Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fit for a Girl!


A good friend of mine made me a quilt for our little girl, who is coming any day now. It is purple (my favorite color) and very cute.

She had a lot of leftover fabric so I have been able to put it to use. First, I made a fitted flannel crib sheet. It was easy. I used this website and Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones as my guides.

I still had enough leftover fabric to make this cute little flannel blanket. She will be so cozy this winter.

I also used some of my flannel from my fabric stash to make her a little brown owl blanket.

These blankets are super easy and just the right size. You get two pieces of flannel, about 44-inches wide by 1 yard long. Sew the pieces together with the right sides together leaving a gap for turning. Turn in right side out and zig-zag around the edges. That's it. Perfect baby gift.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Diaper Covers


I love cloth diapers. I have been using them for a little over a year now. I tried to think about what it was that I liked about using cloth diapers - is it the environmental aspects? money saving? bragging rights? Yes, yes, and yes. But it is more than that. I just like using cloth diapers. I can't say it is fun to clean them, not that it is hard to do but really, who likes to touch things with poop on them? Anyhow, as I was thinking about it I realized that I like it for a lot of reasons, which is probably why I have stuck with it this long and don't foresee myself stopping. I like to think it gives me "Old Lady" clout.

Now that baby number three is on her way I need more diapers and covers - I started with cloth diapers when my son was 7 months old so I am lacking the smaller size. A few friends threw me a baby shower and they were able to get a group of people together to chip in for a snap press. Let me say, it is wonderful. I am able to put industrial plastic snaps on everything. It is so much fun! Last week I went to Mill End Fabrics here in Portland and was able to buy some PUL. I would have preferred white but all they had was navy blue. I decided to get a yard and give it a try. It was really easy - it took only about 45 minutes from start to finish. I used this pattern, also from my baby shower, but instead of using the velcro, I used snaps.

Now, you may be wondering why I am so into snaps. I bought a whole set of diaper covers for my son with velcro and after about seven months the velcro stopped sticking. I was, and still am, ticked off that I paid $11 each for these diaper covers that are supposed to last through "multiple children" and they haven't even lasted for one child. So, that is why I am sold on snaps. I put snaps on all of my son's covers and they work like a charm - and they don't leak, which was a concern that was brought up.

Back to the cover I made, I couldn't find fold over elastic (FOE) here at Mill End and I didn't want to drag a toddler around town looking for something that I wasn't sure I would be able to find so I settled for a 1-inch cotton swimsuit elastic that I just folded in half and sewed on as I would have done with FOE. It is soft and works fine - no wicking. I used two layers of PUL because one side is plastic and one side is polyester. I thought that having the plastic up against his skin would be uncomfortable and I didn't want to use any fabric that would absorb moisture or wick it to the outside. The PUL doesn't slide around or anything. Next time I am going to mark where I want the snaps to go before I sew on the elastic because it was difficult to get them in a straight line once the elastic was attached. Overall, I think they turned out quite well so I am excited to get some white PUL and make a whole set for the baby to use.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Fall is Here

Fall is here. Winter is approaching. I love this time of year. I love the changing colors all around me. I love the smell of burning wood in fireplaces and stoves. I love soup and hot chocolate. I love fall. Thanks to the change in season and a predictable schedule now that my oldest is in school I have been feeling more and more like crafting. I have really missed it. Lately I have been cranking out the hats. Earflaps for all! There is nothing cuter than a sweet little babe with a handmade earflap hat. I hope to surprise some wonderful, dear, and patient friends with these beauties.












