Going Green with Red!

Note: This posted originally in 2012!  You can use this little tutorial to make a lipstick blotter to save on tissue and toilet paper!!!
Who would have thought we would be worrying about that in this day and age!

   

         Lipstick Blotter Towel

My husband's Aunt Rubye was an extraordinary seamstress. She had a career embroidering monograms for Neiman Marcus at one time! She shared with me the little embroidery design of the two birds with the word "Lip Stick" in between them. When I asked about it, she said that during World War II, tissues and toilet paper were at a premium and they didn't waste them by using them to blot lipstick! They made little red towels to blot their lips on! 
  Here I'm going to give you a simple tutorial for making your own!
(Of course, if you embroider, you can just hem a red cloth and embroider near the bottom.) This is such a simple project, many of you will not need a tutorial, but I have several followers who are new to sewing. I do have a little tip in there that even the more experienced might appreciate, so glance through it for that. If you're new to sewing, this is EASY! You can do it!

1. Cut two pieces for the front and the back (I'll call these A). Also cut a coordinating strip for the bottom (B) and if you want to add trim, cut that too. The size is not crucial. You can make it any size you want. My red strips are 7" x 13" and my bottom strips are 7" x 3". The trim is cut 7" long each.

2. HERE'S THE TIP! If you will use a glue stick to stick the trim where you want it, sewing it into the seam will be SO much easier! The trim I am using is so narrow, I have dropped it down so that only the top of it is on the 1/4" seam line. If your trim is wider, you can just glue it flush with the raw edge.

3. Place each A piece right sides together with a B piece, sandwiching the trim in between the two. Sew a 1/4" seam to connect the two.

4. Press each sewn piece, turning the seam upward so the trim will lay flat.

5. Put the two pieces right sides together. Pay attention to match the seams at the sides for the borders.

6. Sew all the way around, leaving a gap at the top that is about 2" to 3" wide. Turn the piece right side out through this gap. (I like to cut the points off the corners first to reduce the bulk, but be sure you don't cut across the seam when you do this!) Push the corners out with a long skewer or some other tool. Press and hand sew the gap closed. You're finished! Wasn't that easy?

Now you can feel like you're doing your part to save that paper!!

Making a Tablecloth for a Large Round Table

I love setting a pretty table. 

A Christmas setting from a few years ago. Because I used regular cotton quilting fabric, I needed 9 yards.

My biggest problem is that my table is too large to use commercial tablecloths. I just can't find any big enough!

Fortunately, it is pretty easy to make my own.

I like to find upholstery and drapery fabric when I can (on sale of course!).  It is 60" wide and comes in pretty colors and patterns.

I buy 6 yards (sometimes 7, if I need to match a design) and sew two 3 yard pieces together down the center.

Match up designs as well as you can.

(this is why you may need extra when there are large designs involved)

Fold in half and find the center. Attach a string to a pin and attach the pin to the center. (I use a non-stretchy cotton string. Yarn can stretch too much.) Attach a piece of chalk to the other end. It should end at the edge of your fabric.

Hold the chalk, pulling the string taut, and draw an arc on your fabric. Cut along the chalk line.

(I found it helpful to hold everything in place with a chair leg!)

If your fabric is thin enough, you can turn your hem. The fabric above was way too thick to turn, so I used an overcast stitch (shown below) to finish the edge. (A serger would work great here.)

That's all there is to it! I steamed the seams flat afterwards.

Most upholstery and drapery fabric has been treated to resist stains and sometimes water, so I will just spot clean it.

The next time you see this cloth, it will have pretty dishes and a centerpiece!

Here are some of my tables from the past.

Fresh flowers always look good! This cloth is from drapery fabric.

(see the flying birds I suspended over the table?)

I also decorate my buffet area!

Easter table. I didn't get a photo of it with flatware and napkins!

   
  

(Well, the last one is not officially a table setting, but the centerpiece is pretty sweet! This is why I always keep a cheap plastic tablecloth to throw over my tables after setting them! I certainly don't want cat hairs on my plates!) I pull it off just before guests arrive!

Bound Buttonholes on Bags - A Tutorial

I've been working up a new pattern for a quick and easy little ribbon trimmed bag. You can find it here. It's called Sweet Thing, and it's a quick and easy bag! (Only $1.99 for a PDF download!) 
Bound buttonholes are actually very simple to make but look complicated.

 

Find where you want your buttonhole and mark it lightly. I put the button behind the center and felt it through the fabric to get a good idea of the size hole I needed.

Next a cut a rectangle of the fabric you choose to use for the buttonhole. For a 1" button, I cut my rectangle 2" x 3". It is always easier to trim it down, but impossible to add more fabric!

Mark the center of the wrong side of the fabric where you want your buttonhole. Center it over the mark on the bag, right sides together.


Although hard to see, I have sewn over the pencil mark!

Sew by machine over your mark. I left a space a tiny bit less than 1/4" between the top and bottom mark. You need a little bit of space in there, but the thickness of your button will make a difference in how much space to leave. You might want to test this first on a scrap!

