Gab about Curtains

Hi there!!! Are you getting ready for spring and spring cleaning? Well I am and I have been making curtains for several rooms in my house. I started in my kitchen and used some cute coffee fabric (that my hubby helped pick out) to make these:

I love them! I loved them so much that I immediately bought more fabric to make curtains for my bathroom.

I used a very simple method that allows you to make curtains for any window. I used my travel iron and my press board (that I made a while back) and had these done in about 2 hours, including cutting time. I got the pattern out of this amazing book The Best of Sew Simple Magazine, unfortunately I do not see it sold new anymore. The great thing is that the pattern in this book is very simple and can be applied to just about any window or door in your home that needs curtains. I also made valances for the tiers using that pattern.

This is my pressing board and travel iron that I use in my sewing room, they help me do quick presses and their portable in case I go to a craft retreat.

I finished those kitchen curtains and then made a set for my bathroom using the same method.

This pattern is so fun! It also gives me an excuse to update some things in my bathroom.

I had enough fabric left over from the kitchen curtains to make some matching placemats and mug rugs, so I already have my next project picked out.

Until next time, stay safe in these crafting streets!

Happy crafting.

-Gaby

Gab about Cross Stitch

Well hello there! Today I am sharing a project that is close to my heart! I draw when I have the time and I am always imagining things to do with those drawings. This time, I made my drawing into a cross stitch pattern and then stitched the image!

Hey girl!

Let me start by saying one thing. So. Many. French knots. I spent a lot of time finishing her hair, but the extra effort was totally worth the time. Her hair has so much texture and it looks so full, plus I really like patterns that have French knots, so I made this pattern with all the French knots. Let’s get a close look at those.

I spent a weekend making this, but it was a joy. One thing I would like to do next time is to make a pattern for the full body. This image measures about 4” x 3” and it’s shown in a 7” hoop. If you would like to stitch this diva up, you can purchase the pattern here. That’s all for today and until next time, stay safe in these crafting streets.

Happy crafting!

-Gaby

I tried the Tombow VIP Box...Here’s What Happened (Update)

Hi everyone, happy New Year! Gaby here with a review of the Tombow VIP box! So I’ll start by saying that I was super excited to get this when I first heard about it, but the box was underwhelming 2 months in a row. That may not sound like much, but at $30 monthly, I could have taken that $60 and gotten something I really wanted.  I figured that Tombow has so many products that I would be likely to get something awesome each month. In December I received many items I already had, but the value was very good and the items were all useful, even as duplicates.

It included a 6 pack of dual brush tip pens, a grey and black fudenosuke pen pair, an eraser and some cute colored pencils. Not a lot of new items for me, but still useful, so I decided to give January a chance. I wish I had gone with my initial thought to cancel. This box contained a mono 2way corrector, a 4 color pen, a mono twin pen, an adhesive, some small stickers and a Happy Mail calendar that prompts you to write letters.

This was SUCH a bizarre choice! It also included a certificate for 20 free pictures (to use in your calendar) but nothing really cool.

I would have preferred a hand lettering workbook, or even some worksheets. To be fair, I’m sure many people liked both months, but I can’t help but think that I could have taken this same money and gotten some Irojiten pencils. I do not regret trying the subscription box, but I did cancel it right after I opened the box for January. This is just my 2 cents and I try to be fair when I review because I never want to bash a product/company. If you tried out the VIP box leave your thoughts below!

****Update**** 

One day after this post I was contacted by the Tombow Team asking for my specific input about what I did not like about the box and what I expected before opening. First, I think it was awesome that anyone cared that a customer was not entirely satisfied, so many companies just keep moving forward, ignoring customers. I was already a Tombow fan (I asked for the Twintone Markers for Christmas!) but knowing that they request feedback from customers makes me love them even more. I hope that input from all customers is evaluated and it results in a better box for subscribers and Tombow! I really appreciated their approach to this whole thing.

Happy crafting! 

-Gaby

Quiltologie Mini Quilt Kit Review

Hello there everyone! I saw these wonderful quilt kits at JoAnn and decided to try one out. They come with everything except the batting, fusible web, and thread, but if you quilt, you already have those things! The pattern has all of the cutting and piecing instructions; so you can get started right away even if you do not have any batting handy. I did my cutting all at once and then started piecing.

These are eyes! 

The most satisfying part was getting all of my fox blocks done.  This is also the most challenging part, if you make it through this, everything else is a breeze.

Pressed and ready! 

I finished with some simple FMQ and this is now proudly displayed in my cube at work! 

This was before the "final" press. 

I had a great time making this and I was able to complete it in a weekend, but you could do it in a few hours if you focus. I think it's totally worth the price and if you use a 40% off coupon, you can get it for under $10. There are several patterns available, so if you want to start quilting, these are great! Thanks for stopping by, happy crafting!

-Gaby