The Barefoot Seamstress

What I've Been Working On Wednesday #6

2012-02-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Well, hello there! We had a lazy weekend, which was nice for a change. The hubs and I are currently obsessed with the TV show Lost (we don't have TV so therefore must wait for everything to come out on dvd), so we had fun watching season 5 of that. While the weather was halfway decent we had a little family adventure to a local park. The kids played on the playground, we went for a little trail hike and watched the ducks playing in the pond. So nice to get some fresh air! Makes me want summer to show it's beautiful face even more.

Here's what I've been working on....

Yo-Yo Pillow

One of my challenges for 2012 was to use the fabric I already have before buying new. I have three bins of scraps....yes, three. Some of these scraps are teeny tiny and I just can't bare to throw them away.

I love the homey feel of yo-yos. It was nice to sit and do some hand sewing for a change.

Pallet Bookshelf

A few weeks back I showed you the pallet cookbook shelf that I made for our kitchen. This is a spin on the same idea, but for kid's books. There is a great tutorial over at Little Lucy Lu for the shelves.

Jonah has a massive dinosaur collection. Seriously. I think we have every dinosaur that ever lived. Plus he has a great dinosaur book collection, so I knew this would be perfect to house the books and keep them away from little sister's hands.

Knit Headband Tutorial

In case you missed it earlier in the week, I did a tutorial on an easy knit headband with a little bit of girly tulle!

Sewing Class

This sweet little blanket will be the first project for my beginner sewing class. Our first class is this Friday and I am way excited to get together with a great group of ladies and sew the night away!

For locals interested in the class, we have one class in Port Angeles and one class in Quilcene. Our FB Group provides all the details.

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Easy Knit Headband {Tutorial}

2012-02-19T09:15:00.001-08:00

I wanted to make Ella a headband to go with her Easter dress and I've seen a lot of knit headbands floating around blogland. Why didn't I think to use knit fabric?! I know that knit can seem intimidating but it really does have some great qualities...it stretches and it doesn't fray...both pluses when making headbands.

This headband involves very little sewing and a bit of hot gluing! Are you ready?

Supplies:

- Small scrap of knit fabric for the main headband piece
- Small scraps of knit for the flower
- Small scraps of tulle for the flower
- Small piece of felt
- Hot glue gun and glue
- Mason jar lid or small bowl or cup with a 3.5" diameter
- Scissors
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- Tape measure

First, measure around your kiddo's head. Ella's head measured 18" so I cut my fabric 18.5" long by 3" wide. Cut out seven 3.5" circles out of the knit you would like to use for your flower and fourteen 3.5" circles of tulle.

I use a mason jar lid, draw around the outside with a fabric marker or pen, then cut out. If you use a regular old pen, make sure to cut just on the inside of the pen marks. You don't want the pen marks to show up on your pretty flower.

Cutting 14 circles of tulle seems a bit daunting. I fold the tulle up into fourths, then draw a circle and then cut. Makes it go a bit faster.

Now, it's time to head to your sewing machine! I know I've mentioned it before but using a ballpoint needle when sewing knits makes a world of difference. Fold your fabric in half. Using a 1/2" seam, zig zag stitch along the unsewn short edge, making sure to back stitch at the beginning and end.

Now fold your headband so that the seam is in the middle.

Finger press the seam flat. I didn't feel like pulling out the iron for one little seam but if you feel so inclined go right ahead :)

Bring in the edges of fabric just until they slightly overlap in the middle. Pin in place.

Using a zig zag stitch, sew into place.

Now it's time to heat up the glue gun, friends!

While your waiting for that to warm up, cut out two circles of felt 3" in diameter. I just flip the mason jar lid over and trace around the inside. Pretty technical, right?

Grab one circle of knit and two circles of tulle. Place a small dab of hot glue in the center of the knit circle, then layer on the tulle circles. Repeat with all the knit and tulle circles. You should end up with 7 layered circles.

Fold a circle in half, put a small dab of glue in the center and fold in half again.

Start arranging your petals on one piece of the felt. They should just hang over the edge of the felt.

Four petals will go on the bottom layer. Once you have them situated the way you like them, go ahead and hot glue them onto the felt.

Now hot glue the other three petals on top of the bottom layer.

Grab your headband and the other circle of felt. Put a dab of hot glue in the center of the felt and place on the underside of the headband.

Turn your flower over and place a string of hot glue around the outside of the felt circle. Place it directly on top of the other felt circle, sandwiching the headband in between.

Now go try it on your little sweetpea!

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Sharing at these fab parties!

From A Child's Perspective

2012-02-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what your kids would say about you if asked? After all they see us in good times and bad, when we are happy, angry, sad, joyful.

I ran across this little quiz at The Path Less Taken and thought it would be fun to try with Jonah (he just turned 5). Ella isn't quite to the talking point yet other than, "baby" "eye" and my personal favorite "no!"

So we sat on Jonah's bed one afternoon and chatted....

What is something your mom always says to do?
Make your bed

What makes your mom happy?
When I be nice

What makes your mom sad?
When I'm crabby

How does your mom make you laugh?
She tickles me and I giggle!

What was your mom like as a child?
You liked to play tea party

How old is your mom?
16 (ha!)

How tall is your mom?
This BIG! (he was showing me with his hands)

What's your mom's favorite thing to do?
You like to play rockets with me and cutting fabric

What does your mom do while you are at school?
You get groceries

What is your mom really good at?
Pushing sister on the swing

What is your mom not good at?
He couldn't think of an answer

What does your mom do for a job?
You make pretty things and you work on your car when it has no gas (no idea where the car thing comes in!)

What is your mom's favorite food?
Tacos! (it runs in the family)

What makes you proud of mommy?
For being mine and sister's friend (sweetest answer EVER)

If mommy were a cartoon character which one would she be?
Petrie from Land Before Time

What is your favorite thing to do together?
Watch cartoons, make projects and play games

What do you and mommy have that is the same?
We have the same toes

What do you and mommy have that is different?
We have different ears

How does mommy show you that she loves you?
You help me put spaceships on my planets

Where is mommy's favorite place to go?
The fabric store and to the hospital to have babies (this cracked me up!)

We had fun talking about the questions and I must admit that he knows me very well. He has been part of my life 24/7 for the last 5 years so he has seen me at my best and my absolute worst. I am an imperfect mother yet he still has nice things to say about me and unconditional love. My heart is full.

We will put this in his scrapbook which I am only up to his 1st birthday....whoops....

What I've Been Working on Wednesday #5

2012-02-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

Phew! That would sum up the past week in one word. Life seems to move at a glacial pace for a few weeks and then all the sudden....bam! Oh well, I'm not complaining. I would rather be busy than bored.

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day. Jonah took his fishbowl valentine's to school and they were a hit! His teacher was very impressed with our handy work. The hubby came home to a dinner of stroganoff (his very favorite) and angel food cake with strawberries, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. I even splurged on the expensive chocolate syrup! And my valentine's present was 10 hours of sweet sleep. Can't get much better than that.

Here's what I've been working on this week....

Dress

I actually made this dress two weeks ago but I forgot to include it in my post last week. This is a pattern by Too Sweets Patterns, my favorite little pattern shop on Etsy. Sophie does fantastic work and her patterns are always very easy to read.

This will be Ella's Easter dress for the year. I think she likes it!

I just adore the little peekaboo tulle under the skirt.

Etsy Shop Update

And this would be where the Phew! comes in....it must be wedding planning season because Etsy was crazy busy last week. Thank goodnesss for my wonderful mother who came to play with the kids so I could work on orders. She's the best.

I've been working on some new banners for kids, baby showers, birthdays.

And with Easter approaching, I whipped up a few little bunnies.

Tutorials

In case you missed it, earlier in the week I posted about making a Cricut mat new again. Super easy and no special glues required!

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

How to Make a Cricut Mat New Again!

2012-02-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

The one bad thing about living in a small town is the lack of crafting supplies. Our local craft store and WalMart had been out of Cricut mats for two weeks after Christmas. Two weeks! That's like an eternity in craft addiction time. Finally I had to order some online but then, of course, is the lovely shipping cost and waiting for them to arrive. So I thought I would come up with an alternative way that was cheaper and faster.

No, this does not involve any special glues. In fact, I bet you already have the supplies at home.

Supplies:

- Dish Soap (I use Dawn)

- Dish Scrubber

Yup, that's it! Told you this was going to be easy.

1. Squirt some dish soap onto your Cricut mat and get to scrubbin.

2. Let your mat dry overnight and voila!

If your mat is pretty gunked up you may need to scrub pretty hard. I have used this technique several times on the two mats I currently have and it has definitely renewed the life in them.

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Fugly Fabric Party

2012-02-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

That title just screams F-U-N, doesn't it!

I'm participating in Lucy @ Charm About You's Fugly Fabric Party. As always, I had every intention of being on time to the party but, well, I got a bit sidetracked. Better late than never!

So here is the fabric I have up for grabs....

First up is a flannel fat quarter bundle that's been floating around my fabric stash for quite some time. It would be so sweet for a baby blanket, burp cloths or baby bibs.

Next up is a pretty fat quarter bundle. I actually really like this bundle but I received two of them as Christmas presents this year so off to a new home they go!

All I'm asking for these little pretties is the postage to get them to you. The first person to comment below with their paypal address gets em'! If you want one and not the other that's fine too.

And don't forget to hop on over to the Fugly Fabric Party to check out all the other fabric up for grabs!

Fish Bowl Valentines

2012-02-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

I ran across these uber cute printable Valentines via CraftGossip.com and knew they would be perfect for Jonah's preschool class. I love that they are boy/girl neutral, silly and not "cutesy".

Jonah cut them out, stuffed them in the baggies and added some swedish fish (well, he and his sister may have snacked on the fish a bit!).

Photos courtesy of Juliann Law - PBJandJ

So if you are like me and running behind on the Valentine buying, check out PBJandJ on Etsy! You can print out as many as you want for only $5. And I plan on keeping them for when Ella heads to school. Pretty sweet deal!

What I've Been Working on Wednesday #4

2012-02-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

This week has been full of custom sewing projects and season one of Lost. Yup, I know I'm way behind on the times but we don't have TV. So I only get to watch things after they come out on dvd or netflix. I'm hooked! And I may be sending the hubby to the store to buy season 2 this afternoon :)

Custom Work

This little apron was made for a friend who whipped up Ella's gorgeous crocheted sweater for our Christmas pics. I love when crafty friends want to trade with me! I made up the pattern as I went along, kind of a trial and error thing but I think it turned out really pretty.

Don't mind my "mom uniform"...yoga pants and cardigan sweater :)

I am in L.O.V.E. with these pillows. These were really hard to send away but the recipient was beyond happy with her purchase.

Giveaways

Head on over to my facebook page to enter a chance to win a $25 shop credit or an Amy Butler bag pattern.

