What I've Been Up To + Chenille Baby Blanket Tutorial

 Well, obviously I have been a little absent lately. I've been busy with multiple projects the past few weeks that have taken up quite a bit of time. Projects like this one for a friend that just got married...

 

And this one for a newborn at my church. 

 

 

This blanket is great for any little ones that you might know, and it surprisingly simple. The one I made came out to be a 34" x 34" blanket after trimming.

Here's what you need for a 34" x 34" blanket:

1yd each of three different colors of flannel

1yd flannel for top of blanket

2 packs of 3yds extra wide double fold biased tape

Thread

 

Step 1: 

Layer all four layers of fabric together. using the picture above as a guide, I layed the green plaid flannel face down, and then the light blue face up, the gray face up and the cobalt on top face up. 

Step 2: 

Trace the first line from one corner to the opposite corner. The important thing is that the lines sewn on the flannel are done on the biased or else the fabric won't fray correctly. Once you have one line, sewing the rest is decently easy. It depends on how good you are at eyeballing the spaces but if you have a parallel spacing foot it would help, or you can draw each line but that would take a while. I opted to eyeball it and I think it came out fine. Your spaces should be about an inch apart. 

Now, sew your heart out! This may take a while to sew all the lines. It took me about an hour; maybe a touch more. I would suggest sewing the first time using the marking on the bottom layers, but, if possible, sew the rest of them on the top layer. The blanket comes out a lot smoother when you sew on the top.

 

Step 3: 

Once you have all the lines sewn, next thing to do is cut in between the seams. (Just a heads up, the edges will not be lined up perfectly, no matter how hard you tried while sewing the layers together. This will be fixed, though, so have no fear. That's why my blanket was 34" x 34" and not 36" x 36".)

Imperfections in the cutting are okay because once this part gets frayed, you won't even know they're there. This also took a little while, and I developed a hand cramp when I was only half way done. Fair warning.

  

Step 4: 

After cutting all the lines, you will want to even out the edges. You want to make sure that the blanket is square still when you do this, so I would cut the excess off the edges first, and then square it out.

 

Step 5:

Then you will want to corner off the edges.  I used an old cracked mug that I use for storing tools in my craft room, but this created a smaller curved edge. You can use anything round as a template, depending on how big of a curve you want.

 

Step 6:

Next thing is to apply the biased tape on the edges. As I mentioned, I used extra wide double fold biased tape that came in a pack of 3 yds. You will want to pin that down and sew it.

 

Step 7:

Next is to wash and dry the blanket. I used just a touch of laundry soup and then dried it with no static sheet. This is what creates the frayed look. 

 

 

Step 8: Add any last details. For me, I added a piece of fabric with a verse from Jeremiah 29:11 and the baby's name on it. I hand tacked this on so that it wouldn't create a seam on the back where it should fray. 

 

 

If you don't decide to add any details, then you're done! This blanket comes out so soft and comfortable: I want to make myself one now! But it's size and versitility, not to mention warmth, is perfect for a baby or toddler, and something that they can hold on to for years to come. 

 

 

Here's the final outcome one more time. I think this blanket is so unique and beautiful, and much more original than any other blanket I've seen.

So, again, my apologize for being sparse. At least I have a good excuse. :) 

Tata for now...

DIY: Crayon Art Tutorial

Well, this crayon art thing has been floating around Pinterest for a while now, and when I needed a baby shower gift, I thought this would be perfect! I can customize it for the kid and the crayons would look great in a nursery. The art was made for a little baby boy named Zaryk who with grace us with his presence any day now, but the shower wasn't until today. So wanted to wait to post this so I didn't spoil anything! Here's the final product!

 

Isn't it so cute?! I chose the colors black, gray, greens, and blues. I also decided to make a Z on it so that it was more personal and had a little design on it. 

Here's what you need:

A Canvas

Crayons

Hot Glue Gun

Blow Dryer 

Possibly Ribbon

Possibly Painter's Tape

So because I used a canvas that was flat instead of a gallery wrap so I had to create a way to hang the canvas. I could have framed it but I thought that this would be cute. Anyways, that why I said "possibly" ribbon. So first thing I did was hot glue that to the back of the canvas.

 

After that, collect all the crayons you want to use and arrange them how you want. You can keep the wrappers on or take them off. I took them off because I used an assortment of old crayons that were not all the same brand. 

 

Once you have them all arranged, start hot gluing them down. I would suggest putting the glue on the canvas instead of the crayon.

