CasaSugar

Cool Idea: Hooped Faux Tapestry Wall Art

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:00:09 -0800

Browsing a fabric and coming upon a wildlife faux tapestry fabric, Poppytalk was enlightened with an idea that doesn't involve any sewing. I'm sold! By simply setting the tapestry fabric inside an embroidery hoop, she created three pieces of instant wall art, for the price of $16. In addition to the ease and affordability, I love the kitschy, lodge-y theme of this project. It really gets me excited to get outdoors this Winter! To see all three embroidery hoop pieces, read more.

So cute, right!? I'm sure you could execute this project with other faux tapestry fabrics. And if you've got embroidery skills, you might also add some ornamentation.
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DIY: Embroidery Hoop Corkboard

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:00:28 -0700

I recently fell head over heels for this hoop.dee.do bulletin board ($22), sending it to the top of my wish list. What a perfect way to add style and function to your home office!? So, when I came across a DIY on how to make them on my own, my excitement skyrocketed. I do love to support all the lovely hand-making Etsy studios, but sometimes it's nice to just have a project for myself. Luckily, this one doesn't seem too intimidating, time-consuming, or expensive. I'm thinking of making several hoops in varying sizes and patterns to cover the wall above my desk.

Supplies:

1 wooden embroidery hoop
Cork board (an old board, or cork board squares)
Pencil
Drywall saw or sharp craft knife
Upholstery-weight fabric
Picture-hanging tooth w/nails
Hammer
Staple gun
Glue gun w/glue sticks

To learn the steps, read more.

Here's how, from Sweet Jessie:

Lay your embroidery hoop on top of your cork board.
Trace the the hoop onto the board in pencil.
Using the drywall saw or knife, cut the cork board to the shape of your hoop.
Lay your fabric on top of the cork circle, and wedge it into the interior hoop.
Set the exterior hoop on top of that, and tighten it.
Staple the fabric, securing it to the back of the cork board.
Using the glue gun, fill in any crevices in between the fabric and the loop.
Hammer the picture-hanging tooth to the back of the loop's wood blocks.
Hang!

Source and Source

Easy DIY: Swatch Portraits

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:00:48 -0800

Looking through Flickr photos, I was impressed with Jennifer's adorable guest room. The dark chocolate wall creates a soothing, cozy space, while the patterned Amy Butler swatch portraits create a dramatic focal point to the wall behind the bed.

This project is surprisingly inexpensive to re-create in your home. All you need are some wooden embroidery hoops and swatches of your favorite fabric. Learn how to make your own swatch portraits, and see a close-up of the swatch portraits in Jennifer's home, when you read more.

So pretty! I love the contrast between the vibrant fabric patterns and the chocolate brown wall. For the full tutorial on creating swatch portraits, head to The Purl Bee.

Source: Flickr User Special J

2010 Spring Couture: Jean Paul Gaultier

FabSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:04:22 -0800

Sometimes fashion is serendipitous. I just saw Avatar last weekend, and lo and behold, it's the inspiration behind Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring couture collection. "I saw 'Avatar' and, like everyone, found it extraordinary. And from there, I began thinking of nature and ecology, and the Latin American tropics and from there it was not very far to Mexico," explained Gaultier. Just when I was envisioning my Avatar-inspired Burning Man outfit, JPG churns out the most phenomenal couture collection yet.Spanish influences were explained via embroidery, white ruffled blouses (and pant skirts), shawls, and refined black separates. A black and white Aztec motif stands out, while some creations perfectly blend sci-fi with the primitive. The most awe inspiring were beaded, feathered, sculpted, and adorned with exotic accessories. Karlie could upstage Neytiri in her decadent feather fan hoop skirt, tailored jacket, and headdress. Get ready to go back to Pandora . . .

To see loads more, read more.

View 30 Photos ›

The 11th DIY of Christmas: A Chandelier For the Birds

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:00:49 -0800

Since I didn't want to forget our feathered friends this holiday season, I thought I'd make a pretty, edible bird feeder as part of my 12 DIYs of Christmas series.

This orange-and-cranberry feeder will attract birds such as orioles, red-bellied woodpeckers, finches, thrashers, mockingbirds, and tanagers. It also makes a pretty holiday table chandelier, too. This is a fun project for crafty teens, and you can keep them busy making this bird chandelier before serving Christmas dinner, and then send them out into the snow afterwards for a hike to select the perfect tree from which to hang the chandelier from.

Here's What You'll Need

baking sheet
8 to 10 oranges, cut into 27 to 30 slices
cranberries
thread and ribbon
glue gun
embroidery hoop
cinnamon (optional)

Get the directions when you read more.

