random.on purpose.

I love that there are people in the world who can articulate emotion

...and what to do with it, and how to evoke more:

Today's gem from Alexandra Franzen: Add to the Love in the world

I'm working on about eight different things right now - I'll post some of them later, k?  Have a good one!

(image source)

Thrifty Thursday - back again

It's been a really, REALLY long time since I've done a Thrifty Thursday post!  I don't know if I'll get back to doing it with any kind of regularity, but I messed around with some stuff yesterday and this morning, so I thought I'd share today and the label fit, so there you go!

So, exactly how much fun can you have for $3.88?  If you pick up one of these tablecloths from WalMart:

 you can have AT LEAST three times much fun as this:

Why do I say three times as much?  Because I made everything you see in the photo above from less than one-third of the tablecloth! (As you may have already noticed, I only used the one on the left - I may or may not get around to playing with the other one...)   I will warn you - this is a LONG post and has MANY pictures!   Turn back now if that will overwhelm you!  If not, let's start simple, shall we?

These are beanbags - probably the easiest thing on the planet to make!  Here's what you do:

Cut a piece of the tablecloth that is three full squares high, with a half-square above and below, by seven squares wide, with a half-square at each end, like this:

  or this:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

depending on where you want the pattern to be on your finished beanbag.  Fold in half, wrong sides together, and begin stitching almost at the end of the side opposite the fold, and right where the red and white squares meet (make sure the back is lined up with the front):

Stitch to the corner of the white square, leave the needle in your work, lift the presser foot and pivot your work 90 degrees, sew down the next side to the corner, pivot, turn and sew the edge by the fold - continue until you are sewing down the side you started on, but only go about an inch down that side.  Clip the threads.  You should have this:

See that opening?  Using a funnel if necessary, pour rice or popcorn into the opening until your beanbag is as full as you'd like, then sew the entire edge on the machine to close the opening.  Trim around the edges with pinking shears to remove excess fabric and make it pretty , and you end up with this:

  or this: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't want to make beanbags, you can use the exact same pieces and make coasters instead.  Just go all the way around all four sides instead of leaving an opening, then trim.  I thought they'd be cuter if I also stitched along the lines between the squares, too, so I did:

Want to make a pouch to carry the beanbags in?  Sure you do!  Here's how you do that:

Cut a section of tablecloth that is eleven full squares wide, with a half square at each end, and five full squares high, with a half square along the bottom, and a three-fourths square (more or less - I just cut along the tops of the hearts) along the top.  Also cut a smaller strip seven full squares wide with halves at each end, and one full square high, with halves at top and bottom:

First we're going to hem the top edge of the larger piece.  Do this by folding that 3/4 row to the wrong side, tucking the raw edge back under to meet the fold, and stitching.  I used a zig-zag stitch.  (I also forgot to take a picture of this step, you can see the wrong side in the photo below this one):

Fold the piece in half width-wise and stitch along the half-heart row, so you only have full hearts on the finished piece.  Trim the seam and stitch the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch to finish:

 

Leaving the piece exactly as it is, sew across the bottom where the half square and full square rows meet:

We need to square the bottom, so this is how we accomplish that:  Open the corner and manipulate the sides and bottom until the seams of each are lined up and you have a triangle.  Stitch across the triangle where it is two full squares wide, then trim the excess:

  


Repeat for the other side.  Since there is no side seam there, just line up the bottom seam with where the fold was.  You can look inside to see where you are, if it helps:

Turn the entire thing right side out, and you have this:

Now we need a handle.  That smaller strip that you cut earlier - you can see it in the pic waaay up there - is going to become the handle.  Lay it wrong side up, fold the half-square rows to the center, and stitch right down the middle with a zig-zag stitch to catch everything and hold it together:

  

Tuck the half-square at one end inside the top edge of your pouch, lining it up with the top edge, and centering it on the side seam.  Stitch it on (I used a zig-zag stitch, and double-stitched it).  Repeat for the other end of the handle on the opposite side of the pouch, centering between the two full squares on the other side (since there's no side seam):

   

And that's it!  Four of the beanbags will fit in this little pouch:

The purse is made basically the same way - hem the top edge, sew the side seam, sew the bottom seam, square the corners - with a couple of changes and additions.  Cut the body piece twenty-one full squares wide, beginning and ending with a red row.  It is eight full squares high, beginnng with a white row and ending with a red one.  The handles (there are two) are fifteen sqares wide by one square high + half squares top and bottom.  The picture below shows seventeen squares wide, but I ended up trimming my pieces when I went to attach them - I thought that they were too long:

  

The hem is a full square folded to the inside, instead of a three-fourths square.   When you sew across the triangles to square up the bottom, sew across three full squares instead of two:

  

Make the handles the same way as you did for the beanbag puch.  To attach them, I left the entire piece inside out and flattened it back out like it was before the bottom was squared up.  Lay one handle wrong-side up on the table, lay the purse body over it, with one square of the handle aligned with the top edge of the purse body, and at the edge of the full square closest to the side seam, as shown below.  Lay the other handle, right-side up, on top of everything else, again lining up one square with the top edge, and making sure everything is even:

