messenger bags for kids

Last Christmas I needed some fun gifts for a few cool kids. Luckily I found these GREAT instructions from Lang Lang Creations for sewing messenger bags. Lang Lang made the bags from a pair of old jeans. I made bags from fabric I had on hand and old camo pants. They were a HUGE hit - thanks Lang Lang!

The instructions are easy to follow with some great photos to help you along. If you are making bags for kids older than two or three, I suggest that you add some length to the strap. I hope that you and your little ones enjoy!

inspiration

I have always been inspired and grounded by the amazing women in my family. Most of them have had a career outside of the home while mastering the domestic arts. My womenfolk do not call attention to their gardening, baking, cooking, sewing, quilting, crocheting, canning, fruit preserves, entertaining, parenting, and writing of poetry, these acts are simply a natural part of daily life. I have been blessed by their skill and their attitude that making things from scratch or whole cloth is easy and rewarding. They seamlessly weave Martha Stewart grandeur into their family life. Their motivation is a mixture of family tradition, quality, economics, and geography (rural availability).

In August my family lost our matriarch and domestic goddess extraordinaire. Granny was very loved, young, and energetic - she worked 40 hours a week on her feet through her second chemo treatment. Her brief 5 month illness makes her absence seem absolutely impossible.

During one of our summer visits Granny held my most recent crafts projects in her hands. this has made the next project difficult to start. I know that the best way to honor her and to carry on our domestic tradition is to try to live up to grace, humility, and universal talent at all things crafty.














Granny worked as a seamstress in a small town and ingeniously finessed mass-manufactured clothing to fit her neighbors, friends, and family. Over the years scores of prom gown clad teenagers paraded to her home to show off her master work. During one of our last visits she told me a story about one of her customer that brought in her teenager's new, very raggedy pair of jeans. The customer wanted a repair of the split seam at the ankle, but Granny spent hours patching ALL of the tears, cuts, and holes that were part of the original design!

Granny was the foundation and glue of our loud and obnoxious brood. I will miss her sense of easy humor, unwavering optimism, and kind advice. My mother often complains that sewing talent skips a generation. True or not I will accept the suggestion with honor. Thank you for everything, Granny!

My most recent projects
I made gifts for two sweet babies from adorable Michael Miller fabrics. The backs of both blankets are a colorful stripe, the front of one is made from an adorable bird fabric, and the other a great graphic bee fabric. I finished both blankets with pre-made brown satin blanket binding.




























I also made a polka dotted corduroy teddy bear to go with the bird blanket.

































I had no part in the bear's BEAUTIFUL home. (XOXO, sweet cousins)

blankies & bears

The only thing sweeter than a handmade baby blanket and teddy bear is the sweet bebe that loves them.

I love a squishable teddy bear. This pattern is simple and plush Simplicity 9524 Crafts. You will need to choose fabric, eyes, ribbon, embroidery thread for the nose, and stuffing. If you select a furry fabric, as a finishing touch use a needle to carefully pull hair out of the seams.

For the blanket, I pick two fabrics that I would love to have and to hold for myself. For the top you can use a solid fabric or you could piece the top in as many designs as can be imagined.

one of my favorites so far













For extra silkiness the fabric on the blanket back could be satin. If you choose satin, I recommend the flannel back satin at Joann's, it is dreamy. I prefer a lightweight batting and satin binding. If you are feeling brave, you can make your own binding, or you can buy a wide pre-made blanket binding. I usually make my own because of color selection, but it is much easier to use the pre-made.

The blanket is simple. First, cut the front and back into a square (grab one corner at the salvage and cut edge and fold it toward the opposite salvage into a large triangle until it looks even). Cut the batting to the same size. Lay the blanket parts in their finished order: top right side down, batting, back right side up. Pin the layers at the edge and then stitch around each edge. There is usually a bit of shifting, so take a moment to cut the edges to clean them up. Then apply the binding, making certain to miter the corners. My favorite description for mitering (and most other sewing) is in the Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing (the Vogue Sewing Book is also a great one, I have the 1970 edition, I am sure it has been update). You may choose to tie the quilt with yarn or embroidery floss, but it is really not necessary because of the size.

Have fun making a blankie and bear for someone you love.

winter wool play

There is still plenty of cold weather for more wool play. Here are a few of my projects that include felted wool with wool needle felted details.

Felting wool is process of compressing or matting fibers into a new dense wool fabric. You essentially lose the distinction of knits and purls. You may created felt by accident by running a sweater through the washer and dryer. The teddy bear below was made from my sweater that after a trip through the laundry would not have fit my 2-year old! You must start with fabric that is 100% wool, and it can be new knitting or second hand sweaters. I prefer recycling, all of these projects were made from second hand sweaters.

