Category: fabric project

fabric project, mini quilts, Uncategorized

Black and White Checkerboard Mini

Deb Gehringer

A couple of years ago I made The Ghost Quilt that resulted in dozens of cut-away corners. Not being one to waste and certainly being one who’s always looking for something to make with such things, I held on to them.

Knowing I wouldn’t get to this project anytime soon, I had to find a way to keep the corners together. I stacked bundles about 3 inches high then hand-sewed through them making a loop.

I put them in a bag, and then they sat for over a year and a half. One day in the middle of winter I went through my fabric looking for inspiration. My sewing room closet doesn’t allow for a lot of storage so upon finding the bundles I decided it was time to make something.

The first thing to do was make half square triangles. After chain piecing the pairs, pressing and trimming (a couple of days worth of work) there were over 160 HST!

A sane quilter wouldn’t have taken this project on for several reasons. First of all, the cut-aways were very small. Once sewn and squared, the HST measured 1 5/8″. Meaning once sewn into something they’d finished at 1 1/8″. That’s crazy small. But there I was.

Out of all the design options, I’d settled on checkerboard. I’ve got to admit, once sewn, I didn’t really like it. Once quilted, I still didn’t like it. But it’s a gift and I hoped the recipient would.

Here’s a few photos of the process…

As you can see, there were a lot of threads to cut AND I used quite a bit of starch due to the bulk.

Here’s the finished mini.

After putting it away for a few weeks then getting it out to photograph, I did end up liking it. I think the white binding is just right, too.

Overall, this was a challenge I felt I needed. I also found it interesting how at one point I was ready to toss it but decided not to, and in the end was glad I didn’t. 🙂

fabric project, home decor, how to, sewing

Make Your Own Custom-Sized Toss Pillows

Deb Gehringer

Recently I purchased a small chair and side table for a reading nook in my dining room (that I don’t want to use as a dining room). To add color to the corner, and because every chair needs a pillow, I decided to make my own. As a side note: purchased lumbar pillows cost a ridiculous minimum of around $45 and were too big.

Because my chair is on the small side, the pillow could be made from a fat quarter. Lucky! Right away I knew exactly what FQ I’d use—a whimsical flower print from the Etno collection by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics. It’s an older line that I love and was glad to finally use.

Also, I happened to have 2 new pillow forms on hand. They were 18” x 18” so I removed all the stuffing and resized them to 11” x 18”, then restuffed them.

I revisited my Zippered Quilt Pillow Block Cover Tutorial for a refresher on the zipper sewing technique and other necessary steps, and in no time I had a cute little pillow! It really dresses up the space and gives it a personal touch.

Another nice feature about this pillow size is no seam; the FQ sewed into a tube, giving the pillow a clean finish on top.

Not only is it a custom-made pillow, the total cost to make it is approximately $14 and about 1 hour and ½ of my time. A lot better than $45 AND made exactly how I wanted. 🙂

Since I liked that pillow so much and it was fun to make, I made another. I used the other pillow form and repeated the same steps. For this one I used a Hawaiian themed FQ my son gave me from his trip to Maui. It’s so bright and fun! I love it.

I’m really happy with these results, and I can change the pillows out when I want a new look. I’m now thinking about making some seasonal ones, too.




Christmas, fabric project, quilting, quilts, Uncategorized

A Mini Tree Skirt

Deb Gehringer

This Christmas season I bought a little 4’ pre-lit artificial tree to brighten up my sunroom. At first, I wasn’t going to do much but light it, then I decided to add a few decorations but keep it simple.

First, I hung a variety of colored bead strands then added crocheted snowflakes my daughter made me a while back. Wanting a rustic look, I found a lightweight star ornament with a deer scene that’s perfect for my ‘in the pines’ setting. My husband easily made a wire spring, drilled it into the bottom and voilà—a star topper is born! 🙂

Once I’d gotten to this point, I knew a tree skirt would be in order. Years ago, I purchased a 10” Dresden ruler for making mini tree skirts I gave as gifts, so already having that was great. I also had leftovers from five holiday fat quarters from last year’s stockings. It ended up I was able to get two Desden cuts from each—exactly what was needed.

I used a tonal white-on-white flower print (leftover from my Scrappy On Point Four Patch quilt) for contrast fabric, and luckily had enough Kona Red solid to make the bias binding. I was ready to go!

Sewing the Dresden pieces together goes really fast. I think it took me more time to press the fabric and cut them. 😉 I used a metallic holly berry print with a green background for the backing, also a leftover.

Figuring how to quilt it was a bit more of a challenge. On the others, I quilted a tree in each section but that required a lot of hiding thread ends that I didn’t want to do. I thought of going around circle after circle, but was afraid it would look like a spider web…so I let that idea rest for a few days.

Nothing else came to mind so I decided to give circles a try after all. To start, I quilted about ½” down from the center. I set up my walking foot guide to 1 ½” and continued from top to bottom.

The quilting ended up looking nice, and I don’t think it looks anything like a spider web. 😉

Next was attaching the binding. Since I lack experience with sewing circles, I knew my sewing skills would be put to the test, but overall it was a good turnout!

I now have a scrappy mini tree skirt and this little tree is decked out for the holidays!

If you’ve got a small tree, I suggest giving this project a try. It’s fast and easy. Also, these little tree skirts make great gifts, too.

