Oct. 16, 2006 - Chenille Backed Patchwork Blanket |
Amy at Happy Things has once again put together a great tutorial! This time it is for a Chenille Backed Patchwork Blanket. The tutorial has 4 parts, but don't be afraid because Amy has included tons of photos and specific instructions, making this a great project for a beginning-to-intermediate crafter.
Enjoy!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Randi Hayden and her
husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they
graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later
they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Needless to say,
things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here
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Oct. 3, 2006 - Tie One On |
Tie One On is a monthly apron-making challenge hosted by Amy at Angry Chicken. Amy invites you to "make aprons to show and tell" according to a monthly theme. This month's theme is "Aprons as a Costume". Click here to see last month's theme-gallery, pinafores.
Randi Hayden and her
husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they
graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later
they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Needless to say,
things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here
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Oct. 3, 2006 - Shoulder Bag Tutorial |
Tiny Happy has put together an excellent tutorial for making this shoulder bag. I am going to make another one and add about 3 inches to the length so that I can use it for a book bag. I added fusible interfacing to the inside and outside of the bag to add some sturdiness, and I also put in a pocket for my keys and cell phone. Your older kids might like to use the tutorial to make a messenger bag; simply add 3-4 inches in length to the shoulder straps.
Enjoy!
Randi Hayden and her
husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they
graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later
they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Needless to say,
things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here
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Sep. 11, 2006 - Handbound Journals |
 Steph from Curiously Crafty has put together a great tutorial for making your own journals--from scratch! These would make great Christmas or birthday gifts as well as a nice homeschool project for your older children. It is easy to customize these by choosing fabrics according to your taste.
Have fun with these! 
Randi Hayden and her husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Needless to say, things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here
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Sep. 11, 2006 - Coin Quilt |
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Today's post is put together by Shelly from Shelly's Journal. If you have a little bit of quilting experience, this one is for you! Shelly provides wonderful instructions for making a coin quilt like this one:
So how did I make this quilt? I was inspired by this quilt from Amy of happythings. But she did not provide a tutorial on construction, so it was up to me to figure out how I wanted to do it. I wanted to share this with my fellow bloggers in the event that anyone was interested in making it themselves. - Figuring out the width. I initially figured on 35 x 2 inch strips per row - which would have given me 70 inches on my 72 inch quilt. I overestimated and ended up tearing off 3 per row - probably could have gone with 30 per row to allow for some borders.
- Cutting the fabric - I used 23 different fabrics in this quilt construction. I cut 1 to 3 strips of each. Strip size was 2-3 inches wide (which allowed for 2 x 1/4 inch seam allowance and a little size variation to try and make it interesting) and width of fabric (around 40"). Note: This would make a great design for a "scrappy" quilt.
- Strip Sets - Since I wanted 35 strips per row, I put together strip sets of 7 different long fabric strips each and sewed them together and then into a tube. I cut the tube into 8 1/2 inch segments which would allow my final strip size to be 8 inches high. I used my seam ripper to tear apart the seams at different places. Leaving me with a pile of 7 strip x 8 1/2 inch sets.
- Sewing the 8 1/2 inch strip sets - Then I sewed 5 of these sets together, trying to vary as much as possible, making sure the same strips were not always next to each other and on the end. I made 6 of these 35 strip sets.
- Borders - After removing 3 strips per row, I sewed the solid lime green border (also 2 1/2 inches wide) on the top and bottom of all strip sets. Then I added the lime green print border (3 1/2 inches wide) to one side of 5 of these sets.
- The quilt top - I sewed all 6 sets together making the quilt top. I trimmed one side of the quilt with my rotary cutter to make that side even. I added plain lime green strips (2.5 inches wide) on the sides and then bordered with the lime print(2.5 inches wide) all around. I ended up tearing off the side borders when the quilt top was too wide for the batting.
- Sewed together backing material and made my quilt sandwich for turning and tying.
- Ran a zigzag stitch along the outer edge to seal the "hole" and provide additional stability to the quilt. Also stitched in the ditch around the border seams for stability.
***Shelly has more tips on making this quilt here.
If you make this quilt, please let Shelly know! I appreciate the time and effort she put into this post! Thanks, Shelly!
