If your weather is anything like mine is (here in Pennsylvania) you're often faced with lots of occasions when playing outside just isn't feasible. Think rain, rain, rain. So in an effort to ensure that our indoor days stay lively I'm always on the look out for different activities and projects to effectively pass the time and hold boredom at bay. I really like things that are both fun and engaging that are sure to keep me and my little 3 year old Henmeister busy, busy, busy.
This Totally Stellar idea from Filth Wizardry is just the ticket!! A Shower Curtain Activity Play Mat -Wow! What a truly Fabulous idea! I adore how easily you can customize it for your child's interests of the moment. I know that one week my H-Man loves Airplanes and the next week he's all about the Animals. At only a Buck a pop - it's easy to keep it current.
Cool ideas I'm going to try:
Space - Rockets, Stars, Planets, and Aliens
Zoo - Animals Galore
Alphabet and Numbers
Creepy Crawly - Bugs, Snakes and Reptiles
The possibilities are endless! So be sure to head on over to Filth Wizardry for all the details on what you'll need to get started on your very own...
I've made several of these recycled trouser skirts in the past... they're really simple to do and a great way to use up some fabric scraps. I've done them out of denim and corduroys - both with fantastic results. Of course in the past I've pretty much just sort of winged the construction and sewed them together on the fly... so no two skirts have ever turned out the same. Which sometimes is good and sometimes can be quite frustrating... But Look! Applehead has created a Super Swell tutorial to inspire you! Feel free to either follow it to the letter or be brave and just use it as a jumping off point to get you started.
I encourage you to be creative - the tutorial shows a finished skirt with 2 fabric rows - but I've made them with as many as 7 fabric rows and have also varied the width of each row. Which is Seriously Too Cute. Another fun idea is to throw in a few rows of patchwork - I really loved them in mine :)
Just be aware of one thing... They're super addictive to make!
I love to use thrift store trouser finds for these beauties.
Have Fun and Happy Sewing.
Wow... Here's a really simple and totally splendid idea for using up some of those gazillion fabric scraps you've been accumulating... Create a Memory game out of them!!
Isn't it just The Bomb!
Absolutely love it!
I've got a bundle of scraps from the last "I Spy" quilt I made that would just be too perfectly suited for this task. So Go On! Take a stroll over to Inchmark's and discover the fun for yourself!
I've been coveting and hoarding this adorable fabric for about 3 years now. It was just too sweet and too pastel for my little guy. So when my cousin recently had a little girl (whom she named after our Gram) I knew the time had come - it was time to part with it. I absolutely adore the little house fabric on the back - which was honestly the toughest piece to let go of :)
So anyhow... this is what I've been working on. The pattern is called A Trip Around the World and is shamefully easy to do. Once you've got all your cutting completed it goes together in just a few hours! Here's a great link on how to get started on your very own - Tripster. Your results will vary drastically depending on the fabrics you select. I quilted it on my Gammill Classic Long Arm - which is really my favorite part. I love the art of free motion. Binding, however, is another story - I absolutely Dread doing binding!! And then, for some fool reason I decided to to hand stitch the binding... Ugh! What was I thinking... I'm super slow at it and don't find it as relaxing as most folks do. So in the end when I had finally finished the binding I was so sick of the project that I hurriedly got it all boxed up. Today I realized I hadn't taken any photos... after it's been squished up in the box for a few days waiting for the post.
So you'll have to excuse the creases...
Adorable and Handy. You just can't beat that combo! This pattern is very simple and extremely similar to one of my most favorite bag patterns. Let's talk Easy Peasy and goes together in about an hour - or less. Easy to alter and fun to embellish the hell out of. I love to use a lot of my fancy machine stitches on either side of the checkerboard seams. Also a Terrific way to use up a lot of those scraps we've all got just lying about! Take a stroll over to Pink Penguin and get going on her amazing tutorial.
But be careful... this pattern is so delightful you won't be able to stop at just ONE!
Handmade Froggie Washcloth.
Along the same idea for a girl... leave out the inseam & just stitch 2 panels together for an adorable skirt. I have a friend who has girl boy twins - matching shorts & skirt for photos would be just too cute!
Here's a really super idea. 
[click on above image for tutorial]
What could be better??
I dare say not a whole heckuvalot.
Totally Amazing Olde Kooky Book
== Equals ==
Fabulous Retro Chic Carryall
This idea Rocks!
Check out this Terrific Link, then
Go Get Yurself Busy!
It's an A Maze Zing Thing!
I just found out a friend is expecting! Which is wonderful, but since I don't know how many people she's told - I don't wanna pull a "Jack Black" and OUT her to the world. So Mum's the Word. I figured the first idea for her is so simple and fun it'd make a great tutorial for those who'd like to follow along :) This is my first online tutorial & I'll try to be less chatty than I am in the classes and workshops I teach. It should all make sense in the end and like all directions - Always read them all the way through a few times before you begin. If you have questions just raise yer hand.
