Category Archives: Sewing

Sew Much Love Folio Video Tour

Getting Ready for Mother’s Day with Petaloo : Sew Much Love Folio Video Tour with Tips

Hello, Friends! My head is absolutely refusing to believe that it’s already May! And you know what that means: Mother’s Day is right around the corner. I’m getting ready for the “big day” with a little help from Petaloo and Kaisercraft. I think you’re going to enjoy my Sew Much Love Folio Video Tour. It’s loaded with vintage goodness!

Making these little folios is completely addictive. For this 5″ x 7″ folio, I adapted a tutorial that you can find HERE. It’s the same basic design, but this time I added in a side pocket page.

Friendship is Sewn with Love and Stitched with Kindness: the story behind the project

(Yes…this is a personal story. Feel free to skip ahead and look at the pretty pictures!)

Since both my precious mom and my mother in law are now residing in Heaven, I use Mother’s Day as a way to reach out to other special women in my life. This year, I made this vintage style sewing themed folio for a dear friend from high school.

Karen and I shared a lot of common interests despite the fact that she was on the math/science track and I was on the writing/Language/Literature trail. We were in marching band together, worked on the school newspaper and were co-editors of our high school yearbook. Karen was precise, logical and methodical. I was free-spirited, fueled by inspiration and spontaneous. Somehow, that combination worked!

We remained friends after graduation, but then lost track of one another after marriage. But thanks to the magic of Facebook, I was able to find her a couple years ago, and our reunion was as sweet and refreshing as our friendship had always been.

About a week ago, I received a surprise package in the mail. Karen, who is a master quilter (check out her blog HERE and you will see what I am talking about!) made me a quilt! She remembered how much I love the lilacs back in Vermont during the springtime, so she titled it “Lilacs in the Spring.” I confess…I got all choked up when I saw this gorgeous quilt. And that is why Karen is my Mother’s Day gift recipient this year.

Sew Much Love Video Tour on YouTube

It’s hard to capture this very interactive folio with still photos, so I’ve created a short YouTube video tour for you. I also share some fun tips that you can use in your own crafting adventures.

A Few Details

Pockets are fun way to add an interactive element to any project. For the front of this cover, I created a dimensional pocket and then filled it with a pretty tag and a hand stamped vintage style button card. (I’ll share links to all the products below.)

Add ribbon, small charms and buttons to the spine for even more fun.

Velvet pansies add wonderful texture to the pages.

Folios and photo mounts are held together with a decorative belly band.

A slit pocket inside a larger pocket is a great place to tuck small tickets and tags.

I tucked little vintage treasures everywhere throughout the folio.

And the Mademoiselle papers from Kaisercraft carry the sewing theme beautifully!

I added a simple waterfall feature for photos.

And managed to sneak in one more little pocket filled with a vintage button card.

Smaller pockets are decorated and filled with tags.

A handmade gift is the very best way I know of to say I love you. So get out your scissors, glue, pretty papers and beautiful Petaloo posies and make something special for mom.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Supply List:

Petaloo International
Other Products
- Kaisercraft Mademoiselle Paper Collection
- Mademoiselle Collectibles
- Pale Pink Cardstock
- Soft Green Cardstock
- Seam Binding Ribbon (Custom dyed with Tattered Rose, Vintage Velvet, Spun Sugar and Bundled Sage Distress Inks)
- Scissor charms

Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets

Tammy Tutterow Designs: Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets

Hello, Friends! I’m so excited to share today’s project with you, as I think you are going to love it! I tried some new techniques while making these Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets, and I got to have my first play date with Tammy’s Scoop Pocket Steel rule die. What fun!

