A Look at this upcoming week .... A Sew/Craft Along.

So, I think this is going to be another great week here at the split stitch.  First off, I want to thank everyone who has participated in the giveaway thus far, and to let you know the giveaway is still open until tomorrow morning at 8AM EST, so if you have not entered yet, there is still time.    I have really enjoyed reading all of your comments on what your favorite types of patterns are ... a lot of you responded that you like making quick and easy things ... me too!  That is probably why all of my sewing patterns are for items that can be made in an afternoon including my new pattern.

But, getting back to this week, let me tell you about this new project I have to share with you.  It is called the  "Mini Message Bunting Gift Set" ... take a look .....

Around the same time I designed my Days of the Week Bunting Hand Embroidery Patterns, I had buntings on the brain and sewed some up too.  The set above I made for a sweet little girl as a birthday gift, and took pictures along the way, so that I could share with you.

Basically this set revolves around the cute bunting.  The bunting consists of fabric on one side, and chalk cloth on the other side (I am still using up my chalk cloth left over from this project HERE). 

The point of this bunting is that you can write a message on the chalk cloth side .... fun right?  Of course you could always do fabric on both sides if you like ... just sayin' ....  My thoughts when designing this bunting were that it could be fun around the house ... especially during parties or holidays, but that it could also make a sweet decoration for a child's room (when hung high enough of course!).  And then it occurred to me that it could be an educational tool too ...  so, the bunting has 26 flags ... perfect to write each letter of the english alphabet or to learn to identify numbers 1-20 with room to spare.   

The bunting ends up being just shy of 3 feet long, which of course you could make longer or shorter simply by adding or subtracting flags.  I call this a "mini" bunting because the flags themselves are diminutive in size ... only a few inches long, and just about the cutest thing ever.

The wonderful thing about this project, is that I have found ways to use up the scraps! All of the other projects you see are made using the scraps from the bunting. 

The other projects you see in the photo are:

* an eraser to erase the chalk cloth (this uses a few scraps of fleece and felt too)
* a set of coordinating fabric covered button pushpins for which to hang the bunting (not meant to be handled by children of course!)
* a bunting greeting card
* a reusable fabric gift tag

So, all in all, five projects in one. Now, as with just about any project I make, I have scraps in mind.  So, you could make this whole project out of scraps if you like, because as I mentioned the flags are quite small.  But, what I did was, I used fabric from a Sherbet Pips Charm Pack I had on hand.  Every now and again I get the urge to buy some precuts, and then I don't know what to do with them once I get them .... so if you are like me and have some charm squares lying around this is a great project to use them up.  What is a charm square?  If you are not familiar with the terminology it is simply the phrase given by Moda (a fabric manufacturer) to pieces of fabric that are precut down to 5" squares. 

Want to sew/craft along with me?  Here is the lineup I have planned:

* Tomorrow: Make the bunting + eraser
* Wednesday: Make the fabric Covered Button Pushpins
* Thursday: Make the greeting card and reusable gift tags. 


If you want to start sewing tomorrow, here are the supplies you will need for the bunting:

* 2/3 yard chalk cloth  (don't know what this stuff is? Check out my informational post HERE)
* Around 15-26 fabric charm squares (5" x 5" squares), or a bunch of random fabric scraps
* A piece of plastic template (found by the quilting notions)
* One 3 yard  package of premade 1/2" double fold bias tape
* a piece of chalk
* water soluble marker (or similar)
* Basic Sewing supplies: sewing machine, quality all-purpose thread, 80/12 universal sewing machine needle, pins or clips

So, what are you waiting for?  Gather up your stuff, so we can get going with this fun project tomorrow!

Also, tomorrow, I will also be announcing the winner of the giveaway, and on Friday we will be concluding the Stitching Angels Series with a lot more fun .... one stitcher has already designed a free embroidery pattern for you, and there will be giveaways too!

Do you have anything fun planned for your blog this week?  Go ahead and share with us, and feel free to include a link as well.

Hugs, Sara :)

P.S. Don't want to wait until Thursday to make a cute bunting card?  Well fear not, because one of the Stitching Angels, Allison @ Little Lovelies, posted a tutorial yesterday to make bunting cards as well ... hers are super cute and made out of paper ... check them out HERE.