Happy Halloween!

Most of my friends, family, and co-workers know that when I dress up for Halloween, it's usually going to involve some sort of home-made outfit rather than something store bought. While that's not always the case, I do tend to have a little too much fun creating Halloween costumes! This year Matt will be out of town for Halloween and our annual Halloween party is therefore cancelled, so I wasn't planning on dressing up or even participating in Halloween. I'm not really a big fan of the holiday - I just like the excuse to be creative!

Beth and Aaron, good friends of ours, had a mini Halloween get together for an early celebration this year instead of the usual shindig. I scrambled to come up with some ideas and was drawing a blank due to being preggo. Beth recommended Juno and Pauly Bleaker, which would have been hilarious, but my husband vetoed the short yellow shorts. There's always the cliché pregnant nun and priest. Or since I always threaten to be something that requires thought, I thought about wearing a simple t-shirt with three dots across the stomach (...). Ta da! A pregnant pause! But that requires too much explanation. So to trusty Google I went! There were quite a few cute ideas to be found, but some of the easiest costumes that I found included Snoopy and Charlie Brown. It took maybe a couple of hours to make both costumes. While I'm not going to go into great detail tonight, I thought I'd show you the final product of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and my Woodstock headpiece.

And, a few more photos showing off some other hard work. Some costumes turned out really well, some turned out quite poor. But we had fun and that's what matters. :)

"Marilyn Monroe and JFK," 2004 - I rented the white dress, shoes, and a wig from a costume/vintage clothing store. I didn't end up wearing the wig, but Matt's roommate wore it to portray Napoleon Dynamite. Matt's outfit we made up of stuff from Goodwill, I think. Halloween during college is always fun!

2005 wasn't very impressive. I think I was a she-devil and Matt was part of an "Ace and Gary" duo with a buddy. I have no idea what happened in 2006 or 2007. 2008 resulted in too many drinks on the living room floor with Erin playing candy basketball! No costumes that year!

"The Birds and the Bees," 2009 - My costume was bought at the store, and Matt ended up looking like something out of the Village People.

"The Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts," 2010 - Thank God for Goodwill! My dress was actually a sweet 1980's poofy prom dress. I ended up making a slip to cover the skirt and bought some cheap Wal-Mart toys for the accessories. Matt's costume was a lot more time intensive! We made the hat, painted the pants, and I refinished a sports coat. He looked pretty good!

"Olive Oyl and Popeye," 2011 - I ended up repurposing an old shirt and skirt for my costume and decorated Matt's t-shirt with felt. We used felt to make "spinach" to place around a plastic beer mug covered in green construction paper.

Halloween is a great time to get creative and let your imagination run wild! Nothing is too outlandish, and it's fun to experiment with new materials and ideas! I hope you have a great Halloween - be safe, dry, and warm!

<3 Sarah

Chuggington the Train

A good friend of mine, Stephanie, has two of the cutest little monsters ever. Luka is turning 4 this year, and she asked me if I would be able to sew the number 4 onto a shirt for him. I told her of course I could! She gave me all of the materials, including the shirt, fabric for the number, and a package of “Heat’n’Bond” (even though I told Beast that I already had Heat’n’Bond, silly girl). My plan is to use the Heat’n’Bond to adhere the 4 to the shirt and zigzag stitch around the edges for decoration – and try to explain the whole process to you!

Heat’n’Bond is one of several iron-on adhesives available on the market. If you follow the instructions, it’s a great way to permanently adhere a design or pattern onto another piece of fabric. It’s washable and sewable. There are several types or “weights” of adhesive that can be utilized depending on the types of fabric you’re working with. Stephie got Heat’n’Bond Lite, which is perfect for this project. The packaging/bolt (yes, you can buy it off of the bolt rather that in a package) will tell you for what type of project that specific weight is best. Be sure you read the packaging before purchasing because not all fusibles are adhesives. There are options that are meant to make fabric more sturdy, but it only adheres one direction and to one piece of fabric. Those are fusibles. Adhesives have the ability to stick on both sides.

