Fluttering by a Valentine Printable

This one is going to have a butterfly hair clip attached at the center blank area.

You can download it here.

Thank you for the love!

I just wanted to say a great big thank you for the Pins & Needles, Sewing Kit Tutorial Love.

Match Book

Sewing Wallet

I've gotten a lot of great feed back and I'm so happy everyone likes them.

Today I wanted to share what one reader did with her Sewing Kit Wallet.

Stephanie from Artfully Craft 

is using her sewing wallet as the container for a 

"Her"vival Kit 

to give to her friends this Christmas.

Click on over and check it out.

What a great idea!

Pins & Needles, Matchbook Sewing Kit Tutorial

Okay! So here is my second sewing kit that's been bouncing around in my brain!

It's a matchbook style.

Shhh...don't tell anyone but this one is my favorite

I love how it folds. I love how it looks. I love how it's compact and light weight. I love how it uses up scraps. I love it!

Do you want to make one or five....You really could make five pretty quickly.

I promise!

Supplies:

• Card Stock: 3" x  6"
• Felt or Fleece: 3" x 5"
• Cotton Fabric for the outside: 4" x 6"
• Accent Cotton Fabric: 4"x 2.5"
• Fabric Scissors
• Paper Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Thread 
• Sewing Machine

Let's Get Started:

• Cut card-stock, fabric and felt to specified sizes.
• The 4" x 6" fabric will be the outside fabric.
• Cover one side of the card-stock liberally with the glue.
• Place Glue side down on the wrong side of the outside fabric.
• Leave approximately 1/2" of fabric on either side of the card and the top.
• The fabric will not cover 1/2" of the card on the bottom.
• Smooth the fabric on the card making sure there are no air bubbles or wrinkles in the fabric.

• With your sewing scissors notch out the corners of your fabric on the top edge of the card.
• Cutting parallel to the 6" side of the card cut straight in to the corner 
• Then cut away from the corner at about 45 degrees.
• See picture above.

• Place glue on the 3" side of the card.
• Fold over the 1/2" of fabric and smooth it down to help it adhere to the card.

• Do the same for the 6" sides, folding over and smoothing the fabric tight around the corners.

• Working with the accent fabric mark and notch out rectangles.
• Mark in 1/2" on each side of the 4" side.
• Mark down 1" on the 2 1/2" side.

• Use the glue stick to glue the felt on the back of the card.
• The felt should line up with the edges of the card and cover the glued edges of the fabric
• There will be 1" of the card on the bottom that the felt will not cover.
• Glue the accent fabric to the inside (felt side) of the card as pictured above.

• Turn the card over and glue the accent fabric on the other side.
• Make sure the fabric is smooth.

• Turn the card over again and adhere the flaps to the card with the glue.

• This is what it should look like on the felt side and the outside.

• Top stitch on the outside as close to the edge as possible around the perimeter and the inside edge of the accent fabric.

• With the felt side up measure in 3/4" from the bottom edge.
• Mark and score along that line. (You can use a ruler or a crochet hook to score) 
• (The photo was taken out of order that's why you can't see the top stitching.)

• Fold up the bottom edge where you scored the fabric and card.
• Sew through all thicknesses 1/4 from the folded edge to create the match-book flap closure.

• Fold the card in half, slide the top under the flap.
• When you've got it where you want it crease the new top fold tightly and you're done!

• Fill with your sewing essentials and you're all set to gift or go!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Pins and Needles: A travel sewing kit, gift idea Tutorial!

The other day while at church I was preparing to teach my class of young women when I felt what I thought was a long hair on my skirt touching my leg.

I reached down to grab the hair and pull it off my skirt.

It wasn't a hair......

It was a thread attached to the hem of my skirt.....

du..du..dun....

When I pulled it most of the hem of my skirt came loose.

There was no hiding it and you better believe those young women noticed.

So of course I pointed it out and we laughed....but it would have been so much better if I'd been prepared with a little emergency travel sewing kit! Right?!

Not that I would have had time to sew the hem back in place but a few safety pins could have done the trick.

