Secret Project number Sixteen

Hello Internet! This week's secret project comes from another CCA grad student I've lured into this internet project... with the promise of  lunch and other Kate-made prizes.

 {Anne and her special someone}

Anne of Orcas Island stepped up to the secret project challenge, and submitted her finished project just in time for today's post. Anne was a bit wary of the project she selected because it was her first time using the machinery... I can promise it was very safe, just ignore the open beer bottle next to the machinery in the photos below.

Enjoy!

oh, and PS- CCA grads that complete secret projects are eligible for hand-packed lunches, delivered to them in the studio! 

I don’t really “do” New Year’s resolutions. 

If I did, I would probably choose to actively try and tackle more DIY projects.   

Recently, Kate and I made a pact that she would share some of her crafting wisdom if I helped her with InDesign.  Last week we were at school working on a project, but our attention kept wondering to other ways we could spend the afternoon, like baking cookies or drinking a glass of wine.   

Kate hasn’t really had any InDesign questions, but I already had a DIY project I wanted to try: making my own napkins. 

So we ditched the (freezing) studio and headed to Kate’s for an afternoon of sewing! 

I’ve always been kind of intimidated by sewing machines.  They’re loud. There’s a needle involved.  

Few people know less about sewing than I did going into this challenge.   

But you know what?  It was easy!  And not scary!  Anybody can do it, you feel awesome afterwards, and then you get to go home and eat something messy with your new napkins! 

Give it a try!   

Here’s how:

1. Get your tools together—you’ll need scissors, a ruler, pencil, thread, the sewing machine, and, of course, some adorable/durable fabric. May I recommend a good plaid or checkered pattern? Maybe some stripes?  Having a grid made everything easier, from cutting the squares (we went with 18”x18”) to guiding your eye as you sew. 

2. Cut your fabric into squares.  Size doesn’t really matter; just keep in mind that you will be folding the edges over ½ an inch on each side, so the real size of your napkin when you’re finished will be a little smaller than what you cut. 

3. Iron your napkins.  This helps flatten them so they won’t warp after you wash them. 

4. Fold over each side a quarter of an inch. Repeat. Iron the edges again to keep the crease down. 

5.  Undo a corner a little bit and refold so that the edges are tucked in and there is a nice 40-degree angle fold that extends from the tip of the corner and points toward the center of the square.  Repeat on each side. 

5.  Now the fun part!  Kate had me do a little practicing on a fabric scrap so that I could get a feel for the sewing machine, but after that I hunkered down and started sewing each edge.  This is a good time to once again stress how great my fabric choice was because I was able to sew in (reasonably) straight lines by letting the checkers be my guide.

With 1.5 yards of fabric, I was able to make four super cute napkins, and there was even enough leftover fabric for a little checkered napkin-carrier-bag-thingy. 

Kate made the bag... I’m not ready for that yet.