Join us for our upcoming sew along! We’re making Sweetpea Pods starting on Tuesday, August 22. You can join in at anytime!

Please join us for a Live Q&A TODAY, Tuesday, April 4, 11AM Eastern time, to answer all of your questions about what the future holds for Jaybird Quilts + Lazy Girl Designs. You will be able to watch the replay any time if you cannot join us for the live.

We’re looking forward to staying in touch with you and sharing what’s to come in the future for Lazy Girl Designs.

Thank you for your continued support of Jaybird Quilts & Lazy Girl Designs.

-Julie & Rachael

Got extra elastic sitting around looking for the perfect project? This quick and easy drawstring pouch is made from leftover face mask elastic! These Cutie Pie Pouches come together quickly, fit in the palm of your hand, and are perfect for all those little things that need a home. Grab the FREE pattern below (a $9.95 value) or enroll in class for the pattern and video for free (a $19.95 value) for a limited time – details below.

Cutie Pie Pouches drawstring bags.

Why These Pouches are Special

Just one piece of face mask elastic plus a slider is the secret sauce that makes this irresistible fabric pouch so quick, easy, and functional.

With Easter just around the corner, you can stitch these sweethearts up in no time, fill with candy, and tuck them inside every Easter basket.

Somehow I ended up with an assortment of elastic in different sizes and colors and it is all just sitting amongst my sewing supplies, giving me the stink eye – waiting to become something!

Well, I can’t blame them. In the last couple of years, elastic has been hard to find at times, then readily abundant. I even found pre-cut elastic with silicone sliders attached to make face masks. I had to see what they were about so I bought some. I may have bought too many.

But, my over-shopping led me to come up with this project to use this bounty of bouncy, stretchy goodness.

How To Use Small Drawstring Pouches

At about 3-inches by 3.5-inches, these Cutie Pie Pouches are about the size of the palm of my hand. But the bag design can easily be made larger, taller, wider, etc, for other things.

These small, soft-sided fabric bags are perfect for candy bags, to hold board game pieces, and to keep small supplies together.

Never lose game pieces again.

Cutie Pie Pouches are perfect for a spool of thread and some sewing supplies to take with you on the go. Just remember, like most drawstring bags, they don’t close completely, so they are not appropriate for really tiny things that can work their way out of the bag.

Talk about a cute sewing kit! Yes please, I’ll need many!

Do you have some fabulous fabrics leftover from a pack of 10-inch squares? Make a whole collection of these Cuties.

Fabrics are ‘Madelyn’, curated by Joan Hawley for QT Fabrics.
Available late summer 2022.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you order through those links at no additional cost to you.

The Project: Cutie Pie Pouches

Let’s take a look at the project. Two 10-inch squares of fabric and two pieces of 8-10 inch elastic will make two bags. Plus you’ll need two sliders for the drawstring closure.

Supplies: Makes two, size 3” x 3 1/2”
– Two 10” squares of coordinating fabric
– Two 8 -10” long pieces of 1/4” wide elastic for the drawstring
– Two sliders for drawstring closure: Silicone Sliders for face mask elastic or 9mm Pony beads

Supply links for elastic, sliders, and the tools shown.

You’ll need some basic sewing supplies and notions, too. In particular, a bobby pin and a bodkin are handy. If you don’t have these items, you probably have something on hand that will do the same job.

Supplies to make Cutie Pie Pouches.

How to Make Cutie Pie Pouches

These adorable bags are simple to make. They really are as easy as: stack, cut, stitch, and turn. Make these on your own, or join Joan in class (details below) for the complete step-by-step process and we’ll make these little cuties together.

Stack, cut, stitch and turn
to make these quick pouches.

Elastic and Closure Options for Drawstring Bag

Elastic between 1/8″ and 1/4″ wide work really well for this project. You can see in the image below that the elastic is different lengths. Use pieces between 8″-10″ for this project.

There are some fun options to add a slider to the elastic for a closure. The white and black sliders are silicone and you can get them by themselves or already attached to pre-cut pieces of elastic.

Take a close look at the holes on the white sliders. Next to each set of sliders, two sliders are standing on end so you can see their holes. Each slider has a large opening and a small opening. Feed elastic through the large opening and out through the small opening, which offers the tension to keep the slider from sliding.

Silicone sliders for the drawstring.

The purple beads below are 9mm Pony beads. They work very well with 1/4″ wide elastic, but they are too big for the 1/8″ elastic.

Pony beads for the drawstring.

Supplies for Cutie Pie Pouches

I’ve put together links for elastic, sliders, and the tools.

Cutie Pie Pouches Drawstring Bag Pattern

Here’s a quick video overview of the project.

