Sewing

I remember as a little girl going through my mom's and grandma's drawers. I can't remember if I was given permission to do this or if it was a covert operation done on the sly. What I can remember was how fascinated I was with the contents of their drawers. There were bras and merry widow corsets, and a plethora of gloves in assorted colors and lengthens. There were hankies with lace and beautiful embroidery; and then there were the always intriguing girdles and garter belts. Fortunately, with the arrival of the mini skirt in the 60s, girdles and garter belts gave way to pantie hose, so I was never subjected to the horror of slipping into a girdle! But I remember their smell well... they smelled like an old rubber ball that the dog had been playing with! It is a small wonder that another thing I found in their drawers were sachets.

Sachets were a great little invention that predated by grandma by hundreds of years. These little bags, stuffed with good smelling herbs, flowers or spices, have a scent that permeates the clothing around it. Although sachets are not nearly as common as they use to be, they really are quite delightful and practical to use. Not only do they give a lovely scent to a closed up drawer, if using the right herbs and flowers in a sachet, like lavender, they also deter moths. So keeping a few lavender sachets in your sweater drawer is a great idea. I also keep them in with my yarns and roving. Maple, from North Star Alpaca, always tosses in a little lavender sachet with her orders. Not only do they smell good, they serve a purpose.

Making our sachets is super easy and identical to our Lavender Beanbags... only smaller and filled 100% with lavender. For a sweet little gift, stack three of them and tie with a ribbon. And, for your own use, toss in drawers, and keep some with your wool yarns and rovings. I LOVE lavender and enjoy the smell whenever I grab my knitting!

Materials:
fabric in assorted colors (great use of fabric scraps)
matching thread
dried lavender flowers

Directions:
For each sachet, cut two 4" squares.

With right sides together, sew 3 sides of the square, pivoting at the corners, using 1/2" seams. NOTE: Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of each seam. This will stop the seam from opening allowing lavender to come out.

Clip the corners on a 45 degree angle being careful to not get too close to the sewn seam. This will help reduce the bulk in the corner.

Turn the sachet right side out. Turn the top edge down 1/2" toward the inside of the sachet. Iron the bag making sure the turned down seam lays flat.


Fill your bag with 1/4 cup of lavender.

Pin the bag shut.

Sew the seam shut by top stitching 1/8" away from the edge. Make sure to back stitch the beginning and end of the seam. Clip the loose threads and you have a sachet!


SUGGESTION: If you store the sachets in an airtight container before using, the lavender scent will last longer.

As I mentioned in previous posts, Pixie's birthday is coming up... actually, this Friday. I wanted her gifts to have a rainbow theme. First, I made her a Rainbow Coiled Rag Bowl which I love. Next, I wanted to make her some beanbags. And NOT just any beanbags. I wanted lavender in the bags so the area would be filled with a lovely scent while she played. I finished them this morning. (Finally, I have the to beanbags to send the winners of our contest!)

I have this philosophy when I'm crafting, much like my cooking... never make as much as you need... always make more. I needed to make 4 sets of beanbags; one for Pixie, two for our giveaway winners, and of course, one for the little lady due the 25th of this month. I bought 6 fat quarters in rainbow colors. I could get 6 beanbags out of each quarter, so I made 6 sets. Only makes sense, right? I had to change the thread in the machine for each fabric, and since setting up any craft is half the battle, I figured I'd make all of them right now and put away the 2 extra sets for those times when I need a quick gift. 

So, whether you've been making toys for your children for years or if this is your first project, making beanbags is fast and easy! A great beginner project. This is also a great project for using up fabric scraps. 

Question... how do your children use beanbags? 

IMPORTANT: Beanbags contain beans which are a potential choke hazard. Check your beanbags often for any holes that could allow the beans to spill out.  

Materials:
fabric in assorted colors
matching thread
dried peas or beans
dried lavender flowers

Directions:
For each beanbag, cut two 5" squares.

With right sides together, sew 3 sides of the square, pivoting at the corners, using 1/2" seams. NOTE: Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of each seam. This will stop the seam from opening allowing beans to come out.

Clip the corners on a 45 degree angle being careful to not get too close to the sewn seam. This will help reduce the bulk in the corner.

Turn the beanbag right side out.

Turn the top edge down 1/2" toward the inside of the beanbag. Iron the bag making sure the turned down seam lays flat.

Fill your bag with 1/2 cup of beans and 2 tablespoons of lavender.



Pin the bag shut.

Sew the seam shut by top stitching 1/8" away from the edge. Make sure to back stitch the beginning and end of the seam. Clip the loose threads and you have a beanbag!


