Tutorial time! How to really use your ruffler foot

There are some great tutorials out there on how to use your ruffler foot, but what I learned yesterday was mind blowing! You can use it to make ruffles and attached them to your item as you make them! All in one step! How did I not know this?

Because most rufflers do not come with any instructions! 

My ruffler broke and I had to get a new one. I actually read the info that came with it and so wish I would have know years ago about this little trick! 

Let me show you how to do it! 

First you need to attach the ruffler to your machine. 

Simply remove the existing foot. 

Place the fork arm over the needle clamp hub. Place the other arm over the pressed bar and use the screw to attach to the machine. Make sure it's righted with the screwdriver. 

Make sure your needle clears the hole in the ruffler. 

Now that it's attached you need to set it for the size ruffles you want. You will see a 1, 6, 12 and *. 1 will ruffle every stitch,6 is every 6 stitches and 12 is every 12 stitches. The star is a simple straight stitch. This allows you to sew a straight line without having to remove the foot.

I often use the 6 option. Next set the stitch  length in the machine. The smaller the number the deeper the ruffle. 

There is also a depth adjuster in the foot itself. You will need to play on some scrap fabric to get the desire ruffle depth.

Screw the depth adjuster clockwise for deeper ruffles.

Once you have decided how you want your ruffle you are ready to sew! 

Place the fabric to be ruffled under the ruffling blade first. 

Next place the fabric that you are attaching the ruffle to under the foot and lower the presser foot. 

I make sure that there is a slight overhang of the fabric the ruffle is attaching too so that I know it hasn't slipped to the side. You are ready to ruffle! Make sure you do not back stich. And that you use a straight stitch.

 Sew the entire ruffle in place. Once your done you may want to tack it on each end. That's it! You have just ruffled fabric and attached it to your item! 

Turn ruffle over and top stitch to finish! 

Beautiful ruffles and all in one easy step! 

You can buy a ruffler foot at most fabric stores or easily find them online!

Happy sewing!

~Missy

Pinterest craft night- make your own snow globes.

Tonight the boys and I made some snow globes. They are all over Pinterest right now. I read a couple different tutorials and I'm here to tell you what works and what doesn't! I was having a panic attack when I thought I was having my first Pinterest fail moment! Then I realized the cause. So I'm here tonight to prevent you from having my same fear. 

1. No need for styrofoam. It's messy, glue melts it and it makes the water cloudy. 

2. Canning jars or old sauce jars are the way to go, jars without seals leak. Trust me. 

3. You need lots, I mean lots of glitter. 

4. Don't go crazy buying a ton of stuff to put in them. Unless you are using really large jars, not much fits on that lid. 

Now that you know what not to do, I'm going to show you step by step what to do! 

Here's what we are going for! A cute snow globe, it's inexpensive and the kids can help make it!

Supply's: 

Jars- canning or some type of jar with a seal. 

Ornaments or figurines. Make sure they fit in the mouth of the jar and they are tall enough to see. 

Glycerin- cake supply aisle at Michaels

Distiller water 

Diamond dust and a chunky white glitter

Small pliers (if you bought ornaments you'll want to take out the eye screw.)

And a hot glue gun. You don't need any fancy epoxy or other glue hot glue works great! 

Step 1. Remove eye screw or hooks from ornament with pliers. 

Next use hot glue and apply to the base of the ornament. Press into the inside of the lid. Hold until the glue dries and its secure. 

Now let that sit a moment , fill your jar almost to the top with water. Add some glycerin. I didn't measure. I just dumped it in! Add lots of glitter! 

Now you are ready to add the lid with your ornament. Carefully add to the jar, it may spill if you have too much water. Screw lid on tight. Turn it over! Now if you need you can add more glitter and glycerin. If the glitter falls too fast you need more glycerin. Be sure to shake well! 

Now you can leave the bottom as is it add a ribbon or lace. I like how the lace made it look more like a real snow globe with a base! 

Simply add hot glue around the outside of the lid, and then apply your trim.

So there you have it! Very easy to do, and hopefull you can avoid the mistakes I made! 

They were fun and now the kids each have their own snow globe! They would make great gifts for the grand parents or teachers! 

Happy crafting!

Missy

Time for a flash sale!

Well I was finally able to buy my own domain name and yesterday I finally became a .com! Yay! To celebrate I am having a sale this weekend only!! 

Stop by my etsy shop and use the coupn code to enjoy 10% off your entire purchase!! Nov. 15-16 only!! 

