Finding My Feet: tutorials

Showing posts with label tutorials. Show all posts

31 August 2011

make your own sewing tags!

One of the most frequent questions I get from y'all is about where I get the tags I use for my Etsy shop. I received inquiry #1,745 this week and finally decided that it was high time for me to put together a tutorial for y'all so my paltry efforts to explain this process in an email can be put to rest.

After all, it's important to get to put your signature on your fine sewing work!

Before I start, I feel like it's important to point out that these tags are not indestructible. They are printed with printer ink, so they will fade over time. And, I'll show you my best suggestion for keeping the edges nice, but it's possible that they will also eventually fray a bit after being washed a ton of time. Nothing is going to beat a nice woven/embroidered tag in quality and longevity. But, these printable tags are lovely and great and you definitely can't beat the price! (You can make 432 side tags for about $6.50!)

I say feel free to use them in any sewing project, though they'll last longest in items that aren't washed as frequently (oven mitts, flat iron covers, etc.). I use them on all the bibs I make because I think they are such a cute little added touch - but I just expect that a few months down the road, they'll need to be snipped off when their time to shine has passed.

Okay, that said, here is a tutorial to make your own custom sewing labels at a fraction of the price of the embroidered kind!

What you'll need:

*Cotton/twill printable fabric (you can get it at Jo-Ann's for about $12.99 for a 6-pack, or on Amazon you can find a 3-pack for around $6)

*Fray Check (again, available at JoAnn's or on Amazon)

*A printer

*An iron

*A rotary cutter and self healing mat (or scissors)

*A computer program in which you are comfortable designing and formatting the labels

I designed my labels in Adobe Illustrator, though I imagine there are other programs - even Microsoft Office programs - in which you could also make this happen. Perhaps Powerpoint or even Word?

I'm going to show y'all two different types of labels today: the mini side tag (.5" x 1.75") and the larger neckline tag (2.5" x 1" for the printed, front side of the fold).

Here is my document, ready to print:

And here she comes, out of the printer! (A little bluer than I'd envisioned - looks like I'm low on colored ink.)

The first thing you do (after giving the ink a second to dry) is peel the paper backing off of the fabric. Try to pull it off gently and evenly. I've found that you can actually warp the fabric's weave if you get too tugsy.

Now rinse it under cool water until the water runs clear. (I don't know why, but this is seriously my favorite part!)

Lay it out on a towel to dry. Do NOT wring it! (again, you just don't want to mess with the weave of the fabric - you'll thank me later.)

If you get too impatient, you can roll it up in the towel and give it a good squeeze. Also, a hot iron sometimes gets the last bit of dampness out if you're feeling terribly impatient. *ahem*

Alright, to the cutting board! (or scissors!)

This is the part where you'll be glad you didn't tug on your fabric. You want all your lines to be straight so you can roll right through them.

Notice that I have a block of white space beneath each image for the neck tags - I'm stingy with my ink, so I only print what will be the front sides once they're folded.

And here are the side tags. I put a yellow bar in the center of each tag at the fold with a different image on each side so I have options. I like options. :)

All cut and in a pretty little pile. The page I just printed yielded 36 side tags and 9 neck tags. I'm thinking you could get 72 side tags out of one page.

Now the Fray Check. Without it the cut edges will fray before you even make it to the first wash. It's a must.

You'll have to pardon these next few photos. I was losing daylight and things got a little less crisp.

Pop the top off of the Fray Check.

And pour a bit into a small, shallow something. I use the plastic packaging that my snaps come in from Jo-Anns. It's just the right size.

Dip the sides of the neckline labels and the tops and bottoms of the side tags in the fray check.

You don't have to dip the edges that will eventually be concealed by stitching.

And if you start going crazy dipping one tag at a time, line a bunch up and take them for a dip together. Just make sure everybody gets baptized.

And if you're worried that the fray check is going to stain your pretty labels, don't. By the time it's completely dry it will also be invisible. (You can see it drying here.)

Now it's time to iron. I'd wait until the Fray Check has dried completely (or at least almost completely if you're impatient like me). If nothing else, to protect your iron.

Press them in half, just like you've planned.

Don't they look lovely?

Don't you feel fancy?

Now, just press the rest and assemble for yourself a nice little cup/jar/pouch of tags with your name or logo on them and feel very grown up and professional.

And, just like giving a mouse a cookie... if you have new tags, you're going to want to make something to sew it into!

I made a quick pair of PJ pants for my little lover-girl,

one of my own little ragamuffin babies. :)

Have a lovely Wednesday, friends! Come back tomorrow - the blog switchover should happen tonight. So excited!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Brother NX800 machine mentioned above for free in exchange for a mention of the product in my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

23 August 2011

flat iron cover tutorial

11 comments

I am so excited to share a quick and easy tutorial with y'all today! (And I do mean quick - after I shot the tutorial I did a time trial to see how fast I could make one without pausing to take photos of each step. Working at a normal, relaxed pace I completed the project in 9 minutes and 7 seconds. Told you it was quick!)

Quick but also super useful. You'll use this every day (if you use a flat iron or curling iron every day) and it's especially handy if you're traveling or going to the gym because you won't have to wait for your iron to cool before packing it away.

Y'all, I'm so pleased to share with you, my quick and easy Flat Iron Cover Tutorial!

