Little Birdie Secrets

Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

Thursday, December 8, 2011

foam cone christmas tree tutorial {fabric covered}

Here's the last tree in my foam cone Christmas tree trio. More ruffles, but this time with fabric! See the paper-covered tree here and the ruffled ribbon-covered tree here!

Foam Cone Holiday Tree Tutorial {Fabric Covered}

Supplies:

*Foam cone tree

*Fabric strips (I used about 8" x 44" for my size tree)

*Straight pins

*Candlestick holder for base

*Ribbon for bow topper

*Hot glue gun

1. Cut your fabric into the following size strips:
*1 strip 2" x 44"
*2 strips 1.5" x 44"
*3 strips 1" x 44"
(You may need more or less depending on the size of your foam tree--I used the biggest one I could find.)

Ruffle each strip. Sew a basting stitch 1/4" from the top of the strip all the way across. Pull one of the threads and slide the fabric along the thread to create ruffles. Make sure your ruffles are uniform.

2. Starting with the 2" strip of ruffled fabric, wrap it around the base of the tree, letting it hang over the edge a little. Pin with straight pins as you go, or use a hot glue gun. I chose pins so I can easily change it in the future if I want different fabric!

When the 2" strip is done, add the 1.5" strips, overlapping ends slightly. Then add the 1" strips until you get to the top.

3. Fold ends of fabric over top of cone and pin down. If you have extra fabric, trim end.

4. Trim any stray threads on the ruffles. You can always finish your ruffles by doubling your fabric width for each strip, folding strip in half lengthwise and pressing, then continuing with ruffle instructions. This would make the bottoms of your ruffles finished with no unraveling, but it also adds bulk (and time, and fabric!) to the project. I was going for quick and easy.

5. I added a ribbon bow to the top of the tree with a straight pin.

6. Glue cone to a candlestick holder to give it a base.

If you've been following along, you should now have a pretty little forest of Christmas trees! If not, don't miss the paper tree tutorial and the ruffled-ribbon tree tutorial to complete the trio!

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foam christmas tree tutorial {ribbon covered}

Here's tree 2 from my foam cone Christmas tree trio (see the paper one here and the fabric one here). This one's covered with ruffled ribbon, one of my favorite techniques (get the tutorial)!

Foam Cone Holiday Tree Tutorial - Ruffled Ribbon & Pins

Supplies:

*Foam cone

*At least 3 yards 1" ribbon, or enough to cover your size cone (amount may change depending on how big your ruffles are)

*Pearlized head pins (I chose red, but they also come in white and multi-colored)

*Sewing machine and coordinating thread

*Candlestick holder

*Ribbon for base (optional)

*Hot glue gun

*Star topper (optional)

1. First, ruffle your ribbon. See how I made mine in this tutorial. I used a smocking stitch instead of a straight stitch to give it a little more flair.

2. Starting at the bottom, wrap your ribbon all the way around the base. For the next wrap, slightly overlap the first wrap and move up in a spiral.

Place a pin where the first and second wraps overlap to hold them in place.

3. Continue wrapping and pinning around and around the cone.

4. Go back and push in more pins, spaced to look like well-placed ornaments.

5. Glue your cone to a candlestick, like this brass one I spray painted white (see the first tree tutorial). Add a festive ribbon to the candlestick for extra cuteness.

6. Add a star topper like I did in the this tutorial. For this topper I used a smaller, flat star, glittered with superfine silver glitter.

Add your tree to your little forest! To see how I made the other trees, check out this paper-covered tree tutorial and this fabric-covered tree tutorial here!

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

easy burlap christmas table runner {tutorial}

I found this pretty red burlap at Hobby Lobby the other day and couldn't resist buying a couple of yards! It's perfect for a quick and easy Christmas table runner with lacy snowflakes. I put this together in under half an hour! This tutorial is for a 90" long runner, which fits my 56" long table beautifully. But you can adjust the length for your table by adjusting the main part of the runner. I'll also show you how to cut burlap so you don't have wonky edges!

