Noodlehead 2-4-1 Tote

Posted on April 7, 2020 by jewelsathome

While we’re staying home to “Shelter in Place” and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, I’m trying out sewing bags!

This is the lovely 2-4-1 tote by Anna Graham of Noodlehead. I made it with some leftover fabric from my favorite baby sling and a from my mother’s stash. I’m looking forward to trying it out with more variations!

The pocket and magnetic snap make me happy!

It feels a bit funny to be sewing purses while we’re barely leaving the house, but it’s making me happy!

More purses to come!

Julie aka “Jewels”

A Simple Cloth Face Mask

Posted on April 5, 2020 by jewelsathome

Sigh, with the novel coronavirus circulating it’s a good idea to have face masks for the times when we go out to get groceries or meals. Some hospitals are also asking for donations of fabric masks. I tried a few different patterns and settled on my own version I’m sharing here.

The features I like about this mask are that it’s easy to make and comfortable to wear, as well as conserving elastic, which is hard to find these days.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Cotton fabric
Elastic
Cord for ties – I used spare shoelaces and some bias tape stitched closed
Sewing machine, thread, scissors

Here’s how to make it:

Cut a piece of cotton 8”x 16”
Fold in half lengthwise and mark the middle
Pin the elastic next to the middle on the right side
Pin the ties 3/8” up from the bottom corners

Fold lengthwise with right sides facing
Leaving a 3” opening on one of the edges to turn the mask right side out, stitch around the edges with a 3/8” seam allowance
Using the 3” opening, turn the mask right side out

Iron the seams flat and top stitch around the edges
Pin three pleats
Stitch the two sides to secure the pleats

Here’s how I wear these masks and some of the fun fabric and color combinations I tried:

Hope that helps others who are sewing masks. Stay safe, friends!

Julie aka “Jewels”

Cozy Sweater Pillow Covers

Posted on November 19, 2019 by jewelsathome

I’ve channeling all the cozy winter feels for this holiday season (even if the California weather has other ideas!) To create a comfy atmosphere, my first project of the season was sewing these pillow covers from old sweaters. (More on … Continue reading →

Valentine’s Day Pennant Banner

Posted on February 9, 2019 by jewelsathome

I’m not usually a big Valentine’s Day person, but then again, a holiday built around chocolate can’t be all bad! Anyway, a couple of weekends ago, I got the urge to make something – anything! – and I put together … Continue reading →

Dyeing to DIY… Shibori!

Posted on September 29, 2018 by jewelsathome

I love the look of shibori – which is hardly surprising, since I love all things blue and white, and fabric. I finally overcame my skittishness about dye and tried this technique… now, I am 100% addicted! I’ve got lots … Continue reading →

The Neutral Pillow Project

Posted on September 4, 2018 by jewelsathome

Whether you lean towards Scandinavian-inspired, Modern Farmhouse, or California Casual, everything light, white, and wood is in right now – and I love it!

While I’m always excited to incorporate new looks into my home, it takes some creativity to do this – we’ve had most of our major furniture pieces for a decade or more.

One strategy that’s easy on the budget and environment is to change out accessories like pillows. Here are some light and bright ideas that you can use to give your room a new look!

Admittedly, my “things I have in the house already” is rather extensive, but I’m still proud that I managed to make all these pillows with them.

Here are the links to a tutorial on making simple throw pillows and tutorials for the window seat pillows, including bolster and flanged pillows.

Starting with: Ribbon-embellished geometric pillows:

I started by sewing lengths of ivory ribbon onto a linen-like fabric in diagonal stripes
I then cut out panels to create a chevron or herringbone pattern for two bolster pillows to add a neutral accent to my teal armchairs
With the leftover sections of ribbon-embellished fabric, I created one more throw pillow for our living room loveseat

Mudcloth-inspired contrast stitching:

Neutral doesn’t have to mean boring! I took some plain canvas fabric I had and, inspired by the oh-so-popular mudcloth trend, cut it into panels and sewed it together with contrasting navy thread:

There are a million more ideas for sewing simple pillows to change the look of your space – and when I try them all, you’ll see it here!

“Jewels”

Ensuite with a View

Posted on June 26, 2012 by jewelsathome

As I mentioned in the room tour of our nursery, we did a major renovation after we bought our house last year. As part of that, we converted the “dressing room” off the master bedroom into our ensuite bath and created a new bedroom where the old master bath was. The new master bath has some of the best views in the house, making it a lovely place to start and end the day. Links to the DIY projects in this room are at the bottom of this post.

Before:

Before: This dressing room was pretty but not a good use of space.

As the former dressing room, this is not a big space. Still, we managed to fit in our whole wish list: soaking tub, separate shower, double vanity with medicine cabinets and lots of storage. (We just moved from a house that was built with a stand-alone sink and no vanity or medicine cabinet in every bathroom! A cool look in concept, but ultimately, it meant that we had clutter and extra storage crammed into the spaces.

The tour:

I do love the white or espresso vanities that are so popular, but I wanted to do something a little different, so we chose this warm natural oak with simple shaker doors. A secret: the vanity is actually made from Ikea kitchen cabinets!