Dinosaur Memory Matching Game

I got the idea for this dinosaur memory matching game from a Facebook post.

 I'd made one of my grand-daughters a playsuit using this great fabric, and I had only scraps left. There were 9 different dinosaurs on the fabric, and there were fortunately enough scraps for me to be able to cut out two of each dinosaur.

To find out how I made the matching dinosaur game, read on.

Pattern Review - MBJM Crowning Glory

This was another project that comes under the heading of 'scrap busting', though it was mainly that I wanted a nice little personal present for my grand-daughter's third birthday. We hadn't really been able to see much of her (out of a window, mainly) during lockdown, and although we were getting her some Lego sets, I really wanted a small personal touch as well. I'd had the Made By Jack's Mum Crowning Glory free PDF pattern for some time but to be honest had not taken much notice of it up to this point. There always seemed to be actual clothes to make, or face masks, or something else 'important'. But now seemed the ideal opportunity to try out this pattern. Here's the result. For the link, and my pattern review, read on!

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.

Finger Puppets once more

In this post, I'm going to round up all the posts I've done on finger puppets so they are all in one place. But this is also a bit of an update.

This first one provides you with some templates for finger puppets

The next one has some Easter finger puppets, but also has some techniques and tips for making  them.

And this one has some other finger puppets, and starts to tell you about how finger puppets can be used in games for little people. 

For an update, and how to weave stories around finger puppets, read on.

Child's handbag and small doll

I wanted to make a child's handbag to give a birthday present, and after a bit of research, I decided that this little pleated purse (here in my version) was just the free tutorial I needed. 

Normally if I give a purse or a bag as a gift, I try to stuff it, to hold its shape. However, I thought 4 year old Rose might get excited by some screwed up tissue paper and then suffer a disappointment to realise there was not anything inside the paper. So I decided to make a little doll to put inside, which would match the bag.

To find out how I made these, read on!

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.

Superheroes coin purse and pencil case

The most recent sewing request on behalf on the grandchildren was not for a new skirt, or trousers, but for a coin purse for school. Two of them have just started school this month, and one has to take a few coins in with her for lunch and the breakfast club. Her mother thought a little coin purse of her own would be useful. Maybe something with superheroes on? Especially girl superheroes? So I asked my other daughter - would the other school starter like a coin purse, too? No, she doesn't have to take any money - but perhaps a pencil case? And she is perhaps even keener than her cousin on superheroes, especially Spiderman, so no problem there in using the same fabric.

Here's the result:

You can find out more about how to make these simple zipper cases by reading on.

Quiet book page for superheroes

Far and away the most popular of my quiet book pages for my grand-daughters has been my superheroes page. It basically consists of a bag, containing 10 superhero puppets. That really has been the 'go to' page for all of the three older ones. And unlike some of the other pages, they ask for this one again and again.

To find out how I made this quiet book page, read on!

Mini quilts for dolls houses - a tutorial

One of my other hobbies has been making things for dolls houses. Now one of my grand-daughters likes to play with some of the (sturdier) pieces, I'm aware that there is a shortage of bedding. I found some of the old bedding recently, and although cute (I made it when I was 9) it is distinctly moth-eaten and age-stained. Jane loves her own quilt, which I made her a few years ago. So I thought I'd make a quick quilt or two for the dolls house. 

Making a quilt in 1/12th scale could be very fiddly (especially if you aim for perfection). I wanted to make something very quickly before Jane tired of the dolls, so I came up with a quick way.

To find out how to make a mini quilts for a dolls house  (or for a Barbie type doll), read on.

Quiet books - a technique for making pages removable

I enjoy making quiet book pages, but there is always a question of how to bind them, how to display them etc. In the case of single pages, I would prefer to do them back to back (after sewing each page) and using grommets to attach them into a file, or using a set of ties etc. That way, they can be taken out of the book to play with.

My problem was that so many of the pages I liked (and wanted to copy) are actually double page spreads. For example, many of the pages which come with templates by Imagine Our Life. (For more ideas, see below.) So removing those meant removing two separate pages. And if the designs on the back are also double page spreads, you can end up with multiple pieces. (Also tricky if there are lots of loose bits.)

So I came up with a plan, which works for me, and might work for you. To find out more, and for links to other useful pages, read on.

Quiet book Mr Potato head, abacus and cooking breakfast

For my general thinking about quiet books, and more ideas, please see this earlier post. Most of my efforts have been double page spreads with two singles, so they can be removed as a set from the book so they can be doled out. I've described how I did this in a separate post, together with some links to other pages I really like, and other pages I'd like to have made, if I'd ever had time!

This double page spread has at its centre a cooking hob and a breakfast table. Again, this comes from Imagine Our Life, with only minor alterations. The person who runs this web site generously provides not only pictorial ideas and tutorials, but templates for many of her ideas.

To see how mine differs, and to see the other single pages in this set, read on.

Quiet book - garden with bee, weaving and tic tac toe

For my general thinking about quiet books, and more ideas, please see this earlier post. Most of my efforts have been double page spreads with two singles, so they can be removed as a set from the book so they can be doled out. I've described how I did this in a separate post, together with some links to other pages I really like, and other pages I'd like to have made, if I'd ever had time!

The next double page spread is a bee visiting the flowers in numbered order. The idea from this is also from Imagine our Life. (Stephanie is so prolific and makes such beautiful and elaborate pages that I can't imagine she has much time to do anything else at all!)  

