You’re going to love this book! {Even if you’re sewing challenged!} The Best of Sew Simple Magazine has over 50 quick projects that are…SIMPLE!

I’m a simple project kind of person! I like to start on something and be completely finished in a few hours. This book is full of quick projects that are beautiful! You’ll find ideas for purses, coffee sleeves, aprons, and lots of tips on techniques to help you with each project.

This table runner would be fun for your summer parties. There’s a great section for your home and even ideas for upcycling your old clothes!

These gift bags would make a someone feel special! You might have a hard time giving them away once you’ve finished sewing them.

I love this little skirt! Please excuse the poor photos…the light wasn’t great and I’m impatient! It looks better in the book.

This is a wonderful book with tons of quick projects that work out great when you’re feeling creative and you don’t have much time.  You could even use your fabric scraps for some of these.  If you read Sew Simple Magazine you already know the quality of their work.

Leisure Arts has been kind enough to offer TWO Everything Etsy readers their own copy of The Best of Sew Simple Magazine! This book is over 200 pages, and I know you’re going to enjoy it!

Here’s how to win one of the copies of this book…

• Visit Leisure Arts and leave a comment about one of your favorite books…they have a ton to choose from, but you only need to tell me about one to be entered!
• Let me know if you subscribe to Everything Etsy, Like us on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter – 1 extra entry each
• Spread the word of this giveaway by blog post, Twitter, or your Facebook page – 1 extra entry each

***This giveaway has ended!  Thanks so much for all your comments!  Congratulations to Lauren and Blore Knitter!  I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Do you sew?

If you do, you’ll want to move into this room the moment you see it!

This is one of those fabulous sewing areas where everything has a special place to be stored away. It’s all out of site and easily found. This sewing room is more of a “sewing nook” in the corner of a beautiful room.

Just take a moment to notice all the cabinets, drawers, and shelves LOADED with wonderful supplies. It would be so much fun to rent this house for a week, don’t ya think?

Here’s the other side of this dream room…

Wow! Isn’t that fantastic? I love the idea of having this room for visiting with everyone while you’re sewing, or just reading a magazine while waiting for inspiration to strike. You can’t beat that!

Details are everywhere…

This collection of vintage pincushions is pretty and practical at the same time. I need one of these cake pedestals!

Here’s something I haven’t seen before…

Fabric rolled up and placed in a shadow box is new to me! You can change it with the season while storing some of your fabric is a creative way.

I always like stare at my newest collection of fabric for awhile before cutting it. I leave it sitting out on my desk looking pretty. Am I the only one that does this? Just curious.

I can’t seem to get enough of sewing and crafting supplies! I’m always looking for fun ways to display or organize them so they don’t take over the house.

Feel free to share any tips or tricks you might use to keep things under control. Is it even possible?

~Kim

source

Help me welcome Susan from crafterhours with a fabulous tutorial…and a Twilltape.com giveaway! Whoo Hoo!

Hi there EverythingEtsy readers!  I’m Susan from crafterhours.  Adrianna and I sew and craft and blog about life stuff that (mostly) relates to sewing and crafting.  All week we’ve been working on a series called “Twill Tape Week” and we thought it would be a GREAT thing to share with EverythingEtsy readers for two big reasons.

First, twill tape is inexpensive. We’ve had a lot on hand ourselves recently and we’ve found half a bazillion things to do with it. Which is the second big reason you might be interested– it’s so multi-purpose. Make labels, tie packages and gifts, embellish clothing, decorate, make organizers. Print, paint, stamp, draw and sew on it. Juuuust a few of many directions. And… here’s one direction in particular:

Drawstring bags are one of the things we’ve been making lately. Bags for function, bags for fun. And what makes them extra fun? A peeking window. For showing your friends what you’ve got stashed. And also, admittedly, for mom. Because as a mom I really don’t enjoy opening a random bag to find, oh, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from a week ago. Or looking eeeeverywhere for a favorite toy and giving up, getting through the crying spell with toddler over it only to find it the next day, hiding.

