Few things Ive been up to…

Doing another preorder on these bags if you are interested, you have until Sunday to order! 😀  Just click the picture to go to the site to order.

Embroidered some more baby hooded towels.  These are an order for a set of boy/girl twins- too cute!

There is more, but I am tired!! *Yawn* 😀

Thinking on what to do for baby quilt…

My sister-in-law is having her first baby in May and I want to make her a quilt.  Some reason I am envisioning my niece telling/showing her kids someday about this quilt her auntie made her.  So her colors are hot pink and lime.  Since the colors are so bold I am thinking of doing a quilt with alot of white with splashes of these colors in it.

Few ideas

Cant wait to get started.. i have until April for the shower…. SO FUN sewing for a baby again!

Sewing Room Remodel- Done!

Besides a few things I still want to put on the walls and things, the room is done! I painted, replaced the large computer desk for a small antique vanity table, recovered the vanity table, covered the light switches and trimmed my corkboard with modge podge, move my fabric into the open where it could inspire me, reorganized the notions, fabric, under table items, etc.

It is amazing how much stuff had worked its way into my room over the last year or so.

Here are some before/after pics:

I still want to upcycle an old chalkboard for wall art over the fabric in the corner, replace the rug on the stairs and recover my ironing board.

Small sewing room redo snippet!

I just had to share this snippet of a preview. I put the first coat of “freshy fresh” (aqua green) on the top of the room tonight. It is still drying as you can kinda see in the pic, lol.

The top was a beige color and the bottom will be painted eventually, just need to get the time.. I only did this ONE wall so far, which was by the far the easiest to get to, but the most trimming/brush work. Phew- I am going to sleep well tonight.

Sewing Room Makeover

So a sewing room repaint has been in order since… well, since this dining room became a sewing room 🙂   I have had visions of repainting the walls to a lighter, brighter more inspiring color for awhile.  So I am jumping in!   I had dark wood beams along the ceiling walls and down the center of the room and had painted those a long time ago.  However, I never got around to rolling the main part of the ceiling.  So I rolled it tonight.  It needs one more coat and as much as I would like to call it “good enough”, I am doing it right this time.

So here is the before picture of the room in all its messy glory.  It is way messier then usual here so pardon the piles that arent usually there.

I am going to leave my trim/stairs all the brown wood. But will be painting the top and the bottom 2 separate colors. Here are the before pics (keep in mind it needs tidied, lol)

Here are the colors I picked out.  The top will be this pretty aqua green color called “Freshy Fresh” lol.  Bottom is “Paprika”.  The brown is just in the middle to show the contrast with the trim.

So feel free to follow along as I move onto a new brighter space.   I hope to replace the blue cabinet in the corner too and I would love to paint the embroidery cabinet and put some cool funky fabric in the front openings.

Onesie Revamp #1 – Faux Button Ruffle Placket

So I am wanting to sew you along through a few different things you can do to onesies to spice them up!   I have a few more ideas in mind that will come later- but here is number 1!  

A fake button ruffle placket. 

So gather the following and jump in with me:

• onesie
• small scrap of a fusible (soft preferrably) interfacing to iron to the back of the area to stabilize the knit to sew the placket one
• 18″ x 3″ strip of ruffle material
• 6.5″ piece of extra wide bias trim *I used a patterned Michael Miller Cotton Bias Trim*
• 3 buttons (and needle/thread)
• iron

Step #1

After collecting all your supplies, mark the middle of your onesie.  I used a watersoluble blue pen.  I marked the middle down 3″ from neckline then 1/2″ on both sides.  Then iron on the fusible featherweight interfacing on the back side of that area.

Also iron open your bias tape. so it is 1″ wide.

Step #2

Open up the folds on your bias tape and sew the 2 raw edges together then fold it all back up to make a loop out of your bias tape

Step #3

Take your 18″ x 3″ piece and fold it in half to make it 18 x 1.5″ with wrong sides together so the print shows on the outside.  Then IRON.  

Then fold the ends right sides together and sew it closed and flip back with the right sides out:

Step #4

We are going to ruffle your strip.  I do this easily with setting my machine to its LONGEST STITCH LENGTH and HIGHEST TENSION SETTING *which is length 5.0 and tension9 on my machine*

Start right along the raw edges of the strip.  I put my finger behind the foot to help it gather like so:

Step #5

Then match the ends and raw edges together as pictured below and set your machine to a WIDE zig zag stitch.  *DONT FORGET TO TURN your tension setting back*

When I get to the end, I gather a little more and square the end slightly so it will lay flat when sewn onto the shirt

Step #6

Iron your bias trim and hide your seam on the back side of the “loop”.  Line the top up with the top of your ruffle you created and sew down the middle.  Gather the ruffle slightly more if you notice the ruffle is longer then your bias tape.

