Hi all! Today begins the first week of So Sew! and I’m pleased to announce that the first inspiration word is …
POLKA-DOT
All week long, Sandi, Cheryl, Melissa and I will be crafting something delightful using the word “polka-dot” as our inspiration. We’ll reveal our projects on our blogs this Friday, so stay tuned.
AND if you want to join in the fun!…just add yourself to the Flickr group and upload a photo of your project for us to see!
Well the Monster Mash is in full swing downstairs, but I thought I’d take a quick break from the graveyard smash to share some photos of the monsters we made for the kids. I’ll upload all the details on the decorations, food, and games next week as well as “must-see” pictures of the kids gettin’ their groove on. (Zombie Jamborie ‘ll do it every time!)
So last week before the kids received their invitations in the mail, we had their moms ask them to draw the best monster of their imagination. They had no idea what it was for and we secretly gathered the pictures. I then raided the fabric store and made them come to life. Here are the results …
The kids LOVE them and can’t believe their monsters have “come to life”!
Can’t wait to share more fun with you tomorrow! Sleep tight. xo
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Hello October! This is going to be one crazy month. I won’t bore you with the details…actually on second though–yes I will! Cuz it’s all fun! So. We’ve got a nieces-n-nephews sleepover tonight (Monster Mash is the theme). General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. My next Good Things Utah appearance on Wednesday (10/6) where I’ll be demo-ing Halloween Treat Bags. Then I’m teaching a class on Friday (10/8) about How to Hostess a Party. On Saturday (10/9) I’ve got a big, crazy photo shoot down at BYU, plus Frit‘s grandma’s 80th birthday party that I helped plan and coordinate. THEN, my mom, sister, and brother-in-law come into town the following Wednesday (10/13)–staying with Frit and I, another Good Things Utah appearance on Thursday (10/14) where I’ll be demo-ing No-Sew Halloween Costumes, and finally, I’m hostessing a baby shower for my sister (with my other sister) who is due in February with our family’s first grandchild (a girl! …to be named Laela) on Saturday. Whew. At this point I get a “rest week” and then things get crazy again the last week.
On top of all that, I’m excited (really excited) to announce that I’m hostessing an online sewing challenge this month! I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but didn’t have the gumption to ask people to participate–until now. So here’s the deal …
I’ve invited three other amazing crafters to join me each week in October in creating something–anything! 1) out of fabric & 2) based on an inspiration word. Basically, each of us came up with a word (any word!–could’ve been a person, place, thing, adjective, verb, etc.) and every Monday morning one of our words will be pulled out of the hat as inspiration for the week. There are no rules about what should be made–it’s all up to our own individual interpretation (although fabric must be used). On Friday we’ll all post what we’ve made for you to see.
But lest you think this is all about us–We’ve created a Flickr group so if you’d like to participate, you too can upload photos of your inspiration-word-creations each week for others to see! Click Here to join the So Sew! Flickr group.
Now (drumroll please) … let me introduce the ladies joining the challenge! These three crafty bloggers are favorites in my Reader so I highly encourage you to check out their sites, sign up for their feeds, newsletters, Twitters, etc. They’re honestly so fantastic and I’m so (sew!) excited to “play” with them this month.
First up we have the talented Sandi of Portabello Pixie …
Sandi is a fabulous fabric designer, pattern creator, and author, as well as a mother of two (a girl and a boy). She can be found on Twitter, at Sewing School, or in her newsletter (on her blog). And I can’t wait to make her shabby pumpkins this Thanksgiving!
Next we have the thrifty and chic Melissa of ISLY (I Still Love You).
Melissa is an amazing artist and designer, mom to darling Penelope (and one on the way), and comes up with the most fantastic clothing refashions. You can also find her on Twitter, Flickr, and Design House Digital. I am particularly fond of her calligraphy.
And finally, we have the lovely Cheryl of A Pretty Cool Life.
Cheryl is a crafter from Chicago, mom to two little guys, with all sorts of darling tutorials, project ideas, and lots of bright colors (which I love). One of my favorite “Cheryl projects” can be found here. She’s on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, and has an email list (on her blog).
So (Sew!)–Do join the Flickr Group, won’t you? And tune in Monday for the first word. We are going to have some serious fun! See you next week! xo
p.s. Welcome to any new friends who found me via Cheryl, Melissa, or Sandi! I’m thrilled to “meet” you and can’t wait to get to know you better.
p.p.s. I also wanted to let you know that I was recently featured on TodaysGiveaway.net where I’m offering a free photo shoot to the winner plus a discount of 20% off all photo shoots scheduled in October (photo shoot does not need to occur in October, just needs to be scheduled). So hop on over and enter to win if you so desire!
p.p.s. (Last one, I promise) I was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money section. Check it out here (page 3, tip #10). This was one of those “life achievements” that I was totally stoked to call my dad about. :)
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Oh good morning! And welcome to any new visitors who found me through Good Things Utah. You GTU viewers are just the greatest! Please sit and stay awhile. Browse around, sign up for the RSS feed here, join the newsletter list over there on the right (I’m working on some fantastic Halloween tutorials just for the list!), or find me on Facebook and Twitter. Oh and if you’d like to come to a sa-weet (!) ladies dinner at my house, check this post out.
