A Not So Stash-busting Sunday: Macaron Coin Purse

As if I needed another reason to save those 3" scraps of fabric...

This week I fell in love with Craft Passion's tiny macaron coin purse.

Luckily, she posted an awesome tutorial so I could make one for myself!  

Exterior:  Red dotted fabric left over from another project

Interior:  Floral scraps that once belonged to my great grandmother

Zipper & Ribbon:  From my stash

Cover Buttons:  $5 (yikes...I forgot my 40% coupon for JoAnn's)

$5 for complete satisfaction....totally worth it.  I suggest you make one too!

And yet another shameless plug...

I'd love to do a give away, but first I need 50 followers.  

Tell your friends :)  Thanks!

Stash-busting Sunday: Pom-pom Adorned Placemats

Remember those kitchen towels I made a while back with Melody's Miller's awesome tea-cup fabric? 

Well... I had more of that fabric and I decided it was finally time to do something with it!

For some reason, this fabric just screams pom-poms to me, so after much consideration, 

I finally broke down and bought some trim.  I'm so glad I did!  The fabric, however, came from my stash.

Traditionally the trim the pom-poms are attached to are hidden in your seams, but I prefer 

the look of the trim, which makes the assembly a little trickier.  

To make your very own pom-pom adorned placements, follow my tutorial below.

Materials:  

1 yard top fabric 

1 yard bottom fabric

3 1/2 yards pom-pom trim

*enough for 4 finished placemats 

1.  Cut 4 rectangles from each of your fabrics, 13" tall X 19" wide.

(8 rectangles total)

2.  Mark 1/2" from the 2 sides of the top fabric rectangles using your favorite marking tool.

3.  Pin your trim slightly inside of the marked chalk line, 

with pom poms facing toward the outside edges.  

Can you see that tiny chalk mark next to the middle red pin?  I pinned the trim about 1/8" from that line.

4.  Go out and buy some more fabric for your stash.  

Wait, what?!  Oops.  Sorry, I have a weird thing for Denyse Schmidt...

5.  Stitch pom poms to your fabric on the inner edge of the trim.  

Attach the trim to each side of the top fabric in this way.  

6.  Pin the backing to the top, right sides together, along the long edges 

(the edges without pom pom trim).

7.  Stitch along the two long edges using 1/2" seam allowance.  

You should now have a tube with the 2 sides still open.  

8.  Press seams open.  I know you don't want to, but trust me.  It makes the next step much easier.  

9.  Turn your placement right side out and press those seams flat!  

10.  Fold the side seams in toward the center 1/2".  

You can follow your chalk line from Step 2 as a guide.  

11.  Press side seam and pin in place.  

12.  To close up the side seam, stitch along the trim close to the outside edge.  

That should easily close up the seam you just pressed.  

How fun is that?!  What projects will you adorn with pom poms?

If you are not using pom pom trim, it's even simpler!  

Cut out your rectangles, stitch front and back with right sides together (leaving a few inches open), 

turn right side out, press and edge-stitch.  

Don't forget to post your stash-busting projects to the Flicker Pool or e-mail me at sparrowsandspools@gmail.com to be considered for a Stash-Busting Sunday feature!

Stash-busting Sunday: Ironing Board Makeover

Goodbye, silly dorm-sized ironing board.  Hello, practical grown-up ironing board.

I found this ironing board at the thrift store for $5.  I didn't mind the look of the original polka-dot cover, 

but the foam batting was worn out and it smelled strongly of smoke, so it had to go.  

Before                                                      After

I used fabric I had in my stash for the exterior of the cover, but I had to buy the lining fabric & batting.  

Find the tutorial I used at The Stitchin' Chicken.

What projects do you have in mind to help you clear out your fabric stash?

E-mail your projects to sparrowsandspools@gmail.com or add them to the flicker pool.  

Coming soon: Stash-busting Sundays

Introducing a new series:  Stash-busting Sundays!

In an effort to save some cash & make space in my tiny apartment, I'll be starting a new series starting this Sunday.  I'll share some ideas for using up my piles (and piles) of fabric, and include links to tutorials or provide them myself.  And...I'd love to share some of your ideas!  If you have a great stash-busting idea, feel free to submit your project with photos to sparrowsandspools@gmail.com to be considered for a feature.  There will also be a flicker pool if you'd like to add pictures there.  

Find this fabric here

Can you guess what I'm making with this fabric from my stash?  

See you on Sunday!

The One Hour Couch Throw

I got this great piece of vintage fabric at Mama Said Sew & it was just screaming 

to be made into a throw for my new sofa!  For the back, I used 

some black and white ticking that was on super-sale, 

so the cost of this project was only about $10.

Here's a quick tutorial great for beginner sewers!

1.  Cut your two pieces of fabric to equal sizes of rectangles.  

The size of my fabric was about 50" X 60".

2.  Place the two rectangles right sides together, and pin each side.  

Stitch around the edges, leaving about 6" open for turning.  

3.  Clip corners, turn right side out, and press the edges flat.  

4.  Hand stitch the opening closed.  

5.  Stitch 1.5" from the edges to tack down the edges.   

It's that easy!  You could even use fleece for one side to make it extra cozy.  

Don't forget!  Once I get 50 followers, I'll be hosting a giveaway! (hint, hint)

What I Should Be Doing...

Well, I should be doing lots of things.  I should be cleaning my apartment...or doing laundry.  I should be posting a helpful pattern review or fun tutorial, but instead...I'm sitting on my couch and thinking about things I should do.  And things I will do, all in good time.  Think of this as a belated New Year's Resolution list, all crafting related of course. 

1.  Blog at least twice a month.  

Tutorials, pattern reviews and project shares coming your way!  

2.  Finish my Sophia Carry-All bag!  Yes, I said I would do this almost a year ago.  

But I mean it this time. I really, really do.

3.  This year, I should sew from my stash.  It seems impossible 

seeing how I work at a fabric store, but it's worth a try, right?

4.  I should sew a quilt top.  Maybe one of these lovely patterns?

I love Anna Maria Horner's Folk Dance quilt....

And I LOVE this quilt from Urban Outfitters...a smaller version might be 

do-able with loads of planning, but isn't it great?

OK, it may be a bit much for my first quilt top, but I can dream.

5.  I will continue to add to my Etsy shop.  Head over now to see a few new earrings!

6.  Last, but not least, I'd love to do a give-away this year!  If I can get at least 50 followers, I will have a fun little giveaway with my reversible headbands & matching earrings.  Tell your friends!  Thanks :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great rest of your weekend!

Better Late Than Never....?

I know, I know.  Everyone is sick of the holidays.  But I haven't had the chance to share my Christmas craftiness!  OK, I probably had the opportunity...but I felt pretty lazy after final exams and it was nice to ignore my computer for a few weeks.  

So here it goes.  First up, a few stockings I made for my boyfriend and I.  

We didn't have much to fill them with, but they sure looked cute!  (Please excuse the clutter!)

 My 4-foot tall tree fit perfectly in our tiny apartment.  I even made a tree skirt to match the stockings!

Most of my gifts were hand-made this year.  I made these fun oven mitts using Skip to my Lou's 

awesome tutorial!  I also made a few rice-filled hot/cold packs, a nice button-up vest for my dad, 

and a pair of boxer shorts for my boyfriend.  

Happy (very) late New Years to all of you!  More posts to come - I'm excited to 

devote some time to my blog and Etsy shop now that I'm finished with school!