fabric Archives - Page 3 of 4

A happy accident

January 20, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 44 Comments

So, today was not a great day. I meant to post and introduce you to my new partner for CWTS, but some things got in the way. And by “some things”, I mean “a (still wrapped) root beer float ice cream bar and an Asian pear”. And by “way”, I mean “toilet”.

Wheee!

So anyway…

When I was making my Valentine’s Day Bunting (thanks for the love, btw), I picked up some fabric paint. This fabric paint, to be exact.

See how right in the middle of the label it says “Red Velveteen”?

You might think that’s just the name of the color (like I did), but you’d be wrong. And, there’s nothing on the label either that would tip you off to the magic you are about to unleash. The Tulip website is the only place that even hints at the awesome.

The paint goes on normally, but when you hold your iron a few inches above it and hit it with a burst of steam?

Faux velvety magic.

Can you see how it puffs up just a little higher than the fabric?

I’ve already been back to the store for more colors. I’ve got big plans for the black.

See you tomorrow. Hopefully it’s a better day?

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Filed Under: fabric, fabric paint

Valentine’s Day Bunting

January 19, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 67 Comments

The color palette was once again inspired by the same Target table runner that I used to make my Valentine’s canvas.

I traced a heart template (that’s mine, but feel free to make your own) on some fusible web (Wonder Under, Heat n Bond, whatever you like) 16 times. That’s enough for each letter plus a spacer heart between BE and MINE. I fused it to the back of the pink houndstooth fabric following the manufacturers directions and then cut out all 16 hearts.

To put the lettering on the hearts, I cut freezer paper with my Silhouette (the font is Madfont). Remember if you cut freezer paper with your Silhouette that you’ll need to put the shiny side up and reverse your text. I also have to use the green mat, but your mats may still be more sticky than mine are.

Then I turned Macy loose with some Tulip Fabric Paint and a sponge brush.

You could also use iron on lettering or cut freezer paper by hand or even paint the letters on…whatever works for you!

Next, I fused each heart (again with the manufacturers directions) to a 7” square piece of backing fabric. I ripped mine, because I’m lazy. And then I stitched the hearts in place.

Macy put a matching 7” square on top and sewed 3 edges (leaving the tops open) using 1/4” seams.

Then we clipped the corners…

and turned right side out and pressed.

Once all 16 squares were finished, I laid them out in order to make sure everything looked good. Then I grabbed some extra wide double fold bias tape. Decide how long of a “tail” you’ll want for hanging and mark with a pin.

Start sewing (I zig zagged) at the end and go until you get to your pin.

Stick in one of your squares and keep on sewing.

And when you get to the end, stick in another square, and so on and so on and so on.

After the last square, keep sewing for an amount equal to the “tail” you left at the beginning.

And then hang it!

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Filed Under: fabric, fabric paint, freezer paper, home decor, mantel, sewing, Silhouette, Valentine's

Peppermint Pillow

December 5, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 31 Comments

Remember the peppermint platters I made?

Remember how I said I might make a pillow?

I did.

I think it might have ended up a little on the big side, so keep that in mind when I give you the low down on how I made it.

Supplies:
White fabric
Red fabric
Wonder Under
Piping (optional)
Peppermint Swirl Template (for an 18”-ish pillow, you’ll need to print it at 150%)
Polyfill
Covered button (optional)

I cut 2 circles from the white fabric. Mine were approximately 18.5”. I already had a template cut that size from another project, so that’s what I went with. I also cut a 4.5” wide strip. It’ll need to be at least as long as the circumference of your pillow (Pi X the diameter) plus 1” for seam allowances.

I cut 5 “swirl” pieces from the red fabric backed with Wonder Under. I used the piece from the template that does not have the line down the middle, but feel free to change that up however you want.

I peeled off the Wonder Under and positioned my pieces on one of the white circles.

And then I fused them in place following the product instructions.

Next I satin stitched the edges of each piece down, except for the exterior edge, because those will be trapped in the seam allowances.

My pieces don’t “meet up” in the middle, because I’m putting a button there. If you don’t want to use a button, you can make yours meet up.

I only used piping on the top/front side of my pillow. I sandwiched it between the top piece and the edge piece and sewed all the way around.

And then I sewed the back piece to the edge piece with no piping sandwiched between. That’s also when this happened and so I accidentally quit taking pictures at that point.

