DIY - Making a Chevron Template

I've always wanted to make a chevron background for my button art, but quite frankly it intimidates me.  Plus, the added time of making the grid, then erasing the lines, or using oodles of tape every time makes me frustrated just thinking about it.  But one night, not too long ago, I decided to tackle it.  I came up with a solution to help me save time and I hope that it can save you time as well.  Since I use the same size canvas,  I figured I could just make a template to follow, saving me time!   This template will be best used for those that will be using it more than once.  It's definitely great for one time uses, but won't necessarily save you time.  :)

 I completely forgot to take a picture of the original grid, but basically you take any cardboard you have lying around and measure out the size of the area you are covering.  I am using a 9x12 canvas so I drew a 9x12 rectangle on the cardboard.  Then I decided how far apart I wanted my "peaks" to be and how far apart I wanted each zig zag to be.  You might have to use a little bit of math to figure it out.  I got lucky with 9 and 12 both being divisible(never thought I would ever use that word again) by 3 and made each peak to be about 3" apart, making the whole process look even.  Then each zig zag was about 1.5" apart.  Basically, each square was 1.5" by 1.5".  So once you have figured out all that mess, you make your grid.  Drawing all your lines horizontal and then vertical.  Then, you add your diagonal lines.  You can see the basis of the grid below. 

Now here's the fun part!  As you can see in the picture above, I also added in a few lines on the part of the zig zag that I was not going to need.  I wanted my template to stay in tact as one piece.  Now you can start cutting out the parts you don't need.  On the inside pieces, it's easier to use an exacto knife instead of a pair of scissors.  The more cardboard you begin losing, the flimsier it gets and you want it to keep it's strength.

Below is the finished product!  It probably took me about an hour to make but it's so worth it!  All I did was line it up on my canvas and traced the lines!  Bam it's done!  Just add paint!  

Here's the finished product!  And next time it will be super duper easy to add my chevron to any canvas!

I hope this tutorial helped you make your chevron projects a little easier!  Please let me know if you found ways to improve your template!  As always, share with us on our Facebook Page all that you have created! 

Happy Chevroning! Shellie 

Button Organization

Can I get a shout out from all of my OCD fans out there?!  This girl right here is super OCD when it comes to being organized.  It may not always show in my house because I have 3 young children and a husband who loves to shove random stuff in random places, but I like being organized.  There's nothing worse than looking for something you can't find!!  So this post shouldn't surprise you when I tell you that my buttons are organized by color.  I recently bought a new button organizer and I LOVE it!  I used to have 2 small organizers, similar to something you store your beads in but I needed an upgrade.  With all of the button art I keep making, it was time to find something new.  Luckily, I was at Joanns the other night during Coupon Commotion when I spotted this amazing caddy!!  

Below you can see how my buttons are organized by color.  They are all in their own storage box.  Before I would try and dig my fatty little fingers in the thinly rowed box and inevitably it would allow the purple buttons to be mixed with the pink, which of course is a no-no. 

The storage container is meant for storing and organizing your 4x6 pictures but now it's dual purpose!  

AND you can close it all up, latch it, and carry it around!  Isn't it so awesome!!  I'm absolutely in love with it!  Plus, using a coupon I was able to get for $20!

 You may have seen my other post about Button Art, so I thought I would add a fun tip for you to use.  I love using buttons as accents.  Here you can see I used a few buttons to embellish this E hoop art I made for my home.  The silver button is an antique button from my great grandma that adds even more special meaning for me.  

Until next time, have fun creating, organizing and crafting!  Send us your pics of ways you have used buttons as art at thegaragingmavens@gmail.com!  We might feature your project next!

Over and out! Shellie

Organizing MUST be cute!

Surely I can't be the only one that thinks this way..... If I "have" to be organized, then I must have it also look as cute as possible! The fact is I have a smart phone, I have an Ipad, I have a computer BUT nothing touches my visual senses more than a cutsie tootsie frame that is ready to be transformed into my dream idea and to do board! One of my very best friends (and business partner) eh hem Shellie gave me the huge frame to make my dream happen! I plan to paint the frame a coral red color so it really pops off the wall (thank you Shannon for a great idea) and then fabric cover a metal board and attach it! And then this monster can be the best organization tool my studio will ever have! 

I'll make sure and post the progress, but I can say that this will be one project that won't sit around for very long unfinished!!!

till next time.........Penny :)

Zippers and I, Back Together Again

So zippers and I broke up for about a week.  It would have been longer but a sweet customer of ours wanted a custom order pencil case.  I begrudgingly said I would make it.  I didn't like the idea that we would have to make up.  They had been so mean to me. Mocking me at every turn, but we had a good long chat and decided to make it work.

