Sweet Verbena

Home Tour

2013-03-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Basically my entire Christmas break was consumed making my little space a home. I saved for months to buy furniture, and am proud to say I made it work on a fairly tight budget. I did everything I could do myself including sewing pillows, rugs, and making a tv stand. The rest I either purchased out right or put on credit. One thing I didn't want to do was waste money on cheap pieces of furniture that would only last a couple of years. I made the decision to spend a little more on certain pieces that I hope will endure for years to come.

Stepping through the front door, you'll find yourself in my office/living space.

Desk and Chair- World Market

Sectional: Haverty's . Table Lamps and End Tables: Target

The room took more of a southwestern turn when I found this amazing rug on sale at Pottery Barn. It brings so much color and brightness to the room and helps to separate the living space from other areas of the room.

Rug: Pottery Barn

I played up some of the colors and patterns of the rug by sewing some of my own pillow cases.

TV Stand: DIY. Terrariums: World Market

Vase Filler: Etsy

I love love LOVE my stainless steel table. I don't have to worry about scratches or dings like I wold with a wood table top, and it's proven to be a great work space for sewing and crafting. It's part of the mix and match collection from West Elm so if I ever get sick of the steel I can always switch it out for a more traditional top.

Table: West Elm . Chairs and Bench: World Market

The bench, I found at World Market. It's close to a perfect match for the table. As lovely and as comfy as the chairs are, the bench is where I tend to sit the most.

Lou is settling in just fine here too. He spends the bulk of his time keeping guard on top of the couch and snuggling up for naps amongst the pillows.

And then there's some playing too.

Totally different feel in the bedroom. I wanted a more girly-chic look. I really debated about painting the back wall a light shade of gray. In the end I decided to keep it simple and use gray tones in the bedding and decor. I love that I can totally change the look and feel of this room by swapping out the pillows. It could me made more man-friendly by trading out the pinks and purples with neutral tones. I have hopes that I can use this same furniture for years to come.

Pillows: DIY. Bedding: Anthropologie Night Stands: West Elm. Bed: Wayfair

One of these days that big old mirror will be hung over the dresser where it belongs.

Dresser: Haverty's. Mercury Glass Vases: DIY

All of the pillow cases (with the exception of the teal velvet) were sewn by me. I ordered inserts from and spent an entire evening sewing them up. Most of the fabrics are Anna Maria Horner's from various collections.

Now you've seen it all, with the exception of the bathroom. I've still got a couple tricks up my sleeve for that room. Thanks for stopping by (;

Reversible Chevron Rug: a tutorial

2013-01-14T18:52:00.002-08:00

If there's one thing I've found while shopping to furnish my apartment, it's that a good rug is expensive. Even lower-quality, machine made rugs aren't cheap. I wanted to add a little something to my kitchen without spending more than $50 to do it. When I saw this upholstery fabric at my favorite fabric shop in Dallas, I instantly thought it would make a great rug. It was thick enough that I thought it might actually work and I love the fun pop that it adds to my kitchen floor. I'm not normally a big chevron fan, but for some reason this black/tan linen-y blend really rubbed me the right way.

I wasn't positive that this make-my-own-rug theory would work out, but I'm happy to report that it feels durable, thick, and doesn't slide around in the least bit (with a rug pad). It actually feels better than a lot of similar rugs I've seen in stores. I'm confident that you could make a rug with virtually any upholstery fabric- oh the possibilities! And you could make a reversible rug for different moods or seasons. Maybe a spring-y yellow for April, and a pretty ivory for December. You could change the whole feel of the room with a flip of your rug. This project cost me well under $50 at about $30 total, woo hoo!

I would recommend using this on hard floors, however, I'm not sure it would be best on carpet under heavy furniture.

Let's get started!

Materials:

1 yard Printed Upholstery Fabric

1 yard Duck Cloth

1 spool of Upholstery Thread

If your fabrics are already the same width, all you will have to do is cut off the selvages of each fabric. If not, cut your fabric to the same dimensions. ( I cut mine to 36" x 50")

It's not necessary, but I took the time to serge the edges of my fabric. It saved me from dealing with fraying when I turned my rug right side out. It makes it feel a little more professional too.

I used a .5" seam allowance and sewed all the way around, leaving about a 10" gap at one end.

Snip out the extra fabric at all four corners. It reduces bulk and helps your corners turn out nicely.

Using the gap you left, turn your rug right-side out. Use a hot iron to help shape your rug. You'll also need a pointed object to help turn out your corners.

Turn in the edges of the gap so that it fleshes with the rest of the rug.

Finally, close up that gap with a quick top-stitch. You can continue the stitch all the way around if you'd like.

And that's it! Easy peasy.

Make sure to slap one of these underneath to prevent sliding and you're all set.

I love that this enables you to make a rug in a non-standard size. You could make one that's the perfect size for the space you have in mind.

The pictures really don't do it justice. It's much more grand in person. Brings me a little joy everytime I'm in the kitchen (:

Hope you enjoy!

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TV Stand / Bench / Any Table : a tutorial

2012-12-31T12:17:00.000-08:00

Remember when I said I was going to try out some simple carpentry? Well this is it. And it really is about as simple as it gets. I did this project over the course of a week, all by myself. I did some research online and in book stores of proper staining/finishing techniques, and I'm not sure if I can really say I know much more than I did. Theres a lot of contradicting information out there. Some people swear by one method, and others by another. In the end, I just kind of wang it (wung it?, winged it?). One of those. I'm absolutely thrilled with the results. I was afraid it would look too homemade or maybe too rustic for my space, but I think it compliments my style quite nicely. I love that it's something entirely unique and not just something from a furniture store. Also, I wanted a TV stand that was long and it's very tough to find one over 60" that doesn't cost a fortune. The plan is to find some decor items to place on either side of the TV. I may be hitting up some thrift and antique stores soon.

Of course I had to document my process so that you might be inclined to try this out yourself. Bear with me, and know that I know nothing about woodworking and just did what worked best for me. Feel free to add any tips/suggestions for others in the comment section.

As the title of this post suggests, you could really make any table with this tutorial. This stand would make a great entryway bench. A few more, shorter boards could be used to make a coffee table, desk, or even dining table. I think once it gets warmer, I may make a small outdoor dining table for my patio.

Let's get started, shall we?

Materials

Two- 2 x 8 x 7 Boards

6+ Metal Brackets

1 Box 6 x 1 1/4" Construction Screws

Sander

Sand Paper 100 grit, 150 grit, 200 grit

Prestain Wood Conditioner (optional)

Wood Stain - Minwax Early American

Oil Based Polyurethane

Mineral Spirits

Paint Brush

Drill

Four- 22" Hairpin Legs

We started with a trip to Home Depot. My dad came with me to help make decisions on which lumber to get and to help me haul it home. Remember I said that I wanted a long stand. You may not need such long boards, but the important part is that you purchase 2" thick boards (they are techincally less than 2", but are called 2x4's 2x8's, etc.). I found one long board 2" x 8" x 14 ' board that was perfect for my project. I just had them cut it in half for me. And as you can see the price wasn't bad either.

Also purchased are my brackets and 1 1/4" constuction screws. You want the screws to be just shorter than the thickness of the boards.

Next, I made a trip to Ace Hardware and purchased the following (I ended up using a different Polyurethane, pictured below). The pre-stain may not be entirely necessary and actually I would not recommend if you're going for a darker, richer color than I achieved. But I do highly recommend Minwax Early American. It highlighted the wood grain without staining too dark everywhere else. `

The first step is to sand the boards as smooth as you possibly can. Sandpaper comes in different grits 100, 150, 200, etc. The higher the number the more fine the paper. Generally you start with a lower grit , especially to smooth out scratches, cracks, etc. and you work your way up to a higher grit for a smooth finish. I spent about an hour sanding. I want my boards to be as smooth as possible. Be sure to sand all the edges as well.

After sanding, before any conditioners or stains.

Next, I used a pre-stain wood conditioner all over the boards. Like I said above, this may not be necessary, especially if you'd like a darker, richer color. The reason I invested in the conditioner is because I hoped to avoid a blotchy look that you sometimes get staining soft woods.

I brushed the conditioner all over and wiped it off with a clean cloth.

After conditioning, before stain

Then I stained my boards with about 3 coats of Minwax Early American. You'll want to do this in the grass or somewhere where you can get a little messsy.

Just like the conditioner, you brush the stain all over and gently wipe it away. You may choose to let the stain sit for a few minutes before wiping. It worked well that I would paint one board, then the other, then wipe the first board clean.

After staining:

I spoke to an employee at my local hardware store about achieving a slightly darker look and he said that it was likely because of the pre-stain conditioner that I couldn't get it any darker. He suggested an oil-based Polyurethane to get the boards just a shade darker.

2 coats of Poly (with 30 min. drying time in between. The jar next to the poly is mineral spirits to soak the brush in between coats

I chose a satin finish, but there is still some sheen to the coat.

After 24 hours drying time, I laid my boards on a hard surface (using old rugs to protect them). Next I spaced out my brackets about a foot apart from each other. I avoided knots and cracks in the wood, as the boards are more like to split there.

Next I drilled 4 screws into each bracket

After 6 of these brackets, my boards were very solidly stuck together.

Finally comes the hairpin legs (22"). I got mine from Etsy seller HairpinLove, whom I would highly recommed. These legs are extremely solid and strong. They arrived covered in grease, so I used Goo Gone to clean them thoroughly.

I measured 1" in from each of the corners and used a sharpie to mark the lines.

Then I just aligned the leg with the marks I had made and screwed 3 screws into each.

Did I mention that my boards weren't exactly cut evenly? I could have taken it back to Home Depot to have them fix it, but I felt it didn't really matter. It kind of works with the look I'm going for.

