Turn a Hoodie into a Jacket, just add a zipper!

Khloe's teacher asked me if I could add a zipper to her hoodie so she did not have to mess her hair up when she put it on. Well, this was new, but really how hard could it be?! 

So, I went to Hancock Fabric and found pink thread and a zipper that matched perfectly!

First I ironed the front to make it as smooth as possible. Then, I measured from the top of the pocket to the other side and divided it in half to find the center. Once I had the center I took a deep breath and cut! **Note, a fresh rotary blade will do wonders for your fabric**

Then, like I had done in the past, I put my zipper foot on my machine and pinned the zipper to one side of the garment. 

Like a champ I went down one side and cut my excess thread and went to start the other side when I realized something was wrong...My zipper would not disconnect! Oh no...I then realized that I had a hidden zipper not one that is made for a jacket that disconnects!  So, I seam ripped the first go around, made my adjustments, and went back to work! I put black thread on the bobbin so it would hide the seam better.

I thought black would look good on this color, so I went with it :) I pinned both sides with the zipper closed so I could match up seams on the pocket area. I went down one side and then the other no sweat! Here I am below "modeling" the new jacket :)

Remember on a zipper the hardest part is putting your garment on the correct side as you sew. If you go from one side to the other you will have to switch from a right to left side to sew with. Make sure the foot is "landing" on the fabric, not the seam you are sewing and you will be fine!

I hope this tutorial helps! Happy sewing!

April :)

The Treasure Box

I went into my daughters room one day a few months ago and said, "Khloe, what are we going to do with this mess? You need something bigger to put your animals in." My ever so smart daughter replied, "Oh, Mommy...you are going to build me a treasure box?!" 

Did. That. Just. Happen.

Yes it did, and the idea was born! I started this project on the weekend of September 13/14/15, thinking I would be done when the weekend was up. Well...I was wrong! 

I had a few extra pallets and since I had just made a pallet chair...why not?! So, I went online and had her pick out the paint she wanted...Grape Popsicle. Then we found just the right fabric to line the inside of the box. So how did I "think" through this project? Here's the run down...

First, I measured where I wanted it to go in her room, then decided that I wanted to frame the bottom and top of the box and then the lid. Next, I measured the approximate thickness of a pallet piece. From there I accounted for 2 sides and got the lengths of my long sides and short sides of 2x4 that I would have cut. I didn't want to get anything that heavy, but the guy at Home Depot insisted it would hold up better if I did. I also told him my plan and he recommended the sand paper that I use: first sand them with a 120 and then go over it again with a 220 to prep the area for painting. Below are the first three I did.

Then I did the rest I had pulled off and cut...so far. I would end up needed about 40 of these to complete the box!

Then, I started to paint. Below I give you...Grape Popsicle! She LOVED it! 

Above are my top and bottom frame pieces. Let me be the first to say...USE SELF TAPPING SCREWS!! They are so much easier to use when attaching wood pieces. I had quite a time getting regular screws to go all the way in without stripping the screw. But, after a trip to Lowes, I got them together in about 3 minutes! After I had my 2x4 pieces cut I went to work on the pallets! I bought a crow bar and skil saw for the pallet chair and used them for this project too. It took some work to get the pieces off of the pallet (especially since they are made to not be destroyed) and cut...but I got it done! It was more of a challenge, but not impossible!

 As you can see...Khloe enjoyed the box so far. I guess she thought I was making her a new bed! You can also see in the picture below that she picked out a perfect fabric for the inside! I bought 2 thin mdf boards and some batting to give it padding. As you can see be below...I made the short side a bit long...I will have to fix that, but it shouldn't be too hard...just another cut!

Then...I hit a stalemate. I put the project down for a bit because I needed a saw to cut a few pallet pieces. You never can guess if the pieces will all be the same size or width, and I (on purpose) used thicker and thinner pieces on the sides...and ended up having to cut a bit!

So, this past weekend, November 23/24, I decided I would buy a saw and finish the job! I only had to make 3 cuts to complete the box! And...here it is!

I debated on whether or not to add the lid. I have the hinges and the pieces are already cut and painted. After showing the pictures to several people, I have decided to complete the box with a lid. I think I may even add a seat to the top! I want to paint her name on it too...but for now here it is! I hope to complete the box by this weekend when I get her back from the ole grandparents! She is spending the week with them :) 

So, for now...I am done. But, I will post more when the lid is on and the toys are hiding inside. Until I post more...

We have all 4 panels in now! Khloe thinks it is a box for her...not her toys!

Here it is, in action!! Khloe loves her new box! :)

April

Pallet Chair #2

I finally decided to make my second pallet chair! So, I went to Lowe's and got 2x4's cut for my legs at 18 inches a piece. Last time I used 4x4's, but that was at Home Depot (Lowe's is not set up to cut wood that think...who knew!) So I figured the 2x4's would be sufficient. 

I got out my black paint and went to painting the legs and seat. Since I already had the pallets that were free and the paint from the last chair, so far I had not spent any extra money except for the piece of wood I had cut and it cost $3.63 for an 8 foot piece! Once I was done painting and it dried, I attached the legs with the self tapping screws I bought for the treasure box. So, again, I did not expend any extra money. Here is the seat on the front porch :)

 Once I was comfortable with the placement, I made my pillows and cover for my piece of foam I had already purchased when I did the last chair. I used the same material for the pillows and cushion cover too. I also bought these pillows when I purchased the first two. I know you cannot see the back of the pillows, but it is green!

