planning some plans - Mai Autumn if you recall back in february, when i started talking about designing a line of throw pillows, this post is going to sound kind of similar. i'm always dreaming up new things i want to make, and this week has been no exception. the throw pillows are still in the back of my mind, (don't you worry!) but i got to thinking what i would really love... to design a line of clothes someday. now, this is kind of just a distant, far out there kind of dream, for now, (since i hardly know how to sew, and i definitely don't know how to design patterns.. yet) but i wanted to throw it out there to see if it feels right. you know, putting it in writing and all. i mean, really, eventually, i would like to have all sorts of beautiful things available. i want to create my own little world and furnish it with everything i could possibly imagine! it's a bit insane, i know. but i think i'm going in the right direction. it feels good. and that's what matters, right? jamie and the jones minx shop janey clothing
Sewing Tips: Practicing your Sewing Stitches (including the back-stitch) Ooooh, okay, so many more of you told me that you received a new sewing machine for Christmas. Or a serger. Or some new sewing supplies. Yay!! Many of you are very new to this crazy sewing thing so let me give you a really quick pep talk. Okay. One more thing, if you think something is too hard to try, then yep, it’ll always be too hard to try. It surprises me. Okay, enough pep-talking. I know this first tip is so lame and you already know it……but practice. You may not be perfect your first time revving up your machine……but you will get better, I promise. Okay, first real lesson: the Back-Stitch A back-stitch is how you secure the beginning and end of your stitch. Now, sew a few stitches forward, stop, push your back-stitch button (it will be some sort of knob/button/lever) and hold it down and then start sewing again. Now, continue sewing right over that row of stitches and continue on the path that you were wanting to sew. Why Back-Stitch???? Next up? Sewing Around Curves and Corners
8 Tips on How to Think for Yourself Edit Article Edited by Brigitta M., Imperatrix, Tom Viren, Howdy Duty and 35 others When you accept everything you're told without question, you open the door to being manipulated. Ad Steps 1Ask questions, particularly the question "why?". 9Beware paralysis by analysis. Tips Be strong. Warnings If your decision was wrong at anytime, don't undervalue yourself.
Sewing 101 Oh… am I ever so happy to introduce Kim from Retro Mama to you. For the next four Mondays, she’ll be teaching Craft Snob’s fresh ‘petite series’ on Sewing 101. Peek, snoop or loiter around her retro pattern shop and gobble up a few of these cuties… - Sara P.S. Hi everyone! The Sewing Machine First off, you don’t need a fancy or expensive machine to have a blast sewing and to be able to do a ton of techniques with great results. Presser Feet Many machines come with several basic presser feet, but you may need to purchase additional feet if they aren’t already included (yours may look a little different from my photo, as presser feet do vary some by manufacturer). A. Sewing Machine Needles For the purpose of these introductory lessons, we will be using sharp/regular point needles. Thread Thread is a little bit of a tricky subject as many folks tend to be very loyal to one brand and swear that all other threads are junk. Essential Sewing Tools A. Quilter’s rulers . . and ironing board . Fabric 101
My Photography Tips Hello my friends! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Today I’m going to share a few tips that I have learned in the past year to wrap up the Photography series. I look at some of my first blog posts and cringe at my pictures. If you missed the Photography series you can start here: Okay let’s get started… See this picture below? Now this is how I would take it today… See how much more inviting this version looks? One of the things I have learned is to add layers and texture. SO once you have your whole set up outside or by a window (this is key to great pictures) take tons of different angles of the shot. I also love to take a picture from a side or angled view. You can see in this pic I used my Canon 50mm f/1.8 Lens to really focus in on what I’m capturing. Here’s another picture (of the best chocolate chip cookies) taken on wrapping paper. Another great CHEAP thing I use in pictures is white foam board. I also love using bead board as a back drop.
My Spa Water Blog | Think Pink with our Sweet Pineapple Strawberry Spa Water Think Pink with our Sweet Pineapple Strawberry Spa Water Sweet Pineapple Strawberry Spa Water from MySpaWater.com Are you planning a Breast Cancer Awareness event this fall? Looking for some healthy drinks to serve? In support of research to find the cause of breast cancer, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of our Spa Water Book benefits the Dr. Sweet Pineapple Strawberry Spa Water Ingredients:1 Cored organic pineapple1 (large) carton of organic strawberriesIce and waterDirections:Wash and slice fruit.Layer ice and fruit in a large beverage server.Fill beverage server with water.Serve Spa Water in wine glasses and garnish with a slice of pineapple Be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter, where we share a variety of hydration facts, tips and spa water recipes, as well as personalized support and encouragement to those who are committed to adopting a healthy hydration ritual. 7 Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Make for Baby: 25 Free Dress Tutorials for Babies & Toddlers By Jaime Morrison Curtis | Nothing is sweeter than a little girl all dolled up in a homemade dress. Last week we shared a round up of how to make all your baby and nursery basics here: Make for Baby: 20 Easy Projects to Make Your Own Bedding, Gear, and Nursery Stuff. From the overwhelming response, we can see how much you enjoy making for your children. Now we’ve rounded up the most popular dress tutorials from Prudent Baby as well as some of our favorites from around the crafty web. Most of these dresses are ideal for beginning sewers; all will make you feel like the crafty mom superstar that you are. nggallery id=’121271′ Pillowcase Dress This is the most popular tutorial on Prudent Baby and a classic child's dress. Snappy Toddler Dress We see more adorable versions of this dress then any other. Snap Wrap Dress This dress is forgiving in sizing and especially cute in a voile or gauze. No time to DIY?
