Sewing Toms-Inspired Baby Shoes
Gabbaland Quiet Book – Toodeeland
For this next installment page for our Gabbaland quiet book, I did the next easiest one: Toodeeland! Just three colors and lots of nice straight edges to cut.
In case you missed it, my first page was Brobeeland, and The Boy is wondering when the next pages will be done, so I really need to get this finished for him.
You can find a printable template HERE.
You need:
Corresponding Embroidery Thread
Felt:
1 Light Gray
1 White
1 Light Blue
This is how the pieces should be placed on your blue felt page.
Make sure to sew the back ones in place first.
And don’t forget to grab the template for all five characters HERE.
Gabbaland Quiet Book – Brobeeland
Maybe some of you remember my Yo Gabba Gabba Felt Magnets from a while back. Well, my son still loves playing with them; not so much on the fridge, but along with his other toys on the floor. So I thought it would be fun to make a Gabbaland quiet book to go with the characters. I figured I would publish each one as I finish it. I am starting with Brobeeland.
Keep in mind, this is an “artistic interpretation” of the scenery from the show. It doesn’t look exactly the same, but I showed it to The Boy this morning, and he knew exactly what it was!
I made a printable template of this page for you! You can find it here: Brobeeland Template
Felt sheets you will need:
1 Orange
1 Gold
1 Tan
3 sheets, each a different shade of brown
The orange is the background and the foundation for the whole page. I took the gold sheet and cut it in half for the foreground, and I just eyeballed a strip of dark brown for the middle piece. It overlaps where the gold lays on the orange. Sew the brown strip in place first. After that, line up each tree piece with its secondary piece and sew them onto the page. I just laid the top piece in place and sewed them both at the same time. Then, finish with the last couple wood pieces.
Don’t forget to go and get all five characters HERE (you can just leave off the magnetic strips).
Happy crafting!
Reversible Baby Skirt
I actually shared this tutorial about a year ago, but I had to redo it. The photos were absolutely terrible, and I couldn’t stand to see them! But don’t let the “reversible” scare you off, this skirt is so easy.
This is my go-to baby gift for baby girls. The new mama gets two skirts for the sewing work of one!
What you need:
2 corresponding fat quarters
Basic sewing supplies
1 pkg extra-wide double-fold bias tape
About 13” of 3/4” Elastic
Measuring tape
Fabric pencil
Large safety pin
First, hop over to Dana Made It, and grab her pattern for a simple baby circle skirt. So awesome of her to share it with us for free!
Then, fold both your fat quarters in half twice to make a square. Line up the fold corners, and put the inside rounded edge of the pattern in the corner. (cut both of your fabric pieces at the same time) Cut about 2 inches out from the pattern’s outside edge to make the skirt longer.
Next, unfold your fabric and pin around the inside, right sides together.
Sew where you pinned and turn your skirt inside-out. To do this, push one side of the skirt through the hole, and iron around the hole to make a nice crease. Using a measuring tape and a fabric pencil, make a few marks around the hole about 3/4″ from the edge to use as a guide.
Sew around the edge, but leave a 2″ opening so you can put the elastic in the waist.
Put a safety pin at the top of your elastic and push in through the opening, between your two pieces of fabric, until it comes back out. Sew the ends of your elastic together with a zig-zag. Go back and forth to make sure it’s secure. Then, sew across the 2″ opening in the skirt.
To finishe the edge, pin your bias tape on the edge ( be careful to catch both pieces of fabric) and sew it in place.
Done!
What did I tell you? so, sew easy! I just wish I had a baby girl to put this on :)
Happy sewing!
Bug Collector Quiet Book Page Template
Expandable Quietbook Binding
I know that I have been saying that I will get my son’s quiet book done for a while, (a few cute pages are here, here and here) but the main reason I haven’t bound it together is because I still have some fun quiet book ideas rattling around in my head. I didn’t want to bind it all together and not have the chance to make some more pages for it.
Then I decided I just needed a binding method that allowed me to add more pages as I create them.
It’s very simple. I just sewed three strips of fabric on the inside spine of the cover and left the ends un-sewn. Then, I fished 3 binder rings through the holes. That’s it! To attach your pages, sew corresponding buttonholes, and place your pages in your binder.
I am so happy to have a way to keep creating pages! Now, off to get buttonholes sewn onto each page.
Happy sewing :)
Easy Duffle Bag
For a while now, I have been keeping The Boy’s foam blocks in the vinyl bag they came in; the zipper had broken a while ago, and it was kind of a pain. When my friend gave me this awesome helicopter fabric, I knew just what to do with it!
I made a very simple duffle bag for his blocks. It’s so easy, I didn’t even use a pattern.
First, figure out how big you want the bottom of your bag to be. I used a large mixing bowl and traced around it. Then, to cut the side, you need to figure out the circumference. There is an easy way to find the circumference: diameter x Pi.
After you find the width of your bag, then simply make it as tall as you need it to be. Make sure to leave a seam allowance.
Start by folding under the top of your bag twice, hiding the raw edge. Iron it in place, but don’t sew it.
Incredibly Easy Lined Camera Bag with Upcycled Crib Bumpers and Facebook Contest!
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Jo-ann Fabric and Craft Stores.