These darling little Easter Tag Pockets make me so happy I want to get up and dance! Here’s what you’ll need to make these l’il cuties

Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets Supply List

Spellbinders Contour Steel Die: Tammy Tutterow Scoop Pocket
Tammy Tutterow Posie Parts Stamp and Die Template (Spellbinders)
Happy is My Favorite Color Cling Stamp (TT/Spellbinders)
Have a Happy Day Cling Stamp (TT/Spellbinders)
Be Happy Cling Stamp (TT/Spellbinders)
Tammy Tutterow Shortie Tags Die (Spellbinders)
Distress Markers
- Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed
- Spiced Marmalade, Dried Marigold
- Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick
- Mowed Lawn
Water Brush, or paintbrush and water
100% Wool Felt (I cannot vouch for results using other types of felt)
Archival Inks: Jet Black, Coffee, Plum Magenta Hue
Authentique Eastertime Paper Collection
Pink Gingham Ribbon, ivory burlap string
Easter charms and Embellishments
Sewing machine
Watercolor paper, Pale Pink Cardstock
Doily die, or store bought doilies
clear embossing powder, heat gun, glue gun

Making Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets

I used the same basic “recipe” for each happy little Easter tag pocket. Here’s how that process went:

Die cut the scoop pocket from designer paper. Crease on the fold lines. Glue together.
Cut shortie tags from designer paper. Use the inserts to cut a decorative edge and glue onto the base of the tag. You will have to trim out the sides to do this, but it’s easy enough. Normally, you would cut the edge onto the bottom of the tag, but I wanted the tags to be a little bit longer so they would stick out of the pocket just a little bit.
Stamp sentiments onto watercolor paper. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Color in with markers.
Trim the sentiment.
Stitch onto the tag
Add ribbons and embellies.
Decorate the pocket front

Die cutting the pocket from double sided paper gives it very boutique feel. The little tag has a photo mount on the back side so you can add pictures of your sweeties all dressed up in their Easter best. Or you can write a sweet note here. There’s also plenty of room to tuck in a little treat or gift card. Aren’t they FUN?

To add the spatters to the tags, scribble your Distress Markers onto a craft sheet or stamping block. Make an inky puddle by adding a tiny bit of water. Then use a paintbrush to flick the ink onto the card. This adds such a fun, festive feel to each tag. The look makes me think of those malted milk Easter Egg candies. YUM!

Stamping on Felt: A New Technique for me

So, I fell totally in love with Tammy’s Posie Parts Cling Stamp and Die combo when I made my Suck it Up Buttercup project. Then, I fell in love with felt flowers when I made my Altered Starbucks Bottle Vases. I wanted to combine the Posie Parts stamps/dies with felt. So I put on my thinking cap and decided to try it using Ranger Archival Inks on 100% wool felt. As you can see, the flowers are cute, cute, cute!

I stamped 3 of each Posie Part flower and a bunch of leaves. The first time I die cut them, the ink kind of bled onto my cutting plates. Soooo, the second time, I very gently heat set the ink with my heat tool. No problemo! The wool felt handled the gentle heat very well, and there was no inky mess on my cutting plates.

Next, I hot glued the flower layers together, staggering the petals. I pressed a ball end stylus into the center to create dimension. Finally, I added little button centers.

A Nifty Clean Up Trick

If you do get ink on your cutting plates, you can break it down and wipe it off using hand sanitizing gel. I use this stuff to clean my craft sheet, cutting mat, hands…anything that gets inky, really, and it works great! And, it’s CHEAP!

Working with Tammy’s lovely products always makes me happy, happy, happy! I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Bewitching Ribbon and Graphic 45 Rare Oddities

Hello, Ribbon Lovers!

I finally got a chance to play with my Graphic 45 Rare Oddities collection the other day. I so love the autumnal hues of these gorgeous papers, and wanted to really pull out the deep purples and golds that are in the printed background patterns. I also wanted to make something quick and easy, but still special and exciting in its own way. So I pulled together some bewitching ribbon and trims to make this sparkly, spook-tacular Halloween Shaker Card.

I love the way that the Plum Diamond Satin Ribbon enhances the colors in this card. Not only that, the diamond pattern echoes the plaid background paper, which is really really fun.

Is there anything more fun than a shaker card? It’s like holding a party in your hand. I used clear cardstock and foam tape to create a clear shaker window on the front of the card. The window is filled with purple butterflies and spiders, cobwebs, golden autumn leaves, and tiny metal confetti in shades of orange, copper and gold. This card has some serious sparkle going on!

To add even more sparkle and shine, I added some Old Gold Shimmer Satin Ribbon and gold metallic string on top of my double layer bow. Of course, I tied my bows with my trusty Bow-it-All Tool. And friends, I have totally fallen in love with these Earth Tone Trellis Roses. They are just so perfect for fall crafting, and come in lots of other colors, too.

