Skylight Project

I was recently asked to alter some curtains into skylight covers.  A friend's office has many skylights, and a couple of them were pouring intense sunlight onto the desks directly below them.  My friend wanted me to alter a standard hanging curtain into a square-ish skylight cover that would be suspended from two rods. 

My skylights needed to be 46.5" wide, and 46.5-50" long (they were supposed to bow a little bit).  Since I was altering curtains, half the work was already done for me.  I just needed to cut the curtains down on two sides to make them the correct size, and then add a curtain rod sleeve to the bottom end.

First, I cut the curtain shorter on the right side.  The curtain was now 48" wide.  I also unpicked approximately 2 inches of the curtain rod sleeve (at the top right), so that I could finish the new sleeve edge neatly.

I then pinned 1/2" of the cut side down.  Wide shot:

A closer view:

I was careful to preserve the top curtain rod sleeve.

I stitched the side seam down at 1/4".

Next, I folded that seam inward, and pinned 1 inch down, checking frequently to make sure the curtain width remained 46.5".

Once that second side seam was stitched down, I extended the unpicked curtain rod stitches back out to the new edge of the cover.

Next, I pinned and cut the bottom of the curtain to 51" long.  I pinned and sewed down the bottom edge, again with a 1/4" seam.  I then pinned that new, clean edge to give me a 48"-long cover.  Again, I checked the length of the cover every 5-6 inches.  With such a large project, you need to be careful.  This also gave me my sleeve for the second curtain rod.

Sewing the bottom curtain rod sleeve:

As I have mentioned before, in my towel hoodie tutorial, with large projects I prefer to roll up the project for easier maneuvering.  Then I feed the project into the sewing machine slowly, with my right hand guiding the un-sewed portion in front of the sewing machine, and my left hand guiding the already-sewed portion from behind the machine.  I sew slowly, and adjust the fabric very couple inches.  In this way, the weight of the project does not pull my stitches all over the place.

The finished project.  Now you can see the finished curtain rod sleeves, on opposite ends of the cover:

The skylight cover, in its entirety:

And repeat for the second curtain.  This one went faster, since I knew what measurements to pin at for each step.

The side seam.  Again, verifying width with each pin:

Once both side seams had been stitched, I again pinned and sewed the bottom hem, to create a clean edge and then create the second rod sleeve:

Sewing away:

And voila!  Two skylight covers. 

We could of course have made them from scratch, but it was definitely much easier to shorten these pre-existing curtains.  I always had a strong, industrial edge to measure off of when pinning the right and bottom sides.  And it was very nice to have one curtain rod sleeve already made for each!
 
The skylights are recessed into the ceiling.  These extending shower rods will be used to hold the covers in place:

The finished skylights:  

Skylight 1

Skylight 2

 

HOME ORGANIZATION TWO: PORTABLE WORK STATIONS

How do I make my ongoing projects more portable?

AT HOME (The Macro-Tote)

Before I add stuffing to the mix, plushie construction is very compact and amenable to being folded up and tucked out of the way (my looms and bins of supplies on the other hand, will always expand beyond their designated sections of floor and shelf space...)

What I usually do is this: I have a large portable work station  that I can cart around the house (it's a BIN DRAWER--so convenient!).  This box of items contains all of the smaller odds and ends that I would need to work on a plushie: a few pieces of fleece and felt, my boxes of thread, my bag of scraps, my bag of patchwork eyes, my idea notebook, my sewing notions, extra scissors and pens.  I should note that I have several boxes of colored thread and several bins of fleece, so I only include the colors that are relevant to my current projects in "THE BIN."

All smaller scraps of fabric and my numerous tiny items (like my ever-growing piles of hand-sewn eyes, my thread, and my sewing notions) are kept in clear Ziploc bags, to facilitate organization and sorting.


Current Brainstorm: Mini-Ornaments or Keychain Fobs

I usually keep my sewing machine and my gigantic bag of stuffing tucked away in the corner until I need them, although they are technically also portable.

The sewing machine usually lives on a worktable or tucked away in a corner.

Only need a little stuffing? I'll just unclamp the bag and grab a handful!

OUT AND ABOUT (The Mini-Tote)
When I go out and want to bring a craft project with me, I of course cannot take quite so much in the way of supplies.  That is when these Ziploc bags perform their second function--I can take a couple of these small, categorized baggies with me in a crafting tote, and know that I have everything I'll need to work on that specific sub-project if I find myself with extra time on my hands.


