Some Tips!

I have been working like crazy around here!  I’ve been trying to finish up customer’s orders so that they can have them before Handsome Hubby gets home.  I’ve been working on our bedroom, finishing up Cameron’s bedroom, trying to get this house in order, and realizing I definitely need to go grocery shopping before Handsome Hubby comes home!!  One week - - -eeeeaaaaakkkkk!!!  We are sooo excited!

Are you sick of hearing about that?

Sorry - - you may just not want to visit my blog for a couple of weeks if you don’t want to hear about Handsome Hubby and our excitement!!

Anyway, as I have been working on all these projects this week, I learned a few new things that I wanted to share with you and I thought I would introduce you to one of my tools that help make the job easier!

Now,  my first tip may not come as any huge surprise to you, you probably already do it, but I just realized it this week - - (I have been sewing for 10+ years and never thought of this!)

TIP #1

When you are making cording and attaching it to the first surface (not your final attachment) change your stitch length to the longest possible stitch.

By doing this, you can make your cording in half the time and attach it to your first layer in half the time!

Just remember to put your stitch length back to the proper length before you put your final piece together! 

 

TIP #2

Did you know there are different weights of drop cloths?

I totally did not know that until this week!  I stopped by Lowes quickly this week to pick up another drop cloth - - not for painting of course - - but I grabbed from the top shelf instead of the bottom shelf this time and didn’t know until I got home that there were different weights - - and a big difference between the two!  I picked up a heavier weight one and it was so hard to work with!  I always wash and dry my drop cloths before I work with them and even after washing it twice it was still incredibly hard to work with!

I would say that the heavier weight would work fantastic for a re-upholstery project, but it is definitely too heavy to be sewing with - - it does not hang or drape well. 

So, my tip - - - check the weight of your drop cloth before you buy!!

By the way - - do you think the drop cloth manufacturers are wondering what the heck is going on since they have seen sales double since the blogging world decided that drop cloths are the answer to all decorating dilemmas?

AND NOW FOR MY HELPFUL TOOL:

Have you seen these?  Do you have one?  It is a bias tape maker (ok, that may not be the technical name for it, but it should be if it isn’t!)  I use mine all the time.  It is a simple little tool that you pull your fabric through, ironing it as you pull it through, and when you are finished, you have perfect bias tape that matches your project perfectly!!

Here’s how it works:

1.  Cut your fabric in 2” strips

2.  Take a piece of tape (I usually use scotch tape, but I used electrical tape so you could see it - - and because that was what I had on hand!) and attach it to the end of your strip making a 1”-2” tag.

3.  Slide your tag end into the wide end of the tool

4.  Using a straight pin, pull the tape tag through the end of the tool (the tape tends to be a bit stiffer than just the fabric and therefore it is easier to push/pull through than just trying to make the fabric go through)

5.  Once your fabric is through, hold the little handle (this is so that your don’t burn your hand as you start ironing)

6.  Iron along the folded edges, pulling the fabric through as you move your iron along.

7.  Keep pulling until you have pulled and ironed all your fabric through the bias tape maker.

Tahdah!!  You have made your own bias tape!

Now, all you have to do is attach your tape to your project.  Just make a little sandwich, with one half of your tape under your project, then folding the other half around to the top, you can sew right along the edge of the tape attaching all the layers as you go!!

Wasn’t that fun?

Now, if you are still looking for some more fun today, Head on over to the CSI Project - - they are having a furniture re-do link up today!  I’m linking up some of my projects today - - jump over there and get some inspiration from all  the projects!!

High Impact – Low Cost Wall Art (Deployment Projects #159 & 160)

 

I’ve been working hard on the kids rooms and I think I am finally ready to show you Charise’s!  I still have some details to finish up and I still need to add a few little “surprises.”  But all in all, it is finished.  I had the same policy with the kids rooms as I had with the guest room.  I didn’t want to buy anything for these rooms - - only use things that I had. 

Here’s what I came up with for one of Charise’s walls.

I had this picture hanging in our guestroom before I re-did it.   I knew I was not going to use this picture again – I’ve had it in three houses already - - it had served it’s purpose, but my style has moved on.

