Some Pinteresting Tutorials & Ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I am not much closer to having the house unpacked than I was went I last posted… Stupid fibro. I have been having a lovely flare up. :/ Hopefully it won’t last much longer, we have company coming this weekend!! I can’t wait to see our friends and I hope that I have everything put in its place by then!!

 

Anyway….

 

I thought I would share some cool tutorials that I have Pinned onto my For the Home board. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

Here is a round up of headboard ideas and tutorials from Saved by Love Creations

I need that one myself! We are giving the girls our bed (headboard, foot board) and will need something to go in its place!! LOL

 

 

How to upholster a bench seat from – Sunlit Places

 

 

Laundry room ideas from The Cranky Queen 

 

 

 

Building a cat tree from P and E Cats

 

 

20 Weekend Projects Under $20 from Better Homes and Gardens.

 

 

 

Glider Make Over How-to from Rock Paper Scissor Graphics

I have one of those that needs some work!!

 

 

Burlap and ruffles ottoman from Burlap & Blue

 

 

 

Tablecloth to Rug from Design Share

 

 

 

Computer chair redo from Sugar Bee Crafts

I have an ugly computer chair that I have been DYING to redo.

 

 

 

DIY Wooden Monogram  from Dittle Dattle

 

 

 

Here are some cute, free kitchen printables from Over the Big Moon.

 

 

 

Free vintage printables to cover tin cans from Lily Box Designs. LOVE this!!!

 

 

Easy home decor craft and gift ideas  from Better Homes and Gardens.

 

 

Key holders from Design Sponge.

 

 

I don’t about you but I need some crafting supplies!!! LOL I want to make ALLLLL of these!!

 

 

 

 

 

Sew or No Sew Stockings

 

 

Christmas is in a few days… HELP!!!!!!  If you are looking for a last minute idea, here you go! These are super fast and super easy. I did 4 of them in an afternoon.

You can sew them or glue them or both. I did both.

What I used to make 4 -

1 1/4 yards of burlap

2 different spools of red, wire ribbon

1 partial spool of shiny, red rickrack

1 spool of gold cording

2 plastic snowflake ornaments

1 tiny bottle of Tulip Puffy Paint

hot glue gun

 

 

 

First I drew out a pattern.  You can trace an existing stocking or free hand it.

Yes, I know this looks NOTHING like the stockings I made… I’ll get to that.

 

 

Place your pattern on the burlap, making sure the burlap is folded so you cut the front and back at the same time.

Yes, still looks different. I’m getting there. LOL

 

 

 

Sew or glue the front to the back.

 

Then hack off the curly toes when you realize that burlap is just too thick to turn right side out with that narrow of a space…. LOL

Now, that being said…. If you want to leave the stockings inside out, it DOES look really cute. The curly toes don’t show up as well as expected but still very cute.

Too bad I didn’t think about that BEFORE I got frustrated and hacked them off…..

Now, turn right side out and press. Use a cool iron if you’ve used hot glue. Or leave it inside out.

 

 

 

 

Turn the top in about 1/2 inch and press. Again, using a cool iron if you’ve used hot glue.

 

 

Now, cut a small piece of the rickrack and pin in place OR hot glue in place.

Then either sew the top under and the rickrack in place or glue the top under.

This one I did with the sewing machine. The other 3 I just glued.  Either way works just as well as the other.

 

 

 

Cut your ribbons to make as big a bow as you like. Cut a smaller piece, about 3 “, to use for the middle. Wrap it around the center of your bow and glue or sew it in place.

 

 

 

Glue or sew your bow in place. Then adjust the ribbons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure out the rickrack to go around the toes, cut and glue in place.

 

 

 

Now do the same for the heel!

 

 

 

Then write the name with the puffy paint!

It takes about 4 hrs for the paint to dry so I would suggest putting it up somewhere that the cats can’t get to……

 

 

 

This is the first one I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin informed me that boys don’t like big, red bows so I went with little gold bows and snowflakes for theirs.

