Two Quick and Easy DIY Woven Heart Mug Cozies

I have a set of double wall stainless steel barrel mugs similar to this kind (I am including affiliate links for your convenience) that quickly the household MVP of mugs. My husband usually keeps his in the freezer to keep his cold beverages extra cold. I like keeping a hot drink in mine while I’m preforming during outdoor Christmas events – instant hand warmer AND hot chocolate all in one!

Not bad at all for a couple of free promotional mugs. What’s not to like about that?

Actually there is one minor quibble. The mugs have a logo etched on the mug. Not a big deal when we are at home but it iswhen I’m doing the Christmas Gnome Thing.

I solved the problem by sewing a quick and easy no slip mug cover.

Nissa the Christmas Gnome salutes you with her woven heart mug cozy!

How to Machine Embroider Leather and Pleather for Beginners

My new Bernette sewing machine says it can sew everything from light chiffon fabric to leather. I need a new belt bag/pouch and figure this is a good project to get my feet wet  and lean how to sew leather.

Since everything worth doing is worth over doing (and I bought a cute machine embroidery file from Urban Threads) I am going to machine embroider the leather before I cut and sew it into a purse!

 

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I admit, I had concerns about sewing and embroidering leather. If you sew a mistake and remove the stitches the holes left behind in the leather hide will not  close like fabric will. But with practice, patience, and a few sewing hacks, you can embroider leather and the results will look fabulous!

7 Tips and Hacks for Sewing Leather, Suede, and Vegan Leather on a Home Sewing Machine

How to Sew a Skeleton Skirt with POCKETS

I plunked a bolt of skeleton print fabric on the store’s cutting table.

 

Fabric cutting lady: what are you making?

Me: A skirt

Fabric cutting lady: Oh! Are you getting ready for Halloween early?

Me: No. Just making something fun to wear for every day.

Fabric cutting lady: (Gives me a blank stare because she doesn’t know what to do with this information and says nothing. This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten this response from her about one of my weirdo projects.)

 

That doesn’t matter because I made a cute, twirly dirndl skirt that has pockets!
 

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And you know what?

 You can make one too!

How to Repair a Ripped Flag

Last summer, I repaired a rip in an outdoor garden swooper flag a new sewing client flies in front of his business to give it a second year of life. (I am including some affiliate links in this post for your convince.)

I didn’t write a tutorial at the time because I didn’t think there was much of an interest in how to machine darn rips and holes in a garden flag. Based on the number of questions I answered after I did the job it turns out I was wrong.

Luckily, I get a second chance to write a flag repair tutorial because the twin outdoor feather banner has a tear and a hole in the same place where flag sleeve (the part where the flag pole runs though) sits on and pulls against the top of the curved metal pole when the wind blows. The client asked if I would repair Flag 2 like I darned the tear and hole in Flag 1 since Flag 1 is still rip, roaring, and ready to fly.

The blob at the top is the client's attempt at repairing the hole in the flag with hot glue.

 Needless to say it didn't work.

How to Machine Darn a Rips, Tears, and Holes in Fabric

The Everything Guide to Sewing Jersey Knit Sleep Shorts

I need a new pair of summer pajamas for a marching band trip. A cute pair of sleep shorts fits the bill since I will be sharing my hotel room with roommates. An easy thing to buy, right?

Well not if I want a pair of pajama shorts that are long enough to cover my but, otherwise I risk a sleep wedgie. Have you ever been woken up by a sleep short creeper? Trust me, you don't want to if you can help it.

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DIY Music Summer Pajama Shorts

How to Make Reusable Zero Waste Makeup Remover Pads

I have a very bad habit of by passing the wash cloth by the bathroom sink at night and not washing the makeup off my face before I go to bed.

Why? Laziness I guess.

The only time I remember to do it at night is when I have leftover disposable face wipes I use when I travel for the convenience.  I try to limit the amount of one time use disposables I use on a regular basis and let’s face it, wash cloths are reusable and paper face wipes are not.

 

How to Sew Super Soft Flannel Cloth Makeup Remover Pads

20 New Ways to Use and Repurpose Old Towels

I swear the amount of towels in my linen closet magically doubles or triples on its own. I bet it is some relic from a science fiction universe (or that I live in a small house with a small linen closet but I’m still blaming aliens because it is more fun.)

If I don’t clean it out my linen regularly the towel population grows to the point it is so large I can’t close the closet door. Which given the size of the linen closet, it doesn’t take a huge towel population to achieve this.

But it also means that I regularly have old towels with a worn spot or edge but overall fairly usable and as such, something I don’t want to send to landfill hell if I can get another reuse out of it.

Luckily, old and worn towels are one of the easiest things to reuse and upcycle to save a little money, the environment, or better yet – time.