On another crafting note, I have started work on Christmas presents. I know that sounds like a crazy thing to do but I am totally stressing out because the baby is due on Dec. 30th (but I hope she comes before Christmas). It doesn't help that my youngest (for now) and my husband both have birthdays in January. Totally stressing. I am making progress so keep your eyes peeled, more posts are soon to come.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Not the Only Crafter

Yes, I am still crafting but slowly (and all of my pictures are stuck on my broken camera). I am not the only crafter in the house. A while ago, like a year or so ago, my sister got a "Make a Racer" Kit for my son (who is now 6) and we put off doing it, mostly because I was afraid he would smear on all of the paint everywhere rather than take the time to think about what he wanted to paint. So, we were going through the craft box this summer and we came across this kit and decided to go for it. It was a lot of fun. He and his father mixed the plaster and poured it into the mould. Then they put in the casings for the wheels (so they actually roll when you are finished) and waited for a couple days to finish it. I helped him map out what colors he wanted, we mixed the paint to get the perfect colors, and he painted it (I just helped out with edges and touch ups). He loves his little car. I highly recommend this project for anyone with little boys. It is tons of fun! We still have the mould so I am wondering if I can find something for the wheels and wheel casings so we could make more. Here is the finished product:


Monday, June 8, 2009

Commissioned Work


I completed my first commissioned piece of work. It was really fun to be able to create something totally new and unique. I made a giraffe hat for a friend's son who really likes giraffes. This hat was for his third birthday and was prompted by him asking if he would have horns, like giraffes, when he grows up. Tell me that's not adorable. You can't because it is too adorable. So, here is my hat complete with horns and ears. I crocheted the whole thing from 100% cotton yarn.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Cloth Napkins


Here are some cloth napkins I made for a friend's wedding gift. I picked a main fabric that went well with the hand towels she registered for so I hope she likes them. I made them 2-ply from 100% cotton fabric based on this tutorial from the Purl Bee. To make them 2-ply (2 layers thick) but still easy to work with and durable, I stitched my two squares together (right sides together) leaving a hole for turning, turned them right side out, then used a zig-zag stitch around the edge (the same way I made my cloth wipes). Additionally, after I made the bias tape, I folded it in half lengthwise and pressed it down (to create double-fold bias tape) before pinning it on the squares - I didn't do that on the first napkin and I had to go back and redo a few spots where one side of the bias tape didn't catch.

Just an FYI - If you are going to purchase a bias tape maker, get the Clover brand. I couldn't find the right size when I was at JoAnn so I just bought the cheaper Dritz brand one. It was awful. I couldn't get it to work right at all. I tracked down the clover one and it worked beautifully. I love my bias tape maker!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Abra's Garden Apron



I did a fun post on another one of my blogs (Did you know I have 4 blogs? I have one dedicated to my family - you have to actually know us to read it {if you do know us but haven't been invited to read our blog, feel free to email me}, one dedicated to food, wonderful delicious food; this one dedicated to crafting; and my newest which is all about Thrift and Industry {i.e. saving money and being more self-reliant}. You should check them out!). Anyhow, back to my fun post. It was that the first 5 people who commented would get something homemade by me especially for them. So, for my friend Abra, who loves to garden, I made a Garden Apron. I have always wanted a garden apron so I thought that perhaps Abra would want one too. She loved it! (or so she said) I made 3 pockets for holding things like a trowel and pruners and a little pocket for a key or small iPod. I embellished it with crocheted flowers and old buttons. I can't wait to see it in use!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Summer Hats

As I was looking at some of the blogs I follow I noticed a very cute military-style hat on Design Mom (this post). I decided to try to make it for my boys. My first attempt turned out too small for either boy but my second attempt worked out quite well and fits my 5-year old. He loves it so much that he wears it every day.


For my youngest I crocheted him a brim hat.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

So Excited!


I just got this book from my library (I have had it on hold since November). I can't wait to try the patterns!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Chore Chart

What started out as a simple project involving little more than cardstock and contact paper quickly became a much more challenging project involving my sewing machine. I wanted to make a chore chart for my 5-year old. My original idea was to have a table with chores on one side and check marks on the other side. After my son completed a chore, he could stick a check mark next to it. If he got all of the chores checked off (he must complete the task well without whining to get a check mark) he would get a star. Simple enough, right? Apparently that was too simple for me. I got this crazy, hair-brained scheme to sew it using red fabric (his current favorite color) and vinyl. I made pockets to hold the checks and start that were not in use (with little appliques on front to ward off confusion). My friend Abra used her super cool tool to put two little grommets in the corners so I can hang it up (now we are just trying to think of a place where my Alexander can reach it but Elijah the climbing baby can't). It took a few hours longer than the paper one would have but it is totally awesome!

