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Easy Headband Tutorial with a Side of Awkward

June 14th, 2011

Alright people, after writing yesterday how I lost interest in crafting for a hot second, something happened and I got motivated! Ok, well not like super motivated, but enough so that I was able to put together this easy tutorial for you! Here we go.

Easy Headband Tutorial

Supplies:

Measuring Tape
Jersey Knit Material
Basic Sewing Supplies

Cutting:

Cut 1 – M” x 3″ Band (M= Measurement of your head minus 2 inches – this is where you use the measuring tape)
Cut 1 – 3″ x 2″ Binding Strip

As you can see, I made quite a few headbands.

Assembly:

Take your 3″ x 2″ binding strips, fold in half (right sides together) so that it is now 3″ x 1″, and sew in place.
Trim the edge of the binding strip.
Flip inside out.

Take your band and pull it through your binding strip.

Right sides together, set your band shut. Trim the edges.

Pull your binding strip over the band’s seam – and you’re done! Yay!

So you’re probably thinking to yourself – that was an easy tutorial, just like she said! But wait, what’s so awkward about it?

Well here you go folks, the most awkward self-portraits I have EVER taken. I feel awkward even posting this lol.

Alright, that one isn’t so bad, at least my tan looks good, haha.

Oh, yup, awkward.

I’m so not a model. And here’s the winner:

Why do I look like I’m in pain, haha. Well, you guys get the picture, lol.

Ahh, but guess what, the awkward pics aren’t over. Don’t worry, just a few more!

Like this necklace?

Ok I swear, that was the last one, haha. ANYWAYS! The next tutorial I do will show you had to make a necklace just like this one!

I’m going to try and harness some more of that motivation that I found yesterday and get you a tutorial tomorrow. So stay tuned!

Oh, and I wanted to let you guys in a little secret I’ve been keeping over here. Recently I’ve jumped onto the Atkins Diet bus, and I’m really liking it. But sometimes I really want carbs, like REALLY want them. So to keep me motivated I’ve started exploring new recipes and I figured, why not share them with you?! I’ll be sharing a new post every week – planning for Wednesday or Thursday – and I’m calling it (drumroll please!):

So excited to get cooking this evening! And don’t worry, I won’t disappoint, this first recipe is going to knock your carb loving socks off!

See you next time!

Oh and don’t forget about the Blueprint Blowout going on!

Comments ( 5 )

headban, headband, low carb recipes, necklace tutorial, no carb recipes, stretch headband

Good Intentions and a Tutorial

June 13th, 2011

Remember when I said the first two weeks of June were going to be dedicated to tutorials for items used when gardening? Yeah, I got lazy. I’ve got the garden apron tutorial here for you, but it’s probably the only one that I will do of the four. I did end up making gardening gloves and a garden pad, but I wasn’t very pleased with the end result, and couldn’t muster up the energy to redo them. So therefore, I’ll only be sharing the one tutorial this week. And if I get to the headband by the end of the week, I’ll share that too. Good intentions, just no enthusiasm.

Garden Apron Tutorial

Supplies:

1.4 yards of canvas or outdoor decorating fabric at least 45″ wide
Coordinating thread
Basic sewing supplies

Cutting:

Cut 1 – 21″ x 10.5″ (body)
Cut 1 – 21″ x 7.5″ (pocket)
Cut 2 – 5″ straps the width of your fabric (mine is 45″ x 5″)
Cut 1 – 21″ x 5″ (center strap)

Assembly:

First we want to hem the upper edges of the Body and Pocket pieces. To do so, fold over the top edges 1/4″, press, and repeat. Sew in place.

Lay your Body piece on top of your Pocket piece so that they are aligned at the bottom and right sides facing up for both. Sew together.

At your ironing board, take your three straps and press in half.

Open and press the right side in so that the edge meets the center fold.

Repeat with the left side.

Press in half again.

Now, open your three pieces, and with right sides together, sew the side straps to either end of the center strap.

At your ironing board, flip the pocket piece over so that it is in front of the body piece. Press.

Then we want to hem the sides of the body/pocket piece, folding over the side edges 1/4″, pressing, and repeating. Sew in place.

Next we want to sew 2 vertical lines to make the pockets. I did mine so that all three pockets were the same width. To make sure they come out straight you can use a soluble marking pen, or if your fabric is like mine, just follow the lines.

Now we want to attach the binding straps. Start by pinning the binding to your body piece, centered and right sides together. Edge stitch in place.

Then fold your binding up and over the back side of your body piece, pinning in place.

Edge stitch your binding shut. *Note – depending on how thick your fabric is, you may want to loosen your sewing machine’s tension so that the stitches are pulled so tight.

