A Walk in the Clouds

First off go vote for your favorite round one contestant for SYTYCS (me I hope)
I love the outdoors. I grew up taking adventure hikes through the woods with my sister, riding my horse and helping my dad build things in the yard. I loved mowing the lawn because it smelled so sweet and the sun felt great on my face, though it helped a great deal that we had a riding lawn mower. We use to boat on the Gulf of Mexico, putt down the river in search of manatee and swim the day away in fresh springs. Before I had my children, I covered the state of Arizona, by car and by boat. From desert valley floors to alpine peaks, canyon lakes and party coves it’s an amazing and diverse state.
Now that I have two small children it is hard to get out into nature and even harder getting out into nature and relaxing. As a result I spend a bit more time inside or in a more comfortable environment for both me and my kids. I’ve found that when it comes to decorating my home I want nothing more than to bring the outdoors indoors. I cling to earth tones and natural woods, oaks, greens, blues, creams and on occasion a little golden yellow, red and orange. For the master bedroom I wanted to recreate the Arizona sky. We have a large set of windows that let in a ton of light, which is wonderful when I’m not trying to sleep. I have always wanted fluffy white curtains with a lovely shade to block out the light but keep the sky alive.
After 25 yards of fabric and a lot of time on a step ladder I’m really happy to share what I was able to create. This project was larger than I expected it to be and it took a lot of “sleeping on it” to obtain the end results. This is really my first serious endeavor into curtains, drapes and the like. I used my experience designing clothing for my shop to help me along the way. This is also my first round entry for the So You Think You Can Sew contest hosted by MommyByDayCrafterByNight. I’m flattered to be a part of this contest and can only hope, cross my fingers and make a few wishes that I can get past round one. If you love what you see, please take a moment to check out her blog and vote for me! Voting will be open for round one on January 4th & 5th 2012.
Continue reading for a quick and easy rose flower tutorial, just like the roses seen on my curtains.

To make this rose you will need:

*A strip of lining fabric 5" x 44"

*Your sewing machine

*Thread

*Hot glue and glue gun


Step 1: Cut your strip of fabric. I like lining fabric because it is light weight, has a nice sheen and is inexpensive.

Step 2: Fold your strip in half by bringing the two long edges together, right side out. Offset the short end by about 1" and sew a continuous gathering stitch down the long side where the raw edges meet.


Step 3: Gather your piece to 22" or half the original length. Secure and evenly distribute your gather.

Step 4: Start at one short end and roll you fabric tightly about 10 times. Be sure you glue occasionally to hold the flower together.

Step 5: Begin loosely wrapping the rest of your strip around the center. Pay attention to the shape as you go and glue to secure.

Step six: Finish off at the end of your strip by tucking the exposed part out of sight. You may want to add a little glue to the bottom of the rose to help secure its shape.



Please let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
~Amanda~
TenderfeetStitches@gmail.com