0 How to Make a Burp Cloth: Christen's Crafts

Burp cloths are a great gift to make for a baby shower.  Moms always need plenty of burp cloths and you can design one for any occasion.  Recently, we threw a baby shower for a dear friend of mine that is having a baby girl but is not sharing her name until she is born.  So, I decided to do a lamb themed burp cloth that would be great for church.

To get started, you will need:

• Sewing Machine (preferably one that has embroidery capabilities for the lamb)
• One 18 inch piece of fabric for the front
• I suggest a fabric that can absorb liquid easily. For this burp cloth, I found a very soft white felt
• One 18 inch piece of fabric for the back 
• I used Minky Dot but you can choose whatever...have fun with this selection!
• 12 inches of wide ribbon
• 12 inches of coordinating pom pom ribbon
• Matching Polyester thread
• Sticky Paper (tear away) Stabilizer
• Puffy Foam or clear water soluble Topper 
• Always match puffy foam to thread color for your embroidery
• Scissors, pins

To begin, cut out both pieces of your burp cloth fabric.  My fabric is 18 inches long and 11 inches wide.  It is important that both sides of your fabrics line up with one another.  If your fabric needs to be ironed, go ahead and press it before you begin sewing.

Once the fabric has been cut out, it is time to put the ribbon in place. The bottom of the ribbon should be two inches above the bottom of the burp cloth. Pin your ribbon in place and cut the ends so they are aligned with the sides of your burp cloth. Next, it is time to place the center of your embroidery.  I chose for my lamb to be below the center of the cloth so it can be seen while the cloth is on Mom's shoulder.  The lamb is placed two inches up from the top of the ribbon. To find the center of the lamb, I measured the height of the lamb and divided it in half.  Once the center is found, place a sticky dot or a put a dot with a pen in place.

 

After the center of your design has been found, line it up in the center of your hoop.  The sticky paper works great because you can hoop it and then just stick your fabric on top of it without hooping the fabric.  Once this is in place, it is time to sew your embroidery.  Before pressing start, make sure your needle is in proper place and your puffy foam is on top of your fabric.  The puffy foam needs to match the color of your thread because once your machine starts to stitch, it will cover up your puffy foam.  Once the design is complete, it will have a three dimensional look.  I really like the way the puffy foam adds an additional element that makes the project look very professional.

Once you have completed your embroidery, it is time to switch to your sewing foot on your machine.  Sew a straight line border all around your ribbon to secure it in place.  Once your ribbon is secured, pin your pom pom ribbon in the center of your thick ribbon.  Then, sew a straight stitch through the center of your pom pom ribbon to secure it to the thick ribbon.

 
To finish the project, it is time to attach the back side of the burp cloth to the front. The pretty side of both fabrics should be facing out when you pin them together.  After putting your pins in place, trim off any edges that are not lined up properly.  It is very important to have a clean, straight edge before sewing the pieces together.   I chose a zig-zag line that secured my edges but it left them looking slightly frayed.  This edge will stay in place when washed and I really like the finished look of the edges.

 

This project  is very simple and lots of fun.  Be creative and choose a design that fits the personality of the new parents.  Giving a home-made gift is a great way to show how excited you are about your friends' new addition!

If you have any questions or photos from burp cloths that you make, please send them to christen@theuncontainabletruth.com

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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1 Christen's Crafts: How To Make A Picture Memory Board

Happy Friday everyone!

After the nursery post, I have had several friends ask me how to make a picture board.  It is a very easy project that can be done in one afternoon.  Below are the steps and the items you need to make your very own memory board!  Enjoy!

What you need:
1 foam board (cut in half)
Quilters Fusible Batting
Fabric to cover board (1/2 yard should be plenty)
5 buttons
1 spool of ribbon
Scissors
Staple Gun
Needle & Thread
Hot Glue Gun
Iron and Ironing Board
Razor Blade Knife
Pencil

To begin this project,  lay your foam board on your work space and cut it in half with your razor blade knife.

Next, you will need to cover your board with your Quilter's Fusible Batting.

 As you can see below, I had enough batting material to cover the back of the board on all sides.  If you cut about two feet of batting that should give you enough to cover the back of the board.  Depending on the thickness of your batting, you might need to do a double layer to make the board thicker.  If you need to do this, just fold the batting over and then cut two feet so it will be thicker.

 Once your board is covered with batting, you staple the batting to the back of the board.  I started with my sides and then stapled the top and bottom.  Put one staple in each corner and then a couple in the middle to secure it to the board.  Make sure your staples are long enough to stay in the board. In order for your corners not to become too thick, cut out a square on your left and right side corners before you staple the top and bottom pieces  to your board (see picture below, bottom right corner).

After the batting is secured, now is the time to place the fabric on the board.  Make sure your fabric has been ironed so there are no creases on it before it is secured to the board.  Just like the batting, make sure you have enough fabric to secure it to the back.  My fabric length is longer than my batting to make it easier to staple it to the board.

