[Easter] Bunny Goodie Bag

 

I had some time.  

 

I had some scraps.  

I made a bag. 

 I stuffed it full of candy.

 You should make one too.

Linking up with:
Skip To My Lou 

[The Gratitude Project] Warmth

 Share the love--share the warmth!

We've had the most beautifully warm week.  Unprecedented really.  Just a gorgeous fall.  But the winds of change are blowing.  There is a BIG storm approaching and I find myself grateful today for warmth.  I feel so blessed to have a warm house to sleep in and warm coats and blankets.  There are so many who can't afford those luxuries.  So many men, women, and children that are going to be cold tonight.

I bet that we could make a difference today.  We could donate some gently used coats and blankets to our local care coalition.  That would be amazing!  Or make some simple scarves out of inexpensive fleece.  Have you done this before?  In the past we have made piles of scarves as a family project.  I've taken stacks of fleece to the elementary school and taught the children how to cut the scarves and fringe the ends.  We've done this as a children's project at church and even as a neighborhood.  When the scarves are complete, just pile them in your car and drop them off at your local United Way.  If you are looking for a simple service project that can really make a difference, this just might be it! 

The nuts and bolts:

Buy some fleece fabric at your local WalMart or fabric store (JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, etc).  There are so many fun colors and patterns.  You want to find some that is sixty inches wide.  One yard will make three scarves.  Fold your fabric in half matching the selvage ends.  You may need to square up the ends if they weren't cut straight at the store.  Now just cut every twelve inches.   I've found that the easiest way is to use a rotary cutter and a self-healing cutting mat.  Your finished scarves should be about 12 inches wide and 60 inches long.  You can fringe the ends by cutting strips that are six inches long and one inch wide.  Sharp scissors work great for the fringe.  That's it!  Easy peasy.

You can easily make three scarves for five or six dollars.  If you watch for sales, you can do it for even less!

Now let's go share the warmth!

And don't forget the hot cocoa.

[Prom Week] Dinner Napkins

Prom.  Saturday.  Seven tuxedo clad boys.  Seven gorgeous girls.  And dinner by me.  If you missed yesterday's post, click here for all the details.  Today's adventure involves my sewing machine and lots of yummy yellow cotton fabric.

As I mentioned earlier, I had most of the linens that I needed to host this shin-dig in my personal stash.  But, I wanted to add some yellow accents.  So, I chose a fun yellow polka-dot fabric to make some cloth napkins for our formal dinner.  Have you made napkins before?  It took a bit of time to make fourteen of them, but the process is simple enough.

You will need one yard of fabric for four napkins.  It's best to use 100% cotton or linen.  Cut your fabric into 18 inch squares.

I decided to serge the edges for good measure, but you certainly don't have to.

Then I pressed each edge into the center just the width of my over lock stitch...maybe 3/8 of an inch.

Then fold and press each edge into the center again, so all of the rough edges are hidden.  Mitered corners are the bomb.  But I didn't have time for that.  A simple folded corner will do just fine.

Now run a straight stitch around the four sides.  Repeat the above steps for each napkin you've cut.  In my case, fourteen times.  Sheesh.

 

But, they are so worth it.  I love cloth napkins.  A million times fancier than paper.

Clothespin Bag

If you know me personally, you know that I love hanging clothes on the line.  I love the crispness of line-dried clothes and I love the fresh smell that the breeze gives to my clothes.  A couple of years ago, I did an experiment and found that drying my clothes outside saved me between ten and fifteen dollars a month on my electricity bill.  I especially love that!  Do you like to line-dry your laundry?  At first thought, it would seem that hanging the clothes on the line makes for more work.  To that I say, just try it and see what you think.  Laundry is my arch nemesis.  I hate everything about it.  Especially folding.  But when I started hanging my clothes out on the line, my whole attitude about laundry changed.  Weird, I know.  I think it has to do with being out in the sunshine instead of locked in the laundry room.  I wash and hang four loads of laundry in about an hour and a half.  You can wash load after load without having to wait for the dryer.  Then I just let the clothes hang until they are dry and I am good and ready.  They all come down at once and are folded right away.  And I've figured out how to clip them so I don't have to iron anything! 

So, in honor of Earth Day I offer you this clothespin bag--to make your laundry day a little easier. All you need is a bit of fabric, some bias binding tape (you can make your own or buy it at any fabric store), some thread and a sewing machine.  Oh yeah...and a pants hanger.