And that's it! This is one strong piece of furniture. It feels extremely solid. I sat right in the middle and felt perfectly stable. It has to be stronger that compostite wood that most cheapy TV stands are made of, right?

And if you're wondering about the rest of the room, here's a peek. The rug was definitely a splurge, on sale at Pottery Barn. It's the Kalista Kilim 5'x8'. The side tables and lamps are from Target.

The legs were the most expensive part of this project at $24 each. Assuming you've already got the powertools, the supplies for this project are under $150. Not too bad for a handmade, unique, statement piece such as this.

So what do you think? What would you put on either side of the TV? I was thinking I might could find some oversized decor at an Antique store. Maybe some lanterns or funky candlesticks.

Not sure if I covered everything, feel free to ask any questions in the comments or via email (:

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Exposed Zipper Top: a tutorial

2012-12-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all your wonderful tips and comments on my last post. I've gotten a few furniture pieces and it's slowly coming together. I've also ordered about 5 yards of various fabrics to make some throw pillows. I'm so happy to have some time for sewing.

This project only took about half an hour and really adds something to the top. By the way, if you're needing some inexpensive tops, Old Navy is the place to go. I got 3 sweaters and this striped tee all for $15 each!

This technique is also a great way to add a slit to a top, maybe one that's too tight at the bottom. And the zipper is actually functional, so you can zip it up or down depending on your mood. Or maybe to give you a little more room after Christmas dinner (;

Materials:

These zippers are more expensive than most, but with a Joann 40% off coupon (download the app) they aren't too bad. I purchased two 7" zippers, but you could get longer ones if you'd like.

If you don't know the length of your zipper, measure it from end to end (where the teeth begin to where they end). Subtact .5" from that measurement. That's how much you'll want to cut into the shirt.

Find the side seam and..

measure the number you've just calculated and mark it with a pin.

Cut straight up just to one side of the seam (not right through it).

At the top, snip two small cuts extending outwards (about 60 degrees).

Use an iron to hem the tee about 1/4".

Arrange the zipper underneath the slit and pin it in place.

Sew carefully around the perimeter of the zipper.

Pretty easy, huh?

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Let's catch up, shall we?

2012-12-09T20:55:00.001-08:00

I hate that this has been such a recurring theme around here lately. I won't bother with the excuses, because you know how it goes. You're busy, I'm busy, we're all busy. If I'm honest, it's more than just that. Sometimes I just don't have the motivation to put time and energy into my blog. I always figured that Sweet V would grow with me and there would be times in my life that I would put more into it than others. This may be one of those lull times. The good news is that I'm 100% officially done with college classes! It was more than just a little sad to pack up and leave College Station for good, but I'm so excited for what's ahead. I finished my time in kindergarten and I start my student teaching in January. I'm happy to report that I'll be getting to know 20+ bright-eyed 4th graders in the upcoming months.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a few glimpses of what I've been up to recently. I made a pretty drastic change to my hair and cut off about 7".

Is it bad that I'm already starting to miss it? Although, a fresh cut is always nice. And it does help that it's 50 times easier to style now.

Also, now that I finally have some time off, I'm excited to get working on some of my to-do list projects. First up is a quilt for myself. I've made quilts only a few other times, always for other people. This time I'm making one all for me, with some of my favorite colors.

I'm looking forward to posting pictures of the final product.

Another exciting thing is that I've found an apartment for the Spring! I've always lived in student living housing and have had to use whatever furniture they've provided, but this time I get to furnish it myself. I've been saving up for months to try and afford decent furniture. I'm quickly finding out that it's more expensive than I'd thought. We'll just have to see how it all comes together. Here's my blank canvas:

What do you think of this wall (below) as a chalkboard wall? Is that a bad decision as a renter? Opinions and expertise welcome. And on that note, I'm open to any inexpensive furniture/decor stores suggestions as well. Send 'em my way.

I've got some DIY decor projects planned. I'm even going to try my hand at some simple carpentry. We'll just have to see how that goes... I'll keep you in the loop. (;

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Serger 101

2012-10-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

This helpful serger guide was submitted by Sarah from Sewing Parts Online. If you're ever in the market for a special sewing foot, pedal, bobbin, instruction manual, etc. be sure to check out their website. They even have parts for older machines like mine. Sarah hooked me up with some great darning feet! And now she's been kind enough to share this amazing guide with us. Enjoy!

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Learning all the new options a serger brings into your sewing life is a challenging and rewarding experience. I know most of us are intimidated by just the appearance of a serger, let alone figuring out what heck you can do with it! However, with a little time and patience, your serger will add all whole new perspective to your sewing. Successful sewing relies on a great community we all make together, so if you know any special tricks or have a few questions, leave them in the comment section below. Someone may have the same question or your trick might save us all a little more time!

Firstly, mentally prepare yourself for a little confusion. When you're learning new serging techniques, you will find yourself adjusting, rethreading, crying, readjusting, switching needles...it's a lot to take in. This is because, just like a conventional machine, your setting have to be altered to fit different stitches, fabric, and thread weight...x4 (or x3 or x2 depeding on your stitch, but we'll get to that later). It takes time, but it does get easier and is well worth it!

Secondly, give yourself time to really experiment with your serger before starting any projects. Trying to complete a project and compute all your serger settings will more than likely overwhelm brain circuits and cause spontaneous combustion. For me to understand my serger, I used my manual, library books, and surfed the internet to create a Serger Scrapbook. I tried out each stitch and different techniques one at a time. Once I had a stitch or technique done correctly, I glued the fabric swatch in my scrapbook, recorded all my settings as well as some tips and adjustments for different threads. Because there is so much to learn, having a scrapbook is an easy and fast way to recall information. While learning, I would limit myself to a couple hours of serging at any one time and just walk away when you feel the urge to break something. Give yourself time to learn in a stress-free environment and don't judge yourself if you mess up. It gets better!

A few things to remember:

Use good quality thread. Back away from the bargain bin; it will only end in tears. Sergers have fast moving parts and inferior threads cannot keep up. Maxilock and Toldilock are great options.

Do whatever you can to ensure the thread is feeding evenly and consistently off the spool. Any wiggling will cause hiccups in your stitch. I have had to stuff my thread spools to secure them tightly. The thread nets are also very helpful.

Use the Stitch Finger as a guide for sewing. Keeping an eye on the Stitch Finger (or the needle when the Stitch Finger is on R) will prevent the material from getting wrapped around the Upper Looper.

Love thy Tweezers! I literally cannot thread my machine without tweezers. Tweezers also help if you are trying to detangle thread that wraps up where it shouldn't.

Keep those pins far, far away from the cutting blade and the needles. You know how on your conventional machine you can get away with sewing over a pin or two? Not on your serger. You can always use basting spray to secure your fabric. If you must use pins, place them three inches away and parallel to the blade.

Oil every 15 hours of serging and dust frequently. That cutting blade makes one heck of a dust pile.

If a thread breaks in the upper or lower loopers, I rethread both of them in order just to be safe.

Remember to keep your manual handy. I know we all hate trying to read manuals, but they really are a helpful reference.

Here we go!

Construction

A four Thread Overlock stitch is ideal for constructing your projects. It'll finish the edges and hold your fabric securely. This is your basic starting point. You can serge in twill tape or ribbon into the seam to prevent stretch (like in shoulder seams). However, I recommend reinforcing heavy activity areas of clothing on your sewing machine after you have serged (like the crotch area of your pants). I have felt the wrath of not securing this area on a conventional sewing machine...in public.

Settings for four Thread Overlock on Muslin using Regular Serger Thread:
Left Needle- 5.5
Right Needle- 5.5
Upper Looper- 4.5
Lower Looper- 4

Length- 2

Differential- 1.0

R or S- S

Blade- Engaged

(Can you spot the spelling error? Thank goodness for spell check!)

Corners

Serging an outside corner is basically serging a straight line. You can't pivot the material as you would on a conventional sewing machine. You simply serge a 3 inch chain past the end of the fabric, lift the needle and presser foot, and reposition your fabric to serger another straight line. The ends of the chain get secured in the stitch.

Serging an inside corner requires you to bunch the fabric in to a straight line and serge normally. Don't worry, your fabric won't stay bunched. Try to get your line as straight as possible.

Curves

The trick to serging curves is all about control. Make sure you have a firm hand on the fabric and are controlling the feed with purpose. Try to slowly serge until you get the hang of it.

Circles

To successfully serge a circle, you need a starting point. Cut out a one inch long notch in the edge of the circle. The notch depth should be equal to your finished edge. So if I am cutting off 1/4 an inch, my notch will be two inches long, 1/4 inch deep. Just like serging a curve, maintain control of the fabric. You may find it helpful to draw your hem line and follow it as your serger. I always find it helpful to watch the needle(s) as I serger.

Flatlocking

Consult your maunal and adjust as needed. The trick is to have no tension in the needle and high tension in the loopers. Also, you want to examine your stitch finger and make sure the thread is hanging about 1/8 an inch past the edge of the fabric to ensure the fabric will lay flat when pulled. I especially love flatlocking with nylon thread in the upper looper.

Here are my settings for three Thread Flatlocking with Nylong thread (on muslin fabric):
Left Needle- 4
Right Needle- -
Upper Looper- 5
Lower Looper- 9

Length-2
Differential- 1.0
R or S- S
Blade- Disengaged

We see flatlocking often on active wear, but it also adds a great decorative element. With the wrong sides of the fabric together, you get the serging stitch in the right side of the fabric. But if you serge with right sides together, you will get a cool ladder stitch on the right side of the fabric. This is great for weaving in ribbon or yarn or beads.

Spread or Two-Thread Converter

Talk about a great way to save thread! A spreader, also known as a two Thread Converter, fits into the upper looper, making it think it's working when it's not. The same technique for sewing a three thread flatlock applies to sewing a two thread flatlock. Remember to let the fabric hang over. I find it most accurate to follow the stitch finger as I serger. I aim to have the edge of the fabric meet with the inside edge of the stitch finger. I keep my eyes glued to that and I get the best results.

