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Archive for March, 2010

The Charlie Reusable Grocery Bag

March 29th, 2010

So I’ve had this pattern stashed away for practically a year – among the hundreds of others I’ve saved along the way. But since it’s Green month, I decided to dust this baby off and give it a go!

Today, I’m going to take you through the Charlie Reusable Grocery Bag tutorial, provided by BurdaStyle.

For this project, you’ll need approximately 3/4 of a yard of fabric. I just used some old stuff I had laying around from past projects.

First, you need to print out your pattern, cut it out, and tape it together. Then, with your fabric folded in half and the ‘Cut on Fold’ edge on the fold, cut out two pieces. (I also chose not to cut out the pocket pieces. Refer to the original tutorial if you want to include this.) You should end up with something like this:

To make my inside seams cleaner (and because I don’t have a serger), I pressed the three square edges of the bag and the edges of the handles in a 1/4″ before sewing.

Then I sewed handles together at a 1/4″ along with the three square sides of the bag. Following that I pressed all of the seams open. Note – press the seams open as far as you can into the corners of the bag.

And then I pressed the edges of the handles in 1/4″ and sewed in place.

And tada! You have yourself a new reusable grocery tote. I used mine the other day for the first time when I went to Joann’s to pick up some supplies. I have such a huge stash of plastic bags in my house – it felt good knowing I wasn’t going to be adding to the never ending pile.

Cute right! I also made one with this print.

That’s all for now – I may have one more green project up my sleeve. You’ll just have to wait and see!

Oh, and look what I picked up for FREE this weekend!

It is in desperate need for some TLC. But I know that with a little bit of love, it’s going to be a great addition to the house! I’m hoping I can get it finished this week … hoping that is, haha.

Until next time!

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Green Crafts, grocery bag tutorial, reusable grocery bag, Tutorial

I’m Like Houdini

March 26th, 2010

I know, I know – I magically disappeared for about the past week or so. But I’ve had some good reasons. Like my sewing machine, well it doesn’t like me right now. And I’ve had a handful of orders that I needed to fulfill, so I had to steal Sarah’s machine and punch those out. Oh, and I’m really swamped at work. I was in the office the other night till almost 10 pm – no rest for the weary!

OK enough excuses! So as quickly as I can disappear, I can also make these recycled little wonders magically appear in less than a half hour! So here’s what I have for ya:

Jaron graciously donated some more of his oxford shirts to the craft collection we’ve got going on in our house, and this one I decided to make into a couple of napkins.

I cut off the bottom 11″ or so of the shirt (I”m saving the rest to make Miss Grace another tunic!) and then cut that into four 10″ squares. And then using this super simple tutorial from Sew4Home for Easy Clean Finished Corners I finished the edges, and voila!

Four super chic napkins in less than 30 minutes!

Then, when Sarah came over the other day to use her own machine (since I stole it), I decided to give the Organza Flower Tutorial tutorial from Sew4Home a try! Using scraps of organza and a leftover headband, of course.

I L-O-V-E the color combo.

Erin, who won the wine bag giveaway told me that she loves statement headbands. I think I’ll give this to her along with the bag when she comes home for Easter!

This project also took less than a half hour – love those instant gratification projects!

I have a few more green projects up my sleeve for the remainder of the month so stay tuned!

Until next time,

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Guest Post from Suzannah at Adventures in Dressmaking!

March 18th, 2010

Today I’m happy to announce that I have Suzannah from Adventures in Dressmaking here to guest post!

Suzannah recently caught my attention with all of her JCrew knock off tutorials like this Asymmetrical Ruffle T-Shirt.

She has so many fabulous and thrifty ideas on her site, that it was a no-brainer to ask her to guest blog this month! Please join me in welcoming Suzannah!

Hi there, friends at Blueprint Crafts!

I’m Suzannah and I run the blog Adventures in Dressmaking, where I share my sewing, crafty and home decor projects. I have so much fun posting about my ideas and work and learning about everyone else’s in the blogosphere!

I found Blueprint Crafts not long ago and am so excited to see Jordan doing Green Month–I love celebrating the Earth and saving money while being creative! I’m really excited to do this swap with her, and hope you all enjoy reading my tutorial!

Anyway, today on Blueprint Crafts I’d like to show you all a couple of my “green” crafty and home ideas. I do eco-friendly stuff around the house all the time; I’m a big nerd for recycling etiquette, I use paper towels about once a month, I always use the small burner for my tea kettle, and I don’t use excessive dishes in food prep! ;)

But here are a few simple ideas, and one fun tutorial to get you reducing, reusing, and recycling! Particularly in the kitchen and laundry room, the general theme for this week on Blueprint Crafts.

1. First of all, I love to make rags out of old towels. So often towels get threadbare and thin or raggedy on the edges, and it’s super easy to cut a couple of notches in them and tear along the grain! Plus, then all your rags match!

