DIY: Pin Cushion Bracelet

I don't know about you but when I'm sewing, and pulling out pins, I struggle to stick the pin in my pin cushion. I end up having to stop and hold the pin cushion still, which is frustrating. Now maybe that only happens to me, but either way, I decided to make myself a pin cushion bracelet! You can make this in basically any shape you want but this tutorial is for the heart shaped one. I used fabric scraps that I had in my stash to make this, so if you have scraps this is a great way to use them up. Here's how I did it.

To start I folded a piece of fabric in half and pinned it so it wouldn't shift. Then I outlined half of a heart onto the fold of it.

Next I cut the heart out. Then I lined it up on another portion of the fabric (still on the fold), pinned it, and cut it.

I decided I wanted to add a decorative pocket so I took another fabric I had and started it out the same as I did for the other pieces. But instead of cutting out the whole shape I stopped short and cut across.

I ended up with three pieces like this.

 

Next I hemmed the top of the triangular piece (I only folded it over once because I didn't want it to be bulky).

 

Then I cut a piece of elastic to my wrist size, and stitched it to the back. I used a straight stitch, but I went back and forth a few times.

I'm not good at keeping my lines straight when I sew backwards lol 

After that I stitched the elastic closed. You can use a thinner elastic, elastic in a fabric casing, or even use fabric with velcro closures to make these. I just liked the look of the thick white elastic.

After that I layered the pieces. The front piece and the pocket piece I laid right side up. The back piece I put wrong side up. Then I pinned it and stitched up the whole thing leaving a small space at the bottom to turn it right side out.

 

Then I stuffed it and stitched the opening shut.

and that's it!

What do you think?

 

DIY: Book Sling

 

I saw this when I was looking around on Pinterest and just knew I had to make it. All the tutorials I saw for this required that the sling be bolted to the wall. Like this one I found at Penny Carnival, which is what I based my sling portion off of.  But we rent and can't really do much to change how our place looks. So I figured out a way to put the sling up, without messing up the walls. 

To start you need to gather your supplies. For the sling you need fabric, wooden dowels, thread, and pins. For mounting it to the wall you need two double rod brackets, some sort of wall safe adhesive, and wood to act as a buffer. I used Oval Rossette fittings. 

For the sling portion I just took some fabric sewed it up right sides together, snipped the corners (to reduce bulk), turned it right side out, and top stitched the opening closed. here are some pictures to help you see what I did. 

Then once that was all sewn up I used the dowels to measure out the casing.

After I finished up the sling I started on the mounting. I took my wood piece and my rod brackets (that I got at walmart for $.97!) and put them together. If you get a different kind of bracket just attach it to the wood as you would to the wall.

Then I took my UGlu (that I won in a giveaway! Yay!) and attached it to the back of the wood. You can use any kind of wall safe adhesive just make sure that it will hold the weight of the books.

 Next I measured the space where I wanted to put the sling and "glued" the wood with the brackets to the wall. I ended up with a great storage solution and a cute addition to my girls' play space! 

What do you think would you make this? 

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DIY: Fabric Refresher

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I don't know about you, but around here I'm constantly needing a to refresh something. Whether it's our couch, carpet, or curtains. With two kids things get messy and start to not smell so fresh. It's normal in our house to keep a bottle of fabric refresher spray on hand. But to be honest I don't like the smell of them. Or spending the money on them. So I decided to create my own! 

It was really easy to make and it's safe on pretty much any fabric (do a fabric check before hand just to be sure).  All you need is a spray bottle, baking soda, and your favorite fabric softener. 

First I put about two tablespoons of baking soda in a water bottle.

Then I added 12oz of fabric softener.

Lastly I added warm water to the mix and shook it up. 

That's it! It couldn't any easier. The baking soda absorbs any odors and the fabric softener leaves a nice fresh smell. I love using this stuff and the scent lasts longer than most commercial fabric refresher sprays. This has become my secret cleaning weapon. After I finish cleaning my living room I give my couch and curtains a quick spritz and the house smells great!

Is this something you would try?

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DIY: Sneaker Makeover

Since the weather is getting warmer we figured it was time to get our girls some new shoes to run around in. After all who wants to be wearing boots in 60 degree weather? So we found these sneakers at walmart for $5. I couldn't resist! But I know my kid. White sneakers for a 3 year old, bad idea. So I decided I would just dye them! 

We went outside for 30 minutes and this is what her new sneakers looked like:

As you see my decision to dye them was for the best! But before I dyed them I wanted to clean them up a little bit. So I used my hubby's secret sneaker cleaning trick. He uses an old toothbrush and toothpaste. 

Yes, you read that correctly. When we get to the end of a tube I just stash it under the sink for him to use, and it works like a charm on the rubber part. 

Can you see the difference?

I love this trick!

Once I got both of the sneakers cleaned I started the dye process. We decided to dye them denim blue, because she wears denim skirts 95% of the time when out playing. 

I used the bucket method to dye them. So I took a huge bowl, that I normally use for cleaning, and filled it with HOT water. I'm talking steaming hot. Then added the dye to the water and stirred it.

I wet the sneakers with clear HOT water. Then I dipped the sneakers in, moved them around for a bit, and let them sit for around 30 minutes.

Then I rinsed them with cool water until the water ran clear. Once the water was clear I squeezed them a little to try and pull out any extra water. Then I set them to the side to dry.

As they dried they got a little bit lighter but I still really like the color. The whole process took less than an hour and now 'A' can run in the grass without me cringing. :o)

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

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