Inserting Spreader

(Pardon my dust)

Settings for two Thread Flatlock using a Spreader (serger thread and 100% medium weight cotton fabric):

Left needle- -
Right needle- 1
Upper Looper- Spreader
Lower Looper- 5

Length- 2.5
Differential- 1.0

R or S- S
Blade- Disengaged

Rolled Edges

Rolled edges are so beautiful! Especially with decorative threads and on lovely sheer fabrics! Rolled hems are the stitch of choice for light-weight decorative fabrics, but require a few extras to be successful. Regarless of the stitch width, I recommend using some form of stabilizer on the lighter fabrics. You can use water soluble stabilizer or ribbon. I have actually heard of people using plastic wrap to secure the stitch of super delicate material. If you don't have any stabilizer available, you can simply fold the edge on itself and serger. You just need to go back and trim the extra fabric that's left over.

Settings for Rolled Hem on Muslin using regular serger thread:

Left Needle- -
Right Needle- 3
Upper Looper- 9
Lower Looper- 9

Length- F

Differential- 1.0
R or S- R

Blade- Engaged

Settings for Rolled Hem with Nylon Thread on Muslin:
Left Needle- -
Right Needle- 2
Upper Looper- 2
Lower Looper- 5

Length- 2

Differential- 1.0

R or S- R

Blade- Engaged

Remember, you will have to adjust your settings to accommodate for fabric weight and the type of stabilizer you use.

Gathering

You can buy a Gathering Foot for your serger, but it can be done with the general purpose foot, it just needs a little tweaking. I found I get the best definition using lighter fabrics, but you can increase the volume of your gathers by simply manually pulling on the needle thread after you have serged.

Settings for Gathering with Nylon Thread:

Left Needle- 5
Right Needle- -
Upper Looper- 4
Lower Looper- 3

Length- 4

Differential- 2.0

R or S- S

Blade- Engaged

You can adjust the width as you please.

Lettuce Edges

A lettuce edge is an awesome decorative edge! You will get the best results from ribbed knits because they have a great stretch and bounce back quality. I tried a lettuce edge on other knits and wasn't pleased with the results nearly as much. The trick is to stretch the material from front to back as much as you can. Really pull on the fabric to get a great lettuce effect. You aren't going to hurt your machine. Slowly sew until you get the hang of it. Keep a firm grip and control the fabric.

Settings for Lettuce Edges on Ribbed Knit using Embroidery Thread:

Left Needle- -
Right Needle- 2
Upper Looper- 2
Lower Looper- 6.5

Length- 2

Differential- 0.7
R or S- R
Blade- Disengaged

Making Waves

There are a couple of ways to make your stitches look like waves. To create a wave look within your stitches and the create a wave effect with multiple rows of stitches.

Wave Illusion within the Stitch:

If you own a Babylock machine, you have a wave stitch built in. For the rest of us, you will need to do it manually. First, start with your manual's recommended settings for a three-Thread Overlock and make slight adjustments to fit your thread and fabric weight. User your left hand to guide the fabric. With your right hand, loosely hold lower looper thread between your pointed figner and thumb. Count 1-2-3 out loud and sqeeze your finger at the intervals beween each second. So you are literally pinching the thread for a millisecond as it comes off the spool. This takes a lot of practice. I'm still working on my precision.

Settings for Manual Wave Stitch on Muslin using Nylon Thread:

Left Needle- 5.5
Right Needle- -
Upper Looper- 3.5
Lower Looper- 4

Length- 1

Differential- 1.0

R or S- S

Blade- Engaged

Wave Illusion on Fabric:

To create a wave look on your fabric, you serge multiple parallel lines using a shortened three-Thread Overlock Stitch. It looks best when you use decorative thread in the Upper Looper and thread matching your fabric in the Lower Looper. Then, on your conventional sewing machine, you sew a grid of alternating lines that intersect the serged lines. For example, you serge five parallel lines one inch apart. Then you go to your conventional sewing machine (match your thread to the fabric), sew five more parallel lines that cross over your serged line. You alternate the direction you sew to create the wave look. Basically, you are sewing a grid.

Settings used on the Serger on medium weight fabric using decorative thread in Upper looper:

Left Needle- -
Right Needle- 5.5
Upper Looper- 4
Lower Looper- 4

Length- 1

Differential- 1.0

R or S- S

Blade- Disengaged

Blind Hem

Yes, it can be done! This works great in place of a cover stitch on knits. Start with a Flatlock. Adjust your settings to match your fabric and thread. Fold hem to the wrong side of fabric, then back over to the right side of the fabric. For a truely invisible hem, extend the raw edge past the fold and stitch on the extended hem edge (1/4 inch part), allowing the machine to just barely catch the fold. Sew slowly and keep your eye on the needle to make sure it is catching the fabric. Match your needle thread with the color of your fabric.

Setting for Blind Hem on muslin using Nylon thread (increase tension in upper looper for regular thread):

Left Needle- -
Right Needle- 1
Upper Looper- 4
Lower Looper- 4

Length- 4

Differential- 1.0

R or S- S

Blade- Disengaged

I hope you found this article helpful and good luck with your serger!

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Jack-o-lantern Top: a tutorial

2012-10-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I've been student teaching two days a week in a kindergarten classroom. I never thought kindergarten would be for me, but I am LOVING it. I'm starting to remember why I picked the teaching field to begin with. My classes have a way of beating me down with all the projects, papers, quizzes, etc. that seem to be...well, useless. Being in the field has reignited that passion I felt when I first started college. My mentor teacher has been amazing at helping me to really learn about everything that goes into her teaching, all of that "behind-the-scenes" teacher stuff. It's really starting to all connect for me. You may remember this post, where I questioned my direction in career. I can't say I won't change my mind at some point in time but, I'd say for the time being I'm perfectly content on the teacher track. I mean what's more rewarding than a career where you get to help children learn each and every day?

Anyways, all of that was a round about way of saying I'll be at the school on Halloween and want a fun shirt to wear. My first thought was to find an orange t-shirt and sew black the black felt on. But then I found this cute orangey red tunic from Old Navy and decided I could make it work without permanently dedicating it to Halloween. Hobby Lobby sells this great peel and stick felt that's perfect for a project like this. It gives the same effect that sewn-on felt would, without ruining the shirt. It's really more of a one day wear though. At the end of the day you can just peel the felt right off!

Materials are easy and simple: Shirt. Peel and Stick Felt (comes in lots of colors!). Scissors. Pen.

The back of the felt is paper lined. Perfect for sketching out your design before cutting.

One sheet is enough for two jack-o-lantern faces. I didn't like my first smile, so I made another.

I'd suggest trying on your shirt to get an idea of where you'd like the placement and how do space it before sticking it on.

And there it is! This picture almost looks photoshopped doesn't it? I promise it's really there.

Of course I can't promise you the same results because of differences in fabric, but I tested it on the inside of the shirt and found that, even after hours in place, the felt comes off cleanly. I would definitely recommend performing a similar test before risking marring your shirt.

No sticky residue!

And now I'm all set for our Fall Festival! Good times in kindergarten (;

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Hexagon Stenciled Mat: a tutorial

2012-09-25T20:33:00.003-07:00

I'll start out by saying I'm not 100% thrilled with how this project turned out. I had a much different vision in my head when I browsed the doormat section at Hobby Lobby and envisioned tessellating hexagons. I ran into some issues when the contact paper didn't adhere to the doormat quite as well as I had hoped. This led to some paint seepage in the stencil. Nonetheless, I thought I'd still share this project with you. I really do think it's a fun project, just one of those that fell short of expectations. I'll just provide you with some first-hand tips so that your rug may turn out a little nicer than mine.

Next time I'll use an indoor rug with a less textured finish. I think the rough, textured nature of an outdoor mat doesn't isn't exactly ideal for this project. I would also go with a different color scheme next time. My mat turned out a little too 4th-of-July-esque for my taste. I was looking for more of an orange-red, but it was slim pickings at Hobby Lobby.

And it should be noted that you could use any shape for this project...squares, triangles, hearts, circles... I think they'd all provide a nice pattern. I found my hexagon shape here, printed it and transferred it to cardstock so that it would be easier to trace over and over.

Materials:

Doormat

Heavy Contact Paper

Spray Paint

X-acto Knife

Marker

Hexagon Stencil

Most doormats are blank on the underside. I used this as my empty canvas.

Mark the ends of the mat on a section of contact paper. Cut the contact paper so that there are several extra inches on either side of the mat.

It helps to go ahead and continue the mark across the full width of paper. That way you know where to stop the design.

Start tracing your shape, leaving at least 1/2" in between (I think I might do as much as 1" next time for better adhesion). You might also find it helpful to use a ruler to keep your shapes as straight as possible.

Move over to a cutting mat (an old magazine on a hard surface would work too) and start cutting the shapes out. I chose to leave some shapes uncut for variation in my pattern.

This part is a bit tricky. You'll need to slowly remove the paper backing and adhere the contact paper to the mat. Masking tape helped me to keep the paper on securely.

Paint carefully with the spray paint facing downward towards the rug. You may notice where my red ran over the blue in some areas. More of that imperfection I was telling you about.

Give the paint a little time to dry and remove the contact paper.

So not exactly what I had in mind...but still a pretty cool addition to my doorstep.

It compliments my recently acquired pumpkin collection quite nicely.

By the way I saw the idea for "drilling" holes in pumpkins here (via Martha Stewart). I actually used a cork screw and it worked perfectly! It really looks lovely when all lit up.

Questions? Let me know (:

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Whoops, is it already September?

