tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51936372730136417392024-03-12T21:37:17.940-06:00Sew Long, Wear WellMaiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-50930535308144428822014-08-17T20:28:00.000-06:002014-08-17T20:28:33.740-06:00Captain Kirk, Chibi edition!I haven't sewn in quite a while. It seems to go in cycles that way- I get out the machine, work on a few projects, get tired of it, put it away. That actually seems to be how I work on a lot of things.<br />
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Anyway, this is a project I worked on a few months ago, but I think there are a few people out there who might find it useful. Our family was invited to be a part of a steampunk wedding in June. I was a bridesmaid, Guy was the officiant, and wee Kai was a bubble-boy. Like a flower girl, but with bubbles. And a boy. So, you know, exactly the same.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsTHaQqRYg6tIZnL6ALtsFqKbqZ6woWLhMeX8MeFfOzf2MSxDTxHp7-ayOAOkfFMDD4qUolpVVcSdTcGEmR9m1QH8LgITQRq_TuxlBF6LkPnTEidI50QzORc_Sf5EXQC52IgHJTJ8z46U/s1600/kai+in+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsTHaQqRYg6tIZnL6ALtsFqKbqZ6woWLhMeX8MeFfOzf2MSxDTxHp7-ayOAOkfFMDD4qUolpVVcSdTcGEmR9m1QH8LgITQRq_TuxlBF6LkPnTEidI50QzORc_Sf5EXQC52IgHJTJ8z46U/s1600/kai+in+shirt.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oooooooh!</td></tr>
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Of course, Kai has no concept of steampunk. His vague idea of geekery pretty much includes The Clone Wars and Star Trek. So he asked if he could go to the wedding as Captain Kirk. Our friends, being all accepting sorts of geeks, agreed, and I found myself in charge of making a miniature Star Fleet uniform.<br />
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This was a quick, cheap, and slap-dash project. I wanted to do more- find appropriate shoes, for example, and maybe a tricorder or something. In the end, time had the advantage of me, but I at least made the shirt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeCz3eEjZ5OKe3yZIg9KWGQ2JJI16oPXHCKaQna2uzMlDwMNXL-cI94AOolwfbxSIVmAFOsEAuxmdHyuwhRteiwYZU_ydGZYc581iu1ALTL8cXHTXg5U5zThYDSNSDMHvX6M8XbR0tFiT/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeCz3eEjZ5OKe3yZIg9KWGQ2JJI16oPXHCKaQna2uzMlDwMNXL-cI94AOolwfbxSIVmAFOsEAuxmdHyuwhRteiwYZU_ydGZYc581iu1ALTL8cXHTXg5U5zThYDSNSDMHvX6M8XbR0tFiT/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" height="320" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I apologize for the terrible quality of this photo... but not for the adorable subject :)</td></tr>
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The basic shirt was pretty simple- I took a basic pajama shirt pattern and just made it in the closest thing I could find to that charming Star Trek goldenrod. The thing I'm proudest of, and most surprised by, is the insignia. See, when I started, I didn't actually have a plan for it, and I ended up just looking at what I had around and flying by the seat of my pants. And it worked surprisingly well. So- if you happen to ever need a quick and dirty Star Trek insignia patch, I've got you covered!<br />
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You will need-<br />
-A scrap of the fabric you used for the shirt <br />
-Gold metallic paint (the brand I used was DecoArt- not fabric paint, just acrylic.)<br />
-A Sharpie black marker<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuIXkTFdN_e7w5tByW586USAdA2oxf7gug4GgNM79w2aEmPSlvkhrbHHexpeHEajMICi_UlCLOIT8UCQ-V_mAWtmqdHhMy-93ZbT0TlEPe76bC7-6zABOvIpQweHlHn2trVaHM33rV6OS/s1600/IMG_0672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuIXkTFdN_e7w5tByW586USAdA2oxf7gug4GgNM79w2aEmPSlvkhrbHHexpeHEajMICi_UlCLOIT8UCQ-V_mAWtmqdHhMy-93ZbT0TlEPe76bC7-6zABOvIpQweHlHn2trVaHM33rV6OS/s1600/IMG_0672.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go heavy on the paint. I mean, really let it soak in. </td></tr>
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Paint a piece of fabric large enough to out cut your patch. Walk away for several hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4t-LD9djlUl9kIq4Bcvna1oOENgcgKsjpBZhGSg3mtmMzqzhhY57MxEdUB7WdzpXj35jI67AhnA_XAuCp41Akemp-baSFcH1LHt1FFLIcbdQw0UYnuKEt6RwjC4DYCFGbQZXeQmhrbbi/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4t-LD9djlUl9kIq4Bcvna1oOENgcgKsjpBZhGSg3mtmMzqzhhY57MxEdUB7WdzpXj35jI67AhnA_XAuCp41Akemp-baSFcH1LHt1FFLIcbdQw0UYnuKEt6RwjC4DYCFGbQZXeQmhrbbi/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG" height="258" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since I was re-doing this for the tutorial, I wasn't that neat or careful with the design. Guy did the first one, and he did a nicer job.</td></tr>
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We free-handed the shape of the delta onto the fabric with the Sharpie. I'm sure you could find a template somewhere to trace if you're not into free-handing, or if you want to be screen-accurate, or if you're not enough of a Star Trek geek to have the shape memorized. Draw it slightly bigger than you need it, to leave room to trim off the outline. Guy drew on the elongated star command symbol- because he is enough of a Star Trek geek to have all these shapes memorized.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwmHfYxcCLvGfXHLYoFgX8-qXHsocZbKc4EnJo9rohx2zpqls_4HTziRbH_a1G2ZTveBsLGr1ex20NL53YPoWvzcQjFtaftTIE5VOZ8Nf843ecmoRg3-CGsTP0vtQT6Kg6irH8z9gvoqs/s1600/IMG_0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwmHfYxcCLvGfXHLYoFgX8-qXHsocZbKc4EnJo9rohx2zpqls_4HTziRbH_a1G2ZTveBsLGr1ex20NL53YPoWvzcQjFtaftTIE5VOZ8Nf843ecmoRg3-CGsTP0vtQT6Kg6irH8z9gvoqs/s1600/IMG_0680.JPG" height="320" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It kind of looks like the Eiffel tower.</td></tr>
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Cut out your delta. The paint seals the fabric so it doesn't unravel, so you just need to attach it to the shirt. I used a zigzag stitch. It's mostly invisible from a distance, but if you matched the color it would be even better (I used white thread. It was easy. It was already loaded into the machine...)<br />
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What has surprised me most is that this has lasted through several washings now. It's not quite as bright and shiny as when I first made it, but Kai doesn't mind. It's one of his favorite things ever. Along with Legos, and blueberries, and the color orange.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSBN1H-Fat6irDmAbfCh4lySKjfALJLtHx7jxgisJjcv5mF-_hKbFQJjjCPz2-81lmqNRzgqnFx_yM9hgTxitdv2eF0QzZ9PZk1uxpv1nsPoSNOeG_NzGhYon_l8j2vFAaqZm4MMPH0yQ/s1600/shirty+kai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSBN1H-Fat6irDmAbfCh4lySKjfALJLtHx7jxgisJjcv5mF-_hKbFQJjjCPz2-81lmqNRzgqnFx_yM9hgTxitdv2eF0QzZ9PZk1uxpv1nsPoSNOeG_NzGhYon_l8j2vFAaqZm4MMPH0yQ/s1600/shirty+kai.jpg" height="320" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wear your Geek proudly!</td></tr>
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Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-51494740828240024522014-06-19T22:10:00.001-06:002014-06-19T22:10:19.457-06:00Why Don't I Write?Last night, I went to a book signing. It was for a book of stories by local authors, called "Penny Dread Tales." I was there to support one of Guy's old friends (and my newer one), Dave Boop, who wrote one of the stories.<br />
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I had a great time. These authors frequent the local conventions, so I've met a few of them before. They all seemed to friendly and willing to chat. They each read an excerpt from their story- some were polished readers who had the listeners rapt attention, or their uproarious laughter. Other authors seemed uncomfortable performing in front of a crowd. My friend Dave was one of the former, reading some great banter between a pair of characters trying to stay quiet and lay an ambush. </div>
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There was also cake.</div>
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Each of the authors there had done something I've always wanted to do, but never actually managed. They had each written a story, start to finish, and submitted it to someone. I have a file of unfinished stories, many more than a decade old. Some of them I think are pretty neat ideas. But I've written almost nothing for the last five years. And I could blame that on Kai. And I could blame that on being an adult with a full time job. But there are many writers out there who manage to work, parent, and still put ideas on paper. </div>
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At the end of the day, I'm tired. I want to sit and watch TV, or read Facebook, or just go to bed and read until I fall asleep. It was a struggle to sit down and start writing this post after putting Kai to bed. But I am frustrated with my lack of creative output lately. I once could write a short novel in a month. I can certainly write a short story every few months. </div>
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I read somewhere- it might have been the introduction to Good Omens- that the prolific Terry Pratchett managed to start his writing career by not allowing himself to go to bed until he had written at least 400 words. 400 words is not a lot. It's about the length, for example, of this blog post. I think I can do that if I put my mind to it. </div>
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PS: You should check out the book! I haven't read it yet, but from the excerpts I heard it should be a fun read. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Dread-Tales-Volume-Perfidious/dp/0983278288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403237295&sr=8-1&keywords=penny+dread+tales+4">link!</a>)</div>
Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-84573396059291643462014-04-24T06:26:00.000-06:002014-04-24T06:28:11.538-06:00Montessori in the HomeFor various reasons, we have had to take Kai out of preschool for a while. I'm changing jobs, and it seems silly to have him start in a new classroom so close to the end of the school year. And there's the financial aspect, of course. Preschool is expensive, even with a staff discount. And we're lucky- Guy works from home and is able to take on full time child care.<br />
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There's the rub, though- Guy <i>works</i> from home. And although his income isn't as predictable as mine, he gets paid well for the work he does. In a good month, he'll bring in more than me, and even when things are ugly in the freelancing world, he still has regular clients who make the difference between us paying our bills and, well, not.<br />
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So while Kai staying at home is our only option right now, we want to make sure that 1. Kai still has some intellectual stimulation and 2. Guy has the ability to spend part of the day focusing on his freelance work. We're doing a few things to meet these goals, and here's the one I'm most proud of- Our mini Montessori classroom in the basement!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JDChP1PhkbFd9pS74sURG5c9eHgIz7DSEAxxX75Q206dl-Ypucn3U9p4IGWN17OQ8rglRAs9VMFFYw2uHT5d8BfrYWyf4FjY-Gd0EnL7C_PELQXZIWtzUo6wd93MDrHluh4ti-dwSdV9/s1600/5wholearea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JDChP1PhkbFd9pS74sURG5c9eHgIz7DSEAxxX75Q206dl-Ypucn3U9p4IGWN17OQ8rglRAs9VMFFYw2uHT5d8BfrYWyf4FjY-Gd0EnL7C_PELQXZIWtzUo6wd93MDrHluh4ti-dwSdV9/s1600/5wholearea.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big ugly pipe has been moved since I took this picture.</td></tr>
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Guy and I cleaned the basement and then I dug through my stash of teacher stuff, bought some new activities from a thrift store, and brought it all together with an Ikea rug.<br />
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The comfy reading chair was a birthday gift from Grandma Judy. The table faces Guy's work desk, so Kai can interact with him while he's working. The activities here are a zipper frame (picked up at a Montessori that was downsizing), floor puzzle, and magnetic letter board.<br />
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Here is most of his work- on the white shelf he has paper, an art mat, markers, scissors, glue sticks, crayons, a pencil sharpener, and the Asia basket that I made for my Montessori training. On the blue shelf, lots of vocabulary and reading works (most of which were also Montessori training projects) a couple of workbooks (not Montessori at all, but oh well), watercolors, and a knobless cylinder set.</div>
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The blue shelf is my absolute favorite part of this. You know why? Because I made it. Not out of a box- I made it out of this:<br />
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Yeah, check me out. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture is distorting it, but it is a little cattywompus. But it doesn't wobble!</td></tr>
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Of course, I had some expert help.<br />
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Kai loved this job! He ruined that shirt but insisted he didn't care- I only remembered afterward that we had a smock from his old school he could have worn.<br />
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So far, he's been doing a great job of exploring the materials and cleaning up when he's done!<br />
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If you're visiting this blog and are interested in doing Montessori inspired learning in your own home, here are a few books you might be interested in- <br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780452279094?aff=paintingfire">Teaching Montessori in the Home</a> by Elisabeth G. Hainstock. I haven't read this, but it's got good reviews. (this is an affiliate link)<br />
<a href="http://www.montessorimadness.com/Montessori_Madness!/Home.html">Montessori Madness</a> by Trevor Eissler. A great argument and explanation of Montessori education by a parent, for other parents. <br />
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805041569?aff=paintingfire">The Absorbent Mind</a> by Maria Montessori. This is my favorite of Montessori's books, which I feel delves most deeply into the philosophy and reasoning behind what she did. (this is also an affiliate link)Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-6802644057326177662014-04-13T15:12:00.000-06:002014-04-13T15:12:15.501-06:00Super quick baby blanketIt has been a busy week...<br />
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I've thought about posting several times this week but just have never had the time. Today, finally, things have slowed down a bit. (And by slowed down, I mean "It's 2:30 and I'm still in my pajamas!") I had time to complete a project I've had the materials for for weeks, but just never got around to- A baby blanket for my boss at the job I'm leaving.<br />
