Old School Trivet

Like many of you, I have a stash of fabric that is waaaaay too big.  Part of the reason is because I can't bring myself to throw away any scraps left over from other projects.  So, I pulled out my half metre of cotton leftover from my dining room chairs makeover and decided to put it to good use~

This is such a simple project but I love it when I can put the things I make to really good use.  Plus it reminded me of the kind of thing I used to see at church sales with my grandma when I was a kid so it brought back some good memories.

Here's all you need to make your own trivet:

Materials:
-.5-1 metre of cotton fabric
-scissors, thread, needle
-optional: thimble (not shown)

Steps:
1) If you're new to working with fabric this first step might scare you a bit but just go for it, once you start you won't want to stop.

You're going to make strips of fabric from your cotton by tearing it on the grainline.  Just cut an inch two perpendicular to the selvedge of your fabric.  I made my strips 2.5" wide.

Make sure to start with a straight
torn edge so that your strip
will be an even width throughout.

2) Now just pull the fabric apart and it should tear easily, and straight, along the grainline.  It might look like it's crooked compared to your print, but trust me, the fabric itself will be straight.

I made 6 strips but you can make any multiple of three that you want.  The more you make the bigger your project will be and the more hand sewing you'll have to do.  (3 strips makes a nice little coaster size piece.)

3) Start with 3 strips of fabric by folding the ends into a T shape and securing with a few stitches.

Ideally you should use a matching colour of thread.
This lovely lilac was on my machine though
and I was too lazy to change it.

4) Now just braid your strips together, folding in the raw edges as best you can as you go.

5) If you want to add more strips of fabric to make your braid longer just weave them in near the end of your first set.  When you're happy with the length of braid you have, secure it with a few hand stitches.

6) Now just coil your braid into a circle, hand stitching on the BACK or bottom of the piece as you go.

There will be a top and bottom (or front and back).  Keep your stitches to one side and don't worry too much about how it looks under there.  Do be careful not to let your piece take on a bowl shape though.  It will curve a tiny bit and that's OK but try your best to keep it somewhat flat.

7) When your done, just fold the ends to the bottom and stitch down.  Now steam the heck out of it and will flatten right down.

Steam your glasses up if you have to~

And now you have something to set your hot pots and bowls on when making dinner tonight!

(This photo was taken before I steamed it)

It's such an easy project and easy to do.  In fact I did most of my hand stitching while watching bad TV shows throughout the week.  I didn't use a thimble but I sure wish I had.  Depending on your cotton there may be some bits that are harder to push your needle through than others and a thimble will save your tender little fingers from bearing the brunt of that work.

Of course, I still have some fabric left over and I haven't thrown it away so now I'll have to come up with another scrapbuster to use the rest of it up once and for all~

On another note, the snow has finally melted here and now I can get outside to do some gardening and get some fun outdoor crafts done!!!  I have loads of fun ideas planned for the coming weeks so I hope you'll keep stopping by to check them all out.

Have a crafty week everyone!

DIY & Crafts

If you follow lots of DIY and crafting boards on Pinterest you may have noticed more than a few pins from this site lately:

DIY & Crafts is another fun submission site that highlights the best from the web in the areas of decorating, fashion, health, home, homemade, lifehacks, and repurpose.

Some of their more popular posts include:

As you can tell, it's kind of a wide range, which is fun because you never know what you'll find there.

They comb the web looking for awesome projects to promote but you can also submit your own projects in case they've somehow missed you.

According to their Pinterest page, everything they post comes with step by step instructions...so if you like to share tutorials this is an excellent place to get more exposure.

Have you ever been featured on DIY & Crafts?  Have you ever visited the site before?  Leave a comment and tell the rest of us all about it!

Pinspired Bookmark

I had to wait to share my Mother's Day gifts with you because I didn't get to see my mom until later in the week....and she's one of the few family members who actually reads my blog, so I didn't want to spoil any surprises for her.

I gave her a great garden bench that I know she's wanted for ages but I still wanted to add a little something handmade.  I inherited my love for reading from my mom so I hit up my "Scrapbooking and Paper Crafts" board on Pinterest for some bookmark ideas instead of the standard Mother's Day Card and here's what I came up with:

I don't have the die-cut (or the machine) that the original project used so I fired up my Silhouette and finally figured out how to use the Edit Points Button:

This little button
 is pretty amazing!

