As a lady, I hate having a million things to carry around in my purse. I can never find anything and all I ever really need is my phone and a few credit cards. Anybody else with me on this?
In my goodie bag from SEI, I spotted the lovely fabric swatches from Vanilla Sunshine and *lightbulb*, the perfect phone case was born. Here's what I did:
Supplies:
1. Vanilla Sunshine fabric swatches- (or any other fabric you may have laying around) I liked the sturdiness that the paper backing gave the pocket.
2. Scissors and a sewing machine (or needle and thread) to sew together case.
3. Pattern- click the image below. To get the case to match to your phone exactly, trace your phone and add a 1/4" border for a seam. Do not add the border to the top part of the phone (see pattern for visual).
4. Wool felt.
5. Strap (not pictured)- button, 1.5" x 3" piece of fabric for strap, and small piece of velcro
Instructions:
1. Print pattern (or trace phone, see #3 in supply list) and place on top of felt. Cut out pattern from felt.
2. Pick a fabric swatch from the Vanilla Sunshine assortment pack, or trace 'pocket' from your own fabric.
3. Fold 'strap' piece of fabric in half and sew around 2 edges. Turn inside out and finish sewing open end.
4. Sew button on one end of the strap. Measure about 4" up from the bottom of a 'sleeve' piece and secure strap to 'sleeve'.
5. Line up velcro pieces and sew velcro pieces to strap and 'pocket'.
6. Place pocket piece in between the two 'sleeve' pieces and stitch around 1/4" border.
7. Turn outside in. Done!
A suggestion that could make this handier is adding a pocket with zipper to the backside for items that you'd like secured (i.e. keys and change). I'm intimidated by zippers so I didn't add that, haha.
I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of these banners flapping around lately. They're trendy for good reason: They are easy to make, use up those piles of what-am-I-going-to-make-with-this-cute-fabric scraps, and add a fun flare to your décor. They are particularly popular in children’s rooms. Both of my daughters needed something fun to hang above their beds, but I am highly opposed to hanging anything heavy like a picture frame or shelf (and, with 9-foot ceilings, blank walls are not an option). These flags are also perfect because you can match them with the fabric from a bedding set.
The look of my younger girl’s room revolves around a quilt her grandma made for her (from the famed Heather Ross Mendocino line). I still had scraps of the beloved fabric and this was the perfect way to accent the quilt elsewhere in the room. My older daughter’s bed sports Target’s owl bedding set. The sheets of this set came it a matching bag. When the seems were opened up on this little bag and the fabric laid flat, it was plenty to cut out a triangle for one of the squares. I mixed this with some coordinating fabrics and, voila!
This project is pretty self-explanatory, but here are some tidbits of info on how I made mine. Make a pattern for the triangles with a piece of paper, allowing extra width on the sides (but no the top) for the seam allowance. Sew right sides together (I used a cheap natural-colored quilters cotton on the back since it won’t be visible). Trim the tip close to the seam so when you turn it right side out you get a nice sharp point. Use your scissors to poke the flag tip to a nice point. Iron the now right-side-out flags flat. Now, use a full package of double-wide bias tape to string the flags together. Start with the middle flag and match it in the center of the bias tape (find this by folding the whole length of the bias tape in half). Lay the bias tape open and line the top of the flag up with the center seam of the bias tape. Pin all the back sides of the flags in place to the back side of the bias tape. Sew just the back sides, then fold it shut and stitch all the layers together. I like to use a wider stitch at the point to make wobbles in my sewing less obvious. You can add pretty ribbons or whatever you like to finish off the ends and hang it where you please. Enjoy!
This is my favorite gift to give at baby showers. So easy. I also have a passion for ribbon and this is a great excuse for buying lots of different kinds (or using up bits you have saved).
How to: Pick two coordinating fabrics for the front and back (make sure they are cut exactly the same size). Soft "minky" fabrics are my favorite, but only use them on one side (it slinks around and is difficult to sew on). Use something stiffer like cordurouy or flannel on the other. I also like to use polka dot prints because it makes topstitching the quilting lines easier.
