Tag: hem tape

Craft Projects

DIY Doggie Bow Tie

Jessica Smith

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie

It snowed a ton in Maryland yesterday — but of course, nothing stuck AT ALL. What the heck! Even though I didn’t get to frolic through the promised 10 inches of snow, I did get a snow day from work. That basically meant playing with my pup all day, which included me making him an ADORABLE bow tie.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie1

“Hey Mom, make me a bow tie, please!”

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie2

Remmy picked out a charming fabric for his bow tie, and we immediately set to work on our snow day project. First, I cut out a nice rectangle of fabric and ironed it flat.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie3

Then, I created a secure hem using hem tape.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie4

I did the same thing to the other side of the fabric.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie5

This was different hem tape than I used in my tablecloth project, so first I had to iron one side of the tape down. Then, you remove the paper backing, and iron the other side of the fabric to the exposed side of the tape.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie6

When I was done, it looked something like this:

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie7

Next, I folded each end of the newly hemmed rectangle into the center, with about an inch of overlap. I placed hem tape down the center strip, and secured the two ends together. I also ironed strong creases into the folds.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie8

Next, I created the center of the bow tie using the same technique as before — just suppppppper skinny!

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie9

I secured this piece to the middle of the large rectangle, then wrapped it around remaining fabric and cinched it tight.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie10

I stitched the ends closed, then sewed a polka dot button in the middle. Time to go find Remmy!

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie11

Well, he found me and the bow tie first. And immediately stole it and hid from me.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie12

What a jerk. Once I finagled the bow tie from my pup, I tried to slip it onto his collar. Unfortunately, I didn’t leave enough room around the center like I thought I did, so it wouldn’t slip onto the collar. Good to know for next time!

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie13

Oh well! Time to grab some zip ties!

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie14

Looping a few zip ties through the back center of the bow tie, I secured it to my pup’s collar. Then we had a PHOTO SHOOT! Many treats were involved.

Many.{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie16

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie17

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie19

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie20

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie21

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie18

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie23

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie15

Then we took the bow tie off… Turns out my pup doesn’t love it like he does his shirts.

{A Smith of All Trades} Remmy and his bow tie22

Thanks for stopping by!

Craft Projects

No-Sew Tablecloth

Jessica Smith

No-Sew Tablecloth

We needed a new tablecloth in the Smith household BIG TIME. I only have one tablecloth that I like, and therefore only one that I use. So I am always always always washing the darn thing. But I love it! Too bad no one sells any cute tablecloths anymore. Target let me down. Amazon let me down. WalMart let me down. Everything else is either way expensive (and still ugly) or some plain color (boring).

So my neighbor and I went fabric shopping and we found an awesome fabric that picks up the blues I love and the green in the kitchen. Perfecto!

No-Sew Tablecloth hem tape

We also found some SUPER hem tape that is able to be washed — totally necessary for a tablecloth.

Here are your directions to make your own tablecloth. Buy fabric. Buy hem tape. Iron a hem. Iron in hem tape. DONE!

Make sure you are hemming the nice part of the fabric onto the underneath of the fabric.

No-Sew Tablecloth iron

For real, it is that easy, although it does take about an hour. I got two yards of fabric that was 54″ wide — I didn’t trim any off for my rectangular tablecloth. Then, I started ironing a hem onto one edge. Don’t hate me for being the world’s best eyeballer, but I didn’t measure a single thing. I simply eyeballed all the way down the edge. It is freakishly straight.

No-Sew Tablecloth corner

The only tricky part about the tablecloth is the corner. Well, really all four of them. When you get to a corner, fold one edge over the other and cut at an angle. Put your hem tape and iron. Let it cool, then add more (if there are un-hemmed spots) and iron again.

Once your edges are all hemmed, iron the whole cloth and throw it onto your table!

No-Sew Tablecloth 1

Isn’t this fabric great?! I love how it pulls in the color of my kitchen.

No-Sew Tablecloth 2
Well, I bought four rolls of hem tape and only used one…. guess who is totally making another tablecloth…. if I can actually find another fabric I like. I am sooooo picky.

Have a great weekend!!!