Miniature Fabric Covered End Table

 While throwing a jug in the trash this morning something caught my eye.  The lid seemed the perfect size for a mini end table for White Pine Cottage.  So I kept it out and got out a dowel for the legs.  Then dug around for fabric.   A little while later an end table was finished!  Here's how it went...

I cut a wooden dowel into thirds leaving them 2 inches each and hot glued them underneath the lid.

I cut a circle of fabric by tracing a small Pyrex bowl.

I also thought a floral cover on top of the white fabric would look nice.  I used a paper napkin with a smaller circle traced and cut it out.  Then I removed the layers of the napkins until I only had the top printed layer.

I Mod Podged the fabric to the top of the lid.  I thought it would be smoother than hot glue.

The I did use hot glue around the sides of the lid.  I used a little at a time and pinched the fabric to form ruffles all around.  I then used Mod Podge to glue down the floral layer.

In the mean time I used spray starch all around the ruffles and tied a piece of string around while drying to sort of control the ruffles so they wouldn't splay out too much.  I also used a combination of watered down brown paint and dry brushed brown paint here and there to give it an aged look and also depth.

Here are links to other mini-tutorials pictured...

Miniature Wicker Chair

Miniature Paper Rugs

Miniature Vintage Lamps

Miniature Paintings and Frames

Miniature Book Tutorial

making a summer quilt

So, remember this list?  My list of yearly goals for 2015.  I’ve completed several items and ever since I finished my curtains for our bedroom I have been dreaming of making a summer quilt for our bed out of the rest of the fabric that I bought from an estate sale last summer.  Something not too heavy but that would complement our summer sheets and not make me too hot on summer nights.  The fabric is old but beautiful and I am basically cutting my squares from pieces of scrap and actual pieces of old clothing projects that either didn’t fit or didn’t get finished.  I had to make the executive decision to cut down my wishes of solid squares to pieced together squares by cutting pieces half the size of my regular ones and sewing two together to make a regular size one.  I just couldn’t resist some of the gorgeous scraps that had hems and sewn seams so smaller pieces allowed me to use them.  I want my quilt to semi match the curtains in our room which has twelve inch squares.  I feel I don’t quite have the patience for teeny tiny squares and complicated patterns as summer is quickly approaching and I want the quilt to be ready.  Besides, when you make it yourself it is all about what you want right? 

Sunday morning began nicely and was a wonderful day to begin cutting pieces with a spring breeze coming through the open windows, Led Zeppelin playing on my pc and incense drifting through the air.  Not to mention my two helpers, Kate and Tommy, napping in their chosen spots in the room with me. 

As for the backing on my quilt, I had a dream of using a light top sheet and sewing the quilt top to it and possibly using the old fashioned method that my Grandmother used of tying each square in the center, which I still may do. I also wanted a bigger size than a queen, which is what size our bed is, so I can use it as a bedspread and it would have good coverage and hang down on the sides.   I wound up finding a light gray, king size flat sheet made of t-shirt type cotton to use as the backing at Goodwill for a few dollars.  It is in good shape but has a stretch to it that the top will not have.  I have decided not to worry and take it one step at a time and enjoy the process.  It doesn’t have to be perfect and I doubt it will be a fair winner but it will be my creation.  I like to think my quilt-making Granddaddy would be proud of my efforts and interest.  And all I can do is picture myself curled up in it at home or in the camper.

 

And my favorite song of the day while cutting...

Around Here

This post could partially fall into the Around Here category because it involves what has been happening around here but also Image Inspiration because my decision and confidence came from pictures found on the internet.  So, here's the scoop.

When we built our home five years ago we chose not to install blinds on our windows.  We have no neighbors and if anybody is out there peeping in chances are we heard them get here or the dog soon will alert us.  I quite enjoy the openness.  But... sometimes I find myself wanting to shut out the light and take a nap and sometimes I get a little edgy when the mood is right that there are open windows right there knowing there are lights on in here and none out there which means at night you can clearly see in here.  You get the picture.  So I finally decided to put some curtains up in our bedroom.  I didn't want to go drilling holes in the wall for something big and fancy... that's just not me.  But I wanted something more than sheers.  After finding a lovely picture on the internet of patchwork curtains made from vintage hankies I knew what my project would consist of.

Last summer, my sister Mary Evelyn and I ventured to an estate sale in which I came home with many items.  Such items included an old charcoal grill in which we proceeded that evening to have what I called an "Old Fashioned Charcoal Grill Out Party" with my sister and her husband, and a big box of vintage fabric.  I do own several old handkerchiefs but not near enough for what I needed.  When I started pulling the old fabrics out and ironing them I got pretty excited.  When I began sewing them together I got even more excited and as of today I have one more to finish and our lovely curtains are done.  Oh, and I chose tension rods to hang them by.  I like the price of the rods (at $2.47 each and WalMart) and I like that if I get tired of the curtains I can easily take them down.  And I like that I didn't drill holes in the walls and buy big rods and hangers and all that.   I did use one hankie per curtain and I wound up cutting out seventy something, thirteen inch squares.  On the up side I have plenty of practice when I go to making my quilt this year.  I just miht need to hit up another estate sale for more vintage fabric!

Here's the picture of the inspiration curtain.

Mine is not sewn near as perfect looking as these... but I am not a perfect girl and care nothing about perfection.  Here they are.

I do like the fact that light can still come through.  The hankies were a bit tough because they were different sizes that the pieces that I cut.  I hemmed the sides and bottom of each curtain and simply made an inch and a half loop and sewed it also at the top for the rod to go through.  

P.S. Sorry about Juanita's appearance.  I had just turned her and watered her so she wasn't much into smiling.