Floral Embellished T-Shirt

Today marks the 100th school day for my 2nd grader.

The class has a fun celebration planned, 

and her teacher asked that each child wear a t-shirt decorated with 100 things.

I, of course, procrastinated until last night to work on it...

I knew that no matter what I put together 

- it would be time consuming - 

so it might as well be something cute that she could wear again.

I started with this cute shirt from Old Navy 

(except ours had navy stripes with blue flowers.)

I figured it already had 2 flowers - 

why not add 98 more?!

Using fabric from my stash, I cut the additional 98 flowers.

(It took a while...)

Then, using Wonder Under I ironed them to the shirt.

Not wanting anything too uniform, I randomly applied here and there.

(This is the back of the shirt.)

To make sure it would hold up well in the wash,

I quickly sewed the edges of the flowers - nothing too perfect.

I look forward to seeing how the edges fray; I love that look!

My daughter was thrilled with the results and couldn't wait to go to school!

(Click to enlarge.)

Skirt Pattern

Warmer weather is upon us here in Oklahoma. And with the changing of seasons comes the changing of wardrobes (winter clothes up to the attic and summer outfits back in the closets). Wanting to supplement my girls' warm weather choices without spending a ton of money, I decided to create a skirt pattern that would use up some of my fabric scraps. 

To begin, I cut 8 panels from the pattern piece (mixing and matching fabrics produces the cutest results). Click HERE to access a pdf of the panel pattern. Also, even though the pdf only includes a few sizes, the pattern is very forgiving. If you need it a little bigger, simply add a few inches in length, and it will still look great.

I arranged them in alternating order (using 4 or 8 fabrics looks adorable as well).

Then, I attached each panel side-to-side. The addition of a zig-zag stitch along the seams helped to prevent fraying.

Once the panels were all joined, I created the waist-band. This was made simple by using extra wide bias tape (it is actually meant for quilt binding). I folded the bias tape over the top of the skirt, and stitched close to the bottom edge of the binding to allow room for elastic to slide through.

Leaving an opening at each end of the bias tape allowed me to feed the elastic through. I measured my daughter's waist and added an additional inch to that measurement to determine the length of my elastic. The finishing step is to hem the bottom edge with a double-folded hem.

These skirts were so fun and very quick to make - I enjoyed adding pineapple and rosette embellishments on a couple of them. My girls, as I've mentioned before are skirt and dress fanatics, so I will probably be putting together several more for the summer.

Purses!

We are well - no one is sick - HALLELUJAH! I am lucky that no one else fell victim to the wretched virus that affected my youngest. I got less sleep last week than I did when I was a freshman in college! Anyway all is right in the world now; the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and most importantly the sun is shining. 

My first project upon entry into the land of the living was to make "a" purse from this tutorial. As you can see, I enjoyed it so much that I had a hard time sticking to just one. 

Here is my original, and while I loved the way that it turned out, I knew that it would be entirely too small for this momma to carry around on a daily basis. It looked great as an over-sized clutch, though, so I left it without a strap and plan on giving it to a friend from church. 

Loving the style but needing it just a little larger, I increased the print size to 130%, which ended up being the perfect size. I love this fabric; it is so bright and fun. I already have an outfit planned around it. Now I just need a place to go...

My final purse was also made with the increased pattern size, but I attached the straps a little differently. A cluster of buttons on each side double as an extra embellishment, while at the same time fastening the straps to the bag.


I highly recommend taking a look at the buttercup bag tutorial over at Made By Rae. The instructions are simple and easy to follow. And before you make the excuse that you could never do that, you are just a beginner, it is too hard, etc. Let me remind you, I am not a pro; in fact, I don't even know how to make a button hole (seriously). If I can do it, SO CAN YOU! 

Easy Summer Dresses

Do you lack faith in your sewing abilities? 

Do you have an exceptional hatred for patterns? 

Do you suffer from CADD (craft attention deficit disorder - the inability to focus on any one project for a great length of time)?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, smocked fabric just might be the treatment you require*. This pre-gathered fabric makes dressmaking a breeze. Simply measure around the chest, and cut fabric at that length. Sew a single straight line, attach straps and you are cured of your seamstress woes. Once the smocking has taken full effect, you might even dare to add embellishments like ric rac or ruffles.

