A book review: The Rookie's Field Guide to Supported Spinning by Lonna Cunningham

Are you looking to learn a new craft? Maybe one you could become hopelessly addicted to? Enter the world of fiber arts. Knitting, crocheting, weaving, and spinning your own yarn is not just for old ladies. They are useful skills that have the potential to result in little fancies that are to die for.

I was recently introduced to a new type of spinning yarn that I hadn't heard of before. Supported spinning is an ancient art form. It uses a spindle and a spinning bowl, the spindle spun in the bowl kind of like a top to spin the fiber. I figured I could use one more way to annoy my husband with crafts in bed, and since this particular spinning method can be done pretty much anywhere and from a seated position, I decided to read up on it.

In the book, 'The Rookie's Field Guide to Supported Spinning,' author Lonna Cunningham talks you through the basics of supported spinning, explains some of the art's vast history, and even teaches you how to make your own spindles. I know that all of that makes it sound like you're average how-to manual, but it's so much more. Reading the book felt like having an informative discussion with a friend over a cup of coffee. The author welcomes anyone with the desire to give spinning a shot with open arms and a whole heap of great advice. She opens up about her own experiences on the subject, gives a wonderful history lesson, and explains, step-by-step and in plain but not impersonal language, how to make yarn with some fiber, a stick, and a bowl. Though I'd spun using other methods before this, her book helped me to finally learn how to draft (stretch the fibers out to make the yarn) effectively. The spiral bound print version is easy on the eyes as well, and includes some beautiful photography and some more practical photos showing the process.

If you are on the lookout for a unique new craft to try out, or know someone who might like to learn about supported spinning, I highly recommend 'The Rookie's Field Guide to Supported Spinning'.

Super stacked bow tutorial-part 1

You know those gigantic boutique hair bows? The ones you could easily spend a small fortune on? I'm going to show you how to make them! With just a little practice, you can fold bows like a pro. They make great gifts, and it's very handy to be able to whip up a bow to match an outfit before pictures or another big event since custom bows can take a lot of time.

This bow has 5 layers, and I'll show you how to make each of them separately then how to put it together. You can rearrange, resize, and add or remove layers to make this bow your own. I'd love to see your creations!

The layers (from bottom to top): large boutique bow made with 1 1/2 in. ribbon, spikes, larger loop bow, slightly smaller loop bow, medium boutique bow made with 5/8 in. ribbon

To create the large boutique bow:

You will need 1 1/2 in. grosgrain ribbon, needle and thread (I used all purpose polyester thread, two strands), scissors, and a pin.

Cut your 1 1/2 in. ribbon 30 in. long. Heat seal the ends. Lay the ribbon out along side some measuring implement (tape, ruler, whatever you have handy) with the front side down.

Measure out 5 in. and fold that 5 in. over the remaining ribbon. Fold the other end over at the 6 in. mark. Continue wrapping the ribbon around until there are two loops and a tail at either end. It should come out perfect (Okay. You caught me. It probably won't be perfect, but it really doesn't matter much)!

Stick a pin right in the middle to hold the ribbon in place. I like to work on a surface that I can stick the pin directly into. A cutting mat would work great, but anything will do.

Take the outside ribbon loop on the right side and pull it up. Take the inside ribbon loop on the left side and pull it down. Pull the outside left ribbon loop up and the right inside ribbon loop down. Try to get the tails to line up. It should kind of look like a bow already.

Holding the loops in place, begin weaving your needle (pre threaded with a large knot tired at the end) from the bottom (the side closest to you) through the center of the bow, using your pin that should still be there as a guide. Continue weaving until you get to the top of the bow, removing the pin when you reach it.
Pinch the folds made by the weaving together, then pull the needle through until the knot is pulled tight against the bottom of the bow. Wrap the thread around the bow center three or four times then tie it off. You might want to trim the long tail that remains down to about 3/4 in. and re-seal the end.

Voila! You have made a boutique bow!

You'll need to make another with 21 inches of 5/8 in. ribbon to make the top layer of the super stacked bow. You'll fold at 3 inches first, then 4 (rather than 5 and 6), then complete the rest of the instructions. You can make a great bow just by stacking these two bows, but we're going to add more layers.

I'll try to get the rest of this project up tomorrow!

Bubble Skirt Tutorial (Beginners Sewing)

I love a great bubble skirt, don't you? I decided to make my girls St. Patrick's Day outfits because I only got around to slapping together some hair clips for Valentine's Day. I also bought some adorable St. Patty's day fabric on clearance last year for under $2 a yard, so my total cost for this project (two of them!) was only about $4 with fabric to spare. THAT is when it really pays to have some very basic sewing skills. You can easily learn everything you need to know from your sewing machine's user manual. That's where I learned!