You will want your bag to be just a bit wider than the pants hanger.  You eventually want your hanger to clip inside.  My hanger measured twelve inches wide.  I cut my fabric 13 inches wide.  This allowed for a 3/8 inch  seam and about a 1/4 inch of play.  I cut my fabric sixteen inches long.  You will need two pieces, one for the front and one for the back.  My hanger was a bit rounded, so I rounded that top of my fabric pieces just a bit.  Some hangers are flat, just do what you gotta do.  Next, you are going to want to cut a "U-shaped" piece out of your front piece.  This will be the opening of the bag.  It's easiest to fold your piece in half vertically and cut half of the "U" so it comes out symmetrical.  I left about 8 inches intact between the bottom of my "U" and the bottom of the bag.  And I left 3 inches on each side.  Discard the piece that you cut out.

Match the right sides of your fabric pieces together.  Now sew up all of the sides of your rectangle.  Flip your bag right side out.  Next sew your binding around your opening.  I liked a thinner look, so I cut my packaged binding in half lengthwise.  If you haven't ever worked with binding tape, this tutorial might be helpful.

That's all there is to it!  Open your pants hanger and slip one side of it into the opening.  Close your hanger.  The idea is to sandwich the back of your bag between the hanger.

Fill your bag with clothespins and you are ready for a full day of laundry!  I like to just slide the bag along the line as I hang.  Super handy.

Happy Earth Day!

I'm linking up with:

Skip To My Lou 

Hunger Games T-shirt

My teenage daughter is beside herself with excitement for The Hunger Games Movie.  She wanted something to mark the occasion.  She wanted a shirt.  Unfortunately, this didn't occur to her until it was too late to order a professionally designed shirt.  She's a little short on the funds anyway.  So, with some inspiration from an older cousin, she decided to make her own.  It came together very quickly.  Like in under an hour.  We are kicking it old school for this project.  This is what you need to do:

Gather your supplies:

clean plain cotton shirt
fabric paint
freezer paper
exacto knife
self-healing mat
piece of cardboard
sponge cut into pieces
clothespin


Paint your shirt:
1.  Print out your logo on a piece of paper.  The simpler the lines the better.
2.  Trace the logo onto a piece of freezer paper (the paper side--not the plastic side)

 
3.  Use an exacto knife and a self-healing mat to cut out the letters.

4.  Iron the freezer paper onto your shirt (be sure to put the plastic side down).
5.  Place a piece of cardboard inside your shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding to the other side.
6.  Using some fabric paint and a piece of sponge, stencil the paint onto the shirt.  Be sure to use up and down blotting motions.  We used a clothespin to hold the sponge.

7.  Carefully remove the freezer paper and let the paint dry completely according to the directions on the bottle.

8.  Wear your shirt to school with pride!

[baby edition] batik baby blanket part two

If you missed part one, you will want to click here to bring yourself up to speed.  Gather your supplies and stamp your wax patterns onto your fabric.  Once your fabric is waxed with your chosen design, you are ready to dye it.

Just to remind you, for this part of the project, you will need:

RIT liquid dye
water
non-iodized salt
a non-reactive bucket or large old bowl
a stirring stick
rubber gloves
old towels and rags
iron and ironing board
paper towels or kraft papers

I purchased a bottle of RIT liquid dye in petal pink.  I only needed a small bucket of dye for this project.  Pour eight cups of hot water into your bucket.  Add 1/4 cup dye to your water.

 Now add 1/4 cup of  non-iodized salt and stir well.

Submerse your fabric into the dye mixture.

Allow it to set until it becomes the color you desire.  I waited ten to fifteen minutes.  The longer it sits in the dye bath, the darker and brighter the color.

Carefully remove the fabric and blot it with some old rags.  Hang the fabric to dry.  Once your fabric is dry, you will want to iron it, to remove the wax.  Place a clean old rag on your ironing board.  Place paper towels or kraft paper on top of the rag.  Place your fabric on top of the paper.  Put another paper towel or piece of kraft paper on top of your fabric.  Iron away!  You want to use a hot dry iron (no steam).  I set my iron on the "cotton" setting.  The wax will melt and be absorbed by the paper.  Change out your paper towels as necessary.  Continue ironing until all of the wax is removed from your fabric. 

