I’m really excited about the class.  I’ve taken sewing and quilting classes before but this is the first online class I’ve been involved in.  I think I’ve sewn just one curved seam in my life, so this will be a good thing for me to learn.  Learning new skills is part of my goal for 2012, to feel more joy.  When I’m learning I am happy because I’m growing.  The moment that cinched the deal on paying for the class was when I saw this retro flowers quilt.  I want to make one and so I’m going to learn how to sew curves.

My biggest worry with this class is that I really don’t have time for it.  The lull on our calendar during early winter has disappeared and life is in full swing at our busy home.  I hope I’ll be able to find the time to master this skill and make some great things along the way while still keeping life running smoothly.  That’s why my sister and I signed up together, so we can make sure we get our projects done and keep life balanced as well.  I’m super excited to take the class with her.

For those here visiting from the class, I’m a stay-at-home mom  who would love to actually be able to spend more time at home!  I have eight children ranging from age 14 to 2 and yes, they’re all mine.  (Hence my nervousness about not finding time to master this like I hope to.)  Sewing has become one of my favorite hobbies, something permanent that I can do in a home where everything seems to be undone 2.5 seconds after I finish it.  I love color, texture, pattern and using beautiful fabric seems to fill a creative need in my life.  Honestly, my skills are probably somewhere in the novice circle, but I’m not bothered by it.  I know I’ll get better over time and make a lot of useful things along the way.  I try to spend a few minutes every day or two at my sewing machine, even if it’s just for ten minutes.

I’ve always loved to make things and hope I’ll learn to make some great new things this month.   So welcome, February!

What are you going to do this month?

Jennifer

In the midst of our crazy week last night, and on a night when I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep, I went to a sewing class and made this skirt for my daughter.

I love fabric and I love to sew, but I’m scared to death of making clothing.  Oh, I’ve known for a while that I really ought to learn to make skirts at least, especially with five daughters.  I also know how difficult it is to find skirts that are long enough to be modest.  Yet I’m intimidated by the patterns so I haven’t done it.

Two weeks ago I was in a fabric store for some thread and overheard several women talking about this fabric.  I decided to peek at it, and it was gorgeous.  Gorgeous in several different colors.  I listened more and discovered they were talking about making skirts with it.  I asked a question and they pointed above my head at the sample hanging from the ceiling.  The class was less than a week away and they still had an opening.  On a total whim, I bought fabric in four different colors and signed up for the class.

I started with a skirt for my two year old because I could pick my favorite color, the vintage aqua that I love so much.  I enjoyed learning more about how to deal with this particular material, which is tricky with the ruffles.  My machine and I had to do some fiddling to figure out the best settings for slippery fabric since all we usually do is cotton quilting weight material.  I also got to learn about using a double needle to attach the thick elastic waistband to the material.  The double needle allows the elastic to stretch without breaking any thread.  I didn’t know that before Thursday night!

Really this is such a simple skirt that I shouldn’t be bragging about making it, which is exactly why it was a good first project for me.  I plan to make one for each of my daughters in the next couple of weeks.  It happens that both of my little ones fit this skirt and it’s made me smile to see them taking turns wearing it.

It always feels good to learn something new, doesn’t it?

I made a pillow.  I liked it so much that I made a second pillow.

Because the sun can’t seem to find its way out from behind the clouds, I added sunshine of my own.  I bound the pillows in a solid orange that reminds me of Sunny Delight.

I’m glad I did it.  It frames the houndstooth with a punch of bright color and is the perfect finish.

After piecing the fronts, I lined them with a piece of white cotton duck cloth and “quilted” them very lightly.  I then added solid white backs of the same cotton duck, with zippers in them.

I’m super pleased with how they turned out.  They’re bold, bright and fun to look at.  The scale of the houndstooth print was an experiment that worked out perfectly.

Tedious as the pattern is to piece, I love these pillows so much that I’m considering a quilt in different colors.

Until then, the pillows make me smile, and that’s a good thing on cloudy days!

Hoping your day is sunny,
Jennifer

pillows shared here, here and

When I finished this pillow I was giddy with excitement.

I actually had an idea that I’ve never seen before, executed it, and it turned out as cute as I pictured!

