Sewing Rule #2...

be able to laugh at yourself. Even those that are pro sewers make mistakes and get frustrated, so don't give us just because sometimes a new hobby gets frustrating or a bit difficult. This is my second assistant Batman "Big Boy" Francini. He definitely knows how to laugh at himself when things don't go his way! Here he is modeling his Halloween costume from a few years ago. I bought this costume but one could easily make it with a little forethought on how to go about it. This one has velcro to adjust it for the size of your cat's head.

The Meow Motel

Do you have little kitties you would like to make a cheap and easy toy for? Then construct your very own Meow Motel. It is very inexpensive and easy to make and provides tons of fun for your little kitties.

To construct, do the following:
 1. Find a box large enough for your cat to sit in comfortably. I chose to flip it inside out so there was no lettering or advertising on the exterior walls. Then taped and stapled it back into place.
2. Then I drew windows and a door and just used a sharp knife to make the cut outs.
3. Then I used a hot glue gun to glue the fabric to the windows to make curtains.
4. Then I used construction paper to make flowers and signs for the exterior...you can do as little or as much as you see fit. I just made a motel sign, a no vacancy sign, and a sign that indicates no dogs are allowed.
5. In the inside, I tied strings to some of their favorite toys (which I put in a fresh bag of catnip to entice them to go in) and hung the toys from the ceiling.

As you can see, my first customer seems pleased!

Easy Dish Towel

Are you looking for a really quick and easy beginner sewing project? If so, this hand towel is super easy and easy to make. It took about an hour. All you need to do is get some fabric, decide what size you want your towel, make a 1/4 inch hem, sew around all four sides, then sew a little hook on the corner I just used a piece of scrap from the same fabric. I made this with some scrap fabric and will give it to my mom as they will fit into her country decor.

Remember to iron your fabric before sewing and to iron your folds for the hem too...that makes it easier to work with.

While I modified this a bit to suit my own taste, I got the idea and how-to from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects
http://www.amazon.com/Lotta-Jansdotters-Simple-Sewing-How/dp/0811852571

The pattern called for cotton fabric; however, I'm not sure how absorbent that will be. I'll let you know once my mom uses it.

Sewing Rule #1...

hire an assistant! Mine has recently started...her skills include biting thread as the machine moves and laying on fabric that I'm trying to use. I don't know if Fluffy aka as Mademoiselle Fluff Fluff will ever make it to head seamstress, but she is sure fun to have around.

Birds of a Feather

This craft was made using On Board So Tweet cardboard cut outs from Stampin Up! http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/default.asp

I used the cardboard cutouts to trace the images on the paper, then cut out paper and attached it by using Stampin Up!'s SNAIL adhesive, then used hot glue to assemble the three parts of the birds (beaks, bodies, tails).

My husband and I gathered real twigs from the local park to make the tree and I just added coordinating ribbons so the birds appear to by flying through the tree. I also made coordinating flowers to decorate the vase.

The vase is filled with bags tightly pushed into the vase to hold the twigs in place. There are light green rocks on top of the vase to hide the bags and give the illusion of grass.

We have the birds on a little table and it is the first thing people see when they walk in the door. It's hard to see in the picture, but it coordinates well with the yellow walls of our living room.

My first sewing project

This is my first sewing project. The bag is a little longer than I like, but I was actually pretty easy. I took a beginning sewing class at Thorton Sewing Co. http://www.thorntonco.com/. The sewing instructor Edith is awesome. The pattern was hers so I can't really share it without her permission. However, there are tons of tote bag patterns out on the Internet. I'm going to try and recreate it and make it shorter and with pockets inside...when I do that, I'll post step by step how I do everything. I do recommend using home decor fabric...it is sturdier than normal cotton. I also want to add something to the bottom of the bag so it isn't so shapeless.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area and want to learn to sew, definitely go to one of Edith's classes...she is super helpful and easy to learn from.

Halloween 2010

A very easy Halloween treat bag. I bought Halloween fabric and black ribbon and cut the fabric into about 10 inch squares, put the candy in the middle, gathered them up and tied with black ribbon. If you buy Halloween fabric now for next year, it isn't too expensive. It's a cute, simple way to make your Halloween bag stand out.