Don’t you love bunting? I know it’s getting to be overdone, but it’s really just SO easy. I wanted to make some for the kids’ birthday, and I wanted it to be fabric so I could use it again each year, but I also wanted it to be single-sided so I could hang it in Sydney’s room the rest of the year without it screaming, “Happy Birthday!” Here’s how it goes.

You will need:
1 fat quarter for every 3 triangles you want to make (one triangle for each letter if you’re spelling out a name or Happy Birthday)
1 package of double-folded bias tape
1/4 yard of felt or flannel for letter applique

1. Select coordinating fabrics and bias tape.
2. Cutthe fabric into 6″ squares.
3. Place two squares of the same fabric together, wrong sides facing.
4. Cut from top corners to bottom middle to create a triangle (see photo). Repeat until you have the desired amount of triangles.
5. Using a water-soluble fabric marker, draw out the letters to spell the name or phrase on the felt/flannel. (If you want the letters to be on each side, cut out two of each).
6. Cut out the letters carefully.
7. Arrange the triangles in the order in which you want them to appear in the bunting (as a repeating pattern if you’re using a variety of fabrics). (Note: If you are putting letters on both sides, be sure to arrange the back side in reverse order to the front side, so that each reads correctly.)
7. Using either a straight stitch (I used white thread on red flannel for a more vintage look) or a very tight zigzag stitch, applique the letters onto one of each set of triangles, right sides up.
8. Place triangles right sides facing, and sew sides of triangles with a straight stitch (leave the top open).  Cut the tip of the triangle off, then turn and press.
9. Tuck triangles into the fold of the bias tape in order, and pin. Be sure to leave extra room at each end for tying/hanging.
10. Using a straight stitch, sew the triangles into the bias tape.
11. Hang, and enjoy.

Total time, 1.5 – 2 hours.

There’s a little antique mall in the town next to ours, and I love stopping in there anytime I’m through town without the kids. (Breakables and all.) I’m not typically looking for anything specific in there, but often run across something I just can’t pass up. One recent trip, it was a vintage tablecloth in a golden yellow with a very cute vine floral print along the edge. I just knew it would make something perfect.

It sat in my closet for over a month until I decided it needed to become a skirt. I went to my closet and pulled out a skirt I had that fit well, and used it as a pattern, adding a 1/2″ seam allowance. I did the same for the lining (the fabric is a stiff cotton, and really stuck to my legs or tights, so I knew it would have to be lined). It’s a very basic A-line skirt, but I loved how the pattern fit perfectly for a skirt. I did add a bit of a waistband that wasn’t on the original skirt, because I like a nice thick waistband. What can I say – I’ve had two kids. A side zipper helps everything go on nicely. This is the first piece of clothing I’ve made since my mom helped me put together a skirt and dress from some patterns we had bought at The Wal Marts. I am thrilled!

One of my favorite details is that the floral border is hand-drawn. The tablecloth cost $18, and I have plenty of fabric left over to make several smaller pieces. A skirt for Sydney, perhaps? Or a bag. I’ll let you know where the rest ends up. Click on the photos to see larger, if you’d like.

What is the craziest remodel you’ve ever taken on? A curtain dress a la Gone With the Wind? Napkin hats? A chest of drawers to a headboard?

Anyway, I looked it over a few times, and kept thinking I should try out a few of the projects. Then I’d put it back on the shelf. But when two friends announced they were pregnant, I knew it’d be the motivation I’d need to tackle a project, because the book is filled with cute projects for babies and children.

I chose Elodie the Elephant, a simple project that really only takes half a yard of fabric and a couple hours. I’m really pleased with how they turned out, and hope their recipients are, too. I mean, who wouldn’t love a stuffed elephant, right?

Sidenote: I started these elephants while on my trip to Arkansas where I was able to use my grandmother-in-law’s sewing machine which is…ahem… slightly nicer than my own. I finished them up on my (still nice…but not that nice) sewing machine at home and between the rattles and humming of the motor am trying not to have sewing machine envy. To which I think to myself: who knew there could be such a thing as sewing machine envy.

I can’t share the pattern with you because it’s copyrighted, but you can definitely go pick the book up for yourself and make any number of the dozens of super cute projects.

Before:

Obviously this shelf could have used some reorganizing on its own. Too many toys, too many books, and no sense of style. Poor bookshelf.

After:

Not too shabby, eh? For about $15 in materials, and about two hours of work, you can do it. Here’s how.

Measure your bookshelf to calculate the amount of fabric you’ll need. Mine required 2.5 yards, and that gave me a bit of scrap material to…well… I’ll tell you about that another time.

Empty your bookshelf and remove the shelves. You may want to lay it down in the floor to make it easier, but I did mine in place because it’s mounted to the wall. You know, so my little monkeys don’t accidentally pull it over on themselves.

