Some Sneak Peaks at what I've been working on lately.....

A dining table and chair set for the shop.  My biz partner here did the table while I tackled the chairs.

 Re-doing the older girls room which includes paint, bedding, curtains, blankets and possible new furniture...

A Union Jack buffet (inspiration from Miss Mustard Seed) for the shop.

*****

As you can see....its been a bit busy around here.  Plus summer is in full swing.  It seems that our summer is busier than the school year, if that's possible.  Will put up more picture and tutorials soon...I hope!

Felt Ice Cream Cone Counting {Mini Tutorial}

This is a busy bag set AND a homeschooling counting manipulative.  Although my youngest doesn't exactly use it the way I want her to use it yet, she does love to match up the patterns.  So I guess it has many uses?

You could really make this out of paper to, but I used felt.  My sweet cousin bought my kindergartner a felt board for Christmas, so we are putting it to good use.

I picked up some light brown and "sprinkle" felt from Hobby Lobby and added with what I had in my stash. I used a light brown for the cones and Neapolitan colors for the ice cream.  I needed more ice cream colors, so added white and am now looking for "chocolate chip mint."  It took 8 sheets ($2.00 if I had to buy them full price.)  

I used these Accucut dies that I had in my supply 

I ended up using the pennant shape for the cone bases because the actual cone has the looped edges and I wanted them flat.  I just cut off the tabs.  I die cut 11 cone bottoms.  I thought about double layering them and stitching on the waffle cone pattern, but then I came to my senses and realized these were for a 3 year old.

The numbers were cut from black scrap felt with a wafer number die that I borrowed from a friend.  I glued them on with Aileen's fabric glue.  (I tried a few different kinds of glue, and this worked the best.)  There is no bleeding through of the glue, but I was careful about how much I used.  She's had the set for a couple of weeks and the numbers are still on....we will see how long it takes before she starts "picking" at them. :)

She can count her numbers already, but we are working on visual recognition and then putting them in order.  I also count together with her as she adds the scoops.

I need to cut more scoops as I didn't intend for her to do them all at the same time. I'm glad that this set has many uses and will be used for awhile.  

At this point she has more fun matching up the scoop colors than counting them, but that's fine with me!

Oh and she does pretend to eat them, too.

My next project....cupcake alphabet matching!

Valentine's Day heart ornament or bowl filler {tutorial}

A cute little addition to your Valentine's decor and a great way to use up some of those scraps! :)

Supplies:

Fabric

Jute or twine

Filler

Needle, thread and pin

Embroidery thread (optional)

How to:

Cut two hearts. (Mine are about 4 inches wide.)  Cut a piece of jute about 7" long.  Pin jute upside down to the right side of the fabric, then place second heart over the top and pin in place, right sides together.  (You're making a teeny-tiny pillow!)  

Sew around the edged, leaving about 1 1/2" open...

 ...so you can turn right sides out and stuff.

Hand sew closed.  

Make some more in fun Valentiney colors.

 You can even stitch some XOXO's on with embroidery floss!

 I made one out of leftover cream burlap.  This one I just sewed together leaving the raw edges out.

Toss them all into a cute bowl.

 Or hang them on some branches.

Appliqueing with knit {quick tutorial}

This is a Birthday gift for my little nephew.  (Happy 1st buddy!!!)  My sis had mentioned that he didn't have many long sleeve shirts, so here ya go!  (This is in addition to the huge box of clothes and toys I'm sending up that my little man has grown out of.)

I grabbed a couple shirts at the store, brought them home and washed them.  I usually wash the fabric first if its something that's going to be worn and washed.

I posted a full tutorial on appliquéing clothes here so won't do that again.  Will just highlight any differences between cotton and knit.

I opted to use knit material for this set, where I usually use cotton.  I like the knit because it doesn't fray, but doing the "m" was a little tricky and the knit wasn't a "firm" as cotton is when cutting and trying to place the applique.  The other barely noticeable difference is when I got to the tiny edges (like star points) the knit gets pushed into the shirt with the needle, so you have to be really careful.

Other than that...sewing challenge #35 and #36, check and check.

