Thursday, January 14, 2021
Easy Embroidered Coaster and Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 564
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Quick and Easy DIY Sleep Mask Gift Idea and Friday Favorites Linky Party 553
If you are looking for quick and easy handmade holiday gift ideas, follow my simple how to make a sleep mask tutorial here and make them for yourself or someone you love!
Time to link up your best projects, home improvements, recipes, and creative ideas!
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Monday, October 19, 2020
How to Make Comfortable Padded Headphone Covers
I found a set of headphones with a microphone I forgot I had in that random box of cords you’re supposed to have when you hit 30. The foam ear covers where deteriorated but the microphone windscreen was fine. What good luck I thought! I don’t have to by a new pair! I used them for my next Zoom meeting.
Of which, the last half an hour was the longest of my life because the bare headphones hurt my ears. OW!
I went into my craft studio, gathered materials, popped on an audiobook (I use Audible. You can Try Audible and Get Two FREE Audiobooks here,) and started to play. In the end I had new cute and comfortable ear covers for my headphones. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)
Let’ do this!
How to Make Replacement Headphone Covers
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
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!
Save this sewing idea to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!
And you know what?
You can make one too!
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
How to Make a Halloween Mini Tote Bag
I bought a Halloween themed color your own mini tote bag kit (similar to the color your own tote bag kits here) thinking it might be a cute to hold allergy free Teal Pumpkin project treats during Trick or Treat. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for you convenience.)
I wasn’t too jazzed with the colors or quality of the three markers that came in the kit which I expected since it came from a dollar store. No big deal. I planned on coloring it with craft paint and adding a few easy embroidered accents and outlines for fun.
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
How to Make Button Hair Ties
My hair is growing out and is now long enough to put up into a proper ponytail as long as I use these exact Goody no slip hair elastics because for the first time in my life I haven't had to use a ton of clips, barrettes, bobby pins, and a gallon of hairspray to hold flyaways when I put my hair up. It's a miracle! (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.) I've tried other hair ties that claim to be for sports or no slip and they often slip out of my hair or slip enough that I have fly aways mid day. The same goes for the thin hair ties that look like this that I used as a teen. Bleah. I think they are better put to use around my thread spools and bobbins in sewing room to keep them from unwinding.
So while the no slip Goody hair elastics work fantastic, they are super thick and don't look as cute or subtle. Yeah I could hide the pony hair tie with a ribbon or barrette but it’s been so long that I’ve had hair long enough to use them, I really don’t have any. Besides, I’d like the option of wearing something a little more sleek when I have to be a grown up.
Let's make a hair elastic cover up with buttons!
Pin this post to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!
Most of the buttons in this tutorial are vintage buttons from my Grandmother’s button box. I also made a button pony tail holder from a large flat button to see if it would work. It did!
You will need:
Sunday, June 14, 2020
How to Make an Insulated Growler Caddy
My husband and I have a couple of glass growlers for those times we want to bring home a local craft beer from a brewpub that doesn’t put it in cans or bottles. We only tend to use them when there is a BBQ or party where a group of friends will be there to help us drink a little under 2 liters of beer (an open growler goes flat more quickly than a 2 liter of pop) over the course of a long afternoon into the evening with a bonfire. In other words, not very often.
No to mention in Ohio to go growlers have to be made of glass, which are hard to keep cold and carry if you are also juggling pot luck food as you walk from your car to the party spot. There are a lot of wood growler caddies out there but I really want something insulated. That way I can also use the growler as a water jug to refill our sports bottles from the car when we are out and about.
When I can’t buy, I DIY! I dove into my fabric stash, grabbed some leftover corsetry fabric, and sewed an insulated growler caddy. If you are looking for a handmade gift idea for men, based on my husband's reaction, this is a good one. He liked the idea so much that he encouraged me to make a second insulated tote bag for the other growler.
Let’s sew!
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How to Make an Insulated Beer Growler Tote
Monday, May 11, 2020
20 New Sewing Tips, Tricks, and Hacks for Beginners to Professionals!
Lately I’ve been fielding questions from folks who are breaking out their old sewing machines after a long hiatus – a quarantine will do that, you know. I’ve also been brushing up on new sewing hacks from fellow sewing and costuming friends as we dive into sewing cloth face masks for our family and friends. I figure it is my turn to share what I know to help you make your sewing projects go a little easier, a little quicker, or allow you to make that one little unexpected tweak that takes your sewing project from OK to Wow!

20 Sewing Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier!
Monday, April 20, 2020
How to Sharpen Scissors and Rotary Cutting Blades at Home
Unfortunately using them to cut fabric also dulls the blades on your scissors and rotary cutter. Have you tried to cut fabric with dull scissors? It’s more like chewing fabric than making nice, crisp, clean cuts.
As a kid, I vaguely remember fabric stores holding fabric scissor sharpening events to draw shoppers to the store. In all honesty, I’ve never heard of one now that I’m an adult with a drawer full of dull fabric cutting tools and blades that need a little sharpening love.
What to do?
Easy! You can sharpen scissors and rotary cutting tools yourself!
How to Sharpen Fabric Scissors and Rotary Cutting Blades the Easy Way!
