Easy toy quilt tutorial

Okay, calling this thing a quilt is a stretch. Or possibly an insult to quilters everywhere. But! It does make a fantastic baby toy. I whipped this up in a hurry one day when I was in need of quiet baby toys. Olive's got a thing for scrunching up textiles. (hooray!) My goal with this was to make something with a variety of textures for her to enjoy.

Here's what you need:

• 3 - 4.5" x 12" (11.4 cm x 30.4 cm) pieces of cotton


• 1 - 12" x 12" (30.4 cm x 30.4 cm) piece of fabric for the back (I used a cheap, silky one...the better for scrunching.)


• 4 - 4" x 12" (10 cm x 30.4 cm) pieces of fleece (Please ignore the obviously 14" long pieces in the photo. I was going to try something else, which wound up not working. IGNORE!)

Step 1- Sew together the cotton
Placing the right sides together, sew the long sides of two pieces together.

Connect the third piece in the same way. You'll wind up with something like this:

Press the seams open in the back:


Step 2 - Assembly
Pin the back fabric to the front, wrong sides together. Lay one of the fleece pieces underneath at the top, and fold about half of it over like so:


Pin into place, and sew the bottom edge. Repeat this process with the opposite edge:

Place another piece of fleece on one of the open sides, making sure to overlap the already sewn on fleece. Pin, and sew as you did the last two. Add the final fleece piece in the same way. (Yes, I could have been typing "binding" all this time, but you have to admit "fleece piece" is much more enjoyable to say. Try it.)
Using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew around the outside edge of the quilt:

Trim the threads, and baby, you are done!

Notes:

• This is totally machine washable. And dryable. Unless you use some fancypants fabric that is not, alas, machine washable.


• I wish I had spent a little more time on this project, honestly. The tiny format would be perfect for trying out new patterns.

The most effective baby toy ever - Tutorial!

Behold, the best baby toy ever. At least, that's what Olive thinks. This little toy has bought me all sorts of quiet time. Dude, she is playing with it right now as I write this post. As someone who has long considered herself a toymaker, I have mixed feelings about this toy. On the one hand, it works! The baby likes it! Isn't that what it's all about? On the other hand, boy, is it ugly.
In any case, I'll let you decide. Here's a tutorial. Make it for the busy little ones in your life.

What's really cool about this toy is that you can just use whatever you have on hand. Here's what I used, though:

6" square of silky fabric
6" square of fleece
Felt in 3 colors
Various ribbons in various lengths
Polyfill
Thread
Needle & thread
Sewing machine (Optional, but helpful)
Scissors

First, cut two circles roughly 6" across. Seriously, roughly is fine. This thing is going to get spit all over it.

Then cut your ribbon into various lengths. I used 9 pieces of ribbon ranging from 13" to 4". Cut your felt into three 2.5" x 2.5" squares.

Stack the pieces of felt on the right side of the fleece. I staggered them a bit, like so:

Now sew them in place.

Here's where it starts looking crazy. Arrange your ribbons on top of the fleece, wrong side up. Pin the ends in place. You may want to turn some of the longer ribbons into loops. Just pin both ends to the edge in that case.

See the big fat purple ribbon on top? LOOP!

Now, carefully carefully carefully sew the ribbons in place. Just sew in a circle, making sure to catch at least one end of each ribbon.


Place the silky circle right side down on top of the fleece piece. Pin in place, being careful that all ribbons are tucked safely in the center. Sew in a circle, leaving about a 1" opening.

Now, it should look like this:

A total mess. Anyway, turn that bad boy inside out, stuff it with polyfill, and then sew the gap closed thusly:

Needle, thread, pinching the raw ends in. Boom.

There! You're done! I hope this toy brings you and your favorite little one hours of enjoyment.

Notes!
This is machine washable. Toss it in the machine cold, then hang it to dry from one of those loops you put in. Easy peasy.

How to fix a slipping bra strap

Call me a prude, but I really can't stand it when my bra strap starts to wander, letting the world know just what color and condition said bra is in. (Answer: generally not great.) It drives me nuts. I don't want to have to constantly be adjusting and digging around. It's just not...dignified.
Fortunately for me, the solution to the problem is really simple.
All you need to fix your shoulder-centric wardrobe malfunctions is:

Ribbon 1/4" (7 mm) wide
two sew in snaps
thread
needle
scissors
matches (yes, matches!)