Pin these creative reuse ideas for later!

20 Genius Ideas to Reuse Old Towels You Have to Try!

How to Make a Folding Cloth Fan

We are in the sweltering hot Dog Days of Summer. Ohio likes to add a little extra misery to the mix with humidity. Hazy, Hot, and Humid is a phrase all Ohioans face with sweaty dread and air conditioning.

Until you have to go outside – yuck.

Fortunately, there is an easy, eco friendly, and cute solution – use a hand fan to keep cool!

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How to Sew an Easy One Seam Sundress

We’re deep into what I call Three H Summer Weather – Hazy, Hot, and Humid.

Ugh.

The type of weather that makes a sun dress the most appropriate way to stay cool (while still looking cute!) which you can barely find in a store because it is full of Fall Back to School clothes and gear.

Double ugh.

Fortunately, while shopping for costume fabric, some pre- shirred and pre-smocked with elastic flamingo fabric caught my eye. I adore flamingos! Most of work was done for me and the kids maxi length fabric is just the right length for my wee 4’11 frame to be a sundress to the knee. I popped the bolt in my cart and starting shopping for the actual reason I went to the fabric store in the first place.

As I shopped, I put the fabric back on the shelf since I was drawn to it only because I have a made crazy love of all things flamingo. It’s an impulse item and I’m trying to stick to my shopping list.

Later I went over and put the bolt in my cart. I do need some summer clothes. I can wear to the annual luau!

Again, I put the fabric back. Would I have time to make an unplanned sewing project or will the fabric sit and take up space until I forgot why I bought it in the first place? Not that there is already any cut fabric like that in my stash already…

I stood there looking at the fabric I put back and though,”Oh for Pete’s sake you are TOTALLY overthinking this! It is a quick and easy one seam sundress. You can sew in less than an hour because most of the work is done for you.. Life is short!  BUY THE FABRIC!”

So I did.

How to Make a Sundress in an Hour or Less

Easy DIY Camp Chair Makeover

I used a fun nautical fabric to make replacement camp chair carrying bags (read the Condo Blues tutorial here) to go with my blue camp chairs. Unfortunately while there are many shades of blue in my fabric, the exact color of the chair isn’t in the fabric - and it bugs me.

A lot.

Putting an anchor on the back of my chairs would tie them in with the anchors in the fabric chair tote bags. I’m not a great painter so painting is out.

But sewing?

Sewing I can do.

How to Embroider a Folding Chair

How to Make a Folding Camp Chair Carry Bag

Last summer I upgraded our first generation arm less quad chairs (they look like this) to these captain's camping chair with arm rests. (I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience) I didn’t go nuts with the bells and whistles because the two most important things to us are:

• The chair has a study carrying and storage bag

• The folding chair and bag are lightweight. We’re often carting a cooler, picnic basket, chairs, and an overly excited dog from a parking area which always seems like a million miles from where we want to be.

Oddly the more money you spend on a quality lightweight camping chair the cheaper and more flimsy the nylon chair bag that comes with it..

After barely two years of service, the seams of the bags are barely holding  together. The nylon fabric is so shredded I can’t repair it. The chairs are in great shape but the carrying cases are not.

I want a sturdy replacement camp chair bag.When I can’t buy, I DIY! I made one myself.

DIY Replacement Camping Chair Carrying and Storage Bag

Easy DIY Three Pocket Zipper Coin Pouch

 I don’t like my wallet because the dividers and padding make it quite thick when it is empty and worse when I put dollar bills in it. Which is an issue because that’s what wallets are supposed to do – hold money.

I’ve been hunting for the perfect wallet off and on for quite awhile. Ideally, I want something the same size and thickness as a coin pouch. Alas, those I like don’t have slim interior pockets for my ID and debit cards.

 Keep reading to learn how to more pockets than you could ever hope to fill to a coin purse!

How to make an Embroidered Dog Poop Bag Dispenser

When you have a dog, poop happens.

Being responsible pet parents means we need to carry potty bags to clean up after Lacey when she does her her business outside and on walks.

Being the green minded people that we are, I keep and fill two grocery bag holder for the stray plastic bags that cross my path.  I keep the empty grocery bag holder hanging in the kitchen to fill with random bread, frozen vegetable, and the occasional plastic grocery bag when I forget my canvas grocery bags when running a quick errand. When it is full I swap it out with the grocery bag holder I have hanging in the closet by the front door so we can reuse the bags for doggie duty. It isn’t perfect green solution but it works for us.

The big grocery bag dispenser in the closet is too big to take with us on walks. I sewed a small plastic grocery bag holder that attaches to Lacey’s leash to fill with repurposed bags from hall closet holder.

