Sew Half Crazy

6/14/2010

My Very First Quilt!

Heather 6/14/2010 3 Comments

Warning! Photo Heavy Post!

Way back in April Obsessively Stitching started posting detailed instructions on how to make your first quilt, and I followed along, at least up until my master bedroom redo. Then I had to play catch-up, but today, over at Caroline's blog, she is having a My Very First Quilt show! You all should definitely check it out and see all the beauties. :)

Here is a little photo time line of my quilt.

The quilt sat in this state for about a month......I picked her up again on Thursday.

So there's the timeline. It took me longer than it should have, but it was fun! :)

And in other news -

Don't forget to leave a comment in the $40 CSN giveaway post - HERE!

I also have found a new favorite quote -

I am only as strong as the coffee I drink and the hairspray I use.

I don't use that much hairspray, but my coffee consumption more than makes up for it! :)

The craft room clean-up is going. I need pink spray paint, it's on the errand list, because I can't finish without it. Why does inspiration strike at the worst possible moment? Like when I'm not prepared. :)

And last, but not least!
The DIY Club's voting is up! I am rooting for all of the contestants, and wish them all good luck. My project (Baseball Defined Coasters) is #8. So please do all of us entrants a favor and vote for your favorite! VOTE
HERE! One vote per person!

Enjoy,

6/13/2010

Progress Report

Heather 6/13/2010 0 Comments

So the room is underway. I need to get her put back together and painted, but I wanted to give a quick update.

Here's what she looks like now:

Stephen will be very happy when all of my ~~crap~~ stuff will be back into its proper space.

I need to get back to work, but I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!
Enjoy,
Heather

6/12/2010

I'm Giving Away Saturday!

Heather 6/12/2010 9 Comments

Well it's that time again! Do you remember on Wednesday I posted about a giveaway? Well the time to give that $40 gift certificate away is here! CSN is offering up a $40 gift certificate to any of their over 200 stores for one of you lucky commenters! So read on for the specifics.

Unlike other giveaways were you tell me in a comment what you'd use this money for....I think I'm going to change it up a bit! So here are my rules: :)

1) You don't have to be a follower, just
2) Tell blogland what your favorite quote is by leaving a comment in this post.

I'll go first (too bad mine don't count) :)

Smart people learn from their mistakes, wise people learn from the mistakes of others. (George Lagogianes)

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. (Abraham Lincoln)

And my favorite!

Speak softly and carry a big stick. (Teddy Roosevelt)

So what's your favorite? Let me know, and on Friday, June 18th I will announce the winner. The winner well be chosen by random at random.org. :)

I will be cleaning, organizing and painting my sewing room this weekend, so if it storms anywhere, then I'm sorry. The above pictures are very tame as to what the room looks like now.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Heather

6/11/2010

At Least I Learned Something Here

Heather 6/11/2010 6 Comments

Oh, is that a spiffy, new kitchen tool?! Sadly, no. If it was, it would be the best kitchen (or anywhere else) gadget ever.

Occam's Razor
–noun
The maxim that assumptions introduced to explain a thing must not be multiplied beyond necessity.

Basically, the simplest answer is usually the best. I think I learned that today--finally--with this recipe. See, this is not necessarily a new recipe for me. By that, I, of course, mean not new at all. I've made it once before aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I didn't learn from my first experience. Before I get into that, let me show you what I made.

Chai Tea Latte

2 individual tea bags

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp refrigerated French vanilla nondairy creamer

Whipped topping and ground nutmeg, optional

Place the tea bags, cinnamon, ginger and allspice in the coffee filter of a drip coffeemaker. Add water; brew according to manufacturer's directions.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar and creamer. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through and sugar is dissolved. Pour milk mixture into mugs; stir in tea. Dollop with whipped topping and sprinkle with nutmeg if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

Problem #1: I do not own a coffee maker. I don't generally drink coffee unless it's mixed with lots of milk and chocolate. I suppose I could buy one for the purposes of making such drinks, but it's just not real high on my list of priorities. Problem # 2: I LOVE chai. Love it like I love air to breathe. I would drink it every day if it were ~~not so expensive at Starbucks~~ available to me. So what do I do about these problems? I do what the women in my family do best: I get creative!

The main issue with making this recipe sans the coffee maker is hi

gh chance of having your drink full of leftover spice powder. The first time I made it, I thought to myself, "I'll line my sifter with paper towels to strain it!". Did you know that paper towels are absorbent?

