I'm Anna. I'm a follower of Jesus, mother of three, thrifter, crafter, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. My goal is to live out each of these roles with creativity, and this is where I write about some of that. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll take a minute to leave a comment so I know you were here.
My aforementioned project isn't quite finished, but here's what's going on.
A fully-lined canvas bin, custom-sized to fit any shelving system.
You're going to want to come back soon and find out how to make them for yourself.
Now I'm going back to the sewing machine...
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Emma was home this week with a cough and sore throat. She missed three days of school, which I feel bad about. But I have to admit, I LOVED having her home for more time than usual. Since we didn't have to rush her out of the house in the morning, we had a leisurely breakfast with the family.
Fried biscuit doughnuts could not be easier. Pop a can of biscuits, poke a hole in each one, heat up some oil, fry on each side til golden, cool on some paper towels to absorb excess oil, and dip in a bowl of sugar. YUM.
We also had time for plenty of reading. We have been reading through The Little House Series
And sometimes Emma reads a couple paragraphs. Her reading level is well above her grade level, but her reading comprehension needs to catch up. That's a tricky thing. Any suggestions?
We also took a few moments (hours actually! The time with her seems so indulgent!) to work on our "sewing with children" project that I mentioned recently.
I wish I could show you the whole thing, but I have to keep it under wraps until the magazine comes out. Though I might have one more peek to share in the coming weeks.
I hate when my babies don't feel well, but every momma knows to savor those moments, because that's when the cuddling is the BEST.
Hope you all are feeling well this week.
XOXO, Anna
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Two hundred bags, cut and ready for sewing.
A stack of tags, for tucking into the seam.
Spud & Chloe's "sweater" yarn for the drawstrings.
Sewn.
Want one of your own? Jimmy Beans Wool just put them up on their website.
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Are you ready to turn this...
...into this?
If you haven't made your template yet, here's the tutorial for that.
OK! Let's get started. Here's what you'll need:
fabric or clothing to up-cycle
pen
scissors
self-healing cutting mat
rotary cutter
clear grid ruler
iron
sewing machine
optional: bias tape maker (or store-bought bias tape will work just fine)
The first step is to make a general design plan. I knew I needed 4 triangles from each of 3 dresses to make 12 flags. It helps to have a bit of a design plan so you don't cut too many.
If you are making your banner out of recycled clothing, remove any linings or bulky pockets that might be in the way.
Turn your piece inside-out and lay it as flat as possible on your cutting mat (right sides together). You may need to cut the side seams to make this work. If you had to cut away any part of the fabric surface (like around a zipper) make sure that side is facing up so you can see to work around it.
Next, use your marker or pen to trace around the template directly onto the fabric. I don't pin this, because that causes distortion, and this way is much simpler. The marks will be inside the seam allowance.
Don't move the fabric! While you have it laid out, cut along the lines with your rotary cutter, using your ruler as a straight edge. You should be cutting two layers. Don't separate them. Just carefully pick them up, and lay them aside. The right sides are already together, and the triangles are already lined up perfectly.
Repeat with the rest of your fabric. Keep each pair of flags with their right sides together. Even though you used a template and rotary cutter, each pair will be slightly different, and you don't want to try and rematch them later.
Stack all of the triangles together next to your sewing machine.
Leaving the top of your flag open, sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance around each. Back-stitch at the beginning and end of each flag.
To save even more time, don't cut the thread between flags. Just start sewing the next one at the end of the this one, and cut them apart later.
Soon you'll have a whole string of inside-out flags.
Cut them apart and stack them up for the next step.
Now, being careful not to cut through the stitches, clip each flag as shown here. This will eliminate some of the bulk inside the point when you turn them right-side-out.
Carefully turn your flags. Use a chopstick, knitting needle, dull pencil, or other blunt thin object to turn the point. Iron them flat, and trim the little points at the top even with the opening.
Now for the binding. If you bought your binding, you can skip this step. Otherwise, cut 1-inch strips of fabric that measure at least two feet longer than your finished banner.
If you have a bias tape maker, pull the fabric through and iron as you go.
If you don't have a bias tape maker, you can still make your own binding for this project in any size. Simply fold your strip in half lengthwise (wrong sides together), and press to make a crease. Then unfold your strip, fold the edges in along the crease, and iron again. Done! So simple.
Now, over to the sewing machine again.
Stack your flags in the order you want them to appear on your banner.
Starting at the very end of your binding, fold it over and stitch closed for about 12 inches. I use a longer stitch length for this, a 4 on my machine.
