Fabric Letters

As I was planning for Christmas, I was a bit stumped as to what to get for Cream. She is young enough that she wouldn't even notice whether she got anything big from us, but as a mom, her mom, I wanted to give her something special. With an older sister she doesn't really need any new toys, either. I ended up going with some new Melissa and Dough wooden puzzles. (Thanks Amazon daily deals.) I also gave her the typical of pajama, a tooth brush, and some books. Still nothing that special.

I finally came up with the idea of giving her a homemade fabric alphabet set. I had pinned this idea from the blog Happy Together. I used the pattern for the letters that Jessica has there, but I made the letters a little differently. (Sorry that I don't have any pictures. I need to get better at documenting projects as I do them.) I printed off the patterns for all of the letters and cut the letters out of from the printed paper. I looked through my scraps to find fabric pieces large enough for the project. (But not too large, I hate to use big pieces of fabric on little projects.) I traced each letter onto a pieces of fabric with a disappearing fabric marker. (I just did one at a time so that I could get it sewn before the marker disappeared. You could always use a water soluble marker and do more tracing at a time.) I then sandwiched a piece of batting between the traced letter and another piece of fabric that was large enough to cover the back of the letter. After a little pinning I used my machine to sew on the traced line. After sewing all 2 letters this way I took my pinking sheers and cut around each letter fairly close to the stitching. If there was a spot that I couldn't easily get into with my sheers, like the inside of the letter O, I just used regular scissors to trim that section.

And now Miss Cream has a happy little fabric alphabet set that she shares with her sister who like them as well.

Double Sided Fabric Headbands

Check out this great headband tutorial over at Happy Together. They are just too much fun to make. Unfortunately they don't look all that great with my current short hairstyle, but not to worry I have plenty of friends to give them to. :o)
Here are some that I recently made for my friend Becky as a birthday gift. Rest assured, she can rock them!

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop

Baby Boy Gifts

Remember that Harley baby shower I wrote about a few weeks back? Well, here is the fun gift that I made for little Owen.

2 bibs, 2 burp cloths, monthly onesie picture kit, 4 pee pee tee pees, and 1 pacifier holder. I  made it all from 4 different 1/3 cut fabrics, and 1 yard of flannel with various other items.

I made the bibs using this great tutorial and pattern from Lots of Pink Here. I used flannel for the backing and a fusible batting for the middle layer. Instead of adding velcro, I used a loop of elastic cord and a button. The center is embellished with ric rac.

For the monthly onesie picture kit, I packaged up 4 different sized plain onesies, 12 month stickers that I designed on Publisher and printed on sticker paper, and a sticker holder with an elastic loop and button closure.

The pacifier clip is made using a mitten clip on one end of a strip of fabric and an elastic loop on the other end. The burp cloths are just a rectangle of fabric with flannel backing. I made them into "cupcakes" using a printable I purchased at KdBuggie Boutique on Etsy. I followed the tutorial on Saturday Mornings for the PeePee TeePees.

I wrapped it all up in a box, which of course I didn't take a picture of, but you can see it on the left side of the picture above. 

I think I will be making lots of these fun baby kits as baby presents. They are fun and easy to put together and I can't think of a new mom who wouldn't appreciate some homemade baby goods.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
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St Patty's Day Tees

You can bet that many Irish eyes will be smiling when they land on these adorable St Patty's Day T-Shirts. I just can't help myself when it comes to making my girls holiday themed shirts.

 I had this idea rolling around in my head for a little while and hammered it out this weekend. Funny thing is that I saw a shirt with a very similar concept on another blog last week. Just goes to show you that there really is nothing new under the sun.

Lately I have been adding fun appliques to the back off the shirts I have been making. It is the fun little details that can really make a project unique and your own.

I can't wait to hit our local St. Patrick's Day festivities with my two little lasses in their St Patty's Day tees.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop

iPad Cover and a Giveaway

The giveaway is now closed.

When my friend Lori recently turned 40, I knew just what to make for her. She recently got an iPad and she really "needed" a homemade cover. You see, Lori loves handcrafted items.

Here is Lori's reaction. Do you think she appreciated it?

When I set out to make this for Lori I looked for tutorials online and didn't really find what I was looking for. So I went to Etsy and looked there. I ended up finding the pattern that was just what I was looking for at the Etsy shop Pink Poodle Bows.

The pattern works for iPads, Kindles, and Nooks. There are also two options for the pockets, one large pouch type pocket and two smaller file like pockets. I opted for the smaller pockets. The pattern was well written and went together very easily. And I loved how it turned out.