Like my apparatus, or, in this case, apparati? Don't act like you're not impressed. :-) Well, needless to say, the paper towel idea was not very effective. Next time around, I thought, "I don't have a coffee maker, but I can use coffee filters!". Please, do not judge me too harshly. My brain did finally

begin to connect the dots...after a while. Well, that didn't work either. I don't really understand why not this time, but it didn't. Then my husband got in on the action.

"Hey, hon. What if you put the coffee filter in your strainy-thingy?"

Problem #3: I listened to my husband. Love you, Mike. :-) This was just as (not) successful as the prior attempt. Then, my brain went, "Screw this, just use the sifter by itself!". Eureka! It worked! I now had lovely, spice-bit-free chai tea for myself and my chai loving friend who was coming over later on with his girlfriend. Her position on chai is currently unknown.

All in all, this is a really lovely drink that is sweet, hot, and spicy all at once. I hope you will give it a go and that you end up liking it as much as I do.

Cheers!

~Dana~

6/10/2010

What do you get....

Heather 6/10/2010 10 Comments

What do you get when you're browsing through MarthaStewart.com? Like me, your brain probably starts going in all sorts of directions with new ideas. So what do you get when you cross these 4th of July decorations with a pillow?

You get this! :)

She's a little lumpy. I've got to let the kids bash her around a bit, but since this was my 2nd attempt at this, I'm very happy with the outcome. I don't know if she'll stay in my house or go in the shop which opens up July 1! :)

Here are some more shots of her. :) I did not do a tutorial on her, because my first idea....well it didn't pan out so well, but I will tell you that for the center medallion I used a scrapbooking mask and traced around it, then just colored her in. I picked up a bunch of these masks at Michael's, because they were on clearance. :)

Linking up to:

I hope ya'll have a wonderful day!

6/09/2010

Warning - Giveaway Notice!

Heather 6/09/2010 5 Comments

Ok gals, I have a dilemma.....a lighting dilemma. Here are my issues -

My dining room chandelier - a builder special. There's nothing wrong with it, but the nickel is not working for me, and I know I could paint it, but......I dunno. I got nothing.

My kitchen sink {don't mind the dishes} and can light. I would love to have a pendant hanging here. Hubby agrees. Yay! Now just to find one.

For Christmas, my uber-wonderful husband got me this wagon wheel chandelier for our kitchen table. I adore this chandelier. So I'd like the pendant above the sink to work with this light. No pressure, right?

So I've been looking for lights.

I've found a couple of good possibilities. Here's what I found!

World Imports Lighting - 3111-63 - French Country Influence One Light Mini Pendant in French Bronze

Westinghouse Lighting - 67843 - 1 Light Outdoor Hanging Lantern in Textured Black With Clear Glass

I like these lights for the kitchen.

World Imports Lighting - 8432-42 - Urban Colonial Six Light Chandelier in Rust

and I like this light for the dining room.

So here's where the giveaway notice comes in. In the next few days (probably Saturday) I will post up the official giveaway, but CSN stores and I have teamed up to offer ya'll, my wonderful readers, a $40 gift certificate to any of their over 200 stores. Some of these are www.allmodern.com , www.cookware.com http://www.toysandgamesonline.com and many more!

I hope you guys are ready, and have enjoyed this sneak preview!

6/08/2010

Trying to dye...

Heather 6/08/2010 7 Comments

Ok so that may sound a little weird, and even one of my tweets yesterday was odd....mostly because I misspelled dyeing. My husband was quite bereft when I stated that dying was on the list of things to do. Ooops. :) I'm happy to share this dyeing adventure though!

I did some research after my mishap, but what I want to accomplish was a gradated color effect for the pillow case. Here's the official term for that dyeing technique:

Ombré - rhymes with the Spanish word hombre, but is actually a French word meaning "shade" or "shadow". (Ombre without the fancy "é" is a very old card game!)

It was my first time actually dyeing anything (tie dye does not count, because I have never successfully done that)....and I must say that it was fun and thank goodness for bleach. :) So on to the show!