I stuffed the pillow through with Polyfill through the hole where the 2 ends of the side piece met and then hand sewed it shut.

I then attached a covered button and attempted to tuft it. There will be no tutorial for that on account of thread breaking and people swearing (hint: me). I bet if you Googled it, someone could help you! Open-mouthed smile

And here it is:

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Filed Under: fabric, home decor, sewing

When’s the last time YOU checked out Pier 1?

November 25, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 20 Comments

This post brought to you by Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few weeks ago, I was given a Pier 1 gift card to spend. And if there’s one thing I do well, it’s spend. Seriously…just ask BC. Or my mom. Or the ladies that helped me at Pier 1. Let’s just say I *might* have spent 3 times more than my gift card…plus $15. Oops.

And that was with my trusty assistant in tow.

Think of the damage I would have done if I’d been kid free!

We headed inside and were greeted by a host of helpful employees. One of them asked if I was a photographer on account of the fact that I was wearing my camera around my neck. Aside from one tiny little problem with that scenario (that my pictures sucketh), an actual photographer would have made sure that her battery didn’t die approximately 45 seconds after that.

Random fact: Pier 1 smells GOOD. Go in and sniff stuff if nothing else!

One thing I LOVED, but did not buy (for a whole host of reasons known as “my children”), was their new Tastings Party™ Collection. I think a tasting party would make for some fabulous holiday entertaining. Can’t decide what to make? MAKE IT ALL…only tiny!

Cute, right? Those wine glasses are under 6” tall.

Are you more casual in your holiday entertaining? I bought a 3 tiered basket for chips that I can pair with a festive bowl of dippy goodness for any occasion.

In addition to a few things I plan on gifting, I picked up the following to do a little holiday decorating:

(Those houndstooth placemats are on clearance for $1.88)

What’d I do with them?

All the placemats became pillows.

I already had the aqua linen and the white cotton, so the total cost of each snowflake pillow was the $2.95 for the placemat. I cut 18” squares and stitched down the center of each snowflake “point”. I made envelope backs so that I can store the covers flat and reuse my pillow forms all year long.

And the wreath and glittery trees were just the push I needed to finish a project that’s been on my to do list since, oh, May?

Bye bye awkward hole above my fireplace!

(The shutters were an $8 thrift store find that benefited greatly from a coat of Key Lime spray paint and some Ralph Lauren Tobacco glaze.)

In addition to being a great place to pick up some gifts and decor, Pier 1 is doing something awesome this holiday season. For every new person that “likes” Pier 1 on Facebook, they’ll donate $1 to Toys for Tots…up to $100,000! You can also drop your Toys for Tots donation off at any Pier 1 location or make a donation at the register.

Thanks Pier 1. I’ll be back soon!

(I totally already have been.)

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Filed Under: fabric, home decor, sewing

Pillow Week

November 8, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 8 Comments

***Don’t forget to enter to win the Scentsy giveaway here.***

Are you familiar with Erin from House on Hill Road?

Hers is one of the first blogs I ever started reading. I’ve probably made a dozen of her twirly skirts…and I’m not exaggerating.

Erin’s hosting pillow week this week. And while I don’t think I can commit to a pillow a day, I do have a few projects in mind.

To kick things off, I whipped this up:

I used some of the same aqua linen I used for the round ruffle pillow way back when.

The monogram is flocked heat transfer that I cut out with my Silhouette.

Anybody got any great pillow tutorials they want to suggest?

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Filed Under: fabric, sewing, Silhouette

Happy Ho-ho-ho-lloween?

October 28, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 42 Comments

***Don’t forget to enter The Pleated Poppy giveaway here.***

Campbell doesn’t really like costumes.

Heck, he doesn’t even like clothes (basketball shorts excluded…it’s that Asperger’s/SPD thing).

Halloweens in the past have involved him screaming and freaking out because he HATES whatever he’s wearing. I think he could be dipped in battery acid and it’d cause less commotion.

So, when he actually came up with a costume idea that he was excited about, I ran with it. Even if the requested costume WAS Santa.

I traced a pair of pajamas for the pants and then cropped them and added fur.

I traced one of his older brother’s church shirts for the jacket, and then added fur.

The belt is a dollar store picture frame spray painted gold. Then I hot glued the end of the belt vinyl to the picture frame back and slid it into the frame and glued that in place, too. It closes with velcro.

