Bead Candle holder- IC40

Ok Iron craft this week I was so un-inspired. But I was not inspired period with most crafts and sewing b/c I had a pretty busy week in the lab. I had zero jars or bottles in my apt. Like I could not even stretch the truth and apply it to something. It was not until last night when my boyfriend cooked dinner and got a jar of pasta sauce I used this as my craft project!

***Warning this craft isn't much but at least I completed this challenge****

first I started with a clean jar.


then I had some old headbands that no longer had the stretch I needed but I wanted to save the beads.



So I cut the beads up and put them in the jar.



I shook the jar and added a candle.



now I have a jar that will hold my beads for later and hold a candle. Nothing elaborate, nothing fancy.

Let's hope next iron craft works out better! :)

Lauren

Easy Potato Soup

I received this baked potato soup recipe from a friend that she modified from the Panera bread potato soup recipe. She was also a grad student with me that didn't like to spend a lot of time chopping stuff so she found easy shortcuts. I thought I would share (and also preserve the recipe and not loose it in my apartment!).

Here are the ingredients:
4 cups of chicken broth
peeled and cubed potatoes enough so that they are fully covered by the broth (recipe calls for 4 cups of potatoes) I just wing it!
1/4 cup dried minced onion (this was substituted minced onion)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (white or black is fine)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 (8 ounce package of cream cheese) cut into chunks

Instructions

1. Combine broth, potatoes, onions, and spices. Note the smaller you cut and cube your potatoes the faster it will cook.
2. Boil on medium until potatoes are tender (average time 15-30 mins, again all depends on how small the pieces were.
3. Smash potatoes with potato masher. This will release the starch and thicken the soup.
4. Reduce to low heat.
5. Add cream cheese.
6. Heat, stirring frequently until the cheese melts. This may take around 10 mins if that.

Eat!

Now, feel free to add other things to your soup: broccoli, bacon, etc. This soup does have a kick to it so if you are sensitive to pepper you may want to back off the red pepper. The soup will also thicken the longer it stands so you may have to add water to the soup. Also you will have to add water if you save it for the following day-it will almost be mashed potatoes. :)

Enjoy!

Not loosing this recipe now!

Lauren

Sewing tips from my class

A little while back, I took a class at Hancock Fabrics that was demo-ing a pattern drafting course that could fit you perfectly (which was super expensive, not going to happen, I'd rather spend up to $3, like for Vogue, or less for others to have the pattern already drafted. But I did gain some useful sewing information that I will share!

1. If you are using a pattern that does not have a seam allowance you can get a guide for your rotary cutter (on my christmas list).
2. The smaller the rotary cutter you use the better you will be with cutting curves. You have more control.
3. If you have a 50% stretch fabric you need to remove 2 cm from your pattern in order for it to fit well.
4. Here is where you loose so much fabric at certain seams (unless you use a walking foot)

• back side seams: 1/2 inch
• back shoulders 1/8 inch
• back pant legs 1/2
• sleeve caps 1/4 inch
• collars 1/4 inch
• facing: 9 inches=1/8 inch, 18= 1/4 inche, 36= 1/2 inch, 72=1 inch

So If fabric never matched up to how you cut it, it is b/c of the feed dogs! A walking foot controls this b/c it feeds the material in evenly. Now the only thing is get over that loud sound.

5. A roller foot is great for slippery and problem material. Or even attaching lace to other fabric. Yes I so want one!

Happy sewing everyone! Now I will never loose my notes! :)

xoxoxoxo,

Lauren

Drum crosstitch

So another cross- stitch ornament done! I have been slowly working on this while I have a little break when I work the weekends. Sometimes my brain doesn't work and it is nice to take a break and do some cross stitching. I have been cross stitching since a kid, and I think this is what makes me fast when I hand sew bling onto garments.




I am just happy another craft done. That is one less thing in my craft stash, which is equivalent to my fabric stash. And I am determined to not be a hoarder when I am older. :) I have no idea who I am going to give it to but someone will get it as a gift.

I have picked out a snowman and will slowly plug away at it while I am here during the weekends. :)

Guess who hit 100!

So when 2011 started and I gave up buying clothes for an entire year to either sew from my stash or refashion. I thought I would set the sewing number to 100 things. Regardless of the size if I used a piece of fabric, I got a fabric point. And so started my journey.

My biggest goal was to be able to get all of my fabric stowed away somewhere. Under the bed, in the closet, etc. Currently, yes I do have fabric stored under my bed, in my closet in a series of suitcases, but I still have a lump of fabric outside of the areas in my 2nd room. The lump has decreased in size but it is still there.

However, I did make 100!!!!! Thank you baby showers for allowing me to use my fabric to make gifts! I also gave some away (which amounts to 1 fabric point a piece).

Here is the run down... I started at 76 points... Not all have been posted on my blog but they are slowly making their way...

