Tag Archives: Pinterest

The Big S (Finishing the Edges)

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IMG_1948.JPGSo I came up with a finish for the big S’s edges. In a previous post, I was working on a giant papier-mâché letter. My fabric was not covering the edges. I rummaged around in my spare wedding decorations and found a spoil of matching ribbon. I used my Mod Podge to apply the ribbon but sound found the ribbon was too stiff to stay stuck on the square edges. I remedied this problem by creasing the ribbon before applying the glue. The ribbon still was not sticking well so I had to resort to using tiny bits of transparent tape to hold the ribbon in place until the glue dries.

TIP: Transparent tape will not stick to Mod Podge so be sure to place the tape in areas that are not oozing glue.

This should finish this table declaration. One down, twenty-gazillion to go.

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The Big S

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IMG_1895I succumbed to Pinterest’s siren song and purchased a large papier-mâché letter at my local craft store.  It was on sale and all of those Pinterest pins lulled me into a sense of confidence that I too could make a beautiful wall or door decoration out of some plain brown kraft paper glued onto a cardboard frame.  The fact that Dear Daughter is getting married in a month gave me a good excuse to satisfy both my crafting urge and my need for a decoration with visual impact for the wedding reception candy bar.

I selected a piece of fabric that matched the wedding theme and purchased a piece large enough to cover the large letter.  It should have its back side to the wall so there seemed no need to waste money and time on covering the back.  Mod Podge and foam brush in hand, I began adhering the fabric to the letter.  I soon found that I needed to work quickly and in small areas to keep my Mod Podge from drying too fast.

The front of the letter was quickly done and then it was time to tackle the sides of the letter.  Then it occurred to me.  All of my initials have always had straight sides.  It has always been easy to applique my letters or sew my initials because A’s, M’s, & L’s are straight in most fonts.  Dear Daughter is marrying an S.  I have never worked with curved letters before and suddenly it struck me that fabric does not fit around curves easily.  Using my best sewing skills, I whipped out a pair of scissors and proceeded to clip the curves.

IMG_1898I clipped and podged and folded around the entire edge of the letter.  Despite my best efforts, papier-mâché showed in the clipped curves.  I think that is unacceptable.  That will never do for Dear Daughter’s special event.  It is time to come up with another plan for the edges.

 

Blue Jean Baby Bibs

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2013-11-23 16.45.27-2I love working with denim.  The new Re-purpose, Recycle trend really has me intrigued.  I was recycling denim before it was cool.  My mother insists that each family member receive a homemade denim throw on the successful completion of a driver’s license test. This denim throw is to go in the car trunk for anything, accidental or otherwise, that might come up.  And each time a new significant other has been brought into the family, she very promptly gifts them with one.  So it is natural for me to make purses, tote bags, and other fun accessories out of denim.  I find it to be a very sturdy serviceable fabric that needs very little special treatment. If it gets dirty, throw it in the washing machine.

I pinned an adorable set of baby bibs on Pinterest that linked back to a Notes From The Patch blog tutorial.  I think that image has been pinned thousands of times.  It is very well-liked.  I printed off her .pdf pattern and set about making my own version of these bibs.  I had several baby showers coming up and several pairs of jeans stored up in the sewing stash.  I couldn’t help adding the heart nailheads on each.  But I did lay my pattern with the wrong sides together and cut out 2 bibs that fastened on the right side and 2 bibs that fastened on the left side.  Oh, well. As long as I give them away to separate people, no one will know the difference.  Ah, the joys of making mistakes look like a creative twist!

Owl Baby Car Seat Cover

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photoI forget that not everyone has a friend or family member who sews.  I take for granted that I have the skills to easily whip up anything I see on Pinterest.  I can choose the colors and the fabrics that I like for any project and then make it to fit whatever situation.  I assume that other people can either make what they want or order it off the internet.  Then I chat with people around me.  In chatting, I find out that very few people have the skill to make things.  One such conversation with an expectant mother and coworker led to an adorable baby car seat cover.

While planning this young mother-to-be’s baby shower, we were discussing her gift registries.  I enquired as to her chosen nursery color scheme and theme with the plans of sewing her something.  Then it hit me.  I follow her on Pinterest so I know she has been pinning baby things.  So I asked, ” Would you like me to make you something for the baby?”  She hesitated only a moment before telling me that she had been looking at baby car seat covers and would really like one but thought they were too pricey on Etsy.  A few minutes of internet searching led me to many tutorials and free patterns.  We agreed on colors, she emailed me a picture of the baby car seat she planned to purchase and a project was born.

I chose the tutorial, Baby Care Seat Cover Tutorial, from the blog, Make it Do.  The dimensions made sense to me and used basic fabric pieces with a minimum amount of cutting.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow until I reached the strap assembly steps.  I struggled with where to attach the hook and loop fasteners.  The instructions on placement of the hook and loop fasteners and attachment of the finished strap to the cover were a little limited.  I needed a photo illustrating the placement of the hook and loop fasteners on the strap. I needed another step or two with a couple more photos for clarity.  I’m not sure the straps pictured are as they were intended but I hope they will work.

All in all, it turned out pretty cute!