Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

{tip Tuesday} : flower headbands

I love all of the cute flower headbands for little girls these days, and my girls look great in them.





But headbands are notoriously cheapo. And little girls are not always gentle.

"mommy! I broke my headband!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)

"not again!!! I just paid x dollars for that!!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)

Here's my solution:






The flowers slide on and off! I made these flowers myself (see tutorial here) and added a small tube to the underside. Presto!

"mommy! I broke my headband!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)

"no problem, honey!" (supermom grabs new headband from stash, slides flowers on it, and tosses the busted one)

Incidentally, the hem of an old t-shirt just happens to be the perfect size for these 1/2" wide headbands...

Another bonus is that this makes the flowers interchangeable, repositionable, etc. Let me know if you try it!


Tip Junkie handmade projects

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Friday, March 4, 2011

Guest Tutorial: No-Sew Pillow Cover by {rindercella}

hi there! i am skye {or rindercella} from neathering our fest. i am so excited to be guesting here today at amy's blog. amy and i met on twitter and she is such a sweetie! she also has some really cute stuff in her etsy shop... i definitely think you should check it out!

today i am going to show you how to make a simple no-sew cover for a pillow!


here is what i used:

table cloth (or any piece of fabric you like or have leftover for another project!)
stitch-witchery
iron/ironing board
damp washcloth
pillow
scissors/pins

i found this tablecloth at a resale store a few months ago. like any crafter i knew i would need it one day so i bought it! it was $1. yippy!


i laid it out face down on my crafting dining room table and placed the pillow on top of it with it situated towards the bottom right corner of the fabric. i left about four inches of extra fabric around the perimeter because this is an extra floofy pillow and i wanted to make sure i had ample to work with.



then i simply folded the pillow and fabric over. i made sure the edges lined up and then gave myself four more inches of slack before i cut around the pillow.



next, i took the fabric and folded it with the wrong side facing out. i laid it on my ironing board and unrolled the stitch -witchery to measure for each side. i only needed two strips for this part because the bottom seam will come from where i have folded it!


after that, i pinned the stitch witchery to the fabric and the ironing board so that it wouldn't move around on me. (i stole gleaned this genius idea from kim over at sand and sisal).


then you place a damp washcloth over one section at a time and then place an iron, set on the "wool" setting (otherwise known as "melt your fingers and face off with the steam produced") on the damp cloth. do not "iron" with it. just let it sit there for about 10-15 seconds. then pick up the iron and the cloth and move it to the next section, repeating until you have the two side seams "hemmed" together.


{note: remember that the washcloth is super steaming hot. don't be me and sustain eleventy billion burn marks from the washcloth. mmk. thanks}

now comes the fun part! stuff the pillow into the pillowcase! you will have an open seam that you will have to "sew" shut. in my case, i knew i wanted to leave this edge raw so-to-speak. i liked the ruffled edge of the tablecloth and wanted that on one edge. so i pinned the bottom of the fabric and the stitch witchery to the ironing board again and repeated the process.

{pretend here that i took a picture. i would have one but i left my third arm at the gym pumping weights in preparation for all the painting in it's future...}

if you want a clean seam all around, simply fold the edges in, pin stitch-witchery in between them and continue on! it is a little tricky, and it helps to leave a little more fabric than you think you need, but if you are patient it will work!

here is my bright, cheerful new pillow cover in it's new {temporary} home! :)




thanks again so much amy for having me! :)

(amy takes the wheel again here)

Thank you, Skye!!  Isn't this SO CUTE?  Can I please have what is left of that tablecloth?  I love the yellow!!

Y'all be sure to go over to Skye's blog and show her some love!  I have a tutorial over there too, just for today.  On a normal day, though, you'll find details of her hilarious adventures as a newlywed and tons of cute decorating ideas!

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HookingupwithHoH
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Friday, February 18, 2011

This just in: Boring hoodie transformed into cute makeup bag!


In spite of my compulsive Goodwill donations, I keep a box of old clothes to cut up for projects.  For some things, it's just wonderful to sew with fabric that is already perfectly broken in.  And sometimes an item is stained or un-donatable in some way, but a good source for scraps.

I loved this gray hoodie; I've probably had it for 10 years.  Haven't worn it in a long time, though; it just seems too short now.  (weight gain?  low rise jeans?  who knows.)  It needed a new life.


The beauty of refashioning zippered clothes is not having to sew in a zipper!  Wanna try it?  This is an easy project and won't take you long.


1.  With the zipper closed, cut the front out of the sweatshirt.  I only cut as far as the kangaroo pocket, but that's just me.  You can cut this to whatever size you like, as long as both sides are the same.  Using a pair of very small, sharp scissors, carefully cut between the teeth of the zipper.


2.  Use a safety pin at the bottom of the zipper to guard against accidentally opening it all the way.  You can hot glue the end of the zipper to make a new stop, or sew it shut.  I opted for glue.


3.  Cut two pieces of fusible fleece and two pieces of lining fabric the same size as your outer panels.  Fuse the fleece to the wrong sides of the outer panels.


4.  On your lining panel pieces, fold over the edge you will be attaching to the zipper and press.  I used a 3/8" seam allowance.


5.  Put the zipper foot on your machine.  Making sure your outer panels are out of the way, sew the folded edge of the lining panel to the underside of the zipper tape only.  Do this for both sides.


6.  Open the zipper 3/4 of the way (very important!)  With outer panels right sides together, sew around the edges.  Get as close as you can to the zipper without actually sewing over it.  Do the same with the lining panels, only use a 1/8" greater seam allowance, and leave several inches open on one side for turning. 

7.  Remove the safety pin.  Clip corners 45 degrees and trim seam allowances; turn right side out and press.  Stitch opening closed.


