Creative Space - Part II

     Last November I did a post about our basement. I really thought that I would have it finished by now and I'd be down there every day creating up a storm. Didn't happen. Life intruded ~ it looked like this:

I had to have a total hip replacement ~ *sigh* ~

     It went really well and now I'm walking and climbing stairs and ready to rock-n-roll on the basement! When I last posted about this project we had just finished the drywall and had the carpet installed (you can see it here: Basement - Stage I). The next step was to get the lights up and hang doors. We used pre-hung doors - a little more money but such a time saver! They come already in the frame, you simply pop off the  back of the frame, slide them into the opening, level the door using shims and put the frame back on. We have five doors down there and the whole project was done in less then a day.

     Then came the fun part.... paint!

     Painting the doors is something that I really stressed over. I love to paint, I just really don't usually love painted doors or trim. I normally paint both with a bright white. I do this because I love color and I change my mind a lot. It's easier to paint a wall then it is to paint a lot of trim! BUT - I want the basement to be bright colors ~ really bright. I found a poster that I really loved and decided to use it as my color inspiration - 

The winning colors are  ~ Sea Frolic and Pumpkin Custard.

     All the doors are this beautiful bright orange!

     I'm really happy with the color and really glad that I decided to paint the doors, the color makes me very happy. 

     Now I just have to find a free day to get those walls started! Stay tuned for Part III....

Pillow Case - The Easiest E-V-E-R!

     Sometimes you just luck out and the project you need to get done literally takes less then 30 minutes! I needed to make up a pillow case for my DIL's niece, who is moving into her first 'big girl' bed. We found a remnant of Hello Kitty fabric - perfect for a little girl, right?

     Now to get to sewing....

     First you need to figure out the size of pillow you will be making. Since this is for a small child, we're making a 'standard' size pillow - for a twin bed.

     I started by measuring the finished dimensions of a finished pillow case. Mine measured

28.5" x 19"

     Then I measured the band for the opening of the pillow case - 4"

Time to do a little MATH! 

Length + 4" (band) +1/2" (seam allowance) = 

28.5" + 4" = 32.5" + 1/2" = 33"

Width x2 (front & back) + 1/2" (seam allowance)

19" x 2 = 38" + 1/2" = 38.5"

     Cut one piece of fabric 38.5" x 33" - This will be folded in half lengthwise to form the pillow case.

Turn down 1/2" at the top edge, press. 

Turn down 3.5" and press again.

Stitch close to the folded edge, stitch again 1/4" away from the first stitching. This will fix the seam in place and make it look a bit tailored.

Fold the pillow case, right sides together stitch 1/2" seam along the open side and bottom edge.

If you're lucky enough to own a serger you can finish the seam with a serger. If you don't have a serger, you can use your zig zag stitch to finish the seam. This will keep the seam from fraying in the laundry and during intense hugging!

Turn the pillow case right side out, press and slip over a pillow - done! This is the perfect project for a complete novice sewer. You need very little fabric, almost no skills and only basic sewing equipment. In very short time you end up with a finished project and you've sharpened your skills!

#MIRL

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