Since these bags have windows, you’ll want to line them with a cute fabric. Want to make one yourself? Easy enough. All you need is: – Two pieces of coordinating fabric: 10″ x 18″ – One strip of fabric: 3″ x 20″ – A piece of vinyl (from the craft store or repurposed from packaging) – Two grommets (optional) – about 36″ of twill tape

First fold your 3″ strip in half and press. Place your grommets (or buttonholes would work just as well if you don’t have or want to use grommets) at about 5″ in from one end. This will eventually be the front center of your drawstring top.

Thanks Susan!  What a fun project and a great tutorial!

Be sure to visit Crafterhours for more Twilltape ideas and inspiration!

Here’s how to win a $25.00 gift certificate and one yard of custom printed twill tape:…

• Visit Twilltape.com and leave a comment here telling us what custom design you would print on your tape. (You can change your mind later!) {1 entry}
• If you spread the word by Twitter, Facebook, or blog post…leave a comment for each. {1 entry each}
• If you subscribe to Everything Etsy or Crafterhours blog, follow me on Twitter, or you’re a fan of our Facebook page…leave a comment for each. {1 entry each}

You have a lot of extra ways to win, but you have to do the first one to qualify.

**This giveaway has ended.  Thanks for all your comments.  The lucky winner is Jessica!  Congratulations!

This giveaway ends April 22nd…good luck!

~Kim

What do you think about this? I love, love, love the idea of storing fabric in vintage suitcases!

I have two of these beauties that I’ve been dying to use for sometime special. And I’m planning on printing out some of these sweet little labels from Just Something I Made. Go download some for yourself!

Cut Out and Keep has a great download to help you remember what fabric you have. Hmmm…anyone out there have this problem? I can’t wait to do this…talk about organized! Woo hoo!

This way I’ll know exactly the colors I need when I find a sale. That’s important!

Here are some beautiful canvas storage bins at Holly’s Street. I use baskets for storage, but this looks so much better. Don’t you love how pretty the colors look popping out of the top? I could have some fun with this little collection of fabric!

The Sometimes Crafter will show you how to make these cute fabric scrap baskets. I hate to throw away pieces I might be able to use later. They’re a great way to store you fabric scraps and they look fun to make.

What a great gift for the your crafty friend that has everything!

Whenever I see fabric in a basket like this I just start thinking of all the possibilities.  I’m a major basket fan.  And a basket case…Ha!

Film and Thread had this beautiful photo of hanging fabric. How neat and organized. I don’t usually buy that much of each fabric, but this seems like a great idea to save on ironing later. Anything that helps with ironing is a winner in my book!

Retro Mama has it made! I love just looking at beautiful fabric stacked like this! I must admit that I’ve tried to do this, but I’m not capable of folding fabrics and keeping them all the same size. I know, it’s sad. So for now I’ll just have to enjoy photos of fabric displayed so nice and neat.

So many of you said fabric storage was one of your biggest organizational challenges. It’s definitely one of mine! One post isn’t enough for this subject, so there’s more to come!

Right now I have my extra fabric in a box in the closet. I dig through it when I want to find something. Don’t judge…I’m working on it!

Do you display your fabric, or hide it like me?

~Kim

Look what I made! Yes, I’ve been on a bit of a sewing kick around here. When Venezie Designs announced a new apron pattern I was excited to be a tester.

Here’s the new pattern…

The Carmella Hostess Apron!

Isn’t it beautiful? Karen has worked so hard getting this pattern just right, and she always comes up with the prettiest fabric combinations for her projects. Venezie Designs has fabulous patterns that are easy to follow and they turn out looking like a million bucks. Isn’t that really what you want in a pattern?

I love the straps on the Melrose Tote. It’s a great project to use some of those fantastic new designer fabrics to create a one-of-a-kind beauty.

