Denim Pennant Banner

I have been in the long process of trying to clean out my bags of scraps that are stuffed in my sewing/craft room cabinets.  I came across a bag of denim and decided to create a pennant banner.  This project actually pulled from several different scrap bags.  The denim bag, a bag of gingham checked fabric and a bag of vintage table linens.

The banner has 12 pennants.

I started by cutting the pennant shapes using my pinking shears to give the edges a finished look that would not ravel. The denim was heavy enough so there was no need to double the pennants.  Using the corners of the vintage cloth napkins I stitched them to the top of each pennant shape.  This created a nice overlap and good color contrast.  To finish the front side of the pennants I added a simple yoyo to the point of the napkin corners.  The yoyo's were made from the gingham checked scrap bag.  I alternated the three colors of pink, green and yellow.

Each pennant is topped with the corner of a vintage cloth napkin.

 

Since the denim was a dark blue there is a distinct color difference between the front and back sides.  Therefore I was able to create two banners in one.  For the lighter blue side of the pennants I added a simple strip of the gingham checked fabric to the top.  I cut the strips about 1 1/2" x 6" and then clipped the ends in a two point banner style.  I matched the gingham strip to the same color yoyo that was used on the front side of the pennant.  I then secured these strips to the top edge so they would not slip when I added the bias tape to finish the banner.

 

The "back" side of the banner. 

 

To complete the pennant I used a double folded bias tape in a dark blue to match the denim.  I used the entire package of 3 yards of bias tape.  When adding the tape I pinned my pennants with the side points touching so they were evenly spaced.  My banner has twelve pennant shapes, three colors of gingham check fabric and the corners of three vintage cloth napkins.  Overall the pennant banner turned out to be more fun than I had imagined.  This would be a great addition to any room or a festive two in one look for a celebration or photo shoot.  This particular banner will be posted on my Etsy account soon.

 

So, if you have some leftover denim from a previous project and are looking for a way to use it up try making a pennant banner.  This project would be great for a 4th of July banner simply by changing the fabric choices to a patriotic theme.  Who knows what fun you will have creating yours.

 

Danna

You get two looks in one banner.

 

I'm linked up to Lambert's Lately

 

Dry Fingers Frustrating You? I Found a Simple Fix!

I don't know about you but I have always had trouble gripping things when I was sewing and crafting.  I have extremely oily skin so turning pages in a magazine was a real hassle.  Also, I am not one of those people that likes to lick my finger and then turn a page that just kind of creeps me out.

For years as a secretary I used "SortKwik" fingertip moistener when I was working with any kind of paper or filing.  One day as I was quilting and trying to separate my small quilt squares I was getting more and more frustrated by the minute.  It hit me "Get the SortKwik."  It occurred to me that the moistener might stain the fabric but I was so frustrated that I didn't care.

After lathering up my fingers I was able to separate the quilt squares easily.  Since then every time I quilt or craft the first thing I grab is my "SortKwik".  I have never had it stain or smear a piece of fabric or paper.  I even use it when I am making jewelry.  It helps to grip the beads and the wire.

This is the brand I use but there are several others on the market.

I get mine at Walmart in these small containers.

Simply apply to your fingers and you will be able to pick up almost anything.

 

I like the small containers that Walmart sells.  There are three per package so I can have one at my craft table, one at the computer and one in my sewing bag.  I have not resorted to keeping one in my purse but there have been times I have wished I had one on hand.  Maybe the next package I buy I will toss one in for good measure.

 

So if you are struggling with grabbing your quilt squares or paper projects reach for some SortKwik and put your frustrations to rest.

 

Danna

Link Parties: Chic on a Shoestring

Pinterest Challenge and Giveaway - Finished

Okay, so I had great hopes for the Pinterest Challenge and Giveaway that I started on March 1st.  But it seems that my life got a little chaotic and I did not follow through on posting my Pinterest pin each week.  Also, no one ever posted any comments about which pin they had tried.

