More finished Projects!!!!

I've been tired of dealing with our vertical blinds on the sliding glass doors for years, so finally decided to do something about them!   We put them up right after we purchased the house in 1998 and they broke soon after that.  We could still open and close them, but it was a pain!  Last weekend I made a trip to JoAnn's and was very happy to see they had their Home Decor Fabric 50% off!











The first ones I did are in our bedroom.  This fabric was not as expensive as what I used for the Living Room doors, but I still like it.  I first started by just hemming all around the fabric, but then decided that was too plain, plus I had to take what fabric JoAnn's had - I really wanted 5 yards, but they only had a few pieces that were barely so I had to get one that was 2 yards and one that was 2.5 yards.  So I decided to add some contrasting fabric on the top and bottom.  (I'll show you better pictures of the top later down in the post.)

Then I started on the Living Room blinds yesterday.  Here's the "before".


















And "After"!!!  I think they turned out nice.  MUCH better than dealing with those icky blinds!  The loops on the top make it easier to open and close them.  Since I didn't want to have to buy more hardware, I just used loops on top with Velcro - easy to put up and take down!

This fabric was regularly $44.99 a yard, but was also 50% off.  I wanted 5 yards of this, too, but they only had 4, so thought I'd add something on the top and bottom again.  It's kind of hard to see the brown on the bottom in this picture.

On this one I decided to do a small ruffle on just the top.

I was really like the fabric, but would have liked the flowers to be more brown.  I could have tried to special order fabric to see if I could get the color I wanted, but I didn't want to wait, so decided to go ahead with this.

 This is the top of the ones in the bedroom.  I had to make the loops a little longer since I didn't have as much fabric.  I also thought they were a little dull, so added a stripe of brown on them.  I also didn't like where the top border met the main part of the panel, so added a thick ribbon, which I think turned out pretty good!



 Unfortunately the fabric is dry clean only.  Since they are new there's still a lot of stabilizer in it, so I'm thinking of putting them in the dryer for a few minutes to "soften" them a little.  I'm just worried they will shrink.    Since I didn't have a pattern and just made them up as I went, they took me about a whole day for each set.   I always have an "idea" in my head how I want them to look, but it changes as I go on and never really know what the final look will be.  All in all, I'm very happy with both of them.   I'm anxious for Todd to get home to let me know what he thinks!

More Seat Covers.....

Another thing that has been on my "To Do" list for a while has been to make seat covers for our Mazda Protege.  If you've followed my blog, you'll know that I have already made some for our CX-7.   You can see the pictures here.  This week I decided to finally get them done.  Todd and I had picked out the fabric a while ago and it's been sitting on the shelf.  I also found some plain grey fabric that matched.  So, without further ado,
this a photo of the seat "before"


And "After"


And I added pockets to the back (there were none before).


I was very happy with how they turned out!

Our oldest granddaughter has a birthday in a few days, so I decided to make something for it.  Seeing all the neat stuff on Pinterest, I decided she needed a spa towel.  I had to guess at the measurements, but found sizing info on the 'net  and think I'm pretty close.



As always, comments are welcome!!!

One More......

LOL!!  I've been sewing quite a bit, and instead of putting everything in one post, I thought it best to break them up.  This is the last one today, I promise!!!!

Todd has been getting pretty upset with my dog.  He has a tendency to waste his "outside time" running after squirrels and such, and unless you really watch him and tell him to "GO POTTY!!!", he doesn't.  But he'll do it in our bathroom or on the rug in front of the sliding glass door in our bedroom.  I finally decided I'd had enough and made some diapers for him.  Just having them on him when he's inside works wonders.  There were a couple times (overnight when he's not in his kennel) that they were wet, but other than that, I take them off of him when he goes outside and put them right back on him when he comes inside.


(And I also picked up some fleece at JoAnn's to make him a bed to lay on when I sew - he usually just lays on the floor outside the office.)  He seems quite embarrased to have them on since he doesn't want to look at me when I take his picture.  They are made out of flannel, a couple of them I put a layer of terrycloth in them, but that's really not needed.  I just used velcro to hold them on, and decided to put one underneath just to make sure they don't fall off.

Some improvements......

If you remember, DH's grandmother passed away a couple of years ago and when we cleaned out her house, we brought home her round table and chairs.  We also brought home the cushions.  When the grandkids were over to decorate Christmas cookies, I noticed a couple of the cushions had some extra stains.  So I decided to make some covers for them.  I used the same fabric as the tablecloth and made them removable so they can be washed.
Before (this one is fairly clean, but some others are much dirtier):

After:

It's been a while since I've updated my blog,

except for the quick one showing all the coupon holders that are available.   After the craft show on Dec. 20 last year I took a break from sewing.  With Christmas and New Year's so soon after, I was busy traveling back to Nebraska to see family and didn't really get a chance to until a week or two ago.  So it's about time I post some things I've made!!!!!

