Coffee Sleeve of the Month–Father’s Day Fish

Posted on May 15, 2013 by CraftyStaci

I’m starting a new series today, one I’ve been thinking about for a while. I have a sketch sheet full of coffee sleeve drawings to prove it. I just love making these little cup cozies, and I’d like to share some of my new ideas with you. Welcome to the Coffee Sleeve of the Month!

I have several themes I plan to cover with these, but I’m going to start with Father’s Day. Many dads out there like to fish, or pretend to fish while they relax and soak up some sun (or rain, depending on where they like to hang out). Now, you can give him a fish he can always bring home, even when the ones in the river aren’t biting.

You’ll need this pattern, cotton fabric for the front and back, a 3” piece of elastic cord and a 1/2 – 1” button. For the inner lining, I like to use two layers of ironing board fabric (the shiny silver stuff) and one layer of thin cotton batting. You can use one layer of InsulBrite if you prefer, and leave out the ironing board fabric and batting.

Cut one fish body from the outer fabric, flip the pattern over and cut for the inside. Do the same if you’re using the ironing board fabric.

Fold the fin in half with the wrong sides together and points touching. Stitch around the edge, leaving the last half-inch open. Turn right side out and press. Press the opening to the inside. Stitch around close to the edge, except the side with the fold.

Using the mark on the pattern as a guide, pin the fin onto the front fish body. Stitch close to the folded edge of the fin, leaving the rest of the fin loose.

Layer the pieces as shown below:

If you’re using InsulBrite, leave out step 1, and replace steps 5 and 6 with the single piece of InsulBrite.

Pin the layers together. Stitch around the outside, 1/4” from the edge, leaving a 2” opening at the bottom. Add some extra stitching over the elastic in the seam allowance to secure it from popping out. Clip the corners and clip in on both sides at the top of the tail.

Turn right side out and press. Stitch all the way around, close to the edge.

Wrap the nose around to touch the tail, as it will wrap around a cup. Mark the spot the elastic reaches on the nose by pulling it taut, but not stretching. Stitch the button at that mark, sliding a toothpick underneath at the beginning. The toothpick will create a small gap so the elastic can loop around under the button.

I’ve found the best way to apply these to a cup is to loop the elastic around the button first, then slide onto the cup from the bottom.

Fish on!

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What is a Fat Quarter and What Can I Make With It?

Posted on May 8, 2013 by CraftyStaci

I noticed there are lots of bloggers offering fat quarters for Giveaway Day this week, including me. If you’re a newer sewer (say that ten times, fast), you might not be familiar with the term or what they’re good for. Welcome to Fat Quarters 101.

Fabric is sold on bolts, folded in half with the selvage edges together. Cotton fabric, of the type usually used by quilters and crafters, once measured 45 inches from selvage to selvage, but the size has magically shrunk while the price tag grows. Most fabrics are now about 42 inches wide.

A yard of fabric is 36 inches, just like a yard of anything else. That means if you buy an entire yard of fabric, unfold it and spread it out, it will measure 36 inches by 42 inches. If you request a quarter of a yard at the cutting counter, you’ll receive a piece of fabric as shown below.

A fat quarter is the same number of square inches in size, but is cut differently, as shown here.

If you get the same number of square inches of fabric, why would you care which way it’s cut? Let’s say you want to make a bag. The pattern instructs you to cut a rectangle that’s 12 by 20 inches. You’d have to buy more fabric cut the regular way just to fit your pattern. There’s less waste with a fat quarter, and they’re sometimes less expensive than buying cut yardage.

Now that you know what a fat quarter is, what can you make with them? Quilters love these because they’re better suited for squares and other shapes, but they don’t have to be limited to quilting. You can find gazillions of projects out there that are meant for fat quarters. Here’s a few of my own projects that are perfectly suited to these cuts.

Now that you know what a fat quarter is, what are you going to make?

Giveaway Day 2013

Posted on May 6, 2013 by CraftyStaci

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Congratulations to the winner, Katie Avalos, who left this comment:

“Every time I am looking at your projects online, my daughter asks “Are you going to make that for me?” Thanks for the great giveaway. I love the fabrics and buttons.”

I hope she makes something cute for her daughter!