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Pattern: Cutie Pie Pouches Drawstring Bag Pattern

That’s all there is to this sweet little drawstring bag! Remember to grab your printable tutorial below or join Joan in class for the pattern and video tutorial, use code CUTIEPIEPOUCHES at checkout to enroll for FREE for a limited time (valued at $19.95).

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Enjoy!
Joan
Sew With Joan Online Classes | Joan’s Sewing Group | Pinterest

Lazies, Never get caught without the perfect card again! Follow my 3 easy steps below to turn your precious fabric scraps into one-of-a-kind cards (and gifts) that are perfect for every occasion. Everyone wins on this one. And these beautiful cards are quick, easy to make, and affordable. Perfect for everyone and any occasion. Check out the tutorial, then grab your FREE printable tutorial (valued at $9.95) below!

Fabric note cards get your beloved project scraps
off the shelves to make useful eye candy.

If you’ve ever fused fabric to something, then you already know everything needed to make these stunning note cards. And you probably have most of the supplies on hand. See that, you are nearly done.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you order through those links at no additional cost to you.

Supplies for Making Fabric Note Cards

• 100% Cotton quilter’s weight fabric scraps a little bigger than your note cards
• Fusi-Bond Lite lightweight fusible adhesive web from Lazy Girl Designs
• 5in x 7in blank White Cards and Envelopes
• Cellophane bags for gifting
• Scissors, iron, and basic supplies for a fusible project

Card Making Supplies: Fusi-Bond Lite,
blank cards, envelopes, clear bags.

Blank white note cards are easy to work with. This product came with the cards flat with a fold line ‘scored’ in the middle for easy folding. The envelopes are self-sealing – just peel the paper strip and fold the flap into place to seal. Sweet!

Clear cellophane bags with self-sealing flaps are a really nice touch to package individual cards as gifts or to sell.

Tip: This technique should also work well on heavier construction paper or blank index cards (to make postcards, gift tags, and bookmarks).

Fabric Selection for Note Cards

Gather your fabric fabrics and sizable scraps! I worked with yardage I had on hand from the Lexi fabric collection I curated for QT Fabrics. A couple of cards from each of these would make a nice gift set.

Gorgeous leftovers from my curated ‘Lexi’
fabric collection for QT Fabrics.

Although I worked with yardage, you could use leftover quilt blocks, fabric scraps, or an applique design to compose the front of the card.

Tip: Choose themed fabrics such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or birthdays for specific occasions.

Step 1: Prepare Fabric for the Note Cards

Work with your fabric and fusible bigger than needed, so when it is cut to size, the fusible will go all the way to the edge of the fabric for a great finish.

The cards shown here are 5″ x 7″. Cut the Fusi-Bond Lite slightly larger than needed and fabric slightly larger than that. That will keep the fusible in from the edges while fusing and prevent it from getting on the pressing surface.

Follow manufacturer’s directions to fuse
adhesive web to wrong side of fabric.

If you plan to make a bunch, work with larger pieces of fabric and fusible, then cut strips and re-cut the strips to the size needed.

Step 2: Cut To The Size Needed

Choose the size border you want around your fabric piece. You might choose a bigger frame around the fabric or you might be starting with smaller cuts of fabric.

Be sure to trim a little from all edges when cutting to the size needed. That will ensure that the fusible goes all the way to the edges.

I decided on a quarter-inch border around the fabric. To do so, cut the fabric 1/2in smaller in both directions. For a 5in x 7in card, cut the fabric to 4.5in x 6.5in. When centered on the front of the card, that creates the quarter-inch border around the fabric.

Trim from all edges for the best result.

Tip: When possible, cut your fabric pieces on the grain to help reduce any fraying at the edges.

Allow the fusible to cool, then start at a corner and peel the protective paper backing. If the adhesive web sticks to the paper, press again to fuse and allow to cool.

Allow fusible to cool, then peel paper backing.

These cards came flat, but they are ready to fold. Take a look at both sides of your blank note cards. The side with the indented ‘fold’ line is the inside of the card.

The side of the card with the indentation,
or score line for folding, is the inside of the card.

If you want to get fancy, print labels with some notes about the fabric for the back of the finished card. I printed directly onto the card. I set up the info I wanted in a file and did a few practice prints to get it where I wanted. My 5in x 7in cards are 7in x 10in before folding.

Use your printer or make labels to add info to the back.
Be sure your printer can handle card stock.

Step 3: Fuse and Fold

Fusi-Bond Lite adheres to paper beautifully! Center the fabric with the fusible against the card, then follow the manufacturer’s direction to fuse the fabric to the card.

