Quick Tea Cosy out of a Mug Rug

Wisconsin is cold in the winter, but this is ridiculous. My thermometer reads -15 degrees and the Weather Channel is says it feels like -49 degrees! I don't remember it ever being this cold. Ever. 

Light bulb!

So when I made tea this morning, I wanted it to stay hot. Really hot. I have been meaning to make a tea cosy for my teapot, but hadn't gotten around to it.

For my birthday my mom had made me some mug rugs. They are very nice for breakfast tea and muffins. The backside is made from a soft flannel which makes it insulated. I figured I could spare one for a re-purposed project. I headed to my sewing machine to make a tea cosy before my tea cooled off.

Impromptu Project

I had some hair elastics I keep on hand for various projects. I grabbed four of them, one for each corner.

I attached them securely with a zig zag stitch and trimmed the loose threads.

5 Minutes later...

 With my tea pot in the middle, I looped the elastics around the top of the cover.

 

And, voila! A Quicky Tea Cosy!

And my tea wasn't even cooled off yet.

This project took me like 5 minutes. So quick. And I re-purposed a really cute thing I will use day after day. If you don't have a mug rug, how about a pot holder or thick towel? Keep thinking and adapting to your own style.

 Now my tea will stay warm, even in the sub-zero weather.

Do you have a good re-purposed idea?  Post it below!

Making Felted Acorns - Kit Review

Artistic Wake-up Call

I was up late on Pinterest last week, slouching over the computer with glazed eyes, pinning ideas to a cyber board of intangible projects. Scrolling, scrolling, clicking, clicking in hypnotized addiction, each pin making me hungry for more. All of the sudden, I felt my artistic psyche grab me by the shoulders, slap me in the face and say, 

"Hey, wake up you crazy woman! (shaking me silly) Get off the dang computer and start creating something from these ideas you keep pinning, for crying out loud!"

Awakened into reality, I ran to my studio to work on something, ANYTHING that would make me feel creative. As it was late, I decided I couldn't start anything too big, so grabbed a kit of the shelf that I purchased off Etsy.  It was just the thing I needed to revive my artistic soul.

Felted Acorn Kit by Fairyfolk

Felted Acorn Kit by Fairyfolk

  Making felted acorns was something I've wanted to do for a long time. I thought I like to use them with my fabric oak leaves, although I didn't have a specific project in mind.

Fabric oak leaf from Artfully Sew

Donni's kit was so fun and easy to use!  The directions were easy to follow, even my 9 year-old daughter, N.J. helped me make some. 

Aren't these babies cute, cute, cute?

The kit came with multi-color wool, directions, superglue and acorn caps. All you need is water and a little bit of dish soap.  My advice to you is to follow the directions.  I didn't take time to measure the acorns with the caps as I made them so some of my "nuts" are too big for the caps.  I should have listened to you, Donni!  

I didn't take pictures (kicking myself) so I have photos from Fairyfolk to share. The photo below is a different kit with green colored wool.  Donni has many different kits with different colors to choose from.
 

From wool to acorns, lickety split!

Finished Felted Acorns

If you don't want to make your own, Fairyfolk also has finished acorns to choose from as well as many other beautiful items and kits. I think these are great for fall decorating.  Wouldn't they look great in a wooden bowl?

Finished Felted Acorns by Fairyfolk

So if you're sick of staring at the computer screen and want a quick and easy project, consider this as your cyber slap in the face. I'll be your artistic psyche and say, 

"Get off your butt and go work on one of those great projects you pinned!  Or if you need a kick start, check out Fairyfolk and order a kit."

Artfully sewing,

Angela Jean
Artfully Sew

Experiencing a light bulb moment?

I could use some ideas on how to combine my oak leaves with the finished acorns into a finished project.  Add your brainstorming ideas below:

Favorite kid's shirt repurposed as a bookbag

What to do with outgrown favorites
I'm sure everyone has a stack of kids clothes from years gone by that have become treasured keepsakes. Eventually I would like to make a T-shirt quilt for each kid but Nora had a toddler shirt that was just too cute to pack away.  I also really like the back of the T-shirt and didn't want it to get lost in a quilt top.  After a bit of brainstorming, I decided to make a cute little book bag.  

Materials used
Nostalgic Toddler T-shirt (a backside print is optional)
Blue Jean Skirt
Embroidered Belt

Other materials:
Fusible webbing (I use Pellon Wonder Under 805)
Scissors
Clear Ruler
Sewing Machine
Thread

Before you cut
Making that first cut is always so hard because it feels wrong to cut up something you really love.  Sometimes it's wise to listen to your gut because not every piece of fabric or clothing should be re-purposed. Before you make a cut, answer these questions to decide to save or cut:

• Is the original fabric free of stains or rips? 
• If it's clothing, will it something that will pretty much never go out of style?
• Will the new project be used less than it's original design?
• Does my child mind if I cut it up for a project?

 If you answered "YES" to any of the questions it may mean you are not ready to re-purpose this item. The shirt I used in this project did have a few permanent stains and although it doesn't seem to be something that would go out of style, Nora really loved this shirt and didn't want to part with it.  It seemed more useful to re-purpose it instead of tucking it away in a box.

As you can see in the above picture, I cut up the sides of the shirt and around the sleeves. I also cut away the seams because they are bulky and weird looking. I did the same on the backside of the shirt.

 
Add the webbing to make an applique
Before cutting the final shape I wanted for the applique, I took the unfinished shirt and cut a piece of webbing to attach.  My favorite fusible webbing is Pellon 805, but use whatever you like.  You will want webbing that is able to be sewn through or you will gum up your sewing machine.

