Drool. Spit up. Food smears. There's a lot of stuff that comes out of babies' mouths. It's a darn good thing a sweet little coo or heart-melting smile comes out once in awhile too. That makes it all worthwhile. But... a burp cloth is still a must! Ours are so quick and easy to make, you can whip out of slew of them in an afternoon. Absorbent terry cloth on the back makes them functional. Sassy print fabric on the front makes them fabulous.
I remember having a drawer full of trivets growing up. There were elaborate crocheted ones my grandmother had made as well as tacky souvenir versions from one or more family vacations. I inherited a few, but when I decided I wanted more, I discovered they must have fallen out of favor as a kitchen accessory because they were rather hard to find. Perhaps the hot pad is supposed to be a stand in, but their square shape and smaller size just isn't as functional. A generous round trivet is by far the winner when it comes to providing an easy, effective way to protect your table's finish from hot serving dishes. Today's ScrapBuster project is our personal mission to revive the terrific trivet! Ours is a pretty patchwork pattern with pie-shaped wedges in a full circle. We provide free downloadable patterns for the front wedges and the back circle. The project takes just a few little pieces from your scrap bag, and gives you a chance to do some pretty circular quilting. We used the Janome Circular Sewing Attachment, an easy way to make perfect concentric circles.
I tend to end up with quite a few little pieces in my scrap bag. It can be hard to figure out what to do with them, but it's just as hard to think about throwing away these itty bitty pieces of loveliness. Today's darling patchwork belt is a ScrapBuster dream project for small random scraps or leftover charm squares. The finished accessory is a great way to add a zing of color to a plain summer sheath. Our design features a double ring buckle. We used a set of faux bamboo rings, but you could use just about anything. One alternate idea we had was to re-purpose an old circular broach. Remove the pin from the back and use the bejeweled ring as the front with a plain flat ring at the back.
What's the hallmark image of summertime entertaining? A tall glistening glass of lemonade filled with clinking ice cubes. And what is that wonderfully refreshing glass doing? It's sweating. The condensation is pouring down the sides. It's making a little puddle. This beautiful summertime image needs a beautiful summertime coaster. That's what we have today, a set of fast and easy ScrapBuster coasters. We've mixed bright prints with solid summer white in a classic pinwheel pattern. Make sure that gorgeous glass of lemonade doesn't leave behind a less-than-lovely ring.
Last week during our June is 4... series, we highlighted projects to make for the many gift-giving occasions during this busy month. Today, we're reminding you a handmade and personalized gift bag is often as fun as the present on the inside. A beautiful fabric bag can be re-used for so many things: additional gifts, to hold jewelry or lingerie when you travel, as a mini carryall in a bigger tote or bag. Our ScrapBuster design is very simple, and has the added benefit of a built-in drawstring that cinches the bag closed and creates a pretty ruffle along the top. What really makes a gift bag special is when you go to the trouble to customize it for the gift recipient. Does he or she have a favorite color or hobby? Reflect that in the fabric. Or match the outside fabric to the gift inside. Is it filled with homemade edibles? Choose a fabric with a yummy food motif. Housewarming gift? Find a sweet print with vintage cottages.
"Snug as a mug on a rug." Just gotta say it and get it out of the way! Sometimes a placemat takes up too much real estate, and a coaster is too small to hold anything extra. A mug rug is bigger than a coaster but smaller than a placemat – just the right size at your desk, in the sewing room or on a small end table in the living room or den. Our design adds a unique little pocket with its own napkin for truly self-contained snacking. We used scraps from Bonnie & Camille's Marmalade collection for Moda Fabrics and framed it all with coordinating rick rack. The combination of sweet colors and pretty prints really makes a difference on this small project. Be bold with your choices, mix and match to fashion your own look. For more on creating great combos, take a look at our tutorial: Mixing and Matching Designer Fabric Collections.
With summer comes time to do some much needed chores around the house. There's the wonderful bounty from the gardens and orchards to pick, can and bake into pretty pies. There are painting projects calling your name. And isn't it time to freshen up your décor with new pillows or curtains? Of course, you'll whistle while you work, but you should also be wearing your favorite apron! For this, I want you to close your eyes and imagine your mom, your grandma or maybe even your favorite next door neighbor. The woman who was always wearing an apron as she bustled through her household chores. Maybe she's hanging sheets on the line, maybe sweeping off the front steps with an old wooden broom, maybe pulling her umpteenth cherry pie warm from the oven. The fabric was a pretty little print in fresh spring colors. It was long enough to cover all the way to her knees, and soft enough to float in the breeze from her open kitchen windows. That apron... her apron... is what we have for you today.
June is the kick of vacation travel season. You'll need to buckle up for summer fun; why not do it in comfort and style with our super cute seat belt cover. This easy wraparound cover is not only perfect for seat belts, it's also great for briefcase or suitcase straps. It even worked nicely to pad the handles of our heavy-duty Grocery Totes. The design is reversible so you can make one side in cozy fleece for cold days, the other side in cool cotton for warmer weather. Not only are seat belt covers an added comfort, they also help keep your shirt or jacket from becomming a wrinkly mess on long drives. These versatile straps would make a great gift for all the drivers/travelers you know – customize the fabric to match their style.
One of the most popular wedding trends is to create coordinating clutches for the bridesmaids. These adorable little purses are just the right size to carry a few important items to the wedding and reception. Many brides also use them to hold special wedding day gifts for their girlfriends. We even found some stories out there about brides who've skipped traditional bridesmaid bouquets, choosing instead to put real or silk flowers on coordinated clutches and have the girls carry these down the aisle. Our design uses a frame with a beautiful big ball clasp. We found ours on Etsy where there were many options from which to choose. You could also look at your local craft store. We show you how to adjust our pattern to fit your frame. For our sample wedding party, we made three beauties, using six blendable fabrics from Joel Dewberry's Notting Hill collection for FreeSpirit Fabrics.
Grads are going places, which means they can always use a cool tote for books and more. Sometimes they need a lot of space... sometimes just a little. This versatile bag will give them the best of both worlds. Opened up to its full 18" height, you have a full-size tote with riveted carry handles. Fold over the top and use the shoulder strap to create a compact, purse-size carryall. Thanks to our official "grad model," Lydia, a proud member of the lucky '13 senior class.