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Apologies for the pictures in this post. It's snowing and gloomy outside, and all of them turned out a little fuzzy. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0srLmOkHr_R6Qq3aW5TVStPQVlRyMIpqSj52A85UOJRJ25qolfGE2MtO1LPXc5I8m4_E54modQfXMEusn3WeOv2WLsrZmkyHUjD9bz0Cdt75lcU_-TnNBa4j6ku1egV_rsJj109e26CJf/s1600/finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0srLmOkHr_R6Qq3aW5TVStPQVlRyMIpqSj52A85UOJRJ25qolfGE2MtO1LPXc5I8m4_E54modQfXMEusn3WeOv2WLsrZmkyHUjD9bz0Cdt75lcU_-TnNBa4j6ku1egV_rsJj109e26CJf/s1600/finished.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft and snuggly!</td></tr>
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This was such an easy blanket to make! I used some materials I normally wouldn't, two different synthetic fabrics (gasp!), in the interest of making this a super quick project. Now I will tell you all about it!<br />
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I bought the fabric at <a href="http://fabricblissdenver.com/">Fabric Bliss</a>, a fabric shop owned by one of my old friends. She usually has a great stock of unusual and adorable kid's fabrics, like the monkey print you can see up above. The reverse is pale yellow minky, a fabric I've never used before. It's a synthetic similar to fleece, which I despise, and so I hesitated before choosing it, but the kids at my school all seem to just love the stuff. It doesn't feel like fleece, which helps- I hate the way just touching fleece seems to dry out my hands.<br />
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Kai was <i>obsessed</i> with this fabric- I ended up promising him all of the leftovers once I cut what I needed for the blanket, which turned out to be a fair bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMHLkkiP4LghE7-WAdJY0faE_HsYDiTs4VajFaVFxGtDZKdlgAc3qMVIiul-5Ts5QSU441_1Xg8bJwbXxqelm4HwcJ3I_4Xfn2140v_QEEXfe5F671TcIWFAya9Du-bnNMXH6R-ufUQ5C/s1600/kai.jpg" height="362" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here he is, cutting scraps off of his windfall.</td></tr>
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The binding I ended up getting later at Jo-ann. It's the other synthetic, and another thing I'd never used before. There was a definite learning curve- my last edges look a lot nicer than the first one I did. Luckily, the errors aren't too noticeable. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKepK197kXVZ8Upt1mOnUShO9jE31CgkO11LC2xUl2WgCmXcHK0aHNw7pWzBGV2bmW0GAMpojA0YHKtkjksl_LDX1et73bERciKca5HbZsR6g6Ek9aqT529T7OIsigD6RgJTqDdr4Q_VE/s1600/cutting-mat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKepK197kXVZ8Upt1mOnUShO9jE31CgkO11LC2xUl2WgCmXcHK0aHNw7pWzBGV2bmW0GAMpojA0YHKtkjksl_LDX1et73bERciKca5HbZsR6g6Ek9aqT529T7OIsigD6RgJTqDdr4Q_VE/s1600/cutting-mat.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't use these often, but they are sure nice to have!</td></tr>
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Anyway, I just squared off the fabric (after washing and ironing, of course) and sewed it together around the edges. Since I was going to cover the edges with the binding, I left them raw and sewed wrong sides together. The fabrics cling to each other, to the point where I decided it didn't even need to be quilted. I am going to call the decision not to quilt this blanket "Going for simplicity" and not "Lazy shortcut" because that's just how I roll. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHS516RyMmp8a_ySk1YDglH5Aq-8Hxr0auLYaljSsUzmJXoh2_q6_25hLQRD43wURU_rNYIjtA6I_htdn4bADQHRBkN8tVxj_taT7lnBDWyAGAdAFlJ0bbQHpR6-nrvLMhM4P7RF8pE6f/s1600/fabrics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHS516RyMmp8a_ySk1YDglH5Aq-8Hxr0auLYaljSsUzmJXoh2_q6_25hLQRD43wURU_rNYIjtA6I_htdn4bADQHRBkN8tVxj_taT7lnBDWyAGAdAFlJ0bbQHpR6-nrvLMhM4P7RF8pE6f/s1600/fabrics.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a></div>
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The binding was the trickiest part. I used <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Flannel-baby-blanket-with-satin-binding/?ALLSTEPS">this tutorial</a> to get an idea of how to do it and it worked pretty well. The mitered corners took some fiddling with but ended up looking very nice. Here's how you start pinning it on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGoXMv_s3xlEdKBkKFEqePQiPj-gb-ryPQJnn4ccYIGv9YsxNPAXlNXbfQfuTSa8Rsh-Oquv-4JQol51c5fBtgydqrw5juz89-Y5rnhY23HANkGwf1w9rSbkaTBcmPDf7O0X3JFlzWnQc/s1600/binding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGoXMv_s3xlEdKBkKFEqePQiPj-gb-ryPQJnn4ccYIGv9YsxNPAXlNXbfQfuTSa8Rsh-Oquv-4JQol51c5fBtgydqrw5juz89-Y5rnhY23HANkGwf1w9rSbkaTBcmPDf7O0X3JFlzWnQc/s1600/binding.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></a></div>
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And that's it! This took two hours, tops. I'm going to pop it in a bag with a bottle of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap (they're going to cloth diaper) and give it to my boss tomorrow!</div>
Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-82160811701764889062014-04-02T07:53:00.001-06:002014-04-02T07:53:13.247-06:00A day in Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was hoping to have Kai's pajama pants- and the second post on them- done last weekend. Sadly, between planning for our spring break trip to Texas and the convention Guy worked at on Saturday, I couldn't get it done. So here is a collection of photos I took on a trip to the playground with Kai instead.</div>
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I've been visiting my in-laws here for at least five years and I didn't know that there was a playground and park not five minutes walk from their house. It's out of the way- you drive through the church parking lot to a one lane road behind the last row of houses to get to it. Maybe that's why there weren't many people there, or maybe it's because the local schools aren't on their break this week. Either way, the only person Kai and I met for the first 45 minutes or so was a groundskeeper.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Community gardens</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkB_yu9CoK7dzVcGVLWRhkwkYUB9ppQkP4q6rO6J7HcqCUexvwg9Mb_Rd_p6py9KZZppEOXtC8-fggXA2dpSL8-CmD8wBa2q6BLO8g0mEuVBYzHKtSq9lRFlFzJDvEDTvc9gPlSdhakTc/s640/blogger-image--608032517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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Next to the playground were the community gardens. I hung out for a bit, checking out what people were growing, until I spotted this terrifying fellow and decided to back away slowly.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacUXKxcUXj3xSeDCwfiKToN9pfQWaTzH5kn8nwlhhxGvkKofk1bUjA2VRu9ykbybRScSTdBYBBBFp0UyXAf7uavFlpfsShlzg7ZegLK256ElyV5xm7oFRwLcek2hoM5fH5SV8TCkO_A37/s1600/blogger-image--608032517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacUXKxcUXj3xSeDCwfiKToN9pfQWaTzH5kn8nwlhhxGvkKofk1bUjA2VRu9ykbybRScSTdBYBBBFp0UyXAf7uavFlpfsShlzg7ZegLK256ElyV5xm7oFRwLcek2hoM5fH5SV8TCkO_A37/s1600/blogger-image--608032517.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Texas, you're going too far with the whole "everything is bigger" thing.</td></tr>
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The playground was way fun. Lots of things to climb on. Once Kai realized I was taking pictures of him, he started to vamp for the camera. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_8DiPUcCdCXArAgDOFOtjVauc4rzzrfb2qkvytpx21ezNLjgmlPZdktFQ9iVQu5O4NBTerEHsQREzo3j23Y2iyrc2flJ0jDue_VS30GBNKNFkxIZscLVdNoSude8u0idyLyy9Vrk7Aqr/s1600/blogger-image--378184471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_8DiPUcCdCXArAgDOFOtjVauc4rzzrfb2qkvytpx21ezNLjgmlPZdktFQ9iVQu5O4NBTerEHsQREzo3j23Y2iyrc2flJ0jDue_VS30GBNKNFkxIZscLVdNoSude8u0idyLyy9Vrk7Aqr/s1600/blogger-image--378184471.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have about ten pictures of him in this red thing. This one is my favorite.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnzo-UbvCO8N_GG0pIJ6O-H4bQzZvYJmTJIfpppyS2itnkaXCD8qbh_GYbIPevzw2Ma164YgOUI2E7typAQsa2ccsKsT7wR9fyGap4P_d1aIgyKdZ4HdLWrsRm33GDh7BhZhpfc58wUut/s1600/blogger-image--1296296536.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnzo-UbvCO8N_GG0pIJ6O-H4bQzZvYJmTJIfpppyS2itnkaXCD8qbh_GYbIPevzw2Ma164YgOUI2E7typAQsa2ccsKsT7wR9fyGap4P_d1aIgyKdZ4HdLWrsRm33GDh7BhZhpfc58wUut/s1600/blogger-image--1296296536.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kai is thrilled to be able to go out every day in shorts. It's hard to see, but he's all scrapes and bruises on his legs- the life of a little boy is hard.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrle7kkJv9nDjoktkB6XHUsZ9iSNnyt0l2ZqKE43mbQXbNZaDJXVYlPLgFbiXCAuPbnccfP1mO-v3JvIArtORpF4IK1F66cZuoW3yFs7f7GnQsmqJOsP2N5_y1RVDSGYcDJJNm36jWds_I/s1600/blogger-image-1543579019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrle7kkJv9nDjoktkB6XHUsZ9iSNnyt0l2ZqKE43mbQXbNZaDJXVYlPLgFbiXCAuPbnccfP1mO-v3JvIArtORpF4IK1F66cZuoW3yFs7f7GnQsmqJOsP2N5_y1RVDSGYcDJJNm36jWds_I/s1600/blogger-image-1543579019.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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Kai used to hate swings, and has only gotten over it in the last few months. Now he's swung in the complete opposite direction- he loves to swing and go as high as I can get him!<br />
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Toward the end of playtime. The sun was coming out and it was starting to get hot, the kind of heat that reminds one of why one comes to Texas in the early spring rather than the summer. It's nice to be warm, though.<br />
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And that's all! Tune in next week sometime for the finale to the saga of the pj pants!Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-42107450197749372012014-03-26T21:20:00.000-06:002014-04-02T08:27:00.211-06:00What I've been reading- Food EditionI am a fiction reader. I like to read young adult fantasy, hard sci-fi, time travel, steam-punk, or pretty much anything that isn't modern-day, normal life Earth. But when I do get in the frame of mind to read non-fiction, I tend to do so obsessively. I'll get every book by an author, or binge on a specific subject. Most recently, I've been on a real food kick. <br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143125334?aff=paintingfire"><img src="http://images.booksense.com/images/books/334/125/FC9780143125334.JPG" onerror="this.src = 'http://www.indiebound.org/files/book_not_found.jpg';" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" /></a><br />
For Christmas, Guy and I received a copy of <i>Cooked</i>, by Michael Pollan. I read through it cover to cover in about a week. There are some fascinating tidbits in Cooked; the theory that cooking food was the development that allowed us to grow our big brains and become what we are today, for one. Pollan takes the reader through different methods of preparing food using key recipes intermingled with stories of how he learned them, the people he met in the course of his research, and a liberal amount of philosophy. His main theme seems to be that it is worth the time and effort to cook and eat together- he makes several mentions of how his Sunday afternoon cooking time became a way to bond with his teenage son.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143038580?aff=paintingfire"><img src="http://images.booksense.com/images/books/580/038/FC9780143038580.JPG" onerror="this.src = 'http://www.indiebound.org/files/book_not_found.jpg';" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143114963?aff=paintingfire"><img src="http://images.booksense.com/images/books/963/114/FC9780143114963.JPG" onerror="this.src = 'http://www.indiebound.org/files/book_not_found.jpg';" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" /></a><br />
I enjoyed reading <i>Cooked</i> enough that I downloaded two more of Pollan's books from the library- <i>The Omnivore's Dilemma</i> and <i>In Defense of Food</i>. It's been a few weeks since I read those, and they are mixed up in my mind, partly because there's a lot of territory covered by both books.<i> In Defense of Food </i>is where Pollan sets out a "diet" that I would actually follow (and usually do): Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants. He talks in both books about the difference between food and the food-like substances that most Americans live off of; the hundreds of products made from industrial corn and soy, including the meat we eat (corn and soy diet), the calories we drink (soda), and the unpronouncables in all of our processed food. He talks about the damage that industrial farming is doing to the farming economy, the environment, and our health. Both interesting reads, and I did learn some things I hadn't known.<br />
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While reading through those, I also read through the archives of <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/">100 Days of Real Food</a>, a blog about one family's challenge to remove all processed food from their lives for, well, 100 days. It has some great recipes and tips for those trying to make similar changes, and the author, Lisa, is humble and honest about how little she knew starting out. She does have her soapbox moments, though!<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780060852566?aff=paintingfire"><img src="http://images.booksense.com/images/books/566/852/FC9780060852566.JPG" onerror="this.src = 'http://www.indiebound.org/files/book_not_found.jpg';" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" /></a><br />
Finally, I looked up another book I'd seen on my locavore parents' bookshelf- <i>Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</i> by Barbara Kingsolver. The author and her family (who also contributed to the book) spent a year eating only food they could get locally (with a few exceptions. Coffee- I get it.) It may be because I was reaching the end of my food-related reading binge, but this one dragged for me. My loan from the library expired before I finished it, and I had to download it again. I did enjoy the book, on the whole, though I got pretty bored during the long explanation of the evils of Big Corn (which I had just read in <i>The Omnivore's Dilemma</i>). I finished the book with a sense of relief and am currently deeply ensconced in- what else- a young adult fantasy.<br />
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So, to the meat of it (Hah! Food pun!) Did what I read in any of these books change how I eat and feed my family? Not a whole lot. Fact is, these authors were preaching to the choir. I already try to avoid processed foods, cook as much as I can, and eat lots of plants. We eat together as a family every night that Guy is home- four or five nights a week- and I'm not going to make him feel guilty for the nights he's not here because he needs to make money so we can buy food. <br />
