Thanksgiving may just be my favorite holiday. There's nothing like waking up to a great parade, spending a lazy day with family and relishing the promise of an amazing meal that you've looked forward to all year long!
When it comes to family keepsakes, however, I think Thanksgiving often gets the short end of the wishbone. Here's a quick project I made to help my family remember a lifetime full of Thanksgivings!
The idea is, every year I'll ask my children to give me a list of what they are thankful for and write down their answers without any additions or revisions. I thought I would get a mile long list from my daughter, certainly including "mommy" and "daddy", however, this is what she told me:
I suppose, technically, we are included in the vast subset of "all the people on earth"! Then after the quick turkey picture, I labelled the year and tucked it inside of our little "blessings keeper". Each year we'll add our lists and in time, we'll have a priceless record of what was on our minds each Thanksgiving!
You could also include favorite Thanksgiving recipes, photos of family, or maybe your child's favorite balloon from that year's parade! This would be a great addition to any scrap book, or you could tuck it away next to your go-to Thanksgiving cookbook so that you're sure to remember to add to the mix every year!
What you'll need to make your own "blessings keeper":
Various scraps of "harvesty" colored fabrics ( I chose fabrics from Anna Maria Horner and Amy Butler)
Medium weight fusible interfacing, a fat quarter of fabric for the lining, a button and hair elastic for the closure, embroidery floss, a sheet of printer paper, anti-fray solution.
Download TisforThanksgiving- Click here to download my "T" template for the applique
1. Cut out 35 3" squares from your scraps. Lay them out in 7 rows of 5. Using a 3/8" seam allowance, sew them together forming a large patchwork rectangle.
For some reason patchwork says "home" to me, so I chose to use this technique for this project, but you could certainly skip this step and use a solid piece of fabric.
2. Fold the rectangle in half, lay the printer paper on the bottom fold and trim off the edges. If your patchwork piece ends up being a little larger or smaller than this, it will still work fine.
3. Now cut the same size piece from your lining fabric as well as the fusible interfacing.
4. Following the manufacturer's instructions, fuse the interfacing to the backside of the patchworked piece.
5. Place the patchwork piece and the lining pieces together, right sides facing, and pin. Be sure to place the elastic between the layers at the center of one of the shorter sides.
6. Sew around the rectangle, leaving a 3" space from where you started. Trim the hair elastic off and trim the corners diagonally.
7. Turn the piece right side out and press.
8. Using about a 1/8" seam allowance, topstitch aorund the rectangle, boing sure to close the turning space.
9. If you want to add the Thansgiving "T", download and cut out the "T" template. Trace it onto the wrong side of the applique fabric. Cut it out and treat the edges with an anti-frey liquid, then stitch it into place on the center front of the piece.
10. Stitch the button onto the top center (opposite the elastic).
11. The last step is to fold the piece in half, then stitch up both sides directly over your original topstitching.
Hope you enjoy this little project!
Here's to a Thanksgiving full of memories...
and sweet potatoes...
and pumpkin pie...
but mostly memories!
~Leigh Ann~
Just wanted to pop in and mention that my ebook, sewExpecting, is now available on Mom4Life.com! Mom4Life has been named the number one online maternity/baby boutique by Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine for the last 2 years in a row and it is a HUGE honor and privilege to be included in their family of innovative products!
If you've never visited Mom4Life, you'll have to pop over and browse through their vast product range. All of their products have been invented by the new breed of business woman, the "Mom-preneur", and Mom4Life plays a big role in making these women household names.
I also have the privilege of being included as an author on YouCanMakeThis.com. If you like to sew, you've probably already found your way over to this very cool website, and if not- go check it out! Right now, go... seriously.
Thanks for putting up with me being excited over myself a little! Sometimes I think we as women find ourselves tooting too many horns around us and we forget to save a little air for our own!
Here's to tooting our own horns!
~Leigh Ann~
Today I'll help you wrap up your summer reading season and help you prepare a chair for cozy fall crafting all in the same post!
