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.

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Armchair remote control organizer

If you're thinking, "Hey Erin, that project looks super grandma..."

Well, you would be correct. I made this armchair organizer for my (super) grandma.

Normally, this type of thing seems like unnecessary clutter to me, but I'm guessing that doesn't really matter when you're 81 years old and have bad knees. And need a little help keeping track of your remote control or pen and paper for taking notes on Dancing with the Stars. (Yes, she really does that! She's pretty hilarious.)

I generally followed this tutorial, but made a few changes. The pocket is one piece of fabric (folded, so the inside is "lined") and I used store-bought bias tape for the binding. It matched the fabric so well, why bother making my own? I also fudged the dimensions a few inches, because I was working with stash fabric, and I didn't want to buy more. Really trying to use what I have; the fabric collection is still out of control.

I started quilting it every half inch or so and immediately regretted that decision. Too much work! Probably should have spaced the quilted lines at least an inch or more. Would have taken half the time.

I didn't try to line up the pocket and the rest of the fabric; I just positioned the bird on the pocket where I wanted it, but it seems as though the alignment looks pretty harmonious. 

My grandma loved it and gushed over the quilting. I reminded her that it was machine sewn, but she still acted impressed. Gotta love a friendly audience!

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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!

Gray and white gingham baby quilt

I can't believe it's been nearly a year since my last quilting adventure! Yikes! I really do enjoy doing so many different types of projects, but that often means I don't do any one of them as often as I might like.

This was a refreshing bit of sewing, made for a family friend (Hi Blair!) who is expecting a baby soon. The gingham pattern left little to fret over. No selecting and coordinating prints. I do love that aspect of quilting, but it takes some time and brain power, both of which I could stand to have more of these days.

The finished quilt measured 34" x 52.5". My squares ended up being 5" finished, so 5.5" to start.

For the record, I was inspired by the design of this gingham quilt. I ripped it off, yellow binding and all.

To keep it looking lighter and more babyish, I made sure the edges were bordered with white & gray, not gray & dark gray. That avoids the whole dark frame effect that might look too heavy on a baby quilt.

As for fabric requirements, for the front, I bought half a yard of the dark gray, half a yard of white and a full yard of the lighter gray.

For the backing, I used a single 1.5 yard piece of fabric (Michael Miller Baby Zoology in Sea). It's really hard to find cute gender neutral prints, but I think this was a perfect choice.

I didn't have time to bind the quilt by hand, so I machine sewed the binding on this one. I tried a different technique and got better results sewing back side up instead of blindly sewing from the front side. Definitely sticking with this method for the next quilt. The fabric I used here was Robert Kaufman Metro Living Circles in Marigold.

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Handmade Halloween trick or treat tote bag

How did October get here so fast? And now we're a week in? I know I'm going to blink and Halloween will be here, so I thought it best to get a jump on some homemade trick or treat bags that have been on my mental to-do list for a couple of years.

I bought this Halloween fabric out of season a year or two ago and finally decided to turn it into a pair of matching trick or treat bags for the girls. Love the slightly creepy old-timey jack-o'-lanterns!

The fabric is kind of a funny color. A brown that wants to be black. It changes with the light, so I treated it like faded black. Of course, in the darkness of trick or treating, it will look black anyway.

I followed this boxy tote bag tutorial again like I did before. These totes are really simple to make, and I love their shape.

The lining fabric is a home decor weight cotton from Joann. I'm a bit chevroned out, but I think it works for Halloween. I turned it on its side to make it a little more dynamic and also to avoid the impossible task of matching up all the lines on the seams.

If you're looking to make a bag of your own, I used 1/2 yard of a cotton print for the outside, 1/2 yard home decor weight cotton for the lining and a yard of cotton belting for the handles (also from Joann).

I can't say how long it took, but in the past I've made these in about an hour per bag.

I actually made a matching pair, but Etta's obviously too small to trick or treat this year. The totes turned out unintentionally large for such small ladies, but I guess they will grow into them.

Sewing for baby: Handmade blankie

I noticed that four-month-old Etta was showing signs of wanting some sort of blankie. (I guess they call them "loveys" now? That term is so weird to me.) She was snuggling with burp cloths, and I thought we could do better than that. She needed a blankie and what better blankie than one your mama makes for you.

I've been itching to make another quilt lately, but time has been tight. So this simple sewing project certainly scratched that itch. I hadn't sewn anything since December, which meant I hadn't really played with my fabric stash since then either. Please no one let me buy any more fabric. It's bad, you guys. But that also means I was able to do this project start to finish with what I already had on hand.

I had a remnant of pink minky fabric that was just under 15 inches wide, so I used that to determine my dimensions. I layered it with a pretty cotton print and a layer of flannel in the middle to give it some weight. (I thought batting might be too bulky.)

