A new lease of life - a circular skirt dress

I'd had some fabric in my stash for some time, unpicked from a outgrown circular skirt previously worn briefly by a teenager. I'd always thought of it as an abstract or mad gonk pattern, but one of my granddaughters was taken by it and though it was llamas, and she asked for a 'spinny' dress. Here's the result. 

Read on for how I made this.

Quick face masks - Billette's Baubles review.

Because I suddenly had a more urgent need to make a number of masks quickly, I knew my favourite mask pattern from Fleece Fun was not going to cut it. It's the best pattern for fit and comfort, we have found, but quick to make, it is not. 

I found this You Tube video from Billette's Baubles, which was not one I'd tried before. It looked easy and comfortable, and quick to make. So off I went, and the masks were very well received. So I expect to make more.

To read my full review, including how I slightly modified it to improve it for us, and how I speeded up the process of making quite a few, read on. 

Coffee cup covers

As well as all the scraps in my stash that were woven cotton, or jersey knits, from making clothes for the grandchildren, I had a few odd bits of double-sided ready quilted fabric. Then I found this great free pattern for a coffee cozy from See Kate Sew. I had been idly thinking for some time of how to make our re-usable coffee cups more hands-free - we are mostly using them when with the family, and it is very useful to have spare hands.

See Kate Sew's Coffee Cozy is just that - a cozy - and it isn't hands-free in its original design. But the template was perfect. To find out how I adapted it to make hands free coffee cup carriers, read on!

Applique identification for boot bags

Another scrap buster! I do keep some tiny little bits of fabric sometimes, they can be so useful to make little appliqués. 

We got these new boot bags, great for carting our hiking boots around, thus keeping the car clean etc. But after the first few times of opening up both bags, my boots always being in the second one I tried, I thought - I'm going to label these! And what better way than to put an initial on each? (And use up a tiny bit more of the scrap stash.)

I found a couple of little bits of cottton fabric just big enough, about 2" by 3" (5cm x 7.5cm). You can find out a lot more about how to make appliqués in my post here.  But I'll give a quick explanation below.

Bean bags to while away the time

Another lockdown / stash busting project:  - to make bean bags. I first picked up the idea from Peekaboo, whose newsletter I receive regularly. Her article on bean bags is here. While some of her suggested games were not so useful for my daughter in a first floor flat with no outdoor space, the method for making the bags was easy. We could be inventive about games for ourselves. The great advantage of bean bags in a flat, with thin walls and floors, is that they can be thrown without making too much noise on the floor, or risking breaking windows!

(However, to be even-handed, I also made a set for the other family who do have a garden.)

Here's all about making bean bags, and some games for indoors and out.

Scrap busting

We've all been finding ways to cope with lock-down. Enforced staying at home made me do a lot of tidying up, and I realised in the process that I had lots of off-cuts and scraps in need of using, donating or throwing. Some of the more usable pieces went to my neighbour's daughter, who was also at home for the duration, and who I knew was keen on sewing small bags and the like. Some has been "date-stamped" and is in a box marked - 'Throw if not used by the end of 2020.' And some pieces were crying out to have something done with them NOW. More on how to make all these if you click on the headings.  

Hairbands

These have been a good way of using up leftover bits of knit fabric. I've mostly made these for the grandchildren, but since my own hair isn't getting cut right now, I've also found them useful to keep my hair out of my eyes.

Coffee cup covers

The idea of these is to have a hands-free way of carrying round our multiple use coffee cups, when we go places with the children and grandchildren - that's when we can do that again. These were made from little scraps of double-sided ready-quilted fabric.

Bean bags

Another lock-down idea to help entertain the grandchildren. I made 10 each for each family.  I had to post empty bags for one daughter to fill, as sending them already filled by post would have been very expensive. For the family who live locally, I filled their bags and my daughter collected them from the doorstep. It wasn't as easy as it may sound, as, at the time, there was a serious shortage of dried beans, in fact pretty much all dried goods, for which demand had been very high at the start of lock-down. So they were filled with an odd combination of bits and pieces to give them a bit of bulk and weight. They used up more scraps of cotton and polycotton, each side of each bean bag being a 5" square. 

Appliqué ID for boot bags

I do keep a few very small scraps (fewer now!) of fabrics I like, that I can use to make appliqués. We had new boot bags which were identical, and rather than have to open them each time to find our own, I thought I would make an ID for each with our initials. Appliqués can be made using some quite tiny bits of fabric.

