Zoo Boo at Como Zoo

Without further ado, Parker's Halloween costume, a robot!

It was my second heat transfer vinyl project and I am really happy how it turned out.  I am not in love with the hat, but I had to have something because it is cold in MN on October 31st!

Zoo Boo is one of Como Zoo's big fundraisers.  They have games and activities, lots of costumed characters and snacks!  I put a lot of thought and energy into Parker's costume this year and really wanted it to get more than one use.  We had fun, but picked a terrible day to go.  Sunday's are supposed to be slower, but the weather was gorgeous so we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes before getting in.  

Once inside it wasn't much better.  It took a while to really get going.  We finally found some room to move and he was a lot happier.  He has a blast running...

Spinning...

Checking the fire truck tires...

I tried to get some pictures with the decorations and actually got a couple good/ok ones.

But, let's be honest, when you have a toddler there are FAR more like these.

And these...

We had fun, but the wait caused us to be VERY late for dinner time and Parker was not happy about that.  He was ready to be out of there almost as much as Jimmy was ;-)  It was a great way to support the zoo and get some great goodies!

Can't wait to have some more festive fun this week, stay tuned!

Friendsgiving

We gathered with a bunch of friends today to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I have been getting excited for the holidays because Thanksgiving is the last of Parker's firsts.  Thanks to a great idea from Pinterest, I made this super cute onesie!

Now that a lot of us have kids it seems like it can be harder to make time to get together.  There were close to 20 adults and 5 kids (aged 5-18 months.)  It was great to see all the little ones playing together.

It was a potluck, so there was SO many tasty options to choose from!

A fabulous time was had by all!  I hope we do this again next year!

Stockings: A Tutorial

The first year Jimmy and I were married I decided to make up stockings.  This became "our" first holiday tradition.  Each year I add a new patch to each of our stockings so the tradition continues to evolve.  This year I offered to make some for a few family members, plus I needed to make one for our new addition that should be arriving soon!

Materials Needed:

   - Stocking template,  I traced one from a store on paper

   - Felt in color of choice - 1/3 yard will make 1 stocking

   - White Felt for heel and toe caps and cuff (you can use another color too)

   - Embroidery Floss to match felt

   - Scissors

   - Marker

   - Thread

   - Sewing machine

Step 1: Trace template onto felt.  The template I use is the sewn size so I stitched along this marker line.  Pin two layers together and trim around the edges.

Step 2: Cut out white pieces for the heel and toe caps.  I made a template for them free hand.  Pin between the stocking layers making sure to line up the edges so all three layers will be sewn together.  

Step 3: Cut rectangular pieces for the cuff and sew to each side of the stocking.  It isn't essential to have these sized perfectly as they can easily be trimmed to suit your preferences.

Step 4: Flip up the cuffs so they are sticking above the stocking.  Sew around the perimeter of the stocking starting under the cuff on one side and ending on the other side.  DO NOT SEW THE CUFF SIDES YET!

Step 5: Turn the stocking right side out being careful the turn the toe and heel caps to the correct side.  Keep the cuffs folded out above the stocking.

Step 6: This is where is can get tricky!  Sew the edges of the cuffs so they line up as close as possible with the finished edge of the stocking.  Trim the excess.  Flip the cuff down so all seams are hidden.

Step 7: Using embroidery floss, straight stich the cuff in place all the way around.  Repeat this stitch on the toe and heel caps.  This is both functional and decorative.

Step 8: Finishing touches.  You can add a name by simply cutting out letters and stitching in place.  I tack them down with a little glue to make sure they stay in line.

Step 9: Add a loop so it can be hung.  You can either use a single strip of felt or a double one.  I made this the same way at the curtain tabs in my August 7th post.  Sew this to the inside of the stocking, making sure to position it so the stocking will hang flat.

That's it!  You are ready to fill it with Christmas goodies!

Crib Sheets - A how-to guide

I have been so busy lately that I was elated to get back to my sewing machine this week!  I still have a lot of things to get done and this little guy will be here in no time!  On to my next project, crib sheets!

Materials needed:

     - 2 yards of 45" fabric - WASHED (per sheet)
     - two 23" lengths 1/4" elastic (per sheet)
     - thread
     - sewing machine
     - iron (not required, but makes it a lot easier)

Step 1: I have mentioned this before, but always make sure to wash your fabric before starting a project as it will shrink.  Most online tutorials will tell you to start with a certain size fabric and give instruction based off of that.  The truth is, every fabric will shrink differently (mine was only 43" wide after washing.)  I suggest you start with 2 yard lengths to give yourself a few inches of wiggle room.  You may also want to iron your fabric if it comes out of the dryer wrinkly.

Step 2: Fold fabric in half on long end and pin ends together.  Then fold in half again so all four original corners are together.  Make sure you line up by the edge of the fabric and NOT the corners as they may not match exactly.

