Laura Griffin Designs

Handmade Doggie Toy…

Back in March, a new member joined my household…

Meet Gus.

Gus was dumped in my neighborhood in pretty rough shape with no collar or microchip. The pic above was taken before his first visit to the groomers. That’s some crazy hair! *lol*

He’s scrappy as scrappy can be, but has lots of love to share too. Over the last four months…we’ve been through A LOT of squeaky toys.

Rather than buying new ones each time he wore one out, I thought I’d take a shot at making one myself with some leftover scraps from other sewing projects.

I traced out a bone shape on copy paper to create a pattern, then cut two pieces out of sturdy canvas. I took some scraps from my buttercup purse project and added lil’ chew ties on one-side (he loves those things). I then sewed the shape together, leaving a small hole to turn inside out. I stuffed the bone with polyfil and added a squeaker from a “retired” toy before closing it up. The finished project looks like this…

Gus thought it was love at first sight…

This lil’ guy could literally play fetch all day!

I picked up a pack of 6 extra squeakers for only $1.99 at Petsmart. Think I’ll try some new toys soon. I might put together a lil’ tutorial if anyone has an interest in patterns & step-by-step photo instructions.

Buttercup Bag

I made my first handbag recently based on this free Buttercup Bag pattern by Rae Hoekstra.

The great thing about this pattern is that it only uses two fat quarters of fabric (one for the exterior & one for the lining). That means the finished purse size is pretty small, but it’s still big enough to fit a wallet, phone & keys for a night out.

It also means that if you don’t have old fabrics laying around, you can test this pattern out without breaking the bank at the fabric store.

I used some linen-textured, navy fabric for the purse exterior and added a coordinating fabric flower made from one of my Sizzix dies (Large Daisies 38-0208).

To create one, just line your fabric with fusible interfacing for stability, then cut out a large & small flower in contrasting fabrics with your diecut machine. (I used my Cuttlebug.) Sew the layers together with a button, then hot-glue a pinback to the assembled flower to finish. I created my own coordinating fabric-covered button from a simple Dritz button kit I found at my local craft store. Helpful hint: Add a touch of fraycheck to the ends of your flower so they don’t unravel.

On the backside of the purse, I added a small button panel with more fabric-covered buttons.

The lining is vintage (reminds me of some baby clothes I had in the 70s.) I added a simple square pocket and a bronze-colored magnetic snap closure. I’d never tried using magnetic snaps before, but found they were pretty easy to work with. I was also amazed at the selection at my local fabric store. Apparently, purse-making is having a comeback. They had a whole aisle dedicated to it with handles, all kinds and colors of snap enclosures, etc.

Before I try this pattern again, I think I’ll enlarge it a bit. I highly recommend it, though, for a beginner sewer. You can finish one in just a few hours, and I think these bags would make great gifts for friends and family. If you decide you want to sell them, Rae also offers a commercial license for only $10.

Funky green hat and flower pin…

As I mentioned recently, I run a charity called Brimming with Love. We recently received a great fabric donation of some cotton blanket-style fabric in green and white. I thought it would look great in a brim hat, so I grabbed a favorite sewing pattern & created a couple of variations.

The first style has a longer brim that is pinned up on one side. The flower pin was custom made using a Sizzix flower die and my Cuttlebug machine. I backed the fabric with some interfacing first (so it wouldn’t fray), then layered several flowers together, adding a button to the top. I hot-glued a pin-back to the flower, and voila… instant flower brooch!

Here’s a close-up…

This second version of the hat has a shorter brim. I added a similar flower, only this time I used some white fabric to add contrast.

If you’re having a no-hair day… wouldn’t it be fun to put one of these on?

No gift would be complete without a matching card! I created the embossed border using a classic square Nestabilities die. The flower was prepared similar to the brooch and was adhered with a simple white brad.

Anybody else playing with fabric these days? Used it with die-cut machines to create dimensional embellies? Would love to see links to your fabric creations!

Happy Patchwork Baby Quilt

I call this one my happy patchwork baby quilt because the colors are just that… happy!

Don’t they make you smile?

I’d been wanting to try out one of the patterns from Amy Butler’s Little Stitches for Little Ones.

This one was a little bit more complicated than my last two quilts, but still pretty easy for a beginner. I used a hi-loft polyester batting to give it more dimension and cushiness (is that a word?!) *lol* Here’s a close-up…

It is backed with solid blue flannel and I think it will make a great crib quilt or floor mat for playtime.

Crafting for a cause…

Back in 2002, I started a charity project that provides free hats to cancer patients across the Metroplex called Brimming with Love

I am always inspired by the courage of the patients I have met over the years. I recently received some hand-written requests for hats and here are a couple that I made to send out…

The first is a quick & easy turban pattern that is made from just 3 rectangles of fabric! It is simple to make (even for the beginner) and is a patient favorite .

Here’s one I call Millie’s Tie Hat. The pattern was designed by a volunteer in her 80′s who was an incredible seamstress. The hat is reversible and machine washable.

Interested in volunteering or donating to our cause? Check out the Brimming with Love website for more info.

