quick and easy bow garland tutorial

 

 I just love a good bow, don't you? They are the perfect little detail to add to almost anything....a dress....headband....your car....heck even boys can wear them. I've never done bows in garland form though, so I thought what better time than now to start? I used this fantastic bow tie die from Quick Kutz. It worked great on felt too, I made a few clips with the die too!

Use the code CRAFTINESS to get 20% off your purchase on their site!



First I cut out my bow pieces-I cut some from card stock, and some from paper doilies and those were adorable!



Then cut two slits with an exacto knife where the arrows are pointing.

You can see them better in this pic! Then thread a ribbon through like so.

 
When you have all the bows you want threaded on the ribbon, space them how you'd like, then glue (I used hot glue) the two bow ends to the middle, then wrap the middle part around and glue to the back. The ribbon gets glued in the middle where it all comes together. Finish the rest of the bows and you're done!



What else could we put on a garland? hmm.....

a few more tops....

 Yep, I'm not quite done with the Great Top-Sewing Marathon of 2013. (say that in a loud announcer voice in your head...ok fine don't. But it's not as impressive a title if you don't) I really just kind of got into a sewing frenzy and started grabbing all the knits off my shelves and started cutting...not the best way to do it, probably. But it was pretty effective. 

 This first one is just your basic tee, with slight gathers on the top of the 3/4 sleeves. I got the fabric at Hobby Lobby almost 2 years ago so I'm not sure if they'd have it anymore, I haven't checked ours locally yet. Isn't it awesome? So bright and cheerful. This was Sadie's favorite! I just happened to have some ribbed knit that matched it perfectly, and just enough to make another for Miss C. So look for that one soon. :)

Oh my gosh, this girl is so sassy sometimes! We are in TROUBLE when the girls are teenagers, let me tell you.

This one is another raglan tee with a soft floral from Girl Charlee and white ribbed cotton from Joanns. I didn't bother hemming the bottom since it curled nicely, and using my serger tip keeps the ends from unraveling. 

And yes.....there's more tees in the queue. I wasn't kidding.

Southern Fabric giveaway and coupon code

***This giveaway is now closed. See the winner below!***

 Hello fellow fabric lovers! I have a fun giveaway for you today from my sponsor, Southern Fabric! They have a great selection of lovely fabrics-from tons of designers, plus a pretty great selection of precut bundles, if you're working on a quilt or just like to collect/hoard/pet fabric. (just me? It can't be...)

Anyways.

They're giving away to one of you awesome readers, an eight fat quarter bundle.  It's from the line Apple Jack by Tim and Beck.

Aren't they adorable? I love the waves and alphabet prints!

How to enter:

1. Visit their shop, take a look around, then come back and leave a comment on this post telling me some of your fav fabrics!

2. "Like" them on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you did so on this post.

Please leave your email address with one of your comments so I can contact you if you win!

The giveaway will run until Friday the 1st! Good luck!

P.S. the winner of the Southern Fabric giveaway is.....The Bunch!

glowstick valentines and more!

Valentines Day is on it's way, so I've got a plethora of Valentine ideas for you today! First off are these super quick, super easy glowstick Valentines. I saw them floating around Pinterest and thought they were three things:

1. Fun!...who doesn't love a glowstick? (present company included)
2. Easy-all you have to do is print and cut.
3. Cheap-f'reals. My local Target has these in the dollar section-15/$1=cheapest Valentines ever.
4. (Ok I thought of another) It's not Candy! Not that I have anything against candy...but I really like the challenge of finding non-candy Valentines.

Plus they're so pretty all lined up, no? Of course I'll have Sadie fill in her name later. These are for her preschool classmates...I hope they like them!

Download the free printable here!
Plus a more boy-ish one here.
(Or click on the either of the pics below!)

 The print out however many you need on white cardstock, cut them out, and get ready for the easiest Valentines ever.

You'll need:
a standard hole punch
Valentines
glowsticks (make sure to add the little connector so they can wear it as a bracelet!)

Punch holes in the top and bottom of the Valentine...


...then thread the glowstick through the holes like so. You. are. done. Told ya it was easy!

 I thought I'd round up my previous Valentines here as well! I can't wait to show you what else I have planned for this year...yep....overboard is my middle name when it comes to Valentines day!



 See my post about these "Hogs" and Kisses Valentines here! I got the pig gummies here, and they are really yummy! I don't even like gummies much.

See my post about these I "dig" you Valentines here! You can buy the shovels here!

See my post about these I "dig" you Valentines here! I don't have a source for these exact puzzles online, but these zoo animal puzzles would be a hit with the kiddos I'm sure! 

 

One more Valentines Day project, just because it's one of my faves! The blowing kisses skirt-check out the tutorial here!

a super cool serger tip

Here's an easy way to keep your serger seams from fraying or unraveling. Whether you're sewing with knit fabric and want to leave the bottom un-hemmed, or just finishing some seams on some woven cotton, this will work for both scenarios.



First, you'll need to make sure to leave a few inches of extra thread when you finish a seam. Then thread a large yarn needle with the thread chain. You'll need a big ol needle so that you can get the thread through easily.

Next thread the needle back through the stitches like so, for about an inch or two.

 Pull the thread chain through, then clip off the extra. Tada! Now they will stay put. No fraying. Yippee! (I really am that excited about this!)

More shirts coming soon!

a bit random...

Just wanted to pop in today and share a few quick pics! I finished Charlotte's quilt top! WOohoo! So here's a sneaky peek. This was a beast. Each block took about 15-20 minutes (I timed them yes-I'm-a-nerd), so the blocks themselves took me 9-11 hours of back-breaking sewing. Ok maybe that's a little dramatic. But each little square is 2.5 inches, 9" finished so darnit, those suckers were a lot of work! Future-Charlotte, you'd better appreciate the time spent on this when you're reading this post as an adult! Also, you'd better still have (and treasure) this quilt. Or else.

