Holiday Sewing Ideas

OMG!! Have you realized that Christmas is less than 2 months away???? Yes, I know... I want to smack me for saying it, too.... And Thanksgiving is just a FEW WEEKS!!! ARGH!!! Full panic mode!!! 

I wanted to put together a list of sewing projects to get you started for the Thanksgiving/Fall/Christmas seasons.

I will have some new things coming up, though! I just need to get busy!!! LOL

Thanksgiving/Fall
(Of course, these can all be adapted for any other time of year.)


DIY Lap Rug

Fan Tote Tute

Fleur de Lis Maxi Skirt

Headband Earmuffs

Home Decor

Leggings with Reverse Applique

T-Shirt Tunic and Leggings

Christmas

Christmas Tree Tutu Shirt (with hair accessories)

Gingerbread Dress and Headband

Holiday Crushed Velvet Top

Stockings



Gifts

Anna Cape

Book Covers

DIY Taggie Blanket

DIY Taggie Toys

Drawstring Backpack AKA The D Bag

Mug Rug

Stuffed Shark

Any of the projects could actually be used as gifts... LOL

                      HAVE FUN SEWING!!!!!

Sewing Machine Cover Tutorial

I got a new sewing machine for my Birthday!!! YIPPPEEE!! It was KILLING me to not be sewing!!! I managed to finagle some room in this teeny tiny house to put some of fabric and supplies!



This is my new machine and I LOVE IT SOOOOOO MUCH!!! It's so easy to use! I would recommend it for beginner and intermediate sewists alike. It has so many functions. I've been having a blast playing around with it and seeing what it can do.

It's also much quieter than my old one. That is a major plus! I can set my playlist on YouTube and listen to music while I sew, never missing a note.

OK, enough gushing over this miraculous machine!

I decided that it would be really nice to make a cover for it. Y'know, keep it from getting dusty (like I'll let it sit idle long enough for THAT).



WHAT I USED













Then I took a large sheet of paper and marked the height and width of my machine, turning it into a pattern of sorts for the sides.







Next, I cut the fat quarter in half for the front and back.





Then I cut the fat quarter for the top.





Next I cut the pieces for the border on the front and back.





The last pieces I cut were the sides.





Then I pinned the top to the front (or back).

Sew the seam together.

Then do the other side (front or back) the same way.

Next sew the border pieces to the front and back.







Press your seams. Not only does it look better but it helps the seams to set.







Next, pin the sides to the front/back. Only pin the top and one side.

Sew the seam.







Then you can pin the other side.

Sew the seam making sure to not leave an opening!



Do the other side.





Next, fold over the bottom by 1/2" and press.

Fold over another 1/2", press and pin.

Sew your hem!

I used the decorative clover one mine. ;)





This is how it looks on my machine.

BUT I wasn't thrilled with the results.



Sooooooo................







I pinched the edges and sewed! Now it stands so nice and pretty! :D



I hope you enjoyed this!!

Let me know if you try it out!!



HAVE FUN SEWING!!!



Gosh, it feels SOOOOOOOO good to be sewing again!!!

Top 10 Posts of 2013

It's TIME!!! Time to ring out the old and bring in the new! :D Don't you just love New Year's?? You can kiss the mistakes of the last year goodbye and welcome a clean slate.

As I've said before, I never make resolutions. No way am I setting myself up for failure from the get go. ;) BUT here are some of the things that I want to do more of in the new year.



SEWING -  It's been 2 LOOOOONG months since I have sat at my sewing machine. That's 2 months too long. I have GOT to figure out a way to unpack my sewing stuff in this tiny house!! We are only supposed to be here a few months (until the rental agent finds us a bigger place) but I am going through some heavy withdrawals already!!! LOL



CRAFTING - It has been forever since I made anything. ARGH!!!! I need my creative outlets!! I'll go starkers!!!



READING -  I used to set myself reading challenges at the beginning of each year. It's been a couple of years since I have done that. Just not enough time. SIGH.... BUT I am planning a couple of different challenges for 2014. One is the Alphabet Soup Challenge made by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book.  You can check my page for it out HERE.

The other challenge is to read 100 books. That used to be NOTHING to me. I could read 3 books a week. AHHH, those were the days.

I'll be keeping up with that challenge over at Goodreads.



Now, on to the Top 10 Posts of 2013!!!



10



My Worm Unit Study!!!

That was a fun one to make. We actually haven't done it yet... SHHHH!!! That'll be one for spring! ;)



9



My Rocks and Minerals Unit Study! That was a fun one. The kids love anything hands on. I made sure to save everything from our  kits so we can do it again. ;)



8



Apron Skirt Tutorial I just love old fashioned clothes for kids!! Not all the time but it's nice to have some pieces. This was such a quick and easy little skirt to make. It can be easily personalized for the little girl in your life.