I should mention that you don’t NEED an iron-on adhesive to do this type of project. It eliminates the need for working with pins. I don’t usually use an adhesive unless a project specifically tells me to do so. But using one allows for a nice smooth surface on which to work without having to worry about puckering on corners and edges (unless you’ve pinned the heck out of them).

The cotton shirt Steph got is a great medium for this project. The lightweight cotton patterned fabric is perfect, too. When choosing a pattern, keep in mind how the pattern will look on a smaller item. A large pattern on a small shirt will be a little funky because you don’t get the full effect of the pattern. The Chuggington fabric Steph bought has a large pattern on it, which makes it difficult to ensure an entire train is captured, unless using a very large number. Typically small patterns work best for this type of thing – in this instance, smaller trains would have been better. In order to utilize the present fabric, the number will be pretty big. Knowing Luka, he’ll be okay with it. :D

Before you start your project, be sure to wash, dry, and iron your shirt and fabric. Drying is the most important part of that whole process because it allows your materials to be pre-shrunk into similar conditions that the shirt will be exposed to on a regular washing basis. If you were to sew everything together before washing and drying, your decoration may shrink, causing puckering and tugging on the stitches and possibly breaking the bond created by the Heat’n’Bond. In other words, your decoration will fall off. The opposite can happen, too, where the decoration doesn’t change but the shirt does, leading to a beautiful decoration, but the shirt is puckered and stretched. It can distort the decoration or even make the garment fit weird.

I used my computer’s word processor to find a chunky font to print out a 4 to use as my pattern. As you can see, it took me a couple of attempts to find something I liked. Cut out your decoration so that it is solid, not a negative. Before cutting any fabric, lay your pattern on your shirt to be sure the proportions between the number and size of your shirt aren’t horrendous.

I cut my adhesive material into a manageable size to save fabric and adhesive. Once you iron this stuff onto your fabric it’s on there!

Follow the directions on your selected adhesive for the next part of the project. (Make sure that your ironing board is cool before laying down your fabric and adhesive. If the board is still hot from any previous ironing, it may prematurely start to bond the materials before you’re ready.) Heat’n’Bond has me placing the adhesive on the back of my material (not the patterned side) so that the fabric is face down on the ironing board and the adhesive is on top of it, paper liner facing up.

After I complete that first step, I like to trace my pattern onto the paper of the adhesive in order to cut out my shape. It’s easier to trace the pattern versus trying to pin a pattern through paper. Also, it doesn’t work to cut your decoration first and then apply your adhesive – you’ll end up adhering your Heat’n’Bond to the ironing board cover. Don’t forget that if your decoration is directional you need to flip your pattern so that it appears backwards to you, but once it’s cut out it will be correct.

(Sorry about the lighting in that one...)
Cut out your decoration with a nice pair of scissors made for cutting cloth. Any pair of scissors will do, but a nice pair of scissors not used on paper will stay sharper and give your cloth a clean edge.

Continue following instructions to adhere your decoration to your shirt. Again, be sure your decoration and ironing board are cool before starting this process so you don’t accidentally glue your decoration in the wrong place.

Now to sew! Pick out the thread(s) you wish to use for the zigzag stitching around the edges of the decoration. Matching colors will fade into the background, complimentary colors will pop. If you need to wind your bobbin (the little spool), do so by following the machine’s instructions. Prep your machine according to your machine’s instructions to thread the needle. Adjust the settings on your machine to create a zigzag stitch, making sure your machine is equipped with a zigzag presser foot and zigzag needle plate. Adjust your stitch selector to the zigzag stitch – on most machines it’s the primary setting – and following the instructions to set up your machine to create a zigzag stitch. On my machine, I adjusted the stitch length to nearly 0 so that the stitches are close together. My stitch width is set to a 3, dictating how wide my stitch will be. I recommend testing your stitch out on a scrap piece of fabric first to be sure you’re satisfied with what you’re going to create.