I did a little fussy cutting, and added some purple paisley ribbon slides that I found in the Closet of Shame. I slipped some Old Gold Shimmer Satin Ribbon through the ends, and tied a knot. That little touch of shine adds so much to this card front.

The best thing about a shaker card (aside from the fact that you can shake it!) is the fact that the inside is as fun as the outside. Look at all that great confetti in the window!

All you have to do is add your own romantic message to the inside and this card with bewitching ribbon is ready to give to your favorite ghoul. Who knew Halloween was for lovers?

If you’d like to purchase this card with its bewitching ribbon and spook-tacular papers, you can find it in my ETSY shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Art For the Home

Art for the Home: Crafty Secrets August Linky Challenge and Blog Hop

Hello, Friends! Welcome to the Crafty Secrets August Linky Challenge and Blog Hop! This month, the team was given a mixed media challenge. Specifically, we were asked to create art for the home. The team put on our Mixed Media Boots and dug deep into our crafty stashes and came up with some amazing art for the home.

In a deep dark corner of the Closet of Shame, I found a stack of mulberry paper that I purchased in the late 1990’s. Do you remember the mulberry paper craze? I determined that I would find a way to incorporate it into my project. Here’s what I came up with:

This little wall hanging measures 11″ x 8″. I created the base from two sheets of gold mulberry paper. Here’s how I did it.

Lay the two sheets of mulberry paper on top of one another.
Fold in half to create an 8.5″ x 5.5″ rectangle.
Place the folded mulberry paper in the embossing folder of your choice.
Run it through your die cutting machine, using the recommended sandwich.
Use Vintage Photo Distress Ink to lightly sponge the raised areas of the mulberry paper. This will make the design “pop” off the background.
Stitch around the edges.
Decorate

Pretty, simple, right? I did make one “boo-boo” when putting this together. If I could do it over again, I would stitch my black lace between the layers of mulberry paper. But to be perfectly honest with you, I didn’t think about adding the lace until the very end of the project. So I ended up using Scor-Tape to attach my lace to the back of the mulberry paper.

The focal image is from our beautiful Sew Nice Double-Sided Creative Scraps. I stitched it onto black cardstock and then layered it with other goodies from Sew Nice. The tape measure is from our Creating with Vintage Typography CD. I added some vintage lace, a piece from a yellow zipper, and hand made cloth flowers that I topped with little grey buttons. Black Checkerboard Satin Ribbon ties everything together.

The dress form was die cut from scrap chipboard, painted with chalkboard paint and then stamped and embossed. I tied a little sash around the waist using the same material that the from which the flowers were made. I borrowed a great idea from Ginny Nemchak and used a black paperclip to create a fun embellie. I just slipped my material over the paperclip and added a button. Easy peasy!

I love the sentiment on the focal. It says : “Let us grow old like beautiful lace. Cherished and treasured and cared for with Grace.” See that cute little calendar sticking out from behind my focal image? I cut that from our Seasonal Calendar Creative Scraps. Even though the dates on the calendar are “off” for 2015, they add a pretty layered element to a piece like this.

I clipped the whole piece onto a shabby chic hanger and then topped it with a bodacious bow tied with 1.5″ wide Black Circus Dot Grosgrain Ribbon. The I topped this with a loopy bow tied with black and yellow burlap string. I used the other half of the yellow zipper to make the rosebud.

I had a little bit of mulberry paper left over, so I stitched a pretty panel from the Sew Nice Creative Scraps onto it to create a cute little bookmark. I painted a chipboard sewing machine, stamped and embossed it and then glued it to the top. A little bow made with Daffodil Swiss Dot Grosgrain Ribbon was the perfect finishing touch. And, I still have lots of cute images and backgrounds to use on other cards. I super love Creative Scraps.

Now, pop on over to the Crafty Secrets Blog where you will find sneaky peeks from the other designers’ blogs. I have already seen their amazing projects, and I know you will not want to miss a single one of them. Then, create your own project using Crafty Secrets goodies and link it up to the Crafty Secrets Linky Challenge blog post. You do not have to follow this month’s theme, but you DO have to use Crafty Secrets goodies to be eligible to win this months $25 digital shopping spree in the Crafty Secrets Online Store.

