Category: Decorating

I’m starting to think I should rename my blog “Sew Like My Mom Intended to Make” because things just haven’t been going my way the last 6 weeks! Ella’s an amazing baby, but she’s got some horrible reflux that’s been hard on us both. Sofie and Chloe had it too, but Ella’s has been harder to get under control. We’re finally getting into a good routine and getting good sleep at night. I love getting past the zombie stage!

So life with a 3 year old, a 19 month old and 6 week old is rough. The Hubs has been working 16+ hour days for the last few months so I’ve been doing my best to just keep everyone alive! Sewing and blogging has had to take a back seat to my family and though it’s made me sad, it was necessary.

But since things are finally starting to go smoothly around here, I feel like I can get us all into a good routine and get back to regular sewing. I spent all weekend giving the house a cleaning overhaul and it’s refreshing to have everything orderly again! I also finally got around to getting my birthday gift together, which leads me to this post.

I reorganized my whole sewing area…again. I started my blog not long after Chloe was born and my sewing area had become a disaster. I did a good job keeping it clean until my orders and sewing got out of control and I jumped from one project to another. The last 6 months or so I’ve just completely outgrown it. And while I was pregnant with Ella, my sacroiliac joint was misaligned. It was causing me lots of pain, especially while sitting in my sewing chair. I was sewing at our kitchen table while sitting on a medicine ball and fabric and notions were literally spread throughout the entire first floor of the house.

So for my birthday I decided I REALLY wanted a good storage system to help make life easier. The Hubs insisted that wasn’t a gift, just something necessary, but it was the only thing I wanted. We got them at Target on my birthday, but the shelves sat in the boxes for a few weeks until I had the time to not only assemble them, but get everything put together. Turns out last Sunday was the magical day and I’m SO excited with how it all came together!

                          

Earlier this year I was using my serger and my sewing machine regularly, but my sewing table wasn’t big enough to accommodate them both. I did some research and found this GREAT table at Ikea for only $20!! It doesn’t rock or move at all and holds both machines perfectly! It’s so wonderful to have them next to each other while I’m working on a project.

And I got my fabric all back in order. I like just looking at it!

                          

I’m also so glad that I finally get to use my table! It was hidden in the corner under a ton of other stuff and I was never able to open it up. I’ve been cutting fabric on the kitchen floor for a year and a half! So this has been great for my knees and my back, and it’s awesome to be able to leave a project there at any point and not worry about little hands getting to it.

I still share the room with the girls which makes it easy to sew and parent at the same time.

I’ve already made two things since getting it all cleaned up and put together and I’ve got a list a mile long of things to get done in the next few weeks. It feels good to be getting back to “me.”

Finally, a tutorial!!

To make Chloe’s nursery canvases, I used a mixture of paint, paper, and fabric to create completely unique art for her wall.

I started with the fully painted canvases.

I found an image from one of the fabric prints that I liked, then I blew it up on my computer to the size of my canvas, and traced it on computer paper.

Then, channeling my elementary school art days, I flipped it over and filled in the back using a regular lead pencil tilted at an angle.

Then I flipped it back over, taped it to my canvas in a few places, and made little reference points on the canvas to make sure I returned it to the exact same spot each time. I started with the green pieces, so I traced them first.

Then painted.

Once it was dry, I moved on to the next color, in the order that made the most sense.

Then I washed off the reference points and it was finished!! I followed the same steps for this canvas, also from one of the fabric prints, except it was much simpler to do. I painted all the pink, then went back and added the red on top.

                          

And for the “C” I simply painted the whole canvas pink, went back and taped off 1″ spaces with 1″ painters tape and added the green stripes. Once it was dry I used the same tracing method to draw the C on top of the lines, and filled it in with brown paint.

                          

The apple and pear are painted backgrounds, with paper pieces glued on top.

I enlisted some help with the painting for these while I cut the paper.

                          

Then starting with the bottom shapes, I glued (using Mod Podge because I couldn’t find my Aleene’s) the pieces on.

                          

                          

                          

(I forgot to take a picture of the step where I added the stem and the leaf)

                          

Then to let them dry without rippling, I turned them over and placed a heavy book on the back of the canvas so it would be perfectly flat.

Then for the owl, I used only fabric (other than the painted background).

                          

I traced the shapes on regular (red) Heat n Bond and ironed them on at the same time.

                          

I covered the whole canvas with a scrap piece of fabric and ironed lightly, until all the pieces stuck.

                          

Then turn the whole thing over and iron from the back side to get a good seal on the Heat n Bond.

                          

And lastly, the birds. I used a mix of all the previous techniques to make my birds.

First I freehanded the branch with brown paint. While it dried, I cut the leaf shapes from scrapbook paper and glued them on. I cut the birds from scrap fabric on Heat n Bond and ironed them on, then painted their beaks and feet.

