Krafty Kaleidoscope

Pleated-neck Shirt

2011-04-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

This was a fun repurposing project. My sister has given me lots of fun clothes to reuse as fabric - most are knit which have been a fun challenge. This one was a long shirt from Target. It was easy to use the preexisting hems both on the bottom and the sleeves. I followed this tutorial and thought it turned out darling!

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/02/girls-shirt-pleatedruffled-neckline.html

I added a simple little flower/bow to complete the look :)

CTR towel

2010-05-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday we were invited to a baptism for one of Savannah's friends. We wanted to take her something special for her baptism, so we bought an 8 pk of large white towels at Costco for $18 (since Savvy is getting baptized this year we know we'll use them all). I then appliqued the CTR shield on one of them. It made a special gift for her. I wish I could remember where I have seen this, so I could give them credit, but I have no clue. Just know I didn't come up with this on my own.

Apron

2010-04-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

So I made this apron today. The tutorial can be found here. I like it, but it was my first attempt and the tutorial is a bit vague. I think the next one will turn out better.

Superhero cape

2010-04-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

For a primary activity a month ago I was asked to make a child's cape. This was the result. I followed the online tutorial here, and just appliqued on it the CTR shield. I actually made 2, and my kids loved them. Easy, playful, fun.

Car seat tent, toddler purses, and a car cozy!! Phew!

2010-04-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

My cousin is due with a girl in May. It's her fourth baby so I thought it'd be fun to do a little gift for each of the four. For the baby, I made a carseat tent. I think this idea is brilliant. No more throwing a blanket over the handle and chance it slipping off the sleeping baby. The fabric is bright and springy, don't you think?

I can't seem to find the exact tutorial I used, but they are all similar give or take a few inches depending on the size of your baby's carseat. Just google "carseat tent tutorial". :)

There are two girls (about 6 and 4) so I made them Easter purses and flower headbands to match.

The first in a blue pinstripe:

I used these tutorials and modified them/combined them for a custom look:

toddler purse by Adventures in Crafting
gathered pocket tutorial from MADE

I can't find the tutorial for the flower headband - however what I did was cut out two circles of felt. Cut out lots of small circles (don't have to be perfect). One at a time, fold them in half and stitch one small stitch to hold them in place onto one of the felt circles starting on the outside. Add one at a time and alternate which ones lay on top of the others. Then I added a button in the middle. Place your headband between the two felt circles and hot glue the two circles together. Hopefully that quick explanation makes sense.

Here is the second purse:

For her little boy, I made a car cozy, tutorial from Homemade by Jill.

The cars fit in the numbered pockets. I didn't have any duckcloth, so I used a car print flannel instead. I thought it was a perfect fit.

Fold in half:

Fold over in thirds:

Velcro the belt onto the front and you're little boy's hands will be busy waiting at the doctor's office, during church, or in the car!

Peeps

2010-03-26T11:17:00.001-07:00

If you're looking for a cute, easy, Easter decoration then check these peeps out. A little bit of felt, paint, and ribbon and you're good to go!

Easter Dresses

2010-03-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

Easter dresses done!
I used Simplicity # 5827 view E and added a slip and a chiffon overskirt. I was lucky enough to have all the fabric on hand for the 3 dresses and just bought the zipper and the pink fabric for the belt.

I used a pink sparkle organza and the tutorial here for the flowers and attached it with a rhinestone type button.

Gidget Dress

2010-03-05T12:30:00.001-08:00

I don't know how many of you out there follow "So You Think You're Crafty" but they have some fun things and free tutorials :). This last weeks winner made this Gidget Dress and I really wanted to try one so this is how mine turned out.

I didn't follow her pattern to the "T", but I like how it turned out. The pattern I used for the dress was Simplicity 9643 and view A without the collar. I used some nice spring colored cotton fabric.
and for the back.....

I think I might modify this pattern some and make shirts for my other 2 girls.

My Husband is a Dentist

2010-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

This isn't the reason why I made this little tooth fairy, but isn't she cute? I found the tutorial/pattern here. I followed the pattern pretty closely, except I added a ribbon binding on the top of my skirt after experiencing difficulty attaching it the way the tutorial explained. I'm not sure the button-eyes are my favorite. I might figure out something else for the eyes the next time. The buck teeth are cute, don't you think?