 

 

 

 

I hope you like the tutorial! Please let me know if you have any questions. You can leave a comment or use the Contact Me button at the top to email me!

 

 

 

 

What’s Been Going on Around Here

 

I can’t tell you how many posts I have written and then deleted. There’s so much going on right now. Not only in the larger world but in my little world, too. Now, that being said, the stuff we are dealing with here is no where near as tragic as things that other people are dealing with right now, so I will just be keeping all that to myself. No matter what is going on here, I still have so much more than so many others and I need to count my blessing, starting with the fact that all my children are alive and well, even if one of them is so far away.

So…. Let me share with you some of the things we have been doing lately. Both the Cs have been sick this week so we haven’t done much in the way of school with them.

 

 

Cailey’s Christmas tree art.

 

 

 

 

Colin’s Christmas Tree art!

 

 

 

 

Here is another pair of pj pants that I made for my cousin’s boys.

I can’t show you hers yet… OR the surprises that I put in the box.  (Hee hee hee! Sorry, Amy!)

 

 

 

 

 

This is Cloud hiding in Cailey’s desk last week! LOL

 

 

 

 

 

Here our tree for this year. Cailey and Colin decorated most of it themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

Cailey’s snowflake ornament.

 

 

 

 

Colin’s snowflake. He never did go back and finish it. LOL

 

 

 

 

Colin’s snowman ornament.

 

 

 

 

Cailey’s snowgirl ornament.

 

 

And that’s about it…. LOL

I have SOOOO many projects that I have been meaning to work on but I have been in such a funk that I just haven’t been able to get myself to do them.  I have the fox flannel outfit, burlap stockings, 4 pillows a piece for the Cs….. And the list just keeps going…. YILES!!! Time to pull myself out of the funk and get busy!!!!!! If you could, please keep me and Jacob in your prayers. This will be the first Christmas that he hasn’t been with us. It’s going to be a rough one.

 

Speaking of busy, don’t forget to check out my friend’s blog, Eileen’s Perpetually Busy! She has a great pattern for crocheted hats up!! And I know it’s great because we have 4 of her hats here.

 

Mad Scientists

So sorry for my lack of sewing posts lately. I did manage to cut the pieces for Cailey’s Tinkerbell costume! Step one – complete! LOL  I should have a tutorial up by the end of the week.

Then Deanna comes in yesterday and tells me that she would like me to make her a long black skirt to wear to the Halloween party on Sunday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! LOL AND she wants makeup like this -

 

Yep… Nothing like the last minute!

 

 

Anyway, since I have a lot of sewing to DO but nothing to SHOW, I thought I would do a post about hands on science for homeschooling! FUN!

 

Here are some fun and easy botany experiments from The Adventures of Bear.

 

 

 

Montessori inspired skeleton units put together by Living Montessori Now

 

 

 

OH! Legos!!! A great hands on unit for boys especially!! This is from The Homeschool Post.

 

 

 

This is an AWESOME idea for this time of year!!! Basically you just fill your pumpkin with soil, water it every so often and watch the seeds grow! This idea comes from Growing in PreK. Although it says Pre K, I think this would be excellent for any elementary age child!

 

 

 

I <3 the Crafty Classroom!!! This fossil craft would be an AWESOME addition to a fossil or dinosaur study! The page has more hands on idea for fossils. And you should check out all the other themes on the right side bar. AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!!

 

 

 

This is BRILLIANT!! What a great way to show the molecules in the different layers of the atmosphere! A really good visual from Science Matters.

 

 

 

E Is for Explore has a lot of great ideas to show static electricity!  And we are quickly approaching the time of year when static electricity will be zapping us on a daily basis….. LOL

 

 

 

I thought this was just brilliant. I would never have thought to use a soggy graham cracker to represent the tectonic plates! Thank you to the Homeschool Den!!!! This page has a lot of other ways to explore plate movements.

 

 

 

Another perfect for fall science experiment!!! This one was put together by Science Sparks with a guest post by Rainy Day Mum.

 

 

 

 

The Science Behind Who Gets Magical Powers would be great for high school biology. It’s not exactly hands on but it is definitely an attention grabber for those HP fans!!!

