me and my girl

many thanks...

...to a very sweet friend!  Aubry loves her tiny bead fairy!

a sweet little headband

Aubry loves headbands and so do I.  They are easy to make and simple to use and, most of all, they keep my girl's hair out of her eyes. 

I have put together a very simple tutorial that can used by a beginning sew-er, ages 10 and up, with a little help from mom.   All you will need is a rectangle of fabric, a small piece of trim, and about 10 inches of 1/2" elastic.

Your daughter can make a few of these for herself and her friends, and these would also make great Christmas gifts if made in a set of three.  Once I had the headband cut out, it only took me 15 minutes to get it sewn up, so these are not only cute, but quick also!

---My inspiration came from the tutorial that KC Quilts put together, but my tutorial is simplified.  If you and your daughter are ready for something more challenging, try her version.

First you will need to cut out a 15" X 3" piece of fabric.  This rectangle is the main part of your headband.  I sewed a piece of ric-rac down the center, but you can skip this step entirely or you can use ribbon, ric-rac, or lace to jazz up your fabric.

Now you will fold your strip in half (right sides together) and sew down the long edge.

Clip a safety-pin on one end of your headband and thread it through to turn you piece right side out.  This takes a bit of scrunching and pulling, so be patient.

Now iron your headband flat so that your seam is in the middle of the back of your fabric.

Tuck 1/4" of your edges into the headband and iron.

Now you will cut a piece of 1/2" elastic (I cut mine 10 inches long) and place 1/2" into one end of your headband.  Sew in place.

Now you will need to place the headband on your head and bring the elastic around until it reaches the other end of your headband.  Tighten the elastic approximately 1/2" to 1".  This will keep the headband firmly on your head without squeezing too tight.  Trim the elastic, leaving an extra 1/2" to tuck into your headband.   (I cut approximately 4 inches off for Aubry's headband).

Now sew the other end of the elastic into your headband.

Now you are finished!

If you are making these for gifts, simply measure the headbands to someone with a similar sized head as the gift recipient.  Remember to make these bigger for people with very thick hair.

Have fun and happy crafting!

a scarf that small hands can make

I realize that freezing temperatures are a few weeks away, but that didn't stop Aubry and me from making a warm winter scarf.  This project is both simple and inexpensive and there are variations that can be done to accommodate younger children or to make this more challenging for older children.  (Variation ideas are at the bottom of the post).

We purchased 1/4-yard of fleece for the scarf and two 1/8-yard pieces for the embellishment.  Surprisingly Aubry stayed away from pink and purple fleece, but she did manage to add a small amount of pink detail when it came to the sewing.

I suggest that you allow your child to do all picking and choosing of the fabrics and that you also let them handle all of the steps that they feel capable of doing.  You may end up with a less-than-perfect scarf, but your child will love their creation!

I trimmed our 1/4 yard piece to measure 6" X the length of the fabric cut (approximately 68" long). Then I showed Aubry how to cut the fringes (I used some excess fabric to cut this sample).

I used pins to show her where her cuts should stop and this is what she came up with:

***You will do this on both ends of the scarf.

Aubry choose to embellish her scarf with squares, but you could use hearts, flowers circles or initials.  All you need to do is to cut the shape from a piece of paper, pin it to the fabric and cut it out.  I let Aubry cut these out by herself:

 

We cut 4 large squares and 4 small squares:

Then she laid out her design (I even kept my hands and my opinion out of this step!):

I added pins to hold the design in place and I threaded a needle with 3 strands of embroidery floss.  Notice the pink:

A large "X" was an easy way to tack down the squares and I let her do this mostly by herself.  Lucky for me, she is enough of a perfectionist that she asked me to show her where to sew on the square to make the "X".  (Can you tell that I am a perfectionist?)

I showed her how to avoid pulling the thread out of the needle by holding  the top of the thread when she pulls the needle through the fleece:

Here is our finished product:

I think it turned out quite well and now all we have to do it to wait for some colder days!

***Variations:  An older child can add a more elaborate design or an applique, and they could also zig-zag stitch or use a blanket stitch around the edges of the design.  A younger child can glue their design on as long the glue you choose will stay put during washing.

two small squares is all you need...

...to make a bean bag, doll pillow, sachet or a pin-cushion!  This little project is perfect for a brand-new sew-er, or for anyone who likes to combine fabrics and have fun with color.  (See the variations at the end of the post.)

Supplies needed:
Two 5" squares of fabric
Cotton or polyester stuffing
Needle and thread
A 16" length of ribbon
Sewing Machine

***For the sake of the photographs, I am using bright red thread on this project.  Normally I would be using white or a color that doesn't show up as much.

With right sides of the fabric together, sew a 1/4" seam around the square, leaving a 2" opening for turning:

Clip the corners of the square close to the stitching (but not close enough to cut the thread!) so that when you turn your piece right-side out, the corners will be nice and pointed:

Turn your square right side out using a crochet hook to push out the corners:

Stuff the square firmly and then stitch it closed:

Now you simply tie on the ribbon to make it pretty:

 

Variations:

***Instead of stuffing, fill the square with beans or rice to make a bean-bag.   You will only need to fill it 3/4 full.  Make a bunch of these to create a fun game!

***While you are adding the stuffing, pour in 1 tablespoon of dried lavender flowers or cloves to make a sachet.  These make great gifts!

***You may use your ribbon-tied square as a pin-cushion.  All sew-ers need a place to stash their pins!  These also make great gifts.

Happy sewing!

a special bag for a special someone

My girl is a gift-giver.  When she knows that someone's birthday is coming up, you will find her feverishly working at coloring, stapling and creating.  When I discovered that we could take a piece of fabric and color on it using crayons, and then iron the design into the fabric, I knew that this craft was for us!

Here is how to do it: 

First, take a piece of cotton fabric and have your child color a picture on it.  I suggested to Aubry that she use bright colors and try her best to fill the center of the fabric piece, as opposed to the edges.  It is also a good idea to press hard with the crayons to get the best color.

After the picture is complete you will take a piece of blank newsprint paper and lay it on your ironing board.  Then lay your fabric piece face-down on the newsprint.  Lay a damp towel on top of this and add one more layer of blank newsprint on top to complete the stack.  Iron on medium-high heat until the crayons appear to melt into the fabric and the colors are set.  (I found the technique in this book.)

After I ironed the picture into the fabric, I trimmed the piece into a 12-1/2" by 15-1/2" rectangle and then I sewed a 4" by 15-1/2" piece of fabric to the top edge of her picture so that the finished bag front would equal 15-1/2" by 15-1/2".

After I squared up the bag front to 15-1/2" by 15-1/2 inches, I pretty much followed this technique to finish the bag.  The only differences are the measurements and the fact that I didn't use any oilcloth to make the bag or bias-tape on the straps.  I also used fusible interfacing on the bag and the straps for sturdiness.

This bag was easy and fun to make.  Aubry chose to draw a picture of Grandpa, Grandma, Great-Grandma and herself, and she decided that this bag will be going to Grandma Alice.  The best part is Aubry's happiness over the finished product and her idea that Grandma Alice might use it to tote books home from the library!

Happy crafting!