Right now she rests on my OttLite, but will soon be gifted!

Avoid Debt

2010-02-26T15:28:00.001-08:00

I recently found this website See Me VT with helpful ways to share the monthly Visiting Teaching messages.

I usually don't do these little hand-outs, but this month I needed something because for one reason or another we couldn't visit our sisters. This month's was a little purse:

I heard a rumor that you could find little chocolate coins in the $1 section at Target, but I couldn't find them at mine. Instead I got Werther's Caramelts...have you tried these? I'm not a huge fan of Werther's Originals, but these Caramelts are so yummy!

Inside the flap of the purse, is the last paragraph of the message, where it talks about how we need to exercise faith in the Savior to be better in sacrificing our wants in order to meet our own and others' needs. The 5 "coins" inside are labeled with 5 things we can do to manage our money wisely and avoid debt. I thought it was actually a great little way to discuss the lesson!

For the Boys

2010-02-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Over at MADE Dana has been "celebrating the boy" for the whole month of February. This inspired me to make a few boy things as well.

First I made a pair of pants for our little Mister.
I used a really great tutorial here - I just had to adjust the pattern down to a 1 year old size (it is in a size 3). I used fabric I had in my closet. The stripe fabric is a linen and I'm not sure what the other is called, but it looks just like khaki pants material.

Maybe the back pocket is a touch big, but oh well.

I really liked the cuffs. They were a nice touch.

So if you have a little guy, give this pattern a try. It was not difficult, but super cute.
Next....
Then I made a blessing outfit for my soon to be born nephew. My little sister is expecting a little guy here in a couple of weeks. I was glad she chose out the same pattern I made for my little guy, it made things a little easier for me.

I used McCall pattern 3063. And honestly, I just used what I had in my fabric closet (there is a lot in there believe me). Not exactly sure what the stuff is called, but hey it looked good.

I hope my little sister likes it!

Valentine Skirt and Top

2010-02-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

It's sunny today...perfect for a photo shoot! So we changed into the special outfit, snapped some pics and then hurried inside to change back into play-clothes so we could run around outside. This is about the extent of a photo shoot with a toddler. I realize the pictures look a little strange with her head cropped off, but I don't want her sweet face on the internet.

I found a white t-shirt on clearance at Target and this is where the project began. The black and white taffeta worked perfectly with the red (it's felt...wish I could've used something more fitting for the taffeta, but I was determined to use only what I had on hand). I eyeballed the skirt as I cut it out (should've made it longer in the back to allow for the diaper. Oh well, next time). I cut a strip of red felt and stitched a gathering line down the middle. Gathered it to the ruffle I wanted, and sewed it along the bottom skirt hemline.

The shirt is similar to several "tuxedo" styles I've seen across "blogland". I simply cut a u-shaped piece of felt and stitched it right to the top of the collar line in front. Then I sewed a ruffle to match the skirt and stitched it around the "u". I added a couple black buttons, stitched a ruffle around the collar, and called it good. The collar stretched quite a bit, but shrunk up a little in the wash.
Since you can't see her hair-clip in this picture, I took a separate close-up to show you the details. Super simple folks. Two felt hearts with a small snap-clip inside. I cut a small slit on the back heart to allow the metal part to stick out. Then I stitched around the edges.

Did you notice the customized, matching doll she's hugging? If you missed the post about the doll, click here. After all, what little girl doesn't want a doll that looks like them!

My fabric Valentine

2010-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Over at Sew Mama Sew blog they had a fabric Valentine contest. They provided a tutorial for the envelope and card, and you supplied the design. So I decided I'd give it a try. I didn't win anything, but it was fun anyway. This is what I came up with-

A faux suede envelope with a crochet edge and held together with a heart button.
Inside-

And then for the card-

I love owls, and I knew I had to apply one to my card. It is times like these that I wish I had an embroidery sewing machine, but since I don't I stitched the writing with my machine using a narrow zigzag, and a close button hole width stitch.

RUFFLED

2010-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

From the title I'm sure you can guess what I've been up to. Yes, indeed lots and lots of ruffles. My inspiration the "can can skirt". And once I started I knew I had to do 3 skirts. In the pattern she uses cotton fabric for the main portion and non-fray chiffon for the ruffles. I decided to use only fabrics I have on hand, so I used a red satin for the main skirt and a chiffon with sparkles for the ruffles. It did fray, so I just cut it, and did a rolled hem on the edges before I ruffled it. If you have the non-fray, it would definitely save you some serious time. My skirts were a little more formal, but I think perfect for Valentines day!

