Gingercake

Gifts and a Resurrected Project

Last week Cal finished preschool for the year.  We had performances and picnics.  I love preschool so much.  What's not totally adorable about 3 and 4 year olds singing (it's even adorable when they choose not to sing) the itsy bitsy spider?  Cal has 2 teachers.  His main teacher is my good friend Karen who has received so MANY of my handmade gifts that I decided to give her a gift card instead.  The assistant is new though and she asked Karen to tell me that she wanted something I made- that was really nice since I sometimes wonder if people would just prefer something from the store!

I bought several half yards of Sandi Henderson's secret garden when it came out in the fall.  I thought it was pretty but when it arrived I found it too girly for my personal tastes.  I kept trying to use it but have ended up just using it as gifts to people I know are more into this look than me.  It's lovely but I can't get excited about it for myself.  I find it a safe and sweet fabric to make teacher gifts though!

The assistant preschool teacher is very sweet and talks to me a bunch her love of Vera Bradley.  I hoped that she would like this quilted cover on the On the Go Organizer since it is kinda like Vera Bradley- right?  I just made simple loops which was fun and easy.

The interior is more Secret Garden and I used my favorite duck cloth for the pocket to give some extra weight.  This took me less than an hour to make! 

I also made my good friend Anna a 3 Layer Clutch for her birthday.  We have been friends since we were 13 and I have neglected her birthday for years since we got out of college and I moved away from Atlanta.  She is not really the Vera type so I went a little more funky on the fabric.

The fabric is Soul Blossoms from Amy Butler and I used vintage trim and onasburg for the flap.  Hopefully she has gotten her package by today and I am not ruining her surprise here!  

Back in march I ordered some beautiful Heather Ross fabric to make another more spring themed 3 layer clutch.  I made the clutch but ended up cutting the main outside piece too small.  I felt irrated and abandoned the clutch to work on my Bunny where I used up the rest of that adorable fabric.  After I finished up Anna's clutch, I looked at that abandoned one from March and felt newly inspired to start in with my seam ripper, make a whole new outside piece, rework the interior (since I had cut all that down to try to fix up the shortened outside piece) and finish up the clutch finally.

Somehow the flap turned out a little short but it worked out nicely since you can see the words on the Snow White fabric.

Then when you open the flap...

Pretty and whimsical but not cutesy.  Isn't that what Heather Ross is a genius at creating?   Then the wallet opens to look great too and you can see a bit of the 7 dwarfs.

I am so glad I took the time to rip out all those seams and replace those pieces!  My next few posts may be about my veggie garden so I wanted to make sure you got your fill of sewing projects with this one!  Hope you are having a wonderful spring and enjoying beautiful weather like we are!

Nine Minute Everyday Napkins Tutorial

For a while I have been using cloth napkins that I made using this mitered corner tutorial. I love using them- not only for the nice feeling they have or how much prettier my table looks, but because I know I am doing a small thing to help reduce waste.  A wise friend once told me that every little thing you do adds up to make a difference.  So although I could be doing MUCH more, here is small thing that helps and makes your table look prettier every night too!  I admit that I get pretty psyched about a nice looking table at dinner even when I am serving kid stuff all the time.

The napkins I made last year are great except making them was kinda a pain in the neck with all the ironing and looking for little folds, etc.  Don't get me wrong, that Katy is brilliant!  I also used the same method to make my scrap color baby quilt backing.  When I decided to give these as gifts for christmas this year, I discovered an even faster way to do the corners which makes the whole project a snap! 

Let's begin by choosing our fabric and how much to use.   To switch your family over to fabric napkins you need to make at least 8 napkins and 12 is even better.  We have 5 in our family and 12 works great so that I wash every few days.  To make 12 you need 2.7 yards of 100% cotton fabric.  I like to make my napkins 16" x 16".  This is a good size for grown ups and kids.  If you have only grown ups and teenagers using the napkins, then you could go up to 18" x 18".  That is too big for the little hands in our house right now.

