Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Patchwork Craft Sack

I had fun making this because I have never done any patch work before but always wanted to try. I have been trying to organize and sort through my house to make the moving process a little easier. I was going through all my crafts today and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. While I was doing that I got inspired to make this cute bag to store my knitting in. I have been keeping my knitting projects in a plastic zip lock bag but the needles are always poking holes through the plastic. So I thought it would be nice to have a cloth sack to keep it in. If you don't knit no worries it would be easy to add straps to make it a bag.


You will need: 
Your choice of fabric for the bag (I used a jersey knit material)
Various fabric scraps
thread 
pins
scissors
sewing machine


Step One: Cut the fabric you are using for the bag to the size you want the bag to be. Leave about 1/2 inch seam allowance. Then take one of your fabric scraps and cut it in a strip long enough to go across the bag with a little excess.
Step Two: Cut strips of your fabric scraps in various lengths and widths. Begin to place them on to the large strip. Arrange the strips until you like how it looks and pin them all into place.

Step Three: Using a zig zag stitch sew all the strips on. I set the horizontal spacing to 0.5 and the vertical to 3.0. This will give you a thick applique finish. This will take quite a bit more thread. It will also take more time.
Step Four: Once you have it all sewn then you can pin the patchwork to the bag and sew it on. I decided to also do a patchwork owl applique with the same stitch. Now you can sew the sack together with the right sides facing. Turn right side out. That is pretty much it. You can add some handle straps to make it into a bag, Or add any other finishing touches you like. This is a very easy bag to make the most difficult part is the patchwork but as long an you have some basic sewing skills I'm sure you could handle it. Enjoy!

Feathered Hair Clip



This is are really cute and easy hair accessory.

You will need: Feathers of your choice, you can buy them from craft stores.
                        A small amount of felt or thick fabric
                        Hot glue gun and a glue stick
                        plain hair clip of your choice
                        Scissors


Step One: First you will want to heat up your glue gun. Then cut out a piece of your fabric or felt into the shape of a leaf or teardrop. Try to cut it slightly smaller than the size you actually want it to be.



Step Two: Once you have the size and shape you want then you can start to glue your feathers on. You will want to start at the top and work your way down overlapping the feathers as you cover the fabric. I used the longer feathers at the top and gradually smaller ones as I went.  Some of the feathers you may need to trim with your scissors to get the size you want. You can lay out the feathers before you glue them just to see how it will look.

Step Three: Once you like the way it looks, cut out a small strip of the fabric/felt and slide it inside your clip. Place it on the back side of your feather piece and glue together. Ta-Da your all done.


You can spice up any hair style with this cute clip. It especially looks nice with a vintage hair style like victory rolls.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Owl Treasures!

I know it has been a while since I have made a post. I have not been doing much as far as crafts the past few weeks. I have tons of ideas but have not been to the craft store in a while. Which may not be a bad thing because I always spend way more than I plan too. With a big move not that far off I have decided that the less money I spend and the more I save the easier our move to Portland will be. However I did recently find a couple really awesome little treasures that I could not pass up. My owl obsession took over last week and I felt compelled to fill my kitchen with owls!


So this is my absolute favorite find of all time. My new Metlox PoppyTrail Owl cookie jar! A while back my friend Kaleena was passed down an owl cookie jar from her Grandmother. I believe it is also a PoppyTrail it is very similar looking. From that point on I wanted my own owl cookie jar. I think I have been looking at owl cookie jars on Etsy and Ebay for nearly a year now. I have come across many that I liked but for some reason the Metlox PoppyTrail always caught my eye. On Average they sell for around 60$ I was fortunate enough to win mine on Ebay for 23$ They do not always have them since they are vintage and are no longer made. You may have to wait around a while to find one for a good deal. I think my patients was well worth it! It is so beautiful in person, I just adore it! It has such a gorgeous Mustered and Rust colored glaze. It is in perfect condition as well!

I also found just the cutest Owl spoon (5$) rest and salt n pepper shakers (6$)on Etsy! I just love Etsy! You can find the coolest stuff there!
Not sure when my next post will be. So I apologize in advance if I don;t get around to making another one for awhile! I know I am going to be awful busy with getting everything organized for the move. Also going to be trying to save some money which will my no craft store trips. However I know I will have some good stuff to come....Usually when I move into a new place I have tons of ideas to personalize that space. Good things are coming! In the mean time Happy Fall!