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It’s here again! Giveaway Day, which has morphed into Giveaway Week, begins today and I’m jumping in. There are TONS of giveaways, so I’d encourage you to visit Sew, Mama, Sew and enter as many as you’d like before it all ends on May 10th at 5 pm Pacific time.

If you’re new to Crafty Staci, welcome! I usually write about sewing and craft projects, recipes and end the week with a round-up of great projects I’ve found elsewhere. I try to keep things fun and easy.

You can keep up with me at Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, Twitter, Instagram, StumbleUpon, and Flickr. I write at Squidoo and I have an Etsy shop at CraftyStaci.

Enough about me, let’s talk giveaway! Since I just gave away a handmade item for my blog’s anniversary, I decided to go with supplies this time.

The winner, by random drawing, will receive five coordinating fat quarters, each 18 by 21 inches, and three large buttons. This giveaway is open internationally, but please verify that shipping fabric from the U.S. to your country is allowed before entering.

To enter, simply leave a comment here. My favorites are funny or inspiring. It won’t increase your chances of winning, but it will make my week better and I’ll be eternally grateful. Ready? Go!

3rd Anniversary Winner’s Bag

Posted on March 11, 2013 by CraftyStaci

I thought you might like to see what Vanessa B., the winner drawn in my 3rd anniversary giveaway, received. This was her comment when she entered:

I Love the Sling Bag and my fav fabric is is 131 Grey Hometowns, luvvv that fabric Thank You and Happy Anniversary on your Blog!

I only had a very small piece left of the fabric she mentioned, so after finding out that she likes purple, green and brown, I found some cute options and made this:

I love how the flower turned out with the stripes!

Since I already had the fabric out on my table, and they’re one of my favorite things to make, I decided she needed a bonus matching coffee cup sleeve.

I shipped it off to Vanessa, and this is her response:

OMGoodness Staci, I LOVE It!!! Absolutely Beautiful Bag and how did you know, I’m a coffee fanatic that struggled (hard!) to pick between the bag and the coffee sleeve when I was leaving the original comment for your Giveaway I can’t Thank You enough….Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Vanessa also shared with me that her daughter already tried to swipe it! Smile

My thanks to Vanessa and everyone else who entered. I’m already looking forward to doing it again next year!

Friday Favorites – Gingham

Posted on March 1, 2013 by CraftyStaci

I smell a spring trend coming. Maybe it’s me, but everywhere I look lately, there’s gingham. It could be that I just want an excuse to need it. I don’t know how, I don’t know where, but there will be gingham in my house before autumn makes its appearance.

There is a difference between gingham and buffalo plaid. Something to do with the number of colors and/or scale. I’m calling it all gingham today. Try and stop me.

When I was a kid, I learned how to cross stitch on a piece of gingham. The squares were the perfect canvas, and the effect was cute. This Smocking with Gingham from Martha Stewart works a bit the same way.

These Gingham Stars from A Spoonful of Sugar were originally meant for Christmas, but I don’t see why they have to be restricted to the holidays.

Gingham on the wall sounds a little overwhelming, but the subtle way Southern Living pulls if off is beautiful.

How about edible gingham? These Easy Gingham Cookies from Glorious Treats are adorable.

The bit of gingham peeking out from the invitation envelopes on The Wedding Post of Arkansas is just right.

If you want to go full-on gingham, check out this Gingham Birthday Party from Kara’s Party Ideas.

Or, for just a little gingham at your party, try this Vintage Summer Gingham Bunting from A Pretty Cool Life.

Although I rarely paint my nails, I love all the creative options that are out there now, like The Gingham Accent Nail from The Beauty Department.

I would so happily wear this Gingham Scarf with Scalloped Edge from Make My Day Creative.

I have a big dining room table my husband built for me a few years ago. The top is beautiful wood, and I try to protect it. I want to make a thin quilt to use as a table cloth, but hadn’t found a pattern I was in love with yet. I think the search is over because this quilt from Crazy Mom Quilts would be absolutely perfect.

Fun fact: I typed the word “gingham” about a thousand times while I was writing this and did not once spell it correctly on my first try. Not even just now.

