Tissue Box Cover

Like I said before my computer died.

I was downstairs helping a friend finish her 

daughter's prom dress.

Good Looking walked in the room and said the computer just died.

I thought he was teasing, much to my fear he was not.

My in law's friend is a computer guy,

 and since we got the computer from him.

we took it back to him to get it fixed.

While we were talking and catching up, his sweet wife 

look at me and said...

"Do you sew?"

My response was... 

"To know me, is to know that I sew"

"To know me well, is to know that I sew A LOT"

She asked me if I could help her with a project.

She and her husband had gone to a craft fair,

and she wanted to know if I could make a pattern for her.

I was thinking it might be something tricky like a basket, or a doll.

Instead it was a tissue box cover.

She had bought a bunch made out of holiday fabrics.

She really likes them, and wants to make them for her kids.

So thank you Leroy for fixing the computer, 

and thank you Evelyn for always being so sweet. 

Here is how you make it.

She didn't have one for the Fourth of July,

so I made mine out of star fabrics.

Cut one piece of fabric 18" x 15". 

I had the selvage edge on the 18" side.

That way I don't need to finish the edge.

Fold it in half, and mark 2" square on each side.

Cut away the square, and the sew down the side,

 and across the bottom

Line up the side fold and the bottom seam,

sew together 

and line up the other seam to the bottom seam.

You will end up with this nice little boxed bottom.

Fold it in half again and measure down 4"

mark 1/2" 

Sew in a button hole.

The sample did not have a button hole 

just a cut to make the opening for the ribbon.

I am too anal to put up with that, 

so I am finishing the edge and putting in a button hole.

Now you are going to hem the top.

You could do this with a seam guide, but I do not. 

I get a piece of card stock, and cut it the hem width I want.

Place it on the fabric, flip it over,

and press.  Go all the way around the top.

Now stitch the hem down, 

I did it a little less than a 1/4" from the selvage edge.

Turn it over and line up the next seam 

with the top of the button hole.

Now you have a casing the same size as the button hole.

Insert you ribbon

Remember to seal of the edge of the ribbon so that it will not fray.

(Funny story. 

I was trying to get this shot and everyone was gone,

so I was pressing the camera button with my chin 

and totally singed off the edge my bangs.)

Insert tissue box 

Cinch in the ribbon and tie your bow.

Just like that you have the cutest tissue box on the block.

After all is said and done I think I might make the hem 2 1/4" or 2 1/2 " 

It looks a little saggy there on the top. 

It's up to you.

Now if you are thinking you might not want to dress up your tissues.

I was thinking you could recycle your tissue box, 

by cutting off the top of the box.

Then you would have a trinket box for the little ones to keep all their stuff.

I am thinking that way because Baby sister likes tiny things,

 and they are getting everywhere in my house. 

 To have a nice little box that she could keep 

those things in sounds like a deal to me.

The packages are in the mail and on their way.

Hopefully you will have them by the weekend.

I would first like to thank everyone for their kind words,

it really did make me feel better.

Second I would like to apologize for the label 

on your swap packages.

I took a picture and everything so you could see how uncute they are,

(The computer died on Friday and after being fixed

 it doesn't want to find my pictures.)

Anyway I made a cute little label,

sent it to the husband to print it off for me at his work.

They came back not as I designed them, but just like a man did it.

I promise it was going to be cuter.

Anyway it doesn't matter, 

all that matters is that you are getting your fabric. 

My friend Kim brown who is fabulous and was in every swap,

made her first rainbow quilt.

I am able to show you those pics,

I guess the computer likes those pictures.

Here is the front, 

I mean really what is cuter than that?

Here is the back,

the grey and yellow dots are suppose to look like moons.

Did you notice that the quilting looks like clouds.

How cute is her label.

She embroidered it and everything.

She is so good.

Here is a close up for good measure.

I LOVE IT!!!!

If you make one let us know.

I hope you have a great weekend.

I am going to the midnight showing of Hunger Games with Baubi.

She is so excited.

I am looking forward to sleeping all weekend to make up for it.

Baby Sister is FIVE!!!

It happens today,

Baby Sister turns FIVE.

I know every mother says this, but really where has the time gone.

She is definitively the craziest thing I have ever made.

Her favorite place in the world is the gas station.

She is full of fun and happiness.

Everyone is her "best friend"

Her favorite color is orange, because...

"orange is a happy color"

She is the only one I know who can turn her tongue upside down.

She is perfect, happy, fun, and awesome in every way.

Glad you are here, and you are mine.

Love you.

I didn't make it

Last month I posted about this contest.

well today I found out I didn't make it.

I should not be sad about it.

I should be relived in a way because,

I was going to be out if town for the first two week of the competition.

It would have been a pain to try to finish Easter dresses,

 and then add on three other projects 

to the list of one hundred things to do before April 4.

Need less to say that I am sad.

Maybe because it has just been a crappy couple of days.

But the real reason is this...

I think I am better than who they chose.

I do this every time, every time I enter a stupid linky party,

every time I enter an online contest.

I just end up being upset about it.

I will make something super cute, take pictures,

enter ten linky parties and with out fail,

the next week I will not be featured.

I often wonder why. 

Is it my photo skills?

Did I not show off that well how awesome I did?

Did I use fabrics that they didn't like? 

Should I have done it in a different way?

I don't know.

All I know is that of the people they did choose,

two of them can not even sew in a zipper,

and some of the things were so simple I could have made them in a day.

Then I am left to wonder is that what they want..

Did they want something cute but sewn crappy.

Did they want something clever and trendy.

I mean even in the honorable mentions most of it didn't look that good to me.

I also have to wonder if they want someone with a 

big blog and a thousand followers.

If the 98 of you who do follow me was not seen as worthy to the judges.

(by the way I love all 98 of you, and thank you for putting up with me.)

I know it doesn't matter, the things I make I love.

If I take the girlies out in things that I have made 

I am stopped and told what a lovely job I have done.

I have had people stop in the middle of the parking lot

 to ask me about a sun dress for crying out load.

But I do a post of all the things I have sewn and I get nothing.

I know I know it doesn't matter.

When I posted on Facebook that I was cleaning out my closet, 

and to come get what you want,

all those dresses were gone in about three hours.

I know they did not come to get a free dress,

they came to get a "Robyn" dress.

That should matter but it still hurts to be turned down.

I want to make things that people see and love.

(I guess I do)

I want this little blog to grow, so that I can share my talents.

(I guess I do that too)

I guess when it comes down to it I just want 

to be recognized as a new talent.

I just want this little blog to grow to be a big blog.

I want to contribute to the household and grow a business.

I am not a business minded person, and I don't know how to do that.

I thought if I win this contest then people would know me.

If people know me I will get more than nine views a day.

If I get more than nine views a day maybe I could get sponsors.

If I got sponsors then maybe I could get advertising.....

and so on and so forth.

I have always been told by the husband and the mother,

when are we going to start making money with your talents.

It is never "that is amazing" it is always, 

now when can you sell this and make some money.

Maybe I am doomed to be the struggling artist,

 and not the money making artist.

OK I am now going to cry while I make dinner, and blame it on the onions.

I will probably be deleting this post in the morning.

But right now I just needed to vent.

Thanks for listening to my whining, 

I am now going to put on my big girl panties and get over it.