Odds & Ends...Some "Racy"

Bit and pieces. Flotsam and jetsam. Things and stuff. That's what today's post is - a bunch of unrelated sewn/crafted objects. Oh, and the "Some Racy" is at the bottom, so stop before you get there if you don't like racy (but you'll be missing something hilarious!).
 
First - my son and DIL asked me to wrap a gift for their niece, Nessa, for Christmas. The gift was a LaLaLoopsey Doll (who knew?). It comes in a plastic box that is shaped like a Dr. Suess house!
 
Me:     How am I supposed to wrap this?
Son:    Make a fabric bag...and shape it down like this, and up like that. And make
          the top come off.
Me:     Gee, why didn't I think of that?

 
So here's what I came up with. Seriously...there's a doll in there! The roof velcros on and off. I woulda added a chimney, but I ran out of time - Santa was waiting impatiently on the roof...er...front porch. Word has it, Nessa's eyes lit up when she saw them walk in with her gift.

 * * * * * * * SMILES * * * * * * *

 

Next. I saw these on a blog (http://www.jugglingwithkids.com/2012/01/butterfly-snacks.html) and knew I had to make some! Luckily, I have a friend who has two little girls that I can "use" to make stuff for. I did change them up a little in that I didn't use actual paint. Rather, I colored them with Sharpies (less mess), and drew on the eyes instead of using wiggly eyes. I also glued the chenille-stem antenae to one (in)side of the clothespin. They turned out real cute, and Abby had them pretty much completely mutiliated within 1.34 seconds. Way to go, Abby! High Fives for killing the pretty butterflies! LOL!

Wooden clothespin + Sharpies. Add chenille stem. Clip onto "snack-size" zip bags filled with fruit, crackers, whatever.

 

And here's Ms. Abby, enjoying pulling the wings off the butterflies ;-)
 

 

 * * * * * LITTLE GIRLS ARE SO SWEET EVEN WHEN PULLING WINGS OFF BUTTERFLIES * * * * *

 

Next, here's a dog-gone good story...

 

I was at Safeway the other day and when I went through the checkout, one of my buddies was working. She said "Where are your bags?" (my cloth grocery bags). I told her I didn't have my car that day, so I didn't have any bags. Then we started talking about how we do need some plastic bags from time to time for "icky" things, and she mentioned she was getting a puppy in a few weeks (and even whipped out a picture of her soon-to-be new family member). She said she was saving a plastic bag full of plastic bags in the garage to have for walking the new pup. I said "Mebbe you need a cute quilted, puppy-themed fabric plastic bag holder!" She laughed and said "Oh, and I suppose you have some fabric with puppy feet on it?" I said yep I do and I guess I'll have to make you one!

 

So here's what I came up with, and I dropped it off for her at the store yesterday, although she wasn't working at the time, but another of my buddies said they would put it in her cubby in the employees' area. I think it's quite cute!

 

I put some fussy-cut pups, and one panel with some worried-looking kitties, too. Heehee.





* * * * * WOOF WOOF MEOW * * * * * 

 

Now...here's the "Racy" part...YEP I KNEW YOU'D WANNA SEE THIS!!!!!

 

My son's girlfriend asked me to make a sexy or funny t-shirt for my son's birthday bash at the local tavern just before Christmas. Adam likes to Karaoke occasionally, so I thought I would work with that theme. I found a funny saying and adapted it a bit, then grabbed some images. I worked it all up in Snag-It and Word and printed it on fabric photo sheets, then sewed it onto a purchased t-shirt.

 

This went on the back of the t-shirt.

 

 



 

And this went on the front of the shirt...see the arrow pointing downward? Well, then I made a felt microphone. And believe it or not...it was the SECOND such felt microphone I've made! I made the other one for a Mama Mia! themed apron swap and included a saucy apron and feather boa :-) So I already had a pattern in my head...but this time, I made a paper pattern and saved it...just in case I ever have to make another one for some weird reason (ya never know!).

I used velcro to attach it to the...er...bottom of the t-shirt...um...product placement is EVERYTHING, let  me just say...


Down at the tavern (Buzz Tavern - yes, that's really the name!) Adam tried to get out of wearing the shirt at first. But when we finally got him to put it on...well, let's just say...he really got into it and wouldn't take it off! And here are the pictures to prove it!

Adam with friend, Laura. Note that Laura is singing using the felt microphone!

Now Adam seems to be using both microphones...

Now he's just using the felt one, and judging by the look on his face, Adam seems to be enjoying his birthday VERY much :-)

 Adam and his girlfriend, Lisa.
 

 * * * * * PRICELESS * * * * *

Oh, and if you should happen to run across a YouTube video of some drunken grandma boogying the night away at a local tavern...well, that's NOT me! Really...it's not...
 

 

 

Stacked Hearts Tutorial

Back in the 80s, I created this technique for stacked shapes to use for a "package tie-on" for a gift wrap. Then I just completely forgot about it...until Christmas 2012...when I dragged this old idea out and then wondered why I'd left it, stuck in the 80s, for so long. I used these to decorate several gifts and then thought "I should make a tutorial!" I used this technique for quite a few of my gift-wrappings this year - I made "primitive" asymmetrical stars.