With a can of medium-strength spray adhesive, your fabric, some fabric scissors and a ruler in hand, get to work.

Starting in a top corner, align the fabric (use the non-selvage edge) squarely. Spray the adhesive in the corner, and use the ruler to smooth it down. Next, spray the adhesive along the entire top edge of the bookcase, and align the fabric across. Work your way down, going back and forth from the left to right side. I cut the extra fabric off the edge as I went to cut down on the weight. Take your time, and use the ruler to smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles that come up. If it’s getting crooked, gently pull the fabric back and realign.

Here’s a close up of the fabric, and my favorite shelf. Love her etsy-find piggy bank.

I had seen this super cute tutorial a couple months ago on a craft blog. I knew that with the simple addition of a wrist strap it would be the perfect little clutch for Mandy. I won’t repost the tutorial (it isn’t mine, after all) but I will show you how mine turned out, and how to add the wrist strap.

The inside: The floral fabric is a divider pocket, the red polka-dot two credit card/ID pockets. The blue is just the lining.

Instructions for adding the wrist strap:

Cut a 2″ x 11″ strip of fabric. Sew along long end, right sides together. Turn tube, and press so that seam is in the middle (not along the side).

On the very last sewing step (where you sew around the edges of the lining and the outer fabric. ) – tuck the strap in between the two outside fabric panels. See my photo below about how NOT to do this:

That’s right. I’m such a fantastic blogger that I took a photo of the wrong way to do it, ripped the seam out, replaced the strap in the correct position, and sewed it all up without taking a photo of the correct way to do it. Awesome.

Anyway, the strap should be tucked inside the fabric here, with just the little end tabs sticking out from the middle. In other words, the opposite of the above photo. Make sure the seam on the strap is turned facing the inside. Then sew it up according to the instructions on the tutorial. You may want to pin the strap in place if you don’t plan to start sewing at that spot.

I want to make another one or two of these to have on hand for gifts. This first one took me about three hours, including choosing the fabrics. I would imagine the next ones would go a bit more quickly, since there would be less seam ripping taking place. At least, theoretically.

As for Mandy, she says she hasn’t left her wallet/cash/phone/ID even once since she’s been carrying it. I’m glad I could be a life-changer for her.

Regardless of my snail’s pace, I am loving these colors. What do you think?

To see the tutorial again, click here. Hopefully for my next update I can share photos of my fellow quilters progress, since they aren’t bloggers.

Anyway, this week we are sewing together our strips for the quilt top. So far, I have 15 of my 20 strips sewn. Then I have to sew the strips together to complete the quilt top. It’s exciting because I can begin to see what it will look like. I am totally loving the colors.

I know as far as quilting goes, this is the most basic, easy pattern possible. But seriously – I’ve wanted to make a quilt for so long I’m super excited to have at least started…something. I can’t wait to cuddle up under it.

A sneak peek at Amy’s fabrics:

And at Brittany’s (notice any similarities):

Here’s the one fabric that the three of us Huntington/Barboursville clan chose:

Me, being the have-it-all-together person I am (not, at least not anymore) had nothing for her. I had intended to pick up a card and gift earlier in the week, but that was one crazy week. So I had nothing. (No worries – I’ll send something. I will. I have a plan.) But she came bearing gifts.

Shallon has since started sewing. And not in the same way I sew (poorly, and for occasional crafty outlet). She is serious about this sewing business. So serious, in fact, she intends to make it a business. So at our little breakfast meeting, she brought me a gift. A little clutch, a pin, and a hair clip for Sydney. All made from repurposed fabric. LOVE THEM.

She has covered all the details – little tags pinned to the items, and these super cute tags sewn on the inside of the bag.

This is the pin.

And the hair clip, featuring her grandmother’s buttons!

Aren’t these gifts super cute and super thoughtful? I think I have the best friends ever.

You can see more of her work at Sewn by Shalley – her site.

I thought to myself – now I could handle that. A reasonably-sized quilt with a beginners pattern broken down in to six steps. However, I knew if I attempted this on my own the quilt wouldn’t be finished until 2012, so I recruited my friends Brittany and Amy to quilt-a-long with me, and there you have it. Week 1 assignment: Purchase and prepare (wash, dry, iron) the fabrics. Easy enough, right? Well, mostly. I actually went and bought my fabrics Monday evening so I could give my full attention to helping Brittany choose her fabrics this evening (at her request).

We’ll see how this all goes down. I am by no means an expert at sewing, and have never quilted so much as a pincushion before. (Do you even quilt pincushions?) But I figure if I’m ever going to make a quilt, I have to start with something.

Here is my color scheme.The blues/greens are for the tops, the cream for the back and that crazy orange for the binding (border). I’ll be posting my weekly progress, and hopefully by the middle of May I’ll have a finished quilt to cuddle up with. Just in time for summer.