 

 

 

 

If this shows up (FINGERS CROSSED!!!) it will be a video from BBC One that shows how your ear works.

 

 

 

 

An experiment about brain fluid from Life With My Giggle Girls.

 

 

 

 

Here is an engineering idea from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational.

 

 

 

Launch a rocket from a spinning planet with this guide from NASA Space Place.

 

 

 

Water Cycle Wonders from Practical Pages. And while you’re there, check out allllll the other amazing things on this blog!

 

 

 

Another brilliant idea!!! This can be found at Momma Owls Lab.

 

 

 

 

Here is another one that isn’t actually hands on but definitely an attention grabber. It shows the skeletons of different cartoons!! How cool is that???

 

Speaking of skeletons, we had an interesting science time yesterday. LOL Cailey was petting Bonnie and asked if a cat has bones in its tail. Instead of just saying yes and moving on, I looked up cat skeletons on Google to show her. Then we dragged out our DK Eyewitness Skeleton book and looked at all the different types. That led to dragging out the starfish as an example of exoskeletons! LOL

Whenever your kids ask a question, don’t just answer it. Help them explore it. See where it leads! You never can tell….. LOL Science is a natural topic for kids. They are always wanting to know the how and the why of everything around them.

We haven’t been doing any “actual” homeschooling since we decided to move. There have just been a thousand things going on around here…. BUT they have still been getting their daily dose of science just by being interested in the things around them. Such as, “why are the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees?” “Why do squirrels collect nuts?” “Why are the buzzards circling over there?”

Sometimes you even get really lucky and can add some history in, too. “Why do we use pumpkins on Halloween”, can be both a science and a history question!

And don’t forget with Thanksgiving just around the corner that the opportunities to combine the two subjects will continue! Weather, crop growing, and the different animals of the New World just to name a few science items to go along with the history!

And I just had to pause this post to explain how the earth tilts for the different seasons and why there will most likely NOT be any snow in Georgia this winter…. LOL Geography AND science in one question! LOL

 

I need to get sewing on Cailey’s costume but all I reallllly want to do is take a nap! LOL I am trying to fight an oncoming cold….. WAH!! I do NOT need a cold right before we move!!! AND right before Halloween!! Not to mention that I am still having awful fibro flares. I think they are due to having to get up at 4 am this week to take The Hubby to work. WAH!!!!! BUT when we move he will have more decent hours! YAY!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helpful Sewing Tips, Tutorials and Free Patterns

I am posting under the influence of pain meds so I am not responsible for what I might say. I ended up at the emergency room last night. The pain was just more than I could deal with. Thankfully the doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics and pain killers! Hopefully this will all be behind me in a couple of days.

I have noticed that my blog views have gone WAAAAAAAAAY down over the past 2 weeks. I know it’s because I haven’t had a new tutorial to post. SO SORRY! I have been so busy with costumes and life in general that I haven’t had time to do any sewing for tutorials.  BUT after I finish Snoopy I will be working on Tinkerbell for Cailey. This costume will definitely be all out of my own head so I will be posting a tutorial for it, as long as it turns out… LOL

SOOOO, to tide you over until then I thought I would share some free sewing tips, tricks, tutorials and patterns that I have found. Sound good??

If you Pin any of them, please go to the original source and Pin from there.

First off, I want to share SewSet with you. It’s a great site where people can upload their patterns and tutorials to share with others. Some of them are NOT free but most of them ARE free! I have uploaded all of my tutorials there.

Another awesome free site is Freeneedle. I have sent them links to all of my tutorials and they have been wonderful to include them all on their site!!!

All Free Sewing is another site with free patterns and tutorials. I have a couple of mine on there. They send out great newsletters, too!

 

Here is a very cute, free pattern for a seahorse pillow! Isn’t that adorable??

 

Here is a tutorial on how to slip stitch.

 

 

Here is a tutorial for a 90 minute shirt from Made. SO cute!!! I am definitely going to try this one out!! It’s so hard to find cute stuff to make for boys!!!! Why is that???

