Rag Rug Tutorial

Since I had so many questions on the last rag rug, I decided to do a tutorial. Also, my sister has wanted one really bad, so this is her Christmas present.

You will need:
Fabric - Lots of fabric in colors you would like to see together. You can buy new or use old scraps.
Scissors
sewing machine or thread and needle

First, I cut my fabric in strips about 1/5-2 inches.

Then I take strips and start braiding. It's helpful to have 2 long strips and 1 short strip. The short strip you can pull through so the bottom doesn't braid on itself.

When you run out of fabric, sew another piece on.

When you think your braid is long enough, start sewing it together. Don't finish off the braid yet, just incase it's not long enough. I thought mine was long enough, but it wasn't so I just added on.

I first take the beginning and fold it on itself about 10-12 inches. Here is where you can hand sew, but I just stick it in my machine and zig zag. You have to be careful not to pull the braid tight or it will start to turn into a bowl. But, you also can't bunch the braid together too much or it will get ruffly. You just have to find that balance of even braid.

The zig zag stitches show, but they don't stand out when the rug is on the ground.

See, just bump the braid up next to itself as you sew.

Have fun putting your scraps to good use and not waisting!

Renewed Table

A friend found this old table and thought I might like to restore it.

Here is a close up of the top, all pealy and yucky.

Here are the drawers.

The whole table was really weathered. We decided to spray paint the black parts black and stain the top.

Here is it half sanded, already looking better.

Now, ready for the stain. It already looks so much better!

I kept some of the old paint on the edges to give it more of an older antiqued look. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted, but not bad for a free table.

We also got new knobs for the drawers.

I love the color of the stain on the top!

Much better then before. Now I have a table to work on my sewing projects. I can cut standing up instead of criss cross apple sauce. 

Kristen

Apron to Dress

Remember this little apron I got at the thrift store not too long ago?

Well, I mentioned in that post that I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. I have been dying to make L's little summer dress out of it. I needed just a little bit of that white islet, but haven't had a chance to run to the store till now. So, made her little dress this morning.

Here is what I did...

I cut arm holes then got that little lace embellishment and used it for sleeves. I found those cute flowers right next to the lace and had to get it for the dress also. It went so perfect and is so springish.

Then I cut off the bottom and used part of that for the bloomers and the other part as bias tape for the arm holes. I had just enough for both arms.

There wasn't enough for the bloomers so I had a little white islet fabric for part of the bloomers.

I love the way it turned out!

It's light, airy and summery. Oh, I added some more flowers to the back of the bloomers, partly so L knows which side is the back and partly cause it was cute.

There is L in her new dress and her little friend E. They have so much fun are are just the cutest together! I brought blood oranges to Angel Day for Little League and there is already a stain running down the front of the dress. Nothing a little stain remover and wash won't get out.

I was featured:

I am linking with:

Thrifty Finds

I've seen people do this and I love it, so I've decided to do it myself. Today, I went to 3 thrift stores looking for sheets. We have this bird that comes every spring to mate. This spring it decided to fight the reflection of itself in my bedroom window or mate with it. So I needed to make a curtain to cover the window until we wake up. It starts pecking the window, literally at sun rise. Before the rooster even crows! So this is what I got at the thrift stores.

The shelf was not from the thrift store, my mother-in-law had it in her shed and it was just getting old and yucky so I asked if I can have it for my porch.  That one was free, the best kind of deal. At the stores I found a few cute plant holders, some sheets and an apron.

This plant holder was 99 cents at the Good Will. I usually don't buy from the Good Will because I find them to be highly overpriced. I have found Big Lots price tags still on an item and the Good Will is trying to sell it for more then Big Lots was. But this little bucket was perfect! There was no price so they gave it to me for 99 cents.

My other Good Will find was this little basket. Paint has come off in a couple of places so I was going to spray paint it, but I like how it looks on the shelf in this green.

This basket with "The handle that doesn't work" as L informed me when we got in the car, was at the Charity Thrift Store in a little strip mall by my house. It was $1.09 after tax. I thought it was cute for my shelf.

The last stop was a thrift store that supports the local christian college. I have heard about it and my MOPS mentor mom this year volunteers there. I have been wanting to go check it out for a very long time. There was a lot of cute stuff, but I had already gotten a couple things I was not looking for so stuck with the sheets.

