a common thread blog

DIY Vintage Button Ring Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:59:00 +0000

This is a tutorial to show you how to make a ring out of a vintage button. I see so many great vintage buttons, either randomly at a yard sale or thrift store or a part of an old sweater or shirt that I don't want to wear anymore. Buttons are little treasures that are great because they can be so fun, with a lot of detail. There's a bunch of stuff you can do with them, and I'm sort of button hoarder. If there's a nice set of them, I like to replace boring buttons on a shirt with fun colored ones. And below, is how to turn a button into a pretty ring.

DIY Button Ring Tutorial

Materials

big vintage button

ring blank (proportionate in size to your button)

heavy duty glue, like E6000

sandpaper

disposable pointy thing, like a chopstick

Step 1

Using the sandpaper, gently sand the back of the button, and the flat surface of the ring blank. The flat smooth surface of the button/ring blank doesn't give the glue enough to really bond to, so by roughening up the texture a bit it will make your glue hold better. Make sure you don't go crazy here, and try to only sand the button where the ring blank will attach.

Step 2

Apply a small dollop of glue with your chopstick to your ring blank. The key here is not getting too much. You want enough so that when you press the ring on it forms a solid layer, almost forming a suction, and only the tiniest bit peeks out the edges, but not so much that you have to wipe it off.

Step 3

Now press on your ring gently just enough that the glue spreads evenly across and you have a nice layer of glue in between. Don't press too hard where you squeeze all of the glue out of the sides. Now, set it aside and let it dry for a good 24 hours before you wear it.

Now you have a new ring! You can get pretty creative with these, and soon you'll be looking for anything with a flat surface to make rings out of. You can also make rings from geode stones with a flat back, vintage pendants, sliced agate, stone chunks like pyrite, or even little knit items like bows or hearts.

You can check out my statement rings in the shop, or have a look at my other DIY patterns.

Jewel of the Month Club

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Recently, I started a Jewel of the Month Club, where I'll select one item from the jewelry shop which will be on super duper sale for the month. It lets everyone get in on the jewelry fun, and you can build up your jewelry collection, one piece at a time. This month, the arrow earrings are now listed at over 40% off.

It's free, and no registration required...but if you want a little reminder every month to see what the new jewel will be, sign up below with your email address.

And...now that April is almost here, which would you want see as the next jewel of the month?

poll by twiigs.com

All Buttoned Up // Rope Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday! It was a beautiful weekend, and I tried to spend as much time outside, and stay on the periphery of st. patrick's day madness. I spent some time lounging in the park, and having delicious dinner and cocktails with friends. And finally made some time to photograph me wearing my latest rope necklace.

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This one is a little bit of yarn, crocheted to a chain with vintage brass fringe. I love the way it looks worn under a buttoned up collar. I think many of the times when I leave the house in the morning, I look a bit school marmish.

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So, what do you guys think. Would you want a crochet tutorial for this necklace?

Outfit details: Madewell jeans; Pretty Penny leopard shoes; A Common Thread rope necklace; vintage silk shirt, blazer and sunglasses; Patricia Nash purse

Spring 2012 Fashion Inspiration // Steven Alan

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:04:00 +0000

In New York, it's finally spring-like out and my mind has suddenly started to drift towards chambray dresses, bright colors and pastel shoes and pants. And for the first time in months I was able to get out of the house without tights and a big heavy coat. yay, spring! even though the winter hasn't been too harsh, I'm super excited about pulling out my spring clothes from storage (it's always a surprise) and buying new stuff. I've already bought 3 new pairs of sandals! For spring fashion inspiration, I was perusing the steven alan spring 2012 look book and thought how pretty and simple everything was.

