Honest To Nod

Circle Knit Shirt Tutorial

So. I have a favorite shirt. I’ll be honest, it’s probably my favorite because it’s the most comfortable shirt I own, AND my husband bought it for me and he thinks I look cute in it. That’s really all I need. Oh, and it’s a great backdrop for a pretty necklace! That too.

Anyway, I wear it with a long tank top, leggings and either boots or black Toms, depending on the weather. It’s my uniform right now. And I wanted to make one for Hazel because I thought she’d dig it too. (Or, at least I’d dig making it for her and seeing her wear it.)

So, I worked this week on developing a 2T-sized version of my shirt. I’ve got to say, once I figured it out, this is a really simple project and it turned out beautifully! Since it’s flowy and not fitted, it’s not hard to get a good fit. The key is not making the arms too long so your little gal doesn’t look dumpy or frumpy. But once you’ve got that under control, you’re good!

What you’ll need:
The fabric piece I used was knit (you want a drapey fabric), and was 20″ wide and 34″ long.     (so it’s not technically going to be a circle – more of an oval. it’s cool.) I used white because it’s what I had on hand, plus I’m digging neutrals these days. But get creative! You can find patterned knits even at JoAnn, and you can always embellish your top with a pretty pocket or flower applique. This is your basic starting point – have fun and make it yours!)

Also, you’ll need a sewing machine. A serger is definitely not necessary, but since I have one and I like the extra-finished look, I used it for the project. Knits don’t fray though, so really don’t worry.

Get your fabric piece laid out on your cutting board, folded on the top so it looks 21″x17″.     (My piece started out longer than 34″, so I needed to cut it still at this point.)

There. Now it’s all cut and square and tidy. Better!

(That’s a fold on the top – you want your rectangle intact!)

his might be a good time to tell you how to measure for a size other than 2T…

How to measure for your own sizing:

Width: Arms straight out, you want the sleeves to fall just on the hand-side of your elbow. So measure that distance – for Hazel it was about 20″, so I added 1″ for hemming, thus the 21″ width.

Length: For length, you’ll have to pardon my sailor language, but you want the front and back them to land right about at the crotch. So measure up and over the shoulders, from crotch-to-crotch. Was that really necessary? Anyway, Hazel’s measurement was 33″, so I added 1″ for hemming, thus the 34″ length.

Neck: And for the neck – I don’t like huge neck holes on little people, it just looks like a worn out onesie. I kept it small and had no problem getting it over her head. Remember: after you cut, you’re still going to turn it in, which will make the hole larger.

Okay, on to the task at hand:

Mark the center point of the top of your fold. If you’re using my dimensions, it’s at the 10.5″ point.

Okay, now fold the fabric in half vertically (so the top and the right sides are folds). Because this is a symmetrical garment, we’re going to make it easy on ourselves and cut everything just once.

Below are the dimensions for cutting:

Now unfold it and it should look like this. It’s taking shape really quickly!

Now comes the serging! You can skip this if you don’t have a serger, of course.

Run a serging stitch all the way around the outside edge of the garment. Also, run a stitch around the inside of the neck hole.

When you’re done, your edges will look like this. Lovely!

know you’re looking at that neck hole and wondering how on earth this is going to go right; curves and hems are not friends. But it’s okay – this is stretchy! It will go right.

If you serged your edges, turn them all in 3/8″ or so and press. If you did not serge, turn your edges in 1/4″ and press, then another 3/8″ and press again.

Really don’t fret about this. Do your best, but remember that this garment is going to be forgiving, too!

Pressing the neck hole. It’s almost like it wants to be turned out. So friendly, this stretchy material is! (Yep. Been watching Star Wars with Oliver this week. Love me some Yoda I do.)

Okay, back to sewing. Set your stitch length to 3 (just a little longer than normal) because this is a hemming stitch and not a construction stitch.

Beginning on a straightaway, backstitch once, then get going and don’t stop until you are back where you started. Easy hem!

