Do you like to recycle? Then I think this is a perfect project for you. All you need is: soda cans, fat quarters of yellow and green cotton fabric, scrap of cotton batting, fusible web, press cloth and basic sewing supplies
Note: Use heavy-duty craft scissors for metal--not your sewing scissors! I also recommend wearing protective gloves when cutting metal.
Carefully cut apart three soda cans, removing the top and bottom sections. Press fusible web to the back of the metal pieces using a press cloth to protect the painted surface of the soda can.
Cut nine 2 inch squares from the fused metal. Remove the paper backing from the fusible web and center the metal pieces right side up on top of an 8-inch square of cotton fabric. Press using a press cloth to protect the painted surface.
Cut four 1 1/2 x 8-inch strips of green fabric. Turn under 3/8 inch along both edges and press down the entire 8-length. Lay two of the strips across the width of the fabric square, covering the edges of the metal squares. Pin the fabric strip to the fabric backing. Stitch down either side of the fabric strip through all layers of fabric and the metal squares. Repeat, stitching the remaining two strips vertically. Note: Be careful to not pin through the metal squares.
Cut four 1 1/2 x 10-inch strips of yellow fabric. With right sides together, stitch two of the strips of fabric to the sides of the metal fabric layer (hot-pad top layer) using a 1/4-inch seam. Press the fabric strip out from the edges of the hot pad top. Trim the strips even with the hot-pad top. Repeat stitching the remaining two strips to the opposite sides of the hot-pad top.
Cut four 1 1/2 x 10-inch strips of lime green fabric. With right sides together, stitch two of the strips of fabric to the sides of the hot pad using a 1/4-inch seam. Press the fabric strip out from the edges of the hot-pad top. Trim the strips even with the hot-pad top. Repeat stitching the remaining two strips to the opposite sides of the hot-pad top.
Measure the hot-pad top and cut two squares, one from the yellow fabric and the other from cotton batting. Lay the yellow square of fabric right side up on a flat surface; place the metal fabric layer on top, right sides down. Top with the cotton batting square. Pin together, being careful not to pin through the metal squares. Stitch around all sides using a 1/4-inch seam and leaving a 3-inch opening along one side. Turn right side out and hand-stitch the opening closed.
Quilt the layers together by stitching around the borders and down the centers of the green strips of fabric. Remove any stray threads and press the hot pad using a press cloth.
I want to make this as soon as I read what is high availability about.
Quilted Metal Hot Pad
Needlework Set
I found this wonderful needlework set in the internet with the instruction how to make it. It said only takes 4 hour to make (although probably more than 4 hours for me to make). I think this is a wonderful gift to give to somebody that like to sew or to quilt. It's pretty and and not long to make. I want to make this if I have time.
Buying Guide for Christmas
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dirt Devil. All opinions are 100% mine.
Christmas is just another 1 month away. Have you thought about what you want to buy as Christmas gifts?
Every year, I always have a difficult time deciding what to buy for everybody. I want something that is not too expensive and yet it should be something useful for the person. Sometimes, when I run out of ideas about what to buy, I just go to the mall and just window shop. That way, I can get better ideas on what to buy although I always end up buying stuff for myself.
This year, I don’t think I have the time to do window shopping since I’ve got baby to look after now and leaving it to hubby to decide what to buy is not an option. Luckily Dirtdevil published a holiday buying guide. It lists over 300 websites, tricks, and celver ways to save when you shop online. For example, if you want free shipping, you can find in that buying guide lists of website that offer free shipping. The buying guide also lists a bunch of link to website that provides coupons. So, before buying anything make sure you check these website, sometimes you find coupon that will save you even more.
I really find this buying guide very helpful, and to tell you the truth while I browsing trough the guide, I kept distracting by the good offer from Dirt Devil product that I would like to get for myself, like the "sweep and vacuum in one step" for only $39.99. Anybody interested to buy it for me?
Simple Dolly
What about if your daughter asks you to make dolly or teddy bear and you just learn how to sew? No need to worry, I just found the solution. You just went to the fabric store and buy fabric with dolly or teddy bear prints on it. Cut the the outline of the dolly or teddy bear, stitch it and put some stuffing and you are done! It’s super easy.
3 Hours Later....
My husband has a friend that he hasn’t met up with since last year. Last weekend they finally got the opportunity to meet and catch up on news. To my husbands surprise it seems that his friend got divorced with his wife. Then the most shocking news is that he proposed to his divorce lawyer just 3 hours after the divorce.
The first question that popped in my mind was whether he divorced his wife because of this lawyer. It turned out that his wife was cheating on him, and during the divorce process somehow he fell in love with his divorce lawyer. The couple just had their first baby.
My husband said that when his friend told him this story, he just could not believe him and was so surprised that he could not close his mouth. Hahahahaha!
Speaking of divorcee lawyer, in an uncontested divorce, a knowledgeable and experienced divorce lawyers new jersey at Weinberger Law Group can assist in reviewing your resolved issues in detail to make certain that you did not miss any signifiscant points
Wool Felt
With autumn here and the holidays approaching, it’s time to think about holiday decorating and gift giving. Wool felt is an ideal choice for seasonal decorations and gifts. Discover why designers like working with wool felt and learn some tips from the experts.
Wool felt is a popular choice for artists and designers because it has many great properties.