The night before, you need to dry your oranges. Slice oranges about 1/4 inch thick, and lay flat either directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet. Bake at 250°F for three to four hours, largely unattended. You can flip the oranges halfway through to make sure they are drying evenly. If you want to keep your chandelier inside, brush cinnamon on the orange slices before baking. This will release a yummy cinnamon smell in your house the entire time the chandelier is up.
After the oranges have dried, take out a spool of ribbon, and cut nine pieces of ribbon three inches long. Then cut 18 pieces of ribbon at one inch lengths.
With the ribbon, measure out an additional three nine-inch lengths, and then cut three pieces. Tie them 1/3 of the way around the embroidery hoop, so you have the three ribbons evenly spaced. Pull the three pieces even, above the hoop, and tie in a loop for hanging.
Now, take your cut orange slices and make nine to 10 chandelier strands, with three orange slices per strand. Use the glue gun to glue the longest ribbon to the top orange slice, and then the shorter one-inch ribbon to each of the next two slices. Lay flat to dry, until you have all of the slices glued and strung.
Now, thread a needle and make a strand of cranberries for your middle chandelier strand. Set aside.
With the embroidery hoop hanging securely from a hook, take each of the strands of orange slices and loop them over the wood of the hoop. Glue the top, longer ribbon onto itself, going over the embroidery hoop. Space the strands of oranges evenly around the hoop.
Hang the cranberry strand from the middle of the knotted ribbon, at the top of the chandelier.
Now, display your finished product either outside for your bird friends or over a dinner table for your holiday feast. Just make sure to transfer it outside for the birdies to enjoy when you are done!

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DIY: Fine Feathered Quilt

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:01:55 -0800

Earlier this week, I showed you a terrifically stitched bird quilt. While you'll definitely need some embroidery skills for this project, I promise you that if I can embroider, you can learn to do it, too. The pattern for this quilt was adapted from a Martha Stewart pattern. I tracked the pattern down and reprinted it below, so you can make a plumage-covered quilt as lovely as this one.

Supplies:

5 1/3 yards of 60-inch-wide white linen fabric
5 yards of 60-inch-wide linen fabric in a contrasting color for back and border
Embroidery thread (choose any color you like)
Transfer paper
Embroidery hoop
12 1/2-inch square quilting ruler
Rotary cutter
2 full-size sheets of cotton batting (90 inches by 96 inches)

Find out how to stitch this quilt when you read more
Here's how:

Cut out thirty 14-inch squares of fabric. Use a photocopier to enlarge the bird patterns of your choice so each is 7 to 8 inches tall (for 30, you will have to use one bird twice). Place a linen square right side up, and top with a sheet of dark transfer paper. Place bird pattern on top; trace the lines of the bird pattern with a ballpoint pen. The pressure will transfer the paper's ink onto the fabric.
Embroider each square: We used the chain stitch for all of our designs. Secure linen square in the embroidery hoop. Thread needle with one strand of embroidery floss. Follow instructions for the chain stitch included in our printable file (below)
After you've finished stitching, place the square quilting ruler over an embroidered square, and use the grid to center the embroidered bird. With a rotary cutter, trim each of the edges to a length of 12 1/2 inches. Repeat with remaining squares. For border, cut out 26 plain 12 1/2-inch square pieces. Lay out quilt, 8 rows long by 7 columns wide, arranging the birds as you desire (in the center 6 rows and 5 columns) with a white border around the entire perimeter.
Sew squares together to make vertical strips (you will have 7 strips of 8 when done), right sides facing, with a 1 1/4-inch seam allowance; press open seams. Then sew strips to one another: Begin by sewing 2 adjacent strips together, first pinning at points where horizontal seams meet to align the squares' corners exactly. Sew together two sets of 2 strips and one set of 3. Sew the 2 sets of 2 to each other, and then sew that piece to the set of 3. Press open all seams.
Cut the 5 yards of green fabric in half across the width. Sew long sides together with right sides facing, leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance, to make a piece about 90 inches by 120 inches; iron seam flat. Lay out the quilt parts, starting with green fabric wrong side up. Top with two layers of batting and the embroidered squares, right side up. Pin a safety pin just inside each side of each square, piercing through the quilt, batting, and green-cloth backing. Trim batting to size of front piece. Stitch along each of the square's seams through all of the layers; remove pins. Trim green cloth to extend 2 inches beyond sewn squares. To create quilt's green border, fold green cloth 1/2 inch all around; iron. Fold over remaining 1 1/2 inches; iron. Top-stitch all around.

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Cool Idea: Ever-Open Laundry Bag

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:44 -0700

I spotted this neat trick on Martha Stewart and was once again impressed with all the clever things you can do with an embroidery hoop! Here, Martha has transformed a traditional, hanging, drawstring laundry bag into an ever-open one by tightening a large embroidery hoop at least 14" in diameter around it. This keeps the bag open so you don't have to wrangle with it, but still allows you to hang it, keeping it off of the floor and at eye level. This small change will make a tedious household task a bit more efficient. Personally, I use the Umbra Crunch Can as a hamper, which is inherently
always open, crunches for storage, and has handles to be hung or transported; but the key is to work with what you've got!
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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:00:38 -0700

AT:NY spotted a marbelous table.
AT:SF caught my attention with some wall-mounted flowerpot holders.
And . . . Bloesem spots some branch holders in Milano.
Decor8 turns me on to hoop.de.doo, the embroidery-hoop bulletin board.
Desire to Inspire has a sneak peek of House Beautiful that's hot off the press.
PoppyTalk talks about collecting.
Simply Stated teaches us how to organize our address books.
Shop Friends accessorizes with Ankasa.

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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:00:26 -0700

SFGirlbyBay wants you to shop local for beautiful blooms.
Style Court introduces you to talented 17th-century artist Maria Sibylla Merian.
SavvySugar tells you what Brits pay for their weddings.
Craft shows you how to use an embroidery hoop with small pieces of fabric.
An AT:SF reader needs some help redecorating her cool camper.
Design*Sponge takes a look at the sights and sounds of Portland, ME.
More Ways to Waste Time rounds up some fanciful Etsy art.
Dwell has a new spin on powering your home.

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