Wrap it Up!

Do you have some orphan quilt blocks? Pieces of fabric that didn't quite work in your last project?

Stitch them together into a gift bag!

Gather two fabric squares and ribbon.

1. Cut two pieces of ribbon, twine, or skinny scraps. Pin ends to the raw edge on the right side of one square, about 2" from the top edge.
   
2. Place two squares right sides together.


3. Stitch 3 sides, sewing over the ribbon to secure it.


4. Turn inside out and wrap!

You can use your pinking shears and work with raw edges. Or, finish off the top of the bag with a strip of coordinating fabric.

Gifts Week 1

Personalize a baby gift! Add an applique to a onesie or a t-shirt. How to applique:

1. Fuse double sided iron-on fusible to the wrong side of the fabric. I like a very lightweight fusible.
2. Trace your shape on the wrong side. (Remember that the right side will be reversed, or a mirror image!) Cut carefully on the line.
3. Fuse shape on the onesie or t-shirt.
4. Stitch around the edge to secure. Handstitch a buttonhole stitch, or use a good old zig zag on the sewing machine!

Done!

Gifts Week 2

Are you giving the gift of cash? Dress it up with a customized wallet!

How to make a wallet: Directions and photos are here!

Gifts Week 3

Here is another scrappy project! Make a headband for the girls in your life.

Supplies:

• two 2.5" x 19-20" wide strips for grownups, or 18" long for a 10 year old girl
• 3 inches of 1" elastic
• two 2" x 6" strips

Sew Headband

Iron long strips in half to make them 10" long. To shape the headband, trim away a skinny triangle from each side, making the headband wide at the fold, and skinny at the ends. Mark a point 3/8" in from the cut ends. Draw a 10" line from this point to the edge of the fold. Cut. Repeat on the other side. Shape a curve by trimming away the point at the fold.

Iron 1/4" under on each end of each strip.

Place strips right sides togehter, and stitch a 1/4" seam down both long edges, backstitching at the ends. Turn inside out. Press. Topstitch if desired.

Sew Elastic Sleeve

Place 6" strips right sides together, and stitch both long sides, backstitching at ends. Turn inside out. Thread elastic through this tube, and secure it with stitching at each end.

Finish Headband

Stuff each end of the elastic sleeve into the ends of the headband, making a circle. Stitch across the ends of the headband to secure.

Week 5 Gifts

Here's another recession proof gift: recover an old, tired potholder! You know those potholders that won't get clean in the wash anymore? The potholders from 80's color schemes that don't match anymore? Recover them! Make them cute again with a fresh new fabric cover.

Pick a color or pattern that makes you smile everytime you use it!

Week 6 Gifts

Use your scraps and tidbits to make a custom cover for a planner. I found a 2010 planner for $1 at Target. Score! You can turn an ordinary notebook or diary or planner into something special in about an hour.

How to Make a Book Cover:

Make fabric out of scraps: Sew together scraps into chunks of fabric, then combine the chunks into a larger piece of 'fabric'. Press as you go. Make it 6" wider and 4" taller than your planner. Press well.

Place the planner on top of your fabric. Draw a line to mark the top and bottom of the spine of the planner, extending it about 1" on either side of the spin, and making it a smidge taller than the planner. Clip straight down to the line, as shown below. Press this flap down. Topstitch close to the edge of the flap.

Lay planner on fabric, and press it down flat. Draw around it, about 1/8" from the edges.

Trim the edges nice and even, leaving 1-2" on the top and bottom, and 2-3" on the sides. Press under 1/4" on the sides and topstitch.

Using the line on the sides as a guide, fold the sides on the line, placing right sides together. See the right side of the picture below. Sew across the top and bottom of the flap, along the lines.

Turn inside out, shown below on the left side of the picture below:

This is what the inside will look like. A mess!

Tuck the planner into the cover. No more mess!

Fun! Share your project with Just something I whipped up every Monday!

Week 7 Gifts

Seven weeks to December!

Our weekly gift idea is a home-made pincushion. Create a custom color combination, and personalize this pincushion. Use up scraps! Play! Decorate with buttons and trim as desired. Wouldn't this be cute with treasured baby clothes? Make a pincushion to match your decor.

To make:

Gather scraps, stuffing, needle and thread.

1. Make fabric. Sew together a few scraps into a 6" wide chunk. Press. Repeat, and then sew the chunks together. Continue until you have a piece of 'fabric' that is 6" x 12".


2. Fold fabric in half, right sides together. Sew around the 3 sides with a 1/4" seam allowance, but leave a 4"opening for turning inside out.


