scarf, until you end up where you started.

Finish by knotting your thread. Clip any loose threads and you're done!

You can change the look by wrapping it or tying it different ways.

Snow White Costume

2011-10-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really on the ball for Halloween costumes this year, which meant that yesterday I had to figure out what to do. Since Cita is still too young to care, she got to recycle one of Bella's old costumes. And since I didn't have a blog back then, I'll share it now.

I used Simplicity pattern 4711 and just cut the separate pieces out of different colors of costume satin to match Snow White's dress. I sewed red felt onto the sleeves as well.

Then she gets a red headband with a little red bow.

She likes it! Or at least likes Daddy tossing her in the air.

Fall Wreath

2011-10-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Since it is now fall, I decided to replace this wreath with something that was more seasonally appropriate.

First, I used this genius idea to make a super cheap wreath form. Then I wrapped the wreath in twine, which took forever. I spent probably close to two hours wrapping the ball of twine around and around and around and around.... If there's a faster way, I'm missing it.

Then I just whipped up some flowers and hot glued them on and I had a new wreath for my front door.

The flowers are super simple to make. I've seen origami-type flowers, but they have several folds and look a little to precise for me. {I was really, really bad at origami}.

Click below for more.

First, cut out five circles. Fold the first one in half.

Run a gathering stitch through the raw edges, sewing both layers together.

Do the same for the next four petals, until all five of them are squished together.

Then bring the thread back through the first one. Make sure they're together tightly and tie a knot. Arrange the petals until they're all folded the same way. Glue a button or bead or something to the center.

Then glue them to a wreath. Or I think they'd make cute hair clips. The felt flowers are the same, except I cut them into petal shapes instead of folding circles.

Tiered Lace Skirts

2011-10-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

I love lace. It's so pretty and feminine. I also love thrift stores. They allow me to make lace skirts for my daughters for the low price of $1.50 total {yep, you read that right}.

So here they are, sitting on the ground outside. Do I care? Nope, I only spent a grand total of 75 cents each on their skirts. They can be kids and princesses at the same time.

All I used is a lace curtain I grabbed at the thrift store for the aforementioned $1.50. The lining of the skirts is leftover sheet fabric from this project.

Click for the tutorial.

First, use a skirt that fits well to measure your new skirt. I wanted mine to gather quite a bit, so it's a little wider then the existing skirt. Cut two rectangles.

Hem one of the long ends of both of the rectangles. This will be the bottom of your skirt.

Cut three strips of lace the same width of your skirt, but long enough that they can overlap each other. Cut three more for the other side. If your lace looks like it might fray, you may need to hem the bottoms. I left mine unhemmed.

Sew each lace strip to your fabric at the top of the lace.

Once you've sewed lace to the front and back pieces of your skirt, lay the two pieces right sides together, matching up your lace tiers. Stitch side seams.

Run a gathering stitch around the top of the skirt.

Cut a piece of 2 inch elastic to fit the waist of the person you're making the skirt for. Cut a piece of knit fabric the same length and wide enough to completely cover both sides of the elastic, plus a little extra. Make sure that you use knit {or other stretchy} fabric. The fabric needs to stretch with the elastic.

Sew the elastic in a circle.

With right sides together, sew the knit fabric in a circle.

Turn your fabric right side out and use it to cover the elastic.

Its hard to see, but there is about a 1/2 inch of overlap from the elastic.

Insert the skirt into the elastic as shown and pin. The raw edges of the fabric covering the elastic should match up with the raw edge of your skirt. Stitch together using a zig zag stitch {or any other stitch that will stretch}.

Pull out the pins and the gathering stitches and turn the waistband up.

Then put it on and run down a hill.

Candy Corn Tee

2011-10-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

I've seen gazillions of candy corn dresses floating around in blogland, but nothing that worked for a boy. So I came up with an easy way to turn a plain white tee into a candy corn shirt.

Now he can join in the fun of dressing up like a piece of candy, although I think he'd prefer eating it.