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As far as eating locally, I would love to. As soon as the Farmer's Markets open up, I'll make a point to go there for the bulk of our produce if I can. But milk and meat are a little trickier. Our current dairy is local, but not organic. I've looked for an organic alternative, but not much is out there. Meat is just out of our price range. According to Michael Pollan, Americans on average spend about nine percent of their income on food. Ours is more like thirteen percent, which still doesn't sound like a lot, but we don't have any wiggle room in the budget right now.<br />
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What changes have I made? Well, I'm not quite ready to give up Costco Taquito night, but I have eliminated my emergency canned soups pretty much entirely. I use even less refined sugar than I used to, swapping for honey or maple syrup or eliminating it all together from some recipes (We put sugar on top of the pancakes! do they need it inside, too?) I've started bringing lunch to school every day, and packing for Kai as well. The school provides free lunch but I want better control over what we eat, and I was underwhelmed with their menu. And that's probably about as far as I'll take it for a while.<br />
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Thanks for reading all the way through! Here's a picture of Kai learning to sew. He stuck with it for about three minutes and then decided cutting up the fabric and making designs was way more fun.<br />
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This post contains affiliate links. If you follow the links you will be taken to an <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/?aff=paintingfire">IndieBound</a> page where you can buy the book. It won't cost you any more, but I will earn a small commission.</div>
<br />Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-6975562225004343022014-03-21T22:33:00.001-06:002014-03-21T22:33:59.600-06:00Pattern Reading Tutorial- New Pajama Pants for a Kitty-boy (Part 1)I rarely use patterns for my sewing. I buy them, sure, especially the beautiful period costumes that tend to come out around Halloween. Then I put them in my pattern drawer and ogle them occasionally.<br />
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When I do use a pattern, I tend to use it the same way I use a recipe- I make sure I have the amounts roughly right and get an idea of the shapes of the fabric I need, then improvise. I know how to follow a pattern. I just usually don't. But when Kai recently asked for a new pair of pants with kitties on them, I decided to follow a pattern and take pictures of the process so I could blog about it. This tutorial is very detailed, intended for the person who has never used a pattern before. It's detailed enough that I'm splitting it into two parts because my fingers are starting to hurt from typing.</div>
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The pattern I am using is McCall's 6237. I chose it because it is pretty simple, the pants have pockets ( a must for Kai), and most of all because I already have it. It's actually meant for daytime pants, but I am using it for pajamas.</div>
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Before purchasing the fabric for a pattern, start by measuring the intended wearer. Patterns have their own sizing system that doesn't match up well with standard pre-made garment sizes. I looked at a pattern I'd purchased for myself, and I would need to make it in a size 12- in clothing I wear a 4. The opposite happened with Kai. When I measured him (and he stood surprisingly still for it!) I came up with a size 2 on the pattern, where he normally wears size 3 or 4 pants. However, I decided to make the pants in a size 4 anyway, on the theory that kids grow. They do- I've seen it. </div>
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Side note- I measured Kai using a measuring tape which, like many of my sewing supplies, came from Guy's late grandmother. I didn't realize how old it was until Guy pointed out that it had been made in West Germany!</div>
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So- now that I know what size I'm making, I can look at the pattern package and see that for a pair of pants in size 4, I will need one yard of 45 inch wide fabric. Since I'm making pajama pants, I'm using flannel, which happened to be on sale that day at Joann. Yay! Kai chose two different flannels, one with cats and one with paw prints. I'm making two pairs of pants for him, one with each print.</div>
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I always buy more fabric than I think I will need for a project. That way I'm prepared for mistakes, and I can make little extras to go with the final product. For this one, I might use some of the extra to make a patch on a tee-shirt so Kai has a full set of pajamas. </div>
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So, on to the cutting, right? Not so fast. Fabric needs to be washed and ironed before it is ready to cut out. (My mama would be so proud of me.) Fabric shrinks, as we all know, and it shrinks more or less in certain directions. If you get all that shrinking out of the way before you sew, you don't have to worry about weird puckers and wrinkles from different parts of the garment shrinking unevenly. And ironing the fabric before you cut out the pattern pieces gives you much neater, more accurate pieces to work with.</div>
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Here is what I will be using for this project, including washed and ironed fabric but not including the velcro (more on that later).<br />
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If you've never worked with a standard professional pattern before, there are a few things to watch out for. The pattern comes printed on super thin tissue paper, folded tightly together. If you're not careful spreading it out, you can end up tearing it. Find someplace large and flat where you can unfold the whole paper at once- I used the guest bed, though I have often used the floor. Look at the instructions first- there will be a page that tells you which pieces you need for each garment you can make with that pattern. It's hard to see in my image, but for these pants I need the pieces numbered 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Sometimes you have to search though several sheets to find what you need, because they're placed for the most efficient use of space, not logic.</div>
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Oh, here's a tip I totally didn't follow. Read through all the instructions before you start. Just like a recipe, this will give you a better idea what you're in for. Unlike a recipe, if you have to go back to the store to get fusible interfacing it isn't going to ruin your pants- but it will slow you down. I'm not speaking from personal experience or anything. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It tells you on the pattern that you need two of this piece, but doesn't tell you they need to be mirrored. If you follow the cutting instructions, though, it will happen naturally.</td></tr>
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The lines around the pattern piece are numbered- cut along the one that matches the size you want. Some people like to trace pattern pieces onto heavier paper or muslin so they can use them multiple times, but I've never used a pattern enough to warrant that. However, if you want to make the same pattern in multiple sizes you would need to do something of the sort. You don't need to cut out the little notches yet- they come in later.</div>
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You now need to find the page of the pattern instructions which shows how to lay the pieces out for cutting. Here is how the instructions are given and how it looks when you've laid them out on real fabric. (Sorry for the busyness of these pictures, by the way. I didn't think until afterward what the stripey bedsheet would add to the photos.) Note that the fabric is folded in half, so every pair of pieces will be mirror images. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes, you can rearrange the pieces to save a little fabric, but usually the layout they give you is the best option.</td></tr>
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Pin your pattern to the fabric, or weigh it down. Some like to use weights, which reduces damage to the pattern. I don't bother for the same reason I don't trace my patterns onto more durable materials- I'm unlikely to use it again. Part of the fun for me is the novelty. </div>
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Cut out the fabric carefully, paying attention to any special instructions. Piece 16 says to cut four, so after cutting it, I'll move the pattern piece and cut two more.</div>
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Now, for those little triangular markings-</div>
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These are how you fit the pieces together once you start sewing. You want to make a small but noticeable cut in your fabric, so you can find it easily. These will all be inside the seams, so no one will ever see them once you're finished. If there's one triangle, cut one notch. If there are two triangles, cut two notches. (Obvious, maybe, but I really am trying to cover all the bases here.)</div>
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Now that you've cut out all the pieces of fabric, you're ready to start sewing. I like to leave the pattern pinned to the fabric until I'm ready to use it- that way I don't forget which is which. The sewing instructions will use this key a lot, so read through it first. Pay close attention to the "right" side and "wrong" side colors- I don't want to talk about how many stitches I've had to undo because I sewed the wrong sides together...</div>
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The first step in the instructions is to sew the outer seams on the pants legs. So, we need one front piece and one back piece. Lay the pieces out one on top of the other, so that the right side of the fabric, the side that will be seen when the garment is worn, is in the middle of the sandwich. Make sure that the notches you cut earlier line up. Pin the two pieces together, using as many pins as you need to feel confident. Flannel sticks together like felt, so I didn't use very many pins- maybe every six inches or so.</div>
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The key says all seams are 5/8ths of an inch. I usually just eyeball this. (I'm hearing myself say a lot of things that basically translate to "I'm sloppy." But it works for me.) However, most sewing machines have seam guides to help you be a little more accurate- those lines on the edge next to my fabric there. Sew a straight seam using the basic stitch which is probably the default on your machine. At the beginning and end of all of your seams, back up a few stitches. It's pretty much tying a knot at the ends of your thread. It's also a nightmare to pick back out if you make a mistake, so only back-stitch two or three stitches.</div>
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Also, take out the pins before you sew over them. It doesn't happen often, but you can break your needle sewing a pin.</div>
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Wherever I can, I try to flatten the seams and finish them off. For this one I ironed it open and sewed a zigzag stitch down the rough edge. This step isn't necessary but I like the effect and I feel like it makes the product more durable.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little blurry, but you get the idea.</td></tr>
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Do this for both legs. And now it's time for the pockets.</div>
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Okay, I don't even want to talk about how many times I got the pockets on these pants wrong. I blame the instructions. No, really, it wasn't very clearly written out and the pictures weren't helpful. </div>
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So, you take the pocket piece, fold the top over 1/4 inch and iron-</div>
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Then fold it back outward and iron it down. There's a line marked on the pattern piece which shows you where to fold to.Then you sew down the edges and trim off some. The pattern doesn't say how much- I went for about 1/4 inch.<br />
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Then you turn that little pocket you sewed inside out, press it, and press in seams on the rest of the pocket to match. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8DlqaKAwvtY_E94mDTsERx99eTiOHyD66UJqf853sszWxgwYpZhpPr8YOTlNa97XucSjM2vcqCqyc7qOgZ1EdDDgjUKAECIFagAiheTZfRVCB0kvyTa_I1scSy66sn-vN__hXr2wppn5/s1600/all-the-pockets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8DlqaKAwvtY_E94mDTsERx99eTiOHyD66UJqf853sszWxgwYpZhpPr8YOTlNa97XucSjM2vcqCqyc7qOgZ1EdDDgjUKAECIFagAiheTZfRVCB0kvyTa_I1scSy66sn-vN__hXr2wppn5/s1600/all-the-pockets.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the pockets for two pairs of pants.</td></tr>
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"But Muriah, you didn't show us your mistakes!" Well, I'm not writing a 'how to mess up a pattern' tutorial! </div>
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Next step- attaching the pockets to the pants pieces. You'll need to lay your pants legs out flat and get out the pattern pieces for them. The pattern has markings to show where to place the pocket. This is the back pocket- the red arrow is pointing to one of the markings. I laid the pattern over the fabric piece and then kind of slid the pocket underneath until it matched up- you can see it under there. </div>
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The side pocket has an additional step before you attach it- since this pocket will have a flap, we'll be attaching the velcro now. I didn't read through the pattern in advance, and totally didn't realize I needed velcro, but I have plenty hanging around. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex3y1Xb8u8crKNGEQX8JedAl9cSsX5QhlYVoKobmR830WtfHfHdXRsIjKBGzhywnLjoRDGf90pWdO29rRf_nDsbAhyj-j7WFRHj8ggvLh2pgWldjTSrnGanueY4ynS9tKRX0mk465lyr0/s1600/placing-velcro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex3y1Xb8u8crKNGEQX8JedAl9cSsX5QhlYVoKobmR830WtfHfHdXRsIjKBGzhywnLjoRDGf90pWdO29rRf_nDsbAhyj-j7WFRHj8ggvLh2pgWldjTSrnGanueY4ynS9tKRX0mk465lyr0/s1600/placing-velcro.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Velcro courtesy Guy's Nana. It's probably thirty years old, but works fine!</td></tr>
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There is a placement marker on the pattern piece showing where to put the velcro. This is the fuzzy side- the hook side will be on the flap. My velcro has adhesive on the back, so I didn't pin. I sewed around the edge with a zigzag stitch. </div>
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For placing the side pocket on the pants leg you need both leg pattern pieces- </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The arrow is pointing to the placement markers. They're hard to see, but there's one for each size. My pockets turned out a little small, so I just lined them up as well as I could.</td></tr>
