From Threadbare Sheets to Reusable Grocery Bags

Unpopular opinion -- I'm not a fan of the ban on plastic grocery bags. I'm all for reusing you own bags, but I think this new law is going to create a whole slew of new problems. And because I'm aggravated about that, I put off actually sewing some bags.

I've you've been reading my blog for more than a decade, this fabric might look familiar. It's identical to the thrifted sheet that I used to back Simple Pleasures back in 2009. Not long after I made the quilt, Alex found a set of queen sized sheets at the thrift shop. I called dibs on the fabric if she ever got bored with the sheets.

She never did get bored with them, but after a decade the fabric was pilled and unpleasant and she called and asked if I wanted the fitted sheet to make bags or something. I brought it home and it sat because I wasn't in a bag making mood.

Last night, I finally broke down and started the project. These aren't fancy bags. I didn't measure anything. I removed the elastic and corner seams and then tore the fabric in wide strips. The threadbare part in the very center of the sheet was folded over four times to make the handles. They're lined and sturdy and not the ugliest bags ever.

And I'm kind of sentimental about the fabric.

Magnetic Cross Stitch Bookmarks

A few months back, I bought a pack of magnet bookmarks from Hobby Lobby. They were cute and had a sewing theme and it didn't take me long at all to realize that I wanted more of them. I found tutorials for making them out of washi tape and old maps and a dozen other things...then I started to wonder if I could make a cross stitched version. 

Turns out I could -- and I did!

The patterns I stitched are from a book I've had in my stash for years, called A Little Country by Kount on Kappie. It's got fifty little old fashioned still life scenes that I've been dying to stitch but didn't know what I'd do with if I did stitch them. I used 18 count aida to keep the size down.

For the complete finishing instructions, click on the video below.



I'm linking up to What I Made

{Tutorial} Dollar Tree Scarf Tote Bag

Dollar Tree has some of  the cutest scarves,  but I don't wear scarves so I couldn't quite justify buying one.  I did wind up with a couple...but I couldn't come up with a decent excuse for the purchase. Not until I saw my daughter's new camera strap and realized that this scarf could be a pretty strap. 

Oregon's bag ban has been spreading from town to town for the past few years and I can never keep track of which place has which rules. What I do know is that between grocery shopping for five of us and library runs and everything else, I'm going to need a LOT more bags.

So I made one.....

I also made a video tutorial so you can make one of your own.

{Tutorial} Tea Towel Project Bag

I love vintage tea towels, especially when the illustrations on them are as gorgeous as this covered bridge and fall foliage. Over the years, I've found plenty at the thrift store and estate sales and most of those have been used in our kitchen. They're already old and worn, so they might as well continue that purpose in life, right?

This time, I upgraded my tea towel into a zippered project bag. 

The fabric is so soft and faded that I'm sure it was used in someone's kitchen for many years. Before I cut it into pieces, I used some mid-weight fusible interfacing to stabilize the weave of the fabric a bit.

One of the zippers from that estate sale haul a few years back was the perfect shade of orange to go with those autumn leaves.

And the 1971 calendar looks great on the back. I did have to choose between the year and months or a poem about covered bridges that ran along the very bottom. Working with vintage  fabric always involves tough choices, doesn't it?

I did forget a step when I was shortening my zipper so my lining doesn't have enclosed seams. I think my cross stitch and knitting will survive a few stray threads. I'll do it right next time....and there will be lots of next times because I'm loving the idea of making more tea towel bags.

If you want to see more details about how I made this one, check out the video below.

{Tutorial} Make Your Own Needle Minders from Vintage Hot Iron Transfers

I haven't stitched any new blocks for my Garden Party quilt in quite a while, but I'm still in love with vintage hot iron transfers -- the quirkier the better! 

Over the weekend, I used some of  the patterns from my collection and some Shrinky Dinks to make needle minders for my stitching. (If that little bird with the scissors looks familiar, I've stitched him before.) 

You can see how I made mine -- and learn from my mistakes -- in my video tutorial.

Nail Polish Bottle Zipper Bag Tutorial

You know how they put displays in the checkout line so that things will jump into your cart? The Dollar Tree had glittery red vinyl pencil cases and as soon as I picked one up I knew I wanted to cut it apart and sew something with it. It came home with me. 

It took half the drive home for me to figure out that I was going to make a zipper bag shaped like a nail polish bottle, and another couple of days to figure out that I'd need a second red glittery pouch and a black one for the lid, and maybe some clear vinyl for the air space because if I'm going to do something like this I'm going to make it as complicated as possible.

