700 Fan Giveaway!

So much love has been shared over the past 2 years and I'm happy to announce that the Easely Erin facebook fan page has recently passed the 700 "like" mark!  To celebrate, I'd like to giveaway a handmade burp cloth and bib set!  The winner will be announced on Friday, September 6, 2013 and will be able to choose between the purple and pink girls set, the teal unisex set, or the navy/transportation set for boys. These sets are monogrammable if you choose to give it as a gift.  Thank you so much for being a part of my creative company!  -E

To enter the giveaway, please follow the directions below with Rafflecopter!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Custom burp cloths, bibs and plush!

I've been totally busy with sewing up orders and such that I've been neglecting the blog!  Since May I've been doing matching plush elephants, turtles, burp cloths, and bibs from some of Heather Baileys patterns.  These make the sweetest custom baby gift and they are definitely one-of-a-kind!

Satin virgin...

Every now and then I make things harder on myself with the ideas I come up with.  I'm sure we all try to challenge ourselves, right?  haha :)  When someone asked if I recovered pillows, I said, "of course!" and gave a quote before seeing the fabric.... oopsie!  And I also, of my own doing, talked the customer into adding something decorative to the little throw pillows.  That part, I had done before and was excited to do the sewn-in ruffle look again.  Until I met SATIN.  Today I could have sworn that the I in that word should have been an A!  Who knew?!  Okay, well, maybe I'm the only person that didn't know what I was getting myself in to.  But, the pillows look marvelous and make a great keepsake for the customer because they are made out of leftover bridesmaids dress material.

It was only a few years ago that I hadn't sewn a stitch.  And now I can say that I have conquered a battle with satin. 

Turtle time :)

Heather Bailey is by far one of my favorite fabric designers, but who knew I would fall so deeply in love with that elephant pattern... enough to also purchase her precious turtle pattern!  I've only made two so far, but there will be more!  These make a great nursery gift or if you need a shower gift, ask me about doing an outfit or personalized bibs/burp cloth sets and a matching turtle (or elephant!)

Uploading tomorrow!

Plush... it's so cute, it needs a hug!

Going back to my roots with plush... it all started with some 2-D plush pups and now I'm LOVING Heather Bailey's Effie and Ollie pattern. I've upped the size some and it would make the perfect nursery gift!
The size of this is 8.5" x  6" and stuffed with poly-fil!  There will be many more of these available at my Etsy shop (http://easelyerin.etsy.com) SOON!
Precious!  Adopt one!

 

Shoreline Collection available in 2 days!

I've worked super hard to pair up some beautiful Summer inspired fabrics from Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Anna Griffin, Tula Pink and Cloud 9 to make my very first collection!  These beachy Fat Dove bags are perfect for toting all kinds of Summer goodness, even your beach towel!  The handles on each bag are either rattan, wooden, or bamboo and the sides of the bag are ELASTIC so you don't have a restriction with what you put in there!  Want to use it everyday on your vacation?  Great, because it comes with my new Loon Pouch to hold make-up, tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. and don't lose your keys, because you can connect your matching keychain to your Loon Pouch.  Don't forget your Finch Wallet!  This has been my best seller and holds everything you could think of- coins, money, credit cards, ID, etc. 

 Take your pick!  Available for sale at http://easelyerin.etsy.com on May 1st.

Shoreline Collection upload May 1

sip.sweets.shop

Please plan to join a WONDERFUL, fun event of cupcake tasting from Gigi's, dessert wine tasting from Lawrel Hill, and fabulous shopping from tons of vendors such as Green Label Designs, Matilda Jane Clothing, Thirty-One, Backyard Baby, and Stella and Dot.  This is going to be an awesome event to raise money for The Telfair Mammography Fund in Savannah Georgia.  South Magazine will also be helping to promote this event on their website!  I'm thrilled to be a part of this charity event by donating my graphic services and WISH that I was able to attend.  PLEASE, if you are in the Savannah area, buy tickets to this event hosted by Gigi's, Pure Barre, and Green Label Designs.  These are fabulous people who have put together some amazing shopping/prizes and delicious "sips and sweets!" 

