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.

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!

Stretchy Fab Headband Tutorial

You will need: cotton fabric (about a minimum of 12inx3in, you'll want the length of the fabric to go about 3/4 of the way around the head where the headband will sit, and the width will be the desired width of finished product x 2 plus seam allowance), 7/8 in. elastic (you could even use printed elastic if you have some on hand, though I'm using white because you don't really see it), basic sewing implements, embellishments (whatever you can think up is great)

1. Fold your fabric in
half, hot dog style, right sides together if you're using a print, pin if you like (I didn't bother) and sew using a straight stitch down the raw  edges, using whatever seam allowance you like (though you'll want to remember to allow for it in your measurements if you get too crazy). You'll have an inside out fabric tube now.

2. Flip the tube right side out. I know there are fancy tools for this, but I just stuck my finger in there and pulled it right side out.

3. Insert elastic into the tube openings about 1/2 in. You can pin it if you like, but I just made sure it was in place and dropped the presser foot on it.

4. Sew across the elastic and tube about 1/4 in. in using a straight stitch. Zig zag over it a few times for good measure.

5. Repeat with other end.

6. Now try it on! The beauty of these headbands is the ability to size them easily so they fit perfectly. Don't you hate stretchy headbands that either slide off backwards or squeeze so tight the hair won't lay down?

7. Embellish! Add whatever floats your boat. I've done them with assorted home made fabric flowers, purchased flowers, and one covered in buttons, even. I just hot glued the extras. You could leave it plain so your little lady could wear it for sports. You can match her athletic uniforms perfectly! I have made a few for myself as well.

I have used scraps from pillowcase dresses to make up a headband that matches the dress.

I made the tan one to match a wrap skirt that I'll be getting around to in the near future, and the pink one with the shabby rolled rosettes to match a dress made for my oldest daughter.

P.S., I was having technical difficulties with the pictures. I'll try to get one of each step up when I straighten this out!

I'm Taylor, lovely to meet you!

Taylor here, beginning my adventures as a blogger. I've always loved to write, and I've always loved to craft. It finally hit me that I could combine the two, giving me a chance to do a little more of both.

I'm a sort-of stay at home mom, happily married with two girls (7 and 3) and a boy (4). As the blog title implies, I'm no super mom. I forget it's my kids' turn to bring snack more often than I remember, homework disappears into the abyss that is our home if it strays too far from the back pack where it lives, and I'm late a minimum of 20% of the time. These tendencies have made me into a master of improv.

I don't think I've mentioned yet that we live in a tiny, tiny house. I don't have a fancy craft room or even a kitchen table to work at. I have relegated a corner of the tiny closet in our bedroom for my craft supplies and, until I come up with a more acceptable solution, they live in two cardboard boxes. These boxes are the very same boxes in which they were moved to this house. Because of this, I'll ask you to please excuse my scarred, dyed coffee table and the lack of pictures of my fabulous, extremely neat craft room. This is one reason I believe ANYONE can create crafty fabulousness. If I can manage a giant stash of ribbon and fabric in this house, everyone can find a place.

I've learned you can make something out of just about anything. My craft skills are minimal, meaning any project I post, you can absolutely do, too.

I'll be working on projects of about every sort you can imagine including kids' clothes, hair accessories, women's clothes, jewelry, and home decor.

I hope to see you around for my next post: a tutorial on adorable stretchy fabric headbands. (These were born out of necessity the night before my 7 year old's class pictures.)