Recycled Draft Dodgers

Brrrr...it's been cold outside.  Our 100 year old house has so many cracks and drafts it's crazy!  I whipped up a batch of these recycled draft dodgers using Phoebe's old tights and stuffing them with old T-shirts.  They are the perfect length, plus super cute!

You can make them too.  Cut a pair of tights into two legs.  Then, stuff the leg with old T-shirts, clothing, or other fabric until it's nice and plump.  This is a great job for kids - mine had fun cutting up old shirts and stuffing the "snakes."  Next, handsew the opening closed.  I used craft thread, but any thread will do.  When you get to the ends, just tuck them under and stitch closed. You could add a little face at this point, but we were cold, so I just put them in front of the doors pronto. Wow - what a difference!

Stay warm!

Thankful Bunting

You'll want to make this quick and sweet bunting for the Thanksgiving season.  It makes me so happy!  This is the perfect addition to your mantle or doorway and can be made with a package of those fall silk leaves that are so easy to find right now and materials you have around the house.

It was a family crafting session at my house this weekend.  Look, the project is Dad approved!  Everyone drew on a square of card stock something they were thankful for.  We had a nice little chat as a family and came to the conclusion that we are very blessed indeed.

Next, it's time to string it all together.  I used skinny ribbon (3/8 inch wide) but yarn or wider ribbon would do here too.  This is a good project for a plastic needle, but any wide-eyed needle will do.

To sew the leaves, I cut little slits in them, however, if you were using a sharp chenille needle, you could sew right through the leaves.

Holes were punched into the card stock for easy threading.  Yes, fabric or other materials would work well here.  Like all Sewing School projects, the possibilities are endless!

Hanging on our mantle.  I am so pleased with this little project and know that it will be a memory maker for our family for years to come. 

I am making these as part of a Toddler Sewing Club at my school this week, so I'll be back to show you results from that.  Sewing with 2's and 3's is always an adventure!

New pets

I love caterpillar season!

Archer's Quiver

Both Phoebe and Frankie received a set of bow and arrows for Christmas.  They are really into them.  To help carry the arrows easily, Phoebe sewed herself an archer's quiver, basically a long, narrow bag.  She used a long scrap of fabric for the strap so it would fit over her body.  I love how she uses her sewing skills to make things she needs.

Stuff I Like

photo by Sewing Girl

It's fun to share!  Here are some things that I'm liking these days.

*Sewing Girl is a 10 year old from Australia who has begun her own on-line sewing store.  She also blogs about what she makes and sees.   You may recognize the image above as the Pocket Pal from Sewing School.  Check it out at April's Sewing Creations and Repairs.

*To the Lesson! has introduced some great sewing drawers to her classroom.  I can't wait to show my kids how cross stitch on gingham fabric.

*Drop Cloth has this great embroidery subscription.  I love the idea, but am afraid I would fall far behind and the cute little samplers would just be sitting there staring at me (like the 2 Drop Cloth samplers I already have waiting for me.)  I do love it, though!

*Sew Memphis is has posted some great new workshops for this winter - including a few Andria & I will be teaching (more on that soon).  I am thinking of signing up for this parent/child quilt class with Phoebe.

*Reading Wildwood and can't put it down.  In fact, I need to go read right now - it's getting late!

 What are you liking these days?

Frankie's Jack-o-Lantern

Frankie just sewed up his first project - a stuffed Jack-o-Lantern.  He's been having fun with his little sewing kit and has helped push down the foot pedal on the sewing machine, but this was his first hand sewn project.

Stuffing the pumpkin was the best part!

Here he is sewing the hole closed.  For the most part, I held the fabric taut for him and he sewed between my hands.  This is a great way to help out first-time young sewers.

All sewn up!

It needed a spooky face, so he drew one on with Sharpies.

He is so proud of his Jack-o-Lantern and has been sleeping with it.  I can't wait to see what he makes next!

