Celebrate Independence

{{Quick and Easy tutorial}}

My mantle needed a new look.   

Since Independence Day is coming up, I figured I could change things up with some red, white and blue.  Why not get a little patriotic?

Bring on the Red, White, and Blue!

I didn’t want to go overboard with the decorating, but I did want to focus on the red, white and blue.

I wanted to make a {quick and east} ‘flag’ banner for the mantle.  I already had red felt cutouts {that I started for Valentines’ day-obviously didn’t happen!} so I figured I should use those!  I wanted to add another layer to the red, so I found some fabric {sparkly and star} from my fabric stash that I thought could work. 

Here is a Quick and Easy tutorial for the banner!

Supplies: 

Red Felt

Fabric of choice
Ribbon
Sewing machine/ Thread
Scissors
{optional} Heat ‘n Bond iron on backing

To make a pattern for your banner ‘flags’, I cut 4” x 6” rectangle from a piece of paper, folded it in half, and then (starting on the non-folded side), cut from the bottom corner diagonally up and ending roughly 2” from the bottom of the folded edge.

·      Trace the ‘flag’ pattern you made and cut out a second pattern.  Now we will make the second piece to the pattern.  Taking the second piece, cutting along the NON folded edges, cut off roughly 1cm on both the angle and the straight edge.

·      Starting with the felt, cut out the number of ‘flags’ you want for your banner.
 {Optional} With the fabric, iron on the ‘heat ‘n bond’ to the back side of the fabric.  Make sure you have enough of the backing to cover fabric to cut out enough of the ‘flags.’

·      Next, cut out the smaller size ‘flags’ with the fabric.

·      If used iron on backing, peel off back and iron onto the felt pieces.

·      Sew the fabric onto the felt.  *Not necessary if iron on backing used, but I did to create a more finished look.

·      Take ribbon and pin the ‘flags’ on ribbon.  I left roughly 2inches between ‘flags.’

·      Cut excess threads.
Done!  Hang up your flag banner! 

   And, celebrate Independence Day with a new 

{red, white and blue} banner!

Happy 4th of July! 

Wrap it up!

Pillow Wraps 

{Pillows - with a twist!}

A while back I wrote about my sewing machine I call ‘Pillow Maker’. 

Well, ol’ Pillow Maker is back to doing what she does best.  Making Pillows.  Sort of.   

I’m trying something new - pillow wraps!

‘Pillow wraps’ are basically a band that goes around a pillow.  I love the idea of wraps because you don’t have to get an entirely new pillow in order to change up the look.  You can add the ‘wrap’ to any pillow. 

I liked the idea of a wrap, so I thought I’d give it a try.  This is the first attempt at a pillow wrap. 

I made it reversible- One plain side.  One patterned. Options are always good!

Both sides embroidered with a word.  

‘Sunshine’

‘Smile’

Who doesn’t love a little sunshine, or a smile?!

I love the combination of the two patterns- patterned pillow with patterned wrap.  But I also like the plain side because it causes the embroidered word to show more. 

And, the chevron pattern looks great on a plain colored pillow too. 

Endless options! 
 

The hardest part is deciding which pillow to put the wrap on and which side of the wrap to have showing!  Fortunately, because the wrap can easily be taken on and off, you can change it as often as you’d like.   
Which I do.  Almost daily! 

Pillows, with a twist!

{Coming soon to the HankOrange shop!}
 

If you could have a word on a pillow wrap, what would it be? 

Half way. Where does the time go?

Once upon a time there was a little boy.

He made his grand entrance, not by choice, but by force.    

And he arrived at a whopping 10lbs.  Ten pounds of pure boy. 

And that sweet boy I held in my arms for the first time 5 ½ years ago just finished his last day of pre-school.  

And today, he is halfway to turning six.  SIX!  What?  

And at the end of summer, he will start kindergarten.

And I’m sure in the blink of an eye he will be graduating high school. 

That boy has always been my ‘little man’.  Today, marks his half birthday. He is halfway to turning six.  SIX!  What?  

My little boy is literally becoming a little MAN. 

How did that happen?

