The Ugly Little Green Monster Pin Cushion

Last night, I was at my sewing machine getting ready to finish up sewing another apron for Christmas, when I realized my white thread was no where to be found. Cue 15 minutes of aggravated desk cleaning/searching, and still, my white thread was simply gone. I imagine one of the cats hid it somewhere to play with.

I did, however, get my desk cleaned & organized. When we first moved to our new home, we decided that the front room would be a den, slash library, slash sewing room, slash pet room. We bought a large old desk at Goodwill, and placed it against a wall. It has 3 large drawers on the side, and one wide slim drawer in the middle.

However, I must admit, what ever crafty period I am going through now is making up for the past year. My sewing desk sat neglected, and the drawers somehow got appropriated. I found things from our 2008 taxes, to diapers (clean, but diapers none-the-less), to old school work, video games, cables, and more. I gutted the desk. If it wasn't a craft project, or supplies, it did not belong.

And yet, that brand new roll of white thread was no where.

So there I sat, with the sewing bug firmly in place, and several unfinished projects that all required.... yes, white thread. I seriously just started at my sewing machine. Meanwhile, Nick kept looking at me, all nervous like, as though I were getting ready to start hot gluing ribbons and lace onto his precious Man Cave items. Did I mention that all though the room was going to be a family area, it turned into Nick's Man Cave? His computer, tv, and video games are in there for him to enjoy.

Well, he's been a champ about sharing space, though the blinds that let in much needed natural light keep shutting mysteriously.

Where was I? Ah, yes. In deep need of a project. I started sorting through my fabric, and came across the ugliest green polyester. It feels like something from the 70's, and I know without a doubt, it is not something I would have bought with a purpose. I have no recollection of buying it at all, so I can only guess it came from a bag of material or lot of material I found at a yard sale or 2nd hand shop.

With all of the crafting I have been doing, I have really missed having a pin cushion. I have a magnetic spot on my machine that I stick the pins on. And... well... I'm almost embarrassed to show it, but a DIY sort of pin cushion that wasn't made to BE that, but somehow got made INTO that over the years.

It's a vase that at some point, I stuffed some spare batting into, probably when I was cleaning up. When we lived up north, my sewing area was the dining room table, so it was always cleaned up when I was done. After that cleanup, at some point, I started sticking pins into the batting, and using a vase of all things, as my pin cushion.

So, I cut off a length of massively ugly green material, sewed a pillow shape, stuffed it with the batting from the vase, sewed it shut, and had myself a pin cushion. And then I was bored once more.

I had an idea- sewing an ugly green monster! I had the left over bits of socks from Raegan's arm warmer, slash fingerless gloves. They are black, green, tan, and blue argyle, and.. well... kind of ugly. I cut them apart, and sewed tubes. As I was pulling the material to turn it right side out, I realized that by only pulling it halfway, I was stuffing the arms at the same time.

I made 2 arms, and 2 legs, then a section of massively ugly green material. I attached the limbs with pins, and sewed a box shaped monster, then turned it inside out, and stuffed it, before sewing the top shut. It's kind of thick material, so having 2 sections of it folded over, meant sewing through 4 pieces, which my machine did not enjoy. It left the top edge not great.

The arms were a little high up. I didn't have any felt on hand to make a face with. I tried to add a shiny green eye, but the material wasn't great, and I abandoned that idea. I did, however, stick some pins in him for a face, making him into the ugly little green monster pin cushion.

It is a cute idea, though, and I think I might make some small ones out of scraps, but sew faces out of felt on the front before sewing them shut.

Inexpensive Child's Apron

With Thanksgiving & Christmas coming up, the chance to have the kids in the kitchen is expanding. Recently, I talked with a friend online about making an apron for my youngest daughter for Christmas. She is getting an easy bake oven for Christmas that another friend had sitting in her closet- brand new!

I am having one made for her, but after that, I found a really easy way to make a child's apron to use while baking. The main supplies- the towel & pot holder, can be found at Dollar Tree. For $3, you can buy 2 towels, and 1 2 pack of pot holders. Counting in the ribbon, this project should cost you about $1.75 to make.

