Ashley Potts

Austin, Tx

A little more about Ashley . . .

What kind of creative projects are your favorite?

I love all sorts DIY…as long as it’s colorful and makes me smile. I lean towards home improvement at the moment as we remodel our 1975 generic home into a fun, colorful space!

When is your most productive time for creating?

It seems to hit me at the inappropriate times..I rearrange rooms before work and always start painting projects at night when the kid goes to bed!

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What is your favorite storage tip for your creative supplies?
I love old cracker, sugar and flour containers – the metal kind from my grandmothers. They are colorful AND have special memories associated, so it’s a double whammy!

Tell me more about your home dec projects. How often do you move your furniture, art and accessories around in your home?

I move furniture, artwork and accessories around every week! Why not, if it doesn’t work..I move it again. It’s a never ending process ’round here.

When you are in your creative mood, do you listen to music, watch tv or do you prefer a quiet spot? If it is music, what types do you listen to? If watching tv, what kinds of shows?

I always have TV on in the background..the usuals are HGTV and the cooking channel. I judge the people remodeling and wonder what I would do in their shoes and when listening to the cooking shows I wonder what it would be like to actually cook!!

Closed Buttonhole Stitch Hand Embroidery Tutorial

The closed buttonhole stitch is a variation on the buttonhole stitch and is used for borders and as an edge stitch. It can be used as an applique stitch, too.

Creative Gift Wrap Ideas

Make use of non-traditional wrapping materials or use what you already have in your closet in a whole new way to package a gift creatively.

Closed Feather Stitch

The Closed Feather stitch is a lovely outline stitch for both curves and straight lines. Often used in crazy quilting and applique, this easy stitch is fast.

Embroidery: Open Cretan Stitch

The open cretan embroidery stitch is used for borders, edges and applique. Its feathery look is light and perfect for adding surface texture to your project.

Fern Stitch Embroidery

The fern stitch is great for vegetation fill on your hand embroidery project. Vary the threads and size of the stitches to convey different sizes of plants.

Pekinese Stitch

The Pekinese stitch makes a great outline where you want more texture with its loops. Perfect hand embroidery stitch for linear surface design.

Cable Embroidery Stitch

The cable stitch works well for straight and curved lines in your embroidery project. It is worked left to right with parallel lines of stitching.

Sugar Skull Embroidery: Free Downloadable Pattern

Handmade items are an important part of Day of the Dead festivities - sugar skulls are the most recognizable. Make decorations for your Dios de los Muertos.

How to Make a Plushie – Stuffed Monster Free Sewing Pattern

Because there is no "Perfect 10" when it comes to monster dolls, these are great beginner projects to sew. Kids and grownups can make them!

Embroidery: Stacked Arrowhead Stitch

The Stacked (or Vertical) Arrowhead Stitch is a variation of the basic Arrowhead Stitch. It can be worked with gaps or close together, often to make leaves.

Bosnian Embroidery Stitch

The Bosnian Stitch is a zig zag stitch that can be used as a row or border stitch, or to fill a space. Sometimes it is called a fence or…

Basic Arrowhead Stitch Hand Embroidery Tutorial

The Arrowhead Embroidery Stitch is a great stitch for a row or border, or as a fill stitch. Two straight stitches are connected to form an arrow shape..

Embroidery: Algerian Eye Stitch

The Algerian Eye Stitch is also known as the Algerian Eyelet Stitch or the Star Eyelet Stitch. It is used in cross stitch, embroidery and hardanger.

How to Make a Sewing Pattern from Existing Clothing

I wanted to pull a pattern for this comfy dress and make more. Make the pattern by tracing the original garment and adding seam allowances. Big pockets, too!

DIY Pen Holder for Notebook

As I used my bullet journal and pen quiver over the past six months, I realized I wanted 5 colors of pens with me, and that I wanted a pocket…

Japanese Lotus-Style Kinchaku Bag Pattern & Tutorial

This is my first sewing project on a sewing machine! My sister helped me make these little bags for birthday gifts to my other sisters.

How To Make a Custom Bag

I bought this lovely leather while in Paris and made a lined bag that had all of the pockets I wanted on the inside, and just the right size for…

How to Make Fabric Fortune Cookies

For Fortune Cookie Day, I thought I'd make fabric ones. I cut circles from fused fabrics, added covered wire and formed into shape before inserting fortunes.