I got the orange and yellow fabric from t-shirts I picked up at thrift stores, so this was a pretty inexpensive project. Not to mention fast. Me likey.

Click below for a tutorial.

First, start by measuring your strips of orange and yellow fabric using your white t-shirt as a guide. I left the hem on my yellow fabric so I didn't have to sew one myself.

Do the same thing for the sleeves. I used a short sleeve tee, so I used a long sleeve shirt to measure how long the sleeves should be.

Cut off the bottom of the white tee.

I used adult sized shirts, so I had to make them narrower. Sew up the side seams if you need to, like I did below.

For the body, turn the yellow piece inside out and the orange piece right side out. Insert the orange piece into the yellow piece and stitch the two pieces together.

Then turn the orange piece inside out and insert the white tee into the orange piece and stitch together. Press your seams down.

Do the same for the yellow and orange sections of the sleeves. Then turn the white shirt inside out and the orange part right side out. Insert the orange part into the white shirt and stitch. I made my seam far enough in so that the hem of the white shirt sleeve wouldn't show.

Then trim of the extra fabric. Press the seams down again.

That's it! Since I used existing shirts, I didn't have to finish any hems.

Fall String Art

2011-10-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

I remember my brothers making string art with their names when they were in cub scouts. I thought it looked so cool. Not for the first time, I thought boys got to do cooler things than girls. Not anymore. Ha!

I really liked this version I found on Pinterest, and it ended up being the inspiration for mine.

I distressed the board and stained it in my favorite dark walnut stain, then pounded away. I tell you what, its a new form of therapy. Even better than kneading bread.

Want your own? I'll show you how after the jump.

First start by distressing your piece of wood. I just banged away with both sides of the hammer. This was necessary for me. It made the inevitable bangs on the board when I missed the nail blend in better.

Give it a couple coats of stain.

I did a search and found some leaf stencils online. I enlarged them and printed them, then cut them out. Position them on your board however you want.

Using a pen with a fine {aka sharp} point, trace around the leaf on your board.

I used a pine board, so it left a small indentation where I traced it.

For my nails, I used 1" panel board nails. I chose some painted a dark brown so it would blend with my board better.

Pound the nails in following the lines you traced. You want them close together, but not so close you can't fit your string between them. Try to pound them in so that they're all the same height. Leave some room to wrap the string around them several times.

Tie your string in a knot on one of the nails.

Then wrap away. Basically you're coloring the center with your strings, so stay inside the lines! Just go back and forth and up and down until you have your leaf filled in as much as you want.

Then just tie it off where you started and trim the ends.

Lovely! I love decorations that last an entire season.

Swirly Circle Lamp

2011-10-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix a thrifted bedsheet and an old lampshade? A much better lampshade of course!

I picked up this lampshade at a garage sale for $1. The white flat sheet was $1.99 at my local thrift store. After a lot of work, they came together to make a lampshade that I love. I also spray painted a base I already had {no before pic-sorry!} with an oil-rubbed bronze spay paint. The lampshade is inspired by one I found here.

I was hoping the red would show through when the light was on and give it a nice rosy glow, and it did! I love the way the swirly circles look with the light on and the light off.

This project took a lot of time, but I'm happy with the results.

Click below for the tutorial.

Start by loosely covering your shade with some white fabric. You just want to see how much you'll need to cover the shade; don't attach it yet. I used a white sheet, but any white cotton fabric should work.

Tear lots and lots of long strips from your fabric. They should be about 1 inch wide and about three to four feet long. You want them all roughly the same length so that your swirled circles will be about the same size.

Iron each strip in half lengthwise. {I know, I need a new ironing board cover.}

I'm sure there are lots of ways to attach the circles, but this went the fastest for me. Roll them up into a tight circle.

Lay them down and let them unroll a little.

Flip them over so that the folded edge is facing up. Quickly apply hot glue to the folded edges. You don't have to get everything, just enough that it sticks to the white fabric that you wrapped your lamp with. I had to go back and fix some circles that weren't attached all the way.