2012-09-19T19:43:00.001-07:00

Womp, womp, womp...still no projects to show.

I was actually knee deep in a project that I'm really excited to share with you when this happened:

Yep that's my pedal broken in two. I was rearranging it behind the desk and somehow dropped in just the wrong way. Because I'm using such an old machine it's tough to find spare parts. I tried duct taping it back together but figured that wasn't such a good idea when I smelt smoke and saw sparks inside the pedal....I'd rather not be electrocuted. I did find a pedal on Ebay that *cross my fingers* hopefully works for my machine. I'm hoping to get that in a couple of days so I can work on some projects this weekend. It's funny how much I want to sew when I know I can't. Lately I've been getting a real itch to quilt, especially after perusing this blog. I'm usually more of an instant gratification sewer, but the idea of working long and hard on a quilt sounds really appealing. Maybe it's that the weather seems to finally be cooling down. In Texas, we get really excited for that.

But here's some of what I've been up to lately. I got my Aggie ring this past weekend! Getting your ring at Texas A&M is a really big deal. I'm a first generation Aggie so I am so proud to be the first in my family to wear the sacred gold ring. Next stop, graduation.

A close up, but not so well-focused shot of the ring:

Brandon made it in town to see me get the ring. Man they weren't kidding, this long distance relationship thing is not easy. I miss this guy so much! Of course there is a certain amount of excitement that comes with being apart for so long. We've never really had the chance to truly miss one another before.

Also, I made my first batch of Pumpkin Muffins for the season. I took everybody's suggestion and used spice cake and chocolate chips this time. WOW they're good. Y'all were right, the spice cake really brings out the pumpkin flavor in a different way.

And let's just end this post with a cute picture of my dog, you know just for good measure. (;

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Lately...

2012-08-28T21:38:00.001-07:00

Welp school started today and I'm slowly, and reluctantly, getting back into the swing of things. I always feel so overwhelmed the first day back when my professors go over all of the projects, assignments, quizzes, etc for the semester. However, I am looking forward to spending some time in the field (an elementary school in the area) working with a class two days a week. Posting may or may not be a little slow around here as I get adjusted.

I did want to pop in and share some of the things I've been up to lately. Brandon, my boyfriend, just transferred over to University of North Texas, which means we'll be doing the long distance thing for a while. He's got a whole new apartment and a whole new roommate so I wanted to help him out by making some pillows for his place.

We found this great ship print linen-y fabric at Ikea. He's kind of got a worldly traveler theme so it fit in perfectly with his room.

I used this great tutorial over at Running With Scissors. I love that the inserts can be easily removed when the covers need to be washed.

I also finally got around to making scrapbook tile magnets. This is one of those projects that has taken me FOREVER to get done. I purchased the tiles a year or two ago and then just recently ordered these super strong magnets from Amazon. Of course now I can't find the original source of the magnets. This isn't where I first saw it but I like how in this post she uses them to write a message on a metal tray.

I know I already mentioned this cutting board...but seriously I love it! I have very little working space in this tiny kitchen of mine and the board gives me so much more surface area.

It fits perfectly over the sink and can hold a lot of vegetables.

and I do mean a lot!

Anyways, I looked into conditioning treatments for it and came upon this awesome mineral oil and beeswax recipe. Of course I got it all over my hands in the process of slathering the board, and I couldn't believe how soft it made them. It really conditioned the dry, peely areas I tend to get around my nail beds.

I added a little sugar to help exfoliate. With mineral oil and beeswax selling fairly inexpensively, I think this could be a good replacement for expensive hand scrubs.

It's like a manicure in a jar!

I realize there is some controversy on whether or not mineral oil is okay for skin. The argument is usually more focused on infant use (mineral oil is what is used for baby oil). Personally, I think it's okay especially in small doses on hands, but you may want to decide for yourself after reading up. It's just a little discovery that I thought I'd pass on to you.

Here are some articles I referenced in my research:

Beauty Myth or Fact: Mineral Oil is Bad for Your Skin

Mineral Oil: The Good, The Bad, and The Fact

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Glitter Bow Tie Flats: a tutorial

2012-08-18T01:19:00.000-07:00

I saw these shoes (below) on Pinterest over a year ago. Like so many other Pinterest finds I had trouble finding the original source of the shoes. I never "pinned" them, but for some reason the idea kept coming back to me. I loved the simple idea to dress up some flats with a little bow tie. Then I saw this post from Ashely at Lil Blue Boo where she turns her daughter's plain TOMS into pink glitter shoes, and the idea came full circle. I love the glamour of the champagne gold glitter and it's just an added bonus that goes with almost everything.

With school fast approaching, I've really made an effort to purchase some more teacher-appropriate clothes (I'll be in an elementary school two days a week). I love the skinny pants + ballet flats look. I can really see pairing these flats with any of the number of skinny pants I've purchased lately.

via

Materials

Fine Glitter

Mod Podge

Paint Brush

Scrap Fabric (mine is polyester lining)

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This would be a great project to upcycle some old worn shoes, but I bought these at Ross on sale for $15.

Because my flats were made of a shiny, slick leather-like material, I was afraid my paint would peel right off. I decided to sand the shoes down with some 60 grit sandpaper to give the paint a little more grip.

Post-sanding:

Per Ashley's instructions I mixed about 3 parts glue to 1 part glitter (I skipped the water that she used in her mixture).

It's important to use a fine glitter to get the best look. I love Martha Stewart glitter for this reason.

Paint the shoes all over, and let dry. Paint one to two more coats and let dry.

While you're waiting for your shoes to dry, you can start working on the bows! Cut your material as shown, 4 of each rectangle.

Pair the rectangles and pin.

And sew with a 1/4" inseam.

For the two fatter rectangles sew as shown below. Be sure to leave a small gap to turn out the shape.

Sew the skinnier rectangles as shown:

Clip out the corners.

Turn inside out and press on a low setting.

Hand or machine sew the gap closed with a matching thread.

Line up a small and a big rectangle.

Sew in place.

Fold the tie in half (long ways) and wrap around the fabric.

Hand or machine sew the tie in place.

A strong glue like E-6000 is best for attaching the bow, but hot glue would work in a pinch.

And done!

Quite the transformation I'd say.

I love them! What do you think? So many possibilities here with different colored glitter and printed fabric. Maybe even channel Dorothy and go with a red glitter. Could be cute (:

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Moving + Lou's Growing Up

2012-08-13T13:27:00.005-07:00

I'm kind of in that awkward time again between school starting and summer ending. For me it means I've been doing a lot of not-sewing. Between back-to-school shopping, wedding planning/ parties for my sister, and working as a nanny, I just haven't found much time to sew.

This weekend I moved apartments again. When I got the keys Friday night, I found some not so welcomed guests in the couch (it's a furnished apartment). A spider and a beetle were just hanging out under the cushions, and a cricket was chilling in my bathtub. Needless to say it took a lot of work to get the apartment clean, and liveable. A couple cans of bug bomber from Home Depot killed all the bugs (I hope!), and some sweeping, mopping, and lysol-ing cleaned up the place quite nicely.

This is what I'll call home this Fall:

Isn't this cutting board great? I found it for less than $10 at Ikea.

I may have gone a little overboard in the kitchen with the over the cabinet decorations.

Most of my decor are things I've picked up at thrift stores or craft projects from the past (birds on a wire here, and paper hearts here).

This little nook is shaping up to be my sewing area. Soon I'll be back doing what I do.

While in College Station, I decided to take some new "glamour shots" of Louie. I tried to mimic the pictures from this post.

To the left Lou's about 3 months, and to the right he's 8 months. I tried to get him to sit up like in the original picture, but this poor puppy was so tired that this is the best I could get. He looking more and more fox-like with all that long hair.

You can really see the difference in size here. I miss that tiny little fluff ball from March.

I think moving day was rougher on him than me. I couldn't get him to keep his eyes open.

Oh and I've found that Louie HATES the singing cats in the Meow Mix commercial, which is odd since he used to live with a kitty. Something about the tune I guess..

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I just learned that there was a shooting in College Station today (I left yesterday) that has killed 3, including an officer. The gunman is in custody and others are injured. Please pray for the victims and their families. More information here.

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FAQ: A Novice Sewer's Guide

2012-07-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

What I love most about this blog is that I'm given the opportunity to share my passion for sewing with others, the sheer excitement of making something all on your own. I love communicating with you guys through email (even though it takes me forever to respond sometimes, I'm sorry!). I'm often surprised that I hear from so many people that have never even sewn before! I guess I just assume that since my primary focus is sewing, that most all of my readers are sewers too. It's amazing when someone tells me they're taking up sewing in part because of this blog. That's exactly the point. I try to inject my enthusiasm into each and every post, because I honestly find so much joy in creating. I know a lot of people think of sewing as a very old-fashioned hobby. When I was moving out of my place last year, one of the moving men laughed and said, "You actually sew? Why?", when he saw my machine. Umm....yep...because it's cool. He's one of those that thinks sewing is only for grandmothers. That's a perception I'd like to change.

Very much similar to this guide, this post is for you on-the-fencers who maybe like the idea of sewing but haven't turned it into a reality yet. I'm catering to those who have only thought about taking up sewing or have just begun. I also want to preface this post by saying this is only the knowledge I've come to know in the relatively short time I've spent sewing. I am an intermediate sewer at best, and certainly don't have all the answers!

Getting Started

I understand how taking up sewing can seem incredibly daunting, especially when you've never even tried it before. I've been fortunate to have a mom and two grandmothers who have had a passion for sewing and have passed their knowledge down to me. I also took a class in high school called "apparel", basically home-ec. There I learned how to use a store-bought pattern and I created my first article of clothing (pajama pants that turned out way too small!). When I became interested in sewing again I borrowed my grandma's machine for the summer. I got that chance to become acquainted with sewing before diving in and investing in supplies. I know not everyone has this luxury.