Then hop on over to Mommy Made's blog to enter a chance to win another $25 shop credit from me along with some gorgeous other prizes!

Sewing Classes

I am now hosting local beginner sewing classes! I've been thinking about doing this for quite some time so why not give it a try. Head on over to our facebook group for more info.

Etsy Shop Update

I haven't added anything new to the shop lately because, well, I have been too busy keeping up on orders. Which I'm not complaining about! I've been playing with my listings and tags to see what it will do to my stats. And also improving my photography as that is a huge part of success on Etsy.

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Store Front Meet Up

2012-02-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Kelly @ Blue Bird Sews is hosting a Store Front Meet Up Link Party. I love the idea of getting to know others in the creative business. What works for them, what doesn't, how they market their items, etc.

I recently revamped my Etsy store because sales had been so poor last year. Although I did have a bit of a sales boom around the holidays which was very encouraging. So I wiped the slate clean after Christmas and started from scratch.

If you've been following my blog for long you will know that I am addicted to all things burlap. After some searching on Etsy I noticed that wedding items are huge sellers. And burlap decor at weddings is even bigger!

Sales have gone well over the past month. I'm still working on improving my photos and marketing. There is so much competition on Etsy it's hard to get noticed but I am very motivated by this month's sales to keep moving forward.

Besides Etsy, I also sell items at The Picket Fence. My mom and I run the store which makes it twice as much fun! We have a collection of 15 to 20 local artists who make some truly amazing things. I sell anything from aprons to pillows in the store. We do a holiday open house every year and also a few local festivals/bazaars.

I love where life and my business has taken me. People ask me where I find the time/motivation to do all of it and my answer is simple: I love what I do and I take it as seriously as I would any other job.

Thank you, Kelly for hosting! Pop over and check out the rest of the party:

Another great Etsy meet up I found recently is the Treasury Trade Off hosted by Maria @ Agape Love Designs & Photography. Check it out!

What I've Been Working on Wednesday #3

2012-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have had a great week so far! We are back into the swing of things after the snow/ice storm we had last week. And I'm happy to report that my back is feeling much better. Thank you for all the kind words!

Headband and Bow Tie

I'm so excited about an upcoming project I am doing with my friend Sarah at Smiling Rain Photography. Here is a sneak peek at what is in the works....

And because I'm feeling secretive that's all I going to tell you.....more to come later :)

Etsy Shop Update

I've been busy getting out orders this week. A lot of brides are doing their save the date photos this time of year for upcoming summer and fall weddings. This banner has definitely been my most popular seller lately. I love seeing my work in action. Isn't this a romantic shot?!

Photo by Moose Mark Photography of Post Falls, Idaho

Tomorrow I will be linking up to Store Front Meet Up @ Blue Bird Sews. I encourage all of you fellow Etsians to do the same!

Projects & Tutorials

In case you missed them I have posted two tutorials this week (that's huge for me!).

What is a Link Party & How to Link Up

No-Sew Burlap Rose Bouquet

Speaking of Link Parties....

I wrote a quick blog post earlier in the week about hosting a link party that would include Etsy shops. Take a look at it and let me know your thoughts!

Sneak Peeks

What could it be, what could it be??

I am really enjoying my "What I've Been Working On" posts. It pushes and inspires me to get projects done so I can show you lovelies what is going on around here. So thank you for stopping by, I really appreciate it!

What is a Link Party & How to Link Up {Tutorial}

2012-01-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

I admit that it was very overwhelming entering blogland as a newbie. There were so many questions and no one to ask.....What the heck is a link party? How do bloggers make their blogs look so gorgeous? (I'm still working on that one!) How do I get followers? How do I get people to read my blog?

For a while I avoided link parties because it seemed intimidating. But my blog sat there with only a few followers for months and months. Well that was no fun! So I decided to get over my fears and link up!

Slowly but surely I have gained followers and my stats have gone up. And I can say that most of that is due to link parties. Plus who wouldn't want a few new friends?! Blogland has been nothing but supportive to me and I'm sure it will be the same for you.

So what the heck is a link party? How do I link up to a link party? Who hosts these link parties? Where do I find a link party?

I'm so glad you asked :)

What the heck is a link party....

Well, I'm no expert but here is my take: a link party is a collection of individual blog links hosted by a blog. The party can have a theme (i.e. Valentine's Day, Quilting, etc.) or no theme at all. A typical craft link party will be a collection of DIY projects and tutorials. The host will usually host a link party weekly, sometimes monthly.

Here's an example:

I chose to link up my Burlap Bouquet to Mommy By Day Crafter By Night's weekly link party today

This way when others come to the party they will see what I have made and may chose to click on the link which will bring them to my blog post.

Where to find a link party.....

There is an amazing amount of link parties being held in blogland! On most blogs you will find a tab at the top of their page that says Link Parties or Where I Party or Linkies , etc.

Click the link on my blog and you will find a list of link parties that I frequent.

Who hosts link parties....

Anyone! Typically larger blogs do but some smaller blogs do to gain followers. Hey we all have to start somewhere :)

How to link up.....

Head over to a link party. Read the hosts blog post and party guidelines. The guidelines are typically that you become a follower of their blog, post their party button on your blog somewhere (this is a good way to remember where you have linked up for future reference), link directly to your blog post (not your blog's home page), no linking to giveaways or Etsy shops.

Scroll down until you see either one of these:

I'm going to show you what to do when you hit the "Add your link" as you see on the first picture above. Click to add your link. From here it's pretty self explanatory. Copy and paste your blog posts link directly from your browser's address bar (not your blog's home page but the specific post you want to direct people to). Example: http://www.thebarefootseamstress.com/2012/01/burlap-rose-bouquet-no-sew-tutorial.html When entering in a "Name" make sure to enter your blog post title not your actual name! Don't worry, I totally did it the first time I linked up :)

Click "Next Step". This will bring you to a collection of pictures from your blog post. Go ahead and choose one, then click "crop".

Now you will be able to crop your photo. Keep in mind that you are only able to crop your photo in a square shape so some of the photo may be cut off. Once you are done, click add photo.

Congrats! You just linked up to your first link party!

Now where to store all those blog party buttons on your blog? You can choose to either post them directly into your blog post, on your sidebar, or make a whole page devoted to link parties. I chose to make a page just because it keeps everything neat and organized. Here is my tutorial on how to do that.

If I missed anything, please let me know so I can update the tutorial!

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. I'm happy to help.

So I've Been Thinking...

2012-01-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

...what would you all think of a link party that INCLUDES Etsy shops? I'm not talking about direct links to your Etsy shop but a link to blog posts on your blog about recent items you have been working on or listed in your shop. Does that make sense?

Other DIY projects and tutorials would certainly be welcome too. I just feel like there is such a shortage on promoting Etsy shops around blogland.

What are your thoughts? Would you link up?

Burlap Rose Bouquet - No Sew {Tutorial}

2012-01-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

How could Valentine’s Day be complete without a bit ofburlap? Burlap roses to be exact. I came across this lovely bouquet andknew it would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Here is my version….

Now, if I could just get my husband to make a dozen of thesefor me.

Get the full tutorial after the jump....

Supplies:

- 1/4 yard each of red and white burlap
- Pack of 12” long round dowels. I used these….

They were super cheap at Walmart. I’ve also seen them atJoAnns.

- Quart Size Wide Mouth Mason Jar

- Hot Glue Gun & Glue
- Razor blade or something that will cut through the wooddowels

Cut six of the dowels to 9 inches tall and the other fourdowels to 10 inches tall. Cut the burlap into 2” wide by 22” long strips. I cut 10strips for my bouquet. Never cut burlap before? No worries, check out mytutorial for that here.

Heat up your glue gun.

1. Run a line of glue about 2 inches long on oneend of a burlap strip

      2.      Fold the two halves together
      3.       Roll theburlap to form a nice center of your flower. Put a dab of glue to hold it inplace.
      4.      Start twisting the burlap around the center ofthe flower. At this point the burlap should not be folded in half.
      5.      Keep twisting and gluing. I glue about every 2or 3 twists.
      6.      Stop when you have a few inches of burlapremaining
      7.      Turn the flower over to the bottom side. Put adab of glue up inside the middle of the flower.
      8.      Insert a dowel
      9.      Glue and wrap the remaining burlap around thebottom of the flower and the dowel
     10.  Repeat with remaining burlap strips

Now you can either be done at this point or add somespice to your mason jar! I cut a 13” by 5” piece of burlap and hot glued it tothe mason jar. Then I layered on a piece of wide lace and tied a few strands of burlap threads around.

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Linking up to these fab parties!

SALE!

2012-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a sale? Especially a sale on wonderful handmade creations!

My Valentine LOVE banner is on sale for only $7.50 at GiGisPetals right now. Grab it while it's still there! And yes, it will get to you in plenty of time before Valentine's Day.

GiGis Petals is a lot like Pick Your Plum and Stitch Steals but with handmade items. They feature some truly gorgeous things at amazing prices. Head on over and check them out!

And for all you crafters out there trying to gain some exposure, contact them about being a feature. My experience with them has been great. Katie got me a spot at the very last minute, had excellent communication and was very personable.

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

What I've Been Working on Wednesday #2

2012-01-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of What I've Been Working on Wednesday! This past week has been all about snow. It snowed and snowed and then snowed some more. Needless to say the kids were dying to get outside and play in it. Within the first hour of playing in the snow, I fell and hurt my tailbone really bad. Boo! It hurt to sit, walk, and lie down. Not much sewing was accomplished. I finally started to feel like myself again over the weekend, so out came the sewing machine...yay! So that's my sad little story. Thanks for listening :)

Here is what I did accomplish....

Jelly Roll Bag

This was a super fun bag to make. I saw the idea last year somewhere and can't for the life of me remember where I saw it. I love the yellow and gray color combo (thanks to my fellow fabricoholic sister-in-law for the fabric!). It's lined with prequilted cotton which makes it super sturdy. It's headed to The Picket Fence.

Etsy Shop Update

Normally, I won't be posting so much about my Etsy shop. I've been busy trying to restock it after the holidays. So bear with me for a few more weeks.

From left to right: Here Comes the Bride sign; Thank You banner; Sweets banner; Just Married banner.

So, if you know any brides looking for rustic wedding decor...send 'em my way!

Crafting with my Kid

If you missed my post last week on Potato Stamp Valentines, go check it out! The kids and I had a blast doing this simple project. And one of them may have gotten into mischief painting my walls. Oh, I love them!

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Are you on Bloglovin?

2012-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post about Bloglovin. I just set up an account and would love to know if others are on there too! It seems like a much easier way to keep track of my fav blogs....we shall see...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Happy Sunday!

Crafting with My Kid: Potato Stamps

2012-01-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

We have been snowed in here in the Pacific Northwest. Most winters we are lucky to get a few inches of snow. This year has been the exception. We got hit hard last week with a foot and a half! I don't mind being cooped up with the kids but they got a bit antsy being inside for five days.

