Quick Fix Summer Top

I love "Bag Sales". There are two local churches here that have rummage sales every spring and fall. I plan my schedule around them! Church of the Pines has an all you can fit into a brown paper grocery bag for 3 bucks! (This time I found 3 bags worth of clothing.) Here's a super quick fix I did on a top I found at the sale for Ruby. The top was a children's size 10. Ruby wears a size 6. I thought I'd have to do a little cutting and sewing till I realized there was old stretched out elastic in the back. So out with the old, in with the new!

I simply put in a much smaller new piece of elastic which gathered up the extra fabric wonderfully. In the future I'll be able to replace the elastic with longer pieces till Ruby does wear a size 10.

I did angle the straps slightly to prevent them from slipping off her shoulders but that required only a few hand stitches on each strap. I'll be posting a few other fixes and revamps from the sale in the weeks to come.

I LOVE BAG SALES!!!

Paper Roses

While jumping all over Blogland recently I found myself at Little Birdie Secrets and saw this video. (Now I'm making lots of these at night while sitting in front of the TV.)

Here are a few of mine yet to be finished. I used the SLICE with the design card Animal Crackers to cut out the beginning flower shapes. I'm thinking Mothers Day bouquet or corsage. Not sure yet. I've lots of projects bouncing around in my head... makes for difficult decision making.

I tell you what, once you start it's hard to stop. Now off to some sewing.

Signs Of Spring

It seems to take awhile getting here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin but yesterday on our walk we saw "Signs of Spring".............








Yeah!

Using The SLICE With Freezer Paper Stenciling

Is freezer paper just for storing meat? Is the SLICE just for scrapping and cards? I think not! I like to combine the two when up scaling or personalizing clothing. The technique is called "Freezer Paper Stenciling". Here's what you'll need to try it out with help from your SLICE.

SLICE Cordless Design Cutter
Glass Cutting Mat with pre-applied Adhesive
Freezer Paper
Iron
Wood Cutting Board or Thick Cardboard
Fabric Paint
Paint Brush
Item of Clothing


Step 1. Place a piece of freezer paper on your cutting mat shiny side up.

Step 2. Select an image and have your SLICE cut it out of the freezer paper. (Remember to use the mirror image setting for any words.)

Step 3. Place a wood board or thick piece of cardboard under your fabric. (In this case the board is inside the shirt.) Next lay your freezer paper stencil in the location you desire, shiny side down, and iron it onto your fabric. (I coordinate my iron setting with my fabric choice.) There will be some wrinkling of the paper before it fully flattens and clings to your fabric. Pay special attention to your edges, making sure they are secure. If your design has more than 1 piece, iron on the perimeter first. Then place the smaller loose details, shiny side down, where you'd like followed by ironing them in place.

Step 4. Apply fabric paint. If you desire more than one coat allow paint to fully dry in between applications. This prevents the stencil from becoming to "wet" and possibly peeling off.

Step 5. Remove freezer paper by simply peeling it off. I love this step and in my excitement I forgot to take a picture of it! Helpful hint: wait overnight for your paint to fully dry before removing the stencil. This will up the success rate of your stenciling.

Step 6. Admire your finished project!

Think of the possibilities! Imagine covering up that stain on your favorite shirt with a flower or pretty butterfly...

Reflective

Reminiscing today... I found this picture and it got me to thinking. (It's one of my all time favorites of myself.) I remember how in awe I was when I found that moth and the seriousness of holding it gently.

I think I was about seven at the time... thirty years ago.
Today is my Birthday.

Gift Bags

This year I decided that the "goodie bag" should actually be one of the goodies for Rube's party. Thanks again to MADE for this tutorial. I whipped up a sample bag and after that I was able to do an assembly line of bag making. Which actually went faster since I knew what I was doing!

I did a bit of personalizing with the initial of each girl's first name in sparkly pink felt and some gem jewel embellishments.

I found the fabric in my stash. In this case it came from my Mom, who acquired it at an estate auction last year in a huge box for a buck. When she gave it to me I hadn't a clue what I'd use it for. I love these bags and I think Ruby's friends did too.

Star Wars Party Gifts

Rubes went to a friends birthday party a few weeks ago and it was Star Wars themed. So what does a 6 year old Jedi need? How about a one-of-a-kind Chewbacca stenciled sweat shirt!

I love freezer paper stenciling. Love, love, love it! There are some nice tutorials found here and here. So easy especially if you run the freezer paper through your printer. Or you can cut an image out using your Slice or Cricket.
Then it's just a matter of choosing you fabric paint colors and getting to work.

I also whipped up a custom Hobo Bag for his Star Wars goodies using a tutorial found here. Such a fun carry all. That stencil was a wee bit harder to cut out due to it's size and detail. Happy to say the young Jedi liked his gifts. Thankful am I that the force was with me.

Classic Sugar Cookies

We made these for Rudes's Birthday class treat. This is the recipe I've been using for the past 6 years. For every holiday... anytime I need or want frosted cookies. We have 50 some animal shape cookie cutters! My first time making them was for Rubes's 1st Birthday... roosters. Anyway, this recipe comes from Carole Walter's book Great Cookies. Wonderful book. I simplify here and there in my making of these so if you want a word for word recipe, you'll have to buy the book. For example, I roll my dough out to a 1/4 -inch thickness instead of 3/16-inch. Just saying. Here goes....

Classic Sugar Cookies
3 cups sifted cake flour, spooned in and leveled
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium-low speed. Using a fork, beat the egg and vanilla together and mix into the butter-sugar mixture.
Add the dry ingredients one-half at a time, mixing only until mixture begins to form a mass.
Empty the dough on to a lightly cake floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times, or just until smooth. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic. Chill for at least 15 minutes.
When chilled or ready (I've often made the dough the night before) roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Stop rolling at your desired thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet, no grease or spray! Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350* until bottoms or edges start to brown. This part is also personal preference and may take practice.
Enjoy!

Easter

Welcome April and thanks for a Happy Easter.

Things got a bit hectic near the end of March. The short version is a combination of Ruby's party, kidney stones, Easter and a dog in heat. Details are not that important just know I'll be back to more regular posting! Though things were crazy I was still making things... lots of things. For Easter all my nephews (plus Rubes and Teo) received a "Peep"created using a tutorial from MADE. Easy to whip up. I'm feeling hopeful.