Center the fabric and fuse,
following the manufacturer’s directions.

Tip: Always do a test to make sure you are happy with the result before preparing tons of fabric pieces.

Gently fold the card in half at the scored line across the card.

Make a variety of coordinating cards to give as a gift set.

I made fabric cards to use for holiday cards. And I made a few for gift sets, too.

To Mail: These 5in x 7in cards with fabric, adhesive web, and envelope weigh less than one ounce. I send these out in the regular mail using one first-class stamp for postage.

Extra: How to Gift Wrap Note Cards

To give fabric note cards as gifts, place one card and envelope in a self-sealing cellophane bag. These bags are the perfect finishing touch and protect your beautiful creation. The bags noted in the supply list above are the perfect size for these 5in x 7in note cards and their envelopes.

For Gifts: Place a card and envelope
in a cellophane bag and seal.

Keep a collection of you-made gorgeous note cards on hand so you always have the perfect card. Get those amazing leftovers from a favorite project off the shelves, out of the drawers, and onto note cards where they can be shared and loved.

Make a bunch to use and sets to gift.

Other Fabric Card Options

These note cards are wonderful to use in place of greeting cards. For other card options, cut card stock or blank index cards into gift tag sizes and fuse a little fabric on one side, and the to/from info on the other. Remember to leave room for a hole punch, then add a ribbon or baker’s twine to make a loop.

For leftover jelly roll strips, consider cutting card stock for bookmarks and put those gorgeous strips to work. Don’t forget about those last few inches of leftover quilt binding – that begs to be made into a gift tag when giving a precious quilt.

Gifting a plate of your famous home-baked sweets? Make a gift tag that’s nearly as special as your treats.

Remember to grab your FREE printable tutorial (valued at $9.95) below!

That’s Pinterest-ing!
Follow me on Pinterest and pin this post to your Pinterest boards.

Subscribe to receive emails for my blog and newsletters about new patterns and project ideas.

Enjoy!
Joan

Sew With Joan Online Classes | Joan’s Sewing Group | Pinterest

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Lazies, Wouldn’t it be nice if you could see how fabrics are going to look on your bag before sewing? When it comes to picking fabric for my next bag project, I want to ‘know before I sew’. So….how do you ‘try on’ fabric before actually making a bag?

Just like picking actors for a movie – audition the players.

Yum, yum, give me some…of each!
Fabrics are from the 2021 Kaffe Fassett Collective.

I selected the big bold fabrics above to make my Harper Holdall zip top tote bag. Harper is a large tote and can carry a strong print with large design elements such as this amazing flower. Here are a few views of a finished Harper to get an idea of how the fabrics play together on the main parts of the bag.

You can see the outside, handles, and lining when the bag is unzipped. The zipper plays the part of an accent color in this performance.

(more…)

I’ve had a life-long stand-off with lemon.
And then, I didn’t.

What changed?
Lemon crossed my path in a way it hadn’t before.
And it opened my eyes and played nicely with my tastebuds.
And I was stunned.

Stay with me here, I’m going somewhere stitchy with this.

(more…)

Oh, my, yum! Two of my favorites: tasty yogurt in a
cute jar and beautiful buttons from Just Another Button Company.

A Bounty of Button Beauty

If you love buttons as much as I do, there’s a decent chance you have some beauties laying around. And those cute buttons are an investment of time, money, and love. You picked them out and brought them home, knowing they would brighten and beautify a project.

Until you sew these sweet discs of color into a project, here’s a simple sewing room hack to organize and display these yummy friends. Use this sewing room hack to give them a proper home and make a gorgeous display at the same time.

Buttony gorgeousness by Just Another Button Company.
Hand-dyed, small-batch buttons, perfect for my designs.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you order through those links at no additional cost to you.

Oui Yogurt Jars are Cute as a Button

These cute little glass jars of Oui (pronounced ‘We’) yogurt by Yoplait are available at most grocery stores. I always share yogurt with my dog BonBon. She comes running to the kitchen when she hears me peel the foil lid off the jar!

These cute jars are almost as tasty as the yogurt they hold.

I feel guilty putting these cute jars in the recycle bin. They are perfectly good jars and darn cute. I didn’t realize that so many people love these jars that Oui offers lids for them! Enjoy some tasty yogurt, then upcycle the cute jar.

Easily Remove a Jar Label

When you are done with the darn tasty yogurt (perhaps having shared some with a friend), soak the jar in warm soapy water and remove the label. If there is any adhesive residue left on the jar, remove it with a product called Goo Gone. This is handy stuff. Put some on a paper towel and rub until the goo is gone.