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with these vintage looking sheets. If you have any ideas for me, please share them. :-)

This sheet, I know exactly what I am going to do! It will be perfect for a few pillow case dresses with black ribbon. 1 for L and the rest for friends, unless I actually do get an etsy shop up and running.

Well, I said I was going to stick with the sheets, but this old apron was just screaming at me to buy it. There is a dress that I want to make L and I just haven't found the perfect fabric. That is, until now. Now I have the PERFECT fabric.

So there you have it, these are my thrifty finds today. I spent $9 and some change on all of this. Very exciting.

I will be making that little yellow dress very soon, but you won't get to see it till next week. I will not be blogging till then. So, have a great memorial weekend and I would love to see your great deals you get over the weekend.

Kristen

Quilts

First, let me tell you the reason for this post. Before I had my own blog, my friend showed me this little crafting blog, Sew Much Ado. Ha, ha! Not so little, anyway, she said I should try something she saw on it. I had never read blogs before and I was instantly hooked. I didn't know what following was, but I would check her blog every day and started looking forward to her "Flashback Friday." I liked Flashback Friday so much because for one, now that I'm older I really appreciate history and secondly, I never really knew much of my own family history. So, when Abby stopped doing her Flashback Friday I had to contact her and tell her I missed it. I did and told her about my quilts. She mentioned it would be great for Flashback Friday. Well... I became inspired.

First, I want to show you this little priceless (to me) item I have that was my grandma's. My dad had it for years after my grandma died, but it was my oldest sisters. When my dad died, she said I can have it because I sew and she doesn't. She may take it back some day, but in the mean time I am enjoying it.

Ok, now on to the quilts... If you've been following my blog, you know by now I am not a quilter. I absolutely LOVE them, but as I have mentioned a time or two, I don't like sewing squares, things that become a square or anything to tedious or complicated. I'm just too impatient. It's funny though, I have always admired quilts and looked at many of them with awe.

When I was a kid for as long as I can remember there were hand made blankets all around either sewn by my mom, my grandma on my dad's side or crocheted by her. My grandma was deaf, so we never talked much, but I very much admired her. I remember every Christmas getting a matching crocheted blanket and slippers. I loved getting those and wearing them all the time. Maybe that's where my secret obsession of cozy blankets comes from, those wonderful hand made blankets from my grandma.

Then when I was a bit older I remember going over to my aunt's house (dad's sister) and she had these old quilts on all her beds. I could just sit and stare at them being amazed and wondering how they were put together and how long it must have took. I never remember expressing what I thought, but when my grandma died, I got one of her quilts. It is such an interesting quilt made from scraps. That was what caught my eye right away. I recognized a brown and white checkered pattern from a baby blanket I had. It was so cool. My grandma just took scraps from all the things she made in the past and made this very unique quilt. She was green and crafty. This quilt became my bed spread for a couple years. I think it was made in the 70's.

It's very cool, each bunch of scraps were made into a square, then sewn together as a quilt. I never really thought about "being green" back then. But, that is one of the reasons I loved this quilt so much, something cool to do with the scraps.

You can see how much it is falling apart. I don't really know the best way to fix it. I don't want to add a new back, but I'm afraid just sewing the ripped parts will make it worse.

Fast forward a few years after my grandma died, I was at my aunt's house and she brought this quilt and a bible out to me and said I could have it. She said it was made by my grandma and she thought I should have it along her bible that she wrote in. Oh my goodness! I was SO excited. Both were such an amazing gift. I have now learned from my wonderful readers that this is a Cathedral Window Quilt.

This quilt was hand sewn. Can you imagine? The entire thing hand sewn. I have no idea how old it is or why it was sewn by hand.

I absolutely love the fabrics, I wish my aunt could find an old stash of fabrics from this quilt. Some of my favorites are the green above, the blue and white below,

the paisley below,

and this flower print.

I was never able to talk to my grandma because I never learned sign language, but I always knew she was an amazing woman. She was an extremely hard worker, a strong Christian, and a poor, but giving woman. She loved quilting and crocheting, I love sewing and knitting. I guess I do have some history in my blood that gave me the love of handmade.

My grandma used to sit in-front of the TV that would be blaring, she would have no idea because she couldn't hear and she would just crochet away. She wouldn't even have to look at her work, she would count by feeling. Maybe that's how she made this quilt also, in-front of the blaring TV she couldn't hear. It must have been her way to relax, using her hands to make something so beautiful. Funny, she used her hands all day long to talk also.

I am honored to be over at Sew Much Ado for this post.