Mason Jar Pin Cushion Tutorial

 I've been wanting to complete this simple project for some time now.  

First, I love anything that has to with mason jars.

Second, I love the storage this pin cushion contains so all the pins don't have to be in the top.

And thirdly, this one is MUCH sturdier that my 1.5 inch round one I used previously.

All you need for this project is a handful of polyfil, a round scrap of fabric (I cut mine about 1.5" wider than the top of the mason jar), and a glue gun.

1.  Gather your supplies.

2.  Cut slits in the fabric about every inch all the way around.

3.  Put the polyfil on top of the mason jar lid insert.  Cover with fabric and begin gluing to bottom of insert.

4.  Continue gluing until all pieces are secure.

5.  Squirt small amount of glue all the way around lid.  Place lid insert into ring.

6.  Screw top on mason jar.

And that's it!  

This is a VERY quick and easy project that anyone can do!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Rox

Elegant Flower Clip: A Tutorial

Love is in the air.

I know a few lovely ladies getting married soon...

And one of the brides-to-be asked me to make her something for her hair.

Although I had a picture of some she liked, I had to come up with my own assembly process!  And now I'd love to share it with YOU!

1. You'll need:

chiffon

tulle

beads

felt

alligator clip

scissors

needle

thread

Candle and matches/lighter

hot glue

2.  Cut about 7 circles of chiffon about 2 1/2 in. diameter and about 5 circles of tulle the same size.  TOTALLY, roughly cut.. mine were more like octagons!

3.  Using a small flame, carefully melt the edges of each piece of chiffon and tulle.

4.  DON'T put the fabric IN the flame... just close enough for the edges to barely melt and curl up.

5.  Roughly stack the finished circles on top of each other.  The more random you stack them, the more they'll resemble real flowers!

6.  Tack all pieces together with your needle and thread.

7.  Use as many or as few beads as you'd like for the middle of the flower.  I wanted mine to have the clustered look.

8.  Cut a circle of felt (in a coordinating color) for the back of the flower.  Cut a slit just large enough to fit the back prong of the clip through.

9.  Hot glue the back of the felt (and clip) to the bottom of the flower.

Done!

Dress up your hair-do with some flower clips or give some to your favorite bride-to-be for her big day!

Thanks for reading!

-Jess

Jeans to Shorts Tutorial

Anyone find a great pair of jeans at a steal of a price in the store, only to get them home and suddenly you don't like how they fit anymore?

And you keep them past the return date because you are trying to convince yourself that you like them?

And you keep washing and drying them hoping somehow the magical dryer will spit out a perfect fitting pair of jeans?

And, even if you liked them before, they are now too short because of you washed and dried them so many times?

Just me?

Ok.

I guess I was being a little too specific to include anyone else in that story.

Ha!

But you can probably relate in some way or another. 

Well, I decided I needed to get some use out of them before being donated.  So, I decided to refashion them into shorts!

{ By the way, this is a VERY SIMPLE refashion that anyone can do, I promise!  So, if you are a beginner sewer, don't be scared to try this one! }

1.  First, I found a pair of shorts I already owned that I liked the length of to serve as a template.  I placed my shorts on top of my jeans so I could also use the slight slant of the bottom of each leg as a guide.  I cut 4-5 inches below the shorts on each leg of the jeans. (If you don't own a good pair of fabric scissors, now would be the time to invest in them.  It will make cutting through denim a whole lot easier.)

2.  Next, I folded each leg twice and then pinned the fold into place.  If you want to get super technical, you can measure your fold all the way around to make sure it's even.  I just eyeballed it.

3.  Pin both legs, making sure to pin the back of each leg as well.  Then iron to make a nice, crisp fold.

4.  I just wanted to show you what kind of thread I used!  It's specially made for jeans and matched the thread already used on the jeans I owned.

5.  Sew a straight stitch all the way around.  Mine was about 1/4 inch down from the top fold.

6.  And your done!

So before you throw away those jeans that don't fit you quite right consider refashioning them into shorts or changing them into skinny jeans (like Jess did a while back).

Happy Monday, y'all!

Rox

DIY Towel Wrap

Graduation time is upon us.

I feel like every year around this time, I replay my 'glory days' of high school in my mind and reminisce about how cool I used to be.

Who am I kidding?

My view into my past is totally distorted.  

I was a nerd y'all.

And I wouldn't go back if I could.

BUT.....

I love to celebrate those that are completing this milestone in their lives....especially some girls at the church I've watched grow up into such awesome women!

