The De-Stash Project

It's time. Time for what? A massive de-stash.  I am terrible for holding onto fabrics for some future time. Well it's time.  I am going to be bold and try and use up as much of my stash as I can with different projects - pillows, table runners, throws etc.  Watch out for new items, tutorials and a new Etsy shop.  Yes, ANOTHER one!

TV Project 1: Kimono Coasters

Kimono silk is just something I can't resist, it's sexy makes me think of geisha.  It's also awkward to work with, since it is so sheer and thin.  I like to always have a project on the go that I can do while watching TV. So this is my TV project du jour.   

NOTE: The instructions for the rosettes can also be used to make the ones you saw on the boudoir pillow.  Imagine a pillow with kimono silks! Ooh la la, get your Valentine's horny on!

Level: Beginner
Time: 2 hours per coaster
Cost: $2 (approximately
Materials and Tools:
Hexagon template, size: 1 inch per side
Kimono silk scraps (or scraps of cotton quilt weight fabric) in three different patterns in similar colors.
1/2 yard of grey felt
Thread in contrasting color and matching color
Pins
Scrap paper
Needle
Iron
Scissors for fabric
Scissors for paper

- First cut seven hexagons out of scrap paper
- You are going to need one hexagon from one patterned fabric then three each from two additional patterns
- Place your paper hexagon onto the wrong side of your chosen fabric and pin in place
- Cut around the hexagon with a quarter inch seam allowance
- Fold the fabric seam over the paper and tack all the way round with the contrasting thread
- Remove pin
- Do this with all seven hexagons
- The one hexagon cut from a different fabric to the other six is the center of the rosette
- Take this hexagon and a hexagon of another pattern place them with right sides facing each other and sew the seams together with whip stitch
- Continue doing this until you have all six hexagons of alternating pattern sewn to the center one
- Iron your rosette so the seams are nice and sharp
- Remove the paper from the center hexagon and pin to the felt
- Cut out the felt so that the rosette is pinned to smaller piece of felt with some excess fabric around it.
- Remover one paper from an outer hexagon and pin to the fabric with the seam folded under
- Sew the edge with a running stitch
- Do this hexagon by hexagon until all edges are sewn to the felt
- Trim off the excess felt
- Press with iron
- DONE

Pimping My Boudoir 2: Throw Pillow

It's true, throw pillows are probably the cheapest and most effective way of giving your decor a facelift!  My sister-in-law is obsessed with them and has passed that obsession on to me.  I don't have a zipper foot for my sewing machine yet so decided to do a sleeve instead.  It worked well enough, but in the future I would make the overlap larger as the pillow is a little visible at the back.  Anyway, this is all good practice for making items to sell. 

To Etsy or Not to Etsy?

'Fresh Fun Home' by L1zW

A modern, homely living space full of light and space.

When I first signed up to Etsy I was so excited to find this wonderful site full of creative people. I was inspired to enough to start my own shop - Phyllis B - but was not too successful. There were a number of reasons for this but my overall summary is that Etsy is good for buying, not really for selling. There is even a blog now devoted to problems with Etsy called Etsy Bitch and while I don't always agree with their posts, I think it is important to highlight some issues with the site. That said, after a hiatus of over a year ( I was in Zambia and online shopping is a bit of a pipedream there) I have come back to discover that there have been vast improvements. The site is slick and finally they have made it easier to create treasuries, (though bizarrely there is no code generator to share them). What I sell there again? I doubt it as I still think they are not seller friendly. But I still think it is great for fabulous design inspiration and original items.

Now a big big thank you to Whaleshark Websites that has an awesome HTML generator for treasuries, making this possible.

MidwestFinds $15.00	ThistleTreeVin... $25.00	appetitehome $16.00	roddyandginger $35.00
IngeIVStudio $24.00	elementclaystu... $45.00	BurlapAndBlue $14.00	dbabcock $45.00
summersville $8.50	LoucheLab $20.00	marybethhale $20.00	BurlapAndBlue $27.00
StellaDeer $4.25	TippyTumble $12.00	lunarloungedes... $1100.00	dbabcock $45.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Soft Stackables

We had quite a bit of foam left over from the chaise longue pad so I decided to cut it into four and cover them with the same chitenge fabric we have been using for the living space. These can be used as scatter pads for extra seating, extra padding on the seats, or to rest your feet on! Because we have a mix and match style to the room, cushions and pads can be moved around as we like for however we want to be comfortable.

The reed mat was an absolute bargain buy, they are used outside a lot here for sitting on, they are really comfortable and I plan to keep this one in here for lounging. I will keep it rolled up when we're not using it though because the room gets so dusty. It's also been useful as a space for cutting out fabric so I don't pick up any of the dust off the floor. It goes really well with the natural fibres of the room and lightens it nicely.

A New Addition

I would like to introduce my new and rather ornate looking sewing machine! I have been looking into sewing machines for a while but the more modern ones are pretty pricey, and since I have a good sewing machine back in the UK, AND I want one for a short time here, it seemed silly to buy an expensive one. Thankfully, my favourite taxi driver Litiyah also has a secret talent – he makes a fabulous personal shopper and new exactly where to take me to find something basic and affordable. So here we have the 'Flying Dove'. It looks like a Singer but is more cheaply made, when I saw it in the shop it was a manual with a hand crank, which would be a great work out for my arm! Anyway, for a little extra they were able to fit a motor so that I can use it with electricity. It works fine, though there is no zig zag stitch, the thread snaps and the motor smokes a little when you go too fast, but I managed to make some curtains with it, and I find it easier to operate than more fancy machines. I don't think it is up to things like appliqué, but I prefer to do that by hand anyway.

Beginnings

Here are a few snapshots of our new living area. I love the wood floor and stairway. As you can see, we have a door that opens onto a communal garden, but we also have a little raised bed of our own where I want to start a small herb garden.
We are here quite temporarily so we don't have huge plans for the house itself, but we do want to make a nice living area. We recently got the first season of Mad Men on DVD and love the 1950s style offices with the dark colours, clean lines and the artsy prints and we are using that as our inspiration. As you can see the floor is an excellent start.
It's a lovely big space and I am not a fan of clutter, I am considering a scatter cushion area in the future though, with a mat. Anyway, we'll see.

I also want to make some quilt tops. You can get batting here but it isn't cheap. I am wondering whether to make patchwork covers for blankets in the cold season - a little like a duvet cover.