My family always lovingly picks on me when I bring out my sewing machine. Maybe it’s because I only sew every few years or so. Well, I’m trying to change that, and I actually remembered how to work everything on it this time around…that’s progress!

If you are new to sewing you can make this beautiful apron without any trouble. I did it in one evening. I meant to have the larger print on top, but I got confused when I was at the fabric store. One of the sheets to the test pattern got left on my printer somehow and I didn’t know how long to make the sash. I found it the next day. I guess it is a little funny around here when I start sewing!

Venezie Designs has been kind enough to offer one Everything Etsy reader a chance to make one of these beautiful Carmella Hostess Aprons using this wonderful pattern. They would make a great gift, don’t you think?

To win the Carmella Hostess Apron pattern, just tell me which Venezie Designs pattern you love. If you are an Everything Etsy subscriber, leave a second comment. If you spread the word of this comment by blog post, Twitter, or Facebook, leave a comment. You can leave a comment for each thing you do! {Up to 5 chances this time!!}

The giveaway ends 10/26 — Good luck!

***This giveaway is closed.  The winner is…Diane from depeagreendesigns.

Don’t forget to join us for WOW Wednesday!  Bring your Etsy deals and link up or come find a bargain on handmade goodies!  See ya there!

Awhile back I wrote a post about a Moda Layer Cake that I purchased without really having plans for it. It was just too pretty to pass up!

I wanted to make a quilt, but I was very nervous about starting a quilt, messing it up, and not being able to showcase this beautiful fabric all together. Simply using a little for this and that wasn’t what I had in mind.

I scoured numerous quilt blogs and found one that I could handle. I’m not the craftiest sewer on earth, so I need to keep it simple. Cicada Dreams has a wonderful tutorial that made it possible for me to complete this quilt.

That’s it! A tie quilt was the way to go for my first quilt! It gets used often and I’ve never ironed it. That’s why it’s a little wrinkled…but loved. That’s the way we like things around here.

Here’s a picture tutorial of the process…

I figured out the pattern and started sewing strips together. You will have to see Cicada Dreams for a “real tutorial” because I’m not qualified for teaching yet!

I ironed. I normally hate ironing, but it’s much nicer when you’re working on a project with beautiful material. The colors make me happy!

I pinned the strips together and started sewing them together one at a time. I got to use my little strawberry pincushion that I made a couple months ago. It helped me to at least look like I knew what I was doing.

I felt like I was making progress quickly and I was having fun. Then it was time for another trip to the store for the backing and more stuff. That really slows things down! Don’t you wish they delivered???

This is a photo of my not-so-evenly cut layers. I was starting to get a little tired, but I really wanted to finish! As you can see, I am not a perfectionist!

It finished up much easier than I thought it would. I didn’t happen to take any photos of it on my floor with the spray adhesive causing the layers to stick together wrong. That would be funny now, but at the time I was a little stressed. I suggest spraying adhesive LIGHTLY!

Once I finished all my sewing, I sat and watched a movie with everyone while I tied the knots with yarn in every other square. I can’t imagine what it’s like to hand quilt! The amount of work involved in that is amazing, and I have trouble just working on the same project for more than a few days.

Thanks for everyone’s comments on my earlier post asking what I should do with this fabric. Your information was so helpful! If you have any links to quilts you’ve made, just leave them in the comments today so I can come see!

Here it is again! It fits in perfectly in our colorful house, and I’m sure it will be around forever! There’s such a sense of accomplishment when you’re finished. I can see why people like quilting so much!

I’m planning on making one for our bed…King size. It’ll be in all cream colored fabrics. Wish me luck!

Reusable gift bags can make your gifts more memorable this Christmas! They are pretty enough to be a gift all by themselves. These bags are quick to sew and add that special touch to whatever you’re giving. And they’re a green alternative to wrapping paper because the can be used over and over again! Talk about a great gift!