Once I made the skirts, I realized they needed a top to go with them, so I used a very generic shirt pattern and made them each a shirt. I used a cream knit that I had on hand and just appliqued on a heart and added the ruffles on the sleeves.

My girls were excited to wear them to school the other day, for their Valentine's parties. Lydia dumped rootbeer on hers 2 hours later, I washed it (and I was amazed at how well it washed on the gentle cycle). By evening she had cut 2 holes in the shirt :/. Darn it, I thought reinforcing her to only cut paper with the "kids scissors" would be effective. I was wrong......

Now Savannah is telling all her friends, that "I" will make them each one.

One Wild Suit!

2010-02-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're wondering "What in the world is that!" Well, that my friend is snake skin spandex. Isn't it awesome! My mom picked it up for me, and I didn't really know what I'd do with it. I thought maybe I could make a white elephant gift or something. However, the other day Paige's dance teacher asked me to make costumes for her class for the recital. Well before we purchased the material I figured I'd better make a practice suit (since I've never sewn on spandex, let alone a dance suit). So I made Paige this crazy cool dance suit.

From start to finish it took me less than an hour- That included converting my serger to coverstitch. I'm so excited about this feature! It made the suit look very professional.

I don't know if something is wrong with me, but I actually thought it was darling?

Sparkly clothespins

2010-02-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had a baby shower for my little sister, and I made these sparkly clothespins to hold up a onesie garland. I just painted the clothespins a pale blue, and used a craft glue spray and put glitter on them (Martha Stewart topaz blue). Then I just hot glued buttons on them. Easy peasy! I loved how they sparkled!

And here they are holding up the garland. I appliqued the white onesies, but I didn't take a close up. It was fun.

Cupcakes

2010-02-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

My friend taught me to make these lovelies...aren't they cute?

My friend created these and doesn't want me to share with the world...so if you're interested, email me and I can give you the details! (by the way, they aren't real cupcakes...it's lotion inside! Cute gift, huh?)

By the way, I apologize, the cupcake is sitting on top of my scriptures. I realized that afterwards.

Tile Coasters

2010-02-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

These little coasters have been floating around the craft blogs. Have you seen them? Super easy, fun and cheap! Since I'm not much of a kitchen-lover, I actually made lots of these for Christmas give-aways (for some reason, I can't find the pics of those ones right now...) In fact, I was asked to teach a small group craft class on making the tiles! Here's the video tutorial I followed:

Video Tutorial

We made sets of 4. Each person paid $3 to cover supplies (napkins, polyurethane, modgepodge, foam brushes, tiles...which were $0.16 at Home Depot). If you're interested in making some, I recommend shopping at Tuesday Morning for napkins. They have a lot of variety and great prices. (Actually, instead of napkins, I used tissue paper for my Christmas tiles...options, options, options!)

Valentine Wreath

2010-02-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

I saw this beautiful wreath and knew I had to try it. I haven't done much with felt and thought this turned out gorgeous and almost luxurious looking! I also found this one, which may have been the original tutorial...not sure.

Note: The wreath was only placed here because that's where the sun was shining! it usually hangs in my kitchen :)

Another Black Apple

2010-02-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems Meredith is carrying the blog "weight" here! Way to go Mere! I too have been crafting and sewing a lot these days, but our laptops and internet have not been cooperative. The situation is improving however, so watch out for several posts!

I heard recently that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I decided my little girl needed a Black Apple doll too. Remember how I said our laptops have been sick lately? Well, I couldn't print out the templates. So I drew my own. I was surprised how close it turned out! The idea actually came from a valentine skirt/top that I made for L. She needed a little matching doll to carry around, right? So here's the final product (I will soon get a picture of the outfit and post):

Baby shower announcement

2010-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

My mom and I are planning a baby shower for my little sister for this Saturday, and I made the announcement. They were very easy and I thought they turned out cute.
I made a template If you'd like you can download it here. Just fold it in half and cut around the edges (except the top of the sleeves). Mine fit in like a 4x5 envelope, but definitely check to be sure. Then design as you'd like and add invitation info in the center.