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You line it up with the circles on each piece- for this one I placed the pocket and then slid the pattern out from underneath it. Both pockets are sewn on the same way. Pin them down first, then sew around the sides and bottom 1/4 inch from the edge. Repeat very close to the edge. If you were a pro, you'd use a double needle for this and it would look very sharp, but this method is just as sturdy and looks homemade. Which is good, in my book.</div>
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And that's all I have for today. Next week I'll post the rest- putting the pants together, the waistband, final fittings, and cute pictures of the model. I hope this was helpful to someone!</div>
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Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-63246756052226742592014-03-14T20:51:00.001-06:002014-03-14T20:51:49.731-06:00How to Have a Healthy Breakfast. Every Single Day.The pattern tutorial isn't quite (at all) ready, so here is something I hope will be helpful to the internet at large. <br />
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Working with preschoolers, I have learned that if I don't have a good breakfast in the morning, I can't do my job well. I lose my temper when I'm hungry, and there is no one like a preschooler to push all the wrong buttons when they know you're on the edge. I can sacrifice a shower in the morning, but I am not allowed to leave the house without breakfast.<br />
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Then there's Kai. He <i>is</i> a preschooler, and he wakes up ravenous. He's never been much of a dinner eater- he gets most of his daily calories from breakfast, lunch, and snacks, so I try to be sure they're good ones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFLb2KgsoJc884MizYLs0ZZF09XNt5lrqyHxs5O5E63s45208pbEIg5re09nbg4M8Qlg6L3qiz6C1JYhAZBXMM79KZNFrifYq8w33cvXqpVkdqocjCQZwhQkYywsnafPh8EkUe_8pkxnL/s1600/brek3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFLb2KgsoJc884MizYLs0ZZF09XNt5lrqyHxs5O5E63s45208pbEIg5re09nbg4M8Qlg6L3qiz6C1JYhAZBXMM79KZNFrifYq8w33cvXqpVkdqocjCQZwhQkYywsnafPh8EkUe_8pkxnL/s1600/brek3.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need fuel to power my Lego marathon!</td></tr>
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The modern lifestyle pushes us more and more towards convenience foods, and it is hard to push back, especially when I work full time and have never been much of a morning person. It seems like life, and especially parenting, is a constant series of decisions about what principles you are going to stand firm on, and what you are willing to let go of. I've let go of the battle against the television, at least somewhat, but I haven't yet given up on trying to make sure we eat a healthy diet that is also somewhat friendlier towards the planet than the norm. I consider breakfast one of my big successes- every day, Kai and I eat a balanced meal made of fresh, nutritious foods, and I don't spend more than five minutes in the morning prepping it. Here's how I do it.<br />
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<b>1. I have a pattern. </b></div>
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Mornings are much easier if I don't have to think. So breakfast has a set pattern- whole grain carbohydrate, fruit, protein. That way, the questions I have to ask aren't huge- What am I making?- but simple- banana or blackberries? Here are some of the meals I serve regularly, and mix and match.</div>
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- Whole grain pancake with sunflower seed butter, banana. (This is Kai's very favorite breakfast and what he eats most days.)</div>
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- Plain yogurt with homemade granola, berries</div>
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- Whole grain French toast with all-fruit jelly, pear slices. </div>
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- Oatmeal with raisins and applesauce, glass of milk.</div>
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- Homemade muffin, yogurt, apple slices.</div>
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- Whole grain toast with nut butter and bananas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHlsrjZuSchB-97zUPdpjjd9iFgJIemKg06KFhMdZBSJ0UV6x_D4R-6SOf1Z9buYsCtHmVqkt8CZnkk8mQPW_RMZ4QXJly9aTxxVU_5uhXAeM90J-lAw3LL0sp7_cju-q6bDG9rH3yEjK/s1600/brek2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHlsrjZuSchB-97zUPdpjjd9iFgJIemKg06KFhMdZBSJ0UV6x_D4R-6SOf1Z9buYsCtHmVqkt8CZnkk8mQPW_RMZ4QXJly9aTxxVU_5uhXAeM90J-lAw3LL0sp7_cju-q6bDG9rH3yEjK/s1600/brek2.jpg" height="180" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzVsp079nPurTw51oG1gOixnsk-Q3S3-soa0W-r6jwFHWODlEhEFfCRgMo1T_MHJfEoXq8IGJXANffNERZs6F8T0Wbkb4xJbss4y_LpM20GKXkAlh0QzQJJE7gxIl1pUjjbW07ZDMjnoP/s1600/brek1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzVsp079nPurTw51oG1gOixnsk-Q3S3-soa0W-r6jwFHWODlEhEFfCRgMo1T_MHJfEoXq8IGJXANffNERZs6F8T0Wbkb4xJbss4y_LpM20GKXkAlh0QzQJJE7gxIl1pUjjbW07ZDMjnoP/s1600/brek1.jpg" height="174" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>2. I plan ahead</b></div>
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You probably noticed the word "homemade" a few times up there. And no, I am not making a batch of muffins or pancakes on a school morning! Every weekend, I try to make at least one think that I can serve for breakfast during the week. A double batch of Sunday morning pancakes, an entire loaf of bread into French toast, or a batch of the banana muffins that Kai loves to help me make. I freeze these on cookie sheets and then bag them up, and I know by now exactly how long it takes to thaw them out. (One minute and fifteen seconds for one pancake). I always make sure to have fresh fruit on hand, and some frozen back ups too. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pancakes frozen and ready for bagging up.</td></tr>
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I know a lot of what I serve for breakfast has a reputation for being unhealthy. I mean, we have pancakes, French toast, and muffins almost every day! The truth is, though, that these foods aren't by their nature actually unhealthy. It's the restaurant and pre-made versions that have ruined their reputation. I use only whole grain flour and bread, limited sweetener, limited fats, and almost always include fruits and vegetables in the recipes. I rarely serve them with syrup, but when I do, it's the real thing and the portions are small. I would much rather eat these than the alternatives- pop tarts, instant flavored oatmeal, granola bars, sugary cereal, etc.</div>
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I will add the recipes I use for weekend baking as I make them over the next few weeks- check back for links. </div>
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<b>3. I have a Plan B</b></div>
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I know me. Even five minutes is too much on that morning when I sleep through my alarm and spill coffee on the floor, and there's sometimes a Friday when the fruit has run out and I didn't make it to the store. For those days, I have a packaged alternative which I can feel okay about Kai eating every once in a while. Right now, my emergency backup breakfast is Kashi cereal bars and an applesauce pouch. A little more sugar than I like, a little more processed than I would want, but not a pop tart! And that's what really matters, right?</div>
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Some of you might be wondering what Guy eats- I haven't said much about him here. The fact is, I'm not home when he eats, so I don't really know!</div>
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So there it is! My plan for an easy, healthy breakfast, every day.</div>
Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-44177964565136557662014-03-09T08:52:00.000-06:002014-03-09T14:56:57.352-06:00Here we go again!I am rethinking what I would like to do with this blog. When I
started, it was going to be a sewing blog, based solely on the fact that
I had come up with a really fun name. Then I decided that was too much
work and I was going to post book reviews and general parenting advice. I
want to be a blogger who posts things that are important to me, that
will help other people, and maybe bring in a little bit of income, and
to do that, I need to be posting regularly. So here's what I will be
doing, I think- I will post about once a week, on topics that are
important to me- Sewing, nutrition, education, books. If I can't manage a
big post, I'll put up a little something about what I've been reading.<br />
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Right
now, I have an idea for a tutorial that I hope will be useful for a lot
of beginner seamsters- how to read a pattern. I've started putting
together the ideas and I'm hoping to post it next weekend. Stay tuned!Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-12682814703532355392013-01-07T17:55:00.000-07:002013-01-07T17:55:16.849-07:00Cooking with Toddlers- Applesauce BreadI have fond memories of making bread with my mom, way back in the day. She has a great picture of me in an enormous apron with my hands in a giant bowl, covered in flour, with the most serious look on my face. I think I was about three.<br />
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Kai will be three on his next birthday, and he loves to cook with me. And Saturday morning Guy decided to clean the entire kitchen before I woke up (husband of the year award? I think so!) so I decided to do some baking with Kai. Because nothing says "cook something" like a clean kitchen.<br />
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I first decided to make pear muffins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINVCT-msFyarHgixi-dwyaFBnwJxpyDg47ceWsUF6v833xQZCDSs9eqg88zKi24bFqA42YvAFDfm2sRyvpuaNYw0P597wIlNdrHOQLmmLu1SIQks_hv-4I8WkMzTfB4RAzAo9t8DVOhDZ/s1600/ab1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINVCT-msFyarHgixi-dwyaFBnwJxpyDg47ceWsUF6v833xQZCDSs9eqg88zKi24bFqA42YvAFDfm2sRyvpuaNYw0P597wIlNdrHOQLmmLu1SIQks_hv-4I8WkMzTfB4RAzAo9t8DVOhDZ/s1600/ab1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, pears.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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After all the pears were eaten, I decided to make butternut squash and applesauce muffins. Butternut squash is yummy too... and all of the muffin tins were in the dishwasher...<br />
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So, we ended up making applesauce bread with raisins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhUQY-6krseJDEya9Mq7m6ad1SthyphenhyphenInyew9tcaaC9ATB8S2Ae9twCjhoJdnW5A_Q8sod0VwcdAW2ul3cFHweNlyIZeBkBtTA45dx4aoMeuvrqs845ni2wbis2Ir5jwytIHPoKOkTdNSSL/s1600/ab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhUQY-6krseJDEya9Mq7m6ad1SthyphenhyphenInyew9tcaaC9ATB8S2Ae9twCjhoJdnW5A_Q8sod0VwcdAW2ul3cFHweNlyIZeBkBtTA45dx4aoMeuvrqs845ni2wbis2Ir5jwytIHPoKOkTdNSSL/s1600/ab2.jpg" height="320" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cinnamon!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Kai's favorite jobs are stirring, pouring, and shaking in the spices. I like my muffins and such on the flavorful side, so I'm pretty happy just handing him the spices and letting him shake away.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6LTTcedMl6Wm9ryfkzQ304CgqDymYteB8zAVl9BU9IjvSmbGIAjA8pQp0XWP36v1osoW5PJfEArNukJekIrdwwHhwRaDB_JiPqUPwbvShhn6lP5wyzv6HXrHFzNSydnqME2LOj71QJtj/s1600/ab3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6LTTcedMl6Wm9ryfkzQ304CgqDymYteB8zAVl9BU9IjvSmbGIAjA8pQp0XWP36v1osoW5PJfEArNukJekIrdwwHhwRaDB_JiPqUPwbvShhn6lP5wyzv6HXrHFzNSydnqME2LOj71QJtj/s1600/ab3.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stir, me hearties! </td></tr>
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I wish that picture had turned out less blurry, but I love his expression so much that I'm posting it anyway. Note how the kitchen is getting progressively less clean in each picture...<br />
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Cooking with Kai is very frustrating and rewarding. Today he was naming all the ingredients as I got them out- he knows the spices, baking soda, baking powder, and he says "Egg! To crack-crack-crack!" But he wants to do more than he's completely capable of just yet, and I have to sneak behind his back to give the ingredients a good mix because he wants to do it All By Himself. He's developing a real sense of care and precision- I had to encourage him to really go for it with the spices. And of course...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRAezl5vEyJSJPSKW-n5gd_jnZLnqqFMTXHSrmtOJfnEzDBF-THyg-tGAgn-jAvMbcS8KkA4FXkTNA-ClfB_95CswOBZNNLVbtOXOJmbt36yyMNT7qd9G3l9xpY3i1gP78VZkb7zRXV8O/s1600/ab4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRAezl5vEyJSJPSKW-n5gd_jnZLnqqFMTXHSrmtOJfnEzDBF-THyg-tGAgn-jAvMbcS8KkA4FXkTNA-ClfB_95CswOBZNNLVbtOXOJmbt36yyMNT7qd9G3l9xpY3i1gP78VZkb7zRXV8O/s1600/ab4.jpg" height="400" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nom, nom, nom</td></tr>
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<br />
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The eating part is so much fun!<br />
<br />
<u>Applesauce Muffins/Bread</u> (Adapted from <i>Deceptively Delicious</i>)<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour<br />
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats<br />
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (or just add more oats)<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to taste<br />
<br />
1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
2 tbsp oil<br />
1 tbsp vanilla <br />
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water (reserve 1/4 cup of the water)<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 400 (for muffins) or 350 (for bread).<br />
<br />
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl, including the 1/4 cup of raisin water. Mix them together with a minimum of strokes. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan, or 12 muffin tins. Bake until a knife comes out relatively ungoopy- 18-20 minutes for muffins, 40 or so for the bread.<br />
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You could add nuts if you were a nut person, but I am not. Nuts in baked goods- Sacrilege! Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-85705967157634216182013-01-05T21:36:00.001-07:002013-01-05T21:36:54.784-07:00What I've Been ReadingSo, our whole family has been battling this stupid cold for weeks. It seems like we're just re-infecting each other, over and over again. So I've been reading a lot between the sniffles and hacking cough. (And yes, I did call my doctor today, and I'm waiting for them to call back.)<br />
<br />
