Category Archives: Stuff to make

Tooth Fairy Chest of Drawers

Posted in Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

After some not-so-patient waiting, my almost-seven-year-old lost his first tooth. To celebrate, I made him this Tooth Fairy chest. The Tooth Fairy was tired of all those sweet little pillows! She wanted furniture. 

 a drawer for the tooth

 a drawer for the note to the Tooth Fairy

 self-explanatory!

If you are an extremely attentive reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I’ve made this matchbox chest of drawers before. But hey, I repurposed it so it counts. The how-to is here. Also, if you are looking for some excellent Tooth Fairy literature, check out April and Esme, by Bob Graham–the best of its genre, I promise.

Dollhouse renovations, part 1

Posted in Home Design, Kids, Stuff to make by

Here is my old dollhouse, shipped over from England when we moved in 1977, in the early stages of renovation. I love how the glue remnants on the wall make it look like a condemned crack house. I am giving my daughter free rein to update the interior,  so we had a great day scraping off layers of wallpaper and ripping up felt carpeting–seriously dusty and gross. This house was a major part of my childhood, and truth be told my early teenage years. It will be a test to see how “free” I can really let her be. I have landmarked the exterior, since my dad is still very proud of his handiwork. (He worked through the night to have the house painted for my birthday morning.) We have plans to make a hot pink sectional sofa, and some pendant lamps. So, expect more dollhouse posts in coming weeks!

In Which I Hereby Resolve to Make a Quilt

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

These days everyone seems to be scripting a bucket list, a personal to-do tally of what they hope to accomplish before expiration date. You know, climb Kiliminjaro, run a marathon, plummet from a bridge via bungee cord.

Not me. No thanks. I hope never to plummet. My bucket list is safer & closer to home, and contains only one item: Make a g–ddam quilt! I blame Brigit for the inspiration.

(Photo reprinted with permission)

So . . . I bought the Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt pattern (pictured above) in downloadable pdf form from Alicia Paulson’s blog, Posie Gets Cozy. Am I deluded in thinking the rows of squares make it look kind of easy-ish? Here’s to the ever-hopeful. And if you’re not scaling mountains or marathon training, be sure to check out Posie Gets Cozy. Alicia’s photos and projects are beautiful.

Keep posted for the next installment of what I’m sure will be a death-defying adventure in quilting . . .

Triangle table runner

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

 

For such a little thing, this project took me quite a while–all those teeny triangles. I also decided to hand quilt, something I really enjoy but only on a small scale. Can you see that the triangles are not perfect, or technically not triangles at all? I was so focused on getting the top points right and the rows aligned, I kind of forgot about the sides. I am starting to understand why Boo Davis, author of Dare to Be Square, only works with squares. I am pleased with the neutral palette. I decided to mix in some subtle prints, and they add some interest without making it too busy.

Bucket family

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

Not Charlie Bucket and clan, but bucket hats. I made a complete set for all our noggins. It was my first attempt at sizing up a pattern (from the Little Things to Sew pattern) and it worked pretty well! I used Robert Kaufman Essex for all three exteriors. My husband declined a “fun” lining, so his hat has olive green in the crown only, but I did sneak in some green top stitching. My navy blue hat has Liberty Hot Pink Wiltshire as the lining. The Tana Lawn is so silky smooth it’s perfect for lining a hat. It would be excellent for a baby’s senstitive skin–plus you would only need a teense.