Project #26 - Playdress renovation

This was a quick up-cycle - one of my favorite shirts from Gymboree's Glamor Safari line was ruined by silly putty.  The very first time Miss K wore it.  Seriously.  I tried everything, I got the putty off, but it left a stain, sadly.  I held onto that shirt, hoping I could do *something* with it.  Miss N now wears that size so it was time to bite the bullet and stop putting it off.  I picked up a half yard of cotton knit, the same weight as the knit of the shirt, it was on sale so the half yard only cost me $3! 

I wanted it to look like it was supposed to be a dress in the first place so I got out my surger book and learned how to use the gathering foot - this was the skirt would gather as it was overlocked to the shirt, eliminating the dreaded task of having to straight stich and hand gather the whole skirt, then see it without ended up with inadvertent folds.  I hate those...  I was beyond pleased with how easy the gathering foot was to use!!  Why oh why has it taken me 8 years to learn this?!?!  This has got to be my #1 procrastination fail ever.... How my life could have been easier had I know how easy this was!  I see knit tired dresses in the girls future this summer....

I was pleased with the result, Miss N loves her new dress, I love the fact that I only had to spend $3 to make it.  " )

Project #25 - Hair bow elastics

I saw these cute little bows on elastic bands and knew they had to be made.  First of all, you can't go wrong with the materials - 2  5x5 piecees of fabric and a hair elastic.  They were simple & easy and and something I will stash in my bag this summer!  Not over the top for an adult mind you, just a little something to take the blah away fom a summer pony tail. ")

Listing here!

Project #24 - Bean Bag Set

What child doesn't love beanbags? Especially beanbags with cupcakes and fruit on them, you can't go wrong.  There are five-thousand and one uses for beanbags, besides being fun to play with, they offer great tactile and sensory stimulation for developing children of all ages.  These are two of my most favorite fabric prints, my most prized hoarded treasure, but alas, they needed to be used and the bag of poly pellets I had made it an easy decision.  Each 4 in x 3.5 in beanbag is filled with 60grams of poly pellets.

View listing here!

Project #22 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Bubble-style

I have never seen bubble quilts, never heard of them, before today.  The blankets resemble bubble wrap make from fabric and look slightly cool, though very odd at the same time!   I did however find the process and a caterpillar sample to be intriguing and my mind instantly went to the VHC, because, well, it's the coolest book ever.  I thought is was fitting to pair some cute fabrics in fun colors into the bubble-style.  I am exceptionally pleased with how it turned out!  

Project #21 - Hello Kitty Tag Lovie

This brown and pink dotted ribbon it my favorite!  I *LoVe* it!  It pried nicely with the pink OBV I have and I had the Hello Kitty ribbon to match so a tag lovie was perfect.  12x12 OBV on both side, grosgrain and satin ribbon offer all that sensory good stuff. ")

View listing here!

Project #20 - Fabric bookmark

Another two minute project needing nothing more than a scrap of fabric, iron-on adhesive, and a short length of ribbon.  I wanted my bookmark to be around 2x6 but you could really make this any size or shape.  I cut the adhesive to fit the fbric scraps, ironed it on, cut around it with pinking sheers, then zig-zagged around with the sewing machine, adding the ribbon topper as I sewed along the top edge.  I added a drop of no-fray to the start/stop point so the threads don't come unraveled.  The pinked edges should hold up well due to the iron on adhesive.  I realize I need to make more of these, they would make really nice little gifts (ie teachers or therapists...), and they are so simple they would be a perfect first sewing project for little girls (or boys) who want to learn to use my machine...  They are so thin they are actually usable! ")

Project #14 - Lavender Eye Pillow

I have been in a lavender kick the past few weeks (my lavender lemonade is to die for!), and this cold damp weather had found me searching for the heating bags to alleviate whatever chill or ache is present.  Somehow, I only have large heating bags... I need small ones.  Boo-boo sized ones, headache sized ones, eye sized ones... I need a whole tote-full of them.  Just because.  And I like them to smell nice, too.    Being that an eye bag was needed, it was the obvious first choice of size to make.  So. Easy. So. Fast.

