sewing

Here are the directions for turning those freezer paper stenciled blocks into a toasty warm blankie. Of course, you are welcome to make up your own quilt pattern, too. Just a head's up, this isn't a step-by-step tutorial on how to quilt (I didn't take photos along the way and actually... this is a pretty old project, completed a couple cameras ago, so please forgive the photos ;) ... but I do have all the measurements and such that you will need to recreate the snowflake lap quilt. If you need more advice on how to quilt, check out our Quilting Basics Series or read over our Pinwheel Quilt Tutorial for help :)

Snowflake Freezer Paper Stenciled Lap Quilt... Finished size approx. 46" X 67"

Materials Needed:
FABRIC...
Navy A - 1/2yd
Navy B - 1/2yd
Navy C - 1/2yd
White - 1 2/3yd
Med Blue - 2 2/3yd

White Fabric Paint
Stencil Brush
Freezer paper
Batting
Embroidery Floss (gold)
Embroidery Floss (med blue - opt)
Embroidery Hoop
Thread to match
Snowflake Pattern (120%)
click here for tips on enlarging
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Pre-Wash Fabric (very important!) Due to the high contrast of Navy and White I also used a 1/4 cup of vinegar when washing the blues to help color set the fabric. Remove fabric promptly from the dryer to reduce/eliminate wrinkles. Iron if needed.

Cutting Directions:

Medium Blue:
Cut Two Pieces 34.5" wide by 47" long for backing
Cut 15 squares 3" x 3"

Navy (each):
Cut 2 strips 9" x 42", then trim to eight 9" x 9" squares
(you need 24 Navy 9" x 9" squares total)

White:
Cut 2 strips 5" x 60"
Cut 2 strip 5" x 47"
Cut 7 strips 3" x 60" then trim strips to 3" x 9" (need 38)

Quilt Directions:

Stencil the Snowflake design on 12 of the Navy squares (4 of each color) following our Snowflake Stencil directions.

Assemble the quilt top following the pattern chart bellow using a 1/2" seam allowance (the stars represent the snowflakes).

Add backing and batting (you can follow the backing/batting directions from our Pinwheel Quilt pattern). You will need to sew the two pieces of medium blue together to make a backing large enough to fit (approx 68" x 47").

Use safety pins to hold the layers in place while you quilt.

Quilt around each snowflake with gold floss.

I also used a wax pencil and traced a snowflake in center of each plain navy square. (Very hard to see in photos!) I quilted the snowflake in those squares with navy thread.

I also used 6 stranded of blue embroidery floss to tie off the small medium blue squares and white floss to tie the border.

Now, grab a book, some steamy hot beverage, and snuggle under your new Snowflake Lap Quilt!

On a cold winter afternoon, there is nothing like snuggling into your favorite reading corner with a cup of hot tea and a snowflake inspired lap quilt. Enjoy a good book or surfing your favorite blogs while staying toasty warm.

For a fun twist on a classic appliqued quilt we used Freezer Paper Stencils to create our snowflake designs instead of appliqued fabric. Once you learn this fun technique you will be using it to add your own personal touch to all kinds of fabric items... from t-shirts to tote bags. We will be using it to create the 12 snowflake squares needed for the Snowflake Lap Quilt.

Next week we will share the freezer paper stencil technique and directions for making your very own Snowflake Quilt. 

Click Here for the Snowflake Applique Block
Click Here for the Snowflake Stencil Directions
Click Here for the Snowflake Lap Quilt Pattern

Few things are quite so handy as a drawstring bag. Small ones can be used to hold wee treasures like necklaces and lost teeth. Large ones can be used to wrap odd shaped presents like Teddy Bears and wooden trucks. They are great for holding lots of loose pieces, like a gathering of acorns or building blocks. No matter what size you need, they are all made basically the same.

Below are the directions for making a 7 1/2" x 10" bag that I used to hold Lady's Wooden Eggs and Cups, and Pixie's Acorns, Pots and Bowls. The reason I made it this specific size is because I had some fabric scraps 9" wide. Basically, using these directions, you can create any sized bag that you need.

Materials:
2 coordinating fabrics, for bag and casing
Ribbon, string, yarn, cording, etc for closing the bag.

Directions:
Cut out fabric. I cut 1 piece of striped fabric for the bag 19" x 9" and 2 pieces of the yellow fabric for the casing 4" x 9".

