Halloween Pillows

I would call this "subtle" Halloween decor not outright spooky stuff.  My idea is to make 3 coordinating pillows that are fun but not ghoulish :)

My 2nd pillow has ruffles and the 3rd one I haven't decided.

You may wonder why I'm sewing Halloween pillows in July.  The deal is once school starts and fall kicks in gear .....there won't be time to make Halloween pillows or Halloween anything.

I also hope to make a black burlap table runner to match these fun items.

So pillow #1 is finished and 2 to go.

XOXO,

Karen

Hodge Podge Wednesday

My daughter placed her "order" for this pillow.  Of course I couldn't wait to make it.  It is the coordinating pillow to her anniversary pillow. They will be in matching chairs in her living room.

 I took pictures along the way in case anyone wants to see the process step by step.  Please let me know and I will post all of them.  The first step was to cut a piece of burlap for the front of the pillow.  Step 2 was to make my stencil.  I used my Cricut and card stock.  These letters were 5" each.  I taped them together and taped them to front of pillow.  Then painted them with craft paint.

Removed the stencil and let it dry.  Ready to make into an envelope pillow.

LSU shorts

I ordered my pattern from

Viola Lee Patterns

on Etsy

This pattern was made for a beginner.  I love them!

Whipped up a matching shirt and this little girl is ready for some football.

LSU Tiger Football!

My Tiger friends are counting down the days for me.

38 Days until Kickoff!

Are your little Tiger fans ready?

Sneak preview of 9 Frocket tees.  Yes 9!

More about that later.

Working on more burlap things, Halloween pillows and of course more LSU and Wampus CAT spirit shirts for my little friends.

XOXO,

Karen

Little Outfit

I just had to make Sloan a little outfit for her upcoming vacation.  I bought this fabric a while back and have been keeping it until I could sew.  The color is so pretty but I'm not sure what to call the color.  It's not purple and it's not eggplant.  It's just a pretty color.

If you see straight pins in my shabby rosettes that's because I have not really finished them.  I will have to do that tomorrow.  I googled "toddler skirt patterns" and I found this one.  It is very simple ( which I love).  You can find the tutorial HERE.

Then I went to work on a matching top.  I have been wanting to use the tank tops that I bought so I grabbed the white one.  I used the same fabrics as in the skirt.  Then I pulled the green color out of the main pattern and used a green thread for the monogramm.  It shows up well on the dark fabric.

TA-DA!

A complete outfit for my little grand baby girl.

XOXO,

Karen

Anniversary Pillow

 My daughter saw a pillow like this on Pinterest and talked about how much she liked it.  So I went to YouTube (if you're not using YouTube for how to's, you're missing out).  I searched how to stencil on burlap.  Little did I know it would be so very easy.  So I practiced "my painting technique" (hehe) and it came out nicely.  Remember that this is a Shabby Chic/French Country look so it doesn't have to be perfect.  In fact you want it to look like it's been passed down from a grandmother or great-grandmother.

So here are the steps to make a stenciled burlap envelope pillow:

1) decide on the size pillow you want (I use pillow forms instead of fiberfill).  For this I used a 12"x16" form.

2) cut the front panel 1" larger in length and width.  So for a 12"x16" pillow I would cut my front fabric 13"x17"

3) Now make a stencil using your Cricut or any electronic cutter or buy a stencil.  I made my numbers 4".  I used my Plantin SchoolBook cartridge.  It is really a great cartridge.  Love the basic alphabet and numbers.  Using a temporary fabric adhesive, I adhered my stencil to the fabric.  (the spray will evaporate on its own in a few hours and leaves the fabric just as it was before spraying it.

4) I used white acrylic paint and a sponge brush.  My daughter wanted white numbers but I think black would look great, too.  I dabbed the paint on, remember it's a Shabby Chic look.

5) Let it dry.  Only takes a few minutes.  During this time I prepared the back of the pillow.

