DIY No-Slip Stool Cushion (& making do with what you have)…

I often sit on a wood barstool to work. While I have natural padding, the seat is hard! I couldn’t find a more comfortable barstool or cushion but I ordered something in that came padded with two sheets of foam. Great!

After two months of sitting on plain foam I decided to make a ‘real’ cushion to fit the stool. This is not great foam, but it was free and here. I cut both pieces to fit the top of the stool.

Once I was sure the foam fit the seat, I cut fabric for the cushion top and Easyliner Grip shelf liner for the bottom, adding 1/2˝ seam allowance on all sides.

I sewed the fabric and Easyliner right sides together using my walking foot, a long-ish stitch length, and a scant 1/2˝ seam. The grippy stuff does not slide on the bed of the machine so sew with it on top. There isn’t fabric between the Easyliner and the foam. You could add fabric, but I couldn’t see the point. Leave an opening to insert the foam.

Getting the foam in place wasn’t exactly easy, but it was possible. I pinned the opening closed and whipped it shut by hand. I would have sewn it on the machine but decided that would be way more trouble than it was worth.

I thought about making this cushion for weeks. Why? After less than an hour I have a functional, cute cushion that will last a long time. I might eventually get fancy and purchase high density foam to make another one—but not today :-).

Take a look at the projects that you keep putting off. They might be like this… faster than you think and very grin-inducing!

Wednesday Giveaway Winner – Yolanda Corzine!

This week’s Giveaway, Karen Kay Buckley’s Shorter Perfect Pins, are extremely fine and flexible 1″ pins. They can be a bit tricky to use, so if in doubt, click this link to go to a video with tips for using them.

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!

Susan Horton Wins the Wednesday Giveaway!

Jen Kingwell makes a great tool to add a precise 1/4 inch seam allowance to a finished template—the Simple Seam Wheel – this week’s Wednesday Giveaway!

Place the Simple Seam Wheel next to a finished-size template, put a sharp pencil in the hole, run the wheel around the template to add a 1/4″ seam allowance.

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!

Puzzles are for everyone :-)

eeBoo’s NEW Holiday puzzle this year has EVERYTHING, and it just arrived here! So much detail to enjoy as you work on it together. Sure to put you in the holiday mood.

A Happy Holiday 1000 Piece Puzzle

The Dutch Quilt Sampler is just like a wonderful quilt, the more you look the more you smile—patterns, colors, appliqué animals. It is delightful! I love the bird. Did you find the tiny frog? (Below, left.)

Over at Lorna’s house, they’ve put together the Green Kitchen twice because they love it so much, and of course they do. So cheery! (Above, right.)

The Alchemist’s Home has been so popular we only have a few left, and you can see why. It has a lot going on, even the trees and sky in the background are beautiful (birds and little bird houses). Look in each room, and find the living and the friendly ghosts co-inhabiting this old Victorian home. There are just so many moments to discover as you put this together. There’s even an antique sewing machine.

Lorna and Chris went to the beach for their birthdays a few weeks ago along with Judy, Bear and friends, Kathryn and Nathan. They took puzzles :-). The round Moths puzzle was the favorite. Each moth is gorgeous and unique. It really does change how you think about and work on a puzzle when it’s round. Kathryn and Bear look like master puzzle builders in the time-lapse video, below.

Kathryn and Bear, the puzzle masters :-).

The round Hummingbirds Puzzle is inspired by vintage ornithological illustrations, and captures the magical beauty of the hummingbird. I have hummingbird lovers in my life, and this will make a perfect gift.

Hummingbirds 500 Piece Round Puzzle

Kathe Holden designed this whimsical 1000 piece puzzle from Moda —Tomato Pincushions! Obviously an ideal gift for the sewers and crafters in your life.

We still have a very few glow-in-the-dark 100 piece puzzles. Geared to kids, but definitely engaging for all ages, because the designs are beautiful. Bats and Bioluminescent creatures turn into fascinating jigsaw puzzles.

Click here to find all of these puzzles, plus a few eeBoo games, on the Puzzles & More page.

Stocking Stuffers 2022

Remember what I said about gift giving? The criteria I try to live by at this point is that items need to be useful, or delicious, and never require dusting. So everything on my Stocking Stuffers page is useful. Below are just a few fun items to get you started. Go to the page for even more ideas.

These first two tools are designed by Cindy Needham. “The Perfect Spot Magnetic” Tool Holder is helpful and versatile; it sticks to your sewing machine or other surface with a square of adhesive that is easy to remove, without leaving a residue. The magnet is strong enough to hold the EZRipNGrip tool or a small pair of scissors, pins, needles and more. The EZ RipNGrip is one of the best seam rippers I’ve every run across and likewise the tweezers side.

Telescoping Magnets are a perfect tool for sewers, but really they’re handy for everyone. Last year we sold out way too fast, and couldn’t get more —supply chain issues. Right now we still have a few! Yay! But don’t wait too long, because I don’t know if we will be able to get more.

These reusable silicone straws come with their own tiny brush. High quality, pretty colors, and go into a drawer to be used ;-). See what I mean? Jubilee Straws, below.

With help from my woodworking friend Elizabeth, Judy and I created these one-of-a-kind Piece O’ Cake Wool Pincushion Rings! Each one is hand made by us, and they’re all a little different, let us know your color preference, and we’ll choose a perfectly cute one for you!

New from LoLo, lovely moisturizing bar soaps. There are 4 scents: Lavender, Orange Vanilla, Goat’s Milk & Tea Tree, and Coconut Plain Jane (unscented).

All LoLo makes a perfect stocking stuffer or gift, because of the quality we know and love, and it’s affordable!

Plus LoLo is a woman owned small business, and it makes me so happy to give my support. All around win.

The one really big bag you need is this one, AND it folds up to fit in a purse… or a stocking, of course. Click to read more about the Rainbows of Happiness Tote, and how Judy and Lorna have used theirs.

This eraser is impressive! Just watch the video below as I use it for the first time. The Hand-Held Eraser + Holder is new from Blackwing and it’s a must-have for anyone who uses a pencil.

Bee Lovely Needle Minders definitely meet the criteria, and they are so pretty! Magnetically attach to your shirt while you’re sitting on the sofa hand sewing, and it grabs your needles and small scissors, even. So you won’t lose them while you work.

For your crafty friend or loved one, an Animal Hand-Sewing Kit or an Embroidery Kit might be just the thing. We have many to choose from, so you can find the perfect one(s).

This is a page of gift ideas, but don’t forget yourself. I have been known to stuff my own stocking a little, too!

Wednesday Giveaway – Pumpkin Patch

As In the Patch no longer produces their Hand Dyed Wool Thread, we only have a few cards left. This week’s winner – Kare – will receive three of them: Prim Pumpkin, Spearmint and Honey! This thread is a blend of wool and nylon. The nylon adds strength to the thread and the wool contributes a “fuzzy” texture, making it blend end on the edges of wool applique pieces.

FYI: The Lori Mitchell cat figure is not part of the giveaway, but he is very cute 🙂.

I’ll be back with another Giveaway next Wednesday. Until then you can shop for all sorts of sewing notions, books, and other fun stuff at pieceocake.com!