Our little "workers"

Just had to share this picture.  This is Claire and Emma (the one smiling at the camera is Emma)... WE are cleaning the Home a la mode trailer for a show.  We got our new trailer last year to take Home a la mode on the road to do shows to get our presence out there, as well as on the web...   Claire and Emma are granddaughters of ours and future Home a la mode staff.  :)    We are training them up the right way... Elbow grease and hard work, as you can see.  We have a lot of fun doing shows with the girls... We even take my brother from Nebraska once a year to Houston International Quilt Festival.  We have family and friends working to make Home a la mode a great place to shop... ONLINE or at one of the many shows we attend.  Check out our calendar for 2012.

Tool Review

Has this ever happened to you?

You are sewing along, singing to some great music...you look down and something doesn't look right.  UUUUGGGGHHH!  You have sewn the wrong things together.  This happens to me more than I care to admit.  Anyway, time to get out the old seam ripper.

This, for me, is a pain.  I feel like I have to practically stick the project up my nose to be able to see things...Think, Think, Think...there has to be something that can make this easier.  Oh wait! There is!  I begged on bended knee for us to try this tool:

OOHHHH!  This is the Mighty Bright Seam Ripper.  Yes, ooooo and  aaahhhh.  I LOVE this thing.  OK, it has an ergonmic handle, a magnifier, AND a LED light.  WOW WOW WOW.  This is an absolutely wonderful tool.

If you haven't seen this or tried it... STOP what you are doing...put down your coffee cup...go here and get one.  I would even recommend that you get a couple of extras for your friends and family.  This would make a great little gift to give someone.  I can't wait to hear back from you and tell me what you think.

Let's Go Sew!

Kristin

Blog Inspiration

Raise your hand if you are obsessed with blogs. (ME, ME, ME)  I love waking up every morning pouring a cup of coffee and just spending a few minutes seeing what all the wonderful people out in Blogland have created.  I actually have learned how to do the type of sewing I am doing by reading different tutorials.  There is sooooo much wonderful information out there.  Last week, a post came out on how to make a super cute fabric flower using ric rac.  You can check out the tutorial here.  Well I love ric rac! So naturally I HAD to make my own.

Isn't that adorable?  I love this color combo.  Well, I couldn't just stop with a flower.  I had to put this little cutie on something.  But what? A hair clip for my little angel?  Make a grouping for a wreath for the front door?  How about some stuck in a vase as a little flower arrangement?  Nope I settled on making a little zippy bag. 


I started by selecting fabrics from the Ready Set Snow fabric line.

This is what I came up with.

Not sure about you, but I think this little bag is PRECIOUS!  I was so excited about how it turned out, that I decided to make some more just in case you might want to order one.

You can purchase them here

Hope you are having a GREAT day!  Let me know what inspires you.

Let's go Sew!
Kristin

Tablecloth Sale!!

10% off all Lambchops (and Sock Monkeys)

Charm Pack Coasters

Hey there!  Well, I have decided to try my hand at offering you a simple tutorial. 

These little cutie coasters are made using 8 pieces of fabric from a charm pack.

 Choose 8 squares (if you don't have a charm pack just cut 5" x 5" squares from your choice of fabric)

Cut 4 pieces of batting that are 5 1/4" square

Layer your pieces in this order: 2 pieces of your fabric right sides facing together then a piece of batting.  Sew your layers together using a 1/4" seam.  * I used my walking foot just took keep things from slipping.  Make sure you leave a 2" opening on one side so you can turn your square right side out.

Cut your four corners on an angle..this will help you have a crisper corner.

Turn your square right side out.

Once you have turned your square you will see that your corners are kind of rounded.  I am not a big fan of that.  I like nice crisp corners so i used the wonderful tool known as the Classic Crystal Point Turner.

See how much prettier the corners are now?...I love this tool!  I really am not sure how my life existed without it.  I use it everytime I am turning items.  LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  (ok that was my little woohoo for the day :o) )

Now once you have turned everything you will have a small opening. 

Press press press.  Make sure that your opening sides are lined up.  This might take a some negotiations with your iron but you can make it happen.

Now you are are ready to sew around your edge to close the opening.  I like to sew as close as possible to the edge so I can make sure to catch all the fabric.  Now is also the time to do any kind of quilting you like.  I like to vary my quilting. 

Now you are all done.  You can just throw them on your coffee table or tie a ribbon around them and give them as a great Thank You gift.

Let's Go Sew!
Kristin

Check this out!

A Quilt Sham Shame!

Sometimes, in the name of beauty, sacrifices must be made.

How gorgeous are these?

Now the sacrifice...we needed to cut up these beauties to make shams.

The first time I was asked to cut up perfectly good quilts, I nearly fainted. Really? Cut up quilts? How could one be asked to commit such a crime? Also, to cut them up to make something I had never done. I had no clue how to make a sham. Growing up, I was taught to treat quilts with love and care. Not attack them like a crazy man with scissors.

So, once I was able to get over my initial fear, get my mother's voice out of my head, and pick my husband's jaw off the floor, I got to work with my scissors.

See, I wasn't real mean, at least I gave them pretty curves. I am beginning to see the beginnings of something beautiful.

Here is the end result.

So, I guess the moral of this story, don' t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You might be surprised by the end results. I love making shams now and actually have no problem cutting up quilts. I am even working on some little projects with the left over scraps.

If you are interested, you can check out our custom shams here.

I hope y'all are having a great day, and go try something new today...leave me a comment and let me know what you have tried. I would love to hear from you!

Let's go sew!
Kristin

Giveaway Time!

Our "sweet" friend BJ over at www.sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com is doing a fabulous giveaway of one our Amy Butler Dew Drop Sling Bags.  Check it out!

Hello from Kristin!

Hey there!  Jill asked me to let you all know how I came to Home a la mode.

A friend of mine had picked up a Home a la mode catalog and had said I might be interested in looking at it. She knew that I sewed a little here and there and thought I would like the products offered. After scanning through the pages and falling in love with everything, I decided to send an email to Karen asking if they would ever be interested in someone sewing for them. After two hours of biting my nails and thinking I was stupid for even asking, I received a message from Karen to send her some pictures (Insert little squeal). .  So, I sent her a few pics...again more nail biting. I was thinking there is no way I can wait another 2 hours to hear from her. About 10 minutes later my phone rang. It was KAREN! She wanted to meet me! Wow wow wow! This is where a grown woman turns into a little girl and starts running around and screaming . I was shaking driving the whole way to her office. Let me tell ya, as soon as I saw her I knew we were going to be friends. Our initial meeting lasted 2 hours.

Long story short....that was almost 8 moths ago. I have honestly never been more excited to be part of a team. Everyone of the women involved are amazing! I am smiling so big right now writing this and thinking of where we have come and where we are going.
 
Now i would like to show you my "office".

It's not glamorous, but it allows me to be home with my beautiful angel who's two and a half.


Now an introduction to my creative process. Karen likes to give me things and say make what you can.
For example, last week she handed me these adorable towels:

 
You can purchase these on our website and by clicking here.
 
So I came up with these adult bibs!

These will be available www.homealamode.com soon.

I look forward to more projects, tutorials, and patterns coming very soon. I hope your year has started off with a bang!

Let's go sew!
Kristin