Down to the littlest piece

Several Posts ago, I posted a tutorial for the "Five Fat Quater Scarf".

If you have been kind enough to have been reading my blog for a while, you would know that I can't throw away left over fabrics. Even the tiny pieces... I feel like there is some use for them and I have a hard time saying good-bye. With the Five Fat Quater Scarf, you will pretty much use the whole thing, but still, I had some left overs. Then, I came across this T-shirt in Rachel's closet. The colors clicked.


I ironed the interfacing on the left over fabric and cutout circles. (no patterns nessesary, I just used tiny cups from my kitchen.), then, I appliqued them onto the T-shirt.

I thought the circles gave the T-shirt a modern look and was happy with the result.

Well, I still had some leftovers (at this point, you are probably rolling your eyes), so I came up with this to go with the shirt.


There, I used up all the fabric from that project and it feels nice!

On my next post I want to show you some of the awesome thrift store finds and what I have done with them. Well everyone, have a fabulous week!

Tutorial--- Fabric Coverd Bead Bracelet---

I found this wooden bead necklace at the dollar store. At first, I thought this was very cute, but when I went home and tried it on, some of the beads were too big and didn't look good on me. Also, when I looked closely at it, each bead had a dark wood pattern. It was rather ugly...


I am not the type of girl to mope and get upset about stuff like this. I have decided to make a bracelet that I've always wanted to make. I found one tutorial here. I made mine a little different then her's. Here is my version of the fabric coverd bead blacelet.

1. Cut the necklace and pick out the beads you want to use. Pick out the fabric you want to use, I used fabric from my scraps. You can find wooden beads at most craft stores. For the fabric, I think it will work better if the fabric had small patterns, that way you can show off the design on the fabric. Figure out how long it needs to be (length of your wrist + severl extra inches) and for the width, cover the largest bead that you are going to use + 3/4" for the seam allowance and room to slide the beads in.


2. Fold the right sides together, sew the fabric end to end using 1/4" seam allowance. Turn the tube inside out. Press the seam with an iron.


3. Slide a bead into the tube, then stick a needle through the tube above the bead and wrap it around the tube several times then tie it off. Remeber to hide the knot. Repeat until all the beads are in the tube. I used DMC floss and picked the color that I wanted to bring out of the fabric. I could have chosen red or light brown too. It is always a personal choice.


4. When you are finished putting the beads in, close both ends. Make sure you have enough lengh to put one more bead in and for seam allowance before you cut off any extra fabric. Fold 1/4" inside.


5. Cut two ribbons 10" long and seal the ends with flay check (or melt). Sew the ribbon in both ends with one more bead. Close.


6. Enjoy your new blacelet.


This is so fun and easy to do, Perhaps, it would make a perfect gift too. You can't have too many good gift ideas for birthdays and Christmas, right?

Down Memory Lane---Chair Makeover---

Several years ago, I found this chair at a garage sale for two dollars. As you can see, It was in really bad condition. Originally, the chair had wheels,(which were all moldy and blueish), the vinal cover was ripped, and probably it was in the garage or outside for a long time it had lots of dust and spider webs!!

The structure was good, and the pillow was still in good shape, it was firm. I couldn't pass it up, because I saw the potential. I must remind you that it was only two dollars. I thought this would be a perfect practice piece.

When I got home I excitedly asked my husband, "Guess how much I paid for this?!". He paused and said, "75 cent? I wouldn't pay more then that." Ha! He wasn't being mean, he knows that when I say," Guess how much..." usually, I paid a very low price. So, he always low balls his guess. That comment made me more ambitious to give the chair a new look.

After lots of hours and elbow greese, I came up with this;


I already had paint, so, for the materials, I spent close to thirty dollars. The foot stool is something I found at Target for Seven bucks and I upholstered it to match the chair. After the makeover I was at a gift shop, and saw an almost identical chair... My curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't help but flip the tag over to see the price. It was around Six hundred dollars! Yeah! I gave myself a high five and left the store.

