DC's Creations

Elements of a Civil War Ball Dress

2011-04-10T19:42:00.003-05:00

Rebekah’s Civil War Ball Gown and a Peek at Dicken’s on the Strand

It’s been a busy week here while we prepare for an upcoming graduation party. While cleaning the closets, what do you think we found, but the photo shoot of my daughter Rebekah, at age 14, in the Civil War Ball Gown that I sewed for her. It took me six months, had 17 yards of white satin, many yards of black lace, eight corsages (that we made ourselves) and tons of hand stitching! This was such a huge sewing task. I think I counted 79 pieces in the dress.

The pattern I used was Simplicity 5724 and it’s a Civil War / Victorian era Ball Gown/Dress Pattern for her to wear to Dicken’s on the Strand in Galveston. We pulled out the dress..washed it..pressed it, and Rebekah tried it on. Can you believe she actually fit in it?

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It has a lot of sewing features that I had never tried before like cartridge pleats, seven rows of ruffle gathered with quilting thread, French puff sleeves, oversleeves, overskirt, beveled pleats, boning in the separate bodice, bertha collar, hand sewn homemade bias tape, 40 hand sewn eyelet holes for the lace up back of the bodice and that’s just the main part of what comes to mind.

Here are photos of hand sewn eyelet holes, boning, hand sewn homemade bias tape, oversleeves, and french puff sleeves.

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It was a sewing education, I must say. So as not to get overwhelmed, I split up the parts of the dress into ziplock gallon bags and labled them~ collar, sleeves, bodice, underskirt overskirt, ruffles, bias tape, oversleeve etc. I remember sitting for hours sewing the tiny little eyelet holes. I love hand-sewing!

When we went to Dicken’s on the strand, we could not walk three feet without people stopping us and wanting to have their photo taken with Rebekah. She was called up for round two in the ‘best dressed Victorian woman’ at the contest they hold at Dicken’s on the Strand.

I arranged for a photographer for Rebekah and she took these photos at The Woodlands Waterway, and the Fountains at Portofino Mall. Rebekah was in heaven the year I made this dress for her! We have such special memories of me ‘sewing away’ while she watched. She was terrified to help me. But she paid for most of the dress with saved Christmas money. She bought the black lace gloves, black lace, flowers, and black lace fan.

While we were watching the parade at Dicken’s on the Strand, I was tapped on the shoulder by a woman from France who was there with her husband. She offered me a thousand dollars to make her the exact same dress. But I told her no thanks. My hands had begun going numb from the handwork. It took six months to sew (due to the rest of life interrupting of course) and I couldn’t see doing that again. :o) Really, it was a labor of love!

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We plan to hit Dicken’s on the Strand again this year, since she can still wear the dress. Frankly, I was impressed. She’s a size 4. BTW, I put the darts in the bodice just as the pattern called for, but then I basted them flat because at the time, Rebekah didn’t need darts. It’s hard to believe that I made this when she was really just a young girl. A year later..we let out the darts. LoL! The nice thing is that the collar was made separately from the bodice. Then you hand tack it to the bodice after you make it. It hid the basting I had put in at the top. I didn’t want to spend half a year making a dress only to have it be worthless a year later when she started developing. :o)

I have asked her to seriously consider a black and red wedding! Why make a wedding dress..when it won’t be anything compared to this!

Special News ~ DC's Creations is moving...to Comin' Home

2011-01-03T14:47:00.000-06:00

Dear friends,

I know..I just told you how I'm going to try to keep up better with DC's creations (fickle me!!Yipes!!), but this has been a week of soul searching. I feel like no matter, what, I would never be able to give you the feedback, support or return comments that I feel are essential to a good blogging relationship. There is only one of me..and I want to give you my ALL not just a little piece of my attention. I feel like I've sort of compartmentalized my bloggy life by having all of these separate places to post. :o)

I have to be honest with myself about this. I have gotten so busy that I just can't seem to manage more than one blog. 99% of my posts here are also at my homemaking blog where I have a special page dedicated to just sewing and quilting. I also have a page for cleaning and organizing, cooking, and family life. Every week, I post at least one solid sewing tutorial there and will continue to do so. If you like what you see here, I do pray that you will come over to my homemaking blog and sign up to follow it so that I can get to know you better and share in your sewing adventures.

Just CLICK HERE to be redirected to Comin' Home.

www.thehomemakingarts.blogspot.com. I would love to have you join me over there where I will continue to post my sewing projects of which there will be many this month. :o) Thank you so much for understanding. :o)

Love in Christ,

How to Use Quilt Blocks to Embellish a Tote Bag

2010-12-31T14:32:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite and newest gift ideas is to quilt odd blocks from quilts that I have in my stash and applique them to tote bags.

You know the blocks I mean...the ones that were supposed to become an awesome quilt and never did?!
Or maybe the ones that you inherited from a friend or family member...or the occasional swap block. These can be quilted and make really great gifts!

Photo and Mug Rug by Inch Worm Fabrics

Recently, I was visiting a fellow seamstress's blog, Inch Worm Fabrics. She showed how she makes 'mug rugs' from odd quilt blocks which is a super idea too! But that never occurred to me, believe it or not, although you can be sure I'm going to make some of these. I've been wanting a way to share quilt blocks with family and friends without making them an entire quilt or even a wall hanging.

The fact is that I'm a tote bag nut... and of course, I'm sure none of you can relate to that. Ha! I just love embellishing cheap canvas tote bags from Hobby-lobby and making gifts out of them. This is my favorite new idea.

All you do is quilt the block with a piece of thin cotton for the backing.

Now trim the excess fabric off. Then stitch it the bag with a slip stitch.

The stitches will show, but I'm not worried about that.

I will tell you one trick. At first I tried a book because I couldn't figure out how to avoid stitching through the bag. But by the third one, I had ditched the book and simply creased the bag right at the edge of place where I wanted to sew the folded edge of the block.

Then I slipped stitch from back to front right through the creased edge of the front of the bag and through the block.I was trying to make my stitches so that the thread that showed was at a diagonal. So I put my needle in at a diagonal position and got the exact opposite result~ little straight stitches that didn't look nice at all.

If you stitch a simple straight stitch from front to back and then move down another 1/18" of an inch and stitch another straight stitch, it makes a lovely diagonal thread from stitch to stitch. Be sure to wear a rubber postal thingy on your finger. It gives you a better grip. And a quilting thimble will help you if you need to give the needle a little extra push.

I made a flower with a strip of ruffled lace with just a running stitch through the edge. I pulled it up to gather it into a circle, tied it securely. Then I sewed the button on to it. Lastly, I sewed the whole flower on to the block and on to the bag. This is much easier than trying to do it all on to the bag. Save the flower for the very last step.

So if you are looking for a nice birthday or Mother's day gift..this is just about a perfect! one! It only takes me about an evening to put one of these together. What a lovely use for those stray quilt blocks! And if you don't like tote bags or don't think your special someone would, then why not make a mug rug. It's another great way to share our love of quilting. :o)

And remember on January 30th, one of YOU will win one of these bags. So be sure to check back for the OWOH giveaway. (Details when you click the button on my sidebar.)

Happy Sewing!

Merry Christmas and looking at a Happier New Year!

2010-12-30T00:29:00.004-06:00

Dear Friends, I do hope you've had a very Merry Christmas and an even merrier New Year. I know I'm going to but I wanted to tell you why. First, I owe you a real apology for not posting here on a regular basis. It is not at all normal for me to NOT sew every day of my life. And normally, I would have tons of sewing projects to share...

But my father passed away in January and I was named executor for his estate. I tried to go on and keep up with both my homemaking blog, Comin' Home, and DC's Creations. I took care of Dad until he died in his own home in Dallas, while my husband and daughter took care of our family in Houston for two weeks. Then I spent three more weeks settling his affairs and packing up his home. I sure do miss him!

I spent from January to May constantly on the road with my third oldest son, an NCFCA debate champion, in competitions in New Mexico, Colorado, Virginia, and Dallas. He did great!! I'm so proud of him and glad we got to spend so much time together for these great moments in his life.

At the same time, I was buried in a mass of paperwork, cleaning up Dad's house which was a mess, etc. The house just wouldn't sell because of the economic crash and I was faced with a lot of debt to be shared jointly with my two sisters. When we finally finished the debate season, I realized that until I could get the house sold and our lives back in order in the home, it was just going to be survival living. In fact, the economy was so bad that I spent the summer cleaning, repairing, and painting Dad's house. My Dad's house finally sold in October..and five other houses on the same street...did not. It was a tough situation!

And if that wasn't enough..both my older sons' wives had babies this year..Nicholai on my birthday in February and August in September. I spent a lot of time with both of them. They are so precious to me! I'm sharing these photos of August and his big sister, Lena with The Clip Cafe. I babysat her for a few days while the baby was in ICU. The Clip Cafe is having a Wordless Wednesday linky party, so I thought I'd join it. Be sure to drop by, her photos are just amazing!

Except for the banner, which I committed to a year ago and a couple of must do sewing projects like my mother's couch cushion covers, I have hardly touched my machine this year. No fun projects, or creativity..it's all been on hold. I didn't even do a new fabric art project! It was sad, but necessary.

But I'm writing this to say that that has all changed! In fact, I've done several fun projects this December..(the house sold in October!!)and I've got posts all lined up for the new year. Because I'm running two blogs, both of which I love dearly, I plan to post every other day on the Comin' Home and twice a week on my sewing blog. I hope you don't mind, but honestly, I can promise that ALL my sewing posts will be VERY GOOD! Who knows, I may have to post three times a week considering the sewing projects I have lined up for this year.

Here are some sneak peeks of posts already lined up for January...

How to make baby sleep sacks in 30 min. or less. Pattern included.
How to use a plastic snap tool.
How to make a gorgeous fabric shower curtain.

How to make Quilted Tote Bags.
Organizing Your Fabric Stash
Repairing Antique Quilts
Weaving and Spinning at the Texas Ren Fest w/Bonus Videos
Learning to Use My New Serger (Merry Christmas to me!!)

What's on my Sewing To Do List?

Finish my Grandmothers' Antique Postage Stamp Quilt
5x8 Wall Hanging of the Colorado Rockies for Next Year's Art Show
How to make fabric wall panels to decorate the sewing room. (Blue Bonnets)
Drapes and Matching Tablecloth for the Dining Room.
Couch Pillows
Appliqueing a Teddy Bear to a Child's Jumper
Sewing Antique Blocks on a Foundation

and many more!!

I can't wait to get going and getting my backlog of sewing projects done, means more posts..for you. :o) I already have these projects started or the materials bought and ready to go. With my new Serger, it's going to be even more fun! And another bonus...is that I have really learned how to take better photographs this year. All of my tutorials are going to be much better quality. So that will make your visits even more enjoyable. :o)

And hopefully..I will get to do a really thorough Mola Making tutorial and my Persian Knotted Rug tutorial. I feel like I have new life again and am so looking forward to a year of sewing. So hang in there..and thanks so much for your patience and understanding.

By the way, I'll be participating in the One World, One Heart giveaway again this year, and will be giving one of YOU a quilted tote bag. That's one of my new favorite projects..and I made three last night. So..stay tuned!

Let's get sewing!! What do you say?

Love,

How to Sew Children's Fleece Sleeping Bags and Make Pillows

2010-12-29T12:12:00.002-06:00

In November, my favorite fabric store was having a big sale on fleece. It’s just amazing the beautiful patterns and designs that fleece comes in. And it’s also so easy to work with. You can cut it and it doesn’t ravel and it sews easily and beautifully.

I have five grandchildren and three nieces and nephews…all under the age of 8, so I needed a good gift idea that wouldn’t be too expensive. I remembered that several years ago my mom had given my teenagers something like a sleeping bag, but it was made of fleece and intended to be inserted into a real sleeping bag, as a liner or to be used alone for warmer weather.

I thought how much smaller children might like a little ‘sleeping bag’ that they could use on their beds, the floors, or Grandma’s couch. I decided to sew them myself and make little pillows to match. What I did was so easy that I was able to make all six bags in one day.

For each bag and pillow, I bought about a yard and a third of fleece. I got different styles for older children, younger children and toddlers. For my grandson, Nikolai, I made a fleece version of the hooded bath towel that I showed you how to make in February. For the oldest grandchild I bought a yard and a half.