Simple Superhero Cap and Cuffs {tutorial link}

 

My son was invited to a Birthday Party and like always, I ask the mom what she wants the kiddo to have as a gift.  (A mom's and kid's idea of a good gift often differ, plus I wouldn't want to get them something they already have! :)

She knows me well and knows that I rather enjoy crafting, so sent me this link that she found on pinterest.  Blankets weren't staying tied on when used as capes, so something else was needed. Never fear....Kelly to the rescue.  :)

The tutorial is great, I just made a few minor modifications.  

I bought 2 tshirts at the Dollar Store, since they weren't on sale at Hobby Lobby this week.  From now on....I'm saving the shirts that dear hubs donates.  This is such a perfect gift!!!

I opted for snaps (at the mom's request) at the neck instead of velcro, but am going to let them be tested and can add velcro if snaps seem to be cumbersome.

I used the green scraps to make these appliques.  I cut 3 squares bigger than my star shape out of wonder under, ironed them to the knit scraps, then die cut the stars (you can trace and hand cut though), ironed onto cape, and then stitched with contrasting thread.

I used a freezer paper stencil that I cut with my silhouette to put the "M" on the back.  The Birthday Boy's name started with an "M."

It wasn't very nice of me to have my sweet boy model for me then make him take it off so I could wrap it. 

No worries....I promised him a set of his own.  Hopefully he will forget until Christmas! ;)

Since I sewed on the appliques and the cuffs, this is SC#31....wow I am sooo behind!

Fall Burlap Pennant Banner {quick tutorial}

A quick and easy fall banner.

Supplies:

Burlap

Acrylic Paint and brush

Permanent marker (to match paint)

Jute

Sewing machine and matching thread or hot glue

How to:

I die cut my burlap, but you can easily cut the shape with scissors.  I used my computer to write "fall" then sized it to what I needed.  Print the letters in outline.  Using either a lightbox or your window, put the burlap over the paper and trace the outline with a permanent marker.  Paint in your outline.  Be sure to put a scrap piece of paper under your work, so it doesn't bleed through on your desk/counter.  Let dry.  (Crucial step.  Trust me.  I had paint all over my sewing machine because I was too impatient.)  Line up your pennants in order and sew the burlap onto the back of the pennant using a zig zag stitch.  (This would have been a bit easier if I had used a cording foot, but once again...too lazy/impatient to get it out.)  Optionally, hot glue or fabric glue the jute to the back.  Or hand stitch.

Here it is on my (undecorated) mantle.  Hey, its still September....for one more day.  

It was 90 here yesterday.  Not feeling too fallish yet.  

Tomorrow.  Tomorrow I'll decorate.  Then it will at least be October!

Braided headband

Got any leftover knit fabric?  An old t-shirt?  Or even just fabric scraps?  Quick and easy headband redo.  I found the headbands at the Dollar Tree, but any craft store will have them.

Here is an easy tutorial for them.  Enjoy!

A really simple skirt

Really, this was a simple skirt to make.  I think it maybe took 30 minutes...including interruptions from my offspring.  In fact, I was sewing this the evening before the first day of school.

Thanks to Dana from Made and her Simple Skirt Tutorial, I ran out the next day and bought more material to make more skirts for the girls.  I might even make myself one!

For this one, I already had the fabric and elastic on hand.  Yes I'm a hoarder....I like to call it being prepared.  You never know when on the night before the first day of school your 6 year old is going to complain that she has nothing to wear and you need to whip up a simple skirt.  I was prepared!

And look at these adorable Hide-eez.  I'm getting them for all the girls.  In multiple colors.  I also took a stab at making a pair out of legging that my 8 year old tore a hole in the knee, but that's another tutorial.

{Sewing Challenge #30}

Simple shirred sundress or top or skirt {quick tutorial}

First off...sorry for the picture.  I will try to do better!  Its coming to the end of summer and I've not been nearly as productive as I thought I would with all the munchkins home. :)

This was a super simple project.  So easy, that I made 2 (one for my #2 and one for me) and will be making 2 more (one for #1 and #4).  Mine is a skirt or  I can wear it as a top, then accessorize with a belt around the waist (as to not look maternity) and once it cools off a cardigan.  #2's is a dress that she'll sometimes tuck in the straps and wear as a long skirt.

