Spring 2009 Collection

It's here! Several items from SPRING 2009, Beneath The Willow Designs.
There is a wide variety of fabrics and themes up fro grabs. There was a different inspriation behind every set.
I will be listing these and a few other items on www.etsy.com and also on www.ebay.com
you can find my items as well as the other BOUTIQUE WILD CHILD listings by typing BWILD in the search area on the sites.

It worked!

Okay so I tried fusing the plastic bags and it worked! Usually when I try something new like this I make a total mess and it works for everyone but me. I cut the front of the back off so all I had were white panels, no store name visible. Later on this afternoon I put together a new carpet bag pattern I've been drafting. I used my new fused plastic as a liner. Alright I'm thinking, this looks pretty good. Now the true test:
The washing machine. So I toss it in, I'm an abuser, LOL, so I put it on regualr cycle, no gentle for this item. Cycle is over, I take it out and it looks just like it should. It didn't fall apart, so then, I stick it in the dryer. Yes! I put plastic in the dryer!! But that is the only way to test and see if this is something that can really stand the abuse that diaper bags and mommy things go through. Alas, it looks pretty darn good. I'm impressed with myself and new new found skill. If course no I have a fresh from the dryer that needs ironing, but there is no way I'm going to iron it at this point. game over, I win.

Fusing Plastic Bags

I was browsing around over on etsy.com and I always find something new and amazing over there, but this tops them this week.
"Upcycle" your old plastic sacks into wonderful new WATER PROOF items! I'm going to macke a few mats for the car, at least attempt to anyway. Take a minute to read below and I'm sure it will inspire you to create SOMETHING!

Do you have one zillion plastic drugstore and grocery bags under your sink, or perhaps smushed into a drawer? Ever wanted a cheap and easy use for them? One that leaves you with an intriguing and useful homemade craft supply? Do you have an iron? Why don't you fuse them together?

What you'll need
Plastic bags (thin, flimsy ones work best)
Parchment paper, freezer paper or plain old copier paper
Iron (and your favorite ironing surface)
Scissors

Making it
Please do this in a well-ventilated area.

Flatten out the bag and trim the bottom seam and handles off. This allows the bag to be opened up into a larger rectangle of plastic.

Turn the bag inside-out if it has printing on it. Once the ink heats up, it comes off the bag and makes a huge mess. If the bag has an interesting design that you'd like to preserve, try using a clear plastic bag layered on top of the printed one.

We find that between 6-8 layers of plastic gives the best results. So, you can either fold your bag twice until it is 8 ply thick, or use three or more bags layered on top of one another. Trying to fuse less than 6 layers often results in little holes forming in the finished piece and a generally weaker material.

Sandwich your plastic bags between the parchment paper

Next, run a hot iron (we set ours to "rayon," but you will need to experiment a little to see what works for you) and keep the iron moving constantly. Make sure to get the edges, and after about 15 seconds, flip it over and iron the opposite side for a few seconds.

Peel a corner of the paper back to see if the plastic is fused together. It should be fairly smooth and "one sheet" to the touch (watch out, its a little hot). If the layers are not all melted together, iron it some more.

Peel the parchment paper away from the finished plastic sheet. Voila! Now, you can use this stuff to make a million things. We've made re-usable grocery totes, wallets, and floor cushions; I think its an inexpensive way to make waterproof linings for beach bags and make-up clutches.

Zander and Violet

As many of you know, my sister lives in San Diego with her hubby and 3 kids. 3 and a laf year old Kristin, Kiki as we call her and the 6 month old twins, Zander and Violet. They are just so much fun! And ridiculously cute. Jennifer, my little sis, is nursing both babies full time and I give her MAJOR props. We all know hard it is for one baby, but 2?? Heroic. they've been up here in Washington visiting since November and I have enjoyed nealy every minute. I say NEARLY because even though I'm a doting auntie, 2 crying babies can get pretty insane. Now guess what.........both are teething! Good luck Jennifer, you're on your own! LOL

OKAY! Here we go. All my BWILD girlfriends are blogging now, and I finally found a few spare minutes to settle in over here.
Bare with me as I try to figure out this html mumbo jumbo. My problem is.... I get so excited about a new html project, and then when it doesn't work out liek I want to it... I just click on that happy little X in the corner and bid adeu.

On my beanththewillow blogspot, I will post funny tidbits about our life on the farm. From pig chasing aventures, so the oh so mundane task of folding laundry.

But mostly I would like to share my latest sewing adventures with the world. I've been designing since Damian, my sweet 8 year old son, was on his way into this world. Once I became pregnant with him, I had this overwheling urge to create! Seriously, it got wild and messy. I worked full time as a reading specialist with elementary students who were below grade level. But the minite I got home, and ate dinner, I was scrambilng arounf the floor cutting out patterns. Sometime it was quilt blocks, or curtain panels, then I drafted a pattern for a bassinet cover in a sweet barn yard print. Well, it turned otu a little one sided, but it was love at first stitch.

Of course, like every other ebay or etsy designer I had a baby girl and the door just flew open to a whole new world. I'd been making stuff for damian and Kyla, ( my 5 year old sweetie pie) but I had no idea that there was actually a market for this stuff.

I really can't even explain how or when I found custom boutique on ebay, but I'm sure glad I did.

I've been the leader of BOUTIQUE WILD CHILD for over 3 years and I have found the most amazing friends! You can find our item by searching BWILD on etsy.com and ebay.com