I got laid off yesterday. Not “fully” laid-off, but reduced to part-time (20 hours a week with no benefits). Of course, they said it has nothing to do with me, yadda yadda yadda, and I do a great job and whatnot, but unfortunately, the economic situation is demanding some cuts in overhead. And yes, marketing […]
Author Archive | Lauren Dahl
College, schmollege! (And my self-led degree program)
So, I went to college. Twice. And it was fun and all that. But, as it turns out, I went for something I’m not interested in doing for the rest of my life…and, I racked up a large student loan debt that will take me the next three lifetimes to pay back. (Ask me sometime […]
The $5 Wedding Dress
My path to finding an appropriate wedding dress for our Thailand wedding has been an interesting one with multiple detours. First, I purchased a fairly traditional gown at Nordstrom Rack on a whim…even though it was a size 10 (I am a 4-6) and a little “high-school prom” (according to Scott). I reasoned that it […]
Spoonflower Color Chart….(and some priceless Wonton action!)
I was so excited to get home from my bachelorette party in Vegas on Sunday and find a package from Spoonflower! (And, so was Wonton, apparently…) I found this color chart on Flickr and had it printed at Spoonflower to see how all their different colors print. It’s a broad spectrum of 1,000 colors…Yes, 1,000! […]
Natalie’s Toddler Skirt
My future sister-in-law, Laura, just sent me these adorable photos of Natalie, one of her twins, modeling the toddler skirt I made for her. Doesn’t she just look adorable?!
Toddler Skirt Tutorial
Today’s tutorial is for a super easy-to-make toddler girls’ skirt. You will need: Fabric (1/4-1/2 yard - see chart below) Coordinating thread 3/4″, non-roll elastic (child’s waist measurement + 1″) Rotary cutter Self-healing cutting mat 6″x24″ Omnigrid ruler Thread clipper/scissors Safety pin or bodkin Seam gauge Sewing machine Serger (optional) (Don’t let the exhaustive list […]
Typewriter Keys Fabric Design
Spoonflower has a themed, “Fabric of the Week” contest, and next week’s theme is Numbers. I decided to give it a try to see what other fabric designers think of my ideas. For the contest, I mish-mashed a bunch of typewriter key letters that I found at Dafont. I actually entered a black & white […]
Creative Ways to Save Money
Challenging times call for creative thinking, and our current situation is no exception. It’s easy to say, “I’m so broke!” or, “There’s now way I can save money with my current salary!” However, barring extreme circumstances, it’s entirely possible to save money, pay off debt and build a nest egg if you abandon your old, […]
Pears and Apples Fabric Design
I was delighted when my future sister-in-law asked me to sew some placemats for her 2-year-old daughter as a Christmas gift. I decided to take it a step further and actually design the fabric, too! I can’t wait to send this design to Spoonflower and get it printed. I hope it looks as great on […]
Pretty Flowers from Fabric and Vinyl Scraps
I love that embellishing things with fabric flowers and buttons is so “in” right now. First, they’re easy to make…and second, it’s a great way to add some new life to your old stuff with just a small piece of fabric. For the yoyo flower, I used this tutorial on Heather Bailey’s blog. I essentially […]
Turn a 70s Dress into a Gorgeous Skirt
I found a dress at Deseret Industries the other day that absolutely captivated me. The print reminded me of some things in my mother’s closet in the early 80s, so I imagine that it was made sometime in the late 1970s. It also had a well-worn, vintage-looking tag, so I knew this was the real […]