7



DinoROAR Tutorial Part 2 - Colin still loves this outfit. It's holding up well, too! HA! Little boys can be so hard on clothes!!





6



Marco Polo Unit Study  

Another fun, hands on study. And another one that we have actually put to use. ;)



5



Plants Unit Study -  Ummm... another one that we will be getting to this spring.... I figure we'll do plants and worms at the same time.  ;)



4



Simple Machines Unit Study

This is going to be SO MUCH FUN, when we actually get to it.... (Our next science unit will be weather, which I think is perfect for winter in TN.)





3



Tee to Short-all Refashion Tutorial

This was so much fun to make for my cousin's little guy.





2



Aztecs, Incas and Mayans Study Unit

I think this one was so popular because it's hard to find great resources for that topic. Not sure why... It's so interesting! So much fun to learn about!!!





Drum roll, please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8aGlOj2VFo

1



EASY Stuffed Shark Toy Tutorial and Pattern

My very first (and really only) pattern made to share! LOL

Y'know... I never get around to making one for Colin.... Something to add to my to sew list!! Not like it isn't a mile long already!!



So, there you have it! My top 10 of 2013!!! I hope you've enjoyed them all!!! Please, stick around for 2014!!!! And invite some friends!! PLEASE!! LOL



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Grandma's No Bake Cookies

That is my Grandma. She was just the sweetest, most giving lady. I love and miss her SO much.

I always said that she looked like the granny with Tweety Bird! ;)





I was very blessed to receive the copy of my grandmother's recipes from my mother. My cousin made them one year for Christmas and gave them to all the aunts and uncles.

My grandmother had 15 children. Can you believe it?? 15! And people look at me crazy because I have 5! ;)





Here is my grandma's recipe for no bake cookies!













Mix into pot:

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/4 lb butter (8 tablespoons)



Put the above on medium heat and cook until it starts to boil. Let boil for approximately 1 minute.

Remove and cool for one minute.



Now add the following:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups quick oats

Mix and drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool and enjoy!





HAVE FUN COOKING!!!!!

DIY Burlap and Cardboard Initial

Here it is, my burlap and cardboard initial for our front door. It was very easy to make (other than the blisters on my fingers from the hot glue gun) and the decorations on the letter can be changed with the season.





What I Did -



I cut 3 letter Bs out of cardboard and hot glued them together to make them thicker and sturdier.

Next, I cut out 2 pieces of burlap using the letter B as a guide.  I made them large enough to overlap on the edges.

Then I cut out pieces from a Halloween print and hot glued velcro to the backs.

I made bow and glued velcro to it as well.

Then I hot glued the burlap to the letter, overlapping it.

Lastly, I used some black, shiny rickrack to tie to our front door!



It was very quick and easy! :D



I wanted something that I could change with the seasons/holidays without having to keep recreating it. ;)





Let me know if the directions are clear or not.





HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!!

T-Shirt to Bag Tutorial

I had this really cute t-shirt that I love so much BUT it shrank to about 2 sizes too small. I sat around and thought about what I could do with it. I really wanted to still use it for myself so I went with BAG!! :D







Here is how the shirt was before! SO CUTE!!!





STEP 1 -





Cut off the sleeves!





STEP 2 -





Cut off the bottom, leaving plenty of room for the bottom seam, according to how big you want your bag to be.





STEP 3 -





Cut off the sides, going straight down from the edge of the shoulder.





STEP 4 -





Cut off the shoulder seams.





STEP 5 -







Take the bottom of the shirt that you cut off and cut in half. Then take each piece and cut at the seams so that you have 2 long strips. These will turn into the handle.

Actually...... You just need to cut it at the seam, now that I think about it. LOL

When I started making the bag, I wasn't sure if I would make one handle or two. Since I just made one, cutting them in half isn't necessary.  You will just fold in half long ways and press.



SO, just cut it at the seam for one long piece! ;)



STEP 6 -















I cut a piece of black fleece and pinned it to the wrong side of the back piece of the shirt.

Then I zigzag stitched it on making an inside pocket.





STEP 7 -







Take the long piece for the handle, fold it in half and press.  Next, pin it and sew just the long side seam, making a long open ended tube.

Turn it right side out and press.





STEP 8 -









Place the handle on the RIGHT side of the back piece and pin the ends to the shoulders.

Now, pin the rest of the handle out of the way of all the edges.





STEP 9 -







Take the front of the bag and place it face down over the other parts. Line it up and pin.

Now, sew all along the edges, leaving the neck part open.

Turn it all right side out and press!!!







Now you have a great bag and you didn't have to give away your cute tee!!! :D



















I found that the handle was a little too long for my liking so I just tied a knot in it. ;)



Let me know what you think!

Was this easy to follow???

If you have any questions, just leave a comment here, on Facebook or Twitter OR use the Contact Me button at the top the of the page to shoot me an email! :D



HAVE FUN SEWING!!!!