Jenny Follower

I will NOT be left out of the fabulousness that is SisBoom's Jenny.  Last month our SHE's held a Jenny off (Guest Post: Jeanine, Karly, Winner: Crystal) while I was off on vacation (and by vacation I mean a trip in which I took my two littles on an airplane by myself and spent two weeks in triple degree heat; however still wouldn't have traded it for anything as my kiddos got awesome quality time with both sets of grandparents, their cousins, their aunts and uncle, their great grandparents, and various other friends and family.)  So now that I'm home, it's on.




I pick out fabric from my bin that was purchased with my mother in law when she was teaching me how to sew... seven, eight years ago.  It was originally slated to be a skirt, and I only had 2.5 yards to make my medium Jenny.

As suggested, I started with a muslin.  Fit was pretty much spot on.  Didn't want to mess with it too much as I didn't have the right length zipper (remember all my stuff was bought many moons ago). On to the actual cutting and sewing!  I managed to squeeze out the pieces from my fabric and didn't even need my back up plain fabric to use as my lining pieces.  Wahoo!



Sewed up beautifully.  If I had a longer zip the only adjustments I'd make would be to take in the bodice a touch and maybe shorten it's length.



Getting mugged with Expression Vinyl


EEP! So excited about today's post, it is a little outside of my comfort zone (which is sewing), but I have a Silhouette and it has been sitting here not getting the use it deserves and so when Expressions Vinyl inspired me, I jumped at the chance! 

I started off simple last week with a mario inspired shirt


So today we are working with Expressions Vinyl! They sell all sorts of stuff for vinyl crafting - including the Silhouette cutting machines - which is what I use for my vinyl cutting. 

PS. Read to the end - there is a coupon code and a chance to win!

This is what I made,  plain boring white mugs look ADORABLE! :


I love that the site clearly lists uses for each product. I am soooo new to this that I really needed it to be dummy proof since I had no idea what exactly to order. 

If you are green like me - trust the settings on your machine, I was scared it wouldn't cut through so i increased the thickness setting - BAD idea! I had to restart. But even with a restart and not having a clue what I was doing this was a simple one lazy evening project.


 So I re-cut and it was so exciting to pull the negative space vinyl off and see my design perfectly cut sticking there, and then I put transfer tape over the design so I could easily get it onto the mug - pps. order PLENTY of transfer tape, after one project I am convinced I should have picked up more haha.


and then you press down and it sticks to the mug - the vinyl lifts right away from that very sticky transfer tapes and stays on the mug  - the transfer tape just peels away. Nothing hard or complicated or messy about it! It is amazing!

See, fun morning mug! Do you know someone who is not a morning person and could use this as their coffee cup? It is an easy craft to do! 

Then I was a bit hooked... so I searched the cupboards for another plain white something and found this soup mug, it clearly needed a face!


and of course the man needed something too, he looooves tea and the A-Team! I weeded the design and then put it on transfer tape and now it can just sit flat in my drawer waiting for me to find a mug big enough to put this on! Seriously - so fun and so cool working with this!


I am starting to browse pinterest looking for ideas... and coming up with some of my own... There will be plenty more vinyl crafting posts in this blog's future! This might be a new addiction.... I wonder what else I can find tov inyl... 

Now here is the FUN part for you!


  1. a 10% off code at Expressions Vinyl using the code : THATSWHATSHECRAFTED
  2. A GIVEAWAY for a $25 digital gift card! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway
A big thanks from us atto Expressions Vinyl

Compost Sifter

The compost is kind of ready but not really.  Mr. Viever decided we should attempt to build a sifter so we could sift out some of the ready stuff and leave the bigger stuff to further cook and break down.

Step one measure our wheelbarrows.  We wanted the sifter to be able to fit over both.  We also wanted to be able to have it balance on the edge and shake it up and down rather than just shift it back and forth.  We measured the length and width.  Cut two pieces to length with additional length for handles.





Then using left little chunks as "spacers" to figure out the width pieces to cut. Basically the width of the space we wanted to use minus the width of the two length pieces.






Pre-drilled holes and ASSEMBLE!





We double checked the fit.  Then Mr Viever measured out the metal screen material he bought and started cutting.

Then he clipped off the sharp edges.



And again pre-drilled holes and screwed in the the screen. Voila finished sifter!



Now to put it to work and get some of that rich compost into my garden beds!




The garden is going to LOVE this stuff!  I love my handy man Mr. Viever.  He's fantastic with this building stuff for my garden.


Heat Transfer Vinyl Fun with Expressions Vinyl!


Ok people listen up! I have some fun to share with you today!!!
Do you remember this shirt from my CRAFTICON post, and then I promised you I'd share more about it later? Well today is "later". 