A while ago, Guy and I bought a huge pile of graphic novels from a friend who was moving. I'm not usually much of a comic book reader- you just don't get enough reading time for what you spend on them. Although I do have fond memories of reading every scrap of <a href="http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html">Elfquest</a> available in our local library back in high school. (It's online now! You can read it for free!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSV-SZ3aOzhkDxlXZx-h_X5xIzGehFBKmfqi1lUhq8fid0Yo6ekN1gPaONZdUsqU7yIbNauWy8kphOvJi8Ak305VhjqZGcvaFwQNvK0PG8bJTXlKVaH1t1E8W3PVwIbZG2QFgl7GhRIne/s1600/ClickHandler.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSV-SZ3aOzhkDxlXZx-h_X5xIzGehFBKmfqi1lUhq8fid0Yo6ekN1gPaONZdUsqU7yIbNauWy8kphOvJi8Ak305VhjqZGcvaFwQNvK0PG8bJTXlKVaH1t1E8W3PVwIbZG2QFgl7GhRIne/s1600/ClickHandler.ashx.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. One of the titles our friend was selling off was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fables-Vol-Legends-Edition-Graphic/dp/140123755X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357317724&sr=8-1&keywords=fables+vol+1">Fables</a>, and I picked up all eleven volumes that he was selling on a whim. And then they sat on a shelf for a few months. And then I ran out of books to read.<br />
<br />
I think I read all eleven of these in less than a week.<br />
<br />
Fables is a fractured fairy tale type of story- the characters from the old fairy tales and nursery rhymes have had to flee their homelands and have set up an enclave in New York City called Fabletown. Somehow this is pulled off without excessive silliness and the reader is drawn into the world that the authors have created. <br />
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Luckily for me, volume eleven finishes off a major story arc. So I can wait for a while before I track down the next seven volumes that have come out. But I will definitely be reading them at some point! And so should you.<br />
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<br />Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-41417951558971571172013-01-01T18:49:00.000-07:002013-01-01T18:49:00.416-07:00Toddlers and Technology<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzrcCzbZ4jgdYfxMUjbTGQu8cXzPdTbOmJ3N_F2NJZazZ8ZSf457CyPYHbpyLJjCxA5N6SV_kahruNVhDRAHAHNxkrHVDXdtIvaLIzT09zpMC5jIgT7PzIZ0dygoQmOpUfgo32bOYbV_E/s1600/smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzrcCzbZ4jgdYfxMUjbTGQu8cXzPdTbOmJ3N_F2NJZazZ8ZSf457CyPYHbpyLJjCxA5N6SV_kahruNVhDRAHAHNxkrHVDXdtIvaLIzT09zpMC5jIgT7PzIZ0dygoQmOpUfgo32bOYbV_E/s1600/smile.jpg" height="318" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what happens when you ask my son to smile for the camera.</td></tr>
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<br />
Here you see the Little Man posing with his Christmas present from one set of grandparents. It's a Leapster GS, one of those little game systems for kiddos that are intended to be educational. He loves this toy, of course- It's just like the ones mom and dad and the big kids have, with all the right buttons and sounds. And it's a well designed device, simple enough for him to use on his own with very little help, but offering a wide variety of different activities.<br />
<br />
Up until now, Guy and I have had a pretty straightforward view on Kai's exposure to screen time- less is better, none is best. We've limited his TV to when he's sick and lethargic; limited his iPad use to special circumstances such as long car rides and airplanes; limited computer use to Skypeing his grandparents for the most part. Of course we haven't been perfect, but those were our ideals and we've stuck to them pretty well, because we both believe that exposure to TV and such at an early age is a big contributor to AD/HD and a host of other learning difficulties.<br />
<br />
This gift has been the perfect catalyst to re-examine our policies now that Kai is no longer a baby, but a little boy. It's pretty clear that we won't be able to keep his world screen-free- we're both too hooked to our own devices to model it well, so the screens would become the forbidden fruit that he'd overindulge in at the first chance. But we want to encourage a balance, where he spends more time in active, imaginative play and recognizes that screen time is a treat, like sweets, that we indulge in sparingly.<br />
<br />
Luckily, Guy and I had already done a lot of talking about what we wanted to do about screen time as Kai got older, so it was pretty easy to decide on a policy to put into place. And here it is-<br />
<br />
1. We don't mention it unless he asks for it. If he's happy playing with toys, we let that keep going.<br />
2. If he asks to watch TV or "do game", we assign him a clean-up job to do first- something like "Pick up all of your Legos" or "Put your books in your book basket."<br />
3. There is an absolute upper time limit per day. He can watch one episode of a show or play his game for 25 minutes (the length of an episode.)<br />
<br />
The idea we are working with is that screen time needs to be balanced with productive work. Guy and I are also examining the example we are showing, and we've both decided that we're coming up short. So we're bringing this idea into our own routines as well- before we sit down and do something passive, we need to spend time doing something creative, productive, or active. So yesterday I sewed for a while, and Guy worked on some spaceship models. We're going to work on doing more writing and playing music as well. It seems like a good way to start off the year. <br />
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<br />Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-25475880647985815442012-12-31T13:26:00.000-07:002012-12-31T13:26:12.020-07:00New Year, New BlogI think I had a really fun idea for a sewing blog, but I'm just not sewing enough to post regularly. So I'm re-imagining this blog as a forum for all of my different interests- reading, writing, sewing, thoughts on parenting and education, geekery, and all kinds of other things. It will be something like a journal, I suppose. Ideally it will be funny and maybe even a little helpful to people.<br />
<br />
The title isn't going to work, though. Sewing will still be a part of this blog, yes- but not the be all and end all. I've been thinking of Naptime Blues. See, naptime is when I can indulge in all those hobbies... but naptime is also the biggest battle of my day, at home or at work.<br />
<br />
So there you are. Happy New Year, folks!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNrNnxIOpgVSHIiMwp7Qcv4t6RyfGXhnmdzw_eiQhrPqkdkJbtEvVTjVocqE6c3TMNF_E3A9yRnA1fmhg7lffn0Xnx4oattYKl_SBs9zuKtHECvaQbzU1JJ3B-8GIKlnoISF0Vq9byIum/s1600/adorbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNrNnxIOpgVSHIiMwp7Qcv4t6RyfGXhnmdzw_eiQhrPqkdkJbtEvVTjVocqE6c3TMNF_E3A9yRnA1fmhg7lffn0Xnx4oattYKl_SBs9zuKtHECvaQbzU1JJ3B-8GIKlnoISF0Vq9byIum/s1600/adorbs.jpg" height="400" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a random picture of the Little Man for you all.</td></tr>
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Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-58326932208228651032012-12-30T11:36:00.000-07:002012-12-30T11:36:44.296-07:00Napkins and ExcusesGosh, it's hard to keep up with a blog. I think that's what many, many people who try to write blogs discover. And it's harder for me, because I have this disorder... Laziness Syndrome.<br />
<br />
It is so a disorder. Look it up.<br />
<br />
Okay, it isn't. But with moving and adjusting to full time hours, it feels like I am always tired.<br />
<br />But! I sewed something!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWW-npyP86bnqGq5oRZ9OSfdducOBRlR9LTkQd-Bvp5pVrerBBTS7OJErUtUDtP-IL_e-eYLP6uNj33cL8RWPgLsI80hvSCT1S2aDi53PS7FN_jNF2Mnw2wX4FgXRnXGQmfJ-1jfqsRzm/s1600/napkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWW-npyP86bnqGq5oRZ9OSfdducOBRlR9LTkQd-Bvp5pVrerBBTS7OJErUtUDtP-IL_e-eYLP6uNj33cL8RWPgLsI80hvSCT1S2aDi53PS7FN_jNF2Mnw2wX4FgXRnXGQmfJ-1jfqsRzm/s1600/napkins.jpg" height="252" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I was reading an article about parents who spend hundreds of dollars to put their children in etiquette classes, because they are not learning manners at home. And of course I thought "That's ridiculous!" But I also thought about manners in our house, and in some convoluted way came to the conclusion that we needed cloth napkins. So I busted out my stash of fat quarters and made some fun napkins for us.<br />
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This is such a simple project. I feel silly even posting instructions. Get a fat quarter. Square it off. Hem. Done. It's a great project for splashy fabrics that you can't find a use for and beginning sewists looking for an easy practical project.<br />
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Of course, if you were an organized person with a well set up sewing area, you would have ironed these, squared them off with a rotary cutter, and pinned the hems. I did none of these things and I think they turned out just fine.<br />
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In other thoughts- I am thinking of changing this into a more general blog, where I would post other things such as parenting comments, Montessori ideas, rants, stuff I'm reading, and so on. I will probably do that soonish. Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-84378465149852414352012-01-01T15:46:00.000-07:002012-01-01T15:46:30.745-07:00I'm still here...What with Christmas and New Years and an upcoming seminar, I may not have another post until next week. But I will have one!Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-67190717880199057542011-12-16T06:46:00.000-07:002011-12-16T06:46:08.291-07:00Book Bag for a Boy I have found a place in my house that I can take a photo without flash or blurring. The changing table. With all the bathroom lights on. I wonder if I need a new camera, or a new house, or a new sun?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRDkcCGT7SiIPylKt23dVMHlBl11soEtveIxZyHYqCY6mgHsjrEbB-T46wvmxg8oumtoR0w8r8uaDj2MsxfVlzD6ONhl55a2OH14QQjSetfhkRggsB7HMOpKeg-xLRdBF1pgJSmSM5xoC/s1600/backpackfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRDkcCGT7SiIPylKt23dVMHlBl11soEtveIxZyHYqCY6mgHsjrEbB-T46wvmxg8oumtoR0w8r8uaDj2MsxfVlzD6ONhl55a2OH14QQjSetfhkRggsB7HMOpKeg-xLRdBF1pgJSmSM5xoC/s320/backpackfront.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I started this little bag about a week ago (maybe a little longer) and finally finished it up today. It's intended as a library bag- the Little Man and I have been taking weekly trips to the library. I used <a href="http://indietutes.blogspot.com/2009/10/toddler-backpack-pattern.html">this tutorial</a> at Indietutes, so I'm not including process pics. I did make a few alterations to the pattern, mostly the little pocket on the front. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXu-tVi_i3hUxILkuuvsgOglLFJsV5etE2mOoA6BOjPcmF91rqhEDVbEjXKtu6kgnSKLdec4qAQ1tbmCUrup8-CUcmZitNekOhb6mDepOWkw_OaiW7DPwnMpNfRTAfZuGtONFkylnCnKPU/s1600/backpackpocket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXu-tVi_i3hUxILkuuvsgOglLFJsV5etE2mOoA6BOjPcmF91rqhEDVbEjXKtu6kgnSKLdec4qAQ1tbmCUrup8-CUcmZitNekOhb6mDepOWkw_OaiW7DPwnMpNfRTAfZuGtONFkylnCnKPU/s320/backpackpocket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since it's a library bag, I wanted a spot for a library card. I just made a patch of fabric a little bigger than the card and sewed it down on three sides. I added some of my favorite car fabric from <a href="http://fabricblissdenver.com/">Fabric Bliss</a> and a little spot of velcro to keep the pocket shut.<br />
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The tutorial suggests fusible interfacing, but I can't find my iron (T_T). I lined the bag instead, which meant it sags a little, so I added velcro to keep the main compartment closed. And a big red button that does nothing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pv9O7OB5g5yA5CiZOWYmfCP9k0ylg9I3JrEXtd2T_YPgRC-RinmKoK7F7sI0bch3rrj9jXD1VOt1TfzF39Vgkl4a3eygg4nPHMw_jUP3uMjIkqsQ1T5srfW765IQP50VvB7nib_fqAZy/s1600/backpackback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pv9O7OB5g5yA5CiZOWYmfCP9k0ylg9I3JrEXtd2T_YPgRC-RinmKoK7F7sI0bch3rrj9jXD1VOt1TfzF39Vgkl4a3eygg4nPHMw_jUP3uMjIkqsQ1T5srfW765IQP50VvB7nib_fqAZy/s320/backpackback.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The cute little name patch on the strap is actually a fix for a really stupid mistake. Folks, make sure your straps are going the right direction before you sew them down, because you do not want to have to redo them. I just cut the strap and got it untwisted, sewing the patch over the unsightly cut bit. But I don't really recommend doing that.<br />
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And here's what all the family has been waiting for- Action pics!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06XKfEHftvrjwfrETsc0NS6d5HneozMkiC_vpZ8lk5rjiTYiGSM7xFoKiyxpmKFIR-0gaZt4bHTyKGPpiA1_z-6IXVG85kDodTOarWgJy9MZRifOi-XhNhmFeSnynBoFDTtm8z_1quf2p/s1600/backpackboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06XKfEHftvrjwfrETsc0NS6d5HneozMkiC_vpZ8lk5rjiTYiGSM7xFoKiyxpmKFIR-0gaZt4bHTyKGPpiA1_z-6IXVG85kDodTOarWgJy9MZRifOi-XhNhmFeSnynBoFDTtm8z_1quf2p/s320/backpackboy.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You mean I'm supposed to carry this thing?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1fOVRna1-lNf1z1lDWTT26RifHQLcNpV5fwzB6VPdPOfYgHDHwf7eNCPSvDahrD984rnyyWYc9qPkhN4YIef19samFaVZTvH1-5QvSFVF0MtAE1sY8smEHoGIT4KwenvrV32CfnLuwXD/s1600/backpackflop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1fOVRna1-lNf1z1lDWTT26RifHQLcNpV5fwzB6VPdPOfYgHDHwf7eNCPSvDahrD984rnyyWYc9qPkhN4YIef19samFaVZTvH1-5QvSFVF0MtAE1sY8smEHoGIT4KwenvrV32CfnLuwXD/s320/backpackflop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But it's SO HEAVY!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Contrary to my captions, of course, he loves his backpack.<br /><br />
I'm looking forward to using this bag on our next trip to the library! Our libraries have installed automatic book drops which suck in the books and flash green and red lights- very exciting. Last time the Little Man put one of his toys through.Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-30695157097481778642011-12-12T21:44:00.000-07:002011-12-12T21:44:55.478-07:00Skater Sleeves- Tutorial<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0tGEwZaEgTQox1c4q-8M_5bA4kHDF3Doxogr1ixFFWYEFqYLSirqOVQrFr9IXmXVzTZeO5_cbEDHNeCLh6Fk2I8R8oG_DEJ3aZLRKCLtM4_E6Be2YunDldtnHEOCgBWwqcEDby6IIZQz/s1600/skater7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0tGEwZaEgTQox1c4q-8M_5bA4kHDF3Doxogr1ixFFWYEFqYLSirqOVQrFr9IXmXVzTZeO5_cbEDHNeCLh6Fk2I8R8oG_DEJ3aZLRKCLtM4_E6Be2YunDldtnHEOCgBWwqcEDby6IIZQz/s320/skater7.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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This is a pretty simple idea, but it turned out really well. I'm continuing with my quest to conquer knit fabric- this time with something that will actually be seen when it's worn!<br />