  

If you want to make a design to show through the crayons, now's a good time to use the painter's tape and tape that on. I would lay down some newspapers before you melt, and to get more of a dripping and runny effect you will want to prop the canvas up against something. I used a shoe box. Then you start melting with the blow dryer.....

 

Until you get it to look how you want! I would have stopped sooner but I needed it to cover the entire Z so it was clearly outlined. 

  

Remove the tape an voila! 

 

I really like how this came out!

  

I hope you enjoyed this! Have a wonderful week everyone!

Valentine's Day - Part 2...and A Tutorial

Valentine's Day, as I mentioned on my last post, was quite a day for the Crosby household. In review, for the first part of the day, I made Trevor heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast and he was super excited, as seen on my last post, found here. But....

I had the opportunity to surprise him since he had to work that day. So, I built him a fort!!! I know, we're like, five years old. But seriously, who DOESN'T love forts!?! Come on...

Anyways, the fort was really simple to build and I was able to use supplies that I had around the house. I'll give the tutorial after I tell the rest of the day :)

So he got home, roses and chocolate in hand (and I know you're thinking...WOW, cliche. But he's never gotten me chocolate and red roses before so I think that's allowed...once!) and I made him close is eyes and led him into the living room where the fort was.

 

My favorites chocolates!

 

I spread candles and decorations all over the coffee table and had his card and his other present sitting there waiting for him.

Yes, I will be posting a tutorial on the yard bottles featured in this picture. Soon, my friends, very soon!

Trevor's other present. I know, I'm so adorable. Ha!

Even Millie loved the fort!

Once I showed him, we got dinner going. The menu:

Ugly Steaks from a local Deli
Fresh Asparagus, grilled with butter and garlic salt, then topped with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Grilled "Baked" Potatoes
Lemonade with heart shaped Ice Cubes

 All I did for the red ice cubes is take a little Lemonade and add red food coloring and poured that into the heart ice cube trays.

The food was delicious, the lemonade was awesome and then we got into our jammies and crawled into the fort for the rest of the evening. We grabbed Trevor's iPad and watched one of our favorite shows, Psych, and relaxed. It was perfect. And cheaper than going out! Score.

View from the Fort.

Happy couple. :)

ALRIGHT! The fort idea came from...you'll never guess....Pinterest...from another blog, found here. They do an awesome job of explaining how to built the fort. But essentially you will need:

Hooks
Rope or Broom Stick
Large sheets, Blankets, or large pieces of fabric
Pillows
Decorations
String
Straight Pins
Safety Pins
Thumb Tacs

How I did mine:

I used those screw in hooks and placed two in the ceiling. I took a rope and tied it between the two hooks with the access hanging behind the fort. Then I took two large sheets and draped them over the rope; one on each side of the rope. I used some straight pins to secure the sheets to the rope. Then I took some string, safety pins and thumb tacs and opened up the sides of the fort. Fill with blankets and pillows, decorate and that's it!

(I realize that my explanation is not great, but I would visit the original blog and maybe mine will make a little more sense. I also realize that my pictures of the actual fort kinda stink. That's because my husband tore it down before I could capture awesome pictures to post. Learning curve.)

I hope all of you guys had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Charlotte's Curtain: A Ruffle Top Curtain Tutorial

There are times in life when you know that the person you met randomly in the store or on the street was by no accident. That's how I felt the day I met Charlotte.

Charlotte is a vivacious southern woman in her 60s (my guess) that I "happened" to meet a couple weeks ago at Home Fabrics, a fabric store on the North side of Tucson. I was there with my mother shopping for fabric for Trevor and I's bedroom curtains and Charlotte overheard us talking. She walked right up to us and asked if I sewed, to which I responded "yes." She explained that she was looking for some fabric to make a curtain for a little window in her bathroom and went on about how she was an interior designer years prior and that she just didn't know what to do! Both my mom and I could tell right away that she was a fun lady, and next thing I know she's asking me about what I sew, how long I've sewed, and then for me phone number so she could call me! I was taken aback, but gave her a business card and offered my services. As we were purchasing our fabric, she as also at the counter and began asking more questions about our opinions on the large floral print on the fabric she picked and how much to buy, etc. Finally, we parted ways for the day.

Only a couple days later and I get a call from a number I did not recognize. This is not unusual because of my business, and I always answer if I am able because I just never know who's calling to inquire about Premier or something. I answer, and in her sweet North Carolina accent asks about making the curtain for her again. We set a time to meet at her home to pick up the fabric and measure the window. We get to her house and literally the two of us are floored.You want to talk about a large house in the foothills?? HOLY 3 GARAGES BATMAN! I think I went into a state of shock, and Trevor can vouch for the look that was on my face as we entered. While we were there, she asked my opinion on about three other projects before Trevor and I are able to leave. But it was all in good intentions. I left feeling good and slightly jealous of there (easily) 5000 sq. foot house.