And, for the very first time ever?

I have a kid who’s happy on Halloween!

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Filed Under: fabric, Halloween, kids, sewing

The Claire Witch Project*

October 16, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 14 Comments

Did you see the super cute witch hat applique pattern over on UCreate last week?

I did.

And my niece Claire is rocking it. (Tangent: I swear she suddenly has WAY more hair than when I saw her 3 weeks ago.) She also has ruffles on the bum. The skirt is just a bunch of strips sewed side to side with a little waistband and then I hemmed it with bias tape.

Has anybody else tried the applique pattern? What other Halloween wear have you made?

*Totally ripped off the title from an email my SIL sent me.

And I’m adding another pic of the ruffles because they KILL me!

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Filed Under: applique, fabric, sewing

Quilted Table Runner

September 15, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 49 Comments

Well hello there, internet.

What’s new?

Not much here. Remind me next time not to have quite so many kids. Or at least forbid them from signing up for anything.

Soccer and football are consuming us.

Sometimes at the end of the day, we’re so tired we can’t even poop.

At least he didn’t fall off and crack his head open this time?

I have found time to squeeze in a little sewing. I meant to get to this last month, for Create With Me over on UCreate.

Amy’s tutorial is fabulous. And she’s WAY nice…didn’t even put me in her spam folder when I told her I want to come sew with her.

I made mine all triangley instead of using strips. I’ll post exactly how I did that in the next day or two.

Guess where else it looks fabulous?

On top of this beauty.

I can’t decide where I like it more.

I might need to make another one.

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Filed Under: fabric, sewing

Wrap dress

November 5, 2008 By Char @ Crap I've Made 10 Comments

I used this ebook from YouCanMakeThis. Fabric is Heather Bailey Pop Garden and Bijoux and Amy Butler Lotus. The pattern was SUPER easy and fast- 2 pattern pieces and everything else is rectangles. As long as you can gather, you can make this dress. And yes, I know my kid is a dork. I made the size 8/10. There’s plenty of room (see last pic). I would for sure recommend this ebook. I like that it can be a shirt or a dress and that it comes in sizes 1-10.

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Filed Under: fabric, sewing

The details

November 3, 2008 By Char @ Crap I've Made 3 Comments

You know…in case any of you ever get crazy enough to want to make these same costumes.

Macy’s “cute” vampire:

Black shirt and leggings she already owned
Sparkly red shoes – reused from last year’s Dorothy costume, originally purchased at Target.
Tutu – used this tutorial
Cape from Simplicity # 5927 – The pattern called for 13.25 yards of trim. There were also supposed to be horizontal lines of sequins and some on the collar, but there was no way that was happening with the 13.25 yards. FabriTac worked way better than the hot glue gun for attaching the sequins.
Long black wig – found at the grocery store
Creepy make up from a kit and cheap vampire teeth

Keller and Campbell’s Mario Brothers:

Overalls from McCall’s #4644 – I lengthened the back straps and squared off the front bib part. I also added facings (the pattern is made for fleece) and the chest pocket.
White magic stretch gloves – I bought mine on Amazon.
Long sleeve tees in bright red and green – I bought mine from www.cheapestees.com
Baseball caps from Oriental Trading – I had to buy a dozen. If anyone needs a freaking ugly hat in red, green, yellow, orange, black or blue…let me know! I free handed the M and L circle logos and then used Wonder Under to make them. I used FabriTac to glue them to the hats.
Mustaches – also from Oriental Trading
Wigs – found at Dollar Tree, they were originally red and yellow striped. I spray painted them black.

Bennett’s Toad:

Toad hat – modified from this idea in Family Fun. It’s basically a sombrero and bubble wrap. I glued on the red circles with more of the FabriTac. That stuff got a work out this year.
Vest – made from red felt with yellow felt trim. I looked at a pirate vest from several years ago and figured out how to shape the pieces from that. It took 3 tries, but felt is cheap and wide, so I had plenty.
Pants – white knit. I traced a pair he already owned and made them puffier and put elastic at the bottom.
Shirt – I used a long sleeved onesie I already had and dyed it. I used Rit Liquid in tan and just dipped it ’til it looked to be a good skin color.
Brown shoes – we already owned, but they’re Pedipeds if you think you need some.

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Filed Under: costumes, dye, fabric, Halloween, sewing