With Valentine's day quickly approaching I thought it would be fun to make handmade Valentines for the family. I gave away most of my scrapbooking supplies so we made due with the little supplies that I did keep.

Here's what you need:

- Cardstock or construction paper

- Paint (we used acrylic)

- Potatoes

- Small heart shaped cookie cutter

- Paring knife

- Cutting board

Cut the potato in half crosswise or if you're like me and only have small red potatoes in the house, cut it lengthwise.

Put the cookie cutter on the inside "meat" of the potato, turn it upside down and press down on the potato. Turn it back over and cut around the edge of the cookie cutter with a knife.

Run the potato under some water and pat dry.

Grab your kiddos, pour some paint into small bowls and get busy! I cut out small squares of cardstock for them to stamp on. The hubby's old shirts work great for paint shirts on the kids.

Ella didn't get the concept so much but she had fun finger painting!

Just don't leave the kids alone to start that load of laundry you've been avoiding all week....you may end up with paint on your walls. Mr. Magic Eraser to the rescue!

After the kids were done stamping, we let them dry and then cut around each one. Jonah loves to sew, so we sewed three hearts onto blank white cards using a zig zag stitch down the center of each heart. Then he stitched around the outside edge of the cards. My machine is very user friendly for him because it doesn't require using the foot pedal just a button to start and stop. I set the speed to the very lowest setting and let him have at it! Make sure to clean the bottom of your presser foot and needle before using your machine for another project in case any paint rubbed off.

No worries, if you don't have a sewing machine...just run a line of glue down the center of the heart and press onto the blank card. Let them decorate with rick rack, ribbon, stickers or whatever else you can find. The possibilities are endless!

Linking up to these fab parties!

What I've Been Working on Wednesday

2012-01-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

So today I thought I would try something new. My goal is that every Wednesday I will write a blog post about what I've been working on the past week....finished projects and projects in the works. That way you all don't think I have fallen off the face of the earth!

Etsy Shop

After having my Etsy shop for a while now, I have learned what people are shopping for and what they pass by. My focus in the shop will be geared toward photography props, shabby rustic wedding decor and seasonal items. I had a nice little sales boom right after Thanksgiving and through Christmas. This was a huge encouragement!

I got busy after the first of the year and pulled together a few items to list this past week.

Can you say, burlap?! Yup, it's my signature fabric. From left to right: Bride and Groom placemats; Save the date banner; Love banner; set of 3 pillows. Stop by my Etsy shop to see the full listings.

Pallet Cook Book Shelf

I spotted this awesome idea for pallet bookshelves a while back. We made Jonah two sets of them for his bedroom to hold books and his massive dinosaur collection (I'll share pictures hopefully next week). There was this shelf leftover so I stole it for my cookbooks. It is definitely rustic and has a lot of character....which I love! Plus I got to try out my new sander. The hubby is finally trusting me more with power tools...ha! I used my Cricut to cut out the brown vinyl lettering. Super quick and when I get tired of it I can change the saying.

Preschool Chore Chart

Jonah just turned 5 and we felt like it was time for him to start doing his part around the house. I came across this preschool chore chart at SimpleMom.net. It has a column for each day and a list of chores to do like feeding the dog, putting the silverware away from the dishwasher, making his bed, etc. with a space next to each chore for a sticker. His goal for the first week was to get 20 stickers. He surpassed his goal with flying colors!

He is, if you hadn't already guessed, dinosaur obsessed so his reward was this 3D dinosaur puzzle that I had tucked away. I am amazed at how well he did and how willing he was to do his chores. This is the third week now and he has yet to complain about doing his chores. Success!

Upcoming Projects - Sneak Peek

A little Valentine project involving burlap (are you surprised?!), a kids project using potatoes, and a sweet sweet project that I am super excited to share with you all.

Hope to see you back next week!

Be My Valentine Skirt {Tutorial}

2012-01-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day projects arepopping up all over blogland. I am still in the after-Christmas fog but I foundsome time to whip up this sweet little skirt. Ah, thank you nap time.

This would also be super cute ona plain t-shirt, onesie or a denim skirt! Oh the possibilities. If you wouldlike to make a similar cotton skirt, here is a great tutorial.

I have been hoarding this red andwhite polka dot fabric for some time now and thought it would make a sweetlittle Valentine’s skirt for Ella. I think she agrees!

The great thing about knit fabricis that it won’t fray even when washed. For this project I used an interlockknit, which in my opinion, is the easiest knit to work with.

Get the full tutorial after the jump...

Supplies:

- ¼ yard of interlock knit in desired colors (think knit t-shirt material)

- Thread

- Scissors

- Iron

As always, please feel free to email me with anyquestions….I would love to help!

Cut outer heart fabric into a 1” x 30” strip. Cut innerheart fabric into a 1” x 25” strip.

Adjust your sewing machinesettings to the highest tension (mine is 9) and the highest stitch width (mineis 5).

Sew down the middle of the first strip, not backstitching as you wouldon most projects. Do not cut the threads, leave a 3 inch “tail” of thread atthe beginning and end of your strip. Once you have sewn all the way down your strip it should start to lookruffley. You want the ruffles to be tight but not so tight that they won’t lieflat. If your strip is not ruffley enough, tie a knot on one end of the threadsand gently pull on the opposite bobbin thread. Once you the desired amount ofrufflyness (is that a word?), knot the threads. Repeat with the inner heartfabric. Play around with the two strips to make sure that they will both belong enough to create a full heart.

Lay the strips flat on yourironing board and press.

Grab the article of clothingthat you wish to embellish. If you will be embellishing a knit t-shirt oronesie, I suggest using a ballpoint needle. It will make a world of difference,trust me. They can be found right next to the regular needles in your localfabric store. Position the outer heartfabric strip onto the piece of clothing. Fold under the ends. Pin in place.

Change your sewing machinesettings back to normal. Sew right on top of the gathering stitch you alreadymade. Go slow and take your time. When going around the curves, I find iteasiest to sew a few stitches, stop, pick up my presser foot and turn itslightly, sew a few more stitches, etc.

Pin the inner heart fabricstrip so that the outer edge just overlaps the outer strips gathering stitch.Sew into place.

Voila! Now go try it onto yourlittle Valentine!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Sewing Challenges 2012

2011-12-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

I like a challenge, especially one that challenges me to learn more about sewing! I do however have a hard time stepping outside my comfort zone. So I came up with this list to work on throughout the year of 2011. Here is my progress....

Make a handmade item for all family birthday presents

This was certainly a challenge as we have a rather large family. I made backpacks for my two oldest nephews, a makeup bag for my sister-in-law and a fabric picture book for my youngest nephew. I also made an apron for my mom and slippers for my grandma for Mother's Day (no pictures of those). Plus a big majority of our Christmas gifts were handmade this year. The kids were definitely easy to make for but I need to work on things for the adults.

Sew a zipper into a piece of clothing

I never came across a need for this in my sewing this year or maybe I avoided it. Not sure. I did make a few clutches and make up bags with zippers.

Make something for my son so he doesn't feel left out

Success! Dinosaur tail, dinosaur snack bag, dinosaur backpack and pirate costume. Can you tell he is obsessed with dinosaurs?

Read my sewing machine manual...ha!

This is still a....ha! And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Learn how to sew knits with my serger

I definitely got some great use out of my serger this year. I did learn to sew knits with my serger and also learned how to do a rolled hem on cottons. It was a huge help in working with burlap too.

Make a piece of clothing for myself that I will actually wear in public

This would be a big fail. I have a really hard time actually finding the time to make something for myself. I usually end up keeping the cast-offs that didn't make the cut to sell or give away. Something to improve on for next year!

Learn quilting basics

I only managed one quilt and my retro pillow. I did however learn a ton about quilting just through these two projects....An iron is certainly your best friend in quilting, planning ahead is a must and a little trait called patience. I would really love to sew a quilt for our bed this next year. *fingers crossed*

Learn how to free motion quilt

Success! My first attempt at fmq was on my retro pillow and after that I got hooked. I have only ventured as far as stippling but I am comfortable with that for now.

Sewing Challenges for 2012:

Improve my hand sewing
Be more prepared for Black Friday/Cyber Monday in my Etsy shop
Spend more time creating things and less time internet surfing
Improve photography skills for product shots
Work with lace (I don't know why, it just appeals to me lately)
Make a piece of clothing for myself that I will actually wear in public (this challenge is being carried over from 2011)
Make a quilt for our bed
Use up the fabric I already have before buying new
Support my local handmade artists
Design and sew my own girls dress patterns to sell
Learn how to draft a pattern
Start working on family Christmas gifts earlier than Dec. 20th

So there you have it. I'm sure that I will add to this list as the year goes on and my goals change.

What are your sewing goals?

Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle

2011-12-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

What to do when you can't sleep? Look at fabric of course! Laura from Quokka Quilts is having a super fun competition on her blog. Choose 15 fabrics on The Fat Quarter Shop website and make it into a mosaic. The winner will receive a 1/2 yard of 15 fabric choices....yippee!

Here are my choices:

I have been wanting to make a quilt for our bed for forever and the teal/purple combo is what I am leaning towards.

Here's the details:

1. Lark Cobalt Ivy Bloom Yardage
SKU# PWAB70-COBAL
2. Free Spirit Designer Solids Grape Yardage
SKU# S66-GRAPE
3. Impressions Teal Dahlia YardageSKU# PWTY012-TEALX
4. Free Spirit Designer Solids Jade Yardage
SKU# S84-JADE
5. Lark Midnight Sparkle Yardage
SKU# PWAB76-MIDNI
6. Impressions Navy Taj Yardage
SKU# PWTY019-NAVYX
7. Sketch Purple Screen Texture Yardage
SKU# C8224-Purple8. Bespoken Aqua Stitchery Yardage
SKU# BE-61059. Heirloom Amethyst Marquis Yardage
SKU# JD50-AMETH
10. Heirloom Indigo Cobblestone Yardage
SKU# STELLA-22-INDIGO11. Mood Indigo Batiks Twilight Teardrop Dots Yardage
SKU# MG2-2015
12. Impressions Blue Medallion Yardage
SKU# PWTY020-BLUEX
13. Free Spirit Designer Solids Deep Violet Yardage
SKU# S68-DEEPVIOLET
14. Heirloom Amethyst Empire Weave Yardage
SKU# JD54-AMETH
15. Lark 54" Wide Sateen Lake Sunglow Yardage
SKU# SAAB009-LAKEX
The contest ends January 15th. Check out all the official details of the contest here. Who wouldn't want to win free fabric?!

Grandma's Flannel Hankies {Tutorial}

2011-12-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

My little grandma walks around with tissue stuffed in her pockets. I thought it would be nice to get her some new hankies for Christmas but have you seen the quality of hankies in stores lately? Yikes. Super thin and u-g-l-y.

