Miss Loreen's Schoolhouse

Buttons, Buttons and More Buttons!

Check out the new photo library "Buttons".  I have a 1 1/2" and 2 1/4" button maker.  That's two different button makers as you only get one size per maker.......that's a drag!  They're lots of fun and very easy to use compared to the store bought fabric button makers though, with the difference in price, these professional button makers should be!  I purchased mine last year when we were doing the Farmer's Market to make buttons for sale.  The hardware I purchased was for making ponytail holders, keychains, zipper pulls, magnets and pins.  The photo library shows some of the items I had for sale at the Market and will be selling on Etsy.  I'll be adding more pictures as I try out different hardware that I have ordered.  The first project is to make some fabric buttons for jackets and other garments.  I'm looking for just the right way to sell them.  Should I sell them in groups of two or three or sell them individually.  I can offer my customers the option of sending some of the fabric they would like to use as well as having embroidered fabric buttons.  If I sell them in groups, should I put them on cardstock??  So many things to think about that I let that get in the way of actually making the buttons.  So off to my button factory I go to make some sets of buttons.  I've decided that while I making buttons, it may all become clear to me as to displays, etc.  One can only hope!

Happy crafting!
loreen

Fancy Pants!

I was hanging out at the Martha Pullen website, just nosing around to see what's new.  I love heirloom sewing and my dream is to one day go to one of Martha Pullen's sewing schools.  Every year Martha has a contest for a free trip to one of her schools.  Someone has to write into Martha expounding on your virtues, etc. and she picks a winner from these letters.  Every year my son diligently writes a heartfelt letter (so he tells me.........the heartfelt part!) and one year one of my daughters also wrote a letter but I haven't been the lucky winner yet!  I still hold out hope each year.  It didn't occur to me until just now that I should probably ask my son if he is cutting and pasting the same letter each year as it gets entered by email!

Anyway, I ended up at the Sew Beautiful website and found a series of video lessons on making small bias strips, setting them in a criss cross design with pony beads and decided to add this look to the bottom on my daughter's comfy pants I was making for her.  I used clear pony beads so I'm not sure how well you can see them in the picture.  The technique isn't really hard especially with the help of the videos.  Click here to see the video tutorials.

Check out my Fall Projects Photo Library for other pictures of these pants.  I'm showing some of my students this technique in an upcoming class. 

Have fun!
loreen

Gathered Skirt

I've finally gotten back into making and teaching garment sewing.  What fun it is.  This skirt has to be the simpliest to make.  You cut a 10" strip on the bias for the top portion and make it the width around you that you want, making sure to have enough ease to be really comfortable.  It has an elastic waist so you don't have to be exact, just go for comfort!  The ruffled layers are done in two sections.  The first section has three 4" to 4 1/2" strips about one and a half times longer than the 10" strip.  I serged the three sections together.  Some of my students didn't have sergers so they simply sewed their three sections together then did a small zigzag stitch to finish the edges.  It took no time at all.

The next section is three strips the same width as the last set.  They are twice as long as the first set of three and sewn or serged together the same way.  Each set is gathered to fit the section it is being sewn to.  Once I serged the sets together, I used a narrow rolled hem stitch on the serger with red thread for the hem and the skirt was done.  This is a great project for a beginner! 

There are lots of patterns on the market for this skirt so pick one up and try it!  It took about about 3 yds of fabric.  I used all one fabric in this skirt but it looks like different fabrics because of the pattern.  Some of my students used 4 different fabrics- one for the top 10" section and three different fabrics in the strip sets.  Really cute!

Have fun!
loreen

Holiday Pillows

I really enjoyed making a couple of holiday pillows.  First, one for Halloweenie.  It's a witch hat with a dangling spider.  I used crystals for the spider's eyes and added a bit of black netting for a bow.  Next was the Christmas pillow with the words "JOY" appliqued on.  Both pillows were pretty easy to do and great fun!  When I started making the Christmas "JOY" pillow, I decided to make it the same size as the Halloween pillow so I could use the same inside pillow for both since the two pillows wouldn't be on display at the same time.  I went to the local JoAnn's to get a pillow form and couldn't find any to match the shape I needed.  I bought a bag of fill thinking I would just make a muslin form and stuff it.  When I got home I realized that I could just stick the bag of stuffing in the pillow and it was just the right shape.  How's that!!  

Here's a quick picture of the Halloween pillow.  The rest of the pictures are in the Fall Projects 2011 photo album.

Happy sewing,
loreen

Getting some Christmas gifts done ahead of time! Yippee!