So what do you do?

Well my first thought would be to, like I did, ask a family member or friend if you can borrow their machine for a few days. You might even offer to pay them for the "rental". This way you'll have a chance to try out sewing and see if it's for you before purchasing a machine. If you don't know anyone you'd be comfortable asking, you can try searching for classes in your area. I know City Craft (in Dallas) offers sewing classes where you actually get to pick your own fabric and make your own pillow, pouch, apron, etc. Joann holds classes regularly as well. Some community colleges have beginner sewing classes that you might look into. Finally, if you can't find or don't want to take a class, try going into a shop that sells sewing machines and tell them you are a beginner. Ask them if you can "test drive" the machine. They'll likely be very accommodating.

What sewing machine should I buy?

This is a question I get fairly frequently, and one that I really don't feel equipped to answer. I've shared with you before that my own sewing machine is a Kenmore from the 60's. It was my grandmother's first machine that she passed down to me. It's beautiful and I love it, but it's not really on the same level as today's modern sewing machine. It only has two stitches: straight and zig-zag. It has no back-stitch, no button-hole function, and weighs about 50 pounds.

It was also orginally a part of a cabinet, meaning it folded down into the table when it was not in use. As you can imagine it wasn't ideal for all of the traveling I do to and from school. I needed something more portable. So we had a handyman build this specialized box for it to sit in, just right for all the the inner-workings below. Even still, it's about as light as anvil, but it does the job.

You may have noticed that recently I've been working on a newer machine. This Elna 2800 is actually my sister's. She's letting me borrow it for the summer since my machine is in storage. It's been nice to enjoy a few extra stitches and some modernized features. I've really enjoyed the stretch stitch and the easy back stitch function. However, I've noticed that this machine simply isn't built with the same quality as my other. I noticed that the presser foot is held in place by a pin-thin piece of plastic, not exactly ideal for an investment like a sewing machine. I've also had some tension issues here and there. However, it's a pretty good balance of lower price and quality.

I'm led to believe that when it comes to sewing machines, you get what you pay for. I view a sewing machine as an investment. So if I was in the market, I would go for the brands that I've come to associate with great quality. To me, that's Bernina and Husqvarna. When I one day get a new machine, I'll probably go that route. Like I said, I'm not that knowlegeable on sewing machine brands but I've found some great information at Good Housekeeping. They've rated some of the most popular, moderately priced sewing machines.

Serger or regular sewing machine?

I've talked about my Singer serger before here and here, but I thought I'd include a brief section on it. A serger is really more of a secondary sewing machine. It can't do many of the things that a regular sewing machine can do (top-stitching, hemming, quilting). A serger is basically for finishing the raw edges of your fabric. You can also use it sew two pieces of fabric together. It's entirely possible to complete a project with just a serger, like I did here, but for most projects a sewing machine is needed as well.

Sergers use 3-5 spools of thread, working together to create what's called an overlock stitch. It's how many seams of store-bought clothing are finished. If you look at the hem of your t-shirt, chances are, it's been finished with an overlock stitch. I LOVE my serger. I use it anytime I can, but it's no replacement for a standard sewing machine.

I recently figured out you can ruffle fabric with a serger! Just sew a regular stitch along the top of the fabric and then pull one of the needle threads to gather. I love that it prevents all that fraying that ruffling usually causes.

What other supplies do I need to get sewing?

This is only a very small sample of all the sewing notions out there. These are the supplies that I use almost every time I sew and that I would recommend purchasing immediately. The rest can come later as you need it.

Long, pearlized pins are my choice in everyday sewing. The long needle helps to keep multiple layers of fabric together. There are much thinner pins that you'd want to use for very delicate fabric to prevent damage to the material.

There are many different sizes and types of sewing machine needles. Needles will break and you will have to replace them from time to time, so it's important to always have some on hand.

Unfortunately this is a tool that you're going to need. You will make mistakes. You'll sew a seam where you shouldn't have or you'll sew your fabric together without right sides together. It happens to me more than I'd care to admit. It's also a great tool for repurposing items.

Often in sewing, whether you're using commercial patterns or creating your own, you'll need to take measurements of your waist, hips, bust, etc. I also use mine to measure around something, like the opening of a skirt, etc.

You're going to want a good, strong pair of fabric scissors. They should be able to get through thicker materials like leather as easy as a thinner material like cotton. Mine are Singer from Joann.

Something my mom and grandma have stressed to me since day one is to use good thread. A cheap spool of thread can shred and gum up your machine. My go-to is Gutterman. It's strong and comes in pretty much any color you'd ever need. I've got a hearty collection..

Your machine should come with some empty bobbin spools, but if it doesn't you'll need to purchase some of these. I like to wind up a full bobbin or two before starting any big project. A full bobbin goes a long way.

I guess these aren't absolutely necessary but I find myself using them often. When you're done sewing a seam, it's best to cut and tie off the strings. This helps keep the stitch from unraveling. Or you can use a back-stitch if you have one.

I bet you're thinking you don't need a rotary cutter and mat. And you're right you don't need it, you can get by hand-cutting with fabric scissors, but I highly encourage you do yourself a favor and invest in these supplies. I think the number one reason why people think they aren't "good at sewing" is because they aren't being accurate in their cutting. It's so important to cut straight lines and it will make the actual sewing part soo much easier. Having straight seams is reliant upon starting with straightly cut fabric. A cutting mat has all the perfectly gridded lines marked right on it so that you can cut a perfect rectangle, square, triangle, etc.

Not only is it great for working on a small scale, it can also help you to cut big panels of fabric.

Just fold the fabric (I've cut through as many as 5 layers without issues), lining up the top and bottom and cut however much you need.

An iron is another hugely important tool in sewing. More often than not you'll need to iron open your seams. It gives you a more professional look and helps reduce bulk in multi-step projects. You'll also want to use an iron to press a hem before sewing.

What are some easy, beginner projects I can try out?

When I first started sewing I made about a dozen elastic waist skirts and phone sleeves. It's all I knew how to make. It took me a while to get adventurous enough to try out my own projects. Luckily there are so many easy sewing tutorials out there you can follow. Here's a few from my site:

and some from other great sewing blogs:

Oven Mitt from Skip to my Lou

Simple Tote bag from MADE

Infinity scarf from Cottage Home

Chevron Clutch from See Kate Sew

And finally, coasters were about the easiest, yet still functional project I could think of. They also employ several sewing techniques. The concept of making a coaster is very similar to the concept of making a throw pillow, and even a tote bag. If you can master this, then you can adjust sizes and make all kinds of things.

So I've made a quick tutorial on how to make some fun coasters. You'll just need some scrap cotton fabric and coordinating thread (along with the other basic supplies discussed earlier).

Cut squares 4.5" x 4.5"

Pair the squares, placing right sides of the fabric together.

Pin.

Sew with a 1/4" inseam.

When you get to a corner stop with the needle down.

Lift the presser foot and pivot the coaster 90 degrees. Continue with a 1/4" inseam.

Clip out the extra material in the corners as shown. This helps to reduce bulk and creates nice, sharp corners.

Turn the coaster inside out. I usually use an object to help me with this step.

Poke out the corners.

Use your iron to shape the coaster. It won't look quite right until you've done this.

Finally top-stitch all the way around. This gives a nice finish and closes up the gap.

Where can I learn more?

Like I said before, I don't know even close to everything about sewing. I'm constantly developing my skills. Actually the way that I've completed some of my oldest tutorials is far different than how I would do them now. But that's what it's all about, practice, practice. There's no better way to learn how to do something than by learning from your mistakes.

Lucky for us, there is a wealth of information out there.

Try spending some time at a bookstore sewing section. I used to spend hours leafing through these books. My favorite and the only one that I own is The Sewing Book by Allison Smith. It's chalk-full of step-by-step pictures for pretty much every sewing technique you could hope to know.

And finally here are some links to some very helpful and knowledgeable sewing bloggers who have done series on sewing techniques:

Make it and Love it

See Kate Sew

Tilly and the Buttons

I hope you find this helpful. Please let me know if I missed something or if you're still confused about something.

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Lined Sequin Clutch With Zipper: a tutorial

2012-07-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, I've created a tutorial for the clutch that matches this skirt. I honestly love these bags. They really help to dress up an outfit. I've taken them out with me twice now, both black and gold, and have gotten so many compliments. It's even more fun to surprise people by telling them I made it. I also love that there is plenty of room for all of my essentials.

Of course, if sequins aren't your thing you can use this tutorial to make any zippered, lined pouch. I'd recommend a quilting cotton or any no-stretch fabric. You can also change up the dimensions to any size to fit your needs.

Materials:

1/4 yd + Sequin/Outer Fabric (use a no-stretch fabric if possible)

1/4 yd + Lining Fabric

One 9"+ Zipper

Let's talk about the zipper. I chose a more expensive black/gold zipper (Hobby Lobby) to up the style factor. These heavy-duty metal zippers are a little harder to work with than your average zipper. If you're not careful you could break a needle or two trying to sew through the teeth. I'll give you my tips on avoiding that a little later.

Do you need a zipper foot for this tutorial?

No. If you have one or are planning on buying one anyways then yes, but otherwise you really can get away without it. The trick is to buy a zipper that's too big. You really only need a 9" zipper for this tutorial, but if you're working without a zipper foot you'll want to go up to a 14". They just so happen to be the same price in this case.

Using a too big zipper means that the zipper tab won't get in the way of your presser foot, making it much easier to sew with. In the following tutorial I've used a too big (14") zipper without a zipper foot.

Cut two lining pieces and two outer fabric pieces to the dimensions of 11.5" x 9".

Sew with a 1/4" inseam.

Pin and sew with a 1/4 " inseam. Now you should have something like this:

Top stitching helps to keep the lining fabric from getting caught up in the zipper.

