Hello! I have finally completed my first tutorial, and I am beyond excited.
I am also a bit exhausted. In the past month, I have completed more school work than I ever thought possible. Papers, interviews, papers about interviews, and tests, tests, tests. This has been my life for the past month. Doesn't leave much room for crafting, am I right?

Luckily, I quit being exhausted and started crafting instead.
True Story. Ha ha.

So, ta-da! Here it is!

Ever since Mr. Guy and I inherited a coffee maker, I wanted a coffee cart. (It might also stem from the hours my mother and I spent looking for her own coffee cart!) I knew I wanted mine to be simple yet functional.

Um, that's too simple...and junky.

Since the cart isn't made to have curtains, I decided to make liners. Also, I think I am obsessed with placemats, and that is essentially what these shelf liners are! I knew from the moment I saw this fabric that I had to have it, even if it did not match my kitchen decor (more on that later).

Seriously, check out this little dude...

"I'm a little teapot..."

Adorable. Since this is a series, I also plan to turn some Folger's coffee containers into cute storage for sugar, creamer, and whatnot. I also have a chalkboard in the works. So many ideas!

Okay, besides a sewing machine (or steady hand), scissors, thread, and straight pins, you'll need these.

Yes, I only took a picture for 3 out of 7 supplies. Hush, I'm learning!

Next...

Be sure to layer the fabric and batting as follows: muslin (or any other plain fabric for the back), printed fabric face down, and then the batting. It's similar to making a pillow! I also measured one liner to be shorter lengthwise than the other, because it sits on the top shelf. I didn't think it would be safe for the coffee pot to sit directly on fabric. And I'm pretty sure I'd spill coffee on it eventually.

Afterward...

I beveled the edges of the liners, because the shelves of the cart are not exact rectangles. The legs extend up through each shelf. Plus, I feel that beveling makes everything look professionally made. Bonus points!

Be sure to leave an opening for turning out!

"You turn me inside out, side out, like a placemat, Baby. Out, out, out, out."

You can iron the edges instead of sewing them if you want to save thread or don't feel like sewing an unseen edge. I found that sewing them made it easier to apply the bias tape since it flattened the edges quite nicely. Less bulk, but either way will work!

I like to cut corners. Heh. Heh.

Now I love the look of quilted placemats, but I'm impatient. I also didn't want to take away from the colorful print with a bunch of straight lines, so once I finished sewing the edges all around, I free-stitched (is that a term?) around several of the little pots and cups.

He's short and stout.

Make and sew on your bias tape...

I might make a tutorial for bias tape. I just love funky, patterned, and colorful trim. It's unexpected and adds a little excitement. Plus, it helped the mats blend in with the rest of my kitchen decor. Win.

I strongly suggest that you pin the fabric down like a maniac. I felt more in control of the trim when I came to a corner. Hopefully, the pictures explain the folds more than I can. The look should be the same for both front and back. I took the shortcut route and sewed the bias tape on all at once. I took it slow and pivoted the needle when made a turn. It worked out well!

Now, doesn't that look nice! I am happy with the result and cannot wait until I repurpose the Folger's containers.

I hope I have inspired you to tackle your own coffee cart project. Or a bar cart!

Or a doughnut cart.

Ooh, a doughnut cart. I might have to make room on the shelves for desserts. Confections and coffee. I'd wake up to that!

Till next time!
         Hailey Aryn

I'm Hailey Aryn, and it has always been a passion of mine to start a craft/DIY/lifestyle blog. Originally, my interests ranged from posting about handmade stuffed animals to lyrically embroidered quilt squares to refurbishing the little tiny house I once lived in. 

What happened to my big dream?

I could say it was the time, the resources, or fear of failing...but, really, life just kept getting in the way and I just accepted it. This didn't stop me from sighing at every project I saw on Pinterest or every refashion, etc! from my favorite bloggers.

Sometimes you get in a rut and you need something, a catalyst (or, in my case, a cattle prod!) to get moving and motivated. This something, for me, was college graduation. 

To sum it all up in a neat little bow (preferably one with vintage florals or polka dots :D), I decided to quit my part time job, with the help of my amazing boyfriend, to focus on my last semester as an undergrad...and my desire to create. I hope that, with the extra time I now have, I can share with you all my projects for cute stuffies, refashions, home redos, embroideries, quilt squares....

Dude.

My crafting is about to GET. IT. ON.

I hope you'll join me!