A Piece of Lisa: Photoshop Tutorial: Learn Basic Photo Editing to Enhance Colours/Light/Contrast Hi everyone! Here is a tutorial I've been working on for anyone that is new to photo editing. I wanted to show you two very easy ways to dramatically enhance the colours, contrast and light balance in your photos. I work in Photoshop, but I think that the methods I show would be fairly similar in other photo editing software. So, if you look at the image above, you can see how much you can improve photos that come out a bit dull and dark, but this is also a great way to make good shots stand out even more! I am going to use this photo to show you the technique. The first thing I always do with a new photo is to adjust the Levels. When you have opened the Levels window you'll see this black "mountain". Click OK. Now we are going to enhance the contrast further and make the colours really pop. Now you're gonna copy the Background layer, do that by grabbing hold of it and dragging it to the "Create a new layer" icon (bottom right of your layers panel). I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!
Park Seed: Vegetable Seeds, Flower Seeds, Plants, Bulbs, Trees and Gardening Supplies Comfy & Casual Wish we had a beach nearby that we could visit in this cute summer dress! Instead we are trying not to go crazy while we play inside and wait for the snow to melt. I have discovered lots of cute clothing tutorials lately and when I spotted this pink knit at JoAnne's I knew just what I'd make: The Warhol Dress by Dana at Made. weaving fabric - Happiness blog by Gédane Tracer un quadrillage sur l'envers du tissu d'au moins trois colonnes minimun, on peut en faire autant que l'on veut il n'y a pas de règle il faut tracer des carrés,( ici ils font 1 X1 cm) mais ils peuvent faire 2 ou 2.5 cm il faut marquer d'un trait un carré sur deux, une fois dans un sens une fois dans l'autre voir photo ci dessous on a besoin d'une aiguille et de fil solide piquer au extremités le carré qui possède un trait en fonction du sens et nouer serré maintenant avec de la patience vous allez voir se tresser votre tissu English version Draw a grid on the back of the material of at least 3 columns; there' s no hard and fast rule, you can do as many as you like. You should draw squares (here they are 1cm by 1cm) but they can be 2 or 2.5 com for a larger plait. You will need to draw a line for every other square, in one direction and then the other... See photo You will need a needle and a strong thread. Sew the corners of each of the sides of the squares depending on the direction.
Another DIY Photo Thing! (technical wording) Here's another DIY post! This one covers the family photo that I put on a piece of wood that had a pretty shape to it. This is another mod podge project (the stuff is amazing...you can do anything and everything with it!) Materials: Block of wood (I got mine from Hobby Lobby for $2.99. How to:Trace the shape of the wood where the picture will be located onto the back of your photo. You can hang it on the wall if you want, but I got a stand from Hobby Lobby and put it on there. How to make a draped t-shirt This cowl neck top is quite easy to make. It has only four seams and you can create the pattern yourself. The cowl neck comes from making the neckline of the shirt wider at the front than the back – this extra fabric hangs down creating the drapey neckline. You will need: Measuring tape ⅔ yard stretchy fabric (I used a cotton/lycra jersey) Matching thread Sewing machine Chalk (or pencil and large paper to make a pattern) Pins (optional) The first step in making this top is to measure yourself. 1. Before you start, wash your fabric the way you want to wash the finished top. I like to draw the pattern directly on the fabric with chalk, but if you prefer to make a paper pattern the steps are just the same. Drawing the pattern for the front: Beginning about 4 inches from the top of your fabric and 6 inches from the right side, draw a line 4 inches longer than your shoulder measurement. Mark the center of this line. For a looser shirt, just connect the sides of the hem with the bust marks.
a quilt is nice: rounded quilt corners tutorial Lately (if you haven't noticed) I have really been into roundedcorners on my quilts. I really like how it looks, and how it seems to soften the quilt-- which I especially love for baby quilts. The great thing about rounded corners is you don't have to do mitered corners on your binding. The bad part is you MUST use bias binding. Rounding your corners is super duper easy peasy. Here's how I do it. and square it up. next, I fold my quilt in half, and find a rounded object (I use a bowl or lid...or a toy that's floating around my sewing space) that gives you a good curve on your corner. trace your arc with a disappearing ink pen, or a pencil like I use because I have misplaced my pen. using scissors, cut your curve (I do two layers at once). repeat tracing the arc and cutting on the other two corners of your quilt. that's it. now your quilt is ready to attach bias binding. As you approach your corner, just ease your bias binding around the corner, and guide it into your machine.