Now on to the tutorial!
Repurposing is all the rage these days. And what better way to repurpose an old placemat, than to turn it into a chic clutch that looks like it came straight out of the hippest boutique?! Yep. You heard me. Placemat to boutique chic clutch. Here’s how …
Chic Clutch a la Placemat
Supplies:
1 placemat (in good condition), fabric for lining, foam sheet, tape measure, rotary cutter and mat (or scissors and flat surface), magnetic clasp, 1″ x 1″ piece of med. to heavy weight interfacing, embellishments (like lace, ribbon, flowers, etc.), sewing maching, thread, fabric glue
Instructions:
1. Cut lining fabric to exact same size as the placemat. (A placemat measuring 16 1/2″ x 12″ was used for this tutorial. Measurements may need to be modified to scale based on size of placemat being used.)
2. On the right side of the placemat, centered between sides, and 4″ from bottom edge, attach back-side of magnetic clasp.
(front)
(back)
3. On the wrong side of the lining, centered between sides, and 1/2″ from top edge, iron interfacing square (remember: tacky side down). Turn lining over so right side is facing up. Center magnetic clasp on interfacing square, and attach.
4. Place lining and placemat right-sides together (the magnetic clasp back should be at the bottom, & magnetic clasp front should be at the top). Pin sides and bottom and sew 1/4″ seam along sides and bottom, leaving top edge open.
5. Turn right-side-out and iron seam flat.
6. Cut two pieces of foam sheet measuring 5 1/4″ x 12″, and one piece measuring 4 1/2″ x 12″.
7. Insert one of the 5 1/4″ x 12″ sheets into the clutch, slide to bottom. Secure tightly with pins. Sew a seam along the open edge of the foam (width-wise) to secure hold.
8. Insert the second 5 1/4″ x 12″ piece of foam sheet. Secure open edge with pins. Sew a seam along the open edge of the foam (width-wise) to secure hold.
9. Insert the 4 1/2″ x 12″ piece of foam into the top of clutch. Secure with pins and sew along top edge. (You do not have to turn raw edges under.)
10. With clutch on a flat surface, placemat side down, fold up bottom third at seam line in-between the two lower foam pieces. Due to the thickness of the foam, pinning is difficult, so with a tight hold on the edges (keeping them lined up) sew from top to bottom as close to edge as possible to close clutch sides.
11. Cut a coordinating piece of ribbon (you could also use seam or quilt binding) 2 inches longer than the width of the clutch.
12. Fold in half, lengthwise and iron.
13. Encase ribbon along raw top edge of clutch and glue in place, wrapping sides under before gluing the underside.
14. Embellish the clutch as desired.
15. Never tell a soul that your chic new clutch used to be a placemat!
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After hours and hours (and hours) of sewing I finally finished my latest custom order, packed it up, and shipped it off yesterday. Hal. Le. Lu. Jah. Did I mention it took hours? But despite the arduous task it was, I’m so pleased with the result and was even more thrilled with the reaction (smiles, hand-clapping, ooo’s and aah’s) to the piece.
Karl and Kaye Malone (yes, THAT Malone family) hired me to make a quilt for their oldest daughter who just graduated from high school using t-shirts from her sports teams and school events. Each member of the family also included a few of their own shirts so she’d have a piece of them while she’s away at college. (Talk about a “freak out moment” when I had to actually cut up Karl’s Jazz jersey and LA Tech college t’s! I think I measured and re-measured them 20 times before setting the rotary cutter to them.)
So. In case you were wondering, I’m pretty much a seamstress to the stars these days. :)
*Do you have a custom project you need sewn? I’d love to work with you. Be it a dress, quilt, pillows, slacks, or anything in between, please email me here and let’s get started!
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Well. Ella’s baptism dress is finished and I love it. Love it, love it, LOVE it! Seriously it was one of my favorite projects to ever work on and the result made me squeal with delight.
Here’s where the dress began … an idea in my head and the resulting sketch:
And here is the dress that came of it:
When Ella put it on, you’d have thought I’d dubbed her queen of the world. You could see it in her eyes that she was certain she was the most beautiful belle ever. And that made every stitch worth it.
I’ll be back later to post the pictures I took of her in her special dress.
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Remember these dresses?
Well. Here’s what they looked like on actual people:
Don’t you just love the red Vans? So darn cute!
The groomsmen wore aqua:
LOVE this bridal party!
Congrats Kate and Garrett! And thanks for asking me to sew such fun dresses!