Put a Lid On It

The yogurt is sealed with a throw-away foil lid. So you’ll need to purchase plastic lids separately. Some of the jars are plain, and some have delicate printed designs on them like these stripes. You can see how big the jar is. I’d say the jar can hold ‘a handful’ of stuff.

Cute, pre-decorated, handy-sized jars – and lids are available!

Plastic Lids That Are Made For Oui Jars

The Oui website sells packs of four lids in blue or clear. They are popular, so they can be out of stock from time to time – just check once in a while.

I chose blue lids for my jar adventure.

These jars nearly have a cult following among crafters. Just check Pinterest for all the many creative ways people are re-using these cutie-jars.

The lids are held in place by little bits of gummy goo. The goo between the package and the lids is so strong that it pulled the top layer of plastic off two lids and I didn’t care for that. Soak the package, lids and all, in warm water so the paper packaging falls apart. Then use Goo Gone or warm soapy water to lessen the adhesion and safely pull the gummy stuff off of the lids.

A tidy 4-pack of lids.

Store Jars Upside Down For Visibility

Turn my button world upside down! The lids have a good sturdy fit and I’m storing the jars at about counter-height. So I turned the jars upside down in order to see the pretty buttons instead of the lids.

A rainbow of pretty button-filled jars,
waiting to join a project in my sewing room.

Create a Functional Button Display

This little collection of beauty brings me joy. And I upcycled something and put it to good use. I did this myself, it’s pretty, and it makes me feel good. And there is a lot to be said for that.

Oh, my sweet buttony goodness!

Sewing Projects That Use Buttons

The gorgeous buttons in these jars are the ones I use on my Button Boats pattern design. Each boat uses four beautiful buttons with an embroidery floss tie closure.

Button Boats pattern by Lazy Girl Designs, item LGD138

Other Lid and Small Jar Options

These cute wooden lids are a nice alternative to the blue or clear lids.

Skip the yogurt and stock up on these cute jars and lid.

More Hacks and Sewing Room Organization

For more clever ideas, check out our Tutorials and Hacks.

Follow my Pinterest board for Sewing Room Organization for quick links to ideas I like.

That’s Pinterest-ing!
Follow me on Pinterest and pin this post to your Pinterest boards.

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Enjoy!
Joan

Sew With Joan Online Classes | Joan’s Sewing Group | Pinterest

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Lazies, Years ago, my dad discovered that his fave candy was small enough to fit through the holes of the ‘shaker’ side on the Parmesan lid. You know the one – the green lid with the three holes on one side and one big ‘pour it on’ hole on the other side.
 

Instant Candy Dispenser Storage Hack

My dad cleaned and filled one of those plastic Parmesan containers to use as a candy dispenser. Dad thought that was dandy and I did, too.

What he didn’t know is those lids fit on many glass jars, including ‘regular mouth’ canning jars. So if you have some jars by Ball or Kerr, you are already half-way there!

(more…)

Lazies, I want a face mask option with no straps or ear loops to wear for haircut appointments. I couldn’t find a strapless face mask, so I designed one. This quick and easy disposable no-strap face mask means there won’t be anything coming between my stylist’s sheers and my ears when I get my hair cut. Watch the video tutorial, then grab your FREE printable tutorial (valued at $9.95) below! Bonus – Don’t miss my personal tips for getting a haircut later in the post. 

Notice there are no ear loops or straps?
Make a disposable face mask to use at the hair salon.

NOTE: Lazy Girl Designs makes no medical claims regarding the effectiveness of the information and ideas included in this post. Do your research and use your best judgment.

Disposable Shop Towel No-Strap Face Mask

I picked up a roll of blue mechanic’s shop towels which rated well for filtration after seeing them in an article (supplies and article links at end of the post). There were two brands that rated well in filter tests.

Make a bunch of disposable face masks with
mechanic’s shop towels and adhesive fashion tape.
Perfect for getting your hair cut.

What is Fashion Tape

Double-sided fashion tape is the sticky stuff used to hold clothing in place, like keeping your swimsuit from going astray while competing in a beauty pageant.

Let me tell you, this stuff is sticky! I travel with fashion tape and use it to hold window drapes together to keep the room dark at night.

Since I already had some on hand, it was a natural option to use with these blue shop towels to hold a no-strap face mask in place.

I used fashion tape around the edges of this disposable face mask
for a good seal that won’t fog my glasses and holds the mask in place
with NO EAR LOOPS OR TIES.

This mask was comfortable to wear for hours.
It stayed out of the way during my haircut appointment.