Stuffed pumpkins are super fun to make!  We used a plate as our pattern, but look at these pillows made last year in a fellow kindergarten class.

Tin Can Stilts

Nothing beats walking around on a hot summer afternoon on some homemade tin can stilts!

We just finished reading Ramona and Her Father (quite a heavy book for a second grader, but that's another discussion) and in it, Ramona makes tin can stilts.  So, we did too.  There are many ways to make tin can stilts, but we made ours like Ramona.

Here's what you need:  2 cans (we used coffee cans), hammer, big nail, kitchen twine or jute, sharpie, and scissors and masking tape (not pictured).

Make marks with Sharpie on each side of the top of the cans.

Hammer a big nail into each Sharpie dot you made to make a hole.  Phoebe is doing a good job posing for me here - I helped her hammer.

Thread the jute down through one side and up through the other.  We put masking taped on one end to help thread it through.  Stand on the cans and pull up the string to figure out how long each handle should be.  Cut the string and tie the ends together.

Have fun!  Ramona is right - they are very loud and fun to walk around in.

But be careful, because you might fall and the strings can break after awhile.

Have fun on your tin can stilts!

Caterpillar Time

Every year a new crop of caterpillars come to visit our garden.  Yesterday we discovered at least a dozen little guys crawling all over the parsley.  We carefully transferred two into a large jar and have been giving it lots of food and attention.  One has already begun the metamorphosis to turn into an Eastern Black Swallowtail!

I Sewed a Tie

For Father's Day, I decided to make something for Eric.  I mean, I never sew for him.  He wants things like a shirt or a bucket hat, which just seem a bit too complicated for my kid-sewing skills.  But a tie, that should be doable, right? 

Mary Allison at Sew Memphis hooked me up with this pattern (and the fabric!).  She added about 8 inches to the length.  The directions are pretty easy to follow once you get going.  It's a lot of hand sewing and requires a little more perfection than I'm used to, but it was fun to make. 

Eric likes it, but thinks it needs to be about 1/2 inch wider next time (you mean next Father's Day, right?).

No Measure Granola

Is there anything better than a bowl of homemade granola?  I've been making some for the last few months and had a few recipe requests from friends, so here it is for all!

My recipe is quite simple and requires you to eyeball your ingredients instead of measuring them.  Much simpler in my opinion.  It's also open to many different ingredients so you can make it to suit  your tastebuds.  I tend to buy my seeds and oats in bulk and just pull down the little lever until I feel like there's enough.  I buy nuts in bulk and keep them in the freezer so that they will keep longer.

No Measure Granola
Dry Ingredients - that's what's in the big bowl above:
*rolled oats - I have the most of these, about 3 or 4 scoops from the bulk bin (don't use quick oats)
*sesame seeds
*raw pumpkin seeds
*raw sunflower seeds
*chopped nuts (I like to use a mixture of walnuts and almonds)
*wheat germ
*coconut flakes
*brown sugar
*big sprinkles of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmug
*pinch of salt
*if you like dried fruit, add some too

Wet Ingredients:
You'll need about 2 cups of wet ingredients to mix into a big bowl of granola.  I know, I know, I said no measure, but I tend to mix all my wet ingredients together in a big mixing cup. 
*oil (olive or vegetable)
*maple syrup or honey (you'll want something sweet)
*apple juice or apple sauce or a mix of both

Wisk all the wet ingredients together.  Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix around with a rubber spatula.  You want the mixture to be moist, not drenched.

Spread onto 2 baking sheets lined with a silpat or parchment paper.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 until the top is golden brown.  The little burnt edges are yummy, so don't worry.  Let cool in pan.  Break into chunks into a big container.  We like ours with berries and almond milk.

When I first started making granola, I used this recipe from Orangette as a basis, which has measurements. 

Happy granola making!