After all sides of the fabric are stapled to the board, now is the time to secure the edges.  To do this, simply fold your edge over to make a triangle.  Using your hot glue gun, glue the triangle portion of your fabric to the straight edge of your fabric.  When you do this, you create a clean line that won't be seen from the front of your board.

The next step is to attach your ribbon to your board.  You will have six pieces of ribbon that will overlap to create a diamond look on the front of your board.  To begin, we will attach the corner pieces to the board.  Using your hot glue gun, glue an inch of the ribbon to the top left corner.  Once the glue has dried, pull that ribbon on the diagonal of the front of the board to the bottom right corner.  Pull the ribbon tight and make sure you have about an inch to secure to the back of the board before you cut.  After cutting this ribbon, secure the bottom right corner to the back of the board with your hot glue gun.  Repeat this process for the other diagonal piece.

After you have your corner pieces secured, now is the time to do the middle pieces.  It is important that everything is centered correctly so your ribbons are spaces evenly when finished.  Lay your ribbon horizontally so it is aligned with the center diagonal and make a mark with a pencil on your center sides.  Then, lay your ribbon vertically on the center and make a mark with a pencil on your top and bottom center.  After doing this, start with the left center and secure the ribbon to the back of your board with your hot glue gun.  Then, run the ribbon so it meets your top center and secure that to the board.  Do the same thing on the right side.  After your top ribbons are secured, repeat the process starting with the left middle meeting the bottom center.

The final step to finish your board is to add your buttons.  You will have five buttons to secure to each point where your ribbons cross over one another.  Thread your needle and loop it through the back of your button.  Then, over the center of your ribbon, stick your needle through your fabric so it comes out of the back of the board.  Once your needle has pierced the back of the board, stick it through again to the front and loop it through your button.  Do this about three times until it is tight and then tie your thread in a knot to keep it in place.  For added security, you can hot glue the back of your board where the thread is to make sure it stays in place. After you have completed this step, just add some fishing line or one of those grooved edge picture holders to the back of your board to hang it to the wall.

Voila!  You have just made your very own picture board!  What an easy way to showcase your favorite pictures!  If you make a board, send it to christen@theuncontainabletruth.com so we can add it to our site :)

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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0 Sewing Wars

The other day, I was reading my friend Stephanie's blog and her post was about how much she loves to sew.  She is an excellent seamstress and I am very impressed with her work.  Recently, I was given a lovely sewing machine from my gracious in-laws and have been trying to learn how it works.  It is a Baby Lock Ellure and it has the capabilities to embroider, as well as, sewing. 

I got it right before the girls were born so I haven't had much time to really learn how the machine works.  Sewing is a hobby that I have wanted to pick up for years but I had no idea where to begin.  None of my immediate family members sew, which made me completely clueless on how the process works. So, the other night, I decided to be brave and try to monogram a onesie all on my own.  This is how it turned out.

Y'all, I tried for THREE hours to monogram these onesies and just failed miserably!  I couldn't get the material to stay inside of the hoop, then couldn't get the hoop to snap to my machine, and finally I jammed up the thread into a big ball.  I was ready to throw my machine out of the window by the time I was finished.  I just couldn't believe something that looked so simple could be so difficult!  It was so frustrating to me because usually I can pick up on crafty stuff.  Oh, no, not this time!  After throwing a temper tantrum, Raleigh looked at me point blank and said, "You need help."

So, I got help. While my parents were watching the girls last week, I went to a sewing class and an embroidery class.  Y'all, I feel like a new person!  Having a teacher explain how my machine works and the steps that it takes to make a garment made all the difference.  I think the biggest challenge for me with sewing is that I am not familiar with all of the steps.  It is a very methodical process yet there are so many variations of tools to choose from.  Take monogramming for example.  You know the rough stuff that is on the inside of your t-shirt that is attached to the monogram?  That is called a stabilizer and there are like a million different options.  Also, the vast amount of monograms to choose from can be rather overwhelming.  Do you buy a computer software program or just download them from the Internet?  Once they are downloaded, how do you get them to your machine?  Then, how do you center it on your machine?  Did you know that there is a completely different foot that is attached to your machine to monogram rather than sewing?  Who wudda thunk?  Not me, that's for sure.

So, after my lessons I worked hard this weekend and actually knew what to do.  I ENJOYED the process!  Never did I think that was going to happen!!!!!  The first thing I worked on were these monogrammed onesies.

I did Maralee's first and spaced the letters a little too far out.  Then, I did Adeline's and got them a hair too close.  But, for them being my first official project they turned out pretty well I thought.  The other project that I am working on are their christening gowns.  We are hoping to have them christened in October or November so I have about two months to work on them.  At first, this task seemed rather daunting, but I figured the best way to learn was to dive head first!  I think doing a difficult project will really teach me the proper steps on how to make a dress.  Also, I have an amazing teacher that tells me every stitch and cut to make before I actually do it.  You see, that has been my problem.  I have been scared to start any sewing project for fear of messing up the fabric.  Last year for Christmas, Raleigh let me pick out fabric to make custom valences in our living/dining room.  The fabric is STILL rolled up in the corner of my office waiting to get cut.  Maybe when I finish these dresses I will finally be brave enough to start that project!  In the meantime, the dress that I am making them is called a Babbett day gown.  So far, I have stitched together the sleeves and sides of the dresses. 

