Freestyling in the crib, yo!

While I haven't been doing as much sewing as I'd like, I did manage to get one project in, or rather two since there are two of them. I did it in one night, too, so go me. The other thing is that I did this with no pattern at all. Not that it's all that difficult, but I just came up with the construction in my head, and I was able to, as Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work."

I haven't done too much with home decor anything yet (at sewing, at least), so this was my first attempt at that. We've recently repainted part of our kitchen. As it's a bi-level kitchen and family room that share two common walls, it was tricky picking out a paint color that both my husband and I liked for the common walls. But for the horizontal walls that the rooms didn't share, it was decided that those walls would be different colors in each of the rooms, so as to distinguish the rooms from each other. Yet, the colors that would be used would be coordinating.

I had been eyeing this fabric for a year. It doesn't look like much in these photos, but it's just striped material with the colors that JC and I had discussed all along with coordinating shades. The long walls are a light toasted almond color, and the short walls in the kitchen are a dark terracotta orange-red color. (The short walls in the family room will be-- when painted-- a medium teal/aqua color.) While the EXACT color are not in the fabric, what's there is pretty darn close.

All I wanted was simple valances, just to dress up a plain wall that had the only windows into the room. The back of my house is very dark, so I didn't want major draperies going. Just a little splash of color. And I think I achieved that.

As I said, I didn't use a pattern. I did take some measurements. I did about a 1/4" seam all the way around except the bottom seam, which was 1/2". Then, I folded over the top about 4", sewed that down, then about halfway in that fold, sewed across again. This allowed for me to slip the rods in the bottom half, and leave a little at the top (which was a request of JC, and a good suggestion at that).

So-- voila!

Here's the valance at the window by the kitchen table. You can see some of the red wall next to it.


Here's the one that's over the kitchen sink.

Not too shabby for freestylin' sewing, huh?

Got another Sewing Book

Yes, I'm back. While I admit I haven't been sewing much, I am still very much interested in it. I haven't been able to make much time for anything these days, and it also doesn't help that my makeshift sewing room is hotter than hell (since the DH refuses to let the A/C run in that room, even though we have central air), so with the warmer weather, I've been a little more hesitant to go in and work. But like I said, I've just been really busy to get anything done. I'll be happy if I can hem my TKD uniform sometime this week.

Well, since I had a request, as mentioned in my last post, I decided that I would go ahead and buy a book I wanted that actually had a pattern for a reversible chef-style apron. And here's the book:



I've been eyeballing this book for a while, since it had some good looking and seemingly easy projects in the book to do that weren't, well, lame. There are a few patterns included with the book in a side pockets, but otherwise the book is full of directions of how to make said items. They just all look cute without looking too kitsch. You know how some books make knitted, crocheted, and sewing pattern look like grandma's stuff? Well, this is not one of those books. I'm looking forward to doing some patterns from here in the future. I already know I'm doing the apron, but I think, if I can get the right filling and I have enough fabric, I'm going to make a matching oven mitt or potholder as well. I think that would make a nice gift. I may also use the patterns for the tablecloths and napkins, as I suspect I may have bought way too much fabric for my kitchen curtains than needed, and that way I can have something coordinated perfectly. ;-)

So, fear not! I am still getting there. Just wish my sewing machine was as portable as my knitting is! ;-)