Fun Fabric Fobs For Keys 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 3
Need a quick and simple last-minute handmade gift or a dozen gifts for a dozen friends that won’t take a dozen days to finish? With the right hardware on hand, you can turn out a pile of fabric key fobs in no time! I love how simple and practical these are, and how you can tailor them to the receiver just by choosing the right fabric. The rainbow of key fobs above are all going to be little handmade extras for the ladies on my list who are receiving store-bought gifts.
How about a quick tutorial so you can make your own? Before you start, you’ll need to purchase the metal hardware online. A quick search turned up quite a few Etsy sellers who carry the parts: Key Fob Hardware on Etsy. I used 1 1/4″ hardware. (Update: Check the purse hardware section at Joann Fabrics if you need a quick local source for the pieces.)
Cut a piece of fabric 10″ x 4 1/2″.
(If you want to be able to slide the key fob loop around your wrist, add a couple of inches in length. I prefer the slightly shorter length because I tend to toss my keys in my purse or tuck the fabric end into my jeans pocket.) 
Iron a piece of very lightweight fusible interfacing to the back of your fabric. 
Fold your fabric in half with wrong sides together, matching up the long edges. Press. 
Unfold and press the long edges to the center.
Fold the fabric strip on the original crease in the middle and press well.
Topstitch along both long sides about 1/4″ from the edge.
Grab a pair of pliers from your toolbox. (I like to use my needle-nose pliers.)
To prevent scratches or dents in your metal hardware, wrap a piece of fabric around each set of teeth on your pliers. (I use strips of microfleece, but flannel would work well, too. You can tape these on if you have trouble with them sliding around too much.)
Now you’re going to fold your fabric strip over so that the raw edges are together. (I like to pin the two sides together to keep the ends from sliding apart while I’m attaching the hardware.) Slide the raw edges inside the open end of the hardware.
Press the hardware shut.
And, you’re done! That was quick and easy, wasn’t it?
Punched Fabric Ornaments for Our Tree 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 2
Our Christmas tree is covered with a beautiful array of handmade ornaments that range from incredibly intricate design work to designed with love by a two-year-old. It’s such a blessing to unpack them every December and share stories that they bring to mind of Christmases gone by. Adding new ornaments to our collection is a family tradition that we look forward to each year!
I ran across the Punched Fabric Ornament while browsing Pinterest a few weeks ago and knew that we just had to make these! I happen to love fabric, and I happen to have an enormous stash of fabric, so anything that uses fabric is obviously going to top my list. 
These were so simple to put together and really fun! The instructions can be found on the Crafts ‘n Coffee blog: Punched Fabric Ornament Instructions. We used Tacky Glue for a strong, long-lasting hold, and we punched the fabric pieces in with well-sharpened colored pencils.
Some of us got creative with patterns, some of us used a whole lot of fabric, some just enough to cover the ball and some of us had our hands full with a certain two-year-old who was a little too excited about stabbing something with a sharpened pencil!
The Quilted Raw Edge Stretched Canvas Tree 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 1
Last year, I began a tradition of sharing 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects (or at least 12 Christmas projects spread out over 12 days . . . life gets a little busy around Christmas time.) This year, I’m going to incorporate some projects that I’ve sewn for our home and for gifts, as well as some things that I’ve made with our children AND a few new Christmas recipes!
First up is a little mantel decor. This is the first year that I’ve owned a mantel to actually decorate, and it was so much fun! I started out with our family portrait which will be there year-round and built around it. The “framed” wreath was inspired by the wreath hung over a vintage window on this mantel at BHG.com: Window Wreath. I always enjoy decorating with live plants, so I added the miniature potted Christmas tree on the opposite side of the framed wreath, threw in some Mason jars filled with miniature pinecones and ornaments, and added some scattered larger pinecones from our immense backyard collection.
It needed something else, though, to balance out the family portrait. I searched the internet for inspiration. A print of some sort would work, but I really wanted something handmade. How about piecing together a small Christmas tree quilt and stretching it over a canvas? A quick trip to the craft store and an hour of so later of cutting and sewing resulted in this Quilted Raw Edge Stretched Canvas Tree!
What do you think? If you want to create your own, it’s a very simple project. Just choose the canvas size that you’d like. Cut a base fabric piece wide and long enough to wrap all the way around the canvas. Cut fabric strips of various lengths for your tree branches. Decide on your arrangement, then applique them to the base fabric. Add a star for the finishing touch. Finally, stretch your quilted fabric tree over the canvas and staple it in place on the back of the frame. (If you wanted to make this more colorful, you could also stitch buttons on to your tree before stretching it!)
A Cyber Monday Evening Sale!
It’s Cyber Monday . . . Evening! Do you have Christmas sewing planned? How about a pattern sale to help with your list? You can use the code “CYBEREVENING” through tomorrow at 6 p. m. eastern to take 30% off of all paper and pdf patterns in my main store here: Fishsticks Designs Pattern Store.
You can also use the code “CYBEREVENING” for 30% off all pdf patterns in my Etsy store through 6 p. m. tomorrow, and you’ll find a special surprise waiting over there!
Remember this pattern?
I’ve had so many emails asking about the Emmy Top & Dress Pattern lately! So, I’m bringing back the pdf version of both the Infant & Toddler sizes and the Big Girl sizes for just one week. You’ll be able to find them right here: The Emmy on Etsy through next Monday, December 3rd. Be sure to grab them while you can!
Sheri
On November 5th, my sweet friend, Sheri, passed away after a hard-fought battle with rectal cancer. I originally met Sheri online through a cloth-diaper-sewing bulletin board while I was pregnant with our fifth child, Jamie. We shared a love for homeschooling our children and, of course, for sewing. Sheri was an avid supporter of breastfeeding moms, and I will never forget what a huge encourager she was when I was struggling so much with nursing after Jamie was born. When Sheri moved to Dallas last year, I was thrilled to finally get to meet her and her family in person.
