Quick Christmas Gallery Wall

Do you have an ugly, blank wall you’d like to liven up and make festive? I made this gallery wall in about 30 minutes and it cost me less than $20. It’s in our basement stairwell, thus why it’s so dark.

Originally I was going to cut all the strings and tags off, but I like that you can see it’s a gift bag. I simply pulled the strings as tight as they’d go and secured them with painters tape on the inside.

Decide which bags you’d like where in your lay out; a good rule to follow is that odd items are more pleasing to the eye.

Start by taping the bag on the inside top flap and the bottom flap to the back of the bag.

Tape the bag together at the top to keep it from opening.

Then tape the back using 6,000 pieces of rolled painters tape. It’s important to change the direction of your tape as you’re laying the rolls down. I’ve found that about 1″ rolls work the best.

Be sure to alternate the direction of your tape as you go, it helps hold it secure without slipping out of the tape roll.

I like to start in the middle when making a gallery wall, so I hung the biggest bag first and worked off of that one toward the sides. Top to bottom. I just eyeballed these for levelness and distance.

Here’s what it looks like from the top of the stairs.

I’m really happy with how this turned out! You can use the bags for giving gifts when you’re all done or in a pinch! There are so many adorable bags out there, give it a try!

Cutting Table Construction

The studio is coming along nicely. I’ve been working on getting my cutting table done. It’s 60″ x 40″ so it will fit a whole yard of fabric nicely.

The ever helpful guy at Home Depot making cuts for me.

Home Depot will make the first 2 cuts free, this gentleman was so helpful! Plus I kept the salvage pieces for future projects.

It’s very important to wear ear protection when using power tools. In this case, Elsa & Anna headphones.

It’s a piece of 3/4″ Radiata Pine Plywood, the same as I used for the workstation desk top, but this piece for some reason was a bit more finicky and was harder to work with.

I’m not that experienced with selfies, I never know where to look.

It took me 2 coats of stain and I was doing it outside in 40 degree weather. I know, I should’ve just done it in the basement because it took FOUR days for the top coat of stain to dry even after Josh and I moved it inside after day 2. And even then I couldn’t wait so I sanded and sealed it when it was a bit tacky in one corner. I used Feed-n-Wax as the sealant because I like the natural finish better than polyurethane (and it smells better). And I’m really impatient and couldn’t wait to get it into the studio space.

The table top sits on these two trestle legs from Ikea. The trestle legs are height adjustable which will be prefect for when I’m teaching a kids’ sewing class. I haven’t attached it yet, but I will do it in the near future.

Studio Sneak Peek

Everyone wants to know, “When are you going to start teaching classes?!?” My answer is always the same, “Soon!” I want to get things done, but I also want to get them done right. I’ve been working hard at getting the studio up and running. I’m building most of the pieces myself and learning a LOT about woodworking along the way.
Here is a look at the sewing studio progress:

Lincoln, demonstrating how to sit at a sewing machine. I might need to make a pedal booster. I have 4 sewing stations set up right now, with the intention of adding more in the future.

This room used to be a basement bedroom. The vintage sewing machine was a gift from my dad.

Lincoln again, showing how to display flannels. That is a crib rail I scavenged out of the garbage. My Grandmother has the other side she’s going to use to display fabrics when putting a quilt together.

I work on this space every day, and it’s been so rewarding. I’ve also received loads of help from family and friends, especially my friend and sister in-law, Ruth. Maybe I’ll be brave enough to show the before photos some day!

Start at the Very Begining

It’s official. Sara Says Sew is open for business! I’ve posted on Facebook about my first classes offered and more are sure to follow next week. I’m so happy for all the love and support in this endeavor. I even sold out my first class within 4 hours of posting it!

Sara Says Sew has been an idea we’ve been rolling around and developing and shaping over the past few years. I say “we” because without my husband, none of this would be possible. So here’s my shout out to my business and life partner, Josh Patton. Check back for more listings and classes as they become available.

Thanks for all the likes and shares of my Sara Says Sew page on Facebook, more from Instagram is coming too.