Dream Patio

via BHG

Ugh, I have been sick, sick, sick.  Somehow I contracted some sort of icky virus that seriously knocked me on my butt.  So I have spent the last week laying on the couch watching the E! channel.  On the up side, I think I'm all caught up on my celebrity news now. 

And finally starting to feel a bit back to my normal self.

And isn't this patio amazing??!!   Gardening/landscaping/patio gods, please magically make this appear in my backyard .

Along with this awesome planter:

 

Out Sick

Hope to be back soon.

Playing With A New Photo Editing Program

All my photos, edited in PicMonkey

Two For The Price Of One

1 thrifted tribal print dress = 1 summer dress + 1 eclectic infinity scarf

For the dress, I added a shirred elastic waist (read more about elastic thread here), and chopped off a bunch of length from the bottom, then re-hemmed.

Then I used the extra length to create the infinity scarf - I just sewed some crocheted trim onto the raw edge as it was already a tube, and done!

How To Repurpose Scrap Fabric Into An Anthropologie Inspired Tote

Have you seen these cute patchwork tote bags from Anthropologie?

priced at $78

Well, you can make one yourself for much, much less . . .


from scrap fabric . . .






Tutorial:

You have now created 1 panel of your tote bag, repeat these steps with the second piece of foundation fabric to create the second (or back) panel.
Now it's just a matter of assembling a basic tote bag.
If you have never made a tote bag, this is a great photo tutorial, which includes instructions on making the lining and boxing the corners.

Here is a pic of my front and back panel sewn together, before adding the lining:



There are several options you can choose from for straps for the bag -
1. Use a recycled strap from another bag like I did here
2. Make fabric straps like the photo tutorial shows.
3. Use purchased leather stripping (I got mine at Hobby Lobby), like I did for this bag:

sewn on by machine, using a super heavy duty size 18 needle

4. Re-purpose a thrift store belt, like I did for this bag:

sewn on by hand, which worked great since it already had the little holes punched

And now you have a fantastic, handy tote, or two!!

Finished - The Carnaby Skirt

Here was my Carnaby Skirt way back in February, in progress.

And here it is now, finally finished, of course just as the weather is getting warm - so it will probably sit in my closet until next fall.



All in all, it turned out well. The one big mistake that I made, was mis-measuring my waist which caused me to cast off too soon. And I ended up with a skirt that was too small. To fix this, I added a little crocheted panel on one side to add some inches around the waist - if you look in the picture, it's on the right hand side, where the buttons attach.

Modcloth Primrose Patch Tote Knock-Off

Facing off today, we have, on the left, the Modcloth Primrose Patch Bag, weighing in at a hefty $85. On the right, we have my handmade knock-off version, weighing in at $2. I think this may be a case where the heavy-weight is not the clear winner.

inside lining


If you'd like to try a version of this, here's the step-by-step:

1.) Crochet 32 granny squares. Stitch together granny squares into 2 panels of 16 (4 squares by 4 squares)

2.) Crochet your 2 panels together along 3 sides (crochet join tutorial)

3.) Crochet 6-8 rows of single crochet around the top, open end, of the bag

4.) Make and attach a lining.
To do this, first measure your finished bag - mine was 15"w by 16"h. Cut 2 pieces of lining fabric 1" longer than the width, and 4" longer than the height - I cut my 2 pieces 16"w by 20"h.
With right sides together, sew a 1/2" seam along 3 sides, leaving top open.

pinned and ready to sew

Fold over the top 2" and iron down. Repeat.


Insert lining into bag and stitch in place. I did this by hand using doubled-up thread and a back stitch:

 Photo  courtesy of Austintatious Offerings Vintage Needleworks

5.) Attach straps. I cut my straps off of this old thrift store bag - $2, which is where my $2 price tag came in, the yarn and fabric I had on hand:



Now enjoy your new, much less expensive tote!!

A Little Bit Crazy, But Kind of Cool

seen here and here

Not that I'd actually do this, except maybe for Halloween, but kind of interesting.

The Daffodil Dress

Before: thrift store dress ($1) - a bit matronly

After
(Sorry for the less than spectacular pictures - trying to take pictures while home by myself. I may have to break down and get a tripod and remote)


side view


trying to get a back view - kind of like how my tattoo peaks out (you can see the full view here)

This dress was definitely a "make it up as I go along" project so I don't have a full tutorial but I'll share the basic steps:

1. Removed the weird little doo-dad at the waist in the front
2. Used my seam ripper to detach the skirt from the bodice.
3. Cut a lot of length off of the skirt, from the waist end
4. Used the fabric from the extra length to fashion a waist band - basically a tube
5. Turned the bodice around backwards, so the front was now the back and the back was now the front, then attached the waist band.
6. Ran a gathering stitch along the top of the skirt piece and attached to the waist band.
7. Inserted a zipper into the back.

Give-Away Winner

And the winner is . . . comment #1 from Rachel (winner chosen via random.org).
Thanks to all who entered!!

Spring in Colorado