Stop staring and start sewing!

Listen to my interview with Pat Sloan. It's kind of a big deal.

 

I'm going to be interviewed by Pat Sloan!

Tune in on Monday October 9th!

A new direction and my first youtube video tutorial!

Hello! Sorry for the terribly long absence! I've been very very busy with something new and amazing and here is one small portion I can share right now. But first, an updated picture of me (remember when I started growing out my grey hair?). I'm still here!

 

I've missed you all and will be back with lots of fun stories about my new adventure. But be sure to watch this, leave a comment if you want, and download the full pdf pattern (link under video) if you want to try this project.

 

Here's the Patchwork Coffee Cup Cozy pdf pattern just for my blog readers! 

 

Oh! And join me on facebook at Make Sewing Studio!

How we made our own built in shelves and mantle using IKEA Billy Bookcases (again)

 This one's been a long time coming but I really wanted to share how we were able to take some short Billy Bookcases from IKEA and create another bank of built in shelves, like we did in our family room here.  A mantle on top really finished out this living room and the shelves give it some much needed character and storage. We love IKEA hacks (another one here, and here) and this one did not disappoint. We did a non-IKEA built in here that's worth checking out too if you're thinking of adding to your home.

 In my dream home I'd have a fireplace in the middle but I was happy to settle for a place to sit and watch tv in comfort. We started by clamping all of the Billy Bookcases together (these are the 41 3/4 tall version). Then Joey attached them to each other at the sides with screws deep enough to go through to the other side without poking out. At this point we could slide the whole unit to make sure it was centered on the wall. 

 Then we started trimming it out with 4" trim board (the same kind we used in the family room project).

 Here's another view.

 While the trim board is pretty it also provided a gap between the top of the shelves and the eventual mantle board. We used that gap to install an outlet facing down so we could plug in our electronics as well as 2 outlets facing upward so I can plug things into the mantle top (lamps, Christmas lights, etc).

This is the downward facing outlet. 

 Here's what it looked like going in.

 And here it is finished.

 Then we attached 2x4s to the wall directly across from the top of the trim pieces. We screwed these into the studs. I forgot to take a picture at this stage so this rendering will hopefully get the idea across.

 Joey installed the mantle outlets by using extension cords stripped and attached to the new outlets (and plugged into the wall behind the shelves). The mantle is an inexpensive length of melamine shelving. There is a "seam" in the middle but it's very discrete. Again, if this were my dream house I would've insisted on a top notch wooden mantle but I'm completely happy with this one and it looks better than I had expected (not cheap looking at all, whew).

 I really love having these outlets but if I had it to do over I would've had them installed on the sides, up near the top, so they wouldn't be as visible.

 Almost there and so much better!

 Here's how we trimmed out the sides of the mantle. I had some white paint matched to the melamine and shelves and, once this was painted, the little flaws were covered up.

 We used quarter round trim at the point where the top of the mantle meets the wall. This picture was taken before I caulked and cleaned up the paint, but it still looks good. I also painted all of the trim pieces in a nice gloss to make it look clean and new.

 Joey notched out the back corners of the center shelves to make room for the speaker cords and tv/dvd player cords. He drilled a small hole through the side here to allow room for the cord to come over to the next shelf.

 We trimmed out the bottom using the same trim as the top. Easy peasy. More details on this process over at our previous built in (including how we covered the seams where the shelves met next to each other).

 This was the fun part. I finally got to pull some pretty stuff from storage and fill it with meaningful items that make me happy every day.

 This is now a beautiful room to walk into. It's the first thing visitors see and that makes me happy.

 Such a happy improvement!

 Here you can get a peek at the boxes Joey made to hide the lamp cords. I've filled them with pinecones from our vacation at the Grand Canyon so they are practical, pretty, and meaningful to me.

We spent under 400.00 for the whole project and it looks like a million bucks! I hope this has been a helpful explanation. Don't be afraid to tackle something like this. It's a fairly uncomplicated and inexpensive way to add oodles of character and happiness to your home. 

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How to make quick and easy bookmarks using your fabric scraps

I'm so thrilled to finally have something quick and useful to make with my scraps! I bought some Pellon 72 stabilizer to try on some projects and really didn't like the way it made the fabric look rumply. Fortunately it was only a yard so I set it aside but kept it in the back of my mind. Then this bookmark idea hit me and the Pellon 72 is the perfect medium for this project so now I'm very happy with it. It's an incredibly quick project and cute as can be so it's great for little gifts and you can even make tiny versions to go with my Petite Planner Cover tutorial.

