basement remodel

we have lived in our house just over four years, and I never liked my basement.  so much so, that I would go weeks without even going down there.  Finally, I convinced my husband that it was time to make it a little more my style.  I do not have great before pictures, but here is what I have

I never cared for this fireplace, and I love fireplaces!  I just felt this one belonged in a log cabin, not in my home

this pucture is taken part way in to the project, that is why it is a mess, and there is a random chair in the background (note the bookshelf with the color drawers in the background, it was also made over)

I hated the color (or should I say non color) of the walls, so dank and blah

and I really hated the dingy carpet.  My husband has fought me for years on ripping this fireplace out (understandably, due to all the work it would take), but I have always dreamed of a red brick fireplace.  When I told him he could finally get his surround sound if he helped me remodel, he was on board. (it did not hurt that  TV would not fit above the fireplace unless we got a different mantle, at least not a TV big enough to please my husband) Good thing too, because there is no way I could have ripped that fireplace out myself.

with a sledgehammer, my hubby went to town, and I carried all the rocks outside to be hauled to the dump (and that was no easy task, those things are heavy!).  We still have the mantel in our shed, trying to figure out if it is worth trying to sell

after ripping it all out, my husband did all the wiring, behind walls, and through the ceiling for his surround sound.  In the mean time I put up all board and baton following this tutorial (my husband said I could have my board and baton, but I had to do it myself, he was not interested in helping with that. the board and baton cost about $300)  then my husband put brick around the fireplace.  We chose to use thinbrick. it ended up costing us about $300.  while he mortered the brick, I followed him closely, wiping up morter, and cleaning morter off brick, before it dried.  The brick was by far the most challenging part of the remodel, we had to work fast, glue them on properly, clean up morter and cut them properly.  It is also my favorite part of the remodel.  I am so glad I talked my husband into doing it for me. we ordered our mantel from a local mantel company.  I was really happy with the price of the mantel, but in hindsight, we should not have paid for the corbel's They were $60 each, and I saw similar ones at home depot for $8 each.  We ordered our mantel untreated, and painted it ourselves.  I have always loved the look of stained wood, but I was worried it would stick out with the white board and baton, so I just painted it white.  I figure I can always strip the paint and stain it if I end up regretting it.

after the brick was in, I caulked my board and baton, sanded and painted (it took me 3 coats).  Then I painted the yellow.  I had home depot match the the restoriation hardward yellow, it is a great shade of yellow.  

we picked out some new carpet, this is where most of our budget went. it is also the only part we hired out.

Then I made the shelves on either side of the fireplace.  I was inspired by this.  I used her plans for the cameron system as a guideline, and made adjustments to fit my needs and my space.  Anna has great plans, and even though I made a lot of mistakes, I learned a lot.  Next time I build something though, I am going to follow her exact plans, and not try to customize anything to my needs, that is where my mistakes came in.  I used MDF because it is supposed to be easier (the boards are really straight) and cheaper than solid wood.  I love the look of solid wood, so next time I want to use that, but I am glad I did no on my first project, because of all the mistakes I made.  It was a pain to have to pre-drill all my holes though (another downside to using MDF).  I am proud to say I made these all by myself, mistakes and all.  I spent about $300 on these total (including paint and wood, and hardware and supplies). 

I am still debating about painting the brass slats on the fireplace using either black spray paint, or an oil-rubbed bronze spray paint (I know rustoleaum makes a good one)

I love how the board and baton really lightens up the dark basement

below is the bookshelf I "updated" I just picked out some scrapbook paper to match the color of the drawers, and cut it into strips (because the drawers were kind of like beadboard, they were not flat) and then I modge podged them on.  I love how they give it more pop, and make it a little more girly, since I do have two daughters and no sons.

I still need to paint the doors white (one is done, it is in the garage, that is why there is a missing door)

I love how everything turned out, and I love to spend time down there now.

I am back

okay, so it has been a while.  Do you remember all that sewing I did in the spring?  Well, I may have burned out.  Or maybe it is because summer is here, and there are all these fun things to do outside with my family, and I don't have much desire to be in my basement sewing away.  Maybe it is because no one close to me is having a baby too soon, so I don't have gifts to make.  Maybe it is because I am just lazy.  Either way, I do have a couple projects to post, but I have to get the before picuters off my husbands computer first.  Don't give up on me

in the mean time, I am drooling over this awesome giveaway.  Yes, I know I was given a serger a while back, but now that I have started to use it, I am hooked.  I want to serge everything, and the one I have just can't do it all, like this one can.  Plus, many people want to borrow my serger, and they are people I love, who do a lot for me, so I let them.  However, it makes me nervous.  I would love to have one that I can have all to myself, and then I can share my other one.  I want this one because if its differential feed, my other one has a differential feed, but does not ruffle well.  Ruffles are in right now.  I would love this to finish my ruffle curtains and to make all the cute ruffle skirts I see tutorials for in blog land, my little girls would looks so cute in them.  I want to have a new serger to make lots of clothes for my girls, actually, and lots of baby gifts for my friends.  My old serger does not have instructions, and it is hard to find tutorials for it, because they don't sell that kind anymore (I have googled and googled), so I feel limited in my possibilites.  This new one makes me feel like my possibilities are endless.  Okay, so I have never actually won a giveaway, but a girl can dream, right?  and what a giveway this would be to win.