Do you need something sewn, designed, or created? Email me. I’d love to help!
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A couple months ago a darling bride (Kate) hired me to sew her five bridesmaids’ dresses. Well. The dresses are d.u.n. And I’m super pleased with how they turned out. The girls looked so darling in them and the colors just make me happy.
Kate: I hope your wedding weekend is sunny and beautiful and that your life with Garrett is full of joy and love.
Next project: Miss Ella’s Baptism Dress…which I’m super excited about since I’m not only sewing it, I’m designing it! Sketches to follow soon.
Do you need something sewn, designed, or created? Email me. I’d love to help!
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The most popular item at Island Belle Boutique is by far the silk poppy hair accessories. They’re flirty, feminine, and subtle. Needless to say I wear them all the time … like every day practically. And today, because I’m nice, because I’m especially happy these days, and because the snow has melted (hallelujah!), I’m going to share my trade secret of how to make them today. Once you understand the basic steps of how to create these fabric flowers, you can use them anywhere. They make great gifts for birthdays, Mother’s Day, favors for your luncheons and/or showers, and accessories for yourself (!), friends, and daughters.
And if you’re thinking, “I LOVE these flowers and totally need some, but I SO don’t want to take the time to make my own,” just
the silk flower line at Island Belle Boutique.
Supplies: Light-weight silk fabric * Scissors * Candle & Matches * Needle & Thread * Beads / Buttons / Pearls / etc. for the center of your flower (it’s up to you!)
Steps
1. Cut circles of varying sizes from your silk (they don’t have to be perfect!)
2. Light candle and singe the edges of your circles. You don’t need to put the fabric directly in the flame. It will melt and seal the edge just by being in close proximity to the flame.
3. Stack circles (your petals) according to your own personal preference. You can make them lopsided or perfectly spaced, sparse or extra full. Just add your own style!
4. Insert needle and thread up through the bottom of flower, thread button or bead onto the needle and insert the needle back down through the flower. Repeat this process until you have sewn on all your beads or buttons. I always recommend using odd numbers for beads, buttons, or pearls.
5. Once you’ve sewn on your last bead, knot the thread at the bottom/base of your flower. All done!
You can now attach it (with fabric glue or more stitching) to a headband
or a hair pin,
on a purse,
on a shirt,
or even on a lapel pin (for a modern take on the ever-classy corsage).
You could even add these flowers to bracelets, shoe clips, ribbon belts, skirts, throw pillows, bed skirts, napkin rings, garlands, and more!
To see this tutorial demonstrated CLICK HERE for my appearance on Salt Lake City’s morning show, Good Things Utah.
Variations:
1. Use cotton fabric instead of silk. Just skip the step where you singe the edges and let the fabric fray slightly.
2. Use different colors for each layer of the petals.
3. Add tulle between the petal layers.
4. Spray with adhesive glue and sprinkle glitter for a little glam.
5. Add feathers.
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I used to not like Valentine’s Day. But I think I didn’t like it because I thought I wasn’t supposed to since I’ve always been single on Valentine’s Day. But that’s just ridiculous. Who doesn’t love love? Even if you are single. So now I wholly embrace the day, the decorations, and the candy. Oh my gosh I love Valentine’s candy. It’s seriously the best holiday candy ever with all the cherry sours, cinnamon lips, chewy cherry hearts, strawberry jelly-beans & candy corns. Oh mercy. Have I told you that I’m off sugar as of two weeks ago? Yeah. Note to self: don’t go off sugar right before Valentine’s Day.
So anyhow, to kick off the countdown to the day of LOVE, I thought I’d share a simple craft tutorial for a couple of Valentine Garlands.
They’re sweet and simple to make and are a LOVEly addition to your decorations. All you need is an assortment of felt in your desired colors, scissors, and a sewing machine.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut out circles of all sizes from your felt. I chose a light pink, hot pink, and white, and I cut my circles anywhere from a 1/2 inch to 2 inches. If you were going to make this “jumbo” size, I’d cut your circles anywhere from 3 to 5 inches.
2. Lay out your circles in a line, alternating colors to create a pattern. Mix up your sizes to create more visual interest.
3. Sew them together. Like ducks in a row, one right after the other.
4. Keep sewing until you’ve reached your desired length. And then you’re done! Easy peasy right?! Now decorate! These look darling strung from just about anything. Lampshades, mirrors, across the piano, curtain rods, banisters …
You can also change it up and instead of circles, do hearts. For this garland, I used cranberry and cream felts.
Or you could do jumbo-sized hearts…
It’s really up to you. Happy sewing!
Oh, and come back at 1:00 p.m. MST today when I’ll have news on this month’s give-away.
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If you love these garlands, but don’t want to make your own, I have a few up for sale in the shop.
Pink polka-dot garland here (This one would also look cute in a little girls room all year round.)
Small red heart garland here
Large red heart garland here