Here's all you need to make a #fabtasticbookmark:

2 pieces of fabric 9" x 1.5",

one piece of Pellon 72 (also 9" x 1.5"),

one narrow ribbon about 10" long,

and 1 metal eyelet (optional)

Iron your fabrics to each side of the Pellon with the right sides of the fabric facing outward (see the pictures below for the version without eyelets since the process is a little different).

Here's how it will look on both sides.

If you're making one without the eyelet, fold your ribbon and tuck the folded edge into the top between the fabric and the pellon (make sure it's more than 1/4" inch down so your top stitch will sew through the ribbon).

Press in place with your iron.

Now stitch all the way around your bookmark (both versions) 1/4" from the edge.

Use your rotary cutter to trim the edges so they are clean and even.

Install your eyelet and thread your ribbon through. My favorite tool for that is my new Crop-a-dile but there are oodles of tools for this and you may already have something else that works for you.

Here are examples of the two different versions.

Make oodles of them! Use them yourself or give them as gifts! Stuff stockings with them or tuck them in a birthday card! Just do it.

Let me know if you make some and be sure to share pictures on Instagram using the hashtag #fabtasticbookmark. Keep on sewing!

Sew a welt zipper pocket with no stress

This week I sewed my very first welt zipper pocket and it turned out perfectly! I was so satisfied with my results and I give credit to two great video tutorials. This one by Professor Pincushion, and this one by Gertie. Watch them both if you want to give it a try and between the two of them you'll have enough information to make solid pockets that look fantastic on the first try.

I wanted a pocket in this darling planner/organizer cover. I've been making oodles of these (for my etsy shop) and I wanted to step it up to make it a little smarter.

The outcome was nice and straight. There are a couple of imperfections but they are so small that I'm the only one who knows where they are. And I'm fine with that.

My pocket is about 4 inches deep and will hold a great amount of goodies including my phone if I want to use this organizer as an impromptu handbag.

It's got it all and I learned a new skill I had avoided for a long time. So if you're looking for a new sewing skill to learn I highly recommend tackling the welt zipper pocket. You'll be glad you did. Do it!

My tutorial for a mini petite planner cover DIY

I'm busting through my fabric stash like crazy making these petite planner covers. They're quick and easy to make and, at only 5 inches tall, you can pop one in your purse or pocket to write down any notes or lists while you're out and about. These are going to be perfect stocking stuffers this Christmas and I'm keeping some on hand for those times I need a quick little gift for somebody. You just need a few small pieces of fabric, some heavy dec weight stabilizer and small pieces of elastic. Give it a try! Use #petiteplannercover as your hashtag if you post any pictures on instagram.

Here's my cute little stack so far. It's going to get a lot taller at the rate I'm going this week.

 

Here are the inserts I'm using. They come in a 3 pack at Walmart. They are 4.5 inches tall and 3.25" wide (.25" thick). They only cost 88 cents for the pack of three. That's right...88 cents!! You can find them in the office supply section (not the journal section). You can get the golf pencils at any office supply place but I got mine at Express Pencils LLC and I think they're darling.

Here is the supply list and I've included 2 versions of the outer fabric. You can use one continuous piece or 2 smaller pieces. If you have a small special piece of fabric you want to use then the version with the 2 smaller pieces is perfect for this. I love using BariJ's Joie De Vivre Alphabet Panel for these covers (you can see the letter "P" below). Before cutting your fabric take a good look at it and see if the pattern you like is going to be on the book front. It pays to do a little "fussy cutting" to get the right design where you want it.

 

Below is the fabric supply list. You will also need an Elmer's type of glue stick (I prefer the purple stuff that dries clear), and a poking/turning tool for turning nice sharp corners.

For the version with 2 outer fabric pieces you'll need to sew your front and back pieces together with the raw ends of the elastic loop tucked in the center. See below.

 

For the version with one piece you'll need to pin your raw elastic ends at the precise center of your piece and then fold the fabric in half, enclosing the elastic ends. Stitch 1/4" from the edge of the fabric fold (enclosing the elastic ends in the seam). See below.

Now you have your outer fabric ready. Grab your stabilizer and glue stick and swipe glue around the edges. Try to keep the glue on the very outer edges of the stabilizer.  I recommend the Pellon 70 stabilizer even though it's non-fusible (actually because it's non-fusible). I've tried the fusible version (Pellon 72) and it made the fabric look very rumply when I was done no matter how hard I tried to iron it. As an added bonus the Pellon 70 is less expensive (and always have your coupons ready!).