If you are looking for a quick gift to make a young child, maybe this is just the idea you are looking for!

How to Make a Fleece Sleeping Bag

1. Buy enough yardage to equal the height, plus about 8” of the person who you are making the bag for.

2. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Cut off about 12”-14” of fabric. Enough to make a pillow.

3. Sew the strip into a ‘pillowcase’. I made a hem of about an inch.

4. Cut a strip of about 4” off the side of the tube to use for a tie and to make the bag a little narrower so it looks like a sleeping bag and not a fat rectangle.

4. Open out the fabric for the bag and sew a hem from about 18” from the top edge on the left, across the top edge and down the right edge another 18”.

5. Now fold the fleece right sides together and stitch a half inch seam from the hemmed edge (18” down from the top edge) all the way down the length of the bag, across the bottom, and back up the left side. You are stitching the raw edges together leaving the hemmed edges loose. This gives the sleep bag enough fabric to fold down in order to get into the sleeping bag.

6.Use the long side strip to make a tie or two to hold the folded bag and pillow together. Either hem all sides of the strip, or make a tube out of it.

7. Firmly stitch the tie in place on the ‘back’ side of the sleeping bag at the opening, so that when you fold the bag up and lay the pillow on top, you can tie the tie in a knot.

8. To make the bag look more like a real ‘bag’, you can flatten out the seam at the bottom to make two points on the end and stitch them down on the inside of the tube. This makes the end of the tube look and function more like a bag. This is totally optional.

How to Make Two or Three Child Size Pillows

out of a Full Size one.

If it’s summer time, you can buy travel pillows, but being winter, I couldn’t find any. So I bought a full size pillow and cut it in half and made new pillows. I also used some scrap white fabric to make a third. I could easily get three travel size pillows out of one full size one at the price of $2.50 or about .80 cents a piece.

1. Cut a full size pillow in half.

2. Sew the two halves of the pillow cover into two pillow covers leaving a small opening to put stuffing in.

3. Stuff the pillow.

4. Stitch the opening closed by hand or by machine.

I think most children would adore a ‘sleeping bag’ like this. They could take it to school for naps, use it to ‘camp’ in the living room, or camp out on Grandma’s couch.

Of course, if you are really pressed for time. Just hem the raw edges of a fleece square and make the pillow case and at least you have a coordinating pillowcase and blanket set in cute cartoon or child friendly designs. That’s a great gift any time of year!

By the way, I just discovered the cutest blog called Life in My PJ's and she holds a cute DIY linky party. You might want to check it out too! I also linked up to my favorite crafty/sewing friend Melissa's linky party My Crafty Weekend at Until Wednesday Calls. For some great sewing ideas, this is the perfect place to visit!

Sewing a New Cover for Granddaughter's Chair

2010-10-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

My bargain savvy daughter-in-law, Elisabeth, found a darling chair at a local thrift store. Lena absolutely loves this chair! It's made of foam and covered in soft fuzzy fleece. But hubby, did not like the picture of Dora on the back at all, so Ebeth said she would make a new cover. And soon afterward, gave birth to Lena's little brother, August as you all know. :o)

When August went into the hospital for a few days, I kept Lena. I was at the house trying to do a little straightening since the kids had left in such a hurry for the hospital. I saw the chair in the playroom and thought, "Surely, I could make a quick cover for Lena's chair.", since Elisabeth was obviously not going to have time. As it turned out, I didn't have to do much. (With Lena in tow, I wasn't going to get much done either. Tee-hee!)

That's when I got a bright idea. Why not just whip-stitch some nice fabric onto the chair at the seam to cover the part that they didn't like? I rummaged through my scraps looking for this exact piece of flannel. I just pinned it straight into the foam, cutting out excess cloth until it fit flush. Then I trimmed it till it was almost the exact same size as the back of the chair. It took less than 30 minutes to turn under the raw edges and stitch it down.

Elisabeth was pleased and had even made something with the same material herself. It's a very soft flannel and the colors, though not perfectly matching, were complimentary enough to work. It's amazing what you can do with a nothing but a needle, a little thread and some fabric scraps, isn't it?

And as you can see...Lena had a great time with the chair afterward! I thought I'd share this so you all would at least have it in your mind as an option. I see lots of application for other projects here--Don't you? You don't have to be a sewing master to do this. :o)

You know, the best part of sewing...is sewing for your friends and family...and especially the grand-kids!

Sewing Bee and a Lovely Quilted Banner

2010-10-15T10:36:00.003-05:00

Isn't it wonderful to get together with friends and work on a big project together? Unless we are retired, or our kids are grown up and gone from home, most of us rarely enjoy the pleasures of a sewing bee. But the truth is that some projects are just too big to sew by yourself. The ministry banner for my friend, Peggy, was just such a project.

And doesn't it look lovely? Peggy showed it off at a gathering of friends last night and just blessed me to no end. Her face was beaming and I could tell she was really thrilled. She gave me a beautiful thank you gift of handmade heart shaped soaps which she and Tammy had also made for the weekend participants.

I guess, technically, I could have done it alone. But why do that when you have great friends who can help. One of the important things about this banner, was that it was supposed to represent 'community in service'. In other words, it was truly meant to be a group project. My friends, Christi and Ruth drove quite a ways, to get to my house out in 'the sticks' to come work with me on this banner. Thanks so much ladies!

Christian enjoyed his little impromptu baby sitting job more than he had intended. A 16yr. old isn't supposed to want to cuddle up with two cuties, but imagine my surprise when I found him doing just that while watching a children's movie!Of course, who could resist such little darlings. You may have seen them on Christi's blog, Lachpach Pics.

Laurie, my decorating friend whose house you recently toured, and Suzanne, both from my church, cut out the letters for the banner which was a huge help since my hands tend to go numb if I do anything to repetitive. Thanks ladies!

Christi did a super job quilting the scrappy heart, considering she had not quilted since she had lived in the country as a girl. She treasures memories of helping her Grandma quilt. I had her use a tight running stitch, to quilt the heart since she had not learned the traditional 'rocking' stitch. I thought it looked lovely. We weren't looking for 'perfection' here, but rather a group project from all of our hearts. :o)

If you love quilted things, be sure to check out my Blogiversary giveaway post and sign up as a follower. I'm giving away a quilted totebag and you get to pick the quilt block from my stash that you would like on the bag. Carolyn of Handmade by Carolyn is also hosting a giveway that seamstresses would love!

Ruth is a little camera shy (aren't we all?) and is pictured above on the left. Here she is tracing the cutting line for the 'scrapbook edge' effect that I designed for the banner. She is an expert seamstress and I knew, if anyone could help me with the handwork, it would be her!

She was such a brave soul to let me teach her how to applique by hand--not a technique for the faint of heart! She and Christi saved me many hours of work by doing the quilting and appliqueing they did.

My friends Rachel and Julie, Tres Dias friends pictured here where I first showed you how I was making this banner, were not able to come due to Rachel's car breaking down. They were both so disappointed not to be able to come as they had planned. Rachel is one of my few serious and crazy quilting friends and she was going to machine sew on the borders for me. I knew she could whip it right out.

She's a whiz at making machine sewn quilts and a great designer. I was hoping to let her sew the tabs too. I think they turned out pretty good, even if she didn't get to help me.

As it is, I found that I didn't have matching thread for the green fabric and had to spend an additional day sewing the entire outer edge by hand. I was out of time--yipes! (The store is 30 minutes away.) I had to do a little babysitting of a certain grandchild (not that I minded at all), and help Laurie move, so there were a couple of delays after I had gotten this project started. But there really was 'enough' time, as usual. It was yet another chance to remind myself that interruptions can be memorable moments if you look at them the right way. :o)

Well, I hope you enjoyed your little visit with us today. We had so much fun sewing with my friends and visiting over my stitching that we decided to figure out a way to do it again! I made a decision that day that I would start a sewing bee if it killed me. Ruth agreed to join me as the first 'official' member and Christi, who is an avid scrapbooker, said she was going to set a date for a 'scrap till you drop' bee at her house soon. Imagine my delight when I found out that Trudy, of Sewing with Trudy, wanted to start a bee too! So together, we are starting the 'Stitchin' Mamas' sewing bee. If you live in the North Houston area or anywhere nearby...just email me or Trudy for details. We'd love to have you join us!

How is Your Sewing Storage doing?

2010-10-14T11:50:00.007-05:00

This week would be a great time to straighten the office. Don't you think? I spent several days last week doing just that. I hadn't actually intended to declutter the sewing cabinets and office stuff (both in the same room). But when a dear friend offers you a fabulous new desk but needs it out by Saturday night, well, guess what you're doing? That's right.

One fringe benefit of this lovely desk, was that I could now have all my precious homemaking, sewing, organizing, and crafting books, plus lesson planning and devotional material in one easy to reach location. Pinch me--is it real?

Boy, is it ever true that you have to make a mess to clean a mess! And if you want to rearrange furniture in this room...well 'mess' is an understatement. In order to get that beautiful desk into my sewing room, we had to not only re-arrange all the furniture, but also empty every piece out and re-organize it.

Originally, we had the boys on two computer desks, which were portable tables (2 x 4') and I also had a big folding worktable in the middle of the room. I have to tell you, that my knees got weak and my stomach started churning just thinking of the amount of time and brain-work that would be required to make this transformation. But oh, was it ever worth it!

Of course, I 'volun-told' (a Marine term) the boys to help. We had to unplug and reassemble THREE computers and all accompanying accessories. Yipes! The boys were just thrilled of course. "Certainly, Mother--anything you ask! Our pleasure!" (I'll spare you the actual response. Ha!) Thank goodness, those desks and table could all be removed.

Now we had to empty both mine and Rebekah's sewing desks and give them to the boys. One fringe benefit is that all the boys'stuff' was removed from the file cabinet under the printer, which could now be used for files. That emptied a few drawers of my desk. Which made room for patterns and Rebekah's projects.

The worst chore was taking everything from both the huge Ikea cabinet and the 'sewing' cabinet, declutter it all and re-organize both pieces of furniture in some semblance of order. It took half a day to do it, but now ALL our sewing stuff and ALL our office and school materials are paired down and stored properly.

And the IKEA cabinet is now full of sewing supplies and fabric. It's organized in five general divisions based on frequency of use: Quilting at the top, then craft supplies, applique, yarn, and sewing. The lower drawers all have fabric bolts and quilting and cutting boards.

While I was at it, we converted the 'laundry sorter' shelf which we never used, to a current projects shelf. (Oh my! I think I'm in trouble. That's an awful lot of current projects. Perhaps, I don't quite understand the meaning of the word 'current'. Hmmm..)

Now, if only I was done. But alas, we still needed to give Rebekah a place to sew. I had removed half the stuff from my 'desk' including my files to the little file cabinet under the printer. My computer and all the rest of the stuff was waiting in piles in the bedroom to be put into the new and larger desk.

I was like a kid in a candy shop watching my dear hubby assemble the desk. I must admit that he was VERY skeptical that we would ever be able to squeeze it in. (Actually, he told me later he just did it because he loves me. What a sweetie!) When life hands you a desk...you gotta make room--and I did! My sewing and computer are all on the same desk. Now I can lesson plan, pay bills, sew, and blog...all at once. It's a multi-taskers' dream (or nightmare).We'll see...

Are you ready for some decluttering and re-organizing? What state is your sewing storage in? I hope you are inspired to take the plunge and get rid of a few things. Let's adopt the Sidetracked Sisters' motto and "Dare to Dump It!"

Sewing Cushion Covers and a Great Storage Solution

2010-10-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

I'm finally getting these done! I have had so much to do this last summer that I thought I'd never get to work on Mom's cushions, but I have managed to sew a few more covers.

This week is the first time that I did one of the large covers with inset zipper and folded flaps on the ends. It turned out to be pretty easy to do.

I also cleaned out my sewing desk and drawer organizer. I hadn't straightened out this stuff since last October!

With so much sewing on the horizon, I figured I had better get organized and decluttered again. Don't you just love this tower drawer organizer? I bought this from Wal-mart a long time ago and don't remember what I paid for it. But it's worth every penny!

What is it with me...is it nesting?...hurricane angst?...Fall friskies??