Safari Dreamtime Quilt

After making my first baby quilt, I was excited when a neighbor commissioned me to make one for her brother & sister-in-law. Their nursery is safari-themed with greens and browns. We headed off to my local JoAnns store and hand-picked some cute fabrics from the baby section to match.

The quilt contains bamboo batting and is machine-quilted in the seams and around each animal in the center.

Love the matching flannel fabric we found for the backing…

Wishing you a creative day,

CityCraft purchases…

While checking out my new local fabric store, CityCraft, I found some beautiful prints I had to take home.

The tan-colored fabric is one they call “quilter’s tweed”. Am planning on using it with the red fabric to create a buttercup bag.

This Alexander Henry “Apples & Pears” fabric is so fun. I’ve been eyeing the light blue version of it at my local JoAnns store, but really love the contrast of the dark brown. I think this will make a great apron with green accents.

Love, love, love this dark brown print as well. I took all they had left and am planning on making a bag with it (once I figure out how to sew bags) *lol*. It would work great for an apron, too, don’t ya think?

Aren’t these vintage cherries sweet?! I picked up some complementary pink fabric at another store and am still debating what it will be used for. The Amy Butler fabric will be used to make a smock for a friend’s daughter.

So who are your fav fabric designers? What kind of fabrics are you playing with these days?

Citycraft…I think I’m in love.

After seeing some of my recent quilts, a neighbor mentioned to me that a new fabric store, CityCraft, had opened about a block away. I decided to go check it out today, and man oh man, I think I’m in love!

My favorite fabric designers are Amy Butler and Heather Bailey…I love the modern twist they take on vintage styles. It’s nearly impossible to find their fabrics locally, though, and I was amazed to see entire lines of their fabrics in this store! There were many other fab designers represented as well like Michael Miller and Anna Maria Horner. I couldn’t walk away without dropping a pretty chunk of change… I really couldn’t help myself. *lol*

They have a sewing lounge adjacent to the store (where they teach classes and will have studio time available with wine & snacks.) The classes are full through August…but I’m hoping to attend one in September.

The prices were very reasonable considering the selection of premium prints that were available and the fact that it is a pretty small store (designer prints average $9.25/yard). They had a small wall of notions, interfacing, & thread in case you need essentials and don’t want to drive all the way to your nearest national chain store. They carry the largest selection of oil cloth in the city with really fun prints (think re-usable shopping bags). They also had darling printed ribbons, lots of modern sewing books, an entire wall of Amy butler patterns (yea!), and a beautiful rainbow colored shelf of bamboo felt (I didn’t even know such a thing existed!) The felt is eco-friendly, much softer than wool felt and holds its color over time much better than wool as well. Will definitely be trying this out.

Snapped a few pics with the iPhone to share…

Will snap photos of my purchases & share with you soon…

My first quilt…

A close friend recently had her first baby, and I wanted to make her something extra special for her new lil’ girl. I decided to attempt my first quilt.

Now I have to say that I’ve always been a lil’ intimidated by quilting. All those pieces to cut out, all those exact seam allowances to sew, and need I say….mitered corners?! But since baby quilts are half the size of regular ones, I figured it was worth a shot.

I picked up a kit at my local JoAnns store with gorgeous green & brown fabrics and some soft bamboo batting to use as the filler. The binding wasn’t nearly as difficult as I anticipated once I found this great tutorial by Heather Bailey. If you have any interest in quilting – these are really helpful instructions. (You get some great eye-candy on Heather’s site too.)

I sent the quilt off and later found out that the colors exactly matched the color scheme of her new nursery. Yea! I think I might have the quilting bug now.

A neighbor commissioned me to make a baby quilt for her sister-in-law, and I decided to make a third quilt just for fun. Stay tuned for those projects later this week…

Cashmere sweater turned hot water bottle cover

I mentioned in my last post that I have a new-found love of upcycling… especially when it comes to pretty, wool sweaters.

For a while, I’ve wanted to design a custom hot water bottle cover for a dear friend who is British. When I came across a beautiful cashmere/merino blend, I knew it would be perfect. After felting it down to half it’s size, I turned it into this…

Want to make one yourself in about an hour?

Just purchase a red hot water bottle from your local pharmacy, and trace around it onto copy paper (four sheets taped together). Leave approximately a one-inch border on all sides. Copy this pattern onto more paper, but this time, extend the bottom down about 6 inches to create the flap that comes around the back of the bottle.

When cutting out the two pattern pieces, place the pattern so that the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater will be at the top of the bottle, adding texture and a nice finished edge to the opening. Turn the flap under and place your pattern pieces right side together. Sew up either side with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Turn right side out to finish. Snip three button holes onto the back flap and sew buttons underneath. Finish with iron-on embellishments. If you’re feeling adventurous – you can embroider your own design before sewing the pieces together. I used pre-made iron-on linen poppies on the front…

…and some iron-on embroidered letters on the back. My friend’s husband travels a lot, so I figured she could still have him keep her warm when he was gone! heehee

Supplies: Rubber hot water bottle from your local pharmacy, large or extra large men’s 100% wool or cashmere blend sweater (it will shrink when felted), thread to match, sewing machine, copy paper, brown satin ribbon, iron-on embroidered letters, iron-on flowers, 3 bronze-colored buttons (from my stash), & scissors.

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