I decided right then and there I needed to make one.

And then I thought what a great gift idea!

I have a couple of ideas for these sewing kits floating around in my gray matter so today I'll be sharing

Pins & Needles Travel Sewing Wallet (version one) and version two in a day or two.

What you'll need:
cotton fabric, 3 strips, 3 inches x 7 inches
felt, 4 inches x 7 inches
duck cloth, 4 inches x 7
elastic about 3 1/2 inches
button
thread
scissors
pins
sewing machine

Fold two of the cotton strips in half long way, wrong sides together and press.
Set aside to use later on the inside of the sewing wallet.

With the third 3" x 7" piece of fabric fold the long edges into the center and press.

On the right side of the 4" x  7" piece of duck cloth pin your folded and pressed piece of fabric.
 Top stitch close to each folded edge.

Working with the other strips of fabric you folded in half and pressed,

pin one on your 4" x 7" piece of felt.

The raw edges of the fabric will be parallel and about a finger width (or 3/4") away from the edge of the felt.

Sew along the length of the fabric strip, sewing close to the edge.

With your other strip of cotton fabric pin the raw edges together with the edge of the felt.
Sew down the length as close to the edge as possible.

These strips of fabric will form the small pockets in your Pins & Needles wallet.

Place the duck cloth and felt pieces right sides together and pin.

Fold the elastic into a loop place between the right sides of the duck cloth and felt.
Pin the elastic loop in the middle of one of the short sides.

Sew a 1/4" seam around the perimeter of the wallet leaving a 2" space open to turn the wallet.
Don't forget to back stitch at the beginning and the end.

When you sew over the elastic I like to back stitch to go back and forth over the elastic to make it really secure.

Trim threads and the corners to reduce bulk.
Turn right side out.
Press.
Fold in half and mark the center with pins.

Sew a straight stitch over the center line to hold the pockets in place and mark where the wallet will fold.
Top stitch around the perimeter of the wallet as close to the edge as possible.

Hand stitch a button on the outside for the elastic loop closure.

Fill with emergency sewing supplies and you're finished!
The pockets are perfect for holding little cards with emergency thread.....umm....you could even keep an extra bandage in there too for when you just get too crazy with the needle and thread.

Oh and just in case you were wondering yes I did have a little helper with this tutorial.

Today I made

Really if you're going to make jam, freezer jam is the easiest and quickest way to go!
Today's flavor of choice was Raspberry-Peach.
My mouth is watering just writing that.
The raspberries came from our patch (having the summer heat extend into October has meant we've gotten bonus berries! Yipeee!) and the peaches from a local fruit stand. (Utah peaches are the best!)

I love sure-jell as far as pectin goes. I'm not paid by them but I'm certainly endorsing them.
Their instructions are clear and easy.

• Cut up and mash fruit.
• Measure fruit
• Measure sugar
• Combine fruit and sugar
• Let set 10 min.
• Combine water and pectin
• Let boil 1 min.
• Combine pectin and fruit
• Stir 3 minutes
• Pour into plastic containers
• Close 'em-up.
• 30 minutes at the most! You're done! Ta-Da!

Okay so they're a little more detailed than mine but you get the idea.

My tip is to follow the instruction precisely. When it says to stir the pectin into the fruit and sugar for 3 minutes really stir it for the 3 minutes.
At about 1:30 you will think, "Well, that looks like it's stirred in there. I think it's good. I'm going to stop."
Don't.....just keep stirring, just keep stirring, what do we do? we stir and stir......Do you get what I'm saying. Don't scrimp on the stirring of the pectin into the fruit.
Why?
Because if you don't the sugar may crystallize and then you have crunchy freezer jam and who wants that? I don't.

And just so you know....freezer jam makes a great last minute gift! Who doesn't like home made jam? and freezer jam tastes so fresh and yummy.

Good luck! Let me know if you try it!

Good for a laugh

I saw some at a local shop today. I laughed so hard I had to share!
I think this may be just what I was looking for, perfect for the family white elephant gift exchange, even thought it wouldn't exactly be a white elephant.