Step 3: Measure 23" from the fold (the long side) and mark the fabric.  Measure 14" from the fold (the short side) and mark the fabric.  I measured in 2 places to make drawing a cutting line easier.  Cut along the line and discard the small pieces.

 

  

Step 4: Unfold your fabric.  We are going to use a double seam in the corners so they won't fray.  Line up the edges of each corner with the "good" side out.  Sew a 1/4" seam.  Invert the seam so the good side is in and you have a clean seam on the outside.  Sew another seam, 3/8". This will hide the raw edges from the first seam.  Do this on all 4 corners.

   

Step 5: You will notice as you are sewing the corner seams that the bottoms do not match up.  You will need to trim the short edges of the sheet to match up with the long edges.

Step 6: Press a 1/4" hem along all edges.  Then press another hem 1/2-3/4" and pin in place.  Once again, this will hide all raw edges to eliminate fraying.

Step 7: Mark a 1" opening starting 8 1/2" from the corners on the long edges (4 total openings.)  These will be used to string the elastic through the short ends.

Step 8: Sew the hem closed, making sure to leave the elastic opening unsewn. also make sure you sew far enough from the sheet edge to secure down the smaller 1/4" fold.

Step 9: Insert elastic into opening with a safety pin.  This is and easy way to thread anything in a smaller space.  Before you get it all the way through you will need to sew down one end near the first opening.  You can either leave the piece sticking out (as pictured) or carefully insert the end into the opening and secure down with several stitches.  Finish threading the elastic and sew the other end near the opposite opening.  Repeat this process for the other side.

Step 10: make sure to sew up each of the openings so nothing has an opportunity to fray.  That's it, you're done! 

Looks great!  I am making a total of 6 sheets.  While this may seem like a lot, I am planning on keeping them for a second baby someday and I don't want to have to worry about finding the same fabric to make more (which would be impossible.)  This way I will have plenty of extras in case we have to throw 1 or 2 out. 

The next project on my radar is the crib skirt!  Hopefully I will be able to start on that in the next couple weeks, I just need to decide on a style.  Any of you have a preference or pleats or no pleats?

Well, I hope this was helpful to my crafty friends out there.  Happy Sewing!

Nursery Project #2: Window Valances

Let the sewing begin!  I was so excited to get going on my sewing projects!  Today I made window valances for the nursery.  This is a fairly simple project and great for a novice like me!  It will help warn me up for the harder things to come!

Materials Needed (for two 57" x 17" valances):

Fabric - I used just over 2 yards of a 43" print
Matching thread
Measuring tape
Scissors
Iron
Sewing Machine
Rods for hanging

Sewing Tip:  It is always a good idea to wash the fabric before starting your project.  Just like new clothes, new fabric will shrink during the first wash.  This isn't as important when making curtains, but will be important when I make my crib sheets and changing pad covers.

Step 1: Decide how large you want your valance or curtain to be.  I am using a 40" rod and want my valance to be a bit bunched.  I decided on a 57" width and 17" height.  Add 3" to each dimension for hemming.  I cut two 60" x 20" pieces.  You also need to cut the strips for the loops that will hang from the rod.  I cut 26 strips that were 2 3/8" x 6 1/2".  This will give be loops that are approximately 1".

Step 2: Prepare the loops.  Take the 26 pre-cut strips and fold them in half on the short side with the back of the fabric out.  It is a great idea to iron these down to keep the fold in place.  Sew down the non-folded edge.  Once all the strips are sewn you can turn them right side out (this can be a little tricky if you are using smaller loops.)  I ironed the sewn strips again so they will lay flat on the rod.

Step 3: Hem the large pieces.  I prefer to fold the edges over twice to make a cleaner look.  Fold the long sides first, iron and pin them, then stitch them down.  Do the same on the short sides.  I ended up with 3/4" hems.  Remember to add more than 3" to your dimensions if you want larger hems.

Step 4: Attach the loops to the top of the valance.  Fold each sewn strip in half and pin to the back of the valance.  I found it easiest to start with one on each end.  I then matched up the loops to find the center and attached one there.  I continued this until I had all of the loops evenly spaced.  Then you can stitch them in place.  I stitched a simple square.

Step 5: Make sure to trim any of the extra thread and they are ready to hang up!  I bought an adjustable metal rod at Menards that matches our door hardware.  The brackets were easy to attach to the wall and I was done! 

 I am very happy with the result!  A simple project that adds style and softness to you windows.  Once again this was a fairly inexpensive project.  I got all of my fabric for 50% off and thread is super cheap!  Total for valances was about $4.50 each.  The rods cost me $9 each for a project total of $27.  Not too bad!  I hope this inspires you to take on you own sewing project.  My journey has just begun and I can't wait to share my next adventure!

Happy Stitching!