Happy Valentine's Day!

So... this year since we have obligations on Valentines night, I decided to celebrate this morning...

 After everyone was in bed, I decorated our dinning room...

And I got up early to make a big breakfast( this is a big deal in my family, since I'm not a morning person they have to usually put up with cereal or toast)...  They were very surprised...


I put individual servings in muffin wrappers for some color... and it made clean up a cinch...

I also made little treat boxes for everyone...

I used Washi tape for the first time, when I made the tags... let me just say... I think it is my new favorite thing... Don't know what Washi tape is?  Click here and you will see...  ( although I must warn you... it can be very addicting)

Ssssoooooo... easy! 

Well I hope your Valentine's Day was full of love and chocolate!  I think I'm going to go eat mine now...
Happy Valentine's...
***Jennifer

Oh!  I thought I would share with you a V-day decoration my daughter made me(all her own idea I might add)... She made a garland with just paper doilies(Dollar Tree), and paper fasteners...  It turned out so cute!

I guess the crafting gene doesn't fall far from the tree...

Using Hem Tape ... and How To Do a French Seam...

So... I am holding myself to my promise, and worked on a old (from the pile)project first... before I could do a new project... Here's what I worked on today...

 

Those of you that follow me, may remember this dress...  I absolutely love it, but my sensitive skin does not like the wool in the seam at my neck... So into the project bin it went until I came up with a solution...

  

Meet my solution... Fusible hem tape... This stuff is great!  After applied, you can wash and dry you garment as you normally would... I'm going to use it to apply a strip of fabric, to cover the scratchy seam... and it's no sew!



 

First I measured and cut out a strip of fabric that was slightly wider than the hem tape...

Then I peeled the hem tape away from the paper...

 Placing the hem tape where I wanted to start... I then covered it with my strip of fabric, and press with a hot iron... 

Continue laying out your hem tape with the fabric... and keep pressing until you come to the end...



Now I have an itch free seam... this silk will be much softer on my too sensitive skin...



 Now for the new project!

I have had this vintage panel of fabric for a long time... but being only 16" wide, it's never been big enough for the projects I've had in mind... While cleaning out my office I came across it again.

 This time I realized that it would be perfect for an infinity scarf...

Ever since my friend Maya made me one, I've been kind of obsessed... I'm kind of cheating, because I am not lining or hemming it( I like the selvedge edge)... However, I did use a French seam to connect the ends, because it might show... If you've never done a French Seam before, here's how...



First you start with wrong sides together...

Then using a 1/4inch seam(from the needle to the edge of my foot is a 1/4"... but I would measure this first before you stitch, because some machines can vary)... stitch seam together...



This is what it will look like on the right side...



Next fold along your seam so right sides of fabric are together... Sandwiching your seam on the inside...



Another view of the wrong side...



Now stitch a 3/8inch seam along your folded edge...



Your French Seam is complete!



Right side French Seam view...

French seams are great for any seam that is going to show... like on a hood, or for sheer fabrics... because the raw edge is encased on the inside...  This seam can replace any traditional seam called for in a pattern, if you are using a 5/8 seam...

Well I love my new scarf... I think it is perfect for the transition from winter to spring... 
Happy Sewing!
***Jennifer

Office Makeover... Yes... It's... Done! With Before and After Pictures...

This New Year(yay! 2012) I had high expectations of getting started on my new year's resolution... which is to get my spaces organized...  This is tuff for somone who likes a little choas... but I started off with a bang, by first tackling my closet...

Call me crazy... but it feels so good to have my tops and pants organized by color... I also made $80 off of the clothes I had weeded out... Sweet!

So with that done... My Office was next on my list...

Over the holidays, with Christmas gifts to be made, and a last push of items to sell... to say that my creative space became a nightmare... is putting it lightly...  I decided to do a complete overhaul, and organize each area of my office...

I started with my buttons... I am constantly acquiring them, so they're pretty much spread through out... laying in drawers, table tops, and pinned to the walls... so my bright idea was to recycle my glass jars, and organize the buttons by color...

Now finding a particular color is a breeze...

I also used them to organize my knitting needles... I love the different colors...

 Now for the big stuff...

The next few photo's are not for the faint of heart... I will lay before you my secret mess... you may be shocked and shake you head in disbelief.... but while your enjoying my shame... at least now I can say my mess is all cleaned up, and organized to keep it that way... How's you creative space looking? He he he...

The BEFORE... fabric I don't want to forget about on the left... my patterns piled high along the wall
... and a tiny inch of space left to sew...

AFTER... I swapped my tables around to open up the space...
And my patterns are now organized in bins on shelves...

This new space also allowed me to organize my thread... and store my hams(What are hams?  They're forms you iron with... great for little sleeves, collars, and shoulders... mine are up on the top shelf...)

BEFORE... Aakkkk!  My mountain of shame...
 (heaped upon the table shown in previous pic... moved over to the window)
...and is that a coffee cup I see buried in the mess?  Oh! My humiliation is complete...

AFTER... This corner is now clutter free... and you can actually see the bulletin boards that were hiding behind the plies of stuff.... and more fabulous shelves...

BEFORE... My fabric storage was pretty much just throw, and close the door real quick...

AFTER... Now empty it is the perfect spot to store my yarn...



My yarn is now organized by color... before it was shoved into drawers of the dresser...

But where's my fabric? 

It is now all neatly folded on the shelves... organized by color...
Now I can see exactly what I have...

Another BEFORE... As you can see the piles spilled onto the floor too...

AFTER... These shelves also hold bins(found at Target) ... inside of them is all of my scraps, and unfinished projects... And let me tell you I uncovered many... I've told myself for every new project that I want to do, I have to do an unfinished one first...(said with a pouty face)

The full wall view...

My sewing table now has plenty of space without the patterns piled on it...

I also organized my dresser drawers...
I found these stackable divided trays...(also from Target)

Perfect for all of the random things that have no home...

 As I walked into my office this morning... with the sun shining through the window... I felt triumphant!  Not only did I reclaim my crafting space, I think  I made it better...  So... get busy!  Reclaim your creative space, and if you don't have one yet... a drawer is a good place to start... Happy Organizing!

P.S. I already broke in my new space... My son needed a last minute costume for his play at school...a Mommy's job is never done...