On each piece of casing, fold in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. Iron. Fold the 2 short edges under 1/2" and iron. Finally, fold 1 long edge under 1/2" and iron.

With right sides together, pin one casing to each end of the bag, so raw edges are together and the casing is centered on the bag. Using a 1/2" seam, sew casings to bag.

On each end, fold casing on a 45 degree angle and pin. (This will keep the casing out of the way when you sew the side seams together.)

Fold the bag in half so the tops are even. Pin the side edges together and sew together using 1/2" seams being careful not to catch the folded strip in the seam.

Turn the bag right side out and undo the pins holding the casing out of the seam.

Pull the casing up. Making sure the inside seam is up (you can iron). Then, fold along the fold line, and pin the folded casing along the seam line making sure you are catching the seam on the inside. (Do this to both pieces of casing.)

Sew two seams on each casing. One, a 1/4" from seam line and one 1/4" from the top. This will form the actual casing that will hold your ribbon or string.

Cut two pieces of ribbon, yarn, string, cording, etc. I cut my pieces 27". To determine how long you need to cut your ribbon, wrap the ribbon around the casing. Make sure there is 6" left on each edge to tie. Now the math... each side of my finished bag was 7 1/2". So I needed 7 1/2" + 7 1/2" + 6" + 6" = 27" (or the circumference of the bag which was 15" + 12" = 27").

Attach a safety pin to one end of a piece of ribbon.

Beginning at either side, Push the safety pin through the casing. Then continue threading the ribbon through the other casing.

Make sure the ribbon ends are equal, then holding them together, tie a knot near the end. Cut the ribbon ends on angles so they do not unravel.

Do the same with the other ribbon, starting at the side that does not have the tied ribbon. When you come to the side with the tied ribbon, simply go over or under the ribbon.

Tie and finish the ends of this ribbon like the first, and you are done. To close, simply pull the two knotted ribbons.

You can use this technique to make any size drawstring bag you like. If you make a big bag, you may want to make the casing larger, but the choice is yours :)

Even if you possess the most rudimentary sewing skills, this project will be a breeze for you. Just in time for the holidays, this is perhaps the simplest apron you'll ever make! Let the kids wear them for cookie making or wrap them up as gifts for all the wee ones in your life. Because you begin with a finished square napkin (mine was a 21" x 21" napkin from Pier One), there's no cutting out or turning under seams. It is a one size fits most children. I love this design because the apron covers the child all the way to the neck. Too often aprons hang down in front allowing food stuff to fall behind the apron defeating their purpose. This apron is really so fast to make, it will probably take you longer to read this tutorial than actually make the apron ;)

Start out by picking a spectacular napkin!

Then, pick a corner... any corner. Turn the corner down on a diagonal so the two sides of the triangle are 8" long. NOTE: If you get a woven napkin like mine, the front and back are both finished. If your napkin is finished on both sides, fold the corner so you have front sides of the fabric together. When the apron is done, you will see the decorative triangle. If the backside of the napkin is yucky, fold the corner so you have the back sides of the fabric together. When the apron is done, the triangle will be on the inside, unseen. 

You will be sewing a seam that will create a casing along the fold. This seam should be as wide as your neck ribbon plus a quarter inch. My neck ribbon was 1/2" X 28". I made my casing 3/4" wide. Make sure to reinforce the start and end of your seam so it doesn't come undone. NOTE: I made this apron using ribbon in my stash. If you are buying ribbon, I suggest you use grosgrain ribbon over satin ribbon. It holds its shape and stays tied better.

Using a safety pin, slide the ribbon through the casing. Center the ribbon so the ties are the same length.

To prevent the ribbon from coming out, sew a small perpendicular seam in the center of the casing.

To sew on the side ties, pin a ribbon to the back of a side corner, overlapping the back by 1". (I made each side tie with 1" x 24" ribbon.)

From the right side of the napkin, sew the ribbon to the apron. The seam should be close to the folded edges of the corner, and the seam should be as long as the ribbon. (The seam will be a right angle following the corner.) From the backside, trim the ribbon to prevent unraveling.

To prevent unraveling of all 4 ties, cut the ends on a diagonal.