You could do this skirt with whatever cotton fabric you like.

You will need: Cotton fabric (I used two coordinating prints, but you could certainly use one print, a print and a solid, one solid, or two different solids. I hear color blocking will be all the rage this spring), 7/8 in. elastic, basic sewing implements (If you want to use coordinating thread make sure you have it on hand. I use basic white on the top and on my bobbin 90% of the time.)

Let's measure to figure out how much fabric and elastic you need. Measure the waist, then add about 1/2 in. for seam allowance. Cut your elastic to that length. For the waistband, you can really do whatever you want as far as the width goes. This project is simple measuring because you'll use the whole width, from the finished edge to the other finished edge of the fabric to allow for an amply full skirt. You only have to measure the length!  I wanted a waistband that was about 2 in, then double that number since you're going to be folding it in half, then add another 1/2 in. for seam allowance, meaning I cut mine at 4 1/2 in. For the skirt front, you will measure from the waist to where you want the skirt to hit. Write that number down(), subtract the waistband's intended width (mine was 2 in.), then add 4 in. (the extra bubbling fabric), plus 1/2 in. for seam allowance. Now you'll need to figure out the inside lining measurement, which will be the length of the skirt front minus 4 in. Your fabric is cut! Now it's time to sew it together!

I should also mention that if you're planning on making this project for a bigger girl or for an adult, you may have to cut your fabric differently. You'll want the width of the fabric to be at least double the measurement where you want the skirt to sit. This extra fabric adds fullness and helps give the skirt the bubble effect. For example, my hips are 32 in., so I'd want my fabric at least 64 in. wide, which means sewing two pieces together or using the length of purchased fabric rather than the width.

1. Line up one cut edge of your skirt front and lining, right sides together. Pin along that edge. (If your working with a print where the direction is important, make sure you're pinning so that if you open these fabrics up, fold in half hot dog style and hold the edges together with the longer fabric facing you, that longer piece is going the right direction.)

2. Using the edge of your presser foot to judge seam allowance, use a straight stitch and sew down that edge. Remember to back stitch!!

3. Fold the whole skirt piece in half, hot dog style, right sides facing out. You'll want the skirt front facing up.

4. Fold your waistband in half, also hot dog style and right sides facing out. You could press this down with an iron if you felt the need, but I did not.

5. Line up the raw edges of your folded skirt and waistband carefully. Pin.

6. Sew along the raw edge using a straight stitch, the presser foot's edge serving as your seam guide. Zig zag stitch or serge to finish the raw edge. I don't have a serger, so zig zag it is! You could also use pinking shears to finish the edge, but that never seems secure enough for me.

7.  Thread the elastic through the waist band. You can use a safety pin attached to one end of the elastic to keep a hold if it as you're threading. Pin the elastic at both ends of the skirt.

8. Sew the elastic in place. You'll want to run over it a few times by back stitching then going forward again in order to make sure the elastic is secure. I despise having to rethread it!

9. Fold the skirt in half, hamburger style, right sides (skirt front) together. Line up the last of your raw edges and pin. The skirt will be gathered from the elastic now, so take extra care here to pin nice and straight.

10. Sew using a straight stitch along the raw edge, from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the skirt. Zig zag stitch to finish the raw edge. (The edge isn't actually raw if this is a little girl's skirt. It should be the selvedges (the finished edge of the fabric when it's purchased), but that has never stopped me from zig zagging)

Now you have a beautiful, simple skirt that you can make for any occasion and on a budget. Even if you use amazing, fashion-forward designer fabric, it's a very reasonable cost to complete this project.

Reasons To Craft

I fear I may sound a little sappy in this post, but ain't it just the way?

I'm going to break down my personal reasons for crafting. I'm sure every crafter's explanation is a little different, and I'd love to hear about yours. I'm going to number them, simply because I'm not tech savvy enough to know how to use bullets on here. I'm learning, though!

1. I craft because it's cathartic. Working with my hands and focusing only on the project in front of me helps me to center myself. The mind of a flaky mom is typically whirling. I don't forget things because I'm simply not thinking, but because I'm always thinking too much. Crafting, whether I'm sitting at the sewing machine, folding bows, or delving into crafty waters undiscovered as of yet, allows me to NOT think so much about all the incidentals. It's an incredible stress reliever for me.

2. I love seeing something beautiful and knowing that I made that. It gives me a sense of achievement to know I finished a project, it turned out well, and the finished product will provide someone with happiness (and sometimes that someone is only me, but I figure I deserve to be happy as much as the next person). I feel fulfilled.

