Removing Spray Adhesive

If you forget to isolate your project when you spray adhesive...or your toddler uses a full can to tar and feather his room (as happened to me), don't despair.  Pour some rubbing alcohol on an old rag and wipe the adhesive away.  I had success with this on the wall, radiator, and wool rug.  No marring, no trip to the store, and little worry about harsh chemicals.

Easy Wall Art

To make Easy Wall Art
The big plans I had for the leftover fabric from Quilted Wall Panels comes to fruition.  I had fabric for six 5 inch square pieces.

You need:
1 panel printed fabric (COGSMO BY COSMO CRICKET)
6 5" X 5" stretched canvas

Other Items:
Cutting mat & rotary cutters (or scissors)
Straight Edge 12" with cutting guides every 1/2"

Repositionable Adhesive Spray
Staple gun with staples

Cutting:
Cut fabric panels.  My canvas was 5" X 5" with a 5/8" edge.  I cut the panels 7 3/4".  If your fabric/canvas is a different size, make sure you have enough to cover the edges plus an extra 3/4" or so each side to staple to the back.

Mount Fabric on Canvas:
Spray the front of the canvas with repositionable adhesive, do this inside of a box so that you don't get overspray and end up with a sticky table.  Let dry 30 seconds.  Lay the canvas on the fabric, making sure it looks even.  Hold the fabric against the back of the canvas on one side, and flip over.  Lightly pull the fabric around the edges to see if its straight and centered.  If not, peel fabric off and try again.

Gently wrap 1 edge of the fabric around the edge of the canvas, making sure it is smooth and taught (don't stretch fabric).  Staple in place in center.  Repeat with remaining 3 sides.  (The picture shows me doing 1 edge, then working around the corners.  On subsequent canvases, I found it easier to staple the centers of each side in place first, then work the corners)

Pull the corner fabric over, making sure you have it centered well.  Hold the corner in place, and fold 1 edge neatly near the corner.  Staple in place.  Fold the other edge against the corner and staple.  Repeat with remaining 3 corners.  The corners will pucker slightly, but try to make them as smooth as possible.

My staple gun doesn't staple tight against the surface, so I tapped the staples in with the hammer.

Repeat with the remaining canvases.

Hang.  To make hanging simpler, I measured and marked the wall first, centering the first dot on the wall at height.  I used the laser level to make sure I was level, and put the next dots 5 3/16" to the right or left of the first dot.  Then measured down 5 3/16" from the center dot, leveled and make the left and right dots.  The extra 3/16" between marks allowed space for the wrapped fabric corners.  I put a wire nail at each dot and hung the 6 canvases as a unit.


Difficulty: very easy
Time: <1 hour total
Cost: $14 stretched canvases

I had the staple gun and adhesive on hand, and used the leftover fabric from the Quilted Wall Panels, so I didn't price them out.

Quilted Wall Panels

To make quilted wall panels
This fabric made 4 panels. There's even extra, which I have big plans for and will hopefully post here soon.

You need:
1 panel printed fabric (COGSMO BY COSMO CRICKET)
2/3 yard Plain fabric for backing (Symphony Broadcloth 5468 DST GR)
2 packages Satin Blanket Edge (Sage)
2/3 yard Thin quilt batting
1 spool thread
1/4" 50" total wooden dowel
1/2" metal or plastic rings 4 each


Other Items:
Sewing Machine
Cutting mat
rotary cutters
Straight Edge 12" with cutting guides every 1/2"
Scissors
Safety Pins
Straight Pins

Cutting:
Cut fabric panels, allow 3/8" around edges for seaming
Cut plain fabric to match dimensions of fabric panels
Cut 3" strip of plain fabric same width as fabric panels
Cut quilt batting to match dimensions of fabric panels

Sewing:
I use a 3/8" seam allowance

Turn 1 long edge of 3" plan fabric strip 1/4" twice to finish edge.

Sandwich the quilt batting between the panel and plain fabric (right sides facing outward). Match 3" strip of fabric to top of sandwich (this makes a pocket at the top for the dowel).
Safety pin at center and along edges.
zigzag stitch around borders of sandwich (this step is optional on panels that are approximately 12" square, necessary on larger panels).
Repeat with remaining panels.

Trim. You can either use a single piece of satin trim to edge each panel, and make neat mitered corners, or use 4 strips of satin trim with square edges. I do the latter since I've had great difficulty trying to fold the corners over to miter them.

Cut strips of satin trim to the height of each panel plus 1". Note that the trim is 1/16" wider on one side than the other, the wider edge is the back. Straight pin in place, sandwiching the trim around the panels and in 3/8" from the edge of the panel. The trim should extend 1/2" beyond the panel at top and bottom. Sew 1/8" from edge of trim on front. Repeat on each side.

