… he will try to destroy it because he was so excited about you sewing, that you’re lucky you even got it made. He now has a thirst for plaid fabric and he’s hell bent on denying you a good picture.
Your boyfriend will try to help distract him so you can finally get a half-way decent shot.
Then you will promptly take it off so he doesn’t rip it to shreds. A half-hour of work for 2 pictures. This is my life.
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I’ve had the sewing itch for a while now but I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to make. I have enough pillows and they’re kinda boring to sew. Then, a few days ago an old friend emailed me asking if I could make her Halloween costume. She wants to be Wilfred the dog:
How cute right?
I need to get her measurements and we’re going to pick out furry fabric in a couple weeks. The pattern I’m using, I’ve already made 2 costumes from. Here’s my friend Bobby and I from 2008. I was a hamster.
It’s soooo easy and you can customize it in a lot of ways!
Soooo anyhow, this costume will be quick and I still have a desire to make something for myself. I’ve been checking out all the Spring 2012 shows coming in and I saw this top by Badgley Mischka. I am totally doing this.
I’ve never made my own pattern that required lining. I need to figure out how this puzzle is going to get put together. Brainstorming time. Maybe a hidden side zip and sew the tie flaps into the side seams. A light synthetic blend linen? I think I’m actually going to have to sew a muslin/prototype first.
Wish me luck!
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Well, right after I wrote about those yarn trees, I went ahead and carried my butt to Michael’s Crafts on Sunday afternoon and got what I needed. Those cones cost more than I thought they would – about $14 for 3 in different sizes. It’s freakin foam! This is where I get frustrated at DIY projects when you can find a lot of things already made, cheaper than the supplies at the store. I really wanted to do this though and it wasn’t that bad. There’s probably a cheaper source out there somewhere.
Anyhoo… here are the supplies:
3 cones, acrylic yarn, flat top pins, 2 multi-packs of pom poms.
Someone’s ready to get into those pom poms! (Don’t worry… he totally did.)
I was disappointed with the pom pom selection. I had a certain color scheme in mind but I wasn’t paying out the ass for felted wool balls in muted hues. So things turned out more bright and festive. Whatever, they’re cute. They came out kinda kitschy, like stuff my mom made in the 70s, and I’m totally okay with that! Now I need to find some sweet deer figurines to hang with my trees and it’s good to go!
That paint is awful to get out of brushes so I dabbed it on with q-tips!
You can pick any color scheme and I’m pretty stoked that this only cost about $20 and maybe 2 hours of my time on the sofa to have a cute little mantle decoration I’ll use for years.
So there you have it! One thing marked off my small list for this week AND I did something for Christmas! This heat is frying my brain, you guys.
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Hey all! The lovely Lindsay from Broke and Beautiful and I were chatting on Twitter about adding pockets to dresses and I agreed to make a little tutorial for her blog.
Check it out!
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It’s been a week since I got that weird fabric from IKEA and I finally made the pillow I had planned. Here’s a little tutorial so you can make one of your own!
First, choose a size. Since this is a removable cover, size will be dictated by the insert you get. I bought a 20″ x 20″ insert so I made a paper pattern that was 22″ x 22″ – giving me 1/2″ – 1″ seam allowances all around + some shrink room for future washes.
Iron your fabric if you need to. Then take your pattern and pin it onto your fabric, lining it up just the way you want.
Here are my two pieces cut out.
Place one piece on top of the other, right side in with the orientation correct – basically as if those two pieces were an open book and I closed it.
Sew along the bottom seam only.This is where your zipper will go.
Now, open your two pieces up and flatten the seam down on either side (iron if the fabric won’t stay).
Pin your zipper face down on the center of the seam. I got a 9″ zipper but it was almost too small.
Now sew the bottom end of the zipper, securing it (never sew over pins) and turn the piece around (lifting the foot up with needle in fabric) and sew all the way around your zipper, removing pins as you go.
I didn’t use a zipper foot, which caused my stitches to be a little bit messy and uneven. You know what? I don’t care! I could’ve taken my time, but when have I ever done that?
Now, you take your seam ripper and remove the stitches down the center front of your zipper. Then, OPEN your zipper!
Next, match your pieces back up (pin if needed) and sew the rest of the way around. Turn right side out, stuff with your pillow insert, zip closed and you’re done!
1 yard of fabric was $8, insert was $2, zipper was $2. I made a pretty sweet pillow for $12 and an hour of my time!
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How could I have not gone to Quilting Adventures before? Holy hell their fabric selection is amazing! I could’ve taken pics of a hundred awesome fabrics but these jumped out at me in the few minutes I breezed through the store in a rush.
Now I need to make up my mind and make a big square pillow for my bed! Help me decide!
