Book Page Wreath

I found a cute wreath tutorial at Living with Lindsey so when I went garage sailing last weekend I had my eyes open for wreath forms and paperback books.  I ended up with a straw Christmas wreath that I stripped bare, and a book about Princes Grace (I didn't want anyone admiring my wreath to think I allowed trashy romance novels in even if I wasn't going to read it).  The only thing I changed from the tutorial was to tie my hanging ribbon on before I started gluing pages (I used about 350 pages), and I covered the back with smashed page tubes as you can see in the last pic.

Here's how mine turned out...

I am going to be hanging this wreath in a window, so I did this to hid the back of the wreath.

Cardigan #1

I finally finished the first cardigan I started here.  I took the long folded fabric from the mentioned post They are 3" wide and as long as the cardigan front) and folded the ends of the fabric inside, then sewed the long sides closed with the openings of the cardigan sandwiched inside.

Then I cut 2 rectangles of fabric twice as long as the sleeve openings are around and 3" wide.  I sewed the short ends together to make tubes, then fold the tube in half with wrong sides together and zig zagged the raw edges.

 

After that, I basted beside the zig zag and gathered to match the sleeve openings.

With my sleeves turned inside out and folded to the right length, I pinned the ruffles on the current outside of the sleeve and zig zagged in place to allow some give.  Then I trimmed off the extra material that was turned up.

The circles are cut from my material and scrap from the sweater that I finished with frey check, and attached with a few crossing rows of zig zags.

Homemade Bagels

I'm still (slowly) working on cardigans.  In fact I cut out I started the second this morning, but haven't done enough to post yet.  I'd be working on it now, but I'd have to go through my daughters' room to get my sewing machine and I'm not sure if the 1 year old is asleep yet.

I made bagels yesterday!  I'd thought about it before, but I thought it would be too hard.  Then I found a recipe at Diaries of a Whimsical Wife.  It really wasn't that hard after all, but I forgot that Fahrenheit isn't the universal measurement for temperature, and tried to cook my bagels at 220 degrees Fahrenheit.  I thought it was kind of low, but I'd never baked something that was boiled first.  I got to thinking about where the Whimsical Wife lives (Australia) halfway through baking, and realized I should probably be using a hotter oven.  I reset my oven for 350 when I flipped them over and after that did another 5 minutes on the first side.  They turned out okay...not too doughy, but I toast them before I eat them anyway.

Here are mine.  Oh, and half of my flour was whole white wheat.

Beginning a Cardigan

I started one of my cardigans that I mentioned in my last post.  The first is made from one of my pull over sweaters. 

I traced a shirt that fits my 3 year old onto a big piece of brown paper.  If you want yours to fit over bulkier  clothes don't for get to make your pattern a little bigger than a normal fitting shirt.  I  also folded the pattern in half and trimmed/added so it was symmetrical.

Then I pinned the pattern directly onto my inside out sweater making sure to match up the collar.  Then I sewed along the pattern.  I found that this made the fabric more stable without leaving anything that would need to be torn away later.  I wanted a long cardigan, so I gradually angled my stitching line from the waist of the shirt pattern out to the lower corners of the existing sweater.  I also wasn't sure what I wanted to do abut cuffs, so I continued sewing past my sleeve patterns to the end of the sweater sleeves.

 

Now we have a long sweater with long sleeves.  Next I folded the sweater in half and cut all the way up the front.

I tried using an iron on adhesive to finish the raw edges in front.  Here I ironed it on the edge and am removing the backing.

But when I tried to fold it over and iron it in place, it just wouldn't take.  I think it had to do with the weight of the fabric and the low temperature of the iron, but I was afraid to turn it up because the sweater is acrylic.

So I fixed it with this material that I cut and folded kind of like bias tape (but I didn't cut on the bias).

I'll have to save embellishments for another day.  In the mean time, anyone have an idea what to do with the sleeves that I still have folded up like I did in the picture above?

Cardigan Ideas

My 3 year old needs something to wear over her sleeveless dresses.  I've been doing some looking around and I think I'm going to make a couple out of a white t-shirt and a grey pull-over sweater using these techniques.  Both have tutorials on their blogs.

from Shwin & Shwin

from i Candy handmade

Something for My Other Daughter

My 3 year old wanted to know when I was going to make something for her after the chicken little that I made for her little sister.  So I made her an owl kind of like one I found at Just Another Hang Up.  You should check it out because Suzanne uses much prettier fabric than I have in my scrap pile.

I made mine a little different, but I started out with two circles to make my outline like Suzanne did.  Mine is cut from a fleece blanket as requested.

Then I cut a couple t-shirts up to get the lower body and the wings following the body about 1/2 inch over half of the circle.  I piled them on upside down (I stuck two triangles of fleece in the middle pointed up too) and sewed through the center of the circle, so that when I flipped them back down...

...they lined up with the bottom part of the owl.  I cut two sets of t-shirt circles and sewed them on in an x pattern for the eyes.

To keep the wings floppy (what 3 year old doesn't appreciate moving parts), I folded the wings to the middle at this point and added fleece feet. ( I like the freedom that working with fleece and knit gives.  I don't have to worry about finnishing my edges).

I pinned the back on top of it all and sewed around the outside.

The owl is still open at the top at this point, which made me think if I had used something sturdier than fleece, this would have made a fun little purse.

After I stuffed the owl I zig-zagged it closed with the raw edges exposed.

This little guy is sleeping with my 3 year old tonight!

Chicken Little

My 1 year old loves this book.  I wish it was published as a board book...I just don't know how long it will last.

Here's the main character.  I thought I'd make a softie of him.

So I sketched this.

Then I made this out of a fleece blanket, some t-shirts, one of my husband's button up shirts, and some ribbon.

Pretty forgiving little guy, don't you think?

linked up to We are THAT Family

My Special Things

My 3 year old often wants to know, when we go places, if she can take toys with her.  This morning she asked if she could take her Cabbage Patch baby to heaven with her...you know, her favorite toy that I'm having a hard time getting away from her to wash.

"No," I say, "There will be better things in heaven that don't fall apart."  Wrong answer--she wells up with tears, "But I want to take my baby and my blanket.  They're my special things." 

I welcomed her to come sit on my lap as I tried to smooth things over with how much better heaven would be.  I told her I didn't know what all would be in heaven (she was also worried there wouldn't be a place to go to the bathroom).  I tried to assure her that everything in heaven would be better (because now we live in a broken world with broken things) and that we would have everything we will need or want (although our wants might be different, I think we'll be far from bored).  Honestly, I wasn't very successful, but we eventually changed the subject.

Still, It made me think of how many temporary things (you know, all that stuff that is bound to wear out and break) that I hold on to too tightly.  I want to be a good steward of the material things God has entrusted me with, but I want to be an even better steward of the spiritual and eternal matters that He has entrusted me with. 

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Nestle Tollhouse Pie Bars

Nestle Tollhouse Pie has always been my favorite, so I was excited when I found this recipe for it in bar form...lots easier than rolling out and transferring a pie crust!  Here's how mine turned out.

I'm taking it to my in-laws' this weekend or you would be seeing this with a big piece missing...I can't wait to share!

Shrinking My Shirt

I ordered some shirts from jcpenney's after my youngest daughter was born thinking I would need a medium, but they were too big (I wish women's sizes were more standard).

One shirt originally had a neckline that looked kind of like this.

I cut the collar off, shirred 5 rows all the way around the neck and sewed the collar on to the front of the shirt with a straight stitch and now it looks like this.