Once you've got the glue around the edges (work quickly because this glue dries fast), and your fabric placed on top, iron around the edges quickly to set your glue.

Now fold your short piece of 1/2" pencil loop elastic in half and pin in place 1.5" from the top on the side of fabric that will be the back of your planner cover. Your raw ends should be even with the raw edge of your fabric (the fold of the elastic is facing in towards the center seam).

Now grab your pocket pieces and fold them both in half and press. Be sure your fabric design is facing in the right direction if you have a directional print on your fabric.

Now place your pocket pieces directly on top of the outer fabric with the folded edges facing the center seam. Glue in place (glue just around the edges and heat set with your iron once your pockets are in place). Your elastic pencil loop is now sandwiched between the pocket and the outer fabric (at the red clamp in my picture below). The side of the pockets facing down on the outer fabric will be what you see when your cover is finished so make sure it's the part of the design you like most.

Next place the lining fabric directly on top of your outer fabric/elastic/pocket sandwich. Make sure the right side faces the pockets and the shortened end of the lining is over the pocket that does not have the pencil loop under it. Glue around the 3 edges (both long edges and the edge with the elastic loop) and heat set with your iron (but do not glue the shorter end!).

Now you are ready to sew it all together! Place your project on your sewing surface with the stabilizer facing up. It's easier to get a clean, accurate seam when you sew on the stabilizer side. Use a 1/4 inch seam allowance and stitch each side, back stitching where the seams intersect and then stitching off the end. I used my 1/4" foot for this and it makes my stitches nice and accurate. Stitch all the way around.

 When you are done stitching trim your fabric/stabilizer corners making sure you don't cut through the stitched corner.

 Put your hand through the opening and grab your elastic pencil loop at the end to start pulling your project right side out.

 Poke the corners out as much as you can with your fingertips.

 To get nice sharp corners use your pointed turning tool to gently push the rest of the corner out. My favorite poking tool is this wooden dowel I sharpened in my pencil sharpener.

 Now iron your project but leave the open end opened.

Now swipe a good amount of glue under the lining. Pull the lining tight toward the open end and smooth it in place with your hand.

 Heat set it with your iron.

 Turn your remaining pocket to the inside of your planner cover, poke the corners out, and press. Now your pocket covers the raw end of your lining so nobody will know.

Top stitch around the outer edge pivoting at the corners (start and finish on the side with the pencil loop so it's not visible at the front of your cover). Top stitch just 1/8" from the edge. If your stitch is any further from the edge you may have trouble fitting your notebook flaps into the pocket.

 Here's what it should look like. 

 Tuck your notebook covers into the pockets and slide a pencil (or tiny pen) into the loop. Isn't this cute?!

 Make a pile of them!

Make a row of them!

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out. Use #petiteplannercover as your hashtag if you post any pictures on instagram. Be sure to ask me any questions in the comments! Have a great week and keep on sewing!

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What's new - Have you seen Bari J's new Joie de Vivre fabric?

Full Definition of joie de vivre

1. :  keen or buoyant enjoyment of life

 

 

Thank you merriam-webster.com! This new fabric collection from Bari J embodies that definition. I've had so much fun making things with this fabric and I'm not done!  Take a look!

 

First I got to make some samples for Bari to take to Quilt Market. Usually designers are working with their strike offs (initial samples from the manufacturer) so there's not a lot of yardage to play with. It becomes a fun challenge to use small pieces to make something that properly showcases the beauty and versatility of the fabric. I used this gorgeous Angle Folie print and bits from Bari's other collections to make these zipper clutches.

 

 

 

When I eventually had some real yardage to work with I got busy around here and the results thrill my heart. My kitchen window!

 

 

Here's my patchwork curtains in the works and you can see how these fabrics would make a great simple patchwork quilt or dinner napkins.

 

 

Lately I've been on a sewing kick making planner covers and the Joie de Vivre fabrics are perfect for smaller projects like these. The fabric in the bottom is from Bari's Petal and Plume collection.

 

 

I finally got brave and cut into this glorious alphabet panel

 

 

The letters are the perfect sizes for small planner covers (like the little Field Note notebooks). Bliss!

 

 

Here are some photos by the folks at Art Gallery. What a beautiful way to use those letters! 

 

 

Such a great wall quilt. Check out those butterflies!

 

 

And this little sweetie! Pattern here, courtesy of Art Gallery Fabrics. Go check out all of their "Look Books"! They are full of free patterns!

