Easiest Applique Project Ever (a mini tutorial)

I finally tried applique for the first time last week, after avoiding it out of fear that it would be tricky and frustrating and I'd hate it. Not so, friends, not so. I know that I'm reinventing the wheel here with this very brief "how-to", but this is what worked for me. So if you're also an applique novice, maybe this will help you out too!

Aside from your typical sewing supplies and whichever fabrics you'll be using for your applique project, this is the only other supply you will absolutely need:

Fusible web. I think most instructions would recommend using a lighter weight, but this was the only kind I had and I thought it worked just fine. This will adhere your applique piece to the main fabric so that you can sew without frustration. Yes please.

My project for Intro to Applique was to enhance a plain T-shirt for my girl with a cute fabric. Simple enough. And speaking of simple, that's the theme of the fabric I used: The Simple Life by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake. This fabric is just the sweetest and I wanted to highlight my favorite sketch from this design.

[caption id="attachment_382" align="aligncenter" width="467"] This photo makes the pink background look odd...the true color is more like the photo above this one.[/caption]

I found a plain aqua T-shirt in clearance at Old Navy for $2--the perfect backdrop for the project--that I thought looked cute paired with the pale pink background of the fabric.

So let's get started! I just went with a simple circle shape, so I found a small bucket with a top large enough to include the whole drawing.

Place the fabric right side down, then place the fusible web on top with the paper side up. Trace around, then press the iron on top of the paper to fuse the webbing to the fabric. Cut out the shape, then remove the paper backing.

Now place the applique piece on top of the shirt (or whatever you're fusing it to), and press in place. The last step is to stitch around the outer edges. I used a blanket stitch, but a narrow zig zag or zipper stitch would look good too. I suggest testing out a few different stitches on a scrap piece of fabric to see what you like, and to practice turning and keeping the stitching (relatively) in line with the applique piece.

And that's it! Sorry for the lack of more detailed photos, but I really wasn't sure if this project was going to end up remotely presentable or not. Maybe I'll make a more detailed tutorial in the future, but for now here are the basics.

My model wasn't really in the mood for modeling...hence the potato chip in her hand, used as bait by me to get her to (sort of) focus for a few seconds. Whatever you have to do, right? :)

And that's that! Happy Stitching.

Play Mailbox and a Fabric Envelope Tutorial

My little girl loves getting the mail, so when I was at Joann's a couple months ago and saw some cute play mailboxes on sale I grabbed one and hid it away until I had time to make some fabric "mail" to go with it.

The mailbox is not anything fancy--it's about 6 inches tall and 9 inches long with a plastic flag attached. It came in a bunch of colors (I chose mint green) and after a sale and a coupon it ended up costing about $2. I also bought a pre-painted wooden butterfly decoration for about 50 cents to stick on the side and jazz it up a little.

Here are the materials I used (not pictured: Velcro. I cut from a strip and sewed on, so you'll probably need about 10 inches total. Also not pictured here is a piece of felt used to create the "stamps").

For the fabric envelopes I just used scraps--as long as your scraps are at least 11"X6" you're good to go.

Start by ironing all of your fabric pieces, then cut each one into an 11"X6" rectangle.

Then fold that piece in half lengthwise, right sides together, and cut one end diagonally to make a point.

This step is optional, but it'll keep your envelope from fraying if you cut around all the edges with pinking shears. I just thought it looked cute :)

Next, fold the bottom edge up (the portion that was cut to a point is the top). Fold it up about 4 inches (or however far you need to fold to make sure the flap folds down over the top when you're done).

Then sew continuously around the outer edges, with about an 1/8" seam allowance.

Next, I cut two small pieces of Velcro and sewed them on the inside flap and outer center to form the "seal." I'd recommend sew on Velcro versus adhesive since the adhesive probably wouldn't stand up to repeatedly being opened/closed.

Then, just for fun, I made heart shaped "stamps" out of felt and sewed Velcro to those and the outer right edge of the envelope.

The last step was to make some "letters" that she could mail in her new envelopes. I found dry erase poster board (who knew such things exist??) and I cut them into 3.5"X5" rectangles. Now she can write letters with her dry erase markers and simply erase whenever she wants a fresh letter!

Who knew getting the mail could be so much fun?

Kids Clothes Week: Better Late Than Never

Okay, this is my fifth and final contribution to the 2013 Summer Kids Clothes Week Challenge! I said I would be back Sunday to show it to you, but that clearly didn't happen. I finished the dress in time, but then got hit with the flu and wasn't up to doing much of anything.