I decided to give each of them a very practical gift, that is especially useful when walking down the dorm hallways from the bathroom or in an apartment shared with friends.

I looked up quite a few different tutorials for towel wraps on Pinterest and ultimately decided to combine a couple of them and make my own!

1.  Because I was using 2" elastic, I turned my towel to the back side (the one with the tag) and folded down top 2 1/2".  Pin down the edge.  Then, measure 15" from each side and mark with pins (I used 2 pins really close together so I wouldn't get confused with the pins that were already used).  Then sew a straight stitch down the edge of the folded down towel between the two double pin markers ONLY.  This will be where you insert your elastic.  Use a 1/4" seam allowance.

2.  Cut elastic to approximately 13".  Attach a large safety pin to the end of the elastic and move it into the tube you just created.  Once the end that does not have the clothespin lines up with the opening of the tube (the rest of the elastic should be hidden in the tube), sew 2 vertical lines to secure elastic into place.  

3.  Continue to move elastic through tube, bunching towel as you go.  Once elastic is lined up at other end, sew 2 vertical lines to secure elastic into place on this end as well.

4.  Sew tube on either end of the elastic (that should still have pins in it) closed.  Also sew the very end of tubes shut on edge of towel.  Cut velcro to approximately 8".  Sew one side into place on the INSIDE right top edge of towel.  Sew other side onto OUTSIDE left top edge of towel.

5.  To personalize it a little more, I used some extra contrasting fabric to create a monogrammed letter on the bottom corner of towel.  (To create letter, I iron heat-n-bond to a square of fabric, then used a sewing marker that disappears with water to sketch the letter.  I then cut it out and removed paper backing and ironed on the letter.  A zigzagged stitch on the edge of letter secures it to towel.)

And that's it!  

Now I think I should make one for myself.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Rox

Taking in a Dress {Easter Edition}

Ahhh.

The Easter Dress.

How does one go about choosing the Easter dress?

If you're like me, you decide that this year you'll just find something in your closet.. then the day before Easter you find a $15 dress at Wal-Mart that's 3 sizes too big but you really like the fabric and think you can figure something out to make it into a dress you love and you don't worry too much about messing it up because if you do you only spent $15 and could use the fabric for something else but you really don't like to alter brand new things but it really couldn't be too hard or take too long to change it a little bit even though it does have a zipper on one of the sides that you would need to take in and you've only installed a zipper one time and it was a long time ago and it wasn't an invisible zipper like this one but surely you can do it this time right?

(This is how my brain works.  Scrambled, much?  Tell me about it.  I have to use this brain 24/7... )

1. One Shoulder Lace Cocktail Dress by Adrianna Papell 2. Shimmer Lace Bodycon Dress by Free People
3. Zarita Lace V-Back Dress by Dianne von Furstenburg

I love the fit of these dresses and was hoping to turn mine into something similar.

1. Dress before the chopping block.

2. Removed the sleeves.  (Just cut them clean off.  No seam ripping here.)

3.  Removed zipper.  (I ended up not really needing to do this since I changed my plan a teensy bit, but now a have a perfectly useful invisible zipper for another project!)

4. Layed a dress with a similar fit on top of the lace dress (while it was inside out).  Since the dress on top has a elastic waistband, I stretched the elastic until taut and marked it with a pin. (Or you could use a fabric pen.)  The shape of the dress ended up being straight up and straight down from the waist line. Pretty easy!  After marking up and down each side with pins, I sewed using a long straight stitch to avoid too much puckering of the fabric and cut off the excess fabric.  Make sure you try the dress on before you cut the excess off!!  You can always unpick the stitching and do it again!

(not pictured) I ended up having to take the shoulders in a tiny bit since the neckline and arm holes were a little low.  I just tried the dress on while it was still inside out, pinched the shoulders on the seam until I was happy with the neckline and arm holes, and measured (mentally) how much to take in (almost an inch).  I used a long straight stitch again to take it in.

5.  Reattached the sleeves using a wide zig zag stitch.

6.  Using 1/4 in. braided elastic, I measured and cut a piece that is the size of my waist.  After sewing the elastic into a continuous circle, I used a wide and long zig zag stitch and stitched right on top of the elastic to attach it to the waist line of the dress.  Remember to stretch/pull the elastic as you sew... so that when you sew on top of the elastic, it's tight.  You want the fabric to cinch to the size of your elastic (and waist).