I removed the base of my machine for ease during sewing because the shirt is so small. Pick a starting point and begin! Don’t forget to backstitch at the start and end to prevent your thread from unraveling. Try to keep your thread centered on the edge so that you’re catching both the decoration and the shirt. Take it slow around corners and curves, and if you run out of thread on your bobbin in the middle of your project, don’t panic! Snip your top thread, rewind your bobbin, and start again just a little before your stopping point. It allows you to backstitch and prevent the ends of the thread from unraveling.

When you’re finished, snip your threads and admire your handiwork!

I hope Luka and Stephanie enjoy the shirt! It was a fun little project to work on today while recuperating from a couple of busy days at work. I have learned that my 7 month preggo belly does not allow me to get as close to my sewing desk as I’d like. I also need to get my machine looked at! For some reason it’s dropping stitches/not picking up the bottom thread. I may need to play with the tension of the upper thread a bit, but of course I discover this while trying to blog and create something for a friend!

My machine was originally my mom’s and it’s been around for as long as I can remember. I learned to sew on this machine before my mom and dad got me my own little machine. When my mom got her new fancy digital machine, I got the Kenmore! My little machine is okay, but it doesn’t have the same horsepower or capabilities as the Kenmore. I’m trying to find an origination date, but I’m not having any luck. Neither the manual nor the machine has a date, but there’s a sweet vintage photo on the cover of the manual with a little girl’s bottom hanging out of her dress. From what I can discern through Google, it was most likely built in the mid-to-late 1970’s.

I hope this inspires you to create something fun! As always, ask if you have any questions or leave any other tips! And thanks for stopping by. :D

<3 Sarah

Given a New Purpose

Okay, deep breath! This will be my first attempt at explaining my thoughts and process behind a project. In this case I repurposed a couple of wall hangings that I bought a long time ago from Target. Our living room was sort of Asian inspired, but my taste has changed a bit and I didn't like the hangings anymore. Instead of chucking them into the trash or donating them, I decided to try my hand at repurposing them into something I actually liked. I think this project is actually from nearly a year ago, so I will try to remember the details as best as I can. If there's something missing or unclear, just ask me and I'll try to clarify. One disclaimer...I have a Cricut Expression that I LOVE and use a lot in my projects.

My main "ingredient" in this whole project was Mod Podge, a white goopy liquid that dries clear. It comes in a couple of different sizes. I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but any craft store should have it. It's a little spendy, and I know there are tons of tips and tricks to make your own. I've never tried it, though. I also utilized a small black foam brush to apply my Mod Podge. Any size will work! You can buy them individually or in packages with multiple sizes, and they're pretty cheap.

My inspiration for the coloring came from this placemat my cousin gave me as a gift a while ago. I think the mats came from Pier1. I doubt they're still in production, but who knows.

First I ripped all of the cardboard backing and staples off the back of the wall hangings to see what was actually inside and what I was working with. They turned out to be hollow with no filling.

In order to get a rough adhering surface on the top of these very shiny, glossy boards, I took some rough sandpaper to the face of each one. I wasn't sure how well the Mod Podge would stick to the slick surface, so I figured "scoring" the face of the surface would allow somewhere for the glue to soak in. After that was completed, I used a damp cloth to wipe the excess dust off the face of each board. This is important to do - it will allow your glue to stick to the surface of the board, not to the loose dust lying on top.

I took the wall hangings (each one was about 24" tall and 12" wide") and cut each one in half (to create 4 12" x 12" squares) using my husband's 10" compound Miter saw.

Do NOT use power tools unless you know what you're doing!!!

If you DO use them, keep your fingers clear, follow the directions, wear safety glasses (I know they're uncomfortable and ugly, but your eyes are pretty important), and if the noise bothers you, wear ear plugs or headphones. If you're not sure or uncomfortable, ask for help. I could've also used a hand saw. I think the material is too thick for a box cutter, though. Just please be careful - I don't want to be held accountable for someone cutting off her finger! I also don't want to be taking care of you in the hospital. Don't get me wrong, I love being a nurse and I'm sure you're nice, but it's best if you stay out of the hospital and leave only your creativity behind, not blood and pieces parts!

Now this is where I run out of pictures until everything is completed. I'll do my best to describe the process!

