More Craftiness

I had a pretty crafty weekend thanks to some wacky spring storms that blew up in the Memphis area.  I decided to try my hand at another sewing project - a camera strap cover for my new baby.  I didn't really use specific tutorial.  I researched a little reading several tutorials and then formed my own idea of what would work for me in my head and set it into action.  I was very pleased with the results, especially considering this is only my SECOND sewing project.  EVER.

I didn't want to destroy the camera strap that came with my new baby, just cover it up & make it pretty.  Also, I liked the idea of changing strap covers.  Many of you know I get bored easy.

I headed to Hobby Lobby & actually had a bit of a hard time picking out fabric.  I never really found anything that felt really me.  But I thought this was feminine and pretty so this is what I came home with.

I used a quilting ruler to measure my strap as well as my material.

I also measured my lens cap because I wanted to sew a little pocket on the front of the strap for it.

Measure twice and cut once, right?

Before I went to the sewing machine, I laid everything out tucking the sides in to see if everything fit accordingly.  So far, so good.

Off the sewing machine we go.  

My seams are getting straighter, thank goodness.  Takes practice.

Now, I added quilt batting to one side (the side against my neck) of the material because I wanted a little padding and comfort while carrying around my big girl camera.  But I was afraid to put it on both sides because I was sure I'd have a hard time threading my camera strap through.  However, after it's all said and done, I'm probably going to look for a better method my next go 'round.  

I think sewed only the short edges of the cover.

Then I attacked my little pocket, sewing him on the lower front of the strap cover (the side without the quilt batting).  I wanted to make sure to do this prior to sewing the long edges of the cover together.

With pocket in tact, I then sewed the long edges.

Then I turned the cover right side out.

Nice, huh?!  Not bad for my second project.

And now to thread the camera strap through its new cover.

Everything fits!  What a proud moment.  

Now that I've used it a couple of times, I will say that I LOVE the padding against my neck from the quilt batting.  Things I will do a little different next time:  It's a little wider than the actual camera strap to accommodate the lens cap pocket so I might taper it at the bottom where the end meets the actual strap.  Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with it!

Hope y'all enjoyed!  

First Sewing Project - Quilted Coasters

Okay, so sewing machines are proving to be a little bit of a pain for me.  Big Bertha died on me and I got Singer Sally.  Sally proved to be a little testy.  After using her for about 20 minutes or so, she began jamming up constantly and no matter what I did to fix the jam it just kept happening.  Thank goodness for friends that use sewing machines regularly.  Consensus was that Sally was already in need of adjustment.  So Sally went back in the box and back to the store.  I was conflicted.  Should I buy another Singer Sally or should I try something else?  I made my purchase.  And may have upgraded.  A little.  ;)  Home came Brother Barney - a completely computerized sewing machine with over 100 stitch options, quilting options and small scale embroidery.  I'm in love!  While I was afraid it would be way over my head in the beginning, Barney proved to be more user friendly than Singer Sally, in my opinion.   The manuals and DVD proved to be way more detailed and helpful setting it up.    Loading the bobbin was as simple as dropping it in.  That was it!  I'm terribly impressed with Barney thus far.  

    

                            

Now that I've properly introduced you to my new toy, here's my first sewing project.  Ever.  I saw this project on one of my favorite blogs, a pretty cool life.  The author, Cheryl, is constantly showing off her latest project (usually involving a sewing machine) and I have been dying to try some of her tutorials.  This one was easy peasy and perfect to start out with.  You can find the tutorial here.  Of course, hers are way cuter than mine but she's been doing this a lot longer than me.  Away we go!

I simply chose to buy some scrap fabric to start with since I really had no idea how this little project would turn out.  I measured it out and cut my squares.  

Then I did the same with quilt batting.  I didn't use the fusible kind simply because I couldn't find it.  I just pinned it down.  

Okay, off we go!  I admit to being nervous, this being my first time and all.  But really there was nothing to it.  It was quite thrilling in some way.

So far, so good...

Ah, I made it all the way through this little project and Barney hung in there the whole way through.

My finished quilted coaster.  Not too bad for my first first time around a sewing machine, eh?!

