My World View Tee

 

 This little guy was in dire need of some new shirts, I am picky when it comes to what is on my kids shirts probably borderline overbearing but I found this great globe print on Pinterest and knew it would make this shirt awesome.

I recycled an old grey t-shirt that I've had in my stash for a while. I made a pattern using one of his shirts and took advantage of the already hemmed bottom for the sleeves & hem line. after getting it cut out this shirt probably took me a total of 20 minutes and I still have left over fabric to make a second shirt. Thanks Old Navy for your clearance men's shirts.

Sign your Art: Handmade Labels

 Labels are always an after thought when it comes to creating, you use it to tell which way is which or the size but after stumbling upon a homemade dress at the thrift store and noticing no tag I realized that a tag can be used as a signature, years from now when I'm out of my black and white chevron phase hopefully someone will know that whoever this Tangible Artiste is, they put a lot of work and thought into this specific item and will take better care of it because it's handmade.
Want to make your own labels, here is the easiest way EVER!

• Make your labels in office or open office (which is what I use) by using a business card template (this guarantees proper spacing for folding
• Iron freezer paper onto your cotton fabric (any color works, but white is always the best contrast) 
• Cut your fabric to the size of a regular piece of paper, make sure that there are no strings, wrinkles, and that every corner is securely attached to the freezer paper
• Print
• Let the Ink dry then peel off your freezer paper

•  Pour white vinegar into a baking pan and soak your labels for 5 minutes (this will make it color fast)
• Let dry since it was a nice day out I just hung it outside to dry, but since there is now snow on the ground in May you could always use a blow dryer or hang it up to dry inside.

• cut your labels out so that you can fold the bottom part up, and right sides facing together stitch the sides, trim seams, turn right side out, and iron flat. when you stitch your binding for the neckline just insert the tag and stitch into place. 
• ALL DONE!

Finding Inspiration

To me there is nothing better than flipping through a good sewing book or magazine. Don't get me wrong I pinterest like the rest of you, maybe even more than; but when you can get away from the screen and get inspired by a vintage book or a well thought out magazine I think that's magical.
Here is why I prefer vintage sewing books, there are no short cuts! If I want a well tailored garment I have to, well, tailor it. It's a reminder to take my time, think through my process and detail before I jump in. The diagrams are simple looking, it doesn't hinder my creative process by getting stuck on a certain fabric pattern, or design. 

My other learning source is BurdaStyle Magazine. I've belonged to the website for a couple years now, but only as of last year did I start sharing my stuff. I just found out they have a magazine (how daft, right?) but it is seriously the best purchase I have ever made. for $7.50 an issue you get an average of 54 patterns. That is 54 patterns a month! you couldn't even buy a sewing book with that many patterns! If you are looking for a good sewing magazine, get this one!

Ruched Shift Dress

 I got the idea for this dress from Pinterest, I've been wanting a comfy jersey dress but jersey has this amazing ability to show every body flaw.

Ruched sides take care of that and adds a simple detail to a otherwise plain shift dress. This is gonna be the perfect dress for me at the salon, minus the high heels & add a cardigan or blazer.

Happy Birthday Boy!

 

 Our April Fools baby turned 1 over the Easter weekend, so we did a lot of family celebrating. Lots of pictures ahead!

Easy Neckline binding tutorial

It has been crazy around our house lately and I'm figuring out how to balance it all, I'll be back in full swing after Easter but for now check out this amazing tutorial by Megan Nielsen on a knit neckline binding. I have a project in need of this very technique! Happy Easter!

Maxi Skirt BandWagon

 

A fellow red head & friend wanted a maxi skirt made from this beautifully stripped fabric. It originally was a dress but while ripping a seam out the fabric snagged and being the very lightweight jersey it is there was no way to rescue the bodice. However I love this fabric as a skirt and will be trying a dress at a later date, maybe when things aren't so up in the air over here. 

I love how rich the blue looks, and the not so perfect stripes gives it such character.

Jewelry Box Update

I've had the same little jewelry box since I was in high school, my sister gave it to me and I loved it, but the mirror broke, bracelets & necklaces have been hanging out and I can't find 2 matching earrings to save my life. I found this lovely antique music/ jewelry box at the thrift store and fell in love. I love the wicker detail, the yellow upholstered insides and the 3 separate drawers. I knew that a fresh coat of paint was all it needed to really give it a fresh spring life. So while enjoying a Thursday night of CBS I sat down and relaxingly painted my little jewelry box. I really couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Adelle keeps putting her jewelry in there. Maybe one day it will be hers but for now I'm going to enjoy matching earrings & a clean dresser top.

Fred Astaire's Pants Modified

I recently saw Sabrina for the first time and I fell in love with Fred Astaire's... pants. I think a good pair of trousers is a must have and so I thought to myself "brain how could I make these pants?" Enter Old Man Pants! I found these great pair of pleated front "old man" pants at the thrift store and got them for .99 cents! Yea that's right less than a buck! I love these pants and I can't wait for warm weather. Read more on how I altered them.

Harem Pants

Sophie is the Australian mama behind Cirque Du Bebe and the wonderful creator of this amazing and versatile tutorial. She has probably had the most influence on my sewing with knits, and blew my mind when she said she got her crazy and amazing printed knits from thrifted Tees! BRILLIANT!

