Where will you be this weekend?

I will be here!



Come check out the 40+ vendors that will be at the boutique, buy some homemade gifts for people on your list, and shop for yourself!

Christmas card wreath

So when I saw this tea wreath, I knew I had to make one to hang Christmas cards on. I love getting Christmas cards in the mail, but they usually just end up in a basket at my house. So I figured if I had something super easy to attach them to, maybe I could actually show them off!







I made them a little different then the tea one...I put a lot less clothespins on mine. I only used 8. I decided I wanted them spaced out so the Christmas cards weren't jumbled together. But I can always put up more then 8 Christmas cards. Also, I wanted my background paper to show more. I also used a diapers box instead of thin cardboard. I also didn't put clothespins on the top because I wanted to put some words to make it a little more festive.

I made two...one for my little sis (I am making her different decorations for different holidays for a bridal shower present) and one for me. Now the hard part...deciding which one to give away!

-Melissa

I'm linking up here:

Gift exchange!

Have you signed up for Linda's Christmas gift exchange at Craftaholics Anonymous? It is so much fun, I can't wait. I was so excited when I saw she was doing it, and I almost didn't do it. I am swamped with school (did I mention I am in Grad school??), baby, hubby with bronchitis, and crafting for an upcoming boutique, I thought "When will I have time to make yet another thing and send it off???" And then I realized...What I really need to help me chill is the anticipation of getting some wonderful surprise in the mail. So tonight is the last night to sign up. So do it now!

New church bag!

So we needed a church bag badly. The hubby and I were carrying all of our church stuff every week. But this meant we would forget things or would have to search for them every week. So, we bought one from the dollar section at Target (I heart the dollar section!) But, it ripped the first week. So it didn't make the cut. So I have been meaning to make one and when I was at Joanns a few weeks ago, the home decor fabric was 50% off. I thought this would make the perfect bag since it is heavier-maybe it won't get a giant hole in it the first week! So here is how it ended up...



And the piping...



I love it! I had to buy material that wasn't too girly or else I would have to carry the church bag ALWAYS because I already knew the hubby wouldn't! So I picked this one. And this is the first time I used piping. It was real easy and adds so much to the bag! Ok, so here is a quick, tutorial...


Materials:
-1 yard of thick material (home decor works well)
-1 yard of lining
-package of bias tape piping
-scissors, pins, sewing machine, and iron

(I used 5/8's seam allowances unless otherwise specified.)

So, first I cut out the pieces of material that would be the body of my bag. I cut out the home decor material and the lining 13"x16" (2 of each). I wanted to be able to fit a binder into my bag, so I thought this would be a good length.

Next, I cut out my straps. The hubby wanted them to be long so he could wear them on his shoulder comfortably. So I cute two straps 4.5"x35". Fold them in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Sew down the long open side, leaving open the ends. Do this to both straps and turn them right side out. Iron.

Next, put your bag pieces together, right sides together.



Take one of your straps and put it INSIDE of your material, so that the end of the pieces are sticking out.





Next, stitch around the edge. When you get to the straps, back stick and forward stitch to reinforce it and make sure the straps don't pull out. Leave open a 2 inch opening. Turn the piece right side out and iron. (When I stitched, I rounded my bottom corners because I wanted the bottom round and not square-you can do it either way!)



Next, sew around the edge of the large rectangle piece, being sure to close up the hole. Repeat these steps for the other rectangle.

Now, you will have to purse pieces with straps. Put them together, right sides together. Before you pin, take out your piping. Put the piping inside of the bag so the bias tape side is sticking out towards where your selvages will be. Then, carefully pin around the edge to ensure that the piping bias tape is evenly spaced all around. I lined the edge of the bias tape up with the edge of my fabric.


Next, sew along the edges with a 3/8's seam allowance. Go slow! My pressure foot was on top of the piping and if I went too fast, it would slip off and I would have to get the seam ripper out...

And viola! You have a piped, lined bag! I with the lining I felt like I was channeling my inner Mondo (for those that watched Project Runway) even though it wasn't purple...

I seriously hope this made sense! And I love my church bag. My favorite part is the piping!




-Melissa

Happy Halloween!

So I didn't make much for this costume but I did have to show off my little man because he is so darn cute! I made his "belt buckle" out of felt by gluing a star on the front and a loop on the back to tie it on with some rickrack. And I took a $1 bandanna and cut it to the size I wanted, sewed it together, and then sewed it onto his onesie. I attached it to the onesie because otherwise it moved around so much because he is a wiggly monkey!

I have been working on sewing a bag and making a tutorial for it but I ran out of thread on Saturday. I went to Joann's to get some and the line was literally to the back of the store, so I turned around and left. So I should have that up this week now that the Halloween frenzy has died down (hopefully)!

-Melissa