I came up with these shapes to make the project.

 

Before I cut out the second shape, I deleted the rectangle shape, drew the message with my Silhouette pens, and then without removing the paper from the machine, added the rectangle back in and deleted the text.  Actually, I did all this on a separate shape that I then pasted down onto the rectangle, but same idea.

Here's the original post from Ginger over at Gingersnap Crafts:

Source: gingersnapcrafts.com via Etcetorize on Pinterest

It's another fun and easy way to use up your scraps!  What do you use to keep your place in your books?  Or have you all switched to electronic readers?  I just can't bring myself to do it.  I still love the feel of a book in my hands.  Leave a comment below~

Craftbits

I just came across a new (to me) craft submission site that I thought you'd all want to try out.  It's called Craftbits!

I found it through a link on craftgossip.com, another one of my favourite craft submission sites.

You can find loads of member (it's free to join) projects, enter giveaways (which are open worldwide!!!), and submit your own projects.

You can find projects under all of these different categories:

Best of all, the site keeps track of all of the projects you've submitted.  No guessing which ones went in, which ones were approved, etc.

Click on the Most Popular Crafts button in the upper right hand corner...

and you'll find lists of crafts sorted by:
-projects with the most comments
-projects with the most bookmarks
-projects that have been emailed the most
-projects that have been printed the most
-projects with the most followers.

Check it out and let us all know what you think!  Leave a comment below~

Boys Vest

I still have a tiny bit of camoflage fabric from the bargain bin so I stitched up a cool vest for my nephew.

I've made him loads of outdoor vests but usually I just use a jacket pattern I have and nix the sleeves.  This time I used a proper lined vest pattern:

This pattern came out in 2000 so the only place you'll find it is in the bargain bins at the thrift shop or at an online vintage pattern seller.  If you do find it and you have a little man in your life, scoop it up.

It comes together really easily, fits great, and looks pretty spiffy!  Looks like I made this one just in time...he had just broken his arm the day before and this was the perfect thing to wear over his brand new cast!

Have you ever had to wear a cast?  I've never had to (thank goodness), but this is already the second time my nephew has had one...and he's only 6!  Leave a comment, tell us about your cast experience...and what you wore with it~

Paper Pendant

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my blogging schedule has sort of been blown to pieces lately.  For someone like me who likes routine, and has been in this particular routine for the past two and half years, you can imagine how this sits with me.

My real life job, yeah the one that pays the bills around here, is getting in the way so I hope you'll bear with me while I figure out how to fit it all in.

In the meantime...I hope you enjoy this week's fun and super easy project!

 You only need a few supplies to make your own pretty accessory:

Supplies:
-Pretty medium/heavy weight paper
-optional template
-craft knife and cutting mat
-standard jewellery making kit: pliers, jump rings, chain, closure
-small hole punch
(In the picure you also see a glue runner, but I decided not to use it so just pretend it's not there)

Before we get started I have to tell you about my template.  I picked it up at the dollar store and got 4 different templates for a whopping $1.25!

I was originally drawn to the mailing/gift tags but this project uses the leaf pattern:

 So, you don't have to use a template for this project but it will sure simplify things for you if you have one.

Steps:
1) Choose 4 different papers and decide how you want to layer them.  It's important to use heavier weight paper so that your pendant doesn't bend or fly around while you're wearing it.

It's hard to see but some of these
have sparkle!

 2) Starting with your bottom paper, cut out your largest shape.

 3) Now just move through your papers cutting smaller and smaller (but same) shapes until you get a pretty stack.  Line them up with all the points matching to see how it will look.

4) Using a very small hole punch, punch a hole through the top tip of the shape, getting as close as you can to the edge without tearing the paper.

 5) Line your papers up and once again, starting with the bottom piece thread them onto a jump ring.

6) Now just add your pendant to a chain and add a closure and you're done!

So easy!  You can use any type of shape.  This is a great paper buster for all those little bits of scraps you keep from past projects too!  If you want to add more body to your shapes add a layer of Dimensional Mod Podge before you put it all together.

I'll try to have more to share next week.  Until then...don't be afraid to leave a comment~

Check out my other (very popular) paper jewellery project HERE!