Designers: August 2011 Archives
So I was cruising the Martha Stewart Craft site a few weeks ago and stumbled upon this Lunch Bag Tutorial featuring oil cloth. I knew it would be perfect for our Dorm Days series and coupled with Anna Maria Horner's Laminated Cotton it could easily be adapted for a college student, middle or high school student. It is also a fun way to get motivated to start bringing your own lunch to the work place if you are rebudgeting or pack snacks for a mom on the go or for road trip snacks to reduced fighting. These bags are super easy and the impact is high. You could make a dozen in one day to give to friends and family for fast Christmas gifts or fill them with candles, lotions and homemade goods as teacher and caregiver presents.
My lunch bag was so fast and fun. I used Anna Maria Horner's laminated cotton for all exterior panels and followed the instructions here. If you are thinking to save time by skipping the topstitching, DON'T. It gives structure along with a finishing detail. You can finger press the seams before you topstitch to help keep the fold since you don't want to use pins. I also used a basting stitch as my topstitching because the longer stitch helped my machine run over the laminate easier. I also recommend making a cotton lining using the same directions as the exterior only with wrong sides together. By not attaching the lining to the top of the bag, it can be removed for washing. OR you could use Insul-Bright batting between the exterior and lining to turn your lunch bag into an insulated lunch bag, perfect for yogurts, meats and cheeses.
Don't forget to add a closure at the top. You can go with a clip like Martha or some Velcro like me. Grommets and a ribbon are also a pretty option along with buttons. Go crazy and have fun since these are so quick and simple and infinity useful!
Not only was I totally pumped
to have a go at the new HotPatterns
Download before it hits the net but I was also pumped because I love knit
tops. I am not a big ironing fan (though I do love a good pressed seam), so
wrinkle free and knit tops are big populators of my wardrobe. After I saw how
many pieces it took to create a Fringe
Festival top I was even more excited. But that was all a candle flame
compared to the sun of my excitement once I finally tried on my top! I don't
know if it is the fit of HotPatterns or the style or an equal combination of
both but few pattern makers final pieces make me feel as satisfied at
HotPatterns once the project is complete. The Fringe Festival is no different.
This top was quick and easy
and coupled with the grey Tencel
Jersey Knit that I used the fit was easy but sexy. The fabric drapes nicely
and the cut is perfectly shaped to cling (slightly) in all the right places and
gently bunch right at the hips. One of the bonuses I noticed concerning the hip
bunching is that when I bent over, kneeled or squatted down, I did not feel exposed.
Even with the lowest jeans, the extra long hem line gives you coverage when you
need it and the ruching hides any tummy troubles when standing.
I decided to modify it with a
dupioni
scarf and crochet trim. I wanted to braid the scarf in the knit fabric but
given my deadline I couldn't make it work to satisfy me so I practiced my
crochet skills instead. I used the given pattern piece to make the dupioni
scarf and used a simple crochet decorative edge that I found in one of my
stitch books. The crochet edging is working in Berroco Vintage in Pumpkin which
really stands out against the teal
silk and neutral grey of the top. With the casual sexiness of the cut of
the top coupled with the elegant silk
and lace edging this top is perfect of a date night, pair with a cropped tuxedo
jacket for a cocktail party or worn with grey wool pants for office wear.
The classic story begins: So I was surfing the 'net' a few weeks ago when I found this tutorial...
I would say that 50% of my blog projects start with the above sentence, but not all end with this sentence: As soon as I saw this project I had to make it IMMEDIATELY!
Most projects I look forward to, most I love to shop for and some I stay up late to work on. A select few get my heart pumping and my brain spinning. This is one of those projects. I love rugs. I love softness under my toes. I love a block of color, texture or design to make a room. I love how rugs can 'make' a room. Now I can make them too! I knew this would be a great project for our Dorm Days series because it is such an easy project, dorm rugs are often cheap in construction and in design and since you make it, you can make it to size, color and design that fits you.
To make my rug, I followed High-Heeled Foot in Door's awesome DIY Chevron Rug tutorial which calls for:
2 yds of home decor fabric
One 6x9 ft canvas drop cloth
One 5x8 ft rug gripper
Tacky Glue Spray
Size 14 needle
This tutorial was really well done and assembly was easy. You do need a significant area of clean floor space to lay everything out and a heck of a lot of spray starch to get all the wrinkles out of the drop cloth. I would recommend using the more expensive rug gripper that has more gripper surface and less holes and applying the same tacky glue spray trick to attach the gripper to the drop cloth as for attaching the fabric to the drop cloth. Don't flip over or sew until the tacky spray glue has dried. I suggest this because the gripper slips around and bunches a lot when sewing.
I used Valori Wells Wrenly Twill Home Décor weight fabric (2 yds) and this busy pattern lends itself well to piecing should you want as bigger rug. It will also hide spills or dirt which I am counting on since it is beneath my eat-in kitchen table. I like the print so much I am going to make a big rug by ordering 6 yds of fabric, cutting it in half and stitching them side by side to make more of a 9 x 9 rug for my dining room. Also, the amount of rug gripper I cut off would make the perfect size for a runner. This fabric rug is really customizable for any and all sizes. The rug feels nice underfoot with just a little plushness and stays in place very well. I am impressed with how well it turned out and how well it seems to be functioning as a rug.
Check out all of our Free Spirit fabrics to create your own Design Fabric Rug!
P.s. Of course my kitchen always looks like this and I didn't set the table just for you ;)
