Dapper dog bow-tie tutorial

As promised, I've worked up a little tutorial for those doggie bow-ties from yesterday's post.  Enjoy!

Fashion for Fido

As I'm sure you've noticed from this post (not to mention this post) Oliver likes to look good.  So, as per his request, I whipped up some bow-ties to add to his wardrobe.  I just sewed simple bows with Velcro loops at the back, so that the bows can be attached to his normal collar.  Since they just go onto the collar he's used to wearing, he doesn't mind wearing these little beauties one bit! 

Since I scheduled this photo shoot during his previously scheduled nap time (which usually lasts most of the day) Oliver refused to get out of bed for the fashion show.  But I'd say my little gentleman looks pretty dapper!  These little bow-ties are definitely one of my all-time favorite scrap busting projects, and they were a cinch to put together!  In fact, these little bow-ties were such a great project, I'm thinking they will be the subject of my very first tutorial!  I'm still working on putting everything together, but look out for details!  Happy Tuesday!

UPDATE: Check out the tutorial here!

Easy-peasy heat pack

I'm back today with another simple project to share (can you tell I'm avoiding my big project?) that I made the other day.  My mom and I put together a little care package to send to my sister in Rhode Island, and I stuck in a rice-filled heat pack that I made from some leftover batik-like fabric.  Here is how my little project turned out:

I made the actual heat pack from some lining fabric, and created four rice-filled compartments.  I sewed up the pack completely (to prevent from rice spilling out all over the place) and I made a little slipcover that can be removed (in the name of cleanliness!)  and closes with a strip of Velcro.  I just love the leaf-like print on this fabric!  This project was so simple, quick and cheap...I may just have to make some more this week!

I'm planning on devoting some time today to re-building my project gallery (the blog tab formerly known as "Things I've Made".)  Through my technological prowess, I magically (and quite accidentally) deleted the entire tab yesterday.  So that's definitely on the agenda for today, along with the conclusion of what I like to call "Project Procrastination."  Now that I've successfully cut out all of the pieces for an adorable dress pattern-and let them sit on my ironing board for at least one week-it's time to tackle that project.  Wish me luck!  Happy weekend!

Ruffled-up duvet

This was one project that I never really thought I would finish.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I bought the fabric and started this project almost two years ago.  Yikes!  Time flies when you're...procrastinating?  While keeping up with my spring cleaning initiative, this was the mother of all spring cleaning projects.  It's been eating up space in my sewing room, and it's been on my to-do list for an eternity.  If you don't believe me, take a peek at this post, in which I posted a teaser photo of my beloved yellow ruffles and implied that I would finish it soon.  (Maybe I wasn't right about the "soon" part, but better late than never!)  So without further ado, I present my labor of love: the ruffled-up duvet cover.

 

I was inspired by this duvet cover from Urban Outfitters and in a moment of ambitious insanity, I decided to copy it.  I hit up a major bedding sale, where I purchased a bunch of sets of sheets for around $20.   What a steal!  And two years later, I finally have my duvet, and I'm thrilled and relieved!  I'm also thrilled that I'm now (more or less) caught up on my started-and-then-abandoned projects.  So now it's time to start something new and exciting!  And in case you didn't notice from the first photo, this duvet cover is puggle-approved.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and I hope to be back with more soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

A proper gentleman

I returned home today from my last (I almost can't believe it's true!) audition trip.  After a few stressful days in "the Big Apple" I came home to find the best little surprise: 

In addition to my favorite little buddy being safe and sound at home, he now has a new wardrobe staple!  Because every proper gentleman needs a proper bow-tie, it seemed only fitting that Oliver has one.  Actually, I saw one of these on Esty some time ago, and knew it was just one of those things I needed to have.  Luckily (for me) I pinned it on Pinterest, Sean saw it a few weeks ago, and he ordered this little argyle number as a Valentine's Day/Oliver's Birthday present for the two of us.  We couldn't be happier!  My next project will be to copy this with some more prints...oh the possibilities!  He really does look dashing, doesn't he? 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a fabulous Monday!... (that's a real thing, right?)

Have lunch, will travel

Hello, friends!  I am back from my trip safely, but inundated with out-of-town rehearsals; cars were made to be driven, right?  I'm thrilled to have the work, but not so thrilled that I missed the Bachelor last night...boo!  Thank goodness for TiVo.  I know posts have been a little spotty lately, but in addition to my travels, I've been working on some top-secret projects that I won't be able to share until later in the month (stay tuned!)  So I'm back today with another early project of mine to share.  A couple of summers ago when I was on my first serious sewing kick, Sean had just started an internship down in Florida.  So one of my first real projects (that made it to completion) was a lunch bag for him to take to his new job.

In an effort to be practical, I lined the insides of everything with a clear, plastic fabric.  It was difficult to sew with (that stuff sure is sticky!) but I wanted the bags to be spill-proof, and I think the lining did the trick!  To avoid needing so many plastic baggies to pack lunches, I made some smaller baggies (also lined with plastic) to complete the set.

 

I made the baggies from some leftover fabric scraps.  They both have Velcro closures; one is sandwich-sized, and the other is just a little pouch for snacks.  I've made many, many lunch sacks since this one (most of them following Martha Stewart's instructions in this book) but I'm still pretty happy with this fully-lined set of my own design.  I lucked out with the striped, heavyweight fabric for the sack, and I just love the clouds on the cotton.  Every project needs a dash of fun (and Sean works at Disney World, for crying out loud!  Any workplace that has "costumes" instead of "uniforms" calls for something more exciting than your average, run-of-the-mill lunch set.)

If I were making this bag now, I would have done some things differently (like lining up the stripes on the sack, adding a closure to the sack, hiding the seams better on the pouches, etc.) but I love that these look handmade.  I also love looking back on old projects and seeing that I've improved!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to.  I hope you all had wonderful weekends, and I wish you a happy Tuesday!