Pin It Pin It

I think a lot of these pieces would be easy to find at a vintage shop, or on etsy. Here's a few that I found just by perusing the top results.

red and white striped by Sugar Bride Vintage | gray terry striped tee by Lapine Ours Vintage | black and white stripe by A Fine Day For Sailing

Or, I think A lot of these pieces could easily be made. Especially the chambray shirt dress, blue shift dress, striped tee, or the green dress. I think the patterns could easily be whipped up by the slopers and instructions included in the Built By Wendy Dresses book. I actually am 95% finished with a shirt dress identical to the first picture that I made with the BBW book, but in a blue and white striped seersucker fabric. Maybe it's time I finally finished it!

initial photos via steven alan

DIY Bracelet // How to make a chain bracelet tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Here's a tutorial on how to make a basic chain bracelet, for your very own DIY bracelet arm party. I like the look of colors of the crazy circus arm, with friendship bracelets, chain bracelets, rhinestones and bangles, but sometimes it's nice to have just a simple, basic bracelet to throw on. The good thing is, this chain bracelet stands alone well, or can serve as a foundation to a crazy arm circus. And, the technique is simple, and you can apply it to any chain you find, so you can make all kinds of different styles.

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DIY Chain Bracelet Tutorial

Materials

chain, either online or vintage from thrift stores or ebay; cut to the length of your arm

2 jumprings

1 clasp

wire cutters

2 sets of pliers: needlenose and round

Step 1: Attach a Jumpring

Attach a jumpring to one of the chain by using your pliers. Make sure you twist the jumpring open; don't pull the two ends out.

Step 2: Attach the Clasp

On the other end of the chain, attach your clasp with your jumpring.

You're done!

You can check out my other patterns & tutorials, or a similar chunky chain bracelet in the shop.

Images in collage by: thestylishhousewife | Diane Von Furstenberg | tamsinhowse. All other images are mine.

Cats Cats Cats Cats Cats

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

As a fervent lover of cats, I realized, I've never shown you my cat books. I find these little treasures at thrift stores or flea markets or the trash (!), and friends give them to me sometimes because I'm the first thing they think of when they see an old cat book lying in the trash on a NYC street. It takes work to be that person.

This is one of my favorites because it's really well done! The photography, design, humor and earnestness make this one the best. Every time I look through here, I imagine an old man, lover of cats, flipping through the page and chuckling. "That cat wants a drink at the bar!"

Before I head into cat-land, a few of my favorite things this week...

Ferris is such a jerk.

Oh, yet another way to turn me into a craft hermit

I need a bit more floral in my life

At the risk of seeming (cat) crazy, I'll stop now, and let you continue the cat show at flickr.

She's Got Legs // DIY Leggings Patterns

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Leggings are popping up everywhere, and I love how fun they are! It's like having crazy pants and leisure pants, all built into one. Below are some of my favorites to buy, or if you're feeling crafty, here's a list of DIY leggings patterns to show you how to make your own leggings!

DIY leggings pattern/tutorial for a custom fit via Etsy

Basic Leggings Pattern via Burdastyle

Adult leggings PDF pattern via Fabricate and Mira

1. Striped leggings by DGstyle | 2. Orange Tribe Leggings by QooQoo | 3. Sparkle leggings by Minx Shop | 4. Copper and black abstract by Karina Manarin | 5. Lace leggings by I Heart Norwegian Wood | 6. Geometric Triangle Leggings by Trendylove

P.S. now I've got silly ZZ Top stuck in my head. When I was about 7, for some reason the She's Got Legs video translated for me "what it meant to be a woman". Lacy socks + heels. I saw the video and thought, I've got socks like that! I ran and put on my sunday school ruffle socks and a pair of my mom's heels, and wore them around the house thinking, So this is what it feels like.

P.P.S. speaking of heels...i am SO excited...I just spent the most amount of $ I ever have on a pair of shoes, and bought these PINK swedish hasbeens. I've wanted some for forever, and I couldn't resist 20% off via A Cup Of Jo with code ACUPOFJO.

Silversmithing Course // Jewelry Making

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

This weekend, I went to the first of four silversmithing classes at 3rd Ward in my neighborhood. It was pretty spectacular, and in just the first class we learned how to layout our designs, make a paper model, cut sheet metal, and watched our teacher solder some stuff with a torch hooked up to some really scary tanks. Next week, we're going to get to solder ourselves!

