Sewing for Tim Holtz

Sewing for Tim Holtz

I love to sew.  Recently my friend Paula Cheney asked if I would sew a few pieces for Spring Quilt Market 2015 in Minneapolis for Tim Holtz.  I was over the moon!  

Of course I will sew for Tim Holtz!!! 

She sent me a few pictures for inspiration, I found several patterns, and Paula helped me narrow down the dress choices.  After she brought over the fabric I got right to work. 

I don't think they used the pajama pants in their booth.  There are tons of fabulous pieces in their booth.  

But hanging up right next to a beautiful quilt in their booth is the toddler dress I sewed.  I loved this fabric.  I tried really hard to place my pattern pieces in just the right spots so that you would get a good chunk of butterflies.

So for one weekend I felt like a celebrity as Paula posted this dress on her Instagram page during the quilt show.  It was fun to read comments from complete strangers.  I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get to sew for Tim Holtz again for his future shows. Be sure to check out my dress in their booth!

Scrap: Gift Card Holder

I had some scrap fabric laying around and have had a gift card holder in the "someday pile" for years now. I want to give Julia's kindergarten teachers and her bus driver a small thank you before Thanksgiving break and thought this was the perfect opportunity to get ride of scrap and be creative at the same time.

My finished product

My inspiration

I think this might have been purchased at a Starbucks many years ago.

It held a gift card from one of my former students.

Step 1: Gather supplies

(2) pieces of coordinating fabric 6 1/4" x 2 3/4"

(2) pieces of coordinating fabric 2 1/2" x 2 3/4"

(2) buttons

Cotton thread

I used pinking shears around the edges of the fabric just like the inspiration piece.

Step 2: Sew your buttons to one large piece and 1 small piece of the same fabric.

Notice the placement of the buttons. You want them fairly close to the 2 3/4" wide edge of fabric. Your sewing machine foot will need to be able to get around the buttons so be careful to not put them too close to the edge. Leave a long tail after sewing on the button to the large piece. This will be your fastener. I I tied this thread around the button after sewing it on to secure the string.

The difference between sewing your buttons on first or after. If you sew them after you will see your thread. Not a big deal but it looks a little nice hidden.

Step 3: Sew your small pieces together, wrong sides together, along the 2 3/4" wide edge opposite of your button. I hope that makes sense.

Again, if you sew your button on before hand you threads will be hidden.

Step 4: Place wrong sides together of large fabric pieces. I used a pin to secure my long tail so I did not accidentally sew it to an edge.

Step 5: Pin small fabric to large fabric.

Step 6: Double check correct placement of small fabric piece on the large fabric piece by folding over the top of the large piece. Unfold before sewing small piece to large piece.

Step 7: Sew small piece to large piece fairly close around the edges.

You will sew the entire large rectangle.

Step 8: Insert gift card of your choice and then fasten in a "figure-8" fashion.

Cut off any excess string.

The inspiration piece had a loop attached for hanging in a Christmas tree. This can easily be added by using grosgrain ribbon. The fabric I chose for this project was in a fall palette. I can't wait to go through my scrap pile and look for cute combos for birthdays, showers, or other gifts. I might even try to add a little embroidery to the front like the inspiration piece.

Medieval/Renaissance Maiden

It all started with sale at JoAnn Fabrics. 99 cent patterns. I bought 5 different period costume patterns. Then I headed to Solvang to my favorite $1/yard fabric store and took my 5 patterns along with me. I almost gave up finding the perfect fabric when my friend found a navy blue trim. I remembered seeing a navy blue satin and I was suddenly inspired.

The pattern chosen for the navy blue satin and trim:

I chose view B

I had a few yards of muslin in my stash of fabric. Loved that I didn't have to buy more for the under dress.

I added a small blue bow so that I could tell the front from the back.

Scrapbooking eyelets and white/gold cording were used for the sleeves.

Again the scrapbooking eyelets and gold cording were used for the sides of the tunic. I found the gold trim and tassels in the home decor trim area of JoAnn.

The navy trim that got me going on this project. I have more but ran out of time. I had planned to go all the way around the neck and also sew some on the train. But I was hand sewing the navy trim and that is as far as I got.

The fog started to roll in as I was taking these pictures.

Did I mention yet that I got the satin fabric for only $1/yard? My husband said, "I could have bought you that costume for $50." I had to explain to him that he actually couldn't because of the quality of the fabric and trim. Then he added in that I wasn't considering my labor cost. Who considers their labor cost when it is FUN TO SEW?

She isn't complete without her belt, hat and veil.

Please ignore the wrinkles on the veil. I took these pictures after I wore the costume and then tossed it on my couch in a crumpled mess. "DeeDee" looks pretty short in these pictures.

Oh, wait, that's because I'm short too!

Wearing the costume at our church's Trunk-or-Treat.

Add a wig and some gold jewelry and this Medieval/Renaissance maiden is ready.

I think I could have made this costume even less expensive if I had paid more attention to coupons. Luckily, the veil (chiffon) and belt (brocade) fabrics were 50% off. The most expensive part of this costume was the gold trim around the collar and sides. No coupon. Boo.

