to do list: June 2010

Sunday, June 13, 2010

dish mat tutorial

http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Dish_Mat_Tutorial.pdf

Towel, backpack

Because nothing says "cute" more than a hooded towel.

http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/tutorial-hooded-beach-towel-backpack.html

Want to make one of your own?

Sewing Level: Beginner

Time: Approximately 1 hour

Gather supplies:

2 beach towels (I used 30"X60" towels)

17" elastic~ 1/4" or 3/8" will work well. (optional)

Coordinating thread

A rotary cutter and mat are useful

Cut first:

The hood: 10"X24" (I cut the 24" side along the already finished towel edge that has a folded hem. This makes a great casing for the hood, if you choose to put in elastic)

The pocket: 11"X22"

The straps: 3"X15" CUT 2. (I just cute one large 3" strip across the whole 30" towel and then cut that in half)

Sew it up:

1. Fold the hood in half, right sides together. (Note: I cut a rounded corner on my hoods, you may do that now if you wish) In this picture, the edge on the left is the folded side. The bottom edge will be the edge that goes around the face. The right edge will be sewn to the towel. Sew the back edge of the hood together. Zigzag or surge the edges.

2. (optional step) Insert the elastic into the casing using a bodkin or a safety pin. Secure the elastic on both ends with a zigzag stitch.

3. Line the hood of the towel up with the center top edge of your uncut towel. Make sure wrong sides are together. Stitch the hood to the towel using a 3/8" seam allowance.

4. Flip the towel over and topstitch the hood to the towel to enclose the raw edges of the hood. It will now look like this on the inside:

5. Fold pocket right sides together. Stitch around the 3 open sides leaving a 4" opening on one side so you can turn the pocket right side out.

6. Turn the pocket right side out. Iron. No need to hand stitch the opening closed. You will sew it closed when you sew the pocket onto the towel.

7. Fold one strap, right sides together. (fold on the long edge). Sew along the long edge. Repeat with the second strap.

8. Turn the straps right side out.

9. Sew the ends of the straps onto the pocket using a zigzag stitch. If you have a raw edge on one of your straps, turn it under toward the pocket before stitching so the edge will be stitched under as well.

10. Line the pocket up on the towel. The pocket should be approximately 10" from the bottom of the towel (the long way) and 10" from either side edge of the towel. No need to be too exact, it's a towel. Stitch the 3 sides of the pocket to the towel using a 1/8" seam allowance if possible. The narrow seam allowance ensures that the 4" opening you used to turn the pocket will be stitched closed. DO NOT SEW THE TOP EDGE OF THE POCKET TO THE TOWEL. Make sure you don't accidentally sew a strap into your seam. Make sure to secure the top of the pocket to the towel well because a lot of pressure will be put on this seam while turning the towel into a backpack. I used a zigzag stitch on the top inch of each side of the pocket.

Your towel will now look like this. Can you see the pocket on the left side of this picture? See how it is about 10" from the bottom and sides of the towel with the open (top) of the pocket facing toward the rest of the towel. I know it is hard to see in this picture.

Your backpack straps will be tucked inside the pocket when you are using the towel so no need to worry about anyone tripping on a strap while running over the towel.

Convert to backpack:

1. Fold the towel in 3rds. the towel will now be about 10"X60".

2. Fold the bottom 10" up toward the pocket.

3. Fold the rest of the towel so the pocket is on the outside and all folds are the same size as the pocket. It should look something like the picture below. Notice that the pocket is on the bottom, not folded into the middle of the towel.

4. Put your hand into the pocket and turn it inside out, stuffing the folded towel into the pocket. It really isn't as hard as it sounds. Of course, at the end of a beach day you can just turn the pocket right side out and stuff the rest of the towel inside it and plop it on as a backpack. The backpack works either way, one way is just prettier.

Now go to the beach with your hands free!

There you have it! Will you be making one of these? Post pictures of your completed backpacks on TheTrain To Crazy Flickr group so we can all enjoy your creations!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

tshirt hat

T-shirt Hat

Here is the tutorial for my t-shirt hat from my guest post on Ucreate.