Using a rotary cutter, self healing mat, and a large clear ruler, cut squares that are 16" x 16".  Try to make your squares as "square" as possible!

Next you will mark off a 45 degree angle on each corner of the fabric piece.  Do this on the wrong side of the fabric.  Most self healing mats will have markings to guide you.  I just use a pencil to make this mark 1 inch down from the corner tip.  I don't like how chalk rubs off and you need to be able to see this line in several steps.

Make this mark on all 4 corners.

Fold the corner edge together (to make a right triangle) and put a pin through to mark the middle and hold it in place.

Below is the other side view of that pinned corner.  See how the line is on both sides?

 Now over to your sewing machine.  Sew a short line from the fabric fold edge to the pin you placed in the middle of the line you made in the last step.  Make sure you do a backstitch at the beginning and end of this small stitched line.  It will only be about 1/2".

You need to repeat this on all 4 corners.  Instead of stopping and clipping my threads after each small corner stitch, I just give my piece a pull, make the thread long enough and move to the next corner.  Then I just do all my thread cuts in the next step!  Easy and time saving.  See the picture below.

Next, with your scissors, clip off each corner about 3/16" above your corner guide line. In this step, also clip off those threads from the stitches of the last step.  Clip all 4 corners.

Use a chopstick or some type of blunt tip to poke each corner right side out like in the picture below.

Poke out all four corners and and napkin should look like the picture below.  You are still working on the wrong side of the fabric.

Next over to your ironing board.  You can see in the picture above how the corners make the edges of the napkin roll in.  Use your fingers to pull it a little taunt and then iron that edge flat like in the picture below.  The corners will not iron perfectly flat but that will work out in the next step. 

Now that you have ironed all 4 sides, go back and fold that edge under again to make a hem that is about 3/8" wide.  Take advantage of how the edge naturally folds under from when you made the corner.  

Iron the hem nice an flat.  The corners should lay flat too.  It there is a slight imperfection, don't fuss too much since it works out nicely in the end.

See slight imperfection below?  A bump after it has been ironed.  But it will sew flat in the next step.

Now, if you feel like you can't live without pins here, go ahead and use some, but i think it is easier to not use pins and let the fabric make natural adjustments as you sew around your edges.  Begin a couple inches above one of your corners (starting at a corner usually ends up badly!), and sew around all four sides of your napkin until you overlap where you began.  Clip your threads and move on the next napkin! 

I made this batch of napkins as gifts for friends and family this year.  I ironed them really well and then made some clip art which you are welcome to use for personal gifts too!

Download 6everyday napkins

I printed out the page on cardstock and then cut out the shapes.  I then used a small hole punch and strung some bakers twine (yes!  I am now officially a user of bakers twine.  I don't really get what the big deal is but since i bought so much, you'll be seeing lots of it here!) through to make this cute presentation.

 I actually did time myself and the napkin took only 9 minutes to make!!  That will take a little practice but you will probably have it down by your 3rd napkin.  If you make them assembly line style it could take even less time!  6 napkins in less than an hour is pretty awesome.

You may use this method to sell all the handmade napkins you would like.  The clip art is for personal use only please!  I hope this may be the final push to make those napkins you have been putting off making for yourself.  Say goodbye to buying all those paper napkins and hello to pretty fabric and less waste!

Happy New Year friends!

And this was supposed to be the year I didn't do as much Handmade...

I decided not to go overboard on handmade this year.  And really, compared to the effort I made in past years, it's not so much!  This post is going to be picture heavy and word light since I am supposed to pick the kids up in half an hour and I can't be listing these pictures while they are home!  Those kids are getting pretty smart about catching me in the act :)

First, Elsie's gift was a special request and is a holiday dress for her American girl doll Kit...

Yack!  Doll clothes!  They are harder than they look and working with cheap velvet from Joanns is not recommended.  But, hey!  It turned out pretty and I know my girl will like it.

Next, Anne requested a purse and wallet AND a credit card that spends.  Hmmmm.  The credit card that spends is not happening as of this point.  Maybe a gift card? 

