creative little daisy

Boot socks- on the cheap

I've never made any secret of the fact that I'm cheap thrifty.

I could never pay ten to twenty dollars for a pair of socks.

One pair, not a pack. 

Not gonna do it.

But they are cute. And trendy. And I like to look cute sometimes.

Not twenty dollar socks cute.

So, I went to the thrift store and picked up a couple of sweaters.

Less than two bucks a piece.

And I cut off the sleeves.

Then I serged around the raw edge of one.

And it got all stretched out and ugly. 

So I dug through my enormous fabric stash,

and found some ribbed knit.

I measured around my ankle with pants on

and cut a strip of the knit roughly that size~

about 9 inches by 4 inches wide.

Fold in half, the long way, wrong side together

Then fold in half, end to end and straight stitch making a tube.

Yea, I have orange thread in the bobbin. Too lazy to change it.

Now, the tube is going to be smaller than the end of the sleeve/sock.

To make sure you sew it on evenly, place pins on each piece at half and quarter points.

Like so.

Now slide the knit tube over the sleeve and pin raw edges together, starting at the pinned points.

Then pin in between these pins, evenly distributing the excess fabric in the sleeve between pins.

The knit will stretch quite a bit too, but will bounce back.

Sew around the top edge with a zig-zag stitch.

This will help keep the raw edge from fraying and also will allow it to stretch.

For the other pair, I cut the collar off an old tee shirt and used that as the band,

just to see if it would work.

Cause I know not everyone has a fabric stash,

but most folks have old tee shirts.

It worked, but not as well. I really like the wider band better.

When I bought the sweaters, I thought I would come up with a way to attach them to a sock.

When I tried them on I discovered the benefit of making them this way, leg warmer style-

since they are open ended, you can reach inside to pull your pant leg down and straighten it.

You couldn't do that with regular socks.

I wore them last night and can officially give them two thumbs up.

They were comfortable, cute and best of all, cheap!

 

 Places I party:

 

 

Hello sweet friends,

My sweet Bayleigh asked her Nana to make her a Darfee (Dorothy) dress. You know I couldn't tell her no.

I used this tutorial for the skirt and just added a little bib and ribbon straps.

 It passes the twirl test.

She pays me in smiles and kisses. 

My heart overflows.

Interested in putting some piping on a pillow?

I have a little how-to over at Sew Mama Sew. Check it out!

The design for the machine embroidery pillow came from Meringue Designs. It is actually a combination of three different designs. The lady fern, technicolor vine, and poppies.

The white tucked pillow was really easy to do, I found the tutorial for the tucks here.

A pillow post

I'm contributing a tutorial for Pillow Month at Sew Mama Sew. Two tutorials, actually. The first will be published tomorrow and shows how to finish a pillow back with a zipper hidden behind a flap. 

{Sneakity Peakity}

I made three pillows in the process of trying to photograph each step. The method is very easy, getting good photos of the process was not as easy. On the positive side, I did get three new pillows for my couch and not a moment too soon. My pillows were looking so tired.

In the planning process of Pillow Month, I looked at a lot of pillows on the internet. I started a pillow board on pinterest to save some of my favorites. Some I felt like I could recreate, like this one from Dwell Studio available at Target. 

 

It's very pretty, but it's currently unavailable. No problem. Here's what I came up with.

And since I was already writing a tutorial, I happen to have some photos of the process.

If you've looked at more than a blog or two in the past few months, it's very likely you've seen a fabric rosette tutorial, or ten. I'm not going to add another to that long list, but I will show you a few steps along the way to go from rosette to rosette pillow.

If you've never made a pillow, it's perhaps the easiest beginner sewing project. It takes no time to master and perfect for those with little patience. Those who want instant gratification, me included.  Go check out Sew Mama Sew for a tutorial on the basics. While you are there, check out the contest they have going on. There are some great prizes to be won!

OK, for the rosette pillow. I started with a 16" square of dark gray fabric. To get the spacing even, I folded the pillows into thirds, pressed, then repeated for the other way. Not rocket science, I just eyeballed it.

 

 Based on the spacing, I decided I wanted my rosettes to measure about 4". I cut some lightweight interfacing into 4" squares.  If you don't have interfacing, you could use a very light weight fabric. I didn't want to add much weight or bulk to my flowers, but wanted something strong enough to hold up to hot glue. 

Most of the tutorials I've seen are for a smallish flower and recommend using strips of fabric that are around 1" x 22".  Since I needed larger flowers I cut my strips 2" x the whole width of fabric or 44"

Fold in half, the long way and press. For the beginning of the rosette, fold one end in half again and begin rolling tightly- several rolls then twist and roll a couple of times.

Put a small glob of hot glue in the center of your interfacing square and place the rolled end of the fabric in the glue

 Then just keep twisting, wrapping and gluing until you are down to about 1/2 " of fabric. 

Cut the excess interfacing away from the flower and glue the fabric tail around to the back.

Repeat 8 more times. Yes, it's a little time consuming, but it's mindless work you can do while watching TV.

Arrange your rosettes on your pillow front.

Be sure to allow room for your pillow seams. Initially I wanted to use fabric glue, hot glue can be so heavy. Once the fabric glue dried, there were a few places not adhered completely so I just went around each one with a dab of hot glue here and there to make sure they were all secure.

Check out Sew Mama Sew tomorrow (Feb 4th) for that tutorial on how to finish the back with a hidden zipper.

I'm honored, flattered, thrilled, excited...

and any other nice words you care to throw in there. I'm delighted the nice ladies at Sew Mama Sew asked me to participate in Pillow Month. You can read my interview here if you like.  I love pillows and I love Sew Mama Sew and February is the month of love, right? I'll be doing a couple of tutorials one involves zippers the other piping. 

If you sew and haven't visited SMS, you should. They have TONS of tutorials and tips. If you don't sew but think you would like to try, this is the perfect time. Pillows are the perfect beginner project.

 

 

About the interview, that photo is a couple of years old and obviously not January. I had no problems answering questions, but submitting a photo.... eek! I am the most unphotogenic person you could hope to meet. I am allergic to getting my picture taken and no matter how hard I try to look normal, my face contorts and I just look crazy. I'm typically behind the camera so there aren't that many photos of me to choose from and then to find one of the few that I actually don't cringe at the thought of people seeing... well, that photo is the best I could do. 

 

It's no use crying over spilled...

Hot Chocolate?  I knocked over a full cup of hot chocolate a couple of weeks ago. A cocoa volcano erupted all over this chair. I don't think I ever got around to blogging about her latest re-do. I've painted and recovered the old girl no less than 72 times. Well, maybe a few less than 72 but definitely no less than 6. The latest look, the one before her current look was made from a walmart clearance shower curtain. I used the same fabric, to make drapes for the dining room, but that's getting off topic. Oh well, since I mentioned it, here they are.

This photo doesn't show it, but the shower curtain wasn't long enough, so I stitched a solid gray band to the bottom. Not sure I love them. The vertical stripes get lost. I'm thinking I'll get some white fabric and paint horizontal stripes. I saw it done but didn't bookmark the site. Pre pinterest days. If you are reading this and you painted horizontal stripes on fabric to make curtains, please stand up.

OK, back to the chair. It was a hot mess. Literally. I would have been really upset if I had paid someone to cover it, but since I did the work and used clearance fabric, it was no biggie. I made one, I could make another. 

I dug around in my fabric stash and decided to go with a solid dark gray with cream piping.

I made double welt cording for the first time thanks to this helpful tutorial.   I used it around the back cushion and around the back of the chair. It's a little wonky here and  there, but not so much I want to rip it off and start over.

I think she's pretty sassy with her ruffly new dress. Don't you?

