Here is a brief promo video on my book Decorating Sewlutions. It explains that only 3 basic and super easy sewing techniques that I explain to you in great detail are all you need to make over 100 projects for your home. And, a lot of decorating tips are sprinkled through the book. Check it out!
Posts Tagged ‘decorating sewlutions’
Curtain Tieback Tricks
Monday, August 16th, 2010Suggested placement for tiebacks…
Sill-Length: floor-length curtains or drapes fall into graceful curves if the tiebacks are placed at the height of the window sill.
Placed Low: by placing tiebacks low (about 2/3 of the way down from the top of the curtains), an illusion of a tall, narrow window is created. This effect will obscure light because more of the window is covered by the curtains.
Placed High: to create an illusion of height, place the tiebacks about 1/3 of the way down from the top. This effect will also let in the most light.
Donna Babylon is a DIY and sewing guru. Her latest book is Decorating Sewlutions: Learn to Sew as You Decorate Your Home. Learn more at www.MoreSplashThanCash.com.
Care tips for decorative trim
Friday, August 13th, 2010Trims that are handled constantly, such as fringe on the leading edge of a curtain or on a pillow, can become tangled. These tips will help you make trims more manageable.
- Use a hand steamer or steam iron to steam fringe ends to remove kinks. Use a kitchen mitt on your hand as a portable “ironing board” when pressing already-hung curtains.
- Unruly tassels or fringes can be brushed softly with a hairbrush to untangle and fluff them. Select a brush with plastic bristles that are spaced 1/4 inch apart and have little balls on the tips. Uneven fringe ends can be trimmed with scissors. (However, don’t cut loops or twisted bullion fringes. They will just unwind!).
This tip excerpted from More Splash Than Cash Window Treatment by Donna Babylon.
Color Clues
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010If you are having a hard time selecting a color scheme, turn to your closet. What colors do you like to wear? If you like wearing certain colors, you will certainly enjoy living with those same colors.
Donna Babylon is a DIY and sewing guru. Her latest book is Decorating Sewlutions: Learn to Sew as You Decorate Your Home. Learn more at www.MoreSplashThanCash.com.
Weighing In On Curtains
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Drapery weights will help ensure that your window treatments hang well while giving your curtain a finished professional look. It’s simple to add, just insert a weight into the bottom hem area at each corner and/or botton of each vertical seam. If the weight is not precovered, you must first cover the weight with muslin to prevent the weight from discoloring the decorator fabric.
This tip is excerpted from More Splash Than Cash Window Treatments by Donna Babylon.
Make Your Own Tassels
Sunday, August 8th, 2010Here’s a quick tip to make your own tassels for home decorating…
Cut a piece of cardboard to the length of the tassel. Wrap embroidery floss around the cardboard to achieve the desired thickness. To make the tassel head, gather the floss at one edge of the cardboard and tie it together with matching floss. Remove the cardboard and tie another piece of floss 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the knotted end. Cut the floss loops to create the tassel tails. Tip excerpted from Donna Babylon’s book, More Splash Than Cash Window Treatments
Donna Babylon is a nationally known home decorating expert. Her latest book, Decorating Sewlutions: Learn To Sew As You Decorate Your Home can be found at www.MoreSplashThanCash.com
Tips To Make Your Sewing Projects Go Smoothly
Saturday, August 7th, 2010To make your sewing projects go smoothly, here are a few tips to allow you to work more efficiently.
- Set up a permanent work area for the duration of your project. You’ll lose time and momentum if you have to break down your work area after you finish each day.
- Work on as large a surface as possible. If you’re using a dining room table, extend the table to its maximum size. If all else fails, move away all the furniture and use the floor.
- Make sure you have a good light source in your work area.
- Keep all of your tools orderly and within reach.
- When sewing large volumes of fabric, keep the weight of the fabric from pulling on the needle by positioning a chair in front of and behind the sewing machine to “catch” the fabric as you sew.
- Wind three bobbins before you start a large project; you will always have a spare at your fingertips.
- Start each project with a new needle; needles become dull through use.
- Press by lifting the iron up and down. “Sweeping” the iron back and forth stretches the bias edges and seams.
- Always work with clean hands during the construction process. Avoid eating and drinking in your work area because spills and stains can be the downfall of any sewing project.
Donna Babylon is a DIY and sewing guru. Her latest book, Decorating Sewlutions: Learn to Sew as You Decorate Your Home is now available at www.MoreSplashThanCash.com.
Bringing a Room to Life
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Photo excerpted from Learn To Sew as You Decorate Your Home
Sometimes, it’s the simple things that can take a room from being so-so to becoming sensational. Consider these suggestions for creating an interesting room.
- Determine what shapes dominate the room you are decorating. Look at the shapes of your sofa, television, tables, bed, dresser and so on. If the majority of the lines are squares or rectangles, add some interesting accessories that are circular in shape.
- Do you have either (1) a lot of fabric-covered items in the room or (2) a lot of matching wood surfaces? This sameness can be boring to the eye. An easy solution is to introduce other surfaces or textures such as smooth glass, shiny metallics, or even baskets and rugs. Consider using opposite textures within the same room: rough and smooth, dark and light, shiny and dull.
- Arrange the accessories in the room so they are different eye levels. For example, use two different-sized table lamps in the same room or group together some accessories that are of different heights on a shelf, mantel, or side table.
- Make sure to include area rugs that are in proportion to your furnishing. They will tie the room together.
- Include plenty of green plants in your decorating scheme for texture and a touch of nature. Make the plants part of the grouping-don’t place them off on their own.
Donna Babylon is a DIY and sewing guru. Her latest book is Decorating Sewlutions: Learn to Sew as You Decorate Your Home. Learn more at www.MoreSplashThanCash.com .
Decorating with Fabric
Monday, August 2nd, 2010Mix, match and mingle fabric to your heart’s content! Part of the fun in decorating is to pick pretty fabrics and think of creative ways to use them. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- One of the easiest fabric flourishes is to include a profusion of pillows in your decorating scheme. Select your favorite fabrics and accent them with trim of all kinds.
- Fabric accessories make an inviting dining table. Include napkins, place mats, table runners, a tablecloth, and chair cushions.
- Cover a lampshade with a coordinating fabric–a perfect accessory for any room!
- Slipcover your sofa and chairs for a fresh new decorating scheme.
- One of the most versatile furniture pieces in a home is an ottoman. use it for extra seating, to rest your feet or as a coffee table.
- Add a mantel scarf to make your fireplace a colorful focal point.
- For privacy, make a roman shade from your favorite fabric print.
- A reversible table runner is an easy way to do some quick-change decorating.
From fabric...
to fabulous!
Donna Babylon is a DIY and sewing expert. Her latest book Decorating Sewlutions: Learn to Sew as You Decorate Your Home. Learn more at www.MoreSplashThanCash.com .
Discovering My Book
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010My nephew, Ben, is my book buddy. Our favorite “outing” is going to Barnes and Noble together. We can get lost in the books for hours! Also, when I was writing Decorating Sewlutions, Ben was beginning to write his novel. We got the idea of read each others’s chapters. Ben loved the chapter on color, but wasn’t as enthusiastic on parts of a sewing machine; he found the names of the parts amusing (i.e. bobbin winder spindle). He was such a big help with the manuscript. In one incidence, he didn’t understand what I had written. When I verbally explained it to him, he said “Why didn’t you write it that way”? Good point. He was right. My verbal explanation was much better.
I couldn’t wait for him to see my book on the bookshelves of our store. So, I taped him as he looked for my book. I don’t know who was more excited—him or me!