Dreaming of Summer Days in the Beetle

CAMPING ON TOP OF YOUR BEETLE

SO MANY GREAT VW IMAGES ON THIS PINTEREST BOARD

I can't find the source/location for the first image, but the second beetle is actually a

CONCRETE ART PIECE IN CANCUN

That is just a drop in the bucket for movies that feature VW Beetles:

Footloose (2011), Footloose (1984), Herbie the Love Bug Movies (1968-2005), Lilo & Stitch, L&S 2 (2002, 2005), Finding Dory (2016), Cars (2006)

***CLICK FOR MORE VW POSTS***

SaveSave

Monogrammed Pleather Purse (that crashed and burned)

Have you ever had a project that you had really high hopes for and were really excited about sharing the final results...only for it to crash and burn?

Here's the story of making lemonade out of lemons.  And not throwing the lemons against the wall like you really want to do.

If you machine embroider, you are probably in groups on Facebook where fellow embroiderers (is that a word?) share their projects, ask for help, and offer ideas.  If you happen to be one of those people, then you have seen this Walmart bag all over those groups.  I have read every post and thread about embroidering this bag.  I have watched every YouTube video.  I have asked questions and read what others did wrong.  I bought the proper needle.  I gathered my materials. I was ready to conquer.  And then the fun began.

I was told to use a 75/11 needle.  It broke.  I used a regular one and a ballpoint needle.  Both broke.  I wound up only having success (as in it not breaking) with a 75/11 needle intended for leather.  This is not leather, so I was not supposed to (as I read over and over) use a leather needle.  I adjusted tension.  I paused my machine and tried to give it breaks.  The monogram was supposed to have three letters (like the black bag in this photo).  As you can see, I stopped at one letter.  The thread broke a few times, so I had to continually rethread the machine.  I had to back up the machine a few stitches to restitch when the thread would break.  I have used the font design before, so I know it's not the design's fault.  It was my machine.  Or me.

This bag is reversible, and all along I had planned to make a patch to go on the reverse side to cover the back of the embroidered side (to cover the back side of the threads).  I made the patch and used E6000 glue to attach it to the pleather.  The patch is the only thing that went according to plan.

In the end I don't really know what wrong.  I know people have made these over and over on the same exact embroidery machine that I have.  I followed every single direction and step.  No one could have been more prepared.  I guess it was one of those days and one of those projects that just simply went wrong.  Thankfully these bags are affordable.  I wish I would have had a comparable fabric to practice on first, but I don't have a reversible pleather laying around.  I really wish I could nail down what to fix so I could successfully embroider these bags.  They come in several colors and have so many embroidery options.  You can find them in store or online at Walmart (use ebates for 1% cash back).

If you have success with these bags, I'd love to know your tricks!

I wound up with some tart lemonade, but that's better than moldy lemons, right? 😆

SaveSave

Video: January Five Faves | HEALTHY 2017

Let's make this a healthy year!  This month's Five Faves is a little different.  I'm sharing five practices for a physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy year.

Please share your tips for a healthy year in the comments!

Items mentioned:

• Happy Gut: The Cleansing Program to Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Eliminate Pain
• Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It
• The Knowing Jesus Study Bible
• Plexus
• ProBio5
• Bio Cleanse
• XFactor
• MegaX
• I am an ambassador for Plexus but do not receive compensation for mentioning any products.  I just really like the products and wanted to share in case they can help you!

Custom Embroidered Pillows (from a skirt and antique pillow)

I made these pillows a few months ago for a customer, but since one of them was going to be given as a Christmas present, I though I should wait until now to post them.  They are both remade from former things-- one an antique pillowcase made into an accent pillow and the other a skirt made into a throw pillow.

 

The first pillow started as a pillowcase.  The embroidery was done by hand, and it was very old!  The pillowcase was incredibly soft due to its age.  The customer wanted the initials cut out and made into a new pillow.  She wanted the pillow to be green to match her other decorative pillows and decor.  I found the green fabric at Walmart.  If I remember correctly, it was the Waverly brand, and it was a quality fabric with a nice texture and thickness.

I had to take a few deep breaths before cutting the antique pillowcase, as I knew I couldn't undo the cutting!  I made sure several times that my measurements were right before making the first cut!

The pillow is rectangular, but I overstuffed it quite a bit, so it's coming across in pictures as though there are points at the top.  You just can't see how pudgy of a tummy it has ;).  I like to overstuff as the stuffing can be pressed down over time.

I used the original hem of the pillowcase (at the bottom) and recreated the hem around the other three edges.  Then I topstitched around the edges to attach it to the green pillow I made.

The second pillow was made from a skirt that belonged to the customer.  I disassembled the skirt so that I could cut two matching square pieces-- cutting it as large as I could.

I machine embroidered the recipients' wedding date in black-- keeping to their black and white color scheme.  The numbers are from Herrington Design and the dots are from The Itch 2 Stitch.

This fabric was thin and didn't have much structure, but I stuffed it into submission!

Always keep in mind that you can remake something into something else!  The customer really wanted to display the antique hand embroidery but didn't want to use it as a pillowcase anymore.  She had the great idea to turn it into an accent pillow.

She also loved the print on her skirt and knew it would match her daughter's decor, so we made a pillow for their bedroom.

If there is a fabric you love that isn't working in its current state, make it into something else!

SaveSave

Monogrammed Burlap Pillows

I made these pillows for gifts this Christmas.  One is burlap on both sides, and the other has a faux fur back.  I added lace to the monogram to add even more texture.  I didn't use fabric, because I wanted to keep it pretty neutral.

The lace monogram is the Circle Monogram Applique from Boutique Fonts.  The other design is the Split Alpha from Planet Applique (click here to get 20% off your first order from Planet Applique).

Don't you just love burlap?! :)

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
SaveSave

Embroidered Pillowcases

Aren't these pillowcases fun?  A customer made these pillowcases for her grandchildren and had me embroider their names on them.  It's such a great gift idea for kids!

I used Sweet Pea font from Boutique Fonts for the girl names and The Last Time font from Designs by JuJu for the boy names.