Most of the patterns are for sewing, but I couldn’t resist testing out the retro crocheted apple cozy pattern by Shannon Fowler-Wardrep.

I love all things vintage (doesn’t this look so 70s?), and since I’m an apple fan… I like that the cozy will help keep those beauties from getting bumped and bruised in my work bag.

My crochet skills are rudimentary… but I found the pattern fairly forgiving along the way (just don’t look too closely at my stitches!) It’s easy enough for a beginner to complete in one evening.

I used 100% cotton yarn in Hot Green and Natural (Sugar ‘n Cream), but I think the pattern would look great with a number of different color combinations.

…and ready to go.

Interested in making one for yourself? Click below to take a peek inside the book.

I can’t get enough of these luxe dog toys. They are easy to sew up in an afternoon and make the perfect baby gift for a close friend or relative. All you need to get started is a thrifted cashmere sweater from your local Goodwill store, a few fabric scraps, and some wool or bamboo felt.

I can’t put into words just how super-soft they are. As an added bonus – they’re green for the environment too! Want to make your own? Check out Betz White’s Sewing Green book below for the pattern and directions.

Happy sewing,

I’ve visited my fair share of thrift stores over the last few months in search of these “treasures” to take home with me. After amassing a large pile of sheets, I realized it was time to create something with them or risk being labeled an official sheet-hoarder. *lol*

I have seen some fabulous vintage quilts online… and decided to make a simple block version.

To start, I pulled out my trusty rotary cutter, and began making piles of 6.5″ squares.

After the squares were cut from 40 different patterned sheets and pillowcases, I started to sew them together into rows of 10. The quilt is 12 rows long, so each pattern is repeated 3 times. With 1/4″ seams, the finished quilt will be 60″ x 72″… a great size for getting cozy on the couch.

Here’s a lil’ preview of the squares all laid out…they will be sewn together later this week and then it’ll be time for quilting!

Love the way all the random colors and patterns come together in an eclectic mix. Who says you have to use one color scheme?

Interested in making your own, but don’t want to do troll through thrift stores? You can find some fabulous pre-washed sheets for purchase on Esty here.

I decided to make one last weekend in natural linen. When I went in search for a contrasting fabric at my local CityCraft store, I came across this print and fell in love:

Isn’t it so happy?! I just love that green. After a couple of hours of cutting and sewing (and possibly the occasional curse word while installing the zipper), my fabric pile turned into this:

What a fun and addictive pattern! I modified it a bit by using thicker fleece interfacing to give the bag some body. I also realized on my next one, I’ll want to shorten the side D-ring holder a bit.

Inside the clutch, I added pockets using a red vintage print I’d picked up at a recent estate sale. It just happened to match the Echino perfectly. Love those coincidences!

I see many more gathered clutches in my sewing machine’s near future (they’d make great bday and Christmas gifts, right?!). Thanks again to Noodlehead for the great pattern.

When researching gift ideas for a friend who enjoys embroidery, I came across this felt needle book tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets. I loved the idea of having all your sharp and blunt needles in one place, easy to access and find again. I made a few adjustments to the tutorial, and then customized a book for my friend, embroidering her name on the front. After it was done, I decided to make one for myself too so I wouldn’t have to keep buying more needles!

These books were made with 100% wool felt from Magic Cabin. It’s a bit pricey, but the quality is better than any I’ve seen. It went through my diecut machine like butter (which is what I used to make the flowers on the front with an old Sizzix die). The flowers were sewn together for dimension, then glued to the front of the book with fabric glue. The cute little flower buttons are from Hero Arts. Lots of fun to make, and it didn’t take long to complete. Love these kinds of projects!