Machine Embroidery: Lesson Learned

A sweet friend of mine is about to send her 2nd son on a Mission. She asked me if I could embroider initials on his pants, shirts, sheets, pillowcases, washcloths, and towels. I said no problem. I had just embroidered Tyler's mat the day before so I felt pretty confident.

Wouldn't you know it, when I have two or more people staring at me, my machine decides to not cooperate. In actuality, I was not doing it properly. I thought you only needed stabilizer if you had a thin fabric. I tried embroidering the towels without it and ended up with a hot mess around my bobbin and on the towel.

Not to be defeated, I tried stabilizer only on the bottom. Still not working because the towel was bunching up around my machine foot.

Again, I am not one to back down. I like to figure things out. I tried stabilizer on both top and bottom with the towel sandwiched in between. FINALLY! It worked. The stabilizer I used for this project is a tear-away, wash-away stabilizer. Very easy to use and you won't see it after it has been washed.

The underside

The top

Tear away

And you are done!

Happy Mission Brother Espinosa! At least you will know what is yours hanging out to dry on the line.

Nap Mat Tote

I was in Target the other day and saw this nap mat on the end cap.

What really caught my eye was the price tag.

Clearance for $2.24. Regular $8.99

So I bought two. I have two kiddos so it made sense at the time. Now I wish I had bought them all!

I picked up some beach towels at a yard sale for $1 each. I had planned to make Julia a beach robe. Instead I thought I would make a cover for her mat. My mother was recently here for a visit and I told her my plan. She suggested using jeans for one side. She said it would make it easier to dust off after lounging at the beach or park.

I made Julia's rather quickly. It fits pretty snug around her mat. Like I need another person to help me stuff it in.

For Tyler's I decided to square up my jean fabric a little better. By the way, if you don't have old jeans lying around waiting for projects head to your local thrift store. My friend Tiffany recently bought jeans on the cheap. But to get more for her buck she found the largest men's jeans that she could. Very good tip!

I cut three legs off of my pants, squared up the sides and then sewed them all together to form one giant rectangle. I also cut my towel down to the appropriate size. For Ty's I just grabbed a towel from our own beach stash as my yard sale ones were a little too girly.

For fun I embroidered Ty's name onto his mat cover.

I also created a loop/handle so that when the mat is folded up it is easier for these kiddos to carry it around.

His and Hers

"Ready to go mom."

Not shabby for $5.50.

I really wish I would have bought more of the mats. Would make a cute gift if you add a favorite book, coloring book/crayons, or a pair of sunglasses. You could even add a pocket to the mat cover.

Crossover Pinafore

I saw the cutest little girls outfit on Smashed Peas and Carrots. So I pinned it on Pinterest. Then Cousin Jamie told me that if she has a girl she wants me to make her one. Well lucky Jamie and me because Maggie offers a free pattern!

Image from Smashed Peas and Carrots

I thought I should try it out before I make her a few (if she finds out she is having a girl).

I dug through my scraps of fabric and managed to find some black and white polka dot fabric. I wanted to line it with a cute hot pink fabric but didn't have any on hand. I did have a grey and made do. Julia helped me pick out the red buttons.

Excuse the picture on it's side.

I know that I imported it right-side up.

This was the easiest little outfit to sew! For the bloomers I used the diaper cover tutorial by Dana at Made. She also had a free pattern!

Thank you Maggie and Dana for an easy night of sewing. Now I'm crossing my fingers for Jamie or maybe Emily, Jenny, Stephanie, Shannon....... My list of preggers is pretty long this year.

Past Birthday Shirts

The first birthday shirt I made. I didn't have any thread that matched. I outlined the number using puff paint. The only bottle of puff paint I had was purple. It did not match the shirt. So I grabbed some glitter and covered that purple puff paint right up. Thank you Martha Stewart for your great selection of glitter. Add a little bow and you are done.

Year #4. I have a new sewing machine so I try the blanket stitch technique.

My son's birthday is next month. It will be fun to do a boy shirt.

Happy Birthday Shirt

Today my baby girl turns 5! I can hardly believe it. A friend of mine makes shirts for her girls for their birthday. I thought this was so cute and started the tradition on Julia's 3rd birthday.

I used Microsoft Word to print out my template. I also format the font so that it is just an outline. No need to have a big black number. I put a small bit of Wonder Under on my fabrics, traced the number on, cut it out, and then ironed it to the shirt. To make it stay for more than just a few washes I used a blanket stitch on the blue fabric and a straight stitch on the circle fabric. I added a little bow and there you have it!

Scrap: Jean Blanket

My mom created this quilt for us to use at the beach or park. She suggested appliqueing fun shapes to cover the oil stains on the jean front but I love those stains.

She collected used jeans, squared off the pant legs, and sewed them together for the quilt front.

Those stains give it personality and then I don't have to worry about any other stains we add. :)

The back is lined with a cheerful polyester fabric.

Thanks Mom!