I cut this cute monkey fabric with pinking shears and sewed it to the center.

Then I added these little eyelets to look like the snaps.

Black Apple doll

2010-01-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

After I saw these cute Black Apple dolls from Martha Stewart Living, I knew I had to make one. So since I have a special little girl with a Birthday coming up, I whipped one up yesterday. I was very happy with how it turned out.

I have to say though, that if I were to make a another one I would increase the pattern to 200% instead of the 150%. It was just a little small. I was a little nervous about painting the face on. It would not be good to mess the face up at the end. However I really thought it turned out cute.

I'm sure my sweet little girl will love this.

Reversible Apron

2010-01-17T15:23:00.001-08:00

I recently made a couple of reversible aprons for gifts. I used the pattern from the book "Simple Sewing" by Lotta Jansdotter

I got the cute cupcake fabric at Joann Fabrics. The only thing I would change with this pattern would be to make the ties longer. They seem a bit short to me. If I were to make another one I would add at least another 6 inches to the ties.

I appliqued a cupcake just for some fun. For the pattern I just used the shape of a cloud and a rectangle. It worked.

The button eyed croc

2010-01-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

So I checked out this really great book called "Toys to Sew" by Clare Garland and when I saw this cute little croc I knew I wanted to make it for my little guy's birthday. I just used a variety of coordinating fabrics I had on hand (knits, linens, cottons, and a few patches of the fabric from his halloween costume). I was pretty happy with how it turned out...

And I was even more happy that my little one loves it.

Christmas Gifts

2009-12-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well this Christmas I was in such a hurry to get everything finished and wrapped, that I forgot to take pictures of some of the gifts I made! Here are a few things that I made from the book "Easy does it for Christmas" by Nancy Halvorsen. It is from the Art to Heart collection. Any of her books have super cute ideas.
The first picture is of some applique hot pads. I used the angel and snowman template for these. I did another applique of Santa onto a pillow for my sister, but forgot to take a picture.

About 2 years ago I had made Holly placemats, and not had time to do the napkins and rings. So this year I made these holly napkin rings (and coordinating napkins) and gave them to go along with the placemats.

A cute snowman

2009-12-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

A lady from my church dropped these cute little snowmen of at my home for my girls. I thought they were darling and have decided to duplicate them and share them with you. If I find out where she got her idea I will come back and link it for you.
To start with for each snowman you need:
-1 pack starburst
-paper cut 3.5 x 6.5
-red felt cut 2 x 4
-small googly eyes
-orange foam sheet (or felt)
-ribbon
-small pompoms
-string (or yarn)
-hot glue gun
First take your white paper and wrap the Starburst like a present.

Then hot glue your red felt around the top.

Tie a string (or yarn) around the felt to make it look more like a hat.

Time to glue your small googly eyes and carrot nose (from felt or foam). Just use a black marker to make the dots for the mouth.

Then just tie a ribbon in a knot around the neck and hot glue 3 small pom poms down the front for buttons. Then you're done! We made a bunch today to give to cousins :)

Just in time

2009-12-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well it took me long enough, but I did finish my girls' dresses and my little guy vest outfit just barely in time for Christmas. They wore all their coordinating outfits to church today and they all looked great! It was definitely worth all the early mornings.

For the girls' dresses I used Project Runway Simplicity pattern number 2767. The only modification I made was lengthening it and adding the fabric trim to the bottom. I used fabric from Joann's Casa collection. For the body of the dress I used and amethyst crepe fabric and then added the chifon (with the sparkly ducs) to the top, sleeves, and skirt. I loved the 3 roses on the waist. The 3 girls looked really cute in them.

For my little guy I made a vest, pants, & tie. For the vest and pants, I used fabric from the suitings section of Joann Fabrics and used Burda pattern 9732. The only change I made was to the cuff. For this outfit I just did a simple hemmed cuff. I lined the vest in purple to coordinate with the girls' dresses. For the tie, I used the same crepe fabric as for the girls' dresses and then I followed this tutorial. I had my husband tie it, then I cut the neck area off and hand sewed the upper edges so it wouldn't fall apart, and then added the elastic to go around the neck. It turned out pretty good.

