Valentine's Day Gifts - Just 'Cause

Oh, I still love Valentine's Day! 

Last year I made Valentine's Day gifts for nine of my local girlfriends.

Inside each small gift bag was a hand poured vanilla scented goat's milk soap, face mask, and a purse-sized pill container inside an organza bag.

It was so much fun choosing the fabric for each mask to match the personality of each friend. Nothing much, but fun to share with them. I was hoping that we would not be wearing masks this year but COVID had other plans.

Hugs, Maggie

Tea Cozy for Mother's Day

Here is a fun idea. A darling knit tea cozy with crochet roses and leaves which would be a prefect gift for Mother's Day.

Hint: be sure to make the roses removable especially if you choose to make a white tea cozy as I did.

I used this pattern for the tea cozy base:

Ravelry: Tea Cozy pattern by Cheryl Fisher

It was very easy to knit and was finished in no time.

Here is a link to a video to make crochet roses.

How to Crochet a Rose: Beginner Friendly Tutorial. Free Crochet Pattern - Bing video

Blooming Today

This beautiful evergreen Armand Clematis with its heavenly scent.
 

Deck Refresh

Finished deck refresh!

This is what I started with:

and...

Here is the final look after the pillow covers were finished!

A few months later I found these matching umbrellas at Walmart.

Now all I have to do is RELAX!

Craft Room Update - Storage Bins Galore

My craft room is also my guest room, so it serves dual duty. Keeping projects corralled with small objects organized and easy to find has always been a challenge. Walmart storage bins to the rescue! Twelve bins later...

Now, two years later it still looks pretty awesome.

These bins are still available on-line, but unfortunately they are so much more expensive than the $3.99 I paid for them back in 2019. However, they may be less in the store. My closets already had the shelves when this house was purchased which allowed me to skip that step.

Baby Boy Up-cycle Quilt

Here is an up-cycled quilt made from old jeans with a puppy printed blanket used for the backing, perfect for that new baby boy! 

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Can't you just see this quilt spread out on the lawn for the baby boy to play on?  He could name the puppies, too! The denim will hold up to the damp lawn and the puppy side is incredibly soft. Cozy.

Eighty 6 x 6 squares, in different shades of blue. Sewed together to make the top.

I used Warm & Natural 100% cotton batting. 

And added a baby size jean jacket for the shower gift.

Popped the folded quilt and jacket in a gift bag and DONE. Loved being able to use old jeans that would have ended in the landfill.

It has been way too long since I've posted to this blog, but I will try to make-up for the last couple of years in the next few weeks - maybe...no promises here (smile).

Hope you enjoy this idea,

Hugs, Maggie

Christmas in July - Christmas Tree Napkin Tutorial

Would you like to learn how to make these beautiful cloth Christmas Tree napkins? I've been working on a new tutorial on how to make them including the pattern!

Here is a closeup of the green stripped one:

And a closeup of the newest one with different fabric front and back (and folded the opposite direction - just make sure the set you make is all folded the same way) Also this one is folded a little looser with the edges not completely matching.

Unfolded.

Let's make the pattern!

You will need:
16" Pizza pan or a 16" Plate
Ruler
Scissors
Pen or Sharpie Marker
Freezer Paper 

Here is a list of the dimensions:

16" or a little less, across

10" deep

Tree Trunk -

2 1/4" at the top 

2" at the bottom 

1 1/4" long

Use the pizza pan to make the round portion of the pattern on the freezer paper. Love freezer paper patterns! If I had made the pattern 8" high, it would be exactly 16" wide, but since I wanted a larger napkin at 10" wide (finished 9 1/2"), it was slightly less. Three inches from the straight edge on one side, make the tree trunk (mine is 2 1/4" at the top, 2" at the bottom, and 1 1/4" long - you can make the trunk a custom size if you like). Then cut the pattern from the paper and mark the portion to leave open when you turn the napkin. I made mine 2 1/2" from edge at the same side as the tree trunk, about 2 1/2" long.  I made several copies of the pattern to iron on the fabric, to make sure that the layout would be correct before cutting. No pins are required when you use the freezer paper and iron to the fabric. And the good news is you can use the pattern over and over!

You will need one yard of 45" fabric to make four napkins with the same fabric on both sides, more is needed for stripped fabric or fabric with an obvious one way pattern. I recommend using 100% cotton fabric. If making napkins with different fabric on each side, then one yard of each will make eight napkins. Save time by arranging fabric right sides together before pressing the patterns to the fabric. 

Press the patterns to the fabric then cut them out.

Now sew around each using a quarter inch seam allowance leaving an opening to turn.

Notice how the seams are sewn at the corners - completely across to the edge. Clip at the top of the tree trunks as shown above.

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Press seams to the darkest fabric pressing the corners as shown below. 

For crisp corners fold as above and turn. Press again right side out.