Sparkly Straight Pins

I’ve been using the same pins for years and they’re pretty dull so when I saw these pins on No Big Dill I had to make some.

You can make dozens of them in just a few minutes. All it takes is glue (E6000), small beads that have small holes and extra long straight pins.

I used a skewer to apply a little bit of glue to the end of the pin.

Then I slid a bead on and wiped off the excess glue.

I covered an overturned basket with a piece of paper and poked all of the pins into it to dry.

Pretty and useful. I think they would make a great gift for a seamstress or tucked into a little purse-sized mending kit.

Pin Cushion from a Pimiento Jar

I made these sparkly pins the other day (tutorial coming soon) and needed a place to stick them. I have an old school tomato pin cushion but it rolls all over the table. It usually ends up on the floor prompting some choice words as pins start to pile up in my mouth, beside my sewing machine and other places they shouldn’t be while I search for it.

This guy has a heavy, flat base so hopefully it will stay put.

I started with a pimiento jar (baby food jars would be perfect), paint, a little batting, some barley and few scraps of fabric.

I squirted some paint into the jar, put the lid on it, shook it up and then let it dry upside down. If your jar doesn’t have a lid, you can use a brush to smooth out the paint like I did here.

To make the top, I stacked up circles of batting and then gathered up the edges to form a spherical shape. The poof should be a little bigger than the opening to the jar. I ran a few stitches through the gathered part and cut off the “tail”.

Then I cut a circle of fabric about 3 times wider then the jar and wrapped it around the batting. I gathered up the loose edges and ran 3-4 stiches through the middle to secure it. Then I cut off the excess fabric.

I filled the bottom of the jar with barley (because that it was I had) and hot glued the cushion into the mouth of the jar.

I top-stitched a strip of fabric to cover the jar threads but ribbon would work just as well. I hot glued the fabric around the mouth of the jar and inserted the pins.

Tear Off Cleaning Checklist Tablets

A friend of mine is struggling to get his roommates to clean up after themselves. This seems to be a common problem, whether it’s with roommates, a significant other or kids. I once had a roommate that hosed everything down with Lysol and called it clean.

I made some tablets of cleaning checklists for my friend to try. One version is a little more sarcastic and pushy and the other is more cordial (the one above). I sewed across the top of the tablet pages which worked well because it holds everything together but perforates each page so it can be easily torn out if needed.



If you want to make your own cleaning checklist tablets click here . Then click on export and select Word.
Open the document once it has downloaded and edit it to fit your needs. (I haven’t used this particular program before so if you have any issues please email me or let me know in the comments and I will fix it)


The pages print four to a sheet. I printed two sheets so each tablet would have eight pages. Make sure when you cut them out that you leave room at the top for binding.

Line up the pages and then sew across the top with a an 1/8” seam allowance. Backstitch on the ends.



Cut a 3/4”x4” (or the width of the pages, depending on how small you cut them) of scrapbook paper. Fold it in half and glue it over the top of the tablet, making sure the tablet is tucked all the way into the fold.



Buy some candy bars to use for bribing rewards and you’re all set.

Serger Cover

My mom got me a serger for Christmas last year and, so far, it’s been amazing. However, it didn’t come with any kind of cover and I noticed today that it was looking pretty dusty. So I made a cover for it out of two placemats and two cloth napkins that I found on clearance at Target.

Unlike my regular sewing machine that is a nice uniform rectangle, my serger has all sorts of wonky corners and whatnot jutting out of it. I wanted the cover to be as streamlined as possible so I opted for a rectangular front and back and trapezoids for the sides.

I also created an opening in the top for the handle since I’m constantly moving it to make way for other projects.

Simple Skirt from a Thrifted Sheet

I live in Portland, where the summer so far has been wet and cold. I had a sweater on a couple of days ago and was still cold. However, the weatherman assures me that it will be sunny and warm for at least the next week. So, after sweltering at the farmer’s market this afternoon in jeans, I decided it was time for some new skirts.

This is the first time I made a skirt without a pattern and it is far from perfect. I learned a lot about what not to do.

The fabric is one of the stack of flat sheets I picked up at a thrift store the other day. I think sheets are probably the cheapest way to buy fabric.

I traced a skirt that I already have and like.

See how this skirt is cut on the bias? And the hem curves up on the sides? Mistakes 1 and 2! Find yourself a skirt that is cut parallel to the grain of the fabric and straighten out the bottom because that curve made hemming the new skirt a serious pain.

I added 2” to each side of the pattern for the seam allowance and because the model skirt might be just a tad tight after all of the summertime margaritas I’ve been consuming. I didn’t need to add length for the hem because the model skirt is a little long for me.

I cut out two pieces from the pattern (front and back), making sure the print was straight.

I made a waistband pattern by tracing the curve of the top of the skirt pattern and then adding 3” to it. The waistband piece should look like a smile.

I cut out 4 waistband pieces, making sure the pattern would line up with the skirt.

Then I sewed the two front waistband pieces together along the top curve, right sides together. I turned them right side out, pressed the seam and top stitched it.

I sewed the waistband to the skirt, lining up the curve. Then I pressed the seam and top stitched. I repeated this for the back of the skirt.

Um, yeah, the print only lined up in the middle of the waistband. I realized the print itself is not totally straight. What the heck?

I turned the skirt right sides together and sewed in the zipper. I kind of winged the whole zipper install but Sew Mama Sew has a great tutorial here. Then I sewed the side seams and hemmed the bottom.

A few final notes if you’re thinking of embarking on skirt making without a pattern:

There a kazillion tutorials. Check them out first.

Don’t use a printed fabric until you’ve tried your pattern out on a solid.

Use a skirt with very simple lines to make your pattern from.

If you try making a skirt, let me know in the comments what you found helpful or learned from the process.

Felt Food: Ravioli, Green Beans and Salad

Now that I started making felt food, I keep thinking of more dishes I want to try to create. Most recently I made felt ravioli with marinara, salad and green beans.

Little Drawstring Craft Bag

Looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift? Or perhaps you’re in need of a bit of craft storage?

I whipped up this little drawstring bag the other night to keep a project in while I’m camping out with 200 6th graders at Outdoor School. Yes, it is that time of year, which is why I haven’t been posting. I’m exhausted. But only 5 more weeks until summer and ample available crafting time. Yay!

I have a bunch of projects in various stages of assembly, shooting, editing and writing. I promise someday soon (and by someday I mean June) I will get them up.