In other news, I’ve partnered with Natural Parents Network to launch their new Flickr pool. Just click the camera over there <—— Be sure to check them out and enter for your chance to win this:

Friday Favorites–Quilts

Posted on February 22, 2013 by CraftyStaci

I have a hard time calling myself a quilter. I’ve made several, and they’ve all turned out pretty well. I just can’t help but think that title belongs to the women and men who make stacks of quilts. As soon as the last one is finished (often before), the next one has been started. They always have something in production. Oh, wait…I have a quilt I started about 8 or 9 years ago in a box. Yep, I guess I’m a quilter.

One of my favorite quilt-piecing techniques is using a solid color to frame bright pieces, like the white in this Double Hourglass quilt from Cluck Cluck Sew.

This Rainbow Chevron quilt from Leedle Deedle Quilts uses another favorite – rainbows.

The grey on Sue’s Half Moon Modern Log Cabin from Quilt Story has the same effect.

I’ve always wanted to make a stained glass-looking quilt, like this one from Etsy seller BabyWilde.

I’ve really been into grey lately, so this Garden Fence quilt from Hyacinth Quilt Designs caught my eye.

I also love the color combination in this baby quilt from Bijou Lovely.

Red Pepper Quilts calls this one a Christmas quilt, but I’d use it anytime.

This Around the Block quilt from All People Quilt is on my must-do list. It’s one giant log cabin block.

If you’d like to make a quilt, but don’t want to actually do any quilting, I’m with you. Check out this Quilt-As-You-Go Strip Quilt from A Cuppa and a Catch Up. I made an entire queen-sized quilt using a similar technique.

There is something so fun about puff quilts, and this one from Sew Quilt is the perfect size to give it a try.

So, how about you? Are you a quilter?

Ruffled Tote Bag

Posted on February 11, 2013 by CraftyStaci

My grandma lives in Wyoming, which is very far from Oregon, so I don’t get to see her often, but I make sure to send her something on her birthday so she knows I’m thinking of her. Last year I found a piece of fabric that completely reminded me of her, so I bought it without having any idea what I would make from it.

As her birthday drew closer, it came to me. I know she likes to go shopping sometimes, and she’s also a reader, so a bag to carry a book and a few other small things would be perfect. I wanted the fabric print to be the star, so I kept the bag simple, but added a little ruffle at the top to up the girliness a bit. This tote is also reversible, although I guarantee my grandma will only use it with the girl print facing out.

To make this bag, you’ll need 2/3 yard of the outer fabric, 2/3 yard of the inner fabric and 1/2 – 1 yard of iron-on interfacing, depending on your fabric weight and whether you want your bag to be reversible.

From the outer fabric, cut 2 pieces 14 x 14” for the bag, one piece 6 x 13” for the inside pocket and two pieces 3 1/2 x 24” for the handles.

From the lining fabric, cut 2 pieces 14 x 14” for the inside of the bag, one piece 6 x 13” for the outer pocket and two pieces 2 1/2 x 42” for the ruffle.

Cut 2 pieces of interfacing 14 x 14” if your fabric is lightweight and 4 pieces if you plan to make it reversible.

Iron the interfacing onto the back of the outer bag pieces. To make the outer pocket, fold the piece right sides together. Stitch 1/4” from the edge, leaving 2” open on one side to turn. Clip the corners, turn and press. Repeat with the other pocket piece to make the inner pocket.

Pin the front pocket to the outer bag piece 3 1/2” from the top edge and centered side to side. Stitch close to the edge. Repeat with the inside pocket and the bag lining.

Pin the two outer bag pieces right sides together. Stitch sides and bottom, leaving top open. Repeat with the lining pieces, leaving 5” open in the side seam for turning later. Clip the corners. To make the boxed bottom in the bag, flatten the corner with the seams touching. Measure 2” from the corner and draw a line across. Stitch along the line.

Trim off the corners. Repeat with lining. Turn the lining right side out.

To make the handles, fold in half and stitch, leaving the ends open. Turn and press. Top stitch near the seam edge. Set aside.

To make the ruffle, fold wrong sides together and press. Fold the ends back out and stitch to each other with right sides together and ends even.

Fold again and press. Stitch a long basting stitch near the raw edge through both layers, starting and stopping at the seam. Find the center opposite the seam and mark it with a pin.