First off I used a Silhouette to cut my vinyl. why do you ask? Well it is the cutting machine I have. and I fricken love that I can grab an image and trace it in the program. When you cut to vinyl you are going to want to mirror your image. I didn't use words so it really wouldn't have mattered a lot if I didn't mirror such a basic shape, but I knew which way Mario and friends run across the screen - I have the games! 


I used Siser easy weed vinyl from Expressions Vinyl. and let me tell you - it is EASY to weed!!!!! I've weeded other things before and it felt more torturous than watching golf on tv, which for me is worse than watching paint dry. This easy weed stuff just lifted right off, nothing ripped or pulled and the backing is slightly sticky so the pieces I wanted to stay on the backing to iron to the shirt nicely stayed on the backing!


Then I went on over to Expressions Vinyl's you tube channel and watched this video, if you skip to about the 6:50 mark you can go right to the ironing bit. This shirt was my very first attempt at heat transfer vinyl so I figured I should watch a demo first and all the tips and hints in that video are AMAZING!!! Plus he uses an everyday iron - which is perfect since I do not have a heat press. So, if you want to learn the finer points of ironing on heat transfer with an iron I highly recommend the video!


This project was so much fun and such an easy first project! I will be on the lookout for more things to vinyl forsure! Plus, I have a bunch more vinyl so keep an eye out for more non sewing projects using vinyl! or maybe sewing projects using vinyl... Who knows really, we SHE'S like to keep things fresh!


ps see Luigi above, that is what happens when you think you should put your iron just a little bit hotter than the video recommends (even though the video warns against too hot ironing). I've learned my lesson. Trust the video and the experts when it comes to applying vinyl properly!

and yes, I still do love my shirt! Everyday with a little bit of my geek showing!

I should tell you that when Expressions Vinyl sent me the vinyl for the project, they shipped it right away and it arrived in record time to my middle of nowhere area! 


Sewing With a Sizzix!



I am so excited about today’s post.  I’m gonna talk to you about Sizzix!  I know what you’re thinking: “Crystal, you don’t paper craft”.  And I totally don’t.  I am a seamstress and not much else creatively.  I have my moments, but  I tend to stick to fabric and a sewing machine.  I’m totally WILLING to branch out, but practice makes perfect and ain’t nobody got time fuh dat! A lot of crafty mom's have a Sizzix for card making and scrapbooking, but don't limit your machine to paper. Did you know that they have die cuts for FABRIC?  That’s right!  You can cut perfect fabric shapes using your Sizzix machine.  I have the BigKick and it’s pretty amazing.  Ain’t it purty?



I have been staring at my hexagon die cut (they come in many sizes- pick one!) for a while now knowing that I needed it to make something.  I have been so drawn to hexagons lately.  I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something so awesome about them.  Hexagons need to be pretty perfectly cut to piece together correctly.  I made a quilt once and my hand cutting made for few challenges along the way.  The beautiful thing about the Sizzix die cuts is that you will have all of your hexagons EXACTLY the same.   It gives the precision you NEED when working with this shape.  I'm pretty perfect, practically Mary Poppins, but even I have a problem cutting perfect Hexis.



Now,  I didn’t want to make a  quilt (time thing) nor did I want to make a table runner that my children would inevitably destroy.  I came up with a way to use hexis in my favorite type of sewing...garments!  I’m going to show you how to make some custom fabric to use for a lined dress bodice.  The bonus?  It’s PERFECT for those scraps you have laying around waiting to be used =)  This isn’t a QUICK project tutorial, but it’s a technique that will give your projects a very personal and unique touch.  Handmade is all in the details and love put into it.


Supplies:
  • Sizzix machine (like my amazing BigKick)
  • Sizzix hexagon die cut *for fabric
  • Fabric scraps
  • SEW-on interfacing (DO NOT use iron on)
  • Basting spray
  • Sewing machine
  • Thread
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Sewing pattern of your choice calling for a lined bodice.
  • Fabric for your dress skirt
The first thing you need to do is get out that ruler.  Measure your bodice pattern pieces (front and back or just front if you prefer) top to bottom and side to side.  These measurements will be the height and width your finished hexagon fabric piece will need to be- I made mine larger to account for layout and any possible error.  Make sure to take into account any “cut on fold” or any pieces you will need a duplicate of.

