Travel Tissue Case

Looking for a "happy" to give your coworkers or relatives? Need some stocking stuffers? The travel tissue case is so cute and easy to make. They are great to stick in your purse, a diaper bag, locker or desk.

All you need is coffee (well, it was first thing in the morning), fabric, scissors, and thread. I am working on an order for 20 cases. I used my rotary cutter and mat to speed up the cutting process.

I had three selections of fabric, which I ordered from Heather Bailey. Each piece was 1/2 yard (1/2 yard of 44" fabric will make 7 cases). First, I cut the fabric into 6 inch strips. This means my strips were 18" x 6". I took the strips and cut 3 pieces that were 3 3/4" x 6" and 1 piece that was 4 3/8" x 6 inch.

Actually, I took a short cut. One set of the 3 3/4" x 6" pieces were cut on the fold. That means when it was open, it was 7 1/2" x 6". I did this because it saved a cut, and those two pieces are staying together anyway as the bottom of the case.

Next, I ironed the pieces. Take one of your 3 3/4" x 6" pieces and fold it in half as shown below. We teachers like to call that the hotdog fold. Do the same thing with the 4 3/8" x 6" piece of fabric. I ironed the last piece to make sure the fabric was smooth.

Lay one of the 3 3/4" x 6" pieces wrong side up on your table. Lay another 3 3/4" x 6" piece on top of it-wrong sides together. (Or-if you took my shortcut, lay the 7 1/2" x 6" piece on your workspace folded with wrong sides together so that it looks like one 3 3/4" x 6" piece facing you.) Take the 3 3/4" x 6" piece that you ironed in half and lay it on top of those two pieces. Then, lay the larger piece that you ironed in half on top. Make sure that the folds are facing the center of the case and line up the corners. The two top pieces will overlap in the center. Pin these together.

Sew around the edges and clip the corners.

Turn the case right side out and pull out the corners. Iron. Insert the tissue pack. VOILA!

Let me know if you try this out! I enjoy getting your messages! Let me know if you have any further questions.

Check out other DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land.

Refurbished Picture Frame

This frame was a previous gift from a family member.....sorry! I think it was given to me when I still lived at my parents' house during college. It didn't match my current decor so it had been stored away. I got the idea to paint it and add a flower like I saw on the blog, My Mama Made It. So I did it. I just painted several coats of off-white craft paint on the frame. Then, I took a scrap of brown linen to cut my petals. I simply cut a strip of fabric that was about 30"x7" and folded it in half. Then, I cut petals with the fabric still folded. Don't bother with a pattern. As you cut the petals, decrease their size a little. I ended up with 15 petals. Start layering the petals, spiraling as you go. Start with the largest petals on bottom and end with the smallest. Next, thread a needle and sew an x in the center to hold the petals in place. Fold the group of petals in half and run your needle through. Fold it in half the other way, and run your needle through again. I did this a few times. Finally, secure the thread with a knot on the back. I used a hot glue gun to attach the flower to the frame. VOILA!

Before:

After:

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Personalized Wall Hanging

I went to a few yard sales this last weekend hoping to get some crafty inspiration....it worked! I bought several items that I plan to put my touch on. I saw a neat idea for personalizing plates at320 Sycamore. I used her idea and instructions to personalize a wall hanging. I got this nifty piece for 50¢. As you can see it was painted with a picture of fruit....not really my style. So I taped of the metal work and spray painted the tile an off-white. Then, I took a personalized napkin and cut out the G. I peeled away the back two layers and used Mod Podge to adhere it to the tile. The one layer of napkin is very delicate....so be careful if you try this. Brush on a thin layer of Mod Podge on the tile under the G then carefully brush it over. I used a Sharpe marker like a rolling pin to smooth out some of the bubbles. This definitely did not turn out perfectly, but I like it. I have yet to decide where its final resting place will be.

Check out other DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land.

Decorative Pillows

I got an amazing deal on an antique sofa about a month ago. I wanted to add some pillows to pull the colors in my drapes onto the sofa. So, I went to a local fabric store, Cotton Capers, and bought some beautiful fringe, cord, fabric, and down pillow forms. My wonderfully talented grandma (AKA: Granny or GiGi) came over to give me some guidance. Here is how they turned out. I LOVE THEM...especially the ones with the fringe.

The pillows with the fringe are 18" pillows with 20" down-filled pillow forms inside. The red pillow with cording are 16" pillows with 18" down-filled pillow forms inside. For the gold pillow with fringe, you simply cut out an 18" square and sewed the fringe to the right side of the fabric. I used my zipper foot and set my needle to the far left so that I could sew as close to it as possible. The fringe can be manipulated around the corners as shown below.

Slightly overlap the ends of the fringe. You will not be able to tell where the fringe started and stopped once the pillow is turned right side out. I did not cut the fringe until I was finished sewing it on the pillow front.

For the back side of the pillow, I cut two pieces. One piece was 11"x18" and the second was 13"x18". I folded over one of the long edges about 1/4" and then about 3/4" and pinned it in place. I did this on both of the back pieces.

Then, sew as shown.

Next, lay the back flaps on top of the front piece-right sides together. Lay the smaller piece down first. Then, lay the bigger piece. The bigger piece will overlap the smaller piece by a couple of inches. This will all be a little awkward due to the fringe in between. Try your best to pin this together. You are going to sew around all of the edges following the stitch line that was created when you sewed on the fringe.

Turn the case right side out and insert the pillow. Remove the temporary string along the edge of the trim. You can slip stitch the back pieces together. VOILA!