Easy Burlap Snowflake Christmas Table Runner Tutorial

Supplies:
*2 yards burlap (I used red, but it would be cute in regular burlap or green, too!)
*Variety of shapes and sizes of crocheted doilies (you can buy them at antique shops or at JoAnn like I did. I've also heard you can find them at dollar stores, although mine didn't have any)

*Fabric glue (I like Fabri-Tac)
*Scissors
*Sewing machine & coordinating thread

1. Before starting, be sure that your burlap has been cut straight. To do this, lay it out on your table and examine the cut ends. If it's not, even it out. Here's a little trick I learned at the cutting counter. To ensure your burlap is cut straight, pull a thread where you want it cut. Pull it all the way out. This will leave a gap in a very straight line that you can use as your cutting guide. Brilliant, right? I had burlap cut at another store where they did not use this method, and I was horrified at how badly it was cut! I lost a lot of fabric trying to straighten it out.

Once your ends are straight, cut your burlap to be 21" wide by 70". Turn the raw edges under 1/4" and hem (so your edges won't fray, because they will!).

2. Cut two pieces of burlap 13" x 35" each for your ruffles. Hem raw edges 1/4".

3. (Pretend I hemmed the raw edges before taking this picture!) Ruffle the long edge by pulling a thread one inch from the top of the 13" side. Be careful not to break it! When you're ruffled half of the length, pull the same thread from the opposite end. Ruffle it to match the width of your main runner piece (about 20.5")

Pin your ruffles to each end, about 2" from the bottom.

Sew your ruffles on about 1/2" from top of ruffle. If you sew along the line where you pulled the thread, you should have pretty straight stitching!

4. Now for the fun part! Arrange your doilies on the runner. I left the center a little open since I will be putting a centerpiece there and they'll just get covered up anyway.

Using fabric glue, dot glue on the back of the doily in the densest areas (so it doesn't go through too many holes). Glue in place. Repeat for all doilies.

Ta-da! That's it! I just need to finish one more project and then I'll show it to you again fully decorated. I love how cheery it makes my dining area!

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

easy lds scripture cover pattern {review}

Remember those scripture covers from our Baby Blvd. giveaway a few weeks ago? I decided to try my hand at the pattern for my son's baptism gift, and Baby Blvd. was sweet to let me review the Bible and triple combination pattern. Check out how cute they turned out!

If you sew at all you can do these patterns. They're very clear, with both written descriptions and awesome diagrams. The best part is that I can easily make my son new covers when he outgrows the robots! Or take them off and wash them when they get grimy (he's 8--it's bound to happen, right?).

These would make a cute and easy Christmas gift for someone on your list (my mom would probably love these in a pretty quilting fabric--she loves all the prints but doesn't quilt, so we're always looking for ways to use cute fabric!). Check out the Baby Blvd. shop for patterns for almost all sizes of LDS scriptures, both covers and cute totes. And if you don't sew, remember they have finished covers and totes for sale, too! In lots of cute fabrics to boot. Ooh, and right now Baby Blvd. is offering any pattern for only $5.95 through November 22nd--up to 35% off the regular price--so you can't go wrong. Check out the special sale listings in the shop!

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

spider web doily pillow {tutorial}

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I know it's starting to get mighty close to Halloween, but I still have a few projects up my sleeve! Last night I threw together a Halloween pillow that can actually be used all-year-round, and if it wasn't for taking pictures, I could've finished it in about 15 minutes. Talk about quick and easy (and cute)!

Spider Web Doily Pillow Slipcover Tutorial
Pin It

Supplies:

*Pillow form (mine was 12"x16")
*Fabric (I used a linen, but anything would work!)
*Crocheted doily (I found mine at JoAnn for about $1)
*Fabric glue (I love Fabri-Tac)
*Rotary cutter or scissors
*Pins
*Sewing machine and coordinating thread
*Plastic toy spider ring

1. Cut your first piece of fabric to 12.5" x 16.5" (or a little smaller if you like a tighter fit).

2. To make this a slip cover, the back piece will actually start out as two pieces of fabric. Cut one piece 10"x12" and the other 12"x12".

3. Lay your doily on top of the front piece of fabric to see where you want to place it. I put the fabric on top of the pillow form to see how it would lay.