 

Here is a very cute jumper tutorial from Once Upon a Sewing Machine.

 

 

How cute are those??? And if you are like me, you have a ton of fleece scraps lying around! What a perfect idea for them! They would make great presents, too!!! The tutorials are all free and are from FleeceFun.com. I am definitely thinking of making some up for Christmas presents…. LOL

 

 

Here is a great tutorial for adding a faux fly. This is from The Haby Goddess.

 

 

Ok, this isn’t sewing but it is SOOOO awesome!!! What a great idea from I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar!!! The house we will be moving too has hardwood floors in the living and dining rooms, so I can see this tutorial coming in VERY handy!!!

 

 

This is a tutorial for making your own wrap dress!! SO cute!! It comes from I Heart Jenny’s Art.

 

 

Here is an awesome tutorial for making a peplum top. They are very “in” right now. This tutorial comes from Scared Stitchless. I love that name!! LOL

 

 

Here is another cute idea for Christmas presents!!! I know some Auburn and Clemson fans that would LOVE this!!! And I could definitely see doing different shapes and things for other teams. The tutorial comes from Kevin & Amanda and she got part of the tutorial from Make It – Love It.

 

 

How cute is that?? I love the layered look for skirts! I can totally see this as wearable for something other than a costume depending on fabric choices! This come from Sew Easy Being Green.

 

 

With Christmas coming up I know that boys are going to need their Christmas outfits!! Here is an amazing tutorial for the Classic Johnny Vest from Elegance and Elephants. She is one of the lucky few that was chosen for this season’s Project Run and Play!

 

 

This is GREAT!! It shows you how to create ANY skirt pattern by using your measurements! Thank you, I Sew!!!

 

 

Isn’t that ADORABLE??? Here is a free pattern for making that cute kitty from Doll Maker. More Christmas presents?? I think so!

 

 

I LOOOVE this SOOOOO much!!! My Grandpa always wore that type of hat and I think it looks SOOOOO cute on little guys!! My cousin puts her cutie patootie in hats like that all the time! SOOOOO stinkin’ cute!!! Thank you Melly Sews!!!!! I am definitely going to be making one for Colin!!

 

 

This is GREAT!!! Tags are expensive!!! I was looking them up and comparing prices.  OUCH!!! But here is a cheap way to make your own. from Bug & Bird.

 

 

Yes, that says 92 FREEEEEEE dress patterns and tutorials!!!!! YIPPEEE!!!! Thank you, Max California!!!!

 

 

Yes, again, your eyes are NOT deceiving you! LOL 1000 FREEEEEEE tutorials!!!!!! YAY!!!!! AMAZING!! Thank you, Everything Your Mama Made, for cleaning out your bookmarks! LOL

 

 

This is wonderful! I have the WORST problem with my bobbin tension!! So, now whenever I replace the bobbin I always do this to check the tension!!! This comes from  Cool Cottons.

 

 

This site has a ton of free applique patterns. They are all so cute! I love to add appliques! Thank you, Wee Folk Art!!!

 

 

My friend over at Squiggly Twigs Designs has a TON of tutorials, not just for clothing but for sewing techniques, too!!! She has really amazing stuff! You should definitely check it allllllllll out!!!!

 

 

This site has 30 Top Sewing Secrets tip and tutorials!

 

Another cute tutorial for boys!!! Running with Scissors has this awesome tutorial for her Oxford Gent Trousers!! They would go perfect with the Johnny Vest!

 

 

This site has a big list of free sewing patterns and tutorials. They even have separate lists for the Holidays!!! The site is aptly named Sewing Freebies! LOL

 

 

This would be an awesome charity sewing project. About.com has the tutorial for making this wonderful walker attachment!

 

 

OK, that’s all for today, folks! I hope you enjoy these tips, tutorials and free patterns! You can always check out my Pinterest boards for more. Just click the Pinterest button at the top of the page!