6) I used Muslin fabric for the back for 2 reasons: I ran out of burlap and I thought the Muslin would give it some stability.  My burlap is a loose weave so I was afraid the stitches might not hold too well but I was also out of burlap :)  It worked well.

7) Cut your back fabric 1" longer in length and 4" longer in width.  This gives you the extra fabric for the envelop opening.  So for a 12"x16" pillow I cut my back fabric 13"x 21".  I was adding 4" to the 17".  Does that make sense?

8) Now cut your back fabric in half vertically.  Hem the inside edges that will be the opening. ( You may want to watch a video on YouTube for that part)

9) Put front fabric and back fabric together (pretty sides touching each other).  Pin and stitch all around the pillow.  I used a 1/4" seam.

10) Clip your corners so that they will turn easily.  Turn pillow case to the right side, insert pillow form and voila a beautiful DIY stenciled pillow. 

I'm going to do a large initial pillow also for my daughter.  We will use a 14"x14" pillow form.  So I will cut the front 15"x15" and the back 15"x19".

Easy, easy!

I found this jute at WalMart the other day.  It's called Jute but it looks like burlap to me.  Maybe that's what jute is but I love it.  I'm thinking bows or making a wreath.  What do you think?  It is only 67 cents a yard.  I'm sure I'll think of something.

I'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow :)

I'm heading to Atlanta to visit family.  It has become a summer ritual to visit my brother and his family out there.  He and my sister-in-law moved from Winston-Salem three years ago and I'm so happy they did.  Now they are much closer.  I plan to take lots of pictures to share.  My sister-in-law loves to shop and so we'll hit Ikea, HomeGoods, Tuesday Morning and all the other fun shops.  Maybe I'll get some good ideas and bargains.  Have a great rest of the week!

XOXO,

Karen

Envelope Pillows

 I saw this on Pinterest and fell in love.  I adore Americana anything especially flags.  In fact I have about 4 flag pillows already.  Anyway, I wanted to make this pillow and the pattern was for sale.  Ok I want the pattern but it was not in pdf format or instant download like most patterns these days.  I was not waiting for it to arrive "snail mail", I had to make it or at least start it right then.

 I don't know that anyone could pay me enough to make another one especially without a pattern.  I started by buying the pillow form...12x16.  Then I did a little math (very little math) to see what size ruffles that would fit on a 12x16 pillow.  Then I remembered I don't know how to make an envelope pillow so I went straight to YouTube.  The first video was perfect and easy to understand.  Then I went to work making ruffles and trying to get them to fit perfectly on the front fabric.  I won't say it was fun but the end product is definitely worth the trouble.  I did monogram the 5 stars on the blue section.  It was a 2 session project for me. 

It's adorable sitting at my grand babies little white table and red chairs.

 Ok I couldn't stop with one pillow.  And one with no ruffles is soooooo easy!  This is left over fabric from Grayson's birthday shirt...black & white chevron.  I had my back porch in mind when I stitched the extra large initial in red ( I have lots of flags around my house and yard right now and the red will match them).
 

 I feel like I've learned something new by making an envelope pillow!

Look out Halloween, LSU football season, birthday gifts, Christmas etc, (you get the picture) because I'll be making pillows for every occasion.

As soon as it cools off outside I'll be in my white chair on my back porch enjoying the beautiful summer weather and my envelope pillow :)

I hope you've had a great weekend.

XOXO,

Karen

More Bloomers for Sloaney

Did anyone see the cover picture of the new Pottery Barn Kids catalog that came out today?  An adorable little girl wearing monogrammed pink polka dot bloomers.  I must find a pattern without a center seam so I can monogram them.  After my first pair I couldn't stop and so I made a couple more. 

The pattern also includes instruction on making a headband.  I added a shabby flower rosette to this one.

These are my favorite ones.  The pattern called for single fold bias tape to use as a casing for the elastic on the legs.  I didn't have any bias tape.  My friend said that she always uses ribbon.  It works beautifully and is soft to the touch for children.  It worked like a charm!

