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Tag: sewing

  • DIY Inside Out Family Costume

    DIY Inside Out Family Costume

    Fill your emotional buckets with this awesome and easy DIY Inside Out Family Costume. This post contains affiliate links and I will receive compensation when you click through and make a purchase. 
    DIY Inside Out Family Costumes

    Last weekend our church had their annual Trunk Or Treat. It was a lot of fun being that we’re in a new place again, which means new people to hang out with, and we could really show our stuff. About a month ago we decided that this year we’d try for a family themed costume again, and went with Inside Out.

    It’s the only movie we saw in theaters this year, and with our girls growing up into little adults, and dealing with all kind of emotions, it was the perfect one to see! We had one problem though – there are only 5 emotions, and there are 6 of us. Feeling a bit spunky, I volunteered myself to dress as Bing Bong – Riley’s imaginary friend for those who haven’t seen the movie yet.

    Guess what! Turns out besides a chili cook off, cornbread contest, and dessert contest – they also had a costume contest. I bet you see where this is going right? Mark entered the chili contest – no win. I entered the dessert contest – no win. We were automatically entered in the costume contest, and we WON. The kids emotions were all JOY when our names were read.

    DIY Inside Out: JOY costume

    Joy’s Costume

    Blue Hairspray – Target
    Yellow Summerdress – Goodwill


    DIY Inside Out: Sadness Costume

    Sadness’ Costume

    Blue Hairspray – Target
    Glasses – knocked out the lenses and spray painted blue – Party City
    Oversized Blue sweatshirt – Goodwill
    Blue Jeans and Sneakers – Closet


    DIY Inside Out: Disgust Costume  

    Disgust’s Costume

    Green Hairspray – Target
    Oversized Green nightgown – sewn into a skater style dress – Goodwill
    Pink scarf – Goodwill
    Green belt – Goodwill
    Pink Shoes – Goodwill


    DIY Inside Out: Anger Costume

    Anger’s Costume

    Red Hairspray – Party City
    White shirt – closet
    Red tie – homemade


    Fear’s Costume

    White shirt – closet
    Sweater Vest – Goodwill
    Purple Tie – homemade


    DIY Inside Out: Bing Bong Costume

     Bing Bong’s Costume

    Bowler Hat – borrowed from a friend
    Pink Dress – Goodwill
    Purple Tie – homemade
    Black Bolero – closet
    Finger Gloves – Fingerless gloves
    Paper Flower
    Purple Tail – home sewn and held on with a large safety pin
    Orange Leggings – Amazon 


    There you have it! It took me a good month to assemble all the pieces. I made MANY trips to the Goodwill, and even checked out a couple different locations. The kids were thrilled and I had a blast – even if I was making ties I’ve never made before 2 hours before the party. 
     
    DIY Inside Out Family Costumes
     
    What are you dressing up as this year? Have you seen Inside Out yet?

      Be the hit of all costume parties with this DIY Inside Out Family Costume! The perfect Halloween party costume.


  • Embroidery for the Home from the Heart of Haiti

    Embroidery for the Home from the Heart of Haiti

    *This is a sponsored post on behalf of The Everywhere Agency and Macy’s Heart of Haiti line. Thoughts are all my own. 

    I was about 8 years old when my aunt on my dad’s side taught me the art of cross stitch embroidery. I was hooked from the beginning and have never had a year go by that some sort of embroidery wasn’t done. Mostly I cross stitch; it’s easy, there are patterns to follow, and I like the look. Hand stitching is something I’d love to learn, and perhaps one day still will. 


    Recently I realized Princess V was right around my same age when I learned, so I pulled out the thread I’d inherited from my Grandma when she passed, and began teaching. Princess C was insistent that she learn as well, so they both were taught. 

