Thursday, January 28, 2010

tried and true

Meanwhile, back at working on the boys' room . . .



Decorating the room is happening slowly, but that's okay. I found this excellent fabric at Ikea along with an equally cool curtain wire and clips system and thought: how difficult could it be to sew a valance, even for me? Kind of an arrogant move given my patternphobia, etc.



Well, despite my efforts to be precise and careful, things like this started to happen. Looks more like a doctor's signature than a seam. I began to grow frustrated (and as you'll soon see, a bit loopy).



Oh look, it's my dear old friend fusible tape aka Stitch Witchery! We've had some good times over the years. Pillows, curtains. Good times.



Sigh. Much better and no unsightly threaded cursive.



I have also been wanting to put together a valance for beneath the kitchen sink.



Safety pins! Long time, no see.



I have a small collection of pretty hankies from blogger friends. The pins will help keep them easy to remove for laundering.

Don't worry though, I will use an actual screw driver to replace the hardware on the cabinet door. Is that Elmer's I hear calling? (Just kidding)

Well, I have created quite the mess so I had better begin cleaning it all up. Looks like snow is beginning to pile up outside, too!

xo
elyse

43 comments:

Pansy Cottage Girl said...

Good job Elyse! I love those googly eyes! Keep your sense of humor.
Hugs.

GardenOfDaisies said...

Oh, your tension knob is off kilter. Just reset that and all will be well again.
I love the blue and green combo in this room. My two favorite colors!!

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

Yes, I do believe the tension knob needs adjusting. But, it turned out just fine!

Your post is hilarious!!!
And I love the hankies....

xx
becky

cupcake studio said...

Love it! I too, am a big fan of the Stitch Witchery!

Sky said...

Okay Elyse you crack me up! It was nice to see your two old friends. The boy's room looks fab. Hope your having a great day.
Big Smoochies :)

Kelli
Lovely Vintage Cottage Life

LiLi M. said...

You crack me up, even calling for Elmer hehehe!! I too think that it is the tension knob, but I have dealt with that problem too and didn't know how to solve it!! Which side to turn it on? Maybe you should consult a pro friend and then warn everybody never to touch your sewing machine again! What helped me was that I inhereted my mothers sewing machine, which was just a far better quality than I -sewing miracle hehehe- ever would have bought.

Scrap for Joy said...

This was such a funny post...if anyone saw me sitting here at the computer laughing all by myself, I'm sure they'd go get the net! The fabric for the boy's valance looks like the perfect choice with the wall colors. I love the hankie/valance thing...might have to try that one myself. Let me go look for my googlie eyes now...

Anonymous said...

Sewing tends to be a challenge in 'tension' and I don't just mean the sewing machines...I mean our own tensions are surely tried!
My mother used to always say, "A good seamstress is one that takes out a lot of stitches!"
Your project turned out great!
ciao

lemonade kitty said...

Love those hankies, and I've added your cottage to mine! Lucey xx

stefanie said...

Thats my kind of sewing...I just love how each boy will have there own side...will there be a line down the middle? lol...cute idea with the hankies.

Julie Harward said...

VER FUNNY...CUTE CURTAINS AND I LOVE THE HANKY'S! LOOKS LIKE THE ROOM IS COMING TOGETHER...COME SAY HI :D

debi said...

LOL You're so funny!

Love the valance in the boy's room! The colors are wonderful, and the way you painted the walls is just so darned creative! I'll bet the boys are loving it.

The hankies look so pretty the way you've done them...what a sweet touch!

You're the tinkering queen, for sure!

Cottage Rose said...

Way to go Elyse; thinking out of the box.... love the photos... you are just so funny and sweet.... have a great day...

Hugs;
Alaura

Sandi said...

SO cute Elyse!! Love those eyes!!

I can't tell you how frustrated I get when my tension is messed up on my sewing machine. I literally spent HOURS trying to adjust it before Christmas to sew up some corn hole bags and finally found out that all I had to do was change the thread and it worked fine! Go figure!! I still haven't gotten that one figured out. lol
Hugs~

Claudia said...

You are too cute, Elyse. Googly eyes...love them. Tension just needs adjusting on your machine. But why not stitch witchery? So easy and fast. I think I recognize one of those hankies...they look wonderful. How charming!

The boys' room is looking really fab.

xo
Claudia

Theresa said...

CUTE! Elyse, I love the valance no matter how you got it together. It really adds a lot to that window. I think the hanky valance is quite creative! Love you handywork:) Enjoy your day!

Lisa said...

Your boy's room is coming along nicely! It is going to be adorable.
I love the vintage hankies. Great look!

