DIY Muslin Slipcover for a Thrifted Chair

I picked this sweet red velvet chair up at the Salvation Army five or six years ago, while I was still living with my parents.  I loved it for its lovely curved back and the millions of buttons.  The chair languished upstairs in my old bedroom while I moved from place to place--first I was in a dorm room with no space to spare, and at my next two places I had a huge turquoise sectional that didn't leave room for much else.  When my parents offered us their gently-used living room furniture, we gladly accepted it and got rid...

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Projects for Fabric Scraps

Sorry for my prolonged absence and sporadic posting.  If it's possible for things to be both dull and hectic then that's what they are--we've got a lot of last minute school/house stuff to deal with, and none of it should really be that taxing, but it's so hot that all I want to do is sleep through the day and watch television all night. Additionally, we're drowning in fresh apples, pears, and figs right now.  The last thing I need is sweets (you know, in combination with the sleeping all day and watching television all night), but I can't let all...

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Embroidered Nesting Doll Pillow

A few weeks ago I posted about OlioBoard, and in that post I shared some images I collected from around the internet as inspiration for a project I'd been planning. I haven't done much embroidery, and I've never made an embroidery pattern, but I decided to give it a try. Up until this weekend my sewing machine was still packed up in the garage, and this whole home-buying thing is draining my bank account, so embroidery has presented itself as a very logical craft--it doesn't take up much space, I can design patterns myself, and...

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I’m breaking up with store-bought bathing suits.

So, I've mentioned I'm at the beach with my family. Though we can't swim in the ocean because of the oil spill (and I'm pretty wary of oceanic creatures anyway), our condo has a lazy river, an indoor pool and hot tubs, and a very sweet outdoor pool with a waterfall.  Our room also has a private hot tub on the balcony.  I knew all this when I packed, yet I still forgot my bathing suit.  Even after my mom reminded me to pack it. I briefly considered going out and buying a new one, but I didn't find ...

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Vogue Easy Options V8575

With the exception of a few stuffed animals, I have never really sewn from a pattern before. In fact, I haven't sewn very much in the way of clothes--especially something as complex as this dress. Most of the work was done by my grandmother (a very experienced seamstress who's made all kinds of clothes, including one of my prom dresses), but I was there to watch and help the entire time. After helping her make one, I feel like I could fairly competently make another with few problems. After all, the sewing is the fun part. However, the...

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Organic Catnip Mice

When Chowder was a kitten his favorite things to play with were balled up tin foil, a stuffed mouse that I made for him (pictured below), and ponytail holders.  When we adopted Maxine I wanted to make her a mouse of her own, but try as I may I can't locate the blog I got the pattern from, and I lost the original when I spilled water on my laptop  (while reading Lost forums, nonetheless) causing its untimely death. Maxine has never really cared for Chowder's mouse anyway--she prefers those compact little catnip mice that slide really well across our hardwood...

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Bird Mobile from Spool

I've had this Spool Sewing Bird Mobile Tutorial bookmarked for over a year.  It's really the perfect stash-busting craft--the birds are so small that almost any fabric scrap is usable, and it's so easy (and free) to go outside and break off a few sticks and tie them together with string, twine, fishing line, thread--or whatever else you have on hand.  So, in honor of the April Stash Bust I ignored the trepidation I felt about a grown, childless woman having a bird mobile hanging in her house and made one of these beautiful things happen.  Thanks to...

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Ill-Fitting Tank Top into Stuffed Owl

Lately I've been getting divine crafty inspiration from on high; as I was sitting in my Capstone class earlier this week I got the idea for this sweet little stuffed owl seemingly from nowhere.  I sketched the concept in the margin of my notes and went back to my discussion of Lily Bart, almost forgetting about the owl until I cleaned out my tank top drawer later in the week.  (Yes, I have a tank top drawer, and until a couple of days ago it was very full.)  I'm making an effort to get rid of a lot of stuff...

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Worn Out Shower Curtain into Tea Towels

One of the best purchases I've ever made was Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing.  The projects are not only easy to sew, but they're actually useful.  I feel good about giving people gifts I know they'll use and appreciate, and I've made almost every project at one point or another to give as a gift. I decided I'd start off pretty basic with my first Stash Busting project and make these wonderful little tea towels.  I've included a step-by-step photo tutorial below.  I used most of what I had left of a beautiful chocolate brown and cream linen damask shower curtain. You'll need: -...

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April is Stash Busting Month

This April 22nd marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! In honor of Earth Day and in an attempt to minimize my pretty enormous stash of craft supplies before we pack up and move at the end of May (Spring cleaning!), I'll be participating in the April Stash Bush.  One thing you should know about me is that I, having been in school for literally all of my life (at least the part I can remember), love deadlines.  I actually kind of need them to get things done sometimes, and I often set them for myself.  I've...

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