Works well, I'd say.  And some free advertisement for my husband's company.  ;)

Hope this inspires you to learn a little something new.  I can't wait to share my next sewing project.  Stay tuned!

Keeping It In The Family

First, I want to extend a warm welcome to my new followers. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Also, welcome to any visitors stopping by today from a belle, a bean & a chicago dog. I'll try to make things as interesting as possible for you in hopes you'll decide to click that precious "follow" button. (wink, wink) Feel free to click around and stay a while. I've added lots of new things recently. If you like what you see and want to show some love, grab a button! Are family pictures and crazy kid stories more your style? Then go check out my family blog. Now, on to today's agenda....

I mentioned in past posts that I've started quilting. Quilting has been in my family for generations and I'm ashamed to say that I never picked up on the craft. I'm afraid when my great-grandmother leaves this world, the craft will die out in our family entirely. I'm hoping to pick up the reigns. My great-grandmother found a quilt recently that my grandmother (who passed away in August) was working on and she gave me a quick tutorial on how to finish it the last time I was back home in Kentucky. This is that quilt:

These next few pictures you'll see my grandmother's handy work; her perfect stitches.

And now my imperfect stitches.

My great-grandmother (96 years young, by the way) carefully pinned the edges to show me how to finish the quilt in it's entirety.

I wasn't sure how I'd like taking on the task of finishing the quilt. After all, I have several other irons in the fire - scrapbooking, photography, cooking, blogging, not to mention raising three two kids (husband wouldn't want to be included in that number - loving you!). And I've never done it before. I was afraid (hello, insecurity) I wouldn't do a good job. After all, the previous women who've worked on it have been doing it for years. However, I have quite enjoyed quilting. I find myself picking it up while we catch up on some recorded TV each night and I've accomplished quite a bit. I've said this before, but there is something extremely satisfying about making something by hand.

I love that my great-grandmother, my grandmother and now I have all worked on this quilt together. When it's finished, it shall become my daughter's first quilt. Now that's keeping it in the family.

Thanks for stopping by. Y'all come back and see what's in store for tomorrow!

Latches by Bess Hudson

Sorry for the later than usual post today. My son had a dentist appointment first thing this morning which has kinda thrown my whole day off. I usually wake up, feed the kids and myself, grab a cup of coffee and while the kids watch some morning cartoons I browse my favorite blogs as well as update my own. If I don't make it to the computer first thing in the morning then I usually have a hard time making it to the computer at all. Enter iPhone. If it weren't for this wonderful piece of technology, I would stay disconnected most days.

One of the places I frequent in my morning browse time is Etsy. I've mentioned Etsy before in previous posts. It's like eBay for all things handmade. It's quite wonderful to see all the creativity going on there. They also have a vintage category which I love as well. Luckily for me, I was able to do a little browsing after lunch while both kids were full and content. I stumbled upon this fascinating photograph by Bess Hudson - Latches. The photo is part of LadyRSanti's Etsy shop which you can visit by clicking here. The picture spoke volumes to me so I wanted to share it with you. The colors are incredible. Who knew that something so simple could be so beautiful?

I apologize once again - I tried to make the picture bigger but it got a little distorted which did not do the photograph justice. Therefore, I decided to leave it as is. Just click on the picture to see the bigger image. Better yet, go to LadyRSanti's shop to see the real thing. We are surrounded by this kind of aesthetic beauty and LadyRSanti's shop is full of it. Go visit her shop today. You won't be disappointed.

Feature Friday

First thing's first.... TGIF!!!

Now, down to my Friday business. I want to introduce you to a new crafty momma. Her name is Jessica and she just happens to be my cousin. A little about Jessica...... She is a mom of a sweet little girl, Anna and is currently expecting a little boy in the very near future. She's a very talented music teacher and in her spare time she enjoys crocheting. Jessica recently started her own little side business in her craft, sweet whatKnots. While an Etsy shop may be in her future, she is currently getting started with a blog which you can visit here. If you love handmade, you must visit her blog and check out her creations. You'll find some of the cutest little hats ever! I'm currently anticipating the arrival of my kids' new hats myself. She also makes baby blankets as well as sweaters for your little four legged kids. These all make great gifts as well, especially baby gifts. What better way to gift than handmade? Her blog is currently under construction so be patient - she'll have lots more information and sweet whatKnots to share very soon. In the meantime, you can click the "contact me" button on her blog to receive more information about her products.