The curtain took no more than an hour to make, since it was for a window that was only 21" by 21.5", and there was only one. This is the final result!

I was really pleased with the result! It fit well, although could have been a little longer so that the bar could have been placed higher. But oh well, she was happy!

Making a ruffle top curtain is actually really simple, and but I figured that it would be a really good thing to post to you guys because of its practical benefits. First things first, you'll need the measurements of the window, and whether you'll need one or two curtains. As I said, this window was 21" wide and 21.5" long, but we decided to make the curtain wider to give it some dimension with the wave of the curtain when hung. The final width was about 35" inches. She also did not want it lined, but adding a lining is also fairly easy if you wanted to.

Once you figured out the length and width that you want, cut out the fabric you chose and give yourself an extra 1" on both sides, plus an 1" on the bottom. The other thing thing you need to decide for yourself is how much of a ruffle you want on the top. For this size of a curtain, a 2-2.5" ruffle is perfect, so then you'll need to add an extra 3"-3.5" of fabric at the top. Here's all this in picture form for you visual people. :)

Ok, so it's not perfect but hopefully it helps explain what I so un-eloquently said above.

Moving on! I did not photograph all of this, but the first things that you'll want to do are use your serger (or a zig zag stitch on a regular machine) to finish all the edges. Then you'll want to sew down the sides of the curtain first, and then the bottom. It's important to do the sides first!! Here's where I started taking pictures, and what the last few steps look like. In the first picture, I have the top pinned how getting ready to sew.

 See....sides first. Then bottom!

 

Just a close up of the serger seam, plus the straight seem to sew the side down.
Next, you'll need to pin down the top part as shown in the first photo in this last batch. Sew the first line close to the serger stitch.

The next thing is to sew a second seam above the first. To do this, the best thing is to measure the rod that you'll be using to hang it so that it's not too tight, but not too loose either.

Pin it where it's snug.

And then sew it across so that you have a nice amount of fabric to ruffle above the rod.

The end! Here's another picture...

This one is a little harder to see the pattern in, but you can see the fit better. Since she didn't want the lining the light showed brightly through the fabric. The curtain added a nice detail to the bathroom where it was hung up and hid the items that were set on the back of the window sill. I really like it. My plan is to make the curtains for our bedroom like this also...with the fabric that I bought when I met Charlotte! Of course I'll post pictures of them once I'm done. I hope you enjoy this tutorial and story!!! Please, if you make your own ruffle top curtains, share them with me! ariydesigns@gmail.com

Tata for now...

Plates of Embroidery Hoops

One of my favorite things about my house is that fact that I get to have my own Craft and Sewing Studio. I inherited a couple vintage decorative plates from my grandpa that passed away almost 5 years ago, and I decided that collecting more plates would create nice wall decor in my studio, starting with the first plates from Grandpa John! I had inspiration from online to create a wall of embroidery hoops covered with fabric, and I imagined that it would be awesome to mix the two. So, here's a quick way to create unique pieces of art for any room that contains your personal touch and is very retro. Here's what you'll need:

Fabric
Embroidery Hoop
Thread
Needle
Pinking Shears

Wrapping fabric on a hoop is really simple. First things first, lay out the fabric with the inside hoop underneath.

Place the inside hoop on a place on the fabric where you like the design, place the outside hoop on the top and secure as tight as possible.

Once you have the fabric secure on the hoop, trim the edges with a pair of pinking shears to keep them from fraying. You can use regular scissors but pinking shears made cleaner edges. You want to leave a good 2" or more to gather. The more the better.

And then.....play with your puppy....she's so cute! So I took a little break from making hoops for her.

Anywho...once you've trimmed the edges you want to gather the fabric on the back. Try to keep the thread closer to the edge. I did not do such a good job with this teal and white one but it turned out alright. 

Pull the thread as tight as possible and tie off and finish. That's all!

Here's another example. As you can see I left a little more slack on this one and it turned out a little better.

Its a little dark....the nature of the fabric.

I'm really stoked about the way these turned out! I did three so far and mixed them with the plates I have hanging up...it's a start! I love the arrangement.

The polka dotted one is two layers of fabric on one hoop, but other wise executed like the others. I think I'm going to do a couple with colored lace and different colored background fabric when I get more hoops! I hope you enjoy these! Can't you just see an entire wall full of plates and hoop like this!? I can! Until next time...