Mermaid Tails

We have a bit of a mermaid obsession lately, and so we decided to make mermaid tails to turn all of our favorite toys into mermaids... and merpoodles.

I just cut out two tail shapes and sewed them together with elastic in the waist. I definitely would have benefitted from working out a template first - since I made a few a bit too small, and the tails get really skinny at the end. I'm thinking of taking another shot at it, so if anyone wants a template and instructions let me know!

Make a Weeble Toy

I made these weeble eggs recently. I'd been thinking about trying it for awhile, but I was just sure it would turn out to be harder than I thought - that I would realize you'd need some sort of special shaped metal bearing or something.

But nope. It turns out these are super easy. :)

Give it a try! Here goes:

Find some easter eggs. [The kind with the little bit of plastic keeping the top and bottom together are nice because they will help you keep your drawing lined up neatly after opening. But any kind will do.]

Use a hot glue gun or crazy glue to secure a marble to the bottom inside of the egg. [Be sure the marble is centered on the bottom. If its off center your weeble will lean, like my lion below...]

Use a sharpie to draw on your weeble. [You could probably do something more complicated like paint or glitter-y pens - but the bright color of the eggs contrasted with the black sharpie looks pretty sweet to me, so you might as well keep it simple.]

Aaaaaaaand... WOBBLE!

Spoonflower Swatches and Felt Figures

I love my felt boards! We use these occasionally for play and school, and I realize now I haven't shared half the stuff we use them for. I'll try to remember to share more!

For Christmas, I thought I'd take advantage of Spoonflower to make some My Little Pony felt figures. Because, we need some Twilight Sparkle in our grassy meadow, folks.

Here's a super easy way to turn your custom prints (or any print you find at the store) into felt figures.

1. Print an 8" spoonflower swatch filled with figures. 

2. Cut a piece of sticky felt down to 8" square. Peel the back off and stick your swatch on. 

3. Cut out your figures!

4. If you cut figures from fabric larger than an 8"swatch, cut them out loosely first and try to fit them as closely together on the sticky felt as you can so you waste less.

The cutting takes time, but the custom figures are a hit!

Memorization Book

I saw this idea somewhere recently and thought it would be perfect for my dishwashing time. I've already been practicing memorizing songs and poems during the dishes, so when I saw the idea for a memorization book I thought it would expand my endeavors.

The idea is to write down lyrics or poems you want to memorize in a little book, then carry it with you and when you have down time (waiting rooms, check out lines, doing the dishes) you can pop this little book out of your pocket or purse and study. Keeping a small book close will make learning easier and more convenient.

Making and decorating it is the fun part, though. This is pretty similar to other books I've made on this blog, but with a cover glued to the outside. If you make the cover from card stock, the book is a little prettier and good bit sturdier.

1. Fold 3-4 sheets of regular letter paper and 1 sheet of card stock in half. 

2. Cut along the fold, and stack, so you have 6-8 sheets of paper. Use one of the cardstock halves for another book.

3. Fold the books in half again.

4. Sew with a sewing machine down the fold of the white paper, binding the pages together. You can use a stapler if you'd rather.

5. Apply rubber cement to the inside of the card stock and the outside of the book. Allow them to dry completely.

6. Mount the white paper inside the card stock so that the two gluey sides are touching. Press to seal the glue together.

7. Now start writing!

In addition to a few prayers and psalms, I've also been memorizing fun songs to sing with the girls. Muppets are a personal favorite. I think a book like this would be great for kids who are a bit older than mine, who can write a read. And I always love adding a new handmade book to the kids shelf.

So here's a quick Muppet song to sing while you wash your dishes:

This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.Close to my soul, and yet so far away.I'm going to go back there someday.
Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls.Is that a song there, and do I belong there?I've never been there, but I know the way.I'm going to go back there someday.
Come and go with me, it's more fun to share,We'll both be completely at home in midair.We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings.We can hold onto love like invisible strings.
There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met.Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?You can just visit, but I plan to stay.I'm going to go back there someday.I'm going to go back there someday.

Laptop Messenger Bag

I'm in too much of a rush to say much here today. This seems to be my new normal relationship with the blogosphere. I can't say I'm unhappy about that.

Yet, briefly, I wanted to share this new pattern. I needed a bag to carry my laptop that was professional, but not one of those black ones with a million pockets and zippers that's all boring and busy looking (you know the one).

I put together this bag. It's very simple but uber-functional. I prefer the messenger-style, and this is padded to protect my computer on the go. It has large pockets inside and a pretty lining from Ann Tuck on Spoonflower. I meant to use this fabric for something else ages ago, but life got busy and it seemed a shame not to use it. 

So here it is. I'm very pleased with it, and I think I'll make a few in more colors. I think it will be just right for carrying art supplies also, for painting outside. It makes a nice guy-bag too, since it has no frills. The pattern is available in the shop.

