Christine Sews

If you’re asking yourself how I can afford to make all this stuff, here’s one of the answers…

This weekend I found fabric on sale at a nearby thrift store, most of it priced one dollar per yard, for decorator fabric too! The blue fabric in the back is actually a valance; but that is fabric to me.  Think ironing board cover project.

Also in the stash is five yards of upholstery weight fabric in a plum print.  My house is not plum - I’m sure you got that from all the photos.  But I think this fabric matches MILs house.  And she has been talking about recovering some chairs.  If it doesn’t, well, I have some beautiful tote bag fabric to use for gifts.  The lavender will probably be a dress for DD.  The large sheets are going to become curtain lining.

The ottomans are now full; and I have fabric that I ordered en route, as I type.  I’d better get sewing.

We have a lot of cooking magazines.  They tend to make their way into the kitchen and get misplaced.  Since the curtains and table linens are French Country… a custom magazine holder was in order.  There is actually no sewing involved.  Get out the glue gun.

How to Make a Magazine Holder:

• Turn on a glue gun to pre-heat.
• Cut up a box.  Lay your magazine(s) on top of what will become the back and side pieces of the box to be sure that they will fit.  Leave an extra inch.
• Lay the box pieces on top of a folded piece of fabric.  Cut around in a square, leaving about three inches.
  
• Tape up your box sides.  (Masking tape is better than painters tape.  I just couldn’t find it.)
• Remove one square of fabric and set it aside.
• Cut wedges out of the remaining square, so that your box is framed by a cross.
• Place a generous amount of glue in the bottom and up the inner sides of the box.  Place the cross shaped fabric inside, right side up and arrange it into place. Glue the ends over the top of the sides.  (Staples can be helpful wherever they won’t show too.)
• Turn the square shaped fabric wrong side up, with the box on top of it.  Use a generous amount of glue to secure it over the sides and into the top few inches of the box on the wider sides first.
• Repeat on the narrower sides, wrapping like a package.
• Allow to dry.

My fabric got a bit wrinkled during construction.  I’ll press it lightly when the hot glue is completely cool and I get the iron out.

These knit leg warmers were a gift from my SIL to DD.  We just love them.  So I wanted to share.

I don’t know how to knit.  So these leg warmers look very complicated to me.  But SIL said they were easy and fun to knit.  This is very lucky for us.  I will have to try to knit some time.

My craft room is not a room actually, but the alcove at the top of the stairs.  It is not spacious.  But it does have a nice big window with a lot of natural light.  And I do like it.  Sadly, I’ve not had a lot of time to sew this week, due to painting.

The fluffy confection of a curtain that I was hoping to make is turning out to be a wash.  I have cut the blackout fabric for the backing.  But I don’t have nearly enough fabric for the ruffles that I thought I did.  So I am going to have to get more fabric in order to proceed.  <sigh>

On the bright side, now I have an excuse to purchase some lovely Michael Miller provencal inspired fabric  that I am really enamored of.