A Little Detour

By now, we all have figured out that I love fashion.  Big surprise, huh???  So, today, I want to take a mini detour to share a new-found love.  The new love of sewing and crafting! 

When I was a kid, my mom made ALL of our clothes, right down to matching blue corduroy overalls for her and me!  There is photographic evidence somewhere!  She sewed all of my baton recital outfits.  Also a ton of photographic evidence!  She could do anything with her machine.  She tried, at various times, to pass that along to me.  Sometimes I was interested, sometimes, not so much. 

Last year, my Christmas present (which I bought myself!!) was a Singer sewing machine, on sale at Target.  Oh wait.  By last year, I mean 2010!  Guess where that machine has been ever since?  Yep, sealed up in the box in our basement.  It makes a great Barbie house or pool or whatever the girls use it for!  But, at the inspiration of my dear friend, Hilani at www.hilanimade.com, the machine made an appearance about two months ago. 

She convinced me that I could make these Starboard skirts.  So, my sewing odyssey began.  Simple Simon & Co. Starboard Skirt Tutorial 

My first lesson was very professional.  I learned all about tension, length and threading the bobbin.  I learned about needle size and how important it is to buy good thread.  Hilani is a great teacher!  On my first day, I made this:

Since, then I have made these for the girls:

They love them.  They are comfortable and they get to pick out their own fabric!  It has become a great bonding activity.  The skirts take me about an hour to whip up!  Not bad for around $7 (for one yard of the fabric).  Yay for frugal me!

But, that wasn't enough.  I wanted more and more and more!  And so the Style U scarves were born!  Style U scarves are my baby!  I am addicted to finding new fabrics with fun colors and great patterns.  I promise to update all the new fabrics this week!  My husband now lovingly refers to our dining room as "The Sweat Shop".  We may need to finish the basement soon so that I can give the dining room back to the family. 

But, why stop at sewing?  I have taken up dying jean jackets to freshen them up and give them a new life!  Don't get rid of that 80's jacket you have been hanging on to!  Dye it!!  I used this tutorial to dye an old jean jacket for a friend. Dye your jeans or jacket.  Here are the before and after photos:
Before:

After: 

Also, with the help of the sewing goddess, Hilani, I figured out how to put the original hem onto jeans.  What used to cost me anywhere from $20-$30 now takes me about a half hour and the cost of a little bit of thred.  Yay me!  It isn't perfect on this first attempt, but I will get better!

Now, we can't mention crafting without mentioning the best, most creative, funnest (is that a word??) website ever created, Pinterest.  I love Pinterest so much!  Anything and everything you could ever think of is on that website.  I mean, check out my boards!  I have My Men (view at your own risk). I have my trip to Ireland. I have all my fashion stuff.  I mean, name it and you can find it on there! 

It also inspired a really fun girls' night for me and some of my friends.  Hilani blogs about it here.  I look so forward to these nights.  The rules are that you have to make a craft that you found on Pinterest and you have to bring a food item that you also found on Pinterest.  It really is a great time!

Here are some of the craftier things that I made with the inspiration from Pinterest: Nutter Butter Pirate cookies

A hanging "chandelier" centerpiece for Christmas:

I never thought I would be a "crafter".  But, it has become my therapy.  I have a mind that never stops.  Ever.  But when I am sewing, my mind is quiet.  I have to concentrate on other things and it is great.  Oh, also watching all four seasons of Mad Men helped too! 

Explore Pinterest and find some fun, easy things to do.  There are a ton of kid-friendly crafts, too!  Spring Break is here so find some fun stuff to do with the kiddos.  We are making this for dessert tonight: Peanut Butter Ball

Yum!!!!!!!!!