Now, the same with the neck hole. It’s a little trickier than the outside hem just because it’s in the middle. Still, you can do this! (And feel free to take your time to make this stitch nice and even. Even with coordinating thread, this one will show just because it’s near the face.) Remember: slow and steady!

So close! Seriously, we’re almost finished!

Just a few simple instructions: using a fabric ruler or any straight edge, make a line that goes from the center of the neck line to the corner of the sleeve. DO NOT actually draw this line – it only needs to be imaginary! 

Make a small dot with a disappearing fabric marker 4″ in from the corner of the sleeve. Just a little one. (If you’re not confident in your ink’s ability to disappear, you can mark with a tailor tack, which is just a contrasting thread stuck through that point with a needle.)

Do the same on the other side and pin the shirt closed so nothing shifts while you’re stitching.

Back to the sewing machine for the final time! Sew a straight line from your mark to the corner of the sleeve on each side. Be sure to backstitch really well at the beginning and end – this is a construction stitch, so it matters that it stays in place!

Press all of your hems so they lay nice and flat. Hang your little lady’s shirt on a hanger, then stand back and admire! All finished!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a shot of  Miss Lady, rocking her comfy-yet-stylish circle knit top this morning (and it only took five mini marshmallows and a little Super Why for her to cooperate!):

{After putting the finished product on her this morning I realized two things. 1. this bad boy is going to fit for a long time! Honestly, this size could fit 3T or bigger, and I maybe could have stood to make hers a little smaller. She’s not quite fitting into 2T yet.) 2. I should have used a darker color knit – what was I thinking trusting her with a pretty white canvas, just begging to be tainted? Sheesh.}

If y’all are interested, I can work on another tutorial for an adult-sized top. You could probably just enlarge the dimensions of this one, but there are some things I would change for a grown up to make it more flattering. Let me know!

Post by Raechel : www.raechelmyers.com

 

Children’s Book Pages as Photo Mats

The ‘bunny’ book = Goodnight Moon in our house.  And we read it over and over.  Georgia loves the ‘bowl of mush.’  She even told my mom the other day that we were going to have a bowl of mush for dinner–she loves saying that.  And then there’s this other book called            All Kinds of Families that my sister gave Georgia when she was a baby.  It’s about grouping like objects into categories.  And we read that over and over too. And to prove it to you, below is a picture that I used in a post on Mom Colored Glasses back in November…and she’s reading the book!

I know that when Georgia is grown up I’ll always remember reading those books to her.         I’ll tuck them away in her memory box that I keep for her and pull them out and run my hands over those well loved, wrinkly pages that she accidentally stepped on or carried the book by or sat on or whatever else toddlers do in their squirminess.

I know that every family in America has “those” books in their house.  Books that remind them of snuggling up after a bath, or laying on the floor before nap time, or listening to your husband read to your daughter from the other room and falling in love with him even more.  But those books go away as your kids get older, and even when they’re not older.  A four year old might not love the same book that they loved when they were two….but the two year old book is still nostalgic for you.

So, with this month’s theme being history I thought this was a perfect way to memorialize a book that your children love for a long time to come.  Hang this in their rooms, in a back hall-way, a study area, a play room, or with the rest of your family pictures.

Here’s what you need:

1.  Your child’s favorite book (or two or three).  Pick out a page from the book that you can make work with a picture you already have of your child…..preferably from the age they were when they loved this book.  And I’m sure like all moms you have some of the most random pictures of your child doing things you look back on and think, “Why did I take a picture of them doing that?”  Well–because those pictures might just come in handy for this project.

2.  Color phot0 copy the page or pages you want to use.  Shrink them or blow them up depending on how large of a frame you’ll be using, how big your picture is, or any other variable you can think of.  Remember….you can also mount the page on another piece of paper to make it bigger if you think blowing up the original image will cause distortion.

Look how great the words are in this “All Kinds of Families” book….you could make countless photo mats with the pages from this book….there is one about grandma’s and grandpas, cousins, brothers and sisters….it’s awesome!