We'll get to the pillow in a second, but first I want to thank the very generous folks at CSN Mattress for agreeing to giveaway this fabulous handkitted Koka throw (a retail value of $225!) to a very lucky Object Project reader!
You can visit here to see available colors and browse their huge selection of products- so much more than just mattresses! Stay tuned to the end of this post to find out how to enter!
You'll want a pillow to cuddle up with along with your throw, so lets get started!
I do alot of reading- mostly craft, business, or design books, but this summer I took a "brain break" with the Shopoholic series by Shophie Kinsella. Here's a quick pillow I made using one of the novels (and my coffee cup, of course!) as a template!
I used these prints from Tina Givens. Take a look here to see Tina talk about her inspiration for this collection!
1. Trace 6 rectangles onto your chosen fabrics using the novel as a template. You can stack your fabrics, trace and cut once to save time, but I like to do them individually to insure that I get exactly the portion of the print that I want.
2. Lay them in 2 rows of 3 in an arrangement that you like, then sew them in 2 rows of 3 rectangles, then sew the rows together. This forms the patchworked front of the pillow.
3. I then traced the bottom of my coffee cup in several places on the pillow front, which I did some hand stitching over. This step is optional, but I think it added a fun touch to the pillow!
4. Cut a portion of backing fabric the same size as the front piece.
5. Place the pillow back and the pillow front right-sides-facing and pin. Using a 3/8" seam, sew around the pillow, leaving about a 4" space for turning.
6. Trim the corners diagonally and turn the pillow right-side-out.
7. Stuff the pillow to your liking and handstitch the opening closed!
Okay... I know you're itching to know how to win the throw, so here's how it will work. All you need to do is comment on this post! Share your favorite summer reads, upcoming fall craft projects, or just say, I WANT THAT THROW! As a bonus, you can let your blog readers know about this giveaway and then come back here and comment with that link to be entered again!
You'll have till Sunday to enter, I'll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky reader on Monday!
I'll let you go now, I know your fingers are itchin' for some stitchin'!
Good luck everyone!
~Leigh Ann~
Okay, okay. So I deserve a little hand smack for not checking in here in so long! But I have a very good reason, and I intend to reveal it to you in this poorly lit, incredibly grainy and intentionally obstructed photo:
For the past month, I've been working terribly studiously at finishing up the designs for my own fabric line! Now, don't get excited just yet! I still have to find a company out there that will love these fun little designs as much as I do! Nevertheless... they are finished and tomorrow will find their way off in the mail to a few dream companies that were kind enough to send submission guidelines.
Have you ever just known you were made to do something? Maybe it's teaching children, maybe it's playing piano, or maybe you just know how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie? Well... I'll be turning 30 (argh!) this December and I finally know what I want to be when I grow up! I feel that so many things in my life have led me to the doorstep of fabric design and I've decided to give a big old knock and wait for someone to say "Come on in!"
In the meantime, as a BIG thank you for your patience with my lack of posting, I have a very fun project planned for Monday as well as an UNBELIEVABLE giveaway! Let's just say, a very generous company will be sending a very lucky Object Project reader something to keep you luxuriously snuggly and warm this fall!
Stay tuned till Monday for the project and giveaway!
And if there's anyone in the textile industry that hears my knocking, and you'd like to invite me in for tea (or, you know, a meeting...) please shoot me an email! leighanntennant@comcast.net
Happy Sewing!
~Leigh Ann~
There's a tiny bit of a chill in the air today and it has me longing for nubby sweaters, cozy socks, and a steaming cup full of cider! Here are some fun mugs I found on Etsy today that I'm thinking I might need before cider season hits!
You can find all of these mugs, along with other cool ceramic finds over in CircaCeramics shop!
Happy Sipping!
~Leigh Ann~
You may have seen Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade show on the Food Network where she makes a meal with a little help from some pre-made things from the market. Here's a little "Semi-Homemade" sewing I did over the weekend, using an existing camera strap to fashion a cuter version for our friend Mary, who's husband just gave her a fabulous new camera! You could use the same method to jazz up your own camera strap, tote bag straps, or anything else of a strappy nature!
I measured the strap and then cut a rectangle of home decor weight fabric that was the same length, but twice the width (plus seam allowance). This gave me a rectangle that was 4" by 26".
I then cut a rectangle of the same dimensions from fusible fleece and using my iron, fused it to the wrong side of my fabric.
Then I folded the fabric in half, right sides facing, and pinned it. I used the existing strap to trace the oval outline onto the fabric to use as a stitching guide.
I clipped the attatching straps from the existing strap and placed them in between my layers of fabric.
Then, beginning in the middle of the long side, I sewed down the edge, using a 3/8" seam allowance. Once this was done, I reached inside the turning space and turned the strap right side out, pressed, and quilted the new strap!
So this is what the new strap looks like! Re-fashioned, up-cycled!
I'm sure some of you have a few "semi-homemade" sewing ideas! Leave a comment, share, and lets try to make each other's lives a little easier!
As Sandra Lee says, "Keep it fun. Keep it simple. And always keep it Semi-Homemade!"
~Leigh Ann~
Please excuse the goofy look on my face, as it is hard to take a picture of one's self and even harder to do so with a straight face!
Several months back, I began admiring those thin, layerable headbands that look like bra straps. I thought about getting a few to maintain my ever-hard-to-manage mane when I remembered: why buy what you can make? And from things you already have laying around the house, no less!
I have a few lovely pre-nursing bras laying around the house. I say laying because, unfortunately they don't fit any longer! Somehow, I have found myself plumper in places I wish I wasn't and small in places where I'd plead for plump! A little TMI?...well....some of you moms out there know where I'm coming from! Anyway...
Here's a little project to make good use of those bras you have in your drawer that no longer fit, but are just to nice to toss!
1. Start by clipping off the bra straps, being sure to cut them off below where the adjustment part is. This bra had a fancy little loop on the strap, so I removed this to include in the headband as well.
2. Wrap the strap around your head to make sure that it is long enough. If not, you can remove the part in the back where the bra clips and sew this onto the strap to lengthen it.
3. Then all you have to do is sew the 2 ends together! You can repeat with the other strap to create that layered look- or sew the straps together, end to end, and correct the fit with the slide adjustment.
After you've finished the headband, you can add whatever embellishment you like! Here, I've sewn on a couple of vintage buttons that I found at a thrift store.
To this band, I added a little satin flower! Click here to get the tutorial to create this flower!
Well, the appointment with my stylist has been made for Thursday. The jury is still out on the cut. This long hair and the heat don't mix, though I've enjoyed tying my hair back in these headbands! You'll have to stay tuned to see if the hair stays or goes!
Now, go raid your lingerie drawer.
Never thought I'd close a post with that line!
~Leigh Ann~
Yesterday, I was able to draft a pattern (yes, I still occasionally do this!) and cut out the pieces for a new diaper/tote bag that I designed for my friend Tiffany. This sketch will give you a general idea of what the bag will look like when it's finished:
Tiffany chose these prints from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern collection.
Alot of you had such great ideas for additions to this bag that would help make a mommy/baby outing a little easier! I'm going to try to incorporate as many of them as I can into this bag! Click here to read these ideas and to see some pictures of bags I've done in the past.
Some of you have been asking if I have a pattern available for the bag I have currently up for auction for the Alzheimer's Association (only 4 for days left to place your bid!). I made this bag a year ago when I was EXTREMELY with child and was racing to get it done before little Ian showed up, so I did not take the time to document the process properly for a pattern.
But good news! This time around I am not in a hurry (and most certainly not with child!) so I am planning on having a pattern for Tiffany's bag available in my Etsy shop as soon as the bag is finished! Until then you can check out my Ebook, sewExpecting, for 20 other baby projects!
Now I must go give these pieces a good quilting!
~Leigh Ann~