I've had this pinned forever, even before harem pants became a main stream kid thing, well urban mainstream, In little old Nebraska I can pretty much guarantee you wouldn't find them in store. I whipped up the pattern and pants in about 2 hours, including a 20 minute break to cut Brett's hair so seriously this is an awesome pattern and offers the chance to give a boy style and detailing. Head on over to her blog by clicking the link above. If anything you'll leave inspired and with an itch to thrift.

Baby Boy Romper Tutorial

This little guy has obviously gotten over his underweight issue, The little chunk! I've had so much fun making him sleepers and perfecting my technique. I experimented with different decorating ideas, drawing on the sleeper, printing a Charlie Chaplin silhouette and of course I found this gingham and squealed with joy. I love a little boy in gingham! Wanna make one for your boy or girl. continue to read!

Romping Around

Contrary to post history, I have been a busy worker. I like to tackle 12 projects at once, so we are in the process of painting our entire house, I am now a stylist at Hair Masters, (In the Nebraska area? come see me!) And of course all the other duties that go along with being a mom in this modern age. However, I have been working on a project & pattern for the past two weeks and I'm excited to share it next week. Enjoy your weekend and get some good knits out so you can make these awesome sleepers.

It's A Name Changer

I have been struggling with my blog name for a while now, At one point people called me Willow for hair school but its been kind of hard to explain to people why the name was Willow Would when my actual name wasn't willow. Well anyway, I finally decided to stop fighting myself and change it while my brand & blog are still young.
I've been taking an online course from Elsie & Emma on A Beautiful Mess which I highly recommend to anyone who is looking into a small business or shop. There were a lot of points that I had never thought about, like before choosing a name decide what you want to feature, who your audience is, and where you want to be able to take your business. MIND BLOWN!
I am a jump in with both feet kind of girl so when I finally decided to change my name I spent all my time pondering names, looking at websites, and researching available domains, believe me this was a lot harder than I thought it would be and actually put me in a funk. I had my list of names, "Ambitious, Open Window, Dizzy Girl Studio...etc. My favorite runner-up was The Half-Ass Artiste, which was nixed because I didn't want my kids telling people I was a half-ass, and believe me, logos were made.

It wasn't until my friend Jenna mentioned the word Tangible that the ball finally landed on something. Tangible encompasses everything I do; sewing, hair, home, kids, challenges. I like art that i can use everyday, do everyday! It was perfect. SO after checking for the available domain and buying it Willow Would is now The Tangible Artiste.

I'm so excited about this move, and I hope you like it too. If you use the old URL you will be redirected to The Tangible Artiste, and that includes any links to projects on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter. If you are an email follower the RSS feed will be transferred as well, it may take a little time but hopefully by the end of this week everything will be set. 

V-Day Banner

 I've been looking for a way to decorate for holidays without going overboard with cut outs and clutter so I ordered these wooden flags from Say Hello Shop, painted them with chalkboard paint and now they can be used for every holiday, even birthdays!
Adelle was excited to do a project and it gave us a way to help her practice writing letters. For only $10 this is probably one of my favorite purchases from Etsy.

Pop of Color Block Tee Tutorial

 

 I love how this shirt turned out, probably one of my projects that will get a lot of wear and I love this sea foam green contrast next to the heather grey. This I deem as the Mama Uniform! Comfy jeans, a semi fitted tee and my moccasins. Sadly the moccasin craze hasn't caught on that much in Gretna but I'll wear mine proud.
Wanna make your own color blocked tee, click read more for the tutorial!

Inspiration: Pop of Color

1/2/3/4

I tend to lean towards the neutrals when it comes to clothes, It might be the red hair or the fact that I spent a year and a half in black while doing hair school but you'd probably laugh at my collection of oatmeal colored sweaters. I found this idea and I thought it was brilliant, just a little color, add a little detail to a plain sweater or tee.

I'll be posting a tutorial later this week so if you have a plain shirt lying around grab it and some fabric paint and be back later this week!

Crib Bumper Remake & Tutorial

So I'm sure someone is going to say that you shouldn't put a bumper on a crib and for the most part I agree, however Adrian is almost 10 months old, and his chubby little head can't get between the mattress and bumper, I can't even get a finger between the two so I'm not worried. Click "read more" for the full tutorial.

Girl Leggings Pattern & Tutorial

 

I whipped these little leggings up in less than a half an hour! Adelle is completely in love with them and has worn them to bed, to play and to school. I made these 2 days ago! Interested in making your own pair? Well I have the pattern for a pair all ready to go so download here & here, grab some knit fabric and whip up the easiest piece of clothing to make; perfect for these cold January days.

Click read more for the tutorial.

Tee Shirt Remake & Cowl Tutorial

 

 I had my eye on this scarf at Target before winter even began. I have a strong love for geometric print right now, but being the cheapo I am I waited till it was finally 50% off and snatched it up to rework.

As for my shirt, it too was a clearance find. I wanted it to be a little long in the torso so I grabbed an xxl and gave it a curved hem. If you have some wardrobe pieces in need of a change, click read more to get to the know how.

Photo Back Drop How To

One of my biggest struggles in my house is finding a clean background to get a good picture. When we first moved in I had the brilliant idea to paint our living room walls this sponged green and brown effect, which looks cool at a certain time of day but in pictures it always looks xbox green and throws everything off. Since it would be too much work right now to move everything and repaint the living room I decided/ obsessed over the idea of making a back drop that could be easily stored. 

Benefits of a plain white backdrop is literally endless, it opens up a whole box of editing options plus it makes it easier to focus on the subject rather than the surroundings. Read more to learn how we made it.