Pinterest Project: DIY Hot Pads

Since my first Pinterest Project turned out so well, I thought I'd try another one out.  This time around, I thought I would try out a sewing project.  Try as I may, my sewing skills aren't all that great.  I can sew a straight line.  I've managed to make things like pillows, curtains and table runners.  But that's about where my sewing skills stop.  However, after stumbling across this tutorial for hot pads with hand pockets, I decided to try to up my sewing game.  

You see, I needed some new hot pads.  I've had these ugly tan ones forever.  Despite lots of trips through the washing machine, there were some stains that decided to stick around.  And they were just ugly.  I've been on the lookout for some new ones, but I couldn't seem to find any I liked for a price I was willing to pay.  When I came across the tutorial on Pinterest, I realized I could pick the fabric I liked and make it for a fraction of the cost.  

The first I thing I did was go to Jo-Ann and pick up the supplies I needed.  Bless the cute old ladies who cut fabric at Jo-Ann, but they are slow as molasses.  Waiting for my number to be called to get my fabric cut gave me plenty of time to pick out the bias tape and thread I needed.   

I followed the tutorial pretty closely, although there were a few simple changes I made.  I couldn't find any Insul-fleece, so I got Insul-Bright instead.  I think it's basically the same kind of material, but was a bit thicker.  Since it was thicker, I only used one layer between the full squares of fabric.  I thought using two layers would make it too thick and bulky.

The tutorial was very easy to follow and had lots of photos to help make the steps crystal clear.  I was very excited to stumble upon this blog.  It's chalk-full of cute sewing, craft and decor tutorials.  I will definitely be visiting this blog often!   

While my finished hot pads didn't turn out perfectly, they managed to turn out pretty decently.  I really liked the finished edge of the bias tape.  I had never used bias tape before this project and I love how easy it was to use.  

The one mistake I made was not sewing the basting stitch close enough to the edge.  That meant that the bias tape didn't cover the basting stitch.  This only happened on a few corners on the backs of the hot pads so it wasn't a huge deal.  But if I were to make any more in the future, I will make sure to sew the basting stitch closer to the edge.

These hot pads will serve many uses.  I can use them to put hot dishes on.  We use hot pads whenever we eat from hot soup bowls on the sectional in the living room.  

And the handy pockets will make taking hot pans out of the oven a breeze.  

Here's my review of the Pinterest Project: 

-Tutorial: A+

Loved this tutorial and it was super easy to follow.  I especially appreciated the photos that accompanied the written directions. 

-Level of Difficulty: B 

There were some tricky parts, like using the bias tape.  However, I am a relatively inexperienced seamstress.  I'm sure someone with more experience would find this project super easy.  Even so, it wasn't terribly difficult.  

-Finished Project: A-

I love how these hot pads turned out!  They are super cute and I love that you can coordinate them with your own kitchen decor.  I'm sure they would look even more professional if I were to try this out again.  

I'm So Fancy!

I tell myself I am so fancy every time I open up my closet now.  Why?  Because I swapped out all my mismatched plastic hangers for matching fancy velvet hangers!

As someone who adores all things neat and orderly, I can't begin to tell you how much I love staring at my new hangers.  I have my mom to thank for them.  I asked for them for my birthday back in April and finally got around to swapping out the old hangers for the new ones.  Thanks, Mom! 

All of my clothes and shoes fit in my closet and the dresser in my bedroom.  And I keep all my clothing available all year long.  The thought of switching out clothing with the seasons doesn't sound fun to me, so I just keep everything out all year long.

I am a little picky when it comes to hangers.  I can't stand wire hangers and hate the plastic ones you get from the store.  I remember when Adam and I moved in together, he had these plastic hangers with the swivel hooks and they drove me bonkers!  I would put a few in with the recycling when he wasn't paying attention and replace them with normal plastic hangers.  I don't think he ever even noticed!  

I always dreamed of having wooden hangers in my closet.  I eventually got some to hang up our coats in the coat closet downstairs.  I love them, but realized that they take up quite a bit of space.  If I were to put wooden hangers in my clothes closet I would have to cut down my already slim wardrobe down by half.

I eventually decided I wanted slim velvet hangers and I wanted them to be all one color so they would match.  The slim design meant I could fit more clothes in my closet and the velvet meant my clothes wouldn't slip off the hangers.  I picked out the hangers below from Home Goods for my birthday.  Home Goods, Marshall's and TJ Maxx are great places to buy hangers.  I think the 30 pack was in the $12-$15 range.  I did have a look at few different stores to get enough packs of the same color.

It was super exciting to add such pretty hangers to my closet!  I love that they all match and my clothes stay on the hangers a lot better.  

I even enjoy putting away my laundry more now since adding the hangers to my closet.

After looking at the mound of plastic hangers that had accumulated on my bed during the hanger swap, I realized there were enough white plastic hangers for all Adam's hanging clothing.  So now we both have matching hangers, even though mine are far more fancy than Adam's.  Somehow I don't think he'll mind.  

Use Whatcha Got

I don't know about you, but I like to change things up around my house from time to time.  It's very tempting to go out and buy new things, but that's not very budget-savvy.  I have found that rotating the home decor items I already own is an easy way to get a new look without breaking the bank.  There's a closet in one of our guest rooms that is full of all kinds of home decor items.  I stick things I'm tired of using in there or random clearance finds that I pick up.  The funny thing is, after something has been in the closet for awhile, it almost becomes a new item again.  I will look in that closet when I want to change something up and forget about all the cool treasures I put in there.  

I was getting a bit bored of my laundry room shelves.  They were perfectly cute, but I just wanted to make them more exciting.  

So I look everything off the shelves and found everything was coated in a nice, thick layer of dust.  I guess I need to do a better job of dusting!  After I removed all the dust, I spread out all the items.  Then I took a trip to my guest room closet and pulled out some items that could work with what I already had going on in the laundry room.  It looked like a hot mess at this point, but that's all part of the fun.  

I decided to reuse a few of the items that were already on the shelves.  Then I also added a few items from my closet.  I did add a $3 bucket I found at The Dollar Spot at Target.  That's it, though.  I ended up with a whole new shelf display for only 3 bucks!   

To add some function to the shelves, I put out the basket on the middle shelf, which houses some toothbrushes I use for removing stains and a lingerie bag.  I put some washing machine cleaning tablets in the flowered tin.  And I added a white dish to the bottom shelf so I can put random things I find in Adam's pockets in there for safe-keeping. 

I found this free butterfly printable that works perfectly with the color scheme I've got going on.  After looking at the finished shelves, I realized I made them a bit more girly than before.  But that's okay because Adam doesn't spend a whole lot of time in there.  

I like that the shelves are pretty to look at with a little function hidden in.  This is the perfect example of how to use whatcha got to create some new decor.  

Not bad for a half hour and 3 bucks!