Valentine Sweets..

I know that Valentine's Day has come and gone, but I wanted to share with you some of goodies that my daughters and I made.    We made cream cheese filled cupcakes to share with their class.  We made fudge and attached a heart for their "Valentine friends".

My older daughter, Morgan has been taken sewing lessons by her Grandma Barb.  This is what they made last time they were together.  What a great surprise it was for me!  She did such a great job on it and I love it!

Girl's sewing day & some finished projects...

This past Saturday I got together with two friends to have a girl's day of sewing and enjoyed lunch together.  It was a blast and the day went by too fast!   Two of us showed another how to start sewing again.  She did a beautiful job and was such a "great student".    This is her first sewing project:

Cute, huh?












We are already looking to have another sewing day!  Can't wait!

Here are some of my recent projects that I have finished in some spare time:

I am really pleased with how this purse turned out!  Think spring!!










This is the brown corduroy bag that I finished!

I love how these crayon & coloring book totes turned out! 

It will be great to take in the car on trips or to ball games!

Blessings, Jen

Tutorial: Pot holder & towel set...

These towels are simple to make for your kitchen or make great gifts!

Supplies Needed:

1 potholder

1 hand towel

button

sewing machine/thread

pins

ruler

Instructions:

1.  Fold your towel in half to find the center.  Mark or make a crease where the center is.

2. Using a "looser" stitch on your sewing machine sew a straight line where your crease or line is.  Only back-stitch on one end.

3.  From the end that you did not back-stitch pull one of the threads to make it gathered.  Be careful not to break the thread.  Gather it to the same width as your potholder (when folded).  Tie off the thread.

4.  Fold your potholder in half and pin onto the gathering of the towel. 

You will want to make sure that the loop on the potholder will be on the top once sewn on.

5. Sew a straight stitch in the middle of the potholder and towel.

(I usually sew it twice for a good tight stitch, so that it can be washed over and over)

6.  Sew a button on lining it up with the loop hole.



7.  Done!  Place on your oven door or give it away:)

Thanks,

Jen

Rag purse/tote....

Lately, I have been enjoying sewing purses/ totes. 

 Here is one of the styles that I have done - a rag purse.  

(I am not sure why I am into doing "rag things".  Maybe it is the look about it???!!) 

Here is a great tutorial if you are interested in making one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIz-whiBMww

(Mine are not exact as I have made some modifications to them.  I did sew in some pockets into mine as well. )

 I am pleased with how they turned out! 

These are for sale - if you are interested please let me know.

I made a couple more towels this week for a gift for a friend.  My next blog will be a tutorial on making a potholder towel.

Blessings,
Jen

Table runner and matching pillow...

Hi!  I am still trying to catch up on posts from some of the Christmas gifts that I had made.  This is a primitive rag runner and matching pillow that I made for my mother-in-law.     I love how they turned out and it adds a country feel to the farmhouse!  (Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the steps that I used to make this).

This is the front with the "rag" look.  I added buttons to add to the look of it.  

This is the back that has the quilted look.

 

The matching pillow. 

I cut out stars and stitched them on with embroidery thread.

Cute??

Blessings, Jen

Dresser Barbie Dream House...

This past Christmas I really wanted to get my girls a Barbie House as they have been playing with Barbies a lot recently (even with my childhood ones).   My husband and I felt that we should not spend $100+ on a "cheap" plastic doll house.

We had a dresser that has been handed down through the years, but the drawers just were not working properly anymore.  Instead of trashing it - we turned it into a Barbie House for the girls!   My husband painted, wallpapered, put carpet, wood & tile flooring all in it.

This dresser originally had 5 drawers.  We took 2 out per floor.  We left the 5th drawer in the dresser for the storage of Barbies, clothes & accessories.



 





 

I made some of the furniture, but ran out of time to do it all.  I am not sure how I would have made a fridge or a toilet anyway?? :)The girls really have enjoyed playing with it.  We are glad that they like it as it was a thought out gift & did not cost much at all!  We hope that they will continue to play with it in the years to come.   Doesn't it look fun to play with?

Thanks for reading,

Jen













Rag Wreath Tutorial

Rag wreaths are easy to make if you have a few hours.  They make great inexpensive & thoughtful gifts for all occasions!  This is one of the many wreaths that my daughters and I made for Mother's Day.  Unfortunately, I did not take any other close up pictures of the ones that I made for the craft fair.  If you look in my previous blog you can see some wreaths located in those pictures.  

If you wish to make one - supplies needed are:

scissors

fabric

ribbon

wire wreath  (can get at any craft store in a variety of sizes)

Step 1:  Get all the supplies needed.

Step 2:  Cut your fabric into 1in. thick by 6-8 in. long.  (It doesn't have to be exact measurements)

Step 3. Tie your pieces of fabric around the wire until it is very full.

Step 4. Place a bow, ribbon or anything else you wish to add onto your wreath.

If you decide to make one - I would love to see how it turned out!  

Enjoy,

Jen