MarySew & How To: Sew an Inner Zipper Pocket I have tried several ways to sew in internal zipper pockets. I need one in every bag and I want at least one to be in every bag I make for my shop. They are so nifty, especially when you carry as much crap in your purse as I do and your cell phone rings. Anyways, it used to take me hours to make these. You need: a zipper (obviously ^^).fabric you want to use as your bags lining.fusible interfacing (Vlieseline).sewing machine, thread, scissors, the usual sewing utensils. The first step is optional. Measure your zipper and mark where to sew it in. Cut where you just marked your fabric. Fold over and press So, now I could serge the raw edges with a zig zag (or even take it to the serger) but, urgs, such tiny openings are a pain in the ass to serge. Add another strip of fusible interfacing to the other side. Now we need two rectangle pieces of fabric that will become the insides of our pocket. Now repeat the last step with your second rectangle and the other side of the zipper. Happy sewing!
How to Make a Fabric L:id for a Basket I like many of you – am in super organizing mode. The New Year always deserves a fresh start and I am going through every room of my house purging all the clutter and organizing the rest. One way I try to tame what is left is to place the stuff into decorative baskets. When I originally stacked the baskets they fell into each other and looked disheveled. This photo is taken in my guest room. They also look pretty and add color and interest to a bookshelf. To learn how to make the labels – click over to my post entitled – How To Make Wipe-Off Labels for Organizing your Stuff How to Make a Lid For a Basket: supplies needed: A square or rectangular basket1 piece of cardboard, large enough to cover the top of basket, plus 2 inches on all sidesDecorative paper or fabric, cut to the same size as cardboard, plus 1-inch on each sideOptional: Iron-on flexible vinyl(if you want to be able to wipe it clean)Glue Gun and glue stickSpray AdhesiveCraft knifePencilRulerScissors 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
$5 or less I'd be remiss if I didn't start by saying that I am digging this COLD Florida weather! A few nights ago it dipped down to a chilly 29 degrees--what?! It feels like Christmas and I hope the cold snap lasts a while...let's just hope my outdoor plants survive it! This Christmas, my brother's wife and I committed to only make handmade gifts for one another. One of the projects I chose to make for her is an embellished canvas bag. I always pass by the canvas bags at Hobby Lobby and feel inspired, and keep on walking. Here is my favorite completed bag: I settled on using freezer paper stencils. To find the Labrador silhouette image, I simply did a google image search. It looked pretty plain to me, so I pulled out my stash of embroidery floss and got to work. Using a backstitch, I wrote the name of my brother and sis-in-law's lab, Libby (short for Liberty). Don't you think it really livened up the bag? The only problem left to tackle was the ugly backside of the embroidery.
tutorial: how to sew a simple maxi dress & Bored and Crafty The Plan. Fabric. You will be making a maxi dress so buy fabric accordingly. I stand 5′ tall (I know, I know, I am tiny) and I needed 2.5 meters of fabric with a 45-inch width. Preparation and Cutting. Sewing. Don’t forget the banana. Instructions for making the rosettes are HERE. How to make an Outdoor Candle Lantern Inexpensively Last week I made a candle chandelier for my deck. It looks so pretty when lit, but the rest of my yard was looking kind of neglected. I was determined to find a way to spread some more candle light around the yard to balance the light and provide more ambiance. I used to have Tiki torches, but they unravel and have to be filled up with oil that makes a mess. Usually when I go on my weekly thrift store excursion I run in and do a quick cruise around the store to see if anything pops out at me. Total cost of my glass haul – $2.70. Here is what I made with the hurricane. It was very quick and easy to make. How to Make a Tuna Can Lantern I used a tuna can, wood screw, copper adapter, and an old paint stick. Using my Craftsman rotary drill that my hubby got me a few years ago for my birthday, I drilled a hole in the top of the paint stick. Then I used a awl and hammer to make a hole in the center of the tuna can. Assembly order: The copper adapter fits over the paint stick perfectly. All Done!
