Cracker Case

While picnicking with a friend, I noticed she had an adorable re-usable snack bag that she received as a gift. Since I had extra fabric from the boys sunglass cases, I decided to make three. I did some searching on the web for a tutorial and I liked THIS ONE best. I wanted to find one that had minimal seams inside so there would be less places for crumbs to get stuck.

I'm pretty impatient, so I had to adjust the size of the snack bags to suit the short strip of velcro that I already had on hand. I settled on 5.5 inches by 6.5 inches. I saw some cool interiors made out of a wipeable material, but also saw conflicting opinions about how food safe the other materials are so I stuck with cotton fabric inside and out.

Instead of grabbing a ziplock baggie for snacks when we're on the run, I feel good about grabbing our re-usable snack bag.  (Or "cracker case," as Aaron calls it.) When we're done with our snack, I shake out the case and wash it once a week. (I'm not using them for anything sticky or gooey... that's just too messy!)

Shades

I have some pretty cool dudes over here with their shades. 

Of course if you wear shades, you need a case to hold them. :)

So I whipped up some drawstring pouches that I lined in flannel. 

I used the tutorial I had printed out four years ago and it's no longer 

out there on the web. THIS is something pretty similar to what I used. 

 One for each of the boys and a couple extra for their cousins who'll be with us on our beach trip. 

  

Now let's see how long it takes to lose or break the glasses or drawstring bag. Just keeping it real. :)

Ribbon Blanket

I wanted to share with you an easy and great tutorial for a ribbon blanket. I've done a good bit of searching around the web and this one HERE is very detailed for a beginning sewer. Good explanations and pictures! I recently made one for a boy and one for a girl.

 I love choosing the fabric and ribbons. I usually use a minky fabric and a flannel. You have to be careful NOT to iron the minky fabric (has little 3D bumps), or it loses its bumpiness as you can see above. oops!

The only thing I do differently from the tutorial, is that after pinning the ribbons to the fabric I sew them on with my sewing machine. This is BEFORE I pin the two fabrics together. I think it helps me make sure the ribbons are straight and double secures the ribbons -- something really important if a baby is going to be sucking or pulling on the ribbons.

This is a great starter project because it promises somewhat immediate results. Also a great project to set up an assembly line if you have lots of baby gifts to make.

All Tied Up

Thankfully, no one is literally tied up over here! :) (At least not today!)

So, I've been conflicted recently about "dressing up" for Easter. It sort of takes the focus off what Easter is really all about. It's certainly not about how cute my kids are or how much money I'm willing to shell out for coordinating outfits. As much as my goal may be to allow the events of Easter to make an impact on every day life, I do think it is important to really set apart Resurrection Day as a special day of celebration and worship. It seems to me that when the boys are dressed more carefully their behavior tends to be more respectful and a little less wild. Still in process here... or perhaps I'm just justifying my urge to dress them up? hmmm...

Anyway, I wanted to dress them intentionally this Easter but didn't want to spend a lot of money. I suddenly had the inspiration to make them ties. I found a great tutorial HERE. (Just to note... our church is not dressy and Darin never wears ties, but the boys had been asking for a tie so I was excited to indulge them.) I was looking for a spring plaid, but settled on the bike fabric below. I think it's pretty cute.

Since I'm not planning to make them dresses, this was a fun boy project. Most of the tie was made without a sewing machine and really all of it could have been hand sewn. I found some great YouTube videos to remind me how to do a slip stitch. There is so much information out there! Definitely a manageable project for a beginner.

Two things I learned: First,  if you can, find a more slippery fabric. It was tricky to tie the cotton quilting fabric I used. Second, it was not expensive, but also not as cheap as I thought. Since the tie is cut on the bias, you need more fabric then you would think. I shortened the pattern for Aaron's tie so it wasn't too long. 

I thought about making Darin a tie that matched, but decided against it. :) 

I think that was a wise decision. I'm sure Darin's glad too. 

Sewing with love

If you've been reading this blog for a little while, you'll remember that I mentioned I was working on one special sewing project for a Christmas gift this year. Well, the recipient finally received it so I can share it with you!

After lots of thought, I decided in December the best gift to send my two nieces (4 years old and 5 months) for Christmas would be a homemade one. Much easier and lighter to mail something to western Canada made from fabric! I decided, somewhat impulsively, to make matching dresses for the girls. I love to sew, but I am definitely a beginner. I've never made any clothing before, unless you count the simple and cheesy skirt I made in high school home economics class. However, I was determined and had a wonderful time stretching my brain and my sewing skills. With lots of help from my sewing mentor, Carla, I learned how to read the pattern and  get started.

I really tried to pick a pink fabric, but I just couldn't do it. I am definitely a blue girl and having boys I've never had to get used to pink. I settled on a lovely aqua floral fabric.

So without further ado... here they are. These gifts were definitely made with much love for my precious nieces I don't get to see nearly enough.

Crayon Delight

Wanted to share with you a pretty simple sewing project that has been received well. Sewing has been a great source of relaxation and satisfaction in recent years, although I've had my moments of frustration. : ) I'm thankful my mom taught me the basics of sewing as a young girl and thankful for a friend rekindling my interest in making simple sewing projects. (And thankful she's been willing to be my sewing mentor over the past 6+ years!)  I don't have a "sewing brain," but I like to follow directions and you would be amazed by the MANY simple sewing tutorials out on the web.

I found this tutorial for a crayon roll and think the directions are pretty easy to follow.  Here are a few I made for my nieces.

My eldest son loves cars, trucks, rescue vehicles and signs. I made him this one below. I made it larger to accommodate the crayola twist up crayons, but it still works for the standard size crayon. 

My middle son loves animals . . . particularly doggies. Here is the one I made for him. Although I  initially gave it to him when he was too young. He proceeded to break all the crayons into many pieces. The crayon roll went into hiding for a while until he was ready. Glad it's back out again! : )

My youngest son has yet to receive the crayon roll I intended to make for his birthday in July. Here's hoping I finish it before Christmas! This is the fabric I picked out. He loves sports.

For a beginner sewer, I think this project could be completed in about an hour or less once you have your supplies. I highly recommend grabbing some fat quarters and making one soon. Now if I could only keep my hands off the crayon rolls once they are made . It drives me crazy when the crayons aren't in rainbow order. I'm obsessive that way. : )

Happy Sewing!