Monday, December 29, 2014

New twist on crayon rolls

Needed to make some crayon rolls for a benefit.  I've never been satisfied with the closure on my crayon rolls.  These elastic hair ties don't last.  They get thin and lose their stretch.

The ribbon ties are too difficult for kids to use.

So I came up with this idea.  I used a few inches of 1/2 - 3/4 inch elastic and a strip of fabric twice as long.  I sewed the fabric into a tube, inserted the elastic, and sewed it in place.  I think it's a good improvement, but I'll need to hear the final say from some kid-testers!




Hope they work because I made a bunch!



Sunday, December 28, 2014

Christmas Pillows

A friend asked if I could make some new pillow covers for her for Christmas.  Of course! 

For the first pillow I used wool felt, cut different sizes of circles, and added different kinds of embroidery stitches for fun.  I hand-sewed the circles on the background. I got the idea here.


My friend had some scraps left from some Christmas stockings she had made.  Because the pieces were so small, I had to do a pieced design.  I decided to make four wonky Christmas trees for this pillow.  I machine quilted around each tree and quilted some random stars.

And another felt design...found here.  This was definitely the quickest one to make.  I used fusible web and machine sewed around the edges.

After making the other scrap pillow, I was left with only tiny pieces. So I decided to make nine small blocks.  I cut different widths from the scraps.  After cutting squares of quilt batting a little larger than I needed, I sewed the scraps on, using a quilt-as-you-go method.  After each square was covered with fabric, I trimmed them to the right size and stitched them all together.

I REALLY wanted to keep each one of these pillows when it was finished, but it sure is fun to make them for a friend...and she loved them, too!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Little purses

 Two cute little purses for a friend's granddaughters.  They are reversible.
You can find a tutorial here.



Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Tiny Christmas Garland

I read today that it's only 1 month and 26 days until Christmas.  It's a good thing I finished this little cutie yesterday.





Pillow Finishes

Not sure why I like to make pillows so much.  Perhaps because they are quick and let me try out new patterns without making a huge time or money commitment.  Anyway, I LOVE to make pillows.

This one is paper-pieced and has a scrappy border around it.  I also put a little pizazz on the back.

I actually made these pillow tops quite a while ago but finally got around to making the pillows.  I borrowed the idea for each of the pillows from amazing bloggers I follow, but tried to add my touches to each.
 I love the colors and the pattern of this one.  I added a scrappy corded edge.
This was a new circle technique for me.  Each circle is appliqued on to the top.
 Love pom poms!

 This is the back with a little embroidered detail on the covered buttons.

And finally, this beauty.  I appliqued the circles onto the background squares by machine, leaving a raw edge on the circles.  Then each square was cut into fourths, mixed up, and pieced together.







Monday, October 27, 2014

Chalkboard-To-Go

I saw one of these at the fabric shop and had to see if I could make one.
 Open it up and, voila...a chalkboard made of chalkboard fabric.
 With elastic chalk holders...
 and a fabric eraser that attaches with velcro.
Mine is 9 x 20, but I think I would make it shorter, perhaps 18 instead of 20, next time.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Trip Toys part 2


 These little art totes have room for markers...
 and two pockets for...
 stickers,
 all kinds of paper,
 coloring sheets, and I-spy game, and even a sheet of Math problems for one special guy who loves for me to make up problems for him to work on.


And finally, these are magnetic pattern blocks.  I printed out a background sheet and some fun designs. The blocks will work well on a cookie sheet.

Trip Toys 2014 Part 1

I enjoy creating toys and activities for the grandkids to use on their summer trips.  Here is the 2014 version.  What can a one-year-old do on an airplane?  I saw an idea for an airplane tray table cover and here's the one I came up with. 
 It has a pocket to put the little heart into.
 This little alligator is magnetic.
 The plastic golf ball is on a ribbon and attaches with velcro.

 What's under the flap?
 A hippo, of course.
 A zipper to zip and unzip. I attached a metal ring to make it easier to grab.
The cover slides over the tray and attaches with velcro straps.


 This little car slides along the ribbon road.
 This shows how the car is attached to the ribbon.