I really like that I can change out the chores. This allows me to do different things each day (as well as some that are the same every day) plus as he gets older, we just have to print out new chores to fit his skills. He really likes it - he had to describe it in great detail to his dad.

What, you may be asking, are his chores? Daily chores include - morning routine (make bed, get dressed, brush teeth...), homework, practice piano (10 minutes per day), clean dinner dishes, evening routine (brush teeth, set out clothes for tomorrow...), and clean his room before bed (all toys need to be put away). Some of the ones that change are - bath (M, W, F, Sat), dusting, laundry (put into drawers), take out recycling (this is when his dad takes out the trash). When he gets all of his jobs checked off he gets a star. When he earns five stars he gets to choose a fun activity or dessert - Zoo trip, 30 minutes of video games, trip to the park... He tends to be pretty reasonable in his requests. For example, when we were living close to family he asked for his activity to be going to the Children's Museum with grandma.

Here are instructions on how to make your own. If you want one but don't want to make one, head on over to my Etsy shop and send me an email so I can custom make you one.

Chore Chart

Finished dimensions: 16" wide by 20" tall (holds up to 8 chores and 5 stars)

Materials Needed:
Outer Fabric - 2 pieces, cut to 18"x22" each
Batting (just thick enough to give it some body) - 1 piece, cut to 18"x22"
Vinyl (to display chores, checks, and stars) - 1 piece, cut to 9"x14.5" and 1 piece, cut to 2.75"x10.5"
Pockets (to hold chores, checks, and stars when not in use) - cut 2 pieces 4"x4" and 1 piece 3.5"x7.5"
1/2" double-fold bias tape - 39.5" total, cut into 2 pieces 14.5" long and 1 piece 10.5"
Matching Thread

Instructions:
1. Baste batting to wrong side of front fabric with a wide zigi-zag stitch.

2. Attach bias tape by sewing to vinyl with a straight stitch on long sides (14.5") or larger piece (9"x14.5") and along one of the long (10.5") sides of the 2.75"x10.5" piece.3. Assemble the pockets. Fold fabric about 1/4" - 1/2" under on all sides and sew down with a straight stitch. On the top of each pocket fold down an additional 1/2" and sew down. Applique or embroider pocket fronts, if desired, now.

4. Now all of the pieces are ready to be attached to the chore chart front.a.) Start with the largest piece of vinyl. First you want to mark where you will sew. The left column (for the chores) is 6.75" wide. Each row is 1.75" tall, which leaves about 1/4" excess at the top and bottom. Once the lines have been marked, lay vinyl in position and sew with straight stitch starting with the long vertical column stitch. For the horizontal rows, start at the top left and sew one row at a time working from the top to the bottom. On the 1/4" excess on top and bottom finish with a zig-zag stitch (be sure not to go below your straight stitching).
b.) Now work with the other piece of vinyl. First put it in place and sew the long (back) edge down. Then sew the horizontal lines starting 1/4" from the top then every 2" from there (you will make five pouches and have 1/4" excess on top and bottom). Sew around top, back, and bottom with zig-zag stitch just like in part a.
c.) Attach the pockets by pinning them where you would like them to be (don't forget to allow clearance to slide the cards in and out easily). Sew around each pocket with a straight stitch (sides and bottom).

5. Now you are ready to put it all together. Lay the other piece of fabric (for the back) on the top of the chore chart with right sides together. Pin. Sew around three sides (leaving bottom open for turning) of the chore chart with about a 1/2" seam allowance (be careful not to go too far in and sew over the vinyl and pockets). Remove pins and turn right side out. Fold bottom seam inside about 3/4", pin, and top stitch all the way around with a 1/4" - 1/2" seam allowance.