Randi Hayden and her husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Needless to say, things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here
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Sep. 2, 2006 - The Joy of Ironing!?! |
I am going to be very upfront and say that I really dislike ironing clothes! The only time I enjoy ironing is if I have a pile of freshly-washed fabrics waiting for my attention. My opinion is that if you absolutely have to iron, you might as well do it on a pretty ironing board cover and, lucky for you, they are very easy to make!
First, lay your fabric out on the floor and place your ironing board on it upside-down. Cut your fabric 3-1/2 inches bigger than the board:
Now, iron, pin and then sew a one inch casing around the cover, leaving a 2-inch opening:
Now you will need some ribbon or cord to thread through the casing (measure around the ironing board and add about one foot to get the right measurement for your cord):
Once you have threaded your cord or ribbon through the casing, tie the cover securely to the ironing board--you will want to tie this into a knot.
Now, you may actually look forward to ironing! ;)
Randi Hayden and her husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here.
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Aug. 24, 2006 - Free quilt patterns! |
Twice I have made a quilt using this pattern and both times it has come out great! You can use any mix of colors as long as you stick with one "background" color. I used white on the pictured quilt and if you click on the pattern you will see that they used brown. Each choice creates a completely different look which makes this an easy quilt to customize for a new baby or a house-warming gift!
More free patterns can be found here.
Randi Hayden and her husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here.
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Aug. 15, 2006 - Make those hand-towels stay put! |
Amy, a crafty, homeschooling mom, has found a way to keep those pesky hand towels in their proper place! Using a purchased hand towel, some fabric scraps and a button, you can make a cute and inexpensive hand towel that will stay in its place no matter how many kids use it! These towels would also make a nice gift for a friend!
The tutorial can be found here.
The towel in the picture is made by Amy of Contemplations Amid Chaos.
Randi Hayden and her husband homeschool their five children in Colorado. This year they graduated their oldest daughter from high school and a few months later they started their youngest daughter in kindergarten. Things are always busy at their house!
You can visit Randi's blog here.
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Aug. 13, 2006 - Valance Tutorial |
Valances are an inexpensive and easy way to cover a window and add color to a room. I made some for my craft room and, including the curtain rod, they only cost me $12.00 and an evening of time to make.
****Please read through the entire tutorial before deciding that this is too confusing! I think it will make more sense at the end! ;)
My first step was to measure the width of my window. The fabric needs to be approximately 2 to 2-1/2 times the width of the window, depending on how much gathering you would like at the top. I used 2-1/2 times the width measurement of my window.
The length of your valance will depend on the size of your window and your preferences. My window is large so I wanted my valance to be approximately 15 inches long from top to bottom. I add approximately 3 inches to this measurement for the top and bottom hem and the casing, equalling 18 inches for length.
I hope this doesn't sound too confusing! Basically, you want to cut your fabric 18 inches X 2 to 2-1/2 times the width measurement of your window. You will end up with a long skinny piece of fabric that looks like this:
(You will probably have to sew 2 or three long strips together to acheive your desired width.)
Now, sew a 1/2 inch hem on three sides of your valance, leaving the 4th long side raw. On the fourth side, iron your fabric under 1/4 inch and then fold it over 2-1/2 inches and sew your seam:
Now for the casing. Measure 1-1/4 inches up from the hem you just sewed and now sew the casing seam (the blue pins are stuck where you should sew your seams):
Viola, you are all done!
All you need to do now is put it on your curtain rod and hang it above your window!
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Aug. 9, 2006 - Baby Blanket Tutorial |
One of my favorite craft bloggers, Craft Apple, has not only made this adorable baby blanket, but she has also provided an excellent tutorial so you can make it yourself. Her blanket is made with chenille and flannel, which make for a very warm and cozy wrap for a new baby. This project is perfect for those new to sewing and the blanket will make a perfect baby shower gift.
The blanket in the picture is made by Linda @ Craft Apple!
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Aug. 9, 2006 - Tiered Skirt Tutorial |
Kuky Ideas has been kind enough to provide a tutorial to make this adorable tiered skirt. This skirt is great for everyday wear or you may use dressy fabrics for special occasions. You can make this skirt in any size using the instructions provided. The tutorial is here.
**The skirt in the picture was made by Kuky Ideas.
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Homeschooling, crafting, reading, learning and loving my family--one stitch at a time!
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