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Missy 

Christmas decor in the kitchen

I love when everything just comes together! Christmas is my favorite holiday and I alsways decorate around the 1st of November. It usually takes me hours but over the years I have grown to love some of the more simple things that are easy to put up and take down!

This blue box sits on my island I try to keep it cute but often find pencils, Legos and other misc items in there (that's just part of my life with boys I guess) but for Christmas I decorated it with ornaments and some cute little candy cane stripe trees! Very easy and inexpensive to do. 

Sprinkle an assortment of ornaments in various colors and sizes. I even used some mini garland balls that I spray painted silver!

I wrapped this adorable snowman and snowflake wire garland around the outside! And that was it! 

So many fun things to do! My kitchen is red and turquoise which was so fun to decorate this year! 

Last year I made this table runner from fabric scraps and a matching mini ruffle tree skirt for my tiny white tree. I didn't get to make it until late December, so I am glad I get to put it out early this year!

It was fun to add simple elements of Christmas all around the kitchen! Even the window gets dressed up! 

That's the kitchen! All ready for holiday baking and gatherings! 

Maybe I should bake some snicker doodles! 

~Missy 

DIY Christmas Décor- a tutorial

I love to make my own Christmas decor when I can. This past weekend I spent some time out doors cutting fresh pine to create some wonderful outdoor arrangements to decorate my porch! Then it was time to work on the inside of the house! I am in love with anything burlap and love how burlap ribbon looks on a Christmas tree. It is super easy to make, so let me show you how!

 

To start, get yourself some burlap. It can be bought at any fabric store, or go to your local coffee bean roaster, they often give them away. 

Cut the burlap into long strips, mine are about 2.5 inches wide. I always cut with a rotary cutter (they are made specifically to cut things like fabric) but scissors work well too.

 Before we go onto the next step, we need to finish the edges of the burlap. Now if you have a serger (specific sewing machine), just run it through to finish the edges. If not, a simple stitch along the edge with a regular sewing machine will work well too.

I like this look too because it allows you to fray the edge slightly without everything unraveling.

 

Now before we add this to the tree, I want to show you how to make one more of my favorite items. Rag ball Ornaments! 

You will need some type of Styrofoam or paper mache balls. The ones I use are 3” in diameter. For the fabric, you don’t need much. 1/4 yard would be plenty. I cut 6 strips that were 1 1/4” wide by 10.5” long. 

Begin by taking 1 strip and use hot glue to glue the 1st strip to the top of the ball. Wrap around and glue the bottom over the top. Continue this process until you have covered the entire ball. I will alternate where I glue so all of the glue isn’t at the top.

Once you have covered the entire ball. Add a hanger. I used twine to keep it rustic looking. Tie a knot at the bottom, dab in hot glue and attach to the top of the ball. I also used a long quilting pin to secure it in place.

 Time to add them to your tree! I twist the garland as I wrap it around the tree.

 

This one shown is what the serged edge looks like. I used a contrasting thread here.

And there you have it. Wonderful handmade decor that is very affordable. These would make such great gifts! You can customize them to match any decor, experiment with other fabrics such as cotton, muslin and lace! 

If you are uncomfortable attempting DIY tree décor for the holidays, I know that Shutterfly has customizable Christmas ornaments you can create pretty easily. Have fun! 

I would love to see what you create! If you instagram, please use #thelittlegreenbean on your DIY Christmas projects for a chance to be featured!

Enjoy your projects!

~Missy

The little green bean

DIY holiday porch decor

I love fresh pine arrangements and this past weekend I spent some time putting some together! Halloween came down and Christmas went up!!

If I don't decorate early, I'm not able to. Soon I will be sew busy making stockings and tree skirts for my shop! So I have to do it when I have time, and I do really enjoy it! Makes me happy!

All but 2 of the pots I did myself. The others I bought from my friends over at West Tischer Cottage! 

I love to keep everything natural. Old skis, snowshoes, sleds and ice skates are some of my favorite pieces to use!! 

Here is one of the great pieces that was built by the girls at WTC! I just love it!! 

These arrangements are super easy to make. I did buy some fresh greens from The Home Depot. They have a great selection. I also bought some natural looking berries and pine ones from Hobby Lobby! Take any old or rustic looking container and just arrange your items until you like it. I don't use any dirt or filler in the bucket. Just stuff things in! They hold up great and look fresh all winter long! 

I use some white lights throughout the decor and the front of the porch and I just had to have these adorable burlap owls from The Home Depot!!! They are just too cute! 

Now we need a few inches of snow!! Yup I said it! The "s" word. snow!! Can't wait! 

I hope I have inspired you & some fresh pine arrangements!! 

Missy