Finished images of this project can be found on the blog by clicking the link below- it opens in a new window

Child's Kitchen Apron

What You'll Need:
1 Kitchen Towel
1 Rectangular Pot Holder
1 Spool of Ribbon
Sewing Machine or needle
Thread

1. Clip the loop off the pot holder, if there is one.
2. Take into account the child's height, then decide whether you want the towel to hang length wise, or sideways, depending on how tall or short the child is. Once you have decided, sew the pot holder onto the top edge, in the middle. The ends do not have to be bunched or gathered, they remain flat.
3. Once you have the pot holder sewn on, cut a length of ribbon long enough to loop over the child's head, or create two lengths that can be tied around the neck. Sew the two ends to the upper corners of the pot holder.
4. Sew two lengths of ribbon to the top corners of the towel, to tie around the child's waist. If you choose to make a sideways apron, you may want to fold the top corners down, and stitch the corner down before sewing ribbons on, to make it shorter around the waist. With smaller children, the apron might be too wide to tie around the waist at full length.
5. To keep the ribbon from fraying, you can coat the ends in clear nail polish, or fold it over and sew the ends.

The image below shows how to place the potholder, and where the ribbons go. I didn't have anything on hand to demonstrate it, so I used my art program. Yes, I really should have been a serious artist, I'm just that good. ;)

Rice + Fabric = WARMTH

Several years back, my mother had surgery done at the base of her skull, where her spine meets her head. It was for a rare condition called Arnold Chiari Malformation. With the surgery comes a long, highly uncomfortable, sometimes down right painful recovery.

It was during this time that I went to a craft show with my Grandma, and stumbled upon homemade heating pads. The note said it could be used cold or hot, and had instructions on how to use it. It was inexpensive, so I picked one up, and sent it home with my Grandma, so she could give it to my mom.

Fast forward a year or two, and I found out exactly what that homemade heating pad was. It was simply rice and fabric, nothing more, nothing less.

Since then, I've made these myself as gifts, and for myself. They are really handy to have around.

Homemade Heating Pad

What You'll Need:
Flannel fabric
Uncooked, Non-instant rice (very important! Instant will NOT work!)
Thread
Sewing Machine or Needle
Ribbon*
Aroma Therapy Bath Quality Oil*

1. Take the flannel, and make a square, rectangle, or oval shape about the size of a text book, give or take a bit. You will want 2 pieces the same size.
2. Once you have cut your shape, put them together, face to face if there is a pattern. Sew it together with a zig zag stitch on 3 sides, leaving the 4th side open, then turn it right side out.
3. Fill the fabric bag half way with the rice, then fold the unstitched edge together, and sew it shut with a zig zag stitch.

I usually add a handle to one side using grosgrain ribbon (the fabric ribbon with a ridged texture to it). To do this, insert one end in between the fabric at one corner, then insert the other edge into the opposite corner, so that the ribbon is sandwiched between the fabric before it is sewn. You want the handle to be on one end on the outside once it's been turned right side out.

To add aroma therapy oils, put the rice into a rubbermaid bowl with a lid. Drop just a few drops of oil onto the rice, then seal the bowl, and shake, shake, shake! If the scent isn't too strong, you can add just a few more drops, but be careful not to overly saturate any of the rice. If it's soggy, it will cook when warmed up!

How To Use It:

• As A Heating Pad: Microwave 1-3 minutes, depending on the size. It will create a moist heat that is portable.
• As An Ice Pack: Store it in the freezer, and use when needed. Warm at room temperature before using it as a heating pad.

The rice is usually pretty cheap. The flannel can be found at JoAnn's in the remanent section for 50-75% off the retail price. This allows for a large selection of patterns & colors.

I made these one year for Christmas, and just about every year since, I get requests for more, because they are so handy to have around. One aunt tells me her pad seems to walk off on it's own after people use it!

If you are in need of a heating pad for yourself, and want one right away, without the sewing, you can fill a clean tube sock about half way, and simply knot the end. These can come in handy for when you need something right away.

Homemade Scarves & Hats

I have been making fun fleece hats for several years now. The kids love them, they're warm, and they are pretty cheap to make, if you shop right. At the bottom of the post, it tells you how I get my fleece dirt cheap, all year round.

This is an article I wrote a few years ago on Gather, and the original can be found here.

First things first- pick out 1 or 2 fleece fabrics. When you lay it out, you want the fabric to be laid out so that the stretch is what will fit around your head. Usually, that means using the raw edges as the top and bottom of the hat, not the material finished edge.