Needle felting is the process of using special needles to incorporate wool roving (not-yet-spun wool) into wool felt. Martha Stewart called needle felting "the new glitter" (that is before she brought glitter back with a vengeance). Needle felting is lots of fun and instantly satisfying. The needles are sharp, but older kids could enjoy.

So get our your wool and play before spring arrives!

In order to maximize the fabric, I disassemble the sweater before running it through the washer, removing arms and separating front and back. How to felt wool:
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/2259/how-to-felt-sweaters

http://www.woolcrafting.com/how-to-felt-wool.html

Needle felting tutorial. You can purchase a wool felting kit with a range of needles and a bit of square foam to felt on. I was inspired by this amazing wool artist featured on Martha Stewart:
http://rosensweet.com/sarah/index.shtml

Teddy bear for Max. The bear was made from a wool sweater. The pattern is Simplicity 9524 reduced by 75%. I love this pattern and have made several in the full size, but needed to reduce it due to the size of the sweater. His eyes and nose are needle felted.















Blanket for Audrey. The squares of this blanket are made from two different sweaters. The flower in the middle is needle felted. The binding is satin piping, and the back is solid satin.














Christmas stockings for my family. These stockings are made from secondhand store sweaters. The ribbing at the top of the stockings is from the neck and waistband of the sweater (no hem required). For reinforcement I lined the stockings with a cute winter print.














for baby














for daddy















for mama

marimekkoesque animal rug

I found this great large graphic fabric at Ikea. The "Inger" line seems to be Marimekko inspired. I knew that I wanted to make a rug for my son's room, but a square or rectangular shape seemed too simple. While reading "Good Night Moon" it hit me - animal skin rug. The species is unclear - the final shape was inspired by the fabric's print more than an animal.














I folded the fabric in half (wrong sides together), and with a fabric pen outlined the shape of an animal. After I cut the print piece, I kept it folded in half, and laid it on top of the canvas backing also folded in half. I cut around the print animal as a pattern. Then I sewed the front to the back, right sides together, leaving a section open for turning. After pressing the seams, I top-stitched around the edge, closing the final bit with the top-stitch. It was a simple project that only took a couple of hours. I love the rug.

kicky curtains III

My third and final post about funky drapes - tradition with a twist. These shantung curtains were much cheaper than they appear. I got the primary green fabric at Hancock on sale, and the lining is an inexpensive cotton. It is another example of mixing fabrics, textures, color, and pushing scale. What really amps up the luxury of these drapes is the way that they are hung.

I originally made these drapes for a dining room filled with windows. The wall paint almost matched the green fabric exactly, so I chose the mustard lining as a bold accent color. The shantung is woven from green and yellow fibers, so the mustard is a great compliment. I especially love the way the curtains look when sunshine makes the mustard color glow through the green.

From the front these drapes look like your grandma's drapes complete with traverse rod and hooks, but the application is much easier. I got the idea from a set of drapes we purchased from Pottery Barn. On the back of the drapes, a couple of inches from the top, I have applied wide tabs a few inches apart. This creates more dramatic pleats than you get from a rod pocket. I stabilized the top with some heavy canvas, both inside the curtain and inside the tabs. Enjoy!

creamy chocolate soy ice cream

I have tried many recipes for non-dairy ice cream like tofu, coconut milk, gelatin. In an effort to create yummy, rich, creamy ice cream I have tried everything from lots of eggs to vegetable oil. I finally found the key (minus the cholesterol) in one of my many vintage cookbooks. In the 1950’s cookbook “Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook” under the section titled “Refrigerator Desserts” there is a recipe for “Custard for Ice Cream.” I have adapted the recipe substituting soy milk for cow’s milk, and I have added chocolate.

Enjoy!

1 Cup chocolate chips
melt in a double boiler and cool

2 Cups vanilla soy milk, scalded
1 Cup sugar,
Dash salt
2 ½ Tablespoons flour

Mix sugar, salt, and flour; add to soy milk.

Cook mixture in double boiler until thick , stir often
(I had better luck cooking this in our heavy sauce pan than with the double boiler. If you get lumps strain the mixture before chilling.)

Chill in refrigerator until needed. The mixture may separate in the fridge, simply remix.

Once the milk mixture is chilled, fold in
½ Cup soy milk
1 ½ Teaspoon vanilla

Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions.

Makes 1 pint