Hi there! If you're a coffee lover like me, I've got a fun and quick coffee cozy for you to make. It's done in patchwork with 2 1/2 inch squares. These were some pieces leftover from that fold over patchwork clutch I made and shared the link with you. This is the coffee cup from our church but sometimes I forget it and end up sipping my coffee from one of the disposable ones they provide, and occasionally my hubby and I go through a drive through for a latte This will catch any drips and keep my hands from getting too warm, and I will just keep it in my purse so I always have it.

 

To make this you need 12- 2 1/2 inch squares of fabric

A piece of batting or iron on fleece 4  1/2 by 12 1/2 

A piece of backing fabric 4 1/2 x 12 1/2

a small piece of thin elastic about 2" long

a button

normal sewing supplies

The template for the cozy you can print out is here http://www.fatquartershop.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/CoffeeKoozie-Pattern.pdf

 

Arrange all your 2 1/2 inch squares in the order you like them

 

 

Sew the first top and bottom pieces together using a 1/4 inch seam, then do the same with the other sets.

Lay your batting or fleece down and place the first set on the end. Now lay the next set lining up the edges, face down, and sew them together. Flip the set on the right open, smooth it out, pin the next set on that, and continue until you're done.

Now pin your template on and cut just outside the black line.

Place your backing fabric down right side up, place your front piece right side down, loop the elastic and pin it on your right side on the edge of your fabric so the loop is on the inside. Pin the rest of your fabric down, and sew around the perimeter using a 1/4 inch seam allowance but leaving about a 3-4 inch opening on the bottom. Trim your pieces and cut the tips off your corners.

Turn your cozy right side out through the opening, gently push your seams out, fold the raw edges at the hole to the inside and iron. Pin the opening closed, and sew close to the edge all the way around your cozy.

Wrap your cozy around your cup, or one the same size you normally use, and mark where your button needs to go. Hand stitch it on and you're done!

I like the cozies made from a single fabric, but these are so much more fun to make and use. When they need washing, just toss them in with your shirts. Enjoy!

                               Gina

Quick, Easy, and Useful Baby Gifts to Make

Don't you just love getting an invitation to a shower? Or giving a shower for someone special? I do! It means the start of a brand new chapter in their lives as something very exciting is about to happen. I went to a shower recently for a Mom to be whose having a girl, and decided to make some matching burp cloths and bibs along with my other gifts. Then I received an invitation to a shower for a Mom to be who's having a boy. Since I'm making these for him, I thought I'd share with you how to make them. They're quick, easy, and it's so fun picking out fabrics for them. If you're a  beginner sewer, you will have no problem making these.

All you need is:

cloth diapers (prewash and dry them for shrinkage)

fabric for the bibs and the strip of fabric down the burp cloth

rick rack or gross grain ribbon if you choose to add them

iron on fleece

sew in Velcro

normal sewing supplies like scissors, pins, and your sewing machine

 

I purchased a pack of diapers at Target that looked like the old fashioned thick kind. When I got home and put them in the wash, I realized the company folded them in such a way that they looked like those I'm talking about, but aren't. They are very thin and huge. I realized if I fold them in half, they will be thicker and be about the size they should be, then proceeded from there. I had to work to try to get the ends to match and while they weren't perfect they came close. I made sure to overlap the middle a bit then ironed it.

Then I measured from top to bottom, added an inch for seam allowance, then measured across for how wide I want the fabric strip, then added an inch to that.

I cut my fabric to the measurements, 25 1/2 by 8 1/2. I turned under all sides 1/2 inch and ironed them.

I pinned the fabric to the diaper, working to try to get it even on all sides. Then I pinned some blue gross grain ribbon to the ends which adds a nice pop of color and helps hide the fact that the ends of the diaper don't perfectly line up going across.

Then using a zig zag stitch I sewed around the four sides of the fabric, and across the ribbon.

That's it! The fabric hides the ends inside, and baby has cute things to look at when he's being burped.
Now for the bib. I got the free bib pattern from Sew  Fishsticks. I enjoy her blog and she has several free patterns. The bib pattern comes in infant, toddler, and big kid size. So I printed an infant and toddler size as I'm doing one of each. You can find the pattern here. http://www.fishsticksdesigns.com/blog/the-bibs-in-all-sizes-tutorial/

I laid the main fabric down face up, my backing fabric face down, then the bib pattern right side up since I want the bib to end up coming around the right side to fasten. I pinned them together and cut them out.

Then I used the pattern to cut out my iron on fleece and ironed it onto the back of the front bib piece.

Then I placed the bib pieces facing right sides together, pinned them, and sewed them together using a 3/8 inch seam allowance. I left a hole about 4 inches wide at the bottom middle of the bib for turning.

I clipped the seams around all the curves so they will open up and "smile."

I turned it right side out through the opening I left in the bottom. I took the rounded end of a crochet hook, and gently pushed out all the seams and pushed the rounded areas all the way out.

I folded the raw edges in the hole to the inside and pressed them together, then pressed the whole bib.

Then I sewed just a little inside the edge of the bib all the way around.

