Pinteresting?

Hello everyone! I don't how many of you have heard of Pinterest? Its an online pin board and its pretty awesome! Its been distracting me for hours and hours on end the last few weeks. Its an invited only thing right now but I will totally sent an invited to anyone interested in joining. Just sent me an email at Bettylouinfo@gmail.com with "Pinterest" in the subject. 

Happy Pinning!

Valentine's Duo

I've been super busy this past few days working on some Valentine's day aprons. I managed to mail them just in the nick of time too!

Broken Free Motion

What a bummer! I finally figure out how to use the free motion presser foot and it breaks :( I was really looking forward to practicing with this new gadget.

Sad face!

This is the video I watched to get started with free motion sewing.

Enjoy

Feeling out Felt

I originally bought this felt to make coasters. I never got around to that lol. Now I'm going to make little flower embellishments for my next apron. 

Templets 

What a pain to cut out lol

  Stay tuned for new apron!

Christopher Columbus?

My friend Amy, who I made the first apron for emailed me about making a costume. Her son, Ashton had a school project coming up and he needed to be Christopher Columbus. 

Ashton aka Christopher Columbus 

Happy Anniversary!

Hello! This blog has been in motion for a year now! 

I would like to thank my readers for sticking with me on this journey.  

Busy Beaver

Hey every one! I know my post are mainly TGIF Recipes this month but I've got a lot of projects cooking. Sewing, crocheting and some pattern making. So hold tight, posts are coming!

Betty Lou's TGIF Recipe: Linzer Cookies

Halloween to me is the unofficial 'kick off' of the holiday season, getting me ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. The rush of a holiday coming and going is almost as fun as the holiday itself. To some folks the best part of a holiday is it being over. Maybe because the stress of preparing is over, left over food or great family pictures. How about sales? Thats right, the great American urge to buy stuff we'll only use once a year. This is my first after holiday purchase of the year.
Working at Michaels has made me very aware of the crazy good deals that happen after holidays. All through October I was eying the cutest little linzer cookie cutter. At $7.99 it was't that cute lol. I decided to hold out till after Halloween for it to go on sale. Well as luck would have it, I got the last one at $1.79. 


So this weeks recipe is one included in the linzer. Let's roll and cut some cookies!

Beanie Banger

Finished my first beanie on the knitting loop. I have to say that it was super easy! I definitely recommend getting a Knifty Knitter. Here is the deal:)

OMG, that's me LOL

After you cast on to the lagerst knitting loop, knit 7 inches and fold over to make a brim. Continue knitting; for a slouchy beanie knit 7 inches or a more fitted beanie knit 4 1/2 inches. 


Yep, its just that easy:)

Must Have Mustache

I was looking at some of my doodles to see if any are cool enough to embroider on some aprons. Got some good ideas from it, one will most likely be this mustache.

Curly 

Half Dreams

I haven't work very hard on the test half apron. I think its the floral scaring me away. 

Four seems, thats it :/

Betty Lou's TGIF Recipe: Chocolate Checkerboard Cookies

This Friday is for baking, chocolate checkerboard cookies to be precise. I've made these cookies a few times and they're just fun looking. Not to mention the choco vanilla combo. Better still the vanilla extract can be substituted for any extract, like orange, peppermint or even rum. :) 

Just A Test

I've cut my first test half apron the other day. I'm always leery of a new pattern because the first one is general not fun to work on or look at. Not to mention it with be made of floral fabric. Shocker!

I'll be making view C

Ruffles Away

I ordered a lovely gadget from Sewing Machines Plus, called a ruffle foot. 
It makes ruffles and sews them to another flat piece of fabric. 
I'll definitely need some practice with it because the ratcheting action is beastly. Hopefully this crazy contraption will cut my apron making time down.   

Don't stick your finger near it!

Some test ruffles.

Out Lines

I finally got around to picking a stich and embroidering the bow. Picking the color was a little more tricky, looking at every color I have and not liking a single one. Hopeless. So I closed my eye and just grabbed.

Ta Da!

It looks red in the picture but its more of a weird tomato/orange coral color. If that makes any sense.   

All Knotted Up

Once again I have found something to distract me from making aprons. Friendship bracelets were super cool when I was in grade school and now they're making a come back. These bracelets are pretty easy to make using embroidery floss and some times beads. I learned how to make them from a craft book and once you know the patterns you can do it any where.

Who wants one?!

Bowed Over

I got up the nerve to free hand something to embroider on an apron. Now I need to pick some stitches and colors to make it pretty.

Free Hand on Fabric

Traced onto Paper 

   

Fabric Squared

I've had this urge to just sew stuff together. It wasn't very productive or pretty, not even useful. So I decide to try my hand at quilting, again. Using all of my new found scraps I'm going to make a bedspread. I'm about 8 squares into the project. I'm sure the avide quilter might not like my style for cutting out the triangles because its just a piece of card broad. I measured a square to the required dimensions then cut it in half. Makes it easy to use every bit of fabric for lots of triangles.   

This one is a little off in the middle LOL

Only 56 more square to go! LOL

Young Dog, Old Tricks

There are lots of things that I know a little about, from fixing a car to crocheting a baby blanket. Now that I've been sewing more I wanted to broaden my knowledge of all things needlework. On a trip to the local GoodWill, I found this wonderful book. Printed in 1983, this monster 504 page hardcover gives fantastic step by step illustrations. Plus lots of beginner projects to try out your new skills.      

Its got everything!

GoodWill is a great place to find new hobby books on the cheap. This book cost me $4 :)

Diamond in the Scraps

Well looky what I found in those niffty bags of scraps! Several half apron patterns with cute motifs. 

Jackpot!