Start by cutting a 2.5" (6 cm) piece of the ribbon. Singe the ends with a lit match, so they don't fray. (See! Matches.)

Fold the ribbon in half, and give it a good pinch to press a crease in. (If you wanted to get all perfect about it, you could press in a crease with a cool iron. But that's totally optional, and frankly, a little overkill for this project.)

Sew the snap pieces onto each end of the ribbon like so:

Make sure that they're facing each other so you can snap them.

In the shoulder of your garment, sew the ribbon into place. Make sure the snaps are facing towards the arm.

Done! Now repeat the process with the other shoulder.

Now, when you're getting dressed, simply snap that pesky bra strap into the little loop. No more wandering straps! No more migrating necklines! Your life is really coming together now!

Now, go spill something. The universe hates a vacuum.

5 Things to Do With Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners? Wait, like those things little kids bend into animals?
Yes. Pipe cleaners.
It just so happens that I have a TON of them. Some vintage, but mostly leftover from teaching kids' arts and crafts classes. There's got to be some way to use these things up. Some way besides straight up kiddie crafts, hopefully. Could pipe cleaners be transformed into kitschy, fun crafts? Could pipe cleaners be transformed into something bordering chic?
Here's what I found from around the internet. The results will shock you. Sort of.


Martha Stewart has some cute little creatures you could make, all with easy step by step photos.
Some even come with curious descriptions, such as "This squirrel likes to wave his tail around, which really cracks up the nut." Ooookay. Martha also identifies a danger for us: the loss of sanity from working with pipe cleaners.

This is in no way a tutorial, but I simply have to post it. Full Of Bliss shows us that yes, it IS possible to make wonderful things out of pipe cleaners. The secret may lie in the very sparing use of said pipe cleaners.

Pipe cleaners make decent armature wire. Sometimes I use them in various plushies. Here's a tutorial on how to make a needle felted replica of your own pet, using pipe cleaners and wait for it...

YOUR PET'S OWN HAIR.
Thank you, Craftzine.
(Note: Anyone else thinking of this? No?)


These personalized gift toppers were recently featured in ReadyMade. Dare I say it...these are almost chic! Hooray, ReadyMade!

Finally, something I truly never considered before:


Hello, easy way to make stop motion creatures!

5 Crafts to Make With Buttons

Ahhhh, buttons. Currency of the craft drawer. They're among the most coveted and hoarded of odds and ends, at least around here. When you're ready to show off a few choice specimens, here's a few crafts that are worthy of your favorites.

1. These Fruity Button Napkins by Martha Stewart Living are so cute. What a nice (and fast!) way to spruce up some boring old cloth napkins.


2. Bugs and Fishes has a cute idea to spruce up plain clothes:

Photo by Bugs and Fishes, of course. Check out her Button Sweater tutorial!

3. This flower bookmark by Pink Paper Peppermints is a really cute idea!

4. This Spring Bouquet by American Craft Studios would be great to work on during the more dreary days of winter. (AKA NOW.)

5. I saw this delightfully modern looking button bouquet on Flickr:

It's by Sunshine Walks. The tutorial can be found over on Kiddley.

5 Useful Things to Make for Babies

Sheesh, babies. Is that all anyone can talk about around here?
Alas yes, pretty much. (Today marks 35 weeks. Eeep.)
Babies apparently need a tremendous amount of stuff, much of it horrifically expensive. However, you can make some of it yourself (or as a gift). This gives one a wonderful sensation of "sticking it to the man". One does not get to feel that very much when one is pregnant, let one tell you.

Bibs
You'd be amazed at how crummy a lot of bibs are. A lot of them appear to be made out of kleenex. I can practically see the liquefied vegetables leaking through them all the way from the future.
Enough grousing. Chickpea Studios has an easy tutorial to make wonderful bibs. And there's even a downloadable pattern.

