One Inspiring Father - Joel Henriques

Gosh, here I was thinking that I was doing a great job by letting my child watch Nick Jr. - "It's like preschool on TV" until I bumped into this blog. Allow me to introduce you to the man that has changed the face of the crafting blog world and has also taken it by storm. My friend Nicole posted one of his crafts on her blog awhile ago and I have been hooked on his blog ever since! Joel Henriques of Made By Joel, pretty much does it all, people! He sews, he embroiders, he is a wood worker, an artist, a genious and most importantly - a wicked awesome Dad! The crafts and art projects Joel features on his blog are most often geared toward children. Joel's 2 darlings are the inspiration for his work, and what 2 lucky darlings they are for getting so many great handmade treasures, games and toys from their father! He is dedicated to bringing natural, simple, hands on and educational fun to his home and he really is someone we should all tip our hats to. Be sure to check him out  - and let me just warn you, it is impossible not to smile when seeing how delighted his children are while playing with their creations!

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Here are some of my favorite art projects that are featured on his blog:

Wall Hanging Box Aquarium

Pop Up Puppets

Cereal Box Marble Run

Small Cardboard Cutouts

Walnut Boats

Slotted Building Discs

Modern Doll House (with handmade modern furniture to boot!)

Joel also is nice enough to provide his readers with free templates to download! Be sure to scroll his site for some good, free fun for your kiddos!

Linked Up

Link ups (a.k.a blog hops) are brilliant! They are perfect for a) the person who has created something and would like to share it with the world and b) for the person who is wanting some new ideas and tutorials to test their skills as a DIYer or c) for the person who wants to be introduced to new craft sites and their authors. I am all of the above! There are a lot of great sites out there that feature a link up list and they run on separate days of the week so you get to spot some handmade goodies 24/7! Here is a very short list of my favorites. Just click on the icon!:

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Mondays

        

Tuesdays



 

Wednesdays

 



Thursdays

     


Fridays

   

Saturdays

   

Sundays

  

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For a larger list check out these blogs:
Paisley Passions
Making the World Cuter
Tools are for Women Too

A Simple Happy Birthday!

I'm a little late on this but as I was driving through the Rocky Mountains on my way to Colorado, I remembered. August 12th marked the 1st birthday of H is for Handmade! I am so perplexed as to how it has already been a year? When I first started this blog, I really didn't know what direction to take it. I still don't. Mainly because I have no idea what I am doing. My blog is so very elementary. The design is basic. The format is standard. It is not adorned with a plethora of buttons and links. It has not caught the attention of, or benefited from any sponsors. And that is why I feel hopeful and maybe even a little validated that it has been somewhat of a success despite such simplicities! I must be doing something right? Right? I merely thought it would be a great way to show modest and inexpensive ways to be innovative in adding character and life to the home and wardrobe. It was more of a journal of my creations and a way for me to make Mom proud that I have inherited her love of crafting! I am thrilled and thankful that this blog has grown to several hundred followers through outlets like, Google Reader, Bloglines, Facebook, and yes, even Twitter. (I totally forgot that H is for Handmade was even on Twitter!)  I am also thankful to all the blog author's that have allowed me to be their guest and grace computer screens around the world! I am also grateful to those who have been a guest on this blog and have supported me and shared their talents with all of us. It has been a great year and I look forward to many more. I may now take my gracious bow! 

Belted Cardigan Make Over - Tutorial

O.K. Class, are you ready? This tutorial is so simple! Today we are making this belted cardigan. Who doesn't love cardigans? I, myself, have a nice collection that is ever growing. I was more than happy to add just one more to the assortment! 

Materials that you will need:

sewing machine

cardigan

fabric of your choice

I picked up my cardigan at the local thrift store. I chose this one because it was light weight and it did not taper at the bottom. It was really well made and oh so soft to touch.  The label says Evan-Picone. I have no idea who that designer is, but let's pretend it's some super fancy brand and I scored on a really great deal! I got it for $4.99!

The sweater also has really lovely detailing. A little matronly, but still lovely!

You will want to first lay your cardigan out and measure the full width of it. 

Use that measurement to cut your belt pocket to the needed length and width. I wanted my pocket to be 2" wide. The width of my sweater was 29" so I cut my belt fabric at 2.5"x 30" for seam allowance. Press the sides down with an iron, making sure you measure carefully as you go. 

Now you will want to sew a small hem on the ends of your belt. I folded my fabric over only once on the sides because I didn't want to added bulk. If you have a fabric that is lighter weight, you may want to fold your ends under twice. If not, I recommend using pinking shears to prevent it from fraying.

This is where you will determine where to put your belt. Are you wanting it just under the chest for an empire waist or do you want it to tie right in the middle? You decide!

Now you are ready to pin your belt pocket (I really don't know the proper term for it!) to your cardigan. Again, measure as you go making sure you have the same measurement from the bottom of the sweater to the bottom of your pocket. Be careful as to leaving the sweater in it's natural state and not to pull or tug on your sweater as you go.

Next, just sew your pocket to your cardigan, leaving the ends open. Weave a belt or sash through and you now have yourself a refashioned couture cardigan! 

You're done!

Here is what the back should look like.

My black satin sash is a nice addition, don't you think?