"Say it" in your Craft Projects

Hello everyone in Blogland!  If you've been to one of our shows or warehouse sales, you were lucky enough to feast your eyes on our crafter's "eye candy", aka our "Say it With Words" samples.  In this day where greeting cards can cost up to $10, why not use that money to add some personalization and extra sentiment to you craft projects and quilts?

 

 

We have a full line of panels, including Mother, Sister, Daughter, Son, Grandchild, Friend, Spiritual, Encouraging, and much more.  With 41 different sayings, you are sure to find one that matches your sentiment perfectly.

Happy 4th of July (and a tutorial)

Happy Independence Day!!!!  We are so blessed to be living in an amazing country that allows us so many freedoms - and I love having a day to remind us of that :)

My girls, my dad, and I spent the day before picking blueberries (which is a yearly tradition in our family since I was a little girl).  Although the berries were a little hard to find, we had a great time.  And managed to come home with 14 pounds of berries.  Hint, hint... a future blog may a recipe of fresh blueberry preserves :)

 

We spent the day, as many of you did, celebrating with family and friends. My daughter Claire is playing Tic Tac Toe with her grandpa, with a game hand-painted by her great-grandmother out of rocks and pebbles.

I was so inspired by the adorable new fabric collections, Flats by Angela Yosten, that I wanted to make my girls some patriotic-inspired shirts for the special day.  I started with a tutorial I found on Pinterest for a toddler's Pillowcase Dress on the blog The Ribbon Retreat and just modified it to fit my girls.

And instead of doing the sash and bow (which my girls wouldn't have worn), I did an elastic band with straps.  Check out the steps below.

• I used the tutorial steps all the way until the part with the ribbon treading through.  Instead, I made straps.   I cut the fabric in a 4" strip and folded it in half and pressed with the iron.  I then opened it up and pressed the outer edges in half towards the middle seam - pretty much like you do when you make your own bias tape.  I then did a 1/8" seam on both sides of the strap to hold it all together.

• I then measured the desired length for the straps and added 1" for seams.  I cut both straps the same length.  I then measured the girls from collar bone to collar bone and subtracted about 1-1/2" for the front piece of elastic and about 2-1/2" for the back piece of elastic- depending on how much gathering you want.  (I used 1" elastic)
• Now just attach the elastic to your strap.  I sewed in this order: strap to front elastic, front elastic to other strap, and then other strap to back elastic. 

 

• Next, attached a safety pin to the end of the elastic and fish through the cased opening.  Once the seams line up, just stitch back over the existing seam.  Repeat for all the seams.  Once you fish the elastic through the final casing, just stitch the elastic to the strap and sew the strap into place.

• And voila, there you have it!!!  Your shirt is complete!!!  Check out these adorable little girls in their new shirts - ok, I might be a little biased, but I think they are "perfect" ;)

Mesquite Quilt Guild Show

We have arrived.  After a very busy set up day yesterday (and only one minor accident), we got all our wonderful products out and ready for our shoppers.

My little one was helping us and had small rack fall on her - as you can tell by the picture, she is fine :)

Come out today from 10-5 and tomorrow 10-5 at the Rutherford Community Center for the Mesquite Quilt Guild show.

Mention this post and get a special "gift" :)

Going, going... almost gone!

For those that are watching those napkins and tablecloths that Home a la mode has HALF OFF!!!  WOW!!!  We are out of the napkins now and only have about 4 tablecloths left!  Get one quick!!! They are going fast!!!  It's a french style look that is timeless.  Great gift for someone in your life that just likes to set a good table...  Have a great day!!!

Warehouse Sale #2

It's that time again... time for a WAREHOUSE SALE!!!  Come by this Friday (6/14) & Saturday (6/15) to take advantage of some amazing deals!!!

If you purchased from our sale last month, come by and receive a special discount for shopping again!

Click here for directions to our warehouse at 399 Tanglewood Trail, Pottsboro, TX 75076.

