Easy Baby Gifts & Learning how to sew

I should start calling this blog Chicks with Needles, but that takes on a really dark meaning. No, but really, I'm trying to become one with my sewing machine.  My mom gave it to me a few years ago on my birthday and I've had a love/hate relationship with her ever since.  She's a tempermental bitch, so I'm not sure I can trust her yet.  I've had some hard times getting to know her, but I think we are on the path to friendship.  I would go upstairs, play with the machine for a bit, something would go wrong, I'd call my mom in a panic and then the anxiety of it all would make me want to ignore it for a few more months.  Now, I really enjoying making things, but I've got to get a few things down.  Here's a detail of my latest project I'm making for a family member....

Last weekend I decided to try to make a baby gift for a family member.  Let me just say that it did NOT start off well.  On Good Friday we got let out of work early so I decided after seeing this on Pinterest to try to make something like it of my own. 

I'm by no means an expert sewer, I'm definately a beginner.  I had some issues with my machine that night and literally spent 6 hours trying to resolve them.  6 freaking hours! First my mom came over and helped me fix my bobbin spooling issues, then when my husband came home I had ALL KINDS of issues that I couldn't figure out.  I studied the manual, I did trouble shooting, I watched YouTube video after You Tube video until I figured it out.  It was a rough night for me, but when I start something, I am determined to figure it out.  I haven't taken a sewing class, so everything I've learned has been from the manual, my mom or tutorials on the web.  I really could use a class sometime. 

Once my machine problems were figured out, I started on the blanket.  I tried following the directions in the post I linked to above from Juicy Bits.  Where I got confused was with the binding.  I totally messed it up.  I did the one side and realized it looked like crap so I took a break for a few days from it.  Last night I saw a post from Crazy Mom Quilts and it all clicked.  I went home and did the binding and while it's not perfect, I'm really happy with my first baby blanket. 

The burp rags are made from cloth diapers and scraps from the blanket fabric.  I've given these as gifts before and people like them because they are so thick and can absorb a lot more than other burp rags.  There is this Heat & Bond stuff that makes the onesie/burp rag making a lot easier.  It really does help the fabric stay attached to what you are sewing.  I highly recommend it. 

 Here's the final gift! It's by no means perfect, but I'm still proud! Included is 1 blanket, 2 burp rags and 2 wash cloths.  I got the wash cloth tutorial on 2 Little Hooligans.  I included a tag with one of my favorite stamps that reads: You aren't going to believe this, but I MADE THIS.  Now jump up and down and get excited or something!

So what would I do differently?

Learn to bind a quilt properly

Sew in a straight line! A basic, that I should know by now.  I'm getting better, but there are some handy tricks that I want to try from Prudent Baby.

Line the pattern up properly so that what you want to be seen doesn't get cut off.  I was bummed I cut off some of the cutest parts of this fabric.

Figure out a better way to sew stretchy fabric

There you have it! Easy baby gifts and I enjoy playing with my sewing machine now. 

Platform bed: Round One.

My husband and I have been thinking about getting a new bed for quite some time now.  Our box spring had really seen better days. Well, the other day I found some inspiration on Pinterest. (If you are not familiar with this website, I highly recommend it!) My thought was to make a platform bed (on the cheap) using the existing box spring- it is after all already shaped to fit the mattress!

*Advice: If you are able to use existing parts of something old to make something new- do it!  It will save you some serious $$.

**ALSO! Start projects in a clean room... you will see why I say this later on. I'm sure this is a "duh" type piece of advice, but if you are like me- being impulsive means it needs to be done NOW.

The box spring was just an average queen size. It was pretty easy to remove the outer fabric layer and the top was made of cardboard...Watch out for staples!

We ended up removing the small slats across the body of it because some of them were broken or warped.  We did however keep about four of them for support later on.

As you can see, the smaller slats are removed and there is just a rectangular base left.  This will save you some money on wood later when you go to your local lumbar/hardware store.
(Sorry for the mess, but like I said earlier- it's way easier to do this a little more prepared than I was. )

**I had the wood cut to the length of the bed, which it actually would have a better idea to cut it to the width.  Three pieces probably would have been a better idea than two.

**Also, underneath the plywood sheet are those four small slats I mentioned earlier. It is just for extra support.

One the bed was put together, we took it outside and spray painted it with a semi-gloss paint.  We decided to leave the open ends at the base and head for storage of small books/cds.  If you do not want this, you have the option to place a  board across the bottom and secure it in place.

**I also added on all four sides (inside) and one middle block style legs. While we were at home depot, I had the lumbar guy cut us five 10 inch blocks from one long piece of wood.

We also redid a headboard that we had on our bed.  This was very easy.  Just chose your fabric and you can either nail or stable gun (recommended) your fabric in place.  Pull tightly to avoid wrinkles.

**The headboard will later be attached with three 'L' hooks to the top of the bed. (I will add photos after that has been completed)

Once it was dry we brought it back inside and started to set the bed back up.  Note that the headboard looks a little low, that's because it has not been placed on the back at the time of this photo.

Difficulties:

1. Screwing into parts of the existing box spring wood was a bit difficult, but do-able.  It's going to be loud, use a trusty drill.
2. Plywood either needs to be sanded or use a more smooth cut of wood.  This is mainly for your sheets.  
3. Speaking of your sheets... If I were to do it again or edit my project I would have sanded and then painted the wood instead of spray painting it.  Spray paint is an easy and quick option, but it is not as smooth as good old fashion paint.
4. Like I mentioned earlier, clean before you make another mess... other wise your house will look like and episode of hoarders.  When you are redoing your bedroom, it helps to take everything out...(see below)

Start early.

One last thing, clean-ups are a mother bitch.