Stitches and Purls

Sewing: Mid century sewing table Did I find a gem today!!! A...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:01:54 -0400

Sewing: Mid century sewing table

Did I find a gem today!!! A Mid century modern sewing table in perfect condition!!!

Can you tell I’m excited!?!?

I’ve got plans to have wood cut to cover the hole and cover it with fabric so it will look nice. Now I just have to find somewhere to put it :)

More to come on this one!!

Knitting: Munchkin Sweater There is nothing like starting a...

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:21:10 -0400

Knitting: Munchkin Sweater

There is nothing like starting a cardigan knit, getting to row 30 (where you mark off the sleeves), and realizing your stitch count is off by a whopping 20 stitches!!!

Best part is that the mistake I made?

Oh yeah.

Row SIX!

I mean really!?!?!? Lost my mind y’all!

PS- Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I need to get back to it- lots to share with y’all :)

Crochet: little giraffe Well, last night I sewed this little...

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:00:16 -0400

Crochet: little giraffe

Well, last night I sewed this little fella together! He is sooo cute!

I am still working on adding his spots- little crocheted circles as you can see.

Lia is having a blast carting him around on her lawn mower and trying to pull his legs off.

I’d call that successful!!

Will post better final pics and the pattern link later!

DIY: chalkboard art Nothing like a little Emily Dickinson to...

Tue, 07 May 2013 14:12:36 -0400

DIY: chalkboard art

Nothing like a little Emily Dickinson to make your chalkboard feel loved :)

This has always been one of my favorite poems!

Crochet: A little giraffe!! So lets chat. When you become a...

Sun, 05 May 2013 16:00:19 -0400

Crochet: A little giraffe!!

So lets chat.

When you become a parent, you suddenly find yourself trying to get your kiddo excited. For example- Lia loves birds… And I can’t stop putting artwork with birds around the house or wearing earrings with little birds! Embarrassing but I can’t help it!

Enter this little giraffe… Another obsession for my kiddo!

I have never done this style of crochet work before, but I have to tell you it is immensely satisfying! I am not just making a flat scarf- this is like building an entire stuffed animal. It is like tinker toys vs coloring on paper. Tinker toys win!

Highly recommend trying to crochet yourself a little animal! I’ll post the pattern link for this soon :)

Inspirations: One little antique… Every once in awhile,...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:10:30 -0400

Inspirations: One little antique…

Every once in awhile, you find “it.” That perfect something that reminds you of someone.

Today I was walking through an antique store and I found the PERFECT biscuit cutter, almost exactly like my Maw-maw’s! Needless to say I had to take it home.

And guess who had to try it out for dinner!? Look at those fluffy delicious biscuits? Yumm yumm!!

DIY: Rooster Revamp I love how when you are antique or thrift...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:29 -0400

DIY: Rooster Revamp

I love how when you are antique or thrift store shopping you come across items that have a nice shape… but horrible color.

For example:

I loved all the details of this rooster. He was a great candidate for a paint job.

A few coats of acrylic paint later…

And he was ready to be statuesque in the dining room!

PS - See the finished jute vase?

Knitting: Sophisticate Beret You guessed it… Tis...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:00:29 -0400

Knitting: Sophisticate Beret

You guessed it… Tis finished!

This little lady loves it of course. Lia immediately stole it from me and began walking around the house going “Hat, Hat!!”

The good news is that I found no pattern issues, so once I get good photos taken I’m hoping to release it for you guys! Yay!

Sewing: Pillow Revamp I recently found this super cool...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:29 -0400

Sewing: Pillow Revamp

I recently found this super cool mid-century recliner… and y’all I could NOT pass it up!!

I happened to find it the same day as my vintage fabric. Let me tell you - perfect match!! I knew the red cushion (see it peeking out) had to go.

I started out measuring and cutting out my fabric. A half inch extra is what I tend to use!

A quick bit of sewing for this one - and ya’ll this is where the piping came in!

Now how cool is that? Who would ever know it is clothesline?! So cool.

After I finished the sewing and inserted the pillow I added the recovered buttons back on. You would never know it used to be red!

Inspirations: Starla Michelle - “Charmed” I...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:15 -0400

Inspirations: Starla Michelle - “Charmed”

I happened upon this painting on Pinterest by one very talented lady. No I don’t know her, I just love her work!! It is the perfect balance of whimsy and reality. I desperately want to own one!

Go here and check out more of her beautiful work. Truly amazing :)

DIY: Jute Wrapped Vessel Does anyone else obsessively save...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:25 -0400

DIY: Jute Wrapped Vessel

Does anyone else obsessively save coffee cans like me?!? It drives my husband crazy b/c they are stashed everywhere :)

Anyhow, this is a great little project to cover them up - you could also do a wine bottle or whatever you have on hand!

All you need is jute twine (less than $2 at your local hardware or Wal Mart), a vessel, and hot glue gun. Takes a bit of time, but totally worth it!

I’ll show ya’ll a final pic soon! It is wrapped up with one more DIY for the dining room :)

Knitting: Zig Zag Lacy Scarf It has been quite some time since...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:08 -0400

Knitting: Zig Zag Lacy Scarf

It has been quite some time since I have knit one of these - my own pattern. We have an upcoming silent auction at our church… assuming I get my act together this will be one of the items I am offering up!