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It's winter, and our Little Man has far more short sleeved shirts than long. He's not really <i>lacking</i> long sleeved shirts, but it seems like a waste to let him grow out of his cute shirts without being able to wear them. Especially his favorite Thomas the Tank Engine shirt. So I decided to make it into a Skater Shirt. (I have no idea what the official name of this style is, but I like how it looks on little people- and me.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26x82RjDDdo2OT4XGe48umaI2DtAX3hefWpQOMwuaQ6JfPiTEylwdL8myaRaltMlsiTwSNuOSX6HRb-jE-X3nXn0q0_sXkTiFUhyZCp_3Z4tfkDw9DDRXMNLy_7K67uv880kDDko5Tjvc/s1600/skater1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26x82RjDDdo2OT4XGe48umaI2DtAX3hefWpQOMwuaQ6JfPiTEylwdL8myaRaltMlsiTwSNuOSX6HRb-jE-X3nXn0q0_sXkTiFUhyZCp_3Z4tfkDw9DDRXMNLy_7K67uv880kDDko5Tjvc/s400/skater1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the shirts I used- the beloved Thomas Shirt, and a too small shirt too stained for the consignment store.</td></tr>
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You will need-<br />
-A short sleeved shirt that fits.<br />
-A long sleeved shirt that fits or is slightly too small.<br />
-Basic sewing supplies.<br />
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Turn your sleeve donor shirt inside out and cut the sleeves off as close to the shoulder as possible. You want to make the angle of the two sleeves match, so don't follow the shoulder seam- cut parallel to the cuff, instead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTsQ2IBwvHhKGrgODErAB5RKUB4QKnp9-0_yFwhNZIWDG2hIVnxr6dyxvy6EzzlmdsehoPwk6fGtzRq8M5jsVQXt9w6broT1pehjU8IJAO151iWoasOuF9bYizoT2HvLYJ3_6sgbZGKJU/s1600/skater3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTsQ2IBwvHhKGrgODErAB5RKUB4QKnp9-0_yFwhNZIWDG2hIVnxr6dyxvy6EzzlmdsehoPwk6fGtzRq8M5jsVQXt9w6broT1pehjU8IJAO151iWoasOuF9bYizoT2HvLYJ3_6sgbZGKJU/s320/skater3.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I of course left the cuff out of this picture. I hope it's still clear.</td></tr>
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Compare the long sleeves with the sleeves of the second shirt. You want them to be about the same size where they meet, thought the long sleeves can be a little smaller. I found that I needed to shrink the cuff of the Thomas shirt a little so they would match.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUxzUqhhvDuAdHNy5tNAIFPJ2ksN04xwCfrroUMXtKX3K2Id7ksG6otgA7w6ae9HSLQOojH9Z_Nd64nNqOtr2070K8qh16eKTuDd2h5hKvK9SVyFZERVcwQpOTHbRnB9qDNUab4FsjTHw/s1600/skater2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUxzUqhhvDuAdHNy5tNAIFPJ2ksN04xwCfrroUMXtKX3K2Id7ksG6otgA7w6ae9HSLQOojH9Z_Nd64nNqOtr2070K8qh16eKTuDd2h5hKvK9SVyFZERVcwQpOTHbRnB9qDNUab4FsjTHw/s320/skater2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see- there's a diagonal seam at the bottom of the sleeve.</td></tr>
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If you need to shrink the cuff, mark where the new seam should be and baste from there to the armpit. (Mmm, lovely word.) Trim to about 1/4 inch, and zig-zag over the seam to finish it. (or you could use a serger if you have one. I do, but it isn't threaded...)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IRFVONex5K7uD8rMK_z7OveWVL-NvKbrp4TWYgivwhDx3icHVk8aLb7gw-iDUwxJWwcRgke5FPHKpCumHYI2Y7L3bxgIjmgIvtnbZ5vA-vU6ZYdMuImFGlTJrZd4Unwocc2VPt1PzeVm/s1600/skater4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IRFVONex5K7uD8rMK_z7OveWVL-NvKbrp4TWYgivwhDx3icHVk8aLb7gw-iDUwxJWwcRgke5FPHKpCumHYI2Y7L3bxgIjmgIvtnbZ5vA-vU6ZYdMuImFGlTJrZd4Unwocc2VPt1PzeVm/s320/skater4.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zig-zagged.</td></tr>
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Okay, now for the tricky part. It really makes more sense to sew this from the outside, to keep the visible seams as neat as possible. So, turn both parts right-side out, and position the new sleeve inside of the old. Pin it in place, making sure they overlap by at least a 1/2 inch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhescozqpKolwyC2JaqE7xlITwVgAiMx90RwhjgFDj-wGDPiKpfXjOLHzI70RKeF_kZqdd3zE6hi06S8ADepluJf-f7SnlPfIu-EMmDuiWOAcW0bUFKBnXF2-JBMe3OxxBuvIaPMhkFUNMN/s1600/skater6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhescozqpKolwyC2JaqE7xlITwVgAiMx90RwhjgFDj-wGDPiKpfXjOLHzI70RKeF_kZqdd3zE6hi06S8ADepluJf-f7SnlPfIu-EMmDuiWOAcW0bUFKBnXF2-JBMe3OxxBuvIaPMhkFUNMN/s320/skater6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Okay, if you have a sewing machine that works like mine, you'd remove the flat surface and have a thin arm to sew on. I slid the arm through the collar and into the sleeve, making sure that the bottom layer didn't get crumpled in the process. If you have a machine that doesn't do this, I'm not sure how you would go about this part. You might have to hand sew it (sacrilege!)<br />
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Use an appropriate stitch for knit fabric- I used the stretch stitch. On my machine, it looks like three dashed lines next to a zigzag. I followed the original seam of the Thomas shirt's sleeve so it would look nice. Try to keep the fabric from stretching as you sew. I ended up letting it stretch a little and it didn't ruin my nice shirt, so don't panic over it.<br />
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Repeat everything for the second sleeve and you're done! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJwxaXw40h5tKWbJlD64oCFl9k4Jidb1VyoeW4xqae_AJp2W6G9gpAWLy7XVG4Hmaa9co6lu_jAivokq_cco7vp8OYhiO2PwfwtUqqSABEQpXFVkrLnQirl9-GHG0LnLM38CburWmM-XH/s1600/skater5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJwxaXw40h5tKWbJlD64oCFl9k4Jidb1VyoeW4xqae_AJp2W6G9gpAWLy7XVG4Hmaa9co6lu_jAivokq_cco7vp8OYhiO2PwfwtUqqSABEQpXFVkrLnQirl9-GHG0LnLM38CburWmM-XH/s320/skater5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viola!</td></tr>
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The Little Man came out from his nap and wanted to put his shirt on right away- I call that a success.Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-70872308436731358762011-12-04T15:30:00.000-07:002011-12-04T15:30:37.004-07:00DIY Training PantsI have decided to get over my trepidation about sewing with knits. I've actually been working on this project for more than a week, what with research and such. Did you know that many sewing machines have a stretch stitch? I do! And I even know how to find it.<br />
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A lot of the techniques I found on sewing with knit fabrics involved me spending money on more sewing machine accessories, something I am not really into right now. So I didn't try using a walking foot, which probably would have helped, or a ball-point needle, which I don't feel like I really needed. <br />
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I decided to start out with a project that I wasn't too invested in the outcome of. Recently the little man has been chatting away about the contents of his diaper, and we've been exploring the idea of potty training him. I never really intended to make his training pants, but the ones in the store are a little pricey and I found what looked like a <a href="http://www.homesweethomebodies.net/2011/08/easy-on-potty-training-pants-tutorial.html">fairly simple pattern</a>, so I thought I'd give it a go. I dug out some old shirts and knit receiving blankets and dove right in. <br />
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My first try looked like it would fall off of a six-year-old. I think that was the fault of my fabric and not the pattern- it didn't seem to bounce back and I think it might have been too old. Even so, for round two I modified the pattern to fit a smaller child. The <span style="background-color: white;">Little</span> Man isn't quite two and has a little butt, and the pattern is sized for a three-year-old. <br />
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Round two turned out much better, as you will see.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TCnsmz0wkxNyVdu-iRefTyu-vRpRb1kzk1Ujuz0VxvwD6mYrPOCO1WtAFzHKxU_bnAavpD_OzoKeuYx6jzJf9tEBeCTfyjHvVwytsyo9VXDazwuioBIZ63mZZYExVf6TLN7CoLOg9OQz/s1600/underpants.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" dda="true" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TCnsmz0wkxNyVdu-iRefTyu-vRpRb1kzk1Ujuz0VxvwD6mYrPOCO1WtAFzHKxU_bnAavpD_OzoKeuYx6jzJf9tEBeCTfyjHvVwytsyo9VXDazwuioBIZ63mZZYExVf6TLN7CoLOg9OQz/s400/underpants.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The blue pants above are a size 2t from the store, while the striped ones are my creation. I think they turned out pretty cute! I used one receiving blanket, pieces of a stained yellow onesie, and a few scraps of Warm and Natural quilt batting for the absorbent part. All stuff I already had, which makes this project FREE!<br />
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The Verdict: A package of three pairs of training pants from the store costs about eight dollars- add tax and they run about three a pair. These took me more than an hour to make, and I think the ones I bought look comfier- I couldn't quite get the lumps in the waistband and legs to lie down and be nice. If you're really financially strapped (or just love making everything for your kids) this would be a good option, and the <a href="http://www.homesweethomebodies.net/">Home Sweet Homebodies</a> pattern is great. As for me, I'll spend the three bucks and use my limited sewing time making things people will see.Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-3404155635193120982011-11-25T20:48:00.000-07:002011-11-25T20:48:12.007-07:00Skirt Alteration TutorialHey, back to posting! I could make lots of excuses, but how about a tutorial instead?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbz7HQ-HDNTLuenyxbw_ljgaTDL1O7VbWbZVwr_IErjzeZZ80NJ6XpvXBnLhygVD2khWhRuFyw2KiqNOZzuTJNxbk_8l71AoUyTI9wqCEd0ZZBCVRktxFJ88iayG835rYKt06ty034gXD/s1600/skirt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbz7HQ-HDNTLuenyxbw_ljgaTDL1O7VbWbZVwr_IErjzeZZ80NJ6XpvXBnLhygVD2khWhRuFyw2KiqNOZzuTJNxbk_8l71AoUyTI9wqCEd0ZZBCVRktxFJ88iayG835rYKt06ty034gXD/s320/skirt1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My pictures for this post are terrible. I could retake the last one, but who am I kidding? I'm doing well just posting.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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I love this skirt. It's so hart for me to find skirts I like- they can't be too short, or too long, or too poofy, or too form fitting, or polyester, or... Well, I could go on and on. The point is, this skirt is perfect, and I wore it for five years.<br />
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Then I had a baby.<br />
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I'm not self conscious. I'm actually really happy with my post baby body. The only thing that I regret is the large portion of my wardrobe I can't wear anymore. Well, this skirt has sat on the shelf for long enough!<br />
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This repair will work on a skirt that is too tight in the waist but still fits well otherwise.<br />
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What you'll need- <br />
-A slightly too small skirt with a waistband<br />
-A stitch ripper<br />
-Fabric for a new waistband (I used a wide ribbon)<br />
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I started by ripping off the original waistband (and incidentally rediscovering the original color of the skirt.) Since it was slightly gathered under the waistband, it fit perfectly once that was removed. I believe that removing the waistband on most skirts will give you a little more breathing room- if it isn't enough, you might need to look up another tutorial.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwBRO8RvgoUNEyhfhtgb-I3Zsxos8o-MRcxO32nt9LadVyMd0VCcL7SPX6o-QzuF2Jua25mZddvZIKJvnzvV3GdrfckSqIXrMAQHqHVrXWpAT3DyMCe3aIBgTP0bAl5sW5eXsiuSCscZA/s1600/skirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwBRO8RvgoUNEyhfhtgb-I3Zsxos8o-MRcxO32nt9LadVyMd0VCcL7SPX6o-QzuF2Jua25mZddvZIKJvnzvV3GdrfckSqIXrMAQHqHVrXWpAT3DyMCe3aIBgTP0bAl5sW5eXsiuSCscZA/s320/skirt2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So I was left with a perfectly fitting skirt with a very ragged waist. I was originally considering a knit waistband, but I've still not gotten the hang of sewing with knits. So I looked around for something which wouldn't stretch, didn't require ironing (I can't find the iron) and went fairly well with my other clothes. I settled on a wide white ribbon.<br />
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It was easy to follow the placement of the original waistband. I just lined the ribbon up with where the fabric changed color. I hemmed the end of the ribbon, sewed it to the inside of the skirt, then folded it over and sewed it down to the front of the skirt. Hemming the ends of the ribbon before sewing it to the skirt made it a lot easier, as ribbon is pretty slippery and unravels easily.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVfbdc8AHQslXwA7y7TPeSEI9lH980PY2VpKRlrYoGRUSPrUkpjtA3fAzoWf2rCADg2E6FeG0_lfXcq0kIJLMDoS3vh7W8x1doSZzNa64NWWJH0n1sE7YfZGnVhThOwq1cZsnv4NU7-bR/s1600/skirt3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVfbdc8AHQslXwA7y7TPeSEI9lH980PY2VpKRlrYoGRUSPrUkpjtA3fAzoWf2rCADg2E6FeG0_lfXcq0kIJLMDoS3vh7W8x1doSZzNa64NWWJH0n1sE7YfZGnVhThOwq1cZsnv4NU7-bR/s320/skirt3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And that's it. Easy, free, and preserves a skirt I love! And, I wore it to Thanksgiving dinner and received multiple compliments, which was a nice bonus.Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-31605528077484530252011-05-25T13:54:00.000-06:002011-05-25T13:54:18.983-06:00Drawstring Bag from an Outgrown T-shirt (tutorial)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyDJFvI8Xwdk9_I_gZZPbg-B9-de6OhgAznILoobOWMmA-aVJmnUll5jaWJ4s2dpB3wK0zFMPHSSQjEWUGu8cQaM_YLsV1kNsNAXjhBymT0wqsW86ZJb3YXfXT08UHV_VRgsIvFgALF0p/s1600/draw4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyDJFvI8Xwdk9_I_gZZPbg-B9-de6OhgAznILoobOWMmA-aVJmnUll5jaWJ4s2dpB3wK0zFMPHSSQjEWUGu8cQaM_YLsV1kNsNAXjhBymT0wqsW86ZJb3YXfXT08UHV_VRgsIvFgALF0p/s1600/draw4.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This was literally a ten minute project. I'm sure that there are tons of little things you could do to fancy it up, but I didn't want fancy this time.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Little Man has tons of toys. Tons. One of them is this great peg board, which has provided him with hours of entertainment. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxS0VDqXR4SWXdgv-nLRaUWIGSXtoRLXczQoi49ZVzS8_vnhfBLTEi1SGOLXAfrUwNVCMh_LxfDtO-fimuRu1XzaLdjHSuSvy-DK_Zmhd-0ny8GXNOsXwVx9MZ-NtM9lNGZ0bnr67gDu4/s1600/draw5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxS0VDqXR4SWXdgv-nLRaUWIGSXtoRLXczQoi49ZVzS8_vnhfBLTEi1SGOLXAfrUwNVCMh_LxfDtO-fimuRu1XzaLdjHSuSvy-DK_Zmhd-0ny8GXNOsXwVx9MZ-NtM9lNGZ0bnr67gDu4/s320/draw5.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm sure those of you with small children spot the problem already. I'm missing nearly half of the pegs that come with it, and they are constantly underfoot. A little bag seemed like just the thing to keep the pegs together and organized.