"B" is for Baby Shower

Sew: monogrammed seersucker pouches

Party favors for a boy baby shower.

Light blue seersucker on the exterior with navy lining and monograms:

For more seersucker versions see these:

Or these light pink versions:

Or these too:

Here's how I made the pouches:

1. Supplies:

1 - light blue seersucker fabric @ 10" x 14"

1 - med. fusible interfacing @ 10" x 14"

2 -Kona nightfall navy fabric @ 10" x 7"

1 - 9" white zipper

navy letters

5/8" navy grosgrain ribbon

2. Fuse interfacing to wrong side of seersucker.

3. Pin letter centered on one half, zigzag stitch in place.

4. Place zipper face down on one end then one piece of lining, stitch:

5. Repeat for other side with other lining piece.

Top stitch lining down on interior to prevent from getting caught in zipper:

6. Right sides together sew side seams and miter corners:

7. Clip miters off to alleviate bulk:

8. Turn right side out, press raw edge of lining in 1/2" and straight stitch closed:

9. Push lining down into pouch and press smooth.

I'm linking up to:

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

DIY Fall Festival @ The DIY Showoff

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

Pretty Things Thursday @ Scissors & Spatulas

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

inspiration board @ Carolyns Homework

Textiles @ Freckled Laundry
Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

"C" is for Chevron

Sew: monogrammed chevron beach tote bag

Easy to make and personalize your own beach tote:

Inspired by this beach tote from Pottery Barn teen:

image from pbteen.com

I made my own version with navy chevron fabric and added a fuschia monogram:

This version is lined with drop cloth canvas:

It's deep and big, measuring 20"w x 16"h x 7.5"deep:

Here's how I made the monogrammed chevron beach tote:

1. Supplies:

1 - chevron exterior fabric @ 41" x 21"

1 - fusible interfacing @ 41" x 21" (iron to wrong side of chevron)

1 - drop cloth lining fabric @ 38" x 21"

2 - chevron fabric strips @ 3" x 21"

5/8" thick poly rope @ 40"

fabric letters (click here to see how I make the fabric letters)

2. Pin letters in place about 4" down from top edge:

3. Zig zag stitch in place:

4. Sew 3" chevron strips to drop cloth lining piece at both short ends:

(1/2" SA)

5. Fold exterior chevron piece in half, right sides together and sew side seams 1/2"SA:

(Press seams open.)

6. To make the mitered corners press the side seam flat against the folded base making a triangle:

Mark at 7.5" wide.

7. Sew mitered corner then clip excess bulk:

8. Repeat steps 5 - 8 for drop cloth lining piece.

Be sure to line up chevron seam when sewing side seams together:

9. Turn drop cloth lining right side out and stuff into exterior bag piece (right sides together):

Cut 2 - 20" pieces of rope.

10. Pin rope handles in between lining and exterior chevron, 6" from side seams leaving at least 1" hanging out then pin remaining top seam all around:

11.  Sew top shut with 1/2"SA leaving at least a 6" gap open preferably near the back and NOT over any of the rope sections:

12. Turn bag right side out through the opening in the top seam:

13. Push drop cloth lining down into bag and press top seam smooth, pin in place to ready for top stitching:

14. Top stitch 5 rows.  This adds extra strength to the rope handle and creates a decorative finish:

Ready for the beach or pool.

I'm linking up to:

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

DIY Fall Festival @ The DIY Showoff

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

Pretty Things Thursday @ Scissors & Spatulas

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

inspiration board @ Carolyns Homework

Textiles @ Freckled Laundry
Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

"B" is for Bedskirt

Sew: ruffle trimmed bedskirt

Made from white cotton sheets and pink gingham cotton fabric:

This bedskirt has a 20" drop:

But the real purpose of this bedskirt is to hide the bed risers and storage bins:

Space is at a premium in this room, we already had these storage bins from here and reused them here:

But you can't see them behind this fun girly ruffled bedskirt:

The touch of pink around the bottom edge compliments the painted monogram on the headboard.

(To see the how-to on the windowseat click here.)

And I added the matching nightstand:

Here's how I made the bedskirt:

1. Tear up 2 twin size flat white sheets into thirds the long way.

(For a 20" drop be sure each third is at least 22" wide.)

2. Seam short ends together to make one long, long 22" wide strip.

Hem the raw edges using a rolled hem:

(For a good tutorial use see kate sew's here.)

3. Cut gingham fabric strips on the bias at 1 1/4" wide.

You need lots and lots of length, triple the amount you see in this pic:

4. Sew gingham onto bottom edge of bedskirt, 4" from hem edge.

Ruffle the gingham as you go:

5. Double check width of entire white strip,

for a 20" drop I needed 20 1/2" to allow for seam allowance when attaching to the main bedskirt piece:

6. Attach to existing bedskirt main piece.

Pin in place by marking halfway points then ruffle as you go:

Now we can hide that storage space:

Definitely worth every minute of ruffling spent on that sewing machine!

I'm linking up to:

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl

Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

inspiration board @ Carolyns Homework
Textiles @ Freckled Laundry