The Memory Book

In-the-hoop Cookies

2012-02-10T20:00:00Z

The girls love to play with the kitchen that their dad made for them. Their play kitchen isn't tucked away, it is staged in the great room of their house. So, they play with it lots. Each Christmas Andrea has added felt food items to the kitchen. So, for Valentine's day I decided to make decorated felt heart cookies to add to their stash of felt food. I put a set in each card to give to them on that day of love. Here is what they look like:

Here is what you need for the one with the little hearts:

Two 4" squares of tan felt

Tear away stabilizer.

Tan and Pink embroidery thread

Pinking shears (optional)

Lapel stick temporary adhesive

Cookie designs (Download mine here)

Here is what you do:

1. Hoop the tear away stabilizer. Put a little adhesive on the corners of one felt square and center it in the hoop.

2. Sew the first color using tan thread that matches your felt. I used tan in the bobbin as well on mine. This just puts a heart outline down on the first square to hold it in place nicely.

3. Sew the second color in pink for all those hearts.

4. Now remove the hoop and flip it over. Put a little adhesive on the corners of the second felt square and center it over the back side of the design. Carefully slide the hoop back onto the machine and check to make sure the felt is still in place.

5. Sew the third color in tan. Remove the hoop from the machine. Separate the two layers outside the stitching and carefully tear away the excess stabilizer.

6. Pink around the outside of the finished cookie. These look good enough to eat.

Note: These cookies can be done using any thread colors you desire. These were created in blues and pinks so they could be seen well on screen. Use the colors of your choice. The designs were created in Designer's Gallery MasterWorks II which is available through Baby Lock Retailers.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

Take care,

Finish It Beautifully -No Lining Required

2012-02-03T16:15:00Z

I am in the mood for spring to get here. Really, it has been a mild winter so I shouldn't be so anxious but I am. So, what to do but start on an easy springtime project. My daughter loved the pillowcase dresses that the girls had last year. I decided that would be a nice project for this weekend and I could use up some leftover fabrics too. But last year's dresses were lined. Surely there is an easier way to finish off those seams. Well, I have been using French seams on some of my little snack bags and pillowcases so I decided to try them out in finishing the pillowcase dress. It worked and saved quite a bit of time as well. Here is the littlest one's dress:

First I'll cover creating a French seam in case anyone needs to know how to do these great little seams.

What you need to practice this:

Two rectangle of scrap fabric the same size.

Sewing Thread

Iron

What you do:

Place the two rectangles with the wrong sides together.

Sew a 1/4" seam down one side.

Open the fabric and press the seam open.

Fold the fabric with the right sides together and press the seam again.

Sew a 1/2" seam enclosing the raw edges of the first seam

The outside of the sewn fabric seam should look like this:

The inside of the sewn fabric seam should look like this:

So easy to do, so professional looking.

Now for the pillowcase dress. I didn't use a pattern - just an old dress in the size I wanted to make so I could get the right length and armhole size. But if you want one I am sure there are a number to chose from out there if you google it.

What you need (for a 24 month size)

1/2 yard cotton fabric (44" wide)Cut in half (18"X22" each piece)

5" strip of fabric for the border (44" wide) Cut in half (5" x 22" each piece)

2 yards 5/8" ribbon cut in half

Sewing Thread

Embroidery design if desired (you can download my appliqué flower here)

Medium weight tear away stabilizer

Embroidery thread

Scraps of fabric for the appliqué

Heat N Bond lite for the appliqué

Lapel Stick for the appliqué

Little trimmer scissors

Iron

What you do based on what I did:

1. Layer the two fabric pieces wrong sides together. Fold in half again so it is 18" X11". From the top edge measure down 2" and place the shoulder of the dress you are using for a pattern( on the raw edge side). Mark the armholes and cut them out.

2. Fold the edge of the armhole in 1/4" (toward the wrong side) and press. Fold in another 1/4" and press. Sew close to the open edge. ( Note: you might want to start at the top and pull a little as you iron around the curve to make it fit.) Repeat for the other 3 armhole sections.

3. Fold the top edge of the neckline down 1/2" (toward the wrong side) and press. Fold down another 1 1/2" and press. Sew along the open pressed edge to create a casing for the ribbon. Repeat for the other dress piece.

4. Embroider the appliqué design on the border. Decide where the design will go. (Using a template that you can print from Catalog Xpress or Alphabet Xpress is helpful.) Hoop the tear away stabilizer. Center the fabric and template in the hoop using the lapel stick to adhere the edges of the fabric well. Embroider the design. (For instructions on embroidering appliqué designs go to this blog.) Remove the excess stabilizer.

5. Here is where you begin to use your French seam. Place the border top and dress bottom wrong sides together. Sew a 1/4" seam. Press the seam open. Turn the fabric right sides together and press the seam again. Now sew a 1/2" seam to enclose the first one. Press the French seam down towards the border. Repeat for the other side of the dress.

6. Place the dress pieces wrong sides together matching up the border seam. Sew from the bottom of the armhole to the bottom edge of the dress using a 1/4" seam. Press the seam open. Turn the dress so the right sides are together and press the seam again. Now sew from under the armhole to the bottom edge using a 1/2" seam to enclose the first one. Repeat for the other side of the dress.

