Things I've Made Archives - Page 108 of 136 - Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Scrap Ribbon Camera Strap Cover (A Tutorial)

October 26, 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw

Here is my new camera strap cover. I made it from ribbon scraps the same way I made my daughter’s scrap ribbon belt.

I had some great new ribbon to use thanks to Jennifer at Strano Design s. If you need ribbon scraps, Strano Designs sells it by the quarter pound!

Step 1: I traced my camera strap onto some plain muslin with a disappearing ink pen……

…..and added 1/8″ to the outside of the traced line. Then I cut around the entire shape leaving 1/2″ for the seam allowance.

Step 2: I lined up ribbon the same way I did in my scrap ribbon belt tutorial except I made sure to sew along the outside line I drew with my disappearing ink pen.

Please see my ribbon scrap belt tutorial for sewing and weaving the ribbon…..

…..and repeat the steps for the entire length of the muslin piece.

Step 3: With all the ribbon attached, iron the sides of your muslin inward on the opposite side.

Step 4: Carefully trim any excess ribbon that hangs past the muslin. I zigzagged all my edges at this point to keep the ribbon from fraying.

Step 5: Retrace your camera strap and trim the ends to the same shape leaving 1/4″ excess.

Step 6: I used pre-made bias tape, and folded around the edges of the strap so it overlapped 1/4″…..

….and sewed it on using an 1/8″ seam. You can use regular fabric for this as well, just cut enough to go all the way around. The raw edges are left in the back.

Step 7: Trace your entire camera strap cover onto a coordinating fabric and cut all the way around leaving 1/2″ excess.

Step 8: Somewhere on one of the sides, mark a 4″ gap to leave open so that you can insert your strap when the cover is done.

Step 9: Fold the contrasting fabric all way around at the 1/2″ mark.

Step 10: Topstitch 1/8″ between the two marks you made for the gap…..

….and topstitch both ends 1/8″.

Step 11: Placing both pieces wrong sides together, topstitch 1/8″ from the edge all the way around to connect the two…..

….making sure NOT to stitch your “gap” or ends closed where you “pre” topstitched.

Step 12: You’re done! Insert your camera strap ends through the gap and to each side….pull the entire strap into the cover. I got the idea on how to insert the camera strap from Petchy. Petchy made hers with the ends narrower too so that the cover doesn’t slip to either side.

No one will ever mistake my camera for their camera….and now my husband will probably be embarrassed to use mine!

If you aren’t interested in going through the tedious process of making a scrap ribbon camera strap…..check out Shealynn’s designs in her Etsy shop! They are great and she’ll add custom features for you!

Wedding Part II: My Grandfather’s Book

October 22, 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw

I was flipping through this scrapbook I made and it brought back lots of memories of my own wedding. I made the scrapbook in 2003 when my grandfather passed away. For his wake before the funeral I enlarged my favorite photos and afterwards I put them in the book with the words from his eulogy throughout. I used a Canson spiral bound scrapbook, spray adhesive and a silver gel pen.
Here is my grandfather and my little sister at my wedding:

My grandfather loved his rose garden. It was huge. For my wedding flowers he cut EVERY rose bud and flower from his garden. When he passed away, I went and dug up every rose bush and moved them to our NC house.

I opened another one of my shadow boxes to snap a photo……this is my great-great-grandmother’s garter belt! My Aunt Sharon gave it to me for my “old and blue” when I was married. My great-great-grandmother must have been a toothpick….I couldn’t even get it over my foot!

Mr. and Mrs. Lil Blue Boo…..married May 5, 2001 in the backyard of my childhood home:

Ok….I know I’ve been on the grandparents kick lately, but I miss them. I just wish they had lived long enough to meet my daughter and to see my brother and sister get married.
My grandfather was awesome. Seriously awesome.

If you get freaked out easily don’t read any further….but I have a quick story to tell:

My grandfather (“Paw-Paw”) fell walking his dog in 2003 and broke his hip. I was able to see him before he went into surgery and he assured me he would be fine and everything would be okay. After surgery he had complications and went downhill quickly. He was in intensive care for a while….he would drift in and out of consciousness and ask us “who is the young man at the end of the bed?” I don’t know maybe he was hallucinating….or was there someone waiting for him at the end of the bed…..
My grandfather passed away one night soon after that.
A few months later my step-grandmother Brownie passed away suddenly from a fall. The entire family packed up Paw-Paw and Brownie’s house and sold it. Soon after my sister called me:

Perry: Ash, Paw-Paw just called my phone.

Me: Shut the eff up. What are you talking about?

Perry: My cell phone rang….it said “PAW PAW Calling” and I didn’t answer it.

-silence-

Me: Well….did……he……. leave a message?

Perry: Um, yes……it was……..just static.

Me: Call the number back.

Perry: I did. The number is disconnected. It doesn’t exist.

When I saw the movie White Noise I had to walk out of the room. If you’ve seen it you know why.

Some other favorite photos from the book:

Chipping away at the Berlin Wall in 1989

Paw-Paw as a young man on the farm in Kansas.

Paw-paw was incredibly detailed and meticulous. He was mathematical and methodical. He was fanatical about documenting his family history (you can see some of that here in “Paid in flour and potatoes”). I’m the same way. We both majored in math. So did my dad. Funny how things happen.

Wedding Part I: The Ring Pillow

October 21, 2009 by Ashley Hackshaw

In 2 weeks we head back to North Carolina for my little sister’s wedding! I’ve got a lot to get done before then! Sienna and I finished the ring pillow last night. My sister sent me a ton of photos of what she wanted and a box of fabric to match her dress….

Here is how I made it:

I cut two 11″ x 11″ squares.

I sewed all the way around the squares using a 3/8″ seam and leaving a 4 inch gap to turn it inside out (large enough for my hand to fit in as well).

Then I cut two long strips measuring 6″ x 48″ and 10″ x 48″ and folded each in half right sides together. I sewed the long end closed using a 3/8″ seam.

I took the larger of the strips and turned it right sides out (I did not iron because I didn’t want any creases) and tucked one end into the other…..

……and sewed the two ends together using a blind stitch.

With a needle and thread, I sewed a gathering stitch all the way around the fabric “tube”…..

….until it looked like a large ruffled flower:

I took the square pillow and turned it right side out…..

…and marked the center using my disappearing ink pen.

I pinned the large ruffle flower to the center of the pillow attached it by hand-stitching it to the pillow in between the pleats.

I repeated the entire process using the smaller fabric sleeve.

I “smushed” the small ruffled flower into the pleats of the large ruffled flower and hand stitched them together.

I cut a 4″ circle from the fabric….

…..and stitched around the folded edges….

….to form a small yo-yo.

I placed the yo-yo face down into the center of the ruffled flowers and used a blind stitch to attach.

I took the shadow box I made of my grandfather’s military things from our photo wall……

….and used his United States Navy pin for the center. He passed away in 2003 suddenly and I always thought he would live to see all his grandchildren get married.