Cut strips of satin trim to the width of each panel, including the trim you just sewed in place, plus 1". Straight pin in place, sandwiching the trim around the panels and in 3/8" from the edge of the panel. The trim should extend 1/2" beyond the panel at left and right. Carefully fold the cut edges of the trim over 1/2" so that the back side of the trim folds inward and the front edge sandwiches the raw edge of the left/right trim inside of the fold. Pin in place. Sew 1/8" from edge of trim on front. Repeat at top and bottom.

Fold panel in 1/2 to find center, and handsew a 1/2" ring to the panel just below the top piece of satin trim.

Measure the width of the panel at the top. Cut a piece of dowel to this length. (I use the rotary cutter to cut part way into the dowel, spinning it to cut around, then bend to snap). Insert dowel in pocket at top of panel.

Repeat with remaining panels.

Options:
These panels strike me as kind of plain. I wish I had added additional quilting before putting on the satin edging. I'm afraid that if I did it now, I'd end up with bunching. If you add additional quilting, start at the center and work your way outward. You could add satin stitching (a very tight zigzag) around some of the borders in the print using a matching thread--for example the bodies of the robots, or try outlining the inner borders using a straight stitch. If you do either of these, make sure your bobbin thread matches the plain fabric backing.


Difficulty: moderately easy
Time: 2 hours total
Cost: $8 Cogsmo fabric, $2 plain fabric, $12 Satin Trim, $2 dowel, $3 thread. Total Cost = $27
(My cost $14 since I had most of this stuff in my craft closet already)


I made these animal panels for our nursery. The bedding set came with a bed skirt for the crib that I couldn't use since the crib had drawers beneath. I disassembled the bed skirt, cut it into square panels, and added trim to the edges using the same method described above. These panels had quilted animals on them, and don't warrant any extra embellishments.

Curtains - Making 1 yard of cute fabric cover 2 full windows

After much deliberations, I settled on decorating my son's room with a robot theme. I found some great fabric (Cogsmo by Cosmo Cricket from Andover Fabric), but I was only able to get a yard of the cogs and 1 robot panel. To cover 2 full windows, I had really had to stretch the yard of fabric!

My windows are 32" wide by 55" tall. Window trim is 4" wide
Your valance should be close to 2 times as wide as the window, the curtains should be 1.3 to 2 times as wide as the window.

To make Valances (set of 2)
These are double thick on the fabric, it looks more professional than a single fabric valance.

You need:
1 yard printed fabric 45" wide (Cogsmo Cogs P0260 4025 B )
2 yards coordinating fabric 45" wide (Symphony Broadcloth 5468 DST GR)
1 spool thread
2 cafe curtain rods

Other Items:
Sewing Machine
Cutting mat
rotary cutters
Straight Edge 12" with cutting guides every 1/2"
Scissors

Cutting:
Print Fabric. Cut into four 10.5" strips perpendicular to the selvage edge (will be 36" wide)
Plain Fabric. Cut into 2 22.5" strips, perpendicular to the selvage edge (will be 72" wide)

Sewing:
I use a 3/8" seam allowance

Sew 2 strips of print fabric together (right sides facing, make sure the pattern runs the same way) to make a strip 10.5" by 71.5". Repeat with other pair of print fabric.

Sew 1 strip of print fabric to 1 strip of plain fabric along the long edges (right sides together). Unfold.
Trim to even edges (plain fabric is probably longer than print).
Hem short edges of fabric 1 turn.

Match remaining long side of print fabric to long side of plain fabric (right sides together). Sew. You now have a tube of fabric.

Sew edges of the tube together along printed portion only (leave plain portion open on edges).
Turn tube right side out.
Carefully sew along edge of plain portion so that it turns an equivalent amount to the print portion you just sewed. Be careful to sew through front and back separately so that the ends remain open for the curtain rod.

Sew front and back together following the top edge of the printed fabric.
Make another seam 1.5" from the top edge of the valance.

You've finished the first Valance. Repeat with remaining fabric.
To Make Curtains (set of 2)

You need:
3.3 yards coordinating fabric 45" wide (Symphony Broadcloth 5468 DST GR)
1 spool thread (same spool as valance was just enough)
2 tension curtain rods

Other Items:
Sewing Machine
Cutting mat
rotary cutter
Straight Edge 12" with cutting guides every 1/2"
Scissors

Cutting:
Cut the fabric to length, should be 5" longer than the window. My curtains fit inside the window fram of a 55" window, so I used two 60" lengths fabric (one for each window). The 45" wide fabric was just wide enough to get by with on my 32" windows.

Sewing:
I use a 3/8" seam allowance

Turn the selvage edges of the fabric over 1/2" two times and seam to make a nice finished edge for the height of the window.
Turn the cut edges over once each.
At the top, turn the edge over 2" and seam close to the turned edge to make a pocket for the rod.
Measure the fabric and hem the bottom edge to fit the height of the window. In this case, it should be 2". Repeat with second curtain panel.

Congratulations, you're done!

Difficulty: Curtain = very easy. Valance = moderately easy
Time: 3 hours total
Cost: $8 Cogsmo fabric, $11 plain fabric on sale, $3 thread. Total Cost = $22