diy scrap happy coffee sleeve

 Happy Monday Friends! Go take a peek into your scrap basket, box, pile, or shelf and settle i nfor this easy diy for a coffee sleeve by me.

Materials

*large scrap of muslin or other solid color fabric

*smaller scrap of flannel or other slightly thicker than cotton fabric

*assortment of tiny scraps

*sewing machine

*needle and thread

*scissors

*paper coffee sleeve for pattern

*pins

Grab your fabric and give it a press if it looks like it partied too much the other night. Lay out one of your muslin pieces and trim it a bit so that your paper sleeve fits on top (open your paper sleeve to create your template). Do not trim exactly, just cut your piece down a smidge.

Layer an assortment of scraps on top until you are happy, keeping in mind that you want will want them to fit within the shape and size of your paper sleeve. You can pin these in place if you like but I like to work with one or two pieces at a time. To keep track of their placement I rearrange the pieces as I like them on my right as I work on the sewing machine.

Free-form stitch your scraps into place with your sewing machine. To mix it up, change the length of your stitches or switch between running and zig-zag. Trim threads.

Flip your stitched piece, scraps side down on top of your backing piece. Lay your flannel or middle piece (for batting) on top OR under the bottom layer. Trim all your pieces to matchyour scrap happy piece.

Lay your now-open coffee sleeve on top of your scrappy piece in a manner that best showcases all that stitching you did. Pin into place. With a pen, mark your opening for turning right side out. I like to stitch on my marks to create a chute that will tuck neatly inside once I'm ready to close the whole shebang.

Bring to machine and stitch around the sleeve beginning with one chute marking and ending with the other. Unpin sleeve and use your scissors to trim and cut a handful of mini slits into the bottom curve of your soon-to-be sleeve. This will keep it from buckling once you turn it right-side out.

Turn your sleeve right-side out using the chute you created. If you need to, use a chopstick, paintbrush end or other slightly pointed object to shape out the corners. Tuck the chute into the sleeve and press flat with a hot iron and return to your machine.

Use a running stitch and stitch all the way around the perimeter of your sleeve. This will seal your opening. Next, get all quilt happy and go stitch crazy along your sleeve. I stitched a series of lines that run the entire length of the sleeve. Trim threads and admire your work.

Now you need to turn this happy cuff into a sleeve. To do so, loop it into your sleeve shape and pin into place. Use a needle and thread to stitch it together, knot it tightly and trim thread.

 Ta-da! See how easy that was? I hope you have a blast, happy stitching and as always, gimme a shout if you need help.

diy caffeinated christmas gift {and a giveaway!}

 Have you been enjoying our holiday projects and fun? I hope so! I actually had planned to post a DIY on an alternative stocking (that is a way to package up stocking stuffers not in a stocking, not an emo themed stocking) but that project still needs some pretty pictures so instead I will be sharing a nifty way to present a coffee card to those coffee lovers in yer life.

I recently had a Secret Santa gift exchange for job-o number one. Our limit was $10 and my person is quite fond of coffee so it made sense to go with a gift card (who doesn't enjoy a gift card?) but it needed to be dressed up a smidge. Lucky for me I have boxes and suitcases and tins full of fabric and bits so it was really easy to create this wee gift package without going over the limit. This is a great way to use up yer tiny fabric scraps (I know you have a baggie or box or tin stashed away somewhere) so plug in your iron, clear a work space and grab two pairs of scissors; one for fabric cutting and one for burlap cutting (never use your good scissors on burlap).

Materials

*paper coffee cup (w lid) from local shop

*1/3 cup whole coffee beans

*loaded gift card

*coffee sleeve (for pattern)

*two scraps of burlap 3"sq

*assorted fabric scraps

*sewing machine

*2 pairs of scissors (one good, one not so)

*tissue for wrapping

*scrap happy gift tag (optional)

*ribbon or yarn for tying

The first thing I did was hit up the local (one of many) Starbuckeroos. I do live in a town full of exceptional coffee shops but for the sake of easy access I went with a bigger name store. I picked up a gift card and coffee sleeve and instead of the box they like to give, I asked for a tall paper cup. I told the gal that I was going to add a scoop of coffee beans into the cup and nestle the green bit of happy plastic inside and she whipped out a silver scoop and gave me a dash of the sweet smelling beans at no extra charge. Whoo-hoo!  She arranged the card just so inside and then grabbed her black pen and wrote out the recipient's name and type of bean inside just like they do when you place your order. She also graciously gave me a small handle bag and oodles of tissue before she sent me off on my merry way.