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All of this fit into two baggies?!

HOME ORGANIZATION ONE: SORTING AND STACKING!

You have sooo many craft supplies!  You pack them away in boxes and then you can't find anything!  Someone needs to borrow your scrapbooking supplies and you can't find them!

Now, I'll readily admit that I have more craft supplies than I can handle.  But I have found a couple home-organization techniques to be very helpful.

 

ONE: CLEAR, STACKABLE DRAWERS

Must have more stacking!

No, this is not the most elegant storage solution.  Yes, it is plastic.  But I can see what is in each drawer, and I can even unsnap the drawers and re-order them if I need to.  And I can add SMALLER drawer bins on top!  The small, three-drawer bin in the upper left holds most of my sewing equipment, so in a pinch I can just take it with me to my craft table or out to a crafting party.



 

TWO: CLEAR, STACKABLE BINS

An otherwise empty corner of my closet:
Wrapping paper, fabric, and my misc. bin.

I used to randomly buy attractive or cheap bins and boxes whenever I needed more storage space, and I would hoard and reuse cardboard boxes that were lying around the house.  But I eventually realized that it really does make a difference if your containers A) are clear, B) are stackable, C) are relatively airtight, and D) have comfortable handles. 

You can immediately see what is stored in each bin or drawer, and you can be sure that all of your bins, new and old, will stack on each other (and you'll have the bonus of having them match). 



My main stash (8 bins of yarn, fleece and felt).

You don't have to worry about creepy bugs nesting in your yarn and waiting to surprise you, and you know that when you need to carry the filled bins around, the handles won't cut into your fingers.  It's also probably a good idea to choose bins that E) will not be too large or heavy when filled for you to lift and carry on your own, when necessary.

 

 

THREE: SMALL BOXES & BAGS



Left: Jewelry and embroidery supplies, my bag of buttons...
Right: My ribbon box; very sparkly!

I am not as super-organized with all parts of my life, but I do find it helpful to keep my crafting supplies somewhat organized.  Through accumulated headaches and experience, I eventually realized that it can be very helpful to have each bin or bag contain one category of supply, so that you can easily find or reorganize your stash.  Small, clear packaging, like food containers and sealable baggies, can help you keep your piles of beads and buttons under control.  These can even be stored in a larger bin or drawer to streamline storage and sorting even more.

FOUR: (OPTIONAL): HANGING SHELVES

Frequently-used items.

We still use a couple of these for storing everyday clothing.  But I am paranoid about leaving crafting supplies sitting out for months at a time in an open container, steadily accumulating dust and bugs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A friend's storage solution for
all those tiny craft supplies.

I ended up buying two of the clear, hanging sweater shelves that had a zip-up front for this reason.  I stored my yarn in them, and it was nice to be able to see what I had.  But one of the zippers broke early on, and I found that I had to be careful not to overload each of the little shelves.  These shelving units would probably work best for more lightweight supplies like ribbon or stuffing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIVE (OPTIONAL): HIGH SHELVES ON BOOKCASES

 

As a shorter person, I cannot actually use the top shelves of a bookcase.  This means that they either get designated as someone else's book territory, or they get commandeered as a display and storage zone.  Here, I have a difficult-to-store belt loom with an unfinished piece that becomes an instant art piece.  Throw in a few finished plushies and some framed pictures, and we have tons of personality.

SIX (OPTIONAL): DECORATIVE JARS

This storage method is nice if you have lots of a pretty and perhaps difficult to store item, like extra-long knitting needles or dozens of chopsticks and drink stirs.  It does take up counter space, if you are short on that, but it can turn your compulsive knitting-needle-buying habit into a decorative bouquet.   Simply find an attractively narrow yet sturdy jar, and voila! 

For more customization: select a narrow food jar or box that is strong enough to hold your items and has a clean lip that will not rust or scratch.  Lightly paint the container in craft glue, then wrap it in decorative paper or fabric (a friend uses hoarded scraps of wrapping paper and origami paper to great effect).  Cover a couple inches at a time, and smooth away all of the air bubbles as you wrap.  Cover the rough edges at the top with a thin strip of matching paper or ribbon, and you have an instant accent piece.