Melinda said...

The room is coming along nicely. those colors are really cool together.
The hankie curtain is adorable.

Melinda

Brenda Pruitt said...

Oh Elyse, I just adore that hankie idea! I have some from a dear departed friend and I could do something like that with them. (And in answer to your comment/question: No, your blog is not busy. It is perfection. I love it!)
Brenda

Unknown said...

Love it. Sew fresh, sew clean, sew sweet.

luckygirlgifts said...

Oh Elyse, I'm glad we are sisters in bad sewing. LOL!! Thank goodness for fusible webbing!!
Hey, what does it matter if they turn out fabulous?!!
Boys room is looking wonderful. Good work.
Have a fabulous day.
Cari b.

Vicki/Jake said...

Smart! Love the colors all together. And the *eyes* (O:

Lisa said...

Oh you are so crafty!! I love the valance and the hankies!!
Hugs, Lisa

Rustique Gal said...

Cute post Elyse--I love the colors and the valance looks good! I have fond memories of Stitch Witchery! I used to move every 3 months - 3 years when I was young and agile! Sheets and S.W made me curtains, pillows, and anything else to redecorate each time. No place had the same size windows. I reconfigured everything with that stuff and used the same fabric over and over. Good Job!
Sherry

Bethany said...

Even your scissors match!
Oh my gosh, you made me really LOL with the google eyes and your writing. Silly Elyse.
I LOVE the curtains. Great job!!!!

aimee said...

the curtain looks great! good job. you have given me a great idea on where i can use my hankies! thanks:)
blessings,
aimee

koralee said...

Love your boys room...so much fun. They must be thrilled! What a sweet mom you are.

Free Pretty Things For You said...

lol! i cant sew! ill have to get crafty like you in all my sewing projects to come! :)
be careful in the snow!
love ya!

Unknown said...

Lovely bright curtains, and the googly eyes made me smile! Have a sweet day!

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

I feel like someone is watching me! Ha! I don't sew -- stitch witchery (or vice versa) is my best friend. I don't like reading any kinda pattern unless it is simple and easy. The curtains turned out great and love the idea of the hankie valance. So pretty! It is windy and dusty here today. Yuck! Have a great weekend. :) Tammy

Lori said...

hee hee...i recognize that loopy stitching...i had a lot of those kinds of seams myself before i broke down and bought a new machine...your fix solution worked beautifully...and the fabric you chose perfectly marries the blue and the green sides of the boy's room...LOVE how those hankies look...so pretty!!!

Anonymous said...

I just love how you are doing in the boys rooms. The colors are so great.

I too have problems like that when I sew sometimes.

Willow

Kim-Fille de Fleur said...

I really like the way the room is coming along. Very fresh and you have a great eye for design.

Sewing is hard when your tension is off. Mine always is too. I have a fantastic old featherweight that needs a good going over and then I can say goodbye forever to the stitch witchery!

Kim

The imPerfect Housewife said...

Safety pins, long time no see?? Elyse...I have something to tell you - you need just a TAD more sleep honey, you're getting loopy. We sure think it's a hoot though!! I can't believe you found that fabric that matches so well - good job! ♥

luciwallis said...

Oh how I would love to sew, but frankly it scares me~ Love how the valance turned out!
Bristol

Cottage Flair said...

Great job on the valence. I love how the fabric pulls the colors together. Fun pictures!!
Jennifer

Jean A. said...

LOVE the eyes! The valance looks great! Congratulations!

Duchess of Tea said...

Helllo Elyse darling, I so wish that I had a tiny amount of your talent. I always enjoy my visits to your cottage. Darling good luck with the writing and hope that your weekend is filled with blessings.

Love & Hugs
Duchess

{oc cottage} said...

Way cute! Hello! HGTV room!

m ^..^

fairiemoon said...

Very cute Elise! What a special room. I have really enjoyed watching it come together! Do they love it?

I can't tell you the amount of times that I have waited until the last minute to sew something (not that this is what you were doing) only to have my normally cooperative sewing machine have problem after problem after problem. I have found that the only solution in those moments of frustration is to walk away, regardless of the deadline, because there will be NOTHING I can do to fix that darn thing at that moment. In the morning...it will work fine.

Love your little sewing pals.

Erin :)

Cathy said...

Elyse,

The room came out awesome! What a cool idea and a great selection of paint colors. I love it.

Great job girlfriend.

xo Cath

p.s. Keep warm

caroline joy said...

This post just totally made me laugh. I love your sense of humor :)

kanishk said...

I love those googly eyes! Keep your sense of humor.

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