Embroidered Necklace

You probably have everything you need for this DIY lying around the house. I’ve been laid up trying to recover from a cold-turned-sinus infection. I was able to easily complete this while “resting” in bed.

 

Imagine all the potential combos!

Pretty Powder Room

With the first bathroom almost complete, we are starting to get the plans for the second bathroom on the move. Luckily, all this little space needs is a minor facelift. The flooring, countertop, sink, faucet, medicine cabinet and toilet have been replaced. The plan here is to paint the cabinets, clean up the cabinet handles and hinges, add a light fixture and paint the walls.

This picture is the inspiration for the updated bathroom.

So here are the selections…the green is for the cabinets and the light peach color is the wall paint. I am anxious to see how it all turns out. We were lucky to stumble upon this daisy fabric that has all the colors of the painting in it!

Under two yards of fabric and we got two new curtains! I love how the sun shines through mid-day, reminds me of stained glass.

I’ll post an update once it’s painted! So excited!

Curtain Call

So here are the curtains I made this weekend for the bathroom! Since they are more of a solid color, I added an embroidery detail near the hem. When the sunlight comes through the window you can really see it!

I am really happy with how they came out. I made two curtains for this bathroom and used less than two yards of fabric. This pair of curtains cost less than $10 and they match the bathroom tile perfectly.

A Birthday Suit

I really love cute vintage dresses. I wish I had a little more patience when it comes to shopping thrift stores, I just really don’t have the time. To get my vintage fix, I sew my own from vintage patterns. My first go round, I made this Vintage Vogue pattern for my friend’s wedding last September. It’s a 1940’s style dress. I paired it with a coat that my mother-in-law passed down to me and I absolutely love it!

This is my latest, a modern version of a 1960’s dress from New Look 6000 pattern.

I was channeling my inner Joan when selecting the color. Anyone else sad that Mad Men season 5 is already over? anyways…the design called for a large button on the collar, but I decided I wanted to use a vintage circle style pin instead. I really love my new dress and can’t wait to wear it again!!

My next project is a kelly green dress. I can’t wait to start!

Kids remember everything

You know when your kids are super upset and you’d say just about anything to make them stop crying, well Zoey called me on it!  A little while back, Abbey, our new puppy, chewed up her squishy frog. We told the kids over and over that the puppy will eat their toys, I guess they forgot. We found Zoey’s missing frog, in pieces- gross. I mentioned that the next time we went to the store we’d buy her a new toy and she wanted a lizard. Done… she was over it and the tears were gone.

While at the store yesterday, the kids found these lizards, geckos to be exact. Zoey looked up at me and said, “remember you said I could get a new lizard…” While I had both kids with me, I couldn’t get one something without getting the other something as well, too bad they both wanted the same thing! I could see the into my future of breaking up fights between the two kids because there was no way to tell the toys apart. I came up with a solution, I stitched a bow on the head of Zoey’s gecko and made a small super hero cape for Calvin’s gecko. The kids have not set them down since… hopefully because they have learned their lesson. Mission accomplished?

Lace Trimmed Shorts

I saw this idea on Pinterest the other day and it reminded me that I have a box full of lace trim that’s collecting dust! I love repurposing old jeans… remember this skirt? I took an old pair of jeans, grabbed the lace trim and went to work!

This pair of jeans have seen better days… I measured the length and cut!

Next, I matched up the sides and cut the other leg!

Lastly, pin and sew on the lace trim. I used a straight stitch on the top because of the ribbon trim. I used a zig zag stitch on the bottom that also helps with fraying.

I cut my shorts a little longer so that I can wear them to work. I guess that’s one of the perks of my job.

T-Shirt Re-Fashion

Having delivered a baby just three weeks ago, I am sort of in between sizes these days.  I am certainly more comfortable in my husband’s t-shirts and boxers, but I can’t go out in public like that (can I?).

Well one afternoon while “resting” I took one of his XL plain white Hanes T-Shirts and did a little surgery.

First, I cut along the neckline and both sleeves to remove them.  Then, I made a single cut all the way down the center of the back, rounding the bottom corners.  I then overlapped the two pieces of the back by about 1 or 2 inches and hand stitched it in place, sewing a straight seam down the back so that my bra wouldn’t show.

Then I tried it on.  Looking in the mirror, I pinned a box pleat front and center and hand stitched it in place as well.

Finally, I made the arm holes a little smaller by pinning them shut and hand stitching a straight seam down each side.

I added a decorative touch by ironing on some feathers I cut out of some scrap fabric I had lying around using Heat and Bond.

Not only is this top cute and comfortable, it provides pretty easy access for nursing my new baby!  And the best part is that I had everything I needed on hand.  This project was completely free!

Perfect Panels

I am currently making my godmother some new curtains for her newly remodeled kitchen. The challenge was finding a great print, kind of modern, to add some bright color to the space.

I am making simple panels from 45″ wide fabric. Measure desired finished length. Add 4 1/8″ to length measurement and cut the fabric in a straight line. This part will be very easy if you have a rotary cutter and mat. These measurements will allow for the following seam allowances:

For the top, I folded over 1/2″ of the cut top edge and then folded over again to 2 3/4″.

Sew first seam at 1 1/4″.

Sew a parallel seam at 2 1/2″. This will leave 1 1/4″ for the standard curtain or cafe rod to fit. If you are using a larger curtain rod, adjust the measurements accordingly.

For the bottom stitch, I folded over 1/4″ of the cut edge and then folded over again to 5/8″. Stitch 1/2″ seam.

Since the salvage edges won’t fray, I only turned in the sides (salvege edges) about 5/8″ once. Stitch 1/2″ seam. Remember to stop at the curtain rod opening, you won’t want to sew that closed!

This is a simple way to make your own curtain panels for your home.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Friday is Dr. Seuss’s birthday!  Dr. Seuss has been inspiring young readers for years.  My son will be celebrating with Dr. Seuss at school on Friday and the kids are encouraged to dress in their best Seussical tees.

Although we’re all great fans of Dr. Seuss we don’t actually own a single Dr. Seuss T-Shirt.  To remedy that I purchased a quarter of some cotton Cat in the Hat fabric and some Heat and Bond.

I cut some “neck ties” out of the fabric and ironed it on a plain t-shirt.  To secure the “tie” I added a decorative stitch with some embroidery thread.

The kids looked great and totally festive!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!  Thank you for all the learning fun!

Cherry Picking

For Christmas this year, I decided to make a few presents. I made reversible bags, cookies in a jar, iPad covers and this tie front purse with a pattern by Ali Foster Patterns. I love creating gifts for friends and family! I also love that they have something unique and all their own!

I made this particular tie front bag for my brother’s girlfriend. My original thought was to have the cherry fabric be the lining and the red be the main bag fabric. I decided to make it with the cherries on the outside because it was black and would hide wear better than the red. I can’t wait to make more of this bag!