With a few flannel scraps and an hour later I had these little beauties.

And I'm happy to report that she loved them! She thought they were too pretty to use but I assured her that that's what they were made for.

Get the full tutorial after the jump.....

Supplies:

- Four 12"x12" flannel squares

- Sewing machine that will do a satin stitch or other decorative stitches

- Coordinating thread

- Scissors

Cut the flannel into a 12" by 12" square.

On your sewing machine select a satin stitch or decorative stitch that has a scalloped effect to it. Basically you are looking for a stitch that will be easy to cut around after you have sewn it onto your flannel. I had to change my presser foot to "N". Before starting on your hankie, it's always good to practice on a scrap piece of fabric just to get the hang of a new stitch. Once you are ready, line up your presser foot with the edge of the flannel and sew along one edge.

When you get to a corner, stop. Make sure your needle is down. Lift your presser foot and move the fabric so that the presser foot will line up with the next unsewn side of flannel. Repeat with all sides of the flannel.

Now you are going to carefully cut along the stitching as close as possible without cutting the thread. Cut all the way around the flannel. Repeat with remaining 3 squares of flannel.

Press and fold your hankies. Voila!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Handmade Christmas

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas with family. This was the first year that I hosted Christmas morning at our house. We opened presents, had some brunch and watched the kids play with their new toys. A very laid back morning. Then it was off to the in-laws for a big Christmas dinner and present opening. We are so lucky to have family close by. It can make the holidays a bit hectic but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I tried my hardest to either make or buy handmade presents this year. There's just something about handmade gifts that seems from the heart and bit more personal. (Bear with me as this post is a bit picture heavy)

I made 6 dinosaur/dragon tails for the kids in the family. I was so excited to let the kids open these! Jonah and Ella kept their tails on all of Christmas Eve night, danced on the coffee table with them on and chased each other around. I call that a success! Thanks to Jessica @ Running With Scissors for the excellent idea and tutorial.

One of my favorite bloggers (I'm allowed to say that, right?), Sunni at Love Affair with my Brother, posted a lovely fabric bowl tutorial. I knew it would work great for stuffing with little handmade goods to give to family members. These bowls were super easy and quick to sew up. I love a project like that!

Here's what I put inside the fabric bowls:

Homemade vanilla extract....yum! I found this recipe on Pinterest about a week before Christmas. It's supposed to infuse for at least 6 weeks but I decided to give it a shot anyhow. You should have seen the look on my husband's face when I told him we needed to stop by the liquor store to purchase vodka...ha! I've never even been in the liquor store before so this was a big deal.

I wrapped the jars with burlap (my signature fabric) and a piece of lace. I think it gives them a nice handmade touch.

For my mom, I made a ruffled camera strap cover from The Cottage Home tutorial.

The cutest little brooches by Little Miss Vintage. The one on the right is mine...I couldn't resist ordering one for myself too.

Homemade Whoppers for my step dad. He's the Whopper King. I will be posting a recipe on this soon.

Mason jar wine glasses for a few friends who have a mason jar addiction like me. A talented local friend makes these.

Hankies for my grandma who is always walking around with her pockets stuffed with tissue. I thought this would be a bit nicer alternative. I will be posting a tutorial for this quick little project soon.

What kinds of handmade gifts did you give to your family? I would love to hear!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:04:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Tomorrow I will be posting about our holiday fun. Come on back and check it out!

Fabric Picture Book {Tutorial}

2011-12-15T21:44:00.001-08:00

Have you ever noticed that toddlers love to look at pictures of real people, especially family members? Both of my kids have. Ella is just starting to recognize our family in pictures. She carries around a photo button from the fair that we had taken a few years ago.

Inspired by a very sweet picture book that my mother-in-law made for Jonah when he was a baby, I decided to make a similar one for my nephew's 1st birthday.

This book has 4 double sided pages with family pictures printed on them. I wish I could have done more pages but time didn't allow. Oh well, I'm sure he won't notice.

Get the full tutorial after the jump....

Supplies:
- 3 ring binder
- 1/2 yard heavyweight fabric such as duck cloth, denim, canvas
- 1/2 yard cotton
- Hot glue and glue gun
- Fabric Paper (I used Sew In Computer Printer Fabric by June Tailor)
- 1/4" eyelet kit with 12 eyelets
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Embellishments for front of book (I made a freezer paper stencil and used fabric paint)
- Large piece of cardboard

Print your pictures onto the fabric paper according to instructions. Let dry for at least 10 minutes. Iron with a dry iron to set the ink.

To give the pages some extra weight, I ironed the pages onto some lightweight fusible interfacing. Fusible fleece would also work or even put a piece of light colored fabric between 2 pages before sewing them together.

Pin two pages together and trim off the excess fabric into the shape that you would like your finished pages to be.

I serged the edges of my pages. A zig zag stitch would also work or sew on a piece of double wide extra fold bias tape. Repeat for remaining pages.

Next is to cover our binder. Lay down your outer fabric with the binder on top. Cut around the binder leaving about an 1.5" allowance on all four sides. If you would like to embroider or embellish your fabric in some way that requires you to sew something on, now would be the time to do that.

Add a small dab of hot glue to one corner of the fabric, fold it down and press.

Glue down the two pieces of fabric on either side of the corner.

Repeat for all four corners and glue down remaining edges. Remember to pull the fabric tight as you go.

Lay down your cardboard on top of one half of the binder. Measure and mark with your ruler about 1/2" in from the binder. Cut around the markings. Repeat for the other half of the binder. Stir dinner...because I know you are multi tasking while doing this, right?

Lay the cut out cardboard piece onto the inside fabric with the fabric wrong side facing up. Repeat the same steps as you did with the outer binder fabric. Then repeat with the other cardboard piece.

Glue down both covered cardboard pieces to the inside of the binder.

Next up is to add eyelets to your pages. Line up and mark where you want the eyelets to be. Follow the directions on the eyelet package. It was easier than I thought!

Embellish the front of your book as desired. I did a freezer paper stencil and painted it with fabric paint. Here is a tutorial for that.

Present your fabulous handiwork to your little one and you're done!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Cake Pop Forest {Tutorial}

2011-12-04T18:02:00.001-08:00

It seems like cake pops are everywhere in blog land lately. But how does one display these cute little confections? I made this cake pop forest for Jonah's Christmas themed birthday party this weekend.

I've been avoiding cake pops because I heard they were a pain to make and not all that great tasting. Turns out they aren't all that bad and even kind of fun. The kids loved them and so did my husband!

And well you know me, I had to add some burlap into the project!

Get the quick (and I mean quick) tutorial after the jump....

Usually my tutorials are much more detailed but I had two children hanging on me the whole time I was making this so you get the quick version...

You need a bag of fake snow and spray adhesive. Do they make fake spray snow anymore? I couldn't find any so this was my alternate.

Lay down a large garbage bag or tarp. Trust me, don't skip this part! Spray a thick coat of the spray adhesive onto the top of a large piece of styrofoam. Quickly sprinkle on the fake snow. Shake off excess. Let dry for 15 minutes and then repeat with all 4 sides.

Add on some embellishments. I used some miniature Christmas trees we had around the house and 3 white picket fences.

Cut three small triangles of burlap on the fold. Sew a channel for the twine to go through using this tutorial or sew it by hand with embroidery thread.

Freezer paper stenciling is a good alternative to buying stencils. Check out this tutorial for how to freezer paper stencil.

I use a half and half mixture of fabric paint and acrylic paint on burlap. Dab the paint on in an up and down motion rather than side to side. Let dry.

Once the paint has dried, thread a piece of jute or bakers twine through the channel in the burlap. Using two 12" dowels as poles, tie the banner on.

I painted a few wood embellishments and hot glued them on to the fence and the poles.

Next add your cake pops and you're done!

Linking up to these fab parties!

http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/

With a Thankful Heart

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

If someone were to ask me what I am most thankful for, the answer is easy and simple. Family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jingle Bell Burlap Garland {Tutorial}

2011-11-20T16:28:00.001-08:00

I know you are thinking, "more burlap....this girl is burlap crazy!" And you would be correct. I've gone through my 10 yard bolt of burlap and bought another 5 yards at the fabric store yesterday. Oh yes, really.

Jonah has been hounding me about decorating our Christmas tree so we pulled it out today and got busy. I have a lot of long strips of burlap scraps leftover from previous projects and I hated to waste them.

This is a quick project with minimal sewing involved. Perfect for beginners!

Get the tutorial after the jump....

Supplies:

- 1/2 yard of burlap or less
- Brown embroidery thread
- Embroidery needle
- Small jingle bells
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine

*Note: Please do not leave your burlap garland and lights unattended. I have heard that burlap is quite flammable.

Cut the burlap into 3" strips. See my quick tutorial on how to cut burlap properly. Cut as many strips as you desire, keeping in mind that the finished garland will be about half as long.

Thread your sewing machine with good quality strong thread. Set your stitch length to the longest length, one most machines it's 5. Set your thread tension to the highest setting.

Good advertisement for Brother, aye?

Now we are going to do a basting stitch on our burlap. Every machine reacts differently to a basting stitch. Some machines gather the fabric easily and others don't. My machine tends to do a bit of gathering but I still have to pull my bobbin thread after sewing to get a nice full gathered look. So just to be on the safe side, pull your bobbin and top threads out at least 4 or 5 inches. Sew down the middle of the burlap strip. When you get to the end of the strip, leave 4 or 5 inches of thread. If your strip gathered nicely then you can move on to the next step. If it didn't, pull on the bobbin thread on each end of the strip until a nice gather is made. Tie knots on each end.

Now this is what you should have. If you are making a really long garland go ahead and repeat the process above and sew the ends of the strips together.

Next is adding the jingle bells. Thread the embroidery thread onto your needle. Tie a large knot on the end. Burlap has a large weave so we don't want the knot to be too small.

Grab your strip of burlap and push the needle up through the backside.

Push the needle through the hook on the jingle bell and pull the thread until the bell is against the burlap.

Push the needle through the burlap to the backside. Repeat the above steps one more time. Then tie off the thread and cut close to the knots. Repeat with all the jingle bells. I spaced the bells about 5 or 6 inches apart.

Grab your little helper and get to decorating!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Change of Pace

2011-11-15T06:50:00.001-08:00

The whole family has been down sick with the flu. I really had to focus my time on them and myself and leave my blogging/crafty world behind. This has been just the change of pace that I needed. It was like someone set a reset button and said, "slow down, Becky!".

I've had time to think about where I would like my business/blog to go. Does this blog benefit my family in any way? No. I don't make any money off of it, it takes time away from my family and time when I should be sleeping (ah, sweet sleep). So then why do I still do it? Because this is the time I take for myself. Everyone needs time for themselves. What I write here on my blog is a reflection of me. I share these things with you in hopes that you will be creatively inspired, make something wonderful and feel proud of yourself for doing it. Thank you to a few close friends for reminding me of this recently!

