I'm Now On Etsy!

I am so excited to announce my new Etsy shop, SeeLaceySew! I have worked hard the past few days/weeks/months preparing for this, so excited is an understatement.

seelaceysew.etsy.com

Take a look, favorite it if you like, share it with your friends!

I'm also on instagram... @seelaceysew You can get updates on what I am working on, interested in, and selling!



Thanks!

--Katie

Fort Worth ArtsGoggle

A few weeks ago I participated in the Fort Worth Arts Goggle. It was a great learning experience to say the least. After weeks of preparation, time, sweat, and some tears, I was ready.

I was pretty pleased with the overall look of the booth, but the weather was gloomy and thus not a lot of people. It was fun hanging out with my friends the whole day though. My sister and a good friend of mine both participated and we all shared  booth. Check out the pictures below. Remember, all of the items pictured are for sale, so leave a comment if you're interested!

I will be participating in some other local craft fairs in the upcoming weeks, stop by and say hello! Let me know what you think of it all in the comments below!

Happy Crafting!
-Katie

 

Garage Sale Finds: Patio Table and Chairs

I was driving around town for work one day and passed this awesome looking garage sale. Normally I wouldn't have stopped since I was working and all, but I had to. I saw some amazing things (like a wickers dresser and singer sewing tables) but I couldn't take them all. This table and chairs struck my fancy though, and I had been looking for something for our patio!

The metal frame was (and still is) a bit distorted. That can be fixed though. The glass top was in great condition, and with a little TLC I knew I could get it looking great. In my excitement I forgot to take any pictures of it at the garage sale, bummer. I have a few from the before stages though.

The chair color is Green Apple in Satin, the table is Iced Gray also in satin. I got both of the spray paints at Home Depot. The fabric was a steal at JoAnn's, along with the foam used to make the cushions.

For the cushions, I just traced the wood seat bottoms onto the foam and cut it out, wrapped the fabric around and stapled it to the bottom. I might run into some issues if it rains, but we will see. My patio is covered so they shouldn't get too wet. If you have an uncovered patio I would suggest making the cushions detachable.

I just love the way it turned out. It is absolutely perfect! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! Also, check out my other patio make over from a few months ago!

Happy Crafting!
--Katie

Apartment Patio Makeover

It can be tough trying to design an outdoor space when you have very little of it. I love to sit outside and enjoy the weather, but with an apartment it can be hard to create a space you enjoy. It started out like this:

I moved a few weeks ago and I was determined to create the space I wanted, and I think I have succeeded. I went out and bought some fall plants, partial shade of course since there is a cover on my patio, and I potted them! I felt very good about myself after getting my hands in the dirt (another thing that doesn't happen often when you live in an apartment).

The pop of color from the flowers and my furniture was just what I needed to make this space mine. I am very happy with how it turned out. Let me know what you think!

--Katie

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are amazing. I found the recipe at Cooking Classy, and was drawn in by the wonderful pictures (I'm a sucker for food photography).

I am including my tips after baking them once, and my pictures which aren't nearly as good as Jaclyn's.

Cooking Classy: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

1. Use an oven thermometer. I live in an apartment and I am pretty sure that my oven is actually colder than what I set it to. They came out a little underdone. Which could be due to......

2. Make sure you make them SMALL. I was rolling little cookie dough balls thinking "there is no way they need to be THIS small!!" They do. Trust me. When she says teaspoon size, she means it. Mine are a little bigger, smaller than a table spoon, but still not small enough. 

3. Melt the butter all the way! I never realized how much smoother this made my cookies until she detailed it in her recipe. 

4. Keep them away from friends and family unless you want to be baking up a storm on a regular basis. These cookies are delicious and going fast. I have eaten three just while writing this post. 

Enjoy!

--Katie

Personalized Pillows

I love making these as gifts! Pillow cases are so easy to make, especially if you skip the zipper.

Quick tutorial if you don't know how to make one:

1. Measure your pillow. (duh)
2. Cut a piece of fabric that is 1" taller and 2x plus 5 inches wider. So if your pillow is a 12"x12" square, cut a piece of fabric that is 13"x29". Got it?
3. Hem the ends on the short side using a .5" hem or smaller
4. Fold it so that the ends overlap, hem side up, in the middle of the pillow.
5. Stitch around the open edges, straight down, using a .5" hem or smaller.
6. Unfold, stuff in your pillow, enjoy!

Now these I made a little differently. I cut three pieces, since the front and back are different fabrics. The front piece is the dimensions plus 1", and the back is the dimensions plus 1"on the height, and 5" on the length. Cut the fabric where you like, that is where the opening will be. Follow the same idea as before, only now you have 4 sides to stitch up, not just two, because there is no fold. 

Make sure you put the design part front side down, I goofed that up the first time. :)

The writing is done on my cameo, I cut the words out of freezer paper using a 2 on the blade and copy paper setting. You can iron the freezer paper onto the fabric (burlap in this case) and paint over it so it acts as a stencil! Pretty neat!

If you don't have a cameo (or cricut) you can cut any stencil out of freezer paper you want. Maybe print the words out on copy paper, trace, and cut them out. Takes more time but it has the same effect.

I used acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium. Directions for mixing are on the fabric medium bottle. Just painted it on there, let it dry, and peeled off the stencil!