Once you have glue on the folded edges, quickly flip it over onto the fabric and press lightly with the palm of your hand so that it sticks.

Keep going until you have almost all of the base covered, then attach it to your lampshade.

I just wrapped it around and secured it with hot glue.

Then you can add a few more circles to cover the seam in the back.

This takes forever, but it also saves a bunch of moola. I recommend turning on a movie while you make it. Or two. Or maybe three. Okay, probably not that many.

Another Drapey Tee

2011-10-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

I made another Drapey Tee, this time for fall. I had to use the whole width of the fabric because I wanted the sleeves to be 3/4 length. I made them so they were wide at the top and more fitted at the bottom.

I also added a waistband at the bottom of the shirt. Here I am wearing it with my Turquoise Knot Necklace.

Pottery Barn Inspired Shelf

2011-10-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

I've never built an actual piece of furniture before, but I saw these shelves at Pottery Barn and fell in love. I figured they'd be a good first time project.

So I picked up some scraps that looked promising {above} and turned it into this shelf. I have mostly white walls, so I gave my shelf a coat of light blue paint. I used a simple trick to make the paint crackle and then distressed the edges.

And the best part? I built mine completely with supplies I already had. Grand total: $0. Take that, $199 shelf.

You can also head over to So You Think You're Crafty to vote in the next round.

Click below for the tutorial.

For the trim on your shelf, you're going to need mitered corners. A miter saw would be helpful. Some of my trim was already cut that way, so this was my cheater version.

Instead of making actual measurements, I just laid the trim on the board and marked where to cut it.

For the actual shelf part, cut two boards the same length. Mine were about three feet long.

Glue them together with liquid nails or wood glue or something. Let it dry.

Then screw it together. Don't forget to predrill your holes with a drill bit that is slightly smaller than your screws. I used a total of four screws.

Glue your trim to the bottom of your shelf using liquid nails {or something similar}.

Paint it a base coat.

Completely cover it with Elmer's white glue. The best way is to only do the parts that are laying flat on the table and wait for them to dry before re-positioning your shelf. Otherwise, the glue causes the paint to sort of slide down.

While the glue is still wet, paint over it with your top coat. Try to only go over each area once or it's not going to crackle very well.

Then distress it and add hardware to the back to hang it.

Turquoise Knot Necklace

2011-09-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Round 4 is up at SYTYC. Head over and vote for your favorite!

I came across this necklace on pinterest and fell in love. When I clicked on the link, it took me to Karma Loop, and said that it was out of stock. Not to worry, I'll just make my own. {Okay, who am I kidding? I probably would have been to cheap to buy it anyway.}

Mine didn't turn out exactly like the original, but I'm still happy with the results. And my children are happy with all the leftover beads. Since it was out of stock, I have no idea what the price was to compare, but I can almost guarantee that it was more than my grand total of $3.

I love the color, I love the simplicity, I just love this necklace.

Click below for the tutorial.

First off, let me give you a small disclaimer. I am not an expert on making jewelry. I'm sure there is a better way to do this. That said, here is how I made this necklace.

I used regular thread to string my beads. I wanted something flexible and not too thick. I double threaded my needle, then tied a knot at the ends, so each bead strand had a total of four threads. Make sure you leave lots of room at both ends. You want a lot of thread to work with. I only left about three inches on one end, which was not quite enough.

I made a total of 16 strands of beads, shown here in two groups of eight. I found the quickest way to string them was to pour a pile of beads in one hand and poke them onto the needle.

Tie each group of eight together at one end.

Even them out so that they are all the same length {you can see I had to pull some beads off some of the strands} and tie a knot at the other end.

You should now have two big strands of beads with knots at both ends.

Tie them in a sailor's knot. I used the picture here. Scroll down until you see the Carrick Bend knot. There is a video you can watch; I just enlarged the picture and looked at that. You'll have to play with your strands to get the knot in the middle and make all the strands even.

Then you can just kind of twist the ends together. Mine didn't stay even, darn it.

