cherishables: tutorial

Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts

Friday, October 12, 2012

Cashbox Makeover of Sorts (tutorial)

If you're going to sell at craft shows, you'll need a cash box. Even if you plan on wearing a crafter's apron, like me, you'll feel better knowing you can lock up some or all of your cash. At the very least any big bills or checks (if you take them.) Since I only sold at one craft show last year, and I didn't know if I would do any more, I did not buy a cash box last year. Now that I'm diving into the world of craft fairs, and I have a bunch lined up this Fall, I decided it was time to buy a cash box.

I bought a very basic cash box. It is very similar to this one:

Honestly, I would've left it alone. If only the cash drawer had more than one slot for bills. My items are priced in round dollars, so I don't need coins. What I need are slots for dollars. I don't know if you can buy an insert for a cash box that is just for bills, but I don't have time to order one. Besides, why buy what you can easily make.

I knew I needed sturdy dividers and they had to be pretty low, so it would be easy to make change. I thought about a few options -- plastic canvas, super heavy duty interfacing. But none of them were sturdy enough, so I cut up a shipping box I had laying around. It was perfect and after cutting long strips and folding them in half, it was super sturdy, if not attractive.

It works and, to be honest, who's going to see it? Really just me. But I'm a crafter. I can't just leave things alone. Not when I can make them look better.

So I started looking around for a way to make the dividers (and just the dividers) look better. Fabric? Nah. Dry time is too long. Scrapbooking paper? Perfect! If I had any, but I don't. Wrapping paper? I have tons, it doesn't have to dry, it doesn't take up space. Yes!

Here's a tutorial on how I make my dividers a bit prettier. Honestly, it's probably exactly how you think it would be and it's pretty picture-heavy, but I took all these pics and dagnabit, I'm gonna use them.

For this project you will need: wrapping paper, scissors and tape. I used packing tape because it's clear & strong.

The first thing I did was remove the dividers. I kept them as is, just folded the ugly masking tape down on to the cardboard to make them even more sturdy (and so the cardboard didn't rip.)

Next, I cut the wrapping paper into strips & gift wrapped each divider:

I then figured out where to place each divider by making sure the bills fit into the slot. I then taped each divider into place using a long, thin, strip of clear packing tape. I taped to the box and the strip like so:

After the strips were in place, I reinforced them by taping them length-wise using the clear packing tape. This time I taped the side of the divider to the floor of the cash box:

Lastly, I used another long piece of tape to reinforce the top. This way the paper won't rip from use:

And this is what it looks like:

What? Don't you have only singles in your wallet? LOL

The very last thing I did was add a matching loop to hold my stylus. I take credit cards using Square and the stylus is better than a finger when signing for purchases. The problem is, I've lost so many of them b/c they're small. I decided the best idea was to keep it in the cash box. Hopefully, I won't lose it this time!

Here's the final pic, with ring:

Nothing fancy, but better than looking at plain cardboard. Maybe now I'll decorate the outside of the box. LOL

Just a reminder....
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 13th, I will be at a show in Branchburg, NJ. It is hosted by the Branchburg Women's Club. The craft fair (and bake sale - yum!) will be from 9-4pm and will be held at Central Middle School at 220 Baird Road, across from White Oak Park. Admissions is free! Click here for more information. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

UPDATE: The dividers are holding up well, but the ring to hold the stylus didn't work. Gravity took over. :-) So, if you're contemplating, glue the ring to the box lid don't tape it. Me? I'm going going to keep it in the box on top of the moolah.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Summer Granny Square Purse 4 - It's finished!

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

I actually finished this purse a little over 2 weeks ago. I even used it. The problem is, I wasn't crazy about the handles I made. Let me rephrase. I LOVE the way the handled looked. I didn't like how they were attached or how much they pulled when I loaded up my purse. Let's face it, I'm a loader. That's why I carry such a large bag. Too much stuff!

So I removed the handles (and cried b/c they really are pretty) and contemplated. I tried pre-fab handles. I liked the bamboo handles, but the span was too small and they looked really silly on my big tote. I definitely needed yarn handles. But what kind?

Since I didn't want anything sewn on, I decided I wanted something more like the handles I made on my Mom's & Sister's purses. They went around & around and were completely attached to the bag with no additional sewing.

Mom's purse with white handles.

Since the granny squares were outlined in white, I figured I would do the same as my Mom's purse and work the top and handles in white. The trouble is, I didn't have a lot of white left. Certainly not enough to complete the longer handles I wanted. I tried every yarn in my stash and none matched. Finally I came upon the green yarn, which I love!

I wasn't sure if I would like the handles in green, but I gave it a shot b/c I was sick of this unfinished purse sitting on my dining room chair NOT. BEING. USED. I wanted to use the purse so bad!! So on went the green yarn and you know what? I LOVE IT!! It's different without being overly dramatic. Not too overwhelming.

So, how do I make these handles?