Wipe down the surfaces again to get any sawdust off the face.

Because of the way the boards were originally built, one side of each square has no edge. The other three sides have about 1" deep edge with a hollow space behind it. I arranged the squares face up so that the bottom and sides had a solid edge while the top was "open." That way if you look at the squares from the bottom or side, it appears to be solid all the way around.

Decide what paper you want to use for each square. I used four different pieces of 12" x 12" decorative paper found at any craft store/Wal-mart/Target, etc., to match the colors of my placemat. I would recommend drafting your designs on a flat surface first so that your can have an idea of what you're doing and where to place things. This way your Mod Podge doesn't dry before you're ready for the next step. I used a combination of decorations, all paper, to create my designs. Some things were simply cut from other scrapbook pages, some are torn, and some are cut using my Cricut. I utilize a small 12" paper cutter/trimmer in order to cut my straight lines - scissors and pencil never work well for me.

The first one is a pink background with some birds cut from another piece of scrapbooking paper. I used a pair of craft scissors (similar to sewing's pinking shears) to create the funky edge - they can be found at any craft store/Wal-mart/Target, etc.

The green background is paper with texture, which didn't turn out the way I wanted, but it is okay. The decorations include a bird and flower cut with my Cricut from the "Hannah Montana" cartridge. The petals in the lower left-hand corner are pieces from the cut-outs on the flower (the yellow is one side of the paper, the pink came from the other side of the same paper...some scrapbook paper is two-sided). The stripe is ripped from the same paper as the birds used in the pink square.

My method of ripping the paper is to draw a straight line lightly with pencil, align the pencil line on the edge of my plastic Fiskars template thing (I have rectangles, circles, and squares - bought at Hob Lob), and with one hand firmly holding the template in place I rip the paper straight down along the edge. I did this to both sides of the strip of paper. The picture is an example of what I did.

The dot paper is simple again, just ripping a bird from the same paper used on the pink and green squares.

The last square utilized birds cut with the Circut, again from the "Hannah Montana" cartridge, a strip ripped from the same paper used in each square, and the leaves are the same as the afore-mentioned petals. They are from the cut-outs of the flower used on the green square.

Now that you have each squared designed, you can start gluing! We'll be working one square at a time, just to be sure the glue doesn't dry before you have the opportunity to complete your design. Pour some Mod Podge (from here on, it will be referred to as MP) onto the surface of one square and spread it around, edge to edge, with one of your foam brushes. Be sure to get the entire surface covered with a visible film. You don't want puddles of it because it will pucker the paper, so use your judgment to make sure it is as even as possible.

Place one of your selected backgrounds onto your wet surface. Make sure if the paper has a design on it that it placed appropriately (i.e. the "top" is the open edge, the "bottom" edge is the solid edge). Press your paper onto the surface - I just used my hands to be sure the paper was smooth, pressing and running my hand from edge to edge and through the center to adhere everywhere.

Pour a small amount of MP onto your background and spread from edge to edge, covering your entire surface and even going over the edges of the paper - MP is useful as a sealant, too. This layer should be pretty thin, otherwise you'll get puckering from paper that is too wet. It's noticeable in a couple of my photos. While this layer is wet, start placing your design. Don't worry if you need to move something, the MP doesn't dry right away. My usual method is to place a piece of the design and then spread a light layer of MP over the top of it to "seal" it in place, making sure to get edges adhered well. Use your fingers, or if you don't like getting goopy, use a different tool (a ruler maybe or even the handle portion of a piece of silverware). For instance, the pink and dotted squares only needed a couple of things glued on, so I placed the birds and then MP'd over the top of them - viola! Done! The green and teal squares required a bit more patience and glue. The single layer items were placed with a layer of MP on top of it to adhere it. The "branch" on the teal square was a two part process - laying the branch down, MP over the top of it, then place my "leaves" and MP them. I guess the best way to describe it is to go layer by layer. Place a layer, MP, next layer, MP, etc. You always want MP to go over the top of your placed piece so that it will seal well.

