Pillow Finishes

Not sure why I like to make pillows so much.  Perhaps because they are quick and let me try out new patterns without making a huge time or money commitment.  Anyway, I LOVE to make pillows.

This one is paper-pieced and has a scrappy border around it.  I also put a little pizazz on the back.

I actually made these pillow tops quite a while ago but finally got around to making the pillows.  I borrowed the idea for each of the pillows from amazing bloggers I follow, but tried to add my touches to each.

 I love the colors and the pattern of this one.  I added a scrappy corded edge.

This was a new circle technique for me.  Each circle is appliqued on to the top.

 Love pom poms!

 This is the back with a little embroidered detail on the covered buttons.

And finally, this beauty.  I appliqued the circles onto the background squares by machine, leaving a raw edge on the circles.  Then each square was cut into fourths, mixed up, and pieced together.

Chalkboard-To-Go

I saw one of these at the fabric shop and had to see if I could make one.

 Open it up and, voila...a chalkboard made of chalkboard fabric.

 With elastic chalk holders...

 and a fabric eraser that attaches with velcro.

Mine is 9 x 20, but I think I would make it shorter, perhaps 18 instead of 20, next time.

Trip Toys part 2

 These little art totes have room for markers...

 and two pockets for...

 stickers,

 all kinds of paper,

 coloring sheets, and I-spy game, and even a sheet of Math problems for one special guy who loves for me to make up problems for him to work on.

And finally, these are magnetic pattern blocks.  I printed out a background sheet and some fun designs. The blocks will work well on a cookie sheet.

Trip Toys 2014 Part 1

I enjoy creating toys and activities for the grandkids to use on their summer trips.  Here is the 2014 version.  What can a one-year-old do on an airplane?  I saw an idea for an airplane tray table cover and here's the one I came up with. 

 It has a pocket to put the little heart into.

 This little alligator is magnetic.

 The plastic golf ball is on a ribbon and attaches with velcro.

 What's under the flap?

 A hippo, of course.

 A zipper to zip and unzip. I attached a metal ring to make it easier to grab.

The cover slides over the tray and attaches with velcro straps.

 This little car slides along the ribbon road.

 This shows how the car is attached to the ribbon.

More wide-open bags

I love making these zipper bags.  In the last couple days I did an assembly line and finished up six.  Someone donated lots of old feed sacks to our ladies' sewing group.  These bags will be sold at a local benefit auction this summer.

 And here their mouths are open wide!

 I love the metal zippers on some of them like the one below.  But they are kind of pricey if I can't find the zips at a thrift shop, so I usually just use nylon ones.  If they are too long, you can easily cut them to length.

I found a pattern for these on the Noodlehead website a few years ago, but now I just make them any size I want.  You can change the shape or make them more or less boxy by adjusting the corners.

Little Guy Tie

So quick and easy.  I used the tutorial I found here.  But I made the neck strip narrower (cut it 2 inches wide instead of 2 3/4 and made it 18 inches long instead of 16.  I used velcro which seemed to work great.

Love this picture of the boys wearing their ties!