Neil Pasricha: The Three A's of Awesome

Easy Magnetic Scrap Fabric Bookmark Tutorial

I heard about magnetic bookmarks and wanted to make a couple for gifts. I looked for a tutorial online but couldn't find a simple one that used the materials I had at hand, mainly fabric scraps and old magnetic business cards stuck on the side of my fridge. :-)

Right after I figured out an easy way to make them I read on Patchwork Times that Judy is having a Hand Made Gifts contest.

I want a chance to win so I decided to write a new tutorial for these neat little bookmarks. They will be great tucked in a gift book or with a bookstore gift card. My first two are going to my Halloween loving daughter as a "just because" gift.

Here's what you need:

Two 2" X 3" pieces of 2-sided fusible stabilizer (I used Peltex)
1/2 of a magnetic business card cut into 2 pieces
Two strips of fabric at least 2" X 7"
Glue to stick the magnets on
Sewing machine

Directions:

Place the two pieces of stabilizer (rough side facing up) on your ironing board about 1/4 inch apart

Cover with fabric strip and fuse

Turn over,  remove cellophane, cover with second fabric strip and fuse

Trim extra fabric off the ends and trim the sides if needed

Zigzag  or decorative stitch around the edge.  Glue the magnets on each end so they stick together when the bookmark is folded in half

Back of the Door Organizer

My new cutting table is made of four base cabinets fastened together in a 2 X 2 grid and topped with a piece of plywood. Each cabinet has a drawer. When I started unpacking my sewing supplies I filled one drawer with my stash of fusible interfacing, freezer paper, craft fuse etc. It seemed like a waste of drawer space. I remembered seeing a picture of a door mounted organizer online in a picture of someone's sewing room and decided I would try to make one.

The door holder I sized it for ended up being too weak and I had to swap with another so the hanging tabs don't fit quite right.