I was so proud of myself when I finished some Christmas gifts this week.  I made a few makeup or notions zipper bags.  One for my mother and the other for my sister.  Embroidered their names on the front and was pretty pleased with the results.  Even made one for myself and my oldest daughter. There I was whistling away, all full of myself for being ahead of schedule.  Not exactly ahead of schedule but at least ahead of my usual schedule.  I suddenly realized that my mother's birthday was in October and I still hadn't mailed the place settings I had made for my sister's birthday which was a few (or more) months ago.   Suddenly the whistling stopped as I started getting the packages ready to mail with the consolation that even though I was late with one gift, I was still early with the other!  Just to make amends, I sent along my sister's zipper bag even though it was really for Christmas.  Her birthday present was the set of two placements, napkins and napkin rings.  Oh yeah, my daughter's zipper bag was really for her birthday last month.  Check out the bags in the Fall Projects 2011 Photo Library.  My daughter's is the Cat in the Hat bag.  I'd like to say she's twelve but she's not.  She just turned 32!

Now back to the Christmas gift list and yes, I'm starting from scratch.  Now what will I make everyone??

Happy sewing,

loreen

Back to Sewing!!

Ok, I have to admit that I have been very lax in the blogging department.  I'd like to say with good reason but then I'd have to have one........a good reason that is!  Best intentions, etc. but now I'm back blogging again.  Next will be getting the monthly newsletter up and going again.  I've worked on some cool projects that have been lots of fun so I'll share some of those with you over the next two weeks.   I'm working on having a free embroidery design each month on my website along with some  simple patterns.  Most sewing folks like to have some quick and easy patterns to work on that still look nice.  I'm all for that! 

I made a doll pincushion for a store display.  It was pretty easy to do but rather large for me to have to use.  This is a great pincushion if you are pincushion collector.   The dress portion is the pincushion and I filled mine with some corncob pellets.  Imagine that.  I can't use rice or beans because I'd have a few friendly insect critters living with me and I draw the line there!  Got the corncob pellets at WalMart in a huge bag that will take me five years to use up.  Maybe I'll put some in the bottom of some Christmas stockings this year instead of coal!!

Happy sewing,

loreen

Poot Turns Two!

Hard to believe Caspian has turned two already! "Poot's" getting pretty tall and looking less like a baby by the day.  Still answers to Poot though!  I gave him a bag full of fabric scraps in all sorts of bright colors.  He likes to throw them up  in the air............doesn't seem to enjoy picking them all up again as much!

It's been awhile since I've blog but now I'll be back at it and getting into more sewing info and instructional pictures for some fun and easy projects.  Beginners and seasoned stitchers will both enjoy the crazy patch pattern that's coming up next week.  Hope you stop in to check it out and, of course, try it out!

Happy sewing,
loreen

Free Patterns at The Noble Wife.com

While reading through an issue of The Country Register, I found a cute drawing (pattern) of a house, some flowers and a flag all on a small hill.  I thought it might make a cute applique design so I read a little closer and found that it was a free to use pattern (not commercially) if you would like to embroidery, applique, needle punch or rug hook.  It was also noted that there were more free patterns like this one at www.thenoble wife.com.  Here's the picture I saw.

 

 

Isn't it cute?  You should check out this site for some cute stuff!

Happy sewing,
loreen

Farmer's Market Update!

Finally have my Market setup in pretty good shape so I’ve added some pictures to give you a glimpse of market life.  It’s been fun and interesting.  My daughter does shell art.  Her stuff is on the right side of our booth.  She was approached by a local art gallery to display and sell some of her work there so that was pretty exciting.  Business is just starting to pick up since we are very seasonal here.  Our season is the winter months when everyone comes to enjoy the warm weather and even warmer Gulf of Mexico.  It still startles me when I dip my toe into the water and it’s not 60 degrees!  Old dogs…new tricks and so on!

 Happy sewing,

loreen

 

New Tab

Farmer's Market

I've been busy trying and I do mean TRYING to get ready for the Farmer's Market.  I've tossed around a bajillion (sp?) ideas for so long my brain hurts!  Went around to a few of the fabric shops because, of course, I didn't seem to have all the fabrics I need.  I'm not sure why because I could insulate a house with the amount of fabric I have now.  I decided to do some simple table runners that I had an old pattern for.  I've noticed in my fabric store shopping that this particular table runner is making a come back once again.  I even saw a vendor at the market who was doing fabric stamping (very nicely too!) and she was using a similar pattern.  If you sew long enough, you get to see the same patterns and tools come and go!! 

I have plenty of veggie/fruit fabrics but needed coordinating fabric to go with them.  Imagine coordinating to vegetables and fruits.  I picked up a few to try before I foolishly buy yards and yards that end up not working.  See, I am improving my spending!!

Hopefully by tomorrow am I will have a bunch finished and will post pictures for you to see.

Keep stitching,
loreen