I don't know..maybe it's just that I've got most, though not all of the paperwork done for Dad and the house is showing again. Whatever it is, I've been straightening and decluttering everywhere.

You can see my projects hanging in the right hand corner. I'll be replacing a zipper in a pair of men's dress pants. I also have a couple of alterations to do and a 'sewing party' to organize for working on a ministry banner for a friend.

But for some reason, I just had to establish some order. I even worked out a laundry sorter in our very tiny laundry room!

But the first priority is these cushions. I'm getting quicker at these now that I've kind of figured out how to put these together. I had to do some hand-basting around the corners of my cushions near the zipper edge so it would stay together long enough to remove the cushion and sew everything in place by machine. But most of it is just pinning and stitching straight seams.

Hopefully, in the next few days I can show you how I installed this zipper and covered the big cushion. It's much more involved than the tutorial for the small cushion which you can see here.

Quilting my Great-Grandmother's Postage Stamp Quilt

2010-09-26T00:24:00.002-05:00

I really needed a break this weekend and decided to take a 'quilting' break. I really really ADORE quilting! I'm almost afraid to admit, though, how many tops I still have to do.

I was supposed to spend Friday morning with my friends Julie and Rachel finishing up the banner I posted about. But Rachel's car broke down, which kept us from meeting for the last part of the border.

With the banner on hold, and me too tired to start the 'replace the zipper in a pair of dress pants' project, I just needed something sewing related to do..so here I sit--in quilting bliss. :o) I need to start quilting every evening until I get this done. Poor Aunt Joan has probably given up hope that I will ever finish this!

Do you all have an 'eternal' quilt...one that never seems to get done?

Sewing a Quilted Crazy Heart Banner

2010-09-21T09:01:00.002-05:00

I've missed you all so much! And I've missed blogging! You can't believe all the neat posts I've saved up for you and the photos too. :o) I can't wait to see what you all have been doing this week as well--it's so nice to be HOME again. :o)

After days and days of catching up on the housework, bills, necessary sewing and estate work for my father, it's hard to believe I'm really getting to do what I love most of all...fabric art! I don't know if I qualify yet as a 'fabric artist', but that is my passion. I've won several awards at art shows hosted by Shona Cole and Grace Community Church, but I'm still not sure. I don't know if I ever will be. Tee-hee! But still, this is what I love doing when I have any spare time at all.

One of the things I've learned how to do very well in the last seven years, is to make banners. Since I sewed and designed 12 worship banners for our church, I'm sure it made sense to my friend's husband to ask me to make the banner for her special ministry weekend. I've done a banner for this particular ministry before for another weekend leader and it was such a privilege! I don't charge for this sort of thing--It's a labor of love.

And because it's a surprise, I'm only showing you bits and pieces. This banner is for the leader of the women's ministry weekend coming up at Tres Dias and it is a gift for her. So, I won't be showing you the final banner, until after the weekend has come and gone and it has been presented to my friend Peggy.

I want to explain, in depth, how I pieced the heart which is the center piece of this banner on another day. (I've always wanted to learn how to 'foundation piece' and now I know--wow--it's so fun!), but I have to have this done by Oct. 7th. So, I'm just showing you some photos of this work in progress, without a lot of explanation. A friend, is coming over to do hand-work--bless her little heart! I'm saving the heart for her to quilt. :o)

When I started this project, my friend's husband gave me the bag of fabric which matched the cardstock for all the little tags and correspondence for the ministry weekend, and some pieces of the cards and scrapbook materials used as a starting place. My goal was to use this fabric and the scripture and my friend's desire for a scrappy heart to design a banner. (I have to say that I LOVE these colors and patterns! I'm so impressed that they picked out the perfect selection of fabrics to work with. :o)

I have spent the whole day working laboriously on measuring and re-measuring--calculating and then calculating again so that when I finally pick up the rotary cutter or scissors, I won't make a mistake. It's so easy to do that! I'm working alone today because I have to concentrate or make big mistakes! I'm SOOOooo tired. I can't tell you how bad my feet hurt. My wise daughter said, "Hello--Mom--where are your tennis shoes?--Why are you working barefoot?" So of course, I put on my shoes right away. :o)

I've done so many quilts, that the planning and making of the mock up using the paint program and Picasa, was a cinch. Without this mock up, which takes several hours to do, the whole project would be a wash! I do the mock up, keeping in mind the proportion of 4' x 6' and then print it out about 8" x 11" which is close to the 4' x 6' size. I tried so many variations-- green background with red border and vice-versa--4 x 6 versus 4 x 5 and then sent them on to Dan for approval.

The mock up is the key to a successful banner! How convenient that someone had quilted a crazy quilt heart in complimentary colors for me to use for the mock up. Of course, the fabric was all wrong, but I like to give my 'clients' and/or friends a really good mock up so they know what they are getting. I'd rather them change things BEFORE I start cutting and stitching, rather than after. :o)

When I blow it up with my projector, I can trace the lettering and measure the design features so that everything will be the right size...only much bigger! I'm so glad one of Peggy's friends, from church, offered to help. She is cutting out the letters for me, while on vacation. (Yes, I AM learning to delegate!!)

I can do this in my sleep, but I still stress over it. I'm meticulous at this stage because if the planning and cutting goes right..the actual sewing is a cinch! Working with expensive tapestry fabrics, that someone else paid for, can be a bit stressful. I take every precaution I can. This is where my perfectionism really pays off. BTW, I used to NOT be a perfectionist, but that was BEFORE I learned to quilt. In quilting, every 1/16" of an inch MATTERS.

I plan to quilt the heart but won't be adding any decorative stitching as is traditional with a crazy quilt pattern, but that's OK. She just wants the design to be homey.

Jeanne, Me, Tammy (my bestest friend ever!) , Peggy (whose husband asked me to make the banner), Alison, Debbie, Julie, Rachel ( the expert quilter), and Angela (one of my sweetest friends!)

I have gotten Tres Dias friends of this friend (Peggy --right in the middle of this photo from several years back) involved and they will be dropping by during the week to help make the banner. We want this to be a 'group' project. One friend is an expert quilter who excels with the sewing machine and another (who is not pictured) loves to do handwork.She is Christi from LachPach Pics --Hallelujah! I'm saving up all the rest of the work for when they come over.:o)

One of my fun challenges for tomorrow is going to be to design a pieced border that matches the scrapbook border design of the name tags and place cards. The card's edging was cut out by a pair of scrapbook scissors. My job is to design a border that replicates that border, for the banner.

In this photo, I had to sew on a piece that had an obtuse angle. The option was to 'inset' the piece for the heart, or hand-applique the piece to it. Of course, I chose the hand-sewing option. :o) I had already sewn most of the seam in this picture--I was down to the last stitch. As you can see this yellow piece of fabric was not a straight edge!

This pieced border will be made from the scraps used to piece the center heart. I will be hand-appliqueing the scrapbook edging. This is what I love to do more than anything in the world--needle-turn applique'. I've worked for years to develop this skill. For me, this is easy. Thanks again, Margie, wherever you are, for teaching me how to needle-turn applique. You will never know how your faithful supervision has paid off, all these years later. :o)

I have to ask you now, do any of you like to quilt...sew...do hand-work? Which do you like best--machine work or hand-sewing? I'd love to talk shop with my fellow sewers and quilters out there. :o)

News From the Homefront and an Overdue Hello!

2010-08-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

I just want to give you all an apology for not posting this summer. We have had so much going on that I can hardly keep up. I have been dying to sew but have had very little opportunity to do so. If you read on, you will see why.

For one thing, we have a new grandson on the way! I'm sure I'll be cuddling my new sweetie very soon. :o) Tim and I are so excited!! I will be hanging out with my kids after the baby is born, so you may not hear much from me in the next few days. I feel bad that I haven't been able to be online this last few week dues to estate paperwork and the renovation work on my father's house..and now I will be out of pocket again. But I'm certain you can understand that 'grand-baby comes first'.

I'm going to start working on Beef Stroganoff for the kids and maybe a lasagna too. Got to do something with all this energy!!

My new grandson's name will be August Shepherd Rodgers. Did I mention that my son's wife is German? I'm working on my German in the hopes to be able to read fairy tales from the book I bought in Germany to read to my German grandchildren. Maybe I should just sign up for a class at the local community college! :o)

Web Cam with mike...only $4.90!!

Speaking of grandchildren, I've discovered a new way to 'keep in touch' thanks to my smart and wonderful Aunt Joan. She visits with her kids and grandchildren, that live in Washington state, via web-cam. Now why did I not think of that? In a couple of days, I'm going to talk Amanda and Matthew (my marine son) and see if they have a web-cam and Skype. If not, I shall buy the web-cam for them. :o)

I will have so much fun talking to my sweet and darling little grandsons in Virginia and my son and daughter-in-law. Ahhh the joys of technology! They do sometimes help make life BETTER. If you haven't tried SKYPE yet..you are missing out on a great FREE communication tool.

Photo Credit - Lone Star College

On another note, I did get Jacob, my 18yr.old, to his test at the community college on time... (with 10 minutes to spare driving from Grand Prairie..very fast!) I still had paint all over me. How embarrassing!

Photo Credit - Lone Star College

He will be attending orientation next week and meeting counselors. Talk about a busy month!!

When I'm not helping Elisabeth with the baby, I'll be sewing mom's cushion covers and supervising my last homeschooled child's lessons. It's going to be a VERY busy year with one child graduating, two kids working, and full-time school with the third plus a brand new grandson close by.

Can't wait to cuddle little Johnanssen..and I have the cutest cow to give my granddaughter Lena when I go over to see the new baby.

And I have a special ministry banner to sew before the month is out. (More about that later. :o) So, take care and don't give up on me...I'll be back soon with lots of great posts..when the baby dust settles. :o)

Hope you are having as much fun as I am! Every day is such a sweet gift from the Lord...

Happy Homemaking!

Square Dance Pattern Smorgasbord! A Gift from a Sweet Reader!

2010-08-22T11:21:00.001-05:00

A sweet blogging friend, Linda of Beautifully Veiled, sent me an email a couple of weeks ago (I think) saying she saw something and picked it up for me thinking I would love it. Wow...did that ever make my day! I was so NOT expecting such a thing.

Can you guess what it was??!! A 'smorgasbord' of square dance clothes patterns and lots of other goodies tucked in too.

Some of these are vintage and I know my friend, Trudy, of Sewing with Trudy, is going to drool over these!

I may have to loan her the pattern for young girls' skirt. I just have this feeling she is going to want to try one of these. :o) They would make great ballet or ice skating dresses too.

I haven't told Linda yet, but I plan to pick up a couple of girls' size square dance skirts as soon as we have another store at our club. Our 'store' is donated square dance clothes for a very low price so our newest dancers can get decked out without paying full price. Square dance clothes are NOT cheap! One good turn does indeed deserve another.

She said she knew she wouldn't have time to sew them any square dance clothes because she is too busy sewing 'real' clothes. She has quite a farm to manage so I can understand that. If you like the country or the idea of country living..you should drop by sometime and tell her I sent you. :o)

Don't I understand that predicament! I seem to be doing so much hemming and repairing and sewing of household coverings that the 'fun' sewing has been put on hold for the moment. That's why thrift store shopping is sometimes the best option...even over sewing. (Yipes!! Did I really say that?!!)

If you don't believe me you should visit my friend, Caroline of Church Sexy. She has a cute sewing blog where she shows off what she is wearing every day. She is a thrifty queen after my own heart. She tells you exactly where she got everything in her outfit for the day. It ranges from refashioned pieces to thrifted pieces to gifts to clothes she sewed herself. I am so blessed when she comes to visit and love seeing her newest outfit. :o)

Photo by Linda of Beautifully Veiled

Wow...all I can say is thank you so much Linda! You made my day! (Hopefully, when I get some of my 'need to' sewing done, I can make one of these. Though I can bet that my dear daughter will beat me to the punch on that one! I hope some of you will stop by and check out her place. This post at Beautifully Veiled showed a visit to their farm. Click on her pictures to see them full size. They are beautiful!

Happy Sewing!