And if you aren't able to make it, watch our website for some upcoming sales and specials.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Tim to Hit the Lake

In our family, the beginning of summer means one thing - time to get out on the lake.  We spent the last few weekends with Jim & Karen at the lake.  It's a great way to get out and enjoy the day with the family.

 

And the rule is, if you ride on the boat, you have to help clean it.  The girls weren't all that thrilled to help, but they know the drill.

And with the kiddos out for the summer, I'm constantly looking for activities that can keep them occupied while I try to work, sew, cook, and clean up behind my little mess-makers :)  I am working on compiling a list for the blog that will include kid-friendly craft projects, but I would love to hear your ideas.

What is your favorite activity to do with your kids/grandkids to keep the summer boredom from rearing its ugly head?

TUTORIAL: Coffee Bag Tote (and a Giveaway!!!)

Have you seen our "original" burlap coffee bags?  Ever wondered what you would use one for?  Well, here's one idea... make a tote bag!  And here's the directions to do so.

First you will want to gather all your supplies:

Supplies Needed:

• Original Coffee Bag
• Approx 1/2 yard of muslin or fabric of your choice (I used Bella Solids - Black)
• (1) set of Leather Floral Handles
• Approx 1/2 yard of Craft Fuse
• Thread
• Rotary Cutter
• Scissors (not your good sewing ones, but sharp ones)
• Cutting Mat
• Ruler
• Straight pins
• Iron and ironing board

Directions:

1)  You will need to cut the bag apart on the seams to get one large piece.  Just beware, you will discover why we call these "original" coffee bags - here's what I discovered when I opened my seams.

2)  Press the bag open.  Burlap is very tolerant to heat, so use your cotton/linen setting.
Lay out your bag and decide what size you would like your finished bag to be.  Add 1" to that number to allow for seam allowances.  My bag is 18" x 16" so I cut the pieces 19" x 17".  I did a little researching about cutting burlap in a straight line.  It turns out it is a pretty easy thing to do.  You just figure out where you want to cut and pull that tread.  I found the tip of a mechanical pencil to be helpful to get this process started.

3)  You just keep pulling and pulling until the entire string is out.  You will find that you left yourself a nice little gap in which to cut.  You will just follow that line all the way, and there you have it - a perfectly straight line!  I was more than excited to see that this little tip worked amazingly well.

You can see the gap I created here :)

4)  Cut your Craft Fuse to the same dimensions as your bag pieces (19" x 17").  Iron bag pieces to the craft fuse.  Since the burlap will twist and adjust, make sure you iron it straight with the craft fuse being your guide.

5)  Put the right sides together and pin.  Sew 3 sides together with a tight zigzag stitch and 1/2" seam - this will make sure the burlap is properly sewn so it won't come undone.  Turn right side out and set aside.

6)  Cut your pieces of muslin or fabric to the same dimensions as the bag (19" x 17")

7)  Put right sides together and pin.  Then sew 3 sides, leaving a 4" gap at the bottom to turn the bag.

8)  At this point, you could add a magnetic snap closure if you wish.

9)  Take the outer burlap bag and put it inside the liner so that right sides are together.  Line up the seams and pin the top.  You will want to stitch all the way around the top of the bag.

10)  Pull the burlap outer layer out through the opening in the bottom of the lining.

11)  Stitch up the bottom of the line and press smooth.

12)  Turn the liner inside the bag and make sure you corners are pushed out.  A great tool for this is the Crystal Point Turner by Lee - I have this and the Fabric Press and use them on every project I do, from sewing to papercrafting.

13)  The stiffness of the burlap created a perfect 1/2" overlap of the lining fabric.  Press it down and top stitch it down.

14)  Sew the handles on just like you would a button.

And VOILA... here's your fabulous new tote!!!  Perfect for the beach, vacation, running errands, and anything else you need.

Now, if you are ready to make your own, head over to Sweet Nothings blog for a chance to win a FREE coffee bag!!!