The Golden Snitch! Ornament Tutorial Yup, I wore a hastily made clip-on felt Gryffindor tie to the premier of Harry Potter this year. This officially makes me a crafty dork, but it also means I had an uncontrollable urge to try making a Golden Snitch ornament for my tree. They turned out really nicely and I thought there might be one or two other crafty Potter fans out there who would like to know how to make one too. First, draw an actual size sketch of how you want your snitch wings to look on a scrap piece of paper. Coat wires with glue and lay a sheet of tissue paper over top of wires. I used a mixture of brown and gold acrylic paint to paint the swirly 'snitchy' markings on the golden ornaments. Use a small dab of hot glue on the wire coils to make a surface for attaching to the ball. I tried a bunch of glues to get the wings to stick to the glass balls.
Tutorial: Scrap Buster Fall Pillow This is my favorite thing to do with my little scraps, and since its Scrap Buster month over at Sew, Mama, Sew, I made a quick tutorial so you can make your own. This pillow cover is 16" square with an envelope back & the design possibilities are endless! I added some pillows I’ve previously made with this same method at the end of this post. Happy Sewing! You’ll Need: 1. 2. 3. 4. Iron your fabric scraps onto your appliqué material according to the directions on the appliqué material. Now with scissors cut out your trunk and leaf shapes. When you get all your leaves cut out, tear the backing appliqué paper off the leaves and trunk. Then you can arrange them how you want on your pillow front. Once your design is how you like it, press with an iron over each spot for a few seconds making sure not to bump anything out of place. Now you can sew either along the inside edges of your leaves, or you can do a zig zag stitch or blanket stitch around the edges if you prefer.
How to Use Paint Chip Samples to Personalize a Rolodex | InMyOwnStyle.com I am a visual girl…I like to see things, pretty things, tactile things, organized things. I love color, paint chip crafts, office supplies, stationery, and art supplies. I am not a tech-ie and don’t want to have everything including the kitchen sink in my computer files. I like connection, hands-on to all my contacts, links, codes, passwords, URLs, user names, etc, etc, etc… I love the Rolodex system and this one I found on Brian and Kristen’s Photostream on Flickr makes my heart go pitter-patter. Oooohhh la la … I want it…BAD! I have always used a Rolodex, but since I started blogging, I needed a bigger one and found one that I think I can transform to look similar to the one I am drooling over above. I found this Rolodex at a local discount store. Here is what my new Rolodex looked like right out of it’s clam-shell packaging. This is the base that holds the cards. These are just your ordinary brown lunch bags that I ripped up to used to decoratively cover the base. I am in love.
Living on the Chic: DIY Pin Tucked Duvet Cover A New Year brings new things. For me, it was a duvet cover. I made an impulse buy of a beautiful Paisley Duvet Cover at TJ Maxx just the other day. I brought home my treasure, dropped everything and put it on my comforter. After admiring my bed for about a day, I slowly started to realize that I had purchased something that I had not budgeted for, spent too much money on($40 is a LOT of money to me), and, of all things, that I could easily make myself. The price for this one was way out of my budget, and this style is no longer available through Anthropologie. I also found that Target carries a line called 'Kissing Pleat" for $70-$80 and Wal-Mart's Better Homes and Gardens line has a pleated comforter in-stores, or at least the one by me, for about $60-$80. So, I went out on the town... First, I went out and bought some PLAIN flat sheets from -GASP- Wal-Mart. I then mapped out a grid for my pin-tucks. And as per request, here's a little update on the pin-tucking! Or this.
Mason Jar Sewing Kit This is a really fun way to reuse a mason jar and makes both a handy tool for your craft room or a fun gift! Keep reading to find out how to make your own mason jar sewing kit Clean mason jar (I used a small one but you can use any size)Any fabricGlue GunStuffingPencilScissors Using the lid of the mason jar, draw a circle onto the fabric about 1 inch wider than the jar lid. Cut out the circle. Place the lid bottom side up placed directly on top of the middle of the fabric, bottom side up. Continue in the same manner until only 1/4 of the lid is left as shown above. Stuff batting inside the top of the lid until it’s poofy and even Now seal up the last section of the fabric to the lid Make a line of glue along the inside of the outer lid piece Press the pin cushion lid inside the outer lid piece and let dry