But since we are past Christmas, I decided to change it up a bit for a Valentines Day approach. I love these package tie-ons because they add a lot of dimension and movement!

They add a beautiful 3-D appearance to any package!

This is an easy, no-sew project that takes just a few, easily-obtainable supplies. If you're crafty, you probably already have many or all of these already! Here's what you will need:

• 3 coordinating fabrics - fat quarters work great
• Fusible web - Pellon or Heat n' Bond, for example
• 2 or 3 sheets of cardstock in coordinating or neutral colors (8 1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12)
• 4 large-ish beads, at least one should coordinate with your fabric
• Pearl cotton or 3 strands embroidery thread to coordinate with your fabric
• Doll needle or needle large enough to accommodate your thread AND pass through your beads
• Narrow ribbon
• Pencil
• Iron
• Scissors

Let's begin! Again, because it's close to Valentines Day, I'm using hearts for my shape. But for other occasions, any shape could be used - mostly I've used stars. Circles? Squares? Hexagons? Cars? Dinosaurs? You're only limited by your imagination!

The size of the shapes will be determined by the size of the gift you want to decorate. Because I have a "large" (ahem) supply of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, I try to stick to that size for the largest shape. But if you have 12 x 12 cardstock, you could increase the size. If you want to decorate a REALLY big package, you could use posterboard or use small strips of fusible web to connect sheets of cardstock to whatever size you want. I've done this, and it works really well.

Today, I'm going to stick to 8 1/2 x 11, and to help me work within those parameters, I'm going to mark my fusible web to those dimensions. Not necessary, but helps to prevent over-drawing your largest shape.

Use a pencil to quickly hand-draw - don't over-think it...you can always smooth out your lines before you fuse and trim! Or, you could use a template, snag a shape from the Internet, or use Shapes in your word-processing program, etc. When you're happy with your drawing, smooth/straighten your lines, if necessary. Draw a smaller identical shape, and another smaller than that. And, just because, I added a fourth heart to fuse directly to the smallest heart for contrast. Here, I've contained my desired three smaller shapes within a second 8 1/2 x 11 area.

Cut the shapes out of the fusible web, leaving 1/2 inch-ish border.

Fuse the webbing to the back of your fabrics. Cut out the shape on the drawn lines. Before you cut, you may wish to peel back one small corner/area in order to make removing the paper backing easier.

Notice my pretty NEW ironing blanket I made! My old one was in complete tatters!

Iron the fused fabric to the cardstock, and trim the cardstock even with the fabric edges.

Tip! At this time, you may wish to save your "templates" so you can easily recreate (trace) them without redrawing!

To make the stack, thread the doll needle with your pearl cotton or 3 strands embroidery thread. Pass the needle through your bottom bead (leave a 3" tail), then through your largest heart, from back to front. 

Add your next bead, and thread through the back of your middle heart, add third bead, and thread through the back of your smallest heart. 

Add the fourth bead, then drill back down through the stack EXCEPT for the bottom bead, leaving a 3" tail. I drill down about 1/4" away from the first holes; farther apart if you need to keep the shapes more closely aligned, like these hearts, so they don't swing completely around. Note: I did add a small E bead to the top of my uppermost bead because it was quite large; if your bead is smaller, you can just go directly around the bead and down through your top shape. Carefully but firmly pull your threads to eliminate any slack, then tie the thread ends in a double knot around the bottom bead.

To attach your stack to your package, cut a 14" length of narrow ribbon. Tie the ribbon around the bottom bead, between the bead and the bottom heart (tie a loose knot in the ribbon, then slip it over the bead). Use this ribbon to tie the stack onto the ribbon on your package. Leave the ends sticking out, or cut them off, as desired.

Tie the stack onto your package ribbon, criss-crossing and cinching the ribbon. 

Grab your package and shake it a bit! Admire how the hearts wiggle!

Now go forth and make stacked shapes using YOUR imagination!

Gifts Slowly Getting Made/Wrapped

Why do I always procrastinate? Seems like I just can't get anything done unless it's down to the wire! So here are a couple of things I've made and/or wrapped in the last few days...

For a friend: I made a scarf using the Heather Ross Nursery Versery Itsy Bitsy Spider. I think this is just way too cute. I combined it with lots of black, grey, and yellow from my stash. Here's a closeup of the verse we all know and love from our childhoods.

Here's the scarf, backed with Sew Comfy in yellow. There was a 50% off sale on Sew Comfy at JoAnne's, so I stocked up on colors I didn't already have. I also made a Shoop-Shoop bag to match.

To wrap it all up, I made a small matching tote.

And dressed it up with a ribbon/fabric/bead doo-dad. See the little spider buttons I added to the tote? I got them on sale at JoAnn's in a huge bag with various sizes of spiders, skulls, and bats and there were so many, I even shared some with Aunt Pitty Pat! I sure hope the recipient isn't afraid of spiders!

A close-up of the doo-dad.

