...Sewing For Life...

11 Teacher Appreciation Gifts To Sew

*Edited to add number 8!*

Happy Friday Everyone! Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and I've been scouring the web looking for something fun, unique and useful to sew. (That also won't break the bank-- my preschooler has 3 teachers!).

I've rounded up 11 sweet projects that I'm sure I can wrap up this weekend. (My bad track record with theKCWC nonwithstanding.) Need more? Checkout the pinterest board I've started for more ideas!

1. This Pencil Case from Ikat bag caught my eye ages ago. The case is fully lined without exposed seams, and she has a clever way of putting in the zipper that I really want to to try. See the whole tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew.

2. Of course the Cake Clutch-- this is especially affordable if you have multiple teachers you want to honor. Check out the Cake Clutch Tutorial at the Bakeshop!

3. I love this simple Crinkle Scarf from Ruffles and Stuff. Looks light enough for summer wear, and an older child could help with the fringe.

4. Does your favorite teacher sack a lunch? Even if she doesn't, I'm sure she could find a use for this sturdy Lunch Bag from Ayumi at the Pink Penguin.

5. This jersey Scrunch Scarf from Fave Crafts looks as fun to make as it is to wear.

6. Christy from Is It Naptime Yet? came up with this sweet tea wallet. It looks so easy to make, and you know your teacher already has a few mugs hanging around.

8. Dana from MADE made these sweet (ha! pun intended!) oilcloth pouches to hold candy. Well, I'm sure they'd hold nearly anything, but candy would be best.

7. This Reversible Fabric Basket from the Red Kitchen starts out as a simple square, but ends up being a teacher's desk organizer, change tray, or secret in-the-drawer candy stash holder.

9. I'm a sucker for baskets and buckets, I'm guessing other people who hang out with little kids will be too. This happy little basket from Sew For Home is a great size for tucking onto a shelf.

10. If you are new to zippers, check out this lined pencil case. It's a straight forward, well written tutorial from The Dining Room Drawers.

11. And finally... I'm head over heels for the Open Wide Pouch from the amazingly awesome Noodlehead. I bet you won't be able to resist keeping at least one for yourself. (Or you can send one to me!)

Phew!!! I hope you found something that you'll love to sew for that special teacher in your kid's life. If not,look here for more ideas-- I'll be updating the board throughout the weekend.

This is my son's first year at school. We owe so much to the teachers that go the extra mile to make him feel at home and make us feel great about taking him to school. I'm so excited that they have a day just for them!

http://sewistry.com/

The Easiest Ironing Board Cover Ever!

http://www.makeithandmade.com/

So... on Mother's day, I not only made these oven mitts for my mom-- but I also made a little something for myself...

An ironing board cover!

Make an ironing board cover in 10 minutes, without flipping, tracing or measuring. Tutorial by Make It Handmade!

My iron seemed to have stomach bug and would randomly spit up gross brown water all over my ironing board cover. I was able to cure the iron, but my ironing board cover was hopelessly stained. So I whipped this one up while my kids were out getting breakfast on Mother's Day morning. (Yes, at the same time I did those oven mitts-- they are both crazy quick projects)

I looked at some tutorials online, but all of them required flipping the board over, tracing etc. And who wants to do that on her day off? So I came up with this super easy way of creating an ironing board cover that honestly takes only 10 minutes and a couple yards of fabric. This cover simply goes over your old cover as an additional layer.

Before we begin; a confession: You'll notice that there is no before picture. That's because my ironing board cover was too disgusting even for the internet. Just use your imagination.
Materials:
2.5 yards of 1/4 inch elastic
Fabric (2 yards of cotton or cotton-linen blend)
3 yards of 1 inch Bias tape or 2 inch bias strips (premade or store bought)

First, fold your fabric in half and drape over the ironing board as shown. The fold should be at the center of the ironing board; and the fabric should hang over the ironing board by at least 3 inches on either short end.

Then, without tracing, flipping or measuring, trim both layers of fabric roughly 3 inches from the edge of the table. When you get to the narrow portion of the table, just follow the curve as best you can.

Now for the fun part! We are going to use the bias tape to make a quick casing for the elastic. Fold your bias tape in half, wrong sides together so the raw edges are touching. Line the raw edges with the *right* side of the cover fabric and sew or serge almost all the way around the cover. Leave a 2-3 inch gap to thread the elastic through.

Observant readers might notice that I did it wrong in the photo. Unobservant little old me, didn't notice until I was halfway done, so I just left it. This part will be underneath the ironing board, so it doesn't have to be perfect.

Thread the elastic through the gap in the casing, and put it over the ironing board. Once you give the elastic a good tug, the cover will look like you spent hours on it.

Smooth out any wrinkles, and tie off the elastic underneath the table.

The cover looks so cheery, and it even looks matches my dining room where I've been doing most of my sewing.

And it makes pressing out my projects that much more fun! Hello there Sprocket Pillows!

If any of you have been putting off making a cover-- I hope you give this a try! As always, if you like these tutorials-- please consider subscribing (using RSS), signing up for emails, or following using blogger!