AND you can find all of MY tutorials by clicking the Tutorials button up there at the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing Wish List

So, yesterday I shared just a smidgen of my homeschool wish list. Here is just a tad of my sewing wish list!

 

 

McCall’s M6642 

It has Halloween, Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day! I’m thinking I could maybe do it without a pattern… maybe…

 

 

Dinosaur Dig cotton knit from The Fabric Fairy. You KNOW Colin would LOOOVE that!!! LOL

 

 

Butterick’s B5045 – LOVE this! All the views look so comfy!! And if I am going to be living in Georgia, I’m gonna need cool and comfy… LOL

 

LOVE this fabric!!! It is London by Amy Walters for sale on Spoonflower!

 

This is a floral jersey print from Mood!!!  One day I would love to go to Mood. SIGH… This would be after I win the lottery, of course….

 

 

How cool is this Robert Kaufman print???? I have NO clue what I would make out of it but I love it anyway! LOL Ohhh, maybe some curtains for Joshua’s room??

 

 

 

This is from Micheal Miller on sale on Ebay.  I can just see a kitchen done in this!!! SIGH…..

 

 

Paul Frank!!! This is at Joann’s! SOOOOO cute!!

 

 

I would LOVE to make some book covers and tote bags out of those!!! They are also at Joann’s.

 

I <3 this print but it’s no longer available at Joann’s!!! WAH!!!!!!

 

 

SIGH… I love this so much! I have the adult pattern for this! This one can be found on Etsy.  It would be sooooo cute to matchy-matchy with Cailey! LOL

 

 

I am in love with this pattern from Hancock’s. It is just PERFECT for winter!! Can you see the cardinals in the trees?? AND it’s on sale right now!!! WAH!!! I need some money people…. LOL

 

 

SIGH……. SIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH………. I want this pattern in a BAD, BAD way. It is the 1930′s Kitchenette Pajamas from Decades of Style pattern company.

 

 

 

1960′s Simplicity 6903 for sale on Etsy and terribly cute!!!!!

 

This is Ghastlie’s Family Reunion by Alexander Henry for sale on Fabric Envy. It’s supposed to just be for Halloween but weirdo that I am, I would use it any ole time of the year! LOL

 

 

 

Wearing History Patterns, SIGH………… I want ALLLLLL of their patterns!!! LOL But especially this one!!

 

 

McCall’s 6159 I think this is such a cute look!!!! So great for fall and winter!!

 

I absolutely LOVE the overalls here. SO stinkin’ cute!!! And, yes, I would definitely wear them!!! LOL  I know it says Burda YOUNG, but really, young by whose standards?????

 

 

This is such a darling print!! I know exactly what pattern I would use it with!!! It’s Playing Kimono Girls in Red by Mwendas.

And this is the pattern I would use it with, I already have it in my stash.

Simplicity 3588 It would look SOOOO cute with view B!!!

 

 

Soft satin fabric from TrimFabric.com. Y’know… this would look fabulous with that pattern, too!!! LOL

 

 

To DIE for!!! This is from The Scientific Seamstress. SOOOOOO cute!!!

 

 

This is the Miss Elizabeth pattern from Squiggly Twigs Designs and it is gorgeous!! I am really loving it in the toile!!!!! Just fabulous!!

 

Anyway, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my sewing wish list! LOL I hope you enjoyed it and found some things to add to YOUR wish list!!

 

 

OHH!! Maybe I should do my book wish list next??? LOL

 

Right now I am working on the Snoopy costume for my friend! It is going VERY well and the backside looks soooo cute with the little tail poking out! LOL

After that I will be working on Cailey’s Tinkerbell costume and I plan on posting a tutorial for it. I’ll be flying by the seat of pants on that one!! YILES!!!!

 

 

 

 

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The Hocus Pocus Skirt Tutorial

 

Here is it! My Big Idea… LOL I like it… It didn’t turn out EXACTLY how I wanted it to, but I’m satisfied… There is one part that I will probably go back and change, though…. I was trying to go for a multi-layer effect so instead of sewing the lace ON TOP of the underskirt hem, I sewed it to the back… I think I am going to grab my BFF , Sally the Seam Ripper, and go back and do that part over. It would look much nicer that way, I think….