And that's all there is to it! If you have a young sewer in your family, this is a great project for them. Now... running along and do some baking with the munchkins :)

The adage "necessity is the mother of invention" is never as obvious as when a parent is trying to fashion a toy for a child when traditional toys are unavailable. A hankie becomes a "pew doll", a piece of paper becomes an airplane or a "cooty catcher", and a handful of vines or flowers can be braided into a crown. Children are very good at creating their own toys, too. I read an article that said that most popular outside toy for a child is a STICK. Yep, just your garden variety, backyard stick. Think of the possibilities!

At one time, toys were a luxury to most children. Because of that, resourceful parents made toys from discarded items or items found in nature. Corn husks, straw and other plant fibers were often the basis for toys. Bits of fabric scraps and wood pieces were saved and fashioned into toys. Following that tradition, our dolls are made from raffia, which comes from the raffia palm, indigenous to Africa. Because raffia has very long fibers, it lends itself well to make dolls very similar to the yarn dolls we shared last year. I pulled fabric from my wee pieces stash bin. Although we are sharing our how-to, this is a very "ish" project. Follow our general directions, but delight in the fact that each and every doll will be unique.

Materials:
raffia
embroidery floss
calico scraps
large embroidery needle

Take raffia out of its wrapper and hang.

Find a lid or book for wrapping the height of the doll you wish to make. You can also cut a piece of cardboard to size. Mine is 7 1/2"

Cut off several strands of raffia, and holding it at the bottom of your lid, wrap the raffia around the lid. IMPORTANT: your ends must start and stop at the bottom of your lid. Continue wrapping strands until you are happy with the size.

Slip a thick piece of raffia under all the raffia loops at the top and tie tight and securely. This will be the top of the head. Leave the ends for now.


Using another piece of raffia, create the neck by wrapping raffia around the neck several times. Tie off the neck tight and secure. This should be about 1 1/2" from the top of the head. Thread one end of the raffia tie through a needle, and weave the ends through the neck a couple of times, and clip close to the neck.


Clip the bottom loops of the raffia.

To make the arms, again wrap raffia around your lid. The arms should be about half as thick as the body. Tie off the raffia about 1 1/2" from the bottom of the lid, and then cut through the loops at the bottom. This will give you a long rope of raffia, tied at one end.

Tape the tied end to a work surface, and braid the raffia. You will want your arms to be about 7 1/2". I find it easiest to braid farther, then tie off the end at 6 1/2" and cut through the braid at 7 1/2".




DON'T throw away your scraps! Simply take the raffia you cut off, secure it in the middle, weaving in the ends, and you have a corn stalk bundle! Also, save your little scraps. You can use these in other projects... you never know!

Separate the raffia on the body in two. Slip the braided arms between the divided raffia, and push up toward the neck. Now, tie off the waist like you did the neck.




At this point, weave in the ends on top of the head. (Not pictured.)

Any number of materials can be used for hair: dyed raffia, corn silk, yarn, etc. Staring at the forehead, tack on small amounts of hair using 6 strands of matching floss. (About 9" long.) Keep adding more strands around a center part until you get to the middle of the back of the head. Tie off. You can now "style" the dolls hair into a low ponytail, braids, a nape bun, or leave it flowing. I tied off mine to make a low ponytail. NOTE: If you would like a bun high on the head, tack on hair around the hairline instead of down the middle.


Using 6 strands of floss, add eyes and a mouth. I used straight stitches for the eyes. For the mouth, I used straight stitches, then wrapped the straight stitches several times. Your starting and finishing knots can be hidden on the back of the head.


If the bottom of the doll is uneven, clip the bottom a little to even it out. (Not pictured)

To make the bodice, ripe a piece of fabric 1" by about 15". (You can learn about ripping fabric HERE.)

Lay the piece behind the doll's neck. The wrong side of the fabric should be against the doll. Crisscross the fabric over the doll's chest. Turn the doll over and tie the ends. Clip off the extra fabric, by cutting on an angle or in Vs. 



To determine the size of the skirt, measure from the waist to the bottom of the doll. SUBTRACT 1". This will be the length. For the width, add about 3". (Remember, this is an "ish" thing :) Rip a rectangle of fabric to these measurements.

Along one long side of the fabric rectangle, sew a running stitch using 6 strands of floss. (Not pictured.) Gather the fabric around the waist and tie off securely. You can either work the ends in, or tie in a bow.


Tah dah... done :) Make one or make a whole village. I will share the directions for the boy later in the week.

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