Fast Felt Puppet - Craft a Day #2

My kiddos LOVE puppets (so do I!), but, some of my ministry puppets just aren't able to be played with by little ones, so, I decided to make another one that they COULD play with! I'm sharing it here for my "Craft a Day" series for National Craft Month.  So here are the "ingredients" for the little puppet I "cooked up":

Felt, glue gun(and glue, hehe), ribbony stuff, magic marker, old buttons , and snaps

Here are the puppets I used as a pattern shape:

1.  I cut out the shape (larger for seam allowance) in two pieces of felt

(messed up on this one, had to do it again in green)

stitch it down all around(except the bottom) and turn it rightside out

2. Start adding pieces of felt, buttons, ribbon, etc.

3. Move stuff around and chop it up...get messy!

 3.  When you get it figured out, glue it down!

The kids call him "Mr. Police Man"!

We've added him to our collection!



Fast Easy Silent Tissue Holder - Craft a Day #1

Ever been somewhere like Church, or the library and need a tissue, but the rattling of the plastic is just WAY to disrupting? I know I have! My National Craft Month project for day one is a great solution: The Silent Tissue Holder!

1.  Cut two pieces of fabric (one for the outside and one for the inside) at 7 1/2" by 6"

2. Cut one out of a thin batting or something similar at the same measurements for the lining.

3.  Cut two strips of ribbon or lace at 6"

I used an old fleece sweatshirt of my sons for the lining.

 4.  Pin the ribbon/lace on both 6" sides *NOTE* :  I pinned it backward the first time and

forgot to take a pic. after I fixed it!  SO.....pin the lace facing IN, not OUT!

5.  attatch ribbon/lace about 1/4 inch from edge with at straight stitch.

(again, the pic is backward!)

7.  Place the batting on the wrong side of the lining fabric.

8.  then lay the two on top of the other fabric..good sides facing each other.

(again...it's BACKWARD!)

9. Stitch together down 6'sides ONLY.

10.  Turn right side out.

11.  fold the lace ends over toward the middle (like a piece of tri-fold paper)

They should overlap so there is no gap on the finished product.

12  Stitch down the sides.

13.  Clip corners

14.  Turn right-side-out and fill with tissues...and VOILA....a SILENT tissue holder!



Guess who published my tutorials???????!!!!!!

I checked my gmail today, and guess what?   Allfreesewing.com published not one, not two, but THREE of my tutorials!!! WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!  I haven't even been able to blog much lately, due to business and a naughty sewing machine!  I'm SO excited, and SO blessed!  If you haven't been to http://www.allfreesewing.com/ yet, you should definately take the time to visit them, they feature all kinds of patterns from tons of different sites and bloggers! Here are the links to my tutroials; Check 'em out!

Jean Bag/purse

Baby-Bib

Upcycled-Apron

Upcycling Jeans with my daughter

I have passed my love of upcycling jeans to my oldest daughter, Raegan (she is 14 now, but was 13 when we made these). I thought I would post a couple skirts that we did together.....

This skirt was a lot of fun to make.  I had cut the pant legs off another pair of pants that I just wanted the waistband from and saved them because of how pretty the white embroidery was.  I was unsure of what to do with it as yet.  Then, Raegan decided she wanted a skirt, so she took some blue jeans, chopped off the bottoms(she likes t-length skirts) and started looking for fabric to put in it.

I then stepped in and told her I had something that would work...the bottoms of the other pair!

So, We attatched them...and VOILA...an adorable skirt! People usually ask what store it came from! (One question, Raegan...what's it like to be so skinny?)

On this skirt, Raegan did most of the work herself.  I helped by finding her the cute camo fabric with blue embroidered butterflies in my stash as well as the butterfly sew-on patch. 

She did the leg chopping, seam ripping, fabric cutting, and most of the sewing.  Her sewing machine was getting ready to bite the dust, so, I did help her with the top part and the hems.  (this skirt is a little tight  now, so she's going to give it away to someone else)

I will be posting a basic tutorial on these soon......as well as some fun variations!

2 Cute Easy headband redos!

As promised, Here is how I made adorable headbands with some leftover ribbon and some rescued lace from a friend's old pillowcases!

Materials:

Headband(dollar store is a GREAT place to look!)
Lace and ribbon scraps
Glue gun
scissors

#1
Directions:  (this is just what I DID....use your imagination and switch it up however you want!)

First I took this rescued pillowcase lace and cut two shell shapes side by

side from the edges.

I picked out two small rosettes (from my Leftover Lace tutorial)

Next I folded the lace shells over each other and arranged

them with the rossettes in a way that I liked and just

Glued em on.....VOILA...HEADBAND!

#2.

Directions:

I took  some more of that rescued lace out......

then I  cut a length just enough longer than the headband to wrap under the sides of the headband



I hot glued the headband from one side to the other making sure to

glue the undersides well.

*An option here would be to lace some ribbon of a

 contrasting color through. 

Or to glue some over top.  BUT, .....

I did neither!  This way, it will match more things.

Raegan(my oldest) modeled for me!

She loved this one!.......

But Buck loved it more!

Basic Easy Ribbon or Lace Hair Clips

These clips are SO much fun and SO easy too! (If I can do it.......ANYONE can! lol) 

Materials:

Ribbon or Lace (preferably two sided...if it has one white side and one patterned, it just doesn't turn out as nice)

Hot Glue Gun or Needle and thread(Some people prefer to hand stitch, but, I find the hot glue gun to be faster and just as nice)

Alligator clips or bobby pins

Felt

Optional...... a lapel pin finding (these rosettes make great pins too!)

DIRECTIONS:

To start, roll up one end of the ribbon tightly for about 3 rounds (or make a knot in the end first if you find it easier to wrap that way).

Next, begin flipping the ribbon AWAY from the direction you are rolling it.  Hot glue along the bottom as you fold to secure the ribbon.

This ribbon was white on one side, so I folded it in half as I went to keep the stripes on both sides.

Continue wrapping and flipping till you have your desired size, then clip, turn the end under the rosette and glue it to the bottom.

Next, cut a circle out of the felt to fit the bottom of the flour but not show from the top. Glue it to the bottom .Either glue on a lapel pin backing or Cut a rectangle of felt the same length as the diameter of the circle and glue just the ends to the circle of felt.

Then, add a bobby pin or an alligator clip and .......

                                                    

Stick it in your hair!



 Have you made these?  I would love it if you posted with a link to yours!



leftover lace and ribbons , rosettes , headbands , pins , and hair clippies...OH MY!

I fought the glue gun and the glue gun won!  A couple days ago, I got out my leftover/unused lace bag and a glue gun and went to town!  I had SO much fun!  I got to use the headbands from my "frugal finds for future fun " post too!   In all, I made one lapel pin, two headbands, and 5 hair clippies!

I thought I'd share some completed pics.  There will be some basic tutorial to follow in subsequent posts if your interested!


A hair clippie and a lapel pin....

3 Hair clippies

Two headbands made with leftover lace from a friends old pillowcases and some rosettes I made.

A little lace or ribbon and a hot glue gun and you've got a fun time waiting to happen!