T-Shirt Quilt...time consuming, but not hard

My younger sister and I saved all of our "event" T-shirts from childhood through college. We both had quite a few...her more than me (no idea why, we both did a ton of stuff). So my mom decided that she wanted to make quilts out of them. Great idea in theory for her, but not in practice. My mom does not sew a lot, and a quilt is a BIG project. So she asked me to finish them. The problem with mine was that she had already cut out the logos from the T-shirts...and not very evenly. So mine is a bit wonky. And then my dog decided that she didn't like one particular shirt on there, and tore a hole in it (no worries, I repaired it). 

Then she asked me to make my sister's quilt. I had gotten better at sewing at this point (3 years later) and decided to go for it. My quilt is queen-sized...my sister's ended up being king-sized. Here is the finished product: 

The dang thing took up my entire living room! I love this idea though, it's a nice, practical way to make a great keepsake out of your old T-shirts. 

You just need a ton of shirts, enough fabric to make the backing, pre-packaged batting for the center, and an extra yard or two of fabric for the spacing (I like putting a decorative spacing between the panels, I think it makes it look more polished). 

Then you decide if you want your spacers more decorative, like my triangles here, or just squares. Cut your pieces (measuring everything to see how it will be laid out, and start sewing! I suggest sewing each row together first, then the rows get sewn together. 

Your front is done! If you have to piece the back together (you probably will) do that next. Then lay the backing out (wrong side up), put the batting on top of it, and then the top on that (right side up. Pin pin pin!!! You want that puppy as secured as possible!

Now you can sew the three layers together...using whatever stitching pattern you want. I usually use a grid pattern or a starburst pattern, I'm not great with decorative stitching. 

Using the last of your fabric, create a double bias tape to go around the edge. Place it, pin it, and sew it in place. You're done!

Bedazzled Dog "Couch" Tutorial

I've been wanting to make my girls a special bed for a while now. I really wanted them to have a dog "couch," but you have to pay an arm and a leg to buy one, and even then I couldn't find anything that was what I really wanted.

I apologize in advance for the pictures...for some reason I had a lot of trouble with them. Blogger wouldn't let me center them as I wanted to, and it rotated some of them (even though they are not rotated on my computer). Sorry!

As many of you know, a huge trend right now is to make dog beds out of old suitcases. I personally love this idea, and wanted to give it a try! This will work with any hard-sided suitcase, all you need is a little elbow grease (and some true determination at points). This way you get exactly what you want, and if you have some of the materials at home it can be pretty darn cheap...other than the polyfill (because I made my bolsters big) I spent about $35. Here you go!
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Materials Needed

• Old, hard-sided suitcase (I picked up an old Samsonite Suitcase for less than $3 at the local Goodwill)
• Painter's Tape
• Tarp
• Rustoleum Spray Paint for Plastic in color that you want the suitcase to be (only works if you have plastic suitcase, otherwise get the type of paint needed for the material you are working with)
• Drill w/assortment of drill bits
• Piece of scrap wood...I had a 2x2 sheet of 1/2" birch
• Wood screws & coordinating washers in the appropriate size (mine were 1/4" in diameter and the screws were 1" long...total of under $2 for the hardware) (If adding feet)
• Ratchet set or screwdriver (you can also use your drill with a screwdriver bit). These are used to attach the feet.
• Bun Feet...finished or unfinished. (optional, but I think it adds a nice touch. I found mine at This Shop on Etsy for $12 for all 4)
• Hot Glue Gun and Embellishments (optional)
• Home Decor Fabric...I purchased 2 yards
• Coordinating Thread
• Sewing Machine, Rotary Cutter, Mat, etc (Your normal sewing tools)
• Zipper Foot
• Coordinating Zipper that is the approximate width of the suitcase (longer is better than shorter, even though my bed was only 25" wide I got a 30" zipper)
• Polyfill (for the size I made, 44-56oz is plenty)
• Fabric Glue (spray or liquid) (optional)
• 2 layers foam (2" thick) cut to the size of the inside of your suitcase
• Batting cut to same size as foam (optional)...cut as many layers as you want, or skip it altogether!

For the purposes of this tutorial, RST=Right Sides Together and WST=Wrong Sides Together. Right Side refers to the side of the fabric with the print showing, and Wrong Side is the back side of the fabric without the print.

Also, 1/2" seam allowances throughout.

