Reversible table runner how to

Finished project

I have been anxious to make a tablerunner for our coffee table, which may or may not have some paint splatters on it. *Ahem*

I made a very simple one that is a great use of fat quarters in your stash – I used 5 fat quarters for the front, the remnants of those 5 fat quarters and scraps from my stash for the back.

Here, a step by step guide.

1. Choose 5 fat quarters that have a complementary theme. Iron fabric.

2. From each fat quarter, cut 3 4-inch by 18-inch strips.

3. Lay strips by color side by side. Grab one strip from each pile. This is your first set. For the next set, start with the second pile in and grab five, making the first strip be your last. For your third set, pick the strip from the third pile to start your pile. So your piles will be in this order: 1,2,3,4,5; 2,3,4,5,1; 3,4,5,1,2.

4. Sew the five strips in your new piles together. Spread seams open, iron flat. You should have three sets when you are done, measuring about 18X18 inches after seam allowances.

5. Cut 4 inch wide strips from fabric (in the direction that will make 4X4 inch blocks of 5 colors, all sewn together). You should be able to cut 4 from each of the 3 panels, leaving 12 strips and small scraps of fabric at the end.

Cut strips will look like this.

6. Pick a pattern to make with these strips. For our table runner, I did 1,2,3,2,1,2,3,2,1. This left me with three strips leftover, which I used on the back. More on this later.

Sew strips together. Open seams, press flat.

7. From leftover fat quarters, create border. For the skinny edges, I cut 2 strips that are 4 inches by 18 inches, 1 each from 2 of the remaining fat quarters. This made the long side 39 inches long, so I cut 13.5 inch X 4 inch strips from the 3 remaining fat quarters, 2 from each colors. I staggered the colors for the edge so that the same fabrics weren’t right across from each other. Sew on sides, open seams, press flat.

Your top is done!

8. Make your backing. For the back, I pieced leftover strips and leftover scraps of fabric until I created a top that measured the same size. For a less time consuming alternative, you can just do one solid fabric backing. If you choose to piece as you go, then you have a reversible table runner.

Randomly pieced backing

9. Place right sides together of both front and back, pin together. Sew around all 4 sides, leaving three inches unsewn in order to turn right side out.

10. Fold in edges of remaining three inches, sew shut either by hand or machine. Sew around the runner 1/2 inch in from the edge to finish. And you’re done!

Finished backing

With table decorations

Reversible back with table decorations

On the button necklace bandwagon

I don’t know if you have noticed, too, but button necklaces have been popping up everywhere. I’d seen them all over Etsy, and in the windows of the fabric store in downtown Maryville. I’ve thought about making them but hadn’t gotten around to it. When I saw it on this blog, I finally decided it was time. It’s the perfect mindless task while watching TV. Plus, I already had all of the supplies – score!

I used white satin ribbon instead of cord, because I had it on hand. I also made a crazy long necklace – I can wear it with one loop down past my waist, or a double loop or a triple loop – the triple loop is my favorite. It would also make a super cute garland for a small tree.

I’m not really sure this necklace was business suit/job appropriate but … meh. You have to have some fun, right?

Quick pot holders/hot pads how to

There are fancier, prettier pot holder patterns out there. But probably not any easier ones. These are made with material that makes them safe enough to use to pull something out of the oven, and heat-insulated enough to protect your countertops from hot pots and pans. You can crank several of these out in an hour, and they make great gifts. Plus, they are the perfect project to use up your fabric remnants.

Easy, practical

Items you will need: Sewing machine, fabric, insul-bright, quilt batting.

First, decide how large you want your potholders to be. It depends on what you want to use them for. I’ve made some that are about 5 inches square, with the intent to use them to protect countertops from hot plates. I have also made them 9 inches square to use to pull things out of the oven.

Cut your fabric, insul-bright (special fabric that is heat resistant), and quilt batting to the same size, between 5-10 inches square.

