Hanna's Birthday

So few and far between. I've been doing things, I swear. Just nothing to write home about I guess.

My sister is going back to school and needs a good tote bag. I decided I could push the limits of my sewing knowledge far enough to create something decent. I spent 3 full days hunched over my sewing machine with nothing but determination.



I saw this fabric at Joann's and in the words of Bella Swan, "About three things i was absolutely positive. First, this fabric would give the tote bag that funky punch I was looking for. Second, it was on 50% sale that day only. And third, i was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with it."

So basically I had no patten that I followed and messed up so many times that I don't feel comfortable explaining the process yet. I can list the supplies and give some words of advise:

2 yards of heavy cloth like duck cloth
1 yard lighter fabric used for liner and lid decoration
1 yard quilt padding
1 yard medium flex fusible interfacing
1 buckle
3 yards nylon strap- 2", 1", whatever
1 packet of adjustable thingies for straps
1 packet of hook thingies for straps
Mega Heavy duty machine needles, no all-purpose needles need apply.

Tip: Anything sewn on (lid decoration, pockets, buckle, strap hooks, etc must be planned out and affixed before putting together the inner and outer layers.



I also found a use for those amazing 1960's Good Houskeeping gardening encyclopedias. Greeting cards! My sister lives so far away so maybe this will force her to write me a little note.

Shower Curtain Curtains

I apologize for being so long in between entries, the holidays and all. . .

I saw these 100% cotton shower curtains at WalMart. That got me thinking. . . they're cotton, they're cute, they're presewn, they come with hooks. . . what's stopping them from being living room curtains? With just a few alterations, NOTHING is stopping them. And they are so much cheaper than buying regular curtains.



I have two large living room windows- 60" wide by 48" high. One shower curtain covers one window. 60" is the max width that you could use shower curtains for, however, they work great for long windows.

Step 1:
Fold curtains in half and cut down the long length of the cloth


Step 2:
Measure your length and cut- my windows were 48" so I cut at 51". That left me with a lot of seam allowance.



Step 3:
Press your seams. Fold over and press, fold over a 2nd time and press. That's the great thing about converting these curtains because you only have 2 sides to press and sew.


Step 4:
Sew


Step 4: Finished!


Just look at those cute hooks- and they come with the curtain! So easy:

Changing Table Organizer

My final pre-birth craft for Little Sherri comes in the form of an over-the-changing-table-organizer. It has pockets for bottles and monkeys- the essentials for changing a baby, or so I assume.

To "picture frame" a decorative element you need a right-angle square and a marker:

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Cut off your angle, repeat all around:





The pockets sure did take a while to figure out. I tried about three different styles but every single one looked a little too ruffly- no one knows what the baby is going to be yet so it was best to not make anything too girly.

Fun with a Staple Gun

Quick and sloppy, staple gun crafts rank among my favorite.

CRAFT NUMBER ONE: 1 Hour, 6 Chairs.

A staple gun is essential for your super easy chair upholstery projects. I used 3 yards of 54" upholstery fabric for 6 seat cushions.

BEFORE:



Step 1: Flip over chair and unscrew cushion:


Step 2: Wrap and staple. Be sure to keep it tight, also be aware of your pattern. If you using stripes or centering a pattern on top, be conscious not to make the fabric crooked.


Step 3: Screw cushion back on. DONE!


AFTER:



CRAFT NUMBER 2: Fabric Nursery Art

I sewed this little felt creation for Sherri a while ago but was unhappy with the framing. So I turned to the staple gun for help. I stretched some white fabric on a wooden frame and secured it into place, just like stretching a canvas for painting.







Then I had this nice tight canvas on which to sew my little felt creation:




CRAFT NUMBER 3: Living Room Art
The same process as the baby art, but for a more mature audience. I'm trying to turn my living room to a something that can be described as shabby chic. And you can't do that without doilies.


Guess what? Decoupage tomorrow!

Super Easy Curtains

It was fate that Joann Fabric was having a 50% off on all 54" Home Decor fabric right when we realized that our house badly needed curtains.

