So Heather Sews

Ruffled camera strap cover

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:48:00 +0000

I made this cover for my Nikon DSLR the day before we left for Maui. It was perfect for the trip. Not only was it bright & colorful, but it's padded which made it more comfy to wear around my neck. I wish I would have made it an inch or two longer to fully cover the strap. I thought I measured it well....but I guess not. I'll be making more. I've seen patterns and tutorials where people add a little pocket for the lens cap or SD card. Great idea.

10" Tablet cover (Samsung Galaxy 10.1)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:36:00 +0000

I went in search of a tablet cover pattern, and discovered Clover's Tablet Keeper, only to find out after I purchased it, that it would be either A) too small or B) way too big for my Android based Samsung Galaxy 10.0. Of course. Every single time I buy a pattern....this happens. Sigh.

So, I started from scratch. Measuring. Cutting. Re-measuring. Re-cutting. Luckily, I wrote it all down as I went. That doesn't mean I'll be able to figure it out all over again when it comes time to make a new cover, but at least I put forth the effort.

Wish me luck trying to duplicate what I made today. :)

Scrappy sewn ribbon cards

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:07:00 +0000

After making my sewn Christmas cards, I decided to use up some ribbon scraps I've been hanging onto for years by whipping up a set of cards. I was able to make 5 this afternoon, and plan on making 3 more to complete the set.

This set is being made with my sweet little neighbor in mind. I'm making them as a pick me up gift. Not for any reason in particular. Just because. I hope she likes them!

Sewn holiday greeting cards

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Boo! It's Halloween, and guess what I'm doing? Making Christmas cards. I know. It's a little early, right? At least they will be done this year.

Many moons ago, I bought a Figgy Pudding jelly roll. Then, it sat in a box for two years. Until now! I saw an ADORABLE tutorial for ruffled greeting cards, and decided to put the jelly roll to good use. Anyway, here they are....

{the front}

{the inside with a piece of card stock covering the stitches}

{viola!}

So...I guess that means this year I have to get off my butt & mail cards since they're already made. What was I thinking?

Embellished Hand Towels: My ratty old bathroom hand towel transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:04:00 +0000

So....I've had these two bathroom hand towels for about 7 years now. They're stained and grody. The pictures don't show the stains for some reason, but trust me when I say they always look dirty in the area where hands have been dried. They've been bleached many times. It doesn't really help. I have so much fabric, I've decided to start making a few embellished items for my house. Starting with these stained, dirty towels. I don't really want to dish out money for new ones. (Why are hand towels so friggin' expensive???)

{before & after}

{1. Measure your towel width & decide how high up you want your fabric to go.

2. Add an inch to each edge before cutting.

For instance, I wanted my fabric to cover a 17"x9" area, so I cut a 19"x11" peice of fabric.}

{3. Press a 1/2" fold along the two long edges of your fabric.

4. Pin and sew the fabric to your towel along the long edges.}

{5. Fold, press, pin, and sew the short edges along the backside of the towel.}

{Viola! From ratty to fabulous in about 10 minutes.}

This project cost me $0.00. The towels were headed to Goodwill. I yanked them out of the donation bag this afternoon. I have thousands of yards (literally) of fabric in my sewing room. All it took was a few minutes of my time.

Warning: Make sure the towels AND fabric you're using have been washed & dried before starting this project. Otherwise, the fabric will shrink up and pucker once you do wash your towels. :)

Straight line quilting guide (for the walking foot)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:57:00 +0000

After reading a post about a walking foot straight line quilting guide on another blog...I had to buy one! It was $10.00 on Amazon.com. [I have a brother machine.] Anyway, it's super easy to set up. You need a walking foot for your sewing machine. I already had one, but never use it (typical of me). For this particular machine/foot, you stick the guide through a hole in the back of the foot. Easy. You set it at whatever width you want by simply sliding that bar through the hole. I lined mine up with the 1" mark on my machine so I could easily find it again if I somehow screwed it up (smart). I can totally see myself quilting my next baby quilt with this gadget. FUN!

not bad for my first try with this little sucker!

make your first line, then place the guide directly on top of it once you're ready to make the second line. so on and so on. keep doing that allllll the way across your project. i set mine to be 1" apart for my sample.

for my brother walking foot, i simply stick the guide through the hole in back.

here, you can see the guide going through the hole from the right side of the foot.

