Blue Castle

Easy Hostess Gift - Make It!

Need a quick Hostess gift?

Here's something you can make with just a few scraps of fabric and some leftover batting.

Using a coaster I had on hand as a template, I cut out (for each coaster) two large squares from a canvas drop cloth, one square (slightly smaller) from batting, and one rectangle or square for decoration out of fabric left over from my baby quilt.

Using some scrap Steam-A-Seam cut slightly smaller than the quilting fabric, I steamed the quilt scrap onto the top piece of the coaster.

Then, I made a sandwich out of the fabrics like this: bottom piece - batting - top piece (all wrong sides together) and then I sewed about 1/2 inch in from the edges, all around the coaster's top.  I recommend making another stitching line about 1/8 of an inch inside the first line, for reinforcement. You will be able to see a bit of the batting peeking out, but don't worry about this.  You can trim it later.

Finally, I stitched around the inside of the quilting fabric scrap to anchor all the fabrics together and give it a quilted look.

After washing them, the coasters came out with a naturally "fringed" edge.

 

Here you can see that second line of stitching.  It helps to reinforce the coaster and keep that fringed edge from unraveling all the way.

Handmade Gift - Coasters

Here's a quick and easy gift idea you can customize for anyone.



Gather some scrap fabrics together (here I used 4 different, coordinating fabrics), and cut out four squares, using a coaster as a guide, or just cut it about the size you would like, adding a half inch on each side.



For this set, I wanted a pieced quilt look.  So, I took each square of the top fabric and folded it in fourths.  I quickly ironed the folds in and then cut along them.



One strip I left intact.  The next three I folded in fourths and cut as shown here.  One strip is cut with a 3/4 x 1/4 ratio.  The next is cut exactly in half.  The last one is cut into fourths.

I did this with each of the four top pieces.



I randomly selected the fabric pieces and sewed them together, keeping the strips roughly the same size.



I squared up the top pieces and then cut out batting (I used remnants of a $5 polyester WalMart blanket) and backing (plain cotton fabric) in the same size.



I layered the pieces together with the backing on top, then the top piece and the batting on the bottom.



I stiched all the way around the coaster, leaving an opening for turning. 

After clipping the seams close to the stitching, I turned the coaster right-side out and top stitched around the edge.



A set of 4 or 6, or more makes a lovely hostess gift.

Do Your Wrists A Favor

Have you ever seen those fancy wrist rests to use at your computer?  The ones that are filled with some kind of squishy beads?  I saw one the other day at an office supply store for $20 (!!!) and immediately thought, "I can make that!". 

Here's what I did:

I took my old wrist rest (is that what they're called?) and cut some fabric roughly the same shape. About 19 inches long and 4 inches wide. I cut two pieces out of regular, plain white cotton and two pieces out of some pretty fabric scraps I had left over.

These two plain pieces I sewed together, leaving an opening at one end.

Then, using the opening, I turned it right side out.

Through the opening, I then funneled plain, white rice. 

Back to the sewing machine, I stitched the opening closed on the outside of the inside bag.

I then made a "pillowcase" of sorts of the pretty fabric for my rice bag to go inside of, by stitching the two pieces, right sides together, and leaving one end open.  The open ends I folded over and finished individually so I could slip my rice bag inside.

The rice molds to my wrists and gives my hands a sort of "custom fit".  I can "smoosh" it around, if needed and it works perfectly.  Try it!  Your wrists will thank you, and so will the wrists of anyone else you gift this to.

Linking up to Kimba's DIY Day.  Stop over and check out all the great DIY ideas.

Gifts You Can Make - Perfectly Imperfect Posie Sachets

This is a fun twist on the standard square lavender sachet.

Start by cutting out 5 circles from paper.  The large one will be the size of your sachet, while the other 4 will be your flower.  The circles do not have to be perfectly circular.  Irregularities are part of this sachet's charm.

Using your paper patterns, cut out your fabric.  

This is what your sachet will look like with the flower put together.

Stitch the bottom piece of your flower to the top of your sachet.

Your stitching does not have to be perfect - just centered.

Stack the rest of your flower pieces and stitch down through the top piece.

Add the bottom piece of your sachet and stitch wrong sides together to the top piece.

 
Don't stitch all the way around - leave a small opening.

Use this opening to funnel dried Lavender into your sachet.

Use a chopstick to push the Lavender through the funnel.

Now, stitch the opening closed.

Voila! A perfectly imperfect posie sachet.

A trio made from complementary fabrics makes a lovely gift.

Looking for dried lavender?  The Bulk Herb Store is an excellent place to find it.

Want more DIY ideas?  Head over to A Soft Place To Land.

You Can Make This - Soda Lid Clock

Ever since finding this clock online, I’ve been slightly obsessed with finding more clocks like it.  And I did.  In fact, three of them.  But, seriously, I can’t spend money willy-nilly, so I have resorted to making my own.

K-mart has these fall decorations for $7.  Do you see what I see?

Looks like a soda bottle cap to me!

  

After painting the back with some acrylic craft paint, and drilling a hole in the middle for the clock works,  I made my own “label” on the computer and decoupaged it on.

I took apart an old, $3 clock and hot-glued the clock works to the back.  I had to use a plate hanger to hang it, but I’m pretty satisfied with the way it turned out.

It makes a nice, personalized gift, too.

Linking up to DIY Day at Kimba's A Soft Place To Land and Trash to Treasure at Reinvented.