2. I know Martha thought of this before I did, but I buy soap in bulk and then put it into reused vinegar and other small glass bottles! The top nozzles are from Dollar Tree (come in a package of 2 for a dollar!)
Martha’s:

Mine:

3. I get creative with antiques and old linens. I have quite a few old pillowcases that I don’t need–who needs tons of pillowcases? You could also do this project with an old men’s shirt or old table napkins. Or any old fabric, really, but it’s sort of fun to repurpose things that already have a few finished edges to work off of. See my pile?

So today I’m going to walk you through a tutorial on how to make an over-the-door (or closet rod) laundry bag for delicates (I’m currently keeping my hand-wash pile like this:)

Not good. So I made a much cuter, easier-to-store bag out of an old pillowcase! Here’s what you’ll need:

An old pillowcase (or shirt, or whatever), a wire hanger, and some cardboard.
So:

I’m measuring 2.5″ from the edge of my design. Your pillowcase will be different, so make it whatever size you want, but mine will end up being 16″ on each side, or 32″ around the base.

Tear to get a straight edge. I’m making my bag 18″ tall, so I’m cutting and tearing the fabric into a rectangle 19″x17″ (half-inch seam allowances throughout on this project).

Mark your centers.

Now, repeat for the bottom and top pieces and the placket facing. You’ll need:
Two pieces 10″x2.5″ (the top)
Two pieces 13″x5″ (the base)
One piece 10″x4″ (the placket)
One piece of cardboard 12″x4″ (the base)

Hope that’s not too confusing. Here are all my pieces laid out:

Now, sew your placket down. This part is sort of fun–it’s the technique for making a welt pocket, but much easier and less frustrating! Align the placket with the center of the front piece (right sides together).

Sew 1/8th of an inch from the center line, down to about 2″ from the bottom. Repeat 1/4″ from the first seam. You should have flanked the middle with these two seams, leaving a 1/4″ space.

Now trim straight down the center, equidistant all the way from both seams. STOP 1/4″ from the bottom of the seams and angle two cuts toward the points where they stop.

Flip and press well.

Topstitch the center of the placket down.

Press 1/2″ under all around the placket. Topstitch it down.

Sew the main pillowcase pieces together right sides together and press the seam open.

Now, to make the bottom piece where the cardboard will go. Sew with a big stitch (or pin really well, with lots of patience during the next part) the two bottom pieces together with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Slip the cardboard in and sew closed.

Now, pin right sides together the bottom of the pillowcase (the center seam) to the bottom base. Sew all around. This part can be sort of tricky–the corners were a little frustrating! If you want, you can choose not to put the cardboard in at this stage and either make a casing or only sew the first three seams together first–you can figure it out if you want, but this is how I did it with moderate success. You could also make a casing if you wanted to remove the cardboard and throw the bag in the washing machine.

Now, do the same thing you did for the placket on the top piece. Sew offset down the center a 1/4″ gap, trip, turn, press, and topstitch. Make the slit about 6″ long in the middle of your 10″ piece.

Fold this piece in half and sew the ends closed. It will be double-thick. Trim the corners and turn right-side out.

Press and turn and press under 1/2″ all around.

The piece should be 9″ long, so pleat your bag into 9″ at the top. I pleated the width of the placket extra on the front and back, plus about 1″ on each side seam.

Pin the top of the back into the inside of the top piece. Sew down. You can take the pins out through the gap in the top!

That’s it for the sewing. Now you just have to take apart your metal hanger, bend it to the right shape, and wrestle it into the top.

Here it is!!!

I’m picturing it working best on a closet rod in a laundry room or closet, but it works on a door handle too!

Yay!

This is definitely a trickier tutorial, not for the very beginning sewist. I have done lots of simpler tutorials that are better if you’re interested in getting into sewing; maybe do a couple of those before you try this one! I am always doing clothing refashions and tee makeovers!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my tutorial and please stop by my blog, Adventures in Dressmaking, to see more sewing, crafting, painting, decorating, and design! See you around!

~Suzannah

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adventures in dressmaking, delicates bag, Green Crafts, Guest Blogger, laundry bag for delicates, projects for the home, recycled crafts, Sewing, tutorials

Leprechaun Pie!

March 16th, 2010

So I’ve been holding onto these baby food jars my friend Ashley has been giving me for some time now. And yesterday I decided to put them to good use! While this project was not originally on my list for this week, I just had to include it! Today, I’ll be showing you how to repurpose empty baby food jars and make Leprechaun Personal Pies, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

First thing you need to do is gather approximately 10 baby jars. Be sure to take off the label and run them through the dishwasher.