Supplies to Make Disposable Strapless Face Mask

Truly, these are disposable. Make a practice one and see how it fits, then make any adjustments necessary. Then make a few ahead of time and keep them handy just in case. Remember to grab your FREE printable tutorial (valued at $9.95) below.

• Blue Shop Towels
• Fashion Tape
• Sewing Machine or Stapler
• Cutting Tools

Make a simple pleated face mask from
blue shop towels and
double-sided fashion tape.

The towels are 10″ by 12″.
Fold in half to measure 10″ wide x 6″ tall.

Trim to 7 1/2″ wide along the fold and 6″ tall.

Add two pleats and press with your hands.
Stitch the pleats and the long open edge, or use a stapler to staple the pleats.

Center a piece of fashion tape along the top fold.
Add pieces along both side edges.
Get the free printable tutorial below.

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Considerations For Making and Using No-Strap Adhesive Face Mask

• Is your face oily/dirty? That may affect the adhesive bond.
• Pre-test the towels and tape for sensitivities or allergies.
• Do you have some delicate hair at the side of my face toward your ears? I found out the hard way that I do – or at least I did before removing a mask with the fashion tape.
• The fashion tape may be too strong for thin, delicate, or older skin. Do a test and see what you think. I used a complete tape strip that was a half-inch wide. If that’s too much, cut the strip to 1/4″ or 1/8″ wide. The different tape brands have different strength adhesive, so try another brand. Again, do a test mask to see what works best for you.
• I applied fashion tape across the entire top edge of the mask for a first test run.
• I also added a short piece of tape to hold the mask under my chinny-chin-chin.

No-Strap Fabric Face Mask

Another idea is to use the adhesive strips on a regular fabric face mask. Either make some strapless fabric masks that can be re-used, or use tape on your regular fabric mask and fold the ties/loops to the lining. Remember to remove the fashion tape before washing the fabric mask.

Use fashion tape on a fabric face mask.
Fold the ear loops to the lining and stick to the fashion tape.
Shown is the A.B. Face Mask by a Nurse made with ear loops and no binding.

How To Apply The Adhesive Face Mask

The end of the video tutorial shows how I apply the no-strap adhesive disposable paper towel face mask:

• Make and apply a test mask to see what works best for you.
• Wash your hands before handling and putting a face mask on.
• Remove the paper liners from the fashion tape.
• Center the mask over your nose and press in place.
• Smoothing along the top edge under your eyes.
• Then place the side edges against your cheeks and press in place.
• Finally, pull the bottom edge of the mask at the center and pull down to cover your chin.
• Be gentle in removing the mask. The fashion tape is sticky and it might be sensitive to pull off along your nose and cheeks.
• Throw the mask away then wash your hands.

This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission when you buy through these links at no additional cost to you.

Supplies: Blue Mechanic’s Shop Towels and Fashion Tape

I like Hollywood Fashion Tape. It’s available in strips or on the roll.

Subscribe Now to get news, updates, and exclusive content from Joan.

Here are the shop towels I use. ToolBox Shop Towels

Article referencing the testing of blue shop towels for filtering at Business Insider.

Remember to grab your FREE printable tutorial (valued at $9.95) below.

More Face Mask Posts and Lazy Girl Tutorials:

Easy No-Sew Face Mask Hack for Adjustable Ear Loops
Face mask pattern recommendations
More Lazy Girl Tutorials and Hacks

Bonus Tips When Getting A Haircut

1. Get a Dry Cut – My big secret is that I get a dry haircut. I don’t have my hair washed during the appointment. Best of all, it keeps my hair appointments short, to about 15 minutes.

2. Wash and Style Right Before You Go – I arrive with freshly styled hair which shows the stylist what I want and how my hair behaves when I style it. I can quickly point out any problem areas.

3. Get a Cut Outside in the Fresh Air – Due to concerns about catching something, I asked my stylist to put a chair outside (or open windows/doors for cross-flow) and cut my hair outside of the salon. He obliged. For my recent hair appointment, I got my hair cut on a beautiful warm day, outside in the sun while wearing my no-strap disposable face mask.

Here’s My Protocol When I Come Home From An Outing:

• Shoes stay outside the house and are sprayed with a disinfectant spray
• All clothes go in the washing machine
• Remove disposable mask and throw away, wash hands
• Blow nose, shower, gargle with mouthwash

Follow my Pinterest board for Face Surgical Masks, Scrub Caps, Hospital Gowns for quick links to projects I like.

That’s Pinterest-ing!
Follow me on Pinterest and pin this post to your Pinterest boards.

Subscribe Now to get news, updates, and exclusive content from Joan.

Enjoy!
Joan

Joan’s Sewing Group | Pinterest

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