The prep work:
My little guy loved chewing on the tags of everything when he was a Babe...so that was as good a place as any to start and it helps to know the wee bun is femme.
A few good rules of thumb: Tie knots in long dangle tags, it gives little ones something to grab a hold of and they really love to gnaw on the knots. Also make sure that several of your Tags are actually loops - so folks can run a clip through them and attach them to car seats, strollers and the like. Try out different sorts of fabric textures... corduroy, minkie, felt, etcetera to keep baby engaged. I did patchwork and chenille but you could easily do it out of just two solid pieces of material - make it as easy or as difficult as you'd like. A few words on copyright -- this original design is my own so be kind, be respectful and be Cool like The Fonz...."Heeeey". If you want to use a photo please provide a link back or if you're not sure just ask, I'm friendly. It's easy to play nice...you know the whole "do unto others..." concept.
[History: I keep all the scraps from everything I do (yes All - even the shockingly teeny ones) - sick as it is, it's true, true, true - so what are you gonna do. I color coordinate the scraps & keep them all stored in ziplocks. This proves to be an ingenious way to organize them and helps a lot when it's time to use them up. Think recycle, upcycle or unicycle... whatever floats yer boat. ]
I dug out a few of my pre-coordinated scrap bags and Got Busy on some random little patchworks. Then found a complimentary scrap of chenille for the back. Note: You don't need a pattern honestly...just free yourself to sew all Willy Nilly like - I promise you'll love it. Still in doubt - then look on the internet for a free Crazy Patch Block Pattern. My Patchwork block is 8" square and my Chenille back is 6.5" square. I used 3 long knotted tags (8", 6" and 4"), 1 ear folded loop (5" long before folding), 2 tags (2.5" long) and 1 loop (3" long before folding). I always use a 1/4 inch seam unless other wise noted.
1) Sew your patchwork (aka: The Front) roughly an inch or so - don't be fussy - larger than your chenille (aka: The Back). Then decide on a shape...you could leave it square or make it round or triangular...I chose to just round the corners of the chenille piece ONLY. Cool Trick: No matter what shape you choose Leave your Front Patchwork piece larger & uncut. You'll see why in a few steps down...
2) Next start construction on all your taggie bits. You decide how many you'd like and then make them all different sizes and lengths - this is more Willy Nilly...set yourself Free sewing. Basically for Loops all you're doing is making tubes by sewing right sides together and turning them inside out. It's a pain but buck up unless you're gonna make like 20 of these, then get yourself a set of Tube Turners (type "tube turners" in their site search box). They're a cool investment if you want to pony up the cash. (Here's a great Link that shows you how they work)
Still on 2) To make tags use a Loop tube and sew one end shut. Trim the corners off before you turn them inside out.
3) Still with me? Once you've got all your Taggie bits done go make a sandwich. (Okay, if you really need a PB&J I'll wait... did you wash your hands?) Pin all your Loops and Tags to the Right side (ie: the fuzzy side of the chenille) of your BACK piece and make sure their ends hang over the edge a bit (to ensure they get caught in the seam correctly), they're all pinned towards the inside, and that none of them sneak off the opposite edge (example: in the photo below the long yellow knotted tag on the bottom is dangerously close to the Opposite edge and will most likely be sewn into both edges - not a good idea, trust me) if you need to keep them safe pin 'em down in the middle.
4) Once everything is pinned in place - lay it face down (think right sides together) on Top of your Patchwork piece. Leave all the pins in there but add some more and pin everything together - making a sandwich.
5) Sew the sandwich together. Remember to leave a gap roughly 1.5 inches to turn it inside out. Now this is where that Cool Trick comes in. Bulky sandwiches sometimes shift with the feed dogs even if they're pinned. If you leave one side of your sandwich larger than the other you don't have to worry about your edges being spot on even while you sew them together. You can clearly see what's going on, thus know everything is being caught in the seam. Before turning it inside out, trim the excess off the larger piece. Cool no?
6) Stuff it! Any sort of poly fiber fill will do just fine. Note about stuffing: If you want to avoid the cellulite look on your new softie use one huge wad of stuffing. Meaning grab insanely more than you think you'll need - instead of using a little and then a little more and a still a little more...we're talking one enormous hunk of filling. You can always pull off the extra but this makes the stuffing nice and smooth and alleviates the lumpy bumpy appearance. Then before you stitch up your opening with a nice hidden stitch add a squeaker and/or small rattle object in the center. Voila!
See what I mean ...easy peasy lemon squeazy! Go knock yourself out and make a few. Remember to not be so fussy about every little detail and have some fun :) Thanks for visiting and sticking through such an insanely loooong post - enjoy!