I have plans to clean out my Etsy shop and stock it with some new wonderful things! I am very excited with the new direction it is taking me. My plan is to focus more on photography props, designing some vintage girl's dresses and a few fun things for the home.

Most of all, I need to focus on my family. First and foremost I am a wife and mother. So don't expect too much of me too quickly. I'm not superwoman after all :)

This Little Thing Called Life

2011-11-12T13:25:00.001-08:00

I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! I've just been extremely busy with craft shows, creating new things (yay!), planning Jonah's birthday party and well, life.

Here are a few pictures at a recent holiday open house at the store my mom and I run, The Picket Fence.

That's me on the left, my mom on the right and Jacque in the middle. We have been doing holiday open houses together since I was very young.

Jonah was our big helper of the day.

Everything nook, cranny and drawer was full!

Jacque's handmade yoyo trees. I buy one of these every year for our collection. I just love them.

Handmade dress by my friend at AlivElyn Arts. Gorgeous!

Our cozy fireplace keeps us toasty warm.

So there you have it. I hope to be back to blogging soon and show you all some new ideas I have!

Photography Challenge: My Shoes

2011-11-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

I have been crazy busy trying to get things ready for a holiday open house this weekend plus the kiddos both had colds. Sooooo, here is a very quick snap shot of my shoes. I literally ran out in our backyard this morning, with the frost still on the ground, and took a photo.

Most days you can find me wandering around barefoot, hence the barefoot seamstress. I have even been known to wear flip flops in the dead of winter. I am not a fan of shoes (I know it's shocking for a girl to say that) but these sandals are one of my favs. They are also the only pair of shoes I have ever bought that cost more than $100....thank you Nordstroms for pulling me into your shoe department.

That's all for today. I'm off to the open house!

Retro Pillow Challenge Final Results!

2011-11-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Look at my bronze star! Isn't it pretty?!

I learned so much throughout this challenge, made some new bloggy friends and came out of my shell a bit. Because of this challenge I got over my fear of free motion quilting and can even say that I enjoy doing it now. Here's to stepping outside of our comfort zones!

A HUGE thank you and hug to Keren and Rikka for hosting the challenge. They did a wonderful job organizing, giving us pep talks and encouraging us along the way.

And another big thank you to all of you that voted and supported me along the way!

Keren and Rikka are hosting another challenge this month, the Solids Only Tote Challenge. Go join up for some fun!

Burlap Addiction {Part 1}

2011-10-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

You asked for it, so here it is....my burlap addiction. Don't judge burlap too harshly. It's rough on the outside but somewhere in between those weaves is a heart of gold. If you have avoided working with burlap before here are a few tips on cutting and washing. I promise it's fun to work with!

I love scoring a great deal so I was super excited when I found this red tickling fabric at the thrift store. Who knew that burlap could give a pillow such a great texture? I will definitely be making more of these for the Christmas season.

My first attempt at button art. When I asked my 4 year old what it was, his reply "an acorn!". Uh not quite. So it seems I didn't quite hit the button (pun intended) on this one.

Inspired by this beautiful wreath, I added and changed a few things around to make it my own. I also made some Christmas wreaths but forgot to take pictures.

I can just picture this table runner on a long country table in a barn filled with family celebrating Christmas. I really love this runner but alas I have no barn and only a small square kitchen table. Inspired by these lovely placemats.

My second attempt at button art. I think this one is a bit more recognizable. At least I hope or do I need to start singing "Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....". Ok, I think you got the point :)

So there you have it. Random burlap scraps and strings are all over my ~~studio~~ kitchen floor but I wouldn't want it any other way! I have a few more burlap projects in the works....lamp shade, garland....and whatever else my little brain comes up with.

Linking up to these fab parties!

Photography Challenge: Sunset

2011-10-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week's photography challenge over at A Step in the Journey is a sunset. Well as we practically live in a rain forest and this time of year the sun barely rises let alone sets, I had to get creative.

I have been dabbling in button art recently. So with that in mind Jonah and I pulled out the button jars and got busy. This is our sunset over ocean waves. It reminds me of a fun girls trip I took to Hawaii with my mom and sister-in-law. Watching the gorgeous Hawaiian sunset with these girls is a memory I won't soon forget. Sun, sand and flips flops with two of my favorite people. Take that gloomy Northwest weather.

Next week's challenge is my shoes!

Working with Burlap

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

What's a girl to do with 10 yards of burlap? That's the question I asked on my facebook page a few days ago after purchasing a bolt of burlap. My hubby wants me to make him a ghillie suit (you know the suits hunters wear for camouflage). Uh no, sorry sweetheart. I was thinking more along the lines of wreaths, a background for button art, table runners, etc.

Who knew there was a right and wrong way to cut burlap? The manager of our local fabric store showed me how to properly cut burlap so I thought I would pass it on. It's easy and makes so much more sense.

1. Line up the selvages
2. Measure your desired width of fabric along the folded edge and make a small snip with your scissors
3. Once you've made the snip, you will see two loose strands. Start gently pulling on the top strand. This will bunch up the burlap and show us where the grain is.
4. Keep pulling the strand and with your other hand grab the top of the burlap. Pull the strand completely out.

5. Find the second strand on the underside of the burlap and repeat the above steps.
6. Now you will see the grain. Cut along the grain through one layer at a time.

See easy and straight, right?

I've heard conflicting info about whether or not burlap is washable. I am one of those people who must get to the bottom of these pressing questions. Ha!

I cut a strip of burlap, ran it through my serger using a regular stitch width. Then realized that the burlap may fray through the wide stitch. So I set my serger to the shortest stitch width and ran one side of the burlap through. I put the strip of burlap into my front load washer on the gentle cycle and dried it as I normally would. I did not have lint or a huge mess in either my wash machine or dryer.

This is after washing, drying and ironing. As you can see the wide stitch width didn't hold.

But the short stitch width did hold. Success! The burlap came out of the dryer very wrinkly so ironing was definitely a must. It didn't have that chemically smell anymore though.
*Update*: I did have someone ask a question about the texture of the burlap after washing. It did makes the burlap a bit softer and not as stiff.

I can't wait to show you all the fun burlap projects I have been making!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Tutorial Page Organizing using InLinkz {Tutorial}

2011-10-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bloggers: are you as lost as I am in a world of html code? My tutorial page was getting really messy and looooooong. I have tried several different tutorials to organize my tutorial page with no luck. So I made up my own tutorial!

Tutorials & Recipes

InLinkz.com

Get the tutorial after the jump...

As I said the earlier when I posted my tutorial on organizing a link party page, I write things the way they would make sense to me so if you have any questions please feel free to email me.

I uploaded my photos to Picnik, added a border and text to them. Then saved them to my computer. However this is not necessary, I just wanted my photos to be extra pretty :)

First you will need to sign up for InLinkz. Hop over to the InLinkz home page and create an account. You will receive an email from them telling you that it is free to use but first you need a coupon code. I just googled it and came up several codes to use. Copy the code and head back to the InLinkz home page. Sign into your account. Click the Link Manager button on the Inlinkz home page. Enter your coupon code. Now you are on your link manager dashboard. Click "Add New Collection".

Here you will type in a name for your collection and choose how many columns and what thumb size you want the collection to be. I chose 3 columns wide and 150 px. Next hit the "Add New Link" button on the upper left hand corner.

This is where you will input all the info about your link. For the Target Url, enter the webpage address of where you want to direct the button to. To do this, go to your blog and find the specific blog post of your tutorial. Highlight the web page address and copy. Paste into the target url box.

*Note: If you already have a tutorial page with photos and links you can just use the html code from those.

Hit the select image button. It will take you to a new screen to select the image source. You can either choose to upload a photo directly from your computer, an image url (this would be a photo uploaded to a photo hosting website like Photobucket, etc.), or to select from a web page. I chose to upload photos directly from my computer so I used the Picture Upload tab.
Now you can crop your image. Click the Ok button. This will take you back to the New Link screen. Click "Accept".

Drag the button from the right hand side of the page to the open box on the left hand side. To add more links, click the Add New Link button and go through the same process for each button you want to create.

After you have entered all your links, click the Create button. This will take you to a new page that lists all of your collections. Click the HTML Code button.

Copy the HTML code. Paste into your blog's HTML screen on your tutorial page.

Admire your new tutorial page because you are done!

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at becky(dot)mcfarland(at)yahoo(dot)com

Linking up to these fab parties!

Link Party List Organizing using InLinkz {Tutorial}

2011-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

I recently used InLinkz for a link party I hosted. I was surprised at how easy it was to use and thought it would also come in handy for organizing my tutorial page and link parties page. Today I am going to show you how I created my Link Party Page. Hopefully in a few days I will have a tutorial up of how I made my tutorial page *fingers crossed*. Update: tutorial on Tutorial Page can be found here!

Get the tutorial after the jump....

Before we start please let me know if you have any questions throughout the tutorial. Sometimes when I write things they make sense to me but may not make sense to everyone. You will be my guinea pig! I mean that in the nicest possible way :)

Click the link manager button on the Inlinkz home page. Enter your coupon code.

Now you are on your link manager dashboard. Click "Add New Collection".

Here you will type in a name for your collection and choose how many columns and what thumb size you want the collection to be. I made a separate collection for every day of the week but if your list is short you could certainly make just one collection. I chose 3 columns wide and 150 px. Next hit the "Add New Link" button on the upper left hand corner.

This is where you will input all the info about your link.

Note: The following instructions are for creating a collection from your existing link parties list on your blog. If you are creating a new list you will have to collect all the html codes from the link parties you would like to include.

For the Target Url, enter the webpage address of where you want to direct the button to. It will be inside the first set of parentheses of the html code and starts in http. Highlight and copy. Paste into the target url box.

Hit the select image button. It will take you to a new screen to select the image source.

To get the image url, highlight everything in the second set of parentheses in the html code. Copy and paste into the Image Url box and hit the Go button. *Note: if the image url you put into the box does not work (a couple of mine didn't), copy the blog's main web page, click the Select from Web Page tab and hit Go. From there you should be able to choose the blog's link party button.

Now you can crop your image but most blog button images are going to be square so no cropping is necessary. Click the Ok button. This will take you back to the New Link screen. Click "Accept".

Drag the button from the right hand side of the page to the open box on the left hand side. To add more links, click the Add New Link button and go through the same process for each button you want to create.

After you have entered all your links, click the Create button. This will take you to a new page that lists all of your collections. Click the HTML Code button.

Copy the HTML code. Paste into your blog's HTML compose screen.

Check out your amazing organized super tidy link party list and give yourself a pat on the back because you are done!

If you have any questions feel free to email me at becky(dot)mcfarland(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Linking up to these fab parties!

Blog Organizing

2011-10-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to figure out a good (and easy) way to organize my Tutorials page and Link Parties page. After several failed attempts at various online tutorials, I gave up hope. But then I came across InLinkz. Now everything is neat and tidy...yay!