7. Turn up the bottom edge and hem as desired.

8. Run the ribbon through the casings at the top and you have one pillowcase dress -ready for spring - no lining required.

Next time on one this small I think I will try folding the fabric so that I have only one seam up the back since it uses the 44" width of the fabric. And later today I think I'll make a shorter one as a top to go with a long sleeve T and leggings.

Here are a few more quick projects in case you missed them:

Embroidered Baby Ts for cool summer fun

Valentine Candy Wraps

Infant Easter Goodies

Quick wristlet Bag

Whether you are iching to start your spring projects or still working on the fall and winter ones have a good time with your craft.

Take care,

A Pretty Felt Playhouse -Part 2

2012-01-06T15:00:00Z

Finished! And with a little time to spare. We decided to just button down the sides instead of sewing them. It will make removing it from the table and folding it up for storage a little easier. Kate got to see it during the final fitting since she is doesn't talk much and is too young to remember. She loved it and was not happy when we took it back off the table. Here is the front of the finished house:

Here is the back wall before I trimmed it up and sewed it on:

If you missed the side walls you can see them here in part 1.

What you need for the front and back walls:

Heat and Bond Ultra

Embroidery thread

Bobbin thread

Sewing thread

Felt from the bolt

1. Light pink for the Walls: Measure the table sides and from the very top to the bottom Add 2 inches to the height and width for double seams for the four walls (ours was 56"X 56" X36" tall- yes, she has one of those bar stool style tall ones - so my pieces were 58"wide X 38" tall for each of the four walls.)

2. Green and brown for the tree and bush: Decide how much of the wall should be taken up by these and draw them freehand. (I just looked at a clip art picture and drew mine.)

3. Dark pink for the door: Take your front measurement and subtract 4 inches. Divide that number by three for the door width. For the height I just subtracted 4 inches.

4. Various colors for the elements (red, white, gray, green, black): We used red felt squares for the apples, some scraps from the other pieces and projects for the rest.

5. A big piece of white for the roof. Measure the table top and add 6 inches to each side if you are making a scalloped edge.

You can download the outline designs for part 2 here.

What you do:

1. Cut the Tree out. Cut strips of Heat and Bond Ultra and iron them on. Let cool and remove paper.

2. Pin the tree top in place and iron on. Sew around the edge. Repeat for the trunk.

3. Embroider a bunch of the apples: Hoop felt squares (I did not use any stabilizer on these.) Embroider the apples Remove from the hoop and cut around the apples.

4. Trace the apples on Heat and Bond Ultra. Cut out and iron on. Let cool and remove the paper. Position the apples on the tree and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instructions.

5. Use leftover felt to create grass at the bottom if desired. Adhere using strips of Heat and Bond Ultra and sew around the edges.

6. Embroider the bunny. Cut around the stitches.

7. Trace the bunny on the Heat and Bond. Cut out and iron on. Let cool and remove the paper. Position the bunny and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instructions.

8. Cut the bush out. Cut strips of Heat and Bond Ultra and iron them on. Let cool and remove paper.

9. Pin the bush top in place and iron on. Sew around the edge. Repeat for the trunk.

10. Embroider the light. Cut around the stitches. (I decided it was a little small so I cut a rectangle out of a scrap and added it behind the light to make it larger.)

11. Trace on Heat and Bond Ultra. Cut out and iron on. Let cool and remove paper. Position the light pieces and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instruction.

12. Cut a strip from brown felt to make the mailbox post. Trace on Heat and Bond Ultra. Cut out and iron on. Let cool and remove the paper. Position the post and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instructions

13. Embroider the mailbox. (I embroidered the outline twice and the words and heart only once.) Cut around the stitches.

14. Trace the one without the words on the Heat and Bond. Cut out and iron on. Let cool and remove the paper. Position and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instructions.

15. Pin the front mailbox piece on top and sew around the sides and bottom creating a pocket for mail.

16. Embroider the door handle. Cut around the stitches.

17. Trace the handle on the Heat and Bond. Cut out and iron on. Let cool and remove the paper. Position handle on the door and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instructions.

18. Cut a square of white for the window. Cut out the center creating a window frame for the door. Cut strips of Heat and Bond Ultra and iron on. Let cool and remove the paper.Position the window on the door and iron on. Carefully cut the felt out of the window frame creating a window.

19. Position the door. Sew across the top at least three times to secure. Mark 2" in on each side of the underneath felt and cut out the felt underneath to create the door opening.

20. Mark and cut scallops on the roof piece making sure you do not cut in more than 2 1/2". (I just used a small plate for this.)

21. Mark the sewing line on the inside top of each wall. Mark the roof inside all the way around. Lay the roof out flat on the floor with the inside facing up. Pin a wall face down matching sewing lines. Roll up and secure the rolls like you would a large quilt. Sew along the line leaving the inch at the overlapped corners open. (If you are making one this large sew again about 1/8" from the first seam for extra strength.) Repeat for each wall.

22. Secure the sides. If you are making a smaller card table size playhouse you might just sew down the sides. Ours was so big that we just put a couple of buttons and button hole on each side to make it easier to put on and take off.

