Tag Archives: Crafts

Oh, happy day!

Posted in Brooklyn, Knitting, Sewing, Stuff to make by

A three-day weekend, and a sale at my local, friendly yarn and fabric store, Brooklyn General–what could be better? Brooklyn General is a cozy store with a great selection of natural fibers, a helpful staff, and a doll’s house in case you have a small person in tow. Another great thing–a few times a year everything in the store is 25 percent off, which is such a treat. Here are the things I bought–the black fabric with the sporty cars is for a sewing machine cover, the yarn is for a keyhole scarf for my niece, and the plain cotton (Kona) is for just about anything.

Wee folk

Posted in Kids, Stuff to make by

Doesn’t this wee creation remind you of Fisher Price Little People? And I’m not talking about those bulbous plastic guys the toy company makes today–I mean the old-school wooden peg people that unfortunately were small enough to be choking hazards. (I never once thought of chewing Little People myself, but my brother and I did routinely place them in the Habitrail where our gerbils nibbled off their little heads.)

I spotted this beret-sporting Lilliputian at a kids’ craft fair at my local library. My friend’s 12-year-old daughter Grace made it out of Sculpey clay. She even fashioned French accessories to go with it: a baguette & a slab of fromage!

Of course, my kids had to try it at home: so we rolled some Fimo (Sculpey, or any polymer clay will do), poked eyes with toothpicks, and baked (per instructions, 30 minutes @ 230 F). We made miniatures of each member of our extended family with eensy IPads, skis, and pets to go with them. 

Aunt Julie with her cat named Little Head

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!