For the pencil case I wanted to use laminate fabric, which has become my new obsession!  Who wants a bag lined with normal fabric that gets gross and dirty!   Never making a bag before I used this tutorial to get me started.  However, I somehow didn't follow the directions all that well and my bag turned out like this:

This wouldn't be so bad if it were supposed to be the size of a make up bag and the zipper was actually going the correct way.  Don't get me wrong, it's super cute but not what it needed to be.  Let's call it a happy accident and now it's in the shop.  :)

So here goes round two.  I found a new tutorial that helped build upon my knowledge of the original zipper bags and the first boxie tutorial I used.  I now know what I should and shouldn't do.  How I can make it my own and the best way for me to not only sew with zippers but to sew boxy pouches.

Here you can see the true difference in size.   Oopsies.  :)  I am grateful that I was made to have this opportunity to learn and grow and become one with zippers again.

The Art of Buttons

So I took a week off from sewing to do something fresh.  After my long frustration with zippers I needed a break and I just so happened to have 2 blank canvases.

I was introduced to the fun idea of using buttons as art a few years ago.  I have ALWAYS had a passion for buttons.  Buttons remind me of people.  They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities.  And lets be real, buttons are just fun and cute!  So needless to say I have a big button collection.

About 2 years ago, I had the wonderful privilege of going through my great grandmas button collection.  I was very lucky to walk away with some unique and amazing vintage buttons which I use in my art today.   I love mixing the old and the new and decided to create some art for the shop.  What better way to show off your love for your state or your country then by having a shape of it in the form of buttons!!  I made these 2 for the shop to see how my buttons would fare.  It turns out that people like them!  So I ended up making a few more and thought that y'all might like a patriotic Texas as well!  I will do custom orders if you happen to not live in the great state of Texas.   Just shoot us an email or send us a PM on our Facebook page and I can definitely get something made for you!

I also wanted to share that button art is great for gifts!  Our very own Penny had a birthday and in honor of her I made some art to help add to her growing collection of J's.  Embellishing with lace, ribbon, or rick rack can help turn something your not sure about into something amazing! Never forget to have fun while creating!  If something starts to look off or funky or you simply
 hate it...just walk away.  Come back a few hours later after you have had time to cool off, eat something, and clear your mind.  I hate the way the J looked before I added the rick rack.  It looked too simple and plain.  But I got something to eat, looked around my craft room at stuff I could throw on it.  I tried adding Scrabble letters, a fabric rose, lace, etc.  I kept digging and searching until I saw that rick rack!  And BAM!  There it is!

Don't forget to follow us on our Facebook page for the latest button art projects and to add your feedback!  We love hearing from you!  If you make your own button art, we would love to see it! 

Zipper or No Zipper

So I have a TON of zippers! I'm not sure where all of them came from but somehow they all made their way to my house.  I have sewn a zipper into a costume a few years ago but let's just say it didn't go that well.  So in prepping for the shop I thought that my first sewing project should be cute zipper bags! Right! 

So fun and easy! 

Wrong! Oh. My. Gosh! I swear they hated me! I even did a practice bag and it turned out great, but the ones to follow all laughed in my face.

I did three different sizes and planned to make them all in a triangular shape. I carefully picked out fabric and the different colored zippers to match.  This part is always so fun to me!  Plus I am a fabric hoarder so I didn't even have to buy any fabric!  

 I used this tutorial from Noodle Head to help me out. I even learned what a zipper foot looks like and how to use it. The one thing that the tutorial doesn't tell you is don't get too close to the zipper when sewing. When you finish the bag and do the finishing stitch around the top you quickly learn that if your original stitch is too close to the zipper it's really hard to sew it in such a way that the fabric won't get caught in the zipper.  Oopsies.  I can't even tell you how many times I had to rip a seen out and start over (or how many times a bag was flung across the room).  Or I forgot to sew in a label or I finished a bag and realized one of the teeth on the zipper broke so now I can't sell it! Ahh!

However, after all was said and done they turned out pretty cute...and flat because in the midst of frustration I forgot to make the bottoms square.  The medium and large bags have pockets inside which I am quite happy with.  I am sad to say that I officially broke up with zippers and have refused to look at them since. 

The Shop is Open!!

So for some reason we have not done a great job at keeping our blog up to daten but guess what I found...the blogger app! Woohoo! So now you will find us on here all the time!

Now that we are all pumped up about the new blogger app, lets get even more excited about our shop opening! We just launched it on June 1st. We rented a booth at Wishes and Dreams in Arlington, TX. We couldn't be more excited about the location within the shop! We love it so much! Here's a picture of us after we finished setting up. We looked a bit crazy from scrambling around all day getting everything ready. 

Shortly after opening though we realized that we have lots of friends and family that don't live nearby that like our stuff.  So with that being said, we will ship any items except furniture to you! Follow us on Instagram @thegaragingmavens to see all of our items that we have made and that are for sale!

Thank you to all of you for reading our blog and giving us support!