snipits from the sewing room

Happy Monday! I finally made it back into my sewing room (after winter break), and it feels great! Working on backpack dolls for the shop, and birthday gifts for little friends.

I hope you are having a great Monday too!

wine cork fabric printing

The last experience I had with DIY fabric prints left me excited to try it out with other objects from around the house.  So, when I came across a wine cork while cleaning the kitchen I knew immediately what my next print design would be...

Polka-dots!
After gathering a few supplies, I was able to create a fun print in just a few minutes for the backpack I was working on.

(My little helper created his own design on paper)

I used a paint brush to fill in the spots that were missing paint.   

Once the paint dried, I finished cutting and assembling the backpack pieces. The lining, backpack straps, and doll dress were all made using scraps from these teacher gifts.

I really enjoy making these backpack dolls because each one is unique, and I can't wait to see how the next one will turn out.. I wonder what new "stamp" I will come across next?!

Thanks for stopping by!

backpack doll #2

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine asked if I would be willing to make a backpack doll for her niece and I jumped at the chance.  Since the moment I completed the first backpack doll, I have been anxiously waiting for an opportunity to try out some new ideas. 

The basic doll pattern stayed the same, but I revamped the backpack by scaling it down in size and making the straps adjustable. 

 As a fun touch, I created my own print design for the backpack fabric by using the end of a triangle ruler as a stamp. 

I really love how this one turned out, and the best part... it cost less than $2.00!

Because I was able to find all the fabric I needed in my stash and salvaged the strap hardware off of an old backpack, the only expense was the zipper.  

A one of a kind AND inexpensive gift - LOVE IT!

teacher gifts: ombre zip pouches

For Teacher Appreciation Day, our preschool parents decided it would be fun to pool our money and send the teachers for a well-deserved spa treatment, so I offered to make zip pouches to use as the gift card holders. 

I whipped up these little ombre zip pouches using Anna's lil' cutie pouch tutorial and one of Target's fun ombre tablecloths. While at target, I also picked up some leather boot laces for the zipper pulls.

I love giving handmade gifts, but I also know how much teachers love to get gift cards, and these pouches offer the perfect combination the two! They came together in no time at all, and I still have a ton of fabric left over that would make really cute matching tote bags! ... Mother's Day gifts?! Maybe!

 

Thank you to all of the wonderful teachers out there - we appreciate everything you do for our kiddos!

backpack doll

A cute little friend of ours is turning 4 this week - finally, an excuse to make girly stuff. Yippee!

Having never made a backpack before, I went with a very simple design - a rectangle with rounded corners.  Using my son's backpack for reference, I measured out a rough* size, and then sketched a pattern.
 
*next time I will adjust the height just a little - 3" shorter and it would have been perfect.

 

The backpack was new territory for me, but when the time came to make the doll I felt pretty confident. A few years ago I went through a doll making phase and, in the process, created my own doll pattern which came in handy for this project.

Unfortunately, I lost every ounce of that confidence when it was time to draw on the face (as you can tell by the blank face in the photos). Messing up meant I would have to make an entirely new doll, and I REALLY didn't want to do that. It took me nearly a week to muster up the courage.

The skirt was inspired by the Market Skirts from MADE. I just adore this pattern, and when I came across the leftover fabric from the last Market Skirts I made, I knew I had to make a mini version. (It would have been really fun to make a matching big girl skirt to tuck inside the backpack.)  

I had such a great time making this gift, and I really hope I get the chance to make more in the near future.


Happy Birthday Miss Nora!

starting my morning with a POW!

I finally got my hands on one of these handy-dandy little lids for my morning coffee. For years we have been using mason jars as drinking glasses, so when I heard about these cool lids I had to have one. And just for the fun of it, I whipped up a super easy Cuppow cozy out of recycled felt.  How fun would it be to personalize these and give them as gifts!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

hot/cold pack details

After receiving a few comments and emails with questions about the hot/cold packs I made for Halloween, I thought I would give you a quick rundown of the details.

The tutorial for sewing and filling the packs can be found over at Rubber Punkin, so I am just going to share how I was able to get 24 packs from one yard of fabric.

CUT:

(24) 12" X 5" - from main fabric (see diagram below)
(24) 6" loops - (I cut 1" strips from a t-shirt, stretched them out, and then cut the 6" lengths)

Here is the layout for cutting 24 packs out of 42" wide fabric (you will have 4" left over along the 36" side)

Check out the TUTORIAL for sewing and filling the packs HERE at Rubber Punkin.  She also has some great ideas for adding different scents and fillers.

Thanks for stopping by!

party favors: hot/cold packs

Just a quick post to share the party favors we handed out this year at my son's preschool Trunk-or-Treat party.

Last year I made hot/cold packs for the boys' Valentine's Day parties. Since then, several parents have mention how much their kids loved them - which inspired me to make them again.

They are a great candy-free gift for kids, and easy enough to crank out in an afternoon.

The tags were made using my tried and true method, and they turned out great.

 

To make 24 packs I used: 

 - one yard of fabric

 - scraps from an old orange t-shirt

 - long grain white rice

 - flaxseed

 - mint essential oil

...and I still have at least half of the rice/flaxseed mix leftover. Stocking suffers? Birthdays? Get well soon gift?

Thanks for stopping by!

happy halloween & a DIY halloween village

DIY Halloween Village

This Halloween village was a gift for my mother-in-law, and it turned out to be such a fun and simple project. 

Materials: 

 - scrap wood

 - paint

 - fine point pen for outlining (optional)

... I am dreaming of a little winter village for our mantel!

Happy Halloween!