crocheted booties

I bought the patterns for these booties on Etsy, and I really liked how they turned out. I made some for my expecting sisters, and am half way through making some bigger ones for my baby. Sorry I cannot give you the patterns, but you can search Etsy.com in the baby crochet patterns to find these, and many other cute patterns.

diaper bags

I found a free tutorial to a diaper bag I love! I am so glad someone was nice enough to post it. I made three in two days (which I would not recommend, I totally ignored my family). I made the black one for me, and the other two for my expecting sisters. I love how they turned out! They are so cute, but also so functional. There are five pockets on the outside and five inside.

I used home decor fabric, I found the pink ones back in November for like 60% off at Jo-Anne's and I found the babric for my black one at Hobby Lobby for about $8 a yard. I used really heavy weight interfacing, because I love the look of a bag that stands up on its own.

I added this little strap with a hook, to hook on keys or a binky or something. I also made the strap on mine extra long, so I can sling it around my neck and arm, not just my arm, then I have more mobility with my arms. I also added metallic snaps to the outside pockets on mine (they are usually kind of expensive, like $4-5$ for one, but I found some on clearance at Jo-Anne's 2 for $2.50) I also added velco to the inside pockets on mine

they have a zippered pocket in the back that I love. It was my first time doing a zipper, but I just followed instructions on my zipper and in my machine manual, and it was quite easy.

car seat blanket tutorial

I have been wanting one of these all winter for my baby, she always kicks her blanket off when I am carrying her around in her car seat. I finally figured out how to make one, but since winter is ending, I decided not to make one for her. I did make two for my expecting sisters though. I hope these steps make sense, let me know if you have questions

I started with two coordinating flannels, one yard of each. I folded each in quarters so I could trace and cut my pattern (make sure you have the folds in the right place)

I do not have a printout of this pattern, but I am hoping you can see the measurements when you click on the picture to enlarge it, and use the measurements to make your own (I just taped pieced of 8.5 by 11" paper together). Make sure your folds are in the right place, and trace the pattern on each piece of flannel

unfold the fabric and mark where the strap holes should be cut (enlarge the two above pictures to see where to measure and cut for the strap holes) mark it on each piece of flannel. Or, if you have a carseat handy, you can put the fabric in your carseat and mark it yourself

cut and press where you will need to sew around the strap holes (do not sew yet!). Pin the fabrics right sides together and sew around the blanket, leaving a gap for turning it right sides out)

pin in place the pressed holes together and sew (if you try to sew them before the previous step, you will not be able to turn the blanket right sides out)

top stitch around the blanket, sewing the gap closed

place blanket in carseat and strap baby in

then swaddle

here is the second one I made

Thank you Heidi for informing me of something I did not know (check comments)

AFTER READING HEIDI'S COMMENT I TRIED TO SEARCH ONLINE FOR VERIFICATION. THIS IS THE BEST THAT I FOUND

http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/a/carseatcoat.htm

it does state that the warranty may be voided (you could call your carseat company)

it also gives guidlines for you to check yourself if your baby is safe in his/her carseat

"Check All Winter Coats for Car Seat Safety
It's easy to check and see whether a baby's winter coat or infant snowsuit is too thick to be safe in a car seat. This test will show you how thick the coat is and how much the coat will compress during a crash.

1. Take the car seat into the house.
2. Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
3. Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses as you normally would before car travel. Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
4. Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the straps at all.
5. Take the coat off your child.
6. Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.
7. If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness at the child's shoulder bone, the coat is too thick and is not safe for use with the car seat."

it also says, near the bottom, "

However, there are no federal guidelines governing after-market car seat accessories. These extra car seat covers and buntings could interfere with the function of the car seat harness, and many car seat manufacturers will void your car seat warranty if after-market accessories are used. "

It could still be useful for a carseat that is strapped into a stroller, rather than a car. Or with any five point harness device, such as a stroller itself, or a swing or a bouncer

minky blanket tutorial

I made a couple minky blankets over the weekend. I bought the fabric months ago on clearance, and I have been wanting to use it, but scared it would be hard to sew with. and when I attemped to about six moths ago, it was. Then I was told to use a walking foot, and it was a breeze.

