How to Sew a Spiffy Pen Quiver for your Bullet Journal*

*or any other book you like to write in! It does need to have a fairly rigid cover, though.

There's nothing worse than searching for a pen when you need to make a note. Well, except for asking for a pen to jot a note. I was at a meeting the other night--and I had my bullet journal to take notes--but no pen. Everyone else was taking notes on their phones, of course, so I didn't want to ask for anything so old school as a pen. Yeesh.

A pen quiver was past due.

It's quite easy, really.

1. Take two pieces of fabric you love.

They don't have to be different, but it is more fun if they are (and easier for a tutorial!)

 2. Measure.

A. Measure your book lengthwise.

B. Determine how much you want your quiver to overlap your cover on the back x 2.

C. Add on your seam allowance x 2.

A + B + C = length of both pieces.

You are essentially cutting the two pieces of fabric the same length and width even though the top piece will be positioned lower on the cover.  Later, you will simply fold down the extra fabric of the front piece to make a nice edge for your pen caps.

D. Determine the width you want. Add 1/2" for seam allowances.

3. Using the above measurements, cut out both pieces from your fabric.

I got carried away before I took the photo and started pressing on to a few steps ahead. 

For an 8 1/4" x 5" bullet journal, my pieces were 12 1/4" long x 3 1/2" wide.

4. Fold down the top piece where you want it to be relative to the bottom piece. Press.

I had started out thinking I would make side seams but when I pressed them together, I realised there would be far too much bulk. You don't want your pen quiver to be so thick it makes the left hand pages of your BuJo wobbly.

I folded down the top piece so that about 4" of the bottom piece remained in view.

5. Place the top piece of fabric over the bottom piece as you want them on your cover. (both right sides up). Align the bottom edges.

Turn the piece over so that the wrong sides are now facing you and fold back both pieces your allotted seam allowance (C).  Press. Sew. Cut off the corners.

6. Fold over the top piece and sew. Cut the corners.

7. Take your pinking shears and cut along both edges. I hope you can cut straighter than I can! If you don't have pinking shears it will be fine if you just cut with straight scissors.

8. Turn the piece back over and secure the top folded edge with pins.

My apologies, those pins should be lengthwise. This way they will get caught in the machine, as I soon discovered. In other words, pin the edge with the heads of the pins pointing left to right.

9. Sew both sides. I used a zig zag stitch, but you can use a straight one if you prefer.

Securing the elastic.

10. Fold over the bottom piece and mark where the elastic will go. You certainly don't have to place it as close to the edge as I did.  (I'm not sure why I did that, frankly!)

11. Sew the elastic to the fabric.

12. Place the quiver on your cover and fold over the top and bottom pieces. Stretch the elastic to the top until you have some --but not extreme-- tension. Mark.

No, I am certainly not the neatest sewer in the world. In fact, I'm pretty bad. As long as it holds, I figure we're good. That bookplate is from Tsh Oxenreider's e-course, Upstream. 

13. Remove, turn inside out and pin.

Again, please change the direction of the pin before sewing.

14. Sew the elastic to the fabric.

15. Turn your completed pen quiver right side out and slide it onto your cover.

I used an old elastic saved from some defunct pyjama pants--that's why it looks stitched. Old pyjama pants not required for this project. Just some elastic. 

Load up with your favourite pens.

And there you have it.

No more fumbling for a pen at the bottom that black hole better known as a purse.
No more embarrassing moments, whispering in the weird face phone glowing dark: "Can I borrow a pen?"

Linking up to these parties;
DIY Show Off: The Summer Edition.
That's What Che said: Monday Funday Link Party
Sand and Sisal: Inspire Me Monday

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From the Weekend: The Shade

Finally, after 12 days, 12 days (and I worked on this shade every single one of them) it is done. From the mistake in my instruction book concerning measurements, (at least, I think it was wrong--I sewed and ripped out the side seams three times) to not buying enough shade tape, to pulling out all my handstitching, to repurchasing the cording, to hanging this and braiding the cord while the shade was fully up, I made every single possible mistake there was to make.

And I have the other one yet to do.

In happier news, you will notice I'm trying out "Elgin Grey" by Ralph Lauren there in the corner. Our testers finally came in.

Project 25: Mend the Cow Blanket

This one certainly qualifies as an Anti-Procrastination Project.

I have put this one off for more than five years. I know it's been at least five years, because we got our new Beagle puppy about three days before my nephew was born on Christmas Eve. My nephew turned five last Christmas Eve.

The puppy did what puppies do: he chewed through everything.

Back sometime in the late eighties, or early nineties, I got this blanket on a trip to New Orleans with a boyfriend I had just broken up with. (Have you ever done that? Go on a vacation you've planned and paid for with someone you broke up with?) I think he may have thought it was a trial separation. I knew I would never sleep with him under that blanket, so I bought it. Plus, it was in a restaurant, and I'd never been in a restaurant that sold home décor before (or since).

Plus, it was cool.

The blanket is woven and has a design on both sides, each the reverse of the other. A classmate in my Organizing Fundamentals course alerted me to the fact that this meant it would be best if I mended the blanket from both sides.

The procedure to fix it was essentially this.

Buy a new iron. Buy a new iron and ironing board holder. Buy another iron. Oh wait, that was this anti-procrastination project! Just goes to show, everything is related.

