Sewing Reveal....

Here are the Secret Sewing Projects I finished a couple weeks ago but had to hold back on discussing as they were birthday presents for my two lovely sisters, who yes, are twins!

What are they, you ask? Why little makeup brush/tool rolls.


Front of one...


Back of one...


Front of another...


Back of the other!

I used the lovely tutorial from Susan at Freshly Picked. The only mods I made were I made mine out of three 10" x 10" sqaures and opted not to use interfacing so they would be more flexible. Now you should really check out her picture and post of Christmas morning at her house. Just trust me!!! Thanks Susan for your tutes and your awesome sense of humor!!!

Despite my earlier setback, a small success...

Even though this little project didn't work out as I first envisioned, I was able to pull off the accessory for it.


A headband! From a shirt collar. From a men's shirt that cost $1 in a consignment shop.

If you find yourself refashioning/upcycling a shirt with a collar, it's really easy to make one of these babies. Plus instead of throwing out the collar, you can eek out one more usable item and prevent even more fabric from getting into a landfill. The result is a nice, sturdy, thick band that really works for crazy out of control hair (those thin tiny headbands simply laugh at me when I try to wear them).



Just cut the collar from the shirt, then cut the part of the collar that would rest against your neck away from the pointy-end piece. The pointy-end piece can be reserved for something else creative you might make. I haven't decided what mine will be yet but you can bet I will save it 'til I come up with that something else. When I cut the pieces apart, I made sure I did not cut through any of the outer stitches so I didn't even have to finish the edges, they were quite secure on their own. You could take off the button on one side, or leave it like I did for charm (or as an emergency secret button for some day when you find a button has escaped from some sort of clothing).


Next, grab a little scrap of elastic you have swimming around in your sewing box from some other project (baby yoga pants, represent). Sew it to the inside of one end. I sewed mine by hand but you could also do it with your machine.


Pin the elastic to the inside of the other end, try on your headband and adjust the pin as needed to ensure a snug but not headache-inducing fit. Stitch this end in place too.


Voila! Wear it like the awesome green crafty one you are! Show it off to your cat who witnessed said transformation and looks really impressed! And good luck on your shirt repurposing....

Added to Upcycled Awesome--go see what other people have made this week!!!

Added to Tea Rose--other crafty fun here too!

Easy Wee One Baby Bib Tutorial

I thought bibs were hard to make and had to be edged in dreadful bias tape. Well, turns out they do not have to be either of those things. Made from two pieces of flannel, these bibs are reversible as well as super cute. Here's the specs:

INGREDIENTS and SUPPLIES:
Fabric (I used some flannel, but you could use cotton with some terry towels as the back piece -- or I'm even thinking old soft t-shirts for the back piece).
Dinner plate and drinking glass (to make a pattern).
Pen or pencil
Paper
Sewing machine
Thread
Scissors
Pressers (or Velcro but seriously, my Wee One yanks those Velcro-close bibbies off in two seconds flat...)

HOW-TO:
1. MAKE PATTERN--take a dinner plate and trace around it on paper. Take a glass and position it closer to top of circle than bottom. See picture. Cut out around larger circle and inside the smaller circle. I used an 8.5" plate at first but went up to a 9" plate for my next two bibs. If you are making the bib for a smaller baby, the 8.5" would be fine but for a baby over 6 months I would go with the 9" plate or larger.



2. TRACE AND CUT OUT FABRIC--take your pattern, trace it onto the back of two pieces of fabric and cut them out. I used two different fabrics (both flannel leftover from another project) but again, feel free to use whatever you might have lying around.



3. POSITION AND PIN--take your two bib pieces and place them right sides together; pin around both outer and inner circle edges.



4. CUT FOR NECK OPENING--cut one side through both fabric pieces to make the neck opening. Pin these edges as well.


5. SEW UP--Leaving room to turn the bib right side out, sew along the outer, then around the inner circle in one continuous sew-fest. Remember to back stitch at the beginning and end. You can see where I left my opening to turn along the right side of the bib.