Frankie's Tool Belt

Like most 4 year olds, Frankie always has some accessories with him.  It might be a hammer, a boat, a car, or some kind of musical instrument.  Carrying these "tools" around is of utmost importance.  So, he asked me to help him sew a tool belt.  You know he didn't have to twist my arm!

He chose this terrible Thomas the Train fabric, but since it was his and he was being patient in the fabric store, I gave in despite my efforts to sway him towards cuter fabric.

I only bought a 1/4 yard of fabric, and fashioned an unlined version of the "Get to Work Apron" from Sewing School.   There are 2 big pockets, because that's what he wanted.  The tool belt ties in the back using ribbon.

The tool belt has come in handy for all sorts of projects, like making these sweet herb and flower arrangements.

Garden Bunting

This bunting is such a happy addition to our backyard.  I made it using my stash of oil cloth so that it will be weather-proof and last all season.

The triangles are about 8 inches long and are sewn onto double-fold bias tape.

Everyone needs garden bunting, don't you think?

Toddler Sewing Kit

Frankie has a sewing kit of his very own!  He often wanders into the craft room while Phoebe and I are busy sewing, cutting, and creating and will ask to cut some fabric or play with the ribbon box. Lacing cards are OK, but that's not "real sewing."  

So, for his 4th birthday I put together a simple kit with materials and tools that I thought might give him something to do while I'm sewing as well as help him start sewing.

In his kit (a large, repurposed tin), is:
*a pair of scissor
*lots of colorful fabric
*an 8-inch hoop
*burlap for the hoop
*plastic needles
*yarn for sewing

So that the yarn wouldn't get all tangled, I pre-cut lengths of yarn, tied a knot at the end, threaded the needles and wound them around wooden spools.  Frankie liked unwinding the yarn.

I also found some good ideas for toddler sewing here.  We started out small, but I'm sure we'll adding new notions and such soon.

Such concentration cutting fabric into little bits.  You already know that sewing and cutting are wonderful fine-motor skills.  I also see in my classroom how sewing helps to focus children and allows them to slow down and really concentrate on something.  The kids that are bouncing off the walls one minute will be calm and centered as soon as they begin a project.  It's magic.

Frankie and I happily sewed and cut for about an hour - that's a long time for this little guy!  He also experienced such a sense of pride - he was really sewing - "just like you and Phoebe!"

Letter Writing Kit

For Phoebe's 7th birthday, I put together a little letter writing kit for her.  She has been learning how to write "friendly letters" at school and I thought she might want to put her new skills to use.

Inside a little pencil box, I put some thank you notes, The Small Object thumbprint notecards (because they are just too cute to pass up!), a book of stamps, a nice writing pen, and an address book.  In lieu of a real address book, which I thought may be hard for her to navigate, I wrote addresses of family and close friends on index cards and bound them together with a little ring clip.  I also took the cards out of their original packaging and put them together with a hairband.

So far, she's had a lot of fun with it and sending birthday thank yous were a breeze!

Arrrggghhh, Pirates!

This is what happens when your kids watch Pippi in the South Seas one too many times.

Phoebe's New Dress

 Phoebe decided to sew herself a new dress.

After watching me do this for years, she knew how to make the pattern - just trace a dress you like.  At first, she brought in a super cute shirt-waisted dress which I quickly pointed out was a wee bit complicated and needed a million pieces which is why I always make her the same style of dress.  She understood and brought back a dress I had made for her last year.

She found a nice polka-dotted vintage sheet and got to work.  For the seam allowance, the width of a ruler was added to the sides and shoulder seams.  Next, she cut out her fabric and sewed it all up.  I helped to iron the hem.  After sewing the hem and declared that no, she didn't need to finish the neckline and arm holes.  It was just fine the way it was.

 It could use a little art work, though.  Using permanent markers, she wrote her name and drew a lovely picture.  Phoebe wore it for dinner where she proceeded to get spaghetti sauce on it.  Ah, to be 6!

Christmas is Magic