Posts Tagged ‘Project’

Ok, for starters..I finally got my laptop back!! Hooray. It needed a new mother board and hard drive. Thank goodness for the extended warranty.

Anyways. So I figured out how to make this hat when Heather and I were making Renaissance Fair costumes. We needed a floppy hat, and thus the circle hat was born. I tweeked the pattern so it could be worn for day-to-day. There are tons of variations you can do. Just have fun!

P.S. You can totally get this down in 30 minutes if you are speedy and don’t really care about being perfect. Anyone else thinking Christmas gifts?

1. Measure your head where you want the hat to rest. My measurement was 22″

2. Cut your banding fabric 4″ by whatever you head measurement +1″  (4″x23″)

3. Sew the ends of your band together with 1/2″ seam

4. Figure out your circle radius:

-For a less floppy hat:      Band measurement divided by 3.14  and 1″ to that number

-For more floppy:              Band measurement divided by 6.14 then multiply by 2,3,or 4 and so on    and 1″ to that number

5. Cut circle of above radius (measurement from center of circle to edge). I used an 8″ radius

6. For this part you can either pleat or gather:

Pleat your circle pinning as you go until the opening matches the measurement of your band

7. Pin you band to the circle portion of the hat, right sides together.   For some reason I only took pictures of the checkered hat up to this point, the rest is a red hat. But it’s the same thing!

8. Sew at 1/2″ seam allowance

9. Fold the edge of the band to meet the opposite edge

10. Fold again so your first fold meets the seam

11. Pin in place and sew

All done!!!

Add flowers, change the fabric. There are tons of options. Here are three that I’ve made

When DC got hit with a blizzard in December, I decided it was time to finally tackle a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time: a picture wall.

I had bought these wooden frames from Michael’s for $1 each. I picked 4 colors that I thought complimented each other: metalic brown, copper, gold and green. Then, armed with painter’s tape and foam brushes, I began to paint the frames. **Note: foam brushes are key because it eliminates brush strokes so you end up with an evenly coated surface.** I painted all the frames solid colors and then added strips and other straight-lined patterns. I chose straight-lined patterns because it was a nice crisp look. Due to multiple coats, drying time, and all around laziness on my part, the whole project took about a week. In the end, I like the outcome. It’s really adds personality to the space, and the pictures are easy to change out.

You’ll notice in my pictures, I’ve blocked out the actual pictures in the frames. I did this because I wanted the focus to stay on the frames, not the people in them. Also, there is a large frame that I bought that is in the center of the picture wall. I blocked that out because it wasn’t one that I made.

A Tip:

These frames come with a hole drilled in the back that you can use for hanging. I highly suggest not using these. Instead, invest in some picture hangers. It will save you the headache of trying to make the frames hang level.