Category Archives: Stuff to make

Bugs from recycled bits

Posted in Kids, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

Here’s a mantra to repeat to yourself when doing crafts with kids: process, not product. It will turn you into the craft whisperer. Especially if your child (like mine) swirls paints and blends play dough until each art work takes on the brackish hue and glurpy consistency of a murky bog.

Making bugs from bits collected from the recycling bin ended up to be a good project for everyone in my house, plus some friends. And the end results (not that I would be so superficial as to care, dear craft whisperer) were kind of cute. Plastic milk caps, bread tags, paper clips, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, ribbon, and scraps of paper turned into an pleasant infestation of creepy crawlies.

Washi tape

Posted in Paper, Stuff to make by

I put this sherbet-y assortment of washi tape on my Christmas list, and I’m sorry to say that despite a vigorous campaign of hinting, no one got the message. So, I will just mention it here.

I don’t know what I’ll do with it. I may just build a tape tower on my desk and look at it for a while. I first spotted it in the MOMA store (for a roll of ten, $30, $24 for MOMA members), but it’s also available at happy tape in polka dots & plaids. Not that you have to get it for me, but you could. . .

Quilted table mat

Posted in Holiday, Sewing, Stuff to make by

My dining room table is weirdly sensitive to water. One droplet and the surface blanches like it’s seen a ghost. So for Thanksgiving, I needed something to keep my table happy. A quilted table mat was the perfect opportunity to try out a cross pattern, a simple nine-square. Easy, peasy–at least in theory. The fabrics are an irregular stripe from Leisl Gibson’s lovely City Weekend collection, and a tiny dot. I really love how these patterns work together.

Less happily, the stumpy crosses on the end were not intentional. I used my presser foot as a guide to sew my 3/8″ seams, which, it turns out, left them all a smidge too narrow. That smidge, compounded over several seams, left  my center panel longer than the top and bottom sashes. Rather than ripping out the seams and adjusting (which actually wouldn’t have been that hard), I lopped off the long ends.  Hence, it’s just a little wonky. On the bright side, I learned where to place the fabric for a perfect 3/8″ seam in the future, just peeking out from the presser foot on my machine.

And, I have something cheerful for my table. I made these place mats and napkins this summer, during a red and blue period. Not a very autumnal palette for my Thanksgiving table, but patriotic! And, in the spirit of being nontraditional, I am serving chocolate cake for dessert–yum!

Pajamas recycled into soft blocks

Posted in Free Tutorials, Kids, Recycled materials, Sewing, Stuff to make by

You may be able to throw away your old, favorite polka-dot p.j.s. Or use them as a dust rag. But I don’t have that kind of resolve. Plus, I don’t dust that often. So, I stashed them away.

Conveniently, my friend Megan decided to get pregnant. Babies are the best excuse for making things that are not really useful but are pleasing. Like soft blocks. And old p.j.s offer the perfect fabric for them: cotton softened by sleep.

For complete instructions on how to make soft blocks, a downloadable pdf is available here: How to Make Soft Blocks

Here is the end result: chubby cotton blocks!

 

Izmylov

Posted in Fabric printing, Kids, Stuff to make by

Onesies: what haven’t I done to those tiny T-shirts? I’ve embroidered, tie-dyed, and appliqued them. Once I put one on my cat. What can I say? They’re appealing and make great baby gifts. This time, for my friend Megan and her baby-to-be, I personalized some with fabric paint and freezer paper stencils.

Izmylov (is my love) is a faux Russian name that Megan loves. No worries. She didn’t really name the baby that.

I stenciled onto freezer paper and cut out the letters with an X-acto. Then I ironed the freezer paper onto the T-shirt (shiny side down) and painted in the letters with fabric paint. The freezer paper adheres so nicely to the fabric that the lines come out clean. After the paint dries comes the fun part: peeling back the freezer paper! (You will gasp at your own craftiness.) Don’t forget to heat the fabric paint with an iron at the end. This will help avoid laundry meltdowns.

It was so easy, I made one for everyone.

Hot off the presses! Megan’s latest addition: