The Children's Sewing Projects

Meghan has been hard at work making a quilt for her 4-H club. So one day Evan asked if he could learn to sew. I decided to borrow a book from the library that had really cute stuffed animal projects in it. All three children were interested in sewing. (I taught Meghan hand-sewing first when she was six. This time, I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when asked.)

Before the children could begin sewing, I had to applique and stitch the faces. They are not perfect, but the children like them.

Evan sewed first. He did well controlling the speed and guiding the fabric through.

 Esther was next. I helped her guide the fabric. She enjoyed it, too.

 

 Esther also had to do a little hand-sewing for the bunny tail.

 I didn't photograph Meghan sewing, but she loved the finished product!

 I believe Mookie is "photobombing" the children here!

 Meghan uses her kitty log as a pillow.

 Esther loves her bunny.

 Evan's cat turned out perfectly! He loves him!

 But sometimes...

How We Spent Christmas Vacation

On my other blog, This Simple Home, I took Fridays to consider the blessings of the week (usually five).  I am going to start doing here, since it is such a  nice summary of our weeks and focusing on the positive.

I'll back up a bit and consider Christmas vacation.  Here is the good stuff!

1. Safe travels.  Though Esther threw up on the way to NE PA (five hours), we made it there and home again a few days later without any problems.  Part of this was due to us making the choice to leave a day early to beat the storm.

2. Grandma's 90th birthday.  We had a great time with Derek's family celebrating the wonderful woman his grandma is.  All of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were there!!

3. Family.  We were able to see most of my family and all of Derek's family while up.  We left here at 7 a.m. on Saturday and returned Christmas night (Tuesday) at 11 p.m.  In between we had Christmas with my mom, dad, Derek's extended family, and Derek's immediate family.  Plus, we had a birthday party for Grandma!  

4. HOME!!  Then we came home!  From Thursday until the following Wednesday I only left the house to go to the pharmacy and church.  It was wonderful to be home!!  (If you didn't know, I am a homebody and prefer to be right here at home.)

5. Sewing with Meghan.  Meghan learned to sew over Christmas break, at age 6!  It was awesome to spend that time together.  I wrote more about how we did it and included some more pictures at the other blog here.  She really sewed almost every stitch herself!

6. A painted bedroom.  Derek painted our bedroom on his time off.  Neither of us love it, but we are glad it is painted.  Now, maybe after 4.5 years, we will hang something on the bedroom wall??

Sew Busy with Friends

This was an incredibly busy week for me.  In addition to some daytime busyness, I was out a lot in the evenings (with and without children).  I just don't do well with being gone so much.  Somehow in all the craziness, I was able to make these birthday gifts for our friends.

(I will apologize now for the giant fingerprint on the lens that makes all the pictures blurry.)

Birthday Girls!  They loved their pillows, thankfully.

This was all the girls at the party...there were boys (and dads), too, but this was the picture of the girls.

In case you are wondering, Sophie and Karine are friends, not sisters.  (We all know families don't have to look alike, right?) With two September birthdays, they wanted to have a party together.  It was lots of fun!

Someone really needs to give me a reality reminder when it comes to my sewing abilities.  It takes me so long to complete a project!

The kids got the coolest party favors.  Really!  Each child got a monogrammed white t-shirt!  Very cool.  Meghan doesn't want it to take the ribbon off (that wrapped it up) so that it can be washed and worn.  She likes it just as it is!  Silly girl!

At Least It Wasn't Her Hair

You may remember that a few days ago Meghan cut a strip of fabric that was already part of Amy's patchwork-purse-to-be.

Well, when I went to work on it again, I found the other half of the destruction.  She ruined 8 blocks.  Could be worse, huh?

Amy's birthday is in October...and I am determined to have it completed by then.  Let's hope I don't have any more setbacks!

A Cool Quilt

When we arrived home from vacation, this beautiful and fun quilt was waiting for us!  It was a gift to our family from my friend Meghan.  (She was the first Meghan I knew that was spelled with an H.)  Though we have not been very good (okay, horrible) at keeping in touch she made this cool snake quilt for our family.  I was a bit overwhelmed with her thoughtfulness.

I just love all the colors and the simple style of this.  Each snake head lifts, too.  Immediately our Meghan lifted the heads to make the snakes say, "Ssss."

I love the perfect, little contrasting green stitches, too!

(That is not a tongue by the purple snake's head...just a string on the floor.  Oops.)

We just love this quilt.  We have used it for playing and reading (and petting snakes) on the living room floor, but it needs to make its way to a bed, don't you think?

I Made a Buttercup Bag

For quite some time I have been wanting to make Made by Rae's Buttercup Bag. It's a free pattern.

My sewing skills are very minimal. With this pattern I made pleats for the first time. I also learned to top stitch...and appreciate this stitch. It makes this purse seem more polished.

The bag is on the smaller side, but it only uses two fat quarters. If I ever make another one, I will buy more fabric and enlarge the pattern. It has a great shape, though you can't tell by the photo.

The pattern did not call for interfacing, but some of the others who have made this suggested using it, so I did too, and I'm glad I did. The strap would need to be longer to use this on the shoulder with a coat, but it will be a great summer bag.







I really like the outer fabric, but think the lining would be nicer if a bit more subtle.

Yes, that is a magnetic snap you see. It was my first.









A close-up of the fabric for you to see. I really like the subtle swirls. And using white thread to sew the bag just made sense! This photo's coloring is closer to the real life color than the above photos.

If you know me in real life, you know that I have no fashion sense. This bag proves it. It's orange. I don't typically wear bright colors...or even colors that will look nice with this bag, but I will use this and be proud of it!

The Three Little Pigs Finger Puppets

I am really excited to show you the finger puppets that I made over the weekend, plus some. After browsing the internet for other cartoon and puppet pigs and wolfs, I designed these myself.

I still can't do a decent French knot (as you can see), but my blanket stitch has really improved.

They took a lot longer than I anticipated to complete. My sewing time (does not include designing which was quite time consuming) was about six hours. They could have been made much more simply, but I had fun including the details of the straw, sticks, and bricks.

As I made these, I had no idea how Meghan would react. I chose these puppets to make because she really enjoys the story.

She likes the hand puppets we borrow from the library, and so when I saw some very simple spring/Easter puppets, I was inspired. If you browse her site, you'll also find lambs!

She did enjoy the finger puppets, but mostly only when Mommy was using them to tell the story, but she helped.

Button Book and Button Eggs

Buttons Buttons!

I made a button book for Meghan's Easter basket. It was fairly simple to make. I got the idea here. Since Meghan tries to unbutton and button my shirts, I thought it was time that she had a more appropriate place to practice this fine motor skill. I used two pieces of felt, plus addition felt for the pocket and shapes. Embroidery floss holds the buttons on and the book together. Simple!

Here is the inside of the book with the sewn buttons and removable shapes.

I decided not to use the recommended blanket stitch. Instead I just used the whip stitch.

The outside has a handy little pocket for storing the felt shapes.


Though this picture is upside down (and I don't know how to fix it), it shows the button and ribbon closure. I hope she likes it!
Meghan's Reaction:

Silly me. When I made this button book I didn't consider Meghan's compulsive tendency. I will be making new shapes for her in matching colors to the buttons.

Meghan decorated an egg shape with buttons with her left hand

and her right hand.

Don't you love seeing how much she concentrates? Amazingly, school glue holds the buttons to the paper without any problems, unless a little girl tries to peel them off!

An Easter Bear and More

I made my first fabric (not just felt) toy since Home Economics in junior high. Mrs. Chandler would be proud of me. No broken needles, no blood, but not as cute as I had hoped either. The bear's pattern is here.

On Day 1 during nap time, I cut the fabric and embroidered. Silly me, I thought the worst was over. And embroidering was extremely hard for me...tiny stitches. When Day 2 came, I was excited to sew it, "knowing" it wouldn't take long.

I learned very quickly that sewing flannel isn't as simple as other types of cloth. Also, those turns are tricky. (I don't even have straight lines mastered! What was I thinking?) The total height for this may be six inches. Turning it inside out was tough! This little bear will find it's way to Evan's Easter basket. Until then, this bear will wait patiently for his hugs and drool.

Meghan hit two line drives right to Evan. It must be the bat!

Last weekend we planted corn for the garden. Some of it has poked through the soil, but a lot of the soil is moldy. Do I need to throw it out? Please help!

Meghan was collecting rocks again. Without Donna here to push her around in the big wheelbarrow, she had to resort to using her own.

The Apple of My Eye

The moment Meghan saw this completed, she said "apple," so it at least looks like one!

Over the weekend I made a felt apple, using the free pattern provided by Little Crickets. She also has pre-made felt toys available for sale that are just adorable.

My apple isn't so great. Meghan likes to throw it like a ball, so I guess she isn't looking at my stitches. This pattern used the blanket stitch, and this was my first time using it. You can tell, even though the pattern explained clearly how to do it! Practice, right?!

Little Crickets has a wide variety of patterns to choose from. They look a lot cuter than my apple. I know I need to work on my stitches (and maybe it needed to be stuffed more).

I did not use the pattern for the leaves, but decided to trim them after I took this picture.

Sew Fun:Toys!

My sewing machine is truly going to see some action this year! I have a handful of free toy patterns picked out that I am very interested in making and wanted to share them with you.

Meghan can help me decide if I should make the cat or dog, and I already have purple polka-dot fabric for it. This will be my next project.

This platypus is just adorable, I think. It seems simple enough for me to complete...but you never know. Beanie froggie seems pretty simple too.

I think this striped cat is adorable and fun, but I couldn't figure out how to show the picture, so you should check it out.

The Long Thread has this lovely goose and other "softies." If you are a sewer, this blog has lots of sewing projects for you.

These next two are brilliant. A barn! A house! For support while remaining lightweight, UK Lass used needlepoint canvas. (We do have the Little People farm, and it is well used.)
You Can Make This is a resource for buying patterns for ANYTHING homemade, and you get a set of several patterns just for signing up for their free newsletter. I was quite pleased with their freebies. It's a site worth checking out.

If you know of simple and free toy patterns or sites that often feature how-tos, please share them with me. What toys have you made?

Dish Towel Apron

On Saturday I had the opportunity to sew. I was quickly reminded why the sewing machine usually sits unused in the basement. In the process of fixing a hem, taking in the waist of two of Meghan's pants, and making this apron, I had two different bobbin issues and broke a needle! It was worth it though!

Here is the apron I made for Meghan. It's made from a dish towel. She chose the blue stripes.

It has three pockets, though they are difficult to see. More obvious is her hippy headband that she likes to wear.

When I was making zucchini bread she came running as soon as she heard the mixer! (I shred zucchini in the summer and freeze it so we can enjoy bread all year.) She loves to help me bake. I have learned that she always enjoys it, but I only enjoy it if I have all the ingredients ready at my side.

Mommy and Meghan (and a cluttered fridge). We use this step stool for baking, but most often it is used at the bathroom sink to help Meghan wash her hands easily.

Free Felt Toy Patterns

Meghan was hamming it up in Derek's Mets hat.

This weekend I was searching on-line for some free patterns so that I can have many more homemade toys for Meghan and Evan. I really want to use my sewing machine more!

I found the jackpot with this blog! Keeper of the Cheerios compiled a list of free felt patterns including, bread, ice cream, and lots of others!

Little Crickets Etsy Shop offers a free apple pattern. Gulf Coast Cottage Etsy Shop offers a free California Sushi Roll. We don't do sushi, but I'm sure it is great! Bugga Bugs Etsy Shop offers a free strawberry pattern that I made and posted about last month. Very cute indeed!

What toys have you made from felt or fabric?