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Category: tutorial

30 Minute Baby Leggings

posted in diy, kids, sewing, tutorial by Sara on
I feel like Addie is always growing out of her clothes faster than I can keep up! Now that the seasons are changing and the weather is getting colder she is in desperate need of something other than short sleeves and pants. I’ve been on the verge of buying her a bunch of new pants several times, then I finally realized: why buy her pants when I can make them for free with almost no effort at all? I’ve seen many leggings tutorials out there and trust me, they are as easy as they say. So, here it is:
First find a pair of leggings that you can use as a pattern. Fold them in half and place them against the fold of your fabric which should also be folded in half (or in this picture I have my fabric folded in fourths so I can cut out the two pieces at the same time). Make sure that the stretch of the fabric is running horizontally and that you leave about 1 inch at the bottom and 1 inch at the top for a nice hem. Then cut around the shape of the leggings leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. You should end up with two of these pieces.

Next, sew both leg seams with the right side of the fabric together. I used a serger to do this but a simple stretch stitch on a sewing machine will work great too.

Now turn one of the pant legs inside out as shown above.

Put the right-side-out pant leg inside of the other and match up the seams. The right sides of the fabric should again be facing each other.

Sew along the seam. Once you have done this you should be able to take the leg out of the other so that you end up with what is shown above.

Now it is time to add the elastic waistband. To do this measure around your child’s waist then cut your elastic 3-4 inches smaller since the elastic will stretch when it gets sewn on. Once you have your electric cut, create the band by zig-zagging the ends together. I used 3/4 inch wide elastic.

Place the band around the waist of your leggings then fold over the top of the pants to cover the elastic.

Flip the leggings right side out and sew around the edge of the elastic using a twin needle. Using a twin needle will give you the stretch you need around the waist and hem. Slightly stretch the elastic as you sew and be sure you are catching the edge of it. Hem the bottom of the leggings while also using a twin needle. If you don’t have a twin needle a zig zag stitch or any stretch stitch will work ad well.

Strawberry & Cream Cake

posted in family, food, tutorial by Sara on

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! Our holiday weekend was cut short this year due to my husband’s school schedule. Yesterday was his first day as a doctorate student, and quite honestly, with him gone at school I completely forgot the rest of the country was taking the day off. Having forgot that it was a holiday, I still felt like it was a day that needed to be celebrated. My husband has worked hard to get where he is and I am so proud of him for it. So while Collin was off at school, I spent the better half of my day baking him a surprise.

I’ve had this recipe on my list for a while now and knew now was the perfect occasion to try it out. While it is a fairly simple recipe, you can be sure that will not disappoint. It is easy to make and has now become one of our new favorite deserts. I originally got this recipe {HERE} where it gives great detailed instructions, but I made a few adjustments to get a more moist and flavorful cake.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE RECIPE

CAKE:

1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix (or any other white cake mix that does not have adding pudding in the mix)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoon oil
4 egg whites

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan.
2.  Mix together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Pour in water, sour cream, oil and egg whites, and beat until all ingredients are well blended.
3.  Pour batter into the prepared 9×13″ pan and bake in preheated oven for 23-28 minutes.
4.  Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting. I let my cake cool for 15 minutes and then stuck it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to cool completely.

FROSTING

1-8oz package cream cheese at room temperature
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5.  Mix cream cheese and heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended, then add in powdered sugar and vanilla.
6.  Smooth frosting over cake and place back in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

STRAWBERRY GLAZE

4 cups strawberries, sliced
1 package Strawberry Danish Desert mix

7.  Wash and slice strawberries
8.  Prepare Danish Desert mix according to the “pie glaze” instructions on the box, then add in the strawberries.
9.  Pour over the frosted cake and allow to cool in the refrigerator for a least 1 more hour before serving.
10.  Eat and enjoy!

Also, here are some pictures of my handsome husband all dressed up for his first day of school! 

DIY Silver Lamp

posted in crafts, diy, home, tutorial by Sara on

Now that we have a place of our own, I’ve been on a DIY decorating craze! Being in an unfamiliar territory, I’ve been anxious to create an environment that we can feel at home in. But, being a poor college student (yet again) I’m determined to do it on a budget as well.