My latest obsession is Pinterest.  Along with Craftster, you can get TONS of new ideas of things to make.  Pinterest also have great recipes, cleaning tips, etc.  So if you have signed up there, !!!

A few things I've tried that I've seen on Pinterest are below.
First, I've been wanting a new "Spa Towel".  I have one I purchased at a Hanes shop in an outlet mall years ago, but it's just too big, so decided I needed to make one.


So, of course, I needed a new towel for my head to match!!!!  (I had made a couple out of old towels, but this one is made out of the same terry cloth fabric I purchased at Jo-Ann's).


Another cool thing on Pinterest was spa slippers!!!!  So, of course (again), I had to make some of them!


Those all turned out OK, but I wanted to try to see if I could do better.  After another trip to Jo-Ann's (thank goodness they have great coupons - 50% off one item, 20% off your entire purchase, etc), I ended up bringing home some Chenille fabric - mostly pink but some blue, too.  So here's the 2nd "spa towel".

And matching hair turban

The thing about Chenille vs. Terry Cloth (besides the cost) is the chenille is one-sided, so I decided to add a layer of terry cloth on the inside of the turban.

And the slippers-

I had remembered seeing fabric with little plastic/grippy stuff that you see on the bottom of kids' footy pj's, so bought a little of that to use on the bottom of the slippers.

Overall, they are pretty nice!  The right foot is a little big (both slippers are the same size, it's just that my right foot is a little smaller than my left due to falling out of a 2nd story window when I was really small.)  I used two layers of batting on the bottom, and one layer on the rest.  I may try them again, but for now they are nice to have on when I'm at home.
 

Coupon Holders Available

I haven't taken the time to list all the coupon holders that are already completed on etsy, but someone asked and I thought I'd just post the pictures of them here.  The cost would be the same, $23.00 including shipping.  If you are interested, I can do a special listing on etsy and everything can go through there.

#1:  


#2:  


#3:  


#4:  


#5:  


#6:  


#7:  


I do have other fabrics available that can be used to make custom orders, so just give me an idea of what color you are looking for and I'll see what I have.  It seems to work pretty well to post pictures of the fabric here on my blog.

As always, let me know if you have any questions!!!

Jyl

Finally had time to list a few items on my etsy account!!!!

Please check them out!  (Also, contact me for a "free shipping" coupon code!)

Happy New Year!!!!!

I've been extremely busy the last month or so, but after the first of the year I PROMISE that I'll update my blog. I have a lot of things to list on my etsy shop, also, so please keep checking back!!!!

Thanks!

Jyl

Thanks for visiting my blog!!!!!

Browse to your heart's content!  Feel free to contact me if you'd like a custom-made item.  I'll also be at Parkside Community School on December 20, 2011. 

In the mean time, please visit my etsy shop here.

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas!!!!

Jyl

I've been trying to use coupons more,

and a couple of the ladies at work have, too, so......there was a need.  lol

Actually, one of the ladies left for another job, and as a going-away present, I decided to make her a coupon holder.  She had mentioned that she likes pink and purple together, so this is what I came up with:


the back






And after that, the other one had a birthday and a "hint" slipped that she might like one, too.  (I had already decided that I was going to make her one.) lol  Anyway, I made two last weekend and told her she could chose between the two, and I'd take the other one.

She chose the one made with fabric from Ikea:


back:




And this is the one I get to keep!!!!!






Love them!!!!!!!!!!!!  And today I received an email from someone in Austin inviting me to have a booth at their school Holiday Bazaar.  She found me on etsy and they only invite vendors to the bazaar (it's a Montessori school), so I was excited!  She sent me more information but I need to find out when I need to give her an answer by.  It's kinda late to do any other holiday craft shows, and her original email said she was looking for someone who made reusable produce bags.  I can whip a BUNCH of those up in no time, but I'm hoping they will also let me bring other items like the reusable grocery bags and maybe some more coupon holders.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also made a set of reusable grocery bags and produce bags for my sister to give as a Christmas gift.  The picture's not the best, but here it is:


I almost have my sister-in-law's purse done, so soon it will be in the mail!!!!

As always, comments are welcome!!!!!  And if you'd like anything I make, whether for yourself or for Christmas gifts, please let me know!