My Tutorials & Recipe Page.....

InLinkz.com

Part of my Link Parties page.....

Mondays

InLinkz.com

So my question is anyone interested in a tutorial on this?

Happy Saturday!

My First Quilt & New Blog Button

2011-10-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

After my first attempt at quilting during the retro pillow challenge, I thought it would be fun to dive even deeper into quilter's land. A recent trip to my mom's fabric stash is where I found the Moda Frolic panel. So sweet! I made a ~~quick~~ trip to our local quilt shop and picked up the coordinating prints.

The piecing together of the actual quilt was the easy part. I wish I had taken more time to plan it out. You can see where the edging went over the flowers but I am taking it as a learning experience.

Next I stitched around the tree, owl, flowers, birds, etc. Time consuming but really necessary. The center panel really puffed up after being washed and dried. It gives it a nice texture.

Then came the....dun dun dun.....quilting! My free motion quilting is slowly getting better. To me it's kind of like writing, some of us write small and dainty and some of us write big and curly. I am definitely in the latter category and it shows in my quilting.

Who knew that quilting could be such an arm workout....or is that just my out-of-shape arms?

I am constantly amazed at all of the beautiful quilts you lovely quilters make. It is time consuming, techinical and a true work of art. I am more of a quick project kind of gal but I see myself doing a few quilts here and there in the future.

Now on to some more fun....

I have a blog button.....hooray! Grab it if you wish or just admire my kiddos cute toes.

I also did some updating on my About Me page and posted a new page Sewing Challenges 2011.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tinkerbell Costume

2011-10-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I showed you all Jonah's pirate costume. In following with the Peter Pan theme we've got going on, Ella had to be Tinkerbell. Apparently I am to be Peter Pan, or so the 4 year old of the house says, but that's a whole other story.

My plan was to do a tutorial for this but I forgot to take photos until halfway through the sewing process so here is quick run down: I made a quick tube dress, shirred the top half, added straps, sewed together 4 yards of layered tulle and added it to the tube dress. Embellished with a store bought (no judging!) flower pin.

This was my first time working with tulle and satin. Running 4 yards of layered tulle through the sewing machine was quite the task. I am so pleased with the results though! Not bad for my first set of Halloween costumes. Giving myself a pat on the back, thank you.

Confession: I'm not a huge fan of the princessy tutu stuff that's so popular right now but how could I not think she looks stunningly beautiful in this.

Voting for the retro pillow challenge is up until the end of October. Head on over and vote for your favorite (mine pretty please with sugar on top!).

Linking up to these fab parties!

Photography Challenge: Bokeh

2011-10-16T04:15:00.000-07:00

What the heck is bokeh, you ask? I had no idea either. So Wiki to the rescue: In photography, bokeh is the blur or aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or the way the lens renders out of focus points of light. Do you feel smarter already?

Here are my bokeh photos this week.........

As always, my kiddos are my subjects (they do it so well!). I snapped this shot as they were sitting at the picnic table munching away on some popsicles. Since I changed my business/blog name I have been in search of a new logo for The Barefoot Seamstress....I think I've hit the jackpot!

Jonah has a serious dinosaur obsession. His goal in life is to grow up to be a "dinosaur builder". He has lined up all his dinosaurs on top of his dresser in various little poses. I took some quick shots of it for his scrapbook.

Join in the photography challenge fun over at A Step in the Journey!

The retro pillow challenge voting is half over already. Don't forget to go vote for your favorite (mine pretty please!).

DIY Kid's Pirate Pants {Tutorial}

2011-10-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ahoy Mateys! Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

A certain little boy in our house has discovered the fun of Peter Pan/Captain Hook. When I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween this year, his reply was, "a dinosaur....ROOOOOAR!" This would be his 3rd year in a row as a dinosaur....not happening. So with some convincing (and letting him watch Peter Pan/Hook waaay too many times) I got him to accept the idea of being a pirate instead.

The pirate vest pattern came from the very creative Dana over at MADE. I appliqued on some cross bones (he didn't want the skull). The hat, hook, bandana and sword all came from the thrift store.....I heart a good deal.

Of course, little sister needs to be Tinkerbell. Here is a sneak peek at her outfit. More details on that soon!

Linking up to these fab parties!

Get the pirate pants tutorial after the jump....

Here’s what you'll need:

- 3/4 yard to 1 yard black knit fabric (I scored some black athletic knit for $2...sweet!)

- 3/4 inch elastic (to determine length: measure aroundyour child’s waist and add 1 inch.

- Safety Pin

- Thread

- Scissors

- Ball point sewing machine needle*

*The ball point needle will make a world of differencewhen sewing with knits. Don’t fear knits J

Grab a pair of shorts or pantsthat fit your child and fold them in half lengthwise. Lay your fabric on yourcutting mat and fold in half. Lay the pants on top of your fabric with thefolds matching. Now you are going to cut out a front side and back side for the pirate pants. Cut around the pants adding about ½ inch around the shape of the pants. Use this as a template to cut out the back side of the pirate pants. I added too much and ended up cutting off a bunch so don’t pay too close attention to my “over” cutting.

Unfold your front and backsides, match them up right sides together and pin together along the inseam andoutside leg seams.

Sew where you have pinned, using a ½ inch seam. I serged my pants but this is not necessary as most knit fabrics won’t fray. Try them on your child to make sure the pants won’t be too big or too small. Leaving the pants inside out, make small snips with your scissors around the crotch area just under the seam you just sewed. This will give the fabric that nice curved shape instead of bunching up.

Next comes the waistband. Withthe pants inside out, fold down the waist 1 inch all the way around and pin inplace.

Starting at one of your sideseams, start sewing close to the bottom edge of the waistband. Remember to backstitch so that when you insert your elastic later the stitches won’t come out.Sew all the way around, stop when you get about 1.5 inches from where youstarted. Back stitch again. This will make an opening to insert your elastic.

Attach safety pin to one endof the elastic. Feed it through the waistband.

Stitch together the two ends of elastic. I like to go over this stitch 4 or 5 times to make sure that the elastic isn’t going to pull apart.

Push the elastic up into thewaistband. To close up the opening, start sewing where you stopped sewingbefore and sew to the end of the opening.

Leaving the pants inside out,fold them in half with the seams match. Cut the bottoms of the pants to makethem look jagged. Don’t cut your side seams though!

I added a small patch of redfabric to the knee and stitched it on with some embroidery thread.

Now go try them on yer lil’pirate!

Photography Challenge - Week 10: Something Orange

2011-10-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

I heart orange, so this week's photography challenge was easy peasy.
Here are some random "orange" photos I took throughout the week....

Butternut Squash and Cheddar Gratin, it's what's for dinner. I saw this recipe on the Tillamook Cheese facebook page and knew that I had to give it a try. Yum! So glad that I did, it's a keeper. My anti-squash hubby even ate it. Well, he didn't know what he was eating at first...he thought it was potatoes....HA! But he did finish his helping and said that he would eat it again. Hooray!

Ella modeling a pumpkin hat made by my super crafty friend, Rose of AlivElyn Arts. Her hats are seriously a work of art, excellent quality and reasonably priced. Plus she is the mother of twins, I am in awe.

A fall leaf garland that Jonah and I made. I just love crafting with him! On a side note: I took this photo in our house. We have terrible natural lighting in the house so I end up taking 99% of my photos outside. Any tips for good indoor photos?

Check out the lovely line up of retro pillows and vote for your favorite one. I would buy you a box of chocolates and bottle of wine if you voted for mine...just sayin :)

Hot Mess Craft Spaces WINNER!

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Before I announce the big winner of our Hot Mess Craft Spaces Giveaway, I wanted to share a few pictures of my cleaned up craft closet. Because really I'm not usually that messy, I promise. It took me most of the weekend but I am so happy it's CLEAN!

Hooray! It looks a lot better than the pictures I showed you last week, right? I even got rid of fabric *gasp*! Here are a few random things I found while cleaning: a toothbrush, about a million fabric flowers from my fabric flower addiction phase, mason jars full of odds and ends, movies I hid from Jonah when he got into trouble, and projects that didn't turn out the way I wanted them to.

These are my current in progress projects. All put into ziplocs, ready to grab and sew up.

Yes, I even dedicated a spot just for my polka dot fabrics. You can read about my polka dot addiction here.

My organized and labeled drawers. No more bias tape and thread strewn all over our house....well that is until the kids have figured out my new hiding spot.

I have three bins of scrap fabric. I think it's apparent I need to do some scrapbusting projects. What's your favorite scrapbuster?

Finally, the winner of our giveaway is.....

Lucky #7 - Lucy @ Charm About You!

Lucy wins a $25 gift card to StitchSteals or Crafty Steals. Lucy, send me an email and let me know which website you would like to spend your gift card at :) Congrats!

Thank you to all of the lovely ladies who linked up to my first giveaway. It was great to check out all your spaces and get to know you.

Jelly Roll Apron & Small Blog Meet

2011-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have a stockpile of jelly rolls, just sitting there looking cute waiting to be made into something. This particular jelly roll I found on the clearance rack....I'm a sucker for anything on sale. I whipped up this apron sewing 13 strips together, lining the backside of the apron so you won't see the seams and adding a bit of decorative stitch to a few of the top seams. Then I rounded off the bottom corners to give it more of a natural curve as opposed to a boxy look. I am pleased with the results! What is your go-to project for jelly rolls?

Linking up to the Small Blog Meet at Lily's Quilts. Come join in the fun if you are a blogger with less than 50 followers!

Check out my retro pillow in the Retro Pillow Challenge.....

Retro Pillow Challenge - Let the Voting Begin!

2011-10-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

I had a blast with my first blogland challenge! Met some incredibly talented sweet ladies whom I can now call friends and learned how to free motion quilt and reverse applique. I am not one to step outside of my comfort zone too often but I am so glad that I did.

Here is my finished retrotastic pillow! You can read my post about it here.

Click the snazzy vote button above to vote for your favorite retro pillow!

Check out these awesome pillows.....

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Photography Challenge - Week 10: Hands

2011-09-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was to photograph hands. I rounded up the family for a quick photo shoot outside before the rain started again. They were such good troopers.

We tried a few different poses but the kids got a bit wiggly with this one!

Daddy and daughter hands. So sweet.

Next week's challenge is ORANGE! I heart orange!

Don't forget to submit your "Hot Mess Craft Space" in my giveaway!

It's Pumpkin Day!

2011-09-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

I've been in denial about Fall starting here in the Pacific Northwest. Finally today I found myself in a Fall-ish mood. Now all I can think about is cozy sweaters, pumpkin bread (mmmm, bread!) and fall decorating!

The kids and I took a trip outside to collect some leaves with this fun project in mind. I hot glued the "leaves" to a scrap piece of burlap and added some twine to the back. I just love how it turned out.