Now, how many gifts do I have left to wrap????

"Down Under" Stocking Goodness

Oh my...lookie-see what I got from my most wonderful partner, Heather, from Australia! I joined Aunt Pitty Pat's stocking swap, and most certainly lucked out by being paired with Heather :-) A huge box arrived last week...and here's what it looked like when I opened it! (I swiped this pic from Heather's blog.)

I was exhausted after opening all these packages, LOL! Here's what it looked like when all those cute little parcels were unwrapped - oh my goodness!

I love this stocking so  much! I had never seen these fabrics and they are soooo pretty - I love the aqua Christmas. Notice the beaded goodie at the top - love it!

Here's the back of the stocking.

All sorts of sewing goodies...Look at the cute fat quarter she sent!

Edibles...can you believe that cookie made it all the way from Australia to Olympia, Washington in one piece?

Cute holiday earrings :-)

Plus, all kinds of other little goodies - some cute little mini-tape dispensers, lotion, stocking coin purse, ornies...  Thank you so much, Heather! I hope you get YOUR package from me soon!

Mug Rug Love...and a bit of remorse...

A couple of mug rugs I whipped up yesterday to gift to girlfriends. I think they turned out pretty cute. I have six more cut and ready to sew...

Now, here's the question...I got this idea from a blog/shop...they were selling the pattern, or pattern/kit, but I just eyeballed it, and made my own. And let me do tell you that I have BOUGHT patterns before, for items that I knew I could make without buying the pattern, because I do believe that people should be paid for their ideas. But honestly, this was ridiculously easy to copy just by looking at the photo.

Yet...I feel bad for swiping it...

How about you? Do you swipe ideas (I'm sure most of you do, to some extent)? Do you feel bad when you do? Honestly, if it had been a PDF e-pattern, I probably would have purchased it...just to acknowledge the creativity...especially since it was cheap...but it was a hardcopy-in-the-mail pattern, and I wanted and needed to make it right now!

Does it make it any better that I HAVE purchased patterns from this shop before?

I'm The Super Mom!!!

Apparently, my kids think I can DO...ANYTHING... Well, and, truth-be-told, I guess I can. Number 2 son, Adam, texted me at exactly 4:03 p.m.TONIGHT! And...he attached a pic and said "Can you make me this shirt by 6:00 p.m.?" 

Now, what was I going to say? No? Mom never says no! Madly, I scrambled...do I have something suitable? What? Felt? Yes! Fusible stuff? Yes! I can do it!

I had the picture to go by, so what's not to do? While Adam shopped for a sweatshirt, I grabbed felt in off-white (dirty snowman!), red, black, orange, and green. Fusible web. Stuffing (for the snowman balls - did I say balls?). A bit o' ribbon. Plates! 3 sizes! Plus a spice jar lid, and a lemon juice lid...basically I just ran around the house like a mad woman, grabbing things to trace and fuse.

I fused and cut the head and two body pieces, mouth, eyes, hat. Conjured up a nose. Forget about the hands and feet! This snowman doesn't have hands and feet! Sorry!

All in all, I think it came together well. Although when he finally showed up with the sweatshirt, he wanted black tummy buttons...no problem, I cut-and-fused some quick-as-a-wink! He made me promise not to post the end result on Facebook until HE had posted some...but he didn't say anything about my blog ;-)

Stocking Love

Made this stocking for a friend. This may just be The Year of the Stocking, since I've already made two (the other one is on its way around the world, so no peeking yet!).

This stocking pattern is adapted from the Quilt in a Day Stockings & Small Quilts by Judy Knoechel. I used the stocking pattern and the instructions for putting the front, back, and lining together with the cuff because I think it's the perfect stocking shape and the way it's put together turns out really nice every time. I did my own thing for the patchwork part, though.

Of course, I had to add a doo-dad up in the corner to pretty it up :-) I used sheer ribbon and three coordinating fabrics in various widths, plus the big, white button for trim.

Making the doo-dad gave me inspiration to make a matching ornie!

The other side.

It's fluffy! Note: these are not yo-yos - I used 4 1/2", 3 1/2", and 2 1/2" wide strips, cut 20", 18", and 16" long, seamed at the short ends, and then folded WST and hand-gathered tightly. Stack and use a doll needle to baste together and add the buttons.

And...a yarn angel.

I also filled it with a couple stacks of my Sinfully Soft Molasses Cookies, which she loves :-)

Sinfully Soft Molasses Cookies
1/2 cup butter (not margarine)
1/2 cup shortening (I use Butter-Flavor Crisco)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Additional sugar

Cream butter, shorteneing, and sugar til light and fluffy. Add molasses and eggs. Stir or sift together flour, salt, soda, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet. The secret to good cookies is to NOT OVERMIX after the dry ingredients have been added. Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet 2 1/2" apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes - do not over bake if you want them to remain soft! Store in a tightly-closing container to maintain softness. Flavor enhances over time and they freeze wonderfully. I decorated mine with Wilton Vanilla Candy Melts (melt in microwave and pipe onto cookies in a zig-zag pattern).