Use baseball fabric for the sports fan in your family or puppy fabric for the dog groomer…the possibilities are endless and beautiful! You can find this reversible bag tutorial here from Sew4Home.

I’ve had the tutorial for this reusable bag saved for months! It looks great, and I love the tags she made. The bright colors in the fabric make the bags so cheerful.  Did you notice the painted clothes pins?  They are beyond cute, don’t you think?

Think about using them for birthdays, showers, teacher’s gifts, and maybe even keep one as a little gift to yourself for being so darn creative!

You can find this stunning reusable gift bag tutorial at Firefly Hill Style! It’s a beautiful blog.  Be sure to check out the Etsy shop…Firefly Hill Designs. You’re going to want to heart it!

So if you love these designs like I do, be sure to stop by their blogs and tell them. It’s so sweet that they shared such detailed tutorials!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I stopped by a brand new quilt shop near my house yesterday, and look what I found…a Moda Layer Cake. Did I need it? No. Do I have special plans for it? No. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. I just fell in love with the colors and had to have it!

The thought of a quilt sounds so cozy and nice, but I don’t have a clue on how to start. I’ve managed to make a few rag quilts in years past, but even that was a challenge for me.

This baby quilt has a look similar to what I’m thinking. Film on the Fridge is a beautiful quilting blog with so much information.

Cicada Dreams made this easy tie quilt.   Have you seen any other tie quilt photos? It seems like the easiest quilt I could make, but I do want it to last forever if I put all this work into it.

Crazy Mom Quilts is awesome! Her blog makes me want to get started today.

I know I can sew the squares together, but then it gets scary to me.  Are there any experienced quilters out there that would like to share a great website or book for a beginner like me?

What would you do with this fabric?

Get your sewing machine ready and dig out those old t-shirts! This is the perfect project to turn them into the cutest little dress around!

Ashley from Lil Blue Boo has just introduced her new Recycled T-Shirt Halter / Tie Back Dress ePattern and we will be giving away 3 of them to lucky Everything Etsy readers!

It’s an easy tutorial that even the most inexperienced sewer can follow, and it includes all of her tips and tricks for sewing knit fabrics. You can make this dress in about 2 hours!

The PDF pattern & tutorial includes:

• 33 pages of easy to follow step-by-step complete sewing instructions
• 92 full color images, diagrams and drawings to demonstrate pattern specifics
• 6 pattern pages which include separate patterns for sizes 12M, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5 & 6
• Bloomers pattern for the 12M and 2T sizes
• Options for halter straps, tie-back loops, or stationary straps
• Options for customizing your dress by adding a ruffle, pockets, and racing stripes/graphics

Lil Blue Boo is Ashley’s blog and it’s full of sewing tutorials and other fun stuff…check it out. Visit Lil Blue Boo’s Flickr photos for great examples of what you can do with this pattern!

What a great way to recycle your old t-shirts into something beautiful!

If you would, visit lil blue boo and take a look around.  Ashley has wonderful art for nursuries as well.  Comment here to be entered {that’s easy}.  To be entered a second time, spread the word by Twitter, blog post, Facebook, or something like that.  If you are an Everything Etsy subscriber, leave another comment and you’ll be entered again!  You have up to three chances to win!

The 3 lucky winners will be picked on August 18th.

***This giveaway is closed.  Thanks for all the entries….our luck winners are Andrea from The Train to Crazy, Priscilla from My Swaddle Babies, and Mandy!  Congrratulations and have fun with the pattern!

What is Project 95? It’s a network of independent quilt and fabric shops who have joined forces to promote shopping independents. Only 5 percent of fabric shops are independents! Isn’t it nice to have local fabric shops? They need support from us!

To find a local fabric or quilt shop, click here. Just enter your zip code and you are on your way to finding a great shop near you.

My local shop has great customer service, and I always leave with new ideas for my next project.

Do you have a local fabric shop in your area?