Anyway! Here we go!

What I used-

2 yards of print for the upper skirt

2 yards of solid for the under skirt

1 old lace curtain LOL

2 old lace valances LOL

1″ elastic

 

I got some new curtains for the dining/sewing room/library and I have been storing the old lace ones in the linen closest. LOL

 

Step 1 -

 

OK, let me first explain about my short legs… They are Hobbit short, people… Seriously. Actually, I have Hobbit feet, too, just minus all the yucky foot hair…. LOL  Anyway, I cut the upper skirt at 23″. LOL S

So, cut 2 pieces, each the width of the fabric.

When you cut, make a curve at the bottom, like in the picture below.

 

 

 

Step 2-

 

I cut the underskirt at 27″. Cut 2 pieces, the width of the fabric and with a curve.

 

Step 3 -

 

I cut 6 1/2 ” off both sides of the curtains. You will need to cut the lace the width of the skirt fabric. So, you will also have 2 sections of lace.

 

Step 4-

 

Next, I cut the ruffles off both valances.  I left about 3″ of the plain lace above the ruffles.

 

Step 5-

 

Sew one end of the lace strips together.  Set aside.

 

Step 6-

 

Now, right sides together, sew ONE side of the underskirt together.

I promise that I ironed that fabric.. LOL I ironed and ironed and ironed and that is just as good as it would get. LOL But, really, I think it’s fitting for a Halloween skirt. LOL

 

Step 7-

 

Now, roll up 3/4″ of the bottom of the underskirt and press. The roll up 1″, press and sew your hem.

It would look MUCH better if you have brown thread… LOL I don’t. I probably should have used black instead of white, though….

Learn from my goof ups!

 

Step 8-

 

Now, fold the 2 0r 3″ that you left above the ruffle over the lace strip, pin and sew together.

 

Step 9-

 

On this part, if I were you, I would pin the ruffle OVER the hem of the underskirt and attach it there, instead of behind…. Again, learn from my many mistakes! LOL

Set this aside.

 

Step 10-

 

Right sides together, pin and sew up ONE side of the overskirt.

 

Step 11-

 

Fold up 3/4″  of the bottom of the overskirt and press. Fold up 1″, press, pin and sew the hem.

This probably would have looked better with the black thread, too… SIGH… Live and learn. Or better yet, SEW and learn! LOL

 

Step 12-

 

Pin the right side of the underskirt to the wrong side of the upperskirt and sew them together with a finishing stitch. (zigzag, overlock)

 

Step 13-

Pin the sides of the overskirt together and sew the side seam. Do the same to the underskirt.

 

 

Step 14-

 

 

Fold over the top 1 1/2″ , press, pin and sew the elastic casing making sure to leave an opening to insert the elastic through.

 

Step 15-

 

Pin a safety pin to both ends of the elastic and insert the elastic into the casing.

 

Step 16-

 

Sew the ends of the elastic together using a zigzag stitch.

Now, sew your casing closed!

 

ALL DONE!!!!!

 

 

Here’s a close up of the bottom!

 

 

 

Please, let me know what you think about this tutorial. If you make the skirt PLEASE let me know!!!!!

 

 

I may be a little quiet the next few days. We are going to be leaving to go to Georgia so The Hubby can check out at least one job, possibly two!!!

 

Upcoming Posts

I have some great stuff coming up for y’all!! This week I’ll be posting a tutorial for my May Flowers Skirt and creating a list of my favorite homeschooling sites. I will be picking a great book from the library, “When Pigasso Met Mootisse”.

I’ll have to come up with some fun ideas for the kids to do.

I’ll be adding some more info to my About Me page so y’all can “get to know” me!

AND I’ll be adding some more of my finished projects.

Soooo, stick around! Sign up for the e-mail so you won’t miss anything!!

What I would LOOOOVE to do (if/when I get enough followers) is to have some contests and swaps. Pattern swaps, project swaps, etc.