interiors

How To: Patchwork Duvet Cover

I finally found time to make a patchwork duvet cover for Emma’s new big girl bed after making the fitted sheets. Originally it was going to be plain on both sides made from vintage sheets, but I started poking about in my fabric stash and thought it may be fun to patchwork a top together. After working out my measurements (not brilliantly as I will explain later), I had a ton of fun picking my fabrics and arranging the pattern. If you’ve always wanted to try patchwork, this triangle/chevron design is super simple and can be made to look really different depending on how the blocks are arranged. Feel free to play around.
I’ve included the pattern and measurements to make your own, but be aware it is based on Australian standard single duvet size, which is different to US and European sizes. You could adjust measurements or use this design to make a quilt instead. I’ve included some handy links for this option.
I’ve used metric measurements in cm throughout as our duvets are made to metric sizes.
To make a single bed duvet cover (Australian Standard size) 140x210cm read on…
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How To: Make a Fitted Sheet

My baby is growing up, Sob!
Emma has grown out of her toddler bed and has graduated to a single bed (you call them twin in the States). We were lucky to enough to inherit this cool vintage one from a family member in great condition. I didn’t have any single size bedding so rather than hitting the stores, it was the perfect opportunity to make use of all those thrifted vintage sheets I’ve been collecting, the only hitch was vintage sheets are all flat, which is a pain in the backside.
No drama, with a few easy steps, all flat sheets can be converted to practical fitted sheets.
The instructions below apply to any sized sheet, so you can use this tutorial to make cot sheets right up to a king sized bed sheet.
Vintage sheets are great for this, but I if you don’t tend to use the top sheets that come in a sheet set (I use a duvet without a top sheet), it’s a great way to double the value of your bed linen purchase.
Read on for full instructions…
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Upcycle Style: Braided T-shirt Rug

I love making projects that involve at least one of the following criteria: decluttering, upcycling, sewing and a need. This Braided T-shirt Rug ticks all the boxes, so when I spotted a circular rug made by Sewing For Life on Pinterest, I was itching to start on my own immediately. Here’s why…
Declutter – I’d been hounding Mr Man to clear out some of his old t-shirts that he no longer wears, the bottom actually fell out of his t-shirt draw from the weight of all the excess clothing!
Upcycle – Most of said t-shirts were well past their use by date with most of them having holes, stretching or stains, so charity donation was not an option. Usually I tear old shirts up for dusting rags, but the truth is, who needs to dust that much?
Sewing – enough said
Need – With a chilly winter on the way in Melbourne, I thought it would be lovely to finally have a bedside rug to treat my feet to some cushy comfort on a chilly morning.

This Upcycled Rug is a super satisfying project to make but it wasn’t all smooth sailing, so this tutorial is less about ‘How To’ and more about what not to do and troubleshooting solutions. Read on to see how I made mine…
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How To: String Art Christmas Tree & Card Display

This is a sponsored post for 3M via Digital Parents Collective. As always, projects and opinions are my own.

Receiving a Christmas card in the mail these days is quite a treat, so why not display them beautifully on this colourful String Art Christmas Tree.

I’ve always loved the idea of string art, but making holes in my walls for a temporary project is not ideal. That’s where 3M Clear hooks are perfect, they stick to most surfaces, then come off cleanly. When the box arrived with the full range I couldn’t wait to get started. The Decorating Clips are small and unobtrusive, and were the perfect choice for this project.

You could also use this tree as an Advent Calender by pegging on 25 numbered envelopes, or if you have very limited space, just decorate as you would a normal tree and pop your presents under it on Christmas morning.

Read on for instructions and a chance to win one of 5 prize packs…

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How To: Vintage Sheet Duvet Cover

It’s Spring here in Australia, and whilst I was photographing the spray painted lamp project a couple of weeks ago, I realized it was time to brighten up the bedroom with a new duvet cover.
I have a king size bed which is great (yes, I’m very lucky), but it can be hard to find bed linen to fit which doesn’t cost a fortune. Even if I had the budget to spend on my favorite designer linen, many don’t go up to king size anyway.
So, as usual, I thought I’d make my own from some queen size flat sheets left from my old bed. It’s not complicated to make a duvet cover, the difficulty comes in dealing with the masses of fabric involved. I’ve outlined the basic way to make a duvet cover in any size and a handy link to help you out with your measurements.

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How To: Easy Lamp Makeover & Spray Painting Tips

Do you ever wonder how or why you have objects in your home that you’ve never liked? I have a set of bedside lamps that I have always hated. They were my parent’s, bought in the early 80′s when bronze stuff was really ‘hot’. I never liked them then, yet I managed to inherit them as a teenager and they have followed me to several homes. I’m cripplingly thrifty you see, and because they still worked fine, throwing them out was not an option. I thought new lamp shades would help, but it didn’t, so as a last resort, out came the spray paint!
Check out the before and after, and some spray painting tips below.

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Free Printable: Kewpie Poster

I have really been enjoying flexing my creative photoshop muscles of late. Attending a class several months ago really gave me a solid grounding to start from, and I feel like my skills are improving everyday. I have a huge collection of images accumulated from the thousands of photos I shoot of products and tutorials, and with my newly acquired skills, I love that I can create digital collages and recycle them into new artworks. I even digitally collaged the image above!

Earlier this week I put a call out on the facebook page asking if you guys would like me to create a poster or some book labels. The poster votes won, so here you are. I know you all like Kewpies.
Download link after the break…

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