The length was great so I did even mess with the hem! Although I did forget to mention that the dress was two pieces: the lace overlay and a stretchy slip.  I literally just sewed straight up each side of the slip so it was the same size as the dress.

Done!

  

The Lady:  Dress - Wal-Mart altered by me, shoes - target, statement necklace: handmade (using Rox's tutorial HERE)

The Gentleman:  shirt - Roundtree & Yorke, pants - Vineyard Vines via Goodwill, tie - thrifted, belt - Columbia, shoes - ??

The Little Guy:  shirt - Wal-Mart, shorts - Wal-Mart (altered by me), bow tie - gift from Rox (BUY HERE), shoes - Sperry's via Rack Room

The Baby Girl:  smocked dress - gift, hair bow - handmade, sandals - Wal-Mart

Was the last minute, late night sewing worth it?

I WAS tired.. I could have decided to do this A LOT earlier... I didn't NEED a dress....

But, I love how it turned out, I will definitely wear it again, and I'm glad I didn't waste $15!

So, I guess it was semi-worth it! :)

**We had an amazing Easter spent with some family, eating 'til our bellies were bulging, hunted for eggs, ate candy, let the guys & mom win at trivia because we JUST. THAT. AWESOME., were entertained by our ever-growing kiddos, all to celebrate our Love that lives again! Hope y'all had a great one, too!**

Lace Dress Extender

I don't know if it is because I am getting older, being a mom of young rambunctious boys that I have to chase around, the dresses and skirts are literally getting shorter these days, or all of the above.

BUT, whatever the reason, I don't feel like I can pull off a skirt or dress that's very far above the knees, and yet, I've seen so many cute dresses and skirts that I would love to wear if it weren't for the shortness factor.  

They are EVERYWHERE.

And by everywhere, I mean...Target.

They are in Target.

My second home, remember?

I'm sure they are in other stores as well.  But for some reason, every time I have an hour to get our of the house by myself, there is a OVERPOWERING magnetic pull on my car from Target.  I can't explain it.

That's my story, anyways.

And I'm stickin' to it.

So, back to that dress.

I recently found this dress at Target.  I thought it was long enough in the store, but when I tried it on at home, I just didn't feel comfortable with the length, especially of the small slits on the side.

So, I got on Pinterest.

And discovered what some are calling 'dress or skirt extenders'.  

The idea was brilliant, but I could only find them being sold online for about $30.  I didn't want to pay that much ESPECIALLY if I thought I could make it.

As I contemplated my plan of action, I stumbled upon this tutorial, and she had a genius idea.

Because regular slips are so hard to find these days (seriously, people....have you tried looking for a regular slip anywhere?  I had ZERO luck.), she went to the thrift store!

Genius, I tell you.

The one I found still had a tag on it (hallelujah!), so I scooped it up for $2.99.

Then, I headed over to a local craft store and purchased 3 yards of ivory colored 6" lace for $5.00 total with a coupon.

1.  There she is in all her glory.  Ha!

2.  Since the new one I purchased was too big, I used a slip I already owned as a template.

3.  I used pins to mark where I was going to sew up the sides.

4.  Once the sides were sewn, I cut off the edges leaving about 1/4" from the seam to the edge.  I then zig-zag stitched the edge letting the stitch to the outside wrap around, creating a 'faux serge'.

5.  This slip had a small edging of lace already on it that I didn't really care for, so I just chopped it off!

6.  I laid 2 layers of lace on the bottom of the slip to get a visual image of what it would look like before I sewed it on.  I ended up cutting about 2" more off the bottom of the slip before pinning, then sewing the bottom layer of lace and then the top layer.

7.  The completed slip! (I left my slip rather long so I would have the option of adjusting it's length based on what I wore it with by folding down the top.

8.  And here's the completed lace dress extender.

This was a simple and CHEAP project that was complete in about 45 minutes for only $7.99!

My wallet (and husband) are thanking me!  Ha!

Rox

Boys Bow Tie

As you all know, Easter is quickly approaching, and one part of the preparation process (although certainly not the MOST important) is making sure everyone's outfits are picked out.  I usually try and dress my boys (who are 3 and 4) in something a little more formal than the usual polo and jeans/khakis they wear every Sunday.  (And by a little more formal, what I actually mean is slapping a tie on them.  That's automatically more dressy, right?!?)

Last year, J (my youngest) wore the tie I made E (my oldest) the year before, and I made E a new one.  They were made with light blue gingham fabric and light blue dot fabric.  They looked adorable, but I wanted a different look this year.  (Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves dressing their boys!)  Last year, I used Make-it and Love-it's pattern that can be purchased for $6.95 and can be found here.