Now, you can do the complicated math of how many hexi’s you’ll need including seam allowance, OR you can just cut out a crap ton!  Any extras you have can be used again anyway, so why not?  That’s what I did.  I just cut about 40 hexagons  for my simple rectangle bodice (12”x5” piece).  This cutting goes by so fast!  Cut your fabric into squares- they don’t have to be perfect, they just need to cover the shape on the die cut.  Then you make a Sizzix sammich by putting one acrylic cut plate on the bottom, the die cut (foam facing up) on top of that, then your fabric, then another acrylic plate.  Roll it through and WAHOO!  It’s so fast!  You can cut these while watching TV.  It doesn’t take much concentration. *NOTE* Iron your fabric BEFORE you cut.  I didn't and had to recut some hexis.  I knew better than that.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.



After you have you 5 thousand hexagons.  Play around with layout and color making sure that your hexis stack high and wide enough to fit your pattern AFTER they’re sewn together.


Once you have the layout figured out, Sew those bad boys together.  There are many tutorials out there to do this, but I prefer THIS ONE.  This will take some time, but it gets faster as you get used to sewing them.  
Now that they’re all together and pressed, use the basting spray to adhere the entire piece to the sew-in interfacing.  The reason I don’t use iron-on is because it’s very easy to iron it on wrong and wrinkly and then you’ve just messed up all of that hard work sewing hexagons together.  You WILL cry.  Just use what I say.  When you are adhering your fabric to the interfacing, make sure to smooth out all of the wrinkles.


Now, topstitch all of the hexagons 1/8” from the edge, essentially quilting it to the interfacing.


Once that’s done, you can put your pattern piece on and cut out your bodice. Your hexis are your "main" fabric.  Your lining can be whatever you normally use for lining.   Follow your patterns instructions to complete your dress and you will be so happy with the outcome.



If you want to jazz your dress up a little more, use some of your leftover hexagons to make appliques for your skirt.  Randomly place them wherever you want and pull the whole look together. Put that Sizzix to work!  It's an amazing tool for a seamstress.  You can applique, make custom fabric (like we did here), even use it to cut out stencil shapes for fabric painting.  If you don't have a Sizzix, I really recommend it.  I have a  lot of fun with mine and it helps me be as creative as I can be.



And because I know seamstresses always love to see the back:




-Crystal-

CraftingCon Craft-off: Voting!

Thank so much to all of you that stuck around with us this geek week.  We had a lot of fun and we hope you did to!  Hopefully you've been inspired to sew along with the themes over at CraftingCon.  Today is voting day and you have been tasked with picking our winner.  Karly can't be voted for- She's just a pretty face.  Well, she's a REAL competitor already this month (for her blog, Paisley Roots) and she can only compete once, so then there were three.  Lets look one more time at her look though.  "Ooh and "Aaaaah" as you wish:



And here are your 3 finalists.

Crystal's Rebel Alliance flight suit dress



Viever's Captain America Kids



Jenn's Super Mama Shirt



VOTE VOTE VOTE!  Remember, whoever wins this gets to compete fo rizzle in the September princess theme.  Choose wisely.  The fate of the galaxy is in your hands.


Crafting Con Craft-Off: Karly


Since Zoe needed another shirt to go with her Star Wars shorts, I decided to go with Star Wars with my theme for our mini-competition to see who gets to compete in the September Disney Princess Crafting Con. 

CraftingCon Craft-off: Jenn

So the challenge, create an everyday look that uses one of the following "geeky" themes: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Avengers, Disney Princesses, Disney Villains, Hunger Games, The Hobbit, Dr. Who, Mario Brothers, Divergent, Disney (general theme excluding Princesses), and Board Game. 



I could have made something for the kids.... but honestly their wardrobes are pretty full. 
So I took the challenge to make an everyday wear item for me!  I dress like a grown up on a regular basis. I mean I love colour, but style wise I don't really go over the top. So I knew I'd have to pick a simple design shirt and go subtly for the geek. 


I am a big Nintendo fan. I love the Mario's, Zelda's, Donkey Kongs, etc. Just don't try and make me play a sports game!!! yuck and boooooorrrrriiiiinnnnnnggggggg! When I saw Mario as an option for CRAFTICON I figured I'd go for that one. I used some great heat transfer vinyl from Expressions Vinyl (and I'll talk more about that a different day)


It really was so simple to just do a few characters, princess peach, toadstool, luigi and mario running around my shirt! I love that this is a shirt I can wear everyday too and not feel out of place taking the kids somewhere or going shopping in. 


For the shirt I used the Seafarer pattern by Sew Much Ado, a nice easy dolman style sew! 
For pocket placement I'm going to show you my little tip to make it EASY: 


Yep, I cut the pocket nearly out and then I can line it up and pic right to the fabric!


and here you can see the nicely placed Mario characters, not too obvious but clearly a bit of fun. 


~Jenn