It's very important that you unzip the zipper a little over half way before going on to the next steps. Otherwise you won't have a way to turn your bag right side out.

With the zipper over halfway un-zipped, join the two sequin pieces, right sides together and the two lining pieces, right sides together. Pin in place and sew as shown. Make sure to leave a gap at the middle of the bottom edge of the lining so that you can turn the bag right side out.

This is the tough part about sewing with these heavy-duty metal zippers that I mentioned earlier. First of all, make sure that the zipper is bent toward your sequin/outer fabric when it goes through your machine.

When you get to this point where your needle is about to hit those metal teeth, stop the machine. Use the hand turn on your machine (turning towards you) to slowly make it through, past the teeth. If you get to a point where your needle will absolutely not make it through then pick up your presser foot and push the needle just past the difficult spot. Continue sewing as shown above.

Now you should have something like this:

Make sure the seams are nice and straight because they determine the shape of the bag. Snip out extra seam allowance and the corners as shown.

Snip the extra zipper off with heavy duty scissors or wire cutters.

Stick your hand through the gap in the lining bottom and pull the bag right side out. It's kind of like a magic trick (;

Poke out the corners of your outer fabric. Pin the gap in the lining closed.

Machine or hand sew.

Poke the lining down into the clutch and...

Try out other styles as well. I love this black and blue mint combo.

Tutorial for the matching sequin skirt here!

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If this all looks like a little too much for you, but you still love this clutch, come check out my Etsy shop. I've just listed 7 clutches (4 black, 3 gold). The gold are a bit more expensive because the material itself is very pricey.

Another thought I had, for those that may have a hard time finding the materials, is to sell "Make Your Own Clutch" kits. Of course these would be cheaper than the finished clutches. Please let me know if you'd be interested in purchasing something like this.

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Placemat Pillows: a tutorial

2012-07-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm moving apartments in August yet again, only to turn around and move in December. This fall is my last semester in College Station and then I'll be back in DFW for student teaching. After moving 4 times (5 in December) in 3 years, I don't even remember what it's like to stay in one place anymore. There is a positive side to moving so much though. Each apartment is like a fresh canvas, ready to be brought to life. I've accumulated more and more things at each place and have really started to develop a decorating style, at least for now. One thing I'm lacking is some good couch pillows. I love an opportunity to bring in color, so when I spotted these placemats at World Market, I thought they would be a great fit.

This honestly took me about a half hour to complete. And at only $4.99 each, (using recycled pillows) I think I made out pretty well with these two new additions to my sofa. You could totally do this project without a sewing machine, either by hand sewing or by using a product like steam-a-seam to bind the fabric together.

Materials:

Placemat(s)

Pillows to reuse or store bought fiber filling

Seam Ripper (scissors work too if you're careful)

Tutorial:

Select a side and start ripping out the seam.

Keep going until you have about a 6"gap, enough room for your hand to fit through.

Pull out the stuffing from an older pillow. If you don't have any you're willing to sacrifice, try looking at a thrift store or purchase a fiber filling at a craft store.

To avoid a lumpy look shred the fluffs by pulling them apart with both hands.

Stuff, taking care to reach all corners and sides of the placemat.

You can also use a recycled or store-bought pillow insert. This one fit perfectly for one of my pillows.

Pin the gap closed.

And carefully sew the seam shut again. Remember you can hand sew or use steam-a-seam for this step.

Until moving day they've found a place in my bedroom.

And no-one will ever know it was once a placemat. Aren't I sneaky?

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Sequin Mini Skirt: a tutorial

2012-07-12T13:04:00.001-07:00

I first spotted this gold stretch sequin fabric at Golden D'or (in Dallas) about a year ago. I would have jumped at the chance to buy it then, but it was the price tag that really held me back. At $48 a yard it's kind of investment. Since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Then when I saw beautiful skirts like this one everywhere with $75+ price tags, I figured I could make one way cheaper. Since I only had to purchase 2/3 a yard and have lots of material left over for other projects, I'd say it was well worth the cost.

If you're not sure where to purchase a fabric like this you can order online here and here. Also please note that you can use this tutorial for virtually any stretch fabric to make your own mini skirt.

Materials:

2/3 yd Stretch Sequin Fabric

2/3 yd Black Spandex or Jersey Knit (oops, not pictured)

It's very important that you use a stretch sequin for this project. The base of my sequin fabric is mesh spandex-like material

Tutorial:

First determine which the direction that your material stretches the most, and in the most flattering way. This is the direction that the width of your skirt should be.

To determine the dimensions of your skirt panels:

Width:

Measure around your hips (the fullest part of your bottom), divide that number in half and add 2. This is going to be too big, that's okay we want a little extra material to work with during construction.

i.e. if your hips are 36": 36 / 2 + 2 = 20 inches.

Length:

Take a measuring tape and measure from your waist (where the top of the skirt will fall on you) down to where you'd like the skirt hem to fall. Add 1.5" to that number (to allow for seam allowances and hemming).

Cut to the dimensions calculated.

Place your panels right sides together (sequins facing sequins). Make a mark 3-4 inches from the top of the panels (down the length)

Then make a second mark (across the width) 1-1.5" over.

Connect the marks with a smooth curved line. Repeat at the bottom of the same side, so that one one side of your skirt panels is contoured and the other is not.

Sew along that one side with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Cut out the extra fabric at the top and bottom.

I didn't get a good picture of this step, but next you'll want to sort of "try on" the skirt wrong side out. Wrap the skirt around yourself and pin where the seam of the other side should start. This will help to insure the skirt is neither too small or too big. Make sure that you can also get the skirt on and off with the pins in place (be careful no to poke yourself!).

Fold the skirt over so that the curved side meets the pins that you've just put in place. Trace the shape on the other side and cut. Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Trace the same shape on to your black lining fabric.

Cut two panels from the spandex. Sew down the length of both sides of the lining.

With the skirt inside out and the lining right side out, pin the waist of the lining and the skirt together.

Sew with a stretch stitch (or zig-zag) with a 1/4 " seam allowance.

Turn right side out and you should have something like this:

Pin and top-stitch the waist, again with a stretch stitch. This will help the lining stay put.

Pin a 1" inch hem and again sew with a stretch stitch. DO NOT use an iron on the sequin fabric. You could end up with a melted mess.

That's it! An even easier way to make a skirt would be to use a store-bought one as a guide. Go here for more tips on making your own patterns.

A tutorial for this fold-over clutch is coming soon, plus maybe more sequin related projects. I'm sort of on a sequin kick now!

P.S. I had the thought of selling some of these skirts and/or clutches. If you'd be interested please comment below or email me, so I know it's worth the investment of the materials. Thanks!

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How to Add Pockets to a Skirt, Shorts, Tunic, Etc.

2012-07-02T10:53:00.003-07:00

*Even though pockets are covered in this tutorial, I'm re-posting a separate how-to for organizational purposes.*

Pockets can really add so much functionality to your creations. I don't know about you but, I'm much more motivated to buy a dress I like in a store if it has pockets. It only makes sense to add them to what I make. Besides adding pockets to a pattern, you can use this tutorial to add pockets to store bought dresses, skirts, shorts, etc. (just be prepared to lose around an inch in seam allowances). If you're adding pockets to your own pattern or to another tutorial follow the steps below. If you're adding them to an already put-together garment, first rip the outer seams out a few inches above and all the way down (to the hem) from where the pockets will be.

Materials:

1/3 yard Cotton

Tutorial:

Fold your fabric so that you have four layers of fabric on top of one another. Lay your hand down and free hand a pocket pattern. One side of the pocket should be a straight line. The rest doesn't really matter too much, kind of a slanty oval works best. As you can see this is quite the roomy pocket (I like mine that way :).

It's really a lot like cutting valentines hearts out.

Cut so that you have four identical pocket pieces.

Pin the pockets 3 inches below the waist of the garment, right sides together.

Sew with a 1/4" inseam.

Iron the seam open.

Pin the panels of your garment right sides together with the pockets outstretched as shown.

Sew with a continuous stitch everywhere shown in the picture below. Finish the edges with a serger or a zig-zag stitch.

Turn the garment right side out and shape the pockets with an iron.

I love how it adds a pop of color to my color block dress. A printed fabric would be really fun too.

Questions? Ask away (:

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Color Block Tank Dress: a tutorial

2012-06-27T17:43:00.002-07:00

Do you ever go to the store with one project in mind, and leave with a totally different idea? That's how this project came to be. I went to Joann looking for a cute floral print. I'm usually pretty disappointed at Joann's selection and this time was no different. So I stumbled across the solids section and decided to get creative with some color blocking.

Materials:

A tank top/t-shirt in your size

3/4" Clear Elastic (about a yard give or take)

Lightweight Cotton Fabric (1 yard -give or take- of each color)

Optional 1 yard Muslin (for lining)

Thread to match your trim fabric.

Tutorial:

Begin by trying on your tank/tee. Make a mark about 3/4 an inch below your natural waist.

Cut straight across where you just made the mark. You can save the bottom portion of the tee as a guide for making more dresses.

To determine how much elastic you'll need measure the width of the bottom of the tank. Take this number, multiply by 2 and add 0.5

i.e. My tank was 13" across so... 13 x 2 + 0.5 = 26.5" of elastic

Stretch the elastic out a little bit and then lay the two ends on top of each other with about an inch of overlap. Sew so that you have a loop of elastic.

Lay your elastic loop on the right side of the tank. Pin in place. The loop should be just a tad smaller than the tank.

Sew with a stretch or zig-zag stitch, pulling the elastic lightly as you go.

You want the (two) panels of your skirt to be 12" wider than the width of your tank. Cut as shown below. Cut along the fold so that you have two panels of fabric.

