Laura Griffin Designs

May 28, 2011

Felt needle books

I don’t know about you, but I always manage to misplace my sewing needles. Most of the time, they end up somewhere on the bottom of my magnetic pin cushion with all my straight pins and are never to be seen or heard from again.

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!

May 27, 2011

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Customize your camera with a handmade strap

For a friend’s birthday, I decided to make her a camera strap cover (like this one) in her favorite color, purple. After doing a little research, though, I discovered that her camera’s strap was a skinny one, and not the size of the Digital SLRs that most covers are sized for.

I began searching for tutorials that help you make a complete strap (not just a cover) and came across this great one from Ikat Bag. It took only about an hour and a half or so to pull together, and I love how it turned out!

The vinyl straps are actually black dog collars I found at Big Lots for only $1 each (complete with all the needed hardware). The black-backed vinyl came from my local JoAnn store.

I deviated from the pattern a bit and added some fusible fleece to the inside to make it more padded when it hangs around your neck. I hope she likes it!

May 10, 2011

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Chandelier makeover

I recently decided to take down the old 80′s ceiling fan over my craft area and replace it with an upcycled chandelier. I visited my local ReStore (which is basically a thrift store for building supplies that supports Habitat for Humanity). I was expecting to find the old standard brass fixtures on the lighting shelves, but was amazed to find this crystal beauty, which I picked up on sale for only $50.

Now sadly, I failed to take a pic of the original which was pretty, but dark brown. I know – hard to tell the before and after, right?

To turn it “shabby chic”, I disassembled all the glass pieces and spray painted the base metal white. After reassembling, I added a home-sewn white cotton fabric sleeve to cover up the ugly chain at the top that goes into the ceiling.

My friend Sean graciously offered his services to help install it (knowing I’d probably manage to electrocute myself, if left to my own devices). I’m so happy with the results! It’s amazing the big difference a change in lighting can make in a room.

And how cool are the shadows cast on the ceiling when the light is on?!

Anyone else been re-decorating or renovating lately? Would love to see links to your projects!

April 10, 2011

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Free chemo hat PDF pattern

Some of you know that I am the founder of a local charity called Brimming with Love. BWL’s mission is to provide free handmade hats to patients across the DFW area undergoing cancer therapy.

About 8 years ago, Milly Ralsky, one of our volunteers (who was 83 at the time) contacted me about a fabulous pattern she wanted to share with us. She had been making it for nearly 40 years to benefit local hospitals. In honor of Milly, we call it “Milly’s Tie Hat”. It’s a simple sewing pattern (with just two pattern pieces) that is reversible…so you get two hats in one! We receive several requests for the pattern each month from folks all around the world, so I decided it was finally time to learn how to make downloadable patterns.

I’m thrilled to share that Milly’s Tie Hat pattern is now available in PDF format on the Brimming with Love website! It is 100% free for non-commercial use. Interested in making one for someone you know or donating your time and talents to Brimming with Love? Check out our website for more information. It’s amazing how such a small thing like a handmade hat can make a big difference in someone’s day that is undergoing cancer therapy.

For those that decide to check out the pattern…let me know how it goes! I’d love to see pictures of your finished hats or any feedback you might have on the pattern. Now that I’ve dipped my toe in the water, you might see more downloadable patterns here in the future!

March 13, 2011

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All done with the anthro-inspired quilt!

So what do you think? I put it on my bed and immediately went…now I need to make some cute matching pillows! *lol* I decided I couldn’t wait to share the finished project with you, though, so old pillows will just have to do.

I ended up quilting every vertical row and every other horizontal one. My lil’ Kenmore machine was strugglin’ a bit with the size of the king-size duvet, but it came through in the end.

The canvases above my bed are prints from the Kelly Rae Roberts collection (manufactured by Demdaco). Love her work. It has such a positive energy and always makes me smile!