Then I tied the strands in a knot and threaded it through hardware and tied that in knots again. Trim your threads and secure with glue. See? There is probably a better way to do that. But it works for me and I love the chunky necklace.

Houndstooth Dress

2011-09-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

I found some houndstooth fabric and grabbed it. Here's what it turned into:

It's just a basic peasant-style dress made using Simplicity Pattern 5695. I lengthened the sleeves and added a tie with coordinating fabric.

I had the hardest time getting her to model this one for me. Every time I'd set her down and run to get in position to take a picture. She'd be running behind me {sort of-it was one of the first times I put her in shoes} and I could only get one picture at a time.

That is, until I let her take her shoes off and carry them around. Then we got lots of pictures. We also got lots of wood chips stuck to her tights.

Octagon End Table

2011-09-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

I found this end table at a thrift store a couple of months ago and loved the octagon shape. That, and the fact that it was only $4.99. So I grabbed it, not knowing what I was going to do with it. So it sat. And sat. Then I got around to sanding it. And it sat some more. Enter So You Think You're Crafty. Suddenly, motivation to get it done!

I stained the top and painted the bottom, then used a glaze to make it look antique instead of just old.

Once it was finished, I took it out to the side of a country road at sunset after a rainy day to get some pictures. {And probably made every passing car think I was nuts.}

I love the detail on the front doors. That was one of the reasons I knew this end table had potential when I saw it. Aren't thrift stores great? And I remember being so embarrassed going to them when I was little. Times change.

I'm not going to do a full tutorial, but here are some tips for refinishing furniture:

1. Sand, sand, sand, especially if you are going to be staining. Stain isn't going to cover up flaws as well as paint will. Also, any color from previous stain or paint will show through. Make sure to sand in the direction of the wood grain.

2. For highly detailed areas, cheat-use paint. It is ridiculously hard to get those areas sanded well, and paint will cover up what you can't get off much better than stain.

3. For the glaze, I mixed the same stain I used for the top of the table with Behr Faux Glaze. This made the glaze thinner than I am used to working with. I usually wipe with a damp cloth, but this time I used a damp cloth followed by a dry cloth. Make sure to wipe in the direction of the wood.

Happy furniture refinishing!

Twine Vase

2011-09-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

This was my project for the dollar store round at So You Think You're Crafty. Dollar stores are not usually a place I go when I am looking for craft supplies. After a couple of trips, during which I spent almost as much time cleaning up after my children as I did searching for ideas, I came up with this twine covered vase.

I've seen rope bowls around, and I liked the idea of tweaking that to make a rope vase, but unfortunately all the rope was bright red, blue or yellow. I did find a nice neutral twine. And there were lots of different glass vases to chose from.

So I got the twine and the vase and after wrapping and wrapping and wrapping I ended up with this pretty vase for only $2 {plus I don't know how many gluesticks}. This is a great project to make while watching TV. Just be careful not to burn your fingers with your gluegun.

Week 2 voting is up. Two people are leaving this week, so head over and vote. I'd be thrilled if you voted for my project. I can't tell you which one it is, but I'll give you a hint: my project number is somewhere between 0 and 11. Kay, go vote!

Holiday Bake Craft Sew Along

2011-09-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Are you getting ready for Christmas yet? If you need some great gift ideas, check out the Holiday Bake Craft Sew Along. There are tons of great ideas. Today I'm showing how to make this Ruffled Infinity Scarf over at Skip to my Lou. Head on over and check it out!

Boys Shirt Refashion

2011-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

This was a guest post a little while ago on Brassy Apple. I'm reposting it here.

I love a good deal. Sometimes that backfires on me though. I picked up this blue polo shirt new for 50 cents. After a few washes, I saw why it was so cheap. It shrunk in length but not width. It sat in the "to get rid of" pile until I came up with an idea to save it.

I picked up a bright yellow and white striped long sleeve tee for a quarter. Not really a flattering color for me, but perfect for my little guy.

I used the shirt to add some length to the polo, and then for good measure, added long sleeves to make it nice and cozy for fall. Perfect for a new back to school outfit!