How to do the 1920's Coloring Quilt Method

2010-08-20T17:32:00.002-05:00

My daughter-in-law, Amanda, and I are trying to decide what style of baby quilt to make for my newest grandson, Nicholai. She wants to decorate the boys' room in either a 'nautical' style or an 'ocean creatures' style. I think she's leaning towards the Ocean theme. While Tim was working at the hotel, I started working on the baby quilt, but not knowing for sure which direction we were headed, I started on the nautical theme. I've always wanted to do a beach quilt wall hanging, so I knew I could use this fabric and design regardless of which she picked.

I learned this method the first year I took quilting lessons almost nine years ago. Rebekah was eleven, when "Mrs. Margie" helped her do a block each week of Sunbonnet Sue through the years. I'm not at home, or I'd show you a photo of it. I'll try to get that up soon. That is how I learned to do this. I've done an ocean themed baby quilt before but it was geared around Peter Pan.

The idea is to trace coloring book pages on white fabric with a micron pen. But first you stabilize the fabric by ironing freezer paper to the back. Then you can color the blocks with regular crayola crayons. After ironing them to set the wax, you can embroider the outlines and even quilt the designs. It's a lot of fun--for adults and children. You can always draw your own pictures. I once did a whole row of seashells which I drew myself and then colored and embroidered..using this method. It's so versatile!

Here's how you do it...

First, you need some supplies... white cotton fabric, freezer paper, micron pen, crayola crayons, embroidery thread and needle, and hoop.

Then some fabric so you can coordinate the colors you use and the thread to match.

First measure out the size of block you want and cut out some squares to trace the photos on. I want to do 12" blocks so I cut out 13" so I'd have some extra for the embroidery hoop.

Iron freezer paper to the back of the blocks and don't use steam. This will keep the fabric stiff while you draw and color on it.

Trace the picture onto the block with a Micron Pen. (They don't bleed.) Use a light box or the window so you can see the lines through the fabric.

Now you can color your picture! I do a lot of shading and mix colors...green and blue for the ocean, blue and gray for the sky, brown and orange for some of the wood... etc.

Here's a finished block. I added more detail later..flag, seagulls, rope lines etc.

Remove paper backing. Now it's ready to iron to set the wax. Again...don't use the steam setting. I always cut out some extra fabric to use as a pressing cloth.

Put in hoop and start embroidering with matching colors.

When you are done, cut the block to size and it's ready to sew into your quilt!

Have fun and....

Happy Homemaking!

Ten Days of Fun: Freckled Bug's Apron, Cute Tote Bag, Grandkids, Giveaway Winner!

2010-07-09T07:52:00.001-05:00

Wow--Ten days can go by so fast! No way did I get everything on my list done while participating in the Ten Tasks in Ten Days challenge. ( I can't imagine why---though the photo above might give a clue. :o) I'm so glad that Gina at Shabby Chic Cottage started the challenge though. It really made me get a few balls rolling! Thanks Gina!

I did make some homemade soap (almost) with the grandkids and we had a lot of fun! Basically, five of my ten days were used to just have fun! And I sure did and so did the rest of the family. :o)

I was also THRILLED to win a DARLING apron from the Freckled Bug as part of Diana's Texas Blogging Gals Recent Giveaway.

Wow--I just about fainted for joy. Though I can hardly imagine cleaning is this gorgeous apron! I did alter it a bit by gathering the waistband with elastic so Rebekah and I can both wear it. :o) It goes great with my home sewn blouse. :o) I love the colors especially!

If you want to see more of the beautiful things the Freckled Bug Makes--just check out her blog.

Ten Tasks in Ten Days Challenge at Shabby Chic Cottage

1. Finish Mom's couch cushion covers - I'm starting today! Got four whole days to work on them while all the children are gone for the week.

2. Help son get driver's permit. -- Jacob finished his first six hours, studied the book...and we are going to the office tomorrow morning! Hurrah!

3. De-clutter dear hubby's closet. Oops--well..rats! NO, I didn't--but I did re-decorate the bedroom. :o) It's gorgeous though not painted with the proper colors yet. (I'll tell you all about my PAINTING plans tomorrow!)

4. Finish purple square dance skirt. --Sigh...no I didn't do that either. I sure wanted too, but instead I've been working on a cute little "Just for Fun" tote bag for my daughter-in-law's birthday. Does that count?

5. Lose five pounds. Lost 3 pounds--but whose complaining about that? Aim high I always say!

6. Learn to sell on Ebay! So--close and yet so far. I really need to to do this--and now that I want to buy paint I'm more determined than ever. My conscience..I mean--my daughter--talked me into waiting until we sell stuff on ebay to buy the new paint colors that my friend, Maria Killam, recommended last week. I'll tell you all about that wonderful event tomorrow. :o)

7. Ship Dad's mementos to distant family. Sigh--no not yet. But hopefully, this week. :o)

8. Get finances completely up- to-date. Almost done! Yippee!!

9. Write Christian's lesson plans for summer school. (Nope--but he's on vacation this week...so I'll do that at the end of the week.)

10. Add ruffle to checkered square dance skirt. Rats! And I so wanted to do that--but no sewing machine until this week.--Hope springs eternal!

However, I did get my quilted wall hanging sent to Debby of The Cozy Blanket. I'm so glad she liked it. :o)

And so goes life! What projects would you like to get done this summer?

Happy Homemaking!

New Modern Skirt Design by my daughter Rebekah and skirts designed by me.

2010-07-06T18:00:00.002-05:00

Rebekah and I had a special and unusually girly weekend not two weeks ago! We spent the weekend square dancing in Galveston as you probably know by now.

Last time, I showed you pictures and a demo of the teenagers in the zebra striped lime green ruffled dresses but I mentioned that Rebekah had designed her own 'modern' style square dance dress. Here it is!

The owner of a square dance dressmaking company is discussing her construction of the pleated circle skirt. It's not an easy thing to make!

He also gave her some information about a possible internship with a fashion design place in Houston. She loves to design skirts in particular and we thought this might be an interesting thing to look into.

Here's a video of a line dance with Rebekah in her new skirt. I thought it looked lovely! Who would have ever thought a circle skirt could look so modern?

I designed this trumpet skirt myself. I've found that I had a little trouble with it hanging right and staying snug around my waist. But I think it turned out pretty good anyway.

And of course I made this skirt up as well.. I had trouble with it too. The fabric was too light and I really need to add a ruffle to the bottom to give it some weight. Personally, I think a circle skirt needs a waistband unless you have a good belt. I just bought one for this dress. It's especially designed for square dance skirts.

Have you ever tried to design your own skirt? Did you have any trouble with it?

How to Make a Cottage-Inspired Apron --- Better photos..clearer instructions!

2010-06-14T20:37:00.002-05:00

Last Fall, I found a pattern for a gorgeous 'cottage style' apron. I downloaded the patter from Bettter Homes and Garden's website. I thought you might like to see the matching aprons that I made for Shona Cole and her daughters. I was her secret sister last year.

I have to say that I had such a hard time making it, that I thought I might better give you some pictures to help. It is darling and after I finished it, I realized how easy it was. But the instructions were extremely confusing. So I've taken some pictures of my progress through this pattern for those of you to see in case you would like to try this. Hopefully, it will help you.

Have fun with this, but don't forget to put your pattern piece on the fold!! I didn't read the fine print and ended up cutting out a half-size apron. Click on the link for a downloadable pattern and instructions. I have numbered my pictures to go with their instructions.

Click for instructions for Cottage Style Aprons

To get started, pick some coordinating fabrics, download the pattern and instructions and cut them out. Shona loves these colors and wanted 'ecletic' print. A quilt store was the only option for this gorgeous fabric!

Next cut out the strips for ruffles, ties, and piping. A rotary cutter makes this step a lot easier!

Step 2 Make the piping. (They called it piping but it was so wide that I don't know why!) Sew it to the lower edge of skirt. (Right sides together.

Step 3 Make the ruffle and hem it.

Step 4: Then attach the ruffle to the lower edge of the apron skirt. Lay it on top of the 'piping'. But it does make a nice accent. On some of the skirts I rolled up the wide strip after it was sewn on and hand stitched it down, so that it was half as wide as was called for.

This is the front view after you sew the piping and ruffle on the lower edge of the skirt.

Now it's time to make the ties and waistband

1. Hem the two ties.

2. Make the points and sew in place.

3. Fold a small pleat so the unhemmed edge is only 1 1/4" wide which is how wide it needs to be to match the waist band. Set it aside while you work on the waistband.

4. Now take the waist band strip that you cut out earlier and fold it in half lengthwise and iron it. Then measure about 1/2" in and fold one edge into the center of the folded waist band and iron again. On one side it will look like bias tape.

5. Now open it out again and lay one edge of the waist band right sides together with the skirt (upper edge) and sew together

Note: (I added another piping strip between the waistband layer and the skirt before this step because I thought it would look pretty, but that is optional and not part of the instructions. I'm sorry I don't have a good picture of doing this step.)

5.Lay the unfinished end of one tie right sides together against the one side of the waistband and stitch in place. Do the same for the other side. Now open out the waistband and tuck the raw edges inside the waistband.

Fold over about a 1/4" on each end of the waist band so that it has a nice finished edge. Then hand stitch both ends in place. Slip stitch the inside ironed edge of the waist band over the sewn seam allowances to hide the raw edges.

Now for the Pockets!

1. Make piping for pocket. (See photo above for piping)

2. Hem sides and lower edge of pocket ruffle. (Same as for skirt ruffle)

3. Gather upper edge of pocket ruffle. (Same as for ruffle above.)

4. Iron interfacing to lower edge of upper pocket piece to reinforce it. It's very big because it will be folded over almost in half to make a very strong upper edge of the pocket.

5. Lay piping and pocket ruffle on upper edge of lower pocket and stitch in place, then lay the upper pocket piece on top of that and stitch it in place.

6. Now fold the upper pocket in half over the front of the pocket and then fold back a 1/2" seam allowance to leave a nice finished inside edge when you turn it right side out.

Stitch the upper edge of the pocket on both sides down to almost the piping. Then turn right side out. This is the back view when you are finished.

7. Press.

8. Last of all, fold the raw edges in the same width as the upper edge of the pocket. Iron seam allowances down. Lay the pocket where you want it on the apron and stitch it in place. Reinforce at the opening edges of the pocket.

I also lined the back of mine by cutting out muslin the same shape as the skirt. I added the pocket last, sewing through all layers. This first one, I didn't think of lining until the end.

When I made the other aprons, I left the bottom edge of the lining open when I stitched on the ruffle and then turned under enough of the lining to cover the raw edges and stitch in place.

A lot of work...but all for some beautiful aprons! These were a Christmas gift so I wanted to make extra nice aprons.

PS. I used red fabric paint to write the names of all of Shona Cole's girls and MOM on hers.

Tutorial! How to Make a Circle Skirt with No Pattern and No Side Seams!

2010-06-09T14:34:00.001-05:00

30 Minute Square Dance or Poodle Skirt

48" wide square of fabric folded in Fourths.

First, we need to do some quick math. Formula for Width and Length of Square: 2 x Length of Skirt plus at least 1/4 of your waist measurement. You can always cut it a little bigger if you are worried about it not being long enough.

Now fold the huge square in half and then in half again like a paper napkin. That gives you four layers. You now have a smaller square which when measured at the diagonal (longest point) is the length of your skirt plus the 1/4 of your waist.

Fold it one more time so that it's a big triangle. (You will have eight layers now.)

Now for some more math! Measure your waist and divide it by 8. Add a 1/2 an inch to that measurement.

For me that was 5 1/2". I laid my tape where I could reach both sides below the top point of the triangle and it was exactly 5 1/2 inches. Draw a line with a marking pencil there. While it still folded , cut off the point of the folded triangle at this spot to make the circle for your waist (this includes extra width so you can get it over your head) which will be gathered by elastic.

Now measure from the cut waist edge all the way down the first side using the length of your skirt (plus hem of course ) For me that would be 18" (it's 23" if you measure from the point--in the photo I hadn't cut off the point yet.) Mark that spot with a pin or chalk pencil.

Move over to the center and mark the skirt length again....and then a couple of more times all the way to the other side of the skirt triangle.

Next, draw a slightly curving line which matches all the spots you marked into one smooth cutting line.

Cut through all the layers on this barely curved line which is your skirt edge (hem line).

Now you can unfold it and Voila! You have a perfect circle skirt!! The picture above is the skirt still folded in half because I couldn't unfold it all the way and still get it in the picture or on the table.

