My craft challenge - Day 1- The Circle Skirt

After issuing my craft challenge (to myself), I started taking my measurements and making the pattern.  Making the pattern was very simple.  I then laid out my fabric and cut out the pattern.  Once the fabric was cut out, I tried and failed to get the sewing machine to do a zig zag or hem.  The material was too slinky and no matter what pressure I used for the settings the machine would not work.  So...I sewed the hem by hand.  It took awhile:)  I didn't have the chance to buy elastic yet.  There are no fabric stores in my town anymore, so a trip to Lansing is in order.  Who knows when I will make the trip, but I am anxious to get it done.  My girls are excited for their skirts too.  The fabric I had wasn't big enough so I need to purchase their fabric too.

Until next time.  Erin

My crafty challenge

I love trying new crafts.  The feeling of accomplishment I get after completing a project is exciting.  To add excitement I will try a different project each week.  To start this week's project I am trying the Circle Skirt from Made.

I will make one for myself and for my two girls.  I have some fabric already picked out from a previous shopping trip, but need to buy the elastic for the waistband.  This project is very exciting for me.  I will post about my progress and hopefully finish this by next Thursday.

Thank you Dana from Made for the tutorial.

Potholders

Holiday potholder

Holiday potholder

Large Pink and Purple Potholder

Holiday potholder

These potholders can be made to your liking.  Cut out the material you like.  A front piece, back piece, and batting.  Quilt the pieces together.  Attach binding to the outside, and make a piece to hang it.  Use at least two pieces of batting for a thicker potholder.

Make potholders for different seasons.  Customize your potholders to match your kitchen decor.  Get Crafty!

Decorative table coverings

These decorative table coverings are made from two different patterns.  The double sided clothes can be flipped over when you become bored with the one side.  Can be made to any size you require.  I use mine for side table coverings, instead of doily's. 

Holiday pattern

Red plaid and green pattern.

Holiday pattern

These items can be purchased at my website at Crafted by Erin

Stuffed animals

I bought the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts.  Inside they had patterns for these cute little stuffed animals.  I made the lamb and pig for my little girls.  The lamb is made from a sweater and from a baby shirt the girls wore when infants.  The pig is made with purple and turquoise fabric from their Grandma and Grandpa's clothes.  Their grandpa Mike pasted away this past summer and I thought having something that he wore would be special.  Use whatever material is special to you and give it a try.  There are many free patterns out there to try also.

Quilt

I saw this quilt design in a Quilt magazine called opposites.  I fell in love with the design.  Each quilt block has the opposite of the one side. 

Necklaces

I have been making jewelry for a couple of years now.  I find that originality is hard to attain.  However, I use magazines and craft books as a guide.  The above picture is a turquoise disc with glass and acrylic beads.

This is a glass pearls necklace and earring set.  The pearls are cream and red colored.

The colors in this piece come through better in this picture.

This is a long necklace of shell discs.  The colors range from turquoise, gray, rose, and silver. 

The picture quality isn't the best so forgive me.  The camera battery was dieing so only these few are shown.  I will try to post more soon.

Upcycled pillow Tutorial

I recently made a pillow for my daughter.  She wanted a Blue and Yellow room.  At my last trip to Goodwill I saw this sweater that was bright yellow.  It reminded me of Charlie Brown, so I thought using it for a pillow would be easy.  By the way, I can't knit very well.  The only knitting I can do is the basic pattern of a scarf.  So using a sweater was the only way to go. 

The first step is to cut out the size of the pillow from the front and back of the sweater.  You can make it a square or rectangle.  Just make sure the size is the same for both sides.  Place the right sides together (the sides you want showing) and sew together.  Make sure to leave an opening at the bottom for a pillow insert to go.

The pillow insert is a little smaller to make it easy to put together.  I made this pillow insert by using a dust mite allergy cover and stuffing.  I purchased a twin sized allergy cover from Wal-Mart and have used it to make all my decorative pillows.  I like knowing that when the pillow covering gets dirty it can be washed.  The allergy cover can be surface washed as needed.

To finish, put the insert inside the pillow and you are done.

Completed pillow.  Notice the quilt?  I made that too!  It's a full sized quilt and took me about 6 months of work.

Cute little flowers Tutorial

I have made some little flowers that can be worn in your hair, on your shirt, or clipped to an invitation.  They are made from silk ties.  If your husband has some ties that he doesn't like use those, or go to a thrift store and buy some.  I bought 4 different ties at Goodwill in the As Is section for $0.25 a piece. 

The first step is to cut out the shapes of flowers.  This does not have to be perfect.  In fact, I rarely use a pattern.  I usually sit in front of the TV and cut away.  Cut small and medium sized flowers from each tie.  The small size is roughly 3 inches, while the medium sized is 6 inches.

Once the small and medium sized pieces are cut you gather the center together loosely.  Every petal is gathered in the center and then tied off.  Next, you take a medium piece with a different medium piece, and finally a small piece.  Mix and match the colors for variety.  After you have the colors you like, sew them together with a needle and thread.  The picture above shows you how to sew a hair clip to the back side of the flower.

For more detail add glass or acrylic beads to the center of the fronts.  Use an odd number of beads for each flower.  Even numbers look silly.

You can also attach a pin to the back of the flower to pin to a blouse.

Clip it to a headband.  Clip it to an invitation.  Use your imagination and have fun!  I hope you like the little flowers.

Reasons to try natural bath products

The reason to switch from commercial bath products to a natural product is simple.  Safety.  Today's commercial soaps are full of synthetic detergents, petrochemicals, and artificial preservatives.  They are known to clog your pores and dry out your skin.  Diethanolamine (DEA), Propylene Glycol (PG), Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), or Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), Ammonium laureth sulfate, and Ammonium lauryl sulfate are often found in shampoos, body washes and soap bars.  Research has shown that repeated use of DEA increases the risk of cancer.  PG is the main toxic ingredient in industrial antifreeze.  It causes skin irritations and dryness, kidney and liver abnormalities, dermitis, and rashes.  SLS is a cheap detergent that is only tolerable because is comes in contact with the scalp for only a few minutes and is diluted with water.  SLES is used in engine degreasers and in concrete cleansers. 

Crafted by Erin makes chemical free bath products that have no synthetic detergents, dyes, or fragrances.  All my soaps are made the old fashioned way using lye (sodium hydroxide).  You probably think that lye is a chemical, but once it is mixed with the oils saponification occurs and it is neutralized and no longer lye.  The basic oils used to make my soap are olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and castor oil.  The only scent additive used is essential oils, no fragrance oils.

There are many websites out there to educate yourself on the chemicals used in today's commercial products.  The website I used for my research was http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsalert.html.

If you have any questions you can email me at craftedbyerin@hotmail.com

Cheap n Easy Room Sprays

Commercial room sprays can be pricey, but there is an alternative.  Buy some distilled water, a small spray bottle and any scented oils you like.  You can also use vanilla extract for scent.  The great thing about using homemade room sprays is knowing that it contains NO chemical additives. Studies have shown that the chemicals used in commercial sprays coat your nasal passages.  At my website I sell three different scents.  Deodorizing, Orange Spice, and Pet Deodorizing.  If for any reason you don't want to make your own I will gladly sell you mine:)  You can visit my site at http://ajmclain.com/cbe.html. I would love to hear your ideas on cheap and easy products or solutions. 

Room Spray comes in three different scents.