Jute Hearts

Jute hearts are very quick and easy to make.  Take 2 pieces of webbing 6" each.  Round one end of each piece. I used a paper cup. Trace around one side of the cup and cut the corners to make it round.

 

Overlap the two straight sides and sew the 2 pieces together.

String on a cord to have a cute and fun garland.

Coin Purse

Finished  purse.

Supplies:  6" X 9" outside fabric,  6" X 9" lining fabric,  8" zipper,  zipper pull,  thread,  size 14 needle.
I used outdoor fabric for the outside and 420 denier nylon pack cloth for the lining.  The zipper is size 4.5 from a continuous roll.  Regular thread and size 14 universal needle. 

With right sides together (the pack cloths right side is dull and the wrong side is shiny), sew the 9" long side using 1/4" seam.  I just use the side of my zipper foot as a guide.  Repeat with the other 9" side.

 

It should look like this.

 

Turn the fabric right sides out and flatten the edge with your fingers.  Do not iron because too hot an iron

will melt the pack cloth.

 

 Place the zipper along the 6" side of the purse with the outer fabric facing up. Notice that one end of the zipper is cut into a v shape.  This will help with putting the pull on later. 

 

Adjust your needle position to the left.  I don't have a zipper foot, so I just rest the left side of my zipper foot in the middle of the zipper.  Sew along the edge of the zipper being careful not to run your needle over the plastic coil. 

 

Adjust your needle position and right.  Flip zipper around the back and top stitch.

Fold purse with right sides together until zipper is equal to the top of the other 6" side.  Stitch the zipper to the purse just like before. 

 

Open zipper and top stitch other side.

 

At the end of the zipper (on the v side), put one side of the zipper through the top of the pull about half way down.  Put the other half into the other side of the pull.  Push both sides of the zipper through, hold the lower part of the v that is hanging, and zip the pull across until it comes off the other end.  The zipper should be closed with the pull off the zipper.  Go back to the v, pull the zipper open about an inch, and put the pull on as before stopping in the middle of the purse.  The next picture will show the placement of the pull from the inside.

 

Flip purse inside out and cut excess zipper off.

 

    

 

Sew the side seams with your needle in the center position.

Turn the purse right side out pushing the 4 corners to a point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Ironing board cover

If your ironing board is looking a bit shabby, you can recover it with ironing board fabric.  Just $6.97 a yard and 45" wide.  It can also be used for pot holders, and trivet pads.  It's 100% cotton with aluminum coating yet lightweight and easy to work with.

Project: Hot Pads

Supplies-(2) 8X8 pieces cotton print fabric
              (2) 8X8 pieces cotton batting (warm & natural)
              (1) 8X8 piece of ironing board cover
               1 Yard bias tape
               Thread             

Cut cotton fabric into 8X8 squares.  Cut 8X8 squares of cotton batting (warm & natural). Cut 8X8 square of ironing board cover.  Stack fabric, batting, ironing board fabric, batting, and fabric. Finish with bias tape around the edges. 
For personalized pot holders, instead of cotton print fabric, cut pre-washed muslin into 8X8 squares and let children draw pictures with fabric pencils.  Sew as above.  Great for Christmas presents.

Burlap

Burlap has recently made a comeback (that is, if it was ever popular) in exterior and interior design.  It's rough look and feel brings a rustic "vibe" to almost any decor.  Burlap has recently sold for tablecloths, chair covers, and bed skirts.  Many weddings this year will feature burlap table runners, table centers, seat back covers, or vase covers for centerpieces.  Once used only for covering springs in a chair, it has blossomed into a multi-use "fabric" that has unlimited uses.  So, feel free to use burlap for anything from your chair to your wedding decor.

Case foam

 If you need your gun protected in its case, then come visit Alan. He can personalize the case to keep your gun from moving around.  He has also worked on telescope cases, microphone cases, tool boxes, and many others.  Just leave the case with him, in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon depending on the size of the case.  Alan will customize it for you.  Talk to him on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday.  

Knock, knock

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Christmas
Dad, why is mom running around the house screaming?

With the holidays knocking on the door, I took a look around the house.  Soon relatives will be coming through the door presents and food in hand.  I thought now is the time to get a few things done that I have put off.  The dining room chairs have seen better days.  With just 2 yards fabric (for 6 seats) and a little elbow grease, I can transform the chairs to look clean and new.  A new tablecloth or place mats will brighten up the table.  Maybe I'll use a bold oil cloth or cotton print. 
Oh, those couch cushions are so saggy.  They desperately need new foam inside. I can wash the covers while the foam is out of them. 
Since some of the relatives are staying with us, I will need extra sleep pads.  Econo Sales sells foam pads that roll up nicely to store out of the way. 
This will keep me busy for a while.  Until next time.

Fundraising Ideas

If you're like me, you're tired of the same old fundraisers going around;  cookie dough, magazines, beef jerky, wrapping paper.  Here are a couple of ideas to think about:

Reusable grocery bags made from pack cloth and 1 inch wide poly webbing.  We have many colors to choose from.  You can mix and match your pack cloth and webbing to get the color combination you want.  I made one for Oregon State (black pack cloth and orange webbing) and one for University of  Oregon (yellow pack cloth and green webbing).  You can match colors to your school, club, or work. I was able to get three bags out of 40 inches of pack cloth.  Each bag takes 3 1/2 yards of webbing.  The total cost for the three bags is under $12.00, making each bag under $4.00.  Turn around and sell them for $6.00- $8.00 apiece.

Another thought is lanyards with your school's name or sport printed on them.  If you look at our facebook page (Econo Sales), you can see some examples of lanyards that we have sold.  Talk to Alan on Fridays if you're interested.  Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.  The cost to you would be $4.00 each, but you can sell them for $8.00 each. There is no minimum number to order.