Category Archives: She’s Crafty

All things Craft.

Seersucker Napkins DIY

Posted in She's Crafty by

I was browsing on Pinterest the other day and I came across a  DIY project from Martha Stewart for seersucker napkins. It was unbelievably easy, almost a no-sew project, something I could whip up during one of Joe’s naps, so I thought I’d give it a go.

I had enough leftover seersucker fabric from a previous project to make six 20″ napkins. The fabric is a black and white seersucker that reads a deep charcoal stripe, which I think adds a little something to the napkins so they aren’t so beachy. Seersucker comes is a wide range of colors, so I could see doing this in a lawn green or pink as well. Imagine doing the cocktail napkin size for a Kentucky Derby party!

Like I said, this is a SUPER simple project. Measure, cut, and sew a few straight lines. Voila! I gave mine a little trim and press after washing them, but  you could even skip the sewing part if you want a more casual, cut-off jeans feel.

I’m already thinking about making some more in the cocktail size and maybe even some coasters. I recommend you make some as well, I think they’ll become a summertime staple in no time.

Knitting again.

Posted in She's Crafty by

20120518-144344.jpg

Have I mentioned that I’m knitting again? My carpal tunnel finally cleared up a few weeks ago and I’m able to knit without any pain or numbness. Huzzah!

I actually got back at it this week after finishing a few sewing projects. I’ve been focused on sewing lately because it’s faster and I can get a lot accomplished while the little guy naps. But I missed the relaxing process of knitting. It’s more of something I’ll do in the evenings after he’s asleep. We’ll also be doing some traveling the next couple of weekends, so I’ll have something to do in the car.

I still have my Etsy shop closed for now. I’m trying to decide if I should shut it down completely or just put it on hiatus until fall. We’ll see.

Lola’s Quilt

Posted in She's Crafty by

My dear friend’s little girl, Lola, recently turned one. I wanted to make her a quilt when she was born, but with moving and everything happening last year, I wasn’t able to get one made. I decided that instead, I’d make her one for her first birthday.

I wanted something simple and fun, not too pink or overly girly. I ended up choosing to make a simple patchwork quilt using vintage sheets. I purchased them from Jeni’s shop from In Color Order. She has an amazing collection of vintage sheets, not to mention writes a great blog about sewing, quilting, and her pet bunny, George!

I used the vintage sheets for the top and part of the back. I used pink and white solids from my stash for the back and some pink calico quilter’s cotton that I picked up at Joann’s for the binding. I really love the range of colors and patterns from the vintage sheets, not to mention that it already has a soft, worn-in feeling to it. I hope that Lola enjoys it for many years to come.

Joe’s Play Quilt

Posted in Oh Baby, She's Crafty by

I had some leftover squares from making Joseph’s quilt and decided to make a play quilt for him. Something that I can throw on the floor or ground and won’t have to worry about it getting stained or soiled. I made sure not to use any white fabric in this one, so it will be extra boy friendly.

I used a basic Disappearing Nine Patch pattern. I love this, it’s so simple! I highly recommend you try it out if you haven’t yet. I know I’ll use it again soon. Here’s a great tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew.

I used the leftover squares made from Shawn’s old shirts, plus some yellow gingham to make the top, some Kona solid in Navy for the backing, and a smaller yellow gingham for the binding. All the fabrics were already in my stash, so I only had to purchase some navy thread for quilting. Nothing better than an almost free project!

I think that this quilt will be a part of a lot of play time, picnics, and fun in the future.

Back in the swing

Posted in She's Crafty by

Just wanted to post that I’m back in the swing of things on working on the Crafty 365 Challenge. Yes, even with the little guy taking up most of my day (and night) I am still finding time to work on some projects. I’m mostly catching this time when he is napping, so it’s maybe an hour or so tops, but at least its something! I’m dividing my time working on two projects right now, one sewing and one knitting. I can’t really say too much more about them yet because they are both gifts, but I promise to post more once I am done and they’ve been received.

Joseph’s Quilt

Posted in Oh Baby, She's Crafty by

I started working on this quilt soon after we found out that we were having a boy. I had been saving Shawn’s old shirts to use for a sewing project and I thought that this was the perfect one to use them for. I had eight shirts that I broke down into 6.5” squares of fabric. I then used those along with some white Kona cotton to make half-square triangles (HSTs) There are a lot of good tutorials out there for HSTs, like here and here. They are a great basic block that you can make a ton of different designs from. After making a TON of HSTs, I pieced the quilt top together. I sandwiched the quilt using Warm & Natural batting and some plain white flannel (both from Joann’s) and made the binding with some gray Kona Cotton from my fabric stash. I quilted it by outlining the squares as well as following the diagonals. I also embroidered a tag to go on the back with Joseph’s birth date, height and weight.

I can’t even tell you how happy I am with how this quilt turned out. It was the most labor-intensive quilt I’ve made to this point and I was truly a work of love. I hope that Joseph will enjoy it for years to come.

To see more photos, go to the full post.

101 things: 6. Make another quilt

Posted in 101 Things, She's Crafty by

This is the quilt that I have been working on for what seems like forever and it is finally done. I had an idea about making a special quilt for Joseph as soon as I found out we were having a boy. I had been saving Shawn’s old shirts to cut up for fabric and I decided that this would be the perfect project to use them. They were all in the color palette of the nursery and I thought that it would be extra special to have a quilt made for our son “made with Daddy’s shirts by Mommy’s hands.” I’ll post more of the details about the process of making the quilt and more pictures here.

Small stitches

Posted in She's Crafty by

I’m stealing moments when I can and working on the patch for the back of Joe’s quilt. I’m using a leftover square from one of Shawn’s shirts and hand wrote the inscription on it with a fabric pen. I’ll hand stitch it onto the back when I’m finished.

Don’t call it a comeback.

Posted in She's Crafty by

I’m still having some numbness in my hands from the carpal tunnel, but I think that I’m going to be able to get back on the wagon here again. I’ve actually already was able to finish the binding on Joseph’s quilt. It’s finished except for the tag that I want to embroider and put on. Hoping to get that done this week between diaper changing and feedings. Once that is complete, I think that I might attempt some knitting. I really hope that I my hands will let me, otherwise I have a few small sewing projects that I might attempt while I wait for this residual numbness to go away.

Maternity Leave

Posted in Oh Baby, She's Crafty by

Just wanted to let everyone know that I closed up my Etsy shop for my “maternity leave” at the end of last week. I can’t make any new product due to my carpal tunnel, plus with all the chaos of the kitchen remodel and getting ready for the baby I just thought it better to do this now rather than wait until he makes his appearance. I’m hoping to be able to open up again in the spring once we get into a new routine. I’ll keep you posted.