Quick and Easy Holiday Cloth Napkins...

I am blessed to be having Thanksgiving at our home this year with matt's family. Today I took a bit of time to put some special cloth napkins together for the table settings. I thought it would be fun to share the quick and easy how-to.

I used...

1 recycled cream bed sheet

a large foam stamp

green craft paint

paint brush

1 wooden stamp

black ink pad

sewing machine

iron

First step is to cut 2-12 inch squares for each napkin.

Next get your paint ready to stamp, I paint the stamp by hand. I chose to stamp the napkins before sewing 2 pieces together to make sure the paint did not bleed through to the second layer.

Let you stamp dry for awhile.

Add the second layer of wording once paint is dry.

Let dry again...

Take napkins to sewing machine and sew right sides together-then turn right side out.

Take napkins to iron and press flat. I use a scrap piece of fabric over the stamp to heat set it and make sure none gets on the iron.

Take back to machine and run a top stitch along the edges for a finished look.

Have fun with this-the possibilities are endless!!!

Wee One's Elastic Skirt Tutorial

So here it goes. I am not always the best at teaching something, but I guess that is what practice is for:) A few days ago, I did a post about some simple elastic waist skirts I had been making for my girls and the shop. I had been working on a tutorial for this to back right up to that post, but I have been wrestling with our internet provider attempting to deal with a very poor connectivity. It is quite difficult to run an online business without being on-line-huh:) who would have thought! Any ways lovelies. Here is the tutorial for these skirts. And if I fail miserably at making this sound as easy as it is-I won't be offended if you look up the blog world for help-there are so many of these little ditties out there.

First thing-I tend to always use reclaimed linens, it is just a little ol' obsession with me. But cotton, cotton blends, knits, polyesters, etc work just fine for these. The lighter weight, the better. You need to first determine the length you want the skirt to be and add 1 to 2 inches for the bottom hem depending on how wide you want the hem to be and 3-5 inches for the waist band depending on how wide the elastic you are using is going to be. I have been using a 2 inch wide elastic because that is what I have on hand and it seems to be super comfy on little tummies. As far as the elastic measurement...each type of elastic is different and each child is different, so I always stretch the elastic around my child's waist to see what is comfortable for them.

Next you need to measure your wee one's teeny little waist and multiply that by 1.5 for a less gathered look or by 2 for a fuller look and that will determine the width of the fabric you cut. For a size 6 which is shown on my daughter, I cut the fabric 18 inches long by 36 inches wide.

Now you are going to fold the fabric in half and sew up the side seem. It is best to finish the hem so it does not unravel in the wash. There are a variety on finishing stitches, you can use your favorite on the machine you have. I tend to use a wide zig-zag for my daughters skirts.

Next you will want to iron your bottom hem before stitching. It is a simple double fold and helps to use the iron.

After you have sewn the bottom hem, take it back to the ironing board for work on the waist band. Bring your elastic with you. First I fold down the about a half inch and iron flat.

Next fold is to make the casing for your elastic. I use my elastic for a quick guide line. Remember to leave enough fabric to stitch the tube shut but leave enough room for the elastic to slide through.

Take the skirt back to the machine. You are going to stitch the tube almost completely shut.

But leave a little opening for the elastic to be threaded through the tube.

I use a safety pin to help guide the elastic through the fabric.

I also pin the tail near the opening so it does not get accidentally lost inside the tube.

When you get the elastic pulled through the tube, pin the two ends together and stitch together. Makes sure to reinforce it well.

Slip the elastic band all the way into the tube once it is securely sewn together. You will then need to sew that little opening shut.

And there you have it. Just even out the gathers and the skirt is finished. BUT-I add in one more step on mine especially when I am using a wider elastic that can tend to twist and fold inside the tube you created for it. If you are using a thin width elastic, this step is not needed.

I place my waist band on my machine and let the needle down through the elastic and fabric.

I sew through the elastic stretching the waist as tight as I can until it is flat. I work in small sections of the waist as I go. If you do not stretch the waist as you sew through the elastic, you will no longer have a stretchy waist.

Here is how it looks with the second stitching.

Thank you my Bell who has patiently modeled each new skirt I have made.

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!