Once I placed the cushion on the fabric and made my measurements and cuts I sewed 2 of the 4 sides (one side has no seam since I wrapped it around). Here is my cushion ready to be hand stitched on the 3rd and last sewing side! I was not sure how long that would take me so I stood there and watched/listened to Pirates of the Caribbean and sewed away! A good rule of thumb is to pull your thread out the length you need to sew then tie the end together. **By the way...this only took me 15 minutes!**

Below is my finished product! I do think I did rather well this time around on the hand sewed edge! You can also tell that I tucked my corners in for a clean finish.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to mount this back to the chair or leave it in one piece and put it behind the seat and screw it in. With the back piece not painted it was hard for me to tell. I rally didn't want to paint the whole piece if I was going to butcher it!! 

So I painted the whole thing...just in case and decided I liked it whole! I added a screw on each side to attach the back to the seat :) Since this cushion was a little bit smaller than the bench it is on, I will probably add a long cylinder pillow to the back. I will add the picture once it is done!

Well, there you go! My 2 porch chairs are now done! 

Here is a cost break down for this chair:
Pallet: free!
Paint: already purchased and accounted for in the cost of the first chair 
Lumber: 2''x 4'' x 8' piece of lumber for $3.63
Foam: 24'' x 40'' x 3'' cushion $30.71
Fabric: already purchased and accounted for in the cost of the first chair
Pillows: $16 for 2 18'' x 18'' pillows
Screws: already purchased for the treasure box

Total additional cost for this chair: $50.34
Initial cost from first pallet chair: $194.81 (I left out the box and bricks for the table)
Total cost for both chairs for the front porch: $245.15 
(or essentially $122.58 per chair)

Not too bad for chairs that can cost/sell for $300 or more a piece! So, if you decide to sell these you could definitely get your money back on them! However, would recommend  making sure you have more than one order to fill to make it worth it! The first chair took me 5 hours to paint and then about another 2 hours total for sewing. So, roughly 7 hours to make the first chair. This chair I did not have to make any cuts, only paint and sew. Painting took me 2.5 hours and sewing took me an hour and a half. First, I can say I got faster at sewing and since I had no cuts to make it just took less time. My total time on this project was 4 hours! Not too shabby! This one was fun...Until the next project :)

Happy Crafting! 

April 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas wreaths!

Well, the holidays are upon us and here I am...1 Christmas wreath down out of 3 that I am doing in this style. I will also be doing 2 candy cane wreaths for my house! So, here is Christmas wreath number 1:

I began with a wire form, 3 types of decomesh, ribbon, decorations, and floor space! I prefer the forms that have an inner and an outer ring to give the wreath that fullness I look for. Also, the ones from Ultimate Party come with tie wires already on them and help so much! I made this wreath for a co-worker and his new bride :) 

I started with the outer ring and did 3 different decomesh colors/patterns and alternated them. Then I moved to the interior ring of the form. See how full the wreath is by having a double layer! Next, I added some ribbon (this kind was stretchy and looked kind of like a woven decomesh, I loved it) and I weaved it through the wreath. Last, I added decorations. I have a bird perched on a nest in the middle and some greenery around the outer ring along with a glittery poinsettia in one spot! 

I find that alternating decorations, or having an odd number of them makes for a more random wreath and looks more unique. I enjoyed making this wreath and look forward to making more! This picture does not do this wreath justice! It looks so shiny and beautiful in person! If anyone out there is looking for a wreath like this one, I would be happy to make you an original! I will sell this type of wreath for $40 to $50 depending on decorations.

I decided to update this post with some more wreaths I have made :) So...here they are...

This first one is for my mom :) I hung it on my door to get a good picture of it! I love it...what do you think?

These 2 candy canes will go on both sides of my front door, although I am not sure how. I have a brick house! Does anyone have any suggestions other than a nail through our mortar? Thanks in advance! I will post more wreaths soon!

Ok Ladies and gentlemen...here is the latest wreath I have done. It is for a friend and so far, she loves it! :) I still have our own to make...so there will be at least one more to come!

Last but not least, here is the one for our door!!

Here they are on the front of the house. I got these really cool clips from Lowes and they are amazing! They clip right to the brick! Check it out here!

Happy Crafting!

April

Roll up Pillowcase

I realized as I was making this pillowcase, I did not take the appropriate pictures during my steps...that is how quickly this project was over! My alumnae association is making pillowcases for the Ronald McDonald House Charities via the Million Pillowcase Challenge! You can participate and/or view the event at allpeoplequilts.com. Here is a picture of my finished pillowcase:

I followed the "role up" method for this pillow case. This was a standard size pillowcase at 30'' x 20''. I chose to use 2 different fabrics. 

Start by making sure you have 2 large panels and 2 small pieces. Take one smaller piece and place it face up and put one larger piece face down lining up the sides. Then from the bottom end start to roll the large piece of fabric until the role is half way between the top and bottom of the smaller piece. Them bring the bottom of the smaller piece to the top and line all three "pieces" up and pin. Sew across and then flip the role right side out. You will have a seamless small and large piece! Repeat this with the other side and iron down the seam areas. 

Next, put the pieces together with both right sides facing out...yes, right sides facing out! Then sew around the 3 edges. 

I'm not sure if you can tell, but I have the 3 sides sewn together in this picture. At this point, turn the whole pillowcase inside out and iron down the edges to flatten the seam. Then, sew just to the outside of the edge on the inside. Make sure you are outside so no raw fabric pokes through the other side. When you are done, flip the pillowcase right side out and iron down the edges and voila...you just made a pillowcase! 

The tutorial I followed was from the allpeoplequilts.com website. You can view this tutorial here. There are other tutorials for other types of pillowcases, but this one was the easiest to me! I hope you enjoyed this craft :) Next time I will do a better job of posting my progress! Here's to the next craft!

Happy Sewing :)

April