All posts by robinmd

My dining room chairs got a long overdue foam and fabric update. They are hand me downs from my parents…that I got 13 years ago. They were mismatched from various periods of my parents recovering them. They are over 30 years old. One still had the original fabric (a 70s flashback vinyl) and all probably […]

This Design Foam clipboard is a great way to show notes, photos, and paper mementos. Design foam can be used for a variety of decorations, but I was challenged to make something organizing related. I made mine with one section of Design Foam, which leaves plenty remaining for other projects. This is going in my […]

    If you sew I’m sure you’ve had a moment or two where you walk through a retail store and look at an expensive something or other and say “I can make that!”.  I feel like this with most throw pillows and I’ve rounded up 20 today to show you that are moderately to […]

  Giving from the heart is so important these days, giving something homemade to friends, family and your community makes giving extra special. With social media making such an enormous impact in our lives these days it is not difficult to be connected yet feel far away from everyone. A warm batch of cookies says love. Why not take […]

My favorite hand-made Christmas gifts are the the ones that can be used all year long, like this simple Tortilla Cozy.  We eat tacos and fajitas at our house at least once a weeks, so this is a necessity for keeping tortillas warm after coming out of the microwave. The tortilla cozy is fast and […]

    It’s that time of year that we are all on the scramble trying to finish our last holiday gifts, getting our houses ready and making sure every last detail is in order. Well, today I want to share a quick and easy quilted stocking tutorial with you! Remember the Squiggly Quilted Fat Quarter […]

  Several years ago, I was introduced to the idea of gift wrapping with a glue gun by Rebecca from Older and Wisor.  (She’s a creative genius when it comes to gift wrapping and can make a gift look amazing using anything.) Anyway, I though it was high time that I tried out some gift wrapping […]

Remember the paper chains or garlands we made in school to decorate our classrooms?   Everyone working together to make the space look festive, no matter the occasion. Using oly-fun™ you can get that feeling all over again and display your completed garland outside. Great project to get your children involved in and you will be […]

9 Christmas Quilting Projects because it’s that time of year! The Christmas season is always such a fun time to pull out some festive fabric and sew away.  I’m excited to make a Christmas tree skirt this year, what’s on your list? Hopefully these fun ideas will give you some inspiration to get that sewing […]

Looking for an inexpensive way to decorate a room for the holidays? You’re going to absolutely love this round-up of 12 Handmade Holiday Pillows! They range from coverss you can make in under an hour to projects that are a bit more intricate and complex. The Fairfield World shop has tons of pillow options to […]

  Looking for a quick Christmas gift for your girlfriends? Using the decorative stitches built into your machine, colorful felt and coordinating threads, you will be up and running in no time at all creating Embroidered Monogram Ornaments. Adding a fun spiral ornament hook and maybe a mini rose and leaf combination finishes off your creation […]

Do you have the beginnings of a sewing enthusiast in your house? They’re going to love making this customizable Christmas Stocking! The process is perfect for kids because the Oly*Fun material  can be drawn on, is easy to cut, and won’t fray. Plus, with so many color choices, your kids are going to have a blast customizing […]

Design Foam can be used in a variety of ways and we love how the designers created fun and festive Christmas Wall Art  Collection with Design Foam.  Check out the great techniques each of the bloggers of the Designer Craft Connection has created this month using our Foamology101 line.  Each designer has created wonderful  Christmas Wall Art with […]

Holly Jolly Stamped Accent Pillow by guest designer Carmen Flores Tanis BZZY LITTLE BEE .  We hope you think her project is as adorable as we do. I am so delighted to be a guest blogger today and to share with you a fun accent pillow which I made using Fairfield World products. This little accent […]

This DIY Snowman Ornament is a great way to incorporate a classic Winter image into your holiday tree decor.  Our tree is decorated with mostly handmade ornaments, and we’ve been busy adding some new ones. This snowman ornament is a way for us to share a little of our tree with you. This is a no-sew […]

This DIY Mug Warmer Wrap is great for keeping your hot beverages warm and not burning your hands at the same time. I don’t drink coffee, but I do love drinking hot chocolate. I use a normal mug often. The solarize interlining helps keep hot things hot and cold things cold. Make a stack of […]

If you want to make a really fast and easy skirt and add some extra fun, adding an accent stripe is a quick way to make a simple skirt. Materials: 1/2 Yard of Main Skirt Fabric (for a small 5-year old).  See instructions belowfor adapting to a larger child. 1/8 Yard of Accent Fabric 1/8 […]