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">You will need- </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">A child's shirt</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 yard of ribbon or string. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Standard sewing supplies</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtjoFlJpT79b3CGt4psEwOjtA95bE_kgk2H3LweSCzhVy-3oFUuBFt5vsAWBvj2hAxIIBtan4td81767Rx-DBN5KLFWhYbvDLQIMnkZva_DoXzuZd6GH8ZeTY3ivOEJFnSsPN5H_aWl-8/s1600/draw3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtjoFlJpT79b3CGt4psEwOjtA95bE_kgk2H3LweSCzhVy-3oFUuBFt5vsAWBvj2hAxIIBtan4td81767Rx-DBN5KLFWhYbvDLQIMnkZva_DoXzuZd6GH8ZeTY3ivOEJFnSsPN5H_aWl-8/s320/draw3.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is the shirt I used. It's a 12m, and a little too scruffy to sell back to the baby stuff store. I started by cutting out my shape-<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_gcT1olMKxLgRsP_nmvVTHsr6NKZfhexoJCBOnHgsAHOV0Wz5YsLzl9r04knC8Y-N9t1nW4fYeRyTYmLpsfvA_h_VJZDdBGPhPsrquxG35BnL0WuwVwbHArOPr8LQj7I_v9nWAZE_rCa/s1600/draw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_gcT1olMKxLgRsP_nmvVTHsr6NKZfhexoJCBOnHgsAHOV0Wz5YsLzl9r04knC8Y-N9t1nW4fYeRyTYmLpsfvA_h_VJZDdBGPhPsrquxG35BnL0WuwVwbHArOPr8LQj7I_v9nWAZE_rCa/s320/draw2.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Even out the edges, then sew the sides and bottom of the shirt together so the only opening is the neckline. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsz22wjIuqaKK-MLCirC5ZFvfq9kna1gBjrh-2A2t5kGXq1lb31ZhTI1m5FFAtY3Q4yoDKx8FysU38bmHfVU52Vg3L7iEkW6rX9oUGNU2oE1tqGaWuO7SY4IKt-uJ0Iota5ZiNBq84hyf/s1600/draw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsz22wjIuqaKK-MLCirC5ZFvfq9kna1gBjrh-2A2t5kGXq1lb31ZhTI1m5FFAtY3Q4yoDKx8FysU38bmHfVU52Vg3L7iEkW6rX9oUGNU2oE1tqGaWuO7SY4IKt-uJ0Iota5ZiNBq84hyf/s320/draw1.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you look carefully, you'll see that I also sewed across the corners. I wasn't happy with how this step came out, so I'm skipping it for the tute.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Turn the bag right side out, and snip a notch in the neckline. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyikGFJDUBKai-vGnfesjDZtGG4mbP7S1Mtw67hYfAl4lueieK172YHBEKwM47aHHkdERMKJEKK8fvq6nOV4K2UMvcXnD9iZk2Vamf6AYSMMutM0_zMgtYzP5lh5gJwU1DBJpY2Cs3Gho/s1600/draw6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyikGFJDUBKai-vGnfesjDZtGG4mbP7S1Mtw67hYfAl4lueieK172YHBEKwM47aHHkdERMKJEKK8fvq6nOV4K2UMvcXnD9iZk2Vamf6AYSMMutM0_zMgtYzP5lh5gJwU1DBJpY2Cs3Gho/s320/draw6.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Use a safety pin to thread your ribbon through the neckline. Tie the ends of the ribbon together to prevent little people from pulling the drawstring out. Fill it with toys and you're done!</div>Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-73497617271540881972011-05-17T12:51:00.002-06:002011-05-18T21:32:00.505-06:00Pajama Thing to Toddler Sleep Sack (tutorial)My favorite fabric shop, <a href="http://www.fabricblissdenver.com/">Fabric Bliss</a>, hosted a crafty get together last week with wine and sewing. It was totally free, with no obligation to buy anything, but you know how it is. You'll see some of what I ended up with later on in this tutorial. Anyway, if you happen to read this blog, own a fabric shop, and are not Aurora, consider starting up a crafty fun night- it was great fun and you will get business from it.<br />
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This project is days late in being posted, partly because it was a lot of work but mostly because I'm tired and lazy and trying to get a lot of subbing in before the end of the school year. But at last, here it is.<br />
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There are other tutorials for this kind of thing out there, but I didn't use them so I'm posting my own in the hopes that someone out there will get some good out of it. First of all, though, I need to apologise for the photos. A grey sleeper on beige carpet comes out looking pretty blah. I tried, but there just wasn't much I could do to perk these pictures up. <br />
<br />
Anyway- the sleep sack. A sleep sack is a wearable blanket that is usually intended for littler babies, to keep them warm without risk of suffocation. My son, though, sleeps so well in his that I haven't been able to give it up- we had a lot of trouble teaching him to fall asleep and stay asleep, and I don't want to jeopardise that. The thing is, these sleep sacks run about $20, and you can't get the toddler sized ones in the store, usually. I never see them in resale shops in his size, either. So I decided to make my own. Out of this one piece pajama thingy.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcMVGEsAyR7BM5jUYAOwgXTHK8i3KRy0W_FjY1bq9mlQqMStvNN5E7wISaq7UbJWDdkij6U0msGUG-v7Gou0io28lzfvkxUFQ-VsC-mgV3fO03CQx7OOiZc5giHTdjScakZa9oT0E6mr3/s1600/sleeper1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcMVGEsAyR7BM5jUYAOwgXTHK8i3KRy0W_FjY1bq9mlQqMStvNN5E7wISaq7UbJWDdkij6U0msGUG-v7Gou0io28lzfvkxUFQ-VsC-mgV3fO03CQx7OOiZc5giHTdjScakZa9oT0E6mr3/s320/sleeper1.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front is my model sleep sack, and the gray ugly thing under it is what will become my new sleep sack. I'm not even sure what the official name for such a garment is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlBk_L1PZt2iw7Y0743iYP4Hqbe5i-2cRVvm-SMmF2McXGmHbsLc0OaZzTQVoUdAsIGB5FOG0b-Nxx_OMkV-kym7l5C8GsCv2K0RhL8DOH5uz_a8Xntg7pud7Lbi0mKR8x6fSyk_-7pnj/s1600/sleeper7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlBk_L1PZt2iw7Y0743iYP4Hqbe5i-2cRVvm-SMmF2McXGmHbsLc0OaZzTQVoUdAsIGB5FOG0b-Nxx_OMkV-kym7l5C8GsCv2K0RhL8DOH5uz_a8Xntg7pud7Lbi0mKR8x6fSyk_-7pnj/s320/sleeper7.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final product. Much cuter in real life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You will need- <br />
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-An adult sized shirt with a front closure and enough length to comfortably cover your toddler's legs. I found a men's large shirt that will work, and the pajama thing. <br />
-A sleep sack that fits for a pattern<br />
-(optional) Fusible interfacing and cute fabric for accents.<br />
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Start by removing tags and other silly things from your material. I removed some elastic and a ribbon bow. Then, lay your template overtop and cut out the shape of the sleeves and sides, leaving about 1/2 inch of fabric for a seam allowance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK33RU6d8BREoQzoTG8adedlNrOl91JbYxifY_uIJ73-U8D9MKDv9NwrlKIlfB_XVicHX1BaoUSaekfHmS2acPsCqHY583Wuu2sTN-6Tv20JALQGv9NFHwLt15Wy1Va2wCZu-g7E50ZQs-/s1600/sleeper5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK33RU6d8BREoQzoTG8adedlNrOl91JbYxifY_uIJ73-U8D9MKDv9NwrlKIlfB_XVicHX1BaoUSaekfHmS2acPsCqHY583Wuu2sTN-6Tv20JALQGv9NFHwLt15Wy1Va2wCZu-g7E50ZQs-/s320/sleeper5.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pajama thing was the right width at the bottom, but I wanted it a little narrower at the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If you are using something with legs, like I was, cut those as well so you can create a smooth sack-like bottom. If you're using a shirt, just leave the bottom hem alone.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIp3tpYhl5csb4vKpVTuCy8fwwFgVQ6L0jkVypBOXj1C2MLEKuow_RRomLqw-VVTsgEWdTkUOvmFb4-jL0Pi86HH-ILGrOS5W8xfk28cyuoXmVTRI5T4NGx7wBwXeWthcu4FJ535n_bSp0/s1600/sleeper4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIp3tpYhl5csb4vKpVTuCy8fwwFgVQ6L0jkVypBOXj1C2MLEKuow_RRomLqw-VVTsgEWdTkUOvmFb4-jL0Pi86HH-ILGrOS5W8xfk28cyuoXmVTRI5T4NGx7wBwXeWthcu4FJ535n_bSp0/s320/sleeper4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the crotch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, sew up the side seams you cut and finish the sleeve edges. I would have done better to have used a trim here and bind the sleeves with that, but I was lazy. So unintentional lettuce edges it is!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPub0CZV3AV1dn0LmJ6RGS46EakY_E8kUAl4V89CcSrAVdbZMs19TJy3-SCMXwId6DprXdOA8tggM53ly7B-D3LeuCRiStg5Et9arQJH7Jjqk4qRYE5ldySazZhU0bL6BWtPVrh3c9lWHe/s1600/sleeper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPub0CZV3AV1dn0LmJ6RGS46EakY_E8kUAl4V89CcSrAVdbZMs19TJy3-SCMXwId6DprXdOA8tggM53ly7B-D3LeuCRiStg5Et9arQJH7Jjqk4qRYE5ldySazZhU0bL6BWtPVrh3c9lWHe/s320/sleeper2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I neglected to take a picture of sewing up the legs, but what you want is to make it one smooth piece all the way around, like a skirt. I hope you can picture it. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApfkWoB1QrM3QlzSYjEpl7A9sl4oIFwJNFuP9StTMX-lNpHuIS90D5bUIFUKjd8CGSenkwYEvsfWhUB8fklohtSBNbprRWxv6qd8nv-p2ul5PrxNTZNuzELe8NwWV_aA6VU2VhkFA-bEz/s1600/sleeper10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApfkWoB1QrM3QlzSYjEpl7A9sl4oIFwJNFuP9StTMX-lNpHuIS90D5bUIFUKjd8CGSenkwYEvsfWhUB8fklohtSBNbprRWxv6qd8nv-p2ul5PrxNTZNuzELe8NwWV_aA6VU2VhkFA-bEz/s320/sleeper10.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little man somehow managed to poke or punch himself in the eye this morning before getting out of bed. Hence the mini-shiner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>At this point, I decided to try it on my son to see how the neckline fit. I thought it was a little loose, so I folded over the shoulders some to tighten it up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu13l-YyU3MTPV_0XbnZuaIQr9QLw9vkSWLIYNbfkcVK8fw3CarQXcydHVYMlE1xnhvqZPeJUG2oS00s-SE6yo0nuURjUYwDj81DZs94ArolTo60woP8gjvNE76nfsUXIktguZQ43uHUke/s1600/sleeper8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu13l-YyU3MTPV_0XbnZuaIQr9QLw9vkSWLIYNbfkcVK8fw3CarQXcydHVYMlE1xnhvqZPeJUG2oS00s-SE6yo0nuURjUYwDj81DZs94ArolTo60woP8gjvNE76nfsUXIktguZQ43uHUke/s320/sleeper8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewn accross, then folded over and sewn down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">A lot of adult necklines won't fit a child very well, so adjust as necessary. You want it to be loose and comfortable, but not to slide down over their shoulders during the night. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Now we come to finishing the bottom. At this point you have an over-long nightgown, but we're making a sack. There are a couple of ways you can handle this step. You can just sew it shut. That's how the ones in the stores are made, and they're perfectly serviceable. However, it limits the useful life of the garment. Also, this pajama thing didn't open all the way down the front, so I wanted to be able to open the bottom and pull it over his head. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided to add a drawstring, instead. You could use elastic, and I think it would work better, but I didn't have any thin enough for the casing I had. See, the decorative trim at the bottom of this thing had a gap just big enough to thread a string through, so I went for that. If the hem of your material doesn't have a gap, you can fold it up to make a casing for elastic or string.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD88TCCn3olqWRaSUtmzlFWbMLgWm2yHjPNQ-5ahjCqJeWDDEEk_sFbct5nidl8dwDNcWkC7qIjuIyIkl8f5iYrDgYUQIjWj4rLq4vpFbVU70aoUPyMOQREBYyUIXVTUmZyHvM3VpCuE_R/s1600/sleeper9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD88TCCn3olqWRaSUtmzlFWbMLgWm2yHjPNQ-5ahjCqJeWDDEEk_sFbct5nidl8dwDNcWkC7qIjuIyIkl8f5iYrDgYUQIjWj4rLq4vpFbVU70aoUPyMOQREBYyUIXVTUmZyHvM3VpCuE_R/s320/sleeper9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Threading my drawstring into the seam. This drawstring comes from an old pair of cargo pants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided on the drawstring option after I'd sewn up the legs, so I had to undo some stitching to be able to thread my drawstring all the way through.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Now for the fun part! At the craft night, I saw some adorable kids fabric with a pattern of little cars. I thought it would be perfect to liven up this drab little outfit. So I ironed on some scraps of fusible interfacing, fussy cut out the cars, and ironed them on the pocket. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ0cIrNOzZM9DtwEQAwMZsKbpBOJKojGyxpxmAPTQjb0Rxu8yHYKPuAgpslkE613AE8CVHv8bZwOrlIiIQHPC322hi2V2hWTLasSOmMMzb70PgEWEPa9Z3h6aclA3MfmAhj0XVwb8zpbD/s1600/sleeper6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ0cIrNOzZM9DtwEQAwMZsKbpBOJKojGyxpxmAPTQjb0Rxu8yHYKPuAgpslkE613AE8CVHv8bZwOrlIiIQHPC322hi2V2hWTLasSOmMMzb70PgEWEPa9Z3h6aclA3MfmAhj0XVwb8zpbD/s320/sleeper6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beep, beep!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I love this fabric so much. I got helicopters, too. I don't know what they'll be, but something fun for sure. <br />
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And that's it! It wasn't quick, but it's such a useful thing to have for our sleepy little baby and it saved me eighteen dollars.<br />
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EDIT: while I didn't actually intend for this to be made from a teeshirt (I meant more of a button down shirt), once I read the blurb on Craft Gossip I realized it would work just fine with the drawstring bottom. That might be my next project!Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-75929651764587877462011-05-10T20:23:00.001-06:002011-05-10T20:27:36.223-06:00Off with my head! (With felt applique)<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It figures- I set myself a schedule and fall off of it the next week. I may need to rethink the whole Mondays and Fridays thing. But I'm only a day late with my Off With Their Heads playing card shirt.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I had this idea last week when I wore my cool playing card socks, and I was planning to make it last Friday before I got distracted by baby bibs. I have several plain tee-shirts which could use a little personality, and I've got a few other ideas kicking around in my little skull that I might go to later when I'm feeling like a quick and easy project. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The neatest thing about this one was that it was free! I already had the shirt, and the felt came from a box of craft supplies my friend Troy gave me during spring cleaning. I cut out my shapes from the black and red felt, making templates for the spade and club because they're surprisingly difficult to do freehand.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaKmhBWmjqU3Hk0jxUqMtxNZjZ3a4EmpdBJQVRS-oCiGA-8wkr_Q3Myfw60tETDvbR75rB2UcgZ4OTCfX1Kas4iquNgCigvfyqtCp1nO4tPfGOYNZ2wteXQJv1u3jf6GpFRfYuY66emt3/s1600/templates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaKmhBWmjqU3Hk0jxUqMtxNZjZ3a4EmpdBJQVRS-oCiGA-8wkr_Q3Myfw60tETDvbR75rB2UcgZ4OTCfX1Kas4iquNgCigvfyqtCp1nO4tPfGOYNZ2wteXQJv1u3jf6GpFRfYuY66emt3/s320/templates.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cut-outs are cut out- see the nice recycled paper template!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I played around with the layout until I liked how it looked, then stitched the shapes in place with matching color thread.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV0mTrSthaTRV4nFdJpz0ZtiA-QtNlzs93JKbyS8qPMMQTZrbWqdf9IfP_IQkSPY1ExSisxoi-HbpwKsCx034FgA8JEgaqArz7naZjNsyMPvo0Qn6NL0lGJMIXQoV4NWOO13n-NQOFEc6/s1600/SewingShirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV0mTrSthaTRV4nFdJpz0ZtiA-QtNlzs93JKbyS8qPMMQTZrbWqdf9IfP_IQkSPY1ExSisxoi-HbpwKsCx034FgA8JEgaqArz7naZjNsyMPvo0Qn6NL0lGJMIXQoV4NWOO13n-NQOFEc6/s320/SewingShirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am still getting the hang of sewing with knits. And by "getting the hang of" I mean "get really frustrated by."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Finally I switched to contrasting color thread and zig-zagged around the outside for an accent. Guy said that if he were to change one thing, he would have done that stitch in matching colors, and I think I agree with him. You can't see it very well in the picture, but it looks messy to me. Never mind, scrappy and scruffy is always in. <br />
