Easter Outfit?

I am so excited to have met my goal and finished this outfit before Easter. I don't know whether dd will wear it on Easter, but she already wore it to school, so I know she likes it!

 This was my first try at making a lined jacket, and while it was tedious and learning to ease the shoulder seams was tricky, I did it!

 Dd and I love how the light blue floral goes with the maroon trim. The trim adds a pop of color that the outfit deserves.

I used the Simplicity 4669 pattern. I chose an organic cotton jersey for the under tank (instead of woven because it's so soft against her skin) and I added length to the tank (I think the pattern is too short). Otherwise I'm impressed with the pattern and would definitely use it again.

Other projects I've completed since I last posted:

 Pi Day pins for dd and all her classmates.

Cushion covers from upholstery samples.

 

Patchwork denim wall hanging.

Kitty Coin Purse

My daughter is off to a friend's birthday party so I decided to make a cute little present for her friend. It's another project I've pinned and finally had a chance to try my hand at. I LOVE how cute it is and highly recommend the tutorial. It was a great use of the many upholstery samples I've acquired. Here's kitty coin purse:

Daughter's Sweater Hat

I mentioned in my previous hat post that my daughter wanted a similar hat. But, she wanted ears on her hat to look like a cat. Seemed simple enough - add two triangles. Well, apparently you can't just add two traingles to a hat pattern and expect it to look like a cat. Here's how it turned out (and yes dd colored the styrofoam head!):

I liked to hat enough that I decided to rip some stitches and take the ears out to return it to See Kate Sew's snowy day hat.  Much better:

Now I just have to figure out how to make her the hat she really wants...

Pinterest Scarf

Another project from my pinterest board done! Scarves are so wonderful in the winter - covering my neck with something warm and comfy makes a huge difference in how warm I feel. So thank you to H is for Handmade for this awesome and super easy tutorial. Here's my version:

Sweater Hat

I finally got around to doing one of the many projects I've pinned! It was so easy and I love how it turned out. Here's the tutorial from See Kate Sew. And here's my version of the recycled sweater hat:

Now dd wants one too!

Election Sign Box Tutorial

In my previous post, I promised a simple tutorial to get you started building with reclaimed election signs. Well here it is! This is just a simple box, but once you've mastered these skills, you will be able to design your own dollhouse, box, birdhouse, etc. I'd love to hear what you've made with your new skills!

What you need:

• corrugated plastic (from trashed election signs or other advertising signs)
• a good craft/utility knife (I prefer my x-acto knife)
• cutting surface
• hot glue gun and glue (or if you're more patient, any glue that is permanent on plastic)
• pliers (not absolutely necessary, but helpful)
• permanent marker - fine tip preferred
• this pattern

Instructions:

1. Print out the pattern. You will either transfer the pattern onto the corrugated plastic or glue it on. If you choose to glue it on - print two copies of the pattern. I chose to transfer the pattern with a permanent marker. I started with the bottom of the box. Cut the square from your plastic. I recommend cutting it slightly larger than the pattern so that you can line the pattern up correctly on the next step:

2.The dotted lines on your pattern indicate areas from which you will be removing the top layer of the plastic. Here's an important hint: line up the longest lines from the bottom of the box pattern with the corrugated plastic such that you will not be removing "walls." If the pattern doesn't exactly fit your corrugated plastic, adjust the lines so they do fit (and be sure to make the adjustment on the sides later). Correct alignment is best indicated by the photos below:

Transfer the markings and finish cutting your square to the exact size.

3. Now cut out the top layer of plastic for the two long slits.

4. Now you need to cut out the shorter slits. This is a more difficult cut because you will need to cut out little bits of the corrugate walls. This will take a little bit of time and detail work with your knife.

 

 5. Now cut out the 4 sides. The 2 sides with slits, follow the directions in step #2.

6. Line up your pieces as seen below:

7. Plug in your glue gun, you're ready to assemble! (You can use a liquid permanent glue for this step, but allow drying time before using your new box.) Your pieces should fit snugly in the slits, but if the fit is too tight, take your pliers and squeeze the bottom of piece you are trying to fit into the slit. Don't worry the glue will stabilize the piece. Start by gluing the 2 sides with slits to the bottom of the box:

8. Finally, place glue in the slits to fit in your final side pieces (one side at a time so that the glue doesn't harden):

9. And you're done with your gorgeous upcycled box! You can paint, decoupage, or sew a cover for your new box if you desire. Use these skills to design your own piece and share it in the comments below!

Election Sign Recycling

My daughter and I love crafting with election signs - you know the plastic corrugated kind? It's a material I doubt I would purchase new in the store as I try to avoid plastics as much as possible, but rescuing them from the garbage is a different story!

This isn't the first post about using election signs for crafts (see my tutorial on making a Kumihimo disk) but this is the first peek at our cathouse (my daughter's version of a dollhouse) designs. Below you will see her house plans:


With a few tweaks to the blueprint here is the result:


I don't have a tutorial for this project (though I will try to come up with a simple tutorial soon to get you started simple tutorial here) but it requires: time (lots of time and patience!), a good knife, hot glue, and paint or fabric to dress up the walls and floors. The effort required to make this was worth it considering dd got exactly the house she wanted AND she gets to do all the decorating. Great project for cold temperatures and indoor time!

Note, we did not gather election signs until after the election - at which time the signs littering the public spaces are trash - or in our case - craft supplies! So start making your plans for election signs next November!