What you'll need:

11"x6" pieces of the following three fabrics: Insul-Bright, pretty cotton fabric (for outside), and plain cotton fabric (for inside)

{I used Sugar Pop Summer Flowers from Sew Fresh Fabrics for my main fabric}

You'll also need about 7" of 1/2" double fold bias tape - buy some or make your own

Coordinating thread

Tailor tape

You'll also need a sewing machine. You know I'm rather attached to mine. :)

Getting Started:

Using your tailor tape, measure the circumference of your flat iron (or curling iron) at the widest point. Also measure the length.

Now, if you have a Chi, the work has been done for you. You can use my measurements. If not, I'll show you how I did my work so you can adjust yours accordingly.

A few notes about my notes: after I made these notes, I adjusted the width of the cut to 6" instead of 5.5" and it's good that I did - I needed that extra wriggle room. Also, I suggested the use of home decor fabric on my notes - that's probably the very best (I made one about a year ago with home decor fabric and it's been great and kept the warm inside), but quilting weight fabric will work as well. The Insul-Bright is good stuff.

Now, cut your three pieces to the size you've determined. And we're on to the quilt sandwich!

Lay your three fabric pieces in a stack, plain cotton first, then Insul-Bright, then your pretty fabric (right side facing up) and pin in place.

Now, quilt your cute little stack. Beginning on the right side, stitch several lines, each 1/2" from the next to make your quilt sandwich all one piece.

You may need to square things up when you're finished if your pile shifted at all.

You're already halfway finished!

Now take your piece of bias tape. Open it up and tuck one of the short ends of your quilted piece into the crease of the bias tape. Stitch the bias tape onto your quilted piece, close to the end. (You're only catching one side of the bt this time.)

Now fold the bias tape up and over your quilted piece and stick it in place. (I like to stitch each side individually so I can be sure that nothing gets missed and the stitch that shows is a strait and sure one.)

Seriously, almost done. Yay!

Just fold your piece lengthwise, right sides together. Stich across the top and down the side, with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Trim the excess off the corners, then turn it right side out (a dowel rod or pencil are both useful for this maneuver).

And...

It's all pretty and tidy AND functional!

Just slip it on your hot flat iron and run! Hurrah!

As with all of my tutorials, you are completely welcome to use this tutorial to make items for sale in your Etsy shop or at craft fairs and such. I'd love it if you would share a link back to your source (me!) and I always love to see what y'all make with my tutorials, so please share them here!

Have a lovely Tuesday, friends! What are y'all up to this week?

**Update** For a limited time I am selling flat iron cover kits in my Etsy shop. I am also taking custom orders for flat iron covers this week only. More details here.

10 August 2011

a fort i can live with

21 comments

A couple of weeks ago as the kids and I were wrapping up breakfast, I asked Oliver what he thought we should do with our morning. He suggested we build a fort in the living room and after a moment of consideration, I countered with an offer to build a fort under the kitchen table.

He accepted.

We spent the morning draping sheets and collecting pillows and books from upstairs. We even enjoyed our morning snack under there - some raisins and cheese with milk. Oliver and Hazel were giddy about their new accommodations and Oliver announced that we should never take it down ever - or at least until Daddy gets home from work.

So, yay - Mama gets 10 fun points for being all cool and laid back and embracing the mess and laying under the dining room table with the kids all morning!

Except that it just about killed me. The dining room was no longer a dining room. There were raisins everywhere and Hazel kept bonking her head and crying when she stood up under the table. As dreamy as the whole event sounded, it was less than ideal.

Plus, there was nowhere to eat lunch. And by dinnertime, I had had enough of ye olde fort and I wanted to put dinner on a real table without trying to tell myself that sheets were kind of like tablecloths.

That evening I cleaned up our dining room fort, not at all regretting the fun memories I'd made with the kids that day, but certainly evaluating in my mind how this could go more smoothly in the future.

I had an idea.

After tucking the kids in bed that night I hopped on online and ordered a retractable clothesline. Two days later I kissed Ryan goodbye as he headed out for work, then led the kids upstairs to the playroom, package under one arm, drill in the other.

The installation took a bit of trial and error. The plastic anchors that came in the package pulled out of the drywall after just a few test tugs from me. Because I was expecting this clothesline to stand up to the yanks and flops of busy little people (not usually a job description for most clotheslines), I needed it to be extra sturdy and safe.

I pulled out the plastic anchors and fished around Ryan's workbench for a pair of toggle bolts. Much better.

Another thing that was important to me in this installation process was commitment. Or, shall I say, lack thereof. I didn't want to have to live with that big blue thing attached to my wall every day. It needed to be able to be tucked away in a basket or a cabinet, and pulled out only when we were feeling fort-y.

I just so happen to have one wall in my playroom that offers a perfect hiding place for a wall bracket. Our wall grid (made out of lattice boards) displays interchangeable photos with bulldog clips, so I installed the clothesline bracket below one clip that hangs about four feet off the ground.

{ps - before you start thinking I'm too clever, I got the idea for the lattice boards and clips from an old Martha Stewart magazine last summer.}

I hung the hooks on either side of the window on the opposing wall behind the curtains. (I decided to buy a clothesline with two lines for the sake of options. Also, this way the forts we build will have a little bit of a roof and width to them for claustrophobic mommies.)

A couple of pretty old sheets (yard sale finds) and some fabric yardage (also from yard sales) and we had ourselves a little town of forts before lunchtime!

This project was so quick and so cheap (under $20!), I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. No playroom should be without a retractable fort option!

And there you have it! My dining room table is now clear for dining and the kids can set up a fort whenever they like (though I did hang the hooks out of reach for safety, so they technically have to ask me first.)

Happy fort-ing, friends! And have a lovely Wednesday!

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