How to Sew a Clip on Dog Waste Bag Holder

Renaissance Noble Dress Project Part 3: Princess Dress Reveal!

I blogged about designing a new Elizabethan Nobility Dress to perform with Husband at Renaissance Festivals. This project was harder than any other costuming project I’ve done. I like the finished dress for the most part, but I don’t love it as much as I do the costume it replaces. There are a bunch of mistakes, and the bodice fit (among other things) needs tweaking which is why I haven’t shown you the finished project.

But I promised you a DIY renaissance festival princess dress and that you shall have, warts and all.
I started with a sketch after pouring over my favorite Elizabethan costuming books working backwards by buying the fabric first and coming up with a dress design second. I like to work the other way around.

Disclosure: affiliate links appear in this post for your convenience.

I started with the overskirt and underskirt (forepart) first. I attempted hand embroidering the brown velvet trim but didn’t liker my test pieces, not to mention  that kind of hand embroidery means an extra year for construction I didn’t have.

How to Make a Flannel Sleep Mask

The only way I can get to sleep and stay asleep at night is in a super duper cave like dark room. Unfortunately, curtains in every room on the planet (and especially in hotel rooms) conspire against me.

No matter how well I think I close them, there always is a hairline sliver between the curtains that shoots the early morning light directly into my eyes like a laser beam and wakes me up hours before my alarm is set to go off.  Every. Single. Morning. ARUGH!

Fortunately,  wearing a sleep mask thwarts the Sun Beam – Curtain Conspiracy. Take that sunbeam hahaha!

Unfortunately, most sleep masks are backed with nylon polyester, which doesn’t breathe making it way too hot to wear.

Fortunately, I reorganized and unearthed more scrap fabric than I realized I had including some nice, soft, cotton, and breathable flannel that makes an excellent and super cute sleep mask!

How to Sew a Super Cute Sleep Mask

 

Pin this quick and easy tutorial for later!

15 of the Best Scrap Fabric Projects

After spending an afternoon finding hidden fabric caches around the house (and wondering if I am turning into a ferret,) I organized the larger than I realized fabric stash into my super big DIY under bed fabric organizer

And oh my goooooooooooodness I learned I have a lot of scrap fabric! More than I thought.  I figure I should celebrate National Craft Month by sewing some scrap fabric project to clear out my stash so I can buy more fabric.

 Pint these all new and fantastic sewing and no sew ideas for later!

12 Small Space Fabric Storage Ideas You Need To Try Right Now!

Recently during some serious Girl Time with a fellow costumer and my BFF, our conversation turned to to talking about how our fabric storage is out of control and threatening to take over not only our sewing studios, but the house as well.

Or at least it seems that way when you live in a small condo.

Most of the time I sew with nontraditional fabrics such as upholstery fabric, velvet, tulle, and plush fleece and they are more difficult to store than traditional cotton quilting and apparel weight fabrics because, even their scraps  require much more space!

12 of the Best Ways to Store Non Traditional Fabric

After spit balling fabric organizing ideas with my costumer friend and coming up short, I turned to the Internet. I found a bunch of small space fabric ideas to add to my ever growing To Do List and thought I’d share.

Ready? Set. Organize!

DIY Flannel Pajama Pants

My 2016 World of the Year was Hygge – the Danish concept of what loosely translates as a feeling of happy coziness which I had no idea Hygge became A Thing but it has.

Well, well, well lookit me being all bleeding edge hipster because I wanted to share the concept of Hygge with my family in the form of handmade pajama pants as Christmas gifts last year.

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I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.

How to Make Fleece Rain Boot Liners

I have a pair of rain boots standing ready by the front door so I jump into them when Lacey needs to go outside to do her business. This is a great plan during the muddy spring and fall but could be better during winter snow since the boots aren’t very warm.

Putting Lamb's Wool Insoles helps but adding a warm boot liner helps keep the rest of my foot warm and extent the usefulness of my rain boots into the winter. I couldn't find any to buy in a store but fortunately warm fleece boot liner socks are super simple to sew and quick to make because you make them inside out!

DIY Fleece Boot Liner Socks

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16 of the Best Gift Ideas for Creative Crafters

Do you have a crafty or creative person on your gift giving list? The one who isn’t shy about making a thoughtful knitting or crocheting, needlepoint, cross stitch or sewing gift and you’d like to reciprocate but that just isn’t in your mad skill wheelhouse?

I hear you AND I can help you because I but together a guide giving guide for crafters and creative types of things they’ll love to use to make gifts or they are kits with everything included so YOU have everything to make a unique gift for them if you like!

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Holiday Gift Giving Guide for People Who Like to Make You Crafts and Stuff