Construction

1. Take apart your suitcase. This varies with the type of fasteners used. Some suitcases simply use pins, others rivets. You'll just have to see what the fastener is and remove accordingly. My Samsonite Suitcase was held together with small rivets, which I drilled out. Here's a How-To
2. Now take your painter's tape and tape off any parts of the suitcase that you do NOT want painted. I chose to keep my metal parts in-tact (at least the ones that would show on the finished product). 
3. In a WELL VENTILATED AREA, spread out your tarp. Lay your suitcase on the tarp, and paint away! Make sure to use even strokes, and let dry approximately 10 minutes in between coats. I used 2 coats, and let dry 24 hours before continuing on to step 4. I also painted my Bun Feet and the inside of my suitcase at the same time.
4. Now it's time to drill some holes! I love drilling. It's therapeutic for me. Because you will be drilling through plastic, you need to be careful, because it can crack. Thanks to my father, I had no trouble! He gave me the following tips: 


• Once you have marked where your holes will be, lay your piece of wood on a firm surface (Think packed dirt, NOT Concrete). 
• On top of the wood, place your suitcase...you want the flat surface directly on the wood, so you will be drilling on the INSIDE of the suitcase. 
• When you know the size bit you need, mark your places and carefully drill through the plastic...the wood is there to stabilize and to "catch" the bit once you break through. I followed those tips and was 100% successful!                                                      
5. Now, if you want to, embellish your feet, the suitcase, whatever! I chose to hot-glue some "bling" to the feet and the handle of the suitcase. 
6. Once the embellishment is done, you can attach your feet. Place the feet where you want them, thread the screw through the washer, then through the suitcase (from the inside) and tighten into the feet. My screws required a ratchet set, but whatever works for you is fine! I also purchased bun feet with pre-drilled holes, so that determined the size of screws and washers I needed as well as how large the holes I drilled in the suitcase were.       
7. On to Sewing!!! For this you will need to cut 14 different pieces: top and bottom, front (think long and skinny), 2 sides, above & below zipper in back (2 pieces), either side of zipper (2 pieces), 2 circles (for ends of the bolster), 2 bolster sides, and one bolster back. My Foam (cut to fit into my suitcase) is 25"x19", so the dimensions I used are:


• Top & Bottom: 2 26"x20"
• Front: 1 5"x26"
• Sides: 2 5"x20"
• Above & Below Zipper: 35"x2 3/4"
• Either Side of Zipper: 2 5"x5"
• Bolster Ends: 2 6"x6" (cut into a 6" diameter circle)
• Bolster Sides: 2 18 7/8"x20"
• Bolster Back: 1 18 7/8"x26"
• You want your pieces for the main portion of the bed to be 1" bigger in each direction than the width/length of the bed itself. For Example: If your bed is going to measure 25X19X4 (as mine will be), then my top and bottom panels should be cut to be 26X20 and my side panels should be 20X5. For the bolster, you want the ends to be 1" Wider than the desired DIAMETER of the bolster, and the sides/back of the bolster should be 1" longer than the side of the bed it is attaching to and 1" wider than the CIRCUMFERENCE of the bolster end. So, if I want my bolster to be 5" in diameter, I should cut the bolster ends to be 6" in diameter, and my bolster sides should be about 18 7/8" wide by 20" long (because that is how long the sides of the bed are +1"). To calculate the width of the bolster sides/back cut, plug in the diameter of your bolster end HERE and it will tell you.
8. Install Zipper: I always do this first because it will help to determine whether or not the side panels need to be shortened (if your zipper is longer than the back). 
• Fold the small pieces of fabric for either end of the zipper in half, RST. Press a crease with your finger.
•  Open them back up, and place the crease as CLOSE as possible to either end of the zipper with the Right Side of the fabric against the zipper (see picture).                       
•  Sew in place along the crease: re-fold. You should now have the right side of the fabric showing on the outside of the zipper (see picture). 
•  Now take the piece that goes above and the zipper and place it, right side down, on top of the zipper, lining up the top edge with the top of the zipper fabric. 
• Using a zipper foot, sew in place, making sure your stitches are as close to the zipper itself as possible. 
• Now fold it so that the right side is showing and you can see the zipper. Topstitch it in place if you wish...but it is not necessary.
• Repeat with the piece that goes below the zipper...Viola! Your zipper is installed.                                                      
9. Now...does your zipper go beyond the ends of your foam? Mine did, because the back of my foam was 25" and my zipper was 30". It's ok, it actually makes inserting the foam easier. Shorten your side panels accordingly so that (after your "ring" is sewn) the total circumference of the ring equals the length of all 4 sides of your foam combined.



Sorry the pic is sideways, I don't know why...

