Soap Dispenser Cover

Let It Snow!

(So what if I did this in 2009 and I am finally finishing and posting it in January of 2011. Better late than never right?)

So after a fun Thanksgiving, what am I in the mood for? Christmas Decorating of course! Last year I was pretty tired as we were expecting our second bundle of joy and I focused mainly on displays in our curio cabinet and the living room. I felt like Christmas ended in our hallway though and determined to extend the decorating to more areas the next year. So this year I started thinking about the bathroom. I had plenty of random decorations that I had been gifted and as I noticed a snow man theme coming out of them I felt a desire to make my soap dispenser match. So out came the christmas fabrics from quilts and tree skirts past.

I decided to use the blue with the snowflake pattern. For the finish I made a bow with a center and six sides out of a white sheer wired ribbon. I looked online to see who else had ever suggested such a brilliant idea before and the only one I found was crocheted. So now you too can copy my idea. Here is the tutorial. I chose this method for a more fitted look, but I can probably come up with an easier one that requires no sewing at all. (Maybe for Valentines day)

Materials used for this project: Fabric, elastic band, thread, sewing machine, safety pin, and ribbon held in place with a single straight pin.

I just used a rough measurement but if you want a better ruffle add a little more fabric to the top. (The triangle you see is what I decided to add on, I could have made it extend farther for more ruffle.) I used the piece of paper to varify the approximate height and circumfrence needed.

I folded the fabric over and created a casing for the elastic. The elastic is thin so I only needed about a quarter inch to slide it through. I use a safety pin to help slide the elastic through and then I pinned the ends in place so I could sew down the side. Turn it inside out and cover your soap dispenser!

I added the ribbon as an extra touch. You can make a bow by starting with the center loop. Then make your next loop angled so it comes back underneath and repeat on the other sides. You can make a bow as big as you like. I just did the six loops arranged around the center one to keep it simple and small--like a snowflake.

I measured the right amount of elastic by wrapping the elastic around and holding it without stretching it.

The fabric is longer than the elastic so it will gather. If you don't have elastic you could probably use a simple ribbon but you would want it to be much longer than the fabric and make a bow. (Maybe I will do that for the Valentine version)

To slide the elastic through you fix a safety pin on one end and start sliding the safety pin through. When the tail of your elastic gets to the end you started on make sure you fix it in place so it stops sliding through.

Now that I have the elastic in place I pin together sides with the wrong side of the fabric out. (That way my seam is on the inside of the fabric)

Add a little hand sewing to hide the extra flap of fabric.

Presto! Now you have a soap dispenser to match your decorations for the holiday season.

Make a bow could be another tutorial, but I will describe it here and see if that helps. You start with the center loop. Then curve your next loop so it makes a point on one side, make sure the ribbon crosses back under the center loop. Each time you will make three points as you guide the ribbon around. Just continue adding pointed loops until you like the size of your bow. I used a straight pin to fix this bow in place because I didn't need to make it permanent. A stapler works as well.

My Resume

So you may be wondering about my qualifications. What have I done before and what are my plans for the future? I have taken a couple pictures of examples of my work.

1998-1999 During my Senior year at Rancho Bernardo Highschool I was in Advanced Women's Ensemble, Advanced Art and Advance Placement English. To be honest, I did not realize my full potential in any of these subjects in High School, but my professors succeeded in stirring my desire to do so.

(The Sunflowers and the Girl are scratchboards that I made in Highschool--I was lucky to get them back!)

1999-2001 While attending Palomar College and focusing on my GED I enjoyed taking Critical writing classes and a Chambersingers course. I also started working on my first big quilting project for my brother and his new wife for a Christmas present. It took me a while to finish since I was a novice. I learned most of my sewing skills from my mother and my friend, but I never took a formal class so it was all by trial and error.

2001-2006 I sang and took a turn directing in my local church choir. Under the guidance of my former roommate and close friend who has a degree in sewing design, I created renaissance costumes for my husband and I to wear to the festivals and for halloween. I also created a quilt of my own design for my first child. The curtains inspired the design. I made the pillows this year to match. I even got the courage to alter a dress pattern for a pregnant friend who would be in a wedding party. (I wish I had a picture of that one she looked gorgeous!) I also got daring enough to design a dress using another dress as my pattern. (Not as easy as using a paper pattern, but possible.)

At this time in my life I was working full time from home as an Apartment Manager. So I did all these things in my spare time (to take my mind off of work since I lived there). My writing skills were used to create newsletters for the apartments and doing a lot of paperwork. I did finish my AA degree in Language Arts by the time my son was 3.

(I will not take credit for the child costume since we bought that at DisneyLand)

2007-2009 We bought a house and started working on it. I have some pictures of what I did--finishing furniture and redesigning a kitchen. Also, since I quit working when I moved I got pregnant (again) and worked on living on a single income. Saving money is definitely more challenging than earning it. My motivation to create rather than spend has increased tenfold, hence this blog. In upcoming posts I plan to show some of the things I have created in the past couple years and then I will be more thoughtful about photo documenting future creations for blogging. Expect to see some clothes I have made for myself, some furniture, and maybe I will even learn how to upload music for your listening pleasure. An ultimate goal of mine for this blog is to create traffic through prize drawings. Since the scratchboards are a more unique talent that I have developed I plan to create some for giving away. I may even take suggestions for subjects to turn into a scratchboard.

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!