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I love to sew and actually sold a ton of my own sundresses at the very first Need here in Richmond, when it was called Blues. (I frequently kick myself in the ass for not keeping that up.)
Now, I’ll make the occasional pillow and hem or mend something. Major clothing ideas pop in my head all the time but I never get off my butt and make anything happen. I keep thinking that I MUST have a dress form to do what I want correctly. Then I wonder if that would just be a crazy expense for something I’ll probably get bored of quickly, like I usually do with crafty endeavors.
It’s nice knowing how to do some basic things though and if you’re feeling helpless to alter your own clothing, fear not. Here are some things every person should have tucked away in a tidy box and basic tips for attacking that mending pile I know you have! (If you have a sewing machine, you probably already have these supplies and a basic grip on sewing. Here, I’m talking about hand-sewing to save yourself in an emergency and avoid paying a tailor.)
All of this should cost less than $30 if you shop smart and I swear, you could sew anything with ease with these simple supplies. Everything else is just a gimmicky gadget. I still haven’t found a thimble that didn’t drive me insane.
There are a ton of tutorials out there with fancy pics so I’m not going to teach you but here are some universal tips.
If you have any questions about sewing, feel free to leave a comment!
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Fudge at a candy store sells for at least $8 a pound. This is a super easy & inexpensive recipe that just requires just a bit of stirring and makes 3 pounds!
I like making this around Christmas. I can fill a few small tins from the dollar store and those random gifts for your neighbors, coworkers, etc are covered!
Here’s what you need:
13″ x 9″ glass baking dish (glass since you will cut the fudge in the pan)
medium sized pot
wooden spoon or heat safe spatula
Grease your glass pan with butter. Set aside.
Add the sugar, milk and butter into a pot and bring to a boil. STIR FOR 5 MINUTES while boiling. Set your timer and just stir like a zombie. (This set time eliminates candy thermometers and all that mess.)
Take off the heat and add marshmallow creme, morsels, nuts and vanilla. Stir some more, until it’s a consistent rich brown with no marshmallow swirls.
Dump and spread out into your glass pan. You can add some more nuts to the top if you like, while it’s still hot.
Yup, I just made this!
Let cool completely. Get a sharp knife, a bowl of hot water and a towel. Slice in 1 to 2″ squares, cleaning your knife off after each slice for clean cuts.
Line tins with plastic wrap or wax paper, and add wrap between layers.
You’re done!
Also check out my pound cake and apple pie recipes!
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There’s something about longer nights that makes me want to get crafty. Cozied up on the sofa, I can keep myself busy for the holidays. I’m officially obsessed with felt and fleece right now. I doesn’t unravel or need to be hemmed. You just cut and minimally stitch and it doesn’t make too much of a mess.
In my last post about the Fossil catalog, I showed this 5″ yellow felt flower pin, selling for $15.
How easy would that be to make? Well, let me tell you, it was REALLY EASY!
I went to Hancock Fabrics and checked out their felt. The cheap 9″x12″ sheets weren’t going to cut it for this project. I bought the heavier stuff sold by the yard. I think it was about $4 a yard on sale but 1/2 yard will make a TON. They didn’t have all the colors I wanted in felt so I looked at the fleece. I bought a 1/2 yard in yellow and found two remnant pieces in black and dark grey for dirt cheap. Fleece is more limp and floppy than sturdy felt so keep that in mind.
I traced around various containers I had with tailors chalk and made 7 circles in felt. (Cut 5-6 in fleece for this style since it’s so thick.) Some I had to trim down freehand since I didn’t have the perfect sizes. I then cut the petals on each circle. To get the pom pom effect for the top two circles, I pulled some thread through the centers and bunched them a bit and secured with a few stitches on the underside. Then I pulled the thread through the centers of the rest, made a few extra stitches and secured them with a knot. Sew on a pin back closer to the top (so it won’t flop over) and you’re done!
I saw these curved petal flowers online and tried them out with floppy fleece, with a gem button sewn in the middle.
I cut 5 circles in fleece (6-7 in felt) out like the one above and then cut the petals freehand, sewed the button to the top circle and stitched through the rest. Add a pin back higher up and that’s it! This one took a bit longer since the petals required more work. I still managed to make both in about 1.5 hours, farting around and taking my time.
I think a set of grey, black and yellow would make a nice gift and would look awesome grouped together on a coat lapel or cardigan!
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I finally made him! I got a pair of cheap gloves for $1.40 and had everything else on hand. It took maybe a total of 2 hours, stretched over 2 days.
Bigger instructions are here.
Then, I discovered that the lil’ munk came from this book, another one of those awesome Japanese crafting books!
There’s also this book by the same author:
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