Ombre' Dyed Pillow

What I used:
Fabric dye
French braid pillow case made out of Kona Muslin
Water
Bleach
Stainless steel mixing bowl
Garbage bag
Washing machine and detergent
Rubber gloves
Wooden spoon

What I did:
Cover your work space with the garbage bag. You don't need to dye your counter tops, unless you want to. :) Also wear your rubber gloves! I also used a wooden spoon, that I will never be using for food prep again, to stir the dye and the bleach mixtures.

I mixed up the fabric dye according to the directions. I used Tulip's fabric dye, but next time I think I may use RIT's liquid dyes so I don't waste as much dye next time. I still have Turquoise dye to use up. :)

According to the package directions you need one gallon of steaming water, and contrary to popular belief....water does boil when watched. :)

Don't do this:
I placed the entire pillow case into the dye, stirring constantly for the first 15 minutes (per the directions), then I removed the top 1/4 of the pillow and rested it over the side of the bowl. After 15 minutes I moved another 1/4 of the pillow case out of the dye. I continued this until the hour was up for the dyeing process. This did not garner the results I was going after. I ended up with a lovely pink pillow. Solid.Pink. Time to rinse all the dye from the pillow case and then wash it in warm water. I cleaned my stainless steel bowl in the sink, making sure to not leave any dye in my sink.

Make sure you cover your area! It's a pretty pink, but not at all what I was trying for!

After perusing Google, I discovered what I should have done, and luckily you can interchange this process with bleach. I also discovered that there are two ways to accomplish what I wanted. So here's what I did after the pillow case came out of my washer.

Back to what you should do:

In the same stainless steel bowl that I used in the original dye process; I added 4 cups of water and 1 cup of bleach and gently mixed. I laid the 1/4 of the pillow case that I wanted the lightest into the bowl and then set my timer for 10 minutes.

So here's the bleach solution: Before is on the left and after about 20 minutes on the right. You can definitely see the lightening.

After 10 minutes, I added another cup of water and then put another 1/4 of the pillow case into the bowl. Let it sit for another 10 minutes. Add another 1 cup of water to the bowl, and then move another 1/4 of the pillow case into the bowl. Let it sit for another 10 minutes. By this time you should have 3/4 of your pillow case in the bleach bowl.

After the a total of 30 minutes has elapsed, squeeze the excess liquid from your pillow case back into your bowl and then rinse off your pillow case in the sink. I used warm water. Then it went back into the washing machine for a light wash.

Here's the pillow case right out of the washer. I'm loving the effect!

After ironing. You can definitely see the gradient. My technique could use practice, but this was a lot of fun!

Notice the slight marbelling....so pretty!

Notes

The color gradient was noticeable immediately after taking the pillow case out of the bleach. You can vary the time in the bleach, because you know the effect that you want to achieve. I think, however; that the next time I do this I will do a 3:1 ratio instead of a 4:1 ratio, but I am happy with the outcome of the pillow case.

You can also do this process by adding more dye to the mixture instead of more water. This will create darker sections of dye as you remove the pillow, but I would not let the fabric sit in the dye for more than 5 minutes.

If you replace dye for the bleach in the above directions, I would only let the fabric sit in the full strength dye for a few minutes, and then as you add water I would not let the fabric sit for more than 5 minutes at a time. Watch your fabric and make adjustments to the time as needed. You can always go darker, but you can't go lighter unless you pull out the bleach.

I am debating whether or not to share this, because I'm definitely going to be doing this for the next pillow.....Awww....what the hell. I think I am going to cover the stitching lines on the next pillow with sequin trim, varying the colors to match as closely as possible to the color variances on the pillow. You could also do beads...which I can still do on the pink pillow, and may well just do. I would couch the beads though, as that would go much faster. I will do another post on the beading portion later though. I have to get those beads! You should definitely do the dyeing process before the trim is added though, but I would secure the pillow sides together with a basting stitch and then dye them so you get a uniform color on both sides, or you could just dye the back of the pillow a solid color.

I had a lot of fun with this pillow, even with the mishap! I hope you all enjoyed it too, and have a terrific day!

6/07/2010

Stats Update!!!

Heather 6/07/2010 0 Comments

As of Saturday - day 15 of P90 and after one week of Weight Watchers...

207lbs
Waist - 35 inches

everything else is still the same... but 3 lbs less and a smaller waist I will take!! :)

Tote Your Stuff

Heather 6/07/2010 0 Comments

This is what we're creating,
sans the flap on the bag.