10. With RST, attach the side panels to either end of the installed zipper. Attach the front panel in the same manner; you should now have a "ring" with the zipper along one long edge, with all fabric right sides on the same side.                                                                                                  
11. Now time to attach the BOTTOM panel. With RST, pin the "ring" to the bottom panel and sew in place.                                                      
12. Before attaching the top panel, we need to make the bolster. 
• First, take the bolster sides and pin them, RST, to the bolster back along the short ends (one on either end of the bolster back). The only reason I have these as separate pieces is that I didn't want to have to buy extra yardage to get the full length of the bolster. 
• Stitch in place. 
• Now...RST, pin the bolster ends to the free ends of  the bolster sides, matching raw edges. Stitch in place. You will now have one LONG raw edge still exposed. 
13. Attaching the bolster and top panel to the constructed "couch" bottom. This can get a little tricky.


• First, turn your bolster right side out. Match the long raw edge of the bolster to the raw edge of the constructed bottom, RST (you want the right sides of the bottom on the "inside" of the couch). Make sure the bolster back is on the same edge as the zipper.                                                             
• Now place the top panel on top of all of it, RST (all you will see at this point are the wrong sides of the constructed bottom and the wrong side of the top).                                                           
• On the sides and back of the couch, match ALL raw edges (bolster, bottom, and top). At the front you will match the raw edges of the top and bottom, but not the bolster because it shouldn't be there! 
• Starting in the back, stitch around, leaving a 6" gap open in the back (you will need this to stuff the bolster).                                                   
14. If you would like, top stitch around the end panel of the bolster and along the front (top stitching the top panel and front panel together). This gives it a more "finished" and "couchy" look, but is by no means required!                                                          
15. Now...Turn it Right Side Out through the zipper. Stuff your bolster with Poly Fill to the desired fullness...turn wrong side out again. Pin the opening that you stuffed the bolster through shut and stitch shut.  (I had to hand stitch this because all the stuffing wouldn't allow me to put the bed in the sewing machine...and once I was done I wished I had stuffed it more!
16. IF you choose, use the fabric glue to seal the two pieces of foam together. Top with the layer(s) of batting...you can glue these to the top if you wish.
17. Turn Right Side Out (through the zipper), insert foam into the body of the "couch," and place the couch in your finished suitcase. It should fit snugly. All Done!

Please feel free to message me with any questions. I've done the best I could to add pictures to help, but I know that sometimes the pictures just aren't enough and more explanation is necessary. Thanks!

Wine Cork Monogram Tutorial

A friend of mine has been collecting corks for YEARS. Friends, family, and others have contributed to her collection (including a vineyard she went to that gave her a bag of about 1,000). Now that she has all of these corks, she wants to find different things to do with them. The first idea she had was to re-purpose an old end table and cover the top of it with corks, but that idea has fallen down the list. The biggest problem is that she is not the craftiest person when it comes to things like this. Other things she's wonderful at, like jewelry making, which is not a talent of mine. For this she asked me to help out. Since a lot of the supplies are things you probably already have, the amount we spent (for the board, craft knife, and hardware) was about $15. The corks...that just takes time. Enjoy!!





Supplies

• Foam Board (I used Elmers Foam board, 16"X20"
• Craft Knife...medium to heavy weight
• Serrated Knife
• Pencil
• Yardstick 
• Hot Glue Gun and a LOT of glue sticks (I think I used 10 or more)
• Mounting Hardware (aka picture hanging hardware, I like the ones that have "teeth" so you use 2 and can hang it straight)
• A LOT of corks...I used 58 for the edges of the D alone

Construction

Step 1: With your pencil, draw out your letter on the foam board. I made the width of each section of the letter 4" wide. Use your yardstick to help keep lines straight and to measure so it is a consistent shape.

Step 2: Use your craft knife to cut out your letter once you are satisfied with it. Use the yardstick to help keep lines straight.

Step 3: Lay out your corks. On outside edges, line them up standing on end. Lay the ones inside on their sides. 

Step 4: LEAVE THE INSIDE CORKS THERE! Take the corks that go around the edges and count them. Divide that number by 2, then cut that number of corks in half using the serrated knife.

Step 5: GLUING TIME! This gets a little sticky. Glue ONE EDGE of upright corks in place. Be sure to glue them to one another as well as to the foam board for extra stability. Then do some of the interior, until you reach another edge. The last step is doing the second edge. 

                         for example: I did the letter D. I did the upright corks on the inside edge first, then all of the corks that lie flat, and finally the outside edge upright corks. This helps to make sure everything is lined up and spaced correctly.

                         Once all corks are glued in place, gently wiggle the corks (especially the ones around the edges). If you feel any give, squirt a little hot glue around the edges into the small gaps for extra stability.