Felt Play Dolls and Tutorial Round Up

I've been in need of quiet toys for the kids, and so I decided to make some felt dolls. I was really excited to see that they were really into them. That's not always a given, some toys are hit and miss. But these have been such a big hit, I kind of wish I'd saved them for birthdays. I can see this being a great tool for homeschooling because you can easily add new parts as you're learning about new things.

As usual, there is a wealth of tutorials and ideas around that I really enjoyed perusing. The whole project can be no-sew if you want - which makes such a satisfying quick project. If you want to make a set of dolls, or a felt board, have a look at what I did and some of the great links below.

I made each of the girls a small felt board with a pocket on the back (the link for this tutorial is below!). I can store them face to face, and stuff all their accessories in the pockets. I put all the parts in baggies and drew pictures of some of the parts that are inside - I don't really expect this to last long, but it makes me happy now. :) I think these are great for traveling, but a really big board would be fun, too.

I cut everything from cheap craft felt with sharp scissors. Craft felt can be thin at times, which is really okay for this project, but I did put fusible interfacing on the back of the doll bodies to make them a little sturdier. I used fabric glue for attaching permanent things like hair and bows on dresses.

My template (scroll down) includes a child and an adult size - I've only made the child so far.  I cut out the bodies first, and then used my body template as a guide for the clothing instead of drawing out each garment first. I also threw in some random shapes that I thought I might use as guides, but mostly I just free hand cut everything else.

I made a playground.

The girls love the tea party. They can push the boards together when the dolls want to have a party.

Felt board tutorials:
 - Jennifer Dawn has a great felt board tutorial which is what I used, and I totally recommend. I haven't used a glue gun since college, but making this board reminded me why people love them so much: they're awesome.
 - I also loved this chalk board and felt board pair for a playroom
 - Find more fun ideas like this postman set, at Artful Parent

Doll tutorials:
 - Here is a simple felt doll template by Jennifer Dawn who made the board above.
 - About  has some paper doll templates and lots of clothes that would work nicely.
 - If you use die cutters, this is a really nice set.
 - I loved this doll and her clothes. I thought she was a bit too mature looking for my toddlers, but I love the details on the clothing. I meant to do more of that, and maybe I still will.
 - Another cute felt doll set with some fun details
 - You can use printed fabric for dolls, like Mayamade (with a nice travel board tutorial also).
 - And if you'd rather have a full blown pattern, there are some tidy simple sets for sale  on etsy by Lucky Penny.

Rattle Tutorial

I started to make a rattle-y toy for my book, but then it got scrapped. Still, I spent quite a bit of time investigating the best way to make the rattle part of the toy and thought I'd share these thoughts.


 Make the rattle
Maybe, like me, you've learned the hard way you can't just stick a jingle bell inside of a plush toy.  The stuffing compressed around it muffles the bell.  My next thought was to stick it inside a plastic container to allow some air around it, but, to my surprise, the jingle bell rolling around inside the plastic egg became a muffled bell, and you could hardly hear the jingle of the bell.

a jingle bell rattle

So, for a jingle bell, I found that the best solution is to glue the bell to the plastic egg (or whatever container you're using.  I used the small eggs that come from those 25 cent machines at the laundromat, but you could also use Easter eggs, prescription bottles, tic tac containers, etc.).  So I used a strong glue to attach the bell to the lid of the egg - make sure the glue doesn't seep into the jingle bell and glue the little ball down!  When its dry you can close the egg and secure it closed however you like - more glue, duck tape, etc.  The result is a jingle bell that doesn't roll around and has plenty of air to make a nice jingle.

a bean rattle

If you just want a bean rattle, you don't need to glue anything in place, just fill your eggs part way with beans (or plastic pellets, BBs, buttons, etc).  Be sure to leave plenty of space so they can move around.  Experiment with different materials to see what sounds they make. Then close the egg securely as before.


Inserting it in the toy
First wrap the rattle in a little batting.  You can secure the batting around the egg with a little glue, or by whipstitch around it.  Stick the rattle in the fullest part of the toy, and be sure that you put stuffing around it on all sides. This helps it get lost inside instead of feeling like a hard lump.

Those are my tips.  How do you make a rattle?

Spring Dresses

I saw this crazy simple lovely shirred skirt tutorial a month or so ago, and while I still haven't made one for myself, I thought that it would work so well with the pajama pattern I had just made for the girls.  But instead, I decided to lengthen the top and make it a dress, making it flare out a bit at the bottom.  I did about 10 rows of shirring. Again it was super simple, and it looked so lovely with a little sweater.

I think Lou's dress turned out looking more pajama like, but I think it's because the fabric is a bit thin.  Anyway, it would make a great night gown, too, right?

