Mermaid Tail Blankets

I've been able to squeeze a little more sewing in lately, and here's what I've been up to:

Fleece Mermaid Tail Blankets!  They are so much fun to make.  I've been shopping sales since fleece can be pricey.  My favorite is when JoAnn's has extra-wide fleece on 50% off, you get a lot more bang for your buck that way.  Better yet if you have an additional coupon to top it all off.

The dark green mermaid tail blanket pictured above is an adult size, and the others are smaller.  I've been experimenting with patterned fleece too, which I think is a fun twist.

I've been crocheting a bit too, but will probably switch over to making jewelry again soon.  Need to stock up on necklaces to sell at our booth.

DIY burlap ruffled tree skirt

Slightly off season, but I was going through some old photos and remembered I never posted about our new tree skirt!  I have been wanting to make a ruffled burlap skirt for some time now... and my lovely dogs gave me a reason to go ahead and do so after they chewed a hole in our other tree skirt.

Bummer about the old skirt, but I may make some adjustments to it so it's good as new (they chewed the edges and last time I sewed it up it had a couple "scallops" to it)

Anyways, I started by cutting the largest circle I could with a base layer of white cotton fabric.

DIY tree skirt

Then I cut my burlap into long strips (I believe I had 2-2.5 yards of burlap)  I was SO excited about the burlap, because it had some metallic gold colored threads mixed in with it.

DIY tree skirt

Then I pinned the strips of burlap onto the cotton fabric and sewed each row on to form the ruffled look.  Of course the cat had to "help".  (he had to leave the room when I was using pins)

DIY tree skirt

I used the selvage edge of the burlap for the outer most layer of ruffles and thought it added a cute, slightly different border.

Burlap ruffled tree skirt

After repeating row, after row, after row of placing burlap and stitching it on, the tree skirt was complete!  I really like how it turned out (and the animals do too... they love to lay on it).  If I were to make another one, I would make it larger, by stitching panels of cotton together for the base layer rather than just using the size of the fabric from the bolt.

Also, due to the nature of burlap, it does fray a lot, and with 3 animals that love to roll around under the tree, I don't think this tree skirt will last very long...  I'll probably make a more durable skirt to rotate with this one in the future.

Sea themed Fabric book! (pg 7 & 8)

In case you missed it:

Sea themed fabric book! (pg 1 & 2)

Sea themed fabric book! (pg 3 & 4)

Sea themed fabric book! (pg 5 & 6)
Sea themed fabric book! (pg 9 & 10)

 

Here are pages 7 & 8!  (next week I will post the final 2 pages, so be sure to come back to check it out!)

 

Page 7 - the Seahorse

 

Sea horse - sea themed fabric book

 

 The scrap fabrics I used on the seahorse were from: this spring jacket, and this pirate costume skirt, and the other fabric is from a pair of pajama pants I made.

 

All of the shapes making up the sea horse were attached to each other and then to the page with iron on adhesive.

 

 

Page 8 - the Stingray

 

stingray - sea themed fabric book

This gray material has gotten a lot of use!  I can't remember how many yards of it I bought but I made this fleece pullover, this fleece jacket and this cat bed.  I still have a lot of scraps from this fabric left, so I imagine you will see it pop up again :)

 

The flannel material used to make the pages was leftover fabric from this cut chenille blanket

 

 

Last minute pirate Halloween costume!

Other Halloween costume ideas & tutorials: Thing 1 & Thing 2, Royal wedding style William & Kate, DIY petticoat, more pirate or witch costume pieces, (more mix & match pirate costume pieces), & Dorothy & the Lion

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This pirate costume is so simple to make and can be done very last minute!

 

I just made a basic skirt (with an elastic waistband), grabbed a tank top from my closet, and cut a sash from some scrap fabric and left the edges raw.  Then, I took a couple long strands of hemp and tied knots (maybe every 10 inches or so) and added beads & fake coins to it, and tied that over the other sash.

Simple & comfortable DIY pirate costume

 

That's all. You can easily pair this with an eye patch or bandana, or other accessories

 

 

Baby boots! (or slippers)

I had so much fun making these little boots for my sweet little niece :)

 

Trendy boots for babies and toddlers!

 

Since I don't know much about baby and toddler sizing, I traced my nieces foot before making these.  Then, I found an image of a toddler sized shoe sole and printed it so it was slightly longer than her foot measurements (heel to toe) to allow for seam allowances and some growth.  I looked at patterns for the toe portion of the boot and changed them up so they would work together with the sole.  Then, I used paper to draw out the rest of the pattern.  It took a bit of tweaking before the pieces worked together :)

 

The buttons are decoration.  I sewed in Velcro closures, so the boots open up all the way down to the sole.

Christmas pajamas pt 2

More Christmas pajamas for the special little ones in our lives!

