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Fancy Skirts and Matching Owl Applique

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Free owl applique download via lilblueboo.com
These are two matching outfits I made for Sienna’s twin friends who turned 3 this weekend.
Free owl applique download 2 via lilblueboo.com
The skirts I made using the Evelyn Apron Skirt pattern (without the apron). You can get the ePattern at You Can Make This). I used blue and pink owl fabric from Robert Kaufman’s Hot Couturier line (Screen print D#7116). I don’t think they make it anymore but you might be able to find it on the Internet.
Free owl applique download 3 via lilblueboo.com
I made one adjustment to the Evelyn Skirt pattern ….added an additional pink accent strip below the dark brown and white one to provide contrast.
Free owl applique download 4 via lilblueboo.com
I used the “Ultimate Tee” from Target for the applique (great $5 t-shirts with puffed sleeves). I added buttons for the eyes (a little off kilter because I think it makes the owls look sillier), added little bows to make them “girl” owls, and stitched some contrast onto the eye background using green DMC thread.
Free owl applique download 5 via lilblueboo.com
Here is the only photo I could snap of Sienna modeling it…..from the back as she ran from me…..
Free owl applique download 6 via lilblueboo.com
Here is my owl applique template if you’d like to make one yourself!
LBBOwlApplique*
*Copyright © 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw. All rights reserved. This applique is for personal and home use only.

Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial (and using ribbon to pull a room together))

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These are as easy as curtains get. I used ribbon to hang simple square curtains and then used the same ribbon throughout my daughter’s room to tie everything together (no, Sienna does not have a mural yet). I’ve also used this ribbon technique for shower curtains. Sienna doesn’t have an overhead light in her room, so I made her curtains so light would show through. In this tutorial I also include an option for adding a liner or blackout fabric.
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial via lilblueboo.com
Here are some curtains in Sienna’s room, the lighting makes it hard to get a good photo.
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial 2 via lilblueboo.com
Materials needed:
Fabric
Fabric lining or blackout layer (optional)
Coordinating thread and sewing needle
Ribbon
If you’ve never made curtains or drapes before, here is any easy tutorial I put together for the main curtain piece, I made it a download so you can print it off easily. You will need to create this piece/pieces first.
Main Curtain Piece Tutorial
I like to hand stitch the sides of the curtains with a slipstitch like I show in the download. For me, the slip stitch looks nice and I think it is relaxing to do in front of the TV while I am catching up on my taped reality shows! Make sure to have some quilters beeswax (I use Dritz) on hand to run your thread through or you will be cursing the thread as it tangles!
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial main curtain via lilblueboo.com
Once you have your main curtain pieces finished, sew 1/2 inch plastic drapery rings (you can find them in the drapery section of your fabric store) onto the main curtain piece about 1 inch down from the top edge. Space the rings out about 6 to 8 inches apart making sure that you have one ring at each corner.
Next for each plastic ring, you will need 30″ of ribbon. I like to use the kind with wire in it so I can shape the finished bow. Thread your ribbon through each loop like shown below:
For each ribbon, drape both ends over the curtain rod pointing away from you….
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial hanging 1 via lilblueboo.com
Bring both ends of the ribbon around and tie in the front…..
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial hanging 2 via lilblueboo.com
And then complete your bow!
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial hanging 3 via lilblueboo.com
Cut the end of each bow into a “V” and add some Fray Check to the ends to keep them from unraveling.
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial hanging 4 via lilblueboo.com
I used the rest of my ribbon around my daughter’s room to tie everything together. I added some ribbon to this bird cage on top of the hutch……
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial extra ribbon via lilblueboo.com
….and made bows to decorate these Beatrix Potter-themed frames I put together (the bows are only decorative, the frames actually hang by themselves).
Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial extra ribbon 2 via lilblueboo.com
Let me know if you have any questions about making the curtains! Anyone can do this tutorial….

Making your own mural border template (and I added the large butterfly!)

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I talked with a woman a few days ago about painting mural in her son’s room. She basically wanted the exact “waves” border shown in this photo on the Pottery Barn website:
Making your own mural border template via lilblueboo.com
Then she said the magic words “I just wish I could do it myself but I can’t figure out how.” Even though painting murals is a passion of mine, I love when people want to try it themselves, especially when it is a “doable” project like a simple border (which she had already received a bid of around $600 from someone else). I drew up a quick waves sketch and uploaded it to my favorite photo altering website to rasterize it into a “printable” template.
So here are the steps for making a border:
First I drew the waves using the Pottery Barn Kids photo as a guide. I draw in Powerpoint, which would make most people cringe (I got this weird habit from my days writing bond offering memorandums). You can just draw by hand and scan to your computer just as easily.
Making your own mural border template waves via lilblueboo.com
Then I placed two of the sketches side by side to make sure it looked okay as a continuous border.
Making your own mural border template waves 2 via lilblueboo.com
Then I uploaded it to the Homokaasu website and selected what size I wanted it to print out.
Note: Make sure to select “letter size” paper if you are printing at your home computer. It will print it out on 8.5″ x 11″ paper and you can piece it together like a puzzle.

Just in case anyone needs a wave stencil, you are in luck……below are the two I did for the woman that called for the mural. The small one prints out on 7 pages of paper, the larger one on 18 pages of paper.
This “rasterizing” process is the same I used for the butterfly chalkboard template in the fairy forest mural I painted a few months back!
Making your own mural border template butterfly via lilblueboo.com
I only had to do half the butterfly and then I flipped it over to trace the other side.
I went ahead and uploaded that one for you too. This one prints out on 20 pages of paper. Again you would piece it together like a puzzle and use packing tape for all the seams. I use a sharpie to draw around the border and then cut my template out. Email me if you have any questions!
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