Plus, a bow tie seemed simple enough, and I was pretty sure I could come up with a pattern on my own.    The Hubs and I are really trying to watch what we spend (Dave Ramsey style.  Yayuh!), so I decided to go "shopping" in my stash of fabric I have at home.  That's when I found part of an old tweed jacket I had purchased at the thrift store.  (The other part was used to make a clutch).  The fabric is thick enough that it doesn't need any reinforcement, which ultimately means saving some time by skipping a step!  Woohoo for quick projects!

PLUS, repurposing is all the rage these days.

Right?

Right.

I'm all about the rages.

Ha.

Double Ha for admitting that I googled whether the phrase is 'all the rage' or 'all the rave'.

I'm still confused.

Moving on.

These took me about 20-25 minutes per tie to make, and I'm excited about the results!


{I'll be posting my complete tutorial soon!}



Here's my imaginative, strong-willed, loving, independent, intelligent oldest.

These pictures kill me.  Love this boy.

(By the way, I'm pretty sure I have a picture-like the far left-with the EXACT same expression on my face from when I was his age.)

And this is my fun-loving, determined, comedic, sociable, caring youngest.

I could eat him up.

I'm pretty sure he is our mystery sister (Aly) made over.

And here's one more for the road.

{ If you would like to PURCHASE A HANDMADE TIE for your little one for Easter, spring pictures, etc., please click on the Etsy link (the orange circle with the 'E' in the left hand column).  You'll be taken to our ETSY SHOP where you can pay through PayPal.  PLEASE ORDER NO LATER THAN THIS WEEKEND TO ENSURE EASTER DELIVERY! }

{ Check back FRIDAY for our first ever GIVEAWAY!  We'll give you instructions about how to enter and will have 2 lucky winners picked by MONDAY!  YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT! }

Polka Dot Skirt {REFASHION}

Thrifting for clothes can be tricky.

You can't go in KNOWING what you want.  More often than not, you will leave in disappointment.

When I peruse the clothing racks at Goodwill, I'm not necessarily looking for something that fits perfectly... or is the right style...  

Three Things to think about when thrifting for clothes:

1.  Don't look at EVERYTHING.  You'll get overwhelmed.

2.  Scan through and pick up clothes that have an cute print or good fabric.  (I am loving the chiffon-like, flowy fabrics.. so I tend to gravitate towards shirts that are made of a more flowy fabric as opposed to cotton or cotton-blends.)

3.  Choose clothes that have plenty of room to work with.  If a shirt or dress (or skirt... or pants.. whatever!) has a great print that you love, you can always take it apart and use the fabric to make something else! OR, just take it in so it WILL fit.  *On the same note, also look at the sheets, tablecloths, and napkins!  You never know what you'll find that you could EASILY turn into something to wear!*

DIY Camera Strap Cover

I purchased a DSLR camera last year and have slowly been learning how to use it.  For all you experts out there, please don't judge me for how out of focus or crooked my photos are.  (And actually, the photo above was taken with my iPhone 4 camera.  I mean, if you can take a picture of your nice camera WITH your nice camera, you have some magical powers going on.)

And I'm about to reveal how much of a photographer I am not.  

Here goes.

From the beginning of my novice adventures in photography (i.e. How the heck does this thing work?, There are WAY too many options., and At least I'll look cool with this thing while I take blurry picture after hopelessly blurry picture of my poor kiddos.), the strap bothered me.  All I saw was this strip of fabric on which the wording served absolutely no purpose.  SO, while I may not have made much progress in the photography department, I know how to work some fabric magic.  (Second "magic" reference in this post?  I promise I'm not into that stuff.  Back on track, Roxanne.  Back on track.)

So, I got to researchin'.

On Pinterest, of course.

(I mean really, are there any other legitimate websites out there?)

I found everything from a tutorial on how to construct the entire strap, including all hardware, to a camera strap cover.  I viewed this project as something purely fun with not a whole lot of purpose (I don't NEED this), which helps me decide how much time I want to spend on it.  In this case, as little as possible.

So, camera strap cover it is.  

I used this tutorial from Doodles & Stitches as a guideline.

1.  Measure the length and width of the fabric part of your camera strap.  Add an inch to the width measurement and 2 inches to the length measurement.  (Mine was 23.5 in, x 1.5 in., so I cut 2 pieces of fabric 25.5 in. by 2.5 in.)