Except for the zipper. I was able to cut the bag apart in a way that let me keep the zipper in place and not add one from my own stash.

The plan was to take still pictures and write up a tutorial, but I forgot to tell my fourteen-year-old camera man so all we've got is video and one progress  picture -- and I know most of you can figure it out from there! Cut the two red bags so that one has the zipper running down the center and one is a plain piece. Cut a clear bag into two rectangles for the air place and a black bag into two smaller rectangles for the lid. Tape the zipper so it doesn't fall apart until you've got things sewn together. And, whatever you do, please please please leave that zipper open so that you can turn the bag once you've got the front and back sewn together!

{Tutorial} Mason Jar Needle Minders

Needle minders have to be one of the best accessories that cross stitchers have come up with. Two strong magnets hold the needleminder to your project and it provides you with a secure place to rest your needle while you're cutting a new length of thread or taking a break from stitching.

They're cute and fun to collect and you can make your own with just a little bit of effort and a few supplies. I'm seeing potential needle minders everywhere and these mason jar stickers from the Dollar Tree practically jumped off the shelf at me.

I already had everything on hand because I've been picking up cute little things with the intention of making them into needle minders. You can get the glue, called E6000, at Joann's or Hobby Lobby with a coupon. Joann's doesn't carry the magnets you need, but you can find them at Hobby Lobby or on Amazon.

To see how I reinforced the stickers to make them more suitable for use as needle minders, check out the short video that I put together.

A Halloween Treat for My Readers

I was going to post this on Halloween, but then I decided that if you want to sew a spooky last minute project, you might appreciate the extra day. 

Because everyone (or maybe just me and my offspring)  needs a coffin-shaped pencil holder... 

If you have the materials handy, it won't take long at all to make. While I was putting mine together, I kept thinking of ways to make it more fun like adding a red lining or trapunto and free motion quilting. But Halloween is tomorrow.  The clock is ticking and now is the time for something quick and easy.

You'll need:

two 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles of coffin colored fabric
one 7" zipper
one 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle of paper
matching thread

About that zipper -- These instructions don't explain how to install it. Let me know if you need a separate zipper tutorial and I'll put one together. The zipper I used was labeled 7" and measured the same as my 8 1/2" cut of fabric. You can always shorten a longer zipper from your stash. That's what I'd do if I hadn't gotten lucky with the one I grabbed!

Start by folding the piece of paper in half lengthwise with the fold on the left. Along the top and bottom edges, measure in 1 1/4" from the fold and make a dot. Measure 3" down from the top edge and make a third dot on the side that isn't folded.

Connect the dots and cut along the lines. When you unfold it, you'll have a coffin shape. Don't cut your fabric into that shape yet!

Using your rotary cutter and ruler, cut one of the fabric rectangles into two 8 1/2" x 2 1/4" rectangles.

Install the zipper and top stitch along either side.

Now's the time to cut the zippered rectangle and the plain rectangle into the coffin shape that we just created. Doing it this way means that even if the seam allowance on your zipper isn't perfect, both pieces will be the same size. (Or, if your seam allowances are perfect when it comes to zippers, it means I don't have to figure out how to make oddly shaped pattern pieces that will come out the proper size.)

With the zipper open, place both pieces right sides together and sew all the way around the outside edge. You'll be using the open zipper to turn it open.

Turn and press and fill with nice pens or yummy candy for your favorite little monsters.

Be sure to check out  my other free Halloween Tutorials -- Halloween Parlor Quilt , Haunted House Potholder, Potion Bottle Mug Rug, Pumpkin Carving Wall Quilt To be notified when new tutorials are added, follow my blog or like Michelle's Romantic Tangle on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

This post is linked to Bag It! and Crazy Mom Quilts. 

Quick and Easy Library Bag from Vintage Pillowcases

I need more bags. Lots more bags. As many as I've got around this house, there are never enough empty ones handy to haul everything we need to take with us. Add the single use grocery bag bans in a couple of the larger towns near us and now I apparently need to carry empty bags in both vehicles. 

So the idea was to use existing pillowcases to make nice, sturdy bags with as little waste and extra sewing as possible. I used a lot of the same techniques as I'd use to make a bag from scratch and cut corners by using the existing seams and measurements.  Now I'm on the prowl for some pillowcases in brighter prints because I want more of these. A lot more.