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
8 Reusable Cloth Face Mask Tutorials
As of April 7, 2020 the United State Centers for Disease Control (and well as the Governor of Ohio) recommends that everyone wear a cloth face covering when out in public. The idea behind wearing a face mask in public is not what a someone yelled at me for falling for “pandemic panic” or a “false sense of security.” My reply was just as less than kind because I'm battling an allergy related sinus infection that never seems to end and don't want to pass this misery to anyone else (unlikely but I get horror looks when I sneeze with and without the mask.)
The idea is that by wearing even a simple, non medical grade cloth face mask when you are in public is so you may be less likely to unknowingly pass a virus to someone else when you aren’t showing symptoms and don’t know that you are sick. This precaution leaves the medical grade and N95 filtering face masks and respirators to our front line COVID 19 heroes who need to be protected from known viruses in the air around them in a front line setting.
How to Sew a Reusable Cloth Face Mask
Friday, February 7, 2020
How to Make a Teapot Cozy
Which pretty much negates the reason for making a small pot of tea.
The solution is to put an insulated tea pot warmer on my hot little pot to keep the tea inside it nice and warm as I slowly sip the day away...
Oh, who I am I kidding? I’m usually sewing and forget I made the pot of tea that is sitting on a table across from my sewing machine until hours later.
Either way, a tea cozy is a super simple sewing project to make and is a fantastic fabric stash bust project. I added machine embroidery from a file that came with my machine to get a little more practice in on hooping the embroidery fabric – easily the most tedious, difficult to get right, and important step in machine embroidery.
Let’ s make something!
How to Sew a Simple Tea Cozy
Sunday, September 22, 2019
How to Make a Jester Costume
I need a new jester costume for renaissance festival and historical performances and when I want to dress to empress on Halloween.
This time, I went for the Crazy Person Challenge of sewing a jester costume with a homemade diamond pattern quilted fabric. I made new everything from the skin out:bloomers, hoop skirt, skirt, bodice, and hat. This project took four months to complete.
Which just goes to show you I don’t just play a fool on weekends, it’s more of a 24/7 lifestyle. I’ve never quilted before and after this project I may never quilt again!
How to Make a Female Renaissance Jester Costume
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Costume Sewing Bee
Or is that just me?
But let me tell you I totally would have taken Fairy Godmother’s help with her wand. Just sayin’.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
The Everything Guide to Sewing Jersey Knit Sleep Shorts
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.
DIY Music Summer Pajama Shorts
Sunday, January 14, 2018
How to Make a Hanging Mittens, Gloves, and Hat Closet Organizer – Winter Gear Storage Made Simple!
I resisted organizing our hats and gloves using a hanging shoe organizer on the back of the closet door for many years because the pockets aren’t large enough to store scarves (hand knitted courtesy of my mother in law. Thanks Mom!) and they rip easily with heavy use.
The solution was to sew my own custom hanging closet winter hat, glove, and mitten organizer. If you can sew a straight line, you can make this project. It only looks complicated but it is not. I promise!
How to Sew a Closet Door Pocket Organizer
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
The 15 Best DIY and Green Living Ideas You Need to Try Right Now!
From the looks of it, there are a bunch of you who like to garden but hating watering plant and like to decorate and make things with recycled materials and add green home improvements to our homes, myself included!
Monday, October 23, 2017
Elizabethan Noble Woman Costume Part 4 – Makeover Reveal
No one said anything to me one way or the other about the issues I have with this dress. I would never, ever point out any of these issues on a patron or fellow performer’s clothing Many of these things bug me and me alone and I admit I’m shallow enough to let it affect my performance.
Extreme Renaissance Festival Costume Makeover
You could say the Tudors are the originals when it comes to clothing capsule collections because most of their clothing either tied or pinned together so they could mix and match sleeves, foreparts, bodices, stomachers etc.My costuming focus this summer was making my husband a new embroidered Tudor doublet, breeches, and hat. In the interest of time, I remade and made over the items that didn’t work and kept or tweaked the pieces that do.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Elizabethan Doublet Costume Reveal!
However unlike a living history museum, what we do is historical entertainment. Being outdoors in all temperatures and weather conditions means there are some liberties I have to take in the clothing design, construction, and preferences of the guy wearing it. In other words, please don’t yell at me historical clothing purists. I know where I did not follow Elizabethan Sumptuary Laws (dress code.) Thank you.
I gave you a costume project sneak peak in Elizabethan Doublet Costume Work in Progress. I cut the velvet front of the doublet trim larger than my pattern so I could hoop it and spent a 12 hour day doing nothing but embroidering the border design over and over holding my breath every time hoping everything will line up when I finished. Thank goodness it did!
Monday, August 28, 2017
Elizabethan Doublet Costume Work in Progress
As much as I hate to see summer slowly transition into fall, it signals one of my favorite times of the year:
Costume Season!
I gave a tiny sneak peak of my latest costuming project on Instagram (follow me @condoblues on Instagram pretty please?) an Elizabethan doublet, breeches, and hat for my husband. I'm machine embroidering all of the velvet trim like a crazy person.
A post shared by Lisa (@condoblues) on
Friday, May 12, 2017
Easy DIY Three Pocket Zipper Coin Pouch
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.