    The motion and colors usually take me back to childhood, and watching my Grandma embroider something. She never was without a project. Her sewing came from a necessity to care for her family, growing up through the depression, and living through 2 world wars, her sewing was a gift. I have piles of quilts she hand embroidered, that I hope to pass on to my children and their children. One of my favorites though were the embroidered kitchen towels that always hung in my mom’s kitchen. 
    I was thrilled when I saw these hand embroidered cocktail napkins in Macy’s Heart of Haiti line. They are the perfect addition to our new home. If you’ve ever tried to embroider something by hand, you can appreciate the exactness of these stitches. So carefully laid out, to create a gorgeous yet simplistic design. I feel the Heart of Haiti has penetrated deep to the Heart of my Home. 
    If you missed my last post on the Heart of Haiti, you should check it out…but I’ll just remind you now. Macy’s started the Heart of Haiti line after the 2010 earthquake that destroyed so much of Haiti. I’m sure you remember it. The people are still rebuilding their lives, and Macy’s has stepped in to help. With their trade not aid campaign artisans in Haiti are able to go to work and create products that Macy’s then sells. These artisans are paid fare wages, and have been able to help their families out of poverty. 
    Macintosh HD:Users:everywhere:Desktop:women sewing.png
    The Ezrulie hand embroidered napkins come from women in the Fond des Blancs region, where there is no running water, electricity or paved roads. The women who embroidered these are part of a cooperative called Haiti Projects – employing nearly 100 women with Fair Trade Wages. Since Haiti Projects began, all of these women were able to send their children to school. That may not sound too impressive as we all begin to send our own children back to school – but in the Fond des Blancs region before Haiti Projects only 17% of women could afford to send their children to school. Now 100% can afford it! That to me is simply astounding, and wonderful! 
    You can purchase Heart of Haiti items online, including the Ezrulie Cocktail Napkins retail valued at $50. To keep up with the good that Macy’s has created in Haiti follow them on social media
    Currently I’ve added my napkins to my favorite new spot in this house, the kitchen window, along with a papermache vase from the Heart of Haiti line at Macy’s. 
    While I sit and enjoy my view of the children playing outdoors again (hallelujah for a backyard!), I invite you to watch this video to learn more about Macy’s Heart of Haiti, and how they are bringing hope to a country in need. 

  • DIY Ikea Chair Recover

    DIY Ikea Chair Recover

    While white is a beautiful color and allows any and everything to match it, it’s not very conducive for a home with many small children. Check out this Ikea chair recover, and find inspiration for recovering your chairs! 

    These Ikea chairs were so much fun to recover. Back in August I asked over on Facebook some opinions on different fabrics I had, and there was a 100% vote for the striped fabric. I was a little nervous, since I’ve never done something with so many curves – all my past recovers have been pretty straight-edged – but I had to give it a try.

    Three years and 4 kids, completely killed the white fabric from the original chair. I assume I thought the white fabric would be OK, because the fabric was removable. I was pretty good at washing the covers, but it didn’t stop them from turning very grey, and pen just doesn’t come out.  Mark suggested I try bleaching them, when I first mentioned my plan to recover them, so I gave it a try, but nothing changed.

    The recover began!  I wish I wrote down the name of these chairs, but Ikea no longer sells this particular style.  They are very similar to the Pello Chair though. From what I can tell the biggest different is the Pello Chair has some padding, while my chairs are just fabric stretched over a metal frame.

    I started the actual sewing process while the two older girls were at school and Prince L took his nap. Princess R enjoyed the time watching her favorite movies and eating snacks. It would have been great if I had a serger for some of the edges, but I had to make do with my sewing machine. If I keep up this sewing spree I’m on I may be able to justify buying one.

    It really was simple to do, and any easy sewer could figure this out. All I did was remove the original cover from the frame, and then carefully undo all the seams. Since I had two chairs, I kept one intact so I could refer to it later on how the seams were put together. Once I had the cover completely taken apart, I traced it out on the new fabric, giving myself an extra 1/2″ for any mistakes, and larger seams. Then I put it all back together.

    I forgot to take an immediate before picture, so this is not the greatest quality, but you can see what the original chairs looked like here in our home. 
     
