Monogrammed Coasters

If you saw the tile coasters that I made here, well this is how I did it.

To make some monogrammed (personalized coasters), you will need 4 inch tiles (see below).  I got mine from Lowe's for about $0.33 each (the color is called Misty Taupe).  You will also need 1/4" ribbon in black or brown (to match your vinyl), spray sealant (Hobby Lobby - used 40% off coupon)...

...a Cricut machine will come in handy (but you could do it by hand - a little more time consuming and requires a little more skill - which I do not have - to cut it out with an exacto knife by hand)...

...E-6000 adhesive (the napkin is just to catch the drips in between uses)...

...something to place on the bottom of the coaster to keep it from scratching the furniture (I looked for felt circles - that go on the bottom of chair legs and couldn't find any, since I was in a hurry and saw these, I grabbed a bag).

First I placed the foam stickers on the back corners of the tile to keep from scratching the surface that I was working on.  (I chose 4 small squares in the same color.  You cannot see the foam stickers when it is flipped over.)

I then cleaned the tiles with window cleaner to remove any dust or fingerprints.  (Yes, that is an old sock that I use for my craft projects.  If the boys or hubby get a hole in the sock it goes in my rag pile instead of the trash can.)

I used my Cricut and brown vinyl to cut out letters (in this case the letter "D").  I cut out 4 in the size 3 1/2 inch.

To keep the letters from stretching when I peeled them off, first I removed the extra vinyl around the letters.  (If my Cricut blade was sharp enough, I might have been able to skip this step.)  NOTE:  Make sure you follow the directions that come with the vinyl for the Cricut - that will tell you about the pressure and blade depth that you should use.

This is what it looks like when I removed the vinyl from around the outside (and inside) of the letters.

Place one letter in the center of each tile.  I just eyeballed it, but you could measure it.  Make sure you press it on firmly and burnish it (bone folder might work for this - I just used the top of my fingernail).

Then I sprayed the tiles with the sealant.  It is hard to tell from the picture, but the "D" has not been sprayed yet and it is still matte, but the "S" has been sealed and is shiny.

I measure the ribbon (used brown ribbon to match the brown vinyl letter) to go around the tile with a little overlap and cut it.  (I use a wood burning tool with a wedge tip to cut all my ribbon b/c that will heat seal it to keep it from fraying.)

Then I put some E-6000 adhesive on one side and put the ribbon on top of the adhesive, pressing firmly.  Continue around all the sides...

Slightly overlapping on one side.

Here they all are completed.  From the top you cannot see the ribbon, but that adds a finished touch, if you are sitting on a couch with your coaster and drink on your coffee table, you would be able to see the ribbon then.  If you can find tiles with finished edges, you could skip the ribbon step, but the tiles that I found did not have finished edges.

End of Year Teacher Gifts

Yesterday was the last day of school for the boys!  YEA!!!!!!!!!!  Summer break!  I made end of the year gifts for the teachers.  My theme was "You really 'nailed' it as a teacher!"  So they got mani/pedi stuff for their nails.  I think it is appropriate since it is summer and sandal weather.  They may be going to the beach for their summer break and want their nails to look nice.

This is what I included in each packet:  a small bottle of nail polish (summer colors), a small hand lotion, toe separators, an orange stick (cuticle pusher), and a 3 way file/buffer.

One of my sons has a man for a teacher and I didn't think that he would want stuff for manis/pedis.  So, sticking to the theme, he got a hammer.

Here they are all bagged up.  I made a tag that said "You really nailed it as a teacher" and tied one around the top of each bag.

I hope they enjoy their mani/pedi supplies this summer.

Drawstring Backpack Tutorial

I made these drawstring backpacks for a friend (she wanted them for her kids for Christmas). Note: These backpacks are great for small books and toys, but not suitable for heavy items

Cut fabric 13" or 14" wide by 36" long. Then fold in half (it should now measure 13 by 18 inches) and press. If you want to applique or embroider on it, do so now.



Measure 3 inches down and cut a slit 1/4" wide. Do this on both the left and right sides of the front and the back of the backpack. Then press each to the inside (or wrong side of fabric).



Now press the top of the front and the top of the back down 1/4". I used pressing templates that I found out about on Pintrest (I LOVE that site). You can find more about pressing templates here.



The next step is to fold the top (of both front and back) down to where the pressed edge is lined up with the 1/4" slit that you cut and press, then sew. (You will fold it down about 1 1/4".) This will make the casing for your drawstring.





Now you will need to thread your drawstring through the casing. This has to be done in a specific order for it to "cinch" correctly. I used 4 yds. of drawstring and cut in 1/2. This will give you 2 sections of drawstring 2 yds. each.

Take a safety pin and pin one of your drawstrings on one end. This makes it easier to thread it through the casing. Start on the right side and thread it all the way through the front casing...





...then thread it through the back casing starting on the left side.





This will leave you a loop on the left side...



...and 2 loose ends on the right side of the backpack.



Now, do the opposite. Starting on the left side of the front casing, thread it all the way through...



...and then starting on the right side of the back casing thread it through. This will leave a loop on the right side and 2 loose ends on the left side of the backpack.







On one bag I used twill tape and on the other I used a larger heavier cording. The thin light weight twill tape was used on a girl's backpack, the thicker cording was used for a boy's backpack. I used complimentary or coordinating colors for the drawstring.





Now we are going to use French seams. I love French seams because they add strengh to seams and they are very clean and neat. French seams are best used on straight seams like the drawstring backpack project and this project.

Wrong sides together (yes, you read right - now I know this feels wrong, but to make a French seam you must do this) pin it. Now on the right side at the bottom of the backpack (right at the fold), slide the 2 loose ends of your drawstring (that are also on the right side) into where the seam will be and pin it. Do this to both left and right sides.



Being careful to make sure the drawstring is not twisted (this is important for the flat twill tape, not the round cording) and the edges are lined up, lay one on top of the other before sliding it into where the seam will be, pinning it.







With the thicker cording, it could not lay on top of each other, so I put it side by side (to reduce the bulk and allow it to go through the sewing machine).




Sew with wrong sides together. Sew with 1/4 inch seam (if you cut your fabric 13 inches wide and 1/2 inch if you cut your fabric 14 inches wide). Sew right up to the casing and back stitch. Do this to both sides.





If you had a 1/2 inch seam, trim to 1/4 inch. Turn inside out and press seams flat. It should now be right sides together.



If your drawstring sticks out past the seam, trim flush.





Now sew using 1/2 inch seam allowance. Making sure to trim threads as you go along. This will save time later. When you sew, sew up to the casing, but not over it or you will close it and your drawstring bag will not cinch.



Inside the seam allowance, I sewed over the drawstring part 3 or 4 times to reinforce the drawstring.



Turn right side out and you are done! These make great gifts for kids for Christmas and birthdays. Especially if they are personalized - kids love to see their name.

Pull both drawstrings on each side at the same time and the bag will cinch right up!