PS - How cool is this yarn? It is Paton’s Metallic (so nothing fancy) but it super shiny and looks like silver chain! I hope it goes over well!

DIY: Recovering Buttons Sometimes you just need to recover a...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:23 -0400

DIY: Recovering Buttons

Sometimes you just need to recover a button. It happens.

I don’t have one of those fancy little machines to make them look perfect, so I had to improvise!

You start out by cutting squares of fabric in the fabric of your choice. Make sure they are larger than your buttons.

As shown in the first photo, you will then use a needle to stitch around your button.

Next up - pull your thread taught, gathering the fabric in the back of your button.

Grab your scissors and trim the gathered fabric. You can also do this step before you gather - it will make your life easier :) ha!! That’s what I did on the second button.

There you have it - recovered buttons!

Promise all these random little posts will come together soon! This went with the piping project :)

Crochet: A scarf for Lia So… I had leftover yarn from my linen...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:00:00 -0400

Crochet: A scarf for Lia

So… I had leftover yarn from my linen stitch scarf and decided the munchkin needed her own. It was bound to happen at some point!

No joke- she put it on and asked to sit (at the piano of course). What a hoot!

You clearly can’t play the piano without your scarf!? So my child.

Random Thought

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:28 -0400

I was just looking at some of my recent posts… my gosh y’all must think I’m a...

Sewing: DIY Piping Have you ever had a project to work on and...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:00:05 -0400

Sewing: DIY Piping

Have you ever had a project to work on and needed to make the piping yourself? Better still - have you been as LAZY as me and not wanted to drive to your local fabric store?

Enter - Clothesline.

NO JOKE!

I bought this pack of clothesline rope for approximately $0.16 a yard. That’s right folks - tis cheap :).

You start out by cutting a two inch by necessary length strip of your fabric and the same length of your clothesline.

Fold your fabric in half and wrap the cord inside. Use your zipper foot to sew as closely to the cord as possible.

When you are done you will have perfect piping. The best part is that you will have it in the exact fabric you wanted!

Good times :)

Sewing/DIY: Car Caddy When it came time to do the numbers on...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:00:22 -0400

Sewing/DIY: Car Caddy

When it came time to do the numbers on this little car caddy, I saw the tutorial said to use freezer paper and paint. Well… I had paint and contact paper, so why not try that?

Y’all it couldn’t be easier. You cut the shapes out of your contact paper, peel the back off and stick it on the fabric. Use an acrylic or fabric paint to fill in your stencil.

Peel off your contact paper, and you have perfectly stenciled numbers!

I also made Travis a bib for his birthday - which I didn’t take pictures of the process… but here it is:

A fun present, for a fun little boy :)

Sewing/DIY: Car Caddy I saw this idea for a little boy gift...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:00:13 -0400

Sewing/DIY: Car Caddy

I saw this idea for a little boy gift quite some time ago. It came in handy when our friend’s little boy Travis turned one! He is obsessed with cars and I found this awesome print to use. So cute!

I somewhat followed this tutorial, if you want precise measurements and such! You need two contrasting fabrics (I used flannel) and about a yard of each.

I started my sewing with the road on the inside - felt! So cute!

Next up - I added the pocket portion at the bottom, sewing for six spaces!

Since my fabric already had cars on it, I decided to use my embroidery machine to add Travis’ name. This is where you add in the velcro for closure as well! All of this was sewn onto the outside fabric.

I also added on the grey felt velcro handle to this outside fabric. Next, both front and back were sewn right sides together with a hole to flip. A quick topstitch around the entire thing and I was done with the sewing!

Only one more thing to do - the stenciled numbers! Will post that detail later :)

Sewing: Pillow sham revamp I’m pretty sure this...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:00:30 -0400

Sewing: Pillow sham revamp

I’m pretty sure this isn’t the most exciting post, but it is practical! This houndstooth was another recent fabric find - with no presumed purpose. I decided it would be a nice finishing touch for our bedroom.

We have had this golden colored shams on our bed forever, and I wanted to liven them up. This is a great way to change your look without having to add zippers and pockets for making the entire sham.

Start out by cutting your fabric about four inches extra all the way around.

Next, fold in your fabric a quarter inch (and preferably iron) and then fold it over again pinning it. Be sure you are doing this on the backside of your sham!

This way you’ll have no raw edges. Like so.

Pin and sew all the way around! Now you have updated pillow shams without the hassle of creating the whole thing.

Sewing/DIY: Dining Room Revamp Remember how at one point I was...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:00:21 -0400

Sewing/DIY: Dining Room Revamp

Remember how at one point I was working on my dining room?

Remember how I found that awesome vintage floral fabric at an antique store?

Well… the fabric found itself a home.

Last year I made these type of chair back covers in yellow. No matter what I posted on here about it looking cool, I came to hate those things. In the room they were hideous.

The method on these was simple. Measure out a rectangle to fit the chair backs.

Fold in, press, and sew down each side.

Sew in your velcro to fasten the bottom pieces of your cover together.

After I put these in the room, it finally started to make sense to me. A few more small changes to come - will post again soon!