Basics: The Great Fabric Stash Organization project

Okay, so I have a confession to make:  I'm a fabric hoarder.  No, not like those gross people on TLC, but I really do struggle with throwing away bits of fabric, let alone yardage(!).  I just can't stand the waste.

If you sew you know how it is -- when you first start sewing, you don't have a stash, so you have to buy new fabric for every project.  Depending on the project, you may have a few bits let over, or you may have quite a lot of fabric left at the end.  It's not just a quilter thing:  Home dec and especially garment sewing usually leave larger, more holey, and funky-shaped scraps. 

Big News, Bundles of Joy and a GIVEAWAY!

Holy Moley, what a week!  So, I know I totally promised to have a tutorial out on the Toothless costume by now, but I didn't anticipate the domestic and military craziness that would take over my life.  At least I got a few baby gifts ready to send.  (I love all these fun flannels, but the Chinese lanterns are secretly my favorite.) 

Okay, so I've been chomping at the bit to share some very big news: 

Today's Photo Journal: Halloween Costume Time!

Oh, heavens, it's that time of year again...

One of my closest friends and I have a running joke about the self-inflicted torture mother's engage in when it comes to doing crazy things in the name of loving their children.

Today's Photo Journal: Little Box of Goodness

I'm like a big kid when a package comes in the mail.  I love a good surprise as much as the next person, so imagine my delight when the doorbell rang today and I was greeted by a box from the Fat Quarter Shop!  :) 

Tutorial: How to Patch a Pair of Shorts...(or most anything, really)

When Big Boy hopped off the school bus last week, I immediately noticed a quarter-size hole in his favorite shorts.  I asked if he wanted me to patch them, and of course, he said yes.  I'm tickled that the kids think it's no big deal that I can patch things, shorten sleeves or make them a pair of "comfy pants" (read: fleece) and let out the hem the next year when they're too short.  For once, being taken for granted makes me smile. 

Today's Photo Journal: The Chairloom

No more hiding heirloom fabrics in a bin under the bed!...Or hiding heirloom furniture in the attic, for that matter. 

Tutorial: How to Tea Dye Fabric for that Vintage Look

My eyes nearly fell out from all the research I did on tea-dyeing before I tried it for the first time.  A friend asked me to help repair his childhood quilt, and we needed to "antique" the new fabrics we purchased so the replacement blocks would blend into the vintage ones.

I wasn't crazy impressed with the recommendations I found online... Tea-dyeing is not an exact science, so the best advice I can offer is pay attention, don't walk away from your fabric during this process.  Every fabric will take dye differently.  Some internet methods will tell you a certain ratio of tea bags to water, while others will tell you leave fabric soaking for hours or even overnight.  Guidelines are good; formulas are bad.  You should definitely practice on swatches or fabric you care less about before you commit that $12/yd designer quilting cotton to the process.  (As me how I know...)

Tutorial and Giveaway: The Ribbon-Adorned Lovey

What a fabulous day!  I launched the JustSewOlivia Facebook page and Twitter accounts and I'm ready to host my first giveaway...woo hoo!  You can find instructions for entering at the end of this posting.  Best wishes!

Today's project is the Ribbon-Adorned Lovey, commonly called a taggie.  Babies just love these little things.  Ever seen a baby fixate on the tag of a favorite stuff animal or chew on the tag of a store-bought blanket?  Mommas everywhere know that babies go through a tag phase, and this little mini-blanket feeds that obsession without exposing them to the plastics and weird coatings you sometimes find on the tags of commercially-bought products.  I didn't know about these when my babies were born, but the moms I know who've used them swear by them.  AND, it's like the easiest beginner project EVER.  :)

$5 + Fabric = Fabulous!

Three bucks?! SCORE!

With SuperHusband and I already seasoned Craigslist veterans, I suppose it wasn't a huge leap when a wonderful friend C. of Colorado got me interested in yard sales last year.  Then a few months ago, I found out how many cool things my friend D. and Tina (you saw her handiwork here) were getting at thrift stores.  So I have a new secret life:  trolling the thrift stores and yard sales of the Florida panhandle in search of cast-offs that I can make cool again.

I can't just buy something "because."  I do at least generally go out with an idea of what I need and try (somewhat unsuccessfully) not to get lured in by shiny objects. So two weeks ago when I went in search of a collapsible wood TV tray and comfy barstool, I didn't exactly hit the mark, but I had a couple of pretty cool finds.  First, I got an entire bolt of beautiful paisley home decorator fabric in warm rusts and golds for $3.

But the second find was the real gem...