for the home

How to Make a Tree Skirt

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, I decorated your branches but I neglected to cover up your tree stand. Well, to the defense of my laziness the lower branches and the gifts, once wrapped and placed under the tree, hide the mammoth, green, plastic stand pretty well. How did I get so lackadaisical? Years ago I made […] Read more…

Easy to Make Floor Pillow Covers

My daughter is in her first apartment and wanted to buy a big armchair for comfy reading except that money doesn’t grow on trees. I suggested a bean bag chair but then more seriously floor pillows. Floor pillows are comfy, arrangeable, can easily be transported when moving and are budget friendly. To make them even […] Read more…

Fabric Scraps Dog Bed

This is my new sewing companion. If I’m in the sewing room he is too. If I’m in the kitchen, so is Basso. If I’m in the office, guess who is curled up under my chair?  It seems Basso wants to be certain we aren’t going to leave him. (Basso had been living in a […] Read more…

DIY Pattern Weights

As much as I love the old school way of pinning pattern pieces onto the fabric there are times I want to use pattern weights instead. My dilemma is, I just don’t want to buy pattern weights. They seem like a rip off; four, unattractive, little weights for $16. So I used books for the […] Read more…

Quick Baby Quilt

I’ve been working on a quilt the last two weeks. I’m not a quilter but I do love playing with color. I made this as a gift for a soon to be new mom. This quilt is larger than the suggested crib size. I know this new baby’s baby cousin will be spending time visiting […] Read more…

How to Make Pot Holders

After sewing the coat that turned out to be unflattering, I wanted to sew something fun, kinda’ easy, and where success is a pretty sure thing. Ah, pot holders. I’ve made pot holders as gifts with themed fabric picked just for the recipient. I’ve made them as a class fund raiser using muslin the students potato […] Read more…

1 2