4. Using fabric glue, glue the doily in place. I tried to place the glue in areas where the crochet work was more dense so it wouldn't seep through the holes (the glue shows a little when dry). Be sure it is secured all the way around and in the middle.

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

how to alter a mens t-shirt into a womens (or maternity) size {tutorial}

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When I first moved to Seattle, I noticed there was a sort of "uniform" that locals subscribed to: jeans and a black North Face fleece jacket. Comfort is king there. And I loved that no one cares what you look like--they take you as you are, even if you show up at the Symphony in jeans and fleece. It was very freeing. My first week in Iowa City I noticed a different kind of local uniform: Iowa gear. Anything and everything that says Iowa, Hawkeyes, or Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes are like a religion here. No, more than that--a way of life. College kids, moms, babies, old men, it doesn't matter--they're all walking around proudly promoting their team. It's always appropriate, like the jeans and fleece in Seattle. I had to get in on it.

Saturday was a big day. The first game for the Iowa Hawkeyes football 2011 season. The first game in which I would be in attendance. Which means I had to get some Iowa gear, quick! Do you know how hard it is to find college team maternity wear? At least under $30? It's hard people, very hard. So I decided to make my own.

{Please try to forgive the awkward self-portraits. I'm home alone all day, okay? Just hoping the neighbors haven't noticed me out in the yard posing yet.}

Here are some simple steps to alter a men's t-shirt into a womens size, even if you're not looking for maternity. Just take in a little more than I did.

Alter A Mens T-Shirt Into Womens (and/or Maternity) Size Tutorial

Supplies:
*T-shirt 1-2 sizes larger than your size (for maternity), or your regular size for non-maternity
*1/4" elastic (about a yard will be plenty)
*Sewing machine, matching thread, scissors, ruler, sewing marking pencil

1. Get a t-shirt. If you're not going for maternity, a t-shirt that fits like a men's size should will be fine. You'll mostly be altering the neckline and sleeves. If you want some room for baby, go bigger, like 1-2 sizes up. I would normally wear a men's small, so I went with a large. Found this beauty at the consignment shop for $4.99.

2. Next grab a t-shirt that fits you well. I chose a fitted maternity t-shirt (I have 3 of these and live in them right now--so comfy and cute). Lay it on top of your mens shirt. This will help you determine how much you're going to alter your big shirt. Mine--a LOT.

3. The neckline is a good place to start. I didn't want mine to be too low and cut off the Iowa logo, so I first just cut off the trim. Then I cut the front of the neckline a little lower than the back (rearrange the fold of the shirt so the sides of the neckline are together, rather than the front and back--this will help you keep the front even. )

I wanted to use some of the shirt's width to add some charm. I created 16 pin tucks around the front of the neck. Haven't done a pin tuck before? It's easy! Here's how:

*Mark your fabric with lines using a ruler and a fabric marking pencil. Mine were about 1.5" long and .5" apart. I followed the curve of my neckline.

*Next, pinch the center line between your fingers and fold along your line.

*Put the fold under your sewing machine and stitch just 1/8" or so from the fold (don't forget to backstitch!) along the length of the line your drew.

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

cabbages and roses fabric debut {and a fun sewing project}

I spent one glorious summer in England, roaming the lake country, punting lazily on the Cam River, eating loads of Hob Nobs, window shopping along the cobblestone streets of Cambridge. . . Oh yeah, and studying (a precious little). Even while I was there it felt like a dream and I fell completely in love with that charming country. So when I heard that Great Britain's Cabbages and Roses was introducing a fabric line in the US with Moda, I jumped at the chance to play with it! It's called Northcote Range and it's soft and pretty and gently worn-looking, like something you'd find in an antique shop. Something you'd find wandering the cobblestone streets of Cambridge. . .

This is my makeup bag. SCARY, I know. I've probably had it almost 20 years (really?). I think I got it in high school. Anyway, it is so full these days that I can barely zip it, not to mention the fact that it looks disgusting.

So I chose a cosmetic case pattern from Cabbages and Roses' Home-Made Vintage book (which is full of beautiful sewing patterns and ideas in shabby-chic style!) and made a new make-up bag with this pretty cream and rose pattern.