the one hour reversible wrap skirt

 

 

You will need:

about 50cm each of two co-ordinating fabrics (for an average adult, knee length skirt)

2m pre-made cotton tape (or make your own, I show you how)

sewing machine, scissors, thread, tape measure, iron and board

and about 1 hour

 

 

To wear, you just step inside the skirt and pull the tape around in front and tie where comfortable.
Open up, twist skirt around and re-tie.  There you have a different skirt!!
This works for a ladies skirt as well as for a little girl. 
Got an hour and some fabric in your stash?  Make a skirt!  It is that easy.

no sew lego mat

School Holiday Activity #2 - All day lego play

We spent today playing with the lego on the lounge room floor. 

It was a rainy, dreary day and playing in front of the fire was a lovely way to spend the day.

To start with, we had the lego in the big plastic storage tub, and each of the kids were fighting for space around the bucket, rummaging for the item they wanted. 

There had to be a better way.

I'm sure you have seen drawstring lego mats like

 this one...

or this one.

I don't have one!!  So what to do?

I would still like to make a round drawstring number.  But I needed something today, now in fact!!

What I ended up with was a thrift store purchased single bed sheet, spread over the floor with the legos dumped over the top.  To clean up, we gathered the corners together and shuffled the legos to the middle.  Sheet and contained legos were put back into the plastic tub for storage back on the shelf. 

Win, win.

We had a lovely creative day with the legos all spread out, building cars and houses and boats and things.  And it took us 2 minutes to clear the floor away!!


What school holiday activities can you suggest?  We still have two weeks to go!

stick wrapping - a kids school holiday craft

School Holiday Activity #1 - Stick wrapping

 

We have just begun our term break and I hope to be documenting

the kids activities we do during this time. 

We begin with 'stick wrapping'. 

Go on, embrace your inner hippie and create some free form yarn art.

Have fun!

We went beach combing and found small drift wood sticks, but you could use sticks from backyard prunings or from the local park.

Or buy 3 or 4 cheap balls of yarn.

What other kids activities can be done with a pile of drift wood sticks?  I have quite a few!!

Sharing at

Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways ~ Your Green Resource



child safety wrist strap - a tutorial

I don't know about your kids, but mine are the free spirited, adventure seeking, lets explore kind. 

(Read independent & strong willed!!)

That's all well and good in the backyard, in the bush or at the playground. 

Not so good at the shops, walking to school or traversing a car park!!

Events today at the shopping complex, have inspired me to make a couple of wrist straps for my two smallest kids.  Here's how I did it.

Disclaimer :: This is not to be used instead of holding the child's hand. 

It is an additional means of knowing where they are.  

But you knew that already!!

I recommend making as many as you need and keeping them with you, just in case. 
I made two and they will live in my handbag.


Do you have issues with your kids sticking with you when out and about? 
What do you do to balance safety with independence?

Sharing at

LollyJane Boutique ~  Homestead Revival Barn Hop ~ Your Green Resource

{almost no sew} fabric bunting - a tutorial

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5.  Sew the fabric to the tape in one long zig-zag line.

Hang the bunting up and have a party!!

See, it is almost no sew!  You could have it completed within the hour. 
{ps. You could make it even quicker if you staple the fabric to the twill tape!  Nobody will know!}

Got to love a fast & frugal craft project!!

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How do you decorate for a kids party?

Sharing at

Your Green Resource

happy birthday banner - a free printable

Today's post is a free printable banner suitable for an eco/crunchy/frugal kids birthday party. 

Master (almost) Six's birthday party is coming up soon and I am in the midst of planning for the party.  This will be one of the decorations for our picnic area where we will be serving afternoon tea and cake.  I like it because it is re-useable and easy to make at home.

Happy Birthday Banner by smallthingsbynona

I printed the banner onto brown paper lunch bags and stapled the bags onto twine.  Leave yourself enough twine ends to tie the banner to something.


What do you use to decorate your kid's birthday parties?

Sharing at

30 Handmade Days ~ Homestead Revival Barn Hop ~ Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways

framed monogram print

This is a project I completed some time ago, for my littlest boy.  It was a time when all my craft stuff was in the one place and I knew where everything was!!  So in an effort to remember that I do craft sometimes, I am reliving the past and posting this for you.

It is a very easy, thrifty and quick project that you can complete in under an hour!!  If you use items from your stash it may not cost you anything.  Even if you need to purchase everything it can all be bought at a discount store for a couple of dollars.  Also frames can be picked up quite cheap from the op shop or thrift store, just keep an eye out and collect.  And a fat quarter of cute fabric won't set you back much and you could possibly get two frames done with this amount.