The handles are pretty easy to do. Mark where you want each handle to begin & end. The space in between will be the handle opening and will not be worked when crocheting around. Join the yarn before the mark and crochet up to the first marker. Now crochet a chain to make the handle. It can be the same number of skipped stitches (as Mom's purse above) or you can chain more stitches to make a bigger opening. If you crochet the same number, the handle will lay flatter and almost look like a clutch. If you make it longer, it will look like a shoulder bag. For my purse, I crocheted a chain that was longer than the number of skipped stitches.

Now, depending on how you want to complete the purse, you can crochet around & around until the handle is as thick as you would like it. For Mom's I made two more rounds after the initial handle chain. As you crochet around, you will naturally work into the handle chain. With this method, the sides of the purse will have more rows than the front opening. This looks great if you're going for a clutch look and/or only making a few rounds. This is also a good method if you haven't yet lined the bag b/c you can make your lining taller to cover up the first row or two of the handle round.

Remember, my purse was already completed once. So the lining was in and was made based on the dimensions of the completed purse with sewn on handles. Therefore, I didn't want to build up the purse too much more because the lining would look too small. In addition, I wanted a nice, thick, handle so I knew I would need more than just 3 rows of single crochet (sc.) So, instead of the method above, I worked the handle in rows.

After making the chain and attaching it to the corresponding marked stitch, I turned my work & crocheted back along the handle. When I got to the end, I slip stitched (ss) into the next stitch. This attached the handle, but did not build up the row. I did this 5 times so I would end up on the opposite side of the purse. This allowed me to crochet to the next stitch marker and make the next handles. I repeated the steps above to make a same-size handle. Since the handles were crafted in rows, I now had a thick handle, but only one additional row on each side of the purse. After I finished off, I went back and weaved a bit more yarn into the handle seams on the wrong side of the purse. Since I used the green yarn, the additional stitches are undetectable and I feel confident loading up this purse.

I made the handles longer by crocheting more chains than the number of skipped stitches.

So I have a granny square purse of many colors, with Truffula tree fabric lining and green handles. My new every day purse!

Happy crafting!
Cherish

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Sewing 101 - The Cafe Curtain

My Mother is an excellent sewer. Seriously, she's amazing and she can make ANYTHING. So she's a great fountain of knowledge and my go-to person when I have questions. She also, naturally, taught me to sew.

Of course I took sewing in school. We all did. For 4 weeks. We made a sack with a draw string and felt very proud of our accomplishment. School is where I first learned to thread a machine and do a straight stitch. Mom is the one who taught me how to read a pattern, how to transfer it to fabric, tricks for cutting it out, how to piece my item together and, generally, how to sew. Because of my Mom I can fit a sleeve into a shoulder, make a gather and stitch a pleat. If I forget what I'm doing, Mom is the person who talks me through it or stands over my shoulder while I run the machine.

My Mom taught me a number of tricks and because of her, I take no short cuts when I sew. She is the sewing equivalent of the handyman saying "Measure twice, cut once." Mom always said that if you take your time, and if you're patient, you can make anything.

Before we sew a purse lining, we're going to take this back to basics and make a curtain. No lining, no tabs. Just a simple rod-pocket cafe curtain. Before we get started with the tutorial, there are a few things you need to gather. Assuming you have a sewing machine (and it's accessories: needle, bobbins, etc), fabric, and thread I also recommend you make sure you have: measuring tape, lots of pins, ironing board and iron. If you think you can skip the pinning and/or ironing I would caution you to re-think your plan. My Mom has always said that the most important tools in sewing are: pins, an iron, and patience. She is so right.

Let's get started

The first thing you want to do is iron your fabric. You don't have to do this on the wrong side, but I tend to do that. This way if you have a dodgy iron, it won't leave any marks on the nice side of your fabric.

Btw, if you're having trouble figuring out which is the right or wrong side, look for the finished edge that shows the color grouping for the fabric. This is printed on the right side of the fabric, so the opposite side is the wrong side. In the case of this fabric, the wrong side is very clearly the lighter side with the faded pattern.

Measure & cut

Next you want to measure the length of your curtain.

In this example, I am making a curtain to be used as a "door" for the cabinet under my sink. So I measured the door opening, added an inch for the bottom hem and 4 inches for the top hem and rod pocket. Then I rounded up in case I made any mistakes measuring and also because I figured I could measure up from the hemmed bottom. I figured this at 30 inches and cut the length of the fabric at this measurement. I recommend folding the fabric and ironing on the fold. This will give you a nice straight line to follow while making your cut.

Depending on what you're making, you may decide to cut your fabric panel in half to make two curtains, which is what I did for my kitchen curtain.

I folded my panel in half & ironed down the middle. This gave me a nice, sharp edge to follow with my scissors. I opted for two panels because it gives easier access to the stuff under my kitchen sink. Depending on the width of your window (or door panel) you may opt to keep the entire width for your curtain.