A Pocket Bookmark

2009-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

I whipped up these bookmarks for my RS Book Group. Since we decide the year's books in one meeting I thought this would be a fun way to keep track of what we chose. Since I did these last month, my memory of measurements might be a little off. The purple paper was approx. 10.5"x2.5". I eyeballed the strip into thirds and folded up the bottom portion. I used a small hole punch to go through both layers and each side, threaded a ribbon through to keep the flap secure, and then tied a bow. Then I typed up the calendar with the date, book selection and author, and the host. I used a Word document and created columns that (again I eyeballed and came out lucky!) fit into the little pocket bookmark. I realized that these could even be reused and simply put in new calendars every year!

PS - the font I used for the title is a free font from dafont.com called "Jane Austen". I thought it was an appropriate detail :)

Applique bag for rag quilt letters

2009-11-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

Well I finished my rag quilt letters and I decided in an attempt to keep them all together I'd better get some type of bag to keep them in. And this is what I came up with.

The bag was one I pulled out of my laundry room (one of 3- I figured we could manage without it). It is a nice mesh bag and bonus- already has a zipper.

To customize the bag I ripped the side seams and added the fabric swatch with the applique "L is for Lydia". I used the block letters from my lettering software called "Creative Keepsakes". It also had the little face image and I gave her a bow. For the wording "is for" I printed it in reverse, taped it to the back of the fabric, and sewed it using a very thin width and narrow zigzag stitch (almost the button hole width).

I then made a pink fleece pom pom zipper pull secured with embroidery floss to add a little fun.

A quick easy (see through) bag to keep all those letters contained.

Fleece hat and Spiral scarf

2009-11-10T07:38:00.001-08:00

Since winter will soon be here I went ahead and made some fleece hats and spiral scarves for my girls. This is what I came up with.

I just patterned the hat after a beanie type fleece hat we had at the house. Then for the flower I used the pattern here. I just enlarged it and secured it with a large button.

For the spiral scarf I followed this tutorial.

Then instead of decorating it with yarn I added three flowers to each end. For the flowers I used a faux suede material and secured them with different size and colors of pink buttons.

This is the final look. I think Savvy looks very chic. Now onto Christmas dresses- with a few distractions along the way :)

Peanut- the "wee" elephant

2009-11-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're thinking didn't you just do a "wee" stuffed animal, and the answer is yes. But they are from 2 different sources, and it just turned out that they both called them "wee". This elephant came from the book "Last minute Patchwork + quilted gifts" by Joelle Hoverson. My sister Kelsi had made 3 of these elephants for my girls a couple of years ago and they love them. Since Abram's bedspread has cute little elephants all over it I decided I would make him one for Christmas. It will look perfect in his little crib.

I used a blue gingham fabric to coordinate with his quilt.

For the blanket I used a denim fabric and the only change I made to it was by adding the fringe around the edge.

I think the braided yarn tail is such a cute touch in this pattern.

SYTYC- check it out

2009-11-02T11:59:00.001-08:00

In case you were not aware, I just wanted to let you know of a crafting competition. It is patterned after many reality competitions. It is called So You Think You're Crafty. They chose 10 crafty ladies and they are given a challenge every week. We get to vote on the projects we like the most, and the winning project will post a tutorial, the losing is eliminated. I was amazed that I already follow the blogs of 2 of the crafters. Dana who is very talented and amazing and Jill who too is incredible. I love these blogs because these ladies are willing to share their talents (and tutorials which I love the most). The first projects were posted today. My favorites were #4 & #6. I'm pretty sure #6 is Dana's and somewhat sure #4 is Jill's. Check it out here. I'm excited about all this inspiration for the holidays. Oh how I wish there were more hours in a day.

Little Dino

2009-10-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last year after Halloween, I had picked up this cute Mickey Mouse costume at the Disney Store on clearance in a size 9-12 months. I was proud of myself for thinking ahead and thought it would be great for my little Abe. As Halloween was approaching Dan and I got to talking and we both agreed that the Mickey Mouse costume was just not fitting for the little guy. It shouldn't really matter, but nonetheless I decided a dinosaur costume would be more appropriate for him. The pattern I used was Simplicity Costumes for kids 0607. Here is the end result, just in time for Halloween.
The fabric is some old vintage upholstery fabric that my mom had picked up for me. I could not have found fabric that could have been more appropriate for this costume. The only issues I had with this fabric was that it was very thick and not the easiest to sew. The hardest areas were the hat and tail where the fins were added. I actually broke 3 denim needles!

