Christmas Projects / Kitty Beds

Well, the kitty beds are finished and they came out pretty well.

I used this tutorial with my own modifications. Rather than felt like the tutorial called for, I repurposed an old fleece blanket that the kitties often slept on in my studio along with some leftover home decor fabric from years ago. For stuffing I used scraps of fleece and batting instead of fiberfill. I want them to be completely washable.

With the multiple layers of fleece and decor weight I had to wrestle the curves quite a bit to sew the sides to the bottom. Using those nifty little red wonder clips would have been easier than pins but I only have 9 of them. Wish I had a big box of 50. Hmmm . . . hint hint family. Christmas gift alert.

Since I was using fleece and home decor fabric I thought the sides would be firmer than they turned out. I wish they had a little more body so they would stand up a bit. They are quite floppy but the sides do roll down nicely . . . just not as stiff as I thought they'd be. Ha . . . what am I saying, they aren't stiff at all. Oh well. If I ever make them again I'll add some interfacing for more shape.

Now if only the kitties liked them . . . . so far they prefer the cardboard boxes.

This may very well be the only real Christmas project I get done. There were a few other maybes on the list but I don't see them happening now. Did you get all your holiday projects done or did you have abandoned ideas too? I always think I'll do so much more than is realistic.

I'm linking up with Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts.

I've Been Published!

Pardon my excitement but this is the first big project I've had published and as you can tell, I'm thrilled! I have a sewing project in the current issue of Stitch magazine (p 43) on newsstands now.

In an August post, I alluded to a project I was working on involving these lovely Amy Butler fabrics.

I am pleased to finally be able to show you the final project. It's a set of custom light shades that slip over a strand of little twinkle lights.

There are so many different applications for these cute little shades. You can make them to match the decor in any room of your house, porch or garden. A fusible vinyl makes them usable outdoors as well as inside.

I think they would be lovely for a garden wedding or special occasion party. I'm sure you could come up with all kinds of ideas where this handmade project would add just the right touch of ambience to your special occasion.

Outer shade features the Amy Butler print
combined with 4 different solids for the inner shade.

Close up of the shade.

Tucked in a tree along the front sidewalk of our home.

Hanging under a vine covered arch in the backyard.

I had so much fun making these and hope you'll consider giving it a try yourself. You can find the directions in the Spring 2013 issue of Stitch magazine published by Interweave Press. If you make any I would really love to see them. Post them on my Flickr account here.

Hope your new year is full of stitchy goodness.