Rural Housewife: handmade

Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Painting Class - 01.14.12

My finished painting. I have a new favorite thing to paint... dead trees! I love the texture and the colors. Below is the short version of the class and the stages of the painting.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

While shopping at a local store, I saw this shirt that had the cutest skull on it. Much to my dismay it was a child's size (5T) - which even though, in my head, I am thin and small...never in a million years will I ever be THAT small. LOL. So I decided to buy it because I knew I could do something fun with it and...it was only $1.25 (with all the after Halloween discounts applied). As I looked at it and got lost in the sparkle, I realized that I could cut it out and sew it onto a normal size t-shirt that I can wear! :) So here is what I did.

I am using Wonder Under and cutting it to "size"

I iron the Wonder Under onto the back of the area I want to cut.

I start cutting the skull out, making sure to leave enough of a border
around it so I can sew it

Once it is all cut out, I remove the paper from the back to
expose the Wonder Under. I can now line it up on to the back of the
blank black shirt that I want to put it on.

Once lined up, I cover the graphic with dry wash cloth so
I don't damage the applique. I use the cotton setting with the steam on
(this worked for me, it may be different for you)

Now I am ready to sew it on. I decide that I want to use
Glow-In-the-Dark thread so I can have a fun outline
of the skull even when it's dark.

I used Glow-in-the-Dark as the top thread and then black for underneath.
No use wasting good Glow thread on the inside of the shirt!

Started sewing around the bones, and then for the skull I sewed a little
closer to the outline and also outlined the bow.

Here it is in all its Sparkly glory! I will make sure to get a
pic of it tonight when it is glowing :)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Quilt of Love

There is a gal that goes to our church and I have been enjoying getting to know her! She is an amazing woman with a huge heart and an incredible talent. I first met Jeannie while doing, what we call, “Love in Action”. Her and her husband are disabled and are not able to do a lot of yard work. So a group of us from our church family spent the afternoon at their home in Lodgepole, Nebraska. Some of us pulled weeds, trimmed trees, others mowed the lawns and tidied up the grounds around the house. It was an awesome day – lots of work got done and by the time we were finished the front and back yard looked landscaped by professionals, and everyone had smiles on their faces.

A few months go by and I see Jeannie at our church Campout with her hubby, Ron, they had come for the day. We sat and talked for a while, at that time she told me that she was making me a quilt. I have to admit, at first I wasn’t sure why. So I asked her kindly, why I deserved such a treasure. In which she stated, “Because you came and helped fix up our yard.” She continued to tell me that she was in the process of making everyone that came, that day to help, there own quilt. At that point, I am pretty sure my jaw dropped. How?... Why?... oh my gosh. I was speechless. She started telling me about the ones that she had already finished, the one that she was currently working on and the ones that she still needed to start. I had so many questions at this point, but I was still speechless. I was in Awe of the kindness of this woman that I was still getting to know, who before that day had only met a couple of times before.

At the next church event, I sat down and talked with Jeannie. I already had a list going, in my head, of what I wanted to ask her. So I did. She started telling me about how God is providing everything that she needs to make these quilts. Her and her hubby are not wealthy in the monetary sense. But they are millionaires in the eyes of God! He has given her this amazing talent, and she uses it to bless others. There is a gal that is dedicated to making sure Jeannie has enough batting for the insides of the quilt. Many people give her fabric from their stashes. She says she can use any size piece, even as small as an inch-and-a-half square. Others have provided the thread. My mind is churning, thinking about all the fabric scraps that I have left over from making dog and cat collars, that I would normally toss or store, because I don’t know what to do with. She even says, with a huge smile on her face, “my husband helps too! He helps me stretch them out on the loom”.

Last Saturday Jeannie came to me at the Women’s Breakfast and gave me my quilt. I can’t even find the words that would do this quilt justice. The pieces of fabric she used on it – fit me to a T. Retro, Vintage, Lion King (which is one of my favorite cartoon movies), vibrant colors, and many more. How did she know me and my tastes so well after only visiting a handful of times. What a gift! My friends and pastor are already calling me Linus, because I feel like I take it every where with me so I can show it off.

If you have scraps of fabric that you can’t use and they’re collecting dust, send them to me and I will get them to her. If you have batting that you don’t know what to do with, send them to me and I will get it to her. Same with thread, she can use anything! Send it to Rural Housewife, PO Box 847, Chappell, NE 69129.

P.S. I am working on getting pictures of the quilts and their new owners and will post them here on the blog.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Denim Projects

I started out with a pile of 15 pairs of very used overalls, that a friend gave me. So far I have made 2 cute purses and have cut the rest for a cover for our futon. Here are the purses...

For the one above, I used the two back pockets from one of the pairs, sewed them together and then took leftover scraps to make the strap. I really like the worn, frayed look so I left the edges undone, and then washed and dried it to get the fraying started. I love this one, I use it for when I want to carry a purse but not tons of stuff. It's great because it essentially has a middle section and then a pocket on each side for dividing stuff up :)

The second one I made is out of the bib part of the overalls. For this one I used 2 sets of overalls.

I think I love this one the most! I added some of my favorite pins to "jazz" it up a bit :)

Friday, February 18, 2011

Teacup Pin Cushion

Get the tutorial here

For all the crafty ladies out there - I wanted to share a site that is really fun and has some great patterns and tutorials. It's called You Can Make This. Some are free and some are for purchase. But the cool thing about the ones that are for purchase is that they aren't from big corporations or companies, they are thought up and uploaded by women just like us! So check out this site and support the small business, stay-at-home mom, crafty diva, etc.

While cruising this site a while back I found this great tutorial for a teacup pin cushion. I instantly thought of my friend Becky - and decided she needed one for her sewing/craft room. So I went to the local thrift store (where they sell single china pieces) and found one that matched some fabric that I had, then I got to work. Get the tutorial here

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Let's Get Crafty for Valentine's Day!

Everything you need for a homemade Valentine's Day! Enjoy!

Handmade Gift Ideas

Clipart, Cards & Templates to Download

Edible Valentine Gift Ideas

Handmade Packaging Ideas

Handmade Items for Your Pets

Catnip Heart Pillows
Valentines for Shelter Pets (this is only available until Feb. 14)
Valentine Dog Treats

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Today is Make a Hat Day!

Here are some great video's for making your own hat today!

DGulley DIY Project: How To Make An Easy, Trendy Hat

How-to Make a Ruched Hat, Threadbanger

Here's one for the guys! (and girls if you like em)

How to make a Bomber Hat, Threadbanger Projects

I think these will come in very handy this winter since I have a lot less hair then I used to!

Monday, July 26, 2010

They call me a fabric nerd :)

I am happy to be called a fabric nerd by my friends! I love fabric! I make lots of stuff including my own line of dog and cat collars (leashes too!). But it has to be cool and mostly retro fabrics. I try to make sure to only by from Etsy sellers. Although I will go to a fabric store online to find a specific fabric that I am unable to find on Etsy. Here are some great people on Etsy that I purchase my fabric from...

Would love to hear where you love to by fabrics from!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Handmade Crafts & Tutorials - Day 3 of Valentine's Week

I think today is my all-time favorites. I love making stuff and encouraging others to make stuff as well. Here are some great links for handmaking your valentine's this year. If you have a great tutorial that fits with this theme, please leave the link in the comments section for all to see. ENJOY!!!