Here's my progress so far. It helped going into the class with some drawings of what I wanted to make, and even making a rough paper model beforehand. Basically, I'm going to make little half pyramids with all of these shapes. It's really hard work! We hand sawed each of these down. I got a bit faster over time, but each one took about 10-15 minutes. So much for my grand plans of hand-cutting all of my own jewelry materials. But, the good thing is, a lot of the materials to cut sheet metal (handsaw, files, anvil) are all pretty small, and would even fit in my tiny brooklyn apartment.

Things are looking pretty rough, but hopefully they'll start shaping up next week when we file, sand, and solder. I'll let you know how it goes! Also....my new Hansel From Basel socks came. Love!

Sewing How To Add Pockets to A Dress: Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

This sewing tutorial explains how to make a pocket, gives you a pocket pattern, and tells you how to add an in-seam pocket to any dress (or pants, or anything really), making it SO MUCH MORE USEFUL. Pockets are essential, otherwise, where are you going to hide your hands and uneaten snacks?

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Step 1: Print out the pocket pattern (And start hoarding your snacks)

Download and print out the pocket pattern; cut out 4 pocket pieces. (the pattern stretches a little into the margins — sorry, i like big pockets!)

Step 2: Rip those Seams

Beginning about 3 inches below the natural waistline, start ripping the seam until you have a 10" hole. **Note, this is your natural waistline, which is much higher than where your pants waistline is. Your natural waistline is a few inches above your belly button.

Step 3: Sew your Pockets

Place 1 pocket piece on the front of the skirt, right sides together, 3.5" below the natural waistline, lining up the edge of the pocket with the edge of your skirt. Pin in place. Now do the same thing on the back of the skirt, pin another pocket piece, in the same location (also, right sides together).

Step 4: Start Stitching

Stitch the front pocket to the front of the skirt, using 3/8” seam allowance. Stitch the back pocket to the back of the skirt the same way. (You are using a 3/8” seam allowance so that in the end, your pocket fabric actually starts a little inside the skirt seam allowance…making it invisible from the outside)

Step 5: Press

Press the seam open...

Step 6: Press again

...then fold over the pocket and press it flat.

Step 7: Stitch all the way around

Turn your skirt inside out. With front and back skirt pieces right sides together, stitch along the seams and around the pockets using 5/8” seam allowance…in one continuous stitching line. Make sure your seam allowance matches the existing skirt seam allowance, and stitch over the existing side seams at the top and bottom just a bit to make sure everything is put back together nicely.

Step 8: Clip and snip

Clip into the seams where the pockets join the skirt. (This makes your seams lie flat without any bunching.)

Step 9: Finish things up

Press side seams open. Turn right side out.

Now, repeat steps 2-9 for the other side of the skirt.
Now fill them up with stuff!

jewelry on sale

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Hey guys, I've got a bunch of new jewelry for spring coming soon, and I need to clear out a bunch of stuff from the shop. Which is good news for you, because there's three ways to save (yay!).

Lots of stuff has been marked down

AND Take 15% off with code HELLOSPRING when you check out!!

Buy in Sets! Created for Bridesmaid's Gifts, take 15-25% off.

shoes good enough to eat

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:33:00 +0000

love the spring/summer lookbook for swedish hasbeens. it makes me want to eat ice cream and macaroons.

free storage for your knitting & sewing patterns

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:12:00 +0000

being a crafty person with lots of patterns scattered all over the place, i've been trying out and testing all sorts of cloud storage for my knitting and sewing patterns. the main things i look for are: ease of storage/accessibility, and the ability to access the files from any computer.

Evernote

I've been ~~using~~ a big fan of Evernote for a long time now, and is probably one of my favorite programs/sites ever. it's terrifically useful at instantly clipping something from a website (photos + text) and automatically adding it to your evernote account with the website intact. you can search, tag, organize, and even view by thumbnail.