    Do you like my new chairs? Guess what! I am selling these beauties!  I know I know, why would I go through all the trouble of recovering them, just to sell them. They do look good in our new home. My problem is what you couldn’t see behind the camera….a matching love seat set practically sitting on top of each other.  All in the name of a good picture.
     

    For more Ikea Chair recover check out these links I stumbled across while trying to find the name of my chairs. 

     
     
     
     
  • Reupholstered Patio Chairs #Tutorial

    Reupholstered Patio Chairs #Tutorial

    Last month I showed you the first reupholstering job I’ve ever done. I was thrilled with how 2 of my 4 Patio chairs turned out. I ran out of that fabric though, and was stuck on what to finish the next 2 chairs in. Since I wasn’t sure I could get the exact same yellow, many of you suggested a print fabric with a little yellow in it.

    I promise I was totally going to take your advice until I actually ended up at the fabric store with Mark in tow.  Since these are patio chairs, we wanted to make sure the fabric would hold up in rough weather. All of the fabric we found with a little yellow had designs that we just were not fond of.  So we went a different direction. I took more pictures this go around as well, so you can see just how easy this project was.

    When I first got the chairs they were covered in this swirly red plastic fabric that was becoming washed out in numerous places. When reupholstering something, you can either just cover what was there, or you can take it completely apart and start from the bones. I decided to start with the bones, but it became obvious the last owners, chose to just cover up the original fabric. A fun, though still outdated orange flower fabric. I believe the cover up was solely because of tears in the original cushions.  I had 2 layers of staples to pry out of this chair!

    Once you have the old fabric removed, you can assess the bare bones. Do you need new padding, new wood?  Although I definitely could have replaced the wood and padding on these chairs, they weren’t that bad. So I left them be. My next step was measuring, and cutting the fabric.

    I added a 1/2 inch to each measurement for a seam allowance. On top of the seam allowance though, you must add extra for around the edges. So the side of the seat cushion received an extra 2 inches in width so I have enough to staple it back to the bottom of the seat. The back cushion I added another 1 1/2 inches to the length for easy stapling to the bottom of the board.

    Onto the sewing!  At this point the kids must have been getting wild, or I must have gotten too into finishing it, because I have no more pictures until the finished product.Sorry I meant to have more. But I’m sure you can figure my directions out from here.

    I used a straight stitch, and 100% Rayon Upholstery thread. The hardest part with the sewing was attaching the edge to the seat cushion. There’s 72 inches of long stiff fabric that needs to go around a square piece of fabric. The corners needed to be just right, so they looked good on the outside as well. I’m still figuring out the best way to do this.  

    Key note here – because the corners of my cushions were rounded, I found (after the yellow chairs were finished) that when sewing around the corners instead of creating a right angle, try curving around them to match the cushion. It will look nicer, and fit better.

    Now that the deconstruction is done, and your new pieces are all sewed together, it’s time to reattach it. Grab your handy staple-gun (oh my goodness friends, the staple gun is my new favorite toy!), and get to work.

    Make sure your fabric is on straight with the cushion and then start with the four corners. Once the corners are done, staple down the edges while pulling the fabric tight. If you have an extra set of hands to  help you grab them!  Then voila!  Enjoy your new chairs.

    Now I can sit in comfort and style, enjoy some lemonade and a good book all while the kids ride bikes,and blow bubbles in the fresh summer air.

  • Not enough hours in the day

    Not enough hours in the day

    It’s official – there are not enough hours in the day to do all I want to do.  When I became a mom I started throwing my whole self into that – motherhood. Slowly I began doing things I enjoyed again – like reading. As a homemaker, the kitchen became my domain. 3 home cooked meals a day (although that includes cereal most mornings) has turned me into quite a little chef.  Having so much time to spend in the kitchen has helped me grow my cooking and baking skills. I can adjust recipes as needed, substitute with what I have on hand, and sometimes make stuff completely up and have it all taste pretty good.