Also, Ava is now two months old! I know, time flies, right? She is a real sweetie pie. And a great sleeper! Somehow. It's probably not anything we did, but I'll take it.

So what are you up to right now? I'm planning and crafting it up for our third annual Valentine's exchange party, so I'm excited about that! Also, I'm making lots of Valentines and eating the extra candy. Not so good for my loose-the-baby-jiggle resolution, but oh well! I can live with that.

some new raglan tees

Sadie has been needing some new tees, so I set out to make her some the other day. These are so quick to whip up, especially with a serger! (also, look out for a post about a cool tip regarding sergers in the next week!) I use my raglan tee tutorial, and used both ribbed knit for the collar/sleeves, and regular jersery knit fabric as well. Both methods worked pretty well! Make sure to cut the jersey knit so that it stretches the way you want it to (across) when cutting the collar pieces. Also make sure to practice before cutting into your pricey Spoonflower fabric! (I did, but it was still a little scary!)

 So I bought two fat quarters (when they were on sale, buy one get one free!) of this mint horse fabric. It was love at first sight, and Sadie loved it as well. Until I made the top for her, then she said she hated the green color. It'll grow on her....or else. Isn't the mint so pretty with her hair? Grrr. Kids!

 I got it in the organic knit, which is oh so dreamy. Seriously I might just keep the shirt in my sewing room to pet every now and then. Like I said, it's pricey ($14/FQ for the knit), but if you catch a sale, it's not TOO bad. I will still probably wince every time Sadie eats in this top. Or make her take it off. Which means it's off limits for preschool days I guess since they probably frown on that sort of thing.

This next one was her second favorite, and my fav of the three! Of course the coral floral was a win for me.  I accidentally made the sleeves a tad long, but they look cute bunched up so I like it!

Both of the knits in the coral top and the striped one below were ordered from Girl Charlee. It's a great online shop for knits, really affordable and they have a great selection! Lots of cute prints to choose from. They're not my sponsor or anything (though I'd love to have them hint hint!), just a shop that I order from. A LOT.

And here's Sadie's favorite! Bright pink stripes with a big gold heart. What more could a 4.5 year old want?

I used some more of the gold fabric I got for my Mockingjay shirt for the hear....I have a lot more of it, so you may be seeing more goldification of the girls clothes in the near future! In any case...more shirts to be posted soon since I'm on kind of a roll. Love when that happens.

new church bags

I decided the other week to make new church bags for the girls. New year, new bags, right? Just go along with it...I really just wanted an excuse to use this gorgeous Echino fabric! A fat quarter was just enough to make these kid sized totes. (not including the lining of course) I also got a huge kick out of using such brightly colored fabrics....I don't know why really....it's unexplainable. They just made me so happy! Fabric can do that to a girl.

FYI, the bottom bag is made with this fabric on the outside, and this fabric on the inside. The top bag is made with this fabric on the outside, and this fabric on the inside (in turquoise).

I used my own tote bag tutorial (one of my firsts, so sorry about the pictures and over the top cheesiness), and scaled it down so it would fit a few coloring books, etc. 

I had just enough left over from the large floral to make a quick pouch for the girls markers. (those fancy ones that only color on certain paper. Bless whoever invented those!)

The other bag got a pouch for crayons, made from this fabric.

 Now that a tiny bit of my life has been made cuter and more organized...I'm onto the next project!

Easy crochet bow tutorial/pattern

 
First things first...I am no crocheting expert. Far from it! I'm definitely a beginner, so if I can make these little bows, so can you. Basically, get ready for a meellion pictures about how to make these. Cause, dang, aren't they cute? Glue a clip on them and attach it to the nearest kiddo and tada! Instant adorableness and cute-osity. They would make rad bow ties, too, for those of you who have boys.

Anywho, you can tell I had fun taking pictures of my line up of bows...this is only a fraction of the pile I've made so far! Once you get going, they don't take much time to make and not much yarn either, so they're a great inexpensive homemade gift.

 Alright, here goes! For those experienced at crochet patterns, see the pattern below (hope I did it right), and try not to laugh at me. For those of you who need the pictures (that would've been me!)....keep reading for in depth pictures and some basic techniques!

See below for the full tutorial!

a hat and an ornament (christmas gifts)

You saw the other part of my handmade gift for my sister and her hubby this year already...but hello. I had to make them more than one! I don't run a crafty blog for nuthin'.....I LIVE for this stuff. The hat was actually kind of an accidental gift. My father in law had requested one after he saw this book (that I have a project in!) around the house. So I made him this one but it was the wrong size...went one size up and that worked out! 

So I had this hat sitting around and I sent a pic to my sis and she was like "give it to me." and I was like "ok". We have scintillating conversations, you see.

Yes, I told her this cheesy pic was going on the blog. Yes, she didn't care. Love you Jobo!

 

It of course, was a little macho, so I made a quick ric rac flower using my tutorial, glued a pin to the back and called it girly. Sadie picked out the button, which was a stroke of genius on her part. She was very proud of herself when I liked it so much! :D

I almost wanted to keep it. (I didn't)

For her 49ers loving hubby, I decided to make a little felt ornament for their tree next year. Basically I printed off the logo at the size I wanted, then traced all the separate parts to freezer paper (backwards!), ironed them to my wool felt, cut them out, and layered them all together. Stitched the large ovals, but glued the letters with hot glue. It ended up pretty cool looking I think!

Sadly that was all the ornament crafting I did last year. I had high hopes, but not enough time. Maybe this year I'll get going in like, September.