So, lesson learned: the next time I post a challenge make sure I have everything (all subsequent posts) ready to go in case life goes haywire.  Also, spread the news better about the challenge and encourage others to join in the fun.

I am not giving up on this challenge I will try again this summer when life at my house slows down a little bit.  I will keep the giveaway item and add to it for the re-posting.  So if this challenge peaked  your interest start pinning all the fun things you want to try so when the challenge is re-posted you can be the first to leave a comment and encourage the rest of us.

Thanks for visiting my crafty haven and enduring my ramblings at times. 

Danna

P.S. This is not an April Fool's joke.  I will try the challenge again this summer!

Another scrap bag! - Red, White and Blue

In the previous post Use It or Lose It!  I described my new process to work through the many scrap bags of fabric in my cabinets.  This particular scrap bag was all red, white and blue fabrics that were in my friends stash and she passed it on to me. 

The scrap bag of Red, White and Blue fabrics.

 

I will admit this bag was fun to work on because the fabrics were really cute.  It did have several orphan blocks in the bag along with scraps of various sizes.  To find out more about my love for orphan blocks check out this post Orphan Blocks.

 

Some of the orphan blocks in the scrap bag.

 

I have already made several projects with these scraps and still have a few left to use up.  One of the first projects was two dish towels with pieced strips.  I took the various strips of coordinating fabrics and sewed several rows together to create a band. 

 

Various length strips sewn together to create a band.

 

I then sewed the band down to the edge of the dish towel with a zigzag stitch.  I left the raw edges showing and stitched around all four sides.  I liked the raw edge because it gives the towel a more rustic feel rather than a formal feel.  The fabrics were too fun for a stuffy feeling.

 

The raw edges secured with a zigzag stitch.

The finished towel will be festive for July.

Simple yet festive!

 

My process seems to be working well for using up scraps and getting all the bags out of my cabinets.  Don't tell my husband but if this keeps up I will have room for some new fabric!! There are several more projects in the works from this bag but I will post more about them later.

 

Danna

Drop Cloth Table Runner

In the post A Couch Refresh I show you how I used a canvas drop cloth the recover the cushions on my couch.  With a piece of the leftover drop cloth I made this table runner.  It is perfect for Spring or Summer and goes together quickly.

With the soft pastel fabric it is perfect for Spring or Summer.

 

Using a piece of drop cloth I cut a section that was approximately 19" x 46" with my pinking rotary blade.  I turned the pinked edges under approximately 1/2" on each side and sewed a finished hem all the way around.  So my finished runner size was approximately 18" x 45".

 

A painters drop cloth is used for this runners base fabric.

 

Using coordinating fabrics and the pinking rotary blade I cut strips that are 2 1/2" wide and the full width of the fabric (approximately 45" long). 

 

I love the soft pastel fabrics.

The pinking rotary blade keeps the edges from fraying.

 

Using my favorite gathering method I gathered each of my strips.  My favorite gathering method is found in this YouTube video Gathering Fabric Fast.  The only change I made was to sew down the center of my strips to gather them not the edge.

 



From plain and drab.

To Fab!  Quick and Easy gathered strips.

 

Stack your strips on each end, sew them down and you are done.  To see some other ideas using this gathering method check out this post More Dish Towels.  The little girls tea set is the perfect table setting for this table runner.

 

The tea set is one of my daughters when she was younger.

 

If you need a quick table runner for your room.  Grab some fabric you love and a painters drop cloth and it will be made by dinner time.

 

Danna

Check out this linky parties at Shabby Nest , Chic on a Shoestring &

 

Quick Garland with Scraps

In the previous post Use It or Lose It I shared how I was trying to use my scraps in a timely manner.  One of the items I made from the bag of scraps was a quick and easy garland.  Here is how the garland was made.

The finished scrap busting garland.

