Burlap Bunnies

Found this cute tutorial on Oopsey Daisy and had to whip up some of these burlap bunnies. They were super EASY, I made all three in about an hour. Already had the basket sitting here collecting dust, so it worked perfect for my bunnies. Happy Spring. {and it finally feels like spring today!!! horray!}

I didn't really "re-design" the bunnies, except I tried to add whiskers...don't love them {except on the middle one} but they are still super cute.

Twirly Spring Dress

It's done finally!!!  This has been in my to do list since the first time I saw this post, lucky for me my daughter didn't really know that I wanted to make it for her or she would have pestered me until it was finished.  I want her to have a new Easter dress every year (throw backs to my mom and always having a new dress at Easter time.)  So I finished this Saturday night late since Easter Sunday we won't be able to go to the church and our church was celebrating it this week.  I turned out okay but I don't love the top part.  I had to add the purple waistband to make it a little longer so she can wear it longer.

To make it I started with a pattern for the top.  I used the dress patern from McCalls 2590.  I bought mine at JoAnn's for less then a $1 I think.  I only used the top portion and the sleeves.  You could use any dress pattern you like and make a pattern from it or use a different pattern top.  I had to adapt it my use.  Instead of using a zipper I added a couple of inches to make the buttons in the back.  For the ruffles I used the width of the fabric rather then doing 1 1/2 times the measurement around the waist.  It made it really full by the time I got to the last row.  I was being lazy and didn't want to sew the edges, I just used the selvedge edges.
Here is about how I did it.
Row 1: 1  4 Inches high and then the width of fabric (WOF)
Row 2: 2 WOF
Row 3: 3 WOF
Row 4: 5 WOF
Row 5: 8 WOF

For gathering I did a zigzag across a string that wouldn't break.  It was a ton of gathering.  But it made it so fun to twirl in. . .

I figured out how to make the flowers by using this tutorial at LIttle Birdie Secrets.  The flower on the dress is made with 4 inches and 22 inches and the one in her hair is 2 inches by 22 inches.

Hope you enjoy!!

Hooded Towel Tutorial

We are having a lot of baby showers around here and I am famous for this hooded towel.  I recieved one years ago from a friend when I had my first child and even though my chiild is 5 now she still uses the one she made her and the other ones I have made her and her brother.  So because I know people want to know how to make one for their kids I decided to take pictures last time and do a tutorial.

Materials list (for one hooded towel.)

• one hand towel
• one bath towel
• one spool of 1 to 1 1/2 inch ribbon (about 9 feet long)

The HOW TO:
1.  To start you need to cut the hand towel in half or cut off 11 inches ( if it is much longer the hood part starts to look funny.)

2.  Take your ribbon and measure up 3 inches from the finished edge of the hand towel and pin and then sew on.

3. Sew your hand towel together with the ribbon on the inside and sew together the cut (unfinished edge).  You can either serge this edge or you can sew it then go next to it with a zigzag.  {Otherwise the fuzzies will attack and quite possibly your seam may come undone.}

4.  Next take the bath towel and measure 6 inches up from the edge and sew your ribbon in place.

5.  Then next part is probably the most difficult to explain.  {If your machine does not like sewing over 3(actually 4 once I went and counted) layers of towel then the best thing to do is just find the middle and sew the hood to the towel with right sides together.  It actually works just fine and is also a better size for older children.}  If your sewing machine is a workhorse and can sew threw all kinds of things then go for this next step.
Start with the center of the bath towel - and the center of your hood (where the seam is).  Pin those together.

(I forgot to take a picture of that step but you can see the red pin - it marks the center of both pieces.)

6.  Then measure from that CENTER point out 3 inches - then fold back the towel about one inch (I'm never that good at measuring this).  Then go about 1 to 1 1/2 inches and then fold the towel back again.  Do this once more. (so you have 3 pleates)

7. Repeat going the other way (see picture from number 5)  Pin the ends of the hood against the bath towel.  Then put on your safety glasses (kind of kidding, but sometimes I break needles on this part) and sew.   Go slow and sew it with a double stitch to make sure it is secure and won't come apart after you wash it.   {If you chose to not do the cute pleats then you would just sew the hood to the towel at this part.}

Then turn it around and after much struggling with your sewing machine and worries about needles breaking you have a cute hooded towel that goes from baby to small child.  Here is my gracious model who always asks me . . . "Is this mine?"  {It's pink after all.}

{So since you cut the hooded towel in half it is always good to get a second bath towel and more ribbon and make two at a time.  Then you are ready for the next baby shower, unless it is a boy. . . hee!  hee!}

Edited:
I made a couple for boys and since boys things can be sometimes boring I chose to add a little design when I put the ribbon on.

These were the same towels and ribbon, I just put the orange on one because I wanted it to pop.  Plus I have a thing for blue, orange and brown. . . maybe one day I will do my boy's room in those colors.

Here are my children modeling the two different towels.

ORANGE ZIGZAG                                                                                                   BLUE ZIGZAG

Spring All Around

these would look so much better in some sun light, but since we've had about 2 minutes of it in the last 4 days...this is the best I can do.

Again "copying" the very talented Natalia Bonner from Piece N Quilt. We {Amy and I} found the recipe on Moda Bake Shop and fell in love with the cute circle flowers. I knew I wanted mine to have more flowers and have more of a border. I am so happy with how it turned out. I struggled a little with the small strips of the border, but you can't tell too much that it's a little crooked. Considering I've only been making quilts {or sewing in general} for about a year, I'd say it's pretty good.





With the left over scraps, I of course made some towels {the not to be used kind} for the kitchen.


Now if it would just really be spring, we would be so happy....but we do live in Chicago and it's a little early for springtime here. {but I hope it's soon}

Spring is at my house too.....

{at least I think it's coming} you wouldn't know it after the last two gloomy days.

I also needed to update my Valentines Wreath and followed Amy's directions {see last post} the only difference is I bent my hanger into an oval {more of an egg shape}.

I have lots of new spring projects to post...just have to wait for some sun so I can get some good pictures.

I Can't wait for spring!! I NEED the sun!

Welcome Spring!!!

I guess I am trying to get some more of those warm winter days around here and ward off the snow.  I needed to change out the Valentine wreath and this was the perfect spring/easter wreath to make.  Again I only used scraps around the house and it was done in less then an hour.  {It might have taken me longer since I was talking and helping some friends sew up birthday banners.} 

Easy as pie - all you need is scraps of fabric cut at 1" by 6", tulle cut at about 3" by 6" and a wire hanger bent into a circle.  Then tie, tie, tie until your done.  {Same as Valentine wreath}

Enjoy!!  And look we have sun!!!

Crayon rolls for my cuties

I decided two weeks ago at church when my boy decided to flip the crayons in the ziploc baggie all around the bench that I needed to make crayon rolls for my kids so I could #1 limit the amount of crayons they bring and #2 keep them contained.  I had seen them all over the web and thought they would be a great idea.  So on last Saturday I whipped these up fairly quickly.  I sent the one down with my boy and DAD suggested their should be a flap to cover them so the boy wouldn't dump them out when he was holding it upside down.  Good idea - but how.  So I did a little research and found a blog where a lady added a flap.  Of course I can't find that one but I know I saw it.  But the Crayon roll tutorial at Skip to My Lou was fairly easy to adapt.  I just used a 5 inch by 16 inch piece and sewed it down the side and turned it right sides out and ironed it down.  I did a top stitch on three sides an then sewed the last side down to the top of my crayon roll.  It seems to have stopeed the dumping and once I got one done then the girl was like - I WANT ONE.  All of these were from scraps in my stash which I have been organizing.  It sure made it easy to find matching colors.

Here it is with the top down (oh, that could be taken the wrong way :)  I should have rolled it up and showed you the cute Cars fabric I made it out of - but alas I didn't think about it and we had really limited sunlight today.

I've linked to these linky parties.