I matted (I just used double sided tape) a picture of Georgia about to fall asleep on some red paper and affixed it to the last page of Goodnight Moon.  I did have to mount my book pages to a piece of scrap-book paper to make sure they’d fit in the frames….I used 8×10 frames and my photo mats were just a tad under that size….stay tuned for a finished product!

3.  And then……put your finished photo’s in a frame.  It’s really that simple.  This project cost me $0.  I always have random pictures laying around that I’ve never gotten around to doing anything with, I have scads of un-used scrap-booking paper (I don’t even scrap-book), and I just used some frames that were due for an upgrade in the picture department.  This has become a mental addiction of mine.  Whenever we are reading a new book from the library or we’ve resurrected one from our own bookshelves I’m always thinking as we come across every page, “Oh….this page could work as a photo mat….I love what it says.”

This picture was taken when Georgia was one week old…..it fits perfectly on this page and now sits on her dresser.

Post by Maggie Terryn : Mom Colored Glasses

 

Try this: Decorated Kraft Paper Letters

Whattya need?

• Kraft paper letters
• Glue
• Plastic googly eyes
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Colored string
• Colored cotton balls
• Chalk
• Glitter
• Paintbrush
• Chalkboard paint
• Newspaper clippings

How do I make Decorated Kraft Paper Letters?

Glitter letters

Using a paintbrush apply a thick coat of glue to letter. Sprinkle glitter onto wet glue.          Reapply glue and glitter as it is drying until it is fully covered. Allow to dry.

Cotton ball letters

Apply a small amount of glue to letter. Apply colored cotton balls (from The Land of Nod’s I’m Not Bored Anymore Art Jar). Repeat until covered. Allow to dry.

Newspaper letters

Apply glue to letter by smaller area so glue does not dry before you finish. Apply newspaper clippings to glued areas. Repeat until covered. Allow to dry.

Googly eye letters

Apply a small amount of glue to letter. Apply plastic googly eyes (from The Land of Nod’s I’m Not Bored Anymore Art Jar). Allow to dry.

 

Free Printable: Shhh... Door Hangers for Mom + Baby

I designed these printables for the lovely Jordan of Polka Dot Prints while she's away spending time with her beautiful new baby girl...

Every new mama has heard the advice 'sleep while the baby sleeps', but with so many people (big + small) crying out for your attention, sometimes a nap begins to feel like an impossibility. I designed these door hangers as a little gift to Jordan during her maternity leave, and for all moms who could use some serious R+R.

 Simply print the file onto heavy cardstock, cut and hang over your door knob- either on your front door to warn off guests that unexpectedly drop by, or outside your bedroom and nursery to remind your family to keep the volume down during naptime. Hope you enjoy... and finally get the rest you deserve.

Download PDF here.

photos © cake. 2012

 

Post by Becca : www.cakeeventsblog.com

Try this: Wrap Your Chair in Ribbons

 

Whattya need?

• A Chair (Just seeing if you’re paying attention.)
• Ribbon
• Clear Tape
• Scissors

How do I wrap my chair in ribbons?

Step 1: Cut ribbon into 1 or 2' lengths, depending on the size of your chair.

Step 2: Add tape to one end of a ribbon and place it at a point on the chair where it will be out of sight (like the underside of the seat).

Step 3: Wrap the remaining length of ribbon around the desired section of your chair. And secure the other end of the ribbon with tape.

Step 4: Repeat until chair is wrapped to your liking.

 

 

Created by Dane Holweger

 

Fluttering Hearts Valentine

Here's a quick tutorial for a sweet, simple valentine.

Gather your supplies: card stock (white, red, pink); heart punch, glue stick, white glue, sewing machine

Make a card out of the white card stock. Punch hearts out of the red and pink. (This is the perfect way to use up scraps of old paper you have laying around). Oh, wait, I'm the only one who hoards scraps of paper?

When you like the location of the hearts, tack them in place with a dab from the glue stick.