+ 6 to Sonja for giving all the "red" fabric I had, whether it was with a pattern or what.... It was used to make pillow for a school teacher in her classroom. What can I say you know I am generous ;)
+6 to my mom!! Yes my mother raided my fabric stash when she and my father came to visit in August. We went through to find all the off white and cream fabric so she could make curtains and pillows for the newly redone house :)
+1 Pink ruffled tank. I used some of my ribbed pink knit I had in my stash
+1 Maxi dress. The easiest maxi dress ever! Super comfy too!
+2 Peach lace top
+1 leopard bellydance skirt. This one is currently in the making but one night I got gutsy put in an invisible zipper on this skirt I had been waiting forever to do b/c I was a chicken. Now it needs some bling!
+1 the matching covered bra
+1 rose dress and easy dress to make!
+1 the peter pan collar on my blue polo refashion
+1 my renn faire robe/dance coverup! I almost want to give myself more points for this since IT IS HUGE!!!!
+1 the navy blue swag dress! the butterick pattern I will probably not sew any time soon!
+1 baby duck bath towel i so want to make one for myself
+1 itty bitty dress- I want to make like 30 of these just because they are so cute! I will keep this pattern b/c I will use leftover fabric to make some more later! :)
+1 garden bloom bib another design I will keep playing around with.
+1 Pink gingerbread bib
+1 Flower yo-yo bib>/a>
+1 Apple bib
+1 Pumpkin bag
+1 Lily's pillowcase dress

Grand total.... 106!!!! So I passed my 100 points mark! How great is this!! Celebrate!!! Happy dance!!! Jazz hands!!! Wahoo!!!

I am so surprised and proud of myself. There are 3 months left in this year (3 months!!!!) and I think it is completely attainable to hit 150....



So here's to attaining my goals and here is to hitting 150!

I hope everyone else can reach their goals by the end of 2011!!

XOXOXOXO,
Lauren

Pumpkin Gift Bag- Iron craft challenge

This week's iron craft challenge was to .... hmm. Again I am in the middle of finishing up some refashions I started and some sewing projects before I begin to start the Halloween costumes. I am sewing both mine and Calvin's costumes. I am not going to elaborate on what Calvin is going to be (b/c it is surprise and it is awesome!). My costume is somewhat related to his (sort of) and is one of Simplicity's new pattern for this Halloween.

What I am trying to say is I don't need to be starting huge projects! Then I saw a piece of Orange scrap polyester in my stash (from previous owner) and ding I knew what I wanted to do. Apparently everyone and their mother in blog land here have started to create all of their halloween decorations. I am apparenlty one of the slackers. So here is my contribution to the iron craft challenge this week- a halloween jack o'lantern mini gift bag.

Not to worry this project was super easy. First I started with a piece of orange scrap fabric, already nicely cut into a rectangle. Wahoo. I sewed up the bottom and side.

Next I added black bias tape, it was leftover from a previous project so I was happy to use it up! Attach to the top of the bag.

Make a handle for the bag, again I was using the leftover bias tape, I just sewed it to itself!

Next add face. I used scraps of black fabric and turned it into a fusible applique with that iron on stuff.... I cut out eyes, nose, and a mouth.

I just drew it out by hand. Yeah I am so not an artist!



Iron eyes, nose, and mouth to the bag.

Done. Isn't he cute?

See easy peasy right? I have several other pieces of orange fabric that I will probably never use so I may make more. Too bad I don't have kids (or nieces or nephews) this would be a great gift for some kids!

Until the next iron craft challenge!....

XOXOXOXO,
Lauren

The heart bib that left me clueless

I am not a person who normally gets doubtful of what I want to do with a piece of clothing or accessory. I make up my mind pretty quickly and stick to it and usually I have decent judgement and a good eye. This one left me confused.

So I started out with a pale pink bib. Alicia said she loves pink and brown. I wanted to give her something she would really like. I added a brown heart with fusible webbing stuff. But then I got stuck. I mean I got stuck. I thought I would like it more but I found something was missing.

I thought about adding a trim but none of the bias tape I could find matched the brown heart. I thought about adding multiple hearts in various sizes. Again, I did not care for it. I thought about adding words. But nothing worked. I was flat out stuck.

But I had sewn the bib really nicely I could not just throw it away. Again I told myself it is a bib, it doesn't always have to be a work of art- it just needs to prevent food from getting on the baby. But I was still frustrated as can be!

I went to my trim stash and saw what I had. I realized I did not hate adding a brighter pink rick-rack trim to the edge. So I added that. And since I didn't hate the bib I just left it like that. Something simple. But it kind of reminded me of a ginger bread cookie for some reason. I think it was probably becuase of the rick-rack.



Again its not fancy, it is not a work of art, it is just simple. Something to catch baby food/spit. :)

XOXOXO
Lauren