And that’s it!! I already had all the fabric, paper, and some of the paint, so I just bought the canvases (50% off at Michael’s) and a few bottles of paint! It cost me less than $20 and a few afternoons of crafting to create this adorable wall art!

                          

Several of you expressed interest in a tutorial for the placemats I made. This was a rushed, last-minute project for me, so this is the best I can do!

First, I used an existing placemat to determine the size I wanted to use. I cut 2 pieces of each fabric to that size, as well as 2 pieces of flannel, per placemat. Using Elmer’s spray adhesive, I glued the flannel to the wrong side of each placemat piece.

To make all my pieces, I found a fork and spoon image I liked by searching Google images. I made up the knife piece (and kicked myself when I realized I had it backwards. But being under a time constraint, I dealt with my backwards knife). I traced one of our large glasses (that we don’t normally use at dinner) and a plate that’s a size smaller than our regular dinner plates (that I used to set the table). I got out one of our regular napkins, folded it in half, and traced it.

Then I made 8 sets of everything, so I had a complete table setting for each side of my placemat. I traced it all onto the paper side of Heat n Bond LITE.

Once I got it all traced, I ironed the HnB onto the wrong side of the fabric I was using for them. Napkins went on polka dots, everything else on black. Then I cut out all my pieces.

I laid all my pieces out on the placemat until I got an approximate placement for them. I removed everything but the napkin piece, took the paper backing off, and ironed it down onto the right side of the placemat piece. I then appliqued around the edge (for tips on how I applique, visit my applique tutorial).

Then I laid out the rest of my pieces, ironed them down, and appliqued them.

Repeat on both sides for each placemat.

Once all the pieces were appliqued, I placed wrong sides together, and sewed around the perimeter of the placemat, close to the edge. I made bias tape (not on the bias) and sewed it around the edges to finish them off.

Then I wrote my piece names with a fabric marker and voila! I was done!

So, I totally didn’t expect to win the first week of SYTYC! Thank you again to everyone who voted for my seat! I didn’t take pictures as I went along, so I’ll share what I have and explain the rest the best I can. If you need more help, please let me know!

I started with my bare, empty tv stand.

My super amazing Dad helped me add the shelves. One vertical, splitting the tv stand in two, then one horizontal creating 2 shelves.

Then I sanded and painted it. I don’t have a post paint picture before I made the cushion and basket.

To make the cushion, I measured the top of the seat, subtracted 1 inch from the length and width, and cut 1 pieces of 1″ foam to that size. Using spray adhesive, I glued them together. Then to make the cover, I winged it! I cut a top and bottom piece the size of the foam, plus a 1/4″ seam allowance all the way around. I cut a 2.5″ strip the length of the entire perimeter of the cushion, then making it up as I went along, I sewed the top to the side, sandwiching my piping inbetween. Then I did the same for the bottom piece, and left an 8″ hole to stuff the cushion inside. Once the cushion was flat inside, I whipstitched the hole closed.

To make the basket, I measured the size of the hole, subtracted 2 inches from each side, and made that my top width measurements. I came in 2 inches from each side, and created trapezoid shapes. I cut 2 long sides, 2 short sides, and 1 bottom out of medium weight fusible interfacing.

Then I cut 2 of each side and 2 of the bottom from my fabric. I ironed the interfacing to the wrong side of one of each of the side pieces and the bottom piece. Then I sewed, right sides together, the short sides and top of each of the 4 basket side pieces, leaving the bottoms open.

I turned them right sides out, and sewed them to the base.

Then I took the bottom piece of the base, tucked the side flaps in, and with right sides together, sewed around the perimeter of the basket, leaving a hole to turn it. Then I stitched the hole closed.

Once fully sewn and assembled, I too pieces of ribbon twice as long as the particular side, measured down 2″ from the top of the side, and ran a strip of Aleene’s glue starting and ending 1″ from the edge. I glued each ribbon down, and once dry, I tied them together.

I know that’s a crummy tutorial, and I promise I’ll remake the basket once the competition is over!

But in the mean time, did you know this is a double seater?

But seriously, Sofie adores the window seat! She spends a lot of time up there reading stories and peering out the window at the big, wide world.

My sister posted a tutorial on some really awesome wire pumpkins. I was at Michael’s picking up a wreath (for something I’ve wanted to make for forever!) and I found this stuff. It’s like wired sticks. I knew immediately it would make pretty good looking pumpkins, too!

For instructions, please go to http://mymagicmom.com/beaded-and-wired-pumpkin-tutorial/

These were fun and easy to make, and festive enough to last me through Thanksgiving. Right now they’re on my mantle, but I’m thinking they’ll make a great centerpiece as well!