  

Stitch across the top ege through all layers of the handles and purse body.  Leave the needle in the piece and pivot 90 degrees, stitch until you get to the edge of the hem, pivot and stitch along that edge until you get to the other side of the handle, pivot and stitch back up to meet where you starte, pivot and take a few stitches to reinforce and finish off:

  
  

Repeat for the other side with the other ends of the handle strips, making sure that you don't get them twisted.  You will now have this:

Turn the entire thing right side out.  Now we're going to make a piece to stabilize the bottom.  Cut a piece of cardboard 3 3/4" wide x 8 3/4" long.  Lay it on the tablecloth and cut around it, like so:

Flip the fabric over so it is facing wrong-side up.  Center the cardboard piece on it and trim off the corners.  Put adhesive around all four side of the cardboard, fold the fabric over and press into the adhesive:

  

Turn it over and tuck it inside the bottom of the purse, right side up.  Now all we need is a closure!  Cut a strip of the tablecloth one full square wide, with half squares on each side, and four full squares high.  Fold the half square rows to the wrong side, then fold the entire piece in half.  Sew down one side, from the raw edges to the fold, pivot and sew across the fold, pivot and sew back up the other side to the raw edges:

  
  

You will end up with a finished flap.  Tuck it inside the top edge of the center back of the purse as shown, and stitch across the entire flap with a zig-zag stitch (twice) to sew it securely to the purse.

  

We're going to sew the hook side of a Velcro closure to the free end of the flap by sewing a big "X" across the square.  We're going to sew the loop side of the Velcro to the front of the purse by stitching in a sort of hourglass shape:

  

And that completes the purse!

Want something easy now?  How about a tube?  Cut a strip three full squares wide with half squares on each side, and nine full squares high, with half squares top and bottom.  Hem the bottom by folding one and a half squares to the wrong side, and topstitching across a full square on the right side.  Then fold the whole thing in half lengthwise, right sides together, and sew the side seam (the usual half-square dealie-o).  Trim excess fabric:

  
  

Turn the tube right side out, cinch the hemmed end with a rubber band, and tie a bow around it to cover the rubber band.  Tuck in a square and a half on the unfinished end, then fill the tube as you like (candy for the kidlets or, like I did, two bottles of Stickles for a crafty friend).  Tie a ribbon around the unfinished end to close (no need for a rubber band here), and you're done!

 

One last project for you - tired yet?  This one is an envelope.  Cut a section of the tablecloth five full squares wide with half squares on each side, and eleven full squares high with half squares top and bottom (I trimmed the top edge of my piece after I took the photo below - sorry!).  Hem the top edge by folding a double hem and stitching, as we've done on the purse and pouch, only this time we want to end up with a half square row along the top, as shown below:

  

To form the pointed flap of the envelope, fold the strip in half lengthwise, and sew across the bottom along the half-square line.  Clip the corner, trim the seam, finger-press the seam open, and turn the point right-side out:

  
  

Topstitch across the flap to hold the self-lining in place.  Fold the hemmed edge up, right sides together, to form envelope body.  You want to pay attention to the bottom edge, making sure that you have the fold exactly between two rows of full squares:

  

Sew the side seams along the half-square edges and trim the bottom corners.  In order to make a nice, finished look when we fold the envelope shut, we need to do the following:  Fold the side seam and the bit of the flap that's not in the seam toward the inside of the envelope.  Stitch from the edge of the flap to the bottom of the hem, as shown.  Repeat for the other side.  Turn envelope right side out.

  

We're going to sew the hook side of the Velcro to the flap, but this time we're going to stitch around the heart instead of through it (you can do this - take your time...).  Figure out where the loop side of the Velcro needs to be on the envelope front, then stitch it on - I did a square around the outside edges this time:

  

And now that project's all finished!

Here's the group shot again:

So, was that fun or what?!  If something is unclear or you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment.  Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Why I need a daily dose of Seth's blog...

The man is just so dead-ON all the freakin' time!  Today's brilliance:

One option is to struggle to be heard whenever you're in the room...

The other is to be the sort of person who's missed when you're not.

The first involves making noise.  The second involves making a difference.

Have a fabulous day!

The "Between" Times

As I was walking past my front door this morning I caught a glimpse of the sunrise in the window, so I stopped to gaze at it for a bit and appreciate the beauty of it.

As I watched the deep pinks pale into pastels as the light grew, it occurred to me that I loved the "just before" colors better:  just before daylight - just before dark, too.

My soul responds to the "between" times - between daylight and dark (whether daybreak or day's end), between calm and storm, between this task and that.

The respite from one thing and the anticipation of the next plays into this, certainly.  But I truly do appreciate these between times on their own merit.  Something to do with the stillness, no doubt.

"Be still" is a phrase that always stirs a profound response in my heart and soul.  It is in stillness that angels speak, that muses sing, that insights and inspiration come.  It is in stillness that hearts are filled and souls fed.  Amen and amen...

(Photo taken between daylight and dusk, October 2010)