Sew Felt Junk Journals!

I FINALLY cleared way to get back to my sewing machine. My old sewing studio has become a room to store things, because my health was not good enough to sew. Now my health is slowly improving, so I cleared off my sewing table and made a path between the storage bins to get to my machine. I had switched to a new Brother Sewing Machine right before I got sick, so the machine still feels pretty new and I’m not used to it. My old machine quit right before my body did, lol! I know that is not funny, but the correlation is uncanny. I used that old Singer Sewing Machine for like fifteen years or so before it had enough of my patchwork and upcycling mayhem.

I started getting into book making after I got sick. I’ve tried a few different types of books. The thing is, upcycled materials get my creative inspiration going so much that I go off on all these tangents. So it took a long time for me to come up with the concept for these felt journals. I have made two so far, one for myself and one for a gift. It is nice to have finished projects done on hand to gift for birthdays, and other festive celebrations. Make a few of these junk journals to give. They will be well received!

Felt junk journal number two by Kat Sturges

Felt Junk Journal Number One by Kat Sturges

Fairy pages in felt junk journal by Kat Sturges

Back cover pocket of felt junk journal by Kat Sturges

I don’t think that there is any need for step by step explanation. The journals are basically a cover, elastic to hold the pages together. I created a back pocket to hold pens and markers. I was going to make a bunch, but oops! I closed my Etsy shop. LOL! I hope that you get inspired to make some journals of your own, to use for junk journaling and for gifting.

Sew a Prayer Banner

I’m back to sewing, and trying to use up some of my stash! I have a bag of quilts, most of which I sewed last year, that I’m donating to OxygenFarm Quilts in Nebraska, because they have partnered with a local to them non profit. The quilts will be going to homeless families with kids and I’m so overjoyed that the quilts will be loved! Onto the next project!

Step One Prayer Banner

This project was inspired by Tibetan Prayer Flags. I had a huge stack of squares in rainbow colors, so I just started sewing them together into strips. I collected an assortment of squares when I was sewing quilts to donate. I also have a stack of felt pieces, just waiting to be used in projects. I use the felt when I want a thicker layer that is somewhat stiff. It is perfect for backing smaller wall art pieces like banners and art quilts. You can use a heavy denim or twill fabric as a substitute for the felt. (The more layers you add to a piece, the more structure a piece gets. So layer up if you don’t feel like your fabric wall art is sturdy enough.)

Before you start sewing, decide what you want your banner to say. That will dictate how many squares you use. I wanted to use seven squares, so I decided on the words “Big Love” as my prayer. Building and nurturing the love in my heart has always been one of my greatest spiritual practices, no matter what I’m going through in life. What prayer do you want to be reminded of? If you are making these to gift to people in your life, you can do a word that means something to the individual and what they are facing, or even use a word like Bravery, Kindness or Gratitude…anything that invokes a positive feeling.

Step Two Prayer Banner

Back of Prayer Banner showing letters in reverse

I sewed a strip of squares on to the felt, then sewed in between the squares along the seams. Next, I sewed letters onto the squares, based on triangle shapes. If you are going to try this yourself, it helps to write the letters on the back in a light marker, then sew over the marker lines. The letters have to be backwards on the back of the project to show up right ways on the front.

Step Three Prayer Banner

Next up, delicately trim the fabric away to reveal the letters. It helps to lightly pinch the cotton layer to separate it from the felt and use the very tip of the scissors to snip a small hole. Then put the scissors through the hole and slowly trim away the fabric.

Once you get all the letters cut out, add ribbon or trim to the edges of the banner if you desire, or deck it out with some embroidery, buttons or beads. Add a loop at the top to hang it up, and the banner is complete!

Weaving with Upcycled Fabrics

Ok, so this post comes from the wayback machine! I like to envision the little bit of Scooby Doo effort that went into my makes back in the early 2000’s! I didn’t know a thing about sewing at the time, and had not yet been influenced by books and online tutorials. So I just came up with ideas by experimentation.

These two weavings came from my experiments. I was working with pre worn corduroy pants, and also got a bolt of white corduroy fabric. I used procion dyes to dye the white corduroy in batches. Eventually I decided to do a couple of weavings to hang up.

