Bowl Cozies

A couple years ago I received a 

bowl cozy as a gag gift. 

As it turns out, that had to be

one of the most useful gag gifts

I've ever gotten. 

We eat a lot of hot foods

in bowls, from soup to

rice with vegetables, and of course, 

our morning oatmeal routine. 

I'm always heating up a bowl 

of something in the microwave. 

Since these have come in 

so handy for us, I decided to

make a bunch for Christmas gifts.

I've picked up a few helpful hints

that have made the process of making

multiples much easier. 

First I made a 10" template out

of cardboard which included the triangles

for the darts. This saved a lot of time measuring. 

There are several good instructional videos

online that will give you measurements

for the right size bowl you're looking for. 

I cut the cotton batting an inch smaller (9")

than my fabric (10"). This made finishing much simpler. 

My last helpful tip is to work

in an assembly line process

instead of making one at a time. 

This saved me so much time and 

was much more efficient.

I hope our recipients get

as much use out of these as we do!

Travel Pillow Case

My little travel pillow is one of those

things that ranks right up there with my 

toothbrush when it comes to daily use. 

From cushioning sore bones at night,

to resting on my lap while I drink

my hot tea and chat with my husband

on our couch, it's never far from me. 

I've made at least half a dozen

custom pillow cases over the years for it. 

They're so much fun because I can

play around with some funky combinations

and fabrics. 

I've been happy with the

way they've all turned out with

the exception of the inside. 

My raw edges were exposed and

would fray and tangle and make

an ugly mess if you ever took a peek inside. 

Well I was really excited this time, 

because I finally learned how to 

do a french seam!! 

It's just as beautiful on the inside

as it is on the outside (if I do say so myself). 

It's so much fun learning 

a new skill an upping my

game (especially as I get older). 

I'm already gathering material

for my next one. 

New Folk Art Dog House

There's a bit a humor

related to this latest project. 

My husband decided he wanted

to build a dog house for a larger dog.

He'd built several for 

small dogs, but this is his

first one in this size. 

He also wanted to make

it more comfortable for me

to work on, so he built it in our

family room!

The problem arose once it

was finished and we needed

to get it out of the house and 

into the garage. 

We only had one inch to spare around

the front door frame, it had to

be turned on it's side to get it out,

and the thing weighs a ton!

He ended up building a contraption

with wheels and figured out a way

for us to remain safe, but it wasn't easy

and we won't be doing that again! 

We just bought some

material to start on a second one. 

This time it'll be built and 

completed in the garage!