I found this silky ruffle blanket binding at walmart

after cutting th minky to my desired size I `pinned the ruffles face down to the right side of the fabric

then I pinned the back piece of fabric , right side down, on top of that. I stitched all the way around, leaving an opening to turn, turned it right side out, and sewed the opening closed. I did use my walking foot, and I did not top stitch, I was afraid it would bunch, and I like how it looked without the topstitch. It took me about half an hour to make one

here is the second one I made

I made this one for my own babes for Easter, I used the same tutorial as my receiving blanket. This was so easy, I thought it would be hard with minky fabric, but it was so forgiving, the binding fabric is so plush, that you cannot even see the seems.

Amy Butler

I just love Amy Butler, but who doesn't. I found her book that I have been wanting for a long time, at the local library. I was thrilled not to have to buy it, but still be able to use the cute patterns. I made some PJ pants and some Robes from it, and I really liked how they turned out. I got most of my fabric at Hobby Lobby, for like $4 a yard, but some of it was Amy Butler, I already had sitting in my sewing closet. Sorry about the pictures, I could not seem to get that shadow out of the way.

this set is for my older sister, who is having a baby in a few weeks, I thought she would enjoy something to wear in the hospital

this pair is for my younger sister, having a baby any day now, I thought she too might want to wear something other than a hospital gown.

Still around

I know it seems like I have been slacking, but really, I have been crazy busy with projects. We remodeled out basement. There are still some finishing touches needing to be done (including bookshelves that are half way built for either side of this fire place to put all the clutter on the (and hide all the wires), and a few more things. I took the week off last week to sew, but hope to finish up this week, I will post pictures then, but here is a sneak peek

My sisters are both having baby girls this month, so I made them a bunch of stuff. I couldn't post pictures until I gave it to them though, it would have spoiled the surprise

I made them each a blanket like this. It is Amy Butler Lotus fabric on front, and Chenille on the back. I just put the right sides together and sewed around (all but 6 inches) then I turned it right side out and top stitched, closing the gap. I used a walking foot, since the fabrics have a different stretch than each other. I don't know if it was necessary.

I found this tutorial for the above blanket, but it was not as easy for me as it sounded, other people have told me they really like doing it that way.

so I reverted back to my old method for this one, and I liked how it turned out better.

curtains

proof that I have been working

so this is not a great picture, and these curtains are not only pinned to the wall, for the sake of a picture, but I need to make two more, and put them in the actual room they will go in, rather than this room. But I am loving how they turned out. I saw this blog post a while ago and thought "those are exactly what I have been wanting for my bedroom" (without really knowing what I wanted, does that make sense? so I logged on here and thought, there is no way I can afford those, considering I would need to buy four. Then I checked out this and thought, hey I could buy just two of those, cut them in half and hem them up, only paying half the cost. However, that was still too expensive. So I searched google images for anything similar, with a better price and I found this and thought, hey I could do that for some curtains. I was still debating if I wanted to put the work into it, and then my MIL gave me this. I had to do it, for the sake of learning how to use my new serger. Although I could have used a rolled hemmer foot, but I thought I would rather just serge, than hem. so this is what I did

1. I bought six twin sheets for $4 each at Walmart (you could use muslin, but I chose sheets becuase all the edges are already hemmed)

2. I marked how long I wanted my curtains and cut off the bottom (I wanted to keep the bottom the original width, so I could use it for ruffles)

3. I cut each curtain in half and serged the edges

4. I cut 6" strips with the remaining fabric and serged both edges. (I found out that a serger can ruffle and serge at the same time if it has a differential feed. I was so excited, so I serged one side and then on the second side I ruffled and serged, well, at least until I messed up some setting and it stopped doing it, and I wasted three hours trying to undo my mistake and make it ruffle again-I gave up, but am still determined to find out how I did it for the first part, anyone want to give me a tip I followed this advice for the first part).

5. once I gave up on doing my remaining ruffles with my serger I got out my trusty ruffler foot (yes I caved and bought one) I used this on a 3/4 of a curtain, and then it started acting weird too (again I do not know what I did to make it work great and then not so great, and again I wasted a few hours trying to get it to be so helpful again, and again I gave up. Again I ask, any advice?)

6. I finally did it the old fashioned way, ruffling by hand, it did not take as long as I thought it would and was far less frustrating then trying to figure the other ones out.

I still have two more to make, but I am getting faster with each one. I

As you can see I really owe my inspiration to a lot of people here, and I also own my know-how to good old google. I think you can learn how to do anything on the internet. So far I have learned how to sew and to crochet. I am currently trying my hand in carpentry so stay tuned)

I will post a better picture when they are all done, and in there final home

Still here

and still working. I haven't posted any projects lately (although I have started many) because this has been taking all my time. We are making our basement the way we want it, and it is taking all my time. I will be back with more pictures and more posts when we are done.