I chose a cotton for the back and a cotton flannel for the front.  Nice and soft!  Stitch around, turn, stuff, close, done.  I filled mine with rice and added a touch of dried lavender flowers.  It smells devine! A quick 30 seconds in the microwave and it's ready to use.  You could also keep it in the freezer for the hot summer days....I hear some people have those.  We don't usually have that problem in New York...

Project #12 - Fabric Ball & Bib Set

I unearthed a bunch of half-finished projects last week, this among them.  Love the colors, love the dots fabric, love the fabric balls for babies - they were a favorite when my kids were babies.  There was some finishing off needed yet on the ball so it finally was completed!   The bib is PUL lined so it's waterproof and it has a snap closure.  

Project #9 - Ooga Booga Waterproof Training Pants

While digging though the fabric basket I came across a few pieces of PUL I had no idea were there.  Perfect size for a few pairs of training pants!  It's been ages since I've made training pants but the Ooga Booga OCV I have was just begging to be used and training pants are the perfect thing for it.  I added a layer of PUL and two layers of cotton velour to the front panel so it offers just the right amount of absorption for small accidents.  I like the velour for training pants, it has a lot of stretch to it and is soooo soft - the perfect transition to getting used to being a big kid and wearing underpants.  These are a 2T, so tiny, so cute!

They are listed here!

Project #8 - Pandas!

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, what do you hear?  After the adorable fox hat, the obviouse next project was to use the natural and black OBV I have on hand and make a panda hat because, of course, who can resist a baby panda?!  The black OBV isn't something I usually even remember I have, it was nice to be able to use it for something new.

ETA - photos help!  

Etsy listing here!

Project #7 - Its a Fox! hat.

Velour was my nemesis for a very long time, it's a miracle that we made peace and I almost use it exclusively now.  I have been thinking of hats for a while now but without the push (ahem, pressure!), it never came to fruition.  Deciding what animal to do was easy, the fox lovies are without question the most popular!  It's too cute, seriously, like a little cotton candy cloud you want to put in your pocket...or find a fluffed little newborn to wear such an adorable hat.  Alas, I have no newborn to model it so you'll have to take my word for it, it's stinkin' adorable!

The It's a Fox! Hat can be found Here!

The band can be folded up or down.

Project #5 - Mini wallet/gift card holder

Gift cards are about the most awesome thing to a kid now - Starbucks, Target, iTunes...it's the magic gold card that entitles you to buy that thing that your mother won't buy for you - the 'But it's my OWN money' card....  let's be honest, don't we all love giftcards? I hate the space they take up in my regular wallet though.  Perhaps that's why I love my Starbucks app so much... We had a trip to the library planned today and as I made a mental note to make sure I had all the library cards, I thought how great it would be if each of the kids had their own card holder.  Maybe teach a little responsibility, lessen the wad of cards I have to keep track of, it's a win-win! 

The Mini-wallet was incredibly fun to put together - I spent more time picking out the fabrics to use than actually sewing it!  For being so small, it used up a surprisingly good amount of fabric.  With the largest piece of fabric being 4.5x6, I was able to use pieces that really weren't big enough for anything else.  It used a very small amount of fusible interfacing and of course the two KAM snaps, both of which I had on hand, so no money spent out of pocket yet!  I have been seeing a lot of actual patterns for sale for making similar wallets, but honestly I don't think they are necessary.  I ended up making two sizes, one card-sized one for the kids and a slightly larger one for just about anything you can think of.  I will use mine for holding teabags and Via packs in my handbag so they will no longer get crushed amid the 26 lipglosses I accumulate I my bag.   The mini-wallet is a cool 3in x 4in.  The midi-wallet is 4.5in x 4in.  Love them both, I am thinking a cute little wrist strap could be a great addition to either one...