But today I feel much better, so it's time to show this simple dress I made using this pattern:

I made it for my daughter in a size 2, but it's for next summer (the sizes run a bit big). The fabric is from Children At Play, by Sarah Jane Studios for Michel Miller. This fabric is pretty hard to find now, but I stumbled across a yard of it over the winter at Miller's Dry Goods. I just love that place, and if you ever find yourself in Millersburg, Ohio (an Amish community) you should check it out. They have everything!

So that's an official wrap for Kids Clothes Week. Here's a look back at everything I made for this challenge:

I'll be back later in the week with more projects--but no more clothes for a little while! I need a break :)

Summer Days

It's time again to review my phone and catch you up on the latest. I'm relying on my phone more than ever now for photos after the unfortunate news that my camera lens will need to be replaced. Boo.

Anyhow, we've had some crazy weather here in the past two weeks. After one particularly rainy and stormy day it cleared up in the afternoon and we took a walk down to the high school to check things out, which quickly turned into a game of "who can find the biggest puddle and stomp in it?" Answer: Charlotte.

 Earlier that day these two got to hang out and be cute together:

And later that week we went with my sister-in-law to paint some pottery at this cool place called Hands On Pottery (in Lyndhurst, for you locals). You pick out the piece(s) that you want to paint, then choose the colors you'd like to use, and paint away. It was a neat little place and we had fun painting ornaments. So Grandparents, don't be surprised if your Christmas presents this year include some hand painted ornaments ;)

Chad finished his coursework for the summer--yay!! We celebrated by going out for pancakes. Pumpkin spice pancakes, to be exact.

Charlotte loves her Baby Stella doll. Chad's mom sent it to her when she was just a few months old and it's her favorite doll. She's had this Baby Stella backpack for a long time now that I had tucked away in her closet until she was old enough to use it. Last week I brought it out and she was SO excited about it, she wanted to carry Stella around immediately. As soon as she was all outfitted with her baby she ran to the door and asked if we could "go show Buckwheat?" Buckwheat is the yellow lab down the street who is very sweet and very, very old. Charlotte adores him. Sadly, Buckwheat was not home when we walked down to visit him that day but she hasn't forgotten--I'm sure this week will bring another visit for show and tell.

Last week was crazy hot, so we spent a lot of our time doing things in air conditioned places. But she loves being outside, so each morning we end up playing with her water table until it's too gross out to handle.

And this made me laugh out loud for a good long while. I gave her a bowl full of sliced strawberries to snack on the other day and I heard her in the living room saying "I shared! You're welcome Elmo." I didn't think much of it until dinnertime, when I glanced over and saw that she had literally shared her strawberries with her giant stuffed Elmo:

Last Friday we were both short on patience and needed something fun to do for the last couple hours of the afternoon. So we went to the Cleveland West Side Market (a very cool place, and one I hadn't been to in a couple years). We brought back some delicious bacon and cheddar pierogies, but the highlight was definitely these cupcakes from Grandma Campbell's. The cupcakes are always the highlight.

Then this past weekend we spent some of Saturday in Oberlin, having lunch at our favorite place (The Black River Cafe) and taking a walk around campus. This building kind of looks like Hogwarts.

And last but not least, today. It was one of those days where she was wanting to get into everything in the bathroom while I was doing my hair and I needed her to stay occupied for five minutes. So I did what every mother would do and pulled her favorite linen closet drawer out (the one with all the travel sized stuff and other odds and ends) and let her play. She got into it (literally) and it entertained her for enough time that I could finish getting ready AND make the bed. That's a Monday morning win :)

Happy Monday.

~Stacy

Kids Clothes Week: Simple Summer Top

Kids Clothes Week is almost over! I'm still hopeful that I'll meet my five item goal, but so far I am not quite there...but the challenge isn't over until Sunday, so there's still time! For my fourth item, however, I went with an easy sleeveless top for my girl to wear next summer (so again, no photos of her in it since it's a bit large on her right now).

I used this pattern:

This is one of those patterns that I've used over and over again because the shapes are so basic and versatile, plus I can easily change or add a few things to make them all different. I buy patterns like this at Joann's when they're on sale for $1 each (which is surprisingly often). For patterns I really like and know I'll use again for other sizes I just buy multiples. Spending a dollar to not have to trace a bunch of my own patterns myself? Well worth it.

The fabric is from one of my favorite lines: The SImple Life by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake Designs. I bought a half yard bundle awhile back and this was the last of it. Guess that means I'll have to get more, no? ;)

Let's get one thing out of the way right now: the middle button is crooked. I know it, you know it, so can we move on now? I noticed it as I was taking these photos but at that point I was just done and decided to leave it as is. I'll probably go back and fix it...but maybe not. I think it kind of gives it a little bit of character, right? Right?

I'll be back Sunday with, hopefully, a fifth and final finished project!