While living at my parent’s house, I regularly read the HGTV and DIY magazines that my mom received in the mail each month. They were full of beautiful decorating ideas and budget-friendly tips. One trend that I noticed in several of the magazines was the use of silver accents in the home. When done right, I think metallic accents can look so modern and chic and can be a great way to add interest to any room.

Before the move, Collin and I pick up some old lamps at an estate sell for $5 a piece. I originally purchased them for mainly aesthetic purposes, but they have turned out to be very functional as our living room in our new apartment does not have any central overhead lighting.  While they have proved to be quite functional, there was no doubt that they needed a little face lift. Excited to experiment with silver accents, I decided to spray paint the lamps silver for a dramatic look.

I started by thoroughly wiping down and cleaning each lamp to prep them for being painted. After they were clean I made sure to covered the electrical parts of the lamps. Using some metalic silver spray paint I had leftover from another project, I gave each lamp base a couple coats of paint. To finish off the project, each got a new lamp shade purchased from IKEA for $10 a piece bringing the grand total to just $30! While I do love the outcome, I think I will transition to darker lamp shades in the future to contrast my white walls…unless I get brave enough to actually paint.

For more great ideas on how to incorporate silver accents into your home, check out some of the links below! I’d love to hear your ideas and opinions! I especially love the silver picture frames!

Simple Pintuck Shirt {Tutorial}

posted in diy, sewing, tutorial, women's fashion by Sara on
After about a month of being sick and lying in bed, I finally feel back to my old self again. It was not even a day after I started feeling better that I was back at my sewing machine. One project that I’ve been dying to share with you is this simple pintuck shirt that I made for my cute sister-in-law. If it was my size, I would have kept it for myself; but, with it being so simple to make I just wiped up one for myself as well. When I say simple, I mean simple as in just about anyone with a sewing machine could make this in just a few hours. Not only is it easy to sew, but it is a great basic piece to add to your wardrobe.
Supplies Needed: 
 
– 1 yard of fabric
– Matching thread
– Pins
– Measuring tape
– Scissors
– Sewing Machine (or serger if you have one)
– Iron
 
Step 1:   Cut your fabric to your desired width and length. I would recommend making the width several inches larger than your bust size and then adding on 3 more inches for the sleeves.For the length, measure where you would like your shirt to hit, then add an additional 3″ for every pintuck plus another 1″ for the hem. So for example, if you want three pintucks add 9″, or for 5 pintucks add 15″  to the length of the shirt (plus 1″ for the hem).
At this point you should have yourself a big rectangle. To create the sleeves, cut 1.5″ off each side of the shirt up to the armpit of each sleeve. Then cut out your desired neckline. Sometimes it is helpful to use a shirt that has a neckline you like as a pattern. Just remember that we will be hemming the neckline as well so add 1″ to whatever you’d like your neckline to be in the end.
Step 2:  Once you have your basic shirt cut out, mark each pintuck starting 1″ below the armpit. I wanted my pintucks 1.5″ wide so I measured out 3″ on my fabric with 1.5″ gaps in between each pintuck.

Step 3:   After marking the fabric, fold together the fabric so your markings meet to create a pintuck.

Step 4:   Once you have marked and pinned all your pintucks, press down the pintucks with an iron. I know ironing can be tedious but in order to get a nice clean finish you will not want to skip this step.

Step 5:   Now flip each pintuck up and sew along the inside crease.

Step 6:   Before we sew the shirt together, the next step is to hem the neckline. I like a thin classic rolled hem between 1/4″ and 1/2″ wide. To do this just fold the fabric in 1/2″, then fold it over one more time so that no raw edges are showing. Iron, pin and sew.

Step 7:   With right-sides together, pin the front and back pieces to one another and sew the shoulder seams first. Then, starting at the edge of the sleeve, sew the side seams all the way to the bottom of the shirt. I used a serger for this step, but a single stitch on a sewing machine with work just fine too. Going back and zig-zagging the edges with help the material not to fray.

Step 8:  Keeping the shirt inside-out, use the same technique from Step 6 to hem the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt. You can keep the bottom straight or you can round it like I did in the shirt for my sister-in-law.

Linked to:

http://madeinaday.com/2013/07/11/made-u-look-linky-76/

 

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