Sleep over pillows: DIY

This year I made my nieces 'sleepover pillows' which I found on _____ blog several months ago.

I had initially purchased fabric to make just one, for my youngest nieces birthday.. That didnt happen.

So low and behold, 6 months later, I'm pulling an all-nighter on Christmas Eve to finish these pillows in time for Christmas morning!

3 kids. 3 pillows. 3 different patterns.

A combination of diet coke, Christmas movies and sewing, sums up my evening quiet nicely.

Here is my pillow making journey-start to finish:

Infinity scarf DIY: sewing

Last minute crafting is my favorite. I seem to always leave my present making till the morning before I give the present. Procrastination at its finest. My grandma doesn't like receiving presents, but who can turn down a homemade gift?


Infinity scarf:
1 yard of fabric $6.99 + tax - 40% discount coupon = $4.48

21 x 56 (still some fabric left over for another project!)
Pin long way; right sides together
Leave 4 inches on each side
Sew along top edge
Turn inside out
Put the seams together and pin around edges; right sides together.
Sew with sewing machine.
Pull through tiny hole (4 inch gap remaining).
Hand stitch the 4 inch gap.
Add label if desired :)

Infinity scarf.

This scarf was so simple to make even with a broken sewing machine pedal. I'm definitely going to have to make myself a few scarves after Christmas, once fabric is on sale again :)

Merry Christmas

 

pictured: me, my grandma, my brother

Wine bottles to vases

My favorite DIY projects are quick ones you can complete in an afternoon. I had been saving up wine bottles to decorate, then I saw the faded mercury look and had to try it.. (To be continued)

Fall time joy.

 

 

Fall time is one of my favorite times of year for many reasons,

I love to see the leaves changing, feeling the crisp air on my skin and drinking my body weight in pumpkin spiced lattes.

 

Everything seems to taste better with a hint of pumpkin. EVERYTHING.

I am loving the fact that I can wear a cardigan almost every day.

 

List of must do's for fall:

walk around Dundee looking at the pretty leaves changing colors.

sitting outside with a hot cup of coffee and people watching.

taking as many pictures as possible, outside.

crafts. fall time crafts.

pumpkin carving.

pumpkin seed cooking.

bike rides.

attempting to make my own PSL.

watching every Disney Halloween movie from the 90's.

fall time giggles with the bffs.

 

 

 

 

Here's what I've done so far:

 

5 year old liberal "I don't work for the government" song

Normally I do not post anything besides crafts and DIY projects, however I just couldn't resist sharing this video of my niece singing about how she 'doesn't work for the the government, because she's too 'wittle''

It's only 19 seconds long and totally worth it to go to the YouTube link posted below:

Click here to listen! 

Where do kids come up with these things?

DIY: bow ties

My cat loves to dress to the 9s daily. It only seems right that he has a few choices. :)

I googled 'how to make a bow tie' and one of my favorite blogs came up with a DIY page on bow ties:
a beautiful mess !

These bow ties took about 10 minutes each to cut the fabric, iron on the interfacing, fold, stitch and stitch on the front piece.

The bow ties take such little fabric, they will be easy to make out of all my apron scraps!

 

He's ready for Husker season. 

Craft show. October 12th

I'm doing a craft show on October 6th!! October 12th!!
Ill be presenting 2 different Husker apron styles, in adult, child and American Doll sizes.

 

 

 

Here are the aprons with just the last step to be made. They all need pockets! Why, where else might one store their treasures while baking, if they don't have pockets? :)

 

 

 

I will regrettablely be unable to attend this October 6th craft show after months of prepartion, because I will be at work. The following Saturday there is also a craft show and I'm going to see if I can stop by after I get off shift and put a few of my aprons at my parents craft table !

 

October 13th.

 

Keep an ear out for details!

Rit dye: black, black skinnies

My favorite pairs of black skinnies have been fading in color, so I purchased Rit dye and gave it a go.

Before:

I attempted the bucket method just because I didn't want to bleach pots, pans, or the washer.

Ingredients:
1 Rit dye package (mixed with 2 cups boiling water)
1 cup salt
1 tablespoon detergent
2 pairs of faded black skinnies

All poured in a large plastic bin, filled with hot water

Next step: stir constantly for 10-30minutes.. I was bored after 4 minutes..

Made it to 10 minutes with a few splashes on the counter (Rit stains, so I had to quickly clean it up because I wasn't at my own house)

After the 10 minutes of soaking, I took the pants outside and sprayed them until the water ran clear..

11 pairs of disposable gloves later,
I put the the wrung out jeans in the wash for a regular wash cycle.

Cost: $1.96 at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon 

End result:

Sewing a tank: lace lace lace

Today I got the urge to make a lace tank top. I had all the supplies so my grand total was: $0.00.

I pinned the lace to an old tank top which I never wear, sewed it on and then cut out the original fabric.

It was pretty simple :)

Side note: might try cutting the fabric out first, next time, for top of the line results.

After I made the back, I knew I wanted to incorporate a little more lace. I decided a pocket would be nice to balance out the grey on the front of the tank top.

When trying it on, I recalled how the shirt was an awkward-longish length ( I now die for long shirts,) this one just fit funny, so I went for the angled bottom by twisting and sewing one corner. I had lace on my mind at this point, and I just HAD to add more. That's when I decided on a lace bow.

I cut a long strip of lace, sewed it right sides together, pulled it through, made the bow, and sewed the center, so it wouldn't fall apart. Lastly I sewed it to the shirt.

I'm pretty excited how it turned out.

