{emergency purse kit tutorial -- by terri}

I'm excited to continue this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Terri of The Mommy Shop, 

who has put together a tutorial for a stylish and useful sewing project that's perfect to make as a gift for just about anyone!

Hello all, my name is Terri and I am a huge fan of Astrid's style and creativity over here at Red Red Completely Red. I was thrilled when she asked me if I would be willing to do a guest post for her while they are off traveling. I absolutely love sewing, crafting and using my spare time to come up with new creations for me, my kids and my etsy shop.  However, as a stay-at-home mom of a 2 year old and 1 year old, projects that are expensive,  non-practical, and take more time than what I can finish during the 30 minute window my kids are both asleep at the same time are not at the top of my list.  So today I am so excited to share with you a tutorial for an inexpensive, very practical and time-efficient project I created.  I call it the emergency purse kit!



Supplies:

• 2 pieces of fabric 5" by 9"
• 1 piece of fabric for the pocket 3 1/2" by 9"
• thread
• a hair band
• sewing machine 
• scissors

Skill Level: Beginner.  I am not always the best at explaining things so I like to include a lot of pictures.  I hope that you find this to be both simple and fun!

First you want to take your 3 1/2" by 9" piece of fabric and hem the top under half an inch so it looks nice and finished off.



Next, lay the 3" by 9" piece on top of one of your 5" by 9" pieces.  You will want to make the bottom edge of both fabrics line up as shown below.



Once you have them lined up, you will sew straight lines down the front of the fabric to create pockets.  This is where you have some flexibility.  I sewed six pockets because I had specific things in mind that I wanted my kit to hold.  If you know you have more stuff you may want to use a little bit longer piece of fabric and sew more pockets.  Or, if you know you have an item that will need a bigger pocket, you could sew one large pocket and four small ones, etc. I decided on six pockets, each about one-and-a-half inches apart.



At the top of each pocket, I did a quick back stitch to make sure that the thread will not unravel.  Another little trick to save time and thread is to not cut your thread between each line.  Simply make sure your needle is up, raise the sewing foot and scoot your fabric over the the next line.  I usually go down one line, up the next, then back down again and so forth. Once you are finished, you can go back and cut the thread between each pocket.





Once you have all your pockets stitched, you are half way done.
Next, you will lay the second 5" by8" piece on top of the first 5" by 8" piece with the colored sides of the fabric touching one another.


Now sew down the bottom, around one side and across the top leaving one end open.



Once you have done that, you will turn the fabric inside out.  It may be helpful to use something like a crotchet hook or pen to push the corners all the way out.



At this point you should still have one open end.



You will want to turn the open end in and pin the rubber band inside the pocket it forms.



Now you are on your last step!



Simply sew around the entire rectangle.





And you are done!  These are so easy and affordable to make.  I think these would make great gifts for a bride, bridesmaids, girls going to prom, stocking stuffers for all the ladies in your family etc.  Feel free to add your own suggestions on things to fill it with too!  Mine carries my essentials: mascara, lipgloss, mini lotion, a stick of gum, a band aid, bobby pins, a rubber band and a travel kit of Advil!
If you want to make one of these for your kids you can make the pockets about an inch apart and use it for a crayon roll-up, too.

Thanks, Terri! It looks great! Looks like my family know what to expect in their stockings now...

{dala horse hot pad tutorial -- by the pickled herring}

I'm excited to share this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Kathryn of The Pickled Herring, who has a tutorial for you on making your own Dala Horse hot pad...

Hello!  I was tickled red (ha) when Astrid asked me to do a guest post over here at Red Red Completely Red.  I love Astrid’s simple yet unique style and have loved reading her blog ever since I discovered it just over a year ago.  So thank you, Astrid, for letting me be part of your blog today!

Red. I, too, love red things, perhaps not quite as much as Astrid (or my husband, for that matter), but I love the boldness it can bring to a simple project.  Today I want to share how to do an inverted or reverse appliqué using red as the “popping” color.  The following will be a tutorial for a reverse appliquéd pot holder.

Gather your supplies:

Three 8 ½ inch x 8 ½ inch fabric squares: 2 the same color, 1 red (use a durable fabric)

One 8 ½ inch x 8 ½ inch square of quilting batting 

Scissors – a small, sharp pair would be best

Sewing machine/thread/needle

First things first, pick a simple shape (or a tricky one, if you feel daring).  Make a paper cutout of this shape.  I did a Swedish Dala Horse as my shape since I love all things Scandinavian and am currently doing a Dala Craftalong.

Next, cut out your 3 squares of fabric and 1 square of batting.  I used 2 black pieces of fabric for my main pieces and 1 square of red felt for the popping fabric.

Pin your popping fabric square behind one of your main squares.  Pin your cut-out shape onto the front of these two squares.  I pinned my cutout in the center, but you can change it up and put it on the lower corner or wherever you like.

You can either trace your image directly onto your fabric with a washable fabric marker or sew around the actual cutout.  I chose to sew around the cutout.  Do so very slowly and carefully.  Note: You should be sewing through 2 layers: the popping fabric and main fabric layers.  

Next, very, very, very carefully cut only the top layer out so that your other fabric peaks through.  I pull the popping layer back while I do this.  This is where the small, sharp scissors come in handy.

Be careful not to get too close to the edge.  You don’t want to cut the outline you sewed.

The hard part is over – yay! Now, place the layer of quilting batting behind your appliquéd squares.  Place your other main square on top, right sides together.  So your 4 squares should be in this order, from bottom to top, quilting batting, peaking fabric, main fabric with appliqué, main fabric.  Pin all sides together and sew around the edges, leaving a 2-inch gap in the center.

Trim the edges and trim the corners for an easier time turning it right-side out.  Turn right-side out through the 2-inch gap you left.  Fold the edges from the gap inward and pin.

Sew along the edges, about ¼ of an inch from the edge, starting with the pinned gap.

I like zig zag stitches so I added a zig zag border.

Now, bake or cook something hot so you can use your brand new reverse appliquéd hot pad!

Thanks again, Astrid, for letting me be here today!  I hope you all enjoyed the short tutorial!

Thank you, Kathryn! A beautiful way to carry your hot pots. I'm sure we'll all be by the check out your Dala Horse Craft-along. And, if you're looking for more Dala inspiration, check out my D is for Dala pinboard!

{a spot of red in the room -- with dutch.british.love}

I'm excited to share this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Jadyn of Dutch.British.Love, who has put together a collection of gorgeous interiors for your viewing pleasure, each featuring red elements. Old road signs and Union Jacks? I'm in love...

- - - - - - - - - -

Much like Astrid, I believe a bit of red brings things to life. While red isn't the main ingredient in the rooms here, imagine them without the red pieces in them and you'll see how red makes these rooms,
even if added in small doses.

{JMarx Atelier}

How lovely and vibrant are this fiery red desk and filing cabinet? Looks like such an inspiring and energizing place to work.

{Ellen O'Neill, via House Beautiful} 

This room struck me as very 'Astrid'. A white room with whimsical red chairs and a vintage British road sign? Yes please!

{VTWonen} 

I love the softer red on the painting and chairs here as well, giving this room a lively but slightly softer look than the one above.

{Canadian House&Home September 2009 issue, photography Michael Graydon} 

Just a bit of red on the pillow brings this room to life, don't you think?

{Image from MiCasa} 

Even red in small doses adds vibrancy, this room wouldn't be the same without it. 

Thanks for having me at RedRed, Astrid!

Thanks to Jadyn for the inspiration. We'll be modeling our kitchen after that gorgeous House Beautiful one, for sure! Watch out, neighbourhood road signs...