Dropcloth Napkins Placemats

A few months back I happened to buy a dropcloth that had more imperfections than I wanted.

I actually think that the imperfection give it a "rustic" feel.

That said, I didn't want to make something to sell with this material.

Given that dropcloth is a fairly inexpensive fabric, 

and that this was a 100% cotton fabric,

I decide to use it to make some extra large

Our "New" free chair

I am all about buying used or get free stuff...within limits.

I always ask myself: 

can it be washed? 

or 

can it be wiped down with clorox? :)

We have had this chair in our living room for years. 

It was free.

Although you might like the pattern on the chair, 

the main problem with this was that the chair had lots

Inexpensive Slipcover

A few weeks back, 

we purchased an American Signature loveseat for our sunroom.

(a $50 purchase off Craigslist)

Because of the color scheme in the sunroom (brown family), it really pulled the "green" out of the original fabric.

So I decided to make a slipcover for it.

In my fabric stash, I had a 9x12 white canvas dropcloth, that I purchased back in the Summer for $15.

I was going to use it for a different project, but the fabric was too heavy and stiff, so it sat unused until last week.

I am not an expert when it come to slipcovers, so with my basic sewing skills, 

I decided to give it a try.

I had no problem in making the 

Bench Seat cover

I have been meaning to make a new slipcover for our bench seat for a while.

This one I made 6 years ago 

(pre-blogging days).

I decided to use one of the dropcloth curtain that I 

Christmas Stocking French Inspired

I have been so busy sewing lately, but even so, I decided I wanted to try to make a Christmas stocking.

Here is how I did it.

First of all I 

Give Thanks

Sometime I feel very busy with life...ok, maybe not just sometime.

But I do believe that it is great to stop and think about what truly matters.

Often around Thanksgiving, people become more aware of the "being thankful", but I prefer not to limit it to just a month of the year.

Today I was inspired to make a Thanksgiving

Adding writing to a slipcover

This post was shared over Tanya's blog TwelveOeight a few weeks back

If you are one of my followers, you know already how much I love dropcloth.

One of the most simple things you can do to add interest to plain dropcloth (or fabric in general) is to add some kind of writing and/or numbers. 

Stenciled Covers

Dropcloth Coasters

I have added numbers and writing to several of my projects, and truthfully, the more you do it, the more confident you'll feel to forget the stencils and even 

Pillow Cover from Napkins

Today I am showing you how to make a pillow cover from something you already have on hand...something simple like cloth napkins. 

I started with

Dropcloth remnants pillow

I am telling you...

in a house with three little children, 

the nice stuff doesn't last very long...

This pillow has been dragged and chewed and who knows what else.

Paris Towels

About 10 years ago, I was flying back to USA from Togo, Africa. 

source

The layover between the connecting flights was over 8 hours, so I decided I was going to wander around Paris for the time being.

It turned out to be a fun adventure (I was not alone), totally unplanned, and totally cool.

One day I might be able to go back...even if

Wedding Gifts Ideas

I LOVE useful gifts, 
and when I look at a wedding registry, 
I always end up in the kitchen stuff.

Maybe because I like to cook, maybe because they have signed up for things that I use myself and find it useful and necessary.

Either way, I end up buying those gifts.

Lately I have been going the extra step to add something "homemade" that I know will be special to the couple.

I call it 

Cloth Napkins

I have been in a sewing kick since the beginning of the year...which is good, because I am getting a lot of projects done.

So today cloth napkins it is.

I had bought some fabric a while back, and decided to use the 100% white cotton one to make some napkins.

I had made napkins before, but this are 

Pillow covers (the easy way)

I am not, by any means a professional seamstress.

But I know how to sew straight lines...and with that you can do A LOT of neat projects.

This project requires measuring your pillow 

that needs a cover and sew 2 straight lines. Pretty easy, no zipper, buttons or velcro.

Here it is simplified.

Tea Towels and dropcloth

Do you think I have gone crazy?

 Well, I have definitely kept myself busy.

I have made a bunch of tea towels (80+), dropcloth coasters and placemats, for the Christmas Marketplace that my Church is hosting the first weekend in December.
This is after I washed them all!

Some examples of the tea towels that 

Dropcloth coasters

It is no news that I absolutely love dropcloth.

 Therefore, I have plenty hanging around the house.

This is what I made. 

Measure.

Cut.

Sew.

"Stencil" (I free hand most of