Car Roll and City Mat Tutorial!

Well, I finally finished the tutorial, there are probably some typos because I was working on it at night. Plus I have pregnancy brain right now, but I think you can get the jist of it. Thanks for all the nice comments, and for those of you that entered the giveaway.  This is one project that turned out better than I had invisioned :)

To download the full tutorial click

PS- The winner of the Car roll and City Mat giveaway is...Ali! :)

Guest Post: Courtney, Sassy Skirts

Courtney is so talented.  She is pretty great at whatever she decided to do.  She pretends like she's not amazing or anything, but seriously, she picks up on things so fast.  She's great at figuring things out, and making it work.  Her hobbies are far too many to list, she's a great cook and is constantly redesigning her house.  She loves color and is one sassy momma.  To read her blaanket tutorial she did last year, click HERE

 A couple of months ago I made some dresses for my girls and they never wear them. I was sad because the fabric was so cute that I felt like they were completely wasted. Then I thought, if I made them skirts, they would wear those.  I still had leftover material and so I got to work making them some cutsie type skirts that could be worn to church or school or for just casual wear.  I followed this tutorial on how to make them. Click here.

 They always want to wear their skirts which makes me feel better about sewing for them.

After making their skirts, I still had fabric left over and so I attempted, by just eyeing it, to make myself a skirt. I didn't want mine to be straight either, so I cut at a diagonal from the top of my skirt to the bottom to create a more A-line. I also didn't want elastic around the entire top of the skirt so I only added it on the back. It ended up turning out pretty good.

My only qualm is that I think the back is too puffy. I would have liked it to lie down more smoothly like the front panel does. I think my goal for next year is to be able to do zippers. If this skirt had a zipper instead of a granny elastic band in the back, it would look so much nicer.

I just got a new sewing machine with all sorts of gadgets and so who knows what amazing sewing surprises will come out of me next year when I am featured on Sharon's blog, but until then, enjoy looking at this close up picture of my super cute skirt.

A round up: Toys for Boys

Christmas is just around the corner, and I've been gathering ideas of some things I can make for the Mister.  He might be a little young for some of these, but the great thing is, he's not getting any younger haha.  So if I miss my chance to make them this year, there's always time next year, right?  Here are just a few of my favorite patterns/ tutorials

Monster Pillow: By Ruffles and Stuff

Scottie Dog Pillow: By DCQuilts

 Old McDonald Finger Puppets: By Just another Day in Paradise

 Sock Skeleton: By Martha Stuart

Star Wars finger puppets (for $3.00): By The Idea Room

Guest Post: Sarah vs. The Serger

Today we are going to hear from one of my friends, she's just as good as a sister!  Her name is Sarah and she is a domestic goddess.  She knits, crochets, sews, cans, cooks, cares for her children, keeps a clean house and teaches others how to do the same.  She is loving and caring and so funny.   She is one of my favorite people to be around.  I love our chats, and that she likes "old lady" activities too.  We have so much in common, but are utterly different at the same time.  I learn something new from Sarah all the time, I love how she is always excited to try something new.  Even when she doesn't know how to do something, she always finds a way.  I'm sure you'll love Sarah as much as I do.  She is going to share her first experience with a Serger, a machine unfairly labeled as "scary!"

I don’t know about you, but Sharon INSPIRES me! I feel honored that she would ask me to guest post on her blog, and during sewing month, of all times. Confession: I only sew because Sharon makes it look oh so easy.

So, when one of my friends needed help finishing 20 table runners for a wedding last month I said I would help by serging them for her. I’ve only used a serger once before in my life, and the results were horrific.

BUT, that was a long time ago, AND Sharon makes it look oh so easy.

So, I went over to my grandma’s house (site of the before mentioned serger experience), and sat down with my bag of fabric and thread.

 First things first, threading! I’ve heard about sergers that thread themselves, but, this is not one of those, and my grandma warned me that her particular machine might take some time to thread. The up side though, Grandma said, was that the directions are right on the machine. And they are . . .

This truly being my first experience threading a serger, I went slow and did take a long time, but I know I got it right, and I know next time I will have no problem. The trick for me is to open all the covers. This machine has a front and side cover.

I found it much easier to see where the thread needed to go with both covers opened.

Step two: Sew! Really, it’s that easy. You thread the machine and then you sew. If you’ve used any other kind of sewing machine, this part is easy. All the same steps apply. Close those covers. Throw your threads to the back of the needle. Place your material and lower the foot. Then push the pedal to the metal and Sew! This being my first time, I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but my beginner mind was amazed at the simplicity of it all. I loved the efficient way the blade chopped the rough edge as the four threads over-locked around to make a nice smooth finish.

Here are some things I learned that may help me be better qualified for my next serging venture:

Although I had 4 spools of thread, because I was finishing one piece of fabric and not sewing two pieces together and finishing at the same time, I really didn’t need the far left spool, which sews two fabrics together like a regular machine would. Good to know!