Continue this process with the other squares so that you've got four paper-covered and decorated squares. Let your creations dry completely, then you can apply your ribbon for hanging.

In order to place the ribbon for hanging my new creations, I cut 8 different length pieces of black ribbon. I folded the edge of one end of the ribbon under and placed it on the outside edge near the top and stapled in place using a staple gun (again, don't use tools if you're not comfortable).

I repeated this process until I had stapled all 8 pieces of ribbon, again on the outside of the square near the top edge. I then tied bows in the ribbon so that each square had a bow in a different place.

The finished product, hanging on the wall...this photo just makes me realize that they're not evenly spaced from the TV. The clock came from Wal-Mart and the birds on either side of the clock came from Target I think.

This whole process of describing and explaining has taken me more time that I thought it would and now my brain is a little scrambled. I'm pretty sure that my explanations make sense, but if something seems left out or confusing, just ask and I will clarify. If you have any insight or other methodology, please share so that we can all learn! I hope this gives someone somewhere inspiration! And while I'm sure it's not necessary, I'm going to let you know that I'm not sponsored by anyone and the brand names of things used are what I happen to have in my craft closet. There are millions of brands and types of crafting tools. Use what you have and what works best for you - it will lead to the best success! Most importantly, thanks for taking the time to read through this process!

<3 Sarah

Just the Beginning

I've decided to jump on the blog band wagon, but hopefully I have a reason for doing so! I often times search through Pinterest, loving all of the creative, crafty stuff that people have created for their homes. But the downfall is that even when you click on the pin to view the original post, the instructions (if there are any) are pretty vague. They seem to be written for people by people who have been crafting and sewing for years. I have plenty of friends who do not know how to sew (I usually gasp and ask why not), and they aren't able to create some of the beautiful items found online because they don't know how! Or maybe they have a basic understanding of a sewing machine, but the directions are aimed at medium to advanced sewers.

My crafting and sewing capabilities are nowhere near expert or advanced. Oftentimes my attempts at duplicating something beautiful end up pretty disastrous. And while I can't teach you how to sew (my projects require a basic knowledge of how to use a sewing machine) or what exact materials to use (I'll tell you what I use), I hope to help at least one person understand how I was able to get from start to finish and help her to create something beautiful!

I'm sure I'll be pretty sporadic at this to start with, but I already have some ideas in my head. Unfortunately some of the ideas I have are for projects I've already completed...I thankfully know lots of crafty women who may be able to help me out with explanations and ideas. My three most influential and inspirational people include:

1) My mom, JoAnn - She taught me how to sew and I am always in awe of her handiwork and clean projects. Her medium is most definitely cloth - she is a beast behind her sewing machine! And her knitting skills are fantastic, too!

2) My cousin and best friend, Laura - She always creates the cutest cards and projects, pushing me to be more creative and thoughtful in my use of my materials. Her craft room looks like a picture from a Hobby Lobby magazine - she has every pin, post, bracket, paper, card stock, sticker, cutter, ribbon, glitter, stamp...it's quite impressive!

3) My unborn daughter, "Makana" (which means "gift" in Hawaiian) - While we've been hanging out for 7 months so far, I have yet to meet her face-to-face and I'm incredibly excited to share her with my husband, Matt, and the world. She is most active at night starting about 9:00 or so, and Matt and I have decided that is her "daddy time." I spend the entire day feeling her kick and flutter around - which my husband kindly refers to as "bogarting the baby" - and I love watching Matty lay his hand over my belly, talk to our daughter, and smile with delight when she starts pushing against his hand. She always seems to kick the hardest at this time of night, too, so I know she knows it's time to play with her dad. Anyways, enough mushy stuff...Why is this unborn creature of the lagoon an inspiration? She's allowing me to create things that I would never have thought about or wished to create before I got pregnant. It's a whole different mindset, and I've been having a blast making and repurposing items for her nursery. This little girl is going to have the most decked out room in the house! She better like pink, that's all I'm saying!

So I leave you with that for now and hope to keep you coming back for more with different ideas and thoughts! (I'll keep thinking of some sort of nifty sign-off phrase...)

Sarah