And then I made bloomers, cause let me tell you teaching a 4 year old to keep her skirt down is rough (let's not even mention the 2 year old).  Again I used the same pajama pants pattern, but made them really short. I used some stretch lace around the legs to make them snug around the legs and add a little frill.  Unfortunately, you can't see the lace at all here, because by the time I took this photo they'd been running around through the grass like crazy, and I feel like a bad mom when I make my kids stand still for pictures too long (not to mention pictures of their bloomers).  But anyway, you get the idea.

I realized as I took these photos that this will be our last summer here at this house, which is oh so bittersweet.  Such lovely memories here.

Spring Pajamas!

I have to preface this post with the disclaimer that I don't usually make clothing patterns - and the main reason is that I really don't know how to convert something from one size to another.  Still I like to sew clothes when I can, and I can't help but love the simplicity of this style of shirt.  So anyway, don't think of this as a pattern so much as a how-I-did-it-maybe-you-can-too.

These pjs were made during a few stolen hours one  Saturday, when I was supposed to be sewing for the book.  I saw this very pink flowery fabric and it suddenly dawned on me - this would be perfect for light spring pajamas! - because, I don't know why, but they love to be extra girly at pajama time. 

I realized (while taking the picture of my unwilling models) that these clothes are a whole lot like the doll clothes patterns I've posted before.  And because that's true, I haven't bothered to draft the pants here.  If you need help, check out my doll clothes pattern, or have a look at Soulemama or Rookiemoms. I always trace a pair of pants I already have.

The shirt is basically a raglan shirt with a really wide neck. You add elastic to make it a normal size with a ruffly kind of look.

The size I drafted below is what I'm calling a 3T. I enlarged it for the older kid, and it seemed a little too big, so then I had to take it up.  So it seems like if you're enlarging you need to add less width than height?  Does that sound right?  Anybody know?

Well, anyway.  The dimensions I used are below, with instructions for the shirt in the photo.  It's super easy (just the way I like it), I made both sets of pjs in only a couple of hours.

And coming soon,  I turned this same pattern into a spring dress set...

Two Patterns: Dog and Stegosaurus

You were warned about the Dog, but the Stegosaurus is here too!

My girls love dogs.  And dinosaurs.  Did you know there are 13 Land Before Time movies?

13!

And yes, we've seen them all. Although, I may have slept through a couple.

I fully expect J to open this Stegosaurus at Christmas and immediately say, "Now I need a Long Neck, a Cera, a Ducky, and a Flier!" And L will ask for several more dogs in a variety of shapes and colors. Yes, I'm prepared.

But for now, one pattern at a time.  Or, ahem, two.  

I don't expect these to replace Pink Dog, but I'm hoping they'll join the pack.  


A few notes about these patterns:
My goal was to make the cuddly, so you may notice a few differences.  They're made of fleece and furry blankets, and they're half filled with poly beads to make them more flexible - so they don't stand up perfectly for photos.  I made the dogs in two sizes, just enlarge the pattern a bit more because - of course - we need a mommy dog and a baby dog.  Also the dogs have a million variations - button/embroidery eyes, various ears, tail up or down, spots - ooh, and an easy, no sew collar.

 

Here's a qick giveaway: Today until the 16th - click the links below to grab these patterns and make some last minute Christmas gifts!  I've changed file hosts, so I'm hoping not to have bandwidth issues. (fingers crossed) (Updated: Dec. 17th - the giveaway has now ended. Thanks for all your enthusiasm!) After the 16th, you can still find the patterns in shop.

Last minute Treat Bags

All right, last minute tutorial.  I've got a fast version (20 minutes), and a faster version (10 minutes).  If you need one faster than that, grab a pillow case. ;)

FAST VERSION:
1.  print template and cut out.  You may want to enlarge it if you've got bigger (or greedier) kids. You don't have to print my template, either - just eyeball it if you want.  The template is only a quarter of the bag, so either print two and tape together then place on a fold; or fold your fabric in half, then in half again, lining up both of the straight sides on a fold.  Or, like I said, eyeball it, and just fold once.  Did that make sense?

2.  Cut out two bags from the template - an inner and an outer.

3.  Open up the pieces and stack with right sides facing.  Sew the handles together, then clip slits in the curves.

 4.  Turn right side out. You may need to iron, unless you're in a hurry.  Now your handles are sewn up all nice and neat. 

5.  Fold the bag in half again the with the outside in.  sew all four layers of the outer edge together and trim with pinking shears (or cut slits in the seam allowance).  Turn it right side out, and you're finished. 

FASTER VERSION
1.  cut out one layer of fleece, felt or other non-fraying fabric, fold in half and sew around the bottom edge of the bag.  Turn right side out. 

Two bags!  I made mine in fabrics to match the costume, but the shape would make a lovely jack-o-lantern with a felt appliqued face...  If you have more time.  :)