Sewing for a Work Crew
I told everyone about our town hall adventures in my other post. Monday night we had a town board meeting and everyone could see the changes that have been made already. The changes caused many more people to step forward and volunteer for next weekends work detail. The positive feed back is contagious and really bringing everyone together. It's exciting!
Last weekend, as we cleaned up, we found many partial bottles of water and partial cans of soda. It happens when everyone is busy and not sure where they set their drink down as they were working or the drink gets warm from sitting around. I'm hoping I will find time this week to put together a pile of can and bottle wraps. I could even let residents take them home as a "prize" for all their hard work... or we could collect them at the end of the day for our next work event. I have plenty of scraps so I can make them all different but can I make 100 of them in one week? Maybe if I use mass production sewing methods. Maybe I can have a sewing bee to make them before our next work date.
The up-coming weekends weather report is showing our planned work day as one of the warmest days we have had yet so I'm thinking some cool neck scarves would also be a good idea. With the summer ahead of us and plenty of work to keep us busy, those scarves are not going to go to waste! If only there were more hours in a day and more people who sewed. We've already talked about a sewing bee to make new curtains for the town hall but we are waiting to find out if there are any fire proof regulations. It makes me wonder if we could get a group of people together to sew the things we could use as a work crew. It's definitely something I will bring up at our next organizational meeting. It would be a great way to get the machines going... Maybe I'm dreaming but no one thought our little town would ever band together... who knows what else can be achieved when a group of people have a common interest.
My Weekend
I've become very involved with my local community. Our town hall is something everyone has complained about for years and I got tired of hearing the complaints so I decided we should band together and do something to improve it. Ideally we will replace the building but for now we are doing some MUCH needed maintenance thanks to everyone coming together and some generous financial donations. This past weekend we all got together to power wash the building and then we started scraping the little bit of paint that was left on the window trim. From there we used wood putty and caulk to seam the trim work. Next week we will be washing all the windows ... inside and out.. and then painting all the trim work on the building.
I wish I had thought of it before last weekends work party but I know what I will be working on for next weekends work crew... bucket liners and nail pouches. When you are doing that kind of work, you never have enough hands. Work buckets that have liners with pockets will be perfect for the window clean crew. Nail pouches will be handy for anyone on a ladder or even at ground level, to have a handy spot to carry things while keeping their hands free.
New Placemat Handbag Pattern
Last week I hinted that I had something on the cutting table that I would be sharing soon... that time is now. I found these round straw kind of woven placemats at a number of stores ... When I saw them I saw a round handbag... in a fabric we can't find any other way. I admit to getting a few odd looks as I bent the placemats to reshape them and held one up to my side to see what the size would be like... but I liked what I was seeing so I bought them. Once I got home I really started experimenting and I like what I came up. I'm sharing the free directions this week. The lining aspect of this pocketbook makes it possible to have inside pockets to hold your cell phone or other important devices. I put a pocket in both lining sections so I have a spot for everything... I know how I end up over stuffing a handbag!
Totebags Can Be SO Handy!
I had a little adventure a couple weeks ago that made me SO glad I had some stylish tote-bags on hand. I ended up on crutches after a sander fell and broke a toe... and oh how it did a wonderful job of making my foot very colorful. Carrying my pocketbook with crutches made the crutches a very dangerous adventure. My solution became a tote bag that could carry everything and it could go over my shoulder or around my neck without bumping the crutches while I hobbled around. I received so many compliments when I use the Heavy Duty Bag with Style that I am going to suggest everyone have one or two on hand for your summer travels and adventures. The outside pockets made it easy to keep the things that I needed easy to find, and the size of the bag made it able to carry everything for a day out and about... with room to spare.
Having Company?
Are you having company this weekend... or in the near future since summer time means time to travel and visit? There are plenty of quick, simple and inexpensive ways to spruce up your home without spending a fortune. One of the easiest ways is to make new throw pillow covers. These envelope back pillow covers is an easy way to give a new life to old pillows just by recovering them. There are plenty of free pillow patterns that offer you ways to make throw pillows that will be eye catching and spruce up your living spaces.
New curtains are another way to give your home a quick change.... and they're easy to make if you take your time to make sure you are cutting squarely and accurately. And don't forget the kitchen... there are plenty of quick ways to make quick and easy new items to spruce up your kitchen.
Mother's Day
It's not too late! You can still make something memorable for Mother's Day! Mom's like things made with our won tow hands and sewing allows you to make something super special... without breaking the bank.
- Gifts to Sew for Mother's Day - Economical Ways to Create a Memorable Present for Mom on Mother's Day
- Mother's Day Gifts -- Gift Suggests to Sew or Purchase for Mom on Mother's Day
- Sew Gifts with Scraps of Fabric
- Economical Gifts to Sew for Everyone
- Sewing Gifts - Sewing Gifts to Buy, Gifts to Sew and More
- Perfect Sewing Gifts for People Who Sew
New Place Mat Tote Bag Directions
I couldn't wait to share my adventure making a pocketbook from a place mat so I shared the place mat pocketbook earlier. Now I just have to share what is probably one of the most durable tote bags I have ever made... and at a very economical price if you compare the price of durable placemats to durable home decorating fabric... and with a lot less work than using raw fabric.
I made this tote bag with two rectangle fabric placemats and webbing for straps that also reinforce the bag... a very strong durable bag when I was finished that is perfect for all kinds of uses!
New Place Mat Pocketbook Pattern
I went shopping this week, looking for ways to spruce up the house without breaking the bank... you know... just a little something to add some color and change the everyday ordinary. I didn't end up buying anything for the house... but I did buy placemats for new projects. As I stood there looking at them, none of the placemats tickled my fancy for my kitchen but I started seeing new bags out of the incredible placemat assortment that was available. I found one placemat that I could immediately envision with jeans... so with just a little bit of sewing, it became a pocketbook! This handbag worked out so nicely that I went back to the store... I may not be able to find the fabric I want locally but I think these placemats are going to make exactly what I have in mind.... more later!
Did You Know...
Did you know that May is National Pet Month? I didn't until I received a flyer that told me so. The flyer had a load of great deals but I seriously doubt any of the fabric items would last more than a month due to the quality of the fabric and the construction. I also have no idea what has been used as stuffing. Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain!
The best solution is to make all the fabric pet items myself. That way I can use a quality fabric that won't fall apart in the wash or under every day use... and I know I'm not going to waste my time by not sewing the item with quality thread and appropriate stitch length.
The free patterns are a bonus reason to sew pet items myself!
Is Your Home a Fabric Store?
When friends come to my house, they think I could open a fabric store with my stash... like I would part with any of my precious sewing stash. Seriously though... the only reason they think I could open a store is because all of my sewing stash is in one location... that sewing room we built.
I remember many years ago, walking through my home and realizing that every single room has fabric and sewing of one form or another... so I know we will never run out of things to sew... the question is will we have the fabric and notions to sew any and everything we want to sew. My conclusion is YES and we don't have to go to the fabric store every time we want to sew something if we know how to save what we need rather than toss it. How many free zippers have you thrown away? Have you ever gone through your linen closet to create a new look in your bathroom the way I did? Do you save old towels and blankets to use as padding in pot holders or ironing board covers? I bet if you look around, your home has as much fabric and sewing notions available as mine does....