Next, using a tape measure, measure your head circumference- or the circumference of the person who will be wearing the hat. If it's for a gift, use a comparable sized head. ;)

Now, you want to measure the fabric. The general rule is to make the bottom edge the length of the head measurement, plus 2 inches. That gives an allowance for seams, while giving a snug fit.

If you want to use just 1 fabric, you'll want it to be 16-18" wide (tall) for an adult, or 14-16" wide (tall) for a child. If you use 2 fabrics, you want the adult width to be 14-16", and 12-14" for children.

If using the 2nd fabric, cut the contrasting fabric to be 4 to 4.5 inches wide, and the same length as the hat- your head circumference, plus 2 inches.

Next, we start the sewing. You want to pick a side of the fabric that you want to face "out". Usually, one side has a slightly fuzzier side. I usually put that side to face inward.

So, lay the fabric with the right side facing down on the work surface (which for me is the floor), then lay the shorter strip along the bottom edge (which can be either side if it's unpatterened, or without a specific direction to the pattern). This strip should also be right side down.

In comes the sewing machine! After it's lined up, sew a straight edge along the bottom edge of the two fabrics. Once it's done, snip the excess thread, and fold the flap so that both of the right side's are facing out.

Now, you want to fold the top edge of the 2nd fabric inward, and pin it into place. Sew another straight edge, this time along the top edge of the thin band of fabric to hold it into place.

You can sew another line under that one, and a third along the bottom half if you choose.

Now that this is sewn into place, you need to fold the fabric in half, so that the two side edges (the short edges) are lined up, and the hat is inside out again. Sew a straight edge down the side, but leave the top 3-4" of fabric unsewn.

From here, you'll need either yur scissors or a rotary cutter to fringe the top 3-4" of fabric. Turn the hat right side out. Gather the fringe, and take a spare peice of fleece fabric to tie around the top of the hat, gathering a "puff ball" of fringe.

Viola! You have a cute hat that took about 20 minutes, and only cost a dollar or two. To keep the price low, and your options high, I recommend scanning the remanent bins every time you go to a fabric store.

Anytime there's fleece, go ahead and pick it up. It's half the price it would be on the shelf for the same cut of fabric, and often, it's marked down even further. Joann Fabrics regularly has their remanents on sale 50-75% off the marked price, making it pennies on the dollar of buying it off the bolt.

And again, it gives you some awesome choices as you stock pile it. Of course, you eventually start to run out of room when storing it, but that's just semantics, right?

My favorite winter hat is a "Santa" hat I made- instead of a contrasting fleece, I used fake white "fur", which can be found at Craft stores. Instead of a straight hat, I cut it on an angle, to make it triangular. For the end puff, I made loops instead of fringe, and I attached a big jingle bell to it. The kids love that hat, and I get so many compliments on it!

Another thing I like to make in the winter are handmade fleece scarves. It seems like my kids are forever losing stuff, and these things can cost up to $5-6 at the store. This is a repost from an old Gather post of mine as well, found here.

What you need:

Fleece Fabric, 2 or 3 strips 60-80 inches long, 3-4 inches wide. Cut so that it is stretchy width wise, not length wise. I buy my fleece in remenents at Jo-Ann's & Wal-mart, and usually get it 25-75% off the price of buying the same cut from the bolt, and I get LOTS of patterns and colors to choose from this way.

Sewing Machine

Scissors

What to do:

1. Lay the fleece strips on top of each other. The edges do not have to match perfectly.
2. Sew a zig zag stitch straight down the very MIDDLE of the fabric, not the edges.
3. Use your scissors or a rotary cutter to fringe the edges. You can do it narrow or wide. Make sure you leave about 1/2 inch of space near the middle uncut, so the scarf doesn't cut apart!

Decorative Touches-

Use contrasting colors & patterns for the layers to make a full and colorful scarf.

Twist and pull the fringe to curl it.

Use school colors!

This project takes roughly 10 minutes, and can be done with help from little ones. Make sure to help them with the actual sewing!

One of the best parts of both of these items, are that you need almost no sewing "Know-How" to make them. You can even make them without a sewing machine, though it IS much faster with a machine. These make wonderful gifts for adults and children both!