Two Posts in a Week...

Hello. My name is LeAnne and I am addicted to shirring.

Seriously.

But when the results are like this

can you blame me? (The red, white, and blue one is a tunic w/spaghetti straps.)

My favorite though has been the pink one. I love how it turned out!

This is the quickest little dress ever. I also made a white peasant underdress to go with the dresses.

Anyone else out there shirring up a storm? (Along with many other sewers/bloggers this summer.) Anyone want to learn? I am toying with putting up a tutorial for the dress...not sure though. I know there are already loads of cute ones out there.

Let me know your two cents.

LeAnne :)

Tutorial: Quick and Festive 4th of July Crowns

I love the 4th of July. I have many wonderful memories of this holiday from my childhood. My parents always hosted a Pancake Breakfast on the morning of the 4th. We made hats out of newspaper, decorated our bikes with streamers in the spokes, and of course had lots of blueberry pancakes! It was always a great morning. I remember one year we decided not to host a Pancake Breakfast so no formal invites were sent out. However, some families were so accustomed to coming that people still showed up at our front door!

Too bad this cute idea wasn't around back then because these fun and festive 4th of July Crowns would have been one of the projects at that Pancake Breakfast.

(This project goes way back. I have to give a shout out to my friend Katie who made similar crowns like this for us to wear to HS football games back in the day. We like to say she started a trend at our school with these crowns...they started popping up all over the place after she made them for us!)

A few weeks ago I found this festive garland at the Dollar Tree. I immediately remembered Katie's crowns and knew I had to make some. I made a bunch yesterday, they are a super quick and very festive.

Safety Note: The garland is wired and can be pointy on the end. Be sure that adults cut and twist the wire.

All you need is:
wired star garland (I found mine at the Dollar Tree, 25 feet for a dollar...what a deal!)
curling ribbon
scissors
masking tape

1. Measure around your head, adding some so you can twist the ends together. Cut your desired amount of garland.

2. Twist the ends together. I removed some of the stars from the ends so I could better twist the ends together. The ends of the garland can be pointy.  If you are concerned about the pointy ends, you can cover the twisted bunch with tape. (Then cover the tape with the ribbons.)

3. Then, take a shorter length of garland, 6 inches or so, and twist it  back and forth through the back covering where you twisted or taped.

4.  I made three 'tiers' of ribbon length. (I really didn't measure how long they were, this is just an estimate. Your lengths may vary based on the age you are making the crowns for.)

For the 1st tier I made two bunches of the four colors measuring about two yards in length.
For the 2nd tier I made two bunches of the four colors measuring about one yard in length.
For the 3rd tier I made one bunch of the four colors measuring about 18" in length.

Tie ribbons on to crown so there are equal amounts on each side. Secure with a tight double knot. The last tier can be tied into a loose bow.  I only lightly curled some of the ribbons that needed it. Most of the curling ribbon I did not curl.

Quick and so easy! These adorable crowns sparkle, glitter, and shine in the sunshine! Also, they can be made for almost any occasion. Imagine how patriotic these would look for girls to wear welcoming home a family member or friend that has served in the military.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Fourth! Oh. And because I know I will be having lots of pancakes on the Fourth, here are some of my favs...

Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip Pancakes w/ Cinnamon Cream 

Soo good with fresh blueberries....

Our Best Bite's Buttermilk Pancakes

If you make those pancakes you have to make the Buttermilk Syrup to go with. D-I-V-I-N-E

PW's Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Yes. I love pancakes. Yum.

New Owl Totes...

My owl tote stock needed a breath of bright, colorful fabrics.  The beloved Gracie is back, but she had a little bit of a mishap with my scissors.  Hearing 'snip' when you weren't planning on it is never good. (Don't ask me how it happened.) Of course the little mishap occured after she was all put together, so I am offering her at a discount. She is still a darling tote and completely perfect in every other way.

I still have a tutorial in the works for you all. It is coming. Promise.

ps...I also have too many ideas in my head right now. I wish I could multi-task up the wazoo so I could actually make them all.

pps....Oh...if you are up late and craving a quick chocolate chip cookie, go here to get a great recipe. And while you are at it drool over Camille's amazing quilting abilities. I love her quilts. I want to make this quilt exactly as it is pictured. EDIT: Or someone can just make one for me. :)

K...off to maybe make one of those ideas a reality. Just maybe.

Snowy the Owl Tote aka - the Harry Potter tote

After a long absence from the shop, I am happy to share that the Snowy Owl Totes are back! Thanks to my wonderful friend Katie for allowing me to use her little boy as a model.

Doesn't he make just the cutest Harry Potter?

 

Love all those feathers as always.

Happy Monday!

LeAnne :)

Sewing Tips: Using Serger Thread On a Regular Machine

Do you ever see those big spools of thread for the serger and wonder...'Does serger thread work on a sewing machine?' They can work on a machine, but only if you have one of these funky looking gadgets.

I dunno what they are called, but I found mine on the notions wall at Joann's. I know it cost around five bucks with a 40% off coupon. (Or you could get it when their notions wall is 50% off or BOGO.) Using serger thread is much more affordable. I usually buy most colors this way, then have the smaller spools for colors I don't use as much.

Happy Thursday!

my Colors Quiet Book - Reader Projects

I am happy to see versions of the 'my colors' quiet/fabric book popping up...

Here are some photo's from Amanda at Gypsy Soul:

Then Leah's great book:

Both books look awesome! If you have pictures make sure to post them to the Everyday Celebrations Flickr group! I'd love to see your finished product and feature some on the blog! So post or email them to me when you are done.

Lettering kits are still available!

Sewing Tips: Yardage Card

So I've had a boring piece of paper holding the vital info of  'how many inches are in 5/8 of a yard?' in the front of my sewing binder for far too long. This weekend I decided to make it not-so-boring. I ended up making it business card size because well...smaller is cuter right? I could even put it in a tiny frame and put it on my sewing table. Hmmmm....just might do that.

When I was done, I figured I wasn't the only one who easily forgot how many inches are in 5/8 of a yard. So here it is for you all. I even made it in different colors. Are you shocked that it involves polka dots?

To print: Right click on the color you like. Click 'Save Image As'. Then click on the image in its saved location and print. (Now my printer defaulted to make the card take up the entire page. I just clicked off 'Scale to Fit' and clicked on 'Scale' and set it to 100%. Now each printer will be different...so can't help you much on that.)

Enjoy!