From the very beginning, Sheri candidly shared her journey with rectal cancer on her blog, “I’m Sorry for Cursing“. I was scrolling through her old posts a few days ago and ran across these words, “In this world, I want to have faith and trust like Ruth, and I want to live real like Naomi.” I think Sheri accomplished those goals with an incredible amount of grace. I was blessed to have had her in my life. Sheri’s journey gives me courage to walk my own with the same goals in mind.
In the early days of Fishsticks Designs, Sheri and I belonged to a small group of moms who sewed and sold together online at the Diva Designs Congo which later became Inspired. This week, Sheri’s friends from all over the country are offering sewn and knitted items, along with a selection of pdf patterns over at the Inspired store. All the proceeds from these sales will go to Sheri’s husband and her two precious little ones.
I’ve donated a Playdate Messenger Bag and a Mama & Baby Bag Set, and there’s a very nice selection of other items available, as well. Please go check it out. And take some time to scroll through Sheri’s blog, too. You just may find some courage and joy for your own journey while you’re there!
A Christmas Tee in a Twinkling: A Tutorial
Have you been following along with the Holiday Bake & Craft Sew Along over at Skip to my Lou? There are some great sewing tutorials already posted and lots more to come, AND today is my turn to share! Be sure to click over and check out A Christmas Tee in a Twinkling!
I also get to treat you to a SEW Amazing giveaway as part of our crafty series.
This is one AMAZING giveaway!
We are giving away a fabulous Prize Package worth more than $700!
One lucky winner will receive…- Singer ONE Sewing Machine this is Singer’s easiest sewing machine! True to SINGER, it is easy to learn on, simple and has basic stitches for crafts.
The perfect machine for stitching home made goods or something fun this holiday season! - Simplicity SideWinder Quickly and easily fill bobbins without having to un-thread and re-thread your sewing machine. The SideWinder transfers thread from spool to bobbin effortlessly and quickly; works with most bobbins, metal or plastic. An adjustable tension knob accommodates different thicknesses of thread! So cool!
- Simplicity Bias Tape Maker This Simplicity Bias Tape Maker will Create customized single fold bias tape with the push of a button!
- and so you have something beautiful to sew, $100.00 of fabric from Riley Blake!
Simply wait for RaffleCopter to load and enter there! Be sure to check out all the fabulous sewing projects shared this month for this Holiday Bake Craft Sew series going on all month long!
Settling In
Our new house is slowly becoming our new home! The moving truck has come and gone.
My kitchen no longer looks like a black & white version of Christmas morning aftermath.
My beloved Pyrex bowls are safely tucked away in their new cabinet.
The rest of the house is starting to take shape, too. Maybe a little slower than I’d like, though. I can’t wait to be done with the unpacking and on to the decorating! (And, back to work on those new patterns, too!)
Happy Halloween!
Little Red Riding Hood,
the Big Bad Wolf,
Granny,
the Woodsman,
and the Muffin Man,
all hope you have lots of fun today, dressing up and gathering treats!
Celebrating Papa
This past weekend, we spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon celebrating the life of my step-dad who passed away unexpectedly several weeks ago. Ralph was “Papa” to my kids and my sister’s kids. He was a rough and tough outdoors-man with an enviable cache of hunting rifles and a beautiful garden full of corn and field peas. He was the kind of person that you never forget meeting. He had the crazy ability to annoy the heck out of you and make you love him to death at the same time. He held a wealth of knowledge about almost every topic under the sun and some pretty strong opinions, too. He was a man that showed his love for you through actions far more often than words.
Ralph loved to load all the kids on the back of his “tractor” and take them for drives around the acreage or turn on the garden sprinklers when he spotted the kids playing near the crops. (Kids need watering, too.) He relaxed every afternoon on the screened porch that he built with his own hands to watch the deer, turkey and other wildlife wander across the property. I don’t think I ever knew him to be afraid of anything, except maybe for that tunnel that goes under the Mobile River. (He was not going through that thing for anything!)
Ralph made a huge mark on my life, and I’m very grateful to have known him. He will be missed far more than words can say.
On the road to Florida with InstaGram
About two weeks ago now, the boxes were packed and labeled . . .
. . . and loaded. (Thanks so much to everyone who came out to help load the truck and to those who watched our little ones so we could get all the last minute details wrapped up! You were a huge blessing!)
We set out right after closing on Thursday morning and said, “Good-bye”, to Texas before lunch.
In the late afternoon, we crossed the Mississippi River,
and headed south across Mississippi.
We hit the Alabama state line after dark, exhausted and ready to collapse in a comfy bed.
After a little bit of excitement while traveling through the tunnel under the Mobile River, we did just that. (One thing you do not want to see when driving through an underwater tunnel is drops of water falling on the windshield. Thankfully, it only took a few seconds to see that a work crew was pressure-washing the inside of the tunnel. Shouldn’t they have to put up some kind of warning signs for that? “Do not panic! Pressure-washing crew ahead. You are not about to drown in a tunnel collapse!”)
After a good night’s sleep, we hit the road again and crossed the Florida state line early Friday morning. Woo-hoo!
We spent a week in Orlando, looking at houses, looking at houses and looking at more houses, but we did get one evening to pop over to the “Happiest Place on Earth” where we enjoyed a lovely afternoon of rides and a late night of amazing contemporary Christian music at Disney’s Night of Joy!
Now we’re settled into our temporary home in Melbourne while we wait for closing on our new permanent home. More on that to come!
