Damask Mouse Pad [aka the easiest project ever]

Did I ever tell you the story about how the hubby and I got each other one of the same gifts for Christmas?  Same gift, from the same store, while it was on the same sale?  I don't think I did.  But....we did.   A wireless mouse.  From Target.  On sale, for $12.99.  We are practical nerds awesome like that.  

Also, if you remember, I refinished my dinosaur desk and put a piece of tempered glass on the top.  Glass + optical mouse without a mouse pad = a mouse that won't squeak..er..work.  So finally, almost two months later, I set out to make a mouse pad so I could actually use my mouse.  Photoshop is a pain in the butt using a laptop's touchpad, y'all.  I toyed with the idea of making and ordering a photo mouse pad from somewhere online, but decided that there had to be a better (read: cheaper) way.  

Enter: Peltex 72F Double-Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabilizer.  Double-sided-what-a-what?  Basically, it's thick stuff that you sandwich between two layers of fabric, iron it, and viola!  Your fabric sticks together and is ultrafirm.  

This was probably the easiest project ever.  I got a quarter yard of the stabilizer (the stabilizer is only 20" long from the bolt, so the piece I had was roughly 9"x20"...enough for two mouse pads).  The instructions come wrapped around the bolt, so if you're thinking of attempting this, make sure you get the full directions!

I also got a 1/4 yard of pretty damask fabric.   

All I did was cut out a 9.25" square of the stabilizer, and two 9.5" squares of the damask fabric.  (The larger patterned fabric meant that I wouldn't have to line it all up exactly right). Following the directions from the stabilizer, I fused/ironed it all together.  After that, I used a 9" square of cardboard as a template to cut out the finished product.

Can you tell that my ironing board has to be set up in my kitchen?  There's not enough room to open it in our laundry room/pantry/bat cave.

Seriously, this was about a 20 minute project, including the time for the iron to heat up. 

 

The finished product!  The only thing to consider doing differently would be using pinking shears to cut out the final product...I'm hoping that it will be so fused together that the fabric won't fray, but more than likely I'll be taking this over to my parents' house to do a quick trim with my mom's shears!  

Another cute idea?  Using a different fabric for the top and bottom...a reversible mouse pad!  Or maybe a circle mouse pad??  Oohhh the possibilities :)

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See this featured at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating! 
And then see it featured at I {heart} Naptime 

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