Comics on the Go

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As I was thumbing through one of the many craft books I have piled in my office I saw a pattern for a wallet made out of an old comic book. I was totally surprised that I have had this book for who knows how long and had never noticed this pattern! The book's title is "Simply sublime gifts: high-style, low-sew projects to make in a snap" by Jodi Kahn. Of course, upon seeing the pattern I knew I had to try to make the thing.

The first few times I tried to make it I was unsuccessful. I had never used iron on vinyl. I mean really, who knew there was such a thing as iron on vinyl and that it would work with paper?! So anyway, after a couple failed attempts, I think it worked out just fine. Check it out! I even got Cecile in on it!

  

Just in case you were wondering, this is what iron on vinyl looks if you ever need to purchase it. Most craft stores carry things like this in the same aisle as their interfacing. Once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy to use.

Greeting Cards

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I enjoy making cards perhaps just as much as Cecile does. I try to set some time aside on a three day weekend to make a collection of birthday, thank you or holiday cards so I always have some on hand. Personally, I think handmade cards are a nice touch to any gift or occasion and having a few on hand is perfect for someone like me who usually goes to get a gift last minute because a birthday or holiday has snuck up on me faster than expected.

Last week, Cecile and I had a little holiday card making get together where we sat in her living room making our holiday cards. I wanted to do something a little different this year, so this is what I come up with:

Cards can be as elaborate and as simple as you want… and always fun to make! Specially with a cardmaking buddy, or perhaps with your kids?

Pillow Project

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After reading Cecile’s post from earlier this week about feather filled pillows versus polyester filled pillows I decided to branch out and make some feather filled pillows for my couch. For all of my adult life I have made polyester filled pillows for two reasons: one, polyester pillow forms are available at nearly every big box fabric store and two, they are less expensive than feather pillow forms.

After working with Cecile for a few months now, I now know where to look and to wait for a sale or coupon before I shop. So, before I went to my local Calico Corners I found a percent off coupon towards an entire purchase which would not only help with the cost of the pillow forms but of the fabric and chording for the welt. In the end, the project was not expensive!

The face fabric is a cotton basket weave print and the back is a micro suede blue that I also made the welting with. In total, these two pillows took me an afternoon to make not including the time it took to get the fabric. So far, I am really enjoying the feather filled pillows! Feather pillows have a nice give to them and I like that I can shape them as I see fit. I am so glad I branched out and tried something new! I would highly recommend feather filled pillows for any couch.

Roman Shade Rescue

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As I have mentioned before, I rent and cannot paint my walls, so the way I bring color, texture, and interest into my rooms is through fabrics, carpets and framed art. Recently, I asked Cecile’s help in transforming my bare bedroom window into a centerpiece by making a relaxed shade. Of course, I didn’t ask Cecile’s help until I failed at making “easy” roman shades they advertise on DIY websites and TV shows.

Lucky for me, Cecile appreciated that I tried the project myself and offered to teach me the proper way to make a soft shade. For fabric, we re-used some old drapes I had used in a previous home and scrap fabric that Cecile had in her studio. To my surprise, roman shades are a lot more work than I thought they were! I am so glad I got help from a professional; otherwise, I would still have a bare window.

The Sink Situation

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I rent a townhouse, and therefore cannot alter any existing furniture or fixtures. One of my bathrooms is very small and situated underneath a staircase. The sink is the first thing you see when you open the bathroom door. As you can see in the picture, the sink has no cabinet below you so see right to the pipes. Since this is my guest bathroom, I really wanted to cover the pipes and make the bathroom a little more welcoming.

I brought a picture of my sink to illustrate the shape and pipe placement, some measurements and some fabric (which I proudly bought from Ikea on super sale) to Cecile which she used to teach me how to make a custom pleated skirt for my sink! Cecile immediately noticed that the bottom of the sink is curved rather than straight, which meant we had to use Velcro to attach the skirt rather than elastic cording as we originally thought.

Not only did Cecile teach me how to make the skirt but she allowed me to use her industrial sewing machines – both the blind stitching machine for the bottom hem and the standard industrial machine for the sides and top. Using the industrial machines was a little scary and a bit strange to me – I had to use both of my feet to control the speed.

I am so happy that I now have a custom skirt for my small but fabulous bathroom and that I didn’t break Cecile’s sewing machines! Thanks Cecile!

When it rains... make fishes!

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One of the things I like to do when it rains is to rediscover fabric I had stored for years and try to make something fun, quick and whimsical out of it. Last weekend, it rained… so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to take a break from the usual slipcover or drapery project and repurpose some scraps while doing something a little different.

Recently, Malia and I discussed the idea of making mini mobiles for all ages to place in nearly any room of the house from the baby’s crib to the living room to the sewing studio. Inspired by the buckets of water coming down from the sky, I decided to show my intern how to make a cute button eyed fish mobile fit for her home.

What does rain inspire you to make?