I’m back and Last Minute Quilts

I’m back from vacation. It was great to spend some time with family. I was so happy the everyone liked the gifts I made, although for next year I really need to start making them much earlier so I’m not stressed for time. My one brother-in-law and my sister’s fiancé both loved the marshmallow guns we made (my husband did most of the work on those). I wish I had taken some pictures of them playing with them.

The last few items I had to finish up before Christmas were three quilts. I made an I-Spy quilt for each of my kids and a patchwork quilt for my husband. Patchwork quilts aren’t to sew but they are quick and easy.

As I piled flannel bolt after flannel bolt into my cart I received all sorts of looks and then was questioned by the associate what I was making when I asked for only 1/4th of a yard of each. It was so fun to find the fabrics. Oh and if you plan to do this don’t forget to check the remnants racks for a good deal. I backed both quilts with two microplush throws (they were only $2.99 at JoAnn’s on Black Friday). I had enough of the microplush fabric left over to make matching pillowcases.

I used boyish printed flannels for my son’s quilt.

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and I used girlish printed flannels for my daughter’s quilt.

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Then for my husbands quilt, I just pieced the quilt blocks together and then printed off the letters and pinned them onto a strip of grey fleece. I then separated the letters (not actually cutting the letters out) and then pinned the letters and grey fleece onto the quilt. I then did a straight stitch around the letters following the lines on the printed paper. After I sewed them down I was able to remove the paper and trim the excess fleece close to the stitching. It was pretty easy!!!

Hope everyone has had a Wonderful Holiday Season!!!

Recycled T-Shirt Holiday Dress

My inspiration for this dress came from Lil Blue Boo and this dress (interchangeable Santa hat, stocking and star).

Take 2 T-shirts of different colors and lay them on top of each other (this will make you two dresses).

I used this pattern here. (adjustments to pattern include that I made the measurements a little extra big to accommodate the extra seams with the stripes and added a armhole.)

The difference is that I made mine with more of an arm hole so that the dress would sit up higher. I just drew a 1/4th of a circle at the outside edge (not on the fold).

Then unfold the two shirts out and then cut across starting at the empire waist area and then evenly space the stripes down to the bottom. I did 5 stripes at 3.5” wide but yours may differ due to the size of dress.

I then staggered the two shirts making one like the one above and one like the one my daughter has on in the first picture. To sew them together I first sewed each tier together at the sides with right sides together so it made a complete circle. Then I started with the bottom tier and laid the wrong side of the upper tier onto of the right side of the lower tier (lining up the side seams) and then used a decorative stitch about 1/8 of and inch from the edge of the upper tier.

Looks like this:

Keep doing this until you have all of your tiers sewn together including the upper body portion sewn to the skirt portion.

Then I cut three 2” strips of each color of shirt making the strips long enough to go around the arm opening to create the strap. two of the strips you will use to make the straps and one you will use to finish the top of the front and back.

For covering the top of the front and back: Lay the right side of the strip to the wrong side of the top lining up the edges this time instead of overlapping. Do a 1/4th inch seam. Then fold over in half making sure that the other half lays over the seam you made. Leaving the edge showing use a decorative stitch to sew it down.

For the straps do the same basic thing as for the top except along the actual strap portion you will have to fold over that seam and lay the other half over.

I didn’t do anything to finish the bottom edge of the dress.

I don’t know if I’m making any sense so if you don’t understand something then let me know and I’ll try to clarify.

To make the interchangeable objects:

I used Wunder Under to adhere a small square of fabric to the center inside of the front of the dress. I then hand stitched a snap to it. Then I used felt to make the Santa hat, stocking and star. I made two pieced of each shape and stitched the opposite portion of the snap to one of the shapes and then used Wunder Under to adhere the two shapes together hiding the stitching of the snap.

I’m participating in:

Holiday Gift Extravaganza: GiFTS FoR CHiLDReN (Updated)

Here’s for Day #2: Gifts for Children!! (click on picture to go to tutorial)

Don’t forget to leave a comment to enter into the Giveaway!!!

Hooded Doll Blanket

Tie Onsies

These little guys are different in that only the top part of the tie is attached to the onsie making them more real looking!

Placemat Apron

Guitar Appliqué Shirt

Baby Legs from Socks

Crocheted Bracelet

Satin Wrapped Tutu

Alphabet Flashcards

These flashcards are made by taking pictures of things around your house that your child sees often.

Silk Flower Clips

Toy Tool Belt

Sock Animals

Daisy Chain Beanie

Lacing Cards

Faux Makeup

Purse Notebook

Bean Bags

Doll House

Train Table

My 2 year old son loves to destroy the train track on his train table almost as fast as I can build it.  Well this was frustrating me and my 4 year old daughter.  I decided I wanted to mount the track down to the table, but I didn’t want to ruin the originally table top, so I made a new top for my kids’ train table.

BEFORE:                                                   AFTER:     

 

I went and purchased a large piece of particle board and had it cut to size.  Then I spray painted the entire board brown and after it was dry I laid out the train tracks and took a picture of the table.  Then I printed the picture off and drew the streets and parks in on the paper first. 

When I got it how I liked it I then went to town painting everything on  while the train tracks were still on the board.  I then took the tracks off and applied several coats of varnish.  After the varnish dried, I nailed the track down or glued where nails weren’t possible.  The trees, benches, and buildings are not glued or nailed down.

   

Now, when my kids are old enough to build their own train track, I’ll just remove the little nails from the tracks and the new table top and they can play with the original one again.

Dry Erase worksheets

I made my own Dry Erase Worksheets so my daughter can learn to write her letters.

They have the Upper Case Letters on one side and the Lower Case Letters on the other side.

All I did was open a new document in a program called Gimp but you can use Photoshop or something similar.  I made it 8.5 x 11 in size.  Then I used digital scrapbook papers (star one) or papers I had that I scanned into my computer (flower one) as the border.  I went on the internet and did a google search for the letter worksheets and pasted the picture in the center. 

I printed the picture onto white cardstock paper.  Then I used Glossy Laminating Sheets to cover them.   You don’t have to use dry-erase markers as I found the Crayola Washable Markers worked great too.

 

I’m going to make another set but put her name on it.

Collage Fabric Picture

I was inspired by Care over at Obsessively Stitching for this design.  She did an I-Spy Fabric Swap which I participated in and she sent me one of her I-Spy cards with my fabric squares.  So as I was doing some rearranging of my office again I found two frames that needed a purpose.  So I decided to use her I-Spy idea to whip up a couple of fabric collages to go inside the frames.  I used fabrics that I’ve used for projects for my two kiddos in the past and then some new ones that I plan to use in the quilts I’m going to make them for Christmas. 

 

Start off by drawing a square the size of the inside of the frame.  Then cut about an inch from that line.   You will use the line as a guide to where the fabric needs to cover.

Then just cut out random pieces of scrap fabric and arrange them so they fill the entire square area.

Pin the pieces down and then sew away.  I first sewed along the border and then just did random squiggles and loops all over.

Close-up of the stitching

Now cut out a piece of cardboard so it will fit in the back of your frame.  I then just used a little tap at each corner to attach the back of the collage to the cardboard.  You could also use a glue and permanently attach it.

  

I then trimmed the excess off.

 

Pop it into the frame and hang it on the wall.  Tada!!!!  It took me maybe 2 hours to do 2.