*Before beginning any sewing regimen, speak to your local fabric shop lady to see if smocking is right for you. Side effects include, but are not limited to, the desire to purchase yardage from every pattern, children who won't take the dresses off, and an inflated ego pertaining to your sewing abilities.

p.s. These make excellent twirling dresses.

p.s.s. I found the fabric at Hobby Lobby, but most fabric stores carry it in the spring and summer. Hurry if you want it; the "fabric lady" said when they run out they won't be ordering more of this specific pattern.

p.s.s.s. I made the straps from fabric that I cut from the bottom of little sister's dress.

p.s.s.s.s. Can you tell I am ready for warm weather?

How to embellish mittens

I love anthropologie. The store is full of unique clothing and accessories with a homemade vintage-y vibe. It is a good thing that the closest location is over 3 hours away, because I always find a million things I want. But after being inspired by both this and this post, I decided to "anthropologize" something myself.

I started with a set of mittens from Target (2 for $1.50!).

Then, I got out my favorite craft supplies: ribbons and laces and buttons!

After settling on several layers, I cut them to fit along the cuff of the mitten and bonded the lace to each other with washable fabric glue.

Once the glue was dry, I attached coordinating buttons in the middle of each set.

Because the lacy layers were already attached to each other, sewing them to the mitten cuff was simple (I only attached the top of the strip to the mitten).

"Anthropologizing" complete!

Would it be wrong to plan an outing this evening just so that I have an excuse to wear them? Surely, I need to pick up something from the grocery store...

How to make a hooded towel

My sister's baby shower was this past weekend and as I searched for gifts, I realized that I had no easy task. She is having a boy, and is incorporating sock monkeys as the theme for his room. Sock monkey items seem to be growing in popularity, but there still isn't too much out there. Combine this lack of selection with the fact that my sister is one of the most accomplished shoppers I know, and I realized that there was little opportunity for me to pick up something that she wouldn't have already grabbed herself.

Solution? Homemade items!

I decided to make a hooded towel using sock monkey colors - red and chocolate brown.

First, I purchased a fluffy brown towel (I never understood why infant towels are always so thin!) and a red hand towel from Target.

The width of the towel was 30"; I cut both ends, creating a 30" square. Then, I cut a right triangle out of the hand towel, which will be the hood. I apologize for not measuring; I was just making this up as I went. But, I basically made the triangle large enough to fit over an infant's head. 

To personalize the towel, I cut my nephew's first initial out of coordinating cotton.

Then, I appliqued it to the hood using a zig-zag stitch.

Extra-wide quilt binding was the easiest solution to completing the edges. I first sewed along the bottom of the triangle.

Then after pinning the hood to the towel, I sewed binding all the way around.

This project was quick and easy, and accomplished my task of giving a unique item.

Passport Cover

My sister and her husband recently found out that they were being transferred this next spring to England. I know that we will miss seeing them regularly, but I can't think of a more exciting opportunity for a newly-wed couple. 

Knowing that she will be acquiring quite a few stamps on her passport, I followed this tutorial (great tutorial; very simple and straightforward directions) and made a passport cover for her birthday. And because a little embellishment never hurt any craft project, I also added a frayed flower. 

After pairing it with a UK travel book, her gift was complete. Now I need to make one for myself - I will have to take a trip to visit my sister, after all!

Reader Craft Room Dilemma - Can you help?

Hey guys! I wanted to alert you to an awesome new exercise! You won't even realize you are working out until the next day! 

It's called... Quiltersizing!

  

Be sure to work on a hard wooden floor rather than at a table top (hunched over is the best position). To get the full benefits of this exercise, cut with a dull rotary cutter so that you really have to PUSH to slice through the fabric. Finally, bend and squat, bend and squat - with each random piece that you cut out - bring them over to each square (also on the ground) that you are working on, and test out sizes and patterns, over and over again. 

I promise, by the next day, you will think that you had spent some serious time at the gym (which, I know, is pathetic! I promise I will get back on that elliptical machine... next week, but at least I got all 24 done!). 

Now let's move on to a reader dilemma:

Leslie contacted me a few weeks ago saying that she needed some inspiration for decorating her new scrapbooking/sewing/gift wrapping/crafting/office/guest bedroom. 

She is planning on using a "lime/sage-ish" green for the walls and wants to incorporate black and white as accent colors.