Now fold under about a 1/2 an inch at the waist and sew about 3/8 inch from the edge to make a casing for the elastic. Measure the elastic around your waist and maybe just a bit snugger (whatever is comfortable). Cut the elastic and thread it through your casing with a bodkin threader. Stitch the elastic edges together several times.

Then hem the bottom with a narrow rolled hem. If you want to add lace or homemade ruffle that would be a great way to embellish this. Or if you are doing a poodle skirt, but a poodle applique at Wal-mart and some rick rack for a leash to use for embellishment.

Here's the pattern for the blouse...it's so quick to sew once you figure out the ingenious way they have you sew the sleeves so that you don't have to inset the them.

The square dance dress Rebekah made to wear as part of the ALL-TEEN team for a demo dance in Galveston this weekend.

This is just the most darling square dance dress and it was made by Rebekah last week for the Texas State Square Dance Festival coming up this weekend. All the teenager girls will be wearing these matching dresses and the boys will have zebra striped vests for the demo dance they will be doing.

They are all getting used to the idea… at least they will stand out-Ha! Rebekah does look awful cute in this dress… I must say! Too bad she won’t let me take a pix of her wearing it!…but don’t worry, she won’t mind when we get to Galveston this weekend!

She used this pattern to make the dress. Don't let that front ruffle fool you! It's not a wrap around skirt! It's just ruffle trailed up to the waist to LOOK like a wrap around skirt. No square dancin' gal in her right mind would wear a wrap around skirt to square dance in ..ha! You can buy tons of cute patterns at http://www.squaredfashions.com/Patterns.htm

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Caroline of Church Sexy had some very good questions and I'm answering them here...

Caroline, I don't mind answering your questions. In fact, I've got eight little posts done (this one was NOT little) and now I'm free to comment and answer Q's.. more free time! The house looks great!

Waistband: Yes it is elastic, but the way I cut out the skirt results in a very small opening at the waist--just enough so you can pull it over your head--so no bulk at the waist.

Tie on Sash : I made the sash from the top edge of the sheet. I just zig-zagged the raw edge. It was barely visible. Then I tied it on top.

Petticoat: No, I actually purchased the petticoat. But I do have a whole bolt of chenille to make my own. Just no time! Yipes! I will be doing that and it will make a great post. The fact is I know someone has done a tute on that online but I can't remember where. A ruffler foot, which I have, would be very helpful on a project like this.

I posted this on Wardrobe Refashion and I do actually mention about the sash since I forgot to do so on the post.

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Mickey..at The Works of Our Hands, who DESIGNS costumes all the time for plays suggested we use a just trace our own applique for a poodle skirt..and I agree! So I added this.

For a Poodle to applique on your skirt - Here is a clip art you could blow up, trace on wonder-under ironed to white fabric, and could make your own poodle applique.
Here's a photo of a poodle skirt to give you an idea of what yours could look like...

Square Dance Outfit I made...No Pattern needed for the skirt!

2010-06-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

I'll be sharing the photos and how to's for this super easy to make (30 minutes max) square dance skirt. It could be a poodle skirt too or a little girl's skirt. All you would need would be a nice ruffle to jazz it up if you wanted. I plan to add one to mine before my daughter and I head off to the Texas State Square Dance Festival in Galveston this weekend. It's made from a sheet I bought at the thrift store...It's tied with a waist band I made from the upper edge of the sheet...the part you fold down.

Quilted Wall Hangings

2010-06-05T20:19:00.001-05:00

Show and Tell..
Today I wanted to share a post that I did when I first started blogging. These are photos of wall hangings, applique, quilt rows and blankets I've designed and sewn over the last eight years. ( A few were from patterns but not many!

Please click on any of these to see the larger view and details.

AT TOP:

Pacific Northwest Indian ceremonial button blanket.

A gift for husband's brother and native American wife, both from Seattle, Washington. This original blanket designed by me won "Best of Show" in the 2008 GCC Art Festival. It has over a 100 hand sewn oyster shell buttons on it.

Landing at Sunset I designed this row for a friend's quilt. Her theme was 'fun' and she had lots of colorful scraps, so I made these stuffed antique hot air balloons on a whimsical background.

Another friend was doing an ocean themed quilt. I hand drew, colored with crayons, and then embroidered each of these seashells..I LOVE seashells. I drew all of these myself.

A little closer view is below.

This is my favorite row ever. It took over 50 hours to hand applique and bead! I made a New York skyline with the statue of liberty in the center and beaded fireworks. I got the idea on the way home from quilt bee. I made it from scraps of a friend's quilt. She mentioned she wanted fireworks to go on her patriotic quilt..and this is what I came up with. Please do click on these pictures to see them better.

Ohio star wall hanging -- made for me! My first ever quilting project. The choice of fabrics, the quilting designs and the applique, I made up myself. The Ohio star pattern is traditional and easy to find anywhere.

Make a Joyful Sound to God--German Music-themed quilt
for German daughter-in-law's father, Klaus, who is a fantastic concert musician and singer. I designed this myself.

Wedding pillows for my son and daughter-in-law. One is from a photograph and the other, the cross, I designed myself. (They wanted two ringbearers so I had to whip up a second one...fast! These are all hand-sewn.

A needle case (from pattern)

This was my first boutis' project.

"Ronde de fleurs"

French boutis wall hanging, in progress. I learned how to do this from Diamont Berger who teaches quilting here and in France. She gave me a private half-day lesson on how to do 'boutis' or french quilting. This project is almost done.

Woodlands wall hanging

This was pieced from contributed rows from friends whose rows I made in the pictures below. We all traded quilts for a year. I hand quilted this with lines of wind blowing across the sky. These rows wouldn't fit in a quilt, so I made a wall hanging out of them.

Antique 1920's Reproduction quilt
I purchased reproduction fabric from a quilt store and did my best to duplicate this design from a photo on an 5 x 8" postcard! My husband's grandmother, Georgiana Brune, inspired me to learn to quilt and sent the postcard as an example of her favorite kind of quilt. I gave this copy to her a few months after I started quilting. It is hand quilted with fans. The block pattern is flying geese. (Will be given away by me on June 21st as part of Shabby Chic's GIANT giveaway day!)

Moonstones

(copied from an 8x11 watercolor painting by Andrew Reith)

Andrew let me re-make his painting...but with fabric using trapunto, boutis, reverse applique and Cuna indian mola techniques. This is all hand sewn and one best of show last year at the art show.

Turkey scraps. Friend was going to pitch this project and gave it to me to finish. I finished the head and misc. feathers and added the border then machine pieced it. Won 1st place sewing award in our GCC art show.

A friend wanted spring flowers...so I pieced some wild flowers for her..

another quilt friend wanted chickens...well you know how much I love chickens! I hand appliqued these cuties then added the funny border.

Angels through the seasons.

Made from a pattern. Learned to use new methods of applique with this project.

Happy Sewing!

Donna

Crocheted Dishcloths Tutorial

2010-06-05T08:47:00.000-05:00

I know it sounds crazy...but I just LOVE crocheted dishcloths!!! I'm addicted. They are the perfect on-the-go project and a neat little extra to include in a gift bag for my friends. I discovered the joy of making these when I was trying to find a substitute for buying replacement dishcloths last summer when the gas prices were so astronomically high. I was truly pinching pennies! Little did I know that what was once a necessity would become a dearly loved hobby.

I know some of you may be very new to crochet, and I don't want you to miss out on the pleasure of making one of these. It's a great 'quickie' project! You will be doing a half-double crochet stitch which I will demonstrate below. For those of you who already know how to read crochet instructions, they will be included at the bottom of the post.

You need one small ball of cotton yarn and a G or H size crochet hook. I don't know of anyone else besides the Peaches and Cream company who sells this..at least in the US. Some of my international readers will have to let me know the name of a good source in their country.

Step1: Chain 21 loops plus two more to count for your first stitch.

Step 2: Wrap your yarn over the back of your hook. This is what YO means...Yarn Over.

Step 3: Push your crochet hook through the third loop that is not on your hook. Now you have three loops on your hook.

Step 4: Yarn Over again and catch the yarn in your hook.

Step 5: Pull the yarn through all three loops that are on the hook. I sometimes hold the three loops still while I pull.

Step 6. Now you have finished the first half-double crochet stitch and have three loops on your yarn.

Step 7: Now yarn over again and push through the very next loop. Keep going until you get to the end.

Step 8. Turn over, crochet two more chain stitches to make the heighth of a full stitch to start the second row up.

Step 9: Yarn over again and push your hook through the very next available loop and make another half double crochet stitch. (The one with no stitches on it.)

Each stitch consists of a yarn over, push through the next loop, yarn over and catch the yarn, pull it through all three loops and your done with that stitch.

Keep going for enough rows to make a square. If you don't understand crochet instructions, then you can finish just by chaining eight little chain stitches at the end, catch the first of the eight to make a loop and pull a yarn through. Then cut the thread and pull it all the way through and tie a knot.

For those who want a nice finishing edge, at the very end you continue around the outside edges of the square making a slip stitch in every loop. The last step is to crochet a hanging loop at the very end.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Stitches used: Chain...ch, Single crochet...sc, slip stitch..ss, and half double crochet...hdc
Finished size: Appr. 8" square
Row1: ch 21, hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across.
Row 2: ch2, turn hdc in each hdc arcoss,
Row 3-13; repeat row 2. You should now have a square about 6" on each side.
Round1: ch2, 2 hdc in same stitch to make corner, hdc 18 evenly spaced stitches across the ends o fthe rows to the next corner, 3 hdc in corner, hdc in each ch across to corner, 3 hdc in corner, hdc 18 evenly spaced stitches across the ends of the rows, 3 hdc at corner, hdc across, ss intop of 1st hdc.
Round 2: ch 1, sc in back loop of 1st hdc, sc in back loops only of each hdc around-3sc in center of hdc of each corner.
Optional loop: sc in ch 1 space, ch 9, sc inthe same place, finish off.

Followers Are Special GiveAway....winners announced

2010-06-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry for the delay, but Memorial Day weekend and hubby arriving home on Tuesday, delayed my getting the monthly giveaway drawing done. However, better late than never! Did you think that I had forgotten? Well, I didn't but it was close! With the big SewMamaSew giveaway getting all my attention, this monthly one got a little buried. But here were the prizes....

The prizes are....Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley

and

Intimate Home: Creating a Private World

and one more prize!!

Sew Creative Gifts for Under $10

And here are the winners of this month's

Followers Are Special Giveaway!!

It's first come first pick. If they leave me a comment choosing their prize..then they get to pick. It's easier than me trying to work out all the details of each person getting first pick. (very time consuming!)

These winners were chosen by their place in line on either the Followers list or Networked Blog list of either Comin' Home (homemaking blog) or DC's Creations (sewing blog).

The first winner is #220..Sarah who follows DC's Creations. She doesn't have a blog or profile, so I sent a message and hope to hear from her soon. If not, I'll be choosing a new recipient for a prize.

The next winner is #106 Linda at The Briar Rose Gate, a follower of Comin' Home. I love her blog!! She is a great seamstress, artist, and animal lover. Visiting her blog is like visiting England (which I also adore!).

And the final winner is #76 Diamond in the Rough also a follower of Comin' Home. She has a sweet homemaking blog. She did a FABULOUS post today about asking your hubby one thing he'd like cleaned up in the house if you only had one hour to work. You should read it--it's a sweet and funny story. :o)

I'll be doing another post next month and do a special post about a week before in case you would like to sign up to follow either of my blogs. Signing up for Networked blogs in addition to Following gets you a second entry.

See you at the next giveaway on July 1st!

Happy Homemaking!

2010-05-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have to let you in on a secret addiction.....Journals!! I love them even though I never write in a journal...at least not like a diary. But I often need to write things down...lists, songs, poems, lists, sermon notes, measurements for a quick alteration for someone at church. I love planning on paper. I just can't do it on the computer. The problem is that I can't afford to buy one every time I want one. I'm just a sucker for a pretty journal.

One day a couple of months ago, I was feeling like I needed a little 'cheerer upper' and having no available funds to 'buy' something, thought...hmmm...maybe I could make something with all my scraps around the house.

I have a favorite journal that Kristy Bailey and her daughters made that is a composition book covered in chicken paper with an orange spine. (They know I love chickens!) Well it was falling apart and I needed a replacement.