The length of the dress will also depend on your body type and preference. Mine came to just right above my knee. I'll give you the measurements I used but keep in mind that I'm pretty tall at 5'9" and you may need to adjust for your size.

Lavender- 16"

Mint- 5.5"

Teal 7"

Sorry I forgot to photograph this but, for the two-toned I used 21" of my main fabric color (red/navy) and 8" of the trim (mint).

Finish the edges of the strips if you'd like. Pin and sew

If you don't care about having pockets, go ahead and skip the next few steps. But bear in mind that they're really not too much extra work, and soo worth it to have a place to put your hands, phone, etc.

Fold your remaining trim fabric so that you have four layers of fabric on top of one another. Lay your hand down and free hand a pocket pattern. One side of the pocket should be a straight line. The rest doesn't really matter too much, kind of a slanty oval works best.

Or you know, cut a heart valentine style and cut along the fold.

Right sides together, pin the pockets 3 inches down from the top of each panel. You'll want to be as exact as possible so that everything lines up properly.

Sew with a 1/4" inseam. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Iron the seams open.

Now lay the panels, with pockets outstretched, right sides together. Take care to line up the trim at the bottom and everything else accordingly.

Sew as shown.

Use the iron to shape, and hey look, you just made pockets.

Here's what you should have so far:

Depending on your fabric, you might want to line the skirt. You can get away without on darker fabrics, but lighter fabrics are usually more transparent. I lined my red dress but not my navy.

Cut two panels of muslin to the same dimensions as your panels. Sew together opposite sides with the same inseam as you did your skirt.

Sew or serge the muslin layer and the skirt together as shown. They are only joined together by that top stitch.

Set your straight stitch to the longest length setting and sew two gathering stitches (about 1/4" apart).

Pull the top threads to create a nice, uniform gather.

Now with the tank/tee right side out and the skirt wrong side out, insert the tank as shown.

Pin the bottom of the tank to the top of the skirt.

Sew (with a stretch or zig zag stitch) very carefully and slowly with a half inch inseam. Once you've gone full circle, go around once more for good measure.

Finally hem the bottom and

finish the lining. You may need to cut it about an inch shorter than the rest of the skirt so that it doesn't peak out.

I like a wrinkled look so I twisted my skirt and squeezed tight to create a little texture.

I love it without, but a belt or sash seems to really pull things together.

Wouldn't this be cute with your team colors? I made an A&M one for a friend a few months back.

...

Oh and if you're wondering what happened to the mint, teal, lavender combo..

I guess the iron was a little too hot. Do you see the print it left behind? Plus it made my seam pucker so much that I lost a good inch or two of width. I had such high hopes for it and I had worked so long and precisely.

Oh well, maybe another day!

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Ruffle Tank: a tutorial

2012-06-24T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is a re-post of a tutorial shared originally at See Kate Sew's Ruffle 2012 series.

One of my favorite things to do is to buy discount clothing and jazz it up with my own handmade touch. It makes sewing for yourself a little less daunting, more of a semi-homemade approach. I found this little top at Forever 21 for $15. It cost me maybe $2 and about an hour to personalize with a little ruffle.

Materials:

Store bought top, dress, skirt, etc.

1/3 yd (at least) of fabric

Tape Measure

Fabric Marker

Pots and Pan Lids (or other circular objects)

Tutorial:

Measure the length of your top from the center of the collar to the center of the hem.

Now it's time to pull out those geometry skills and a calculator to find the size of the circle you'll need to cut out. Take the measurement that you just found and divide it by pi (3.14 works for our purposes)

i.e. My top measured 20 inches long so I calculated...

20" / 3.14 = 6.4 inches

Now I know that the diameter of the circle I need is about 6.5 inches. Search the house for some circular objects that you can use as a tracing tool. Pots and pans lids worked really well for me.

Measure across the widest part of the circle to find a circle that has the diameter you need. This will circle will serve as the inner circle.

Now that you've found your inner circle, you'll need to find a larger lid to serve as the outer circle. The outer circle should be about 4-5 inches wider than the inner circle.

i.e. My inner circle's diameter was 6.5" so I found a lid with a diameter of 11" to serve as the outer circle.

Trace your outer circle onto your material.

And now the inner circle.

Cut carefully as shown below:

The outer edge of the circle is the edge that will be exposed in the final product of your top. You'll want to finish the edge with a serger unless you've chosen a no-fray fabric to work with.

Pull your circular fabric pieces taut so that they lay straight. Do you see the ruffles now?

Okay that was just for fun, now back to work. Pin all your circles together so that the inner edges align. I used 3 circles, 2 with my blue cotton and one with a taupe lace. You can use as many as you like!

Sew or serge the circle together along the inner edge.

Open it up and you should have something like this:

Now for the scary part. Cut straight down your top/dress from the center of the collar to the center of the hem. I used my cutting mat to help with this.

Turn your top inside out and sandwich your ruffle between the material of the top, pulling the ruffle taut as you go.

Serge or sew in place.

Cut off any extra material at the hem and collar.

Finis the edges of the ruffle with your serger.

And you're done!

Polka dots and ruffles, what could be better?

I hope you enjoy!

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FAQ: New Blogger Help

2012-06-16T16:49:00.003-07:00

Lately I've been getting this inquiry a lot: "I'm thinking of starting a blog. I've noticed you've had success as a blogger. Do you have any advice for me?" Along with this, "How did you get traffic over to your blog in the beginning?" and "How did you go about getting sponsors for your blog?"

I love getting questions like this. It's an honor for someone to come to me for advice on their dream, and it makes me feel like I'm doing something right. But I never feel like I can fully answer the question in the form of an email, so I thought why not compose a post that thoroughly answers all the above questions? I'll try to write this in a way that will be truly helpful to those of you just starting out, the kind of information I would have loved to have my hands on before I got started.

Making the Leap: Mentally

It took me months to finally get the courage and set up a blogger account. I felt this fear, like I wasn't sure if I was good enough. Silly right? But I know from some of your emails that many others feel the same self-doubt, so it seems worth addressing. I was mostly afraid to tell anyone about it. Like they'd be thinking, "Hah you think anyone's going to want to read your blog?! I guess you think you're something." You see, I've never really been one to be in the spot light or seek attention. Most people would describe me as a more shy and reserved person. So creating a blog for all to see was a big step outside my comfort zone. Even still, I feel unsure about myself at times. I'll think that I've made a bold post and sit biting my fingernails for a response, reassurance. See this post. But man it's awesome when people reach out and let me know that they feel the same way or that it's helped them in some small way. That's been the greatest reward in blogging; helping people, and I'll even go as far to say as inspiring people to try out sewing.

If that sounds great to you too, then I say go for it. Take the plunge and put yourself out there. The great thing is that no one will know your blog exists until you want them to. You can even password protect it if you'd like until you get things just right. However, if you're really just looking to make some extra cash, I'd say skip blogging and get a part time job. You'll earn far more money that way. I'll dig into that more a little later.

Making the Leap: Logistically

Okay so what's the first step? First you'll want to decide on a host. I can only attest to Blogger, but I'm sure Wordpress and Tumblr are great too. Blogger has been awesome for me. It's very user friendly, even more so now than when I first came on to the scene. I remember thinking that I would have to read up on html and "blogging for dummies" books, but no you really don't need it to do some simple blogging.

When you set up your account and hit that "create new blog" account, you'll need to have a name in mind. This is daunting, I know, another big delay in me creating my blog. Once you build a following you can't really just up and switch names, so I'd think long and hard about this. How did I come up with Sweet Verbena? Well this is a little embarrassing but I literally googled plant names, among other random things, and just kind of liked the sound of it. I wanted something original, that didn't necessarily categorize me as a crafting blogger right away. I also had in mind that it could be a name that would one day grow into something bigger like maybe a business, fingers crossed. Other names in the running were: Giddy, Chantilly, The ________ Peony.

Also it's a good idea to go ahead and purchase a domain. This means owning the website connected to your blog, for example I own sweetverbena.com. I've been hearing about domain theft lately, where people will buy the domain of your blog's name to take advantage of your misguided traffic. Better safe than sorry. I recommend GoDaddy because it works directly with blogger so that you can transfer the domain address to your blogspot, for example if you type in sweetverbena.com it takes you to sweet-verbena.blogspot.com where my content actually is.

Designing Your Blog

A lot of people choose to use a web designer when first starting out. If this is in your budget, that's great and I say go for it. I plan to one day hire some outside help to get a more professional look (if you know anyone great please let me know). However, I think it's entirely possible to do it yourself. My blog has been completely designed by me using my own photographs. I have a pretty extensive tutorial on the basics of that here:

Another good, middle of the road option would be to purchase a pre-made design here or at a similar company. The design won't be unique to you but you'll get the professional look for a pretty fair price.

Finding Your Own Style

When you go to put together your first post, you might feel at a loss. Or at least this is how I felt. There's a lot that goes into blogging that you don't really realize until you do it yourself. For example, how to go about writing your posts. Do you take a more serious tone? Do you try to keep it up-beat and crack some jokes? Do you share about your personal life? In other words, how do you find your voice? I remember having a hard time striking a balance in the beginning. Part of me wanted to add more exclamation points and smiley faces to my posts because otherwise I was afraid I coming off too serious and matter-of-fact in my tutorials. But at the same time, because I am a relatively young blogger, I wanted to be sure I was taken seriously. There are dozens of other factors as well, like the actual content of your posts, how you use pictures, the kinds of pictures you use, how you open and close posts, font/formatting, etc.

There's no obviously no one way to answer these questions. It's going to depend entirely on you and what you like. A good way to figure out what you like is to visit the blogs you love the most and list the reasons why. What of those factors do you want to include on your own blog and what would you like to avoid? For example, something I strive for is to have large, high-quality pictures (more about my attempts on that here). Also, I try to be as thorough as possible in my tutorials to accommodate those with less sewing experience. Other things that I enjoy about my favorite bloggers is the honesty in their writing or how they share about their personal lives. I try to replicate that because I figure maybe my readers will enjoy it as well.