Merry Christmas!

diy, fabric project, tutorials, Uncategorized

Re-cover Your Portable Ironing Board

Deb Gehringer

A few years ago I upcycled a plywood board that was used for delivering an irrigation pump. Not only was it the perfect size for a portable ironing board, it only needed two small holes plugged to ready it for its next purpose.

A new re-cover was long over due, so I got supplies ready and chose some pretty fabric for the top. Since winter is on the way, I decided to use a stylish pink, orange and white fabric to help brighten my space on darker days. Of course, this lovely print will do all year around.

The next step was to sew an approximate half inch seam along each edge.

Next, I removed the staples and took off the old top. I expected to see stained batting, but since I’ve stopped using a leaky iron it was still like new; I didn’t have to replace it (I did add an extra layer though).

After pressing my cover, my husband stapled on the batting then the fabric cover. After several staples and about ten minutes, I had a finished ironing board.

It’s so cheery!

To date, I have re-covered this board four times and each time it gives my sewing room a refreshed look. And it’s functional too. 😉

For more information on my exact process, here’s the blog post tutorial.

Note: I am not endorsed by any product I have photographed in this post; they are items I like, use and wanted to share information on.

fabric project, home decor, sewing, Uncategorized

Autumnal Table Runner

Deb Gehringer

With the fall season approaching, I’d decided to create an autumnal tablescape for my sofa table. Since June I’d been thrifting, something I’d never done much of before, looking for pretty and elegant items to coordinate with things I already had.

What I didn’t have was a table runner. My first thought was ‘What could I make using what I have?’, then remembering I’d stashed a narrow piece of white Essex Linen leftover from making napkins. Perfect!

While the piece was WOF, it wasn’t long enough to drape over the table ends, so I trimmed the fabric to 9 1/2″ wide by 34 1/2″ long giving nice coverage for my table that measures 11 1/2″by 38 1/2″.

I planned to hem and top-stitch, but after pinning one side it was apparent that it’d be too bulky so I left the edges flat and ran a zigzag stitch all the way around, giving it a bit of a rustic look.

Since the linen was white and not fall-like, I decided to tea dye it. This wasn’t something I’d ever tried before but it was so easy and rather fun! I quickly found a YouTube video with all the info I needed.

Because the runner is a bigger piece of fabric, I doubled the recipe for dyeing: 5-6 tea bags to 2 cups of boiling water (this doubled, using black tea). If you’ve never tea dyed before, just boil the water, add the tea and let it set for 15 min. Remove the tea bags and place your item in the bowl, making sure it’s covered. Allow it set for at least 15 minutes, or until the desired color is achieved. I soaked mine for 2 hours, occasionally turning the fabric. NOTE: Tea dyeing works with natural fibers only.

Once it’s the color you want, remove and rinse with cold water. I gently rolled mine in a towel to remove the excess water. After unrolling and smoothing it flat, I placed it in the sun until dry.

On the first day of autumn I set up everything and am really pleased. 🙂 It’s a lovely display for fall and will do nicely through Thanksgiving.

This is a great way to give your space some seasonal vibes, and if you’re a thrifter, it’s fun to go on the hunt for just the right things.

fabric project, how to, Uncategorized

Fun Rag Wreath Projects

Deb Gehringer

When we quilters make a quilt we also create a lot scraps—it’s seems to be a never ending cycle. Other than making scrappy quilts, there’s always the question of what to do with scraps, especially if they’re not very wide. While scrolling Pinterest, I found the answer—a rag wreath.

Not only are they pretty, they’re easy and fun, and they use up a lot of scraps! What I especially like about this project is anything goes…from the wreath size to the color scheme. There are plenty of options, too. You can make it all one color, make one for a particular holiday or season or create a completely scrappy one using what’s on hand.

To get started, choose a wreath frame (one with 4 wires) and gather scraps.

Because I’d never made one before, I needed to know what else was involved so I watched a few YouTube videos. After that, I decided on the 12″ size because making an 18″ wreath would have required more strips than I had and I didn’t want to create even more scraps. 😉 Also, 12″ would be better suited for a 30″ interior door.

I purchased the frame at Michael’s for $3.99 + tax. Through videos I found others went to the dollar store and got theirs for a dollar!

YouTube makers offered different suggestions on strip size. I opted for 1 1/4″ wide by 8″ long.

They also showed various methods of tying on the strips. I decided to go with the most popular way that’ll give the fullest wreath. Here’s how: tie one strip into a knot over two pieces of metal, tying on one side, then the opposite, then tying one in the middle. This process continues within each frame section.

Here’s what the back looks like.

Mine has several different fabrics (from quilts made long ago) giving it plenty of color.

All in all, I’d say it took me the better part of a day to make this from start to finish. And how many strips did it take you ask? 190. That’s a lot of strips!

Since I enjoyed this project, I decided to make a larger one in red, white and blue for the summer holidays. This time I went to the Dollar Tree and purchased a 14″ frame for $1.25. 🙂

I cut my strips from left over fat quarters, 2 1/2″ strips and yardage. Because I was using only two colors that had prints, I opted for at least 6 different kinds from the red and blue fabrics. I used all solids for the white. I think it ended up with a nice variety without too much repeat. This wreath was a bit larger than the other; totaling 232 strips!

I enjoyed watching these wreaths come together, and it was a pretty relaxing project to do. It’d also be a good one to take on the go. If you’re ever in need of a fun, handmade gift, I think a recipient favorite-colored wreath would be an excellent choice.