And here it is... of course..one thing leads to another! I thought that one might be a little bright for taking notes at church on Sunday...so I made one that was a little bit more elegant. I used the scraps from one of my favorite blouses to make this one.

The pictures look like they aren't square but they really are perfectly fitting to the standard composition book. The bottom one doesn't have the book in it though. It stretches a little so the cover fits snug.

We made a all purple one for Rebekah's friend, Laura Strack, and a mini covered book to match. The little one is the perfect size to carry in a purse.

Rebekah's black journal cover is sleeker looking. She doesn't like floo-floo which is hard for me to comprehend. I plan to make quite a few with tapestry covers that have less floo-floo, but plenty of texture. With all the costumes I have made, I have lots of left over cloth like that.This one really is a little wider at the end. I tried to do some top stitching per her request but it made it bulkier. I'm afraid I have to learn by doing and that was a mistake I won't make twice. :o) I also have made some fake leather ones in tan and plan to do some black velvet and brown suede ones as well.

The rectangle that I cut for my journals was long enough to cover the outside and the inside (front and back) of the 5x 8 composition book. I made sure it was wide enough to leave a 3/8" seam allowance on the top and bottom.Then I folded the ends right sides together almost to the center (to make flaps) and stitched down the top and bottom edges on both sides. I embellished with ribbon and sewed things on while the rectangle was still flat.

I love the idea of doing quilted scraps for a cover, or tapestry. There are so many options! If you do a search on journal covers you will be amazed at all the tutorials available for sew and no-sew. Here are a couple of links to tutorials that I liked. I didn't make side pockets for mine. I just kept it simple and cut out one long rectangle and hemmed the short ends. I couldn't find the instructions that I followed when I made these. (I do know there were no pictures.) When I get home, I will definitely do a tutorial though, because I've yet to find one as easy as mine that is still reuseable. I can't find a really simple pattern that shows what I did, so I'll have to do my own tutorial sometime soon. For now, here are lots of options..both sew and no-sew. This is such a fun project, you will find yourself making lots of them!

Sew a Fabric Notebook Cover
Not Much Sewing Fabric Cover

My Entry for a Spring Top Contest

2010-05-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

My Entry for the Spring 2010 Top Contest...copied off a store bought blouse and embellished by me..Christian just took this picture at 7:35pm today. I raced to the closet, threw on the blouse and said, "Quick! Christian..before we lose the sun!" He sure did a great job! :o)

I tried to enter the Spring 2010 Top Contest being held by Made by Rae, but it was already closed. I got the time wrong..8pm EST not CST! But don't give up, if you want to enter. I just got an email from Rae and we can enter for next weeks' contest! Yippee! I don't know all the details yet, but some time this coming week they will open up the contest for new entries.

I just heard about it on Melissa's blog, Until Wednesday Calls. She is showing off the absolutely most gorgeous blouse. You should check both those places. I believe you can vote on your favorite top but I may be wrong about that. She would get my vote for the best blouse..for sure!

I made several copies of my favorite Van Heusen blouse using my Copying Store Bought Clothes technique.

I thought you might like to see my creation, even if I couldn't get it in to the contest in time. You should check out those cute blouses though. There were a lot of great design ideas there!

Join me for Show and Tell! Come See the Yo-Yo Totebag I made for one of the winners of my giveaway..

2010-05-26T22:47:00.000-05:00

I finished the tote bag for my 2nd place winner and will be shipping it in the morning...but I made up a few extra yo-yo flowers while I was at it. Congratulations Melissa of Oh My Darling!

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As I’ve mentioned in the past, for those who love the FlyLady home organization system, Wednesdays are designated “Anti-Procrastination Day!” What that means, in a nutshell, is just to decide to do a few of the projects that you’ve been putting off. For me, that’s a lot of projects. Actually, some of my projects have been put off, and some I’m addressing right away, but they are the projects that I’m working on today.

I’m having a great time picking out fabrics and buttons for the totebag that I offered in the SewMamaSew Giveaway. Melissa wanted the Yo-Yo flower tote bag and since she prefers more subdued colors, I’m embellishing a creme colored bag. I would have done this on Saturday, but I had a cold..so this project had to wait a bit. All the other prizes were shipped off two days ago.

Just deciding which buttons to use was hard enough! They are all so pretty! I have ALWAYS loved buttons and collected them as a young girl. Wish I had that collection now! I’ll just have to visit Diana at DJ’s Storeroom…she sells some awesome button sets.

Are you wondering about the bag with the quilted fall leaves? Well, if you can believe this…I don’t own my own YO-Yo Flower totebag!! I know..depressing isn’t it? I’ve made so many and sold or given them all away. So I thought that I’d make me one too while I was at it. I plan to do a quick machine quilting job on the block I made ages ago for a quilt top that never quite came together. Then I’ll add a Yo-Yo flower in the middle. Finally, my own tote bag!!

Speaking of buttons, Kylie at AntMee did the most innovative tutorial on how to make fabric covered buttons. I begged her to let me share it with you. Here’s a picture of one of the steps. You can read all about it at her blog, Antmee. Be sure to tell her that I sent you! And now…what about you? I know how crafty you all are and I’d love to show everyone what you are working on too!

Would you join me in a WIP (works in progress) Show and Tell? Just click on the linky list below and add a link to a post about your latest project…finished or unfinished! Then we can have a great LINKY time visiting each other’s blogs and seeing what we’ve all been up to. I know you are all busy, so if you could just visit one of the other linkies on the list, that would make for a great Show and Tell. Next week, I’ll blog a little about my three favorites!

Happy Sewing!

How to Make A Purse from Old Blue Jeans

2010-05-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to make a purse from a pair of old blue jeans, but hadn't had the time to try it out until last night. This is so easy! The only thing that isn't finished yet is the twisty handles, but I had to share it with you while I had the time to post. First you draw a line about and inch and a half down from the inseam across both legs.

Then cut the legs off with pinking shears to keep the raw edges from unraveling too much.

Turn pants wrong side out and then pin along a 5/8" seam line. Stitch TWICE for extra strength.

Flatten out the bottom of the 'purse' by pulling the fabric from either side of the seam line out. You will end up with points on the side seams and the inseams.

Pin these flat and stitch 1 1/2 to 2 inches across. Stitch again. This gives you a 'base' for your purse. Trim the points off or fold to the centers of each leg hole to make a stronger base for the purse and tack in place.

You need to do this for both leg holes. When you open out the seams and pull the corners flat, the seam line used to close the leg holes should be at the same level as the crotch. They should match.

Now turn the purse right side out. Great job!! Now the hard part is done! On to the fun stuff!

My next step was to pin some really nice leftover cotton lace to the bottom to make it look more like a skirt than shorts. I stitched it on by hand. But if you thought about it in time, I guess you could do that with the machine before sewing the leg holes closed. But I didn't think about the trim until afterwards..Ha!

I had some ribbon on hand which I laced through the belt holes, but you could even use a small real belt or cotton rope. Whatever you think would make it cute, would be great! Also, I sewed some really nice buttons on the front. I was going to put button holes in, but I was afraid it would be too much trouble to use when opening and closing the purse, so I used velcro circles inside the jeans instead. The buttons are just for looks.

The last thing would be the handles. I had not finished those when I took the pix, but I just cut three long strips from the leftover pants legs, folded them in half lengthwise like bias tape and stitched them closed for straps.

I braided the three strips to make one pretty handle, but I haven't posted a picture of that yet. You could also purchase purse straps to finish this, but that would defeat the purpose of 're-fashioning' just a little.
Enjoy!

Donna

A Spring Dress Embellished with Yo-Yos

2010-05-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have recently discovered a really beautiful homemaking blog called My Romantic Home which hosts a Show and Tell on Fridays. It's a big event where you can see lots of beautiful things and as part of the event I would like to post my Show and Tell item. I made this dress and helped one of my very first and youngest sewing pupils, Katie, make a dress just like it. Her mother, Beverly, wanted the girls to make matching bonnets too. They looked so sweet in these.

Beverly is on my homemaking blog roll...Frontier Farms. I'm so glad she wanted me to do this, because I think this is one of the sweetest dresses I've ever made and I learned how to use Yo-Yo's to make flowers. That set me off on a hobby that I've never quite recovered from..using Yo-Yo flowers for embellishing. You can read about it here. Yo-Yo Flower Tutorial.

If you would like some more pretty things to look at this week, check out My Romantic Home's Friday Show and Tell!

My Route 66 Challenge Quilt...all hand quilted, needle-turn appliqued, and designed by me

2010-05-23T00:35:00.000-05:00

This is the first quilt I ever designed completely myself. It is all hand quilted except for the diner cloth, which my friend, Margie, machine quilted, due to the fact that I was running out of time. (5ft x 6ft) (Click on quilt to see larger view.) I made this as part of a challenge contest using this fabric.

It was less than a yard of fabric. Out of 24 very experienced quilters who were regulars at the Quilt Impressions store in Sugar Land, Tx....22 voted for my quilt. I'd only been quilting a few short months!

The Jack Rabbit Billboard in Joseph City, Arizona.

That's when I knew that some day, when the kids were older, I was going to start designing my own quilts or wall hangings. I couldn't paint and sculpt like Dad...(how I wanted too!), but I 'saw' pictures in my mind and discovered that applique was my method and fabric was my medium.

A Map of Route 66 across the US

I spent several days researching all the exciting stops along the way and picked the ones I liked best from each state. Then I made applique pictures of each landmark.

Map of Route 66

The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico

The WigWam Hotel in Holbrook, Arizona

The Big Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma

The Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois

Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Tx.

A Baby Quilt Featured at My Romantic Home

2010-05-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's Show and Tell Friday at Romantic Home, so I decided to share the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt I made last October. If you would like to see some really beautiful projects and pretty things from people's homes, you will want to visit!

This quilt is made with 100% scraps which for those of you who know me, know makes the project especially satisfying. I pride myself on being a 'frugal' artist.

However, some things do cost money, and the embellishments on this quilt are not cheap. Total cost for lace, buttons, and applique was close to $30.00. However, that is a cheap price for a beautiful 'heirloom' baby quilt. Elisabeth loved it and hung it over Lena's crib. I so enjoyed doing this for my dear granddaughter.

By the way, I'll be posting that Work Table Re-Do this afternoon! See you soon...

Donna

Appliquéing Antique Quilt Blocks to a Quilt Top

2010-05-21T16:15:00.001-05:00

My friend, Angela, had a set of quilt blocks that her grandmother had pieced. I told her that I’d be willing to try to put them together into a quilt top.

They were so delicate though that I just didn’t feel comfortable actually sewing them by machine.

So I decided to appliqué them to a piece of fabric using the needle turn appliqué method which I love doing. Then she can pass it on to someone to quilt.

Aren’t these a great way to use up scraps. The fabric is a treasure trove!

We have Winners! for the SEWMAMASEW contest!

2010-05-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to this year's Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway winners!

1st Prize: Inch Worm Fabrics who won the Sidewinder Portable Bobbin Winder
2nd Prize: A Joyful Chaos won the layered Grandma's Cookies scented Jar Candle made by me
3rd Prize: Oh My Darling will get the Yo-Yo flowers totebag.

4th Prize: Tawny has won the Easy Sewing Gifts for $10.00 and under!

The numbers were chose by Random Generator. Congratulations!

For those who didn't win...I do hold a drawing every month...cause I love giveaways!

Thanks everyone for visiting and joining me at DC's Creations!

The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is now officially closed!

2010-05-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is now closed!
I will announce the winners tomorrow morning!

I have a cold so I'm afraid it won't be super early, but I'll get the results to you as soon as I can. Thanks so much everyone for joining me for this great event! I'm so grateful to SEWMAMASEW for hosting this wonderful get together!

Monogramming with a Basic Sewing Machine and Intro to Making Appliqué Iron on Letters

2010-05-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Shana, a new reader, asked me a great question in response to yesterday's post. How do you monogram with a basic machine? Well..here's a quick answer!
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Monogramming with a Simple Zig-Zag Stitch

You may not be able to do elaborate monogramming, but with the zig-zag stitch you can do straight initials or letters as much as you like! The larger the letter, the wider you would want to make your lines. To do smaller initials or names, use a narrower zig-zag stitch.

