WEEKEND SALE-FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY....

JUST ANOTHER SHOP UPDATE!!! I AM HAVING A WEEKEND THAT RUNS FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. EVERYTHING IS 25% OFF. HAPPY SHOPPING!!

BED LINENS SALE TODAY ONLY....

THERE IS A BED LINENS SALE IN THE SHOP TODAY....25% OFF OF ANY LINENS PURCHASE. THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW;)

A 20 Minute Pillowcase Market Tote Tutorial-What to do with Vintage Linens

Seriously-This tote bag is quicker to make than loading all the pictures for the tutorial;) I have a step by step quick way to make an easy, unlined market tote from a simple pillowcase. This project is best made with a king size case, but you can easily modify it to use 2 standard cases especially if you want more than just the one print for your tote!

What you will need for this project....

1-king size pillowcase or 2 standard cases

scraps for applique

stencil for applique of your choice

scissors or rotary cutter

pins

iron and ironing board

sewing machine

Once you have all your supplies, you need to decide how deep you want the tote to be.
I chose to cut mine to be 20 inches deep. Leave the hem intact for the top of the tote.
Next,You will need to cut two straps for the tote. I cut mine from the same case since it was a king size and provided enough fabric to do so. If you are using two standard size cases, this is when you would use the second case- for the straps. I cut my strips 6 inches wide.
Then take both straps and lay one on top of the other.
Cut of the side hem so that they are no longer a tube.

Next you want to cut the applique you have chosen for the front of your tote. Of course, this part is optional. It can be fun though, choosing a shape to applique. You can find shapes, animals, birds, flowers, etc in so many places. Coloring books, art books for kids, clip art online, etc can be good sources.
I use fusible interfacing for the back of my appliques to help them last longer. It is also a good surface for tracing on.
Trace your shape.
Cut it out.....
And pin it in a spot that suits you.
You can go ahead and put the body of the bag aside for a few minutes. Take your handle strips to the iron. I have made these straps in a similar fashion to making bias tape. Fold the edge of the strips into the center and press.

Repeat that process again by folding the ironed edges in half and press. Now you can gather up all the parts of the tote and head to the sewing machine.
It is easiest to applique the shape you have chosen before hemming up the tote and adding the handles. I used a simple satin stitch to do so.
Next you want to turn the tote inside out. Take the open edge opposite the hemmed edge and fold it up twice, hiding the rough cut edge. Do a simple topstitch on that to close up the tote. You may want to do two rows of stitching depending on what you will be carrying in it.
After closing the tote up, set it aside for a few moments.

Take the two straps and topstitch on both side to give it a nice even look to it.

Take each end of the straps and clip a small triangle off. This will help to hide the edges and make them less bulky when attaching them to the tote.

Fold each end of the strap up an inch or two and pin to the tote at the desired place.

I attached my handles with a box and crisscross which helps to bare a good amount of weight and keep the stitching from pulling apart.
Here is the inside of the tote-it shows the stitching a bit better.
And there you have it! A 20 minute simple pillowcase market tote!! Sometimes it is just nice to go simple!! They hold a good deal too!

Simple Fun on Rainy Day

I do not know about you, but I absolutely LOVE rainy days! It seems cozy, slow and peaceful. Today has been a glorious rainy day-all day! The older kids have already been outside to play in it but I had Noah stay in with me. I found him playing in the bathroom sink after a successful attempt of making it to the potty! So, I decided instead of him flooding our entire bathroom, I would set up a water tub in the kitchen for him to play with his boats in. So Cole helped me fill the crate with water and we used food coloring to dye the water blue. Perfect fun for the rainy day! Well in true Noah fashion, he decided playing with the boats in the water was not quite enough and he climbed right in to "swim". We all got a real good laugh. He is still refusing to get out and will be a shriveled prune before long but he is having so much fun. Bell enjoyed it too-although she choose to remain outside the "pool".

Boy, a good swim sure can take it out of you!:) Noah is fast asleep on the couch now after a good playtime.

Marvelous Scrap Sale!!!!!

Hey my lovely scrappy friends!!! I thought I would give a little bit of a heads up about tomorrows sale in the shop....I have been working at getting some areas in my studio work space cleaned out and therefore have some very fun flat rate boxes spilling over full of scraps. Some of the boxes are full of bed linen scraps, some are strictly vintage fabrics, and others are a mixture. There are a few different sizes and they are STUFFED! Well, anyways.....tomorrow I will be having a 50% off sale on those boxes, time to make some space for more fun fabrics! I am also going to include my 1-2 pound scrap bags and scrap packs in the sale as well. I really hope that this will be some fun for someone!

Just a few fun examples. Happy sewing my scrappy friends!

A Simple No Sew Fabric Wall Art

I had been coming across this concept quite a bit recently and of course being a lover of all things fabric, it really captured my attention! It is making wall art simply out of wooden embroidery hoops and your favorite fabrics! Can we say SEW Simple! And it can be applied in so many different ways! Instead of struggling to choose a certain style or color scheme, I decided to pick my favorites and slowly begin building my collection. One of the walls in my living room has become the showcase for some of my favorites.

Here is the wall so far. The color has been so fun to see every morning. The kids love to stop and stare at it and pick a new favorite every day.

But hands down, both my husband and I agree that the good morning is by far our favorite! I found this embroidered beauty at a thrift store and was thinking of making it into a throw pillow, but this idea is helping to keep it beautiful for years to come! I have been able to take fabrics from bed linens, clothing, curtains, and embroidered tablecloths. The possibilities are again limitless! You do not even need to buy the hoops new! Most of us have them laying around collecting dust and they can also be found at thrift stores, garage sales, or on line for fractions of their original cost! It is a very inexpensive decorating solution! I stretched the fabrics tightly and then trimmed the excess off. The great thing is that I can go back and easily change the fabric out for a new print with no problem!

So, of course, I had to share some of the fun with my shop;) I put together a trio of hoops with a bold vintage bed linen print. I am looking forward to putting more collections together for others because, well.......I am just about out of wall space here at home;) but far from out of ideas to bring to life!

Bed Linens Sale Today Only....

I know it has been awhile! So I thought I get my feet wet by mentioning the sale in the shop today! Take 25% off of any bed linens. That includes fat quarters, pillowcases, sheets, linen scrap bundles, 1/2-1 yard bed linen fabrics, linen flat rate boxes, and bed linen quilt squares. If you have any questions, just pop on over to the shop and send me a note! Have a beautiful day!!!

Here is a new 6 inch quilt squares bundle just added to the shop. Flower Child-

And a sweet bundle of pastels-these are 12 inch squares.

And a wonderful lemons and limes bundles in 12 inch squares.