Sewing your own curtains can be easy if you follow this pattern. This style is simple and contemporary with cute loops and buttons.

I did not have to line these curtains because I chose heavy through-woven upholstery (looks the same on either side). If you choose a thin printed cotton, buy curtain backing and sew together with each curtain panel.

Step 1:
Measure your windows. Each window is made up of 2 panels. The end product should overlap your window by about 2"-3" on each side and you should allow for 2 inches on each side for your seams. It's up to you how long you want your curtains to be, but whatever the length, add on 4 inches total for seam allowance at top and bottom.

Step 2: Cut fabric to size.
Step 3: Fold over an edge (about a 1/2" to 1" fold) and steam with an iron into place



Fold over again and steam into place



Pin perpendicular to the fold.

Step 4: Sew the seam



Repeat with all side of your panels. Now your done with that part!

Step 5: Make loops out of different fabric. Follow the same basic steps you did for the panel- cut long strips, steam over the sides, stitch the ends



Step 6: Sew the loops onto the panels. One loop on each end of the panel and 1 or 2 in the middle depending on the size



Step 7: Stitch on a cute button


Step 8: Hang curtains, step back and be proud of yourself



On a side note, my passion vine bloomed the other day. My mom planted the vine from 2 seeds in early spring before the wedding. The two vines slowly grew as the wedding approached and the night before the big day the two vines intertwined- fate! The blooms last for just one day so lucky I was watering in the sun room that day:

Thread Your Sewing Machine

So you got this sewing machine from your grandmother, or picked one up at a yard sale. But it's been sitting in the box picking up dust ever since. Once you learn how to thread your machine, everything else it is just trail and error and experimentation. Once you work out the quirks of your machine, then endless creations ensue!

NOTE: These are instructions for my sewing machine. All sewing machines differ but this is a start. With a little intuition you should figure yours out easily enough.

STEP 1: Start your bobbin.
A bobbin is the little plastic or metal wheel that fits underneath the needle plate of a sewing machine. A machine's stitch is made from two threads- one through the eye of the needle and one up from the bobbin. Thread runs off the bobbin, gets picked up by the needle’s thread and forms the bottom part of a seam.



To thread your bobbin, place a spool of thread on the thread pin located on the top of the machine like the picture above. Place an empty bobbin on the bobbin pin. Wind a few inches around your empty bobbin. Push the bobbin over into the lock position. Press down on the foot pedal slowly while holding the winding thread.

Slowly and evenly fill up your bobbin.

Step 2: Move the bobbin into the bobbin casing:



Take the end of the thread and wind through the thread slits. You'll have to refer to your user manual for this. It's hard to explain, but there is a little "path" in the bobbin casing that the thread must be pulled through. Pull out a few excess inches of thread.
Snap the bobbin casting into place underneath the needle plate:



Step 3: Thread the needle
Take hold of the thread end and pass it through the designated threading points on the top of the machine casing, then down toward the tension assembly. SO that means there are several levers obstacles that the thread must wind around. First is at the top.



After winding around the 2nd top lever, thread through the eye of the needle. Don't forget to push thread through the little clip before hand though (see picture)



Thread the needle from the front or back of the needle. Pull a few inches of thread through the eye of the needle and pull the thread to your left.



After threading needle, pull through a lot of extra. Grip excess with one hand and rotate hand wheel (picture below) with the other.



Rotating the hand wheel will plunge the needle into the bobbin below and will grab the bobbin's thread and pull a loop back through.




Grab the loop and the needle thread and pull together until you have an even amount of excess from both threads. Place your cloth underneath the foot, lover the foot lever to lock your cloth into place (feel around for the foot lever, it's always right near the needle). Slowly start your stitching!


A nice tip my mom taught me:
If you pin your cloth perpendicular to the stitch, you can sew RIGHT OVER the pins without having to remove them first!






HAVE FUN! If anything is unclear then please comment and I will try to answer your questions.