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Category: Crafts

I love working with my hands and this is where I document all the fun projects I do. You’ll see knitting, crochet, and sewing, plus a few odds and ends thrown in now and then.

Slow Week and a Halloween Sneak Peek

Published by dee on September 17, 2008

I really hate when I go this long in between blog updates because then I have so much to say I can’t decide what to write or where to start.  Plus, sometimes I make no sense.  There has been so much going on this week, yet nothing really blog worthy.

The hardest part of the week so far is that I’ve gotten very little sleep.  I’ve been getting up an hour earlier than usual every day so that I can pick my mom up for work.  She hurt her knee and can’t drive so I’m giving her a ride to and from work.  Plus, my kiddos are revolting against sleep schedules.  Evie no longer wants to go to bed at 8:00 and Zachary just doesn’t ever want to go to bed.  They’ve both got stuffy noses as well which isn’t helping with the whole sleep thing either.  On top of that, every night I seem to want to read just one more chapter of my book before I nod off which is keeping me up later than usual.

Evie is showing signs of wanting to be mobile, so (even though I’m not sure I’m ready for that) I’ve been trying to give her as much floor time as possible.  She’s pushing up on all fours and getting her belly off the ground, so it is only a matter of time before the baby gates have to come back out.  The best part though, is that Zach actually plays with her more when she’s down on the floor.

Other than that I’ve been keeping myself busy with some reading, using up the pears from our tree, making Hubby a Saints blanket for his football watching, and working on my Halloween project that will soon be featured over at Getting Crafty. Want a little sneak peek?  Sure you do.

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There will be a post up soon about these along with a big announcement so make sure and check in over at Getting Crafty or just subscribe so you can make sure not to miss it!

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Tutorial: Fleece Tie Blankets

Published by dee on September 17, 2008

Football season is here again and that means the cold winter months are just around the corner.  One of my favorite things to do in the winter is to snuggle up on the sofa with a warm fuzzy blanket.  My son has also adopted this habit of mine so we’ve collected quite a stack of warm blankets in our living room.  Why so many?  We have two dogs and two cats so most of the time half of the blankets are in the laundry waiting to be de-furred!

In my search for the perfect cuddly blanket, I discovered no-sew fleece tie blankets.  They are the perfect blanket to snuggle under when those cold days hit and they are super easy to make.  I can finish a large one off in about an hour (while watching TV) and a small one in even less time.  They make great baby or toddler gifts, and would also be a great craft project for kids to do on a snow day.

The best part is you can find fleece in so many different patterns that you can easily customize them for that special person.  My favorite is my Boston Red Sox blanket.  My son loves his Cars blanket.  And my husband?  He’s about to get his hands on a brand new New Orleans Saints blanket to keep him warm while he hollers at the TV this season.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 pieces of coordinating fleece fabric (1-2 yards of each depending on size you want)
scissors (or rotary cutter and cutting board)

Seriously, that’s it.  If you are obsessive about straight, even lines then you may want a tape measure or yard stick to help but I just go for it and they always look fine.

Here’s what you do:

Lay the two pieces of fleece out flat with wrong sides facing.  Cut fleece to preferred size.  I generally use 1yard for a baby blanket, 1 1/2 yards for a toddler/child blanket, or 2 yards for a teen/adult blanket.  Keep in mind that you will reduce the size by 3-4 inches in all directions when you do the ties.  Trim edges so that they are even.

Cut a 3-4 inch square through both pieces of fabric in each corner and discard.  If you want the ties shorter do about 3 inches.  If you want them longer you can go 4 inches (or however long you want them to be).  Be aware that the fleece stretches a bit in one direction and not the other. If you make shorter cuts you may want to cut a bit longer on the non-stretchy side.

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Next, cut the strips for your ties.  Again, cut through both pieces of fabric.  Cut each edge into 1 inch wide strips, 3-4 inches long.

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After you are done cutting (and your hand stops cramping) start tying the two pieces of fabric together (one strip from each fabric).  I do double knots to keep it from coming apart in the wash.  Some suggest tying every other strip, then flipping the blanket over and tying the remaining strips to keep things even.  I’ve never done it that way, but it can’t hurt to try, right?

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When you have tied all the strips together, you’re done!

This is such a fun and easy craft.  I’ve made tons of them and have even had special requests.  You can easily adapt the size to make pillows (tie 3 sides, insert pillow form, tie remaining side).  I even made a tiny little snuggle blankie for my daughter using some left over scraps.

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Something Old Becomes New Again

Published by dee on September 12, 2008

*tap…tap…*

Is this thing on?

Oh, hi there.  Glad to see someone is still checking in here even though I haven’t updated in over a week.  I’ve been a little busy doing some scholarly research about teenage vampires.  That *cough* research has kept me from doing much of anything else including laundry, housecleaning, or crafts.  Fortunately, my sister has the rest of my books so I can’t read any more until I get them back in my possession this weekend.

So, while I have a few spare moments, I wanted to share a few of my favorite finds this week.  I always dreamed of making cute little dresses and hair accessories for my little girl and these crafty ladies are making it so easy for me.  The best thing about all three of the fun sewing tutorials I discovered this week is that they all re-purpose old items to create something fun and new.

  • These easy headbands from Maya Made are just perfect.  Not only do they re-use old t-shirts, but you can custom size them.  Store bought headbands never seem to fit me right so I can’t wait to make a few of these for myself.
  • A Room Somewhere has a great tutorial for the popular pillowcase dresses.  Of course using an old pillowcase gives more of a vintage look, but she gives directions to make it out of regular fabric too.  I’m hoping to make a couple of these in a mini version for my baby girl next summer.
  • Over at The Long Thread there’s a super easy tutorial for some adorable t-shirt dresses.  I know a couple of little girls that would look very cute in them!
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Blissfully Domestic Re-Launches

Published by dee on September 2, 2008

Blissfully Domestic, the online destination for everything domestic is re-launching today with a new magazine-style layout. Included in the re-launch is the division of channels so you can easily find the content you want. So why am I posting about this here? Because I am going to be a contributor for the new Creative Bliss channel. I’ll be posting over there a couple times a month about crafts I’ve been doing or fun things I’ve discovered. I’ll try to remember to link it up here when my posts are up, but if you are into crafts you might as well just subscribe over there because there are a lot of other crafty ladies posting some great stuff too. Go on, go check it out. There’s a little something for everybody.

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National Sewing Month Make 2 Give 2 Challenge

Published by dee on August 26, 2008

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? No? Neither did I until I saw it mentioned over at Lazy Girl Designs. I already had plans to do quite a bit of sewing in the next month or so, but now I have yet another reason – the Make 2 Give 2 Challenge.

The Challenge: Make2/Give2
– Make two ‘With Love Totes’ (free pattern from Lazy Girl Designs), wrap them like the gifts that they are, and give them to one non-sewing (or new-sewing) friend.
– One tote is for your friend to keep, one is for your friend to give to a friend. By doing so, your friend will experience for themselves the sewy-good feeling of this kind act and perhaps give sewing a try.

For the rest of the details and the free tote pattern, go visit the Lazy Girl Designs Blog. I’m hoping to participate if I can get my Halloween project finished up in time. I just have to figure out who to send the totes to!

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Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!

Published by dee on August 22, 2008

Trick or Treat!

Oh yes, Halloween is just around the corner and I have a little trick up my sleeve. As soon as I can get some time alone in my craft room there will be a little treat for one of you!

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