Want to save some of your clothing discards? I'll show you how! Just click below.

Start by cutting the sleeves of the long sleeve shirt to the length you want. I measured using a long sleeve shirt of my son's that fits him well.

Lay your polo shirt over the top of the other shirt to measure how much extra length you need. Don't forget to add extra if you have openings in the sides of your shirt like this one does.

I needed to trim the undershirt a little so it would be the same width as the polo. You may also need to do this for the sleeves. If you do, just turn it right sides together and sew it back up after trimming.

Pin the undershirt to your polo all the way around.

Use thread that matches your polo and stitch along the polo's hemline to attach the undershirt. Make sure to go up and around notches in the polo if you have them.

Then just keep stitching all the way around.

Turn your shirt inside out and trim the extra fabric of the undershirt close to the stitching.

Then pin the sleeves of the undershirt inside the sleeves of your polo. I found the easiest way to do this was to stick my hand up through the long sleeve and pin that way. It helped to keep the front of the sleeve from being pinned to the back.

Roll up the long sleeve so that you can stitch the sleeve of the undershirt on the same way you stitched the bottom on.

And that's it! Now you have a shirt that is perfect for starting school. Or playing outside. Who needs a backpack anyway?

See ya later! You're welcome to come visit us anytime!

Fall Cardigan

2011-09-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've been loving the cardigan worn with a belt look that is all over these days. The problem is, I didn't have a lightweight cardigan I could wear for fall. Okay, I didn't have any cardigans. I know, what is wrong with me?

So I made one.

It can be worn with or with out a belt.

It's super comfortable and I love how quickly it came together.

Click below for instructions on making your own!

Make sure you use a knit fabric for this project.

First, using a shirt that fits loosely for a pattern, cut out your pieces just like you would any shirt. If you need help, there are some great tips here. Cut a small scoop out of the back for the neckline, but leave the front neckline flat. In the picture, the back piece is on top.

And here are the sleeves. I made mine 3/4 length, but you can make them any length you want.

Cut the front piece in half the long way.

Finish the raw edge of the back neckline.

With right sides together, pin the front half to the back at the shoulder seams.

Now take the extra width and fold it over so that you have three layers at your shoulder seam. Sew through all layers. Do the same on the other side. Sew the side seams {not shown}.

Fold a sleeve in half right sides together and stitch the under arm seam. Repeat with the other sleeve.

Turn the sleeve right side out. Insert it into the arm hole of the body so the right sides are together and stitch around your arm hole. Make sure that you use a stitch that will allow for stretch. Some machines has a stitch setting especially for knits. A zig zag stitch will work well also.

Finish your sleeve and bottom hems. The fabric folds under at the front, so I didn't finish those edges. That's it!

Tiny Vintage Rosettes and Tunic

2011-09-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ever since making this headband, I've been wanting to make another one with tiny flowers. I decided to make rosettes this time. I made them the same way that I did here, except I cut them thinner. I also pressed them in half instead of just folding them. That made it so that I could roll them tighter and smaller.

And what's a cute hair accessory without a cute outfit to go with it?

I made a peasant style top and added length. I sewed an elastic to the inside. I stretched it out as far as it would go and then just stitched it with a regular machine stitch. After I finished, the elastic went back to its original length and I had an easy gathered waistband. No casing required!

Here she is playing in the parking lot after our photo shoot. Notice the muddy knees. At least she had fun.

Just because....

Mama Says Uh-Oh

2011-08-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

So the other day, I was in with Cita putting her down for a nap. And I fell asleep. Which turned out to be a big mistake.

When I woke up and found Bella, she was on my bed under the covers. She said, "Mom, I just cut paper, not hair." This statement I {correctly} interpreted to mean she had cut her hair. I looked around and only saw two curls on the floor, so I thought it wouldn't be too big of a deal. Then I saw her hair-she had cut almost to her scalp in the back.

The mystery of the missing curls was solved when I looked in the garbage can. At least she cleaned up after herself. So she'll be wearing a lot more headbands in the future.

Who else has this happened to?