Since soccer started a few weeks ago, I've been wanting a new hat to
hide my hair in the morning. I have a few hats already, but they are
too dark and heavy for spring. I was thrilled when I came up with this
solution and it actually worked.

All you need is an old t-shirt. I've cut several of my husbands ugly free t-shirts up this last week.

First
thing you need to do is cut a long strip 4" wide though both layer of
the shirt. The length will depend on the circumference of your head +
an inch for the seam. I cut mine to be 21-1/2" long. *By cutting
through both layers you should have two strips one on top of the other.

Now
you have to cut a circle for the top. This involves a little math.
Using your circumference you can find the diameter of the circle you'll
need to cut.

c=d x ∏ (3.14)

So
for example my circumference was 20.5" if I divide that by PIE the
diameter is ∼6.5"(knit stretches a little so it doesn't have to be
perfect). I added an inch to that as well for my seams. I drew and cut
my 7-1/2" circle using a compass. You could also use a string tied to a
pen or find a round object with the same diameter. Again I cut through
both layers giving me two rounds, one on top of the other. Once they
were cut, I sewed the two together with a 1/4" seam around the edge.

Next I sewed the two ends of my long strip together with a 1/2" seam, creating a very thin tube.

Then I pinned the circle to the top of my of my tube, with the seam on the outside.

I sewed around the top with a 1/2" seam, then flipped it right side out.

I made a pattern for the bill using a hat I already had. You can get the pattern HERE.
I cut two layers of the bill and inserted a piece of heavy weight
interfacing in between them. I made cut the interfacing to be a little
smaller than the bill.

Then I sewed around the edges. I added a few more layers of stitching to make it stronger, and I liked the way it looked.

Next
I inserted the bill in between the two layers of the cap. I lined up
the middle of the bill with the middle of the font. The bill was about
an inch and a half inside the bill when I pinned it in place. *Once it
was pinned I looked in the mirror to make sure I liked the length of
the bill. You can shorten it or pull it out more till you like it.

Now all that is left to do is sew around the base of the hat.

That's
it for the cap. It only took me 30 minutes to make my first one. I
consider myself a basic sewer and I had no problems. I love the look of
the raw edges and that I didn't have to do any hemming.

For
my embellishments I added flowers made with the extra pieces. I cut
long strips of the knit about 1-1/2 inch thick. I twisted them and then
rolled them like a lollipop.

I sewed them together by hand.

And then onto the cap.

Sometimes I get head aches from wearing a hat to long. This one was so comfortable I was able to wear it all day.

I'm kinda obsessed with making them.

I don't think I can ever get rid of an old t-shirt now.

The possibilities are endless. http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/search/label/sewing

Recipe/ Picture Holder... Gift Idea!

Hey guys!! My next project was inspired by my recent love of magnets and galvanized tin. I decided to create a recipe holder for my kitchen!!

It's a cutie!... This is what I did...

I purchased a 1x8x4 at Lowes and a large square dowel...

I also purchased a small craft circle...

My first step was to cut the dowel. I cut it about 11" long. I then used my Gorilla Glue Epoxy to attach the dowel to my wood circle.

I then cut my 1x8 10" long. I used the epoxy to attach the 1x8 piece to the front of the dowel.

Then I let it dry a bit...

I used my drill to put a hole in the top for the finial.

And here is was ready for paint!!!

I painted that with Rustoleum American Accents Heirloom White spray paint. After that was dry I started working on the next step.

I decided to shanty the edges up a bit with my sander and a bit of Minwax Dark Walnut stain...

I then added a bit of Ralph Lauren Smoke Glaze... You guys know the routine!!

I found this galvanized roof flashing at Lowe's...

I cut a piece just a bit smaller than the plaque I attached to the dowel.

I then used my epoxy again to attach the metal to the plaque to the wood piece. I added a silver nail in each

corner for a bit of shanty-ness!!

Now for my magnets... I used the same super cute Fleur-de-lis wood pieces that Ash used on a previous procect. I painted and glzed them the same and then used some Gorilla Glue to attach the magnets.