Note: The kitten on the front came from an appliqué quilt pattern so I cannot share it. Here is a set of twenty free ones you could choose from.

Well, Christmas has come and gone and the girls are having a great time in their new playhouse.

If you have boys make a gargage or a stable or an army fort. I may make the stable (not in such a big size) for my house since the playhouse was such a hit.

I hope you had a great holiday and wish you a blessed new year in 2012.

Take care,

A Pretty Felt Playhouse - Part One

2011-12-22T15:20:00Z

OK. It is the Thursday before Christmas! A few weeks ago my daughter showed me a picture of a playhouse made from felt. It fit over a card table. Very cute and felt is easy to work with. So I planned one for the girls for Christmas. When I showed my drawings with the measurements to Andrea she said it looked great but asked if I could make it larger to fit over her dining room table. Then all three girls could fit inside at the same time. So when felt was on sale for half price we bought lots of it to make a pretty pink playhouse. It is now the Thursday before Christmas and although I have all the pieces cut out only two sides are finished. They look like this:

It is a fun project though and I will share the outline designs for the pieces I made along with the basics of what I did.

What you need for the side walls:

Heat and Bond Ultra

Embroidery thread

Bobbin thread

Sewing thread

Felt from the bolt

2. White for the window: Decide how much of the wall should be window - use a little less than half the width of the wall. (I made mine 26" wide x 14" tall.)

3. Brown for the flower boxes: These should be the same width as the window and less than half as high as the window height. (mine were 26" x 6".)

4. Various colors for the flowers, butterflies, birds and birdhouse: We used some scraps and bought some felt squares for these.

You can download the outline designs here.

What you do:

1. Cut the rectangles out of the center of the white felt rectangles for your windows. Cut strips of Heat and Bond Ultra to fit the window frame and iron them on. Let cool and remove paper.

2. Cut a couple strip of Heat and Bond Ultra the length of your window box and iron them on. Let cool and remove paper.

3. Position the window frame and flower box on the side of the playhouse as desired. Pin in place. Iron in place per the Heat and Bond instructions. Then sew around all the edges.

4. Embroider a bunch of the daisies: Hoop felt squares (I did not use any stabilizer on these.) Embroider the first three thread colors using the same color thread. Now put a small square of felt on top of the center circle and embroider the last color to match that square of felt. Remove from the hoop and cut around the small circle and the daisy.

5. Iron small squares of Heat and Bond Ultra onto the back side of the daisy centers. Let cool and remove the paper. Position the daisies on the window box and iron per the Heat and Bond Ultra instructions. Sew an X in the center of each daisy using coordinating thread.

6. Embroider the butterflies the same way as the daisies. Cut narrow rectangles of Heat and Bond and adhere the butterflies as desired. Sew down the middle with coordinating thread.

7. Embroider the birdhouse and bird. Cut a post for the birdhouse from leftover brown felt. Cut and adhere with Heat and Bond. Sew around the edges. (I did not want to sew around the bird so I cut the Heat and Bond Ultra to the exact size and made sure it was well adhered).

Note: I guess you could cut exact shapes of Heat N Bond and do a no-sew version. Or if you are making a smaller version you could just sew without the Heat and Bond but it sure helped keep the pieces in place on the large walls while I sewed.

The back wall will have an apple tree and a little rabbit and the front has the door and mailbox plus a couple other design elements. I will show you the finished playhouse and give you the designs for these next time. It has been a fun project so far and if deadline stress doesn't take over I will enjoy the project. The first two walls did not take much time so I am confident I can finish this by tomorrow with a day to spare before Christmas.

Part two is here.

Happy Holidays to every one of you,

Take care,

Going Green - Recycle a T-shirt

2011-12-09T18:00:00Z

A couple of weeks ago, when we were out and about, my oldest granddaughter saw some college girls sporting wide, stretchy headbands with their monograms embroidered on them. Of course, since she thinks that anything the teens do is "way cool" she immediately asked if we could make them. I, not wanting to add anything else to my to do list, gave a very vague answer about someday. Well, as you all know things change and our plans along with them. Due to an illness in the family the girls spent the very next Sunday afternoon with me and I was reminded about the headbands. So, off to the sewing room we went and here are the first two they made.

Really easy, kept them busy most of the afternoon and didn't cost a thing.

What you need:

An old T-shirt that is pretty stretchy

A small, easy embroidery design that will fit (download one we used below)

Tear away or cut away stabilizer

Lapel stick temporary adhesive

Wash away mesh stabilizer

Embroidery thread

Sewing thread

What you do:

Cut strips from the T-shirt (The ones above were 19" X 4 1/2" we did some 19" X 5 1/2" for designs that were a little taller in size)

With right sides together, using 1/4" seam sew the strip lengthwise so that you have a 19' X 2" tube.

Center the seam and press open. Then turn the tube right side out and press again. The seam should be in the center on the backside.

Hoop the tear away stabilizer then center your strip face up and use the Lapel stick to adhere it to the stabilizer leaving the ends hang off the edges of the hoop. Place a piece of wash away stabilizer on top if you like so the stitches do not sink into the T. You can adhere the edges of this if you like.

