Project of the Week!

If you are anything like me, you don't really want to think about the holidays yet. But they are only 3 months away now, and if you are planning on making your own gifts it may just be time to get started if you want to avoid the last minute panic! So, whether you are setting out with gifts in mind, or you just want something fun to do, I am now introducing the "Project of the Week!"
Every week from now until the holidays, I'll be introducing something fun and creative for you to do.

This weeks project is throw pillows! Indigo and I spent the day yesterday working on these guys. The inspiration came from my beloved Joy Division t-shirt. It was part of my high-school uniform (along with combat boots, ripped jeans and a trench coat--haha!), and through all of the wear it has seen in its sad little t-shirt life, it was just no longer suited for wearing. Threadbare and torn, but I simply could not let it go. So I decided to give it a 2nd life as an awesome throw pillow!

Since it is Joy Division, it lends itself automatically to some gothy-punk tears, so I layered it against some black velvet, gave it a black velvet backside as well, and left the tears right where they were. I added some safety pins too, in memory of my high school fashion sense :)

Of course I can't leave Indigo out when I'm doing a fun project! We found a little pillow that I had started ages ago but never stuffed or finished sewing. She went through my pile of fabric remnants and found the colors and patterns she liked, then drew and cut out these cute little zebras, hearts, and stars. Neither of us being master seamstresses (and I don't have a sewing machine so I am all about the short cuts!), we glued her little scene on with a hot glue gun. The bottom looks a bit ragged because we ran out of stuffing, so I just stuffed it with some other fabric for the purpose of the photo, but we still have to stuff and sew it this week.

Want to try your hand at this, but don't have any fabric? Here are some great Etsy fabric shops from my Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST):
http://tliss.etsy.com
http://beesquarefabrics.etsy.com
http://fabricstash.etsy.com
http://fabricstash2.etsy.com
http://kimonomomo.etsy.com
http://EllaHound.etsy.com
http://FabricSamples.etsy.com
http://samplescrap.etsy.com

Sewing is Sexy

Stephen LaFrance. He's an amazing photographer, a talented graphic designer, and now, he sews. I may be biased since he is also my boyfriend, but all bias aside he is truly talented. And I am so proud that he could toss aside his worries of appearing girlie and break out his sewing machine to make his latest idea happen.

He lives in an old apartment building right of of very hip Belmont in Portland, OR. The front door of his apartment hangs about an inch above the hardwood floors, so every time the weather gets chilly, you can imagine the draft and the heating bill that flies out from under that door!

Now, we've all seen draft dodgers before--those little long pillows that go across the door. But what happens when you close the door from the outside? That cute little pillow is left far from the doorway, doing no good whatsoever. Now, enter..........the new, improved draft dodger, designed by Steve! It has a long velcro strip (or magnets if you have a steel door), so when you leave the room, voila! That nasty gap at the bottom of your door is still covered. Your house stays warmer, you save money on your heating bill, and it looks sooooo much nicer than a plastic weather-strip (not to mention it is better insulated).

Check out boywhosews.etsy.com.