Start with two pillowcases, both the same size. You're going to lose whatever pretty details are along the cuff, so save the ones with fancy embroidery or lace trim for a different project. For this bag, we want fabric with a lot of life left in it. Vintage bedding can be worn thin, so take a careful look before buying it.  

Cut each pillowcase into three pieces. Starting with the sewn together end of the pillowcase (Is there correct pillowcase terminology?) on the let and measure 17 or 18." That will be the bag itself. Now go to the other end and cut an inch and a half farther into the pillowcase than the stitching lines that form the hemmed  edge. That will become a strap.  Cut both pillowcases the same way. (That middle piece can go in your scrap bags.)

Different pillowcases have different structures. If there's a seam down one side, cut that open so that you won't have one in the middle of your strap. If there are seams down both sides, cut one open and don't worry about the other. That 1 1/2" from the seam you measured -- fold the raw edge in over the strip and then fold everything else in half lengthwise so that the raw edge is encased by the rest. You're making a strap that has at least four layers of fabric. Press the whole thing, pin if you like pins, and then sew a layer of top stitching 1/4" from each long edge. Make on strap from each pillowcase.

Now take the two bag portions and box the corners of each. Your pillowcase may or may not have seams down both sides. If there aren't seams to use as a guideline, use the existing fold.  Turn the bottom portion of your pillowcase inside out and line up the bottom seam with the side seam to form a triangle. Measure up three inches from the point and mark a line from one edge to the other. Stitch along the line.

Boxing the corners will give the bag more structure and help it stand up once it's full of library books, but you can skip this step if you'd like. I trimmed away the extra triangles, but that's another step you can get away with skipping.

Nest one bag section inside of the other, with their right sides together. You'll have visible seams on the outside of the outer section and the inside of the inner section. Match up the side seams (or folds) and pin around the raw edge. Sew around the whole bag, leaving an open space wide enough to turn it right side out. Four inches or so should be plenty

Turn the bag right side out and top stitch around the top edge, using the top stitching to close up the space you left for turning. (If I was making a bag from scratch, I'd hide that opening in a side seam of the lining, but the goal here was to use as many existing seams as possible.

Turn under the raw edges at the short end of each strap and securely sew them to the outside of the bag. (You could hide the ends in that top seam and make the bag truly reversible, but I've lost a lot of bags to torn straps over the years and want the extra layers of stitching as well as an easy way to resew them if they do come loose. After four years of carrying around my Nancy Drew Tote, which has straps attached the same way, they're showing no signs of failing.)

To be notified when new tutorials are added, follow my blog or like Michelle's Romantic Tangle on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

River {a baby quilt tutorial}

This isn't the style of baby quilt I usually make, but I was looking at all of the blue fabric I got from that Craigslist ad and wondering what I could make with cuts from just that stack and an idea started to form. This little quilt would be perfect if you want to whip something up without digging through your entire stash or if you're working with someone else's coordinated leftovers. 

Start with sixteen 2 1/2" WOF strips. For each block, you'll use two 10" strips each of two different colors. (I cut each strip in half before matching them up so  that each block would be different instead of making them in pairs.)  Sew four alternating strips together to make a block like this one.

Cut the block into four 2 1/2" strips and rearrange them to form a sixteen patch block.

Make sixteen blocks and assemble into four rows of four. Did I mention that this quilt was quick?

Quilt and bind. As always, if you make this quilt I'd love for you to send me a picture or link up to my weekly Let's Make Baby Quilts! linky party. There's a list of my free baby quilt tutorials over in the sidebar and you  can find out when new ones are added by either following my blog or liking the Let's Make Baby Quilts Facebook page.

Creeper Ornament

I've been wanting to make a Minecraft something for my boys and, with Christmas quickly approaching, and ornament seemed like a good idea. It's larger than I like my ornaments to be, but it's as small as I could go and still piece the little squares. They finish at a half inch. 

If you decide to try this, be warned that the pieces are tiny and there are a lot of them. But, unlike the Dutchman's Puzzle ornament, there aren't half square triangles. That makes it sound almost easy!) I tend to singe my fingertips when working with bits this small, which explains why my corners don't match. I sacrificed accuracy to save my fingers. 

Start by cutting 1" squares from solid black and at least two different greens. You'll need twenty black squares and forty-four green squares. I'm sure I'll be doing more stuff with pixels, so I just cut a bunch.

Piece your squares into sixteen itty-bitty four patch units as shown. The black squares are important.  My resident game programmer tells me that the placement of the greens doesn't matter. A creeper is supposed to look mottled like a bush.