Show Jessica some love and stop by her blog for a visit. Give a little encouragement and let her know you stopped by - leave a comment for her.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Simple but Fun

While the President was giving his State of the Union speech, I decided to do a little scrapbooking. The hubs and I watched it in our office so I was able to dig in to all my scrapbooking supplies. While these pages are simple (again, at this stage I'm all about just getting it done) they are colorful and fun. The first is "I'm just a Toddler" and it's inspired by a little embellishment kit about toddlers. I just picked out some colorful paper and took off. Brads were used on the journaling box to spruce it up just a bit.

This next one is very simplistic. I had only one picture so I printed a 5x7 & just backed the picture several times. I also used photo corners on the picture itself. Brads were used on the journaling box to add just a little embellishment. I didn't want to do too much with this page because the paper is so busy and it pretty much speaks for itself - "Boys".

Happy Scrapbooking!

Splish Splash

This weekend I had some time be creative & I thoroughly enjoyed myself. This scrapbook page is of my son playing with the water hose in our backyard when he was about 16 or 17 months old. Yes, I'm that behind - he's now 4 years old. The page is pretty simple because of limited time. I'm all about getting it done. The letters I cut out using the Jasmine font for the Cricut. I LOVE this machine and if you're a scrapbooker, you should definitely look into getting one. Then after backing my pictures and arranging them on the page, I added some splash stickers to play up the "Splish Splash" water theme. To add just a little something extra, I added a simple bow to my journaling box. Very simple, but I think it turned out very cute.

2sweetthings is Truly Sweet!

I know I've already posted about my friend's Etsy shop but I've got to show her some love again. I just received my first custom order from her and it's adorable! Not only does it fit my daughter perfectly but the craftsmanship is top notch. I'm truly impressed!

This is a little Valentine's Day skirt I ordered for Presley & it is simply too cute. The tag gives you instructions on how to wash and dry the skirt as well as when and where it was made.

These are the little lounge pants I also ordered. Presley loves them! I took them out of the package and she immediately wanted to put them on. This pic shows one of the two front pockets complete with a sweet bow.

Here's a view of the back of the pants. I purposely ordered them a little big (lengthwise) so Presley had some room to grow into them over the summer months. But they are pretty cute rolled up.

I tried for a better picture but I had a moving target. Still, you get the idea and you can see a great pic of the pants in Mandy's Etsy shop here. She does immaculate work and is more than willing to do custom orders. Simply contact her through her shop. Also, be sure to check out Mandy's blog where she documents numerous projects she has going on as well as a glimpse into her family life. This is a great Christian family that I'd love to see do really well because sewing is truly something she loves and it shows in her work as well as her blog. There is a link to her blog on the right, or you can simply click here. Even if don't have little ones yourself, keep in mind that some of Mandy's items would make great baby gifts! If you place an order, be sure and let her know you're a friend of mine. I am so looking forward to my next 2sweetthings order as she rolls out her spring projects. Happy shopping!

Fabulous Feature Friday

A friend of mine back in Nashville has started her own little sewing business and she is turning out some of the cutest things!  I wanted to share her creations with you all.  You can find her here on Etsy, a site for all things handmade.  Her little shop is called "2 Sweet Things".  She does custom orders so if you see something you like she can customize it to make it a one and only just for you.  She's super talented and I wish I knew where she finds the time to create all these cute things while caring for two little ones at home.  I'm begging her to teach me.  Go shop!  


I usually make a little something for Mike to take to work with him around a holiday and last night I made cupcakes that were in the Halloween spirit.  I had planned to take a picture this morning and post them but I awoke to find that Mike had taken ALL of the cupcakes to work with him and left us none.  He's supposed to be bringing some back home with him.  So I hope to get a couple of pictures to share our Halloween creativity with all of you and to also get a bite!  Check back for an update.  TGIF!