Of rum and ruffles...

Have you ever heard of the person that is so predisposed to addiction that as soon as they take a swig of rum, they can't stop?

Ruffles are my new rum...

I am so excited about learning to make them, that I have plans for all the things I want to ruffle.

This is why I love the crafting community. They share tutorials and project ideas to help you out of a crafting rut and remember that creating something yourself is so rewarding.

{I want to wear my camera to the grocery store today, just because I love this strap that much. That isn't wierd, right}

My ruffling skill still needs alot of work but I will accept the challenge.

Find the tutorial to make your own ruffled camera strap at Crap I've Made.

There is also an entire blog with ruffle inspiration over at Ruffles and Stuff (check out the entries into her Ruffle Your Stuff contest-mass crafty inspiration!)

Accesorize that boy!

Tired of the little girls getting all the cute accessories? Does your little man grow out of everything in rocket speed and ruin what you do get him equally fast? Never fear-this super thrifty, easy-peasy, upcycled knit scarf will add a little personalization to your little guy's wardrobe! I live in a pretty mild coastal area so this scarf blocks out the wind without being too hot like the commerical fleece options!

1. Gather cotton knit pieces...I will be making two different scarfs with these pieces. A larger t-shirt (this is an older boy's size small green tee) will make one scarf larger enough for a toddler...I used two prints for the other scarf.

2. If using pants, cut the two legs apart on the crotch (is there a better word for that?) seam.


3. Using scissors, fully open the pants legs and cut off the elastic so the fabric lays flat.

4. Cut each piece in your desired width. (I used an 8 inch width...)

Cut all your pieces to your desired width...

5. choose which way you want to put together your pieces. (I ended up going with the first layout)

6. Cut off the finished ends for the pieces that will go on the "inside" of the scarf. Leave the finished ends intact for the outer pieces.

If you are using a shirt, cut open the shirt on the sides and cut pieces either vertically or horizontally (if there is a design that you want to capture on the scarf.) If you cut horizontally (which I did to keep the design intact on the shirt, you will have to cut off a piece of the hem to sew on so that you have a finished hem.)

7. Sew all of the pieces together

If you have a design or print, make sure you place the two "right" sides together...

Sew on a label if you feel so inclined...

And, you're done!

Enjoy!

(and for those that don't sew, stay tuned for some of my favorite boy things to buy! All handmade, of course!)

A quilt rebel log cabin tutorial

I WANTED to title this post: How to finish more than one quilt block during nap time when your child has NEVER taken even an hour long nap let alone the long naps that OTHER moms talk about...but I am not bitter about it...

But I figured that post title might be a tad bit too long :)

There are a million ways to make a log cabin quilt block and half a million tutorials you could find online. But after looking (coveting) at a lot of log cabin quilts on Flickr (some day I will write a post about my slight obsession with Flickr!), this is what I came up with to share...I started quilting/patchwork sewing before I had any other tools beyond my sewing machine and some scrapbooking scissors. You NEED no other tools than that to make this easy peasy quilt block...

Warning for the expert quilter: my methods may seem wild and crazy. I promise that I can sew and quilt by the rules and I do the majority of the time...but my favorite thing about quilting is that it can be completely by the books or completely down and dirty. THIS is down and dirty...

Step 1:

Cut strips of your favorite fabrics OR unroll a pack of pre-cut fabrics-I am using a Moda* Momo Wonderland jelly roll-each strip is 2.5 inches wide, which is a good width for your strips...make the strips as long as you like but 10-12 inches is a good length.

*(I love Moda pre-cut fabrics almost as much as I love flickr!)

Step 2:

Cut 2 squares out of your fabric and sew them together. Since I used the jelly roll, I made the squares 2.5 x 2.5 inches. (NOTE: to sew the pieces together correctly, always place the right sides together...and the right sides, if you didn't know, are the sides with the print...)

Step 3:

Here is the start of the down and dirty part...Lay your sewn together squares and line up one of your strips against the long side...cut the strip to the same length. Don't get out your rotary cutter...don't get out your ruler...just cut it and get on to step 4...your kid might wake up soon and time is of the essence!

Oh yeah- sew the pieces together...

Step 3 (through how ever big you wanna make your quilt square...):

Keep going around the square/rectangle in a circular motion (I typically add a strip moving clockwise, however, this isn't required...you can add strips willy nilly if you want! This is down and dirty!)

Yes, I used pins to get my strips to lay still when I sewed them, however this is because I am a clutz and need assistance. You may have sewing skills and can sew small strips together without the need for pins.


See me cutting with my left hand? Ha! That is because I am trying to take a picture with my right hand...how do people make these tutorials so pretty and show them using both hands?? And how do they get them done with perfect natural light that is only available when your 2 year old is awake? Thus, I took these pictures at night which is why they look all crazy...

See? Still cutting and adding till I feel like the square is the size I want...

Ta da! I finished one square. I added a random extra strip on the sides of my square for fun...no need to do this. Or you could add random strips where ever you feel like it.

So, you made a log cabin quilt square...now what? Whatever you want! Use one square and make a pillow. Make a bunch and make a quilt. Use them to make placemats...Make tiny ones for coasters! Make a mini wall hanging with it...the possibilities are endless!

Check out these great links to all the different ways that a log cabin quilt can look:

Wonky square type log cabin Quilt

Another Wonky log cabin quilt

Oh, guess what...another wonky log cabin

Traditional log cabin quilts-check out the way the color strips are added to create additional patterns...

Example of a half log cabin block quilt

Interesting fact of the day: the log cabin pattern has been seen in Egyptian tombs...you could say it is REALLY Old School!