 

It starts with the remaining pieces left from cutting out quilt squares for another project.  The pieces were random sizes but roughly the same width.  I sorted the scraps by color and cut the pieces down into approximately 1" x 4" strips. As you can see in the picture some of the strips are less than 1" in width.  As long as they are all the same length the overall look will be beautiful.  The point of using scraps is to allow for the quirky not make everything uniform.

 

The strips are the same length but various widths.

 

Next I then lined up the first few strips in a pleasing pattern and sewed down the center of the strips with a wide zig zag stitch.  Be sure to keep the strips close together as you sew down the center.  You do not want large gaps between your strips.

 

Keep the strips close together as you sew.

 

Repeat the pattern until you run out of strips.  I varied the placement of the slightly thinner strips so there was not a big group of them together.  The length of the garland will depend on the number of strips you cut. 

 

A wide zig zag stitch is all it takes to make this quick garland.

 

Not only does this garland go together quick, the fact that all the scraps came from a previous project means the fabrics are already coordinated.  So grab your scrap bag and whip up a fun garland for your next celebration.

 

Danna

Check out these link parties: Shabby Nest &

Lamberts Lately

Use It or Lose It!

As I stretch myself to begin the process of using the things in my home that I love and tossing the things I don't I have a new approach to my craft supplies. You have probably figured out by now that I am a person who does not like to have any waste or scraps from project. I tell myself there has to be some use for those left over pieces.  This thought process has served to uproot my deepest creative ideas and bring them to the surface. I am beginning to learn in this journey that some things you really just need to use or lose.

All of my friends in quilt group know that I will take the scraps from their projects so they will bag them up and bring them to me.  I really do love this, but in the past I would bring the bag home and stuff it in my cabinets to deal with at a later time.  Well, now I am forcing myself to bring them home, sort them and decide right then in what projects they will be used.  It is a slow and steady process but I am beginning to see that it has great benefits down the road.

Here is an example of a recent scrap bag gift from my friends and my new process.  In the bag was a selection of selvage strips, some small pieces cut off the end of quilt blocks, several drop out circles of fabric and larger pieces from a baby gift, and the scraps of a twister quilt.  So my process begins.

1.  Take all the selvage strips and place them in the jars above my work station sorted by color.  I really do use these all the time to tie up gift baskets, ties for gift tags etc.

2.  Pull out the larger pieces of fabric and place them in my fabric stash drawers so I know what fabrics I have to use for future quilts and projects.

My smaller pieces of fabric.

For more info check out this post Fabric Storage.

 

3.  I took the small cut off ends and sorted them by color.  Since they were from a quilt project they already coordinated beautifully.  I cut the larger pieces down so they were roughly 1" x 4" strips.  I then sewed them together using a zig zag stitch down the center to form a garland.

 

Small leftovers from a quilt project. 

I will post more on how the garland was made later.

 

4.  The drop out circles were used to create as many Yo Yo's as I could get out of each circle.

 

Large circles left from a baby gift project.

I cut down the larger circles to create a selection of yo yo's.

 

5.  One batch of the twister quilt scraps were an odd shape cut on the bias.  I did not think these would work well cut into smaller squares so I used them to make a nice grouping of Yo Yo's.  I have a box I keep all my pre-made Yo Yo's in so when I am working on a project I can just pull one out and I don't have to stop and make one.

 

6.  The remaining scraps from the twister quilt were used to embellish a dish towel to be sold in my Etsy shop. I had just enough to create a great looking towel.

 

The blue and white fabric are the twister scraps.

The green yo yo's are from the odd shaped scraps.

 

There, all of the scraps were either used immediately on an existing project or prepared for use in a future project.  A bonus of this process is that I do not have a small bag of random scraps "stuffed" in my cabinets.  There was only a small amount of "trash" from the bag and it was easy to toss them. 

 

My plan is to keep this process going every time I bring home a gifted bag of scraps.  I do still have several "stuffed" in the cabinet I am beginning to work on now.  It is refreshing to use the things I have to create new projects and clear out some space in my cabinets.  Who knows what I will create using the next bag of scraps but I am excited to get started.

 

Danna