Trainer pants

Another good way of using up some scraps of knit fabric, together with some scraps of fleece. With a period of enforced social isolation, it was proving a hassle to get nappies for Youngest Granddaughter, Ada, so the decision had been made pretty much to speed up her training in using what the rest of us use. But living in a flat with no garden, there was potential for the occasional accident. Hence a need for more trainer pants - three of the pairs I made are here.

Birthday Crown

Some scraps of satin, and lining fabric, made this little crown for my grand-daughter's third birthday.

Face masks

I'm still trying to perfect face masks. Up till now, we'd been told not to bother, largely to protect supplies to key workers, we think. But it looks increasingly that we will later be told we need to wear them, as one of the features of coming out of lock-down. With a world-wide shortage, and the Third World undoubtedly having the greatest future need, home made masks seem an obvious solution. So I'd like to be prepared, by having a trial run. I've made about 7 different styles, most of which only need scraps of about 8" x 8". I've now gone through the scrap box more carefully, and picked out fabrics that could have at least an 8" square cut from them, putting these in their own labelled bag. The body of the masks are mostly cotton, or cotton and flannel, some with a layer of sew-in interfacing, but some scraps of knit fabric may prove useful to make ties, as the shortage of elastic increases. The link to my mask patterns review is here, but I've also written another post with my reflections on the main things to look for in a mask pattern.

The result is my fabric stash boxes are now much tidier, and it has to be said, much reduced, too! What remains is now in separate bags: one that has pieces large enough to make masks, one with bits of knit fabric, one with pieces from which I could get smaller squares (6" or 4") for quilt making, one with bits of silk and lining fabric, and so on. This will save me from having to rifle through the whole box looking for something that might be useful.

So now, with a tidier workroom,  I feel less guilt about returning to making clothes for the kids.

Sewn toys and play things for babies and toddlers

Over the last few years, I've collected many ideas for toys you can sew for babies and toddlers, almost all are free. Many I have used! Now, I thought it was time I shared them on the blog. First, here are some links to other articles on the blog that have ideas and some 'How to's.

A Sounds bag, or Sensory bag - particularly useful for a child just learning to talk:

Ideas for a baby gym, including a crinkly snake:

Ideas for baby shower presents, including some toys and play things:

There are lots of other toy ideas and tutorials on my blog if you do a search. In particular, there are several articles on Quiet Books / Play Books, Dolls' Clothes, and Finger Puppets.

Below the jump, I will share links that I have found while doing my own research.
Note Craftsy / Bluprint links may now be defunct - I will try and find other links.

Matching baby pants from scraps

I recently made a crossover apron for my great niece (see this post). From the back, these aprons always look cute with a pairs of matching knickers underneath. (Though they work well with jumpers underneath, and tights or leggings, in colder weather.) I had a new (Spanish) pattern I wanted to try, a free PDF, so in this post I'll tell you how I got on. Here is the end result, together with the matching apron. I should add that I had only tiny amounts of the matching fabrics left, really just the leftovers, hence the title of this post!

Needle case project - ideal gift! A tutorial

A while ago, I wrote a post about how to make an easy sewing kit case. As I was writing it, I thought the needle case within it might merit a post, too, but it's taken me a while to get round to it.

Before you dismiss the offering below as like the work of a child - it is the work of a child, namely yours truly age 7 or 8. We were required at school to make these needle cases as a Christmas present for Mummy. That is one reason why this is such a nice project - even a child can do it, and it's a great idea for getting your kids sewing. As long as they can hold a needle without stabbing themselves - they can do it.

In this post, I'll tell you how to make a needle case like this, or, if you or your children don't like this little Dutch Doll design, I have several other suggestions for you.

Easy summer skirts for little girls Part 2

Having made a few skirts already this summer, (see this post) I found a pattern / tutorial new to me, and I wanted to give it a try. I liked it so much, I made three! Only two have been given an outing so far the other is en route, but the two that have been around for longer seem to have been popular. And they were very quick and easy to make. 

You can find out more about This Mama Makes Stuff Twirly Whirly Skirt if you read on. It doesn't have to sit as low on the hips as this, but my grand-daughters are all slim, and like their skirt on their hips rather than tight round the waist. You could make a ra-ra skirt for a baby, or a full length adult skirt.

Replacement Padded Covers for Baby Car Seat or Buggy Straps

When my daughter found to her delight that she was pregnant again for the second time, it was time to get Jane's old car seat out of storage. Oh dear! One of the covers that should wrap round the shoulder strap to protect the baby from the strap chafing had gone missing.

It wasn't actually this model car seat, but you can see the padded covers for the straps clearly on this picture as they should be. Two of them. 

So the next sewing request was for a new set of strap covers. (A set, because, of course, you want them to match.) To find out how I made these (easy as pie), read on.