 

I made this outfit for my little niece.  To make the candy cane on the shirt, I used red rick rack (the same as on the pants) and twisted sparkly white/clear ribbon around it.  I then pinned the ribbons onto the shirt in the shape of a candy cane, and stitched down the center of the ribbons to connect it to the shirt.

Candy cane pajama top and bottoms

 

 

This is the outfit I made for our handsome little Godson.  To make the onesie I appliqued logos that I cut from the same fabric as the pants.

Appliqued Packer bodysuit and pajama pants

 

Check out the other Christmas pajamas I made this year!

Christmas pajamas pt 1

I made pajamas for Hubby's niece and nephew for Christmas.  Hubby picked out the materials and ribbon, and was a great sport on our multiple trips to the craft store :)

 

I bought a plain white top and appliqued three owls from the pajama pant fabric onto it.

 

Appliqued owl top

 

I can't remember off hand which pattern I used for the baby/toddler pajamas I made this year, but will look it up and write a review in the future.  I used this pattern for 3 of the 4 pajamas I made this year... but likely won't use it again, at least not without changes.

Owl fabric toddler pajamas

 

I liked the pattern I used for the boys pajama pants, but, of course, my dog literally ate my pattern.  Thankfully it was after my pieces were cut!  I'll look up the information and post a pattern review for it in the future too.

Penguin fabric boys pajama pants

 

Check out the rest of the Christmas pajamas I made this year!

 

 

Old towel = New heating pad

I got some cute scrub tops on sale this weekend, but have yet to sew the tops that I bought fabric for.  Today I cut a pattern (based on a top that fits me well) and fabric for one top.  Here's hoping it goes together nicely :)

 

The weekend went quick, but I did fit a little sewing in... making a rice heating pad for my Mom.  My Grandma has hers right now, and I just thought it'd be crazy to run to the store to buy another one... when they're really easy to make (and MUCH cheaper to DIY).

 

I folded an old hand towel in half lengthwise and stitched it into a tube.  I then added handles on each side, leaving a small opening on one end to add rice into the newly formed pouch.

 

 

 

After the rice was added, I stitched up the hole.  That was that!  I think it turned out kind of cute, especially for recycling old household items :)

 

Started another knitting project since I bought MORE yarn this weekend, lol.

 

Luggage Tags!

I hate the mad search for my suitcase after a flight.  I get all excited, thinking I see mine rounding the corner of the conveyor belt... only to be let down (and fear the worst... that it didn't make the connection!).  In the past, I've put pom poms and strings on my bags to help identify them, but now have something new.

These make it really easy to spot a bag!  I'm not sure which one I'm going to use yet, but I've posted all of these on etsy :) 

 

Check out my new Etsy shop CrazyBeagle  (update:  I have LOTS of new tags available now!)

 

These could also be used to label diaper bags, camera bags, laptop cases.... and so much more

 

Or, how about as a gift tag?  Lots of options!

Braided pet bed

Look what I found while sorting through boxes of junk from my childhood bedroom....

A big ball of braided fabric.  This was meant to be sewn into a rug a few years ago, but I was sewing it by hand which took forever, and other things came up.

So, I figured I might as well finish what I started... and threw the braided fabric on my sewing machine (much quicker) and used a zig-zag stitch to sew it together.

Instead of making a rug, I decided to make a cat bed or cat basket.  (since one of my dogs chewed a hole in the fleece cat bed I made for them before, it was time for another)

One of the cats is always occupying the new bed...

To make this, it's the same idea as making a braided rug (which if you google search it, there are several great tutorials).  Except, you braid a little tighter, and let it coil up while sewing.  (every now and then I'd do a slight overlap of the connecting braids)

Update:  Apparently my cats prefer the basket a little shorter on the sides than it was... they folded the edges over on the pet bed and use it that way now.

Heirloom Cut Chenille Baby Blanket

Hubby & I just finished making a blanket for his beautiful little baby niece.  (OK so Hubby didn't use the sewing machine, but he picked out all the materials and helped hand cut the rows and rows of fabric)

We made an Heirloom Cut Chenille Baby Blanket using the tutorial over at Aesthetic Nest.  This blanket was really fun to make but be ready to spend some serious time on the sewing machine.


Here's how it turned out:

(I love sewing binding on with a decorative stitch)

front of cut chenille baby blanket

back of cut chenille baby blanket

close up of cut chenille baby blanket

 Fluffy!  Apparently the blanket gets even softer the more you wash it.

Baby boy onesie & shoes

Here's a picture of an outfit I made for an adorable new baby boy

Baby boy onesie with tie

The shoes are made from Simplicity 2278, view B.  (size small)

Simplicity 2278

Baby stuff is fun to sew :)

Refashioned t-shirt (REVERSIBLE & multi-look)

Hubby & I just went through our house and got rid of TONS of old clothes and other stuff.  Knowing my love for refashioning t-shirts, Hubby pulled a handful of old t's aside for me :)

I think this shirt turned out kind of fun, because it is REVERSIBLE and since it has a ribbon for straps, it can be tied several different ways, giving slightly different looks.