2.  Next, I ironed the pieces flat as well as folding the ends under once and ironing and then again and ironing again.  I straight stitched the ends to keep them from fraying and keep the ends folded under.

3.  Placing fabric with wrong sides together, I straight stitched each edge (longways) at the 3/8 in. marker on the sewing machine.  (Use pins to keep your fabric straight and together while stitching.

4.  "Serge" the edges.  On a regular sewing machine, turn setting to the zig zag stitch and let the far stitch go right over the edge of the fabric so the thread wraps around the side, creating the "serge" effect.

5.  Turn tube of fabric inside out using pencil with eraser to catch on the fabric.  Iron flat.  Pull camera strap through tube of fabric.

6.  Without back stitching and set at the widest straight stitch, sew the ends to the actual strap.  This keeps the strap in place but also leaves it easy to remove.

7.  Reattach camera strap to camera!

This project took about 30 minutes to complete from cutting out the fabric to putting my sewing machine and supplies away.  

Just use scrap fabric for a FREE and easy project!

Happy Sewing!

Rox

Quilt for the Non-Quilter

My little gal turned ONE in December.

She has a big bro (Mr. P is 3 1/2) who has more than enough toys to share with baby sis.. she (being the grand-girl on both sides of the family) has been sufficiently spoiled with girly clothes... and has shared some of Mr. P's baby clothes.

What in the world do you give a little girl for her first birthday when she doesn't need (or can't tell you if she wants) anything...

After browsing through Smile and Wave (a cute, talented vintage-loving girl) I found THIS quilt.  Simple, classic.  I knew what my little one needed for her birthday!

I made a last minute trip to Wal-Mart 2 days before her birthday to peruse the fabric aisle... we actually have a fairly decent selection of fabrics at our local Wal-Mart so I chose my 5 favorite vintage-looking floral prints. 

Materials:

1/2 yd. each of 5 fabrics

2 yds. unbleached muslin

Queen size quilt batting

square of cardboard cut to desired size of patches (mine were 13 1/2 in.)

scissors or rotary cutter and mat

sewing machine 

coordinating thread

1.  Using your square piece of cardboard as a guide, cut 6 squares of each fabric.  Arrange them on a flat surface in a 5 x 6 pattern.  Pin together the squares for each of the 6 rows.  Using a 1/4 in. seam allowance sew the squares of each of the 6 rows together.

2.  Line the 6 rows up again.  Pin rows together one by one (lining up the squares as well as possible), and sew together.  (Once again, use a 1/4 in. seam allowance.)

3.  Now using the top layer of the quilt, cut the batting and backing to size.  (Allow 2-3 inches on all sides.)  I had to sew two pieces of muslin together to make a pieces the right size.

4.  Stack the quilt, batting and muslin/backing together in that order.  Pin as many places as needed to keep all layers secure and together.  I'm pretty sure I pinned on every corner of every square, and in the middle of every square... maybe more.

5.  You may have heard the term "stitch in the ditch" when referring to the quilting process (sewing in each seam, up and down as shown in the 5th diagram).  I sewed on either side of each seam.  Same idea just double the stitches.  It also makes the fabric pucker a little more when washed... which I love!

6.  Finally, it's time to bind the quilt!  I used a method very similar to THIS.  I used 2 of the 6 prints leftover from the patchwork to piece together binding.  OR you can use the same fabric as the backing... OR something totally different.  You can't go wrong!

Now it's time to wash the quilt!  There's nothing like a freshly washed blanket anyway.. but this will help soften it AND give it the vintage-y feel.

I can't wait to make another one!!  There's nothing like a homemade quilt... I hope this one is something  Baby Girl can hold on to and pass on to her kids!

Don't be intimidated.. I know there is an art to quilting, and I DEFINITELY don't claim to know anything about it.  BUT, I was more than satisfied with the outcome!

Let me know if you have any tips or trips for simple quilting techniques!  Have you made one??  I would love to see!

HAPPY QUILTING!

Hand Embroidered Dish Towels

Disclaimer:  I am probably not going to use the correct terms or technical wording as I describe how I made these.  And I know I didn't do these in the correct way either.  

Just wanted to get that out there before I explained how to make these.  It makes me feel better in case some professional happened to view our blog.  Ha.....who am I kidding.  

So, first I purchased these flour sack dish cloths from Target.  I think they came in a pack of four.  Pretty cheap and they are about twice the size of regular dish cloths.  And I love the crinkly, vintagy feel they have to them.