Next insert the top of your first flag into the fold of the binding and sew into place.
Continue sewing all of your flags into place. I like to leave about an inch between flags, but this is a personal preference. When you run out of flags, sew about 12 inches of plain binding at the end for hanging.
Take your banner off of the sewing machine and trim so that the ends of the binding are even. Then use this little trick to make a loop for hanging:
Fold over about 1 inch at the end of the binding.
Loop the binding around to make a basic knot, but leave the end folded when you pull tight.
The raw ends are hidden inside the knot, and the loop is perfect for tacking to your walls.
And there you have it! I love this style because there are no raw edges, and the banner is completely reversible. No front and back!
Make one today and come back to tell me how it went! Leave a link in the comments so we can all see what you made!
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A couple weeks ago I got a request from a client to make a pennant banner (or bunting) out of some old dresses she'd been saving. I thought it was a great idea, and I'm guessing that she probably isn't the only one out there who'd like to have a reusable keepsake like this one.
So. This tutorial will take you through the process of making your own. They really are very straight forward and fun. The skill level is beginner to intermediate.
The first thing you'll need to make is a cardboard template.
I made a template for a flag that was 5x6 inches, but you can adjust the tutorial to fit any size flag.
Supplies:
cereal box (for the cardboard)
pen or thin tip marker
clear grid ruler
scissors
Start by drawing a horizontal line with the ruler. This will be the base width of the flag. Mark the starting point, the ending point, and the exact center of the line. I marked my line at 0 inches, 5 inches, and 2 1/2 inches.
Then, line up your base line with one of the horizontal lines on your ruler. Adjust your ruler so that the straight edge intersects with the center mark on your base line.
Measure out the exact length you want for your flags, and mark it on this line.
Mine was 6 inches.
Now, connect the starting and ending marks of the base line with the top mark of this new line to make the sides of the triangle.
This is the finished size of your flag. But we're not quite done yet. We still need to add seam allowance. Line up the edges of the triangle with the quarter-inch line on your grid ruler. On my ruler these lines are orange. Mark 1/4 inch seam allowance around the entire triangle.
Notice at the tippy top of the triangle, I measured 1/4 inch from the point and drew a line across. This is not totally necessary, but it will save a little time trimming the point, and it makes for a more professional-looking template.
Now cut out your template (outside the seam allowance) and you are ready to roll!
You might want to just jump in without waiting for the second part of the tutorial, and of course that's fine. But I've made so many of these that I might just have a hint or two that could save you some time and headache.
Stay tuned for pt 2: "sewing your pennant banner".
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No time to chat! I'm too busy making stuff to stock the shop for the holidays. These felted sweater cars for girls and boys are now in the shop. Hurry. They go fast.
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The blog has been a little bit quiet this week, because I am trying to get some things done. Like this:
This pretty fabric is the front side of a new baby sling for a friend back in Indiana.
My slings are reversible, non-padded, and so flattering for new mommy.
They are also so simple and satisfying to make, that I was thinking about putting a tutorial together. I used to protect my sewing secrets like they were national security, but these days, since I don't sew as much, maybe it would be fun to see someone else's take on them.
Would you be interested in learning how to make a baby sling for yourself or a friend? Leave me a comment, and if there is some interest, I'll put one together.
And if you want, I might even share my secret for making the matching drawstring bag!
XOXO Anna
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A friend asked me to put together a couple kits for a baby blanket gift.
The blankets are for a pair of twins, one boy and one girl.
Each quilt kit had a dozen 12-inch squares, one yard of coordinating fabric for backing, and some extra pieces for binding.
She whipped these up in a matter of hours and sent me a photo.
So cute!
I love this idea, and I think we may see more blanket kits in the shop in the near future. Thanks to Abby for the great idea!
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It is amazing--incredible--unbelievable--how much longer a simple project takes when you have an infant. Well, okay. This isn't exactly the most simple dress I've made. I did have to actually read the pattern. And then read it again. And then squint at the tiny diagrams until I decided they must be wrong. So I can't blame everything on the baby. But we are just a few hand-stitches away from completion around here.
Some people don't like hand sewing. A lot of people don't like it. But I enjoy the pace. When I first got engaged to Donnie, I had grand notions of actually hand sewing my entire wedding dress. But then we set the date--only 3 months later--and I figured it would be alright to use a machine!
But I love that when you hand-sew an item you are able to contemplate--really think about why you are making this thing. So here I sit, with some great music on pandora (Nora Jones station!) thinking, hoping, and praying for the little girl who will soon wear this dress.
This dress that momma made.
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