And do you know what?? Today you get the chance to win your very own  pdf pattern from Pink Poodle Bows. If you would like to chance to win a Pink Poodle Bows pattern of your choice follow the steps below.
1) Like the Pink Poodle Bows Facebook page.
THEN
2) Go to the Pink Poodle Bows Etsy site and choose which pattern you would choose if you won.
FINALLY
3) Come back here and let me know that you like the Pink Poodle Bows Facebook page and which pattern you would choose.
The winner will be chosen at random and announced here on Friday. (Please make sure to leave your email in the comment if you are not logged in through Blogger. You can leave it like this: kristi (at) ymail (dot) com.)

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop

Notebook Holders

Looking for a quick and easy sewing project that makes an awesome gift? I have been whipping these pen and notebook holders up lately and loving how they have been turning out. The pattern is from This and That and is called "Just a Note." The intention is to make a patchwork top out of a charm pack. I changed the pattern a bit and just used one piece of fabric for the top. Instead of using a charm pack, I used fabric from my stash.

When I make the inside small pocket,  I stitch a spot for a pen. Or in some cases spots for crayons or colored pencils.

I bought the notebooks from Target, but also recently spotted them at Sam's Club. I also purchased a pack of ball point pens from Target.

These are such a fun project. I just love putting together sets from my scraps and watching them come together. And I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy receiving something so cute and practical. They really are as much fun to give as to receive.


I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop

Scrappy Valentine Runner

I have lots of fabric. I have big pieces of fabric and little pieces of fabric. Yet I still go out and buy more fabric. Lately I have been attempting to use more of my stash for projects rather than falling prey to the siren call of the fabric stores. Recently I made this runner using only supplies that I already had. Isn't that why we have stashes in the first place?

After searching my scrap boxes for pink and red fabrics, I started by cutting 4.5 inch squares that I then cut in half to make triangles. I sewed pairs of triangles together to make squares again. (Isn't quilting funny sometimes? We cut apart only to sew back together.) There is a certain freedom in using only scraps.I really was just winging this project. I didn't plan how big the runner would be in the end. I didn't count how many triangles or squares I would need. I just went for it.
Once I had what I deemed to be enough squares, I laid them out and started sewing them together in diagonal strips. I used triangles for two of the corners. (At first I started to play around with the pattern. In the end I decided that it was a scrappy project and I could sit there and putz with it all the live ling day or I could just start sewing.)
In an effort to finish off the project in an easy way, I decided to skip binding. Why make this more complicated than it has to be? I did however put some red ric rac between the layers, because I am a firm believer that ric rac makes everything better.

A little simple quilting and I was done. And while this really didn't even begin to make a dent in my scrap collection, I am thrilled with the results. And I can't wait to try some more scrap busting projects.
The printable can be found here. The jars the candy is in were intended to be transformed into apothicary jars. I have the wood and paint, just need to time to do it. Stay tuned to see if they get finished or just get added to the stash of crafting supplies.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop

{Homemade Holidays: Week 3} Fabric Luggage Tags

Time for the third week of Homemade Holidays. (You can find the first week here and the second week here.)

A gift for the frequent flyer on your list is a unique luggage tag that will help them pick their suitcase out from all of the other black suitcases on the carousel. I followed the tutorial at Skip To My Lou to create the two tags pictured. Simply print their name and address on the back and you are all set.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter

{Homemade Holidays: Week 2} Ruffled Tote

I hope you enjoyed my first Homemade Holidays post last week. If you missed it, you can check it out here.
Now on to the new Homemade Holiday idea for the week. I got the inspiration for this project from a bag I saw at a craft fair. While you could make a bag of your own to decorate, I bought mine at Hobby Lobby and simply added the ruffles.

This is the perfect gift to give as is or to use as a gift bag. I can't think of any girl who wouldn't like receiving a fun ruffled tote.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter

Newborn Pillowcase Dress

When Peachy was baptized she wore the gown my grandfather had worn for his baptism. Due to a lack of communication we were without a gown for Cream to wear for her baptism day.

The situation was remedied with a quick Friday evening run to JoAnn Fabrics by my mother and I. We found some great fabric there with pintuck and lace details.

With such detailed fabric a simple dress was all that we needed. I went to my old friend the pillowcase dress. I used the came technique as all of my other pillowcase dresses. You can find the tutorial here. The result was a simple to make dress that turned out perfectly for Cream's baptism gown.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
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Coloring Portfolio

Recently I have been making coloring portfolios as birthday presents for Peachy's friends. I made this particular portfolio for a Cars loving 3 year old.

There are places inside for a drawing pad, stickers, and crayons or markers.

It is the perfect on the go organizer to keep little hands busy.

I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
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