Embroider the design.

Tear or cut away the stabilizer on the backside. Cut away most of the wash away and spritz the rest with warm water (or through it in the wash it's a t-shirt after all.).

With right sides together sew the short ends together. Flip it right side out and you have a headband. Make more!

Download the little orange and white flower here.

The ones the teens seem to be wearing are wider than these but you can make them any size you need. These were a great afternoon project for two little girls. They would also make great stocking stuffers for girls of most any age.

The Horses came from this collection.

Initials would be good too. Make your own in Alphabet Xpress.

I have lots of blogs with instructions for making quick projects. Go here and scroll down for a list of them all.

From our house to yours we wish you a very merry Christmas.

Take care,

The Quickest Fall Decorating Ever

2011-10-28T17:00:00Z

Nothing like needing something at the last minute to make your heart race a little, right? A few days ago a friend came and asked me to do some table decorations for a senior's luncheon. "When do you need them?" I asked. "The luncheon is on Friday." came the answer. Now this was Wednesday evening that we were having this conversation so not much time. It really wasn't her fault, as the person who had originally volunteered had been called away unexpectedly. So, I agreed to do something as long as it could be really simple. A few mums, clay pots dressed with ribbon I was thinking, but it didn't look quite finished. So I made some little felt pumpkins and ghosts to stick in the pots and delivered them on Thursday night. Here's some of the extra ones that I put on my porch.

Here is what you need to make two of either the pumpkins or the ghosts :

Stabilizer - I used wash away because I am out of tear away but I think almost any type would work.

Two rectangles felt 6" X 4.5" (Orange for the pumpkins and white for the ghosts)

Embroidery Thread (Orange and green for the pumpkins and black for the ghosts)

Bobbins wound with the same thread you will use on top for each color

Lapel stick or temporary adhesive

The Pumpkin or the ghost design which you can download below.

Two kabob sticks or thin dowel rods 10" long.

Craft glue

Ribbon if desired.

What you do to make the pumkins:

1. Hoop the stabilizer only.

2. Sew the first color (in orange)

3. Remove the hoop from the machine and place on a flat surface. Put a little temporary glue on the corners of one felt rectangle and place it on the back of the hoop making sure that all the stitching is covered. Turn the hoop over and repeat for the other felt rectangle on the front.

4. Slide the hoop back onto the machine carefully making sure the back felt stays in place. Embr

oider the next two colors for the pumpkins using orange.

5. Change the bobbin and top threads to green and embroider the last color.

6. Remove from the hoop. Carefully cut around the outside of the designs.

7. Using the sharp point of small scissors cut a small slit close to the bottom of one side of the pumpkin.

8. Put a little craft glue on the stick and insert into the slit. Let dry and add ribbon if desired. Poke one or more in a pot of mums and you have a cute table decoration in no time at all. Or decorate the porch like I did - there's still time.

Click here to get the little ghost and the pumpkin.

Here are some links to other fall blogs in case you missed them in years past.

Easy Runners for Small Places

Spiders, Ruffles and Ghosts

Easy Tutus and Black Cats

Halloween Masks for My Pumpkins

Halloween Costumes

A Dancing Princess

I think they all have a free design to download for your library.

Here's what our girls will be this year - a cowgirl, a ladybug and a bumble bee (She absolutely hates bugs so go figure - she wanted to wear "thingys" - antenna's)

The ladybug design is from ATG Summer flights (I only sewed part of the design.) For the lady bug and bumble bee wings I just made appliqe ovals in my embroidery software and then sewed them together. I sewed yellow ribbon on a black tee and made those bee antennas out of a headband, pipecleaners and pom poms. The dots on the lady bug are cut from felt and her antennas we found in a bargin bin. The cowgirl outfit is made from vinyl remnants and a couple of leftover scrapbook embellishments.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.

Take care,

Sweet Sweet Shoes

2011-10-07T17:30:00Z

Our baby girl just loves shoes, anyone's shoes will do. She brings them to be put on and clomps around, falling about every other step. She carries them around hugging them like they were baby dolls, pushes them in her stroller and throws them in the trash (then wants them back out of course). It is so funny to watch. She also loves the handmade shoes she has so much that I decided I had to try my hand at making a pair. I think these will be adorable with her pink cords.

I found a great set of instructions here. I had to enlarge the pattern since our little one is not a newborn and I put some embroidery on the tops but otherwise I followed these instructions. I used minky for the lining and corduroy for the outside. For the sweet lettering I used the new Quick Font Lettering that Annthegran has just introduced. It isreally quick and there are a ton of fonts to choose from. And you can choose from the one line or two line options.

You just

1. Chose the format for your machine.

2. Choose the font you want to try.

3. Type up to 20 characters.

4. Choose the best size for your project.

Click the preview button to see your lettering. You can see the design information to the right of the preview. If you like you can change the thread brands and color of the lettering. Or create an envelope shape like I did and choose the fabric type to get the best underlay and pull compensation for your project.

Put it in your cart, download it and off you go. This is one of the the easiest ways to get customized lettering just when you need it. No software required!

I will be making more of these cute little shoes. They were really very easy. I'll post them in the gallery when I get them done. Maybe some matching headbands would be fun to do.

