Blog Archives

Poly-Fil Puffy Elephant Project Showcase

9/30/2017

If you are a crafter, you are probably like me always on the hunt for free projects. I use fiberfill all of the time and there is a pattern on the back of the Poly-fil bags. As you can see from the photo above, it is a stuffed elephant. I was curious to see how it would turn out.

It was an easy project and could be completed within a couple of hours.

I decided to make three elephants. They were going to be a gift for three different children in the same household, so I made them exactly the same. You could do a monogram on the rump area which would be very sweet.

I also chose to use two different fabrics. Convertible toys are a unique gift item and will add to the imaginative play.

The original pattern did not include a tail, but I thought it would be an easy addition by using ribbon and yarn. You can really customize these as much as you want. The eye for my elephants was done with an embroidery machine. You could hand embroider or use buttons, ribbon or paint. Just be mindful of the receiver and be safe with things that might be a choke hazard.

The Poly-fil brand is very common and I use it a lot because it is the brand my local stores carry(*No affiliation*). They also have a website that has many more project ideas. You can click here to be redirected. I have a download below with more detailed instructions than what are printed on the bags. There are color pictures and my process. I also have a download below for the embroidery file of the eye. This was digitized by me and you are free to use it for any projects. There should be several different file types in the zipped file so I am hoping you will be able to use it on any embroidery machine with a 4x4 hoop size. If you use the file for any projects, I'd love to hear about it. Let me know through the comments below or on my contact page. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you have learned and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

poly-fil_elephant_pattern1.pdf
File Size:	1346 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

stuff_animal_eye.zip
File Size:	53 kb
File Type:	zip

Download File

Fabric Cord Keepers

9/26/2017

Cords for electronic devices are just a fact of life. I always seem to have some kind of bag, purse, or backpack with me and my cords were becoming quite messy. I was beginning to worry about the wires becoming frayed so I knew I needed to sew some kind of keeper for them. Although you can find other patterns for these on the internet, I wanted to customize mine with the device that each one belonged with so I used my embroidery machine.

I used very little fabric and was able to make four in just a couple of hours. I did use canvas for the outside and soft flannel for the inside. My thoughts were the flannel might protect the cords from friction and excessive wear.

I love everything about these, especially the cheerful color combination. They have also made it easier to find the specific cord if they wind up in the bottom of my bag. So I went from a tangled mess.....

To a much better alternative.

There is a link below to my process and it is very simple. If you don't have an embroidery machine, you could still sew several of these and decorate with applique or puffy paint. Using different ribbon or buttons would also be a great way to tell the keepers apart for specific devices. These would be a most welcome gift to sew for birthdays or Christmas. I have not seen anything like these in my local stores so it would be something unique.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

cord_keepers1.pdf
File Size:	815 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Fabric Store Grab Bags

9/9/2017

This post is a follow up to my remnant worksheet blog. I thought as long as I showed you some great deals on remnant pieces, I could also tell you about fabric store grab bags. As you can see from the picture, This bag is about the same size as a quart zipper baggie. I paid $5.00 and rolled the dice when I got it because there were so many trimmings stuffed inside, I couldn't really tell what I would wind up with.

Here is a close up. Can you see any good items in there? Let's open it together.

Well immediately, I have already made my money back on this purchase. There were two brand new packages of lace and chenille trim. The only thing wrong with them is the packaging. So if they don't look pretty on the shelf, they may wind up in a grab bag. As you can see from the price, just one of them is regularly $2.99. I am feeling pretty confident now. Everything else will be bonus treasure after this.

Fabric remnants were included

About a yard of hook and loop tape and some cording will come in handy.

Beautiful eyelet trims

Lace, lace and more lace!!

Pearls, crystals and decorator trims

So many possibilities with these wonderful trimmings! If you are wondering what can be done with them, just use your imagination. They are all end pieces or left overs, but I bet you can think of something a small piece of lace would work on. Perhaps a T shirt pocket or inserted into a too low V neck? Purses and bags can always use additions. What about hair accessories or socks? Handmade belts and choker necklaces. Anything that has a small pocket or diameter would be a possibility. Doll clothing is another great way to use smaller pieces.

Have I convinced you to look for these grab bags? You may have to dig around for them. Most of the time they wind up underneath all of the other clearance items and because they look so messy in the bags, most people don't want to take a chance. You can see that when they are laid out, $5.00 was an excellent investment. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you have learned and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

Fabric Remnant Discounts

9/9/2017

Are you a person that loves to look for discounts or coupons? If you currently sew or are thinking about starting you may be hesitant because fabric can be expensive. When I talk to most people about my sewing hobby, I usually get a similar response. "I'd love to sew but I can buy it cheaper already made at XYZ store." You can fill in the blank for any big box location and that will be mostly true. If you truly love something you will find a way. Most of my sewing projects involve using remnants. These are small end pieces or precuts that are too short to go back on a bolt. They are usually rolled up and put in a separate section of the store with some kind of discounted price.
Warning! They are Addictive.......

