Christmas gnomes

Woo-hoo!  I got some much needed sewing squeezed in this weekend!  I found this super cute pdf pattern on Etsy and it’s all I could think about during the week.  I couldn’t wait for Friday.



I missed out on filling my Etsy shop with Halloween treats but there’s no way I’m going to miss out on Christmas.  This pattern by Muse of the Morning is perfect for little Christmas gnomes.  The pattern is really simple and allows for embellishing.  To me, I thought they kind of looked like little Santas.



So I will have this cute little trio and lots of others for sale in my Etsy shop, thanks to Muse of the Morning, who so kindly allows her customers to sell the gnomes made from her pattern.
I’m playing around with different color combos for Christmas.  What colors are you doing this Christmas?  Have any ideas?
 

Notebook organizer

K&Company Smash* has some really cool crafting accessories at Wal-Mart right now and I recently stocked up on some washi tape and page tabs that they have.  I also saw this elastic pen band that they have to slip over your journal and it holds your pens.  I thought the idea was brilliant and it wasn’t really expensive but I have a general rule that I don’t buy things that I can easily make.
So I figured out how to make one for myself and now I want to show you how to do it too.  It’s probably not going to save you any money to make one yourself but if you already have the supplies on hand to do it, you might find it’s worth it to make one.

I used a piece of 1.5” wide elastic and slightly stretched it around a notebook.  I cut it to size, joined the ends and zigzag stitched it together.

For the fabric I cut a piece out at 3.5”W x 8.5”L.  Fold in half lengthwise and stitch down the edge using the end of the presser foot as a guide.  The ends were folded in a quarter of an inch so that when I turned it right side out, the raw edges would be neatly tucked inside.

I pressed the strip with the seam going down the middle so it wouldn’t be seen in the finished product.

I top stitched both long edges just for good measure.

Then I laid the strip down on top of the elastic with the seam lying against the elastic and pinned in place. 

Then I sewed the ends across and a few more stitches about an inch apart to make room for pens, markers or pencils.  I left a large part open for a calculator or other larger item that might need to be toted around.
Now everything is held in securely and of course, pretty and personalized!  Hope you find use in this project!

Recycle a belt 3 ways

Got any belts you don’t wear anymore but might be nice as something else?  I’ve got 3 projects we can do that are super fast and super easy.
 

I’ll show you how to make a hair pin, a bracelet and a headband.  Just as practical as a belt, right?

Fabric block coasters tutorial

I love looking through my mom’s fabric stash.  A lot of the fabrics remind me of special times.  I get my love of sewing from her and we’ve been through a lot of adventures together just since I started sewing.  From the time she taught me to sew at her first sewing studio to the trip we took to Ohio to buy the fabric for her fabric store.  We’ve brainstormed many ideas together; some awesome and some not so great.  We are both really bad about not finishing projects or making things and not doing anything with them. 

As I was looking through her fabric, I found a bunch of these that she had been making for Christmas some years back and I remember always liking the idea.  She used to make them as ornaments but I really like them as coasters.  I think these would make a sweet hostess gift.

So today I’m going to show you a really easy tutorial on how to make these fabric block coasters.



This is a perfect scrap buster project.  It requires small pieces of fabric and is soooo easy.



You need five squares of coordinating fabrics.  I cut mine out at 4” but the size is up to you.  The finished coaster will be 1/2” smaller than that.



Decide which square you want to use as the bottom piece and set that one aside.  Fold the other four in half and press.



Next, assemble the pieces, one by one, like above.  Be sure to lay them out with the raw edges to the outside of the square.



Now lay the bottom piece on top of your assembled square with it’s right-side down and pin.



Sew around all four sides using the edge of your presser foot as a guide and clip the corners.  Don’t worry about leaving an opening like you would on pillows and such.  Just sew all around the square.



Flip it over and using the opening in the center, turn it right side out and give it a good press with your iron.



I’m using mine as I type up this blog post.  ;) They are much more absorbent than tile coasters and they can be thrown in the wash if needed.




Thanks, Mom, for the inspiration!  I must say, I’m your biggest fan!

Zippered card pouch

 
Ooo, ooO!  I just found an awesome tutorial on Pinterest and I couldn’t wait to try it!  It’s from Craft Passion a site I’ve never been to and man, was I missing out!  You can find the tutorial here but beware, it’s more for the advanced sewer than for beginners.  Sorry beginners, you may want to practice zippers before you try to tackle this one.  There are so many tutorials on this site, you are sure to find one that suits you!
So here’s how mine turned out.  I found it a bit difficult to understand the instructions at first, but after looking over the pictures for a few minutes, I figured it out.  This is pretty bulky for it’s small size so you might not want to use interfacing like I did.  I also modified the pattern a bit by adding pockets on both sides of the lining.  If you make one, I’d love to see it!  Check out my pictures below.
 

Seatbelt Cover Tutorial

Seatbelts can be a pain in the neck.  Literally.  Comfort your little one (or yourself) with this quick and easy tutorial for a seatbelt cover.

SKIRT REDO

What to do with a cute skirt that just won’t work.



Read on for the after!

Gift card holder tutorial

Make giving a gift card more personal by following this simple tutorial!

Chevron pillow tutorial

I’d like to share with you how to make applique chevrons to add to any sewing project.  Read on for the step-by-step.

Steering wheel cover DIY

This mama is driving in style! 

Credit card wallet tutorial

I had to dig deep in the archives to find this one!  I made this about 5 years ago and I had it posted on Craftster.  I got a really good response from it so I decided to resurrect it from the forgotten crafts department.