Take care,

Gotta Love a Baked Potato

2011-09-16T16:55:00Z

For several years I have seen and heard about bags made to bake potatoes in the microwave. They are touted to produce fluffy, moist baked potatoes. So when I had all the cotton stuff out to make the tortilla warmer I decided to make one and see. Hey, what do you know, it works pretty well. It was the best microwave cooked potato that I had ever had. So, although this is not a new concept (LaRue shared one a couple of years ago) I will share how I made mine.

What you need:

2 rectangles 100% cotton fabric 9'X21" (one for the outside and one for the inside lining)

1 rectangle 100% cotton batting 9'X21"

Cotton Thread (I used 50 weight)

Embroidery Design (Download the one I used)

Tear away stabilizer

What you do:

1. Determine embroidery placement. I layered the rectangles outside face up, then inside face down, then batting. Then I lined it up on my cutting mat and folded the bottom end of all layers up leaving 31/2" of batting showing at the top.

Next I folded the outside layer down and measured 1" from the fold. This is where I placed the bottom of my design template centering it widthwise and placing it UPSIDE DOWN.

2. Pull the layers apart. Hoop the tear away stabilizer and fabric centering the template. Slide the hoop onto the machine and center the needle over the center point of the template. Remove the template and embroider the design. Remove from the hoop and remove all the stabilizer.

3. Layer the rectangles, outside face up, inside face down, batting. Sew 1/4" from the edge all the way around leaving a 3" opening to turn in one end. Reach between the two fabric rectangles and turn right side out. The batting should now be inside and the fabrics right side out. Press.

4. Top stitch 1/4" from edge across both short ends. Place the rectangle on a table with outside fabric facing up.

5. Fold the embroidered end up leaving 3 1/2" of the outside fabric showing at the top.

6. Flip 3" of the top over and tuck under. Sew 1/2" from edge down both sides to make a bag.

7. Turn right side out and you have a tater baker that will hold one large or two medium potatoes.

Microwave according to your microwave's instructions. Remember that you never want to leave a microwave unattended while in use.

These make nice little thank you gifts, craft donation items or stocking stuffers. Create a tag and pin it on with a ribbon. Here is what my tag will say:

Tater Baker Bag

Wash and dry one or two potatoes.

Do NOT poke potatoes with a fork.

Place potatoes in the Tater Bag.

Microwave 4-6 min. for one,

Microwave 6-9 min for two.

Varies so use your Microwave's directions.

These potatoes will be quite fluffy!

Let the bag cool before using again.

If you missed the tortilla warmer you can see it here. These snack bags also make good small gifts filled with whatever you choose. They are really cute for Christmas with the gingerbread man I used in this blog. Here is a picture of one I did a couple of Christmases ago.

Take care,

What's a Tortilla Warmer?

2011-08-26T16:30:00Z

Sometime ago, I saw an advertisement for tortilla warmers and loved the idea. They looked fun and useful but the cost was $8.00 - $12.00 each, depending on the size, plus shipping. "What a great way to use up scraps!" I thought. So, I tore out the ad and saved it. I came across it the other day when cleaning out my magazine basket and decided to give it a try. I didn't have any Mexican looking scraps but I still have scraps of the apple fabric that needs to be used up. Here is the first one I made for corn tortillas. It works great!

Here is what you need for the small one for corn tortillas:

Note: I made sure to use all cotton components since it was going in the microwave. Do Not use polyester or other blends. And remember never to leave the microwave unattended when in use.

Enough cotton fabric to cut four circles - 8 1/2" each

Enough thin cotton batting to cut two circles - 8 1/2" each

Cotton thread (I used 50 weight cotton by Robison Anton)

This embroidery design (Download it here for corn and flour)

Tear away stabilizer

Here is what you do:

1. Cut all the 8 1/2" circles (I traced around the small burner cover from my stove.)

2. Hoop a tear away stabilizer and adhere the circle to the stabilizer using the lapel stick or spray adhesive around the edges. Embroider the design using cotton thread in the bobbin and on top. Remove the stabilizer.

3. Place one circle cotton fabric face up. Place the second circle cotton fabric on top face down. Place the batting circle on top of all. Sew 1/4"in from the edge around the circle leaving a 3" opening for turning.

4. Reach between the two cotton circles and turn right side out. The batting should be inside and the two cotton circles right sides out. Fold the raw edges of the opening in to complete the circle and press. Stitch closed if desired.

5. Repeat for the bottom piece.

6. With embroidery design facing up place the embroidered circle on top of the sewn bottom circle. Fold down the top edge so there is about a 6" opening and mark the sides.

7. Sew 1/4" from longer edge around the circles between the marks forming a pocket with a 6" opening.

8. Insert tortillas and heat a few seconds in the microwave. No need for plastic wrap ever again.

At our house we only have corn tortillas but if you want to heat the medium size flour tortillas make your circles 10 1/2" (the large burner cover works for this size).

I think everyone will be getting these in their stockings this year. I might add a loop so it could be hung up.