The first thing I made was the coffee sleeve (that DIY will be posted in a few days) but then I broke out a small scrap of burlap and a handful of even smaller scrappy scraps and got to work on a coffee bean sachet. The burlap has an open weave so the sweetness can shine, plus it looks mighty hip and pretty all at the same time.

 Cut out two squares of burlap about 3". Wonky is fine, it is burlap after all. Do not use yer good scissors!Find some happy scraps and trim if you need to. Arrange scraps atop one of the pieces of burlap.

Beginning with the bottom scrap, stitch to burlap using your sewing machine. Keep stitching until all scraps are in place. Play with stitch length and style. Raw edges are just dandy, we're going for a rustic look here.Once pieces are stitched on. Sandwich your two burlap pieces together and stitch all the way around leaving one side open. Leave about a quarter of an inch allowance at the edge. We're gonna jazz it up a smidge in a moment.

Tuck about a tablespoon or so of coffee beans into the open end of the sachet. Bring back to machine and stitch closed. Trim all edges so they appear more even than not and then pull out excess burlap strands. The open weave makes for easy unraveling and any strands not anchored into your stitching is fair game.

Ta-da! Happy shabby fringe!

Which makes for one happy little coffee bean sachet! Your recipient can keep this in her car or on her desk for a refresher. It can also be used as a pin cushion or light paper weight. See? Multi-functional!

Never one to not go a wee bit overboard, I also make a stitched paper garland which I wrapped around the gift card and anchored with a wee clothespin.

Tuck the card, garland and sachet into the cup and pop the lid back on.

Nestle the sleeve onto the cup and you now have an original take on a gift that is difficult to fool people.

I wrapped up the whole bit of pretty in the tissue from the shop, tied it with a brown ribbon and added a scrap happy tag (DIY also to be posted soon) to finish it all off. I hope the receiver enjoys this bit of fun! I know I would!

Leave a comment here at scrumdillydilly on this post here or this post for a chance to win a dilly-made coffee bean sachet, sleeve, paper garland and gift-tag pack (gift card not included). To make it more interesting, I would love to hear/read what your favorite project from the four of us was. I know it's kinda hard to choose (at least I think so, mine not included) but I would love to know what you think. I'll announce a winner Tuesday morning. Winner will have until Monday, December 19th to contact me otherwise a new winner will be selected (I want to mail out the gift pack asap). Happy Holidays from little old me and as always, be kind!

july 4th: odds & ends wreath

I am quite tardy in this wreath making post. I don't even have tutorialized photos of the whole shebang. Truthfully, I was stuckity stuck on it for more than a week but it all came together (somewhat) just in the nick of time. Phew!

To begin with, I think I asked mr. a-go-go to cut too large a wreath shape for me. That is what I get when I answer "steering wheel sized" to the question of "how big"? I had the egg cartons all painted up and imagined them to be all fire-worky but when I liberated them from each other they looked less like fireworks and more like...painted egg cartons?

My next mistake was gluing on the crepe paper ruffle before I had a chance to wrap any yarn or string or twine around the large white donut thing. That kept me quite limity-limited.

I kept playing around with the cut egg carton bits placing them all the way around the wreath, stacking them on top of each other, clustering them to one side or the other...balancing them on my head as if they were tiny hats.

Thank goodness I rediscovered a small stack of small white doilies. I think the doilies saved the day. Rather than plan it all out, I kinda just dumped them in place added glue and hoped for the best.

I would really like to thank those cupcake liners. If not for them I do not think the egg carton bits would be making any appearance except of course as tiny hats. I should have planned a parade. So there ya go, a holiday wreath created from scavenged recyclables. A cardboard box for the wreath shape, stitched crepe paper trim and bow and a smattering of paper doilies, cupcake liners and tiny paper hats...er...egg carton cups.

