Projects

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I have been making these cute ruffled t-shirts with a mermaid iron on lately. They are so cute for little girls, and so easy to make. I have a Cricut Explore that I won in a giveaway several years ago. It took me over two years to take the Cricut out of the box and start using it. I was sort of afraid of it, because I did not know it was so easy to use. Now I use it all the time. 

The first ruffled T-shirt I made did not have an iron on on it. I just sewed on the ruffles, and was done. Then, I took it to Southern Charm & Gifts to sell it. One day, Sharon, the owner of the shop, called me and asked me if I could put an iron on on a shirt that a customer bought. I said I would do it and when I went to pick it up, I found out that the person who bought it was my neighbor! My friend and I laughed about that so  much. After that, I have been putting iron ons on just about every shirt I have made. 

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a paint party in town. I met some ladies that live near me. We were talking, and I told them that I make things to sell at Southern Charm & Gifts in Tallapoosa. One of them asked me to make a T-shirt with ruffles and a mermaid iron on. Here is what I made for her yesterday:

I messed it up so bad when I was sewing on the ruffles, so I had to sit and pick out all the threads with a seam ripper to take off three rows of ruffles and a trim. Y’all know how much I hate that dang seam ripper! The next morning, I sewed all the ruffles and trim back on, and ironed on the mermaid. I think the shirt looks really cute. 

This is a close up of the mermaid cut from an svg file using my Cricut Explorer. It looks really complicated, but it is easy to cut, and then easy to pick out the pieces, or weed, the vinyl. The little girls around here love mermaids. 

On the first couple of T-shirts I  made like this, I made my own ruffles. That was a pain in the you know what! After that, I found a group on Facebook where you can buy fabric, trims, lace, ruffles, and all kinds of sewing related supplies at deep discounts from other people who sew. They are looking to destash their supplies of fabric and other stuff. These ruffles were some that I bought from that group. They were so much easier to handle and sew, that I don’t think I will ever make another ruffle. That ribbon trim was just perfect to finish off the top row of ruffles. 

I am selling these shirts, if you would like one. I can get the shirts in sizes from 6 months to 4T and from size 5 to size 10, in white, red, pink, purple, green, yellow or black. The iron on can be either a mermaid or a unicorn. Please send me an email if you would like to have one made for your child or grandchild. 

Check out these great Cricut promotions, good until 9/18/2018:

$15 off Cricut EasyPress™ bundles with code EASY15. Valid 9/12-9/18.

Fabric Sale! Score 30% off with code FAB30. Valid 9/12-9/18.

Accessories Sale! 30% off with code ACCESSORY30. Valid 9/12-9/18.

Cutting Materials Sale! Snag 30% off with code CUTTING30. Valid 9/12-9/18.

OH, and get FREE Economy Shipping on orders $99+ to US and Canada. Use code FREESHIP9 through 9/30/2018!!

Yes! I’m going to Denver Colorado on Wednesday to visit my daughter, Becca. My son, Seth, is going with me, and Fabgrandpa is staying home to take care of the kitties. I decided to make myself a new tote bag to take with me on the trip. 

I found a free download pattern at Swoon Sewing Patterns. The Ethel Bag was exactly what I was looking for. I did make a couple of changes to my bag: I increased the length of the handles by six inches, because I like a shoulder bag. I added a loop and button closure because this is an open bag, and I wanted a closure since I would be travelling with the bag. I also added Pellon 70 stiff interfacing because I like a really substantial bag. Other than those changes, the bag is cut to the pattern instructions. 

The bag has two pockets on the outside, and two pockets on the inside. The extra stiff interfacing makes this bag stand up by itself, which I like. The longer handles give this bag a drop that I like, and allow me to wear it as a cross body bag if I choose to. It’s large enough to hold all the necessities, including my prescription medications, my insulin and diabetes supplies, wet wipes, lip balm, a snack or two, and my iPad, without being too large to fit under the seat in front of me on the plane. 

I think I did a good job on this bag, and finished it up in two days. If you make according to the pattern instructions, you can probably finish one in an afternoon. What do you think of my version of the bag?

You might remember that I found a consignment shop in Tallapoosa, Southern Charm and Gifts, about 8 miles from me, that sells crafts made by local people. I took some of my items over there in February and they loved them, and let me join as a crafter. On Saturday, I got a call from the store, telling me that they had a customer in there who was looking for someone to make a drawstring bag for her husband to use to take his medications with him when he goes to the doctor. Doctors always ask you to bring in all your prescription medications when you go to your appointments. 

She said she did not want any floral or girly fabrics in it. We discussed sizes and prices. When I hung up, I had my first custom order from the shop! Whooo hoooo! 

It just so happens that the week before that, I had bought a pattern for a drawstring bag, because I wanted to see how to make them, and because I think that style of bag can be used for lots of things, and they should be a good selling item. 

Today I printed off my pattern and got to work on this project. I got it almost finished, all except for the drawstring and some hand work. I think it will be a nice bag for a man to tote meds in. What do you think? I’ll show the finished bag soon.