Friday, July 30, 2010

Smock Apron

After I bought and started wearing nicer clothes a few weeks ago, I realized I needed to start wearing aprons more so I don't ruin my new wardrobe. I only have one apron (the Maren made for me 5 or so years ago), and I wanted a few more. I really wanted to make something full coverage, with a high neck, and long(ish). If I knew how to put sleeves on something, I would have.

I drafted a pattern loosely based on this smock apron. I wanted the arm holes smaller, and I made it a little longer. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I've put myself on fabric block for awhile (for budgeting reasons), so I had to make do with what I had on hand. This was a fabric I got a lot of on sale that I thought I'd use for baby blankets. I still have plenty for blankets if I decide to ever use it for that.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

any more refashioning?

I'm going to do a class on refashioning in October.  Any other project ideas you guys know of that I could show?  Also is it ok if I print some of your picts from this blog that you've already posted to give the class ideas?  It will be themed in preparation for the holidays so gift-able ideas are specifically what I'm looking for.  Thanks!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Neck pillows

I LOVE EASY PROJECTS! I made one last night and two tonight.

I made the first out of quilting cotton. The second was out of flannel. The third was out of flannel and fleece. The worst by far was the cotton pillow. It's a bit scratchy and didn't have a good enough stretch to fill nicely. The other two were just fine, though I was able to pack more polyfill in the one with fleece (since it had the most stretch) making for a slightly taller pillow.

I will probably make two of these for myself. One by itself isn't enough for my large noggin and neck, but two stacked on top of each other is just about perfect! We'll see if I can get the boys to use these on our 14-16 hour (one way) trip to AZ this month! I imagine that if they're head's to the bobbing point, they won't even notice if I slip it on them...

I drew up a pattern onto parchment paper from make it and love it's description. As I drew it up, though, I actually did 1 in. smaller on the legs than she described in the comments. I'd be interested to make the pillow with her exact dimensions and compare. Not hard at all.

Friday, July 2, 2010

July Challenges

Seasonal: 4th of July

Yes, yes. It's a bit late to do anything too intricately crafty for the 4th, but it will be here archived for next year if you're interested.

Lots of fun and easy 4th of July crafts to do with kids by No Time for Flashcards



Wooden Liberty Wall art by Knock-off Wood


Self/House: Chore & Routine Charts
Lots of ideas at Tip Junkie and even more ideas from Tip Junkie
Morning routine chart by Living Locurto
And though it's summertime, I wanted to include the after school routine chart to have it in the same place...


Kids: Road trip survival

Kid's travel pillow by Maya Made



Neck pillow by Make it and Love it



Travel bag with car games and item list for an enjoyable road trip by Prepared NOT Scared!




Recipe Recommendation: The Best Buttermilk Banana Bread by Mel's Kitchen Cafe


This stuff is seriously yummy. I've done it with wheat flour, half wheat flour, reduced sugar, and with some applesauce subbing for some of the banana when I only had one brown one, and all of the variations have turned out delicious.

If you want it to be extra yummy, instead of flouring the pan, dust it with sugar. Matt said it made it way better and I agree!