Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Fun flowers

These little pins are so much fun to make from little fabric scraps. I usually wear mine on a white linen jacket but they look great on headbands, too.


 For this pin, I tore a strip of fabric an inch or so wide. As I twisted the fabric strip, I started winding it from the inside and tacking in place until it was the size I wanted. I added a small pearl button in the center. On the back, I stitched a small circle of felt and added a clasp pin.


I found the tutorial for this Kanzashi flower here.  It is made from a light to medium weight linen. Have I mentioned that I love linen? I also added a pearl button to the center of this pretty flower and a pin on the back to attach it to my jacket.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Sewing Machine Cover and Accessories

I've been looking for an idea for a tasteful sewing machine cover for quite awhile now. I was so excited to find this set on Bloom's website that I bought the pattern right away. I'm on the search for just the right fabrics so I can get started! It has all the things I love.....linen, cotton, embroidery, mother-of-pearl buttons, piping, patchwork all wrapped up in one project!


 Pop over to Bloom to see more pics of this and other great projects!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Little Dresses for Haiti

Recently, I have been trying to use up some of my stash which, of course, makes room for more. I made about 20 dresses from this pattern which is similar to the "pillowcase" dress. It is a great pattern with multiple sizes and armhole templates. My church helps support a mission in Haiti so I contacted one of the ladies who frequently visits Haiti and ask if she could see that the dresses get distributed to little girls who need them. She said that she knows of a particular orphanage where each little girl has two dresses, one to wear while the other is being washed. She thought they would feel like queens in their new dresses! Several ladies from church have donated fabric, pillowcases, and trim to make more dresses and we have a group meeting next month to continue the project.

Little Dresses for Haiti
This dress is made from a pillowcase I bought at Goodwill for $1

Little Dresses for Haiti
This is a closeup of a vintage pillowcase donated by one of the ladies at church.

Little Dresses for Haiti
The fabric this pillowcase was made from was only 36 inches wide! How long has it been since you could buy fabric that is 36 inches wide?


Little Dresses for Haiti
More 36 inch wide fabric donated by a church member. I also found the green gingham and the rick-rack in the same bag.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Scrappy Loyalty Wallet

Last night I made the Scrappy Loyalty Wallet from this blog. It was so quick and so cute. Lots of possibilities for scraps and trims. The tutorial is very clear. I plan to make lots more of these for gifts. I used a heavy interfacing as recommended and the wallet came out nice and crisp. I think the next one I make I will cut a scant triangle of interfacing off the corners to make turning easier.


These are some of my scraps I thought I didn't like anymore until I made this wallet! They are left over from a quilt my daughter made years ago. I found the perfect button in my stash!







Here is the finished product. Can't wait to make more! Thank you to ASpoonfulofSugarDesigns for the great tutorial.


Four little pockets on the inside

Updating my stash

I have spent many hours recently reading some wonderful sewing blogs. I never thought I would try the blogging thing until I realized how much great information is shared by sewing enthusiasts. I have found so many ideas for projects that my head is spinning trying to decide what to make next! Hopefully, I will be able to share something with others as well.

I decided that I am tired of my stash, at least the small scrappy pieces in my stash. So I made a little trip to Whittle's today to find some new goodies to make all the neat little projects that other bloggers have shared. I bought several fat quarters to freshen up my stash.  Now to get busy on the Fabric Gift Pouch and Scrappy Loyalty Wallet from this great blog!


 This coordinating group is Sedona by Laura Berringer for Marcus Fabrics.


What do you think I should make with these cute little birdies that I found in the $1 bin?









I guess that is it for my first blog post. I need to get busy on my blog design now.