I can’t remember the last time that happened.

I made a bunch of miniature bunting flags, turned them right side out, and arranged them on my current favorite Kona solid:  ash.

White rick rack finishes it all off.  I love the way the colors look against the gray, and I can’t stop looking at how all the little flags hang on the pillow.  So cute.

The inspiration for this pillow came from this project.  With three little girls sharing the room, I’m trying to make some pillows that reflect each girl’s age, tastes, and how I feel about them.  This pillow is for my three year old.  She’s just a precious little thing, and at such a perfect age, she makes me want to celebrate every day.  I am so happy to be her mom,  so she gets a party pillow.

I was thinking what a cute pillow this would be for a nursery.  You could embroider the baby’s name and birth statistics in the top right corner of the pillow.  It would be a really cute gift.

As usual, I made this pillow with a zipper for easy washing and easy changing.

Like I said, I’m giddy about how cute it is.  And it looks great next to the other pillow I made, also.

Two down, lots more ideas to come.  We’ll see how much time I can find to experiment.  Meanwhile, we’ve got a happy three year old!

Jennifer

Pillow submitted  here.

And this is what I made.

I’m calling it the candy swirl pillow because it reminds me a little of a huge lollipop, all wrapped up with bright colors.

This was a great scrap project.  I used lots of little strips of fabric from my scrap bin.  They’re sewn in a spiral on a natural linen pillow top.  The swirl finishes at just over 1/4 inch wide.

For the backing I used a piece of my favorite print from Pillow & Maxfield’s Whimsy collection.  I fell in love with this collection when I was making this baby quilt and later with this one. I think it works well with the whimsical spiral on the front and with the general color scheme as well.

As usual, I inserted a zipper in the bottom seam because I hate to store pillows.  A few years ago I invested in some high quality down pillow forms so I simply unzip and change them whenever I want.

I love the texture in this pillow; the linen top with cotton back.  When I sewed the thin strip on to make the swirl I sewed only down one edge, so there’s a little lip there that also adds dimension.

The only problem is where to put it!  It looks great in every place I’ve tried.  I’m super-pleased with the outcome.  It really wasn’t difficult to make, although the ironing and pinning to some time.  If you’d like a tutorial, shout it out and I’ll post one.

Do you see the cute little gray number in back?  I made that, too.  It’s up next.

Hopeful Homemaker

pillow submitted to this contest.

The pattern comes from this issue of Quilts and More.  I purchased it at my local grocery store because it is full of projects I want to make.  I’m guessing you might still be able to find one at a Barnes & Noble.  If not, it would be easy to draw your own pattern.

You need a large circle of felt, about 8 inches in diameter, and two pieces for the “toppings.”

With two strands of embroidery floss, blanket stitch the first, larger topping to the center of your circle.

Repeat with the second, smaller topping.

Add a red or pink button for your cherry on top.

Your circle should look like this.

Turn the circle over, wrong side up.  Thread a needle with 36 inches of sewing thread.  Knot the ends of the thread together and begin a running stitch around the perimeter of the circle, about 1/4 inch in from the edge.

Gather the circle.

Stuff with filling.

Tighten thread until the hole is less than 1 inch in diameter and carefully knot your thread.

Cut a circle of felt to cover the hole.

Whip stitch into place.

You’re done.  All you need is a parfait glass.  We found ours at WalMart.  This pincushion is designed to sit on the top of the dish.

This allows you to store buttons or other notions in the glass beneath the pincushion.

It was so easy to make that I experimented with other colors, too.

My girls quickly saw the potential of these creations and whisked them away to the toyroom for use with their little kitchen.

I’ve seen some of the cute felt food that people are making for children to play with but I had no idea how much fun it might be to make it!  This project left me wanting to stock the playroom with sweet little bits of food.  Whether it’s used as a toy or a pincushion, this was a fun project.

Hopeful Homemaker

Shared at DIY Day

I used a bleached burlap for the outside and chose a coordinating hounds tooth pattern from my stash for the inner lining.