Pin the ruffle to the lining, matching the seam to one side seam and the pinned center to the other. Raw edges should be even.

Carefully pull the basting thread to gather the ruffle. Stop at the pin and gather from the other side. Even out the gathers and pin in place.

Stitch, less than 1/4” from the edge so you don’t have to remove any stitching later. Otherwise, use a basting stitch so it will be easier to remove.

Stuff the lining inside the bag so they are right sides together. Match seams and upper edges. Slip the handles in between, 4” away from the seam on each side. Pin.

Stitch around edge. Turn by pulling everything through the opening in the lining side seam.

It should look like this:

Turn the edges of the lining opening in, press and stitch to close. If your bag will be reversible, sew it by hand using an invisible stitch. Push the lining into the bag. Press the upper edge, avoiding the ruffle, and stitch near the edge.

Finished!

I liked the pattern so much, I made one for a friend for Christmas also. Both sides are shown here.

I got a sweet note in the mail from my grandma telling me how much she loves her bag, which makes me happy. Now I think I’ll make one for myself!

New Fabric

Posted on February 4, 2013 by CraftyStaci

I just added some new fabrics to my Etsy page today. After the holidays deplete my stock, it’s always fun to go out shopping and see what’s new. I don’t need much of an excuse to head to the fabric store.

I loved this camera print so much I emptied the bolt.

Black prints on black are always popular, so I added a couple of new ones, including one for the music lovers out there.

This one reminds me spring is around the corner.

I found a few new basics that go with many of the prints I already have.

Purple, green and turquoise look so much better together than they sound like they would.

I love the swirliness of the waves on this blue.

I already had a zebra print, but this one has a completely different feel.

I just thought these road signs were kind of fun.

I ordered this from Spoonflower. It’s not as black as I would like (which, in all fairness, they mention in their FAQ) but it’s a good charcoal print.

This typewriter key print is one of my favorites. I’ve actually looked at this one several times before.

I also took the plunge last week and opened a little shop on Meylah. So far it’s the same things I have on Etsy, but you might want to keep an eye on it. I may decide to mix things up a little and add some things to Meylah that aren’t on Etsy yet!

Last, but not least, I also wanted to show you my new display mannequin. It’s a bronze color right now, but when the weather cooperates I’m going to tape off the green leaves and spray paint the rest black. I ordered this through Amazon, and really didn’t have high expectations for the price, but it’s solidly built and beautiful in person!

Happy Monday!

Online Customer Service

Posted on January 28, 2013 by CraftyStaci

If you’re a business owner, how your customers are treated can make or break you. For me, Starbucks is almost always a gauge for how I’d like to be treated. I’m greeted in a friendly manner, I’m not made to feel like an inconvenience and the transaction ends with a thank you of some kind. If they make a mistake, they apologize and make it right. Nothing complicated or over the top, just simple courtesy.

I think sometimes we forget we should expect a certain level of customer service from our online transactions as well. Just because there’s no face-to-face doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be valued as a customer. I recently had several transactions that were excellent examples of how we should and shouldn’t be treated.

As I was writing this, I originally shared a lengthy rant on some awful customer service I received from a national craft retailer, who shall remain nameless, both in-store and online. Instead, I’ll just say they won’t be getting any more of my business if I can help it, and move on to the positive side of my story.

There isn’t a Hobby Lobby store anywhere near me, so I’ve never shopped there before. Recently, I was searching for an item online that they happened to have the best price on. I placed the order and received it as promised. It was a simple transaction, but what impressed me was the fact that there was a card in the package that had been hand-signed by the person who had packed my order. That’s a company who hasn’t forgotten that they’re shipping to a person.

I’ve ordered from Spoonflower before, but it’s been a long time. When I placed my order last weekend, they estimated with printing time and shipping that I would have my fabric in about 10 – 12 days. I was very happy with that. I was delighted when my order arrived in my hands in under a week. Again, my receipt was hand-signed and my fabric was wrapped in tissue. I know they are a very busy, growing company but I still felt like they cared about my one little bit of fabric. I’ll be back.