Some of my favorite things about Evernote:

web clipper instantly files away any picture + text + link I want from any website

attach PDF files (patterns) right into your note, beside the picture of the pattern, and link to the site

browse your patterns by photo, which opens up your attached PDF or text pattern, or search by any keyword

share any evernote folder with others

free account has unlimited storage space, but you can only transfer up to 55MB per month (I've never come close to this)

sync's with your phone, online, and programs on all of your computers

Dropbox

I'm a little late to the Dropbox party, mainly because I thought there were other programs out there that offered cloud storage with more storage. I decided to try it out though, because one area where Evernote lacks some usability is when you're working with a work-in-progress file, and for handling documents other than word, excel or PDFs. since i've been creating digital sewing patterns, across multiple computers, I always need the latest file easily accessible and ready to update in my editing program.

Dropbox does this flawlessly because you actually have a folder on you computer which is constantly syncing with all of your other computers, the web, and your phone. it makes the process seamless so that even though I'm switching between computers, I'm still accessing the same exact file, like magic. i don't have to remember to sync or update or backup. Starting out just using it for my works-in-progress, I've started using it for almost all of my files.

with Dropbox, you get 2GB of free storage, but you can do all kinds of things to increase that to up to 16GB, like take a tour, let them know you're a student, or connect with your social media. also, here's a signup link, where you'll get an extra 250MB added.

what's your favorite way to store your patterns?

knitting inspiration via pinterest

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:46:00 +0000

i've recently re-discovered my pinterest account. and realized there is so. much. good. stuff. on there. here are some of my very colorful knit favorites. most of these are courtesy of the very wonderful knitter and pinterest extraordinaire, meredith.

1. fair isle slippers by toast
2. knit hangers by leroyandperry via daily candy
3. cabled socks
4. ripple blanket
5. knit underwear (!)
6. colorful blanket
7. color blocked mittens
8. chevron baby blanket by purl bee

p.s. don't you love these collages? since picnik is closing down (tear), all premium services are free. meaning, you're going to be seeing a whole lot of fancy collages until the ants carry away the picnik.

trompe l'oeil

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:38:00 +0000

i discovered a few trompe l'oeil patterns and love them! trompe l'oeil is the 3D illusion created on a 2D surface. i think my favorite are these knit armenian bow sweaters (below)! they are adorable. although the hermes painted on cuffs and pockets (above) would be a much quicker and easier DIY to make a boring dress a bit more interesting.

photos via eattarantula, petit tricotage, milly and katespade

Pattern Testing Mailing List Signup

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:50:00 +0000

hey guys, i'm working on a few digital sewing patterns and am looking for a few folks to test them out. if you're interested in the pattern, I'll send the pattern over to you, and in exchange you just give me feedback about what you liked and didn't like. easy!

the requirements

you have a sewing machine and the other materials necessary to complete the pattern

you'll need to take a photo of your finished product and email it to me within 7-14 days of receiving the pattern

you'll need to fill out a short questionnaire with detailed feedback about the pattern within 7-14 days

how to sign up

if you're interested, just sign up for the pattern testing mailing list below and as new patterns come available, I'll send out an email with a description of the pattern. if you like it, and decide you want to make it, just reply back to me and the first ones who are interested will receive the pattern.

p.s. those folks who have already participated, i've already got you on the list!

how to knit a rag bath mat - knit pattern

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

this is the finished rag bath mat for my new black and white bathroom, which is made from one half of a duvet cover, and 2 contrasting pillow cases. i created the 'yarn' from the duvet/cases using the rag bath mat tutorial then knit up the mat using the pattern below. you could just as easily use sheets or old tshirts for this project as well. in the end, the mat is super plush, and a great way to recycle your old linens. and, you get a fresh new look for your bathroom floor!

to make this, I only needed 1 side of a king size duvet cover and 2 pillow cases (and still had leftovers). when making them into 'yarn' i kept the pillowcases separate to easily make the fair-isle stripes, and 1 continuous ball for the main color.

to knit, i started with my main color, used 1 pillowcase for the first stripe, carried over my main color for the middle stitches, joined in my second pillowcase for the 2nd stripe, then again carried over my main color for the last set of white. since there is a fair amount of carrying over, i made sure to keep my yarn loose, and always carry over on the wrong side. the knitting on this is pretty simple -- just stockinette stitch with garter stitch borders (on all edges).