Take care,

Here is my recipe for Herbed Corn Tortilla Chips - made with the extra corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2 tsp grated parmesan

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tso dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsop garlic powder

1/8 tsp salt

dash pepper

A little olive oil

2 or 3 corn tortillas cut into six wedges each

Mix together the cheese and spices. Place corn tortilla wedges on a very lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush or spritz wil olive oil. Sprinkle with cheese and spice mixture. Bake 5-7 minutes. Eat warm with your favorite soup.

An Oldie but Goodie - Bag Keepers Never Go Out of Style

2011-08-19T16:35:00Z

As you probably know by now we have been slowly trying to go green. So we use cloth bags (see designer bags)for most of our shopping. Even so, we still end up with some of those thin plastic bags from various places. They have some uses such as lining the bathroom trash cans, tying up garbage that needs to go out right away and sending items with people so no bag needs to be returned. The rest go back up to the corner store where there is a recycle bin just for them. For a long time now we have used one of the designer bags, hung in the pantry closet, to store these bags. My mother, however, had a cloth bag keeper and wanted a new one for her pantry as hers (a gift from a friend long, long ago) was falling apart. So, although I know this project idea is quite old, it is easy and useful so I thought I would post it.

This is the one I made for my mother (she collects roosters and has them everywhere).

What you need:

One rectangle of cotton fabric 24"wide X 19" tall

One 6 1/2" length of 3/8" elastic

One 11" length of 3/8" elastic

One square scrap fabric for rooster appliqué (4"X 4" or larger)

Embroidery design (download the rooster here)

Sewing and embroidery threads

Tear away stabilizer

Appliqué iron on (such as Trans Web or Heat N Bond lite)

14" length of ribbon (1" to 2" wide)

What you do:

1. Find the center of your fabric and mark for your embroidery (you can create printed templates in Catalog Xpress or Alphabet Xpress). Hoop the fabric and tear away stabilizer. Remove the template if you used one and embroider the design. Remove the fabric from the hoop and remove the excess stabilizer.

2. Fold the top edge down 1/4" and press. Fold again 1/2" down and Press. Sew very close to the inner edge creating a casing for the elastic.

3. Repeat for the bottom edge.

4. Run the 11" length of elastic through the top casing gathering the fabric as you go. Sew the ends down well close to each edge.

5. Repeat for the bottom casing using the 6 1/2" piece of elastic.

6. On the top of the rectangle measure in about 2 3/4" inches from each edge and mark or pin.

7. Press each end of the ribbon under 1/2" and press. On the right side of the fabric center the folded ribbon edge over the pin about 3/4" from the top edge. Remove pin and sew in place.

8. Repeat for the other side.

9. With right sides together sew the sides of the bag together. Turn right side out.

One plastic bag keeper is done, ready for stuffing.

Here's the other one I made.

Note: I goofed and accidently used Heat N Bond Ultra instead of Heat N Bond Lite on this second one. While it is great for no-sew applique it really gummed up the embroidery machine needle and my thread broke repeatedly. So, if you have several kinds like I do make sure you use a LITE version. This is a layered applique and I was very frustrated by the time I finished the second layer. I had to salvage the design with a button instead of finishing it like intended. Luckily this one is just for me and goes in the pantry closet. I guess that is what I get for not paying attention!

See the design as it should be and you can download this design here.

If you haven't already read these blogs and are trying to go green you might be interested in taking a look:

Designer Grocery bags

Coffee cup wraps

A Quick Casserole carrier

Reusable Snack bags

Water Bottle totes

Take care,

I know They're in Here Somewhere!

2011-08-05T15:05:00Z

Have you seen the big purses, or should I say suitcases, that are in style this year? They certainly hold a lot of stuff but I continually see women trying to climb inside them to find their key rings. Watching them always made me smile until the other night. The heat index reached 112 degrees here and there stood my own daughter, with three small girls all sweating buckets, digging in her large bag. We were at church and I had stayed behind to clean up my classroom. Wanting to get the kids to bed she had gone on but when I came out a few minutes later there she was, bouncing a baby on one hip, trying to hang onto a toddler and find her keys all at the same time. Frustrated more than a little by the time I took the baby she finally dug out her keys, took the kids through McDonalds for juice and then home to bed. It made me think though and next time she comes over I have a little surprise for her. I think these little key-keepers just might solve the cases of the buried keys.

I purchased these little clips in the school supply section and put them in my stash of stuff (I know what you are thinking but I couldn't pass them up). Little did I know how quickly I would use them.

Here is what you need:

Little clips (I got mine at Walmart but the Hardware should have them as well.)

One strip of fabric 14" X 2 1/2"

1" X 1" sew on velcro squares (both male and female pieces)

Sewing thread

Here is what you do:

1. With wrong sides together fold the short ends in 1/2" and sew.

2. With right sides together press the strip in half lengthwise and sew 1/2" seam creating a tube.

3. Turn the tube right side out. (I have a Fasturn^TM set and it is one of my favorite tools.) Press so the seam is in the center.

4. Insert one end into the clip, fold over far enough down that the machine foot clears the clip and sew down.

5. Now turn it over and place one of the velcro squares about 1/2" from the end on the front side. Sew it down.

6. Turn it back over and fold it down just beyond the velcro square. Sew the end down. (this method makes it more sturdy)

7. Measure up from the looped clip about 3" and align the second velcro square. Sew it down.

The key-keeper is done. They took about ten minutes each. Very little work and a big frustration reliever.