I had fun making that one.  I used some pinterest inspiration and just made up what to do.  I liked using those kind of handles!  Very cute.

For the wallet I used Noodlehead's Zippy Wallet tutorial which was very fast and easy.  Learned some new skills too!  I love how she does her zipper.  The owl one is for Elsie since I couldn't just make one of those cute little wallets!

Cal's gift was my own idea since he is not really interested in thinking about gifts and what he wants for Christmas.  He has mentioned a haunted house with bats but I am not going to attempt to make that!

I used Wee Wonderful's Space boy and Robot pattern which I have had for several years now.  That yellow t-shirt is a cape that is not my best work but it goes with the robot so I'm sure he'll like it.  I used this tutorial.

For Elsie's class party we made Cake Pops.  They were a challenge!  But I have been wanting to try them for so long!  There were 2 left over that we are saving for some beloved cousins on Christmas Eve.

We decorated our Candy Cottage at the end of last week.  I will NEVER go back to making real gingerbread!  This is so much more fun and less pressure (for me at least!).  All 3 kids helped this time, although Cal did a lot of eating candy and Anne somehow ended up with frosting on her ears! 

I made Caramel Corn for neighbors and relatives.  AWESOME!  EASY!  It tastes really good too.

My husband has a huge family so I also made some everday napkins to gift.  These have a back story and I am excited about sharing how I made these. I hope to make a quick tutorial after all this holidaying has calmed down.  I have the pictures taken and ready to go!

Like everyone who likes to sew, I had plans to do more but I am happy that I am pretty much ready for Christmas now.  Last year on the day after Chritmas I felt like I had been run over by a train!  I had no idea how stressed out the whole thing had made me.  I really wanted to scale back so i wouldn't feel so deflated again and I could enjoy the days after the holiday as much as the days before.

Last are a few more decorations that we are loving!   A playmobil nativity set that a good friend gave us.  I love that the kids are playing with the characters so much.  So sweet.  Playmobil is wonderful!

Also, I found this vintage gem at the thrift stoer for only $.50!  What a steal.  She is adorable!

Happy Christmas to you all!  I am not sure if I will be back next week so Happy New Year too!  Thank you for reading the blog and being part of my crafting life.  It is a real pleasure to share my work with you.  I am truly grateful to have this creative outlet and you to share it with!

 

Sewing a Gift for my Dad : Heating Pad Pillow

I have had so much fun making this gift for my dad.  I also realize that I have never sewed anything for him before!  My dad loves to read and this pillow will go on his dark blue reading chair in his study.  He is the youngest 81 year old I have ever met!  He met and married my mom when she was 25 and he was 39.  They met in September, got engaged in December, and were married in February!  It was his first marriage and now they have been together for almost 42 years!  

Dad's back has been bothering him a little and I thought this pillow, with a heating pad insert would be perfect for him.

We tease him a lot about saying "i'll do it when I feel like it!"  He likes to act all grumpy on the outside but we all know he is a real softie on the inside.  I followed this method to embroider the words.  It was so fun and easy!  I printed out the phrase I wanted with the font I wanted and then just embroidered right through the paper!  It was awesome.

Here is another view of the opening for the heating pad.

The heating pad is 12" x 15".  The pillow is 16" x 16".  The backing is a 16" square and then I cut out a 16" to be the first layer of the front of my pillow. I made the finished pillow top be 15" x 16".  I also gave the pillow top a flannel backing so the heating pad wouldn't get too hot through the fabric.  Finally, I made a simple elastic cord and button closure.  I love how it turned out and how nice it works!

I followed House on Hill Road's tutorial for putting in a zipper opening for your pillow.  It was really nice and I learned a great new skill!  I will always do that now when I make a pillow.  I used a sturdy blue duck cloth for the back.  The zipper really adds a professional touch and makes cleaning even easier.  

Hopefully my dad won't read this blog post before Christmas!  He doesn't really do lots of "interneting" so I think I will be OK.  Have you ever sewn for your dad?  What would you like to make for him?  Sewing for men is real challenge!