Striped Rag Bath Mat Pattern

Gauge: Varies - determine your own gauge to custom fit your mat
Needles: size 19
Yarn: made from sheets/duvet cover and pillow sheets
Finished mat size: 27" long

CO 22 stitches

Bottom Edge

row 1(right side): k2, k4 in main color A, k3 in contrast color B, k4 in color A, k3 in color B (by joining a second skein of B), k4 in color A, k2
row 2(wrong side): knit across row, making sure to knit with contrast yarn B as you come to it, and carrying your main A yarn in the back of your work
row 3(right side): knit across row, continuing your contrast yarn vertical stripes

Middle

row 4 (wrong side): k2, p til 2 sts remain, k2
row 5 (right side): knit across row, continuing contrast yarn vertical stripes
repeat rows 4 and 5 until about 1.5 inches before desired length

Top Edge

row 1-2: knit across row, continuing constrast yarn vertical stripes
row 3: knit across entire row ONLY using main color A (discontinue stripes)
BO all stitches

CO = cast on
k = knit
p = purl
sts = stitches
BO = bind off

purses, handbags, pocketbooks, satchels!

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

i've been etsy perusing. found lots of purses. since i've self-imposed a purse buying ban on myself, i thought i'd post here instead! for shopping, for inspiration. it's a bit of a mix between handmade and vintage, i love them all. i just wish my closet would hold more purses.

1. triangle clutch by bookhouathome $43
2. tie dye tote by hazelandhunter $62
3. handmade colored satchel by goldenponies $45
4. crossbody leather satchel by nemres $34
5. tie dyed canvas bag by gracedesign $68
6. kilim purse by ikahn $185
7. vintage handtooled pouch purse by nemres $24
8. triangle leather bag by ulala $45

knit striped garter stitch blanket

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:56:00 +0000

i have a sickness. a starting-blankets-that-I-never-finish sickness. i seriously don't know what's wrong with me. BUT, I did rip out (or I plan to rip out) a feeble-attempted-start of a crochet blanket, in order to start this new one, so they pretty much cancel each other out. this all started when in my new bedroom linen planning, i saw an old hudson bay blanket on ebay. it was perfect. and, i waited patiently for 7 days watching people slowly bid on it, with 1 problematic person who kept outbidding everyone as soon as someone new would come along. in the final 20 minutes, i got scared of this person's desperation and thought that they could possibly win it, so I needed a backup plan blanket. so, i went on ravelry, and started hunting down similar looking blanket patterns that i could knit to ease the anxiety. i started this blanket here.

so, i sat there knitting this thing (more like casting on) while the ebay countdown happened, telling myself who needs that one when you'll have this nice handknit one. you don't have to win. of course, i won the blanket, and now i can't stop knitting this one...so i'm going to have a knit replica of a hudson blanket. how does this happen??

i came across a baby blanket from purl soho that they made replicating the multicolored hudson bay blanket, and thought i'd try a regular sized one, in just black and tan. the only downside....it's garter stitch. making a full sized blanket in garter stitch is mind-numbing. however, i never knew i could knit so fast. and it's really easy to do while i do other things (watch tv, ride trains) so i'm not really complaining too much. i was a little scared thinking it would look sort of beginner-ish (associate garter stitch with new knitters) but I kinda like it's basic-ness. the stripes help too.

i plan to finish this one. i promise.

