Fabric Scrap Tutorial: Lavender Car Freshener

I have tons of scrap fabric that I can't bear to throw out.  Whenever I sew a project and have scrap pieces left I tell myself, "I can use this for something".  And so my fabric scrap bin grows and grows.

 I'm not a quilter and living in warm So Cal, it's not practical.  So I decided to make a Lavender Satchel for my car.  Not only is it safer than commercial air fresheners (no mystery chemicals) but the scent is cleaner and lasts a longer period.

How to Make a Car Air Freshener:

Supplies:

(2) 3.5" x 3.5" Fabric Scraps

1/4 cup of Dried Lavender

(Can be found online, farmer's markets, health food or organic stores. I picked mine up at the farmer's market, $2.50 for a satchel.)

Directions:

 1.  With Wrong sides together, stitch a 1/4" seam around 3 sides of square.

2.  Turn Right Side out.

3.  Place dried lavender in the satchel.

 

4.  Fold raw edges of fabric inside and pin.

5. Stitch Closed.

6. Finished!

Sewing Tip - Pins, Pins, Pins

If you sew, you know that pins are a necessary evil.

They can be your Best Friends, happily aiding :) OR the most Malicious Army determined to poke, snag, bend, break, do anything to sabotage your labored project!

 

Here's some quick point-ers on choosing the right pin for the job as all pins are not created equal.

1.  Silk Pins: Slim and medium length with a flat head, for delicate fabrics such as chiffon, silk, and sheers.

2.  Dressmaker's Pins: Long and fine with a flat head, slightly thicker than silk pins.  These are great all-purpose pins as they can be ironed due to the metal flat head.

3.  Craft Pins:  Plastic ball head and medium length.  Use these for small craft projects, the ball head makes them easy to find and grip.  Do not iron as the plastic WILL melt....personal experience.

4.  Quilter's Pins:  Plastic head and long shaft.  Use for pinning thick layers of fabric or batting, also for use with synthetic furs.

5. Safety Pins:  These are fabulous for working with difficult to pin fabrics, such as tulle or netting.  These are also great for large projects when pins are going to be left in for a longer time period.

6.  Flower Pins:  Flat flower shaped head and long shaft.  Awesome to use in netting, tulle, or lace as the large head prevents the pin from slipping out.  These pins are also safe to be ironed.

Fabric Finds: Mad Men

I love, love, love to watch Mad Men!  It seems so glamorous back then, with Jackie O. and Marilyn Monroe.  When women were meant to be voluptuous, ahem, Joan Holloway.   Here are some prints that reminded me of my favorite show :)

Timeless treasures print available at Bearcreekquilting.

sexy 60’s secretaries and socialites

Sew Inspiring - Vintage Machines

LoveStitchingRed's Flickr Photos

I found this beautiful collection of vintage sewing machines on flickr and thought I should share:

Button Candy

Probably each one of these machines sewed a vintage dress we would all love to own!

♥ Moa Maria

kibby71

boxwoodcottage

Nicole Alexandra Espina

nikiesque

Great Design Has Come to Roost

I just found the cutest source for anything bird!  Roost, out of Sausalito, CA, has caught my eye again and again with an amazing collection for our fine feathered friends.  For whatever reason, you cannot order direct from their website, but you can follow their links to request a catalog or order directly from Velocity Art & Design

Velocity Art & Design

 I had purchased the tower birdhouse a few months back for my brother in law, and now, with the winter setting in, I got him the glass bird feeder for his birthday.  I hope he likes it.  I bought them both at Weego Home, a great little shop here in Santa Monica, CA

Weego Home Website

Fabric Finds: Dr. Seuss Fabric Just Released!

Robert Kaufman Fabrics has just released a collection of Dr. Seuss fabrics!  Odds are good that if you were ever a child, you had read a Dr. Seuss book.  This collection captures the whimsy and delight of his stories.  For a photo and short bio of the real Dr. Seuss read it HERE.

ADE-10793-3 Red

 

ADE-10794-203 Celebration  

ADE-10788-203 Celebration

Fat Quarter Shop offers 1/2 yard pieces if you don't want a full yard, for a fun handbag, zipper pouch, coasters, coffee cozy, wallet, and beyond!