Burp cloths
A friend of mine has a baby with horrible reflux. That poor woman can barely keep a shirt dry. She's let me know that most of the cute burp rags are pretty much useless. However, these ones by Sew She Sews are excellent!
Burp Cloth Tutorial by Sew She Sews

Slings
One of the most highly recommended items has been a sling. "Get yourself a sling!" people keep telling me. "Do you ever want to use your hands again? Get a sling!" Who am I to argue? Using my hands sounds great.
Jan Andrea has put together a whole index of sling tutorials. Everything from ring slings to mei tais.

Breastfeeding cover
It's a glorified apron. It is also known as a "hooter hider". Egads.
Maybe I've been in the crafty community for too long, but my gut reaction is, hey, make one!
Freshly Picked has an excellent, photo filled tutorial to show you how.

Swaddling blanket
Can babies be swaddled? The experts say yes. The parents say "Eh, sometimes. At least for a little while."
You can swaddle in a receiving blanket, or you can whip up one of these awesome swaddling blankets:
Swaddling Blanket Tutorial by Prudent Baby

How to Make a Blythe Hooded Capelet

Once you've crossed into the territory of making snuggies for your Blythes, a hooded capelet isn't that much of a stretch. And it's not that much more difficult, either.



You will need:

• The Pattern

• Fabric for the top

• Fabric for the lining

• 18" (45.7 cm) thin ribbon (I like 3mm, personally)

• Needle & Thread, or a sewing machine

• Scissors

Download The Pattern Here!
Piece 1
Piece 2

Cut out the pattern pieces, and then cut out:
2 hood pieces from the top fabric (You may want to fold the fabric in half, right sides touching, to cut two mirror images of the fabric at once.)
2 hood pieces from the lining fabric (Ditto the folding and the cutting.)
1 cape piece from the top fabric
1 cape piece from the lining fabric
2 - 9" (22.8 cm) pieces of ribbon

Sandwich the hood and cape pieces together, right sides touching. Make sure you wind up with the hood pieces being mirror images of each other, like so:


Assemble the cape:
Starting in the middle of the top, sew the cape pieces together. Leave about a 1/4" seam. Carefully place the ribbons at the top edges, making sure to tuck them inside. Leave a 1" gap so you can turn the whole thing inside out. Turn it inside out, and stitch up the gap at the top. Be sure to backstitch!


Assemble the hood:
Starting at the middle of the bottom seam, sew the hood pieces together. Leave about a 1/4" seam. Sew all the way around, leaving a 1" gap for turning inside out.

Turn the hood pieces inside out. Sew up the gap on the bottom. Then sandwich the two pieces together, and sew from the top front of the hood, all the way down to the back. Be sure to backstitch! This will leave the front and bottom of the hood open.

Place the hood and cape together, right sides touching, and sew. Again, be sure to backstitch.


Trim the loose threads, and that's it! You're done!


Feel free to make as many of these as you wish. If you wind up selling them, please link back to my blog in your listing. These tutorials take forever! ^_^

(Behold the fun you can have with other fabrics. This capelet is one of my favorites.)

10 Fast and Easy Handmade Gift Tutorials

You need gifts. What you have is craft supplies. No problem! The internet to the rescue, again!

Make your own scented bath salts, courtesy of this Instructible by Belsey.


For the brown-bagger in your life, why not try making this adorable lunch bag?

Variations abound at The Long Thread's site, as well as a free downloadable pattern.

Speaking of portable, um, food:

An Altoids tin martini kit. Brilliant. Thank you, Spookylean!

This mini sailor's scarf is adorable! And with a sewing machine, it would come together in a snap. Plus, all you need is a fat quarter!

photo and tutorial by Because She Started Knitting

These button rings are really, really fast to make:

Tutorial and photo by CRAFT.

Perfect for the camera snob in your life: DIY Camera Strap Cover, with pockets so that pesky lens cap won't go missing (again).

Pattern & photo by Simply Modern Mom.

Make a Yoda hat for the Star Wars loving little ones in your life!

via Dollar Store Crafts

This Brown Sugar Scrub looks amazing!

Tutorial over on Craftzine.

Another one from the hallowed halls of Craftzine, this time by the very awesome Jenny Ryan:

It's a coloring kit! I know this is *technically* for kids, but I know several adults who would be more than a little thrilled to get it.

Finally, this may just be the ultimate tutorial on how to make surprise balls:

Not Martha for the win! (and the finale!)