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home ec class: handmade reusable gift bag

I’m only on my second project and I’m already not following the directions. That didn’t take long! In my defense, it was because I wanted to learn something new.

home ec class handmade fabric drawstring gift pouch

The project calls for a hand-sewn buttonhole, but I already know how to do that. I’m embarrassed to say, however, that I didn’t know how to use the buttonhole setting on my machine. How I managed to tackle zippers, but avoid buttonholes is beyond me. It’s so easy.

home ec class handmade fabric drawstring gift pouch

I also put a few stitches at the back of the casing to keep the ribbon from sliding out. That’s because this will probably go to my daughter for storing her magformers.

stash: Fabric from fat quarter bundle. Matching ribbon from somewhere else completely. They coordinate really well, though!

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home ec class: patchwork pin cushion

It may come as a bit of a surprise, but I’ve never taken sewing lessons. Apart from my friend helping me with my first project, I’ve learned from books, the Internet, crafty colleagues and lots of trials and errors. Some of my friends were tweeting about an online Home Ec class they were taking and I was curious, so I followed the link. The class says it’s for beginners, but there are some really cool projects using techniques I’ve been wanting to try.

home ec class patchwork pincushion

I signed up at once and promised myself I’d follow the directions for each project as they are written, because sometimes it’s a little technique for something simple that can totally change how you do things. I started the class a little late because I’ve been waiting for my daughter to go back to school. Now that I have some time to dedicate to my sewing, I’ll be cruising through the projects a little faster.

First on the list was a patchwork cushion. I followed the pattern exactly and have fallen in love with my scrap bin. Seriously, I had no idea how fun making little fabric stripes could be.

home ec class patchwork pincushion

stash: This is a great stash busting project that’s perfect for those little pieces you can’t bear to throw away. Anyone recognize the buttons?

project info: This was a bonus project, and Leigh-Ann has a tutorial posted on her blog. You should go make one, too!

class info: You can preview the class projects here and here.

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another wedding, another beach blanket to go

handmade home beach blanket to go

I’ve got another beach wedding to attend. It isn’t directly on the beach, but it’s outside and you can see the ocean. That reason enough to make another beach blanket, don’t you think?

I picked up the print fabric at the textile sale. The wool tweed is from my stash. I washed both in hot and was surprised that the wool didn’t felt. The texture is slightly softer, but that’s it. No shrinkage at all. Interesting!

I haven’t decided on a bias trim yet. I was actually thinking about skipping that step. Would that be so terrible? I’d still do the ties for sure. We’ll see.

pattern info: Why do I not own this book yet? Pattern inspiration from Amanda Soule’s Handmade Home.

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thrifty thursday: denim jacket

thrifty thursday denim jacket

I’ve been looking for a denim jacket for a long time. I wanted it to be dark denim, slightly tapered at the waist and long enough to reach my hips. Yeah, pretty specific. I tried on too many to count. Then one day at a garage sale with mostly kids’ clothes, I spied this on a rack for adults. It was a little big, but met all of my requirements. And it only cost $5. After Korinne assured me that it looked cute with the sleeves rolled up a bit, I was sold.

I brought it home and ran it through the washer and dryer. You know what? I really think this was practically new. It shrunk just a little bit and now I don’t have to shorten the sleeves. I’m not a huge fan of the faded spots, but they are a lot less obvious when I’m wearing it. I even kind of like the applique.

thrifting: If the three most important words in real estate are location, location and location, then the three most important words in thrifting are patience, patience, and patience.

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my creative space

my creative space crochet basket

In my creative space today is a crochet wool basket. It used to have sides, but I lost count of my stitches and it got all wonky and I had to rip back to the base. I started it because I wanted to have a mindless project. I guess even squares aren’t completely mindless.

More creative spaces over at Kirsty’s always-beautiful space.

textile sale: I bought three balls of this wool for 25 cents each. I have no idea about the brand or content, but it looks great and that’s all that matters!