Next, you will need the following ingredients:

12 oz of White Chocolate Chips (or one bag)
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened (or one package)
1 tsp. Green Food Coloring
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Cups Whipping Cream, Whipped Until Stiff
2 Graham Cracker Crusts (I was lazy and didn’t make my own!)
1 package Andes Mints

Cooking Instructions:

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and 1/2 cup of the whipping cream. Microwave on high power, 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each time, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
With an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, the green food coloring, the vanilla or peppermint extract and the powdered sugar into the chocolate mixture until everything is evenly blended.
With an electric mixer, beat 2 cups of whipping cream until it is stiff. Gently fold the whipped cream into the white (or green rather!) chocolate mixture, taking care not to deflate the cream, until no white streaks remain.
Take your baby food jars, fill them about 1/4 of the way up with crushed graham crumb crust.
Pour the whipped chocolate mixture into the jars until they are about 3/4 full. Basically, just don’t fill them to the top.
Secure the lids back on the jars and allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight.

After you have allowed the pies to chill, reopen then and place an Andes mint in each jar. Looks so yummy!

Replace your caps – and now for a surprise! To give these personal pies a little pizazz (I love alliteration), I created these toppers for the lids – and you can download them here for free!

And to give these little pies a bit more flare, I zig-zag stitched the tops to scraps of green fabric.

And then secured them to the tops of the jars with a yellow hair tie.

Cute, simple, and recycled! Perfect for the Green month theme, and St. Patrick’s Day!

If you download the toppers and make your own personal pies, please email me or leave a link of the pictures!

Until next time!

Comments ( 13 )

Green Crafts, personal pie, Printables, Recipe, recycled crafts, St. Patrick's Day

Adding More Color! Pillow Covers in 10 EASY Steps!

March 13th, 2010

After changing the seat cushions on our kitchen chairs, I couldn’t help thinking to myself that our lovely couch was probably sitting over in the corner of the room feeling very neglected. I can almost hear it sighing! And I think Bruce agrees. That couch looks BORING.

Jaron and I first moved into our apartment in November, and because I love the Christmas season, I immediately began decorating for the holidays. So right away, our lovely new couch got some much needed attention with the addition of these adorable pillows from the Christmas Roundup Post.

But now, it just sits there, screaming for attention, and begging me to get rid of that heinous green pillow – it may be comfy, but who ever said fashion = comfort!

So today I’m pulling out those pillow forms I used over Christmas, and I’m going to finally give them and the couch the makeover they deserve!

This week, I stopped over at Joann’s (who is having an AMAZING sale right now!) and picked up this lovely collection of fabrics.

Don’t you just love the color combo!

Anyways, first up, we have this old rectangular pillow form. It came from a bath pillow from Bath & Body Works, but let’s be real, who has time to take a bath anymore! So I removed the pillow cover, and I’m now ready to cover this baby up!

Step One: Measure your pillow form from seam to seam. Mine measures out to 15.5″ wide by 9.5″ tall.

Step Two: Cut your fabric for the front side. To do this, you need to cut the fabric so that it is 1″ wider and taller than your original measurements. So for my bolster pillow, I cut a rectangular piece of fabric that was 16.5″ x 10.5″.

Step Three: Cut the back two pieces for the back of your pillow. For a rectangular shape, each piece should be the same height as the front panel (10.5″). You can determine the length of the pieces by taking the length of your front piece (16.5″), divide it in half (8.25″), and add 2.5″. So for my pillow, I come up with 10.75″ wide by 10.5″ tall.

Step Four: Press the wrinkles out of your fabric. If necessary, use iron on interfacing to make the fabric you’re working with a bit more stiff.

Step Five: On one short edges of each of your back panels (10.5″ sides), fold over 1/4″, press, fold it over 1/4″ again, and press into place. If you have a fussy print like I do, be sure to fold under opposite edges, so that your print is facing the right way.

Step Six: Edge stitch down the folds you just made on your back panels to secure the fold.

Step Seven: Lay your neatly pressed front piece down right side facing up. Place the two back pieces right side facing down so that they overlap, cover the front piece entirely, and the finished edges are in the middle. *Again, if you are using a fussy print, make sure that the print is going in the same direction for all of the pieces.* Pin around the entire outer edge.

Step Eigth: Using a 1/2″ stitch, sew around the edge of the pillow.

Step Nine: Take out your pins, trim around the corners, and flip the pillow cover right side out – you’re almost done!

Step Ten: Insert your pillow form, and your finished!

I made a couple of pillows for the couch, and I think it looks much happier!

And so does Bruce, haha. I still have plans to add a at least two more large pillows, but that will have to wait.

The great thing about making pillow covers is that you’re never stuck with one look! With the pillow forms being reusable and washable, you can change them out the covers for the seasons, special occasions, holidays, etc. So have fun with it!

Until next time!