It requires no edge finish and doesn’t ravel.
It is heirloom quality, making it suitable for pieces meant to last.
It is dense enough to provide some stability, but at about 1/16 inch thick, it is still soft and pliable to work with.
The fibers don’t pill or pull away from the surface
Wool felt can be used for making wall hangings, Christmas stockings, tree ornaments, purses, gift bags, journal covers and more. It is a great choice for appliqué because the edges don’t need to be turned under. However, for added embellishment, designers often finish the edges with hand or machine blanket stitching or machine satin stitches.
My New Hobby
I have a new hobby. Can you guess? Yup! It’s sewing. I did some simple patchwork recently and it’s addictive. I am not very expert in using sewing machine. Somehow I can’t sew in a straight line. So, at this moment, I just hand sew all the pieces together. One thing bothered me, though. I hate threaded the thread into the needle. It took me sometime to do it. Blame it to my old eyes.
One of my friends did the Lasik surgery, and I would love to do it if I have the money. Speaking of money do you know that you can win $5,000 grand prize from Abbott Medical Optics Inc. just by making video showing the impact of improved vision? Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) is a global leader in laser vision correction and they want to know how better vision could improve — or has improved — people’s lives.
If you want to join this iLASIK Video Contest, you can choose one from three selected theme:
1. My contacts are getting in the way of my good time
2. My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision
3. You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure
So, hurry up and submit your video.
Fat Quarter
If you are a quilter, you may already be familiar with this term and the benefits of using fat quarters. However, if you're unfamiliar with quilting, you may not know how much fabric you need when you see "fat quarter" listed in a project's materials list.When you purchase fabric off a bolt, it is generally folded in half with the selvage edges matching. A 1/4 yard cut of fabric is a 9-inch-wide strip cut across the width of the fabric (usually 44 inches wide, for cotton quilting fabrics). A 1/4 yard cut typically measures 9 x 44 inches. A fat quarter of fabric is made by cutting an 18-inch-wide strip across the width of the fabric, and then cutting the strip in half again, but this time along the fold to yield two fat quarter pieces, each 18 x 22 inches.
Depending on what you're making, it might be more advantageous to purchase fat quarters, rather than traditional yardage cuts for your project. Some benefits of fat quarters include:
The ability to cut pieces up to 18 inches long, rather than only 9 inches long
Fat quarters are often packaged together with coordinates from the same fabric line, making it easy to select a group of fabrics that go with each other.
Stay At Home Mom
As a stay at home mom, at some point you feel bored, lonely, unappreciated and stressed. Staying at home all day and taking care of couple of toddler like me is bound to make you go insane at some point and after you've finished your daily chores, you felt exhausted and clueless as to what to do next. Below are some suggestion to make you feel accomplished once again.
Make Friends
Go to a park where you may find other stay at home moms and their kids. Start a conversation. Discuss your daily routines, trial and tribulations that are going on in your lives and your problems. This way you will have someone to talk to whenever you need them.
Join A Bookclub
Go to your local library, cafe, or research online where to find local bookclubs. Go to one of their meetings. You're sure to find it enlightening, relaxing, and enjoying. This will give you something to do after your daily chores and also when you're at home with the family and everyone's resting.
Get Organized
Get yourself couple of pocket calendars. They have wide selection with attractive price. List all the things you want to do. Cross out when you have done them. You will get a sense of accomplishment.
Start A Playgroup
Post ads in your local paper and also online. You can also chat with your friends from the park about bringing their kids over for a few playdates. You would be in charge of everything. This way you'll have your sense of accomplishment back because you have once again proven that you can organize more than just a refrigerator.
Try them out and you will see the result soon!
Ultimate Home Accessories
Making new throw pillows is an easy and inexpensive way to give your decorating scheme a fresh updated look. I use lots of pillows throughout my home and find them to be one of the best home accessories for the following reasons:
Homes are full of hard building materials, such as wood, stone, brick and tile. They also have many hard architectural features, such as windows, doors, cabinets and fireplaces. In addition, many furniture pieces in our homes are hard and boxy. Because pillows are made of fabric and have a soft appearance, they help to break up the hard elements and give your home a cozy feel.
Pillows are a great place to repeat colors found elsewhere in the room. Repeating colors can help to unify a color scheme and create eye movement throughout the space.
Pillows can lessen the impact of a very large furniture item in a room. For example, a large sofa or bed could seem overpowering for a particular space. By breaking up the large item with a scattering of throw pillows you can help keep eye movement flowing throughout the room, and prevent a large piece of furniture from becoming too dominant.
When the pillow covering becomes worn out, you can replace the outer pillow cover only and reuse the old pillow form, making it inexpensive to freshen up your decor.
To make a basic pillow cover, follow the steps below:
- Measure the pillow form in both directions and cut two pieces of fabric 1 inch larger than the form in each direction to allow for 1/2 inch seam allowances all around. For example, for a 12 x 16 inch pillow form, cut two rectangles of fabric 13 x 17 inches.
- Pin the fabric rectangles right sides together and stitch 1/2 inch from the raw edges all around, leaving an opening on one side for turning and inserting the pillow form.
- Trim the seam allowances to 1/4 inch all around and clip across the corners. Turn the pillow cover right side out and press.
- Insert the pillow form and slipstitch the opening closed.