Helpful Tip: Be sure to measure the webbing with the glue/rough side facing the back of your shirt. Lightly iron the webbing to make it stick slightly to the shirt.  You can permanently fuse it later.  

Once the webbing was lightly attached I used my clear ruler to cut the applique down to about 10'' X 12".  Trimming the rectangle to a rounded edge gave the piece a softer look. 

I did the exact same for the backside piece/applique.  Now on to the bag.

Make a simple bag
Remember what I said about making sure your kid doesn't mind if you re-purpose the clothing before you cut?  That advice is from experience.  The belt I used in this project was one Nora had wanted to keep.  She was kinda upset I cut it up for this project.  Oops.

I also used a skirt I had from long ago before I gave birth to three kids.  Yeah, it's never going to fit me again so it felt good to cut it up with scissors. It was also a great choice for a bag because it's very heavy denim and will be very durable.  

The bottom of the skirt lended itself well for a bag shape. The hem became the top of the bag so I would automatically have a finished edge.  Before sewing up the seams I added the appliques.  I have learned the hard way the importance of checking and rechecking the placement of appliques before ironing.  Wish I had a picture to show you, but I got so into the project, I forgot to take a shot!

After the appliques were fused I added a tight zig zag stitch along the edge to secure it and add texture. Plus, this will make the bag more durable and easy to wash in the machine.  

I turned it right sides together and sewed along the side and bottom to close.  I felt the bag winged out a bit so folded in the bottom corners a bit and stitched along there to make it more symmetrical.  

I halved the belt and added the loops to the bag. Easy peasy!  

And there you have it.  A finished bag that will be used for years to come!

Do you have an idea to re-purpose favorite clothes or fabric?  List them below in the comments. I'd love to hear them.  

Artfully sewing,

Angela Jean

Chickens, Kitties and Veggies

Sometimes a picture says a thousand words.  

It was a beautiful morning!

Enjoy the day.

Early morning sun salutations

Purple cone flower

Queenie, oh mighty queen of the flock

Charlie Chaplin is a lovely thing

 

Happy, free-ranging chickens

Baby cucumber

Beyond Canned Ravioli

Being an artsy family has its pros and cons.  One of the cons is that cooking is pretty low on the list of priorities. Who wants to cook when you can quilt, play piano or take photos?  We've all gotta eat, though, so I'm always looking for short cuts to make cooking easy and quick. 

On my most recent trip to the store, Tom asked me to pick up some quick and easy meals for his lunches for work.  He suggested canned ravioli.  Yuck.  But, okay, it's your lunch.  

Aldi has been our store of choice lately.  I like the prices and the fact that I can shop in 30 minutes without having to make choices between brands.  But, when I looked at the label of the ravioli, I was kinda grossed out.  Not only were the calories high, who knows how many preservatives are in there, not to mention the "mystery" meat. Plus, I know Tom.  Although the label says it serves "about 2", he's going to eat the whole can, which doubles the calories, sodium and fat. This seemed to be a 69 cent can of evil.  I decided I could not feed this to my husband!  I needed to find a healthier yet quick replacement to canned ravioli.


I grabbed a jar of spaghetti sauce, a set of freezer containers and a bag of frozen ravioli (I had to head to Pick N Save for this).  I think the cost was about $8 for everything.

When I got home from the store I immediately started on my food project.  After washing the freezer containers, I divided the frozen ravioli in 4 containers, which was about 10 each. Then I popped open the spaghetti sauce and poured it over top.  

I added the covers and, voila, four lunches ready for the freezer!  I swear it only took me about 5 minutes. Easy peasy! Plus the fat, calories and sodium all came down to a much healthier choice.  Sigh of relief.

Do you have an easy meal to share with me?  I'm always looking for ideas for this crazy family.  Share your ideas below in the comments.

Artfully sewing,

Angela Jean

Eddie Bauer Dress make over!

Over the 4th of July weekend I went shopping with my best friend, Tash.  We love to find deals, so we went to the local outlet mall. 



While browsing in Eddie Bauer a dress called out my name.  I'm always attracted to green, but this was pretty plain. There were about a dozen of the army green dresses on the rack in various sizes.  



The price was originally $89.99 and it was reduced to $24.99. I loved the style so I decided I could spruce it up, Artfully Sew style!




In my usual way, I pictured an orange flower, curly cues and the like.  I pulled out my old daisy pattern which I've used in the past for my crazy daisy bookmarks. 

I keep all my patterns in file folders.

I love using the Color Planning Tool!

I traced my pattern onto fusible webbing.  I have found the best webbing for machine and hand stitching is Pellon Wonder Under 805. My other favorite tool is the Ultimate 3 in 1 Color Tool. I use it all the time to match my colors both for fabric and embroidery thread. 

 I fused the daisy to my dress and blanket stitched around all the pieces.  I also chain stitched some curly cues for the vine-like leaves.

 
 The flower at the bottom looked a little off balance, so I added some embroidered flowers on the top shoulder on opposite side of the appliqued flower.

Embroidered daisies using a chain stitch

 Since I still had thread left, I decided to add a small flower on the back of the dress. Doodle, doodle, doodle!

 Here's the original dress.

 And here it is after the Artfully Sew additions:

I'm going to wear this dress for my birthday trip to see a theater production of Les Miserables with the family.  Whoot, whoot!

What things do you have in your closet that could use an embroidered daisy here, an appliqued birdie there?  Share your ideas and ask questions in the comments below.

Keep Artfully Sewing!

Angela Jean