Where did the time go?

 

Happy half birthday to you, Little Man.   Today, we celebrate you.

You make me so proud to be your momma.

Cupcake Wrapper 'Flower' Wreath

Cupcake Wrappers + Pins + Fabric = New Spring ‘Flower’ Wreath
{Quick and Easy Tutorial} 

Supplies Needed:

Cupcake wrappers  {I used white, but any color works!}

Felt {or fabric} strips

Foam Wreath

Pins

Ribbon or another strip of fabric {to hang}

I wanted something new and spring-ish to hang over the mantle.   

And, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time creating it. 

I think this wreath took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish and hanging over the mantle! Perfect.

I had a styrofoam wreath from a previous Christmas project that was already wrapped with felt.  But, the process to cover the wreath is quite simple.

I cut strips of felt roughly two inches wide and then wrapped them around the wreath until the entire thing was covered with the felt/ fabric.

See tutorial and instructions here

Once the wreath is covered with the fabric, you are ready to add some ‘flowers’

Take the cupcake wrappers out of the package and fold in half, then half again {basically creating a triangle shape}.  Continue with the other cupcake wrappers until you have the desired amount.  I think I used 40 wrappers. 

Once you have a pile of folded wrappers, pile them on top of each other. 

Push a pin through. 

Then move/ arrange the wrappers into a ‘flower’ shape.   The more you use the bigger the ‘flower’ {and the harder it can be to pin onto the wreath!} 

I think I used roughly 8-10 wrappers per ‘flower.’   

Pin onto wreath. 

Continue creating ‘flowers’ until you have the desired look.

I put three ‘flowers’ on one side and one on the other.

Take ribbon to tie around the top of the wreath in order to hang it from the wall.  I used a strip of white and orange polka dot fabric because I wanted to add a hint of orange {of course!!} to it!  

I like the way it turned out. 

Simple.  Neutral.  Fun.
And, it adds some springtime cheer to the mantle.

*Need to get a photo of the wreath actually hanging on the the wall above the mantle!*

Next time I might use a bright and bold fabric with a pattern to wrap around the wreath.  Or brightly colored cupcake wrappers.  Or both!

What do you think? 

Add A Little Color!

Need a Quick and Easy way to add a little color?

Why not a simple table runner?

 {Quick and Easy Tutorial!}

HankOrange Table Runner/ Flowers from Target

I wanted {needed} a little spring color added to my kitchen table. 

A good way to add some color- table runner! 

So, I thought I’d make a quick table runner.   I found some fun aqua fabric recently at the fabric store and I used scrap fabric that I had left over from other projects for the back.

This runner is simple, quick, and adds a fun pop of color to the table! 

Measure. Cut. Pin. Sew. Turn right-side-out. Iron. Top stitch.  Done!

Ready to make one?
 

I think from start to finish {after deciding what size I wanted it to be} it took less than 20 minutes.   Easy peasy!

Supplies Needed:

*Fabric

*Scissors

*Thread

*Sewing Machine

Decide how big you’d like your runner to be.  You can make it any size.  
{Mine is roughly 13” x  30”}

First, measure your two fabrics, then cut.  You can measure and cut one piece, then lay the second fabric over top and cut.  I used two different fabrics, but you can easily use the same {and save yourself time too}!

Next, pin the two pieces together.  Make sure the RIGHT SIDES of the fabric are facing. 

Sew together. 

 *Make sure to leave an opening {roughly 4-5 inches} so you can turn right-side-out.

When done sewing the pieces together, cut the corners off next to the seam.  This will take away the extra bulk when you turn the fabric the right way.

Turn the fabric the right way, by pulling it through the seam opening.

Iron.  Pay attention the opening and make sure when you fold in the raw edges, the fabric aligns on both sides.

Top stitch around the entire thing.

Done! 

Now find a surface that needs some extra color and put your new runner there!

Flowers from Target

My new runner is now on my kitchen table! 

Where will you put yours?! 

Headbands for a Cure!

We all know someone whose life has been affected by cancer.