To determine the size of my fabric, I measured the space I wanted it to use on my shelf.  This would be the base, and then I decided how high the sides were to be.  Once you know those numbers, multiply the height of the sides times two, and add that to your dimensions for the base.  For example, if you want the base to be 8 inches wide by 10 inches deep, and your sides to be 6 inches high, then you need to add 12 to the width and height of the base.  This means you will cut your fabric to be 20 inches wide by 22 inches long.

Once you do this, you might want to reinforce the fabric by ironing some interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric.

Now you need to lay the fabric flat and on each corner, cut out a square the size of the height of your bin.  If we continue the measurements from the above example, you will cut a 6 inch by 6 inch square out of each corner.  This will leave you with something of an “x” shaped fabric.

Repeat with the piece which will be your lining.

Fold each “x” in half on a diagonal line through the center square or rectangle.  Carefully line up the sides of each piece, with right sides together (RST) and sew down that six inch line.

You will be able to see that you have just formed one corner of the bin.

Repeat with the remaining three sides until you have made a little box.

Repeat with the other piece of fabric to form a second bin.  Turn the outer piece right side out.

Now for the embellishments!  I chose to make a handle and a little pocket for a label.

For the handle, decide how long you wish it to be, and cut your fabric that long, but twice as wide as you want it.  With RST, sew the fabric into a strip lengthwise.  Turn it right sides out, tuck the ends under, and attach it to the outer bin wherever you want it.

For the label holder, I cut a small rectangle, and then cut another, smaller rectangle out of the center.  I placed a piece of clear vinyl behind it and sewed around the inner edge of the burlap rectangle.  Then I sewed the rectangle to the bin on the sides and bottom only, leaving a pocket in the top.

Lastly, place the lining inside the outer shell.  Fold the liner under, and then fold it over the top of the outer shell to form a contrasting strip around the top of the storage bin.  Carefully sew into place.

You’re done!  Now go fill it with whatever you made it to hold.

I must say that the burlap was a bit of a hassle to deal with, especially in spots where I was sewing through several thicknesses of it.  Still, I’m happy with the result, and it’s nice to have the size I needed without spending any money.  I love it when I find useful ways to use my stash and it’s always fun to combine creativity with organization.

I hope you’ll try one and tell me what you think.  It was a lot of fun!

Hopeful Homemaker

This post linked to DIY Day

Easter is a holiday that means more to me with every passing year but I don’t enjoy the thought of spending a lot of money on the commercialized aspects of the holiday.   I see the cute Easter baskets for sale in the stores and think that I could just make my own, but I never have… until today.

Instead of the traditional brightly colored baskets, I decided to make one in a more subdued color scheme.  I used an unbleached cotton for the outside, white on white damask for the lining, and white and cream ribbons from May Arts to decorate it.

I started by tracing a circle onto a piece of interfacing to give the basket stability.  I then ironed it onto the back of my fabric and cut the circle out.

To determine the circumference of the circle, multiple the diameter by pi.  I then added 1/4 inch for a seam allowance, and cut the piece for the side of my basket.  I ironed some interfacing onto the wrong side of this piece as well.  Folding it in half (right sides together or RST) I stitched it into a circle.

Next I carefully pinned the sides and base together, again with RST.

Carefully stitch around the edge of the circle.  I used a 1/4 inch seam allowance and went slowly so I would maintain a good curve and be sure not to have any holes.  Remove the pins and turn right side out.

Now repeat the above steps with your coordinating fabric to make the lining.  On this step, I skipped the interfacing because I felt the basket would be sturdy enough without it.  After sewing the base and side together, leave the lining inside out.  You should now have two fabric buckets that look like this:

Lining up the seams, carefully place the lining inside the basket and gently smooth it into place.  I decided that I wanted a bit of the white to show around the edges, so I folded the brown fabric down deeper than I did the white.  I also used a piece of 5/8 inch ruffled white ribbon in this seam so that there would be a touch of ruffle peeking out.

Pin in place.

Now for the handle.  Cut a piece of fabric that is as long as you want but twice as wide as you want, plus 1/2 inch.  For example, I wanted my handle to be two inches wide, so I cut my fabric 10 inches long by 4 1/2 inches wide. I then cut a piece of interfacing that was 10 inches long and only 4 inches wide.

Iron the interfacing onto the wrong side of the handle fabric.  Now fold in half lengthwise and iron, then turn the raw edges under 1/4 inch and iron.