Seven from Heaven

My big girl is seven today.  Seven!  

She is smart and determined.  She is kind and concerned.  She is a big sister and a best friend.  She loves art, soccer, riding her bike and reading.

Your oldest child gets the best and worst of you.  Sometimes I push her to grow up and other times I baby her and don't realize how much she can handle.  This year together has been mostly up but a little down too.  There has been LOTS of laughter and a fair amount of tears too.  She takes on a lot for her seven years!

I want her to stay little but see her future bright and beautiful.  

I made this shirt for her yesterday.  It is a soft and lightweight cotton from the remnant section at JoAnns.  She really loves sleeveless tops but I want her to look seven and not fourteen so I often resist the tank tops at the store.  This is basically like a pillowcase dress but it is A-Line shaped.  I used a shirt we had that fit her nicely as a guide and traced the shape.   The front detail is just a piece of thrifted trim and a 5 little buttons sewed on.   I love how it turned out and she is pleased.  Hopefully she will wear it more than once!  I made the matching headband before she went to school this morning which was a little rushed but still turned out cute!

Happy Birthday big girl!

Gift Giving Follow Through

My dear, dear friend Meghan is working hard to get her esthetician license back and has her test this coming weekend.  She, like many of us, choose to stay home with her kids while they were little and now that her youngest is on his way to Kindergarten in the fall, she is ready to start work again.  The kids and I went to visit her a few weeks ago and we had a long talk about the leap of going back to work.  

She practiced for her test on me and gave me the most glorious facial ever!  You should have seen my skin!  I promised I would make her a bag to take all her items with her when she goes to take her test.  I know she will ace it, but it's nerve wracking for any of us who have been out of school for a while to take a test.  I would be shaking in my boots!

I often find myself saying to friends and family "I'll make you one of those!  No problem!"  and then life gets in the way and I don't get around to it.  I really want to work harder on following through and doing this for people!  

I figured I could multitask (yeah!) on this one and that way it would be work and fun.  I have been wanting to try the Make your Getaway Duffle with piping and it works great!  The piping really makes the shape of the bag pop.  I made my own piping by covering piping that I had around with fabric that matched the bag.

Meghan LOVES blue.  Her home is so soothing and pretty in its cool blue palette.  I thought this Amy Butler Soul Blossoms combo would be perfect for her.  I hope she likes it!  

I also decided to try using duck cloth as a lining instead of fusible interfacing (which I recommend in the pattern if you are using quilting weight fabric).  Then I did my separate lining in a cute baby polka dot which was a thrifted sheet.  The duck cloth worked great and I like the sturdier weight of the bag EXCEPT I found that sewing the lining on around the zipper with my machine was not working out.  It was too thick and the sewing looked messy.  I decided to hand sew the lining in and that worked out really nice.  The lining and the zipper lay so nice and flat now and it didn't really take that much time.

I have debating about getting a serger for a while now and on this project, it would have been great!!!  You could whip these out so fast if you could serge the seams- I could see it being really nice without a separate lining if you had some tidy serged seams in there.   I better start checking craig's list again!

Good Luck on Saturday Meghan!  I know you will do great.

Southern Preppy

My sister lives in Colombus, GA and asked me to make her some teacher gifts like the ones I made for the AnnKelle fabric.  When I asked what fabrics she wanted, she said "you know, preppy.  Everybody here is really preppy."  I wouldn't call where I live now preppy, but I knew exactly what she meant growing up down south.  For this blog post I thought it would be fun to look up the definition of preppy.  Little did I know there was a difference between preppy & southern preppy.  Take a moment to read those if you are interested in learning more about what it means to be preppy.  Funny stuff!  Who wrote those definitions?  What do you think southern friends?  That definition is pretty much exactly like many people I knew down south.  My family was not totally "preppy" (like many people I knew!) but I wonder how much all the preppiness around me influenced my style.  For any readers who are not from the USA, sorry for all the talk about this typical american stereotype! 