Using very sharp tipped scissors, cut down the middle of the rectangle, starting and stopping about 1/8" before the ends. Then cut diagonally up to each corner, being very careful to not cut through the stitches.

Put the fabric through the hole to the back.

Make a little pleat on the back so that a little flap of fabric shows through on the front. Do this for the top and the bottom. Press it in place well.


Turn the raw edges under and press well. Then sew either by hand or machine. (I chose to sew it down by machine to give added strength. I also liked the added detail it gave.)

Because my button was to be sewn on cotton and I didn't want to sew through to the front of the bag, I chose to reinforce the button with a piece of canvas, which was the other fabric used in the bag. I was careful to sew only through the canvas and cotton and not through to the front of the bag.

All done! Give it a try some time! I think you'll be surprised at just how easy this is. It gives a nice tailored finish your buttonholes!


Just for the fun of it, I am having a giveaway again! I will choose by random number generator someone to win the Sweet Thing pattern (PDF will be emailed to the winner). (Sorry, no substitutions this time.) Just leave your comment. If you want to follow by GFC or on my Craftsy site, or both, leave separate comments telling me that! I will announce a winner next Tuesday, so you have a few days to send your friends by. Thank you so much for sticking around through all my computer troubles this summer.
Bee blessed! 

Giveaway Winner and Burlap Cutlery Bag Tutorial

Congratulations to Suze for winning the Goldilocks pattern, below, from my recent giveaway. The Ho Ho Ho blog hop is over, but we're left with tons of ideas for the Christmas season. Those of us who participated have some of our decorating and gift ideas already done!
               
 Some of you have asked for a tutorial for making the simple little cutlery bag. Sugarplum, my Christmas kitty, insisted on showing you all the steps, so I let her. When you see how easy this is, you'll say, "Oh, of course! How simple!!"

1. Cut a rectangle from your burlap that is 4 1/2" x 7 1/2". At one short end, zig zag across the end of each piece  (about 1 1/2" from the top) using contrasting thread.  Round off the bottom corners at 

the other end.  Sew two long sides, starting at the zig zag stitch at the top, going around the rounded bottom, and ending at the zig zag stitch on the other side\. Reinforce with a zig-zag stitch. Pull threads out at the top to leave a fringed edge.

2. Turn inside out.

3. Press well.

4. Place cutlery in the bag and tie with a gingham ribbon to hold them in. Put a candy cane in the ribbon for a little extra pop of color!

 5. All finished! 

 Here's one on the burlap place mat.

 (This little bear placemat will be a PDF pattern as soon as our computer issues are sorted out! Yes, we're on computer number 3! I have two computers to send back right now and another one coming. They arrive with issues! We're talking EXPENSIVE computers, too. This is getting frustrating, to say the least! My husband has talked to Dell support lately more than he's talked to me! Before long he'll adopt an Indian accent!  If any of you work for Dell, I'd be happy to do an honest review if you can just get me a free working computer delivered to my house! :-) We've been without a computer since June because of this.)

 Thank you for stopping by today! (Sorry about the fussing!)

 

Pillowcase Tutorial

Auditioning fabrics for pillow case combinations. (The green pillowcase and the yellow doll pillowcase are finished projects.)

Here's an oldie but goodie. I'm going to be demonstrating this easy pillowcase method for the ladies in my guild so that they can make pillowcases for charity. If you have not seen this method, you should give it a try. It is so easy and produces a pillowcase with all seams enclosed! It has been around for several years, but I have no idea who came up with this method.

(The pillow on the left is not made yet, but I thought you should see how cute it would be for a little boy!)

French Seam Pillowcase

(One Standard Size)

Main body of pillowcase – fabric cut 27”(length) x 42” (width). (The 27” can be adjusted if you adjust the width of the wide band. The total length of  both pieces should be 40”. )

Contrasting fabric for wide band – piece 13”(length) x 42” (width)(again, you can adjust this as long as the total length of the main body and the wide band is 40” before folding and sewing.)

Trim – This can actually be as narrow as you want. Instructions are for a piece that is 2” x 42”.

Instructions:

1.    Lay your main body fabric right side up. Press the trim piece in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and right sides out. Place along the top edge of the pillowcase, raw edges together. Baste in place using a scant ¼”.

2.    Lay the wide band piece right side up and place the pillowcase body and trim right side down on top, matching up the top edges. Pin in place.

3.    Roll the width of the pillowcase body up toward the top of the wide band.

4.    Pull the wide band up and over the roll and match the raw edges. 

5.    Pin in place and sew together using a ½” seam allowance. Backstitch at each end to secure your seams.

Pull the rolled pillowcase body through the  “tube” opening.

6.    Press well and fold in half widthwise with right sides out! Sew along the side and bottom, using a  ¼” seam.

7.    Now, turn pillowcase wrong sides out. Press. Sew the side and bottom again using a ½” seam. (You are making a French seam which encloses the raw edges inside.) 

8.    Turn right sides out and press well.

You’re finished!

You may want to try lace, tatting, cording, or rick rack as trim in place of the fabric strip.

You can use pieced or embroidered fabric for your wide band.

Use your imagination and have fun!