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

LAST MINUTE GIFTS FOR HER

I made the investment into a serger. It is the one at the very lowest cost that is out there, but I wanted to be sure I liked it and I would use it before I made a larger investment. I heard so many bad and good reviews and the # 1 complaint for all sergers is the threading process. HELLOOOO its all color coded and a breeze to do.  I bought the singer serger profinsher at joanns on sale for $199.99. I LOVE IT!!!!

Okay so I have all this great sheer fabric that I bought for $1.50 a yard and really haven't done much with ut because it is a very hard fabric to work with. SOOOOO I decided why not just try it. YUPPERS HOME RUN!!!! I made some scarfs and we all know those scarfs are now becoming a #1 accessory for all our wardrobes. This took be literally 10 minutes to complete one. This is from cutting to finishing. Well I went to work and made some last minute gifts for some friends who I know just love to wear scarfs.

I cut the fabric the length of the fabric x 9". You can make it as long or as wide as you want.

The upper loop thread and right needle thread is set to 2 and the bottom loop thread is set to 4

Tension is set to fine

Place it in your serger being sure that your serger is set for a rolled hem. I have mine set for a 3 thread rolled hem. Let the machine do all the work for you. I just guide it as it is being serged.

Use different thread colors with the many fabrics to use. Give it contrast.

Now that you have completed your scarf you can wear it several different ways. Let your styling begin for all your outfits.

PINK PETALS VINTAGE APRON ENSEMBLE

This Apron set was created for two little sisters as Christmas gifts. I took a standard apron child's pattern that I had from a couple years ago and altered it by adding ruffles and a ribbon rose on the pocket. I also added some flower eyelet white trim to the top of the pocket.

This one was a little tricky to complete as I wanted it to be a reversible apron with the ruffles not sewn into the sides of the apron. After using my seam stripper a lot I finally did figure it out.

I just love the hat and mitts!

I had to do many attempts at the hat sizes for the two little ones I made this set for.

I created them to be an extra small and small apron and hat sizes so that they were a custom fit for a 3T and 6T. I made a flower rose with Grossgrain 1" ribbon by gathering it and sewing it together.

Below are the instructions for adding ruffles to a reversible apron pattern.

PINK PETALS VINTAGE APRON INSTRUCTIONS

RIBBON CARNATION TUTORIAL

Start with a 15" length of ruffled/gathered ribbon. I found this great ribbon at MARDENS for .20 a yard "I KNOW RIGHT BARGAIN"

I thread a needle with coordinating thread and start on the end of one side of the ribbon. You will then take the ribbon and start gathering it together in a circle and sew it in place as you go to form the carnation. Set aside and start the hairband.

Cut a piece of fabric 2 x 32 and iron it in half length wise wrong sides together (just like you make your own binding). Take it to you sewing machine open it up so that you can match the two ends with right sides together and sew the ends with a 1/4 seam.

This now creates the casing for the elastic to feed through. Fold the casing back together to have it look like binding casing again so that all wrong sides are together and hidden. I then sew a straight stitch on the very edge of the open end of the casing. Leave a 1" opening to feed elastic through.

Cut a piece of 1/4 elastic 16" and feed it through with a safety pin. Sew the two ends together and close opening. Your band is now down. Sew the Ribbon Carnation to the band. Carnation hairband is now done. !!!

LINKED PARTIES



RICH FALL PEASANT DRESS

This is another style peasant dress I made for a set of sisters for Thanksgiving. I love the rich deep colors and they complement each other. With so  many fabric prints created today the styles and deigns are limitless. I combine several prints of fabric that I probley wouldn't have done years ago.

I bought some ruffled ribbon at MARDENS and just hadn't used it yet until I created this cute little carnation from it, now I am going to go buy a bunch more just to have a surplus of the ribbon. Having the ribbon already ruffled/gathered makes it very easy to create this beautiful flower.

Instructions can be found HERE to make the flower.

I made matching hairbands to go with the dresses. They are very easy to make. Just take the ribbon and keep gathering it together in a circle and sew it together as you go. I used the same fabric as the ruffles on the dresses to make the band part of the hair piece. I cut a piece of 1/4 elastic. and create a casing from the fabric. I actual create the casing like I would make a 1" binding.

Instructions can be found HERE.

LINKED PARTIES

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

PATRIOTIC HANDBAG INSTRUCTIONS/TUTORIAL

This little handbag is the one I will be making for the class I am doing at Mardins this Tuesday. We will be making the little handbag and a matching popover summer dress size 5 child size. I wanted to share the instructions here first and see how I did on writing the instructions for everyone in the class. They want me to teach several sewing classes their so I would love to get any feed back.

 

You can get the Instructions Below

Patchwork Handbag

YELLOW SUMMER POP OVER DRESS

The signs of spring for us here in Northern Maine would be the buttercups that pop up all over the edge of the loggign roads. It is such a beautiful site with the vibrant yellows.

I found this darling fabric at Mardins YES Mardins by far my favorite fabric store here in Northern Maine. WAIT oh thats right the only fabric store for 300 miles LOL. I have two Mardins to shop at one to the South of me about an hour away and one to the north of me about an hour away.

The Fabric flower was created using the tutorial I have HERE on my blog for the first layer.

The second part of the flower is done with a 3/4" grossgrain ribbon. Set your sewing machine tension on the highest, mine is 9 and set your stitch length to the longest straight stitch your machine will do.

I cut the ribbon for this one at 22" and then sewed a straight sticth along one long side and watched the majic begin. You will want to be sure to watch where it starts to curl as the first time I ran a piece throu it actual turn right into the needle and I swede over it. So once I begin to sew I place my hand behind the sewing area and just guide it to stay behind the needle.

Once you have sewn it you then just shape your rose and sew it together on the bottom side.

SPRING DRESSES

My Daughter is going to be 20 years old This July so she is not at an age to make all her little spring and summer outfits. I miss making all her matching sets, SO I decided to make some cute little matching Spring/Summer Dresses for my girlfriends two granddaughters. They are 2 (size 2t dress was made) and 5(size 5 dress was made) years old. Of course I made them to match as they are sisters.

I found both FREE PATTERNS online 

Vivienne Toddler dress pattern on Burda

Oliva S Popover Sundress

Of course I had to make matching handbags and hair bows to match the summer dresses. With Easter Sunday this weekend they will look adorable with their matching outfits and accessories. The handbags each have an adorable little Fabric Flower pin I created using my circle scallop nestabilities. You can see the tutorial at my original post HERE. The instructions for this adorable handbag can be found at "Make and Takes" DIY Fat Quarter Bag.