Some of us have lost loved ones in the battle against cancer. 
Some of us are currently helping a loved one fight against cancer.
Maybe your mother or father has cancer. 
Your sister or your brother. 
Your best friend. 
Your child. 
Yourself. 

Cancer does not discriminate; it affects us all in one way or another.

I recently found out a friend was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

The news hit me like a punch in the face.   Why? How? So many questions ran thru my head.  I know so many others have faced the same situation.

HankOrange wants to do something to help those fighting cancer. 

I am participating in my community ‘RelayFor Life’ event, put on by the American Cancer Society, at the beginning of April.   

Along with raising money through donations {donate to Relay for Life here},

I wanted to do more.  One small way I can give back is doing one thing I do best- Sew.

I am creating ‘Hank for a Cure’ HankOrange headbands.   The headbands will have a small ‘ribbon’ embroidered on the side.  50% of the proceeds will be donated.

I will be selling the ‘Hank for a Cure’ headbands at the ‘Relay for Life’ event.

You can also get your ‘Hank for a Cure’ headbands through my Etsy shop or through myself directly. 

If you’d like a headband {or several!}, please let me know! 

Wear a headband for those who have won their battle against cancer! 

Wear a headband to remember those who lost their battle and are no longer with us.

Wear a headband for those who are currently fighting the disease that impacts so many lives. 

Show your support.  Wear a ‘Hank for a Cure’ headband!

Together we can raise money to help fight against cancer.  

One headband at a time!

‘Hank for a Cure’  

 **More headband options coming soon!**

'Pillow- Maker'

{the beginnings of HankOrange}
  

My trusty sewing machine got her name not long after I purchased her over eight years ago.  {Realizing that I’ve had her for that long is somewhat crazy!} 

The first thing I made after getting my new machine was a pillow cover. 

Not just any pillow cover.   

I think I was so excited to sew something, and buy fabric for a purpose, that I turned making a simple pillow cover into a major project.  I cut stripes of various fabrics, and sewed them together in small pieces to create strips, then I sewed all the stripes together to create a ‘brick’ type look.  I added piping around the outside, I put a zipper in.  
It was a no-joke pillow cover. 

I was pleased with how it turned out.  It was sewn well; all the edges were straight, the zipper seams were smooth, the pillow fit nicely inside it.

But it was finished.

I needed a new project.  Why not another pillow?!   

So I made another.  

And another.

I ended up making at least 5 or 6 more.  Because what guest bed doesn’t need 5 or 6 throw pillows on it?  {did I mention it was a twin bed?} 

It was a bit much.

    

My husband asked me one day, in all seriousness, “Is the only thing you can make pillows?!”

Guess that was my hint.  Stop with the pillows!   Since then he has referred to my sewing machine as ‘the pillow maker.’   And the name stuck. 

Since that day, ‘pillow-maker’ has made countless items and helped me with numerous projects.  And, these day, not many pillows.

‘Pillow-maker’ helped me create HankOrange {along with my embroidery machine}.

My Grandmother once said, that as long as I could hide behind my sewing machine, I would be fine.   She was joking, but there is a lot of truth in the statement! 

We’ve shared many years together -- that basic little sewing machine and I.  
‘Pillow-maker’ has been with me through deployments and several moves.  We’ve shared good times and bad times. 

I’ve shared many late nights with her, and many early mornings.  I’m sure we will share many more! 

Thanks for the being there for me through the years lil’ 'Pillow-maker!'

Lace Headbands

HankOrange has a new line of headbands!

{LACE!}

I wanted to try something new with the HankOrange headbands. Something a little more ‘girly’ and feminine.

These headbands are similar to the other ribbon headbands; they have the velvet non-slip backing, and stay in place without slipping.  But the lace adds a softer, more feminine look.

You can not only wear this headband for work-outs; you can also wear it to work!

One happy customer says, “As a fitness instructor, the last thing I want to worry about is my hair while teaching a class. My HankOrange lace headband isn't just cute and stylish, but stays in place burpee after burpee.  I can't say the same about the other headbands.”   Rebecca

Bring on the lace!  

LACE headbands come in three colors {White, Cream, Tan} 

Get yours here!