Sorry, back to mending the hole.

1. Trim loose threads and tidy up the hole.
2. Take a lint roller and remove as much dog hair and other debris as possible which has accumulated for five years around the hole.

3. Stitch around the hole on the sewing machine to prevent further unravelling.

4. Get some really outrageous fabric to cover the "patch." Choose a shape which is sympathetic to the blanket.

5. Cut out two.
6. Hem the raw edges of the patches.

(NB: I should have used a zig zag stitch here and not a straight stitch.)

I was so nervous about ironing on the iron-on material that I procrastinated these next steps for a full week.

7. Find some sort of flexible woven stuff to iron on. Cut out two patches slightly smaller than the fabric patches.

 

I trimmed this to get this:

 

 

8. Iron it onto the blanket. At the last minute I thought to put down a piece of paper underneath the hole. I didn't want the iron-on material to stick to the ironing board cover!

I'm glad I did, because it did stick to the paper--but lightly. It was easy to peel off.

9. Then, carefully stitch the patch to the patch. (Again, use a zig zag. Embrace the zig zagginess. Much better than curling edges which is what actually happened after I washed it.)

Repeat steps 8 and 9 for the other side.

Wash the blanket--for the first time in five years--and display proudly.

I am so glad that's done.
(Except for the zig zag. I have to go back and re-do that.)

The Bathroom Curtains

Back when I let my bathroom sink backsplash tiles be the boss of me, I sewed together a rather Nemo looking panel for the bathroom curtain.

dowstairs bath circa 2007

After installing the white tile around the tub last winter, I wanted a change. I found these tea towels and put them up temporarily. I loved the horizontal stripes.

I decided I wanted the sofia fabric from IKEA in Navy and White.

I was going to attempt to make my very own inside mount Roman Shade.

from Martha Stewart

I went to Ikea to pick it up in March. Not in stock. I checked the web site every few days to see if any had arrived--and I stalled on doing much of anything in the bathroom until it did.

Then, one day in late May, my computer said there was some in stock. I rushed down to the store only to discover that though the computer had said there were "three pieces, " that was not enough to actually have in stock, on hand, to sell, as it were. The salesperson said, so sorry, it's being discontinued, don't ever expect to see it again, and basically, well, get over it.

So, with reluctance, I tried.

I found these amazing curtains on-line.

source

I decided to copy them using what I had on hand: those tea towels and a drop cloth.

I bleached the heck out of the drop cloth and bought 5m of navy ribbon. (about $5).

Ta Da!

Oops.

Don't mind the uneven stripes at the top, that's not the oops. I had the panels done up differently to determine whether I liked the length of the tea towel on the left or the right.

Nooo --as soon as I snapped this picture I realised the whole thing was too short--it looked something like a girl's pinafore with her petticoat peeking out!

Let's try that again:

(I was so pleased to have finally finished them, I forgot to put on the finial before I snapped the picture!)

Ta Da!

I think the double navy ribbon at the bottom gives it a jaunty nautical air!

Not bad for $5!

Linking to The Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors. Lots of inspirational projects there!

William Morris and Four Small Projects

Did you know the William Morris Society has an opinion about our little William Morris project? They do and it is empowering to read. Check it out here. Apparently, Morris made his famous remark in his battle against consumerism. That's not surprising, is it?

I love the William Morris project hosted by Pancakes and French Fries. I really do. I spend most of my week thinking about what I can do to improve both the beauty and usefulness of my home. I do little things, here and there, some so small, they don't seem worth blogging about.

Like this project.

Do you see the difference? (I mean other than I painted the wall.)

On Tuesday I installed a towel rack to the underside of the bottom shelf so my son has a place to dry the towel he drapes over the side of the tub to protect the book he's reading when he takes a bath. I was sick and tired of not having a place to put it when I collected the crumpled damp heap off the floor every morning.

Just a small thing.

I hated digging around in my little file folder holder whenever I used it. I was always squinting to see the writing on the crushed up file folder tabs. (I've been recycling file folders for more than fifteen years. Some of them are pretty beat up.) I made larger tabs to make it more useful. I used coloured pens to make it, well, ok, not beautiful, but certainly more pleasant.

Another small thing.

I want a navy blue and white bathroom and I've been hit with the chevron bug. I decided to satisfy both desires with an already previously purchased can of spray paint--and this:

(yes, taping it was a two, maybe three day project, all told. I kept thinking, it doesn't have to be perfect. Think Missoni and Target!)

Ta Da!

It holds the extra toilet paper.

A small, but fun thing.

I washed a pillow cover during my Spring Cleaning of the living room last March. When I reinserted the pillow, and closed the zipper for the very first time, it stuck. I had no choice but to take my seam ripper to it. I bought another zipper and did nothing until I had my Mom come over and teach me how to put it in yesterday.

A small thing so wonderful it was almost big.

The William Morris Project really isn't all about little home decorating projects. It's about looking and looking (especially as I want to have a post every week) and then seeing what should be done and what could be done. It's about thinking about how to solve a problem or make something work better. And, to be honest, sometimes it's about figuring out how to get something you really want. It's about all of this and more because it's always about accomplishing all of it without spending any more than is strictly necessary.

To me, that seems a good start to becoming content; and contentment is the only antidote I know to consumerism.

Linking to the William Morris Project at Pancakes &French Fries.