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!!

Dining room slipcovers (Deployment projects #163-170)

They’re Finished!!!

I’ve finished all my dining room chair slipcovers!!  Eight big chairs – what was I thinking?

They look soooo much better now! 

 

Look at these before pictures.

They weren’t bad in our last house where we had orange in every room, but here, they just clashed!!  It was too much in that room!!

Now, with all the new neutral slips, this room now fits with the rest of the house.  Calm, peaceful, light and bright!!

 

If you are wondering about the walls in this room, (remembering that we are renters!) you can read all about them here. 

So, here is the quick and easy tutorial of the simplest slipcovers ever made!

 

All of these steps will be done with the right side of the fabric next to the chair.  The fabric I used was a hopscloth linen look fabric from JoAnne's.  I prewashed it in hot water and dried it on high so that all possible shrinkage had taken place!

1.  Lay the fabric over the front of the chair from the top to the bottom.  Allowing about 4” extra on both the top and the bottom, cut off your length of fabric.

2.  Lay your fabric on the floor folding it in half lengthwise.  Split (cut) your fabric along the fold.  These two pieces will become the front and the back of your slipcover.

 

3.  Pin your front piece of fabric so that it lays over the entire front of your chair and over the top back.  (You are just pinning it so that it doesn’t fall as you work with your fabric.

  

4.  Lay your second piece of fabric down the back of your chair and start pinning around the shape of your chair.  I like to use my pins as if I was drawing a line with them.

5.  Continue pinning all the way around the entire top of your chair.

6.  Once the entire top is pinned, it is time to move to the two side panels.   Cut two squares of fabric long enough to cover the side panel. 

7.  Pin around the top three sides of the square, curving it around the corners of the seat, and matching it into the back “seam” of the chair.  Repeat this for the other side.

 

8.  Step back and take a look and make sure that it looks just like you want it to look when it is finished.  Carefully pull it off your chair and take it to your sewing machine!!  I used my serger for this so that it would cut and seal all my edges at the same time.  This fabric frayed really easily and I know that these are going to get washed a lot!

 

9.  Starting with the seat portion, follow the pin line (taking the pins out as you get to them) and sew/serge all the way around the seat sides.

 

10.  Next, you just have to sew/serge all the way around the back sides and top.  Remember, just keep following your pin line.

11.  I forgot to take pictures of this last step…  put  the slipcover back on your chair (right side out this time),  mark your hem-line by pinning it.  Take you slip back off and finish the hem of your slip, the same way you would for a skirt.

 

11.  Put your slip back on your chair and enjoy the beautiful new easy to achieve look of your simple slipcover!

12.  Repeat steps #1-11 seven more times so that your entire dining room set is slip covered!!

 

Flat Flange Edging Tutorial (Deployment Projects #154-157)

Have you noticed flat flange edging?  I’ve been seeing it everywhere and I really like it!  I love the simple yet sophisticated look of it.  Such a clean line, custom look.  I’ve been throwing it in on some of my projects lately.  And some of you have sent me questions asking about it, so I thought I would do a little tutorial on flat flange edging!

First, some inspiring photos of flat flange.  Let me just throw it out there that these are all pictures I have ripped out of magazines, so a. the quality isn’t that great and b. I have no clue where I got them from, but I can’t take credit for them :)

 

        Here’s how you do it:

1. We have to start by making the flat flange.  Start by cutting 2” wide strips of your fabric.

2.  Sew all your strips into one long strip.  The easiest way to do this, is to overlap your two pieces at a 90 degree angle.

 

3.  Sew diagonally across the two pieces.

This will form a little triangle seam…

Trim off the extra triangle of fabric.

4.  Iron your entire strip in half

Just match up the edges and iron down the length of your trim

5.  Now it’s time to make the pillow with the flat flange.  Cut out your front and back pillow fabric, adding 1 1/2” to the size of your insert on both the length and width - - this will be your seam allowance.

6.  For this pillow, I am attaching a zipper closure, so I folded and ironed a 1” edge along one side.

7.  fold the rough edge inside and iron to give it a finished edge.

Grab your zipper

And….here’s a little trick of mine.  To attach my zippers, I love to use my double cording foot.   I simply center the zipper under one of the channels of the zipper foot and it slides along like there is nothing there at all!

8.  With your sewing machine, sew along the edge of one side of the zipper - - letting the zipper slide through the channel of your cording foot.

9.  Attach the other piece of fabric to the opposite side of your zipper (this is why I like to use the double cording foot, because I can just let the zipper slide under the opposite channel.

10.  Now you have one big rectangle of fabric connected by a zipper in the middle!  Fold this in half, right sides together.  Make sure your zipper is opened at least 6”.

11.  You are going to make a sandwich.  With your rough edge of the flat flange facing out and starting with the flange between the opened edge of your zipper.  Your front and back pieces (right sides together) are the bread, and your flat flange is the peanut butter!

  

12.  Now, all you have to do is sew around the three sides of your pillow, using a 3/4” seam.  Now, look at how the corner is pinned closely.  I just freehand folded and pinned as I got to each corner.  You don’t need to accordion fold it as much as I did, you can just fold it and make it a 90 degree turn.  Because there is a zipper all along the bottom, you only have to sew the three sides.  If you wanted edging along the zipper, you could have just added that in as you were sewing the zipper on.

 

And, here’s your finished pillow!  So cute isn’t it?!?

I just finished these pillows, duvet cover, and chair cushion for one of my friends.  Her daughter is growing up and needed a “more mature” look for her room.  I used the flat flange edging on all of these projects.  The stripes along the duvet cover are also flat flange.

 

Are you inspired to go and try doing it yourself now?