Here is a shot of the hat. Not his favorite to wear, but he does leave it on.

Here is the tail. We'll have to see how this works with the stroller :0.

The little guy in action. When I'm carrying him in the costume it kind of feels like I'm packing a small rug. It's pretty hilarious, but I have to say the fabric was heavy duty enough that I'm pretty sure he won't need a coat on Halloween.

Oven Mitt

2009-10-21T19:22:00.001-07:00

My friend Brooke's birthday was approaching and what else would I make for such an amazing cook. I have made this mitt once before, but this one was my favorite. At least one of the fabrics is Amy Butler but I'm not sure about the others. I just love all of Amy Butlers materials. They are all so colorful and have the most beautiful print. I got this idea and pattern from Denyse Schmidt "Quilts". It is a fabulous book which I highly recommend. This is the first project I've made since last year which is painful to say since I LOVE to sew so much! Hopefully I will have more to post soon.

Wee Bunny

2009-10-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

I've now made four of these cute little bunnies. This last one was for my little niece that just turned 2! It is an easy pattern and my girls just love it. I found the pattern as a free download here. The only addition that I made was to put a name on the front of the bunny. Now, I wish I had a machine that embroiders but I don't, so I just printed the name on regular paper in reverse (the size and font I liked) and pinned it to the back of the fabric. I then used my open toe applique foot and a small zigzag stitch to sew the name. I also made a small circle bean bag (or rice bag) that I placed in the bottom of the bunny so it will sit up better. The ears do end up being flimsy. I've tried adding interfacing, but didn't find that it helps that much. Next time on the ears I will try fusible fleece. We'll see.....

ABC's

2009-10-12T19:52:00.001-07:00

I made these for my cute little niece who just turned 2. I saw the idea online on this blog:

http://ohsohappytogether.blogspot.com/2009/07/rag-quilt-letters-tutorial.html

and thought it was a great way to use up my microsuede swatch book we picked up at the furniture store closeout. The letters are so soft and the batting in between makes them a little poofy. The edges are finished like a rag quilt, clip the unfinished edges and they fray after you wash/dry. Let me tell you...a lot of tracing, cutting, clipping, etc! But it was a fun project. It took me about 4-5 hours total throughout the week. (You can probably see that the microsuede on the front didn't fray, but the little clipped fringe adds a cute look).

Halloween pillowcases

2009-10-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make my kids something quick and easy for Halloween- end result pillowcases. I got the fabric around Thanksgiving last year at Joann fabrics (planning ahead I guess) . The fabric is all Debbie mum, and I believe I got it something like 80% off? Anyway it was a steal and that's why I stored it for a whole year :). I found an excellent tutorial here. I think they took me a total of 2 hrs total and I'm typically very slow.

My kids were excited and loved the fabric.

I made one for each kiddo- even though it will be a couple years before Abe will use it.

Girl's dress coat

2009-10-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago after I got my serger back from the repair center I was itching to do some sewing/serging, so I picked this project.
I used Burda pattern number 9596 and this was coat B. Since this was my first coat attempt I was nervous to use fabric that was pricey, so I picked this fabric up at a garage sale for $1. I really thought it was super cute, but it was not easy to work with. It frayed very easily, was difficult to line up the nap, and it had some to stretch to it. I'm not even sure what this material is called! However I did think the end result turned out nice.
I lined the coat with a pink flannel that I had picked up at Joann fabrics for $1.50 yd, and it took 1 5/8 yd of this fabric. I thought it would give the coat a little extra warmth, and I bought the "made by" tag from Joann's. I thought it was a nice touch.
I really wanted to do pink buttons, however I was unable to locate any that would work for this coat. My mom found these buttons in her stash, and I liked the way they looked. After working on this fabric I opted to not sew buttonholes- I kind of thought they'd look a mess, so the buttons are ornamental and I used large snaps to keep the coat closed.
Here is the fit on Miss Savvy. She is so excited about it and loved that it had pockets. I liked that it cost me less than $5. Coming soon...... a coordinating scarf.

the frames

2009-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

today paige and I made frames.

First we started with a wood frame.

Then we painted the frame.