I need to monogram a few tops to go with these.  I was thinking some type of patch with the name or initials on the patch....maybe an oval or circle patch using the mustard polka dot fabric.

Another headband.  This is the way the pattern showed it... with the little knot bow.

Remember this shirt for Memorial Day?  I made Sloaney a headband t match it.

These are a little time consuming but really fun to make and worth the time.  The headband is made from elastic covered in fabric so it is comfortable for little ones.

And another little project in the works.  A Memorial Day treat. 

I will share the finished design soon.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

XOXO,

Karen

Bloomers for Sloaney

 A friend at school passed along some of her patterns.  She has 3 girls and sews for them but they are growing up quickly.  She is what I consider an "advanced sewer".  I am a beginner. 

I wanted to use the bloomers from one of her patterns to make an outfit for Sloan.  I called another friend who is also an "advanced sewer" and she answered some questions I had and got me started.  The bloomers went together quickly and easily.  I used my serger to finish all the edges and I'm pretty happy with the end result. 

 This is the top that I made to match the bloomers.  I have been wanted this font for awhile.  It is the interlocking font that is so beautiful for monograms.  I broke down and bought it today

And the finished outfit.  Tomorrow night I want to make a matching headband with flower rosettes.  Will shall see how that turns out.

TGIF!

XOXO,

Karen

Shabby Chic Tote

 I have seen these all over Pinterest and have loved each one of them....the Halloween inspired ones, the Patriotic themed ones and the plain muslin ones.  I love just about anything with ruffles and then to put a flower on top of that....I swoon.  So late last night  I decided to try my hand at one.  This is where the inspiration and basic design came from

http://www.thefoglemanfamily.blogspot.com/2010/05/finished-object-friday-its-in-bag.html
 I had the black bag on hand so that is what I used.  I played with several fabrics until I got the look I wanted and these 3 fabrics did it for me.  My advice would be to pin your ruffles well.  The bottom ruffle goes on first and it is the hardest to sew on because it is so far down on the bag.  Then each row gets easier.  I think I would even consider opening the side seam if I did another one.  That would make sewing on the ruffles a breeze.

I used the same site for the fabric rosette tutorial.  I love it and I may keep it for myself {which I never keep or make anything for myself} 

So there it is....... a Shabby Chic tote bag. 

 Hummmm, I may want to give it away after all. 

I have had a glorious week and am ready to finish up another school year.  We only have 4 busy weeks left until summer!  I think I can make it :)

Have a great Sunday!

XOXO,

Karen

Busy Week

A busy, hard week + morning duty + painters at home (my house is discombobulated :) = a stressed out Bella but...........

a good friend at work brought us a chocolate cake Friday (and the recipe) which sure did make things better.  This cake is called "Never Ending Chocolate Cake" and I want to share the recipe with you.  Just ask.  It starts with a chocolate cake mix, choco pudding, choco syrup, choco chips and chocolate frosting.  Absolutely wonderful!  I made one this morning.

By Saturday morning I had my second breath and was ready to help Little Grayson celebrate at his birthday.  Of course it was a "firetruck" party.  He was oblivious to his guests as he played with his new firehouse.  Even a real firetruck showed up and real firemen!

If only time could stand still.........and he'd always be 3 years old

I am so happy to say that I have finished all my fall shirts......football, Halloween, birthday.....all finished!  Now on to Thanksgiving & Christmas.

Here are new Christmas fabrics I picked up.  This is the traditional stack of fabrics....brown cord, Christmas reds.  Lots of Gingerbread boys and girls, reindeer.....

And my favorite....the non-traditional Christmas stack.

A good Aunt ordered Homecoming outfits for her niece for this weekend.  Megan will be ready for some Wampus CAT football and the parade.

We made this one kind of generic so she could just switch the bow and it becomes LSU or Saints.

This is the back view of her skirt/leggings...oh she will be so cute!

And a Christmas design.....Rosie Reindeer.

I think I love Rosie Reindeer

Have a wonderful Homecoming to all my LHS and Pickering High School friends!  Go TEAMS!