Jonah was amazed when I showed him how to "draw" leaves! I commented about how beautiful the sunshine was today and his reply was, "it's WONDERFUL out here!" We've had a really rough week. I have a 4 year old going on 15 years old. So it was nice to hear some positive words come from him.

We even got the rest of the fall decor out and had a blast putting everything up. My kids like to decorate as much as their momma does. It must run in the family or something. Jonah had a whole bin of pumpkins and Halloween cut outs that we made last year in his room. He was taping and decorating like crazy. I could hear him in his room saying, "It's pumpkin day, it's pumpkin day!" Ha!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 gift card from Stitch Steals!

GIVEAWAY: Hot Mess Craft Space Link Up!

2011-09-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

We all swoon over the gorgeous-organized-super tidy craft spaces in blogland but what about the super-mess-unorganized-chaotic craft spaces that are part of our everyday lives?

Like mine.....

Really, I promise I am usually much more organized than this but when my creative brain takes over my craft closet ends up looking like this.

Here's your chance to show off your messy craft space! Resist the urge to clean ladies. Well at least until after you take some photos :)

And no giveaway would be complete without awesome prizes.....

One winner will be chosen at random on 10/3/11 and will receive a $25 gift card to StitchSteals, to be used on www.stitchsteals.com or their sister site www.craftysteals.com How awesome is that! I am a frequent buyer at StitchSteals and am always pleased with my purchases and their lightning quick shipping.

<center><a href="http://thebarefootseamstress.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6181888482_c82c56ba95_m.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Button" /></a></center>

Here's the low down...
1. Link up to your specific blog post about your Hot Mess Craft Space (you can still link up even if you don't have a blog - see below for info). One entry per person please.
2. Post the Hot Mess Craft Space button directly on your blog post or somewhere on your side bar
3. I love new followers! Become a follower either on my blog or facebook page. Although it's not a requirement :)
4. Follow Stitch Steals via Facebook or Twitter or sign up for their daily email
5. Link up will end 10/2/11
6. One winner will be chosen via Random.org on 10/3/11 and posted on my blog
7. Have fun!

If you do not have a blog, you are still welcome to link up! Here's how: upload your photo to a photo sharing site, such as Flickr. Once you have uploaded your photo, on the upper left hand side of your photo is a box that says Share. Click the drop down box. It will give you the option to Grab the Link. Copy the link. Come back to my blog and click the button that says Add Your Link. Paste the link that you copied into the box that says URL. Please only upload ONE photo. Hope that helps!

If you have questions, feel free to email be at becky(dot)mcfarland(at)yahoo(dot)com

Squash & Pear Muffins

2011-09-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Squash and pear, you say? Yes, really. Before you turn your nose up at it, know that my super picky 4 year old declared that these muffins are "yummy!".

My good friend, Rachael, recently gave us two gorgeous looking summer squash. No one in the house will eat them but me. So it was time to get creative. As I've said before my kids will eat anything in muffin form. I adapted the recipe from this.

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups grated raw squash (butternut, summer, etc.)

1 ripe pear, grated

1/2 cup oil (or substitute applesauce)

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk (no worries if you don't have buttermilk in the house, try this)

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the flours, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda. Add the grated squash and pear and toss to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to to squash/pear mixture and stir until just combined. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Looking for other fun healthy muffin recipes, try these: Blueberry Oat Muffins and Zucchini Apple Muffins

Linking up to these fab parties!

Photography Challenge - Week 9: A Mess

2011-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

My poor crafting closet is covered in all things crafty. I have been so busy with custom orders, the fair, the retro pillow challenge, kids and life in general that it has been put on the back burner.

It's definitely a far cry from what it's supposed to look like. At least the closet door still shuts so I don't have to look at it....ha!

Ella wanted to get in on my picture taking action too, snotty nose and all! Both of the kids have had terrible "start of the school year" colds this past week. Fingers crossed that the worst of it is over.

Join in the photography challenge fun over at A Step in the Journey!

Retro Pillow Challenge - Finished!

2011-09-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

The lovely ladies over at Sew La Vie and Ricochet and Away! are hosting a Retro Pillow Challenge. I have been trying to step outside of my sewing comfort zone so this challenge was a perfect way to do so. With the deadline quickly approaching to turn in my finished pillow, I have been burning the midnight oil trying to get it done. And now I can shout from the roof top: IT'S DONE IT'S DONE IT'S DONE!!

My original idea ended up being nothing like my finished pillow. I was going to go for a 40's vintage look in reds, blues, yellows with hand quilting. But where would I put that in my house? So on a whim I completely changed my mind. After a hurried look through my fabric stash I spotted a gorg Moda layer cake that my mom gave me. Every time I was near her fabric stash I couldn't keep my fingers off that delectable layer cake. She must have noticed my coveting and gave it to me. Thanks Mom :)

Here are some progress photos.....

Laying out a pattern and fabric choices was the easy part.

A retro pillow isn't complete without some funky circles! I used reverse applique on them. I followed This tutorial from Ricochet and Away. Rikka's sense of humor made this tutorial all the more fun! I will definitely use this technique again. It was super simple. The only thing I wish I had done differently was cut away some of the bulk on the back fabric layers. My seams were quite bulky and ended up making the actual sewing of the blocks together a bit wonky.

Next came quilting. Eeeek! This was the part that I was most hesitant about. I have never done any kind of free motion quilting. Thank goodness for the internet. This tutorial at Oh, Frannson was very detailed. This is one of those techniques that takes practice practice practice. After a few test pieces, I just thought oh what the heck and went for it!

And because I am a rebel and a lover of pom pom trim I added some of that into the seam. I forgot to take a picture of the back. I did an easy envelope style. Will take a photo soon and update that!

I am in L.O.V.E. with these colors. In fact, this pretty little pillow may just be the inspiration I needed to redo my living room. More to come on that!

Check out the other participants in the Retro Pillow Challenge. They are some awesome talented ladies whom I can now call friends!

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Click the button below to Vote for your favorite retro pillow!

Country Fair

2011-09-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

A quick post on our adventures at the Quilcene Fair yesterday. Enjoy!

From left to right: As soon as we drove into town, Jonah spotted the ferris wheel and declared that he did NOT want to ride on it. A famous Peninsula Foods ice cream cone. A very handsome scarecrow pointing the way to the garden display. This octopus carrot cracked me up. They also had a contest for the smallest carrot...loved that!

From left to right: Beautiful elk at the antler show. Jonah and I trying to keep warm during the wind. New baby girl Kindle, she slept practically the whole time. Gorg fuschias in the garden display.

From left to right: My beautiful Momma posing with a bison at the antler show. We look a bit alike, aye? The whole family was there including Great Naw (that's my kids' great grandma) and Aunt Claudia. Jonah got brave enough to touch the bear's teeth! One of my favorite things about the fair is that I get to see some of my best friend's from high school. We all lead busy lives with different schedules so this is the one time of year that we all are at one place. I love them all. And yes I am the freakishly tall one who has to crouch down for pictures.

New Blog Name!

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I have been away for a while and had some time to think things through. I am pleased to announce that the new name of my business and blog is The Barefoot Seamstress. If you know me well then you know that I am barefoot whenever possible, even at my wedding. I have been known to wear flip flops in the dead of winter. In fact I may own more sandals/flip flops than actual shoes. I steal my husband's socks when I absolutely must wear socks because, well, I don't even own any of my own...ha! And I always always sew barefoot! It will take me some time to switch everything over so please excuse the mess :)

Quilcene Fair Day

2011-09-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

I love my hometown. It's teeny tiny, friendly and full of wonderful people. My heart will always be there. One of my favorite things about Quilcene is fair day. Old friends, parade, antler show, fun for the kiddos, unpredictable Pacific NW weather, delish food. So if you are in the area, swing on by! Saturday, Sept. 17th www.quilcenefair.com

I will be sharing a booth with The Picket Fence and CBM Creations, who happen to be my beautiful mother and sister-in-law. Oh the fun we'll have!

Fall Burlap Bunting {Tutorial}

2011-09-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

We found a wooly caterpillar in the backyard yesterday,that’s always a sure sign that Fall is on its way. What kind of materialscreams Fall more than burlap? Burlap makes me itch like crazy but I can’t getenough of its earthy texture. I was so excited to find orange burlap foranother project I’m working on. Thisbunting has a great rustic feel to it. It’s so versatile….hang it on a mantle,wall, door. Heck you could even hang it on a tree…..

Linking up to these fab parties!

Get the tutorial after the jump…..

Here’s what you will need:

- ½ yard of burlap

- Small scraps of fabric for letters

- Jute or thin rope

- Buttons

- Steam -A-Seam or Spray Adhesive

- Thread

- Safety Pin

- 8” diameter bowl

Cut 4 circles by cutting around the outside of your bowl.

Fold the circles in half. Sew 1/2" down from the top ofthe fold. This will form the channel for your rope. Repeat with all circles.

Sew 1/4" away from the raw edges, starting just below thechannel you just made. Repeat with all circles.

To make your letters, you can either print a font fromyour computer that you like or cut them out using a Cricut, Silhouette, etc.Normally, I use my Cricut but I lent it to a friend so I printed out the letterson my computer. I used the font on Microsoft Word called Arial Black in size350. Then cut them out, traced around them with a water soluble pen (makingsure to trace on the backside of my fabric and flipping the letters backwards)and cut around the traced lines of my fabric. If you use Steam-A-Seam go aheadand adhere to the back of your letters. I did it the lazy way with spray adhesive.But really this bunting has a rustic feel to it so the more character thebetter.

Position your letters on the burlap half circles. Sew azig zag stitch around each letter. I like to use a contrasting thread color toreally make the letters pop.

Sew on buttons below the channel. Feed the rope through all four channels using the safetypin.

Tie a double knot on eachend. And you’re done!

Entering my Fall Burlap Bunting in to the Celebrate Color contest over at Stiched in Color. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Scrunch Me Up Headband {Tutorial}

2011-09-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Every girl needs some cute hair accessories, especially one who hasn't got much hair yet! Ella needed a headband for this fall dress I made for her a few weeks back.

Have you seen those felt buttons and flowers they have out now? Love them! I had a dream about making them but why do that when they come so nicely packaged.

Well, if Ella got a new headband, then I needed one too.....

Time for a haircut and highlights, Becky. Sheesh.

Linking up to these fab linky parties

Get the tutorial after the jump....

This is the perfect project for anyone who wants to practice their shirring skills. Do not fear shirring! I am here to tell you that even a beginner seamstress can shirr with a little practice. Trust me, I got super frustrated with it and gave up for a few months. Then I came upon this little trick. It made a world of difference. Wow, I sound like an infomercial...yikes.

Supplies:

- Elastic thread
- Length of fabric: Ella's headband was 4" wide x 24" long/My headband 6" wide x 32" long
- Iron
- Embellishments (optional)

First, measure around whomever's head you are making the headband for. Example: Ella's head measures 18" around, I added 6" to equal 24". Cut out your fabric.