6. TRIM, CLIP CURVES AND TURN--Trim the edges, clip into the curves and turn the bib right side out. I used my pencil (eraser side, please) to help get the part that goes around the back of the neck turned.

7. TOP STITCH--fold the opening left for turning into the bib (if you are super fancy you can press this as well as the entire bib, but obviously I am not as you can see mad wrinkles abound); top stitch along the edge of the entire bib (start around outer circle, then keep stitching along inner circle until you get back to your starting stitches). I tried to place my start and stop position where the presser might hide it.

8. INSTALL PRESSER--Follow the instructions on your presser package to add a presser to the opening of the bib. Or your Velcro if you have a well-behaved baby.

9. BIB YOUR BABY--put on your baby and admire the extreme cuteness. Of both, of course! Or put it on someone else's baby you happen to love.

front

back

*ADDED TO TEA ROSE LINK PARTY--GO SEE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS MADE RECENTLY!!!

Look ma, I made it all by myself!!!

Here is what I came up with for Kay's first Mother's Day as a grandma. Truth be told, she owns a store-bought "brag book" a friend gave to her after Wee One's birth, but come on, this has so much more personality!

I'll show you how I made it, but feel free to make it your own.

INGREDIENTS:

-two pieces fabric cut 9"x 12"

-two pieces fabric cut 8"x 11"

-two page protectors

-thread

-Scotch tape

-pen or pencil

-sewing machine

-iron

*The version I made has room for six 4"x 6" photos. If you want to add more photos, you can add another "page" which will require two more 8"x 11" pieces of fabric and one more page protector.

**This is a good project for some leftover pieces of fabric; they can all be different prints or colors.

STEP ONE: Cut and press fabric flat. Cut two rectangles 7"x 5" throug BOTH layers of one page protector and a third from the other page protector, giving you a total of six rectangles.

STEP TWO: Place two rectangles on the right side of each of the 8"x 11" fabric pieces, one centered above center and one centered below center. Be sure to leave space at center without any plastic as you want this to be the fold or "binding" area of your book. Tape the pieces along one short end to help them stay in place; you will leave this end open to insert your photo.
STEP THREE: Sew around the three sides of each page protector rectangle without tape, allowing for a 1/4" seam. This ensures your photo will fit inside and will let more of the fabric peek through as a border. Remove the tape and trim any excess page protector to 1/4" or so.

STEP FOUR: Place the two 8"x 11" fabric sheets right sides together and pin in place. Try to line up the center of each piece where the binding will fall to ensure no plastic page protector will be caught in the binding. Sew a 1/2" seam around three sides, leaving the fourth (the one that will be the bottom) open for turning. Trim corners and turn. Fold the raw edges of the bottom edge inwards and sew as close to edge as possible. Set aside.

STEP FIVE: Place your 9"x 12" inner lining piece right side up. Take the last two 7"x 5" page protector pieces and center them on the fabric. This fabric piece is larger and you will want the extra space to occur around the outer edges and want the same distance around the center "binding" as the 8"x 11" pieces you just sewed, so when your book is closed the sheet protector pieces are all in the same general place and the center is free of any plastic, ensuring it will close flat. Tape the sheet protector pieces in place and sew a seam 1/4" along the other three sides for each sheet protector piece. Remove the tape and trim the plastic.

STEP SIX: Place the 9"x 12" outer fabric piece and 9"x 12" inner lining piece with right sides together. Pin and sew 1/2" from edge along three sides, leaving the bottom open for turning. Trim corners and turn. Fold bottom raw edges inwards about 1/2", then sew 1/4" from edge and continue this top stitching along the other three sides as well.

STEP SEVEN: Center your smaller "page" into your "cover"; I did not make sure all my photo openings went the same way so they don't; you may want to do this. Once centered together, sew the "page" onto the "cover" down the center across the width along it's "spine."

STEP EIGHT: Slip some photos in and give to someone you love!

Happy Mother's Day Crafting to ALL (and to all a good night....)