The concept here is that you just need fabric strips and a glue stick along with a sewing machine. As you are weaving, dab a little glue onto the backs of the woven strips to keep them in place. Let the glue dry overnight. Then sew along the edges of the rows with a wide zig zag stitch. On the orange weaving, I worked by creating sixteen patch of woven squares, and then sewed them together to create the larger piece.

I can see weaving being really cool for the back of a jacket, as a tunic or the top of a dress, or even as patches to mend clothes! Work small, work big, the process is pretty much the same!

I hope this little bit of inspiration gets you thinking creatively!

Ideas for Sewing with Bandanas

I purchased two packs of bandanas on Amazon two years ago, hoping to wear them as head coverings. One pack was made with a polyester fabric, which is super slick and doesn’t breathe. The other was just a bit too small. So the packs of bandanas have been in one of my bins in the sewing room, taunting me, beckoning me, playing with my head! After they played with my emotions for a while, I finally decided enough is enough! I set out to use up those bandanas, and came up with some clothes I’m excited to wear this fall.

The great thing about bandana packs is they come in sets with an assortment of colors. They aren’t usually safe to iron though, and the fabric can be somewhat questionable because they are cheap. Another peculiar thing is they are often slightly off in size. And the fabric is typically really thin, which can pose some challenges while sewing. Just be sure to use a solid zig zag stitch on the edges so the bandanas don’t fray if you decide to trim to a raw edge.

If you love bandanas like I do, or even just need some fresh inspiration, here are some ideas for sewing with bandanas! They are seventies chic, and oh so cool! Some of these would even make great gift ideas for the holidaze coming up.

1. Decorate with ‘em! You could deck out a living room or bedroom on the cheap. Think bandana curtains, a little bandana blanket, bandana pillows. You could drop twenty bucks on bandanas and add some of your own materials and completely redo a room for pennies!

2. Sew a bag or backpack! Fall is perfect for hikes in the woods, and campfires. If you want a Pinterest-worthy fall bag, look no further than a bandana bag.

3. Use bandanas to sew all kinds of clothes! Bell bottoms, skirts, tops. One thing to remember is bandanas are often pretty thin, so you might have to line the clothing to make the fabric more substantial.

4. Make eco items with them. Reusable shopping tote bags, handkerchiefs, etc.

5. Cover a notebook or journal, or use in a junk journaling project.

6. Do a bathroom makeover, and trim towels and a bath rug with bandanas!

7. Sew a bunch together to create a quilt for your bed. Just sew a patchwork of bandanas together, and then line with faux fur fabric with a couple of layers of batting in between for a super plush quilt.

8. Wrap gifts with bandanas for the holidaze.

9. Last but certainly not least, rock them as a head wrap! If you haven’t tried this at least once, you haven’t really lived! LOL!

The list is really endless. Bandanas are like precut squares, but I love the way they look because they are so reminiscent of Seventies style. They are fun to create with because you can use them as is and whip up all kinds of things really fast. I hope this post inspires you to get sewing! I’m getting back in the sewing room to dream up a way to use the rest of my bandanas.

Sew a Quick Phone Sling Belt

Ok, this idea has been just nagging at me. I have wanted a hip pack because I wear a lot of pants and dresses that don’t have pockets. Lately I find myself carrying my phone a lot, but I didn’t want to buy yet another bag! In order to reduce the amount of things I’m buying, I recently cut my monthly budget down to less than half of what I was spending. I mean…the number one thing I can do to help the environment is to buy less stuff. But buying less stuff is really challenging for me! So reducing my budget is a win for my long term goals and for the environment as well!

This sling belt is a super quick project. I literally sewed it in less than ten minutes! You can use knit fabric, or upcycle a t shirt that is one to two sizes too big for the project. It is basically just a strip of fabric with a pocket. If you can do something with simplicity, why complicate it? That’s my motto anyway! I sewed a button on the pocket so that I can tell where the pocket is when I’m putting my phone away.

Now I can carry my phone on those days I don’t wear pockets! I love my new sling belt, and I plan on rocking this a lot! Make some in different colors if you are worried about it clashing with your outfit. Or make it fancy and add longer ties, or piece together a few smaller pieces of fabric for a multi print belt. It just ties on the side, so be sure to place the pocket in a spot where you can easily access your phone.

Phone Sling Belt by Kathryn Sturges