Sneak Peak No. 2

Just to keep the suspense going I have another sneaky peak for you!

Can't guess what it is? Well you shouldn't have to wait too much longer! I am expecting on making the announcement in the next 2 weeks, provided all goes to plan!

From Pillowcase to Shower Cap and Make-up Bags!

Recently there was a pillowcase challenge over at Craft's Beautiful that I entered. I found a lovely pillowcase in a thrift shop made from Breast cancer awareness fabric.
I fell in love with the fabric as soon as I saw it and then immediately knew what I wanted to make.

There has been so much going on here recently that I missed the deadline, only to find out it had been extended. Thankfully I just managed to get my entry finished in time. I will not be looking at pillowcases the same again! LOL I even have a small amount of fabric left over!

So here is my new waterproof shower cap....

and the matching lined make-up bags

You can find my directions/tutorial for the shower cap here.

Sneak Peek No. 1

As promised here is the first sneak peek of what I have been up to.

Something in the Air!

I am currently working on something that I will be announcing very soon!

It is taking a some time to sort but I will reveal all in the next couple of weeks, so be sure to check back or subscribe to my blog (button is up the top on the left) so you can see when it is announced!

Kids Crafty Birthday Party

It was my DD 9th birthday recently and she decided she wanted to have a craft party. So I thought I would share with you a few things we did.

It all began with the invitations, which my daughter proudly designed and assembled by herself. The inside of the card has all the details of the party which I helped her make using the computer.

Come the day of the party we decorated the birthday girl's chair for her to sit on during the party and whilst she opened the presents. This has become a tradition in our household since the day she turned 3.

The ballerina birthday cake was made and there were cupcakes galore!

Then onto the creating and making!

I had a long list of projects in case the girls finished their creations quickly and I let my daughter pick each craft as we went along.

The girls had a fabulous time and this is what they made:

Pencil Buddies


Lavender tied in the style of a ballet slipper


Drawer Sachets for scenting their clothes.


Paperclip Bookmarks


Handbag style boxes


The girls all had a delightful time and took home all their lovely makes.

Adding a Watermark to Your Photos.

I thought I would share with you the information I used to learn how to make a watermark for my photos.
It is here and actually uses photodraw, but the instructions are very easy to follow so you can adapt them to suit what ever program you have.

I usually make the watermark using fancy fonts and I save it separately to just copy and paste each time I want to add a watermark to a photo. It saves having to create a watermark each time. My current watermark is made using a free fonts downloaded from the web. One of them is a floral font. I just add text boxes with the individual images/font letter and arrange them until I am happy. I then group them as one image and adjust how transparent it is before saving as my watermark. Make sure the colour will show up on your photos. You don't want it too light or too dark.

Here is a site that explains how to add a watermark to your photos using word or photoshop,

and here is how to do one in a flikr account,

Lastly here is a video for visual learners.

Adding a watermark will not stop someone from copying your photos and claiming them as their own, (as has happened to me) but it will show who they belong to and hopefully prevent it. If you add your blog name too this will help.

I hope the links above help you add a watermark to your photos. If you find a really easy tutorial you would like to share I will add the link here. Just leave a comment below for me to check it out.

Have fun creating!

SewDelish
xx

Some Sewing - How to Make a Shower Cap - Tutorial

Here is a fairly quick and easy sewing project to try that is great to make for yourself or to give away. It is also a great way to keep your children's hair dry if you make it in fabric they like.

I would love to see a photo if you make a shower cap using my instructions. Please provide a link to this post if you wish to share these instructions with others.

Materials required:

Fabric (I use satin or lightweight cotton so it dries quickly)
Thin plastic (disposable tablecloths or plastic shower curtains are great for this)
Satin binding
Cotton binding
Narrow elastic
Thread to match
Biro for marking on the plastic
Straight stitch sewing machine (yes you can even make this on a treadle!)

Directions:

1) Make your pattern for the shower cap using fairly large paper. You need to cut a circle approximately 55cm in diameter. If you have really long hair or are likely to have rollers under it I would recommend 60-65cm. For children 50cm is usually sufficient.

2) Cut 1 piece in your chosen fabric and one piece in plastic for the waterproof lining

3) Pin around the very edge with wrong sides together. This keeps everything in place as you sew. Satin and plastic are very slippery when you are trying to sew the two together. Keep the pins right to the very edge so any pinholes created in the plastic will be hidden under the binding when you sew it on. Baste all the way around.

4) Open out the satin binding and sew it to the inside(plastic side) of the showercap as in the picture below. Fold over the end before you begin to stitch so you will have a neat finish.

5) Once you have stitched all the way around, fold the rest of the binding over the seam and over to the right side of the shower cap and stitch in place from the fabric side. This step covers the previous stitching lines. Sometimes I add lace at this step too.

6) With the plastic side facing up on the shower cap, measure and mark 5cm (2") in from the edge all the way around. This is where you will make casing for the elastic. Fold the end of the cotton binding over then sew the binding along the edge onto the line you marked earlier. DO NOT overlap or sew over the ends as you will be threading elastic through there shortly. Refer to pics below. Repeat sewing along the other edge of the binding to create two stitched lines. Tie off any loose threads.

7) Thread the elastic though the casing. I usually use a small safety pin or an elastic bodkin. Use enough elastic to make it comfortable and not too tight. Secure the ends of the elastic either by sewing or tying them in a knot. Hide the ends in the casing using a pair of tweezers to push them in. Decorate with the outside of your new shower cap with a satin bow or a fancy button if desired.

These showercaps can be washed by hand in lukewarm water or in a cold wash in the washing machine on a gentle cycle.

Here is a shower cap and a couple of make-up bags I made using a thrifted pillowcase that was made from Breast Cancer Awareness Fabric.