I made both of these for my daughter so she can leave one on that suitcase of a purse and one on the diaper bag she sometimes carries around.

I didn't put any embroidery on these but a quick embroidered letter from Alphabet Xpress would create a personalized gift in no time at all. That is what I am going to do for a young friend who just had a baby boy when I go to visit next week. My other daughter, when she sees these, is sure to want one too. I know one thing for sure - I have to get some more of these little clips! I guess if you didn't have any clips you could just put another velcro loop at the bottom to hold the keys. It will need to be kept closed though even when not holding keys or the velcro might get gummed up. I really like the easy open clips.

Another idea is to make one with a little pouch on the end to create a binky-keeper. And put the little chick that you can download here on it. Easy to find and cleaner than the bottom of most bags to be sure. I might try that one next week too. I'll show you when I get them done but if you make one first I'd like to see yours so post it in the gallery.

Stay cool and take care,

For those of you who are Gluten Free here a great recipe for Flourless Very Fudgy Chocolate Brownies:

1 container Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 (8oz package) Philadephia Cream Cheese (softened)

2 eggs

Beat these together really well. Pour into well buttered 8" square Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan. Chill well and cut into squares. (Or scoop out warm and top with vanilla ice cream for a really yummy fudgy dessert.)

Don' laugh - It really is a keeper!

Keeping It simple - Bandanas - Perfect for Summer and No Need to Tie

2011-07-15T17:30:00Z

Our girls have longer hair but it is so fine. Pony tails and pig tails seem to last about 20 minutes before the hair starts creeping out and looks messy. We saw the teens at the park wearing bandanas to keep their hair back and the oldest commented that she thought they were cute. So, what to do but give them a try. They worked so well we have now made them to co-ordinate with many of their summer outfits.

What you need:

14" square of cotton fabric (Our two granddaughters are 3 years old and a very small 6 year old. If you want to make them for older children try a 16"-18" square.)

3 1/2" piece of 1/2' wide elastic

embroidery design of your choice

embroidery thread

stabilizer

sewing thread

What you do:

1. Cut the fabric square in half on the diagonal (you can make two from each 14" square).

2. With wrong sides together fold and press one short side in 1/4". Fold in and press in 1/4" again enclosing raw edge. Sew close to the inner edge. Repeat for the other short side.

3. Hoop and embroider the design as desired. I used a printed template pinned in place. Hooped tear away stabilizer and then used my Lapel Stick to hold the bandana in place on the stabilizer.

I love my Lapel Stick for sticking cotton on top of the hoop. I do lots of applique and little items that cannot be hooped. It works great for me.

4. Clip the extended corners.

5. With wrong sides together fold and press long side in 1/2". Fold and press the corners in 1". Fold and press the long side in 1/2" again enclosing the raw edges.

Note: At this point you might want to wrap it around the child's head to see if you will need to make any adjustments to the elastic insertion.

6. Insert about 1/2" of the elastic end into one end of the fold and sew it down.

7. Sew along the inner edge of the long side stopping about 3/4" from the end. Insert the other end of the elastic into the fold. Finish sewing the seam.

6. Sew along the end where elastic was inserted.

My eldest granddaughter is horse crazy so we used a little horse head from SWN Wild Horses collection on this one. Any small design will work so you can make each one unique and special. Emma wore one last week to a church gathering and now all the girls in my Sunday school class want one.

Here are a few other projects that might make quick and easy summer projects:

Hair Bows

A quick wristlet

Travel Strap and handle covers

Baby T's

Going Green Sunday Bag

Have fun with all your summer projects.

Take care,

A Quick Gift for Father's Day

2011-06-03T18:00:00Z

At our house we always seem to be slightly behind and end up cramming to get our father's day gifts done the night before that special day. Sometimes they don't go as planned and we spend a frustrating time figuring out what to do. This year we decided to change this (maybe the rain, rain and more rain had some impact on our decision) and have already made some gifts.

Here is a simple project for Father's Day that the kids can help make. It will hold any soda can sized drink or a bottle of water. We used a pair of the girls jeans that had holes in both knees from playing horsey all winter. It's sure to be a hit this Father's Day!

Here is what you need:

One pair of old toddler sized jeans (you can use bigger ones but will lose a pocket or zipper)

Sewing scissors

Ruler

Marker

Sewing thread

Circle template (you can make your own - we used a 4 1/2" ribbon spool to trace around.)

Here is what you do:

1. Measure an 11 inch wide by 5 inch high piece of denim from jeans and cut. Because the old jeans were just a size 4T we were able to include pockets and the zipper for interest on the first one.

Ok, with kids it doesn't have to be exactly straight right?

3. With right sides together sew down the side 1/4" from the edge. You should have a tube.

4. Trace a 4.5 inch diameter circle onto another piece of the denim and cut out the circle.

I marked the circle with a wide marker and I helped.

5. With the tube inside out, pin the circle (with wrong side out) to the bottom and machine stitch 1/4" inch around the edge easing the fabric to fit as you go.