Supplies:

Shirred fabric (or you can shirr your own.)

Coordinating ribbon

Sewing machine and thread. 

How to:

I've always seen this shirred fabric at Hobby Lobby and finally picked some up.  Measure your subject around the chest, and buy accordingly.  Make sure when you buy it, you measure the shirred part of the fabric and not the bottom edge.  Cut, fabric about an inch or so smaller than measurement.  I held it up to #2 here and tested for fit, then cut.  My fabric has a pattern so cutting straight was easy.  I used scissors, not a straight edge.  Sew a seam straight down the back with right sides together.  I surged mine, but a zig zag would work too.

You could leave it as is at this point, which is what I did with mine.  I'm rather well endowed, ahem, so have no problem holding the fabric up when I wear it as a shirt.  This little girl...not so much yet, so I made a "strap" to keep it in place.

Its just a ribbon I pulled out of my stash, cut in half, end folded under 1/4" and hemmed to the top of the dress on the inside.  Once again, I had her put the dress on and carefully pinned where they should go.

Heat sealed the ends of the ribbon.

So easy!!!

 This is sewing challenge #25 and 26 (since I made one for me, too!)

Lampshade Revamp {tutorial}

Yesterday I decided I wanted to change out the light in my laundry room.  I'm in the middle of an almost total overhaul in that room, so why not the light too?  (It helps that my Brother-in-Law is here visiting and he is an electrician.)

This is what I started with...

I like the after much better! ;)  I was inspired by a shade I found and posted here.

Supplies:

Wire shade or frame

Fabric

How to:

First I had to reinforce the shade frame, which I picked up for $1 at antique/junk store.  I knew I was either going to fabric wrap the entire frame or fabric tie it.  Either way there were not enough wire supports and it would end up looking like a weird square shade, so I decided to add some more joints.  I happen to have 14 gauge wire leftover (who doesn't, right?) from my Christmas bulb wreath project and mason jar lanterns, so I cut 4 lengths 2 inches taller than the shade.  I wrapped them around the top and bottom wires.

This is what some of my "joints" look like.  I knew they were going to be wrapped in fabric, so I wasn't too worried about how they looked.  (This little project has me wondering what I could do with a soldering tool....hmmm, add that to the Christmas list?)

 Here it is after my alterations.

From here I only have the after pictures as the whole thing happened too fast I forgot to take pics.

I had white eyelet fabric left over from a project 6 years ago (yes, I said SIX years!) and thought it was time to use it up.  I took two long strips of fabric and cut them 1 1/2" wide and just wrapped it around the top and bottom circular parts of the frame (not the vertical). (A sheet would be great for this.)  I almost stopped there and did that to the whole frame, but I have another wire shade I'll try that with. :)  You can see the bottom of the frame wrapped below.

Then I cut A LOT of 1 1/2" strips about 14" long.  Measure the length in between your joints and add a few inches.  It might take a little experimenting to get the right length.

Start tying.  And tying.  And tying.  Put a good movie in and tie some more.  I tied a knot around one wire, then strung it across and tied another knot around the next one and trimmed the end off.  With my next strip, I tied a knot just below the knot I just finished, strung it across and tied on the next wire.  Working my way around back to the first and then kept going around and around, stopping to shove them snug against the top.

After a few rounds I was kinda worried about what it was going to look like, but I kept going.  I figure if I hated it, I could cut it apart and I was only out some scrap fabric.  

Many rounds later, here ya go...

I had my BIL remove the fixture that was there.  I don't have a before pic, but trust me....it was random for a laundry room, and dark.  We actually had to retrofit a pendant fixture.  I bought a new ceiling cap (because that one that came with it was really ugly plain.)  I would love to run you through how to hang a fixture, but since I am not an electrician I would hate to mess up directions.  This shade can be used on a lamp as well.

I even like how the inside looks, which is good because we have tall ceilings and the door opens up under the fixture so it has to be hung rather high.  

This room is about as big as a shoebox, so its really hard to get a good picture.  Plus there is NO natural light.

Hopefully I will have more to show from the laundry room soon....