(You don't have to cement them down...just enough to hold them in place through the sewing machine)

Run the card through the sewing machine, sewing straight(ish) lines up the rows of hearts.

Turn the card over and put a dot of school glue on each of the loose ends. Once the glue is dry, trim the loose threads from the back and front of the card.

Gently peel up each heart and fold down the center.

Ta-da! You've just made a fantastic handmade valentine. Plus, think of all the fun variations you can come up with using different patterned papers and thread colors. 
Pass them out along with your favorite goodies to your favorite people, or pop one in the mail to surprise a special someone this Valentine's Day.

Post by Christina Williams : justcallmechris.blogspot.com

Houndstooth to Chevron in 15 Minutes Flat

Alternately titled: the biggest change you can make in the smallest amount of time!

Ladies and gentleman (I always wonder… any guy readers out there?), I give you a 15-minute project that will cost you less than $10 and make your DIY heart happy:

We have a bench at our dining room table. Partly because, when we bought our table four years ago as a floor sample at Pottery Barn, we needed seating and couldn’t afford six new dining chairs to go with it. I found four Windsor-style chairs at a yard sale for $10 and Ryan painstakingly painted them black with an oil-based satin paint (and that’s a story for another day), but we still needed two more seats.

We found this bench in the scratch-and-dent section (without a scratch on it!) at American Signature Furniture for $60. The structure has been sturdy as can be with my monkeys-for-children torquing all around on if for three meals a day the past four years. However, the original upholstery wasn’t pretty. Just plain beige – begging to be soiled.

Between then and now, I’ve recovered the bench about four times (once a year, usually).           It only takes half a yard of fabric and a few staples to make it feel brand new all over again. (OR, if you have seats and not a bench to recover, this fabric will go even further!)

So, this is what the poor thing looked like yesterday morning. It’s a houndstooth material that my sister had leftover from reupholstering a sofa for a salon downtown Franklin.

But, do you see what has happened? Pudding, yogurt, and Heaven knows what else has made it a pretty ragged seat which my Mama opted out of sitting on in her clean fancy pants last time she came over. Can you blame her?

(Isn’t it funny how we just live with things and they get yucky over time and you don’t notice until you finally just look at it in a horrified moment of objectivity and realize what you are subjecting all of your sweet guests to?)

Yeah, something had to give. Time to turn that bench upside down and release the seat from it’s screws.

See the holes in the wood part of the frame? There’s a screw in each one – unscrew them to begin the transformation!

Once you’ve dismantled your bench in a moment of both rage and inspiration, go ahead and assemble some tools. You should be able to accomplish this project with half a yard of upholstery fabric (I was still undecided when I took this photo – both of the fabrics you see here can be found here and here), a pair of scissors, a screwdriver and a heavy-duty stapler.

(Can we talk about the fact that a yard of this pretty upholstery fabric is $9.75 and I only need to use half of it!!)

You may also want to grab a roll of batting if you want to add a bit of extra fluff to the seat.

A note on staples: I used to use long staples and it was so frustrating when they wouldn’t go all the way in on the first shot. I was in a constant pattern of staple-hammer it in the rest of the way – staple. Not pleasant. Silly me for not realizing that I need them to be just a bit shorter. All my dreams have now been realized. Amen, little 3/8″ staples. Amen.

Okay, so back to the project. Take out all the screws and release the seat. Set the frame aside.

You can see on the underside of my seat (I beg your pardon!) a few of my previous design choices. That red fabric is from back in the days when I worked at Ethan Allen. I’m showing you this so you can see that sometimes I take off a layer before putting a new one on, and sometimes I just add fabric right on top.

In this case, I’m using a light-colored fabric, so the houndstooth had to go. I took that off (just tugged at the staples until it all came loose) and beneath that was a layer of batting.                (Thank you, last year Raechel, for taking the time to add fresh cushion so I don’t have to do it this year. Check.)

