Modge Podge rocks!

About two years ago, when I was getting the nursery ready for the arrival of my daughter, I bought wooden letters to write up her name on the wall. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them but I figured I would think of something once they arrived. Well, I didn't. And I just forgot all about them until last week, when I found them in the back of the closet. It's been long enough, I thought. But how should I decorate them? I decided I wanted to cover them with fabric, but how?! I went online and that's when I stumbled upon Mod Podge. It's a sort of glue that clears and hardens as a varnish, once it dries. I wasn't sure if it was going to work with fabric and I couldn't find any info online on how to do it but I decided to go for it anyway.

My first step was to white wash the letters, as I didn't like the color of the raw wood. I used fusible interfacing on the fabric to stabilize it, atraced the letters directly onto the fabric and cut. Using a brush, I applied the Mod Podge on each letter and put the fabric on top of it. I waited for it to dry a little before I applied a coating over the fabric. Again, I waited about 20 minutes before I put in the second and then third coatings. When it was all dry, I used an Xacto knife to cut any excess fabric around the letters, being careful not to cut too much or unglue the fabric.

Finally, I used double-sided tape to hang the letters up and took a step back to admire my work!

Last sewing projects of the week!

These have been two incredibly productive weeks and I have managed to produce quite a few things that have been on my to-sew list for a while! 

The last two projects to be ticked of my list were a camera cozy for my new camera and a eco-friendly make up case.

The Camera Cozy: 

My brother gave me, a few weeks ago, a camera as I had been complaining that ours was too bulky to carry around with me all the time. As with most cameras, this did not come with a case!  Have you noticed how the cameras are always so cheap but then you have to get the memory card, and the case and in the end you spend double the amount you thought you would!o?
Well, this time, instead of buying an ugly generic one, I decided to make my own.

I went online and found this tutorial from Sew Mad and was all set!

The instructions are very detailed and easy to follow. I skipped the quilted look and replaced the velcro closure with a snap and I have to say, I really like the result. It didn't turn out perfect but it makes up for its faults by being super cute!

The Make-Up Case:

I know I keep tooting my own horn, but this make up case turned out adorable! And environment friendly, no less!

It's a basic zippered pouch, with boxed bottom and hot pink Michael Miller fabric. The lining is made from an Oeko-Tex certified waterproof fabric that will allow me to wipe it clean with a damp cloth when it gets make up smudges all over it.

As a final touch, I added one of my brand new labels, fresh off the printer. But more on that later...

This closes my sewing week. Now I need to start planning as there are presents to be made and not much time to do it, before we head out to New York and Lisbon!

Somebody stop me!

I have somehow managed to make another pillow this week, this time for a friend who's having a little girl, Maria, in a few weeks. I am so pleased at how it's turned out, it's the cutest one yet!

I used some leftover Red Letter Day fabrics by Lizzy House and remnant white canvas. The insert was made out of repurposed curtains and 100% polyester filing.  

  

 I followed the same method as before but this time I decided to make a separate insert and add a zipper to the cover so it's easy to wash.

 

As a final touch, I used one of my very first Moo minicards as a tag! I hope they like it!!

Mimi, the rabbit

I have been really productive this last week, a happy combination of extra babysitting from Oma, long naps and lots of creative energy! And I have channeled this energy towards finishing projects that hanging around for weeks, sometimes months. One of those projects is Mimi, the rabbit:

 I am so pleased with how she turned out! Not only is she super cute but she's made entirely from eco-friendly materials: I used an off-white flannel remnant and scraps of cotton fabric as the "skin", upcycled sweater sleeve to make Mimi's top and the tweed shorts came from a stash of old fabrics my mother in law gave me and had no use for anymore. Finally, the filling came from an old pillow insert I already had.

Here's Mimi's happy owner:

I'm afraid she won't last very long! I am already planning another one, this time a boy, with bigger, floppier ears, pants & suspenders and a neck tie. I will have to think of a name. Any suggestions?

Elin&Jim

I have been experimenting with applique, in the last few days. It is really cute and makes the most simple project interesting and fun. Two of the most successful projects finished are these two personalized pillows. I have made them for friends' kids with birthdays coming up: Elin and Jim.

They both turn one in March and and they both moved/will move to a new house, so what better present than something for their new bedroom? I think they turned out really good and even the applique borders look acceptable (please don't look too closely!).

For Elin's pillow, I mixed and matched four different cotton fabrics to create the letters and patchwork frame. The back is off white cotton. For Jim's, I used Alexander Henry's Zoo in blue to create the frame and a simple dark blue checkered cotton on the name. The back is heavy weight green cotton. I used 100% polyester as filling.

Now the challenge for future similar projects (and there will be tons of them as these are so much fun to make) is to make them environment friendly. The fabrics are the easy part, I will be able to use scraps, remnants and repurposed materials. The filling, however, will be trickier - using old pillows for kids and babies is out of the question, so I will have to look into organic or recycled fillings which is more difficult and more expensive to source. I have found some options at Hart's Fabric but finding closer to home will not be as easy!

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

I love beautifully wrapped presents. I love giving them and receiving them! Unfortunately, it isn't my forte and one of the reasons for that is that I never seem to have the necessary supplies.
So, now that I am getting ready to launch my Etsy store, one of the (many) things to decide on is packaging. Presentation is such a huge part in the whole shopping experience, I want to make sure I make the right first impression.The good part is, there are tons of options out there. The bad part is, how do I choose?
Two of my favorite stores are Nice Package and Olive Manna. They are both relatively new, run by women and even though they are more expensive than the more generic wrapping supplies, I think the quality of their products will really help my own stand out. And who doesn't want to get the best start possible for their little shop?

Little fabric basket

I love getting new fabric in the post, it feels like you're getting a gift (even though you paid for it!). So this Tuesday, my order from Fabricworm came in with 2 half yards of Snorkle (by Cosmo Cricket).
It is so adorable I had to use it in a project immediately! I have been meaning to make little toiletry baskets for my little girl's room so I decided this with be the perfect fabric for them. This is how the first one turned out:

And on the shelf, in the room:

I will try to make two more in the next few days and finish the set (and give that mirror a good cleaning!).