It's very similar to sewing a button-hole. You stitch a wide but long line to make the letters. You turn your machine to the zig-zag setting but set the stitch length to somewhere between 0 and 1.   Then turn the fabric as you sew your lines.

I always draw my letters first so that I have lines to follow.   I whipped up a quick monogram of my initials yesterday to show you how this is done. It's been at least a year since I've done this--I’m certainly out of practice! I ALWAYS practice before monogramming the item I'm working with. You can see that I made a mistake on the C. Actually, I would probably monogram the letters with an even tighter stitch than what I showed you here. The zig-zag lines wouldn’t be so obvious. It would have a satin embroidered appearance.

This process works much better on heavier cloth (this was very thin) or cloth with interfacing applied to the back to keep it steady and firm. If you will notice on the R, I experimented with widths...with some practice you can do much better than this little quickie demo!

It works on blankets, clothes, tote bags etc. I'm not certain how well it would work on a bath towel. It would have been a great idea for the hooded bath towel I made for my grandson recently! I've found sewing on terry cloth to be a bit challenging. But I've never tried to monogram a bath towel before. The first thought that comes to mind would be to put some kind of tear away paper on the top and bottom of the place you want to monogram so it would prevent the feet of your presser foot from catching the threads.

If you want nicer lettering, I've done that too on fleece blankets, banners etc. But I did a form of letter appliqué similar to the iron on letters you buy at the store. Here's how I did the lettering for the church worship banners I made. (Pictures of banners coming soon!)

FONT TEST FOR WORSHIP BANNERs
Here you print out your name or message on regular paper in the size and font you like. I try to pick fonts that aren't too terribly detailed.

Then you take a piece of paper backed stitch witchery and trace the letters backwards on the paper. You can tape both pieces together on the window and the light will shine through helping you to see the edges.

After you trace the letters, cut them out and iron them on in place. Check out my Yo-Yo Flowers on Tote Bags tutorial. It shows more about how to finish the edges so they won't fray. You can use fabric paint, widely spaced narrow zig-zag, or fraycheck to finish.

I even did the pictures with this method! Actually, for the banners, I did mock up banners on paper and then had them printed on clear plastic acetate sheets. Then I turned those over so they were backwards and laid them on my overhead projector.
I projected the picture on to gold lame backed with stitchery which had a paper backing on it. I had this fabric covered paper turned paper side out and taped to the door. Then I drew the projection on to the paper. Fianlly, I cut out all the pieces of the picture lines and the lettering. Actually, I cut out some of the lettering, but I made packets for friends at church to do as that would have been a tremendous amount of cutting! My hands would have died. They did a great job. I had TWELVE 3 x5 banners to make! It was one of the most thrilling projects I have ever designed or done!

The tricky part was reassembling the drawing as my friend, Shannon Mucha, of Art in the Every Day, had drawn them using a tiny little 2” square drawing!   Here’s one of her drawings with my lettering added. (She drew pictures of clip art that I had previously edited and arranged to represent the meanings that I had researched.) We needed it to be ‘original’ art. She’s a great graphic artist!
I hope this helps for those of you who have to use a basic machine to do challenging sewing. I’ve done so many things! Please send me your questions if you are stuck on a project. If I don’t know the answer, I bet I could come up with one! :o)
Happy Sewing!
Donna Carol

Finding the Time, Space and Money to Sew

2010-05-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

I wrote this as a guest post on one of my dear friend's blog, Sewing With Trudy. I think it is as good of an introduction as I could imagine for me and this blog, so you can know why I started DC's Creations and how I'd like to be an encouragement to you regardless of where you are in your sewing or quilting journey.

Thanks so much to all of you for joining DC's Creations! Sewing is so much more fun ...with friends!

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Sewing...the most useful hobby in the world!

One of the things I regret most is that so many people do not get to enjoy the pleasure and the benefits of sewing. So many things in our home can be sewn rather than purchased. Think about all of the items in your home that can be or are made of fabric...bedding, furniture covers, pillows, tablecloths, curtains, clothing, purses, tote bags, toys, journals, gift items and much more! Think of the sense of accomplishment you would feel if you could make all these things yourself. You would not be left to the mercy of stuff-mart's limited selections or a department store's prices.

Not only can sewing help you provide for the needs of your home more inexpensively, but you can add that special 'touch' that uniquely represents your decorating style. This is something that you simply cannot buy in a store.And anything you make is going to be of better quality construction and fabric.

I get one of these four responses every single time I mention how wonderful it is to sew.

It's too expensive. People say that by the time you pay for fabric and a pattern, you could have purchased the same item several times over on clearance.
They don't have enough time.
They don't have enough space.
Their sewing machine doesn't work well. The bobbin is messed up or it skips a stitch.

I used to say the same exact thing every time I saw my sister's five girls in new dresses that she had sewn herself. Ditto for her pillow shams, curtains, tablecloths, couch pillows etc. She sewed for herself, for my children, for friends and on and on.

Rather than run to the store, she ran to the sewing machine!

All I could think of was the $16.00 patterns and $6.00/yard fabric plus $1.73 for thread, $1.24 for zipper, and the .65 cents for buttons. In my mind, every dress, pair of pants, or shirt would cost a minimum of $32.00 plus tax! If you are thinking that, then I hope this article will give you a new perspective on the art and feasibility of sewing.

Can't Afford to Sew? Think again!

Stocking Up on Clearance Fabric

My daughter and I sew regularly...always planning ahead for the next clothing or household item needed (like seasonal items, gifts, or a party dress). We have the same mindset when buying cloth and patterns that many of you do when you buy clothes.

..we stock up while patterns are on sale and the seasonal cloth is on clearance.

Every fall, winter, spring, or summer, seasonal fabric is put on sale at local fabric stores. It's at exactly the same time that clothes go on sale. We buy our fabric for $1.00 to $3.00 a yard. A summer blouse need not cost any more than $3.00 if you have a couple of stylish patterns on hand (purchased at a $1.00 each on sale).

We stock up on fabric once every season--stuff that we like...for skirts, blouses, capris, or just because we love it! Not a whole lot but a few yards of good solid basics--summer cotton prints and twills, knits, denims, khaki, and guazy or silky stuff for nice skirts. Then we store it in a cubby hole shelf divided by fabric type, until needed. (My sister used an old dresser for the same purpose.) A tower drawer organizer works too. Don't overstock--keep good fabric not stuff you know you won't use! And don't forget to sign up for emails or newsletters from your closest fabric stores. I save my coupons every month just in case I have a sudden fabric need. That's at least 40% off!

Fabric from Re-fashioning

We also save old dresses, curtains, jeans, shirts, tablecloths etc. rather than throw them out, and sort them according to fabric type once we are tired of them in their current form. Later, we 're-fashion' them. Thrift stores sell fabric, clothes, and tablecloths and throws very cheap...lots of great fabric! We save our scraps to make small gift items..hair scrunchies, yo-yo's for embellishments, tote bags, fabric bows for gifts, journal covers, drawstring gift bags etc. (appliques too!)--not to mention for the time honored scrap quilt for the last bits!

Cheap or Free Patterns

We also stock up on patterns that are stylish but simple. They cover the basics...blouses with variations, skirts, and capris or shorts, and a dress or two. We spent $14.00 total one summer and got seven patterns each (with lots of options) and have been sewing for the last few years off of these.

If we need something specific, now, we buy the $1.99 It's So Easy patterns from Simplicity...

or something along those lines. You don't get as many options, but you do get a cheap pattern for what you need, when you need it. Also, thrift stores sell patterns too at great prices I might add! And if you are really desperate, check out my post on how to make a pattern from a favorite blouse or skirt, without ripping it apart! That costs nothing but the paper you trace the pieces onto!

Cheap Sewing Machine

Craig's List to the Rescue! Thrift stores are GREAT! You can't imagine how cheaply I bought my super wonderful sewing machine--a Euro Pro. (It's wonderful because it is heavier duty than most machines and I sew a lot of heavy duty fabric.) It was $35.00 plus had eight additional feet..gatherer, hemming, blind stitch etc. Sewing machines are almost universally cheap on Craig's list. And thrift stores are overrun with perfectly useable sewing machines.

You don't need an expensive machine.

I used a basic Singer for years. I sewed ball gowns, wedding dresses, convention booth tablecloths, furniture covers, dress pants, worship banners and quilts...using nothing but a basic, plain Jane machine. You need to be able to sew a straight stitch, zig-zag and a button hole. You need a zipper foot. You need heavy needles for leather and denim, light needles for satin or light knit, and medium size needles for cotton etc. You can monogram and applique with a zig-zag stitch. Almost any machine will do what you need!

Number One FIX for a 'broken' Sewing Machine I am not a sewing machine repair person, but I have almost NEVER found a sewing machine that I couldn't fix! I once taught 14 girls and moms how to sew. At least six of their machines weren't working well. What was wrong? Simple, the bobbin thread had gotten jammed up underneath or the machine was incorrectly threaded. Whenever I have a problem, even with my own machine....

The first thing I do is RE-THREAD IT!

This is especially true if the thread is breaking or the wheel won't turn. Often, the bobbin case get's jammed with bunched up thread. Pull the whole thing out, pull out all the loose threads inside. Re-thread the bobbin and re-thread the spool of thread on the top. Then see if it doesn't fix the problem. Also, make sure the tension is set on 5 or the middle and that the stitch witdth is set on 3. Then oil your machine in all the holes. So far, only one machine out of the 18 machines of my friends that I have looked at, could not be fixed doing these things.

But Donna, I don't have TIME to sew! Okay, if you have babies or toddlers, I'm not going to fuss at you. I do know that my sister did find time even while all five of her girls were aged baby to 11yr. old. And I'm a busy mom homeschooling two teenagers, helping a college aged daughter through her daily needs, and have been babysitting a grandchild on a weekly basis. I sew for friends at church, family, and my own needs. We do several outside activities as well. So I am very busy!

I sew at night instead of watching movies!

One writer of a homemaking book once said that

The biggest part of any job was the GET READY time and the PUT AWAY and CLEANUP time.

That is the key to finding time to sew! I didn't manage to find time to sew, until I made a permanent place to do it. The best sewing table is a small two to four drawer DESK--again, from Craig's list! I paid $20.00 for my sewing 'desk'. The file cabinet is full of patterns--and that is all the patterns I need--only current trendy ones, plus patterns for curtains, other home furnishings and baby gift items or clothes. The top left drawer is for the current sewing project ( so you can put it away when you aren't working on it.) The other two to three drawers on the left are for scissors, thread, buttons, stitch witchery, notions, interfacing, bobbins and other sewing items. Use drawer dividers!

If you use a regular desk for sewing,

all can be out of sight but convenient...

not too tempting to little hands or distracting, regardless of what room you put the desk in. Make a nice fabric cover for the machine so it doesn't distract from the room. Dining rooms are the best place for sewing--because you have a table right there for working on! Bedrooms work great too, just get a 40%off coupon and go buy a cardboard cutting board that covers the whole bed for $6.00. Tuck it under the bed when you are through cutting out the pieces. Put the pieces in the drawer and it's all out of sight for the evening. Put it in the den so you can sew while everyone else is watching a movie...they don't need the room pitch black to watch a movie. It's bad strain on the eyes anyway. :o)

Remember, though, that if you can leave part of your project out on the desk, it will help you want to keep working on it too! If you have to get out your sewing machine and put it on the table and pull out the sewing box from the closet, and hunt for a good pair of scissors, and go buy cloth and a pattern--at full price--you will never have the time, money or space to sew!

Pick Easy Patterns--They take less time!

I was such a dummy, always picking elaborate things to sew...super fancy dresses, skirts with pockets, zippers and buttons! I don't know why! One summer, though, I needed a bunch of clothes fast..for a trip to Hawaii. I went and bought a simple skirt, capris, shorts and blouse pattern and made several variations of each. With a friend's help surging seams, we made eight clothing items in one day!

The patterns were easy..that was the trick.

A skirt, shorts, blouse, or capris can easily take less than an hour to make! Try Kwik-sew or It's So Easy--You can make your own clothes in a jiffy! You can certainly make one of these items in the time it takes the family to watch a movie. :o)

Why go to all this trouble?

