snipits from the sewing room

Happy Monday! I finally made it back into my sewing room (after winter break), and it feels great! Working on backpack dolls for the shop, and birthday gifts for little friends.

I hope you are having a great Monday too!

wine cork fabric printing

The last experience I had with DIY fabric prints left me excited to try it out with other objects from around the house.  So, when I came across a wine cork while cleaning the kitchen I knew immediately what my next print design would be...

Polka-dots!
After gathering a few supplies, I was able to create a fun print in just a few minutes for the backpack I was working on.

(My little helper created his own design on paper)

I used a paint brush to fill in the spots that were missing paint.   

Once the paint dried, I finished cutting and assembling the backpack pieces. The lining, backpack straps, and doll dress were all made using scraps from these teacher gifts.

I really enjoy making these backpack dolls because each one is unique, and I can't wait to see how the next one will turn out.. I wonder what new "stamp" I will come across next?!

Thanks for stopping by!

backpack doll #2

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine asked if I would be willing to make a backpack doll for her niece and I jumped at the chance.  Since the moment I completed the first backpack doll, I have been anxiously waiting for an opportunity to try out some new ideas. 

The basic doll pattern stayed the same, but I revamped the backpack by scaling it down in size and making the straps adjustable. 

 As a fun touch, I created my own print design for the backpack fabric by using the end of a triangle ruler as a stamp. 

I really love how this one turned out, and the best part... it cost less than $2.00!

Because I was able to find all the fabric I needed in my stash and salvaged the strap hardware off of an old backpack, the only expense was the zipper.  

A one of a kind AND inexpensive gift - LOVE IT!

backpack doll

A cute little friend of ours is turning 4 this week - finally, an excuse to make girly stuff. Yippee!

Having never made a backpack before, I went with a very simple design - a rectangle with rounded corners.  Using my son's backpack for reference, I measured out a rough* size, and then sketched a pattern.
 
*next time I will adjust the height just a little - 3" shorter and it would have been perfect.

 

The backpack was new territory for me, but when the time came to make the doll I felt pretty confident. A few years ago I went through a doll making phase and, in the process, created my own doll pattern which came in handy for this project.

Unfortunately, I lost every ounce of that confidence when it was time to draw on the face (as you can tell by the blank face in the photos). Messing up meant I would have to make an entirely new doll, and I REALLY didn't want to do that. It took me nearly a week to muster up the courage.

The skirt was inspired by the Market Skirts from MADE. I just adore this pattern, and when I came across the leftover fabric from the last Market Skirts I made, I knew I had to make a mini version. (It would have been really fun to make a matching big girl skirt to tuck inside the backpack.)  

I had such a great time making this gift, and I really hope I get the chance to make more in the near future.


Happy Birthday Miss Nora!

teacher gifts and a TUTORIAL

My oven has been working overtime this week, baking bread for Teacher Appreciation lunches. With so many loafs to wrap and deliver, I thought it would be fun to try out a new bread bag.

The 5 Minute Bread Bag is great, but in situations such as these (large potluck lunches), where there is an abundance of food (and clean-up), it seemed more sensible to use a disposable bag.

So, I gathered some supplies from around the house and set to work... 

To check out the full TUTORIAL, click the button below:

more fort kits & a great tip!

I had a lot of fun assembling these FORT KITS for a wonderful preschool teacher we know.  She is giving them to her niece and nephew for their birthdays, and when I explained this to my three year old I thought that that explanation would suffice... boy was I wrong! I had no idea that I was opening such a big can of worms. He had a really hard time wrapping his brain around the meaning of "neeph" and nephew, and insisted on discussing it for the ENTIRE day! Kids are so funny. 

GEOMETRIC fort kit:

RAINBOW fort kit:

The bags for both kits were made from thrifted material. I am sorry that I don't have pictures of the contents of each of those bags, but this photo shoot took place during the spare 3 minutes and 27 seconds I had before we had to leave for school (literally). I can't believe I actually got two that were decent enough to show you.



Here is a great tip from a reader: Littel Holts suggested that instead of (or in addition to) sewing ties on the sheets, create casings for the rope. Fold down each corner, and half way between each corner, about an inch, and sew.  This is a simple, but sturdy, way to thread the ropes through.

bread making kit

My best friend Kelly and her husband have been the guinea pigs for my bread making adventure over the past year.  They have always given kind feedback, and flattered me by returning their bread bag and asking for more. If they ever tasted a bad loaf, they never said so.

For her belated Christmas gift, I put together a bread making kit which includes this book, a baking stone, yeast, handmade bread bags, and container for storing the dough.

These bread bags are a little different from the ones I made in the past.  Using flour sack kitchen towels I was able to make 12 bags for under $4 ($0.33/each)!

I love how they turned out. The material is very lightweight, and the wrinkles give the bags such a nice texture. 

I embroidered "fresh" on the bottom of one of the bags, just for fun!

Happy Baking Kel, I can't wait to try a loaf!

thrifty gifts:: fort building kit

I had one of those "where the heck have I been" moments last week, when my nephew brought his Build-A-Fort kit to Thanksgiving - complete with sheets, clips, rope, suction cups, and more.  

The kit was a handmade birthday gift from his friend Joli.  When I emailed her, she sent me a link to this tutorial over at BLOOM - thanks Joli! ...How did I miss this?

 

Fort building is a wonderful open-ended activity, because it can be played with in a variety of different ways.

I did make one adjustment to the tutorial to cut down on time, and added an accessory bag, but for the most part, my kit is the same.

Oh yeah, and I made a custom tag to explain the gift, as well as a matching birthday card using this tutorial.

This particular kit was made for a little girl in my son's preschool class.  It was a lot of fun to make, and I was able to use up the pink fabric in my stash. 


Now to the Thrifty part of the gift...

Here is the breakdown:

Thrift Store:
2 sheets - $1.25/each
pillowcase (for the bag lining & accessory bag) - $.50 
Dollar Store:
clothes pins, clamps, and rope ($1/each)
Home Depot: 
flashlight & suction cups - $2/each
My Stash:
The bag and ties were made from thrifted fabric & shirt in my stash - free!

... so if my math is correct, that comes to $10.00!

to check out the mini-tutorial click the button below:

------------------ UPDATE ------------------

  more kits & a great tip!

Here is a great tip from a reader: Littel Holts suggested that instead of (or in addition to) sewing ties on the sheets, create casings for the rope. Fold down each corner, and half way between each corner, about an inch, and sew.  This is a simple, but sturdy, way to thread the ropes through.

fort kit in action!

RETRO DUFFEL Fort Kit

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Check out the Fort-Kit tutorial at BLOOM HERE!