I cut three rectangles, sandwiched them together and bound the edges using a solid gray cotton. I probably would have used store bought bias tape to save some time if I hadn't been trying to whittle down my stash. The finished product ended up being about 18" x 14.5", which turns out to be the perfect size for grasping and chewing and rubbing on your face.

All in, it took two hours start to finish. Looking back that's sort of hard to believe it took even that long, so perhaps I'm out of practice. Or tired. Or both. These two are certainly keeping me busy.

Ugly craft makeover: Wooden toy sewing machine

After watching me work on a couple of quilts, Elise became really interested in my sewing machine, asking how it worked and politely inquiring if she could make a quilt of her own. Obviously at three years old, she's too young for real sewing, but I realized this would be the perfect time to give one of my thrifting finds an ugly craft makeover.

I found this wooden sewing machine at a thrift store a couple of summers ago ago for $3 and it has been sitting in my basement ever since. I don't think it was a toy, but rather a prop for an industrious doll or teddy bear in the country crafts eighties. Oh, the gorgeous things those teddy bears used to sew back then!

It was an awkward height even for a kid sitting down, and I wanted to make it similar to a modern day table top machine, so with a little help from my dad, we pried off the bottom stand portion. Sorry, Salley.

After sanding it and scraping off some random hot glue globs, I primed with a stain-blocking primer and painted it a cool mint green.

Then it was time for the details. I added a spool pin (made from a chopstick) on the top right. The pin that was already there was on the "wrong" side for a modern machine, and it was too thick to hold a spool anyway. My real machine has a metal piece that sticks up on that side to guide the thread, so it doesn't look out of place.

The body of the machine was lacking dimension, so I also added some dials made out of two-inch wooden wheels from the craft store. They are attached with screws through the center, enabling the dials to turn like a real sewing machine.

To add to the play factor, I picked up a package of unfinished wooden spools and painted them a rainbow of colors. So far, I think this Elise's favorite part of "sewing." Changing the thread. She has a lot to learn.

But what's a sewing machine without something to sew? I raided my stash of fabric scraps to make some faux sewing. I even hand stitched a heart on one with some embroidery thread.

I was kind of surprised that this was one of the toys under the Christmas tree that she really gravitated toward. She's in that imaginative play stage, so the timing was right. Can't wait to have a mother-daughter sewing afternoon soon!

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!

Green patchwork squares baby quilt

For some reason, it seems I make quilts in pairs. On the heels of the baby quilt I showed you last week, I pieced together this simple patchwork squares quilt, measuring 40.5" x 51.5".

To cut down on the time factor, I made this one in the binding-less "pillowcase" quilt style (generally following this tutorial). I didn't set the stopwatch, but it didn't take much time at all. I think I had the top pieced together in a couple of hours and the whole thing together in a couple more. Definitely do-able in one day.

I quilted it with a walking foot, but in wavy lines. This is my first time not quilting straight lines, but I'm hoping to improve my skills in that area. Can't learn if you don't try!

All of the fabrics were things I had on hand already. The wiggly lines backing fabric is from a duvet cover I found on clearance at Target earlier this year.

This quilt is earmarked for donation. Not exactly sure where to yet, but possibly The Linus Project. (If anyone else has any experience with good places to donate handmade blankets, please leave a comment!)

I realized that I usually only sew when I have a need to sew (for gifts, etc.), but sewing infrequently isn't making me any better. I'm still very much a quilting beginner, and I need more practice than that. Pair that with the need to do some fabric de-stashing (before the prints start to look dated), and that means I need to make more quilts.

So I'm hoping to make a handful of baby/kid quilts in the coming year for donation. This might be a crazy thought knowing full well I am going to have very little free time once baby #2 arrives, but I'm going to try to keep the quilts uncomplicated and unfussy. And maybe I can squeak in a few before she gets here.

Herringbone half-square triangle baby quilt

She may not yet have a name or a place to sleep, but, by golly, baby girl has a quilt.

I felt like I needed to start challenging myself a bit, so I decided to tackle the half-square triangle quilt, or HST. Supposedly easy and a gateway to fancier quilting. Truthfully, it wasn't that much harder than simple patchwork squares, just the extra step of making the triangle squares. (There's a great shortcut for that at In Color Order.)

The herringbone pattern was inspired by this grey and white quilt, but I don't have enough restraint to only use neutrals in a situation like this.

The taupe polka dot fabric on the back is vintage yardage from my grandma. I had been saving it to use especially in a quilt for this baby. Gender neutral! The rest of the back was pieced with Alexander Henry "Market Stalls" print (which inspired the whole color palette to begin with) and scraps from the quilt top.

The quilting itself is easier to see on the back. I followed the peaks and valleys creating a fun zig zag pattern.

I am so in love with quilts with striped bindings. I couldn't resist giving it a try myself.

It's so not perfect, but I still love how it turned out. This is only my fifth quilt, so I think I am making progress!

p.s. I forgot to note the size above. It's 38" by a long-ish 55".