Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Open for business

My baby (A.K.A. sewing machine) is back
and my shop is reopened!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Felt Cross Tutorial

With all the yummy Easter candy floating around,
the scary man in an Easter bunny suit at the mall
and the million Easter egg hunts we are going to
I really wanted to emphasize to Mackenzie and Wesley
the true meaning of Easter.

That Jesus died on the cross for our sins
and rose again to give us new life.

Since Mackenzie is only 2
and has the attention span of an ant
I wanted to make something tangible for her to play with
and for us to use as we teach her about the cross.

So I made...

A felt cross

with nails, a crown of thorns and a heart
all with velcro on the back
so you or your kids can put them on the cross as you tell
the story of Easter.

Supplies:
1/4 yard of brown felt
small sheets of red, black and dark brown felt
glue gun
velcro
sewing machine

Step 1: The Cross
Cut two rectangles from your brown felt
Mine were:
19" x 5 1/2" and 14" x 5 1/4"

Step 2:
Take the largest rectangle and pin it to a slightly larger piece of brown felt.

Step 3:
Sew around the parameter and then trim the extra felt away.

Step 4:
Take the smallest rectangle and lay it horizontally across the rectangle you just sewed creating a cross. Lay a slightly larger piece of felt behind the largest rectangle and pin.
I feel like this is tricky to explain...just look at the picture :)
(The vertical rectangle should be sandwiched between the horizontal pieces of felt).

Step 5:
Sew around the parameter of the smallest (horizontal) rectangle catching the vertical rectangle as you go. Trim away the extra felt from the back piece.

Step 6: Heart
Cut a heart shape out of felt.

Pin the heart to another piece of red felt. Sew around the parameter and then trim away the extra felt.
(The reason we are making everything with two layers of felt is so that it's more durable).

Step 7: Nails
Cut 3 nail shapes out of black felt. Pin to a slightly larger piece of felt. Sew around the parameter and then trim away the extra felt so you have 3 double thick nail pieces.

Step 8: Crown of Thorns
Cut out 2 strips of felt that look similar to what I have above. It doesn't have to be perfect...just something that kind of looks like thorns on a stem or vine.

Sew the top of the two pieces together

and loosely twist the two pieces together.

Cut an oval out of brown felt (and go through the process to make it double thick). Lay the crown of thorns onto the oval and sew in a few spots to secure.

Step 9:
Glue squares of velcro to the back of each of your pieces and to the cross itself.
(I used the soft side of the velcro for the cross accessories and the scratchy side for the cross).

Step 10:
Glue a piece of ribbon to the top backside of the cross so you can hang your cross for all to see.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Earflap beanie tutorial

Here it is...
the earflap beanie/bonnet/aviator hat
tutorial.

The same basic construction that can be made

girly
for your little girl

or manly
for your little boy.

Supplies:
-An old T-shirt or stretchy fabric of your choice
-Fabric pen
-Scissors
-Sewing Machine

Step 1:
Grab a beanie that fits your child well to use as a template. Place the beanie at the bottom hem of your t shirt and trace leaving extra room for seam allowance.

*Also if your t shirt material is not as stretchy as the beanie you are using for your template be sure to add a little extra room when you are tracing.

Step 2:
Pin and cut around the line you just drew.

Step 3:
Using a zig zag stitch, sew around the top of the beanie.

Step 4:
Flip right side out.
If your simply looking for a plain beanie
you are done!
Wasn't that easy?

Step 5:
Draw an earflap looking shape on a piece of scrap paper. Trace the earflap shape twice onto your folded t shirt.

Step 6:
Pin and cut. Please note that you should have 4 earflap pieces (2 earflaps each with a front and back piece).

Step 7:
Cut 3 strips from your folded t shirt. This should give you a total of 6 strips.

Step 8:
Stack 3 strips on top of each other and pin to hold in place. Sew across the top to secure. (You should have 2 stacks of 3 strips. These will be your ties).

Step 9:
For Wesley's hat I tied a knot at the bottom to make the ties.

For Mackenzie's hat I braided the 3 strips and then sewed across the bottom of the braid to secure.

Step 10:
Sandwich the top of the tie in between the two earflap pieces.

Using a zig zag stitch sew around the bottom of the earflap pieces, being sure the catch the ties as you go.

Step 11:
Pin the earflaps onto the beanie and sew across the top of the earflap piece to secure.

If you want to make a ruffly girly version this is the time to add your ruffle. Cut out a strip of fabric from your t shirt, ruffle (don't know how to make a ruffle?...check out this tutorial) and pin around the perimeter of the beanie.

Yay!
Your done with your earlfap beanie
bonnet
or aviator hat.
Try it on your little one and enjoy!






Feel free to contact me with questions!

Happy weekend

Jacuzzi Swimming.
Tree Swinging.
BBQing.
Kite flying.
Trampoline jumping.
Citrus picking.
Camel petting.
Hanging out with good friends.
Fun.

Happy Weekend!