Sewing a reversible fabric table round

This table round was something my mom requested months ago, and then probably forgot about. But let me tell you, those are the best surprise gifts.

I made her a window valance for her redecorated dining room last fall, and she casually mentioned she would love a matching table round with the leftover fabric.

"Round? That's too hard. How about square?"

Um, no. She didn't like my compromise. So after she forgot about it altogether, I looked up how to cut a large circle. Guess what? Not hard!

I made it up as I went along, but this was a quick and easy one-evening project. It's two circles with a layer of batting in the middle. I sewed the layers together and then flipped the sandwich right side out. Sort of like making a pillow if you skip the stuffing part.

I didn't quilt it because I wanted the print to stay clean and undisturbed. Instead, I busted out a rarely-used decorative stitch around the edge. It never occurs to me to use these stitches, and many times, they look like too much, but this works I think.

For the backside, I used this Moda cotton print (previously also used on Etta's baby quilt.) It was from a Christmas line a couple of years ago, but there's really nothing Christmasy about it. Love it! I wish I had more of it left over.

See more sewing projects here >>

Quick and easy handmade stuffed bunnies

I have a little bit of show and tell to do with the things I made for Christmas gifts this year. I did not make as much as years past, but I did do a bit of sewing and put together some craft kits for Elise. All in due time, but first, these bunnies.

Of course, bunnies might be more appropriate for Easter rather than Christmas, but who wants their kid carrying around a snowman all year long? And someone peeking out of the top of the stocking is essential in this house.

I followed this free pattern and used a couple upholstery fabric samples and some felt scraps from my stash. I didn't have any stuffing, so I filled them with shredded batting scraps. They each probably took about an hour to complete. Maybe less. Definitely a simple little bunny.

I am not an expert on sewing curves, but I took it slow and my zig zag top stitching does not look half bad. (Sewing with black thread on a dark fabric is also very forgiving.)

Like I mentioned before, I tried to use materials I already had, but I did buy a few safety eyes, something I didn't even know existed before a couple of months ago. It's almost like a screw with a nut on the back holding it in place. Easier to use than sewing a button!

I sewed tails onto the bunnies for some added detail. The neon houndstooth fabric I found at my grandma's house. Vintage polyester, but it looks so 2014!

Easy end-of-year teacher thank you gifts: Decoupaged clipboards

With the school year wrapping up, it was time to make more thank you gifts for Elise's preschool teachers. I truly believe that gift cards are sometimes the most appreciated, but it doesn't hurt to pair them with a little something handmade.

Decoupaged clipboards are easy to make, and they're the perfect companion to a gift card. I found plain mini clipboards at my favorite well stocked Dollar Tree, but I've gotten similar half-size clipboards at office supply stores in the past.

This is a quick craft you can whip out in under half an hour. A coat of Mod Podge to stick down the card stock and another to seal it. Super easy.

It's also cheap! A dollar for the clipboard and even less for the card stock -- you're all in for under $2 each!

• See more decoupaged clipboards >>
• Also check out my coin purse gift card packaging >>

Recycled gift wrappings

This year is finally the year when I eschewed traditional wrapping paper in favor of using up all the odds and ends I've been hoarding. The random pieces of packing and kraft paper, leftover ribbons and other assorted bits. What's the point in saving things if I never use them?

The flowers were all made from those plastic mesh produce bags. For tags, I punched large circles out of card stock I already had. None of it was "Christmas," but I just used patterns and colors that coordinated.

I didn't have enough materials to cover our entire gift list, so I used remnants of normal wrapping paper from years past for the others. And that can be marked as an accomplishment too. Usually, I crack open new rolls each year because I don't like to repeat the prints. It's my weird wrapping quirk.

Also in the eco-friendly category are these reusable drawstring gift bags I made. It can be considered a small extra gift, or the recipient can wrap something else up and pass it along. I had grand plans to make a bunch of them in all sizes, but time got the best of me this year and I only made a couple small ones. Put it on the to-do list for 2013!

7 Last-minute DIY Christmas gifts

Reusable cloth napkins for everyday use + FREE printable gift tag

Back-painted glass picture frames

Mod Podged tile map coasters

Fabric wrapped photo frame

Back-painted mirrored year painting

Kid hand print art

Decoupaged clip boards

6 Quick gifts to make for kids

There's still time to knock out a gift or two before Christmas! Here are a few quick ideas to make for kids.

Matching "Memory" game

Chunky toddler crayons

Simple hand painted peg dolls

Dollar store pizza pan chalkboards

Grosgrain ribbon belt

U.S.A. map blankets + FREE printable gift tag

Coin purses: Cute gift card packaging

Sometimes giving gift cards can seem a little empty, but there are certain situations where they really are the best option. I wanted to give Elise's teachers gift cards for Christmas, so I decided to personalize the gift a bit by making some coin purses (similar to those I made for Elise's birthday party).