The kids can pin it but you'll probably have to do the sewing on this one.

6. Turn the piece right side out and it's ready to use. Load it up with a favorite drink and put treat or two into the pockets for Dad (or in this case Papa) to enjoy!

7. We weren't sure where to embroider on this one with all the pockets and zipper so we made a tag in-the-hoop and tied it on with a ribbon. You can download our tags here. There is one for Dad too.

The designs are applique but we didn't do the trimming We slid one piece of denim under the hoop and put one on top and embroidered the whole design. Then I traced around the outside a half inch or so cut it out and let her make slashes in the fabric to create a fringed look. Much easier and she got to feel like she did more "all by herself". We had some fun ribbon left over from Valentine's Day and it turned out perfect. She can't wait to give Papa his gift. And to be sure Papa will remember all those cold winter days when they pretended to be wild horses for hours on end.

If you need more instructions for sewing the cozy read the Keeping It Simple blog on Making Water Bottle Carriers. These would be great if Dad likes to walk, run or bike.

And go here to see what we made for Papa last year.

Have fun with these.

Take care,

Leftover Minky and those Elusive Binks

2011-05-06T18:00:00Z

A friend gave me some leftover 5" squares of minky fabric the other day. There were not enough to make a quilt so I pondered what to do with them. In the meantime someone stepped on the clip that held the baby's pacifier so it didn't get lost. She really only gets it when she is in the car seat (or in bed) so she didn't really need a clip - just some way to find it again when she decided she needed it. So here is what we did with some of the squares.

To make a Minky Bink Blankie here is what you need:

Four 5" squares of minky fabric

A simple embroidery design (you can download my flower below)

The extra strap and loop that holds the pacifier (It came with the clip strap although that part never seems to get broken before the actual clip.)

Three 31/2" ribbon lengths of various textures (optional)

Stabilizer

Embroidery thread

What you do:

1. Embroider on the square of your choice.

Hoop a soft cut-away stabilizer, adhere the square in the hoop with a temporary adhesive such as Lapel Stick. Use a wash-away on top since the minky has a nap.

After embroidery cut away the excess stabilizer. You can sprit the wash-away off (or wait if you are going to wash the finished project before giving it to the baby.)

2. Sew the quilt.

With right sides together sew pairs of the squares on one side.

Then sew sets of two squares together to make two larger four-square pieces.

Baste the pacifier strap at on corner. Baste the 3 looped ribbons on three sides.

With right sides together sew the two large squares together leaving an opening to turn.

Reinforce the pacifier strap by sewing over the seam a couple of times.

Turn right side out and sew the opening closed.

Sew down the seams between all the squares as if quilting.

Topstitch around the outter edges.

You are done.

Click here to download the mulit-color satin flower.

We took the rest of the leftover 5" minky squares and made little travel wipes.

These are easy to take along and soft on the baby's skin. We simply cut 5" flannel squares (leftover from another project) and placed these with the minky wrong sides together. Then we serged around the edges for instant little wash cloths. Quick, fun and useful. And my stash got smaller instead of larger. That's all for now.

For a quick list of all my blogs go here and scroll down.

Take care,

Keeping It Simple - Owls Are In

2011-04-22T19:00:00Z

I know that I have told you about all the babies that are on their way. And their mother's are now doing the decorating. Many of our daughter's friends have seen her baby's room and when she asked them what they would like as a shower gift several requested the framed names. You can see the one we did for Anna here. Now we usually wait until the child is born since the names can change along the way. But they are so fast and easy that we can have them done by the time baby and momma get home from the hospital. Here is the latest one we did (minus the frames which were hanging empty on his wall) for Noah's room. The theme was owls so we made an owl appliqué to match. The fabric was left over from a fall quilt project. You can download the owl appliqué design below.

And here are the ones for Kate's room

There really isn't much of a tutorial for these. I just made Kate's letters in Pacesetter ELS Lettering using Block compact light font.

I made them about 6" tall and used pattern fill 3. I played with the height box until they all showed 5.94" -5.95" in the bar at the top of the page. Then I saved each letter individually in the format for my machine.

We sewed them centered on 8" x 10" fabric rectangles that match the nursery. I used a medium weight cut away stabilizer cut 8x10 as well. We did not trim it away. The frames we use are 8x10 with 5x7 mats.

*Note: For Noah's name I used the Goudy slim condensed font in Designer's Gallery LetterWorks software but the procedure was exactly the same.

For a tutorial on doing appliqué go to this blog,

Download the appliqué owl here.

Giving these as gifts is easy and makes the mother feel special as well as adding a unique touch to the nursery or Toddler's room. Andrea went over to visit and mount these in the frame and finish off Noah's room.

You can use these for other things as well like this Christmas display.

To see more unique ideas for babies take a look at these projects.

Summer fun Embroidered Baby Ts

Themed Baby burpies

Embroidered Photo Baby blocks

From Fancy Jumbles

Baby Bibs

Diaper changing pad

And Blank Check

A quick tutorial for Terry - Terry cloth that is.

And yes, it is Earth Day this week. I posted some links to earth friendly projects in the email in case you missed them earlier.

Take care,