 

I'll be linking at some fun parties, check em out.

 

 

My fabric flower making frenzy

I'm having an extreme case of writer's block this morning as I sit here trying to produce some witty or at least interesting sentences about fabric flowers. Not happening. Witty conversation escapes me this Monday morning, but photos do not. I have photographic evidence of how I wasted the day away on Friday, happily making fabric flowers.

Some were fluffy and sweet for a pink loving toddler, while others were more grown-up and sophisticated.

Experimenting with different techniques...

Once I started, I couldn't stop.

A few action shots, a couple of pretties wearing the pretties.

They are almost instant gratification crafting, the kind I like best. I could do a tutorial,  but they have been done. And done again. Just google singed fabric flower tutorial, that's what I did. I studied several different methods then combined them. For Bayleighs's headband, I tore and twisted and glued narrow strips of fabric to make frayed rosettes, again the method has been tuted to death. I just made up that word tuted, meaning made tutorial of, not to be confused with tooted which means something all together different.

I finished the back in a way that allows the flower to be worn in your hair using an alligator clip or slid onto a headband or worn on your clothes with a pin. I could show you that if you like. I don't think I've seen a tut on how to finish the back, although I haven't googled that one.

OK, so I'm off to do something other than make fabric flowers. Mitch had to dry off with two hand towels last night. Oops! Somebody was so busy playing in the sewing room, she forgot to do laundry.

Gratitude Friday

Gratitude Friday this week comes to you from the sewing room. The sewing room I'm ever so grateful to have. I cleaned up the junk hole this week. Found the top of my cutting table, dusted off the sewing machine and actually sewed.  And it felt good. Just like old times.

I made Bayleigh's Halloween costume- not entirely from scratch, so I guess you'd call it semi-homemade.

The hat and the t-shirt were purchased, I added the little extras.  The tutu is a no sew version. Just cut and tie the tulle onto a length of ribbon or elastic. Easy! There are many tutorials online for doing this, the only thing I did differently was double up the tulle to make it extra poofy. I don't think it's showing up in the photo, but every fourth section of tulle is glittery, giving it a little sparkle.

I found the design for the machine embroidery/applique here. Inspired by this sweet shirt.

I made a couple of flowers to dress up the plain black hat and a matching one for her shirt.

She has purple and black stripey tights to keep her little legs warm and finish off her witchy ensemble. I hope she likes it as much as I do.

 

Pretty in Pink

When Alyssa was pregnant and learned the baby would be a girl, I had so many plans for all the pretty things I would make her. I made her first quilt and her crib bedding and covers for 2 bassinets (had to have one for my house).

I surprised myself by crocheting a sweet little hat for her to wear home from the hospital. There were also two itty bitty dresses that were so itty bitty, the were too small for her nearly 8 pound newborn self. In the two and a half years since her birth, I've failed to make all the frilly dresses I'd envisioned. I watch her while mommy works, so we spend our days playing, leaving very little time for sewing. Playing is more fun and more important, but after seeing this cutie, I decided I must get back in the sewing room. I may have overdone the pink. Can you over-do it when it comes to little girls and pink? 

I didn't use a pattern, just an easy little elastic waist skirt in super cute fabric I'd been saving for something special. Yea, I'd say she meets that requirement.  I believe the fabric is older than the girl.

The flowers are just circles of chiffon fabric, edges curled by holding over a candle.

She loved it and has already placed her next order.

 

A pillowcase dress

How's that for a clever title?

I finally got around to making Bayleigh a pillowcase dress.  There are loads of tutorials just a google search away.  Most are free but I also saw a couple you can purchase if you are so inclined. 

I shirred the top by sewing four lines of stitching with elastic thread in the bobbin.

Used a rolled hem on my serger to finish the raw edges (before shirring) and tacked on some ribbon for shoulder ties (after shirring). Easy-peasy!

It's great for gardening,

 and perfect for picking...