3. Miter the 4 corners with a 1" miter.


4. Turn inside out. Stuff. Stitch up the opening. Decorate with a button the top!
   

I'm having fun with this. Stay tuned for more variations on a theme of pincushions. Several years ago I used a scrap of a vintage quilt to make a little square pincushion. It's soft and worn and lovely.

Comment on our gift ideas, or share an idea, and you will be entered in this month's drawing for charm squares!

Green Shopping Bag

Make your own green shopping bag! Download a free pattern from Burda. It only uses 3/4 of a yard of fabric (you might have some waiting to be used). Customize it to make it your own!

I'm thinking this is the perfect summer sewing club project for the girls.

PS After signing in to Burda, there is a very tiny button on the bottom right of the photos that says 'Print This'. That will get you to the pattern.

Recycling Quilts

A dear cousin gave me a vintage quilt top. The vibrant colors were bright, so bright that it hurt my eyes. What to do? It's been sitting in a box for severaaaalllll years now.

On a recent car trip I tore up the quilt with a new, sharp seam ripper. (I love those Clover gizmos!)

Separated, the quilt blocks naturally fell into two piles. One pile was shades of blue, green, and turquoise, and the other was pinks and browns. Who knew that a quilt top from the 1960s would give up a fabulous, current, color combination?!

There are enough blocks to make two baby blankets. And luckily my cousin has two grandbabies in her life!

How to: Make a Wallet

My girlfriend wants a kayak. It was her birthday. We were leaving for the party in an hour. Eeeek! I made her a special wallet to stash her kayak fund. A dream fund. This would be a great graduation gift.

Do you have an hour? Gather your scraps!

1. Cut two rectangles of fabric, 9" x 4.5"

2. Cut one 'skinny strip', 9" x 3.5"

3. Cut trim, 1" x 9", or use bias tape.

4. Cut one scrap, 1.5" x 3", for tab, or use ribbon.

5. Gather assorted scraps and fusible web for decorating, and a snap or velcro for the closure.

(There is no photo here, but I am putting this up in the spirit of getting it done, but not perfect.)

1. Finishing the pocket edge: Sew the trim piece to the skinny strip, with a 1/4" seam, down the long edge. Press the trim up and away from the skinny strip. Press under 1/4" on the other long edge of the trim(like making bias tape). Next, fold the trim over the seam allowance, to finish it off. Stitch close to the edge. Tip: When you fold the trim over and press it, extend the edge a bit past the seam. Then you can stitch in the ditch, from the top, and catch the edge on the bottom.

2. Attaching the pocket: Place the pocket on the RIGHT side of one of the rectangles, matching raw edges. Baste to keep it all even and square.

3. Tab: Imagine you are making bias tape. Press tab in half, lengthwise. Next, press under one end 1/4" . Press each edge under 1/4". Stitch close the edges.

To attach the tab, place it on top of the pocket piece, on the left side of the wallet, aligning raw edges. Baste.



4. Sewing the wallet: Place the second rectangle on top of the pocket unit, right sides together. Stitch, with a 1/2" seam, leaving a 4" opening on the bottom. Backstitch over the tab and the pocket edges for strength. Trim the corner seam allowances.

Turn inside out, press. Stitch across the bottom, close to the edge.



5. Decorate! Now you can make this personal! Iron on fusible webbing to your scraps. Cut out into desired shapes, and iron onto the wallet.

6. Tab Closure: Sew a snap or velcro onto the tab and the wallet.



Done!

Make your own sandwich bag

Packing up a lunch for work, school, adventures?
We found a fab link for you-how to make your own sandwich bag:
http://thesmallobject.com/stenopad/wordpress/?p=1567

Thank you Sarah!!

Roots

As a gal who can't resist a bargain, I picked up some beautiful fabrics-in the form of pants and tops-at a thrift store sale. After cutting the clothes into 6" squares, I assembled them into lap sized quilts.

I love making quilts out of old clothes. Finding a good mix of colors is a challenge. And recycling is always good!

This is the only way my great grandmother and grandmother knew how to make quilts-out of old clothes.




How to:

• Wash first.
  


• Cut as many 6" squares as possible, piece a few 6" squares together with the scraps.


• Use 7+ different fabrics; Try to find a stripe, a plaid, a dot, and a floral.
  


• Randomly sew together pairs, then build 4 square blocks. Sew the 4 square blocks into rows.
  


• To make a cozy lap sized quilt, use four 4 square blocks by six 4 square blocks.
  


• Use an old flannel sheet for the batting.