Another retailer I’ve never ordered from before is Pick Your Plum. I just signed up for emails from them, so every day they send me the deal of the day. Last week, it was baker’s twine. I’ve been looking for a spool of red and white for a while now, and was thrilled to find it and at such a great price. It shipped before they said it would, arrived quickly and was packaged well. They even included a piece of candy, which having a ridiculous sweet tooth I always appreciate.

You’ll notice none of my examples include any giant orders, big issues that required direct communication between me and the company involved or anything else dramatic. They were all small, simple transactions, but were fulfilled by the retailers with a certain level of care that made me happy to do business with them. It’s what I strive for as an online retailer myself, and what I expect as a customer. If you’re not feeling valued in your online transactions, it’s time to reevaluate where you’re spending your money. Just like in the brick-and-mortar world, there’s always somewhere else to shop.

My Living Room–Before and After

Posted on January 16, 2013 by CraftyStaci

This project started because I asked my husband if I could paint the wall behind the fireplace. Before you get the wrong idea, I wasn’t asking for permission, I was asking if it was possible. The wall was covered with dark wood paneling and I just couldn’t take it anymore. As our home improvement projects often do, that simple question snowballed into a re-do of the entire living room.

Our house was built in 1972. We bought it in 2002 and not much had been done to shake the groovy 70’s vibe it had going on. One bathroom had avocado fixtures, the other had light blue. The stove was avocado. The sink in the laundry room is still goldenrod, since that room hasn’t been tackled yet. We even found some orange shag carpeting in the closet by the front door. I assume at one time that covered the living room, but it was one thing that had been replaced. This is the wall in question.

In it’s day, this was a nice fireplace. That paneling was expensive and the mantle was made of mahogany. The original owners designed and built the house, and they didn’t skimp. Truth be told, even though the original details were outdated, they were much nicer than the few things owners before us had changed.

We live in a beautiful area, which was taken into account when the place was built, so there are lots of big windows. This is the window to the left of the fireplace, which is actually three windows with a drapery pulley system running over the top. This photo shows the original wood valance, also a solid piece of mahogany. We’re saving it for a future project.

That photo also shows the drab color the entire living room and office area was painted. It was one of those that looked good on the paint chip, but I was never happy with on the walls.

My sweet husband did all of the work himself. The first project was removing that paneling, which they had glued on with something not of this world. The paneling also wrapped around onto the wall in the dining room.

He ended up having to replace the sheetrock. I liked it better even left like this.

Since he was already tearing stuff up, we decided to make some changes to the fireplace. I’ve always wanted one covered in big river rock, which we had on the to-do list from the moment we saw this house. Instead of trying to remove the brick, we found a product that could just be installed over the top. The first step was to cover the brick with thinset.

After that was done and drying, it was time to paint the walls. The color was probably the hardest decision we had to make. When my husband threw out “What do you think of orange?” I had a moment where I was trying to figure out the best way to let him down easy. It sounded crazy, but when we started looking at chips and chose a bright orange, dark orange and buttery yellow it just clicked.

Fitting these stones together was like a puzzle. My husband loves a good puzzle.

After the stones were attached and dry, he installed the poured concrete hearth. He made our kitchen counters the same way a couple of years ago, and I love them, so we decided to make the hearth match.

He added a new, longer mantle and shelves on either side of the fireplace. One of the things I love about the shelves is that they’re floating, so no brackets showing. And that mantle means I need to add more buildings to my Lego Christmas village. Darn.

Another feature that was great at Christmastime are the stocking hooks hidden under the mantle. You can’t see them unless you look underneath. LOVE!

Back to the front window – I looked into replacing the curtain hardware, but it was pretty expensive to do that and I actually like the way what I have works. The problem was that it’s ugly. We solved that with a smaller, simpler wood valance to hide it. I needed to replace the curtains, but big windows take a lot of fabric. I found some designer fabric that matched the room perfectly, but it was spendy and this was an unscheduled project so our budget was tight. I stretched it by using a section of the expensive fabric in between two sections of a solid I found on clearance. I actually like it better this way, as it frames the print.

This latest project in our ongoing effort to bring our home into the 21st century is one of my favorites. We spend a lot of time together as a family in this room, and now it feels warm and relaxing. And I couldn’t be happier with my new fireplace.

Just to refresh your memory, before…