Lemon Tart Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

lately i've been obsessed with anything lemon (yogurt, pie, pasta, lotion, candles, soap) and I was just reminded that we have a tart pan hiding in the cupboards that we've never used, so i decided to try making a lemon tart. i've made pies before, but never tarts, and i'm not even entirely sure the main differences? other than they look a little different.

after doing a quick search on the internet, the first recipe I found had cream cheese in the filling and piled high with whipped cream. i'm pretty much on the other side of the fence...i was looking for minimal, straightforward tart without the fluff, and with extreme tart-ness. i found what i was looking for with the tarte au citron on david lebovitz's blog. i like his cooking aesthetic. basic and very tart.

when i was putting together my shopping list (which surprisingly almost everything to make this is already in my pantry!) i realized david's recipe is for a 9 inch tart pan, and mine is 11 inches. there's nothing like a good math problem first thing in the morning (did i mention my love of math??). first, by digging up the formula to calculate the volume of each tart pan, then determining the percentage increase in volume, and multiplying that times each of the ingredients, I came up with the recipe below.

here are the original's:
david's original French Tart Dough Recipe (9 inch tart pan)
david's original Tarte au Citron Recipe (9 inch tart pan)

apparently, the way of cooking this dough is unusual (i don't know since i've never made one). but i found it super duper easy to make. though, my dough wasn't as cohesive as david's and not nearly as pretty in the end, it tasted pretty good.

here's my modified version for an 11 inch tart pan. when you're scaling up, the proportions on everything look a little weird. just go with it.

Lemon Tart Recipe

Tart Shell

11" tart pan

4.65 ounces (about 1.12 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil (i.e. canola)

4 2/3 tablespoon water

1.5 tablespoon sugar

1/5 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

Then I followed this recipe.

Tart Filling

3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3.5 lemons)

grated zest of 1.5 lemons

3/4 cup of sugar

9.3 tablespoons of butter (salted or unsalted) cut into bits

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

Then I followed this recipe.

Overall, it was quite tasty and very easy! I'm thinking of making one of david's chocolate tarts next!!

amish shadows baby quilt

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:42:00 +0000

a few months ago, i started and finished my very first quilt. it was a present for my best friend's second baby, so i didn't want to ruin the surprise by posting it on the internet before giving it to her. i wanted an easy pattern for my first quilt, and baby-sized seemed appropriate too. i love geometric shapes and found an amish shadows design in a book. it looked pretty easy to make without the pattern in hand, so i drafted up my own pattern. i used 10" squares with 3 colors evenly spaced diagonally on half of the square, and muslin on the other half.

at the time, we didn't know if it was a boy or girl so i went with some minty green colors, which now actually look more blue. it was a girl - oops. i actually wanted to do red, pink, orange and yellow with beige but the fabric store in savannah was really lacking colors (they kept pushing me to buy these horrible "marbled" fabrics to hide the mistakes that they thought would automatically happen on my first quilt...I told them I'd rather not make the quilt at all).

in the end, I think it turned out pretty well! I definitely learned a lot and my quilting stitches dramatically improved from the start to finish of this one. the quilted hearts are a bit cutesy, but it is for a baby so I thought it was appropriate.

to make the quilt, i bought 2 books, and asked a few questions to my boyfriend's mom, who is a wonderful and very experienced quilter herself. the books, especially the Complete Guide To Quilting by Better Homes and Gardens was AMAZING.

it explains every step, in detail with reasons why on everything, with pictures and text. EVERYTHING related to quilting is covered - picking out materials, fabrics, thread, techniques on cutting, piecing, how to use the rotary cutter and ruler to make perfect strips, templates, appliques, machine piecing, hand piecing, machine and hand quilting, needles, batting choices, basting, binding techniques, etc. it's pretty much the bible of quilting, in my opinion. it even explained the difference between ironing and pressing - who knew??