    With so much time devoted to feeding my family, and just staying on top of daily chores, my other hobbies have gotten left behind. This last Christmas I decided to start sewing again. It’s not something I was ever great at, but I did enjoy.  So I made some hooded capes for my nieces and a hat for the littlest one. There was supposed to be a matching dress with the hat, but I ran out of time. I finally made the time to get the dress finished – 3 months late. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

    Not enough hours in the day
     
    Of course now I need to remember to get to the post office with it before she outgrows it.
     
    I am actually really excited to have accomplished this. I plan on many more sewing adventures in the future, and perhaps more tutorials to share with you!  Now I just need to find the hours to craft, go running, scrapbook and garden. So many fun things, so little time in the day.
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     
    This week we should be finishing our bathroom remodel. It’s also the end of the month – YAY – so our menu this week is real simple!  Enjoy
     
    Monday – Paul Bunyan Burgers
    Tuesday – Biscuits and Gravy
    Wednesday – Beef Stew (from my freezer meals)
    Thursday – Hawaiian Ham Skillet
    Friday – Phyllo Chicken Rolls (another freezer meal)
    Saturday – Leftovers
    Sunday – Jerusalem Dinner
     

  • The Best of 2012

    Yesterday I shared with you a review of our life in 2012. Today I’d like to share some of the favorite blog posts. I’ll start with the reader favorites. These are the posts that were visited most frequently in 2012 (minus any giveaway posts).

    1. After (sort of) Kitchen We started our year with a kitchen remodel. 257 of you came by to check out the almost finished result.
    2. Should Kids Share a Room? In a new meme we started this year, Think About It Thursday, I told 151 readers my thoughts on whether kids should share a room.
    3. Why I Wear A Dress to Church  This has been my personal favorite post all year.  In an attempt to share some deep personal feelings on my religion, and a stand against a movement that I disagree with. 151 readers stopped by to hear my thoughts. 
    4. Halloween Costumes  In October 148 readers came by to read my ramblings on Halloween Costumes. 
    5. Upcycled Receiving Blankets  In one of my few and far between sewing tutorials, I shared how I turned our old receiving blankets into a quilt.  142 readers have read, and hopefully found inspiration for making their own quilt.
    6. Cleaning Microfiber Couches  Periodically I’ll throw out some tips on Tuesdays. I pulled 136 of you in to learn how I clean my microfiber couch.
    7. You Never Lose Review  135 people were interested in my review of the new auction site You Never Lose, where you truly can never lose.
    8. DIY Drum Light  As part of our Kitchen/Dining Remodel, I made our own Drum Light. 114 readers came to see how I made it.
    9. Making a House a Home: All About the Attitude  In March 90 of you came by and read my epiphany over something my then 5 year old said.  
    10. Over the Sink Light  Finally 81 readers stopped by to see the light we added above our sink during the kitchen remodel.

    Number 3 and 9 on this list were my absolute favorite posts to write this last year. I felt strongly about them both, and really let my feelings show.

    There were a few other memorable moments this past year.

    We enjoyed a new Link Party co-hosted with Diane from Simple Living and Eating – Foodie Friday! We plan on continuing this party through 2013 as we share more recipes, and enjoy all the food you’ve shared with us.
    I attempted another party – Think About It Thursday – that didn’t really take off. For now, we’re going to put this one on hold.
    Finally, my most memorable moment of 2012, was purchasing my own domain. Mark surprised me on Black Friday with www.homemaidsimple.com  Our new online home.  Within the coming weeks, we’ll be switching out of blogger and finding a new server and blog platform.

    Happy New Year
    Thank you all for making 2012 a great year! 

  • Keepsake Krochet {2012 Holiday Gift Guide}

    Keepsake Krochet {2012 Holiday Gift Guide}

    I love finding hand made gifts to give family.  I wish I could be the one making them, but there are some talents I lack.  I mean, we can’t all do everything; what a boring world it would be if we could.
    So whenever I can I like to support crafters in their talent.

