Would you like a little peek....

at my current project?

Mini-Tutorial coming soon!

Buttons? always cute.

I've been seeing button headbands...
um, well...
EVERYWHERE.

I'm thinking that I'll take a detour from my crafting plan and take a crack at one of my own.
Without a tutorial, so...
Maybe you'll get a new tute!
=)

We'll see.

Felt Crafts

Yesterday, I started experimenting with my felt materials to come up with a bag I could make 30 of for my classroom. (I'm a high school math teacher and need bags for each seat containing rulers, calculators, etc.) I came up with one, and when I finished the prototype, I added a handle so my 2 year old daughter could use it as a "purse".

Being the girly girl that she is, she loved having a purse of her own. She carried it around and put a book in it. Then, she went commercial. "Backpack?" she asked. Ah, Dora... we don't even watch you, yet you still control our lives. I tried to make the purse into a backpack but the strap just wasn't long enough.

Then, I had an idea. If I make a backpack that has a little more room, she can carry her own diapers, wipes, and snacks! So, off to work I went. The "A" on the front isn't straight, but that's okay with me. In hindsight, I wish I had used fabric glue instead of stitching on the "A" because it became too busy... but over all, I like it a lot. She was pretty excited about it, but I haven't made her carry it anywhere yet.  Here is the finished product.

I don't have a tutorial for it, but if you are interested let me know. I am also considering listing them on etsy once I get the kinks worked out, so if you want something specific, contact me!

Just stopping in.

Pictures coming soon.
Promise!

Busy, busy.

Happy Anniversary!

I know today is Mother's Day, but we had a different holiday recently... Our Anniversary!

Let me start off by saying that I have now been married to my wonderful husband for two years! For our anniversary, we didn't do anything big, but I did make him something, so I thought I'd share it with you. He loves beef jerky, so I used a round can of slim jim for this, but you could really use anything. First, I created "slips" for the beef jerky sticks. I started creating one for each stick, but quickly realized they wouldn't fit in the can, so I started putting 2-3 in each envelope. On the slips, I wrote reasons I love my husband!

I made the slips by cutting a strip of paper and folding the edge over. I applied glue to the folded edge and lined up the opposite edge. Then I creased the folds.

I then wrote a reason on both sides of the slips. 

This is what the beef sticks looked like in their slips. You can see I tried a different method at first (the bottom beef stick), but it was too space-consuming.

I wrapped the cannister in striped paper and used 3-D adhesives to attach a square with a rub-on that says "What I LOVE About You".

I added a circle of paper in the lid, and wrote a message. I also covered the top of the lid in the same striped paper as the cannister, but I didn't take a picture.

Here is a picture of all the pieces together!

And in case you are wondering, In return, I got....

FLOWERS! Daises are my favorite, and carnations were our wedding flower, so this bunch of flowers is way better than roses! :)

Here's an update!

I know on my "coming up" list I mentioned some window valances.

well...
I lied.
I made them, yes.
But I didn't have a chance to take pictures of them up.
So sorry.

=(

Right now I'm making...
More baby legs for Levi!
A baby top/dress I started months ago.
(Started it with a tutorial, but I can't find it now, so now I'm winging it!)
Some ruffle butt pajamas for some baby girls.
(I love sewing for baby girls!)

And those dang cushion covers.

Keep an eye out.
<3

Tutorial: Shirt Resize - smaller!

This is my first tutorial EVER.
I apologize in advance for any confusion.
If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask so I can clear them up!

(I take such terrible pictures. Remind me to work on that.)

 

This was my FREE jersey.
Size? XL.
Oh boy.

I'm really little...
XL does not work for me in ANY way.
So, I needed to make this jersey smaller.
(I got two, so I wasn't worried about any mistakes... if you're worried about mistakes, I suggest you do the same.)

First, put your shirt on an pin it to your fit.
Make sure you pin it a little looser than you'd like the end result, because you'll need seam allowance.

This is my shirt, pinned, after I took it off.

Take apart your seams: side seams and sleeves...
Leave your shoulder seams intact, less work for you later.
(If your shirt has no side seams, like a T-shirt, then cut straight down the sides.)
Transfer pins to each separate side, so that the fabric isn't pinned together but that the pins are just place markers.

Cut to the outside of your pins.
You want to make sure you have enough seam allowance without making your shirt too small.
You can always go smaller, but you can't add fabric very easily.

DO NOT cut your sleeve holes the same size as the previous ones, you'll regret it.
Instead, lay your new cut sleeve next to your shirt and cut new holes that are the same size as your sleeve, like this.

The next few steps I forgot to take pictures of. Forgive me?

Once all of your pieces are cut, lay your body pieces right sides together and sew down the side seams (but not the holes for the sleeves!).
Sew down the side of the sleeves.
Then turn the sleeves right side out, and keep the bodice of the shirt inside out.
Line up the bottom seam of your sleeve with the side seam of your shirt.
(The sleeve should be inside the shirt)
Pin and sew.

To hem the bottom, I took the easy way out.
I pinned to the height I wanted, and then zig zag stitched across the raw edge.
This is the lazy way, but it works.
Even with fabric that ravels.
Remember to cut with extra length so that your shirt doesn't end up smaller than you'd like.

Here is my end result!

However, my first sleeve opening was larger than my sleeve, so I have this funny little tuck in my shoulder.
It doesn't bother me, but just make sure your sleeve and the opening are the same size.

YAY ROYALS!

=)