I used the same black and white striped fabric I used on my recent baby quilt and some pink cross-hatch fabric for the lining.

I had zippers on hand from my last go-around with coin purses and all the fabric as well, so these cost nothing to make. I think they'd price out between $1 and $2 each if you had to buy all the materials.

These really are so simple to make. I made them assembly-line style, but they probably only took around 20 minutes a piece. (Same as last time, I generally followed this tutorial at Noodlehead.) I even made an extra for myself!

2 Quick and easy semi-handmade tiny gifts for kids

I was going to use the phrase "stocking stuffers" in the title, but that just seems kind of weird on February 1. Anyhoo, I'm tying up the last of these handmade gifts and didn't want to forget these two.

Not everything I make takes a thousand hours or requires a clever idea. Sometimes superfast and semi-handmade is the way to go. Semi-handmade meaning store-bought items simply assembled together.

Disney bottle cap magnets

These "bottle caps" were actually stickers found in the scrapbooking section at Jo-Ann. I removed the sticker backs and added magnets. Yeah, that's all I did, and my daughter thinks they're awesome.

I know not everyone's into Mickey Mouse, but I'm sure there are other three-dimensional stickers or like items just waiting to be transformed into magnets or something else. Keep your eyes open!

Simple ribbon hair bow clips

Some of the bows in Elise's massive collection were stained or otherwise damaged, so I decided to give them new life. I stripped the old ribbon off so I could reuse the clips. (You can find new "blank" hair clips at the craft store.) The ribbon I used was a clearance find from the dollar section at Target. I think I paid 50 cents. To make one of these tiny bows, I probably used 14" of ribbon or so. (Yes, the length required is deceiving.)

I used hot glue and slowly adhered the ribbon around the clip, patterning them after the simple bows Elise already owns. She's not a huge girly girl, so we're not yet into giant head-engulfing bows.

I know hot glue is messy, but there really is no replacement for it here. I've found fabric and craft glues don't hold up long-term for toddler bows.

So that's the last of my handmade Christmas gifts from 2011 (and all by the first of February). I'll have a round up on Friday of all the gifts because I'm thorough like that.

............................................................................

This is part of my 2011 Handmade Gift Challenge.

Faux abstract kid paintings

My two-year-old daughter is somewhat of a reluctant artist. Elise loves the idea of painting; sometimes I give her a dry, clean paintbrush and she walks around "painting" everything.

But when it comes to the real thing, she only is interested for a couple of minutes. She doesn't like anything wet or messy on her hands, so that's somewhat limiting. Because of this, we did this project in four very short sessions.

One of the things I dislike about kid's art is that it's typically made with inferior materials or strictly primary colors. As Elise is starting to do projects, I'm trying to let her use the same materials I use. This might change as she gets older if she wants to make a bazillion things, but for now it's manageable.

Progress, two layers

I found two 5" x 7" canvas boards I had laying around. They were already painted black from some unfinished project of mine from years ago. I structured the project and chose the colors, but all of the brushstrokes were hers.

We layered one color at a time and waited for each layer to dry before adding another. This avoided any "muddy" paint (another typical drawback of kid art). This process also coordinated nicely with a two-year-old's patience. We did four layers in all (white, pink, a subtly lighter pink and an orangey yellow). When everything was dry, I sprayed the canvasses with a clear sealer to give it that "finished" look.

The backs of the canvas boards were not so pretty and I didn't want to frame the paintings, so I used Mod Podge to glue some scrapbook paper onto the backs. Then I added a small label with Elise's name and age. Now that I think about it, I should have done something quirky in the format of a museum plate, but too late.

Painting #1

Painting #1, detail

After the first couple of layers, I thought the paintings would turn out looking very kiddish, but they ended up looking a bit sophisticated! I'm kind of in love with them, but they were Mother's Day gifts for Elise's grandmas. We will have to collaborate on another piece of artwork just for us very soon.

Painting #2

Painting #2, detail

Handmade Gift Challenge 2010: The Results

As you've seen in the past few weeks, I was quite busy making Christmas gifts last year. I started in July with a few things, but didn't get serious until November. My plans for making Dan and Elise larger gifts fell through. Overextended myself. I don't think they mind though.

I hadn't planned on sewing so many gifts, as sewing is not really my forte, but it just turned out that way. In addition to what is shown below, I also gifted a number of my pots.

Forgive me as you've seen most of these not that long ago, but I wanted to collect them up in one post.

Matching "Memory" Game

Toddler crayons

Ukulele applique pillow

Back-painted glass frames

Drawstring bag / On-the-go playmat

Back-painted glass cow diagram

Box-style floor pillows

Photo tile magnets

Robot taggie and onesie

Painted monogram plaque

And some little extras

Mod Podged frame

Postage stamp coasters

Greeting cards

Photobooks