Happy Fourth of July! May you have all sorts of pic-nic-y fun on pretty blankets with oodles of homebaked goodies, fresh fruit and lemonade.

upcycled trees old & new

Last year I created a super nifty umbrella tree for CRAFT. Since everything we own is boxed up in the mama a-go-go's garage, we were unable to unleash it for this year's festivities. Serendipity struck when mr. a-go-go happened upon an unloved umbrella in the street and so, with a blob of mod podge, a thrifted pattern and a string of LED lights, he came up with this year's umbrella tree.

I wonder what next year will bring?

make a fancy-pants stocking

I didn't manage to get pics of all the steps and I don't have a pattern for you but if you can run a sewing machine and have some purdy linen on linen like fabric floating about you can do this too! But then again, if you have all of the above, you probably already know how to make a stocking. Either way, I am prouder than proud that these turned out exactly as I pictured them.

Materials
*linen or linen-like fabric
*scissors
*lace
*pins
*sewing machine
*sheet of paper 11 1/2 X 17"
*pencil

Sit down and sketch out a stocking shape on your paper. This will be your pattern.

Next, gather linen and a few pieces of vintage lace. Set up the iron and get the creases out of your fabric. Or do like I do and try. I don't know what is wrong with me but I cannot seem to iron anything well.

Cut one long length of fabric that will become both the back and front of your stocking. My piece folded from the bottom up to the top. Some people cut first then sew. I sew then cut so this may all seem weirdly backwards to some of you.

Place fabric in front of you and pop pattern onto top portion. Pin around pattern to mark your sewing space. Do not pin pattern to fabric yet.

Add fun embellishments keeping within your pinned space. One stocking I made had a single long "ruffle", while the other had a series of squares stitched on in a line. To make the ruffle, gather and fold your scrap piece and pin with folds facing down so that it is easier to gather under your sewing machine foot. Use a neutral colored thread and stitch straight down making sure to backstitch at both the beginning and end of your stitch-fest.

Remove pins, turn fabric upside down and then flip over so that the side you just stitched on is facing up. You won't see your embellishment as that will be tucked inside. Pin pattern to both pieces of fabric keeping sure to have your embellisment within the boundary of your pattern.

Grab you length of lace and sandwich it between the two layers at the top of your stocking. This will become your cuff. Pin into place and bring the whole party to your sewing machine.

Use a smallish stitch to sew your pieces together. Make sure to NOT stitch across the top. I've done it before and it bites. Heehee. Begin at the top of one side and stitch all the way around ending at the top of the other side. Snip thread and unpin.

Cut out your stocking and sneak in a few extra vertical snips on the insides of any curves. Turn Stocking right side out making sure to bring the lace part out onto the front of the stocking. I forgot this part on one of the stockings and my cuff ended up on the back. Aack!

Fold top of stocking inside and press with a hot iron then stitch all around perimeter to seal the deal. Give your stocking a quick press with the iron to flatten out seams.

For the loops, grab a couple of long scraps and fold them in half lengthwise ironing them into place. With a sewing machine, stitch all the way down from top to bottom and trim excess wonk. The stitches will show as will the frayed edges but that is what makes the stocking so fun, ahem.

Stuff with treasures and have a happy holiday!

make a christmas garland

i'm revisiting the junk mail garland for this holiday season. this time i used newspaper with a couple of coats of white paint. i used a small circle punch after cutting scallops into the painted paper and used a ziz-zag on the machine to stitch all the happy to a long length of vintage trim. then, because i sometimes forget when to stop, i added a few more stitches to each flag.

i love the way it turned out and quite like painted newspaper. such a happy medium. stay tuned for a fun snowflake tutorial.

make a coaster gift on craft!

check out craftzine for this nifty coaster project using laser cut ornaments. it is very cozy.

sneaky peek...

before i got sick i had been feverishly working on something great and grand for you all for the up-and-coming holidays...i'm still working on it (well, not NOW NOW but you knopw what i mean) and will reveal it all the first week in december. Tara & I have another fun week planned for you, this one will be a mad and merry craft frolic and we cannot wait to share it all. for now, i'll give you a little peek...here's a glimpse of my Christmas palette...don't stray too far...we've got inspiration galore and tips and tricks for crafting up a fabulous handmade holiday!