 

 

And you can use this fabric even if you don't sew! Check out this gorgeous panel of fabric hung in a simple frame (IKEA has great hangers for stuff like this). The ideas are endless!

 

 

This is just a small sampling of the fabrics in the Joie de Vivre fabric collection. Art Gallery has the softest fabrics around and I highly encourage folks to give them a try (you can feel the difference). Have fun sewing!

 

If you are a store carrying Joie de Vivre please feel free to leave a link in the comments for folks to visit.

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Building shelves in a closet - how we did it

So my husband finally has his own man closet (which is in his own man office!). And I get to move his fishing/camping/hiking stuff out of our master closet. Win win. We're both pretty darn happy right now.

Here's what we started with. This is the only bedroom downstairs and we've been using it as a kids room / haphazard guest room for the past 12 years.  It's been this color since we painted it right after we moved in and I'm so over it. Plus the carpet was disgusting after all these years. But anyway, about those shelves...

Here's how the closet looked after we finished building shelves into the bathroom (this is the actual back of the shelves).

We spend about 80.00 on supplies which included two huge 5/8" MDF boards (31.00 each) that we had cut down to the sizes we needed while we were at Home Depot. We trimmed them a little at home but the hardest part was already done. We also bought caulking and drywall screws. We used paint we already had.

We found these 2x4s on the clearance pile at Home Depot for 70% off. Joey attached them to the wall so they'd be flush with the back of the shelves.

He then attached a sheet of 5/8" MDF to the back.

Here's a close up of the the type of pilot hole he made for the screws. I wanted them sunk flat so this did the trick.

For the shelf supports he cut more of the MDF and used glue and the nail gun to attach them.

Here's what they looked like on the wall (this was just after we''d already attached the lowest shelf).

The top shelf (sorry for the blurry iPhone pic) and lowest shelf (above) go all the way back to the original wall so they're 6 inches deeper than the shelves in the middle. The top shelf went in a little wonky since the walls are a little off (I'm blaming the walls) so there was a gap that I felt was too big to fill with spackle.

I found a piece of scrap trim and used a little glue and nails and once I spackled and painted it it was just fine.

Here it is coming along nicely. That nail gun has made our lives so much easier because projects are a lot more fun and quick. Great investment.

I didn't get a pic before painting but once the shelves went in we decided it would be best to add support slats under the back of the middle shelves since we wanted to feel confident we could put heavy-ish stuff on the shelf since they're pretty wide. Much better.

So this is what it looked like after all the shelves were in but before the finish work. We were starting to get a little giddy at this point (and exhausted).

I brushed the raw edges of the shelves to seal it from absorbing paint and it worked great. That idea came from this blog post which is a great resource for building shelves.

Lots and lots of caulking.

 

Before painting we sealed off the area with the tarp (1.99 at walmart).

We wrapped it around the door frame just to keep the overspray from being a problem. I highly highly recommend this.

Joey sprayed with 3 coats total using our nifty power sprayer. Another great investment and a very reasonable price.

So bright and new! And all that storage space.

So now we're loading it with his man supplies but the top shelf is for guest room supplies (air mattress, bedding, etc) since this is the guest room (one I can be proud of now). So much more useful than a traditional shelf/closet rod type of set up.

Here's a peek at the other side of the room before we got started.

And here it is now with the carpet gone, new pain (Behr Wheat Bread), new curtains, and fun prints from an old calendar. The new flooring is undecided so this is it for now.

We're actually making a huge dent in our "to-do" list and it feels good. We'll probably take a small break right now though so we can have a little bit of summer fun.

How we installed shelves in our bathroom wall

We finally completed our last built in. Unless I find another spot (see one of our favorite built in projects here). This bathroom shelf idea for our guest bath (the main bath downstairs) has been stuck in my brain for years and after all that time it only took about 1 day to complete it (and 8.00!). The only storage this room came with was the space under the vanity (and I really want to toss it for a pedestal sink) so now it's transformed and has oodles of storage. I'm really excited to share the process since it was very uncomplicated and took pretty basic tools. 

Last fall, when we spruced up the bathroom with fresh paint and linens, I included a picture of my dream shelves idea in the blog post. Below is a picture of the vision and the result side by side. Nice.

Here is the wall we started with. It's right next to the shower and the back of it is the closet of the office/guest room.

I started with a piece of paper (the same measurements as my shelf unit) taped in place where I wanted the shelf to go.  I used a shelf I've had for years and I think it was an Expedit from IKEA which has been discontinued but their KALLAX shelves are nearly identical.

