Laura Griffin Designs

Looking for a way to use of some of your fabric scraps? You might want to try out this fabulous custom camera strap cover tutorial by Priddy Creations. It’s simple for beginners and takes very little fabric to complete.

I had about 1/3 yard of Hobby Lobby fabric leftover from a baby blanket project that was just enough to spice up my boring black camera strap. With a little fusible interfacing and about 30 minutes of sewing time…my new camera strap was born. What do ya think?

Amy’s tutorial would be simple to modify and create double-sided strap covers or even patchwork ones. I plan to try out several versions as gifts for friends and family this year.

My one recommendation is to ensure you avoid too much bulk on the edges of your seams with the fusible fleece. I sadly went through three needles on my machine to make this first cover (though it was probably just user error!) *lol*

Anyone else been sewing lately? I’d love to see links to your creations!

My lil’ terrier Gus is a fetcher. I mean he can play fetch ALL DAY long! *lol* Squeaky toys are among his favs. Over time, though, they tend to wear out and get holes in them. Rather than buying a new toy each time, I decided to give the old squeakers a new life – recycling them inside new, handmade toys.

After creating a rough pattern, I used some old fabric scraps and my sewing machine to create this doggie bone toy. I couldn’t stop there…it turned into an addiction! I ended up making 10 squeaky toys for the neighborhood dogs this Christmas. I thought I’d share the pattern and step-by-step tutorial with all you dog-lovers out there!

Gus loves to gnaw on chew ties, so I knew I wanted to incorporate those into my pattern. They are very simple to make.

1. Start with a simple rectangle (around 1″ x 4″).
2. Fold it in half and sew an L-shape tube (with a 1/8″ seam allowance).
3. Turn the tube right-side out and then tie a knot on the closed end to finish.
4. Repeat twice so you have three finished ties for each toy. Don’t worry about the side with the raw ends…those will be hidden inside of your finished bone.

It can be helpful to use a hollow tube & rod to turn the fabric tube inside out…

5. Using the PDF pattern at the bottom of this post, cut out two bone shapes from heavy canvas or upholstery-weight fabric. In the examples shown here, I used decorative canvas fabric from my local Hobby Lobby store, but think outside of the box… do you have any old canvas bags sitting around the house waiting to be re-purposed?

6. Place the shapes right-sides together and add three chew ties to one end as shown…

7, Sandwich the ties between your pattern pieces and pin all in place before sewing.

8, Sew around the pattern piece with a 1/4″ seam allowance leaving the bone open on one side as shown. (For a smaller bone, use a larger 5/8″ seam allowance.) When you sew over the chew ties, you may want to back-tack across them to give them added strength. Make sure you don’t accidentally catch the ends of your chew ties in the seam as you sew around the bone.

9. Clip the seam allowance around the entire bone before turning right-side out.

10. Turn your bone right-side out & prepare to fill it.

11. I used Polyfil to stuff the bones. Then, I added a small squeaker. You’ll want to bury the squeaker in the middle of the stuffing.

12. Once you’ve stuffed your bone, hand-stitch the opening closed with a slip stitch using several strands of matching embroidery floss or thick thread for added strength.

Don’t have left over squeakers to use? You can buy a pack of 6 replacement squeakers for under $4 (with free shipping).

So now it’s time to test out our creation!

Click on the below image to download the PDF pattern template (free for personal, non-commercial use).

Supply list: PDF pattern, 1/4 yd heavy-weight fabric with coordinating thread, sewing machine, cotton scraps for chew ties, embroidery floss, needle

Enjoy!

I love the idea of taking something old, and giving it a whole new life. Word got around that I’m collecting old wool and cashmere sweaters for crafting, and one of my neighbors dropped by with this beautiful powder-blue, cashmere beauty.

Because the sweater was a turtleneck, it meant it had lots of usable “fabric”. It was perfect for testing out a new pattern from Betz White’s book Sewing Green. I had fallen in love with the “Luxe” dog toy & hat set. What do ya think?

Instead of using wool felt like the book instructed, I picked up some chocolate brown bamboo felt from my local sewing store, Citycraft. Now let me tell ya – this stuff is S-O-F-T! Combine it with cashmere and you’re in heaven. The plaid fabric for the ears and tail also came from Citycraft.

The sewing was all fairly simple (a beginner could make these), and don’t they make fabulous custom gifts for friends or family? I mean what kid wouldn’t look darling in this get-up with the goofy tassles? *lol*

After using the simple patterns from the book, I was able to make not one… not two… but three sets from one single sweater. (Two have already made their way to new homes.)

Want to make your own? You can pick up a copy of the Sewing Green book here.

If you don’t have a generous neighbor giving away cashmere sweaters, try your local thrift stores. I’ve found a dozen or more cashmere sweaters at Goodwill for under $8 each. Just look for the largest size possible (preferably crew neck or turtleneck) so you get more usable fabric, and avoid sweaters with large stains or visible holes. Happy hunting!

Effie thought he’d introduce you to his siblings.
So without further ado… meet Ollie, Rosie & Georgie.

(Effie’s the baby in the family, so he usually gets pushed to the back of the line.)

When they’re not eating, serenading Jack with their trumpeting, or romping around, you can find them relaxing at the local window ledge, taking in the afternoon sun.

Don’t they make quite the family?

Now seriously, how cute are these guys?!?! And let me tell ya, they are super simple to make. Once you figure out how to sew one, you’ll be gathering all your fabric scraps to create your own herd!

I picked up my pattern from a local sewing store called CityCraft, but you can buy an Effie & Ollie pattern online here.

These lil’ guys make a wonderful matching addition to a handmade quilt, blanket, or other gift and can be completed in about an hour. They also take very little fabric to create, so are a great way to use up your scraps. I think it might even be fun to mix different fabric scraps on one and see how it turns out. What do ya think?

My friend Ellyn recently had a darling baby boy. She’s always been a big fan of Winnie the Pooh, so I knew I’d have to make her a quilt using some Pooh fabric. I liked the subtlety of this print, and mixed it with some basic solid colors. The batting is a low-loft cotton and the quilt was edged with a handmade bias-binding.

To match, Jack got his very own “Effie”. This lil’ guy was made from a Heather Bailey pattern and he loves to stomp around his Pooh playground. Watch out, though! He’s been known to give a slobbery kiss or two when you aren’t looking. Hmm – or maybe that’s the other way around. Right, Jack? heehee

He has some brothers and sisters he wants to introduce you to tomorrow…so stay tuned!