Then we glued the buttons.

we are done! wow wow wubzy

pink ones (paiges)
blue ones(savvys)

Lamp Makeover

2009-09-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have several projects in the works, but never seem to finish one before I start another! So here's one I actually finished today and I love how it turned out. We have 2 lamps we bought at Ikea a couple years ago and they simply needed a face lift.

So I googled "Ikea Lamp Makeover" which lead me to this project at www.apartmenttherapy.com

http://tinyurl.com/n2vyjj

I actually do like how her lamp is round, but I figured my square lamp would work. So with a roll of parchment paper for $3.79, I headed to town. I think I used about half the roll for one lamp, and I'm planning on redoing the second one too for 2 completely new bedside lamps!

As you can see in the two pictures below, some of the sides turned out more uniform than others, but I like the variation and the flirty, ruffly look! Cute! I'm really into the ruffles craze these days.

One thing I would do differently next time (isn't this always the case?) is to cover the lamp shade completely with a flat layer of parchment paper all the way around the shade before adding the petals. This would disguise any chance of peeking through the petals. And although this one lamp took at least 3 hours, it was worth saving the money on a new lamp! I did a little each night as I watched Fox News :) Now if anyone has ideas how to refinish the base, I'm open! I could simply spraypaint, but any other creative thoughts?

Burp cloths

2009-09-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

My sister in-law (Leisel) made me some of these burp cloths when I had Abram. I thought they were great and have duplicated them several times for baby gifts.
They are very easy to make. I chose coordinating flannel fabric for the outside and used a white fleece for the inside (this makes them a little heavier and more absorbent). I then sewed the flannel wrong sides together with the fleece sandwiched in the middle with a 5/8 in. seam around the outside.

Then just make snips all around the outside and your finished!

Puzzle ball

2009-09-16T14:22:00.001-07:00

I have made a few of these puzzle balls for gifts, but this last one I made for my little niece Louisa who just turned 1. For fabric I just used coordinating corduroy fabrics and used the pattern from the book "Last minute Patchwork + quilted gifts" by Joelle Hoverson.

Check Book covers

2009-09-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I bought the book "Simple Sewing" by Lotta Jansdotter and have just loved it. I have sewn several projects from this book and they have turned out pretty good. So overall I was happy with these check book covers that I finished.
I used a heavy home decorator fabric for the outside and used interfacing on the interior fabric. On the outside I crocheted a flower with a #9 crochet hook- find the pattern here . Also- I skipped adding the elastic in the book. I just didn't think it needed it. It still seemed a little flimsy/thin- so you definitely still need to put your checkbook in the cheapy plastic cover first and it gives it the stability it needs. After I made a few like this-
I thought maybe if I made a few out of oil cloth they'd be more sturdy. So this is what I came up with-
I know the fabric is a little 70's here, I had bought it awhile back here for making reusable grocery bags and I wanted to utilize only fabric I have on hand (since I have an entire closet full). For the flower on the front I used the pattern here and attached the flower to the oilcloth with one side of a decorative snap (it took me awhile to push the snap through the flower and into the oilcloth). The oilcloth checkbook covers are more heavy duty and you don't need the plastic cover for stability.

Pin Cushions

2009-09-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago my sister Kelsi made me an awesome pincushion for my birthday. I absolutely loved it and made 6 more for gifts. At first I felt like I would never be able to give away 6 pincushions, but it didn't take me long to unload them so I decided to make a few more. I used the pattern from the book "Last minute Patchwork + quilted gifts" by Joelle Hoverson. My only additional tip would be to use pine bedding (yes what you put in the hamster cage) for the stuffing instead of cotton batting. It gives it more of a "pincushion feel" then the cotton batting. Also, the easiest way to stuff these cushions is to use a funnel.

savannah made a purse- by savvy

2009-09-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

Two day's ago I made a purse. I used a cotton scarf and i just sewed around 3 sides and then used the handles. My mom bought the handle at a grage sale and i just got some fabrike and sewed it
Note by Mom-
Savannah came up with this project and sewed this project 99% by herself (She even threaded the machine on her own and came and got me to check it). After she had sewn it she came to me and asked me to help her with making some handles- I wasn't feeling very well, so I found her some handles in my closet and she did the rest. It didn't take her very long since the scarf already had finished edges. Congrats to you Savvy!