And voila! A perfect apron for your gardening needs.

You can also add extra loops and clips to store pruning sheers or keys!

Remember when I said I had good intentions? Well I certainly pulled through with this one – and I’ve even got 3 of these aprons to go up in this week’s Blueprint Blowout! One like from the tutorial above, and 2 with utility loops! Click here to get to the Blueprint Blowout!

Bidding starts at $5, and shipping is $2.50 flat rate in the United States (no out of country bids, please). The Blowout will run through Friday at 5 pm, so get to bidding!

See you all on Friday!

Comments ( 12 )

apron, apron tutorial, garden apron, gardening, Tutorial

New to You Outdoor Furniture – Part 2

June 3rd, 2011

It’s finally done! But before I reveal the finished product, let’s continue with the tutorial!

In my last post, I got you all the way up to wrapping the plastic around the wood and cushion to secure the cushioning to the wood. Next, you want to repeat the same steps you completed with the plastic, but with your outdoor fabric.

Here’s mine finished. And don’t worry if it’s not pretty – no one can see it anyways.

Then you want to take your existing seats off of your chairs.

The easiest way to do this is to flip it upside and rest on a bar or table. And I would recommend using a power drill.

Next, center your chair frame over your new seat cushion. *Note – be sure that your fabric pattern is going in the correct direction!

Again, it’s much easier to do this part if you use the existing screws and a power drill. All finished!

Flip them over – and enjoy!

I simply LOVE them! Perfect for upcoming summer parties!

What do you think?

Have you redone any furniture lately? I would LOVE to see! Post pics of your projects on my Facebook wall!

And don’t forget to check back next week for my first set of tutorials for the Summer Love series! See you Monday!

Comments ( 0 )

ikea redo, outdoor chairs, outdoor furniture

New to You Outdoor Furniture – Part 1

June 1st, 2011

So I had every intention of finishing this project last night, but after working out and profusely sweating, and playing with the dogs outside and profusely sweating, I found that as I worked on this project after my nice cold shower, I was just continuing to sweat. Needless to say I hate sweating, especially after just taking a shower, and so I quit about half way through haha.

Now that I have grossed you out – let’s move on to part 1 of this tutorial!

Here are the outdoor chairs that I have (accompanying iron, glass-topped table not shown).

Some of you might recognize these from Ikea – part of the Granas Table and 2 Chairs set. In their prime, they were perfect for the front deck. But, as you can see, the weather has taken a toll rubberwood seats.

Seeing this gave me the perfect opportunity to embark on one last final project for the New to You series! If you would also like to revamp your Granas chairs, or ones similar to them, here’s what you gotta do:

First, take the existing seat off of the chair, and measure the length and width of the frame. Mine was 16″ x 15″.

Second, find a super great friend who works at Home Depot, and have them cut you two 16″ x 15″ pieces of 1/2″ plywood. *Side note: You don’t have to have a super great friend who works at Home Depot, most of the lovely fellas there will cut the wood for you for free any time. I just happen to have a super great friend who does work at Home Depot – it’s ok to be jealous!

Third, you’ll need 2 cushions – about 2 inches wider and longer than your wood. I recycled a pair that I already had, but you can buy outdoor upholstery foam or other cushioning from Joann’s or your local hardware store.

And finally, you’ll need some cavas or outdoor fabric to cover the seats with. Mine is outdoor canvas from Joann’s – leftover from the tennis bag I made my Mom last year.

I also picked up a lightweight plastic drop cloth to help secure the padding to the wood, and deter moisture from settling into the wood and padding. (This is optional.)

You’ll also need a staple gun – which I did not photograph (duh) – and I used 3/8″ staples (also not shown).

Next, I cut the plastic down into 2 pieces so that it was 12 inches large than the width and length of the wood = 28″ x 27″.

After cutting my plastic pieces, I stapled them to one edge of each wood piece – allows about a 3 inch overhang.

Then, I lined the wooden pieces up on top of the cushion, centering them. Pull the plastic so that it taught and staple into place on the opposite side.

Continue stapling the other two sides until fully secured.

This is where I got too hot and gave up. Check back tomorrow for the finished results!

Comments ( 0 )

furniture revamp, ikea redo, outdoor furniture

Summer Garden Tutorials

May 31st, 2011

For the first two weeks of June, I am going to do a series of tutorials revolving around the garden, as part of my Summer Love series that will run from June to the end of summer.

Starting next week, I’ll post a tutorial on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I’m thinking that at the end of the week I’ll do a Blueprint Blowout for each item made that week!

Some of the tutorials you can look forward to include: