Thursday, July 30, 2009

Potholder crazy!

This is the potholder project which you can use, but what about me? I'm almost done with a set of Smurfs potholders. They're adorable too! Same method - Wonder Under, cut out the designs, fuse, satin stitch, use a batting sandwich that it heat resistant, and sew, sew, sew. I suspect I'm going to be hopeless with the small projects. I picked up a pattern for little girls with a smock type top that I adore. That's next after the Smurfs are done.

Walmart woe!

Shock, horrors! The WalMart a few miles from me has fabric no more. I was in the store last night picking up a cordless phone and walked over to the fabric department to pick up some black cotton blend for Halloween bags. The shelves which one sported quilting fabrics, interfacing, novelty prints, and cottons were filled with colorful pillows. The table that held the flat fold remnants was gone. The rows of fabric bolts were filled with bedspreads and a variety of home decorative items. My fabric! It is gone. The pattern stand, threads, and zippers were still there, but the thread rows are, excuse the pun, thread bare. I suspect they'll disappear soon too.
I now have a Hancock Fabric Store and the online world for purchasing fabric. Time to visit yard sales, thrift stores, and all those other fun alternate sources of fabric, but dang! No more 24-hour shopping for notions, threads, and whims of amusement.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Acorn Potholders - Easy to make! Frugal too.

Here's a short tutorial for potholders made with recycled denim and some vintage 70s fabrics I have. I need to add a photo of the completed two that I made, but you get the idea just with this example.
Stop by again for other tutorials as we either get old ones posted or create new ones for you!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3 or so

Yep, still here. :)
Today was spent working on some pot holders which are made of recycled denim and vintage 70s fabrics. I machine appliqued an acorn with leaves and twig on the front and made the backs out of the vintage fabrics. I just finished the bias binding using the two fabrics that I used for the acorn and leaves. The unfortnate thing is that I ran out of the green thread that I am using to applique the leaves. Thankfully, it's a Coats and Clark thread and is still made, so I can run out tomorrow and pick up a new spool. I'll take pictures and post them later and eventually will get a tutorial up for making potholders in general. My only direct cost, though, will be the thread. I already had everything else on hand. Not bad.