    I’ve tried crocheting, and I just can’t do it. Maybe one day I’ll find someone patient enough to teach me, but until then I enjoy browsing the amazing creations from people like Maggie Knorr of Keepsake Krochet.  She has some beautiful afghans, totes and jewelry – all crocheted.  I’m going to turn it over to Maggie now to tell you a little more about herself.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My name is Maggie Knorr and I’ve been crocheting for about five years, but I’ve been familiar with it for most of my life.  My grandmother was constantly crocheting things and frequently it was things for me.  She made me three dresses as I grew up and also an afghan that I didn’t receive until I went to college.  She kept it in her cedar chest and let me look at it occasionally.  She did teach me the basics of crochet, but never how to read a pattern, so crocheting long pieces of something got kind of boring.  I never really showed any more interest.  Then, in 2005 I came across the prayer shawl ministry online and thought it was neat.  I decided to try to make a shawl.  I was following a pattern, but my one edge kept growing.  I went over to my grandmother’s to find out what I was doing wrong.  She told me I was picking up stitches.  I asked how to fix it, and she said, “Count.”  Well, a row was 109 stitches long and I wasn’t going to count that every row, so I put it aside again.  
    Four years later I came across something called Tunisian Crochet, and this is where you use a long crochet hook to cast on and cast off stitches to make a row — kind of like a mix of knitting and crochet.  I figured if all the stitches were on the hook it would be easier to count, so I gave it a try and picked it up just like that.  After about a year of making things in Tunisian Crochet I got brave enough to try traditional crochet again.  By this time my grandmother had passed away, so I went to a yarn shop and the lady helped me learn to read a pattern and I have just run with it since then.  I enjoy making throws and shawls because they don’t take a long time to make and it’s like giving someone a hug that they can use any time they want to.  Crocheting has become an important part of my life.  I feel I help enrich other’s lives by providing lovingly made quality items and gives me a connection to my grandmother even though she’s no longer with me.
     
    I also enjoy reading, writing, journaling, cross stitching and letterboxing.  I’m extremely proud of my son who is pursuing his black belt in karate and my hubby who is a staff sergeant in the WV National Guard.
    I could see many teen girls and moms wearing these beaded chokers. They would make a great stocking stuffer.  Plus they’re affordable for a hand crafted item.
    Beaded Choker, metal clasp
    Connect with Maggie on Facebook
    Win It!
    Enter to win our choice of tote from the 2012 Holiday Gift Giveaway
  • Craftsy Online Classes On Sale

    Craftsy Online Classes On Sale

    Have you ever wanted to learn something crafty, but don’t have the time? There have been so many classes I’ve wanted to take, to enrich my life, and learn something fun and new. As a mom, though, I can’t always get away for those things, or they cost too much, or I don’t live close enough to anything.

    Recently the local college was having a Reupholstery Class. I so wanted to do that, but we had just moved here, and were still trying to get settled.

    So, I introduce to you, Craftsy!  The online classes for all things crafty.  They have everything from sewing to cooking.  And from what I can tell, they are not just basic skills, they come very specialized to what you want.

    For example, you can take a

    After browsing them for days, I think I’ve finally settled on taking a Vegetable Gardening Class. Should definitely help us with our new garden next spring!

    BLACK FRIDAY to CYBER MONDAY
    Online Sewing Class
  • How to Upcycle Receiving Blankets into a Quilt

    How to Upcycle Receiving Blankets into a Quilt

    Don’t throw those old receiving blankets out just yet. So your kid outgrew these special blankets, but now you can turn them into an heirloom to grow with your kid. Upcycle receiving blanket into a quilt that your child will love to snuggle with. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated when you click on and purchase through them. 
    Upcycle receiving blankets into a quilt. It becomes an heirloom your child will love forever. After having 3 girls, I started accumulating pink receiving blankets. My kids grew out of them very quickly, and with Rosalina we mainly used them as burp rags instead.  For quite some time now they’ve been sitting in a closet, taking up precious space. 
     