So Mom has provided the base tutorial for her car.Go tote! It has two pockets and is deep enough to cram a ton of stuff into it. The flap however is not included. I will have to get after her for that. ;-) I will also apologize because there are no pictures to go along with this tutorial yet, but I hope that you all will get the gist of what we're trying to explain! I have finished pictures of Devlin's Tote to act as your guide.

car.Go Tote

What you'll need:

3/4 yard of 60” sturdy fabric (denim, canvas or duck)

1/2 yard of lining

Cut pieces:

Outer Shell

21" x 17" (2)

4" x 16" (2)

12" x 9-1/2" (pocket)

12" x 5" (flap)

Lining

21" x 15" (2)

7" x 9" (pocket)

**Seams are 1/2 inch.

Outer Shell

Finish one of the long edges each of the 21" x 17" panels, by turning under 1/2" and stitching 1/4" from the edge.

Take the 12" x 9-1/2" (pocket) and turn under 3/4" inch on one of the long sides (right sides together) stitch the sides seams together. Turn right-side out and top stitch 1/2" to 5/8" from the top edge. At this point I find my center and embroider a design of my choice. **You can always paint or applique' something as well.** Iron the remaining three sides under 1/2" and using a long stitch; baste 1/4" from the edges. Find the center and mark (you can fold it in half).

Take one of the 21" x 16-1/2" and find the center along the 21" edge. Measure up from the bottom of the centerline 2-1/2" and pin the pocket matching center lines. Stitch as basted. Remove the basting stitch.

Sew the sides and bottom together on the two 21" x 17" panels, right sides together. Trim the corners.

Lining

Take the 7" x 9" (pocket) and working with one of the 7" sides fold down 1" from the edge wrong sides together. Baste the sides together in a 1/4" seam. Then fold the edge again 1" but this time right-sides together. Baste side edges again. Turn the pocket right side out. You should end up with a finished double hem. Turn under the remaining edges 1/2" and baste 1/4" from the edge. Top stitch the top edge 5/8" to 1/2" away from the finished edge. At this point, mark the center of your pocket (fold it in half).

Take one of the 21" x 15" panels and find the center along the long edge. Measure down from the top of the centerline 3" and place the pocket, matching center lines. Stitch as basted and remove the basting stitch.

Sew the sides and bottom together on the two 21" x 15" panels, right sides together. Trim the corners.

Assembly

Place the lining inside the outer shell, wrong sides together.

Turn down the outer shell 1-1/2" to the inside of the bag overlapping the lining. Stitch this down, this will encase the raw edge of the lining.

Take the 4" x 16" strips and fold in thirds lengthwise. I fold this so that the raw edge is centered and zigzag stitch down so the raw edge is encased in the stitches.

Do you see that box where the strap and bag meet?
That's what your sewing should look like after you secure
the strap to the bag!

Place the strips 4" off the center (4" left of the center and then 4" right of the center) on the inside (lining side) of the bag and stitch them down 1-1/2" from the top of the bag. The edges of the straps will line up with the edge of your hem on the inside of the bag. Stitch close to the edge of the strap, through all the layers (strap, outer shell, and lining), around all of the edges, making sure to fully secure the strap to the bag. You will want to sew a box, basically.

Finishing

Turn bag inside out an match up side seams and bottom seams. Place these together and pin, mark a line where the edges are 4" apart and stitch along this line. Do this for each side. This forms the bottom of the bag and a turkish corner, which is also explained here.

I hope you enjoyed this and have a wonderful day!

6/06/2010

Tony Horton - You are going to have to wait

Heather 6/06/2010 0 Comments

Today we went to the zoo.....it was 94 degrees at 10 am. Stephen, the boys and I sweated our way through the entire zoo. We visited all of the animals that Dev wanted to see (which was like ALL of them). Then on the way home Dev fell asleep. All 50 pounds of him in a dead weight....that I carried up a short set of stairs and then a full flight of stairs to his bed. So between the heat, the mile or so of walking, the heat, the carrying of 50 lbs dead weight for about 2 minutes, the heat, and finally the heat, I am counting all of that as my sculpt workout, because my calves were yelling at me as we walked back down from the Connecticut Street entrance of the zoo back down to other side where Parking Lot D is located....down right next to the petting zoo.

Done, and tired. My arms are hurting...I am blaming Dev for that one. :)

Have a wonderful Sunday!
~Heather

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