I’m excited to share a super simple gift idea with you today…an easy Monogram Shirt, sure to delight your  favorite child.  My little guy is 2, and he know’s  his name starts with A.  He loves searching out A’s on signs everywhere we go, so I thought it was time for him to get an […]

  Creating a  squiggly quilted fat quarter panel is fun and simple. I wanted to make this a “how to make the panel” tutorial and in my following post  you will see where I use this panel for my project.   1. First I pressed my fat quarters and picked two that coordinated. As you […]

What better way to dress up the home for the holidays than by making this fun simple Pieced Holiday Pillow Cover. It takes but an afternoon to whip this up, and when the holidays are over the cover can be taken off and stored folded or flat for a clever and space saving storage solution! […]

Welcome to the wonderful world of  oly*fun one of the newest products from Fairfield Processing.   Introducing Oly*Fun – “The everything material” This is one of the easiest, most versatile materials you will ever find. You can sew it, glue it, staple it, pin it or tie it You can write on it, paint it, embellish […]

    Sometimes it may be difficult to locate the address numbers on your home. If you incorporate them as an art applique on a pillow tucked in the rocking chair on your front porch they cannot be missed. To go one step further consider dressing up this simple pillow design with seasonal flowers attached […]

Christmas elves have a tendency to get into just a touch of trouble here and there. Let’s hope this little guy is simply adjusting the presents under the tree. Easy to create Diving Elf Legs will be sure to bring smiles to all who witness their possible mischief first hand. Create one set or perhaps […]

At some point moms realized that babies loved the tags on their stuffed toys more than the actual toy itself, something about that little piece of silky fabric made those little hands gravitate toward it.  A couple years ago when I had my first baby a friend gave me a little square fabric “taggie” that […]

The Hands on Heart Pillow Drive was a huge success. We here at Fairfield World along with AllFreeSewing and FaveQuilts want to thank everyone for participating in our Hands-on-Heart Breast Cancer Pillow Charity Drive! Thanks to everyone’s efforts we were able to collect a total of 521pillows for the American Cancer Society! We’ll soon be transporting all of the pillows to […]

Quilt as you go is a fast way to create quilted projects, because the piecing and quilting are done simultaneously – after you’ve finished the piecing, you’re ready to bind, because the quilting has already been done! This makes quilt as you go a great method for simple projects like quilted placemats. Quilt as you […]

These holly leaf and berries trivets use a new Fairfield World product, Solarize interfacing, to keep your dishes warm or cool. They are great for your holiday table. In addition to being used as trivets, you can use them inside baskets to keep rolls warm, inside portable food bags to keep your food warm or […]

Handmade Holiday craft ideas for gift giving by the Designer Craft Connection.  Join us  as they share their creations made by hand for this holiday season.   The items they made are using the Fairfield Poly-Fil® line.  Crafters have made Poly-Fil® the best selling polyester fiberfill in America. A unique process explodes the special blend of […]

Catch-all baskets like this one are essential around my house. There are only four of us, but with two young boys, the mess is amplified. Whipping up this foam basket didn’t take a lot of time, and it is great for using all around the house. I love that I can use whatever fabric I […]

Fat Quarter Projects are a great way to purchase fabric.  We want to inspire you with our fat quarter projects for the holidays.  Welcome to our FIRST ever Fat Quarter Face-off Holiday 2014 edition. Fairfield has partnered with Robert Kaufman fabrics to bring you gifts you can make for the holidays.  The Fairfield Master Makers […]

Whether you’re using them for toys or decorations, these 9 Thanksgiving Plushie Patterns are sure to add an element of fun to your holiday! There’s a little bit of everything (knitting, crochet, sewing) in this round-up so your sure to find something you love. With this many cute and free patterns in one place, don’t […]

This DIY French Memo Board is a great decorative way to organize your life. It’s a project with minimal sewing, and a lot of hot glue. I’ve been working on an activities center for our family, to help keep our schedules and to do lists organized and easily seen. My husband has short term memory […]

Let’s talk abstract forms and drawings and then let’s take that idea and make a pillow art with decorative trimmings.  Here’s how to get started. Supplies for Decorative Trimmings Pillow Art : Poly-Fil® Soft Touch® 12″ x 16″ Pillow Form Natural Canvas Fabric Assorted Natural Colored Trims by Decorative Trimmings Assorted Buttons Patterns* Your choice of pattern […]

Our elementary school’s library’s reading corner has been in sore need of some new cushions and pillows, so I thought it was time to make some Simple Foam Floor Cushions. The piece of foam I was using easily split into 4 pieces, so I thought making them spell something would be fun. And I debated […]