The chair is one of my favorite pieces of furniture that I own.

Restyled New Dress

I went through Rachel's closet and did some inventory for the fall. I do this before every season so I will know what still works from last year and what I need to buy for this year.



I came to find out that this particular top, my I mean Rachel's favorite top is too short for her! The thing is, there is enough width, the sleeves are long enough but it is too short in the torso. There are no stains; it is in perfect condition- I wanted to do something, so she could still wear it for this fall.
Then, I came up with this;




First,I went to my beloved fabric stash and picked out three fabrics. Basically, I made a tiered skirt and attached it to the top! The weight of the skirts actually stretched the top a little, but I love the results. Rachel was excited to see the restyled new dress and started wearing it right way.

If you have a top that is too short on your little girl, showing too much tummy or back, this might be a fun solution.

Day to remember

Our daughter, Rachel, turned 4 years old a couple of weeks ago. With our busy summer schedule and everything, we couldn't have her birthday party until today. She has been waiting for this so patiently (although, at least once a day, she would ask how many more days until her birthday party.)

Well, the day finally arrived!

It is not easy to plan and prepare for a birthday party with a busy life, but we did it. Cousin Anthony slept over the night before, so with the help of the three boys and my husband, we were able to finish the decorations. They were such good helpers.

Rachel wanted lots of pink and princesses for her party, so, that was pretty much the theme of the party.

Her family and friends were there. There were some fun games, lots of sugar, and she loved all the nice presesnts she recieved. (Thankyou everyone!) Who could ask for more? Eventhough, my husband and I were so tired after the party and took a three hour nap, it was all worth it.




It was a good day, and I know she will remember this day for a long time.

Oh, By the way, now I have a grab button. I am so excited. I came up with the design and my husband figured out how to make it a grab button. He is so awesome! Please add it to your site. :)

Free Give Away Winner!

I just want to give a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who participated in this give away. Of corse I want everyone to win, but I could only pick three winners... I asked my kids to pick the lucky winner for each items.



Well, here goes.....

The winner of the Moda oil cloth bag is...

Lilly

Sea Side Rose pincushion goes to...

The Gorbys

and, the Moda charm pack winner is...

Mindy Nelson

Congratulations ladies! Please send me an e-mail with your info so I can send you the item. My beloved readers, who didn't win this time, I am going to do more give aways in the future. Next time you might be the lucky one!

Tutorial--Five Fat Quarters Scarf--

With beautiful fabrics by Amy Butler, I designed this scarf. It is simple to make.

You will need:
Five different designs of fat quarters (different enough to make the scarf interesting and yet, be color coordinated.)

Thread that matches

Pom-Poms if you prefer

How to make:

1. Cut the fat quarters to 3 1/2" x 13 1/2" strips. You should be able to cut six strips from each fat quarter.



2. Sew the strips together; each row has five different strips. You should lay them out and see how you want them to look before you start sewing. I made the first row, then each row was laid out like the row before, but each strip was shifted one direction. Also, make sure that the same fabrics don't come next to each other.



3. Sew rows 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in order.



4. With the right sides together, fold the fabric in half, length wise. (basically, between rows 3 and 4). Cut both ends at a 45° angle.



5. Open up the ends and lay the pom-poms in. Fold the fabric as before and use pins to secure the pom-poms in place.



6. Before you start sewing around the edge, change the pressure foot on your sewing machine to the zipper foot, so you can sew the area that has the pom-poms without struggling. Leaving a 5" opening in the middle of the scarf, sew around the edge. Flip the fabric inside out. Iron.



7. Stitch around the edge for a nice finish. (this also helps to secure the fabric and keep its shape for when you decided to wash it.



8. Enjoy!


I am so excited at how it turned out! Because of the color, I think it will go with my jean jacket too. I am sad to see the summer go, but this is a new reason to look forward to the coming season!