Okay, houndstooth is gone. This is where we stand. Now lay your pretty, clean, new fabric right-side-down on the floor and lay your seat on top of it, seat-side-down.

Pattern note: If you’re using a graphic pattern or a fabric with any kind of noticeable repeat, make sure you are lining things up really well. Nobody wants a wonky reupholstery job. Nobody.

So, start with the front of your seat and (with your pattern lined up carefully), start stapling from the center and working your way out – keeping things pulled tight and straight. (Hint: it helps to put your staples in about 2″ from the edge – any closer and you could risk a weird, visible puckering on the edge where each staple is.)

Now onto the backside. Give the whole piece of fabric a good tug and make sure the top looks just right. Then staple the backside.

I had a full yard of fabric here, so after I did the back row of staples I trimmed the remaining half yard off and set it aside.

Now do the two remaining sides the same way. Keep things pulled nice and tight as you staple.

Corners: the key on these – as you may have guessed – is keeping things tight. Pull the fabric from the front and staple it close to the side edge in one direction. Then pull the fabric from the side and staple it close to the front edge in the other direction. Then pull the triangle of fabric you’ve made super-duper tight and staple it in place well. Cut away excess fabric.

The back of my seat has notches for the frame, so I just behaved as though there were two corners on each side, making a slit with my scissors down the center, not too close to the edge.

And just like that, we’re almost there! The pattern lined up nicely!

Set the seat back in place and drive your screws back in the holes – they should be sharp enough to go right through your new fabric without too much trouble.

The fabric I used is pretty light – especially since I’m raising two blonde chickens in my house. So, a couple of coats of Scotch Gard is a good investment. Don’t we all feel better!?

Post by Raechel : www.raechelmyers.com

Try this: Hanging String Balls

Whattya need?

• Balloon
• String
• Scissors
• Glue
• Jar

How do I make glue string balls?

Step 1: Hang inflated balloon from ceiling.

Step 2: Put string and glue in the jar with a hole in the lid. Next, pull string from hole while wrapping around the balloon.

 

Step 3: Wait until dry (try to contain yourself). Pop and remove balloon.

 

Created by Dane Holweger

Valentines That Glitter: Free Printable Cards + Stickers

I’m over at One Charming Party this week featuring my Valentine’s day collaboration with Michele of Cakewalk Baking. We’ll be sharing even more unique ideas here, so be sure to check in on both sites for some beautiful pink + gold glittered projects all week long.  We're so excited about this one and hope you find the perfect inspiration for your Valentines Day, or even for a glamorous bridal or baby shower.

Let's kick things off with a freebie, shall we? Valentines Day is the perfect time to send a handwritten note.  Whether you prefer traditional hearts or modern arrows, with these darling printable notecards and stickers you can send a sweet message to all the loves in your life.

Want to see more of this party? 

Click here: pink grapefruit martinis \\ sweet treats \\ handmade favors \\ on display

photos © sherry heck
styling and design collaboration: CAKE. + Cakewalk Baking

 

Tips:

- Print notecards on heavy cardstock in ivory or cream. Each card is 3x5 when cut.

- Circles can be printed on 8.5x11 whole sheet sticker labels (or on cardstock to make favor tags) and punched with a 2” circle punch.

- To add a little sparkle: glue over your heart and sprinkle with glitter, or toss some heart shaped confetti in your envelope for a shimmering surprise.

Post by Becca : www.cakeeventsblog.com

Try this: Bookcase Dollhouse

Whattya need?

• Wrapping paper
• Cardboard
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Bookcase
• Double-sided tape
• Dollhouse furniture
• Dolls

How do I make a bookcase dolhouse?

Step 1: Cut wrapping paper to the fit back of bookcase and apply wrapping paper as wall paper with double side tape.

Step 2: Cut cardboard to make elements like a door or a rug. This rug was made by coiling yarn on top of cardboard with some double sided tape.

Step 3: Add in your furniture and people.

Step 4: Time to play!

 

Created by Dane Holweger