Press your four-patch units and lay them out into a creeper face. It looks huge at this point, but half of that fabric is going to disappear into the seam allowances. This thing has a lot of seams.

Once my face was together, I pressed it flat and layered it with a square of batting and a square of solid green fabric. I squared it up with my rotary cutter and zigzagged around the edges. I didn't want to add the bulk of binding.

This post is linked to Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Link a Finish Friday, Tatertots and Jello,

Halloween Parlor Quilt Tutorial

Got a bunch of 1 1/2" strips of blacks and neutrals and an urge for a fun new Halloween quilt? I love the way the intricately pieced borders of this one suggest an ornate frame.  For this year, I want to make myself another one with a scalloped black outer border.  

From neutral 1 1/2" strips, cut eight 8 1/2 strips and sew them long sides together to form the background for the center square. Press.

Print the bird silhouette and enlarge or reduce it so that it fits neatly into the center square. Using fusible web, applique the bird into the center square. I zigzagged around the outer edges of mine with black thread.

For the hourglass units, use the Companion Angle to cut quarter square triangles from 1 1/2" strips.  (Not sure how to use the Companion Angle? I've got pictures in the tutorial for Strawberry Stars.) Sew them into pairs to make half square triangles, then sew the half square triangles to make a total of sixty-four 2 1/2" hourglass square units.

For the pieced border, you'll be making panels from the hourglass squares. Make two panels each two squares wide by four squares high. and sew them on the left and right sides of the center square. Make two panels each three squares wide by eight squares wide and sew them to the top and bottom of the quilt.

This is the clip art silhouette I used for my quilt --



I made this quilt last year and meant to do a tutorial then, but a series of last minute changes in the layout meant that the pictures I took while assembling it didn't match the finished project.

Be sure to check out  my other free Halloween Tutorials -- Halloween Parlor Quilt , Haunted House Potholder, Potion Bottle Mug Rug, Pumpkin Carving Wall Quilt To be notified when new tutorials are added, follow my blog or like Michelle's Romantic Tangle on Facebook.

Full Blown Quilt Lust

Yesterday, I thought I was in love with this little quilt.  Now that I've got it quilted, it's a case of full blown quilt lust.

In case you didn't read the last post, this is a scaled down version of Marilyn with the color placement in the nine-patch blocks reversed. The blocks are 1 1/2" and the quilt itself finishes at about 7" square. I could have, by the absolute skin of my teeth, used the same fat quarter for the top and back and binding, but I decided to use a piece from a coordinating pink fat quarter. The more different pinks in my stash the better, right?

I did the teeniest stippling I could manage. The thing can stand up by itself at this point, but since it’s probably going to do time as a mug rug before it makes it up to the sewing room wall, I don’t see that as a problem.

Want to make your own?  Start with a fat quarter in a tiny, tone-on-tone print. You’re going to be cutting it into little pieces and don’t want color changes in the print to distract from the piecing.

Cutting from the 18” side of the fat quarter, cut six 1" strips and one 3" strip.  You’ll be using four of those to strip piece the nine-patch blocks and cutting two into thirty-six 1" squares for the snowball blocks.  From white background fabric, cut five 1” x 18” strips and nine 2” squares .  From the 3” strip, cut three 3” squares for side setting triangles and two 2” squares for corner setting triangles. Cut the 3” squares into four smaller triangles as shown and the 2” squares once on the diagonal.

Sew the 1” strips together lengthwise. Make two sets with white strips on the outside and one set with pink strips on the outside.  Cut into 1” sections and assemble sixteen nine patch blocks.

Place a 1” pink square in each corner of the 2” white squares and stich and flip to make the snowball blocks. It’s going to look really wrong, and the nine-patch blocks will look odd too,  but when you sew the blocks together into the top they’ll look they should. 

Lay out the blocks as shown (including the corner triangles, which didn't make it into this picture. If you need more details on the assembly of the blocks and top, you can find it in the Marilyn tutorial. I found it easiest to lay out the nine patch blocks in three rows of three and then fill in the rest of the blocks from there.

See! Once you get the rows sewn together, things start to look like they should --

I cut 2" strips for the binding. If you want to use the same fat quarter for backing, I'd suggest cutting the backing square first and then making your binding from what's left. There should be just barely enough. 

To be notified when new tutorials are added, follow my blog or like Michelle's Romantic Tangle on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.