Make A Wish

For about 9 years, I have been volunteering as a wish granter for the Make A Wish Foundation.  This has been such a rewarding experience.  Today, I was able to marry the craft skills I have been building with my volunteer work and I am so happy with the results!  I experienced such pure, simple joy personalizing this beach bag and sun hat.  I can't wait to see this little girl's face when we deliver her wish at the end of the month!

This was such a simple project.  I used my Cricut to weld three circles together to make the ears and then cut paper templates for the ears and the initials.  I then traced that onto my Pellon WonderUnder and fused that to my fabrics.  I used Peltex for the base to give the personalization plenty of structure;  then layered my fabrics and used a heat transfer glitter T-shirt vinyl from Expressions Vinyl to create the initial.  I cut a length of polka dot fabric for the band of the hat, gathering at quarter intervals and stitching the gathers.  Then I hand stitched the initial patch to the front.  I used a machine zigzag stitch to attach the initial patch to the beach bag.

So Summer!

Just a little peek at some of the great items to find on Etsy!

Spring!

Spring has sprung...FINALLY!!!!  Although at 91º it seems more like summer...but after record breaking snowfall this past winter, who's complaining?  With spring comes softball/t-ball season and an end to any free time I may have been considering.  My sewing has been sporadic at best, non-existent at worst.  I am hoping to try a new dress pattern for my little girl and find a bag pattern for myself...reviews should follow, though they may come with fall.

Here Comes The Sun

Finding warm inspiration today with this sunny treasury....

Click the here to link to the Etsy treasury and check out some of these amazing artists!

Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Tutorial Time!  I just created a super cute drawstring bag for my little-big girl from the extra fabric had laying around.  This is a very simple project so I thought I would share.....

Skill Level:  Easy

Tools:

• Sewing Machine 
• Scissors 
• Rotary Cutter(optional) 
• Iron 
• Pins

Material:

• 2 Fat Quarters (20"x18") for Exterior of Bag
• 2 Fat Quarters (20"x18") for Lining/Interior of Bag
• 8 Yards of Ribbon or String or Thick Cording
• 2 Grommets
• Thread

Begin!

Step 1. -  Cutting

Cut your exterior fabric to 16" wide by 18" high/long and do the same for your interior fabric.  So you will have 4 pieces of fabric that are 16"x18"
Next, from the scraps you have left, cut two pieces of fabric that are 16" across by 4" high; these will be the casing for the drawstrings.  I used the lining fabric which gave a nice contrast at the top of the bag.

Step 2. -  Create the Casing

Press 3/4" in on each end of your casing pieces and stitch with a 5/8" seam allowance. Then fold them in half lengthwise and press;  edge stitch along the fold.  Set aside.

Step 3. -  Sew The Sides

With exterior fabric right sides together, sew along the SIDES ONLY; repeat with the lining fabric. Press seams open.

Step 4. -  Attach the Casing

Turn your lining right sides out and insert into the exterior of your bags; right sides should be together and be sure to line up the side seams.  Insert one casing piece into the front of the bag between the exterior fabric and the lining fabric; pin.  Repeat with the other casing piece. Stitch all the way around with 5/8" seam allowance.  Turn the exterior of the bag right sides out and gently tug on the casing pieces to fold the fabric; press the seam and then top stitch along the seam.

Step 5. -  Sew the Bottom

Now, turn the back inside out so that the lining is out and the exterior fabric is in. Lay flat and fold up 1" and then fold again, press and stitch.

Step 6. -  Insert the Grommets

Using a pen or marking pencil, trace the inside of a grommet ring making sure to place it in away from the side and bottom seams of the bag. Cut out the circle (or if you're using smallish grommets as I did, make a cut for the bottom grommet to push through). Using either grommet pliers or the grommet anvil, attach the grommets.

Step 7. -  String it Up!

Now you will need to cut your string piece in half creating two approx. 48" pieces (you can go longer or shorter depending on the size of the person who will be using the bag).  Attach a safety pin to one end of your string/ribbon and insert it into the right end of the back casing; feed the string out through the left side of the back casing.  Now insert the string into the left end of the front casing and feed it through to the right of the front casing.  You should now have both ends of your string on the right of the bag.  Next, you will need to do the same thing with your other piece of string, but starting on the left side of the bag (so feeding through from the left back casing opening out and around through the front right casing opening and back so your two string tails of the second piece of string are hanging out the left side).
Next, feed both ends of the right string through the right grommet.  You can now make a knot big enough so that it doesn't slip back through the grommet.  I took it a step further and created bows to add a little flair to my bag.  Repeat with the left side strings.
Now you can pull both sides together to cinch it up and it is all set to go!

almost-Tween Room Tweak...

My almost 10 year old decided her room needed a little tweaking so we picked out some fabric and I ran some valance ideas past her and came up with this....

I am soooo thrilled with how they turned out!  (and so is she...I think).  We replaced her frilly pink ruffle valances with a scalloped aqua zebra valance that is trimmed out with green sequins and a green gathered rod pocket.  I purchased commercially available curtain panels because, let's face it, fabric is not cheap!  I used Illustrator to create a bracket/scallop and then printed it to scale to create my template for the bottom of the valance.  I lined them with basic drapery lining fabric, created a gathered rod pocket and then stitched the sequin trim over the seam to hide my little imperfections.  We also removed her closet doors which opened up the room, but seemed a little unfinished.  So, we created a valance and hung curtain panels along the edges to hide the door frame creating a boutique feel.  All in all, a few quick little changes that opened the room and gave her a more "grown-up" space.

Goodbye Old Friend...Hello New Love!

     Alas, my Canon Powershot has been retired. It started to give me an error; my research (though minimal) has lead me to believe it is the lens. While I was extremely excited to receive the error because it gave me an excuse to enter the world of DSLR cameras, I am one of those ridiculous people who assigns sentimental value to inanimate objects...although, it's not so much the object itself as it is the moment(s) in my life that it represents.

     I fought dearly against purchasing a digital camera...what did I need that for? Film printed so much better than digital (at the time, way back when). But a chance accident (my beloved film camera had disappeared form the diaper bag) left me in need of a camera. So I began researching, and researching, and researching a little more and decided the Canon Powershot S2 IS would be a good fit. It had features that appealed to me, it looked nice and it just felt right in my hands. It has captured so many moments in my life (and more importantly the lives of my children), that though I am excited to start a new journey, I am somewhat saddened to let it go.
      So I am saying goodbye old friend and welcoming my new love...the Canon Rebel EOS T3i. This camera didn't exactly get glowing reviews...it is a Canon and so the image quality could not be argued against, the burst mode feature left reviewers wanting more. However, it fit in my price range and I think it will be a great entry level DSLR for me. Again, it looks and feels good in my hands; although professional photographer, I am not...I don't even know if I would qualify as a novice. I have a very basic understanding of the fundamentals of digital photography (though they tend to elude me when I'm actually "in the field" shooting). With this new purchase, hopefully will come a better understanding and an increased skill (as well as increased motivation to learn more).
     These are few of the images that my old friend the Powershot captured....