My first thought for high impact wall decor with low impact on her budget would be to frame scrapbooking paper (using varying colors and patterns that match her color scheme) in a grouping of coordinating frames, like this: 

Next, I would address the bedding. Because she would like to paint the walls green, I would keep the bed simple. This bedding from Target would be a great addition. 

This shelf system from Ikea would be a great place to hold all of her crafty supplies. The slots could be filled with decorative boxes and baskets that would work as organizers for each type of craft. If modern lines are not her taste, it is easy to add white crown molding around the top, which can really transform the overall look into something more traditional. Also this is just inspiration; any sort of shelving unit could be used. 

Now that I have added my very unprofessional opinion, we need your help. I told Leslie that my readers always have the greatest ideas - so send them in! Tell us what you have done to make your multi-use spaces more functional and beautiful!

Lazy girl's quilt

While I struggled with cutting up this beloved fabric, I am so glad that I did - the colors and patterns take on a whole new life when sewn together.

I have never made a quilt this large; so the task has been a little daunting. I knew that I wanted a simple design, and was inspired by this quilt for my "design." I put "design" in quotation marks because once I determined that I needed twenty four 12" squares, I simply began cutting rectangles and squares and fitting them together randomly. 

The trick is to cut in 3" increments so that it adds up to 12 more easily. I began with the chocolate brown floral, and cut 12 rectangles and squares that were all divisible by 3 (6x6", 3x9", etc.). Then, I moved on to my next fabric, cutting the same way and adding the pieces to my chocolate brown floral. 

I currently have 12 of my 24 completed, and am contemplating what fabric to do the sashing and binding in, and how I will back it - solid or in pieces (I'm thinking of something like this). 

To save money, I am considering buying a solid 100% cotton flat sheet in a coordinating color (probably pink, because the green is more dominant than I was expecting) and using that fabric as my sashing. Has anyone tried this before? I would love your input!

You can do it!

"Press on; nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Press on!"

Surely Calvin Coolidge wasn't referring to crafting when he said this. 

  

Right? 

Because that would mean that I would have to do something with these half-completed/failed attempts. 

Like this top that I made for myself (Simplicity 4589; inspired by Artsy-Crafty Babe), but didn't finish because it seemed a little too short and and a little too flow-y. 

And this cash wallet. I wanted to make another like my first, but ran out of oilcloth, so I attempted it with regular cotton fabric. It. Didn't. Work. 

After seeing my sister-in-law with the most adorable baby wipe case ever, I decided that it was definitely something I could do. A few growls (remember, it helps to growl when frustrated) and a burnt finger (hot glue) later, and I had a failed project. Yay. 

This picture does not do the horribleness of it justice. The velvet ribbon was a complete disaster. Which is why I ripped it off.  

Remember when I talked about making my own version of a bandana apron? I should have just gone with Martha's version. (Once again, the photo doesn't capture how bad it is. Too long, too full, too ugly.)

And finally... I fought the pattern, and the pattern won. 

To prove to myself that I can succeed at these projects, I have decided to devote this week to re-working each of these projects. Stay tuned. 

 

I will press on!    

Pop Garden Fabric

I finally got the call today from my local quilt shop letting me know that it was in. Forty five minutes later I was across town walking into the store, two kids in tow, with hair still damp from my quick shower. 

Yes. I was excited. 

Now if I can get up the courage to actually cut it...

I'm back!

I can't believe its been a week! This past weekend was my niece's 2nd birthday, so we headed to dallas for a long weekend to shop celebrate.

This is the outfit that I put together for her birthday gift. I appliqued an Old Navy t-shirt in the same way as I did here. I love the woodland creature craze that is going on right now - owls, deer, mushrooms, and birds are all over the place, and are perfect for applique. 

The bloomers pattern that I used previously was such a hit and fit my niece so perfectly, so I decided to use it for this outfit - I found the rose fabric at Hancock. To save time, I purchased a ruffled embellishment rather than make my own. From start to finish, these took 20 minutes! 

If you are just getting started with sewing clothing (like myself), I would definitely suggest looking for this pattern. It is satisfying yet quick and easy, and can be adjusted to various sizes; while I have never made them, it does offer a boy version as well. 

Our trip was fun and successful (a lot of back-to-school shopping was accomplished), but I am happy to get back to my regular schedule of craftiness.