Getting Traffic to Your Blog

Okay so now that you've spent all this time getting your blog to look and feel the way you want, you're probably going to want to get to work promoting it. The bottom line is that it's not going to come real easy. There will be a period of time where you feel like you're talking to yourself. It's important to remember that everybody feels like this in the beginning. None of the "big" bloggers started out that way. The good news is that there are a lot of ways to get people over, especially for craft bloggers.

Networking

One great way to increase traffic is to reach out to other bloggers of your same size. There are so many times that I'm encouraged to check out a blog because they left a sweet comment on one of my posts. Although, it should be a genuine comment. One of my pet peeves as an early blogger was when someone said something like "Cute! I followed you, come follow me back at ________". That starts to feel a little self-serving.

Also, reaching out to bloggers in an email can be another great way to establish mutual relationships. I was so thankful to have some awesome women reach out to me in the beginning. It made me feel like I wasn't so alone. I still have great relationships with a lot of them. Besides making friendships through emailing you can also make plans to trade guest posts with a blogger that shares similar interests and has a similar following. This alone can really help you gather new readers.

Linking Up

Linky parties give you (usually best for food and craft bloggers) a way to find each other and provide support to one another. A blogger will host the party usually once a week, every week. If you scroll down to the bottom of the list you can click the "add your link" button and follow the directions to contribute. The general idea is that you add your link, provide a linkback to the host blog on your own site, and then visit some others in the party leaving a few comments behind. I used to join 20 or more everytime I posted a new tutorial. If you look back to some of my earlier projects you'll see the linkbacks to the parties. Theres' a great comprehensive list of parties organized by day of the week here.

Features

An added bonus of linky parties is that you have the chance to be featured by the blog host. This means they share a picture of your project, recipe, etc. and provide a link back to your site. Getting a few features in the right place will really help you pick up traffic.

There are some sites that are entirely devoted to featuring other blogger's work. Sites like U-Create, One Pretty Thing, Tip Junkie, Free Needle (among others) take submissions of projects. If they feature your project you'll see a huge jump in your stats. This is where I got really lucky and saw a lot of growth on my blog.

Other Sources of Traffic

You might also choose to purchase ad space on a blog that has a similar audience. Some bloggers participate in ad swaps where you each have an "ad" on one another's blog.

Websites like Pinterest, Stumbleupon, Facebook, and Twitter are also huge in sending traffic. You can't really control this but you can make it easier for people to share your posts. Notice that at the bottom of all my posts I have a Pin it button, A Facebook Like button, and a Twitter Share button. All of these help to syndicate my blog if people choose to share my projects.

Installing a Pinterest "Pin it" Button
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Installing a Facebook Like Button
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Installing a Twitter Share Button

Getting Sponsors For Your Blog

I know this is probably a subject of interest for many, so I'll try to be as informative as possible. At risk of being tacky I'll share some numbers with you all because I think it will be the most helpful.

As I mentioned above I don't recommend going into blogging solely for the money. Yes there is money to be made, but it takes an incredible amount of effort before you can even get to the point where you can start taking on sponsors. I'd be lying if I said that when I started Sweet Verbena I didn't hope to one day make money from blogging. However, I didn't bank on it and I didn't expect it anytime in the near future or really at all. I blog because I love to and because I like to think it helps people in some teeny tiny way, not because of a paycheck.

That being said, let's talk about how to go about finding sponsors. For me about 6 months into blogging, when my blog was getting about 125,000 visits a month, I started looking into potential sponsors. I sort of lucked out when a woman emailed me about her dress shop asking me to check it out. I did and found she had some really cute merchandise, so I went out on a limb and asked her if she'd be interested in sponsoring. I was ecstatic when she said yes.

Having one sponsor gave me enough confidence to seek out more. I started emailing some other small business owners to let them know how much I loved their stuff and how I thought my readers would love their stuff as well. I also provided them with a short summary of my blog and a link to my SiteMeter account so they could check out my stats for themselves.
I recommend starting a SiteMeter account or something similar as soon as possible because it starts counting from the day your sign up. It's a great way to provide your potential sponsors with confidence in your site and has much more detailed stats than Blogger provides.

Finally, I posted on the blog that I was searching for sponsors in the following month (you'll want to leave yourself some time to get it all organized).

Determining Rates

I've never found a sure-fire way to determining determining exactly how much to charge. Most bloggers are pretty coy about their rates so I never had a feel for that information. Honestly, I just kind of took a shot in the dark when I established my own. So far they seem to work pretty well for me and I haven't felt the need to adjust rates. Again at the risk of being tacky, I'll go ahead and share that info so that you have some idea of what's reasonable. I charge...

Small Ad 300 x 90, $15 a month or $40 for three months
Medium Ad 300 x 120, $20 a month or $50 for three months
Large Ad 300 x 180, $25 a month or $60 for three months

Factors to keep in mind in pricing are statistics (namely visits a month), size of the ad, FB/Twitter/Bloglovin/GFC follower counts, post frequency, etc. I handle payment by sending a payment request via Paypal and I install the ads the same way I've shown how to create tabs and buttons in this tutorial.

Publishing Networks, Adsense & Adchoices

Bloggers that really make a living through their blog make most of their money through ad networks. I have one ad up in the top left hand corner through the Blogher Publishing network. Many other popular bloggers have quite a few more. I'm going to be a little more vague here but I will say that I make more from this single ad placement than I do from all my individual sponsors combined. Blogher requires that you apply to be apart of the network. However, they do take blogs of all types and sizes. Blogher bloggers are paid by impression of each ad, meaning people don't have to actually click the ad for you to make money.

I don't know much about Google's Adsense or Adchoices but it seems to be a pretty popular choice for many bloggers. I don't believe they require an application, so any blog of any size can participate.

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Whew! I am legitimately exhausted after writing this. Did I cover it all? If not shoot me an email and I'll attempt to answer your question.

Thanks for reading (:
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Sleeves, ta-da!

2012-06-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I'll go through the rack at a store and think, I love this but, I just wish it didn't have blank. Or this would be great if it had blank. It's one of the things I love most about sewing. The power to transform clothing into something that fits your own unique sense of style.

Owning a serger (read about mine here) has made this soo much easier. A material like this (flowy chiffon-like) would be very difficult to keep from fraying without serging. There are some options such as using pinking shears, a bias tape, or hemming the raw edge. None of these are as effective or as easy as serging. So if you're on the fence about making the purchase, I would highly recommend you do. Especially if you'd like to get into more apparel sewing.

I found this top in the Target clearance rack. I wasn't crazy about the shape. The extra fabric at the sides gathered in a way that was unflattering. But I loved the unique print, enough to where I couldn't pass it up. It only took about 10 minutes to make the modifications needed.

I more or less eyeballed the first cut. Then I used the cut-out material to trace and replicate the same on the other side.

Much better right? I wore it over a lace tank I made last summer.

Hope you have a great week (:

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Birdsong Pattern Giveaway Winner

2012-06-01T22:42:00.003-07:00

And the winner of the Birdsong Pattern giveaway is...

Congratulations Kalle! You'll be contacted with details soon.

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Summertime

2012-05-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's here and I'm loving it. This past weekend my family and I celebrated Memorial Day weekend at my Grandpa's lake house. The weather was perfect and it was so nice to spend some time on the lake. I've made a resolution (I guess a mid-year resolution) take more pictures of daily life. Here's a start.

My sister Tammy and Lou on the dock. She just got engaged, check out her gorgeous ring below. Guess who's maid of honor?!

We all took turns on the wave runner, even Louie took a ride with my dad! Don't worry, it was only for about 30 seconds around the dock before we had to get him off. He was crying, I guess water sports aren't for him.

Again, my dad in the picture below. Not bad for almost 50 right? Or is it 30 Daddy? (;

How was your Memorial Day?

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Scalloped Shorts

2012-05-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Tyler posted this clever DIY video to my facebook wall a couple of weeks back. She's one of few of my friends that enjoys crafty stuff as much as I do. So she came over and we made an afternoon of scalloping some shorts. Mine were originally bootcut jeans, purchased from Goodwill for a few bucks.

I love this fresh take on summer cut-offs. So flirty and feminine.

A little bit of fray check on the ends helps to ensure these shorts don't get eaten up in the dryer. A straight stitch following the scallop pattern would be an even better way to keep fraying minimal.

Check out the video for more details on how to get a nice, even scallop. *Note* We used an air erasable fabric marker to trace the scallop design rather than pinning it on like she does in the video. I think that makes it a little bit easier.

Have a great weekend!

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Birdsong Patterns Giveaway + Discount

2012-05-23T01:17:00.002-07:00

One of my newest sponsors is hosting a great giveaway today. Birdsong Patterns is the go-to store for fun accessories. They sell pdf patterns that you can download and print right at home to create girly bows, totes, pillows, and more.

Owner Deanna is offering one lucky reader a 5 e-book collection of her choice. That's any 5 of the many patterns in the shop.

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post with your email (so that you may be contacted if you've won). If you'd like to tell us which item is your favorite, please feel free, but it's not a requirement. Use this format to share your email if you're nervous about giving away your email on the web:

sweet(dot)verbena01(at)yahoo

Additional Entries

If you'd like to enter more than once you can...

1) visit the Birdsong Pattern Shop and "favorite" the store, and leave a separate comment here saying so

2) "Favorite" one or more items in the shop, and leave a separate comment here saying so

Discount for all SV Readers!

Plus Deanna is offering a 15% discount for Sweet Verbena readers for a limited time. Just use the coupon code :

SWEETV

Good luck!

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