Then & Now

Almost two weeks ago, I entered into a new phase of wedding planning: the “oh, the wedding is still a few weeks away and I’m still sleeping more than four hours a night, so I need some new DIY projects” phase.

It’s also called the “she has totally spun out” phase.

A couple of months ago, I was cutting DIY projects. I gave myself quite a pat on the back for cutting not one, not two, but three items from my checklist. But I clearly congratulated myself too soon, because I brought all three of them back — in different incarnations — in the last two weeks.

I planned to keep these projects secret, but I can’t keep much to myself these days, so shhh… don’t tell anyone.

Previously abandoned project #1: fabric envelopes. Reincarnated as: fabric CD sleeves.

I only made 14 of these — one per person (or per couple, in some cases) for everyone at our rehearsal dinner — and let me tell you, I’m glad I didn’t make 72 of these to use with our invitations (or 100 to use with our programs, as I once considered in a certainly sleep-deprived state). I make hand-sewn paper CD sleeves pretty often, but this was my first time using fabric. Overall, I think that paper makes a better sleeve (because it’s more rigid), but I’m pleased with how these turned out.

Materials:
Cotton fabric (Jo-Ann Fabrics)
Thread and sewing machine
Eames Furniture Weave cover stock
Blank CD-Rs (the ones I used are white Sony CDs)
Printer
Photos
Rotary paper trimmer
Rounded corner punch

Preparation:

1. Cut fabric to size. (I cut mine to 6″ square, but if you’re a better seamstress than I am, you could go smaller and have smaller seam allowances.)
2. Trim photos to size. (Mine are 4.5″ wide by 2″ tall, but you can use the dimensions of your choosing. Going 2″ tall enabled me to print two per 4″x6″ photo sheet.)
3. Print front piece (with your names, the date, or anything else) and trim to size. (Mine is 2.125″ wide by 1″ tall.)
4. Choose songs and burn CDs. (I selected songs from our reception playlist.)
5. Print CD track list on cover stock, trim to 5″ square, and round corners using corner punch.
6. Attach the front printed piece to the photo with a small piece of double-sided tape, placed 1/4″ from the left edge. (This will make your life infinitely easier when you go to assembling the sleeves.)

Assembly:

1. Fold over top edge of fabric and sew along the edge. Repeat for all fabric squares.
2. Place the right sides of two squares together and sew along the three unfinished edges. Trim threads and turn the sleeve right side out.
3. Position photo piece as desired along edge of sleeve and sew it to the sleeve. (I use much smaller stitches when sewing on paper than I do on fabric; it looks more polished and less crafty.)
4. Place track list and CD inside of sleeve.

Stay tuned tomorrow for revived project #2…