Despite being cheap and cheerful, it makes a lovely handmade gift that looks schmicko.  We have given them as birth gifts and preschool birthday presents.

You will need:
one frame
small piece of cute fabric, just a bit larger than frame
chipboard letter (or cut your own from thick card or felt)
craft paint and brush
glue

Paint the monogram letter and set aside to dry.
Take the back off the frame.
Lay the back on the fabric and cut around the frame giving about 2cm overhang.
Next place the fabric wrapped back, into the frame (making sure you have the good side of the fabric showing!!
Pop the clips into the frame to secure.

Pull the fabric taut.

Take the dried monogram and position.

Add glue to back of letter and stick down.

Leave to dry.

That's it!!

Do you keep a collection of found items (frames, lampshade covers, jars...) just in case, like me?

Sharing at

Thirty Handmade Days  ~  make : grow : thrift  ~  Whatever Goes Wednesday

coffee cup sleeve

Recently, I have been buying more take away coffees than normal.  Our home espresso maker has (hopefully temporarily) thrown in the towel.  Until I can get around to having it seen to, we are stuck with the french press or take away espresso (and the french press is so tiresome to clean!!)

And I like hot coffee but not holding on the hot coffee cup.

So call it a cuff, holder, cosy or sleeve, this nifty little hot drink thingy will go everywhere with you.  Keep a couple in your hand bag and make some up as quick gift items.  They would be great as teacher appreciation gifts, to give with a gift card to a local coffee shop.


What you will need:  Large scraps of cotton fabric, wool suiting and interfacing, a paper coffee cup and pinking shears.

Take a paper coffee cup and cut it to use as a pattern. 
Remove the base. 
Cut the cup to lay it flat and then trim about 2cm off the top and bottom.
Add 1.5cm to the short sides as seam allowance.

Cut one each of cotton fabric, wool suiting and interfacing.
Sew or iron on the interfacing to the wrong side of the wool piece.
(I sewed the interfacing to the cotton, but would have been heaps better on the wool as it would stabilise the stretchiness)

(Ignore the interfacing on the cotton piece!!)
Fold each piece right sides together and stitch a 1cm seam.

For the rest of the steps I have no pics. 

I was rushing to finish in the last minutes of my littlest ones afternoon nap!! 

I did finish but with no photos taken. 

It is very easy though.

Turn the cotton tube right side out.  Slip the wool tube inside the cotton tube, wrong sides together.  Don't match seams, as the seam area gets too chunky.

Stitch about 1.5cm inside the raw edge around both the top and bottom of the cosie.
Finish the raw edge with pinking shears.

There you have it.  A finished coffee cup sleeve.  It should look something like the one below.

You could easily whip up enough for yourself and some gifts in about an hour.  And use up some of your scrap fabric too!!

What ideas do you have for small handmade gifts?

Linking to Frugal Days - Sustainable Ways 

reversible shoulder bag

I can't say I've done much sewing of late (probably, for the last 12months!!), but today I cracked out the machine, found the sewing kit and got to work.

My sister asked me about 2 years ago for a new bag and I did promise I would make her one. 

Better late than never hey?

I made this bag using a pattern by Novita of verypurpleperson.

It is so easy to make.  I did it in about 3.5hrs, most of that time was with 2 preschoolers underfoot.  The pattern printed to scale.  The instructions were easy to follow with lots of pics to get you through the tricky bits. 
I got the pattern cut from two 1m pieces of fabric.  The main fabric is a grey polyester suiting type fabric, with the lining from a Kaffe Fasset piece, both from Mum's stash.
I did modify the basic pattern.  (I don't think it is possible for me to follow someone elses instructions to the letter!!)  I left out the darts at the base of the bag, lengthened the bag and strap sections and added a ruffled pocket to the outside of the bag.

As you see, I just added length using paper sections taped between cuts in the pattern.

I cut 2 of the main fabric.

Cut 2 of the patterned fabric.

Then on to making a pocket from some of the larger leftover scraps.

This was attached it to the main part of the bag.

Next the liner and the outside are stitched together.  Not all the way!!  Read Novita's instructions carefully and follow it to the letter!!

Clip inside curves.

Turn the bag right side out through one of the straps.  It is a bit tricky, but it does work.

Sew ends of straps together and then finish strap edges with top stitching throughout.
And voila!! a bag with cute ruffle detail.

Do you use a fabric bag?  Have you tried making your own?