Casserole Cozy

I have been thinking a lot lately about having a casserole cozy to carry my dishes to potluck every Sunday night for Family Nite. Then my friend Bonnie gave me a couple that her mom had made that I could use as a pattern. I was inspired!

I took one of the table runners? that I got from The Bins (Goodwill Outlet) and decided to try one of my own designs first.

It turned out pretty well! I love the bunny button on the  top! But the true test will be when I take it to church on Sunday night… What should I carry in it first???

Old Jeans Made New

What can you do with an old pair of jeans cut into 8 inch squares???

One, you can make them into little fabric “bowls”. They are fun and you can put just about anything you want into them. As long as it isn’t something wet… LOL  If you make them bigger, they make great napkin holders!

I made 7 of them last night, but I forgot to take pics before I gave them all away… :o)

You can also make them into little fabric “envelopes”. We use the envelope system for budgeting. But I was getting tired of having beat up old bank envelopes in my purse. So I made some new cute ones, with fun liners, buttons and velcro closures.

Chic Chick Bag

I bought this really trendy chicken fabric at my favorite quilt store at Cannon Beach in March and finally made something out of it. (Now I have to decide what to do with the rest of it…)

I love messenger bags, I love chickens, and I love corduroy! So I combined them to make myself a new purse…

old pants make great bags!

the inside of the flap and the underside of the handle are this chicken print

 

I wanted a pocket on the back for my sunglasses and phone

this pocket on the inside is for my keys (which always seem to fall to the bottom and become hopelessly lost…) :o) I’m also hoping that the cream-colored lining will make it easier to see what’s inside???

Summer Picnic Quilt

I finished my picnic quilt today! I made it in pinks, turquoises and reds with a cherry accent print, all backed with a red bandana-print vinyl tablecloth. It turned out way bigger than I had pictured it being and I have fallen in love with it!

It’s the kind of quilt that I dream about spreading out on the soft green grass by the garden on a summer afternoon while enjoying a glass of iced tea (with a sprig of fresh mint from the herb garden) and a good book while watching the bees buzz in the tomato blossoms and the hens pecking for worms. Perfect!

I don’t know if I’ll be able to sell this one or not???

Bonnie’s Aprons

My friend Bonnie was sweet enough to let me borrow two aprons that her mother made and wore so that I could make patterns of them.

I love the fabric she used!

After I made the patterns, I made a sample one out of this funky fabric that I got from a grange here in town. It always reminds me of a costume from a cheesy high school production of “Man of La Mancha”. :o)

Then I made another one out of a cute vintage-looking print. It’s a very comfy apron to wear and I love the flow-y style!

The second one I love in the black and white gingham! It’s perfect for those of us who wipe our floury hands on our behind while we bake… LOL I also like the two big pockets that make it a great work apron, too!

   front

back

Better Patterns

I hate patterns! I don’t hate using patterns, although I do usually end up changing them after a while. I hate dealing with patterns! If you thought getting a map refolded was hard, it’s because you’ve never tried to refold a tissue paper pattern and get it back into it’s original package…

Tissue paper is so fragile and delicate. I always rip them and I can never fold them up again.

unfolded

yeah, I don’t think they’re going back into that package ever again…

I have a few patterns that I use quite a bit and have more that I have to trace myself onto tissue paper that I make a lot!

But my friend Bonnie gave me some terrific advice! Trace your patterns onto interfacing. It’s stronger, but transparent enough to trace onto. You can write notes on it and pin it over and over again. And they are WAY easier to fold up and put into a ziploc bag!

these are so much better!

Garden Markers

I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head for a while now. After a few trials on the sealant and finding the perfect pictures, I made a final product…

I LOVE them!!! They are just exactly what I wanted for my garden this year! I am going to try to make a whole bunch of them and see if I can sell some???

 In case anyone is wondering… I know these aren’t radishes. I just put it in the strawberry patch for the picture! :o) 

the picture is from vintage seed packets from the 20s

Now I just need a whole bunch of old wire hangers…