In celebration of Waverly’s 90th anniversary AND September as National Sewing Month, I was given an ah-mazing opportunity to work with some Waverly fabric from Jo-Ann. This stuff is so cute! I love the vintage look it has, and it’s thick and sturdy, so it works for a variety of projects. Right when I saw it, I knew what I was going to make: a new camera bag!
I have held on to my crib bumpers for a while, but I didn’t know what to do with them. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. And I am glad I didn’t because they worked out perfectly for this project. As I have mentioned before, I am not an amazing sewer. This bag is so easy, I feel like anyone can do it. I didn’t use a pattern, but I made a diagram of what my my cut fabric looked like.
uh, not to scale! |
Once you have your piece cut, fold right sides together and begin sew the sides together, like you have two bags, connected by one side. Since the diagram looks like a flattened box, take the side pieces and fold them up and create the box shape. Your “two bags” should look like this:
Also, leave your corners unsewn until you get all the sides sewn. I think there is an easier way to do corners, I am just not sure how to do it.
Once you have that sewn, sew the top flap sides, and across the top corners. Be careful to leave a big gap at the very top of the flap.
Once this is finished, turn your entire piece inside-out, and tuck one bag into the other. You now have a lined bag!
Make sure to sew up the unsewn edge of the flap.
I sewed all around the top to give it a finished look. I also made a strip of fabric for the handle, but you could buy a piece of belting for a stronger strap.
From here, I got my crib bumpers out and ready to go.
Oops! I made my bag too small to fit them the way they were. I had to cut them down bit.
Clearly not concerned |
To get my bumpers to bend easier, I sewed a straight light across it. It kind of cuts through the batting inside, and makes it more manageable. The left edge and middle are separate pieces that I ended up hot glueing in place. I couldn’t figure out a good way to sew it, but the glue has held quite well, and was very easy. Then, I just bought some chunky buttons and sewed two button holes. You could use Velcro or attach ties instead.
I hope it keeps my camera safe! I am known to be a bit irresponsible with my expensive things..
Happy sewing!
Yo Gabba Gabba Felt Magnets
Since the Boy has just loved his Transportation Magnets, I decided to make him another set. He loves the TV show Yo Gabba Gabba(I have posted about it earlier), so I made him a magnet of each character from the show.
I took the liberty of posting my patterns. Keep in mind, these are hand-drawn so they aren’t perfect (observe Foofa’s ginormous swollen right leg and skinny left leg, oops!)
What you need:
1 Tomato Red Felt
1 White Felt
1 Yellow Felt
1 Gray Felt
1 Blue Felt
1 Baby Blue Felt
1 Pink Felt
1 Baby Pink Felt
1 Black Felt
1 Light Green Felt
1 Dark Green Felt
Corresponding Embroidery Thread (You don’t necessarily need each color)
Magnet Strips
To print this template, click here: Yo Gabba Gabba Characters
Honestly, you could probably just hot glue these together if you are aversive to hand-sewing (it’s not difficult, but can be a bit time-consuming).
Happy sewing :)
Felt Aviator Sleep Mask
So recently, I have been trying to adopt some ways to get better sleep. It’s actually a little embarrassing. My son is an amazing sleeper, like ridiculously amazing. He usually sleeps 11-12 hours at night and 2-3 hours in the afternoon. I should be the most well-rested mom on the planet! But for some reason, I wake up in the morning totally exhausted, complete with “sandy” eyes. It’s getting rather frustrating, so I am trying anything( short of medication). One thing I read was to start wearing a sleep mask.
I’ll try it.
Felt Magnet Transportation
Vegetable Garden Quietbook Template
I actually finished this page several months ago, but I never posted a template, so I decided to get one made up!
This one is my own pattern but I got inspiration for this page at Leafy Treetop Spot. Tricia’s page is so cute! I just loved her idea for a vegetable garden so much, I had to try it.
You can find a printable template here:Veggie Garden Template
I cut the garden rows piece in dark brown, and sewed it onto a sky-blue piece of felt. I just eyeballed the holes. They aren’t perfect, but oh well! I also left the bottom unsewn. If a veggie or two gets pushed down through the holes, it can be easily retrieved.
To make the veggies, I sewed the green parts together first. Make sure to do any embroidery work before sewing the pieces together (on the veggies and the signs). Then, I took my sewn greenery, sandwiched it between the two veggie pieces, and sewed the whole thing together. I hand-sew all of the small pieces. It may seem to take longer, but I have a hard time sewing small pieces of felt effectively on the machine.
Mr. Potato Head Quietbook Page Template
A few weeks ago I posted my Mr. Potatohead Quietbook page, but then I had some requests for a pattern.
Tutorial for Sewing a Jogging Armband
I have been meaning to make one of these for while. I have been using a handkerchief, and I usually take about 5 minutes finagling it with my teeth and other hand.
Well, no more!
Mr. Potato Head Quiet Book Page
I am still slowly finishing up The Boy’s quiet book…and I got another page done! I have seen many people do this one, and I thought it looked like so much fun. There are so many fun accessories that you could continue to make for this one, I just thought it was too cute. You can find a printable template for this page HERE.
I also made a “closet” to keep all of his stuff in, for the opposite page.
This was a super fun one to make. Plus, because the whole thing is relatively simple, I just drew everything and didn’t have to waste printer ink. And I am NO artist, so that tells you how easy it is to just draw up cute things for this guy.
Do you have ideas for other accessories?