Sewing Project: Pillow Cases and Day Bed Cover

I finally finished my pillow cases and cover for the daybed! I have been working on this project for a while, due to procrastination! It only took me 30-45 min per pillow case so I could have done this months ago...

Here is the final product:

I got a little worried half way through that the print may be too much to have on the cover and pillow cases, but I think it actually looks good to have that print on everything.

Here is how I made the pillow cases:

I bought the fabric at Hancock Fabrics, before they started going out of business- so sad :(

First, I measured my pillow that I needed to cover

I measured height, width, and length to determine how to cut my fabric.

Next, I marked and cut my fabric

I put marks all down the fabric to get a straight line when I cut it.

I did not know how to make the pillow case from there, so I placed the pillow on the fabric and wrapped in in different ways to determine how I was going to sew it.

Tip: Iron your fabric! It will make it much easier and even.

Once I figured out how to sew the pillow case, I pinned the sides and started sewing

This is one of the folds that will meet in the middle of the back side of the pillow case.

Thesis what I sewed in the picture above.

I then sewed the sides together (with the fabric inside out) and here's the final product!

This was a really fun project and now I want to make more and more pillow cases! And this time, I'll try not to procrastinate so much!

Please contact me if you have any questions about this project :)

How to Make Baby Blankets

For my first sewing project, I decided to make a baby blanket. It was so easy, I ended up making two of them- one for my sister for a baby shower gift and one for my best friend's baby. I pretty much followed this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqCdsJR3dHQ which made everything very simple and easy to understand. I bought my fabric at Hancock Fabrics- they have great coupons!

Here are the blankets!

Planting First Veggies

While I was getting my dirt at Kelli Green Garden, I also picked up a few seedlings and some seeds.

These are the seedlings- broccoli and red lettuce. 

I then planted the seeds in old containers and egg cartons. Initially, I was going to bring them indoors at night since it still gets a little chilly. However, I am not bringing them inside due to the amount of bugs in the dirt- even termites. I was really worried when I saw the termites, so I looked it up and found out that they are not harmful to gardens, but can actually help move organic matter around. You just want to make sure your house is protected against them. So, they will staying outside, wish I would have just planted them in the garden instead.

Tip: Although the chalkboard stakes are adorable, they aren't really practical in a garden. When you water your plants and they get wet, your plant names get erased :/ I think I'm going to paint over the chalkboard paint with regular paint and write the names with a sharpie.

Everything together!

I'll keep y'all posted on how things are growing!

Starting a Vegetable Garden

I started working on my vegetable garden last week and can't wait until I have some fresh veggies! I made a raised garden so I could add plenty of good soil to create a really good environment for the plants. Here is how I made it:

First, I found the spot in my yard that gets the most sun and the most level. I the measured to see how big of a garden I wanted to make. I decided on 8'x4' (the planks I decided on at Home Depot are 8' long so that worked out perfectly) and used 2"x8" planks.

I took Waylon with me to Home Depot to get the wood. I was so proud of him because he was so well behaved! (which isn't the usual when out in public )

I bought 3 planks and had them cut one in half for me at Home Depot. When I got home, I put them in that spot that I picked out to make sure I still liked it there and to see how I was going to put it together.

I picked the boards up and put them together like so. At first I thought I would just hammer some nails in to keep them together. Well, that was not easy to do and probably would've taken me weeks!

So, I got my electric screwdriver/drill out to help with the job.

I put this screw in half way, then held the other board up to it and screwed it in completely.

I anchored with one screw all the way around for drilling and nailing.

Which created the frame. 

I used this drill bit and galvanized nails to secure the planks together.

It helps to hold the boards to keep them lined up for drilling.

I tried to drill straight through to the other board and to drill enough space for the nails that I had.

Then, I just nailed them in.

I ended up doing one screw and two nails. That seemed to be enough as it felt pretty solid. I even moved it around a little once I had it built to get it in the right spot.

Built!

Once I had my perimeter built, it was time for the really hard work- tilling the ground to loosen up the soil and filling the bed with healthy soil, manure, and organic compounds.

I started in a corner and used my shovel to tear up the grass and soil by turning it in the ground.

I was already sweating at this point...

But I finished somehow! It took me about 2 hours to till the ground and that included a few water and rest breaks. My arms felt like Jello after this, but I felt good about what I had just done!

Now, time for the dirt! I bought all of my soil, etc. at Kelli Green Garden Center- a local place 5 minutes from my house. They were so helpful because I really had no idea what I needed or how much. I ended up going with 3 different ingredients. Five 40 lb. bags of cow manure, 5 40 lb. bags of organic soil, and 2 60 lb. bags of a soil/compound mixture.

This is the soil/compound mixture which is used by Kelli Green themselves on all of their plants.

I started filling the bed with the manure first.

And used 2.5 bags for the bottom layer.

Next, I added the organic soil- 2.5 bags of this also.

For the third layer, I used one bag of the Sungro. 

This is what it looked like after the first 3 layers.

After each layer, I used the rake to mix it up and even it out.

I did the same thing over again.

Finished project! (Minus the 2nd bag of Sungro- I waited to add that because I wanted to see how the soil went down after watering) I have since added that bag and filled the bed to the rim. I have also planted a few vegetable plants in it and started some seeds as well! I'll post some pictures of those soon :) Please comment below if you have any questions or advice about vegetable gardening!