The far right spool is the one doing most of the over-locking work and therefore, runs out of thread fastest. It’s a good thing I didn’t need the far left one for this particular project. I just moved it over to the far right position and kept on sewing.

Grandma also taught me a little trick for manual threading machines. Thread once; then every time after that you can cut your old thread close to the spool and leave it threaded in the machine. Now, you can tie your new spool ends onto the ends of your already threaded thread and sew a scrap until the old is used up and the new has been pulled all the way through.

The moral of my little sergeng story is this . . . Sharon makes it look easy because it is easy. If you’ve never serged something or you’ve been scared to try, you should do it. You’ll like it. It’s Easy!

Guest Post: Rebekah- The sun is shining in my eyes!

Rebekah is just older than I am, she cute, smart, funny, a great cook, and totally fun to hang out with.  She's the total package.  She's also baby hungry, but not for her own babies, for other peoples.  She is totally obsessed.  She's always loved babies though, so really its nothing new.  one of our other sisters (a guest poster for next week) is due to have a baby boy in October, and its all Rebekah can talk about.  So funny.  All of my sisters act like they don't really know alot about sewing, when truthfully their skills really impress me!  I mean I had to go to school to learn alot about sewing, and the just seem to know alot about sewing on their own.  Maybe its in their blood?  I dunno, but they amaze me with their projects and creativity.  Here's Rebekah with her review on a blinds tutorial she followed...

 Hey blog readers, friends of Sharon and sewing fanatics. I am pretty excited about my sewing project for this month. I went back and forth on a few things that I have been wanting to "attempt" to make. Most of the projects I had no clue and really could not find a good tutorial on how to make the item. Until one day as I was looking on Pintrest (which is Ah-mazing) I found this great tutorial on how to make Roman Blinds for your windows. I love this tutorial because of how simple it is to make, and there was not much sewing involved, at least not so much to make it an arduous task. I followed the tutorial to the "T". And my blinds turned out great. My measurements were just the same as hers were which made it that much more easier.

The hardest part of sewing for me, is making sure that my measurements are right on and that I do not make a mistake in cutting the material. I usually do, and that is a reason I do not sew as much as I really would like to. But I am learning and I do enjoy sewing very much. I love the satisfaction that comes from finishing a project and displaying it for everyone to see.

Here are some pictures of some of the steps I took in making the blinds, but really you should check out the tutorial yourself and follow her simple instructions. Click HERE for her tutorial.

Click HERE for Rebekah's tutorial on flower clips from last year

52 Finishes-Week 19:Car Roll and City Giveaway

I was trying to come up with something that Max can play with at church.  Something that is easy to carry around, and doesn't take up much space.  He loves cars and "vrrrrrrr's" them (How do boys just know what sounds to make?) all over.  There are car roll tutorials out there, and also city mat tutorials, but none that have both (that I found).  I decided to make one of my own.  So I picked out some cute fabric, I love pokadots and plaid, and got to cutting.  I love that this car roll closes up with a button and elastic, I like it more than tying a ribbon (cause kids can't do that very easily) .

There are pockets for the cars to park in

And it all rolls up nice and snug- with access to just the cars if you don't want to play with the whole city.

Although who wouldn't want to play with the whole city?!  I debated on sewing on buildings, trees and streets, but I wanted to play with my silhouette machine a little bit.  So why not combine the two resources? So the city is made out of vinyl, and I ironed it on.

So whatcha think? Wanna come over and play?

You can't, cause you live too far away?  Ah Man!  That's OK though, I'm working on a tutorial right now.  It would have been ready, but you know, I have kids to take care of :)  However I did have time to sew 2 of these, so I'm giving one of them away! (Cars NOT included)  Leave a comment on this post, and when I put the tutorial out next week sometime, I'll announce the winner!

To see my other finishes, click HERE

Guest Post: Karissa, I *heart* her

Karissa is my newest sis-in-law, but she fits in so well in my family, I feel like she's been with us forever!  She's really funny.  She isn't afraid to speak her mind, but she's so easy going at the same time.  She can be pretty sassy, which I love.  She also is supportive of other people, and their interests.  She did a sewing post for me, and according to my brother "she's not crafty, she doesn't so anything like that." But she whipped out this fun post that helps other people!
 

Well, it has been a whole year since I posted for September sewing month…and I still can’t sew. One day I’ll find the time to learn! For now, my best experience with sewing was at a relief society retreat that I went to with my sister-in-law, Melissa. It was a pretty simple project, and for a good cause. We cut out two pieces of heart shaped fabric, stitched the edges together and stuffed them. The hearts are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The idea is just to give someone who has recently been through a tragedy, something to hold on to and squeeze for comfort. They are passed out at hospitals to people who have just lost a loved one. I had a great time learning how to make these cute little hearts and was happy to help people in need. Receiving something that was hand-made can really make someone feel loved and appreciated. So, sewing can be fun and meaningful and I appreciate the people who put time and effort into projects like these. Happy sewing month!

Karissa

To read last years blog post click HERE