Something Made Something to be Made Swap

The Something Made Something to be Made Swap was A LOT of fun to participate in! My swap partner, Deanna has received her package so I can post about it now! Here's what I sent her:

Something Made: An Apron and a Wristlet Something to be Made: A somewhat random assortment of 1/4 yard of fun fabrics: The wonderfully thoughtful gift I received: Something Made: Coasters (don't you love the fabric?) and super cute hair clips for my baby girl Something to be made: Fun camping fabric to make something for my boys Thanks, Deanna! You were a great swap partner!

I Spy Swap Fabric Squares

I just received my fabric squares in the mail from the I Spy Swap! My boys and I have had SO MUCH fun looking through all of the fabrics. Now, I just need to decide what I'm going to make with 200 squares of fabric! I'm thinking about a mini I-spy quilt for each of my kids, or maybe a pillow, or how about a bag? What ideas do you all have for I-Spy sewing projects?

Here's what I sent in:

10 little stacks of 20 4" squares for a total of 200 squares

And here's what I got back:

200 4" squares ~ 200 different fabrics!

I couldn't photograph every singe square, but here are my favorites: Mushrooms, Owls, Vintage Girls, Jungle Animals, Green Animals, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Boots, Spools of Thread, Butterflies, and Frogs.

Thank you, Meredith and Wendy, for organizing this fantastic swap! And thank you to all of the other swap participants!

Featured on Fireflies and Jellybeans

What a great surprise this morning, to find my little blog featured over at Fireflies and Jellybeans! Jeannine and Fawnda have a great site, head over and check it out! Thanks for the feature, Ladies!

Diaper & Wipes Pocket

This project is the perfect solution for scrunched up diapers at the bottom of the diaper bag, or a toddler who no longer needs a full diaper bag. It's also very easy, so it's a great project for beginners. Put some travel wipes and a few diapers in it and it makes a great baby gift!

**This tutorial is for personal and gifting use, please don't sell any that you make. **

What you will need:

1 fat quarter each of 2 coordinating fabrics (or 1/4 yard each)

2 pieces (1- 9"x11"; 1- 9"x15") Heavy weight fusible interfacing

1 3-inch piece sew-on Velcro

Put it all together:

Cut one 9"x15" rectangle and one 9"x11" rectangle out of each of the fabrics. Iron interfacing onto the lining pieces. Take the two larger rectangles and measure up 11" from the bottom. Mark this spot and measure 1 1/2" from the sides. Mark this point.

Now, use a compass to draw a half circle between these two points. Cut the fabric along the line you just created, so that your fabric looks like this. Pin and sew these two pieces right sides together. I find it easier to have the heavier weight fabric (with interfacing) on bottom when sewing them together. Remember to leave an opening at the bottom to turn it right side out! Next, pin and sew the small rectangles together in the same way: right sides together, leaving an opening at the bottom. Clip corners. Turn right side out and press, being sure to fold the raw edges from the openings in. You now have your front and back pieces. Pin and sew these together with the outside fabric touching. You're just going to sew down both sides and across the bottom. When you sew the bottom, remember to catch the raw edges. It's a good idea to reinforce your stitches at the top on both sides. Measure in 1 1/2" from each bottom corner and cut this 1 1/2" square out. This next step can get a little confusing, but you can handle it! :)

Hold one side seam and the bottom seam and match them up. This should create a line where all the raw edges match up. Pin together. Make sure your seams are going in the same direction so that it will lay nicely. Repeat this on the other side. Sew along the raw edges. I sew this seam twice to make sure it's sturdy. This is what it should look like:Turn right side out. You're almost done!

It's a good idea to put a travel container of wipes and a few diapers inside at this point. Pin the Velcro pieces in place. Remove the diapers and wipes. Sew Velcro on.

That's it! Wasn't that easy?

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you make your own Diaper & Wipe Pocket, please send me a picture. I love getting to see other's projects!

Wedding Gift

Just stopping by quickly to show you a wedding gift I made last week. I used this tutorial for the "H", then used my embroidery machine for their name and the year.

Some Fun Projects

I wanted to share a few pictures of some great projects made by other people.

My friend, Starla, used my tutorial to make an owl bag for her sister. I think it turned out great! Check out her new blog with make up secrets and tips.

These other three projects were made by teenagers in 4-H and put entered at the county fair.

Isn't this a great idea to use a twister mat to make a jacket?! This pet bed tepee is super cute. I want to make a big one for my kids! I wish I could have this dress, isn't it fabulous?

Featured on Tip Junkie!

Hello all! It's been a couple weeks since I've had time to blog. My life has been very busy with birthday celebrations and home school preparations. I have a number of posts that I will hopefully be sharing soon, including those tutorials I promised last month. :) But, back to the reason for this post.... my over sized owl bag tutorial was featured on Tip Junkie this morning! I was pretty excited, Tip Junkie is such a great site. Thanks for the feature, Laurie!