    I was thrilled when I saw Heather from Handmade Haven had turned her receiving blankets into a baby quilt! A novel idea, I thought, and then they still sat around my house, just no longer in a closet. I finally decided the receiving blankets had to be taken care of before they were all lost.  It was time to do a little upcycling!
     

    Upcycle Receiving Blankets into a Toddler’s Quilt

    To start out, cut up your receiving blankets.  This can be done easily by folding them in half, and then cutting 2-inch strips.

    Online Quilting Class

    Next, cut through the fold so each 2-inch strip is now 2, 2-inch strips. 
     
    Now you have fun designing your quilt! Don’t worry if some pieces are longer than others you can either trim them down now or after they are sewn together. 
    If you desired you could cut your strips down further to make separate blocks, but let’s face it, I’ve got 3 kids running around, I could only keep those scissors out safely for so long.
     
    Once you’ve got your quilt designed, it’s time to start sewing! Make sure you have plenty of bobbin thread and spool thread.  Using a 1/2 inch seam start at one side of the quilt and begin sewing the strips together.
     
    Once you have it sewn, trim any edges, and dangling thread.  Iron out the seams so they lay flat going the same direction.
     
    Cut out the quilt backing – make it about 3 inches larger than your finished top.
     
    Roll out the quilt batting, and then take your new quilt top and lay it on top.  Cut the batting so it is the same size as the quilt.
     
    Lay out your quilt back, wrong side up. Lay the quilt top and batting on top with the quilt side facing up.  A simple cotton fabric works best for the backing since this is all sewn on the machine.
     
    Fold the backing over so it touches the edge of your quilt top, and then again a second time over the quilt top’s edge. Iron the edge down, then pin all three layers.
     
    Using a coordinating thread color, sew around the edge to finish your quilt. If you use fleece, remember it’s bulky, and it will “shed” into your machine. Take the time between edges to clean out your bobbin case.
     
    TIP: Most machines come with a cleaning brush, but if yours is missing like mine, a soft paint brush does the trick as well.
     
    You can make your quilt any size, I chose toddler bed size, but if you have more receiving blankets than me, you could make it bigger! 


  • Quilted Euphoria Sponsor Spotlight

    Quilted Euphoria Sponsor Spotlight

    I’m pleased to share with you all Amber from the Quilted Euphoria etsy shop and blog.  She is offering a tote bag as part of the Best Gifts of 2011 giveaway, so make sure you go enter through the button on the left!

    Amber lives in Utah (turns out pretty close to my parents!), and loves quilting.  No one can say it better than the person themselves, so here’s a little snippet from Amber’s about me page.

    Hello world, I’m Amber and I’m addicted to quilting! Not just quilting as I’ve come to find out recently, but I am developing a love for all things crafty! I have been quilting since I was 19, and crafting for…well however long it’s been since I started this blog! I was so inspired as a child watching my grandmother quilt that I decided to do it myself, and that as they say, was that.Then I discovered blogging and the insanity really took hold. And here I am!

    I have really enjoyed getting to know Amber through our separate blogs and her Quilted Euphoria shop.  Like Amber, I learned quilting from my grandmother as well. Unlike Amber, I did not take it up as a hobby.  I periodically help tie quilts for our church, but until I met Amber, that was the extent of my “quilting”. Thanks to Amber I did recently make another small scale quilt, and shared the tutorial of that on her blog.  On her blog, Amber also hosts a Weekend Wow Me Party, where you can link up and show off different crafts you have made. I’ve gotten so many ideas from those links, I need to stop browsing them and get crafting!  
    Now, if you’re like me, you love quilts, especially in the winter time, but you don’t want to spend the time, or have the time to make one yourself. Amber takes custom orders, and I’m sure she would be thrilled to put something special together for you! Quilts make great Christmas gifts, Wedding Gifts, baby shower gifts, and going to college gifts!  Really, I don’t think you could ever go wrong giving a quilt as a gift!  Just look at some of Amber’s handiwork – 
    Don’t forget to enter the Best Gifts of 2011 giveaway to win a quilted tote from Quilted Euphoria, plus many other amazing prizes!