1. Fold fabric in half lengthwise and sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.
2. Iron seam down positioning it in the center of your tube of fabric
3. Turn tube inside out and iron, making sure the seam is in the center of your tube
4. Fold down inside 1/2" on one end of the tube and iron

5. Tuck the other end of your tube inside to create a circle
6. Sew along the edge
7. Here is where your shirring starts. Again, if you need help refer to this link or feel free to email me. I suggest practicing on a scrap first. Start at your two connected ends making sure you backstitch. I did my lines 1/4" apart.
8. Keep sewing your lines. Backstitching at the connected ends and then starting a new line.

If your headband is not scrunchy enough, grab your iron and steam the elastic thread on the back of your headband. It should scrunch up tighter.

Add embellishments, if you wish and you're done!

Crafting with My Kid: Fabric Puzzle Blocks

2011-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

I spotted this fabric puzzle blocks tutorial over at Craftiness is not Optional and knew it would be perfect for our weekly craft project.

All you need is some wood blocks, paint brush, mod podge and some fabric. Of course, a little helper always adds some fun too!

Jonah was the gluer and I was the fabric putter-on-er. We didn't finish all 6 sides because someone got ants in their pants but 4 sides will do just fine.

Dinosaurs were a must for my little dinosaur lovin boy.

Pokey Puppy! I found a vintage Pokey Puppy book at a yard sale a few years back and I have fallen in love with the sweet little pup all over again. Then I spotted Pokey Puppy fabric at our local quilt store...had to have it!

Linking up to these great linky parties!

Thanks for stopping by and making us a part of your day!

Photography Challenge: Week 6 - From a Low Angle

2011-08-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

This week's photo challenge was from a low angle. We recently took a family day trip to La Push. For all you Twilight fans, yes that is where the Quileute Tribe is and no I did not see Jacob :) How have I lived so close to this gorgeous wonder of God's talent and never seen it?

I took this shot of Jonah when he was getting tired of taking pictures, can you tell by the look on his face...ha! He was peeking through pieces of driftwood above me and thinking he was quite hilarious. The 4 yr old sense of humor has definitely hit our house. His joy in life is to make me laugh daily!

Ella was not in the least bit scared of wading in the cold ocean water. I think we have a water baby on our hands.

My handsome boys!

Jonah and I went on a "treasure hunt" at the beach and found these rocks all stacked up. He thought they were the coolest thing ever and then proceeded to knock them down. Boys.

Join in the fun photography challenge over at A Step in the Journey!

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-08-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

Laura Beth at A Step in the Journey awarded me this gorg Versatile Blogger award. Wow! I just love blogland, so many friendly people. Thank you Laura Beth!

Three rules you must follow after accepting this award:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Pass this award along to 10 recently discovered blogs

Ok, 7 things about me....well I'm not all that interesting but here goes...
1. My graduating class had less than 30 students
2. I loved growing up in a small town and would move back in a heartbeat
3. My least favorite chore is folding the laundry (you should see my laundry room today...yikes!)
4. I love the smell of sunscreen
5. I have been known to wear flip flops in the dead of winter
6. My fabric stash keeps growing and growing despite my attempts to "use what I already have"
7. My life revolves around my family

I am passing this lovely award along to these inspiring bloggers:

Sara @ Sweet Little Gals

Jessica @ Sunny Tuesday

Andrea @ Sew Divertimento

Rikka @ Ricochet and Away!

Melissa and Sunni @ Love Affair with my Brother

Whitney @ A Mommy's Life....with a touch of Yellow

Toddler Dress to Skirt Refashion {Tutorial}

2011-08-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love hand me downs from mommy friends? I know I do. A friend gave us two very sweet little summer dresses. Ella fit into them for aboout a week (stop growing child!). Anyhow, I hated to give them up so quickly so I did this speedy little refashion.

This was a super quick project that took me under an hour...hello nap time!

Linking up to these fab linky parties

Get the tutorial after the jump....

Here is what you will need:

- Dress (preferably with a separate bodice)
- 3/4" elastic
- Thread
- Seam Ripper

One of the dresses I started with...

Detach the bodice from the skirt of the dress using your seam ripper

Turn the skirt inside out. Next you are going to make a channel for your elasic waistband. My skirt already had a serged edge to it but if your's doesn't you will need to first iron down 1/4" and then iron down 1".

Sew close to the edge of your channel, leaving an opening to pull your elastic through. Remember that your bobbin thread is going to show on the outside of your skirt. To measure for the elastic, either use the measurements from a skirt that fits your child or measure your child's waist. My elastic was 16" long. Feed the elastic through the channel.

Sew the elastic together with a zig zag stitch 3 or 4 times.

Stitch closed the small opening in your channel and voila your done!

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Fresh from the Oven: Zucchini Apple Muffins

2011-08-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

In my quest for healthy muffins to feed my kiddos, I whipped up a batch of these Zucchini Apple Muffins this morning. They turned out delish. Super moist and the best part, the kids ate zucchini!

Zucchini Apple Muffins

2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup milk (almond or rice milk works too)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup apples, diced
1 cup zucchini, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, butter and honey in large bowl. Fold in sour cream. In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the egg mix, then add in the milk. Fold in the apples and zucchini. If the batter seems too stiff, add milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

Check out my other kid approved muffin recipe here.

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Retro Pillow Challenge

2011-08-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Oh, Blogland how you torture me for hours and hours with your many creative and crafty bloggers.

Somehow I stumbled upon Richochet and Away!, probably because she had a picture of a super cute ruffly purse and it was orange. I love orange. Anyhow, I commented on said purse with a note about how I am making a ruffly pillow. She wrote me back inviting me to their Retro Pillow Challenge starting Sept. 1st. Of course I said yes!

And then I read the rules: Use at least one of the following: Quilting, Applique, Reverse Applique (hand stitched and/or machine stitched).

Uhhhh....well I guess I am going to learn how to do those. After all it is a challenge, right? YouTube video tutorials here I come!

Here is a few pictures they have posted for inspiration and also a few that I found........

Love the color combo of this one but the pattern is way too complicated for me.

Fun colors on this one. Squares can't be too hard right?

You all know how much I adore polka dots. I want to take a nap with this one.

Really liking the pattern on this one and the one stripe of blue totally pops.

Ok, so I may be way in over my head. This should be fun! :)

Photography Challenge: Week 5 - From a High Angle

2011-08-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

For this week's photo challenge, I drove down the road to the Elwha River. We are so lucky to live around such a gorgeous place. We have fished in this river with the kids before and the hubby frequents it for fly fishing.

The bridge I was standing on to take the photo. My husband did work on a cliff right below this bridge. Glad it was him and not me cuz man that was one steep cliff!

A friendly spider. Just hanging out on the bridge. Don't fall Mr. Spider.

You can see my photos from the past week's challenges: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4

Next week's challenge is from a low angle. Gonna have to search my brain for some ideas on that one!

Back to School Blueberry Oat Muffins

2011-08-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have been on the hunt for a healthy muffin recipe to give the kids as an on-the-go breakfast. Something I could freeze and reheat easily. I spotted this recipe on Babble but our local store doesn't carry oat flour or quinoa flour so I improvised and made a few changes of my own. As I've said before I am not a fan of cooking but baking has won my heart....well mostly what it produces :)

Blueberry Oat Muffins

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup milk (rice or almond milk works well also)

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp honey

1/3 cup melted butter

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In large bowl, stir together the oats, buttermilk and milk. Let it sit for an hour, or cover and refrigerate overnight. It should soak up all the milk and look like cooked oatmeal.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the egg, brown sugar, honey, butter and vanilla to the oat mixture. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the oat mixture. Add the blueberries and stir until blended. Spoon the batter into muffin tins. Bake for 25 - 27 minutes. Makes about 20 muffins. These can be frozen and heated up individually.

I am thinking this would also be good with bananas or grated apple and carrot. Yum!

Jonah taking a rather large bite. Success! I swear my kids would eat anything in muffin form.

Linking up to these fab linky parties!

Thanks for stopping by and making me a part of your day!

Happy Blogger Award!

2011-08-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

I received a little bit of sunshine in my day thanks to the talented ladies over at Love Affair With My Brother. They gave me and nine other bloggers this Happy 101 Blogger Award. How sweet!

Here's how it works:

1. Copy the award image into a post.
2. List 10 things that make you happy.
3. Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.
4. Put in a link to their blogs.
5. Notify the award receivers.
6. Recipients should link back to the sender’s blog.

Ten Things That Make Me Happy:
1. Sheets dried in the sunshine
2. Family
3. Chocolate
4. Hearing my son talk about Jesus
5. Fresh out of the bath kids with a case of the bedtime giggles
6. Sewing
7. A clean house
8. Feeling accomplished
9. Reading
10. New Fabric

I gave the Happy 101 Blogger Award to these wonderful bloggers:

Kenna @ A Little More Than Half Baked

Laura Beth @ A Step in the Journey

Claudia @ CBM Creations

Kelli & Kristi @ Lolly Jane

Jessica @ Me Sew Crazy

Lacee @ Mommas Like Me

Jen @ My Own Road

Jamie @ One Little Dress

Carol @ The Answer is Chocolate

Amanda @ The Little Giggler

Photography Challenge: Week 4 - Dinner

2011-08-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I can craft all day long but when it comes to cooking I put it off til the very last minute and then sometimes I put it off so long that the hubby ends up making dinner after he gets off work. Sheesh, I should be handed over to "horrible wife jail". But really, he is a way better cook than I am and it's because he enjoys doing it.

Alright, back on subject. This is the only recent photo I have taken of food related anything. I actually took it because we bought these redneck wine glasses that a friend makes and I wanted to post it to my facebook page. It's not the greatest picture but I have no wine left (ha!) to do another photo shoot.

Next week's challenge is: from a high angle. Guess I better scope out some spots!

Crafting With My Kid: All About Me Book {Printable}

2011-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

As a kid I had this really great book called "All About Me". It asked tons of silly questions and left spaces to write in the answers. I was in love with that book. I thought it would be fun to recreate something similar for my kids. Plus, Jonah has found a new love of writing and drawing....hooray! I thought the day would never come.

Looking for the printable download? Click here.

I put it in a three ring binder that way we can change it out every year and start over.

We had fun counting how many teeth he had. His guess was 10 teeth :)

So occupied and such concentration!

So proud of him for learning how to spell "mom" and "dad"!

This was a bit tricky but fun! And yes he is wearing two different pairs of pjs....Punky Brewster style!

We had a good time filling out all the answers. I learned that if he could be anything for the day he would be a dragon, that his best friend is Carson James (his cousin), and that his favorite bible story is about the Sea of Galilee. My little boy is growing up so fast.

Here is the link to download the complete book template.