Iron the entire piece of fabric really well to set the dye.  Hand wash your fabric with detergent to remove any traces of beeswax.

Now you are ready to finish sewing your sweet baby blanket.  Square up the sides  with a rotary cutter and turn the edges.  Buzz around the edges with your sewing machine to hem it.  Tie it with a cute bow and you are all set to go!



I can't wait to see this blanket swaddled around a little new born baby!

[baby edition] Batik Baby Blanket Part One

A friend of mine just welcomed home a sweet baby this week.  And this time it is a girl!  Is it just me, or does it seem like all of the new babies lately have been of the male gender?  Boys are super fun.  But I have definitely been in the mood for some girly girl.  I love making gifts for babies!

Have you noticed the gauzy lightweight cotton blankets that are all the rage right now?  They are big and wonderful for swaddling new little ones.  And perfect for spring and summer!  But they are a little bit pricey.  So, I decided to make my own.  The fabric isn't that expensive, especially if you have a coupon.  You could probably pick up what you need for between five to seven dollars.  Some of the blankets that I have seen at the stores have cute little images printed on them.  Hmm.  That's a little harder without some special equipment.  After a little bit of research, I decided this would be the perfect time to experiment with batik!  And I did.  And oh-my-goodness it is so much fun!  I might just have a new addiction. 

What the heck is batik, you ask?  It is the traditional fabric of Indonesia.  If you want to know all of the amazing details, click here.  Basically it is a technique for dying fabric that uses wax as a dye resistant.  Huh?  You apply hot wax to your fabric in whatever design you want.  When you place your fabric in a vat of dye, the places on the fabric that have been "waxed" resist the dye.  It can be very complicated and involve multiple dyes.  Or it can be very simple.  I opted for simple.  I almost always opt for simple.  Babies don't need much to make them happy.

For this project you will need:

beeswax (you can use paraffin, but it will not produce the clean lines that beeswax offers)
double boiler
cookie cutters or other simple shapes to dip into the wax
fabric (washed, dried, and ironed)
iron
dye (I used RIT liquid dye)
non-iodized salt
bucket or non-reactive bowl
non-reactive stirring stick
paper towels, old rags, kraft paper or the like

Step One:  Wash and dry your fabric before you do anything else.  I bought a yard and a half of fabric that was 45 inches wide.  By the time I trim it up and hem it, I should have a square blanket.  You need to remove any starch or chemicals that would prevent the dye from setting.  You will probably want to iron your fabric as well.


Step Two:  Chop your beeswax into smallish pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler.  I decided that I didn't want to put the wax into my nice pan.  So I used a clean tuna fish can for my wax and placed it into a small pan of water.  It doesn't take much wax to batik a baby blanket.  I used maybe a two inch cube of wax for the whole thing.  Heat and melt your wax.  I used medium heat until it was melted and then turned the heat way down.  Be careful, you don't want to heat  your wax all fast and furious-like.  And don't leave it unattended.  There is a flash point where the wax will ignite.

Step Three:   Line your work surface with paper to prevent staining and to make wax clean-up easier.  I used some of paper from my daughter's art easel.  Place your fabric over the top.

Step Four:  Apply the hot wax to your fabric.  I used flower shaped cookie cutters.  Place the cutter into the hot wax for at least thirty seconds to warm it up.  I attached a clothespin to protect my fingers from getting burned.  Those metal cookie cutters get HOT!  Pick up your cutter with the clothespin and allow the excess wax to drip off for a second.  Then place your cutter onto your fabric and allow the wax to soak in and then remove.  This just takes a few seconds.  It's very much like rubber stamping.  You want the wax to be translucent on your fabric.  If it is opaque, your wax isn't warm enough.  It hasn't completely absorbed into the fabric.  You may get some drips or imperfect stamps onto your fabric.  I think it adds to the charm!

Step Five:  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  I kept dipping and stamping until I had the finished design that I was wanting.  After every five or six stamps, I needed to return my pan to the stove and reheat my wax.

I used a frosting piping tip for the center of my flowers.   I also thought it would be cute to use it to add some random "polka dots" for whimsy's sake.  Just be warned, the wax is really hard to clean off of small cutters and piping tips.  They may or may not be usable for their original purposes when you are finished.  Look around the house, you will find all kinds of things that make interesting patterns.  Wooden blocks, wooden spools, metal rings...they all work great!

