Travel art set for kids

I needed a birthday gift for a soon to be three year old and came across this cute little crayon and notepad caddy tutorial by Just Another Hang Up. I made a minor alteration as I preferred a less dominating velcro system. Here is my take on it.

This is the outside laid out flat.

Here is the inside with several pockets.

The rounded corners are a nice touch. It looks indeed like a little travel bag. 

The name sign was placed rather low on the bag so as not to cover the funny monkey hanging upside down above it.  The embroidery does not show up very well in the picture, but is visible enough in reality. 

Crayons, a notepad and stickers were added. It's ready to be shipped overseas.

What kind of monkey business have you been up to today?

Christine

Door mod pop quilt mounted

It took it's sweet time, but we managed to hang up the mod pop door quilt.

Two sleeves were made to keep two wooden sticks: on top to attach to the door frame and on the bottom for weight.

For fastening, you will notice the canvas strips on the top. It is simple to roll up the quilt in the morning and tie the strips. I usually tuck away the strips on the side, but have kept them visible for explanation purposes.

I had thought of a buttoning system, but since I have to go to the next town to get buttons, this will do for now.

Here's the back.

Here is the door closed. Nice and discrete.

And the label had to be included, of course!

Have a rewarding day!

Christine

Fabric basket

I was in need of a basket for diapers and paraphernalia in the bathroom and the obvious choice for me (and everyone else out there it would seem!) was to use Ayumi Pink Penguin's fabric basket tutorial.

I used the larger dimensions that was noted at the end of her post, but I made it a bit wider by moving the box seam at the bottom a 1/2" further in. 

Again the snooty ducks.
The basket measures 11" (28 cm) long x 6"(15 cm) high x 4,5" (11,5 cm) deep. It is made of  cotton fabric, cotton batting and stippled all over.

Here is a modgepodged/decoupaged footstool I made for the kids to use in the bathroom - lots of fish. Reminds me of the salmon run that is seen hereabouts in the Autumn.

The basket works well with the stool, does it not?

Here's hoping your day goes swimmingly!

Christine

Handkerchief pouch tutorial - two approaches

While going through all our boxed possessions, I came across some small fabric handkerchiefs that I had used as a child. Nowadays one uses paper tissues as it is more sanitary, but I do get tired of pulling bunched up paper out of the wash because a tissue got away during the pocket inspection at laundry time.

The handkerchiefs were washed, ironed them and placed in my kiddies' drawers. It did not take long to realize that these little fabric squares drowned among the bigger garments, being pushed around in all directions by little hands.

As I continued sorting through our cartons, my grandfather's handkerchiefs surfaced. What was great about this discovery was that the handkerchiefs were kept in a little handmade fabric pouch. How timely was that? So a little analyzing and I came up with two methods of making the non-zip pouch below.

Method 1 - with hand sewing

The rectangular fabric piece used here was 7,5"x32" (appr. 19 cm x 81 cm).

One end has a machine sewn hem while the other is left un-hemmed for the time being. Find the middle and fold the hemmed end over first a little past the centre by about 1/2" (1,5 cm). Then fold over the raw end to the middle and hem it with pins only. We will get back to it at the conclusion. Sew the long edges together with a 1/2" seam and finish with a zig-zag.

Turn it right side out and iron flat.

It should look like this inside the pouch, with pins still attached to the one hem. Without pulling out the needles, incorporate the bottom exterior fabric to facilitate the final hemming. This way your fingers will not get caught when using the pouch.

Now for the hand-sewing. A really easy stitch that I use for quilt binding, that will hardly show on the outside. If you know of a better stitch, then that's great! Let me know.

Take as little fabric as you dare with the needle from the exterior fabric of the pouch, then pierce through the pinned hem from underneath on the diagonal and through. Start over again by inserting the needle in the exterior fabric just below where you emerged on the hem. Try to keep the stitch spacing not further apart than 1/4".

The stitches are rather small, so they were hard to photograph. Hopefully you get an impression of how it should look.

Here is the exterior of the pouch. Can you spot the stitching with this close-up shot? I really should get some coloured thread, then it would be even less visible. All I have is white and ecru, which I use for quilting.

Here you can see my old handkerchiefs in the pouch. I should probably makes some new handkerchiefs as these are quite worn. That will be for another time.

Voilà!

Final dimensions: 8" x 5" (appr. 20 cm x 13 cm)

Method 2 - without hand sewing

This one is made larger to accommodate my daughter's hair ribbons. The size of fabric used was 10"x32" (appr. 26 cm x 82 cm)

Hem both ends this time. Since there is not to be any hand sewn fastening, we will do this project much like an overlapped pillow case. 

If you want to add a monogram or any other embellishment, it is best to do this before all is sewn together. Lay it out, fold it as an overlapped pillow case with the smaller end meeting in the middle and the larger end overlapping by around 3/4 of the way. See where the decoration would fit best and sew it on.

Refold and pin along the long edges. Sew a 1/2" seam and zig-zag the outer edges.

Turn it right side out and iron flat. 

Super easy!

Final dimensions: 8,5" x 7,5" (21,5 cm x 19 cm)

A turtle version of method 1 was made for my son's handkerchiefs. 

This pouch can have many uses and have a more embellished appearance. I would be curious to see what you come up with.

Please let me know if the tutorial needs clarification. Feed-back is always welcome.

May your day be free of runny noses!

Christine

What to do with small needlepoint embroideries?

I have been unpacking the zillion boxes that have entered our home from three different locations and I was getting pretty nerve-wracked as to what to do with everything. I found these old embroideries that I made through the years starting at age six until twelve.

I have been trying to straighten out their lopsidedness. Any suggestions?

Now, what to do with them? My kids have enough on their walls, so I did not feel like hanging these up. I have quilts already planned for them and they do not included these in any way. However, I am considering making pillows out of them. At first I was afraid there would be too many pillows, but then when I see how much my kids love playing with them, my doubt subsided. Perhaps there are some better suggestions out there in blog land? I welcome ideas.

Here is also an old Holly Hobby that hung on my wall as a child. I never really cared for it, but my little daughter took a liking to it, so perhaps I will make a pillow out of that one too...

Don't be shy. Your advice is welcome.

Have a memorable day!

Christine

Kid's apron

When my son has been making a mess helping out in the kitchen, he has been wearing an apron made by my husband when the latter was a lad. My daughter has had to settle for a long dish towel tucked into her collar, that is until now.

This one is a rather temperamental model...

There we are! As you can see, cows are very popular in our household lately. Do not ask for a rear view, as this energy bundle was not hanging around long enough to provide one.

I will not do an elaborate tutorial on this apron, as there are so many tutes out there. Simply put: take a rectangular piece of fabric a bit bigger than your standard dish towel, fold in half lengthwise, cut a drawn out  quarter circle for the arms, attach straps for the neck and waist and finally hem around to finish.

Have a fun day!

Christine

Journal covers for some girls I know

It's that time of year to find new nifty homemade birthday gifts that can be sent in the mail to tween-age girls. Journal covers looked like just the thing. I looked to my good friend Google and came across this other tutorial from Bloom. I chose this one over the other tutes because of its simplicity and for including a lining.

I love the snooty ducks on this fabric.

 I have discovered monogramming on my sewing machine. This may become a rather useful function for me.

Inside jacket. 

Here is the second one for a younger miss. The name was hand-stitched and the bugs were appliqued.

Here is the back.

A close-up of one of the appliques.

Here is the last one, also with hand-stitching and applique.

The obligatory label. Perhaps I should invest in smaller labels, but I just love the type I use for my quilts.


Have a beautiful day!

Christine