The Eiffle Tower Midi-Wallet

Want a tutorial? Let me know if the comments and I will see what I can do! 

Project #2 - The Coffee Collar

It goes by many names, coffee collar, java jacket, coffee-cup-holder, thing-that-keeps-my-hand-from-burning, but whatever you wish to call it, it can not be disputed that it's necessary for anyone who's steaming hot cup is a permanent extension of their constantly-in-motion body.  (Let's be honest, most caffeine addicts are usually a tad busy and distractible... Look! A squirrel!)  It may seem simple, but the plight of the hot cup is a real one.  I'm a Starbucks lover and in all honesty I have never been given a cup through the drive through there without a collar, but alas, the nearest drive-through Starbucks is 10 minutes out of my way - and certainly not on my way to the hockey rink!  I must settle for Tim Horton's, which is also good (dark roast anyone?), but my store is hit or miss on providing the collar which presented quite the problem this season when I was running late for a game and having gone through the drive-through because like every hockey-mom, I needed my coffee for the 7:30am game (read: getting to the rink by 6:30am).  I realized too late I had no collar and thus played a literal game of hot potato with my coffee cup.  Cue the stash-packed coffee collars.  Had I possessed one of these simple beauties in my car or bag, My hands would have had a much better morning.

The Coffee Collar is available here!

Today's project was simple, under an hour easily.  If you are not constantly interrupted by children asking for food during the process, 30 min!  It was a good stash buster and since I even had a collar on-hand, I didn't even need to print out a pattern.  Extra points for saving paper & ink!  The fabric was being hoarded for a tote bag (which you may still see..) and I had fusible stabilizer.  The stabilizer was a nice thin, low-profile with iron-activated adhesive on one side.  I opened the collar I was using as a template and cut around the stabilizer to the exact size of the collar.  I then laid it on the fabric and cut out around the shape, leaving room around the edges.  I did make two at the same time, in reversed colors, so don't be confused with the doubles in the pics.  Because I am anal-retentive about certain things, I marked the fold lined onto the stabilizer and placed the stabilizer adhesive side down onto the wrong side of the inner fabric, then ironed to fuse.  Follow me?  As an added bonus, the adhesive added a touch of texture to the inner fabric feel which I really liked.  Sort of adds a little extra grip to the inside to grip the cup.   I then sewed along the fold lines of the stabilizer/inside fabric.  Next, place the right sides of both fabrics together and sew right along the edge of the stabilizer, starting from the narrow, notch edge and finishing all the way around, stopping to leave the notch side open for turning.  Trim around the edge, leaving a small allowance.  If you want to be fancy use pinking sheers like I did.  Its just more fun with pinking sheers.  Turn the color right sides out and be sure to poke out the corners neatly.  Press it nicely and sew the notch end closed, turning the fabric ends inward, with a blind stitch.  I prefer to do this part by hand, you could certainly do it on the machine, but it would give you a thicker profile to the edge and the chance for uneven visible stitches.  Once the end is closed, press again and press the side folds well.  Lay it flat, see where the two ends overlap making sure the notch edge in on the inside, and pin in place.  Continue sewing around the edge overlap with a blind stitch to secure it together.  Again, you could sew the ends overlapped on the machine, but I like the clean, low profile of hand sewing it.  It avoids visible non-symmetrical stitches and honestly is quick to do, I would spend more time arraigning perfect stitches on the machine.

There you have it.  A stash-worthy coffee collar, perfect for keeping in your car, office, or bag fro that moment you need a collar...or jut to pretty up the cup you have!  Isn't it gorgeous?!

See the low-profile on the overlap?  I am not a fan of bulky seams and I like things to function well without annoying baubles and excess fluff because when it comes to my coffee, it's no time for games.  ") 

Set of two, so you never are without.

The low-profile makes it perfect for hiding in the pocket of even your cutest little clutches.