Click here for part two--wherein we actually dye our sweet little blanket!

[baby edition] burp cloths

 

Guess what??  It's hard to believe, but I came into a little extra cash.  That never happens.  Ever.  But for some reason, the stars have aligned.  I figured I'd better spend it and fast...before it just goes up in smoke.  How about a new sewing machine?  Yes, I think so.

I've had my old sewing machine for almost eighteen years.  It has not been working well.  It was time for a new one.  After much deliberation, I bought a Husqvarna (which is a fancy way of saying Viking) machine.

I am not going to lie to you--my new machine is SO MUCH FUN!!
That might explain the late blog posts.  I've been playing.

In other news.  My second grand-nephew was born yesterday.  Finally!  He took his sweet time coming into the world.  But I think he will prove to be worth the wait.  In honor of this new little guy I decided to make some burp cloths.  I found this idea on the internet a while back and I wanted to give it a try.  When I was a mother of newborn babies, I preferred cloth diapers over every other burp cloth out there.  They are just so absorbant and handy.  So this was a perfect marriage of cute and practical.

You will need:

pre-folded cloth diapers (I bought mine at Target.  It came in a pack of 10)
cute flannel fabric (you can get two burp cloths out of a fat quarter)
matching thread
scissors
sewing machine
straight pins

I followed PetiteLemon's basic tutorial, but changed it up a bit to make it my own.

Be sure to pre-wash your diapers and your fabric.  I cut my flannel fabric strips five inches in width and nineteen inches long.  I serged the long sides of each strip.  You certainly wouldn't have to, because the next step is to press those raw edges into the center.  I folded the edges of the long sides over about half an inch and pressed them into place.  Then I used my new handy dandy sewing machine to stitch the fabric strips onto the cloth diaper.  I used straight pins to hold the fabric in place while I sewed.  This proved to be a great opportunity to play with all of the different stitches that my new machine offers. 

The original instructions say to fold and stitch the short ends under.  But, as I looked at those silly cloth diapers and realized that the edges are just serged anyway, I decided on a short cut.  I just serged the ends of those diapers over again and in the process I cut and serged the fabric strips as well.  It made for less bulk and it was fast.  And I don't think it diminishes the cuteness at all. 

So, there you have it---burp cloths for the new babies in your life.

[Baby Edition] Make it All Better Basket

Guess what??  As of last night, I am a great aunt!  It's so exciting.  Now I am as cool as my friend Robyn, who has been touting her great aunt status for quite some time.  (Well, truth be told--I will never be as cool as my good friend Robyn.)  Anyway, he is the cutest little thing!  And the best part, is that I am going to have another cute little grand nephew coming in just a matter of days!  Double joy!

Do you think it makes me old?  To be a great aunt?  I have been thinking on this for a while.  I have decided that it says nothing about my age at all.  It just means that my brother is getting old!  My kids are far far far from the ages of giving me grandchildren.  At least that is what I keep telling myself.

Well, all of these darling babies have put me in the mood to make baby gifts.  So, let's get at it.  Shall we?

"Make it All Better" Basket--for when a kiss just isn't enough.

I remember those first moments of being a new Mom.  It was all so overwhelming and wonderful and magical.  Absolutely perfect.  If only the perfect could last.  Unfortunately, we can't cuddle and snuggle those little guys forever.  Eventually (and all too soon) they leave their Momma's lap and start banging their noggins on tables and falling off of their bikes.  There will be sleepless nights of fevers and tummy aches.  There will be lots and lots of bumps and bruises and broken bones.  But, at least now these new mommies can be prepared for the inevitable.

Here's what I put in mine:

Sesame Street band-aids
digital thermometer
medicine dispensers
pedialyte for dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea
diaper rash ointment
mylicon drops for baby gas
saline solution for runny noses
tylenol suspension drops for fevers
orajel for teething pain

I whipped up a quick little heating pad following this tutorial by The Green Wife.  I scaled it down considerably to make it kid sized.  I folded it up and wrapped it with a bow.  When you are ready to use it, just unwrap and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.  These little heating pads are great for soothing all kinds of hurts!


Congratulations ladies!  And I can't wait to hug and kiss those cute little guys!

*****

I'm linking up with: