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| Hoop earring forms, use pliers to bed the end AFTER putting on beads |
We'll start with something small and easy to do: cloth napkins and wine charms. I always shop the sale racks at fabric and craft stores, and also find a lot of cool fabric in the remnant bins. This "retro" fabric was sold as "fat quarters" (18" x 24") and I fell immediately for the colors and design. I cut each piece of fabric to 18" square, then ironed 1/8" hems onto the edges. When you sew the hems, turn that 1/8 " hem again to get a nice finished seam. Another good way to sew easy and very durable cloth napkins is to make them double-sided: sew two 18" pieces together, face to face, using a 1/4" seam. Leave a small opening to turn right-side-out, press, then hand-stitch the open area. You can then top-stitch all around the edges, at about 1/4" from edge.
To make the wine charms, buy inexpensive hoop earrings at craft or bead stores; then thread on your choice of beads and/or purchased charms. You'll need a small pliers to bend down the end of the hoop to keep the beads from falling off and to hook into the loop on the other end of the earring.