What’s that you say? You don’t have any Crafty Secrets goodies? Gotcha covered! Visit the Linky Challenge blog post and download this month’s free paper and image in your project! See, we’ve thought of everything? No reason NOT to play along!

Thanks for stopping by! Now go get your craft on!

Cheerio,

kathy

Sew Decorative Pocket Gift Card

Crafty Secrets Sew Decorative Pocket Gift Card

Hello, Friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with a little time for creativity thrown in. It’s so hot and humid here in North Carolina that I have only been venturing outside to water my herbs and check the mail. The rest of the time I’ve been holed up in my studio. I’ve been creating, as well as doing some cleaning and organizing. As usual, I ran across some goodies that I’d forgotten about. This time, I was lazily browsing my Crafty Secrets Sew Decorative CD when I ran across some darling papers and ephemera that got my creative mojo flowing overtime. Before I knew it, I was at my desk designing this Sew Decorative Pocket Gift Card that I think you are really going to love.

The thing that grabbed me was the amazing button card with the scalloped edge. The whole project grew from that one item. I printed it, cut it out, inked the edges with Vintage Photo Ink and then sewed some of my vintage pearl buttons along one section.

The papers are all from the CD. I spritzed both the button paper on the left and the dress form paper on the right with a little mist to distress and age them a bit. I die cut the pretty lace patterned paper with my Tim Holtz On the Edge Die (sewing) then inked it and backed it with rosy colored cardstock. It adds such a fun layered element to the gift pocket. The fancy bow is made with 7/8″ white organza and then topped with a second bow tied with coral pink satin in a delicate shell pattern.

The layers were stitched together and then the real fun began: embellishing! I created the little sentiment sign by layering it over the stitched tag that comes on the CD. Then I added the little button heart from the ephemera file. This is so easy and so fun to do, and trust me…if I can do it, anyone can do it!

I broke out another one of Tim’s dies (Mini Sewing Room Set) to die cut the dress form and spool. Each one was cut twice: once from heavy chipboard and again with designer paper. Then they were glued together, inked and decorated. Do you see that rosy measuring tape? Oh, how I love it! I wound it around my spool, topped it with the cute metal sewing machine charm and then cut a fishtail banner end. Isn’t it fun???

I wanted the card to serve as a gift all by itself. I’ve been seeing all these pocket page gift cards, and got my inspiration for the inside of the card from that. To make the pocket, I cut an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of heavy cardstock to measure 7″ wide x 11 inches tall, I scored it on the long side at 5″, folded it (this makes a 7″ x 5″ card base) and then scored the 1″ overhang and folded it up into the interior of the card. Before gluing the left and right hand sides, I lined it with more of the pretty lace paper from the CD. Then I lined this 1″ flap with the sewing ad paper and went to work cutting out a bunch of tickets and tags from the ephemera page. I created the sentiment tag with another paper from the CD (I told you this CD is LOADED!) and then hand wrote my sentiment onto it. Easy peasy!

I used loads of ribbon scraps and decorated each of the tags. Some have been wrapped with ivory burlap string, some have been wrapped with soft lime juice grosgrain ribbon, on some, I punched holes and inserted some fancy stick pins. Other tags were turned into button cards. I’m telling you, friends, this CD is a paper playground!

Here’s a look at all the cutie pie tags…and I only used a small portion of the ones that come on the CD!

And the card interior is still cute, even with all the tags taken out. You could also tuck in a gift card to a friend’s favorite craft store or fabric store, or a gift card to a tea room or restaurant. The whole point is, the card is the gift…and isn’t that fun?

I hope this Sew Decorative Pocket Gift card has inspired you to take a look at the Crafty Secrets Sew Decorative CD. I barely scratched the surface on all the gorgeous sewing papers, ephemera, tags, png files and vintage goodness that it contains. It’s the perfect remedy for the summer doldrums, and a great way to make beautiful, personal gifts for friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathy by Design

Handcrafted Paper Art for All Occasions

Category Archives: Sewing