Friends, I really hope to master the art of sewing.  Having twin girls means twice the amount of dresses so if I learn how to do this I can save us some major bucks.  Plus, it is something special that I can do for them and one day they can give to their children if they want to.  One of my best friends growing up always had on smocked dresses and I was always so envious of her outfits.  Now, don't get me wrong, my momma always had me in cute clothes, but I wasn't in smocked dresses :) 

Do any of y'all sew or embroider?  What programs do you use?  Do you have any favorite websites to get appliques or fonts?  Do you have any easy pattern suggestions for making girls' clothes?  I am all ears!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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5 The Nursery

Happy Friday!

Boy, has this week flown by.  Right now, I have two little girls sleeping so I thought I would quickly post some very belated pictures of their nursery.  I absolutely love this room; it makes me smile every time I am in it.  We really wanted a tranquil, peaceful nursery so it is very soft and simple.  The room has great natural light and I really enjoyed decorating it.  I hope everyone is having a marvelous day.  Enjoy!

Daddy and Maralee

This room was originally an office/craft room for us but when we found out we were having twins,
it was the best room for two cribs!  This view is from the doorway and is the left side of the room.
The crib shown above is Maralee's crib. Our cribs are made by Million Dollar Baby and is called the Annabelle 4-in-1 crib.  We also bought the matching dresser piece of the collection.
Raleigh and his dad applied the beaded board on the slanted wall to give the room
another architectural element.

We hung these framed scripture verses on the wall next to each girls' letter and cross.  Raleigh's sweet cousin reads our blog and she used verses that I had quoted about the girls while I was pregnant.  Such a caring and thoughtful gift that I will treasure forever!

The scripture over Adeline's bed.

Door knobs: Pottery Barn Kids

We decided to keep the existing carpet in the room, but I thought we needed a rug to break up the beige!  I found this at a local children's store and it was very reasonably priced.  It is from The Rug Market and is called 4 polka dots pink.  Originally, this room had an ugly ceiling fan in it and I registered for this Payton chandelier from Pottery Barn Kids without Raleigh knowing!  Our ceilings are standard height and he said that a chandelier would hang too low but I really wanted one so I registered for it anyways :) We ended up getting it as a baby shower gift so I urged him to try and hang it and it looks great!  Perfect finish to a girly room!

Christen, Adeline, Raleigh, & Maralee.  The 9 cube cubby behind us is from Home Depot and is a part of the Martha Stewart Collection.  Inside the cubby shelves, I found these cute pop-up totes from Pottery Barn Kids.  I painted the M picture behind us and found the gingham matte at Jo Ann's Fabrics.

This is the view from the closet.  With Raleigh being an architect, he HAD to do a floor plan of the room.  He had all of these different options for furniture placement, but we ultimately decided to do this layout.  I really like having the rocking chair in the middle of the two cribs.  It also is set up across from the door so I can see what is going on in the hallway.  Our chair is from Storytime Series and is called the Nava.

Adeline's crib. The side table came with our crib and dresser set and is the perfect size for our room.  Since we live in an older home, our windows are not standard sizes.  My sister-in-laws mom is a great sewer and she made the curtains for this room.  The curtains match the bed skirt and I can lower them to make the room darker.

Mommy and Adeline

I had the hardest time picking out bedding.  Originally, I just wanted to do the bedding all in white but I just couldn't settle on a fabric.  I knew I didn't want a themed room and all the bedding that I liked was way too expensive (remember, I buy for two!).  So, I found some fabric that I liked and a family friend made the bumper pads and bed skirt for me!  I think it turned out great!  This is a picture of Maralee's bumper pad.

Here is a picture of Adeline's bedding.  As you can see, I alternated the ties with the bumper pad fabric.  When she made the set, she used the same fabric for the bumper pads as the lining of the skirt.  I really think doing this tied each bed together and what I love about these fabrics is the fact that I could use them interchangeably.  The fitted sheet is from Pottery Barn Kids (it might be discontinued because I could no longer find the link).

This lamp was one of my projects for their room.  My friend found this lamp stand and gave it to me for the girls' room.  I had bought this bunny fabric with the bedding fabric and decided to use it for the lamp shade.  I just bought a plain shade at Home Depot for $12 and used Tacky Glue to adhere the fabric to the shade.  To finish the look, I used my hot glue gun to apply the pink edges and the ribbon going down the shade.  Lamps like this in children stores are easily $50 so I saved about $35 doing it myself!

I also made these picture boards to hang snapshots of the girls.

One day the girls will actually enjoy this room but for now it makes me smile :)

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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