It's the Life

One of my Favorite Things

One of my favorite steps when quilting is cutting up the fabric and making little piles. I get to be destructive and organized at the same time! 

Another favorite thing is making a tutorial! One for this quilt is in the making.

Tutorial: Shorten your Jeans, Keep the Original Hem

I don't think I've ever bought a pair of pants that were the right length for me. My legs are just too short. When I used to hem my jeans I would just cut them to the length I wanted plus an inch or so, fold back the fabric and stitch a smal line around the leg bottom. I never really liked the look of it, but I'm short, what choice do I have? I like the manufacturers hem, but I didn't know how to get that same look. I still don't know how to create that look, so I decided to keep it. I'm going to show you how to hem your jeans, but keep that original hem. Don't stress, it's easy.  Really, really, easy!

Start with a pair of jeans that are the length you want. Lay the shorter pair on top, making sure the tops, hips and crotch lines are all matching.

Using a pin or a pen, mark on the longer jeans where the stitching for the hem on the shorter pair hits. Not the bottom of the jean, but where the yellowish stitching is.  This is where you will sew the stitches of the longer jean.

Now, fold the leg of the longer jeans up until the bottom of the original hem lines up with the mark you made. Pin in place.

Make sure the stitch lines that run up and down the leg line up.

Pin it in place.

Line up the other side as well. Pin in place.

Do this on both pant legs. 

With a sewing machine, stitch along the original hem line. As close to the fold as you can, without going onto the fold.  Stitch all the way around each leg.

As you sew around, make sure your lines are still matching as you stitch.

When you have stitched all the way around, you can fold the excess inside the pant leg. At this point you should be getting excited! Look at that beautiful orginal hem. Look how those lines match up perfectly.

Heat up your iron and press your stitches from the inside and out. Make sure your fold is where you want it to be.

At this point you should find a thread that is a blue/grey. It doesn't have to match perfectly, but you don't want to use white (or pink). I use this same thread for dark and light jeans, and it hides just fine.

Bring your nicely pressed jeans back to the sewing machine. Stitch all the way around the leg bottom as close to the fold as you can.

Feel your heart swell with pride as you see your lines lined up perfectly.

Remind your husband how lucky he is to have married a catch like you! 

Holiday Quilts

I just added a few quilts and table runners my mom made to my etsy shop!  Click here to check them out.

Here are a couple highlights!

They would make great gifts!

Binding a Quilt Tutorial

I finally quilted my Head to Toe Quilt.  I did loops, double loops and a few triple loops.  I really like how it turned out.

As promised.  I made a tutorial on how to attach a binding and how to finish a binding.

Attaching a Binding to a Quilt

Finishing a Binding

You can also find them in my Sewing Tutorials section

Head to Toe Quilt Tutorial

I saw this super cute quilt at a local quilt shop.

I bought all the fabric to recreate it. I took photos as I pieced it together.  Click here for the tutorial.

Click here for other sewing tutorials!

Brick Pattern

My beautiful quilting machine set up.  My mom and I went in on it together. 

It took me a while to get used to the machine and feel comfortable with it, but I now really enjoy this part of making a quilt. 

All done.  I really love it. 

My new stack

I really like these colors together

I can't wait to start cutting!

Harry Potter Party Planning: Wizzard Robes

Jefferson picked out the cloak fabric. I was thinking something more stiff, but once he picked this out, I realized it was more robe like than what I was looking at. Plus it was less $$ per yard. My mom had given me a 50% off coupon to Joanns, so I bought what was left on the bolt.  I used a super hero cape pattern and added a hood. 

(picture taken on old camera before I got the new one)

I didn't have enough fabric to make them really long robes, but I still think they are fun.  I added an clasp at the neck so they would stay on even if the hood is down.

Jefferson has been wearing his all over the place.  He insisted that he needed to have it on before he could open his letter.

Click here to see the Wands!

Camera Strap Cover Winners!

We're going to do this the old fashion way.  Draw out of a bowl. I had Jefferson do the honors. (If you scroll down slowly, it'll be more fun...)

Winner #1

and Winner #2

Congratulations Ladies!!

Send me an email with the address you would like me to send you new camera strap cover.  You can click the link under my profile photo on the side bar.

Well, that was fun.  We'll have to do it again.

Camera Strap Cover Give Away

You can find tutorials on how to make a camera strap covers all over the internet.  Here are a couple that I made this week.

I made little pockets on the ends.  I put the lense cap in one and extra memory cards in the other.

This one is just the reverse of the one above

And this one is the one I made for myself

Love that Herringbone.  Expecially when it's with some Heather Bailey floral. 

Want one?  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll choose two winners!