Ahhh. . . something about order makes me happy

There is something to be said about having things in order.  For the last couple of months I feel like everything in my life has been in a constant state of flux (is that a word?)  The last couple of days I have been feeling an overwhelming desire to organize my fabrics.  I guess it started when I saw this post that I linked to from someone's blog.  It had a nice tutorial on how to make them all look uniform.  It was wonderful and I pulled out my plastic tote full of half folded fabrics and mess and started folding (while I was at it I inventoried how much I had of each - I know I'm crazy.)  But now I love how it looks.  Of course I have them separated by color and type.  It seemed to make me feel a little bit less crazy and a little bit more organized. 
As you can see from the next picture, I like to have things labeled.  I think it was when we moved that my brother-in-law thought it was awful funny that I had one of my totes labeled "Glue and Hot Glue Gun."  What's so funny about that - I know exactly where it is and what it is.

Here they are on the shelf - I'm not sure if they will stay there because of the dust factor but I like that they are all lined up and look so pretty.  The second row over (the pink, green, brown and red) are a new project I hope to get underway after I finish a couple of loose ends (otherwise know as unfinished projects.)

I've also been organizing my UnFinished Projects (UFO) and want to start the month of March off with a  UFO Completion Project.  DO YOU WANT TO JOIN ME??  I might post my list of UFO's (if I'm not to embarrassed) and then see how many I get done before the end of the month.  It has been one of my unwritten goals for the year to complete 2 UFO's before I get to start a new project.  But I'm thinking I need to up the ante and do 10???  for March. We will see what happens. . .

Fabric Handle cover for pan tutorial

This is something I made a couple of weeks ago when I finished this tote for my husband.  I figured since it was a fire resistant material I could make a handle cover to replace the one that was ruined. Here is what the one I have looks like.

So I went to work making a pattern (really hard - I traced the shape onto the fabric.)  Then I cut out 4 of the green material and 2 pieces of the Insul-Bright Lining fabric. (Shown here is one side only - you need to make two sets.)

Sew the three layers together at the end - (this gives it a finished edge at the opening.)

Then iron and sew the 3 layers together with the outside of your fabric on the outside. . . does that make sense??  Here is a picture. . .

Sew a couple of stitches up the center to secure the insulation and make it look decorative.

Then repeat for the other side.

Now for the hard part. . . My machine is a good machine and can sew over many layers of fabric but this time it was waaaay too much to handle as you neared the opening and so don't look too closely at the opening because there was nothing going to let me through that fabric.  I broke one needle and didn't want to break another trying.  You have to sew both layers together and then turn it inside out. . . ugh. . . it took me forever to get it to turn.  The fabric was so stiff and it was now too many layers to turn.  But I kept going until it was finally turned.  And wa-la, I had a new fabric handle cover for my pans. 

It works marvelously and I love it.  Of course I wouldn't choose green on my own but maybe next time his pants or old work shirts are replaced I might be able to make one out of blue or brown.  They might match the decor of my house better.  Mostly a utilitarian function since I have more then one pan with metal only handles and I don't want it to burn on my gas stove if it were a pretty fabric with no fire resistant properties.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. 

Won't you be mine?

I know this post is late, but won't you be my Valentine?  It has been one of those weeks.  I'm happy to say that my computer is back and I feel like a new woman with the speed and the things it can do.  I was getting used to waiting for everything. I hate that it had to go in, but a new motherboard and off we go.

I'm so excited Liberty is finally on board.  She is so creative, you should really look at her blog.  We have so much fun finding things on the web and making them perfect for us.

Here is my latest project.  I have actually had it up for the last couple of days but with the computer change over and date night and a day of getting some of my endless list of sewing projects done, I haven't posted it.  I found the idea at the Polka Dot Chair and other places and just had to have one.  Of course as I look at it it I wonder what BEMINE means.  I guess I should have put a space or a heart in between the words.  Oh well there is always something.  I used my Cricut machine to make both the letters and the hearts.  It is the cartridge I gave myself for my birthday - Lyrical letters - with the option selected as connected.  I think it turned out pretty cute.