Here is a before shot of the closet directly behind the bathroom wall. I hammered a few holes to make sure there was no wiring. The only obstacle I found was the wall stud going straight down the middle.

We pushed a stretched out and sharpened wire hanger through the four corners on the bathroom side to mark the spot directly behind it. You could use a long screwdriver as well (we just couldn't find ours).  My husband scored a bunch of lines with the utility knife and we put our teenager to work tearing apart the wall. Teenagers are great when you need something destroyed.

We did the same thing on the other side and now you can see where we made an opening all the way through (and the stud is right there in the middle).

Hubby sawed the stud out and repurposed the board as the support across the bottom. He leveled it and nailed it securely.

Now it was time to install my crusty old shelf. It's really been a great shelf so I'm happy to give it a new life.

Here it is. Perfect fit!

We nailed through the shelf into the 2x4 to hold it securely at the bottom. I patched and painted the holes later.

On the backside we anchored it with a corner brace screwed into the stud.

We were able to scrounge enough trim pieces from the garage to avoid an added expense and trip to the hardware store. The back beadboard is something I got from a lady in a community group on facebook. We spent 8.00 and didn't have to drive far to get it. She said she offered it to me first (even though there were others before me who expressed an interest) because I said "I can come get it today" so I'm going to remember that!

We had to piece the beadboard together so here's what the back looks like now. The shelf sticks out about 6 inches so it really didn't affect the space as much as we'd anticipated. We still need to patch and trim it out but for now I can just shut the door.  Update: Here's the finished closet.

I caulked it and gave it two coats of white gloss paint and now I'm in love.

Here it is now all decked out for guests!  So much storage! 

I bought some cute containers for the mundane supplies like cotton balls.  My husband Joey had already made me that little box with pallet wood and it's perfect for wash cloths. I added a couple of candles which make it smell good even when they're not lit. The little plate of chalk is for the door (people leave the funniest notes there!).

I found these metal lacy boxes at World Market and was kind of freaked out at their price (30.00 each) but when I remembered that I'd only spent 8.00 on the whole project thus far I said "why not?" and splurged. They are perfect. Just perfect.

I go in this room about 10 times a day just to stand and stare at it all.

I even found a darling bath mat at Ross to complete it all.

That's it! Feel free to ask questions!

Make a quick heart pillow for your valentine (and other stuff too!)

It's nearly February and I've been sewing my heart out on everything! My neighbor has a darling pillow on her porch chair with a wacky heart appliquéd to it so I totally stole that idea and made one for myself. I love it! It was fast, simple, cute, and I'm sharing it with you. I got the ticking fabric at Jo-Ann but you can also find it at Walmart (at a much better price!).

I chose 18 x 18 inch pillows and used my invisible zipper method and everything turned out great. I cut each pillow square 18.5 x 18.5 before sewing it together. Here's the other one I made. If you make one of these don't feel obligated to chose traditional Valentine's Day colors. Just pick what makes you happy! This orange heart (DS Quilts fabric from Jo-Ann) makes me happy. If you want to make a pillow with an envelope closure (envelope pillow tutorial here) just make sure your pillow is nearly ready to sew together before you center the heart design, then applique it in place and finish your pillow.

 I used the smaller template for a cute dish towel to add a little Valentine festivity to my kitchen.  

And the smaller template was perfect for a new table square to brighten up my dining room. 

Here's how you can make them too. Download and cut the template(s) (pdfs below for you) in the heart shape you want to use...

Download large and small heart template pdf pictured below (58.2K)

Just cut the shape out and place on your fabric fold.

Download wacky heart template pdf pictured below (50.9K)

Just cut the pieces out and tape together so the arrows meet each other.

Chose your fabric and fold it if you're using the regular heart shape. Place your template on the fold and cute out the heart shape. Open your heart shape and press it to get the crease out. With the wacky heart shape just cut it, tape it together, and trace around it before cutting.

Smudge your glue stick all around the edges and a little in the middle. Work fast because it dries quickly.

Heat set in place but running your hot iron over the heart.

 Use a zig zag stitch and a fun thread color to zig zag all around the edges making sure your stitch is centered so you enclose the edges with each stitch.

 There you go! You can make these for yourself and they also make great gift and boutique ideas.

I'm really in love with all these hearts and will probably whip up a few more before I get tired of them. Then I guess I'll be on to shamrocks, right?

Let me know if you try it and what you think!!  Have a great week and keep on sewing!

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