For each pot holder, you will need 2 squares of fabric, 1 square of insul-bright and 1 square of  batting. (I used warm and natural all cotton batting)

Put one of the fabric squares, right side down, in front of you. Layer one batting square on top, followed by one insul-bright square. Sew around all edges. When finished, lay second fabric square right side up, and place new layered square on top, fabric side down. Sew around all edges, leaving about 1.5 inches to turn the project right side out. Turn right side out, sew closed. Add additional quilting to the outside – either a second square around the perimeter, an X, lines – whatever your heart desires.

And you’re done!

Quick, cute baby gift project

Have you ever had a baby shower to go to and needed a gift really quickly? Or just a little something to add a homemade touch to a baby gift? This is the perfect project for a situation like this. If you craft on a regular basis, you probably have everything you need already. The project takes fewer than 30 minutes, and best of all – babies actually love them.

Cute, easy and practical - can you beat that?

First of all, can we mention how cute the fairytale flannel fabric is??

OK. This is a taggie-style little blanket, perfectly sized for baby’s pincher grasps and small enough to stick into a diaper bag, tuck into a stroller pocket or comfort a baby in a baby carrier. Making these is super easy. Cut out two equal sized squares from flannel fabric. This project had 6X6 inch squares. Cut out a variety of different satin ribbons – about 2.5-3 inches long.

Place flannel fabric squares right sides together. Insert satin ribbon, folded in half, between the two pieces of flannel, with tails of ribbon sticking out. Pin into place. Repeat until you have enough ribbon ‘taggies’. Sew 1/4 inch seam around the entire square, leaving about 1.5 inches unsewn in order to flip the blanket right side out. Flip right side out, sew remaining space closed. Then, sew a second time around the completed blanket on the right side, half an inch in, securing ribbons in place so that ribbons do not detach when baby plays/sucks on the tags. And that’s it, you’re done!

Super easy craft, great baby gift

I completed a new project this weekend and have loads of photos to show with you – but alas, it must wait a few days as it’s part of a Valentine’s gift for someone who reads this blog. 🙂

So, in the meantime, more photos from the vault of easy craft projects.

This quick project will take you about an hour to make 3, is a great way to use up scraps of your favorite fabrics, and makes a sweet, thoughtful gift for any newborn babies in your life. Plus, they’re cute enough in grown up fabrics that you could use them to decorate your home.

For these handmade baby blocks, I cut out 5 inch squares of fabric (6 per block) in a lot of my favorite fabrics that I had only bits and pieces left in. This is also a great fat quarter project. I just figured this out as I went, but this is a great tutorial if you need some extra help.

Sew all of the sides together, and leave about a 1.5 inch opening to flip the blocks right side out through. Then, fill with polyfill and, if you wish, a noisemaker. I used leftover jinglebells from a Christmas-time project. Handsew the remaining seam closed. You’re done!

If you would like to make your project a bit more complicated, add some satin ribbon “taggies” to your blocks to give babies a way to grab them with little fingers, and to give them something to suck on.

So squishy

Love the chicken and owl fabrics especially

And they all fall down

Tomatoes in the winter

My favorite thing to do in the spring and summer is spend almost every waking minute I can in my garden. I love to be covered in mud, surrounded by beautiful things in bloom. In the mornings, I always run out to check new growth before heading to work. As soon as I get home in the evenings I dive right in to weed, water, check progress and harvest fruits and veggies. Most of the time, I don’t even take the time to change and am weeding in high heels and dress pants.

Winter is a rough time for most anyone in the frozen midwest, but it’s especially rough for us gardeners. No light, no garden therapy … we’re left to peruse pictures of the past year’s gardens and buy seeds in hope for an unseasonably warm early spring.

Thus in fall and winter I turn to sewing projects and crochet, and all things indoors. Enter the perfect, oldfashioned, quick sewing project that brings minds to the warm summer ahead.

See inspiration here. I love Martha Stewart’s section of homemade gift ideas, and this one is especially fitting. What can be sweeter than handy-dandy tomato pincushions cheering up the house on snowy days? They are super easy to make, taking less than 20 minutes a piece to sew, and can be made in front of the TV or fireplace. As usual, I went a bit overboard – and made 12 one evening while we were watching a movie. It’s the perfect use of scrap fabric and has kept any dogs in this family from stepping on a sewing pin in quite some time.