Because a nice dress costs at least $15.00 even on sale, fabric gifts made from scraps cost almost nothing, curtains, couch pillows cost a fortune. And store-bought clothes are often low on fabric and not worth the clearance price you paid for them...flimsy and poorly designed.

Can't Sew? Take lessons!

Any fabric store will have teachers and it will be a great investment in a hobby that is more far reaching and practical in it's scope than any that I know of and more rewarding than I can even begin to describe. If you have kids, sign up together! You'll be glad you did! And if you can't afford lessons, at least start with a super easy project...like a tube skirt or pillow cover. Then work your way up to more difficult projects. I learned most of what I know by sewing. Patterns are great teaching tools!

If you will set up a permanent place that allows you to put everything out of sight, so that sewing is EASY...

you will find both the time and money to sew! I promise!

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Now I'd like to hear from you! Where are you on your creative journey? What do you love doing most? I'd really love to get to know you all better, so leave a comment and let me know more about you and your blog! I'll be sure to drop by and visit you too!

PS. There is still time to enter the SewMamaSew May Giveaway. It closes on May 20th...so check out my previous post and read all about it! I'd love to have you enter. :o)

Sneak Peak of tomorrow's post...How to Monogram with a Basic Sewing Machine....

Sew Mama Sew May Day Giveaway!

2010-05-17T01:49:00.000-05:00

The SewMamaSew Contest Officially Closed at 12:00am Eastern Time!

Hi Friends, I just wanted to let you know that the contest is over.

I'll be doing more giveaways..I have one on the first of every month!

Thanks for visiting!

One Friend's Stash is another Friend's Treasure!!

2010-05-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

Our family recently helped a retired friend, Mrs. Beverly, unload her attic and disconnect all her TV’s and other electronic equipment for shipping as she is moving next weekend. Tim and the boys love to do stuff for her. And look what she gave me!! She is a crafty queen and decorator on a shoestring ‘par excellence’. Thank you Beverly! Ahhh…the projects I can foresee in the future if my dear daughter, Rebekah, doesn’t get wind of this fabric before I can hide it from her!! Uh Oh…here she is and boy is she smiling!

Rebekah will be making her own cute blouse from the eyelet (she just told me what she's doing) and I plan to at least make a T-shirt dress for my granddaughter Lena. She's one and walking very well. She loves wearing dresses and I think the polka dots will be perfect on a black t-shirt.

Fun Fabric Flower Tutorial by Mariesa at Ten Cow Chick

I think I will make a new flower embellishment that I saw on a friend's blog to embellish the skirt at the hip...and I'll add some ruffle with at the neckline. It would be a great tutorial project to post for this Friday, don't you think?

While the kids were gone to a local square dance last weekend, my hubby, 15yr.old son and I put together a HUGE wardrobe that was given to me while Jacob, my older son was doing a friend’s yard work! Thank you dear Lord for manna from heaven! My fun job this week or next will be to fill it with all my sewing stuff, freeing up another hutch for miscellaneous office stuff, like my father’s estate papers which I work with daily, gift stash, glassware waiting to be painted for gifts, cd collection etc.

Our sewing room looks so much less cluttered thanks to getting this extra storage space! It’s so big I just could not physically get it all in one picture.

I'd love to keep this baby! But since it's brand new and still in the box, I think I will give it away for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway tomorrow morning! Be sure to leave a comment to enter!

My Top Ten Picks for Easy Summer Clothes

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2939 Simplicity
http://www.simplicity.com/p-1844-missmiss-petite-sportswear.aspx

Rebekah's Favorite Dress
Simplicity 4224
http://www.simplicity.com/p-3399-misses-miss-petite-dress.aspx

Ok..so the first two are Not so Easy Patterns..but we loved them!!

2906 Trumpet or Straight Skirt..great for cottons and cotton mixes.

http://www.simplicity.com/p-1816-its-so-easy-misses-skirts-and-purse.aspx

Shorts and Capris
McCalls 5117
http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=7615536

Donna's Favorite Sunday Dress
Simplicity 5189 6 dresses made easy
http://www.simplicity.com/p-2213-missmiss-petite-dresses.aspx

Long and Short Flared Skirt - Georgette and knits
Butterick 9 Sew Fast and Easy 5431

Tiered Skirts
Simplicity It's So Easy 4131
http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=6414075

Eyelet Kimono Top and Jacket
Simplicity Easy-to-Sew 3760 On my wish list to sew..
http://www.simplicity.com/p-3245-misses-sportswear.aspx

Cute Baby Doll Tops
Simplicity 6 made easy 2931
http://www.simplicity.com/Search.aspx?SearchTerm=2931&x=0&y=0

Long Slightly Flared Skirt for Crepe and Georgette fabric
Simplicity 6 made easy 7655 Long Flared Skirt, elastic waist.
http://www.simplicity.com/p-2589-misses-pants.aspx

Stylish Knit Tops or for stretchy gauze material
Simplicity 6 made easy 3790
http://www.simplicity.com/p-2015-misses-knit-tops.aspx

Kimono Tunic Simplicity 4528
http://www.simplicity.com/p-3470-missesmiss-petite-tunic.aspx

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To my respond to my readers comments, I want to add this reminder about how to find cheap fabric:

Learning to Sew: I love teaching sewing and wish I could do that for you all. That would be a novel idea this summer...on my sewing blog, I could post a tutorial for how to sew a simple skirt...sounds like a lot of pictures. :o)

Shannon, I bought some of the fabric on clearance last spring. The guaze fall fabric I bought 70% off at JoAnns when it went out of business in Conroe. Huntsville's Wal-mart has the best $1.00 a yard fabric. And the gorgeous black floral print was ONE DOLLAR a yard at our local Hobby-Lobby.

We habitually check the clearance shelves at all our local stores. I just bought TEN yards of plaid to re-do the colors in my sewing room at FIFTY CENTS a YARD!! from Hancock's clearnance! And I got heavy cream tapestry fabric -yards of at it $2.00 a yard to make slip covers for the office chairs in the sewing room.

You have to hit the clearance shelves. Rebekah and I do it every time. We won't buy it if it's not on clearance. She bought gorgeous black with turquoise stripes suit fabric for $1.00 a yard and is making a very sleek and chic suit from it. :o)

You just have to switch from clearance shopping for clothes..to fabric. Stores: JoAnns, Hancocks, Wal-Mart, and Hobby-Lobby..and the thrift stores too! They always have fabric in our Angelic Resale bin. Or use old clothes..for the fabric!

A Blogger Award for me andto pass on to you!

2010-05-15T22:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday, May 15, 2010

I received the Sugar Doll award and I'm passing on the kudos to Ten of You!

Today, I was so thrilled to find out that Mommypants gave me this award! Thanks so much Mommy Pants! (You gotta love that name!!) She has a great blog with some VERY creative and FRUGAL ideas..so all you frugal fans..be sure to hop on over and visit her. She has great ideas for saving money while on vacation and how to be fashionable while on a budget. Now that is a girl after my own heart!

Here's how to get your award...

Award Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 10 things about yourself

3. Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are worthy of the award.

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Now for the ten things that you don't know...about me...

(I feel REAL funny doing this. But here goes...)

Hmmm...scratching my head...thinking very hard.....

Fact 1: I love adventure! I've caved in wild caves, helped sail a sailboat, river rafted, rode in a soar plane (no engine), love the Dungeon Drop, hiked through the Hoh rainforest and most terrifying...given a concert (for pay) in a huge ethnic grocery store (playing my own music). I planned on being a missionary to Africa but it didn't work out. Instead, I raised five kids and now live with three teens...it's a real adventure too!

Fact 2: I love love love to sew!!--especially without a pattern. Where other people fix things by painting them, I'm more likely to sew a cover for it. :o)

Fact 3. I am a chicken...period.I hate trying new things that might involve physical danger. (Though I do it regularly.) In fact, our rooster used to chase me because when it comes to flight or fight...well, I'm running! Dog-gone rooster! (How did he know?)

Fact 4. I ADORE chickens and once had 35 who ALL had names!!! (Don't even ask what happened to them...I'm still grieving.)

Fact 5. I love fabric and making pictures with fabric. I am happiest when designing another fabric art piece. And I adore sewing by hand. Machines are for work--sewing by hand is heavenly.I want to do this forever.

Fact 6. I majored in ACCOUNTING! I know..weird. I'm a numbers geek and love budgets. I made a whole set of books for our home when we had only been married six weeks. We didn't have any money, which makes no sense..now that I think about it. :o) But I loved putting all the numbers in their right places. Of course, I also love spending money...which makes even less sense!

Fact 7: I HATE excercise until I start doing it. Let's say I hate boring exercise. The treadmill stinks but square dancing is awesome! I could dance all day and never stop.

Fact 8. I can't whistle, play volleyball, water ski (they said I came up out of the water...but I don't believe them!), and I don't care much for cooking. Plus, I have no sense of direction and I'm always getting lost!

Fact 9: I love OLD BOOKS especially rare ones.I want to be a literature major..but never graduated from college. I have lots of old homemaking books because I love homemaking and have since I was a little girl. (I used to secretly admire pregnant ladies with their big stomachs and spent lots of time dressing up our pets: rabbits, and cats, to be my babies.)

Fact 10: I always expected to be an inventor some day. I used to while away the summer hours inventing things like fake blow dryers, elevators (using a rope ladder, a Mexican wicker chair, and my baby sister), and started a huge fire trying to cook in a hundred year old outdoor fireplace. Thank goodness..Mom put it out just in time!

Now here are ten blogs that I have gotten to know recently and really love....(in no particular order)

1. Colour Me Happy- Maria Killam is such a sweet lady and an amazing interior decorator. I love reading her posts and am always learning things about home decor that I just haven't a clue about.

2. The Shabby Chic Cottage--where were these kinds of blogs all these months? I just now came across this one about a month ago and love it! I'm getting so inspired to try new things thanks to Gina!

3. Brent Riggs--On Building A Better Blog (Poor Brent...I don't know if Sugar Doll is an appropriate award for him! Maybe for his dear sweet daughter though. :o)) This guy is amazing! He not only gives you so much information and tools to help your blog be the best that it can be, but he has other blogs that could change your life. I love his SeriousLife Magazine especially. He's a blog master, pastor, radio personality, father of seven caring for an adopted daughter with cancer and in the process of adopting another child (a baby sister for his daughter). He cares about people and wants to help you live a better life.

4.A Lovely Thought....Home Rayanne is an amazing homemaker with the most beautiful blog I have ever seen...It is lovely, gracious, and thoughtful. Every time I visit...I want to stay. I love her gorgeous photos too. She is the most inspiring homemaker I have ever read about.

5. Like I Got One Day Left to Live by Geetha Srinivasan. Geetha leaves the sweetest comments and is a new friend. She and her hubby are caring for their little boy who has serious health issues. Her blog is now a record of her son's ups and downs, but her blog is full of poetry and photos from travels in India. I am amazed at her courage and fortitude and pray for her little boy and God's healing touch.

6. School For Us This blog is by Dana for her daughter Alex. They are on the great adventure of homeschooling and having an awesome time! Her blog is full of incredible travel photos and great homeschooling ideas!

7. Life and Love in the Country I have come to treasure this mother's stories and comments as she delves in to the art of homeschooling. She is new to this and is bravely facing the challenges. She always has the most profound things to say! When she posts...I read it! And she sends me the most helpful emails all the time. Thanks friend!

8. To Everything A Season By Diana She's the one who put Texas Blogging Gals together and I'm so grateful! She's an inspiring True Blue Texas Gal...and I love reading her posts. If I had her address...I'd send her a Diet Coke!! Thanks Diana for bringing us all together and for sharing your love for the Lord and family!

9. Gloria's Blog VivaLaVida She's one of my favorite artists and blogging friends. I have only gotten to know her well in the last month or so, but she is so faithful in visiting and commenting. Her blog is like a lovely stroll through a vineyard or sitting in the garden sipping a nice cup of coffee...

10. Who's learning? Who's Teaching?by Over Yonder Over Yonder writes about life with her two children and the challenges she faces and the milestones she overcomes each day. She is raising a learning disabled child and is another very brave mommy.

It was so hard to have to limit myself as I have met so many new people whose blogs I love and good friends who have been so faithful! Thanks to all of you for being blogging friends!

Happy Sewing!
Donna

Email me at homemaking@eastex.net if you have any questions.