It slipped my mind to take a before picture, however I took several after pictures. Just think drab-to-fab. Ha. :)

Perfect Attire: match a pair of black skinnies and glittery black Toms.

Is there anything better than lace and glitter together? Can't think of a thing!

Singer 8763 vs (vintage model) Singer 221

I'm having super conflicting feelings about my new sewing machine. I love it and it works 800 times better than the vintage one I've been using, up until this evening. However, I honestly feel like I'm cheating on my old sewing machine.

I know that sounds a bit absurd, however it was my first sewing machine and my grandma had given it to me years ago. It was made in 1964, has the perplexity to do only one stitch, but is a quality and dependable machine. It is made out of metal, unlike the 8763 model which seems to be mostly plastic.

Then again, the 8763 model has more settings than I could even imagine, I had no idea you could design shapes into your sewing, it's incredible. There is not just one, but two cutters on the machine, and it sews like it is gliding on butter, so smooth!

I have moved model 221 over to a table on an alternate wall, but am still keeping it out, on display, where it should be, for all to see, and gawk at perhaps :).

8763 is now resting on my leather topped vintage desk, waiting to finish the dress 221 had originally started, before he could no longer continue because of zipper foot complications.


I love them both.
I cannot and will not choose a favorite.



8763:

221:

Sew-on snaps: no more bra line

Target's summer dress collection has been extraordinary this season! In just the strapless summer dresses collection (with pockets) I have obtained all, but 2 styles! They're super cute, with pockets, of course; and are the perfect length. I find that most dresses from stores like Forever21 are too short, to be worn with class (personal option).
Anyways, these dresses are great, except for the fact that my strapless bra always hangouts the back.

Solution: Sew-on snaps. I sewed two on my bra 6.5 inches apart, no specific rhyme or reason to the distance, and then on the inside of my dress at the same distance.

Mistake: First time I sewed on the 'female' side of the snap, I sewed it in backwards, so I had to cut them out and re-sew, luckily there was only two snaps, so it took half a minute.

Thoughts and future suggestions: On my next strapless dress, I will sew the 'female' end of the snap down about 3/4th's of a centimeter, in order to make sure the back of my bra isn't showing. (Previous trial: I sewed right at the top hem and it was a tad-bit too high and still showed bra when sitting).

Overall: good lesson on snap placement. Useful when wearing a summer dress with an outrageous colored strapless bra. Easy fix.

Advancing: dress making

Trying my hand at dress making this evening. I figure, since I've mastered apron making, I need to move on to the next level, which is obviously dress making (own opinion).

The pattern definitely looks much more challenging, however I believe once I get it all cut out and pinned, it will start to come together nicely.

I was unaware I was going to start this project tonight, therefore I don't have specific fabric for a dress I'd actually wear out. This may just have to be a practice round. Also, I have found that there are an extreme lack of sizes in dresses, so I'm going to have to fudge around with it myself and hopefully not ruin it completely.

I have that beautiful dressform I have blogged about before, which is quite nice, however it is too big for my body type. I've seen a few things on pinterest about making a dressform to fit your exact body measurements, I think I may need to make that my next project.

Here we go.

First step: choosing which pattern I want to use

Second step: cutting out said pattern

Step three: pin pattern in place

Step four: cut out fabric

Step five: darting

Step six: basting the zipper

Step seven: sew zipper in with zipper foot (so easy!!)

Step eight: pin and sew dress back and front together. -- this is where problems came into play: I got stuck in the dress because my booty was too big for the pattern. I had to add a side panel in so the dress would fit. Major learning moment. Measure twice, cut once, believe the tape measure. I'll have to spruce it up to take attention away from the new panel.
Image: what the dress should have looked like (seam ripped out on opposite side)

 

step nine:

Quick addition: double layer pocket (robe)

I recently purchased this super cute robe, on sale, at Kohls, the only problem was, it didn't have a pocket. Being that it was such a great deal, I purchased it anyways.
I made a trip to hobby lobby this afternoon and obtained 1/3 yard of black lace. (I've been needing lace for other projects, however they don't require an excessive amount). I was able to use my 40% off coupon and it only cost $1.92.

I had a pocket design from a previous sewing pattern, however I knew I wanted a deep pocket, so I just freehand-pinned and cut the lace. I ended up making it an open double layer pocket, just for fun.

End results: Plenty of room for my cell phone and whatever else I may need to carry.

Total time: 5 minutes

The lighting wasn't very good, I may have to snap another shot tomorrow.

Favorite detail: the lace around the wrists

Before :

After:

Start the oven: Porcelain mugs (Color print)

After writing on porcelain mugs, we baked them in the oven to see if the theory was correct. We did a 'best friends' theme and incorporated our common traits and favorite things into our design. As a final touch we inscribed the date into the bottom of the mug.

Results: mugs turned out perfectly

Obstacle: While writing on mugs, print smears depending on where you put your hand/hold the mug

Advantage: While writing on the mug, you have room to mess up and start over again without stressing out. All you need is a wet wash cloth and the permanent marker washes right off

Cooking: 350 degrees, for 30 minutes

Washing: Hand wash only, will partially rub off in dishwasher

Favorite aspect: Christmas tree drawn in the inside bottom of the mug. It's like a surprise treat every time you get to the bottom :)

Crafts. Crafts. Crafts.

I've wanted to display all of the things I have made/refurbished for a while now, so I figured I'd just post them all in one blog.

At one point in time I had all the 'before and after' pictures together. It will take a little digging to find them, however for now, I will just share the 'after' pictures.

My sister and I always joke about doing craft shows, but I think it'd actually be super fun and comical.