SUGGESTION: If you store the beanbags in an airtight container after play, the lavender scent will last longer. But not to worry when the scent fades, the beanbags will still be fun to play with!  

I got a new camera! Very exciting! My older camera (and will still be used camera) was fine but I found myself fighting with it. (I do love that my older camera takes videos... very important with a couple little dancers in our family). But now my mom and I both have the exact same cameras. This was on purpose. My mom wants me to teach her how to use hers so it is my job to figure out all the bells and whistles and point her in the right direction. BUT how to tell the cameras apart? Sure we can scroll through the photo history but for quick recognition I decided to dress up my camera with a fun fabric strap sleeve. This is a super easy project that only took minutes and gives my camera some spunky personality.

Materials:
Your camera strap that came with the camera and some scrap fabric approximately 4.5" wide by 25" long (your strap length may vary).

Measure the wide webbing portion of your camera strap.

Add a 1/2 inch to the length, then double the width and add 1 inch to get the size of your fabric piece. I cut mine out of scraps from my favorite skirt.

Turn under the top and bottom 1/4".

Then fold the fabric in half length wise, right sides together. Sew up the edge leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.

Use a safety pin to turn you sleeve right side out. Then slip the sleeve onto your strap. I needed to fold the leather portion that transitions the wide webbing to the narrow webbing a bit to get the sleeve over it.

Smooth it out and make sure the seam is at one of the edges of the strap. Now reattach the strap to your camera. If you would like you could hand tack the edge down to stop any slipping... but mine fit snug enough and I like the idea of being able to change the sleeve if I would like.

Once you have dressed up your camera there will be no confusion at family gatherings when folks set their cameras down... everyone will know which camera is yours.

A couple of months ago we were contacted by Rhythm of the Home and asked to submit a project for their Autumn Edition. We were very excited to participate since we so enjoy the publication. If you are not familiar with Rhythm of the Home, here is a description from their website:

"Rhythm of the Home is a quarterly online magazine. Our focus is to unite a readership which is interested in Waldorf or Montessori education, or simply living intentionally and hoping to incorporate a rhythm and reverence for the natural world in the lives of their children. Each edition will publish seasonally, with articles and projects dedicated to incorporating the upcoming season into the family’s rhythm."

The hard part was trying to decide what to make. We decided to share something that anyone could use to celebrate the season. Michelle and I love to use wreathes in our decorating. The wreath, a symbol of eternity, reminds us of the circle of life; of how one season flows into another, only to return again and again. So, we designed the Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath, combining sewing and stenciling. To get directions for this wreath visit Rhythm of the Home.

And while you are there, pay a visit to their blog. As an extra bonus, they are hosting a giveaway featuring handmade goodies from some of this edition's contributors. They asked for a giveaway that directly related to the submitted project, so we created two over-sized Maple Leaf Potholders, using the same fabrics and stenciling techniques as our wreath. You can sign up to win our potholders or any of the other giveaway items being offered from Rhythm of the Home blog.

It has been a lot of fun crafting and contributing to another publication. You can now visit Rhythm of the Home to find our tutorial for the Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath and check out all the other wonderful crafts being shared to help us celebrate this beautiful season!

Lately, the girls can't seem to log enough Mommy hours. Although they have always enjoyed their dolls... they are currently playing Mommy in a very realistic way. They feed and clean their babies, put them to bed and take them for outings in the stroller or shopping cart. Their dollies of choice... their Bitty Babies. Although they sleep with their Waldorf dolls at night... when it comes to playing house, they reach for their Bitty Babies. After I watched Pixie take off and put on the same diaper countless times I decided she needed a new stack of dolly 'fluff.' For those of you who cloth diaper... I know you can relate to the zen like feeling when you have a clean, fresh stack of diapers ready to go for the next change. The girls shared this joy. So here is a super simple Dolly Diaper that was made to fit the Bitty Baby but can easily be adjusted to fit your child's doll of choice.

Print out the pattern.
Cut out your fabric... one piece per diaper. (Make sure to place the pattern on a fold!)
I used cotton flannel and serged the edges. If you do not have a serger you can use a fabric that won't unravel at the edges like fleece or felt. Or you could cut out 2 pieces of flannel BUT be sure to add an extra 1/2" seam allowance. Then, place the two pieces with right sides together, sew around the edges leaving a 3" gap, turn the diaper right side out, press and sew up the hole.
Attach 3/4" squares of Velcro as shown on the pattern. And, tah-dah... a stash of cloth diapers.

BTW... For some super quick wipies... serge 4" squares of flannel.