3. Crafting makes me feel wholesome and good and..homemaker-ish. For the most part I am a homemaker, but I don't always feel that way. When my kids wear something I've made with my own two hands, it makes me proud. When someone walks into our home and says, "Cute curtains! Are they new," and I get to say I just finished them, I feel like I've succeeded at the whole mom thing. I'm not saying that because someone didn't make their curtains they're less of a mom than me. I'm not even implying anything of the sort. Making things for my family is a way for me to make up for my shortcomings in other mommy departments. It's one way I show my love to my family.

4. I can make trendy, awesome clothes and home decor for a lot less money than it costs to buy those things. We're on a tight budget. Crafting allows me to change things up around the house and wardrobes without breaking the bank. I even make a little money crafting from time to time.

P.S., more  tutorials to come this week! I'll be working on a wrap skirt/dress, some giant layered bows, and a St. Patty's day bubble skirt, and whatever other wild ideas I come up with! If I create it, I'll share the how-to with you!

P.P.S, the picture down there is me and a foster dog. Not a great pic, but it was handy.

Tulle Puff Tutorial

These are super cute in the hair on an alligator clip or a hair elastic. I started making these with tulle scraps leftover from making tutus. Scrappy projects are my favorite! I love creating adorable things with stuff I already have. It's like getting something cute and useful for nothing but a little bit of your time. I've also run across a brilliant idea that uses a larger version of this project hung on a string for home decor use. They would be great, cost efficient party decor or perfect for a little girl's room.

You will need: A few feet of tulle (the kind that comes on a spool is ideal to minimize cutting), floral wire, scissors

1. Cut up tulle into 1 in. x 6 in. strips. If you're using the spooled tulle, you won't have to worry about the length of the strips, as it's already 6 in.

2. Cut about 40 pieces. If you're using more than one color, make sure you have close to the same number of strips for each color.

3. Hold your floral wire about 3 in. down.

4. Begin threading your tulle onto the wire. Stick the wire through the center of the tulle strip and move it down to where you're holding the wire. Thread all the pieces on to the wire, attempting to leave a small space with no tulle in the puff. You'll have a short piece of wire above the tulle and a long piece below now.

5. Wrap the long part of the wire through the space you left in the last step, pulling it tight to secure the puff. Wrap it a couple more times.

6. Twist the short wire with the long one to finish securing the puff, cut the excess wire. Fluff the puff by holding the whole thing in your hand and rolling it around.

There you have it!

Rolled Rosette Variation Tutorial

These are a very cute embellishment, very easy to make, and they are a great way to use up some of that scrap fabric you may accumulate over time. I'll be making a May Day wreath with these later on!

You will need: three 1 in. x 20 in. strips of fabric (these don't need to be perfect by any means), a felt circle about 2 in. across, hot glue gun

1. Stack your fabric strips on top if each other, print facing up.

2. Tie a knot at one end.

3. Use something heavy to hold the knot to a flat surface.

4. Braid the three strips together, keeping the same tension the whole way to keep the braid close to the same width the entire length. (I say this because I'm terrible at it. Thankfully these are very forgiving)

5. When you have about 2 in. of fabric left, tie a knot to finish your braid, pulling it tight. Trim any excess.

6. Glue one of the knots down in the middle of the felt circle. Wrap the braid around the knot. Keep wrapping the braid tightly around itself, using a drop of glue about every half inch between the braid and the felt circle. Keep wrapping until you come to the end knot, which you can glue to the side of the braid.

7. If your felt circle is sticking out, trim off the excess. My circle was wonky, so I had to trim.

You've seen these rosettes in my fab headband tutorial. I love that I can use scraps to make them and they are completely no-sew!

Wide D-Ring Ribbon Belt

This project can be adjusted for little girls by using 1 1/2 in. ribbon instead of 2 in. ribbon.

You will need: 2 in. grosgrain ribbon (to get the measurement for your ribbon, measure your natural waist then add seven inches), two 7/8 in. d-rings (these can be found with the sewing notions), basic sewing implements

1. Heat seal the ends of your ribbon.

2.Put one end of your ribbon through both d-rings. You may have to accordion fold the ribbon to get it though neatly. Pull it through about 2 in. and fold it back against the length of the ribbon.

3. Sew across the two layers of ribbon about 1/2 in. down from the d-rings.

4. Reverse stitch back over the initial line of stitching. You'll see in the pictures that I used white thread with navy ribbon. You may want to use coordinating thread so that the stitching isn't so obvious.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, only about 1/4 in. further down. This second row of stitches will provide a more secure hold.

6. To wear the belt, wrap around the waist and pull the free end of the ribbon through both d-rings, then fold it back over and pull it back through the second d-ring until the belt is tight. It's made to be worn at the natural waist.

I love the gathering that you get using d-rings much smaller than the ribbon. If you prefer a straighter look, use larger d-rings.