the other book (It's OK if you sit on my quilt, book), I admit, I bought almost because of it's title...and it's cover. and it was $2.50. it also had great reviews. it's not nearly as comprehensive as the other book, but it is an EXCELLENT supplement. it covers in detail a 'new' approach to piecing together your squares. it takes a more holistic approach and it explains how you can save sooo much time by chunking your piecing rather than stitching together individual shapes. some of this technique is covered in the Complete Guide, but Mary Ellen goes into more detail. she also covers how to visually think about a quilt to come up with some pretty interesting designs. AND she includes hundreds and hundreds of square patterns for you to mix and match into your own quilt design, which is worth the $2.50 alone. together, the complete guide covers all of the basics and serves as an excellent reference book. and once you read through that, mary ellen's book is an excellent way of rethinking quilt designs by focusing on the piecing part of the process.

right now i'm working out the designs for another quilt...more to come on that soon...

happy new year!

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:34:00 +0000

in the midst of january, happy new year! the beginning of the year i've been focusing more on fixing up the apartment, specifically all kinds of new linens, blankets and bed-things for the bedroom, and towels and shower curtains for the bathroom. i'm trying to make an effort to balance things out - a little vintage, some new, and a bit handmade.

this is my current project. a new bathmat to match my new black, white and mint green bathroom. it also coincided with the buying of new bed linens, which meant the throwing out of old bed linens, which equals new knitted bath mat! though, i'm not sure i'm loving the 2 vertical black/white stripes. ideas?? should i rip this thing out and use a different pattern?

Test Sewing Patterns for a Free Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:24:00 +0000

EDIT: Thanks to all of my volunteers! Right now I've gotten enough participants for this wallet pattern, but if you're interested in future projects, email me and I'll let you know when the next pattern is available.

hey guys! i've got a new project up my sleeve and am looking for beginner/intermediate sewers interested in testing some digital sewing patterns, in exchange for the pattern. i'm going to have a few of these patterns coming out soon, and you're welcome to test out one or many.

Requirements

you are a beginner/intermediate sewing

you have a sewing machine and the other materials listed below

you'll need to take a photo of your finished product and email it to me within a 7-14 days

you'll need to fill out a short questionnaire with detailed feedback about the pattern within 7-14 days

The Pattern

You can sign up to be notified of future patterns available for testing. right now, the pattern being tested is this simple wallet. it uses very little material, and is completely stitched up with just 3 short stitches! and the material is not your usual fabric - you'll want something with edges that do not fray. things like: a repurposed 'stiff plastic' shopping bag, oilcloth, repurposed tablecloth, leather, suede, stiff felt, laminated paper, or if you're in a pinch just use plain paper.

Materials

sewing maching

notions: scissors, thread, pins

home printer, 8.5x11 paper, tape, ruler

'fabric' 1/4" wide. see above for a description

How To Sign Up

send me an email at acommonthreadshop gmail com letting me know your level of sewing experience, and if you've had experience reading sewing patterns in the past. from there, i'll send you over the wallet pattern!

online inventory system for handmade etsy shops: using craftybase

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0000

recently i started using an online inventory management program for my craft etsy business, called Craftybase, to track all of my inventory and materials. for years i've been looking for an online 'cloud' solution to track my finished products, as well as my materials. google spreadsheets was my temporary solution, but i knew there had to be a smarter system out there. then i heard about craftybase. i've had an account now for a few months and it has been pretty amazing.

overall, Craftybase does exactly what I want it to do. it lets me track my inventory to the level of detail that i set. it's online, so if i sell an item, i can login to CB from anywhere and see if i can relist. it's smart - materials link to inventory, which link to sales, which link to expenses. it's pretty and well-designed. it's constantly improving. it's new so there are still some quirks, but Nicole and Nathan and awesome (they read your suggestions and questions, and implement them!). so, overall, i'd highly recommend it if you're into things like organization and wanting to track inventory. now on to the more detailed review...

craftybase lets you enter and track your materials (down to a single seed bead, if you'd like), number of finished items, sales, expenses and contacts. i only use it to track my inventory, materials and sales....and leave all of my accounting and bookkeping aspects to Outright.