Here's the BEFORE:

The shirt was a bit roomy for me to say the least.  Oh, and I'm not sure I should admit this... but there were holes torn in the armpits of it (that probably explains my slightly creeped out face in this picture).

Anyways, here's how I refashioned this shirt:

1) Lay the shirt flat, and place a shirt that fits you well on top of it.  

2) Using the shirt that fits as a guide, cut the t-shirt (that's being refashioned) width to size. 

*Remember to add enough room for seam allowances*

*If the guide shirt has more or less stretch than the shirt you're refashioning, add/reduce your measurements as well*

3) Cut notches for armholes

4) On one side of the shirt (doesn't matter if it's the front or back piece, since it's reversible) cut a v neck (leaving 3-4 inches for each shoulder)

5) If you want to get rid of the logo  sew the pieces opposite of normal (making the previous "right side" of the fabric the new "wrong side"  the logo should be on the inside of the shirt in the end)

6) Turn the fabric at the armhole under and stitch a seam (remember, to make sure you're sewing on the proper side of the fabric if you're hiding a logo)

7) Repeat step 6 with the "v" shape cut out of one piece

8) Sew sides of shirt together, under the arm holes

9) Sew casings on the top edges of each piece (the straight top edge on the uncut side, and each of the 2 shoulder pieces on the side with the v cut)

10) Thread a long ribbon through the casings and tie it together.  There are tons of ways to thread and tie the straps, here are just a few examples:

Straight front with ribbon threaded twice

Straight front with ribbon threaded once

V-neck in front with bows tied on each shoulder

V-neck in front with ribbon threaded across and tied on one side

V cut out in back with simple bow

V cut out in back with ribbon threaded through and tied in front

Straight back with ribbon tied in front

There are lots of other ways to wear the shirt, or instead of ribbon it can have a more nautical look if you tie thin rope as the straps.

Cases for glasses in 4 steps!

Things have been a bit crazy around here, but I finally got a project done that has been bugging me for awhile.  Making cases for our 3D glasses.

I love the basket they're in (it held tissues in handmade cases at our wedding) but storing them this way makes them more susceptible to scratches and fingerprints.

To protect these babies, I made glasses sleeves for each pair.  Super simple, and quick.

4 simple steps to make cases for glasses

1) Size up the glasses & cut 2 rectangles (leaving a seam allowance)

Make sure you cut enough fabric for each pair of glasses!

2) Fold the top (short edge) under and stitch, to form a nice finished edge.  Do this to both pieces before sewing the rectangles together.  * I used decorative stitches to do this, so the cases look a little different *

3) Sew the fabric together (right sides together) by sewing the 3 remaining edges (leaving the top part open)

4) Trim seams, flip right side out, and repeat for all additional glasses cases

I used snaps to keep the glasses from sliding out of their cases, which is optional.

Some of the cases are in zebra print, that's to tell the 2D glasses from the 3D sets.  (the 2D glasses convert a 3D movie back into the regular style, so those who don't do 3D can still enjoy watching.  The 2D glasses were easy to make and way cheaper than buying pre-made)

I may need to make some more of these... my sunglasses sure taking a beating in my purse next to keys and spare change.

Pacifier clips

Almost a year ago I saw a tutorial for pacifier clips on Running With Scissors blog.  I thought they were so cute so of course I bookmarked the page and put it on my "to do" project list.  They can be used for a lot of other things too, not just pacifiers!
My clips are slightly different than her tutorial, but it's the same idea.

Update:  My sewing machine is still broken... I'll be taking it to a different repair shop tomorrow.  Fingers crossed! 

On a side note, I started crocheting a blanket.

Halloween 2011 - William & Kate costumes COMPLETE!

Here are some pics of our William and Kate Halloween costumes!



William & Kate Royal Wedding Halloween costumes



Kate Middleton Wedding gown Halloween costume



Ideally I would have had the lace closer together at the buttons but I ran out of time (and trying to fit this on myself would have taken forever), since it's only a Halloween costume, I was OK with leaving this as is.

Check out these posts to see how I made the satin and lace parts of the bodice, the skirt, and how it was sewn together.

I also have a list of key accessories for the costume as well as tutorials on making the bouquet and petticoat.



Prince William Wedding day Halloween costume

Check out this post for details on the pattern I used to make the Prince William costume. (I didn't have time to make the black pants I cut out) You can also see how I sewed the top and bottom part of the coat as well as the details on the sleeves. Later, I sewed some patches onto the uniform and made a sash. Hubby helped make the belt.

Since I messed up my sewing machine before finishing our costumes, there are a few details I didn't get around to adding to the costumes. If we wear them again I'll add them, if not, oh well!