8.  Ta-da!  Your basic zip pouch.  Only...it's kinda boring.

 

9.  Aaahhh, that's better!  I added a fabric flower with button embellishment, and used a piece of the hoodie tie as a zipper pull.

 Now I can enjoy my comfy old hoodie in its new life as a makeup bag!

Materials list:
old zip hoodie
fusible fleece
cotton lining fabric
zipper foot
fabric scraps for flower
button
cording from hoodie tie
thread and stuff

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 up           party!
 
also linked up at: DIY Home Sweet Home Project
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Saturday, February 12, 2011

5 minute gift card holder tutorial. no lie.

ever buy one of those gift cards that doesn't come with a cute envelope?

and it's really a pretty nice gift but you feel kinda lame just sticking it in the card, like you didn't try at all?

and you've only got a few minutes until the mailman swings by and you HAVE to get it out today?

(this is a purely fictional scenario, of course.)

problem solved.  Fire up your iron, thread the machine, and this should only take you 5 minutes.


1.  grab a scrap of cute fabric.  Fold it over; center your gift card as a guide, leaving  1/2" around 3 sides and an inch at the top.  Cut!


2.  Open it up flat.  Turn under and press your top seam; sew with 3/8" seam allowance.


3.  Fold with right sides together; sew  with 3/8" seam allowance along both raw edges.  Clip the corner 45 degrees.


4.  Turn right side out; press.  Slip in the gift card (I left mine peeking out for the picture, but it should fit all the way in the pocket.)  That's it!  Nice and flat and easy to mail. 

Now run for the mailbox!

{please excuse the less than professional pictures.  5 minutes, y'all.}

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Friday, August 27, 2010

the paint chip challenge!

I stumbled upon this challenge yesterday, and it got my mind working.  My eldest has a birthday in the fall, and we need to be thrifty with the party this year, so I am pondering an "art party."  This kiddo LOVES art projects, drawing, painting, play-doh, you name it.  She gets positively giddy over paint samples, so they would be perfect for the goody bags!


Supply list:

paint samples - the large single-color kind
cellophane bags
stickers, erasers, and other small goodies
pencil
hole punch
sharpie


I used Better Homes & Gardens paint samples from Wal-mart, which, due to incredible luck, fit perfectly into these 6" x 3.75" cellophane bags that I already had on hand.


Write your message on the paint sample, slide it into the baggie, and slide in a page of stickers facing the other way so you cover up the ugly backside of the sample.  Incidentally, I'm the world's WORST note-writer, so I try to say "thank you" in the goodie bags.  It's not how Emily Post would do it, but it's better than never getting around to it.

Now punch two holes in the top of the bag and slide a pencil through the holes.  Ta-da!  For only pennies you have a cute party favor!


We also picked up a few of the paint samples with the hole in them.  I think these make terrific gift tags!


This is a little bucket with holes already in the sides for tying a ribbon.  Full of art supplies, it would make another inexpensive yet fun gift for a creative kiddo!

By the way, immediately after these pictures were taken, the kids appropriated the paint samples for their own creative uses.  They will probably end up being placemats for the next stuffed animal tea party!

And don't tell my husband, but while I was at Wal-mart I picked up a few extra samples that would look nice on the living room wall...

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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

my first moda bake shop project!

So here's what I have been hiding from you:


It's my very first Moda Bake Shop project, a skirt!  If you sew, and you don't know about Moda Bake Shop, get on over there right away.  It is a fantastic blog full of imaginative projects using Moda pre-cut fabrics.  I have had so much fun with this.  My awesome friend Jen took me down to the Mayfield Nature Preserve here in Austin and we had our own little photo shoot. 

It's so wonderful having a friend like Jen!  She is a crafty kindred spirit for sure -- she helped me learn how to knit, and we love doing all kinds of crafty things together.  One time we even conquered the yarn shop hop with two fussy nursing infants in tow!  So if you live anywhere from San Antonio to Dallas, she's your girl for portraits and weddings.  Her blog has more samples so check it out.  Here's some shots from our fun morning in the park:


I am not a professional model by any means, but I can read a book.



And walk through a door.



Twice!
And stand still on high heels!  Not bad for someone who wears flip flops all the time.

But someone else wanted their picture taken, too.


Jen was laying on the ground all twisted up like a pretzel, shooting away, and he just wandered into the frame.  Not that I'm complaining.  Look at those colors!  Nothing I could make could compare to God's creativity in making this guy. 



I also did a few poses in front of this cool rock wall.


And in front of this cute door.  You can't even tell that I'm gagging from the smell -- this is the peahen house.  My modeling skills are amazing.

All joking aside, I do really love how this skirt turned out, and if you know me in person you can expect to see me wearing it a lot.  With my flip flops.

If you want to make one too, head on over to the tutorial here.
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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Twenty-Minute Tote Redo!

Went to Old Navy the other day to hit the clearance sale.  Old Navy's sales are garage sale cheap and often about as organized as digging through a big box of random unpriced stuff.  But, just like garage sales, sometimes you find a little gem.

I found this denim tote for 8 bucks.  I felt very sorry for it, because it was like the plain girl at the school dance, sitting in the bleachers while her colorful friends are getting all of the attention.  But, bless her heart, she is just soooo boooooring.  Let's help her out.


I had a couple of doilies I picked up at JoAnn's a while back.  I can crochet doilies but for 99 cents or less why bother?


I pinned the doilies to the bag using straight pins, but I would recommend using curved safety pins if you have them on hand.  I stuck myself a lot during the sewing process. Since the bag is already finished, sewing the doily on required a lot of maneuvering and folding the bag as I sewed, hence all of the sticking with pins.


Sew around the center circle first, then around the outside edge of each doily.


Easy as pie!  I added a few fabric flowers too.


Now we have a cute little tote for my daughter's piano books!


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