6. Prepare for hanging. I used grommets on my chore chart, which gives it a nice finished, professional look. If you don't have grommets or don't desire to use them, I would suggest hand stitching a dowel to the top edge of the chore chart. You can then tie string or yarn or twine to the ends of the dowel and hang it from that. Either will work fine.Voila! Now, you have your very own chore chart. Or do you? This is my first tutorial so I wasn't sure what level of detail was appropriate. Give me feedback so I can do better next time or get sleep knowing that this wasn't just a big disaster. Good Luck! Like I said before, if you want one but don't have that burning desire to make one, go to my shop, email me, and we can get you exactly what you want.

Friday, February 20, 2009

[Nearly] Free Pajamas!

What do you do when you have an abundance of receiving blankets that you never use? What if your 1 year old was in dire need of pajamas? That's exactly what I did - I made pajamas out of flannel receiving blankets. They turned out a bit large but he will grow into them (to my credit, I made size 1 - the smallest size). They were really pretty easy. I used McCall's pattern 5741, 3 receiving blankets (these are, for those of you who may be unsure, the blankets that new mothers get tons of and the ones that hospitals use, made from cotton flannel), 3/4 yard of 3/4" elastic, an old t-shirt, and thread.I didn't have enough blankets to make the whole outfit from the same design so I used one pattern for the pants and another for most of the shirt. To tie the shirt in with the pants, I used some of the pant material to make sleeves for the shirt so it looks like he is just wearing two shirts. For the collar, I used one of my husband's old unused undershirts (I tried to find one that still had some stretch left). The elastic, thread, and pattern are the only things I bought for these PJs.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A Project for Me!

My ironing board cover was in sad shape. I don't know how it got so bad. It had water stains and fusible interfacing on the top and the pad underneath was tearing (partly because it was free to side around and partly because it had a five year-old plucking pieces off) and it had gotten pretty flat. I really wanted a new one but I didn't want to spend $20 or more buying a new one so I found a pattern at The Purl Bee and went to work. I made a few changes to the pattern. First, I don't have pinking shears so when I made the casing for the string (I used acrylic yarn that matches my fabric) I folded the raw edge in so it would be in the casing. Second, I made a little pocket for the pointy part of my ironing board so it would be less likely to slip off when I iron sleeves that fit over the end of the board. Third, I used two layers of interfacing (the fleecy kind) and I zig-zagged them together, then I quilted the top fabric onto the interfacing rather than basting it all together first (I tried basting but had to go through and pull out the stitching because it wouldn't lay flat). I am really happy with the way it turned out! And it only cost me $10 (I had a coupon for 50% off so I splurged on the fabric because I knew I would have enough for another project).

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Birthday Boy

My little 'lijah just turned one last Friday. The time has gone by so quickly. So, what do you give a one-year old who doesn't really care about presents? Not much. We gave him two things - a wooden snail pull toy (I am really into wood toys) and a handmade doll. I so loved my little Black Apple Doll that I decided I had to make one for my little babe. I made a few changes (or at least attempted) to make it more boy-like. I shortened the hair in the back and made the front more plain and simple (I like how the hair turned out). I attempted to make the body more rounded and less dress-like but once you get those fat little legs pinned on and try to sew it all together you are no longer in control. I also made him look like he is wearing pants by using corduroy (once a pair of my pants) on both the legs and body. I decided not to attempt hands and feet to match the skin so I just continued the shirt and pants the whole way.

Do you think I like the color combination?

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Christmas Presents Unwrapped, Part 4


Part 4 is the final installment. For everyone else in our family (grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncle) I made calendars. I do this every year so it is no longer a surprise. It is a great way for family to see how the boys have grown over the years and what we like to do. I am not a big scrapbooker so this takes its place. I make the calendars in Microsoft Picture It! and edit the fonts to look how I am feeling at the time. This year the font was "Enviro." I add major holidays from this website so people can actually use it as a calendar. Then I make the picture page, also in Picture It!, with pictures of our family. This year each month is made up of pictures of what we did during that month in 2008. I print them out on white cardstock, punch a nail hole at the top, and take them to Office Depot for a spiral binding. It is really pretty easy and much cheaper than having someone else print them out.