I made 3 of these patchwork notebooks above and one from an amy butler FQ that I had around.  The patchwork is typical preppy pink & green.  The one below has the look of vera bradley happening so I thought it could be acceptable for the look we are trying to achieve.  

I made these using the notebook slipcover pattern again.  I am using these great notebooks from Staples.  I added about .5" to the width on each side to account for the thickness of the notebook.  The patchwork fabrics are from JoAnns and I used Amy's favorite osnaburg for the linen look.  I used 6 pieces that measure 3"x4" to make the patchwork cover and I liked how nicely they turned out.  The TEACHER coupon is still good in the shop for 40% off this pattern if you want to make some yourself!  

So, even though I didn't include any grossgrain ribbon bows or monogramming, I think we achieved our look.  Hope you like your them teachers in Colombus GA!  

 

Super Sweet Vintage Postcards for You!

My friend Karen (remember how I made her that scrappy pumpkin?) and I often go to the thrift store together.  Although I introduced Karen to the joy of thrifting,  I have to admit that her skills of finding treasures may be surpassing me!  Here is what she found for my girls recently...

 I had been telling her about the girls writing letters to my Mom asking for sticks of gum (thanks for sending all those sticks of gum Mom!)  Now the girls are thinking that they can write to other people and get gum.  Hmm.  I have warned that this may not work but they want to give it a shot anyway.  We figured these postcards will be the perfect way to start sending out their requests.

Anne recently got a picture in the mail from a friend and we decided to use the first new (to us!) postcards to write a thank you.  

I love these postcards so much!  I figured you may like them too so I scanned them for you to download!  I hope you feel inspired to spread some sweet springtime cheer with these too.  You never know- maybe you will start getting some sticks of gum in the mail too!  To get all 5 of the postcards, click on the link below...

Download Vintage Postcards

Here is what the first page looks like~

 
I did not design these cards myself!  They have no company name and no artist signature.  If you know anything about them, I would love to contact someone and ask for the rights to share them.  For now, let's just enjoy how sweet they are, right?  They are for personal use only- especially since we don't know what artist designed all this cuteness!

They will print out best on white card stock- I used 110lb weight which worked out nice.  I am going to print some out to send in my draw string bags for the kids affected by the Tornado in Alabama.  Go check out Vanessa's blog to join in this nice and worthwhile way to help.

Teacher Gifts

Kelle Boyd of AnnKelle left a comment on my blog post about my elephants about a month ago.  I love her fabrics and stationery so I responded to tell her that I should make some elephants using her fabrics too.  Through some emailing and her generous gift of a 1/2 yard of metro market apples fabric, we decided to try some teacher gifts instead.  Perfect for this time of year!

I was sketching and trying to think of a new idea for my teacher gifts.  I always want to give them something useful but also special.  I kept coming back to making notebook slipcovers over and over again and I figured that must be the right choice.  Everyone needs a notebook, right?  And this adorable fabric, combined with onasburg, was a great fit.

I made a simple apple applique based on Kelle's apple shape.  I made a copy for you to download free!

Download Applique applique

The apple notebooks are for Anne's 2 preschool teachers.  They are wonderful, kind & intelligent ladies. The "Miss Nasser" notebook is for Elsie's 1st grade teacher.  Elsie adores her and she has been a great influence on her this year.  I had her write "Miss Nasser" and then I embroidered her writing with a hoop before I did the interfacing, etc.  I tried to get Elsie to do the embroidery but she got all frustrated and I figured it wasn't worth the battle, so I did it myself.  Oh well, but it still turned out cute and has a little 6 year personal touch!   

I love the buttons on these.  The pattern calls for a velcro flap but since these are for adults, I chose the loop and button closure which adds an extra cute detail.

The apple notebooks are fairly thick and because of this I added about .75" extra width when I created my measurements.  This extra fabric made them close more easily.  

Isn't this fabric the best?  Thanks Kelle!  I know the teacher's will enjoy their gifts.  What are you making this year?  If you want to try making the notebook slipcover, I have a coupon for you until the end of May.  Just type in the coupon code TEACHER to get 40% off the notebook slipcover this month!