Step 6: Fill in any big gaps. If you are doing a letter with curves, you are going to have a few gaps. I simply cut pieces off of a spare cork and filled in the most noticeable gaps. You will still see a bit of the board, but not enough to worry about.

Step 6: Attach your mounting hardware once the hot glue is dry.Use your yardstick to make sure they are even.

That's it! All done!

Editor's note: After looking at it on the wall when I was at my friend's house recently, I decided it needed a little more "pizazz." Soon we are going to take ribbon of appropriate thickness and hot glue it around the edges to better conceal the foam board behind the corks, as well as to give it a bit more personality!
~Stephanie

DIY Dry Erase Calendar and Weekly Menu

I'll admit it. I LOVE Pinterest. I'm on there every day, getting craft inspiration, looking for decorating ideas, etc.  I am also constantly looking for functional yet cute things for the home...and I really wanted a dry erase calendar. What I didn't want was one of those white monstrosities that never looks good no matter how you try or where you put it. That's when I found This Tutorial on Pinterest and fell in love.

A couple of notes on this:

• if you don't have a printer that can print on 11"X17" paper, no worries. I used regular 8.5"X11" and just made sure that when I created my Excel spreadsheet all of the columns added up to 17" and my rows added up to be 11". It ends up being 4 sheets of paper that you cut and tape together. HERE is my calendar...feel free to print it out. It will save you time. Oh, and HERE is the notes page. 
• Do NOT cut off all edges of your calendar. Only the very bottom edge and the left side. That way you have extra paper on the top and right side to attach other papers to. Same goes for the notes page, but on that one I would only cut off the right edge...leave the rest.
• I didn't put anything on the back of my creation once it was all together. I left the backing that came in the frame separate, that way should I ever want to change the look of the calendar, I have a sizing reference.
• Leave room for overlap on ALL of your pieces...that way they can be taped/glued together
• You can get free photoshop graphics to create your shapes, and if you make a new file in photoshop with a transparent background and save it for the web, you can put it on word, resize as needed, and print onto whatever paper you would like.

This one took me about 2 hours total, and that's only because it took me a few tries to get the sizing of the calendar right. Plus I'm really indecisive about fabric and/or paper combos, so I second-guessed myself a lot. Actual construction time was probably about 20 minutes, but you have to add in measuring and cutting, not to mention designing the different elements.

I also found a weekly dry erase menu on Pinterest. You can find that tutorial HERE. 

Here are my notes on that one:

• I chose not to use canvas, but to line up 2 pieces of scrapbooking paper (cut to size)
• I also put my ribbon in a different place, because I wanted to hide the seam of the paper. :)

This one only took me about 15 minutes to do...and maybe now I stand a chance of NOT hearing "What's for Dinner" every day!

Swiffer Sweeper Reusable Pad Tutorial

Can I just say that I love my Swiffer Sweeper Vac? Seriously....LOVE it. However, what I do not love is the cost of those god forsaken...murtherfrickin one use only pads that you are supposed to use with it. Seriously, I do not want to pay almost $10 every time I need a box of refills. That just makes me angry. After searching online for a way to make my own pads (and there are several great tutorials out there) I decided to make my own. Not because the others don't work, I'm sure they do. But most of them involved socks (just a no for me), old T-shirts (we don't have any that we don't wear) or crocheting/knitting a pad (I don't want my cleaning pad to have holes in it, thank you). Sorry that the pictures are a little hard to see detail on, I only had black terry cloth for use on this project! So here it is, my version. Enjoy!
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Supplies:

• 16" X 5 1/2" piece of terry cloth
• Sewing machine

Construction:

Step 1: Fold the short ends in 2 3/4"

Step 2: Using a serger OR a zig zag stitch (with one end of the stitch going off the fabric and one catching the fabric) stitch down the length of the pad, sewing the folded ends in place. I used a shorter stitch length since terry cloth tends to "shed" once it's been cut. By using a serger or zig zag stitch it will help prevent this from happening.

Note: double check that your ends are secured...if not do a quick straight stitch close to the zig zag stitch to make sure it's going to stay in place.

Step 3: Turn so that the raw edges of the turned ends are inside the pocket.

Step 4: Top stitch along the length of the pad to make sure everything looks OK and is really held in place. Note: If you want, fold the edges that are not caught by the folded edge in 1/4" and top stitch them in place. It's not necessary and is purely cosmetic, but it is one option to make the pad look more "finished."

That's it! It will be slightly baggy on your swiffer, but will lie flat when you place it on the ground. It has to be a little loose so that you can fit it over the ends. 