Making a nice edge and bottom hem

Now we're going to finish the edges to make them neat & pretty. First fold over one unfinished edge and iron the edge down nice & flat.

See those color dots? Those were the ones I referred to above. These will be on the "right" side of your fabric.
They're also a great reference if you are matching paint to your fabric. You'll find a dot for every color in the fabric. Fantastic!

Repeat this process on the opposite edge.

Pinking shears!

In the picture above, you'll notice I used pinking shears to make my cuts. Of course, you can use regular scissors if that's all you have. The advantage using pinking shears is the fabric won't fray. Have you ever seen a hem where stray threads start coming out? This is because the raw edge wasn't secured. It's a common problem in home sewing. The solution to this is to turn your raw edge, which is basically to double fold the raw edge so that the cut edge is sandwiched inside a piece of fabric, or use a fray-lock type of product. The problem with the anti-fray product is: it's expensive, smells weird, makes the fabric stiff and, if your edge is long, it takes forever to apply. Another solution is to use pinking shears so that the edge isn't...raw...and, therefore, doesn't fray.

Since I used pinking shears, I turned the fabric once to create a nice sharp edge and ironed to make a straight edge.

The next thing you want to do is pin the sides.

Do you see all those lovely pins? Told you I would use a lot.

This keeps the edges flat for sewing. Of course, you can do this for each side as you iron as well. I like to do it after to let the fabric cool a bit. Notice the direction of the pins. Some people pin length-wise, following the fold of the fabric. I use the pins with the large heads (makes them easier to grab & remove from the fabric.) Because of this, I find it is best to pin as shown above as the sewing machine needle will pass right over the pins without getting stuck.

After you get the sides ironed down & pinned, you're ready to pin the bottom hem.

Follow the same process by ironing the fold and pinning to secure.

Time to sew!

Note you'll have three sides ironed and pinned for sewing. We'll do the top hem and rod pocket after we sew the sides and bottom.

Starting at the top of one side, sew a straight stitch down the length of the curtain.

Note this is not a fancy sewing machine. It's very basic and is really all you need for this type of sewing.

Once you reach the end of the length, lift your foot (but keep the needle in the fabric) and turn the fabric 90 degrees to sew the bottom hem.

Take a close look at the picture above. You'll notice I sewed all the way to the bottom of the fabric. Using the reverse lever, back the stitch up to where you want to sew your bottom hem. Now turn your material 90 degrees and sew your bottom hem. If you don't now how to reverse stitch or if this is at all confusing, then don't sew all the way down the length of the fabric. Instead, stop where your bottom hem should be sewn and turn the fabric there. Just be sure to keep your needle in the fabric so that the stitches stay nice & tight and locked.

After you sew the bottom hem, once again turn the fabric 90 degrees to sew up the length of the other side of the curtain. Once that is done, you will have three neat edges -- two sides and a bottom.

Make a rod pocket

Now we're going to finish the top of the curtain and make a rod pocket. The first thing you want to do is measure the curtain length you need from the bottom of the curtain.

Here's a neat little trick, measuring tape made for sewers had a hole at the bottom. If you pin this to the edge of your bottom hem, you now have two hands to measure, fold and pin your top edge.

For my curtain, I need a length of 23 inches for the door opening and 1/2 inch for a small top gather. (If I was making a curtain for a window, I would add enough fabric to make a larger gather at the top -- usually 1 to 1.5 inches.)

I measured 23.5 inches & made my top fold at that length.

Iron this fold the entire width of the fabric. Check your measurement every few inches to make sure you have a nice straight hem. Pin the fabric down, trim off any unnecessary fabric.

For some reason I'm missing the pictures for the next part of the process. Basically, what you're going to do is sew the top hem down, just like you did for the bottom. So you want a straight stitch across the lowest part of the fold to secure the hem. After this is completed, cut your threads and put your fabric back under the needle to make the rod pocket. Place your needle 1/2 inch from the top of the fold and make another straight stitch across the width of the fabric panel.

If you look at the top of the panel, you'll see the two straight stitches, which basically create a rod pocket.
Sew the bottom one first and then the top one to create the gather at the top of the panel.

Once you have finished sewing, iron the panel to remove all wrinkles. Now repeat these steps with your 2nd curtain (if you have one.)

Now for the fun part

Now your curtains are done you can hang them. I used a small sash rod, which allows the curtain to lay nice & close on the door opening.

I'm really happy with the curtain. It looks great and the blue is perfect with my bottom kitchen cabinets. You couldn't buy this curtain and, if you could, it would cost a lot more than the $3 I paid for 1/2 yard of fabric.

Now that you've finished the cafe curtain tutorial, you have the skills to make a purse lining. I promise it's as simple as tracing, sewing a straight (or slightly curved) line and then fitting it in to the purse. The lining will require hand sewing. Please don't let that discourage you. I'm a terrible hand sewer but I'll show you a way to make stitches that are almost invisible and I promise, with practice, we'll both get better.

Hope you enjoy your new curtains!