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The finished project!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_RfntXPqnJn9_vQfLlTdAzM0CotPVj4czORA6Ip-OMALP8yEK0-MOuxIlbY3OVitLjAe3Qx9s0uxiVwlPfQyIswxsRPTS3d9f0UF_RZmzrcHNYh6hN_fMStGnJn7sxM1j4yaZwXO3aAM/s1600/FinalShirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_RfntXPqnJn9_vQfLlTdAzM0CotPVj4czORA6Ip-OMALP8yEK0-MOuxIlbY3OVitLjAe3Qx9s0uxiVwlPfQyIswxsRPTS3d9f0UF_RZmzrcHNYh6hN_fMStGnJn7sxM1j4yaZwXO3aAM/s320/FinalShirt.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No one was home to take a picture...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There are plenty of felt applique tutorials on the internets. I didn't use any of them, but if you wanted to try it at home, <a href="http://www.spazzticcrafts.com/felt-tshirt-applique.php">this one</a> looks good. I didn't use any fusibile interfacing like she suggests, but I wish I had. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And that's all for today!</div>Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-78005451352179702702011-05-06T12:00:00.001-06:002011-05-06T12:00:02.085-06:00Bibbity BobbityI've made a lot of stuff for Kai recently, and I was planning on making something geeky for myself this week. Turns out, though, I didn't make anything for either of us. Instead, I made an emergency baby shower gift. Wednesday morning, Guy told me that we had a baby shower to go to Saturday afternoon. Mostly, we'll be getting the family practical gifts such as clothes and diapers, but I wanted to give something cute and personalized. No time to make a quilt, and truth to tell I'm pretty terrible about actually finishing them anyway, so I did some searching and found <a href="http://www.liaspace.com/2010/04/tutorial-babys-bibs.html">this tutorial</a> from Lia's Space for some simple and cute baby bibs. I dug into my stash of fun kid fabrics and whipped them out in a day. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7h4VJJfGzMbylq-HdGU_zctTwHzlf1uNzJfo-Plh_HvGzvy7hzlIEkhL9TZkUkh_H4Q2X9MXnLchV75pT0VOHm7uPJ_DjK90aYV__RMDFQkDK9Gl5eQg-VKZrSU3xgiCAZTKJc75-GcR/s1600/bibs+for+baby+z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7h4VJJfGzMbylq-HdGU_zctTwHzlf1uNzJfo-Plh_HvGzvy7hzlIEkhL9TZkUkh_H4Q2X9MXnLchV75pT0VOHm7uPJ_DjK90aYV__RMDFQkDK9Gl5eQg-VKZrSU3xgiCAZTKJc75-GcR/s320/bibs+for+baby+z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
These would totally be a one nap project if you were just making one, or if you skipped the appliqué. I thought they were a little drab, so I decided to give them a little more oomph. I like how the appliqué shapes turned out, although the happy face seems slightly disturbing to me. I think because the zigzag stitch looks a little like teeth.Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-7148019104871340372011-05-02T11:32:00.005-06:002011-05-02T13:21:53.532-06:00Jumbo Animal Concentration (tutorial)So, I have decided to set myself a posting schedule for this blog. I'm going to try to post on Mondays and Fridays. That way, I have the whole weekend to finish a project, and then the whole week to finish another. That shouldn't be too difficult.<br /><br />With that out of the way, on to this week's project!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd6qDHeyZ3VlB0JH0_BJdnzs6xSE4Hf7tlm9QtPIA8JMEB385WwywznHn7m9Du6awDIRGh3HmPYV6Y2Z859muhmJaV6cnRc8KtSCAUpQGmWbJw5VsHpTL8egoGUE12F-YHiwntqTooxxV/s1600/SANY1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd6qDHeyZ3VlB0JH0_BJdnzs6xSE4Hf7tlm9QtPIA8JMEB385WwywznHn7m9Du6awDIRGh3HmPYV6Y2Z859muhmJaV6cnRc8KtSCAUpQGmWbJw5VsHpTL8egoGUE12F-YHiwntqTooxxV/s320/SANY1486.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />I bought this fabric from a super-reduced clearance rack at Hancocks, thinking that I could make something cute for the little man out of it. I was thinking of a little book, but then I hit on the idea of making a concentration game. I've played concentration with little kids before and they always have a hard time picking up the cards- this set will be easy to pick up and it won't matter if he crumples the cards, either.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy51uvfu8Or1Ic464LAbMpYpRWsVsS0caeFktH83R8C7UODsEjCW68vkhTGcGRnDbgzvljt212P946QMz3F6ZSGXkj7HDha7wyr4XiJqpk8YFLTDadl-DnyfSeclTMxG9Tfd93sL8CvDM1/s1600/SANY1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy51uvfu8Or1Ic464LAbMpYpRWsVsS0caeFktH83R8C7UODsEjCW68vkhTGcGRnDbgzvljt212P946QMz3F6ZSGXkj7HDha7wyr4XiJqpk8YFLTDadl-DnyfSeclTMxG9Tfd93sL8CvDM1/s320/SANY1476.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 squares, 9 of each. Your mileage may vary!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Jumbo fabric concentration-<br /><br />You will need:<br /><br />Picture fabric- I'm using animals.<br />Backing fabric<br />Heat-n-bond (optional)<br />Decoration fabric (optional)<br />Standard sewing supplies<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-aF_I17oCIL34VznFIVe_CwLx3u9yos4kZ4WTxEEhfTIZvcBrBoSpgw2iEw8LhgO4NPPMwvBqqAQOzaXXUJ939A1hn5WBN6VdmncuQxNUm3ezwXF6-ec5Tf494KFAMVr_E8mxJrJ9u79/s1600/SANY1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-aF_I17oCIL34VznFIVe_CwLx3u9yos4kZ4WTxEEhfTIZvcBrBoSpgw2iEw8LhgO4NPPMwvBqqAQOzaXXUJ939A1hn5WBN6VdmncuQxNUm3ezwXF6-ec5Tf494KFAMVr_E8mxJrJ9u79/s320/SANY1478.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red sheet of DOOM!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I didn't have enough of the fabric I was originally going to use for backing, so I searched around and found this red fitted sheet. Fitted sheets make a ton of fabric- you will definitely be seeing this again. I cut out my cards and backs. If you have a rotary cutter, this would be a great place to use it. Mine is packed away somewhere, of course.<br /><br />After looking at what I had so far, I realized that the card backs were going to be really visually boring unless I did something. I decided to use some orange butterfly fabric that I got at the same sale. I know that butterflies aren't usually considered very masculine, but (1) I don't want the little man to be bound by those kind of gender stereotypes and (2) that was what I had. So I fused the heat-n-bond to the back of my butterflies, cut them out carefully, and fused them to the backing fabric.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXd6aqcZAUTQAsG4uSoq_ld_xk-hsOsjtbtn1cYhdZKjiNHBTPu9SO_mhXB4eMwqAxfe9P9MvgOEAmVb2vWpHWGnLncJxKyHEFhhrLfuiS267w461XR0uZ-bNd8F_p10e-PiavxSyLTQ0a/s1600/SANY1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXd6aqcZAUTQAsG4uSoq_ld_xk-hsOsjtbtn1cYhdZKjiNHBTPu9SO_mhXB4eMwqAxfe9P9MvgOEAmVb2vWpHWGnLncJxKyHEFhhrLfuiS267w461XR0uZ-bNd8F_p10e-PiavxSyLTQ0a/s320/SANY1480.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMGI5IbjU7p7Y1D3FvttiPv6LL01bnC9T1mkN694RZil9xG-721iMZ0P6ltwPJNAzBJGL2mBB-OBvTxyWFXJo7YMhsBK-Bl1qmfxEgC1u9l3QbLHx49rPxYJx-sEV4txbLgPxrCEu4R7M/s1600/SANY1482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMGI5IbjU7p7Y1D3FvttiPv6LL01bnC9T1mkN694RZil9xG-721iMZ0P6ltwPJNAzBJGL2mBB-OBvTxyWFXJo7YMhsBK-Bl1qmfxEgC1u9l3QbLHx49rPxYJx-sEV4txbLgPxrCEu4R7M/s320/SANY1482.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />I sewed them together, leaving a gap so I could turn them right side out, and then ironed again and top stitched. I forgot to take a picture of the top stitching, but you can see it in the title picture up at the top.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrQCP1KTlfDLObkBT7Lz724upVi2HV6ZeR-JMgTOAUG82z-pCgid-utUyf2L_uyLxIftjgSrSBmjuF9tT_Xnr9PXhWmGaq-AjVGlLkCEklQNWOhCcDYmfxQXFC5WwAb4OT9eLzBvAj7z5/s1600/SANY1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrQCP1KTlfDLObkBT7Lz724upVi2HV6ZeR-JMgTOAUG82z-pCgid-utUyf2L_uyLxIftjgSrSBmjuF9tT_Xnr9PXhWmGaq-AjVGlLkCEklQNWOhCcDYmfxQXFC5WwAb4OT9eLzBvAj7z5/s400/SANY1483.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Et viola! Here's the little man ignoring his new toy in favor of his drink.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDQM7MLLsgmJD-BmhVsx0IkGKsa3trtCl0FoLWR9Sg_YDnpZbt2Ko4lPrSFgHpTXaG-KoLbm9ManRO6ug5U7kkdTbSwf2SFaxqnMuhUZig03xAryUpCJYKxQ2B0P0-X9L4Ugv695mN3gB/s1600/SANY1489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDQM7MLLsgmJD-BmhVsx0IkGKsa3trtCl0FoLWR9Sg_YDnpZbt2Ko4lPrSFgHpTXaG-KoLbm9ManRO6ug5U7kkdTbSwf2SFaxqnMuhUZig03xAryUpCJYKxQ2B0P0-X9L4Ugv695mN3gB/s320/SANY1489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't you know that I'm not old enough for this game, mommy?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Verdict-<br /><br />These turned out pretty cute, but they took a long time to make. Actually, I haven't finished them yet, just enough to take a few pictures. They would look even nicer with some binding and a layer of batting, and would make a cool and different gift for a toddler/preschool aged kiddo. You could use appliqués to make shape, letter, or number cards. Just make two of each!Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5193637273013641739.post-66283212523529119462011-04-26T20:32:00.000-06:002011-04-26T20:32:04.088-06:00The Littlest Staffer, or The Tale of the Missing Seam Ripper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Somewhere in this apartment is a box filled with thread, bobbins, scissors, needles, and most importantly, a stich ripper. The box has vanished- I have opened every box I can find marked "sewing room" and no luck. The thing is, a stich ripper is a critical tool for refashioning, not just for taking things apart but for undoing the inevitable mistakes when you're flying without a pattern. As you shall soon see...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Every year, my husband and I are staff at our local anime convention. And every year, I recieve one of these lovely tee-shirts. This one is a small, and though that should have been perfect, it really isn't. So I decided to make a little staff shirt for the Little Man to wear around the next convention. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5eQhQYK4sK38Asq8pvrNwO4uxlydnIdpe1rjpPlpNA5C6lmkU4B127pCZ1bwsZZdN2NgSZgTw6JwvYuJ3fCuJKQhWR278mm3UKa49445vuUrl-RWO9dcgvZwEHpA0ErCOFdhNgppl5lX/s1600/staffshirt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5eQhQYK4sK38Asq8pvrNwO4uxlydnIdpe1rjpPlpNA5C6lmkU4B127pCZ1bwsZZdN2NgSZgTw6JwvYuJ3fCuJKQhWR278mm3UKa49445vuUrl-RWO9dcgvZwEHpA0ErCOFdhNgppl5lX/s320/staffshirt1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I used <a href="http://squigglytwigs.blogspot.com/2010/07/tuesdays-tute-upcycled-t-shirt.html">this tutorial</a> from Squiggly Twigs Designs to make my shirt, so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail regarding the steps. I used one of the kiddo's tees that is still a little big, since the idea is for him to wear it in September. First, I deconstructed the shirt...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkmN7PkFMpat7Y77XYRMLkHDOCkyNM81qGKpQhd_LHogzjJvWdJFKRadp-ccN7m97fHly6NWaCw9WIQs-E-lcUyW62yK9R9sMTf5V5CLVIiDfvosgaG5tsCF28GAWWGNLVGsc6GACsplm/s1600/staffshirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkmN7PkFMpat7Y77XYRMLkHDOCkyNM81qGKpQhd_LHogzjJvWdJFKRadp-ccN7m97fHly6NWaCw9WIQs-E-lcUyW62yK9R9sMTf5V5CLVIiDfvosgaG5tsCF28GAWWGNLVGsc6GACsplm/s320/staffshirt2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then, I cut out my pieces using his little shirt as a pattern. I preserved the hems on the sleeves, and the collar and graphics on the front and back of the shirt. The front and back pieces are still folded in half here.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXEMl3HXRrbNWXXvJ9jMtnS98C8ghYvDNmoPJB61iFTeydFR3mi0X6HXAvZf0P-25fqcfGFv58j_DLV6GM7qkY9QDN33Y3UykbNTV59hnDfebBTnPHw2DRR0GPewww3bgoZYf9qguGVaO/s1600/staffshirt3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXEMl3HXRrbNWXXvJ9jMtnS98C8ghYvDNmoPJB61iFTeydFR3mi0X6HXAvZf0P-25fqcfGFv58j_DLV6GM7qkY9QDN33Y3UykbNTV59hnDfebBTnPHw2DRR0GPewww3bgoZYf9qguGVaO/s320/staffshirt3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sewed it all together, as you do- shoulders first, then attaching the sleeves, then the underarms and side seams, and finally the bottom hem. Then I tried it on and discovered my fatal flaw...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It didn't fit over his head. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is where a seam ripper would have really come in handy. I unpicked one of the shoulder seams using scissors, cutting black thread on black fabric, and what fun that was! Then I used some of the old hem (also used for straps on my <a href="http://sewlongwearwell.blogspot.com/2011/04/welcome-and-teeshirt-to-tank-tutorial.html">t-shirt to tank tutorial</a>) to make a placket for some velcro. I debated using buttons but hand needles are also in the infamous box.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYsxDs_soOpeTTcLSI189_-SmQgseaBTnaCE2_lmdvgYIOJLXgDKX-qNfcqY4Nb4I6NWOMXl1s2ZRrvW4rAb7vDB_1VDdDkV1vC3tEeapG9CC_OxUvbSBNMiZxfhb72aFBS2H-L5QNI3p/s1600/staffshirt4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYsxDs_soOpeTTcLSI189_-SmQgseaBTnaCE2_lmdvgYIOJLXgDKX-qNfcqY4Nb4I6NWOMXl1s2ZRrvW4rAb7vDB_1VDdDkV1vC3tEeapG9CC_OxUvbSBNMiZxfhb72aFBS2H-L5QNI3p/s320/staffshirt4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here is the young model himself! It looks great, but the velcro is actually a complete failure... I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board on this one. I might just cut off the old collar entirely and see how that looks. Fortunately, I still have a few months to figure it out.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeK7LqQTzR7Ey2X5csctgkWCSKCqM-S5dPKZqdsfYpEJtL2ss-yYsiyIx5pk10f9S_ExP6KhXBpIA1lPZu-3rOCBqSSwT9KRAG8m1hInaWZx0a6R_mpgeXQNhQavUBy3n5l0n8qrU1Gv6o/s1600/IMG_1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeK7LqQTzR7Ey2X5csctgkWCSKCqM-S5dPKZqdsfYpEJtL2ss-yYsiyIx5pk10f9S_ExP6KhXBpIA1lPZu-3rOCBqSSwT9KRAG8m1hInaWZx0a6R_mpgeXQNhQavUBy3n5l0n8qrU1Gv6o/s320/IMG_1002.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>Maiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10395500153723914875noreply@blogger.com1