Who has the best customers?! I DO!

 

Could I be any happier than I am right now?!  I have the best, sweetest people to work with and I'm so thrilled when THEY are thrilled with their finished products!  Y'all go visit Paris on Facebook and checkout her new beautiful website and all her sweet, little creations at http://www.paristexasknits.net

Hand stamped note cards available on Etsy!

Coming soon... my first collection!

Get ready to hit the sand with my new Shoreline Collection!  This is my first "line" and I've chosen some really beautiful fabrics to include on my accessories this season (I've posted sneak peeks on my FB page!).  I'm introducing the new Loon Pouch and a brand new bag that will be perfect for a vacation or just looking trendy for Summer!  I will have seven different sets available for purchase and each set will include the Fat Dove Bag, the Finch Wallet, the Loon Pouch and a matching key chain.  Stay tuned for previews and pictures!

Custom printed items available!

New year, new items!

To all my blog followers and sweet fans, 2013 is bringing some new ideas and fresh fabric to Easely Erin.  This Spring I will be focusing on releasing a small "line" of matching items.  This will include a bag or tote with two matching pouches, and a Finch wallet!  These sets will make awesome gifts and will be one of kind sets.  This Fall/Winter I will be working more on children's clothing items.  I have purchased several patterns from Violette Field Threads, Brownie-Goose, etc. to work with and hope to cater to my fans that have little ones!  Big ideas and busy hands!  Let's celebrate the beginning of the year and Easely Erin's 2nd birthday with a giveaway!  It's the new little Loon Pouch!  Share it, like it, tell your pals!

October giveaway!

The blonde and the beautiful!

Thank Heavens for Brownie-Goose and her pattern "The Blondie!"  She is a doll baby!  I made this one in gorgeous Heather Bailey Fresh Cut in Cabbage Rose and Jellybeans....  drool!  I didn't have any ric-rac so I made a ruffle.  I may go purchase the ric-rac after THAT adventure!  This one is a little girls size 6/7 and I hope to put it up at the Fall Festival booth :)

Giveaway Winner for August...

August giveaway time!

Labels galore!

Covering patio cushions for less!

I've been a busy bee lately, but with the weather being so wonderful, I squeezed in some time to re-cover my patio furniture cushions!  I've been looking online to see about replacing these "specific" cushions that only seem to match my furniture set (La-Z-Boy brand, the Griffin Collection) and I was APPALLED that most sites charge anywhere from $300.00 - $500.00 to replace these custom cushions.  Also, I looked at stores that just sell deep seating cushions and they were up to $40.00 a piece for 1 cushion and I have TEN!  Outrageous!  And who even knows if those would fit exactly like I wanted?!  My cushions are about 3 years old and I will say that I haven't taken the best care of them, BUT they WERE an olive green when I bought the set and now they are almost white with a minty tint to them, and all of them include some mildew stains that I have tried repeatedly to remove.  So, my bright idea was to try to recover them, and once I started, it really wasn't as difficult as I thought!  With a bunch of hours sewing and a fabric bill of about $120.00 (TOTAL FOR ALL 10 cushions), I am super pleased with the results!  Here's a walk-through of what steps I took to make new covers that are now REMOVABLE for soaking:

First I measured the cushions to figure out the amount of fabric I would need, so I could buy it all at once (if not, sometimes color can vary between bolts).  I ended up choosing a cream colored Waverly Sun N Shade outdoor fabric from JoAnns that you can get when they do their "every other week 50% off" sale, for about $10.00 per yard.  Here's the exact fabric I used: Waverly Sun Tile Sun N Shade Outdoor Canvas and then when I completed each cushion I did several coats of Scotch Guard to help prevent water damage and mildew.  I chose a light solid because the sun tends to bleach out fabric AND it will be easy to clean up!  I've also purchased weatherproof covers from Lowe's that are kind of a generic/cheaper way to avoid future damage!