Step 1) Lay one side flat with the right side facing up. Lay ribbons around the sides until they are evenly spaced. Fold the ribbons in half, lining up their two raw bottom edges with the edge of the fabric so that the loops are facing IN. Pin in place
Step 2) Stitch down the ribbons using a regular straight stitch (as opposed to a basting stitch; you want the reinforced stitching to keep the ribbons secure for future abuse from children).
Step 3) Cut a piece of quilt batting so it is one inch shorter on all sides than the fabric. Baste it to the WRONG side of the second piece of fabric (the one without the ribbons) so that it won’t scootch around when you turn it right side out.
Step 4) Stitch right sides of fabric together. Be extra careful that the ribbons are laying flat inside. Leave a gap large enough for your hand to reach through.
Step 5) Turn the blankie right side out. Smooth the batting so it’s flat. Stitch the end closed, turning the seam in so it aligns with the rest.
Step 6) Decide how many top stitch lines you want to make. You can use a row of polka dots or other patterns to follow or mark a line with pins or chalk. Topstitch to make the blanket quilted. Now remove the basting stitches you added to hold the batting in place. You’re all done!
This is a great project for a lot of purposes: 1) Your favorite tee has finally gotten a hole in it, but you just can’t bear to part ways (not to mention it’s now super-soft). 2) You have an odd scrap of fabric or unfinished square of quilt (ahem: one you finally realized you’re never going to finish) 3) You're wondering, "What on earth am I going to get for my sister for her birthday?!"
These little pillows are so easy, inexpensive, and versatile (even a guy would love pillow made from an old tee...just don't chop up his fave without telling him). Plus they're a welcome addition to your own décor (unlike many homemade items that end up taking up more space than they are worth).
What you’ll need:
1) Two equal-size pieces of fabric (front and back), any size (or shape)
2) pillow fill
3) thread (for a machine or embroidery thread)
4) trim (optional)
A sewing machine is also optional! My sister made my daughter this adorable pillow with an old favorite tee by whip-stitching it together with a scrap of home décor fabric.
I made this fun-shaped pillow for my sister for Christmas using a piece of one of my favorite fabrics (from Heather Ross’s now very hard to find Far Far Away line). This fabric was expensive and I didn’t want to waste a bit of it, so making a little pillow was a perfect solution. This fabric was quite thin and delicate, a problem I solved by first sewing the front panel to a swatch of white fleece. The next step: sew right-sides of the front and back panels together leaving an opening on the bottom big enough for your hand. Turn it inside out and stuff it silly with fluff. Fold the edges of the open seem closed, following the hem of the rest of the pillow, then stitch it closed. You may have to do this by hand because fitting the now plump pillow under the sewing machine is no longer an option. For this reason, make the open end the bottom so it’s won’t show as often.
Wether you sew or not, there's no doubt iron-ons and fabric go together like peanut butter and jelly. So, today we are going to give you a bunch of our favorite ways to combine My Own Monsters and fabric.
QUIET BOOK: First up, for those who like to sew, this quiet book is a great way to use felt. For the cover we used the body that comes with the iron-on package and accessorized to our hearts content.
Inside the book, we cut our own body shape out of felt. Then we ironed the feature pieces onto felt backed with velcro. The velcro sticks great to the felt. Last we added a little pocket to hold our features in. It would be a good idea to make the pocket out of a different material since the velcro tends to stick to a felt pocket. The finishing touches are decorative ric-rac and ribbon closures.
MONSTER BUDDIES: These monster buddies were made by one of the SEI employees and her daughter. She wanted to make special gifts to give her cousins. Didn't they turn out so adorable? This is really an inexpensive project too. Cut 2 matching unique body shapes out of felt, iron on your favorite features from the My Own Monster sheet, sew your felt pieces together, and fill with stuffing.
FELT WALLETS: When we saw these felt wallets by The Burbs on Etsy, we fell in love. They are called "a monster ate my lunch money". These are super creative! It's easy to see how you could use your extra features to make a wallet like this. If a monster didn't eat your money you could also buy one from them.
Wait, wait, if you're not into sewing, don't fret. We have plenty of ideas of how to make unique projects without using a needle & thread. If you are into sewing, you could also make these items yourself!
TOTE BAG: This little tote bag is a great way to use your extra pieces. Buy a bag and iron them on, easy! You could also sew your bag.