As you can see from the picture, this remnant is 44 inches wide and regularly sells for $6.99 a yard. The quantity of this piece is 5/8 of a yard.

Now look at the new price. It is $2.62. You might ask, but is that really on sale or if it is cheaper, exactly how much? The fractions make it hard to work out because of the conversion from inches to yards and price per yard. I can help you figure that out with a new Excel spreadsheet you can download below. I was curious because I buy my fabric when seasons change, holidays are over and also when I find great remnants that I know from my sewing habits I will eventually use. I just store them in my studio until inspiration hits. I keep them in fabric baskets divided by fabric type and color. This way they are always neat and accessible. In my mind I knew I was getting a better deal but to see it in black and white really makes me feel better about purchasing something I don't need but want.

Here is a screenshot of the spreadsheet. It is free to download and use. I'll go through how you fill it out but it also has comments in the cells so it is pretty easy.

Let's see how much cheaper this remnant actually was when I purchased it.

Enter the normal full price first

Enter the discounted price

If the remnant has the yardage written as a fraction, enter the top number here

Enter the bottom here.

The worksheet will calculate the inches for you and round it up just a bit.

Take that number and use the pick list to choose the inch number. Some remnants may just have those inches written on them so you won't need to convert from a fraction first.

Once you hit enter, it will show you how much you are saving with the quantity you are buying to include the percentage.

I saved $1.85 or 41% on that remnant!

Some have even better savings like this sateen. I saved 64%.

This piece was a full yard of fabric that was in the remnant section so a great find! If you want to figure that, just enter a 1 in both places on the yardage calculator since it was a full 36 inches. I saved 64% on this piece also. This spreadsheet is a lot of fun to play with and if you have an Office Excel App on your cell phone, you could download and do some calculations while in the store. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you have learned and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work! Happy Sewing Savings!

remnant_discount_worksheet.xlsx
File Size:	34 kb
File Type:	xlsx

Download File

Football Season Pillow

9/3/2017

Football season is upon us and in our state, it is a favorite pastime. I had some remnants of quilted muslin which I really love to sew with. Whenever I visit my local fabric store, I am always on the lookout for it. If they have any, I grab and stash for future projects. Using this fabric for the Football Season Pillow was very easy. I cut two 12 inch squares and then embroidered the football and the saying on the front of one fabric piece. Then I put the two squares right sides together sewed around four sides leaving a space to turn. Fiberfill helped fluff it up and I hand sewed the pillow closed.

Here it is about to be wrapped up for a door prize. If you are attending a tailgate party, something like this pillow would be a great last minute hostess gift also. The best part about it is if you don't make it team specific, anyone who receives it can enjoy. As it turns out the person that won this at our gathering absolutely loved it and said she knew exactly the spot in her home it would be decorating. Sometimes, simple really is the best kind of gift! I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

Dollar Store Fairy Garden

9/3/2017

This summer is rapidly coming to an end here and it has been a great growing season. Most of my flowers and plants have done really well. I have several beautiful pots on my front porch that were not so lucky.

Most of the day these four planters are in full shade. I tried several different plants in them but nothing has prospered. As you can see from the photo above the light just does not make it to that area.

Yesterday I visited my local Dollar Stores and picked up several wooden birdhouses and some small wooden fairy fence. I was also able to find some artificial cattails and other grasses. I even looked in the toy section and picked up some frog bath toys and figurines.

A small bag of polished rocks helps pull everything together.

So now when you walk up to the front door, you aren't disappointed by dead plants. Instead the pots have some magical whimsy.

All of it was very inexpensive and it took me longer to shop for everything than to install in the the pots. This will last until the seasons change and I pull out my fall decorations.

This would be so much fun to do with children. The shopping trip to your local Dollar Store may surprise you once you start thinking miniature. There is a wealth of creative possibilities there. I may even paint the houses or decorate them with some twigs and pine cones in the future. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

Poly-Fil Puffy Elephant Project Showcase

Fabric Cord Keepers

Fabric Store Grab Bags

Fabric Remnant Discounts

Football Season Pillow

Dollar Store Fairy Garden

Follow Me On Facebook

Author

What is a Lagniappe Peddler?

Archives

Blog Categories

Lagniappe Peddler LLC