GLITTER SHOES

 

This year has been a tough year, as we found out my beautiful 39 year old sister has pancreatic cancer. It has been a long road for all. No one can understand the full impact of CANCER until they are touched personally with it. It can destroy households, reek havoc among the calmest individuals and can leave you feeling completely broken.

 

HOWEVER, through FAITH and the miracle of GOD we do not have to let CANCER do any of those things.

 

I believe GOD will give us a miracle when the time is right. So with that said. I knew I just had to make my sister her glitter shoes to go out and celebrate when she beats CANCER.

 

 

 

I took a pair of Black suede high heels I had purchased and covered them with decoupage and then added purple (purple is for pancreatic cancer) glitter all over. I did the same thing to the heal and bottom part with silver glitter. Once it dried completely, I blinged the shoes with diamonds.

 

 

 

It was a very easy project to complete and she will look just stunning

DIY IRON BOARD

 

My iron board was starting to fall apart and would no longer stand up on its own. It also took up a lot of room. I have seen several tutorials on how to make them and decided to give it a try. I took a piece of wood that hubby had laying around the garage. I covered it first with an old towel. Then I covered that with a piece of flannel and lastly the same fabric that I made my curtains and bench seat pillows out of.

 

 

I made it just the right size to fit on the shelve unit that I have at the end of my sewing/cutting table.

 

 

PATTERN TRACING

So for years I have bought several patterns of one style so that I would have all the sizes I needed cut for that pattern and saved for all the sizes. Well how foolish of me RIGHT!  Who new you could trace them, so off I went on tracing and failed several times as the pattern would keep shifting or even the paper on top. UGHHHH frustration once again and back to buying several packets of the same pattern.

Then a light bulb came on for me and I came up with an idea, now this one might already be out there but in my travels through the web I have yet to come upon it so I thought I would share how I trace my small to medium pieces patterns and how I store them. 

Instructions with smaller pattern pieces to medium. (I just tape larger pieces to my work table and trace with freezer paper in pieces)

I cut out the pattern with all sizes first and then iron it out nice and flat.

Next I will then add double sided tape to the back of the pattern and adhere it to a piece of paper or card stock. The card stock works the best as it will not fold easly or tear and stores flat. I use 8.5 x 10, 12 x 12, 11 x 14 and some poster board for larger pieces.

Now that you have your patterns adhered to the paper you can now begin tacing

I use freezer paper for almost all my pattern pieces and those who do appliquing knows this is a great way to work with patterns as they can be ironed in place on fabric so that they do not move around so much therefore I do not have to pin I just trace the pattern with my chalk. I place the freezer paper on top of my patterns and tape it down to my table so that it does not shift on me. Be sure to use a ruler to get your lines straight and the key is to trace slow.

I trace everything from the pattern to the freezer paper. I find using a mechanic pencil works the best for me as it is very thin.

Now that your pattern is traced you can now cut them out.

I store all my pattern pices in a ziplock bag and try to keep all pieces nice an flat so as not to place any folds or creases in them. I keep a backet full of these standing up.

PEASANT DRESS

I was once again shopping at "MARDENS" yes my favorite surplus store in all of Maine. They had this Awesome book for $3.99 full of sewing instructions and the patterns to create little girls Boutique clothing by Mary Abreu.

I decided to try my hand at the Peasant dress with the ruffled layers. At first I looked at all the patterns and measurements and thought ahhhhh piece of cake. NOPE the ruffled layers a little more challenging than I thought.

After several tries and broken ruffled stitches I almost gave up. Then it hit me !!!! DON'T sew a long ruffle stitch along the whole piece but quarter it and pin it then run a straight ruffle stitch.

So I thought I would share how I did it with everyone.

I already added the green bottom layer to the layers. That layer was done the same way I will explain below.

RUFFLED ATTACHMENT INSTRUCTIONS

I first line up the piece one on top of the other the bottom layer wrong side out and the top right side out.

Once I have the layers matched up I then fold the bottom black and green layers in half

I then make creases on each of the ends as this will be used as my center marks to match up for my quarter sections

Now open up the bottom layer to start matching the marks

Pin the right end section of the bottom layer to the right end of the top layer

Next the front centers

Then the left ends

Lastly the back center and you now have your 4 quarter sections pinned and ready to start your straight long stitch to create the gathering for each section.

Place each section in your sewing maatching and do a long stitch or following your machines stitching directions to create ruffle or gathering.

I hope this was helpful in constructing a garment that has severals rows of long gathers

I finished off the Peasant dress with a cute fabric bow

LINKY PARTIES

PERFECT HEM EVERYTIME

To create a straight hem every time I run a straight stitch along the whole end. This works great for curves also so don't be intimidated by those curves.

I then take it to my iron and press over right at the stitch line ¼ of an inch and then fold over and press another ¼ of an inch.

Stitch a straight stitch along the whole end. I match the edge of my pressure foot to the fabric for a perfect straight stitched seam.