I cut my two pieces of Velcro, placed the first down on the bib and pinned it, then placed the second on the top piece, pinned it, put them together and made sure it was aligned.

I sewed just to the inside of the Velcro rectangles. Done!

 I had so much fun making that set I did another but did the toddler size bib. The fun monster fabric I used is so cute. Since I had to be careful and make sure I didn't end up chopping off too much of the monsters, I placed the pattern on the main fabric, kept lifting up the pattern to see what was under it, then when I had it right where I wanted it, I pinned it, cut it out, then cut my backing fabric and fleece seperately as well. A few of the monsters still got cut off partially, but the overall front of the bib still has a lot of fun things to look at on it.

I then did a matching burp cloth the same way I did the other one, but I used black rick rack I had on hand and after pinning the ends of the fabric to the folded diaper, I pinned the rick rack with half under the side edge of the fabric and tucked the ends inside the ends of the diaper. I used a straight stitch and sewed around the fabric, close to the edge.

I need a card to go with my handmade gifts and some gifts I'm getting from her registry, so I took some small scraps, cut them into rectangles, and sewed them onto a card. I have a needle I keep in a special place that's just for paper projects since I can't use it for sewing my normal projects. I then did a small rubberstamp and hand wrote Congratulations! This young lady has grown up wearing and using handmade things and she appreciates anything, especially something Handmade with Love!

I hope next time you need a baby gift you'll consider trying these projects!

                                                                                               

                                                                                    Gina

 

How to make a scrap fabric quilted cosmetic bag

Hi ! I'm so glad you're here on my little bloggie. Today was a cold day for some of you and even here in Northeast Florida we woke up to less than freezing temperatures. I'm not complaining though after seeing pics on Facebook of peeps cars buried in snow realizing I will not be digging my car out of that! I spent some time yesterday sewing up a cosmetic bag in favorite colors for someone special to me. I think she's gonna love it. Today seemed like the perfect day to spend time sewing up one for myself. All girls need a cosmetic bag and it's so fun to get to choose your own fabrics. I decided I would use only scrap fabric on hand since I already paid for it and want my moneys worth. This bag is definitely easy enough for a beginner sewist. The zip tab is a simple touch that I just love and I'll show you how to do it. Here's the bag for my friend.

Gina

Cute huh? Now I'll make mine and you can make yours. You need:

 

seven scrap fabrics large enough to cut (2) 2 x 9 inch pieces

2 pieces of interior fabric 9 high by 10 1/2 wide

2 pieces of fusible batting 9 high by 10 1/2 wide

12" zipper

thread and pins or clips

scrap piece of fabric 2 x 4

 

After ironing your scraps, cut your 14- 2 x 9 inch pieces and line up in the order you want for the finished exterior

 

Sew the first seven together in order using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Iron seams open or all to one side. Repeat for your other side.

Fold your fusible batting in half, pin one of your tops on, and cut just outside the top piece being careful not to cut the fabric, just the batting.

Now cut two interior pieces 9 high by 10 1/2 wide

 Now lay your fusible batting down with the adhesive side facing up, lay an interior piece on top with right side up, line them up and iron.

You can quilt close to the seams, or just sew like I did. I just sewed away from the seam in a straight line. Repeat on the second piece.

Now it's time to sew this together! Lay an interior piece right side up. Lay your zipper face down along the top and pin. Take the last inch of zipper and fold down and pin so when you stitch across the top of the zipper it doesn't get caught in the stitching. lay your interior piece right side down and clip or pin, lining the top of all three up. Sew them together and check to make sure all three layers are secure. I'm not including the lining in this photo so you can see the zipper.

Now lay your 2nd interior piece down right side up. Lay the zipper face down across the top and pin making sure to pull down the last inch of zipper across the fabric and pin down, then pin or clip the interior piece right side down and sew. Iron both sides being careful to iron up to the zipper, but not touching the metal on the zipper. Now it looks like this.

Now with the zipper OPEN most of the way, pin the two exterior pieces together and pin the two interior pieces together, making sure the zipper end is inside, not outside.

See where the two clips are on the bottom of the interior in the above pic? Those are my start and stop points for sewing. You need 4-5 inches open when you're done for turning the bag right side out. So start at one side, and sew with a 1/2 inch seam allowance all the way around the bag till you reach the other clip on the bottom of the interior.

Now box out all four corners of the bag by sticking your index finger at the corner where the side and bottom seam meet, grab it and form a smooth triangle,then sew across 1 1/2 inches from the tip, then clip about 1/4 inch away from the seam.

Now pull the bag out through the hole Close the hole by folding the raw edges to the inside, trying to align it with the sewn sides next to it and stitch closed. Push the interior down inside the bag.

 Making sure the interior is pushed down all the way, place the bag on your machine and topstitch all the way around the top about 1/4 inch away, or less, from the top.

Now cut a 2 x 4 inch piece of fabric, and iron all four sides down 1/4 inch to the inside.

Cut your zipper so it hangs an inch to an inch and a half beyond the bag. Keep the zipper pull away from this side while you do this. Fold the fabric over the end of the cut zipper, line up the sides and pin. Sew close to the edges all the way around.

Your bag is done. Now make a bunch of them and give them to your friends!