Step #7

Line up your ruffle placket with the markings on your onesie.  Sew along all edges of your bias trim. Then mark button placement and sew them on!! 

You are done!

Table Runner.. or centerpiece placemat…

Finished this for a dear friend as a surprise swap gift!!  Hope it arrives promptly and she loves it.  Inside the regular fabrics I snuck in some cute kiddo fabrics for her kids to try to “SPY”

Found an Etsy team…

I am so excited to finally join an Etsy Team, Etsykids!

You can see some of the great items here:  EtsyKids Etsy Items

Cute Ruffle Bottom Pants

Wooden Baby Rattles

Doll Miniature Backpack

OK- I will stop now as I am sure I have lost your attention with the link to a million great handmade childrens items on Etsy by the Etsykids Team!! 😀

“Not your Grandmas Knee Patches” Tutorial

Is it just me or are the jeans these days made with thin, easily wore out denims?  Do the denim manufacturers secretly wear down the knees of jeans or are my kids just especially hard on them??  We dont have a pair of jeans that have outlasted a season without holes somewhere.  While I wouldnt mind an alternative, my husbands suggestion of buying them “TOUGHSKINS” that could stand in the corner by themselves they are so stiff- just didnt sound all that comfortable!

So I finally dove in and decided to do some “Designer Patching” of the knees.  My creative juices were flowing on this while I was piecing together the “Sew n’ Flip” quilt blocks I blogged about last week!

I always like to do a few new tutorials a year and man I havent done one in ages, so here ya go!! 

Grab:

• pair of holey jeans
• fusible fleece *or other usable material suitable for sewing the scraps on that isnt stretchy and is soft on the back*
• bias trim
• seam ripper
• Some scraps

Here are my daughters jeans BEFORE:

FIrst you will need to rough cut your pieces of fusible fleece and scraps to cover your hole.  I cant give you measurements as it will vary for each hole, but I cut my pieces to have a 1.5″ seam allowance at top/bottom and 2″ or so on each side.   Then gather enough scraps to cover each piece of fleece.  I choose to make the patches on both knees pretty much identical but it isnt necessary.  In fact you could just use one single print as well 🙂

 

Then start with the fusible side UP put on piece of scrap in the middle of your fusible fleece at any angle you want them lay another scrap down with right sides together.  sew along the edges of the 2 pieces then FLIP the piece that is right side down over and topstitch the seam.

Repeat until fleece piece is covered making sure your pieces are flat.  Then iron and remove the excess edges.

Attach bias trim to the long top and bottom edges.

Then, let the seam ripping begin.   You want to open the leg of the jean along the seam that is NOT topstitched on the outside.  For this pair it was the outer leg seam and I believe that is industry standard but not sure.  I only seamripped enough (about a foot) to get the knee area to lay flat.  This is so you can get it under the machine easier 😉  This pic is just the outside showing which seam to rip..  I found if you tugged at the seam on both sides the seam ripper went right down the middle pretty fast!  There will be a regular stitched seam and a “serged” edge as well.

Ok, once the seam is open you want to fold under one raw edge of your patch and place just over the other seam of your pants that you didnt rip.  Make sure the patch is centered.  You might want to pin it in place even.  You will sew on the other side of this seam first.

Then  Sew down the top edges of each of the bias trim strips.

Leave the raw edges of the other side of the patch to be stitched into the side seam.   Finish both sides and turn your pants wrong side out.  Match the seams up as they were before so the dark seam allowance doesnt show on the outside seam.   Then sew down this seam to close it up.   I sewed it TWICE making sure to secure the raw edges of the patch in the seam.    Then serge or zig zag the raw edges.

Back side will look like this when done:

Turn the pants right side out and VIOLA!!

I patched these jeans with the intentions of them being her play jeans but alas I was informed they are her new favorite pair and she hopes that some others get holey so I can patch them too, lol.  Enjoy!

Winners of the Sewing Notions Packages-

Hey all – Sorry later than I promised.

Winners of the 2 packages with sewing notions in them are:

Katt Says:
September 28, 2010 at 2:15 pm | Reply   editoooh, how fun! Count me in

Katrina Klauer Says:
September 30, 2010 at 2:32 pm | Reply   editi poste giveaway on fb

Thank you everyone for participating!!  I love sharing my unused but very usable items with someone that can cherish them!!!  Iwill email you for your mailing addresses!  Thanks again –  and dont forget to comment on the scraps post for a chance to win a yard of Michael Miller Cotton Woven fabric! ***SEW LOVELY***