neck tie bibs

While these bibs are not perfect, they are fun nonetheless, don't you think? It almost makes me wish my (big) little guy could wear one.

sew a hot-wheels holder

(based on this pin)

Supplies:

fabric strip, 1 yard x 6 inches

elastic, 1 yard

sewing machine, scissors, thread, etc.

1. Measure the length you'd like the sling to be around your little guy.

2. Sew a strip along the length, wrong sides together. Flip right side out.

3. Pin elastic along length of sling. Sew parallel lines about an inch apart. (You can measure them meticulously or just eyeball it like I did. It works at varying widths because some cars are thinner than others.)

4. Place cars in slots. Watch happy child play! 

*Warning: Can get a little heavy when fully loaded!

vintage hankies

I found this hankie in my collection, and thought it would make a perfect pillow. I might have to do more of these!

Other vintage hankie crafts I've copied are a table runner:

and in simple square frames:

shirt dress tutorial

Repurpose a men's shirt into a little girl's dress!

Alex put an old shirt he wasn't find of anymore on the help center pile, and I thought it might make a good dress for Audrey. So I looked around the Internet for ideas, and ended up doing my own thing:

First, find a dress the size you'll want the dress to be. Eyeball a quarter inch seam allowance, and mark around the dress shape. (No sleeves--those are later!) Now you know what you are working with for the main body of the dress, and also what you can work with for the extras.

My goal was to make this a relatively quick and simple project, so I tried to use mostly finished edges where I could find them.

Right sides together, sew the shoulder seams together, and up both sides of the body. Finish with a zigzag stitch.

Next, zigzag and hem the neck. (I had to go back after finishing the whole dress, to make the neck bigger. So at this point you might want to decide what kind of neck you'd like. I folded it down to make a v, and re-hemmed it.)

To make the bottom ruffle, cut off about an inch-wide strip the length of the entire bottom of the shirt. Stitch a gathering seam at the raw edge, and attach it to the bottom of the dress. Finish with a zigzag stitch.

For the sleeves, cut off the cuffs of the shirt, plus a triangle shape extra for each sleeve. Remember to keep the buttons in the back, and to cut them the same size! Carefully sew them into the armholes, right sides together. This can be tricky because it's so gathered to begin with, and then you have to kind of gather it back in order to fit it. Finish with a zigzag and turn it right -side out.

This is a great project for up cycling! It's an easy way to be creative. And if it doesn't turn out the way you imagined it, you're not out a lot of money or a lot of time. I tried to make it a simple project. Using the already-finished edges really sped up the process. What also kept it easy was keeping the buttons in the front as the actual way to fasten and unfasten the dress. 

I cut another strip to make a bow for the front, and sewed it on by hand. You could easily make it sleeveless if you'd like, or add a cute pocket or two. I've also seen elastic around the waist, or no ruffle on the bottom. If you try one, please take a picture and let me know! I'd love to see what you come up with.

market skirts

This Dana Made It tutorial was so great,  I had to make two!

i heart bunting

I think bunting and garland may be quickly approaching overuse in the craft world, but I still really like it--especially when the colors go so well together! I've made paper bunting for a baby shower, felt bunting for my son's room, and fabric bunting for our family's "Happy Birthday" banner. I saw this bunting card from Dana Does, and so I made some, too:

my little superhero

He's been superhero-crazy lately. So it just seems fitting that we'd have a superhero birthday party.

The Tootsie Pop masks and capes are easy to do, and are available as a free download from Zakka Life. We played "pin the 's' on Superman," which I printed from Google images onto four sheets and taped them all together to make a poster. The drawstring bags were filled with party favor goodies. I bought the different colors from a local dollar store, and added my own felt superhero badges. E decorated the cake all himself, with sugar candies and a batman badge we bought at a cake store. I think it was a good birthday.

5 4 3 2 1 things

1 project I am particularly proud of:

1. felt play food

2 mistakes I’ve made in the past:

1. Believing whatever I try for the first time will come out perfect! I don't know why I do that. 
2. I'm making mistakes all the time! I can't narrow it down to two: (not waiting long enough for glue to dry, spur-of-the-moment doing my own thing instead of following the pattern, etc....) But it's the mistakes that make you better at the craft; and, it could provide a new and better way to do what you're doing in the end. 

3 things that make my work unique: 

1. my mistakes! 
2. balance between cuteness and practicality 
3. love of urban artsiness and rural heritage 

4 tools I love to use:

1. freebies 
2. thrift 
3. "trash" 
4. nature 

5 inspirations: 

1. nature 
2. my kids 
3. my family and ancestors 
4. other crafters & artists 
5. shopping 

sew a bow tie

My husband has been wearing his bow ties to preach. It's caused, I think, a bit of a bow tie craze at our church... well, maybe not so much. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I came across this free tutorial from Prudent Baby that shows how to sew and assemble a bow tie for your own toddler or little boy. This was perfect timing to make one for Elliott's Easter outfit!

I had to make a few adjustments to the tutorial. It turns out I didn't have lightweight interfacing, so I ended up not using any. You can tell in the photos it is a little lopsided--and the missing interfacing is the reason. We could get it to look great, but as soon as he moved around it would be whopper-jawed. I also didn't have the hardware for a bow tie on hand. (Though I plan to look for some at my thrift store!) So I cut the collar strip in the back and sewed a couple of bra hooks to it! That part doesn't show anyway, and now it will be adjustable for when he grows a little bigger. The other thing I did was to add elastic to the strip, to add comfort. All in all, it was a success. And he loves it!

felt food

Some months ago I became addicted to making felt play food. The children had many of their own ideas, but I found Bella Dia's collection of felt food tutorials very helpful. The possibilities are endless!

upcycle: shirt pillow

This was a shirt that didn't fit me well any more. I liked all the detail pleats and lace on it, and had the idea to make it into a pillow. Because of the buttons, it was the quickest and easiest pillow case I've ever sewn!

DIY:

1. Find a shirt that you think would make a good pillow. Any shirt can make a pillow--but a button-up shirt sews really fast and easy.
2. Center, measure, and cut a good-sized square through both sides of the shirt.
3. Right sides together, sew three sides of the square. Stop here for a moment, reach inside and unbutton about three buttons. Finish sewing the fourth side.
4. Reach through the open buttons and pull the pillow case right-side-out. Stuff in a pillow of the same size and button it up!