Large Stripey Bins

Meet my two new stripey bin/buckets.

Above is my version and below is the inspiration. It's from here and I tried to buy it but the store doesn't take visa/mastercard (only European bank transfer) so I had to make it myself. Right? Right! I still like the inspiration one better because of the way the stripes are but these will do:)

So the smaller one in the picture above will stay right there. I made it for the sole purpose of dirty clothes. The girls change every morning into school clothes right there at the foot of the stairs so the pj's go right in the bin now when they used to go in the corner awaiting a trip downstairs to laundry or upstairs to laundry basket, See why I needed it? Also, the girls take their socks off after school and I find them all over the house. Now they and other dirty items can go in the bin!

It's lined in the same fabric as the outside and interlined in PelTex to make it stand up.

The much larger version is in the playroom for stuffed animals. Below you can see how big it is next to Ava.

In case you want to make one too, I have listed the measurements below. I do not have much of a tutorial but if you find a tutorial online for a smaller bucket then use that but with these measurements! I had searched and searched to see if someone else already had a pattern or listed measurements for a large bin but couldn't find any so I had to do it myself. Darn it!

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Stripe fabric is a medium weight cotton duck from fabric.com. 

I bought 5 yards and am able to get 1 large and 2 medium bins from it. 

**hopefully I documented my measurements correctly! Don't get mad at me if I didn't....

Medium bin:

finished measurements:14"x17.5" tall (1pc)

bottom: 15" across

sides of bin: 18.5 tall x 47" wide

handle: 7" tall x 12.5" wide

cut peltex 17.5" x 46" 

cut peltex for handle: 1.75" x 12.5"

Large Bin:

Finished measurements: 16"x 22.25"tall

bottom: 17" across

sides of bin: 23.25" tall x 51.5" wide (1pc.)

handle: 7" tall x 12.5" wide

cut peltex: 50.5" x 22.25"

cut peltex for handle: 1.75" x 12.5"

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Rough instructions:

1/2" seams through out 

handle is folded in half long ways then opened and each long side folded in to meet middle then folded again (I then inserted a piece of peltex 1.75"x12.5"). Top stitch.

I used peltex on the bottom lining. I sewed it on the wrong side of the bottom lining with 1/2" seam then cutoff the 1/2 seam allowance of the peltex only so the seams won't be bulky when you attach the bottom to the sides. 

I inserted the peltex for the sides after lining and outside fabric were assembled separately. With the outside piece right side out, insert the lining piece wrong side out (so wrong sides are now touching) then insert peltex piece in between outside and lining pushing it down so it is 1/2" from top. You can tack it in place if needed. Pin handles in place on the right side of outside fabric. Fold over top piece of both lining and outside fabric 1/2" towards the wrong side. make sure handles are out so you can see them but catch the ends in between the lining and outside fabric. The bin should look like it's finished except now you top stitch all the way around close the edge.

Again, it would be best to find a bucket/bin tutorial online and then use these measurements. My instructions above aren't very good, and I apologize. Contact me if you have any questions!

Faux Metal Wall Letters (shelf style)

* photo of above from landofnod.com*

I received an email from Landofnod.com showing their new items and the above metal letters were one of them. But they are $34 each. I almost bought them (just an A & and E) but then remembered that I bought these extra large paper mache letters from Joann's last summer and some stainless steel-like spray paint from the PX.

So I cut open each letter using an x-acto knife. This is what is inside:

Discard the middle filler and take top off completely. I tried to get as much of the scraggly paper edges off as I could but it just wasn't working. So I spray painted the letters with the rough edges. I think it kind of looks like torn metal after being spray painted.

So here they are after the spray paint (I did several layers). The spray paint doesn't thicken them so you can't put heavy items on them. And I do think they are a little boyish but I have many many more letters of varying sizes and fonts and designs to go around these (all A's and E's) so maybe that will help them look more feminine if I ever put them up. maybe less toys on them too....

Do they look like metal to you? I agree they are not as nice as the originals. I would still prefer the land of nod ones.

Adorable @ last!

Is this not the ugliest ironing board cover ever?? I got this at Real here on the economy. I love that it's super sized (and now that i have my own sewing room again I can actually use it!). It came with an iron rest and this thingy that holds the cord up and out of the way.

But it's ugly...so I changed it from this...

by doing this...

To this....

To this!!!!! Isn't it cute? Even if it's not your style, you have to admit it's better than @ symbols! It's a little rumpled and not as tight as I'd like it but it works just fine. I followed this tutorial and found it to be so super easy. I didn't even measure the amount I cut off around the old cover. I just eye-balled about 1.5-2" all the way around. It doesn't need to be neat becasue it's on the underside. I used a 1/2" seam allowance and gathered the top part of the green fabric to fit the old blue cover (see construction photos). I have been wanting to change this cover since I bought the thing back in 2004!



Fabric is much coveted Heather Ross Gnomes on a light weight twill.

And below:

I had to make a baby one too for my sleeve board! Isn't it cute?

The after photo not the before.