I hope my mom loves them as much as I do. Even though they weren't mailed in time for her birthday (sorry mom!).

Leave a comment and let me know how yours turned out!

Yarn Heaven

This week I am in Austin, TX, with my students on a school trip. I love this town for so many reasons (like the food), but I think number one on my list is Hill Country Weavers. This store is amazing. Every time I go in there I get lost in the colors, textures, and overall appeal of the store. I think you would have a great time even if you aren't into yarn crafts really, it is just that great. The staff is just wonderful, they are always incredibly friendly when I stop in. 

This time I noticed, in true Austin style, a sign above the register that said "see it here, love it here, buy it here, keep us here". Really a great reminder to us all to support small business. I have many friends who buy their yarn online just to save time and a few bucks but I couldn't go without touching, feeling, and seeing the yarn in person before purchasing. I think that takes the fun out of deciding on the perfect yarn for a project. 

What project you ask? Stick around, as soon as I decide on what to make I will let you know. I did pick up a few skeins of Blue Sky, worsted cotton in a beautiful gray and light teal color. I just love them. I'm thinking a granny square lap blanket. What do you think?

DIY Maxi Skirt

I have pinned so many DIY maxi tutorials, and they are all different. Last summer, as many of my friends know, I made a TON of custom maxi skirts. They are so easy. I have developed my own special method, not that it is any easier or harder really, just my own method. I love to use jersey knit fabric, but any fabric with a slight stretch will work!

Supplies:
2 1/2 yards of stretchy fabric (gives you wiggle room)
Coordinating Thread
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Pins
Measuring tape





Step 1: Measure

Measure yourself. Be honest here. I know some of us don't like our hip and waist measurements, but your skirt won't fit if you aren't honest. Measure around your hips (or wherever you want your skirt to sit) and from there to the floor. Write that down. Next measure your step. What? Yes, your step. walk around a little while and stop, mid step, and measure from ankle to ankle. This is how big (plus a few inches) you want the bottom of each piece to be. I'll explain later. 


My measurements (size 10/12, and really tall):
Hip:39"
Hip to Floor: 40"
Step: 24"

You will see how they are used later, I will refer back to my measurements for consistency.

Step 2: Cut

You will need four pieces. Well, two sets of two different pieces. The first one is for the body of the skirt. You will want to fold your fabric right sides together, hotdog style, so that when you cut your piece is symmetrical. The top part is 1/4 of your hip measurement, the bottom is 1/2 of your step. So mine was almost 10" at the top, and 12" at the bottom. Measure down the fold your hip to floor measurement, out the top and bottom lengths, and then connect with a line. It should look like a right isosceles trapezoid (sorry, i'm a math teacher). I generally put a ton of pins in here to hold the fabric while i'm cutting. Remember, DO NOT CUT THE FOLD. that would not be good. 

Cut two of those. One is the front, and one is the back of your skirt.

Next you need the band that will hold it on your waist. It should be two rectangles, so you can just fold your fabric and cut two at the same time. Length is half your hip measurement, then the other is 8". Got it? Two rectangles, mine were about 19.5"x8"

Step 3: Assemble!

Your band is already there, right sides together, so just pin them so they don't move around and you're good. Sew down the short sides with a straight stitch.

The skirt pieces need to be opened up (unpin, if that wasn't obvious) and put them right sides together. Align the top, bottom, and sides as best you can. They may or may not have turned out exactly the same, but thats okay. Sew down the sides (the legs of the the isosceles trapezoid for you math nerds). Just a straight stitch, nothing fancy.

Now it gets tricky.

You need to invert the body of the skirt so its right side out. Now fold the band in half right sides out, its a tube now and you're folding to keep the tube shape (does that make sense?). You need to pin the band to the skirt right sides together, with the band on the outside of the skirt (think of it as inserting the skirt INTO the tube, non fold edge lining up with the top of the skirt).  Line it up so that both side seams are together. Confusing, I know. Pin all the edges together around the top of the skirt, there should be 3 layers. 

Step 4: Sew! (again)

Sew around the band/skirt edge, all the way around the top of the skirt. It is one big circle at this point (just making sure we are on the same page). The tricky part is at the side seams where it is super thick. Just go slow, your machine can handle it. At this point I use a zig zag stitch, it allows for more stretch. Now unfold the band and voila! You have a maxi skirt! I bet you feel pretty good about yourself huh?






An option at this point: you can hem the bottom of the skirt by folding it under half an inch and stitching, but I don't always. No one looks down there anyways. 

Another option: If you have a larger...umm.... butt area..... add a few more inches to the bottom measurement of the skirt. This will allow it to open faster at the top of the skirt, and not fit so tight.

Thanks! Leave comments, post pics of your finished work, ask questions. Happy crafting!

"You should blog" they say.....

Well, I've had three suggestions this week alone to start a blog. Maybe people are getting tired of my Facebook posts? Maybe they are wanting more information on my many weekend projects? I'm going to choose to be optimistic and go with the latter. 

Welcome. This is my blog. I guess I can be considered trendy now since this is what all the cool kids are doing right? Well, regardless, this is simply going to serve as a platform for my many hobbies and interests. You will be able to find DIY tips, project how-to's, photography (as I am now attacking that as a new hobby) as well as websites where I gather all of the tips and tricks from the greater minds out there. 

Now, its time to play.