Hunger Games (no spoilers)

Man! Not satisfied! I really REALLY got into these books (ok, so I really get into most book series I read but still) and this ending has me down in the dumps! When I'm finishing a book and there is less than a centimeter of pages left, I start panicking about how in the world will this end Happily Ever After? So far all the books that I... um... lets say, that I love (understatement) have somehow managed to provide a satisfactory ending in 5 pages or less.

NOT THIS TIME!

Apron Project

Oma, (my grandmother, who I look just like when she was my age) gave me a few boxes full of old craft stuff, trims, ribbons and some sequined appliques that should never have seen the light of day. You may remember a previous post were Allison and I had a good ol' time going thru the boxes before she dumped mine in her dumpster! The nerve!

Well, my favorite object in the chaos was this lacy white apron. I didn't get a picture of it before I "pulled it to pieces" as Lydia Bennet would say. It had a little, and I mean little pocketed top half, it looked too silly and so pointless. So I CHOPPED it! Now I just have the bottom skirt part.

I love the bottom skirt section still and I knew it needed a touch from the EmbroiDiva, so I added my own handmade embellishments. I want Shannon to keep it as an heirloom since she has the tiny waist and it looks so good on her!

One lovely day at Joann's Fabrics, I saw these 3 linen threads hanging in such an inviting manner! Their hues just scream Pride and Prejudice don't they?

Working with linen thread is a bit more complicated than good ol' cotton DMC. It's coarse and stiff, sometimes it breaks which isn't fun at all. However it looks so vintage I got over the inconvenience.

Fun Fabric/Etsy Finds

This has got to be one of my favorite new things! The color scheme is so vintage and fresh. Plus I LOOVE pennants. This is found in the beautiful Etsy Shop BlancEtCaramel.

I am telling yall, YoYo's are in! But you can make your own now so, your welcome. :)

Now that I have my own sewing machine I have my eye out for cute fabric more than ever. Here is some brand new stuff from Scarlet Fig.
I love LOVE love chairs! I want to re-upholster a great vintage-esque chair I made my parents save from the trash heap. Wouldn't this fabric be too perfect????!!!

Here are some samples from Pat Bravo that are so Spring-Summer-Happy-Time. I would love to make just a plain pennant banner with these, but I already have two banners hanging in my room and no wall space to space, dilemma.

Waist Management back in motion!

As you probably know, the holiday season is now over, no more red velvet cake pops, fudge, or cookies in the shape of...a dinosaur?

He started off as a gingerbread man but had a near fatal accident that left him in need of my superb cookie decorating abilities. You should have seen last year's Shawn White cookie creation, he had skied into a christmas tree and broken his leg.

Well, anyway! The excuse for sugar overkill is expired and I must, must, MUST stop this eating for pleasure business and get down to business, well, get down to a size 8 actually.

2 sizes in 5 months, sounds easy enough right?

I've done it before, total I have lost 40 lbs! Yay me, yes I am bragging but if I don't feel proud about getting in shape somethings wrong.

Before... (shudder)

So tomorrow I will measure and see what damage I did during the Christmas-feast-fest.

I can do this. Now for the motivation, I LOOOVEEE THESE! So vintage and charming! Audrey would be proud.

4 step Embroidery Pattern Tutorial or How to get started!

Here is a run through of how I transfer an image to fabric ready to embroider! So simple.

1) Iron your fabric... easy see?

2)Print out your image on good ol' printer paper. I use my Light Box to then trace the image on to the fabric carefully with a pencil. If you can't afford a light box (pretty inexpensive at Hobby Lobby) you can tape the paper to a sunny window and use that method. Just be careful you don't tug it down.

You get an exact pattern of whatever you trace, therefore be careful when your pencil is touching the fabric, it will leave a mark.

3) The fun part it picking the floss. ALWAY USE DMC BRAND! My color inspiration came from this craftastic fabric I have.

4) The cheapest option for holding the fabric while you stitch is a wooden embroidery hoop. However, the best option is a Q-Snap frame made of PVC pipes that you snap together to make a frame. Lay your fabric across the frame. Then you snap "clamp" on the pipe to hold the fabric in place nice and tight. I used strips of ratty old towel in between the fabric and the claps for extra tension.

And voila!

Next I will introduce some basic stitches so you can start getting fancy!

YoYo Tutorial

YoYo's are a big trend right now in the handmade world but they have been around forever. They were mainly used for quilting but, the current handmade movement is all bout re-purposing and bringing back vintage charm.

I have had great success in selling YoYo hair clips, and my friends loved them when I had them attached to their Christmas gift wrap instead of a bow. They are SUPER easy! So easy in fact that at my last craft show I taught a little girl how to make them. So if she can, you can!

Step 1) cut a fairly large to medium circle from your fabric.

FYI the finished YoYo will be half the size of the original circle so keep that in mind when you are looking for a circle shape to trace.

Step 2) Make a simple running stitch in and out over and over all the way around the circle. You want it to be close to the edge but not so close that the thread rips out. While we are on the topic of thread, the color really doesn't matter since it wont be seen but it must be pretty long and you wont cut it until the end.

Very easy just, in and out, the stitches don't need to look pretty or be the same size, but the smaller the stitches, the more "pleats" you will have.

Step 3) Pull the thread when you have completed the running stitch and you get this little pouch. Cute huh? Pull it tight so there is no hole or opening.

Step 4) Center the gathering with your fingers and pat it flat. Then make a few stitches thru the center to keep it in place. Looking good!

Step 5) Now is the fun part, ACCESSORIZING! Pick a button or something fun like a small silk flower to cover the gathered center. Now obviously sew it in place! and...

Viola! YoYo!

What you do with it now is up to you, hot glue it to a hair clip or shirt pin, make a small one and attach it to a ring blank. So cute and so easy.

My First Sewing Machine!! Thanks Gran!

Take it in for a moment, yes that is an incredibly adorable hand made pillow bathed in early afternoon sunlight next to the cutest sewing machine known to woman kind. And guess what dear reader? THEY ARE MINE, ALL MINE!! jealous much?

This is the reversible pillow (middle one) before I re-awesomed it.

Yes, that's Charlemagne chillin' by my handmade throw pillows

And here he is loving the facelift I gave my pillow. Isn't it cute?

You can tell that I was loving the natural light this particular morning.

And again here... I love felt. So there is it, my first sewing machine and the first thing I sewed with it!