APRON: Another easy project or sew your own apron.
SOCK PUPPETS: If you have a monster in your dryer, like we do, it's likely you have a pile of unmatched socks somewhere. Get them out and put them to good use. Kids will love designing and playing with unique sock puppets. We also used tumble dye on these to liven up our white socks. Did we mention that TARGET also carries our tumble dye now?
Remember, if you would like a chance to win some monster goodies hurry into TARGET to pick up some My Own Monsters. Then make a project and link it up to our link party. You have until Thursday at 11:59 pm.
material-how much of each print depends on the size of your skirt-or your preference 3/4 inch non roll elastic matching thread sewing stuff (machine, scissors, rotary cutter is handy, etc...)
First, cut your strips-Mine were 13 inches long by 3 inches wide. You can make them longer or shorter or wider...depending on your preference and child. I ended up using 16 panels. Lay them out to figure out your pattern. Ignore that mine aren't lined up, please!
Sew all your pieces, right sides together, until you have a fabric tube, and press seams with an iron.
Now hem one side by ironing the edge over 1/4 inch...
and then 1/2 inch.
Sew around the bottom for your hem.
Now measure how wide your tube is, add 1/2 inch to that measurement, and cut out a piece of fabric that long by 3 inches for your waistband.
sew the short ends together.
make sure it fits your fabric tube, adjusting if needed.
now, pin the right side of your waistband to the WRONG side of your skirt piece.
sew around the edge with 1/4 inch seam.
now flip it up like so and press with iron.
press the top edge under 1/4 inch, and then fold over the seam on your skirt, like so..
tada all nicely pressed.
now sew along the edge, leaving an 1 1/2 inch space for the elastic.
cut your elastic to fit your child, then thread it through with a safety pin.
I like to secure the other end with a pin so it doesn't slip through. That's annoying!
sew the ends together, overlapping a little bit, with a zig zag stitch.
Sew the opening shut, and you're done!
pair it with a cute witch shirt-and you're in business!
I made this CA-UTE little witch shirt using the iron ons from SEI. They're insanely easy, you peel off the feature (eyes, legs, cauldron...) you'd like, and iron on a shirt-or bag-or whatever. You have to be gentle when you peel them off, but other than that they're super fun and easy to use! I chose to make a cute one instead of scary for Sadie cause I'm a wuss when it comes to scary things.
Please welcome Jen. We are so lucky to have such a friendly, out-going gal in our retail store!
Here are some fun tidbits she shared with us. "I've been a newlywed for 5 months. I love scrapbooking, reading, music and being a movie guru, especially for the chick flick comedies. I play the violin and the piano. I speak broken German (infact I was in Heidi's class). Since being married I've really enjoyed learning to cook and trying new recipes, even discovered a new intrest in cake decorating."
From cake decorating to scrapbooking, Jen has a knack for making pretty things. We love it when she stops by the art studio to show us her latest project! The most recent one she showed us was this album.
Jen made this album for a friend who had a baby boy. She bought a post-bound album and sewed this chick-a-doo fabric cover for it. What a great way to customize your album! Then, if you ever want a new look, just sew a new cover and slip the old one off. Thanks, Jen!
If you want to make a great baby album but don't have time to sew, consider a one-hour album kit or word book.
I don't know if you've heard but we do fabric too! Robert Kaufman sells some of our favorite designs in the prettiest fabrics that you'll just love cutting up and making new things with.
A few weeks ago they featured the Eerie Alley fabrics on their blog, the Swatch & Stitch. We thought we ought to do the same!
Maria made an adorable Halloween trick-or-treating bag complete with a puffy spider on the front! How cute is he? The eyes are monster iron-ons. We also think you should personalize yours! That way no fussy kids about whose bag is whose.
I made pumpkins following this fabulous tutorial. They would be great to stack high by a door or make lots of little ones for a table display. Treats around the projects are all embellishments from Eerie Alley. Candy not included, sorry!
I know you want to make projects out of this too! Well, the fine folks over at RK sent over one-yard cuts for two lucky winners! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling us what you would do with your frightening fabrics if you won. This giveaway will close on Saturday, June 26th at 11:59 pm. We'll announce the two winners Monday when we show you even more fabric projects.