Christmas Presents Unwrapped, Part 3

Part 3 will be the things I made for my step-daughter who is 7 years old. All three of her gifts were handmade. She got a sleeping bag, scarf, and doll. I already posted the sleeping bag so I won't bore you with it again but if you missed it, check it out.

I made her a pretty pink scarf with dark pink flowers on the ends to match the hat and mitten set I made for her sixth birthday. She really liked the idea that I made them just for her (who knew kids were into that?) so she wore them every time she was at our house. That was seriously her favorite present that year. Anyhow, after seeing how much she liked the hat and mittens and having her ask for a scarf (I made my son a scarf for Christmas last year), I decided that I would make her a scarf for this Christmas (I didn't want to give it to her sooner because I have a lot of trouble thinking of gifts she would like). She loved it! She wore it even when she was wearing a jacket in 45 degree weather. When she opened the package her eyes bulged and she said, "It matches my mittens and hat!"

I also made her a doll. I really hoped that she wasn't too old for dolls. I used the pattern from when Emily Martin of The Black Apple was on Martha (I should get paid for that sentence). In the instructions they said to paint on the face but that sounded a little out of my league so I hand stitched the face (my first shot at embroidery) before I finished her off. I also made her a little apron to dress her up (it gave me an excuse to use one of my favorite little buttons that I had been hoarding). My little doll turned out so cute! I think my husband had more fun taking pictures of her around the house than my step-daughter did playing with her......at least she is loved. I like the doll so much that I am going to make a boy version for my baby. I have decided that every child should have a handmade doll (they are so easy). Oh, you can't have a doll without a name, so she was named Cooking Mama (because my step-daughter played a lot of Nintendo DS while stranded with my sister-in-law in the Spokane airport) but her name was later changed to "flowers and sweetie pie."

Monday, January 5, 2009

Christmas Presents Unwrapped, Part 2

For Part 2 I will tell you what I made for my 5 year old... a scripture case. He has had his own Book of Mormon since he started reading on his own about a year ago. He loved having his own scriptures but he wanted to have his own Bible so, for Christmas we got him his very own full set of scriptures. To go along with that I made him a messenger bag-style scripture case. He (unknowingly) picked out the fabric (red for the outside and black with polka-dots on the inside). I used nylon straps and buckles to hold it closed and it will have a nylon strap long enough to go over his shoulder (I didn't buy enough at the time and have been unable to go back because of the freak Portland snow storm, Christmas, and a trip to Nebraska). Hopefully I can get to the store tomorrow. For the clasps I found ones with reflectors, which were cheaper (by like 10 cents) than the ones without reflectors and I figured that the red reflectors would make a fun addition to the red bag. I also padded the bag with a fleecy interfacing because I don't think a 5 year old boy will be easy on it - ever. I think I am going to get a piece of black elastic and sew it to the top inside of the flap for a pencil. It turned out a little short for his scriptures but pretty good overall. It was my first and it was from scratch so I have to say I get a silver star for this one.

Best of all, he really likes it!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Christmas Presents Unwrapped, Part 1

Now that Christmas is all over and all of the presents have been unwrapped I can tell you all of the things I made (this was a very homemade Christmas). I will do this in a few smaller posts rather than one long post. This is Part 1 or things I made for my baby.

I already wrote about the giraffe scarf and rattles I made for my baby. He really loves those rattles! I also made him a stocking. I did a combination of different ideas to get what I wanted (and what my husband liked). I liked Martha's Felt Punched Stocking but my husband was not a fan of the 90-degree angle (I have to say that I agree now but I didn't really notice it until he pointed it out) so I traced the shape of a store-bought stocking that my eldest son has. The toe ended up being a bit long but it's all good. It was super easy. The felt was not strong enough after I punched the holes in it so I went back and added interfacing for stability (I had to re-punch my holes) so if you are going to do this either get stronger, more-expensive fabric or iron on interfacing before punching.