Pinecone Elf on a Shelf

These are Ms Perfect's Martha's elves

I found this tutorial for Pinecone Elves and couldn't resist. We all know that the Elf on a Shelf has gotten incredibly popular (and a super fun activity!), but if you're like me $30 seems like a lot for a doll and a book. So, I thought that these little "Santa's Helpers" would be a great substitute! I made all 3 of mine for less than $10, and now I have 3 elves instead of just one. Plus, you can find Elf on a Shelf ideas all over the internet, so you can still participate in the fun!

A couple of suggestions:

• If you don't want to buy the acrylic paint (or you don't have any) for the cheeks, use pink eye shadow. I used a small eye shadow brush, wet it down a little, and dipped it in the eye shadow. Then I just dabbed it on! I felt like I had more control over it, plus, since I have a whole eye shadow palate, I had a lot of shades of pink to choose from
• When you get everything cut and sewn as you want it, use your hot glue gun to secure them in place. That way you don't risk them falling off at inopportune moments!
• Skip the bell/bead/ball on the hat. I didn't really care for it, and it's an unnecessary expense unless you already have them around the house. 

Enjoy!

These are mine, complete with the "village" I put out every year

Christmas Card Garland Tutorial

I've seen several versions of the Christmas Card Garland online, but all of them seem so specific. I wanted something that gave a little more freedom with how it's constructed, while still looking beautiful. So here's my version, hopefully you all like it!
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Christmas Card Garland

Supplies

• Wide ribbon...you can use wired or unwired, festive or plain. I would suggest 2-3" ribbon, just for stability and to get a real feel for the "backbone" of your project.
• Thin ribbon-I use this to make the "hangers" along the ribbon and at both ends
• Wood Clothespins. I got a pack of 24 from AC Moore for just under $3
• Scrapbook Paper...make this as plain or fancy as you want. You can use holiday themed or whatever suits you. (Optional, you can skip this step if you just want plain painted clothespins)
• Paint...Whatever you think is going to work best to paint the clothespins, in colors that you like and that go with the feel of your project
• Mod Podge-I used the gloss
• Foam Brush
• Small Paint Brush(es)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors
• Pen/Pencil
• Waxed Paper (to make clean up easier)
• Embellishments that will fit on your clothespin (optional)

Construction

Step 1: Lay down a piece of waxed paper that is big enough to fit all of your clothespins. Paint your clothespins in your selected colors. You need to make sure to paint one "face" (the flat side), the small ends, and the two sides where the pieces of the clothespins come together. Whatever you feel will show. You only need to paint one "face" because the other one will be covered with scrapbook paper (or not, if you choose to skip that step). Make sure to do enough coats to achieve the color you want (I used 2 coats). If you are not using the scrapbook paper, skip to step 4.

Step 2: When your clothespins have dried, lay the "face" of one on the wrong side of the scrapbook paper. Trace around the edge of the clothespin, getting as close as possible. Cut out your piece of paper. Repeat for all clothespins.

Trace Around Clothes Pin

Step 3: Mod Podge your scrapbook paper pieces onto the unpainted face of the clothespins. Using the foam brush, put a layer of mod podge on both the clothespin and the wrong side of the paper. Place the paper on the clothespin, mod podged sides together, and line up edges. Make sure to press down the paper well and keep rubbing it so that bubbles don't form. When you are sure that the paper is on there to your liking, use the foam brush to put a layer of mod podge over top of the paper...it will dry clear.

Step 4: After Mod Podge has dried (I would give it overnight, it can stay a bit tacky for a while)Hot glue your embellishments to your clothespins (on top of the scrapbook paper, if you used it). I chose to use "jewels" for my embellishment, just to give it more bling. I have seen buttons, felt bows, little Christmas Trees, berries, etc. used. Just go with what feels right to you...even if that's not putting anything on there!

Step 5: Cut your wide ribbon to the length you need. I chose to make mine about 2 1/2 yards long, so that it would hang where I wanted and still have a bit of "swag."

Step 6: Cut lengths of your thin ribbon 4" long, as many as you need to achieve the swag you want. I didn't want my swag to be too long, so I cut 4 lengths. Hot glue the thin ribbon to the back of the wide ribbon at evenly spaced intervals. On the ends, make sure to fold the end of the thick ribbon back over the thin, so that raw edges don't show.

Step 7: Hot glue the BACK of each clothespin to the FRONT of the thick ribbon. Space them however you like. I tried to be as even as possible, because I'm a little OCD that way.

YOU'RE DONE! I used command hooks to hang my garland from the counter that divides my living room from my kitchen. I love these because they are barely noticable, and come off clean. 

Enjoy!