Another quiet book set - road scenes and pizza restaurant

For my general thinking about quiet books, and more ideas, please see this earlier post. Most of my efforts have been double page spreads with two singles, so they can be removed as a set from the book so they can be doled out. I've described how I did this in a separate post, together with some links to other pages I really like, and other pages I'd like to have made, if I'd ever had time!

This post covers a set of four pages, one double page spread and two singles. The double page spread is a small town scene or road layout. This is to my own design, but is loosely based on Peatblogger's design. (There are several other versions of this, so I don't know if Peatblogger's is the original.) To the basic street layout, I added a river and two bridges; a station and railway line; a hospital and supermarket with its car park; a playground with a swing and slide; a park with a duckpond; a petrol station and a car wash. With the possible exception of the car wash, these were all places I thought the girls would be familiar with and would want to take one of my little cars to. (More about the cars below.)

I

Quiet Books - mainly laundry

For my general thinking about quiet books, and more ideas, please see this earlier post. Most of my efforts have been double page spreads with two singles, so they can be removed as a set from the book so they can be doled out. I've described how I did this in a separate post, together with some links to other pages I really like, and other pages I'd like to have made, if I'd ever had time!

This post is all about a particular set, which as shorthand I'll call the 'mainly laundry' set.

This folds in half so that the washing machine and socks form one double page spread. On the 'back' of this are the dolls and the washing line. To find out how this works, see my earlier post. For more details about this double page spread, read on.

Quiet books for a quiet life?

I've been mulling over the 'Quiet Book' concept for at least a 2-3 years now, but never got round to doing anything about it. But now we will be travelling long-haul this year with all the little ones, I decided try and make a few so-called quiet book pages to keep them amused, with all the hanging about at airports etc. It needs to be light and fairly flat for carrying, along with all the nappy changing gear, baby food, changes of clothes, and other entertainments for young children on a long flight.

Mr / Mrs Potato Head

On this post, I'm giving you a sample of some of the pages, which write about in more detail in separate posts. You'll find links to my blog posts on the different quiet book pages at the end of this post. But I'll also give you some reflections on making quiet books in general. Later, I'll recommend other websites where you can find great ideas, and give you some of my own, too.

Carry cot for doll

When Jane's baby sister was imminent, she started taking more interest in her doll again, wanting to put it to bed like the new baby would be. So, for her birthday, I made her a carry cot, which enabled her to do that. 

I couldn't find quite the pattern I needed on the internet (at least, not for free, and that's what my blog is all about). So I had to design my own. You can find out how I made it by reading on. There was a bit of trial and error involved, so you are getting the nitty gritty here!

Outfits for Dolly - and a New Body!

Here are just a couple of a series of dolls clothes I made recently. (The second has since been adjusted - as you can see it's too cosy a fit round her chest really.)

I must first say that I'm not really someone who is into making dolls clothes. It certainly isn't a pre-occupation, like making clothes for my little grand-daughters is. We aren't, on the whole, a very girly family, considering we have two daughters and three grand-daughters.

But one of my lovely grand-daughters, the middle one, Jane, who's had an operation recently,is currently going through a phase of loving her Dolly. Dolly gets carted around everywhere. Not only that, but Dolly carelessly lost her only outfit early on. It was taken off as part of the experimental phase, just because it would come off. (It probably needed a wash anyway, but somehow it disappeared). So, as Dolly had come naked on holiday with us, I thought it was time to make her a few quick outfits, easy on and off, super quick and easy to make. Otherwise, I feared, if I'd taken too long to make them,  the interest in Dolly might have waned by the time they were made. I've written up what I've done in case anyone else would like to make easy doll's clothes based on my very simple patterns. Dolly is a soft-bodied doll of about 15-16" tall, or about 40cm. However most of the patterns are very easily adjusted for different sizes. These are in increasing order of difficulty, but none are really difficult.

Dolly's Dungarees / Playsuit

One of the outfits I made for Dolly, my grand-daughter's beloved baby doll, was a pair of dungarees, similar to a pair of Jane's own dungarees. I had originally planned to make a short legged playsuit, as all my grand-daughters have been having playsuits for summer (you can read about them in these posts here and here.) However, we are nearing the end of summer as I write this, so I decided to make the legs of Dolly's a little longer for winter. But the pattern I devised will make either.

This will fit a doll approximately 15"-16" tall, about 38-40 cm.

You can find a free pdf pattern and detailed tutorial after the jump.

Red and Grey / White Doll's Dress and Matching Panties

More little clothes for Jane's Dolly. I've written up a tutorial and produced a free PDF pattern for this outfit.

This little dress comes with matching knickers / panties. Dolly is about 15-16" tall (38-40cm), but I think you could easily adjust it for a slightly smaller or larger doll. You can find more about how to make the outfit after the jump.

Top and Pants for Dolly

I've been busy making a few outfits for my grand-daughter's 15" doll. She's had to spend a bit of time recovering from an operation, not allowed to mix with other children until she's back to full strength. So dressing and undressing her Dolly and putting her to bed has helped fill in a few frustrating hours.

This outfit  comprises a little top or short dress, and a pair of knickers to match. I made a pattern, which is easy to copy, and I've written up how I made it up as a tutorial. It will fit a doll 15-16" - but it is quite forgiving and could easily be adapted. And they are ultra simple to make. To find out more - follow the jump!