So I took the picture, matting and glass out of the frame…

I made sure that all the staples were removed, then gave it a coat of turquoise spray paint - - I used lot’s of this wonderful spray paint in her room!!

Next, I took a set of vinyl frames I had picked up months ago on clearance at TJ Maxx and put them on the wall inside the frame.

I let Charise pick out four of her favorite pictures and put those in the frames.

 

Did you notice that I just used straight pins to hold the pictures to the wall?

 

I also had some leftover vinyl birds from another project in her room, so I perched one of them on a frame.

    

A little sneak peek of the new picture frame on the wall!  Notice more of that turquoise spray paint?  I also gave her pink chandelier a coat of paint.

 

Now, for a second super quick super easy project.  We had these three hooks in her room before the re-do, but they were always falling off the wall and every time they moved, they left a black mark on the wall – not cool when you rent!  So, I took a board that we had in the garage.  It just happened to be this size, I didn’t cut it down or anything.   I gave it a coat of paint too - - then, with my white paint pen, I added a little white line detail.  I put screws in to keep the hooks on the board and voila!  I hung it on the wall, then added another one of the vinyl birds above the  hooks. 

Total money spent:  $0

Creativity Used:  just a little :)

Cute Girls Room:  Priceless!  Check back tomorrow when I share the entire room with you!

Knife – Edge Pleats Tutorials (Deployment Projects #78 –80)

When I made these sweet pillows for a friend of mine I knew I wanted to add some knife-edge pleats to the edge of them, so I thought I would take pictures as I went and make a little tutorial for you.  I’m all heart like that!!

I love me some pleats!

 

I used them on this chair…

This one too…

On these pillows…

Even as trim on this dress.

So, if I use pleats so often, they must be fairly easy to do!  You know - I don’t do anything that is too time consuming or too detail oriented!!

The trick to knife –edge pleats is this little tool right here:

It is a ruffler attachment for your sewing machine.

I found mine at Joann's, I believe it was right around $20 - - of course I used my 40% off coupon - - but it is definitely worth every penny I paid for it!  They fit on most any machine - -you just need to know if you have a short or long shank.  You may want to check with your machine manufacturer and see if they have a specific one for your brand of machine, but this one is a general one that fits on all my machines.

To attach the ruffler, remove the screw that holds your presser foot ankle in place.  Set your presser foot to the side.

The ruffler attaches with the forked bar on the right side of the foot, around the needle clamp screw, and then the presser foot screw gets put back in place to tighten the ruffler to the machine.

Now that the ruffler is attached, it’s time to get our fabric ready!

Cut your fabric in 4” strips - - remember you are going to need about 3 times the length of your final product, so cut lots of strips!  I try to error on the side of making more than I need!

 

I find it is easiest to attach all those strips and make one long strip.  The easiest way to do that is to overlap your fabric (right sides together) at a 90 degree.

Then sew them together in a diagonal line from corner to corner.  Trim off the excess fabric.

 

Now you will have one LONG strip of fabric!  Take that strip of fabric fold it in half  and iron it.  So you will have a super long 2” wide strip.

Start with one end of your strip and slip the fabric between the feeder and the base of the ruffler attachment.  (Your fabric will not be against your machine)

Now you let the machine and your ruffler do the work!   This is where you can choose  the length and depth of your pleats.  You can choose to have a pleat made every 1, 6, or 12 stitches.  By adjusting your stitch length you can adjust how long you want your pleat.  There is a screw on the front of the pleater, and by adjusting that you can adjust the depth of your pleats.  It is something you just have to play with a little bit to get the look that you want.

 
 

When I am putting my fabric through the pleater, I try to keep my left hand on the pleats that are being formed.  It helps the fabric run through smoothly and holds the pleat until your machine stitches it in place.  Make sure the fabric you are feeding in is very loose - -it will not be able to pleat if it is trying to pull the fabric up to your machine.

 

Aren’t they pretty?  :)

The very last step is to take that long strip of pleats and iron them so they are nice and crisp.  Make sure you set them on your ironing board so that the pleats are facing to the left and your iron can just run right over them.

 

Easy huh?  I told you it wasn’t hard!   Tomorrow, I am going to show you how to make a bolster pillow, using your knife-edge pleat for trim!!