There are some crafts, like embroidery and quilting, that I love working on by hand even though a machine could do them quicker and easier. There’s just something special about projects that are truly handmade. The Halloween Countdown I posted last week and it’s 32 windows and frames was not one of those projects and […]

Halloween is next week.  If you haven’t already, you are probably starting to think about Halloween costume ideas. The stores are down to bare bones now so it is time to get creative. No worries though because here are 16 creative Halloween costume ideas to inspire you!  There is a tutorial for each costume.   You […]

This simple sleepover roll is fast and easy to make, and the elastic straps keep it rolled up nicely for easy transporting to sleepover or keeping it tucked in its place in Grandma’s closet. This sleepover roll,  not only gives your child just a bit more comfort, but it helps them feel like they’ve got […]

I made these DIY cat ears and tail using Oly*Fun, fiberfil, and glitter. My daughter needed a simple costume that she could wear at school and a couple of parties. We agreed that a black cat costume would be the most comfortable. This is her 2nd Halloween costume for this year. Her 1st is a […]

Spider Web Door Decor Decorating for Halloween means putting up all the creepy, spooky, and crawly critters you can… including spider webs! When I decided to decorate the door for Halloween with spider webs, I knew that making my spider webs with Oly*fun would be absolutely perfect! To make the Spider Web Door Decor you only […]

  Last month we co-sponsored a Quilt for Kids Sew-in with Spoonflower.  Quilt for Kids transforms discontinued, unwanted and other fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children in need.  They are –a 501(c)3  nonprofit- and their  MISSION STATEMENT: Transforming fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse.   If you are not familiar […]

Superheros need to protect their identities – whether it is a day of saving stuffed animals, or just an afternoon trip to the grocery store, you can help your little super hero protect their identity with this fast and simple superhero mask!  The mask makes a great stocking stuffer for your creative kid.  In fact […]

Are you looking for a easy-to-make, silly, homemade costume for you or your kid? Have I got the project for you! Just follow this simple tutorial on how to make your own rain cloud, put on your favorite rain coat, and you’re good to go!  This rain cloud costume with bring a little sunshine to […]

This raccoon mask for Halloween is made with Oly-Fun and is very easy to make. The mask is a part of two different events. Fairfield blog is participating in a Halloween Blog Bash and in a Creative Costume Hop. October is the start of our busy season here at Fairfield. So many of our products […]

    HAND ON HEARTS event with the Girl scouts     AllFreeSewing and FaveQuilts welcomed Girl Scouts to create gorgeous pillows for our Hand-on-Hearts Breast Cancer Pillow Drive (http://ow.ly/ClC5o).The event was a huge success with tons of participants, lots of fabric, filling from Fairfield World and even machines from Bernina USA! If you’re interested in participating please find […]

These DIY Oly*Fun fabric spikes are great for costumes. You can make them in any size and color. They are less expensive than real spikes and are squishy, which makes them kids safe. Put them on the back of a hoodie for a dinosaur costume. Add them to a jacket, vest or skirt for a […]

I love the look of stuffed fabric pumpkins for Autumn decor. I decided to use lots of Oly*Fun to create various sizes of pumpkins to decorate my porch and house this year. Oly*fun is a great for outdoor projects and the pumpkins look great on my covered porch. SUPPLIES: Oly*Fun Grab & Go Packs in Orange Crush, Pine, Snow […]

  Supplies for Dog Collar Tie: oly*fun™ Jelly, Orange Crush, Jet Black & Snow White Optional – spider applique ( button/fabric marker or embroidery thread and needle) Pattern Available – Leave a comment at www.lorinemason.com/blog and I will forward you a copy of the pattern Basic Sewing Supplies; Sewing machine, Iron, Pressing cloth,  Needle & Thread […]

Hands on Heart  Breast Cancer Pillow Drive – Hands on Heart is a month long Charity Drive to Benefit Breast Cancer Awareness and is supported by Fairfield, Favecrafts.com and AllFreeSewing.com.      October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. With that in mind, we here at […]

Make an Olyfun Halloween Garland for your front foor.  The Halloween Banner by Guest Designer Jen Goode is a fun, bright and whimsical decoration that you can use almost anywhere. The Olyfun material is weather friendly too. Use Olyfun to create a fun handmade Halloween garland you can use both outside or in. No matter […]

My daughter has a special spot. She calls it, “My Special Spot”.  This little spot has prompted today’s DIY No Sew Rest Mat Tutorial. It is only in recent weeks that Lily Kate has claimed this little nook. It’s the area of floor between the couch on one side, the bookcase and firewood box on […]