Things you will need:
fabric
seam ripper
scissors
iron
zippers that correspond with the length of the bottom of each cushion
coordinating thread
sewing machine and/or serger
fabric chalk

Here we go!

Here's what I'm starting with...  yikes!  This particular cushion is a back cushion for my loveseat, so it's rectangular, but with a slight curve at the top.

 
Lay your fabric out with your cushion on top and fold it over to measure and basically cut just enough for the edges of the fabric to meet in the middle on the sides.

The next step you will just be eyeballing...  I lined up the bottom edge of the fabric with the bottom of the cushion and made a mark where I wanted to insert my zipper.  Your zipper will be the the MIDDLE of the bottom of the cushion.  There are tons of YouTube videos and free tutorials on how to insert a zipper into a piece of fabric if you've never done one before.  You use your sewing machine to sew it in.  The technique I used is making a slit with V's at each end and folding back the fabric on the wrong side and ironing.  Then I pin the zipper in place and sew it in.  Be very CAREFUL not to burn, melt or over iron your outdoor fabrics if you use this technique!

Wrong side of the fabric lined up with the cushion bottom (with the zipper in the middle of the base of the cushion) measure up where the seam of the cushion bottom is and mark or pin there.  You will then either sew or serge this line all the way across parallel to the zipper to make a crease/seam in your fabric.

Now you will serge or sew together the two ends of the fabric that are open on the OTHER side of the zipper.  After this step you will have make a base for the cushion.  Both serged lines will line up with the bottom seams of the cushion with the zipper running down the middle.

With the wrong side of the fabric still out, you can now slide your cushion into a side (both sides are still open).  Make sure your zipper is HALF WAY OPEN so that you can still get your cushion out (after the next step)

Pin both SIDES of your fabric lining them up so that the seam will be running down the MIDDLE of each side.  (I like to pin along the side, mark it with a piece of chalk and cut off excess before I run it through the serger.) Pull your cushion out (this might require you to fold the cushion to easily slide it out of the fabric).   

Serge both sides to close them up and then again, insert your cushion into your fabric through the zipper (still wrong side out) and line up the base with the base of the cushion and the side seams with the middle of the sides of the cushion.  Then you will pin and the fabric at the top of the cushion to make a seam down the middle of the top.  If your cushion is curved, just pin it to the curve and trim.  Slide your cushion out again and serge the seam at the top.You should now have a closed casing for your cushion! (please pay no attention to the pins across the top in the next few photos, I did two steps at a time) Only a few more steps....

One last time insert your cushion into the fabric casing (wrong side out) and we will make the corner seams.  My cushion has a curve at the top, so I chose to TUCK some of my fabric into my corner fold rather than cut to the top curve.  This made a pleat.  I only did that with these two couch cushions, the rest of them got cut to the curve!

This previous photo shows how to mark your corners.  This is the top seam (with the pins) and the side seam of the casing.  Line the seams up to make a triangle and pin it as close as you can to the corner of the cushion.  Do this on ALL FOUR CORNERS.  Then you can cut the triangles off with scissors.

Serge or sew these corners shut and flip your finished casing RIGHT side out!  (Below is the inside look of a corner!)

Use your seam ripper and scissors to cut off the old nasty fabric from your cushion and insert the foam structure into your new cover!

Here's a before and after shot of how my poor outdoor furniture went from YIKES! to BRAND NEW again!

BEFORE (can you believe those used to be olive colored?)

AFTER!

The way I chose to do this is not the set way, so as you continue on doing more cushions, you will be able to combine some steps and it will go faster!  I'm sure everyone would have their own way of doing this, but I just wanted to share my steps to give you an idea of the way it CAN be done!  Now, go try it yourself! - E :)