Easy Sunglasses (or Glasses) Case

In the middle of packing a holiday case (yes, I'd left it that late) I realised that none of the cases I had were big enough in depth for either of my two favourite pairs on sunglasses. 

So I had to make a new case, pronto. It had to be able to protect my sunglasses in the suitcase, and when out and about, but I didn't want it to be too heavy.

I knocked up this case in about 7 minutes. You could do a much better job in 15, but I didn't have 15 minutes available!

Recycling Adult Clothes for Baby Things

Once adults have no further use for their clothes, they may give some of them to the charity shop.  Sometimes, the clothes may be in such bad shape that they just need to go into the fabric recycling waste. But sometimes adult clothes on the throwaway heap may still have some good fabric in them. My husband throws away a shirt once the collar corners have started to curl. If there is usable material, I put them in my stash, until I find a further use for them. (Often to my husband's protests that I already have too much fabric. Is there such a thing???) Often, there will be enough to make little garments for small children. In this post, I'm going to recap on some of the uses I've made of rejected clothes over the past couple of years that have enabled me to fashion new garments for nothing or next to nothing. If any of them strike a chord, there are links to the more detailed descriptions or tutorials.

Making Baby Leggings from an Adult Vest

My daughter's newborn baby was too long for the newborn clothes - the leggings she had been given didn't reach her ankles. So I thought I'd have a go at making her some bigger leggings.

I was pretty happy with the results, will definitely make some more. To find out how to make these easy little leggings, read on.

Quick Quilts

I needed to knock up a couple of extra child size quilts for the visiting grand-children, with limited time available. I came up with two quick solutions. For the real thing, (i.e. proper home made quilts) see my posts on children's quilts here and here. But for a quick make, how about these two ideas?

This has to be one of the fastest quilts I've ever made. It's super lightweight, more of a blanket, really, but May and June were exceptionally hot here. 

You can read about how to make this, and another simple quilt, below.

Another Skirt and Top

In my last post, I wrote about Fleur's new skirt and top. Fleur's little sister Rose couldn't be left out, so I made her a new skirt and top this summer as well. She's 2 and a half, but the top pattern was age 4, so it was nice and loose for summer. 

Again, the skirt was a simple gathered skirt. It looks a bit long in these pictures, in fact both the skirts do. This is mainly due to the fact that these two little girls had not had lunch yet, and so their waists were a little skinnier than normal! So the skirts had slid down a bit below their waists. I offered to tighten the elastic, but their Mummy said no, just wait till they've eaten!

For details of the free pattern I used, and how I went about making these, read on.

Summer Skirts and Tops

I've recently posted about one of my grand-daughters who only wants to wear dresses, and my attempts to persuade her into shorts. One of her cousins, Fleur, is the complete opposite, and will only just be persuaded to wear a dress for church. The rest of the time, she wants to wear trousers or shorts. But her Mum thought she might consider a skirt and top. So I set out to make her a skirt and top (and of course, eventually, one for her sister).

The top was a recycled adult beach skirt, with a nice wrap around feature at the back, and the skirt was this nice whales and sailing boats thin knit fabric, which was an on-line purchase. You can find out how to make similar clothes after the jump.

Easy sewing case - a little project

As I expect is the case for many sewers, I frequently have to take some of my sewing kit with me. I've even bought a small portable Janome sewing machine that's easy to lug around. But as I've been SEW busy recently, I came up with the idea of having a nice little sewing kit ready for me to pick up and throw in my handbag at a minute's notice. And here it is.

It was so easy to make, and easy for you to copy if you have any double-sided pre-quilted fabric. (If you don't, don't worry, I'll give you an alternative.) It would also make an ideal stocking present for anyone who likes to sew. If you'd like to find out more, read on.

Baby Blankets

Baby blankets are so easy to make, and make great gifts. In this post, I'll tell you some very simple (and quick) ways to make them. Whatever you make, start by washing all the fabrics you use. 

More Finger Puppets

I did a couple of posts on designing templates for and making finger puppets earlier this year, and since then I've been making a few more. The children, especially little Jane, like to play with these atop a dolly peg (in lieu of a finger). This is what I call a dolly peg, in case you don't know. My mother used to use these to peg washing on the line, but you can still buy them.

When I picked her up from nursery this week, she randomly picked out a monkey and a penguin from my box of finger puppets, and had them chat to each other all the way home as she rode in the buggy. 

She was intrigued that Monkey has a tail, and Penguin does not. You can see Monkey and Penguin, lower down on this post. If you'd like some other ideas for children's finger puppets, or how to make your own, read on.