How to Make a HeadBand

Here's a super easy way to make a headband in 15 minutes! You pick the color and print.  These are great for stylizing your outfit and also for working out, as it keeps your hair off your face :)  I wear these for my morning runs and they are fabulous!

HOW TO MAKE A HEADBAND:

SUPPLIES:

15" of Grosgrain Ribbon 1" wide
15" of Velvet Ribbon 1" wide
6 1/4" of  Elastic 1/4" wide










DIRECTIONS:

1.  Pin elastic to one side of grosgrain ribbon.

2. Pin velvet ribbon to grosgrain ribbon, right sides together, with elastic sandwiched in between the two.

3.  Stitch a 1/4" seam.

4.  This is what it should look like, so far.

5.  Pin loose end of elastic to other end of grosgrain ribbon.

6.  Pin velvet ribbon.  Stitch a 1/4" seam just as before.

7.  Flip ribbons Right Side out.

8.  Pin grosgrain ribbon and velvet ribbon together.

9.  Stitch close to edge around perimeter of pinned ribbons.  Backstitch at elastic to reinforce.

10.  Finished Headband!

Adding A Facebook "Like" Box to your Blog

I just found out how to make people like me!  I'll add a Facebook "Like" box to my website, blog page, and anything else I own on the WorldWideWeb, and you can, too.  Just follow along with this fun to use tutorial.

First, go to this Facebook page and you will come to a screen that looks like this:

I entered http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pacific-Designs/292083223078 in the box where it asks for my facebook page URL, you should enter the URL for your Facebook fan page.

I changed the width to 190 to fit in my blog's right side column.

I entered "0" in the "Connections" box because I did not want to take up space on my website to show who likes me. You, however may want to put that information on display, if so, just enter the number of "likers" here. 

I removed the check mark in "Show stream" as well as "Show header" because I just wanted to get down to the nitty gritty.  All I want is a like box, that's it.

As you make changes, you will see the box on the right adjust.  So, find the look you are happy with, and click "Get Code"  It will bring you to a pop-up screen that looks like this:

I highlighted the iframe code, and copied it.  I then went to my blog, and added an html widget on the top right.  I pasted this code into my widget without a header, and you can see on the right side of this blog page, the end result.  Go ahead, click the "like" button.  See what happens.

Sewing Threads Then and Now

 

As I was putting the final stitches in my latest creation, I began to wonder: What was the first thread like?  So, I decided to do some research.

What I found was absolutely amazing. Did you have any idea that early humans were using very thin animal skins and tendons? Gross! I didn't either, and if you would like to know more, feel free to read in- depth coverage on Sewalot.com

(Apparently, Wilma was stripping the carcass of the sabre-toothed tiger for thread to sew Fred's bowling shirts!)

What thread is the right thread for my next project? Well, that depends on what your next project is.  Here are some guidelines to let you know what to look for based on what you have.

All Purpose -  Pictured at the top of this post and made from cotton, or polyester, and you can sometimes even pick up the much-coveted cotton wrapped polyester thread.  These threads are usually treated with heat resistant finishes to prepare them for the earth re-entry-like friction that occurs in machine sewing.

Heavy Duty - Use this thread when sewing together denim, or canvas.  You can also use it for exterior upholstery.  It is generally thicker than all-purpose thread and is made from nylon, polyester or cotton.  You can either buy this for your machine, or smaller discs of the tough stuff for hand sewing

Pictured to the left is a collection of heavy duty thread spools.  The good thing is that when you are finished with your sewing project, they double as kite string!

Invisible Thread - This thread is the official thread of the Invisible man.  It's made from nylon mono-filament and comes in clear and smoke colors.  Typically used for fabric crafts, machine quilting and applique.
 
Quilting Thread - Both for hand quilting and machine quilting.  It can be either cotton, or cotton wrapped polyester and is usually heavier duty than the all-purpose thread of the same material.  Choose variegated colors so they blend more easily into fabrics.  You can also incorporate the above mentioned invisible thread into your next quilting project.

Upholstery Thread - This stuff is usually a synthetic material, rayon or polyester and is stronger and more heavyweight than all-purpose thread.  Exterior upholstery thread is treated with UV and weather resistance for outdoor projects.

And you just thought all threads were the same!