Marathon For The Cure Fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:02:00 +0000

I'm kicking into fundraising mode for the Susan G. Komen Foundation early this year! I'm one of only 2,000 people running the Girlfriends Half Marathon (Vancouver, WA) in October, and would like to raise $800 by the time race day rolls around. That means I have to make and sell a hell of a lot of these coffee cup cozies. Free shipping in the U.S. & 100% of the proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Etsy Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/embellishedbyheather?ref=seller_info

My Web Site:

www.EmbellishedByHeather.com

Breast cancer awareness cup cozies

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:32:00 +0000

OK, I worked my fanny off today making cup cozies. The breast cancer awareness cozies were my favorites. So I'm going to feature them in today's post. :)

In October of 2010, I ran the inaugural Portland Half Marathon as a charity runner for the Susan G. Komen foundation. I won't get into the reasons I ran as a charity runner at this moment in time. I'll save that for another post. Just know, I'm signed up to run the Girlfriends Half Marathon in Portland, Oregon - October 16, 2011. This event is a huuuuuge supporter of the SGK Foundation. Though I am not a charity runner this time around, I will soon be setting up shop to raise money anyway. It's for a good cause. The race totally caters to women, breast cancer awareness, and all things girly. So why not?

I started listing a few of the "pink ribbon" & "words of hope" items I created today on my web site a few minutes ago. There were already a few items listed on the site. As a matter of fact, one of the pink ribbon cozies sold yesterday (yay!). Those I listed today feature Velcro closures...which I loooove. They're just $14.00 each (free shipping). These are my favorite cozies!

To recap, so far this year, I've sold one item featuring the pink ribbon fabrics. I plan on setting all of the money made from the pink ribbon theme items I create aside, and donating it to my collection pot (as I did last year). So far, I've raised $12.00. Last year, I raised nearly $800.00! I'm hoping to top myself. Wish me luck! :)

http://embellishedbyheather.com/category_58/Velcro-Closing-.htm

Velcro coffee cozies

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:14:00 +0000

I've used this a couple of times since making it. Love. Love. LOVE it. The Velcro strap makes adjusting the cozy size for different cup brands so much easier. Do I still like the version with the elastic loop & button? Of course! They're adorable, adjustable, and so fun to make. But I'm pretty smitten with the Velcro version for now.

The gal running our cash register at Home Depot asked me about it. She even asked me to take it off my cup so she could check it out! lol She's a quilter, and looking for ways to use up some of her fabric. She agreed with me that they would make fabulous gifts! A cozy with a gift card to your local coffee shop tucked inside. Perfection.

I'll be making more, and one for my husband (in "boy colors"). With a coffee house on every corner (literally) here in Washington state, coffee cozies are much needed. I wouldn't want to burn my fingers. Once I have a few ready to sell, I'll be sure to let everyone know. :)

Amy's face wipes

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:04:00 +0000

My friend Amy was in need of a few new face wipes. We got started making and using these years and years ago as bum wipes for our cloth diapered kids. She ended up with a few extra, and started using them to wash off her makeup at night before bed (genius). After so many years of use, they're getting holes. So I whipped up a few more for her in super girly fun flannel & terry cloth.

Extra long turbie twists

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:01:00 +0000

I made my own "turbie twists" hair wraps this morning! I cut the pattern (by tracing a real turbie twist I bought) ions ago. I've had the terry cloth forever and a day. The problem with the premade twists are the length. They're not long enough to cover all of my hair. So I made sure to make mine extra long. These are SUPER easy to make. I serged the entire thing. Oh, and I made certain to add an elastic loop. Just like to real deal. I can't wait to start using them. I wish I would have made them sooner. I think I made two in about 30 minutes. :)

Kitchen curtains

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:57:00 +0000

Things are starting to come together in this house. We now have curtains in the kitchen. It's so nice to be able to close them in the evening & not feel like the neighbors are watching our every move. We need to get crackin' on the family room windows and the office. After that, I think I'm done making/hanging curtains (yay).

Guest bedroom curtains

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:54:00 +0000

Too bad my pictures keep coming out so dark. Boooo! The camera flash isn't working for some reason. [This is the camera that had an entire giant bottle of water poured on it at Disney World last March. I'm shocked it works at all, to be honest. lol]

Anyway, the guest room has curtains now. The red dresser (from Ikea) is on the opposite side of the room from the window. It all looks so cute together! The picture really doesn't do this room justice.

Little things...like coffee cup cozies

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:58:00 +0000

This week, my focus has been "little things". I'm talking size...in comparison to the quilts I had been making. Coffee cup cozies & Fitbit sleep cuffs were the two things I wanted to produce this week. With smaller items, I like to assembly line my work. It's easy to do since all of the pieces are small. After today, I think I'm done with little things for a while. I'm sick of little chunks of Velcro. Little buttons. Little snippets of elastic. I need to change gears, but here are a few of the breast cancer awareness cup cozies I made today....

Machingers (get a grip!)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:53:00 +0000

Oh, how I've longed for Machingers. I've lost count of how many times I've actually put them in my shopping cart, and then left them behind at the last second. Always thinking, "I really don't need those....". HA! Little did I know.

They help in a number of ways, but especially when you're feeding large chunks of fabric through the sewing machine at once. They help you "get a grip" on the fabric, so to speak. They also protect your skin from drying out, and also from getting poked (repeatedly) by pins. Oh, and your fabric will be less likely to have finger grease/oil stains all over it if you wear Machingers.

I worked with Velcro quite a bit today. It completely tears up my hands. It's almost like working with sandpaper. Anyway, my new Machingers helped protect my fingers. It was strange wearing them at first, but then I found my groove.