my favorite things

you always know what you have on-hand and when you need to place an order for new materials

you can see trends in sales, what you've sold the most of, and which items are your most profitable

you can see at a glance your costs for materials per unit and see where you can save on supplies

everything is customizeable to the level of detail you prefer - only want to track products by not materials? no problem

help determine how much you should charge for an item by seeing your costs at a glance

Craftybase one-time account setup

so, here's how i use it. first, i set up my account
1. painstakingly enter all of my materials. i'm obsessed with organization so i logged every. single. bead. for weeks i sat in the middle of a pile of beads, counting, entering, counting, entering. you only have to do this once....afterwards just add new items when you buy them. (tracking materials is optional, so you don't have to do this if you're not concerned with this level of detail).

2. import in all of my current items from etsy. this part is simple - just link up your etsy account and click 'import'. done.

3. for each made item, you can create a 'batch recipe' where you log how many and what materials it takes to make that finished product. you only need to do this once, and again, completely optional but highly recommended in order to link your materials and projects.

4. go through and add your inventory for your finished items. each time you add a made item, CB magically decreases your material counts that you set up in your 'batch recipe'. neat!

Maintaining your account

so, that was the tough part. after that is out of the way, maintaining your account is super, super easy.
1. import your etsy items regularly. simple as a single click. this will tell CB if you've made any sales, added new products, or had any fees.

2. when you physically make an item, click the 'add a made item'. if you've setup your batch recipe, this automatically subtracts from your materials (my favorite part!!)

3. anytime you make a supplies purchase, you'll need to enter it in.

all in all, Craftybase does take some work to setup, but for me, it's completely worth it. it is a new program, so it's constantly evolving and changing. there are some bugs and quirks here and there, but the team is very responsive and quick to fix things. they also really listen in the forums, and will add new features that you suggest if they think it makes sense for the whole community. it's also exciting because who knows what kinds of fun things there are to come. if you've tried out craftybase, let me know what you think!

how to gift wrap: recycled and handmade ideas

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:06:00 +0000

i'm always looking for new ideas on how to gift wrap my christmas and holiday presents, especially diy and handmade ideas that involve recycled or upcycled materials. every year, since I fly home for the holidays, all of my gifts get wrapped post-flight while I'm sitting around my parent's house and generally in a very crafty (aka stir-crazy) mood. as a result, my gift wrapping gets very creative and sometimes very bizarre (my gift tags are never directly addressed....they are always from fictitious characters, and figuring out the recipient usually includes some sort of riddle or guessing game). I try to only use things that I find laying around my parent's house to wrap things, but still try to keep things pretty. And over the years, I've come across many online tutorials to help spark my creative wrapping.

generally, my presents are wrapped with the only 2 large scale paper-ish items that I have laying around the house -- kraft paper and tin foil. i'm a kraft paper addict and always have at least 5 rolls on hand. you never know when you're going to need it. tin foil makes unusually sparkly wrapped gifts!

these plastic bag pom poms are genius! this completely fantastic bow is made from.....a regular ole plastic shopper bag that you get from the grocery store (!!) i have a ton of these piling up and this is an excellent way to recycle them. they look amazing (and goes great with kraft paper.).

tie it all together with beautiful red and white bakers twine (above). ........and a few more of my favorite upcycled gift wrapping ideas include this bow tutorial from a magazine page is so, so clever and pretty! (via How About Orange). Jess also makes these mini-bags, made from an envelope and covered it beautiful tape. also one of the most adorable things i've ever seen!

And finally, Ed Emberley has the most ADORABLE website on how to turn your thumbprint into a cute little creature. Design*Sponge steps it up a notch and uses them to make your own tags.

graphic sweater knitting inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (acommonthread) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:56:00 +0000

lately, there have been some pretty spectacular graphic sweaters popping up. the lovely prints, colors and textures would be perfect to add to a basic sweater pattern to perk things up a bit. i love the patterns of color, geometric designs, tribal prints, chevron zig zags and classic fisherman aran cables. here are a few of my favorites.

via: asos/o'neill; erotokritos/asos; eleven paris/asos