Stitch down the edge of the handle to close it.  I usually stitch down both sides so the appearance is uniform.

Next I used more ribbon to embellish the handle.  First I sewed a strip of the May Arts suede/ruffle white ribbon that is 1.5 inches wide, and then I added a strip of the same ribbon but in a 5/8 inch width on top.  These ribbons look so pretty layered on top of one another.  It reminded me of a tuxedo shirt.

Once the handle is finished, pin it into opposite sides of the basket.

Now CAREFULLY stitch around the top rim of the basket.  This seam will hold the handles in and also secure the lining.  I set my machine on its slowest setting and went slowly, remembering that when I stitched through the handle my needle was going through 8 thicknesses of fabric, four layers of interfacing, and three layers of ribbon!  Gratefully, my machine did well and we had no broken needles!

Look how pretty the handle looks once it’s all sewn together!

Inspired by my Ranunculus from weeks ago, I wanted to create some white flowers on the basket.

I used more of the suede/ruffle ribbon in both white and cream.  With a needle and thread, I started rolling the ribbon, tucking and winding as I went with a stitch here and there to hold it in place.

To secure them to the basket, I simply used my hot glue gun.  After the rosettes were in place, I cut three suede leaves (again from May Arts), pinched one end, and glued them in as well.

The verdict?  I love it!

The project wasn’t difficult or time consuming.  Without a doubt, I’ll be making my own Easter baskets from now on.  I’m very pleased with the understated elegance of it.

The simplicity of the color scheme and the simple flowers somehow speak “Easter” to my heart better than any Easter basket I’ve seen.  I’m excited to use it!

I hope you like it, and I hope you’ll try one of your own!

Hopeful Homemaker

This project was created as a submission to the May Arts Spring Challenge.   Thanks May Arts!

A few weeks ago I spotted a small vintage baby crib, about the size of a bassinet or cradle.  I snatched it up, knowing I would find many things to store in it, but upon coming home I just hadn’t found the right spot for it so it’s been sitting in my studio.  (And much as I love my kids I wasn’t ready for them to claim it for the toy room.)

I have a corner in my studio that has been bugging me:

Yesterday I walked in the room and realized that a great solution was sitting on the other side of the room.  I cleared out the spot and wheeled the crib over.  Sure enough, it fit.

I took the baby flannels out of the plastic bin and placed them in another flowered tote.  The two totes fit perfectly under the crib.  Whoever painted this crib years ago left a brown strip of wood that sticks out so I put some adhesive on it…

and added a strip of ribbon.  Much better.

A walk around the house yielded a basket to put smaller pieces of fabric in for easy access.

An unplanned ten minute project yielded an organized corner with more aesthetic appeal.

Oh that all my minutes could be spent so productively!

I liked the colors and the pattern but I didn’t need more table linens.  And then I thought:  wait, there are four of them.  Why not make pillows with them?!  So they came home with me.

I already had some 11 by 14 inch pillow forms in my basement.  They were the perfect size.  I didn’t want to cut up the placemats because the seams would be so thick.  I also liked the back and the gentle scallop around the edges.

So I decided to just sew the pillow inside the two placemats.  If I ever get tired of them, I’ll just unpick the seams and have placemats again.  It was the easiest pillow I ever made (as in, 5 minutes per pillow.)

I figured out where on the placemats I needed my seams to be so the opening would be the right size.  Then I simply sewed the placemats together on three sides, leaving one of the narrow ends open.

Then I simply stuffed the pillow form inside.

I carefully sewed the opening shut, making sure I didn’t sew the pillow form into the seam at all.

That’s it!  Done.

Nobody would ever guess that these were clearanced placemats.  They’re perfect for my space, and they have a nice shape to them BECAUSE of the floppy scalloped edges all around.

The fact that you can see the striped back if you peek only adds to the charm.

You can’t beat $4.00 per pillow, either!  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a success all around.  It was inexpensive, I used materials on hand (pillow inserts), it was quick (10 minutes) and I was able to be creative.   My new pillows are now at home in this room.

Try it sometime!  They’re fun and easy to make.
This post is linked to Kimba’s DIY Day.