Yay for Machingers! They get a big thumbs up (pun intended) from this sewing chick. :)

Fitbit Sleep Cuffs

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:15:00 +0000

I looove my Fitbit, but very much disliked the sleep cuff it came with. So I ditched it. Created some colorful, soft, fun sleep cuffs for myself, and I want to share with others who might feel the same about the fugly black lycra one that came with their unit. I started listing them on my site this afternoon. Look for more to be listed in the near future. Each cuff is $8.00 each. Happy sleeping!

http://embellishedbyheather.com/category_57/FitBit-Sleep-Cuffs.htm

If you have no idea what a Fitbit is, you can read more about them at www.Fitbit.com. It's basically a gadget you wear around like a pedometer that tells you how many calories you've burned, how well you sleep at night, how many steps you've taken, how many miles walked/run, etc. They're the schnizzle, in my book! :)

My sewing room (so far)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:24:00 +0000

We moved into our new home about 3 months ago. I have been frantically trying to get the sewing room finished, and it is simply taking FOREVER. I'm still not finished, but it's officially ready to use full time. My goals for this week:

to have pictures in all of the frames (besides those that came in the frames!)
any picture without a frame...needs one
place fabric swatches hanging on my groovy new clothes pin wire frame thingy
all of the machine & lamp cords up off the floor!
cord holes drilled into the table top

These are four solid goals that are attainable. So...I need to hop to it. Within the next month, I need to make a pegboard tool holder that will fit above the table (long wall). Kent finished my cutting table a couple of days ago. I'm so happy to have a tall cutting table again! I can cut 'til the cows come home on that baby. :)

{looking in from the doorway}

{I'm looking for an arm chair for that far corner}

{taken from the corner where my new chair will live}

{finally, a place for interfacing, muslin, batting, etc.}

{some of my favorite things}

{a close up of the pictures that use to belong to Mom}

{hand me down cabinets from my father in law}

{lots of room to spare!}

{all of my spools of thread are tucked away, but in need of some organizing}

{these cords give me nightmares!}

{a super cool "Heartless Heathers" roller derby poster I found in the house before we moved in...I want to frame it for my sewing room! It's a promotional poster from the local Rose City Rollers}

{a view from the cutting table while the sun was out yesterday}

I'll be sure to give an update of this room from time to time. I'm so glad I can function in the room (finally). I looooove the black paint! My husband thought I had lost my mind when I told him the upper portion of the walls would be black. He looked into the room Sunday morning after it was all put together, and said how much he loves it. I need more lighting in order to work at night, but I want to take my time making a decision. It will all come together with time. I hope to start listing more items for sale on my web site, www.EmbellishedByHeather.com. It feels good to be actively sewing again!

Quilted Bliss journal & binder cover

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:35:00 +0000

Ahhhhhh....I finally had an opportunity to make another binder cover. I love them so, and have kept several (probably too many of them) for myself instead of selling them like I should. This one best fits a 2" spine width three ring binder, and has been listed for sale on my site: http://embellishedbyheather.com/item_5/Quilted-Bliss-Binder-Cover-2.htm.

It has quite a bit of detail put into it with the quilting and piecework, and it yet another one I want to keep for myself. I hope someone else loves it as much as I do! These covers make awesome gifts. Personally, I love having my important binders covered. It makes "work" stuff feel a little more.....fun. :)

$26.00 at www.EmbellishedByHeather.com

Fabric Depot in Portland, OR

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:16:00 +0000

This store overwhelmed me with all of the stuff, customers, and long lines. So I walked out, but made sure to snap a picture before doing so. Just to prove it's as big and full of people as my brain thought it was. lol I'll go back another day when I have the time and energy to battle the crowds.

Isabella's new blanket (my second attempt at quilting)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:02:00 +0000

After finishing Nolan's quilt, I decided to checkout a few free patterns online. When I saw this Zig Zag quilt tutorial, I knew I had to try making one. I love the way it turned out, and plan on making another one soon.

I wanted to make my friend Sarah something special for her new baby girl. Knowing her love for fabrics and bold color, I chose to use a "Bliss" layer cake. Oh, I so wish I could keep this little quilt for myself. I have no reason to keep it. No baby for me in the future. The colors don't really match anything in my home. There's still a strong urge to keep it all to myself, though! I love the colors, the patterns, the flow.

Just to wrap things up (blanket pun totally intended)...

I hope it gets dragged all over the world and back during its lifetime
I hope it soaks up loads of slobber
I hope the back is no longer white by the time it's all said and done
I hope Sarah ends up sewing patches on it before Isabella turns 10
I hope it's loved for many years to come

Nolan's new quilt (my first attempt at quilting)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Last month, I tried quilting for the very first time. The blanket was sent to my husband's cousin as a gift for her new baby. I made the pattern myself, and am pleased with the way it turned out. The binding was by far the most difficult part of putting this together.