Is it conceited....

to be completely in love with something you made?  I am kinda in love with this necklace I made for a friend's birthday.  It was pretty simple (I wasn't thinking "tutorial" when I made it, but since I love it so much, I might make one for myself and I can do a tutorial then!) and really only took about 10 minutes - if you include the "mommy" interuptions.

Basically, you choose your beads, ribbon and a large jump ring (or link from a large link chain in this case).  Then string the beads on stringing wire, crimp the ends and attach the jump rings.  Then thread one end of the ribbon through the jump ring, fold it up and sew the two pieces together so the ribbon is attached to the jump ring.  Do the same for the other side and you just tie the ribbon pieces to put it on - no clasp required.  I love that it is customizable and you can change the length for any outfit. 

I am also really in love with the ribbon and will have to get some more from...you guessed it!  The Ribbon Retreat - I know, I am addicted.  I love that place!

I put the necklace in this cute (if I do say so myself) little pouch with material from...that's right folks! The Ribbon Retreat again.  I know, I know.  Hi My Name is Kellie and I am an addict.....

It was a pretty simple way to dress up the necklace and she can use it for just about anything from jewelry to sewing supplies or whatever.  I thought it was a little different way to wrap it than the regular paper bag!  I may have set the standard for myself with this one.  :)

Rag Quilt

Well, this is my first rag quilt.   I have seen the tutorials all over the place on the web and decided to give it a try.  I honestly (sheepishly) can't remember where I saw the tutorial that I based this little (and I mean little because it isn't really more than just a little something to put on the ground for tummy time or something like that) beauty on.  I didn't have myself very organized at the time and really just kept the idea in my head instead of making note of where I saw it.  I apologize to the blog owner that I am inadvertently "stealing" her idea from....not that I expect her to somehow randomly stumble upon my humble little blog, but still, I thought I would put it out there!  

 

 

Anyways, I don't have a tutorial as I followed the one I stole (and can't remember - I stink!).  But if you do a web search you can find some pretty good tutorials out there on how to make these.  My "warning" to you is this: make this for someone you REALLY like/love.  They are a labor of love for sure.  This one took me about two days of actual sewing and snipping and washing and drying and attempting to pull out as many of the stray strings as possible.  That doesn't even include the cutting time or the different times I had to lay it out first to get the "pattern" I wanted.  So, just know that when you start this project it will certainly not be a fast one.  But I am really pleased with the way this one turned out.  I made another one for my friend's new baby (hi Kadence!) and promptly forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her.  So you will just have to believe me when I say I have made two of these quilts!  :)

Toddler Belt

As I said before, I have been sewing up a storm recently. Well, one of the things I made a few months ago is some belts for my boys - that's really where it all started. I dusted off my sewing machine and set to it. I saw these really cute belts online and thought "I can make that!" So after a few searches for a tutorial, I found this one. Here is my version of that tutorial.

I made two versions of the belt I found at that tutorial. The first pictures are following the tutorial exactly (sorry my camera is not that great - I have a new one coming soon!).
Materials:
nylon webbing material (like the kind you see on kids belts!) - length of your child's waist + 3 inches
Ribbon of your choice (same length as the webbing)
velcro (about 3 inches long)









Here is the other version I made - this one is more adjustable for longer wear or for different children:





For this one, the materials are about the same except that you need a pair of D rings (can be found online several places or at Joann's or Michaels). Your ribbon will also need to be about 4-5 inches longer than the webbing (you'll see why soon). Remember to make the webbing about 3 inches longer than your child's waist.





You will lay the ribbon on the webbing with the extra 4 inches hanging over. Now fold that extra ribbon over the back side of the webbing. I tried to hide my stitches as much as possible, so once I had that folded over part pinned, I pulled the ribbon that is not yet attached on the right side of the webbing all the way out. Sew a line at the end of the ribbon to attach it to the webbing:




No comes the "fun" part. fold the rest of the ribbon back over the end of the webbing (so that it was the way you had it before you sewed the overhang ribbon to the webbing.) Pin it in place along the length of the webbing so that you can sew it along the edges to the webbing. Again, I tried to hide as many stitches as I could so I sewed the front part at the same time as I secured the overhang part:





(Um, obviously I had Chick - Fil - A for lunch that day!) Sew along both sides of the webbing and ribbon to make sure it is secure to the webbing. Next, you will add the D Rings. To do that, you will need to take the other end of the webbing/ribbon strip from the overhang side and loop it in to the D rings. Fold it over the D rings and sew the webbing, ribbon on to itself to secure the D rings.





AND...That's it! Probably the simplest thing every. I had a little extra overhang on both ends of my webbing just to finish off both ends a little bit, but it is really only necessary at the end without the D rings - when you put the belt on, that side will show through.





P.S - anyone who knows my two boys knows this particular ribbon is absolutely appropriate!

Where did I get the ribbon you ask? Why The Ribbon Retreat of course! I L-O-V-E this store! I could spend hours - and WAY too much money - getting all kinds of cute ribbon and they even have adorable fabric too! But for the good of my marriage, I limit myself to the occasional browse through every week. I do love the store for more than their selection too. The shipping is very fast and there are always some kind of excellent specials going on. I find myself actually coming up with projects just so I can buy some of the way cute things - for girls and boys!


The good thing about these belts - besides being super easy to make - is they are so customizable. If you can find a ribbon - or even a scrap of fabric - you can make it into a belt. Your imagination is really the only limit. I literally sat and cranked out about one belt every 15 - 20 minutes (depending on if the kids were preoccupied with something else or not!).


Ok, so this is my first tutorial - and my camera is not so great (did I mention I am getting a new one soon?!?!) so I apologize if it is a bit difficult to follow. Please shoot me a message if you have any questions. And go make some wicked cool belts! :)


More projects to come....