Snowy Weather Fun

The three of us went sledding yesterday. Clayton only agreed to go down the hill one time and then he wanted to play at the playground and take a walk. Oh, well.

Tip: Book Jackets That Stay Put

Clayton has a LOT of books and many are hardcovers with book jackets. He always seems to pull off the covers which leave them more vulnerable to wear and tear. So, I used acid free tape to make them stay on the books better.

I made 2 inch pieces of tape and 1/2 inch pieces. I put the small piece sticky side down on the 2 inch sticky side. This way the book will not be stuck with tape, just the dust jacket. I placed the strips evenly on the jacket edges on all four corners.

I Took the Pledge, Skirt to Dress Refashion

Notice the Clayton drool that hadn't dried, below.

....to Wardrobe Refashion! I made a little girl dress today in very little time. I bought this skirt probably more than 10 years ago and printed on it myself to imitate the BlueFish designs. I based the pattern on a thrifted pattern that I thought would be too small for my niece, but it's even big for my little guy, Clayton. (I just tried it on him.) Sarah will have to store it away for Olivia. It was fun to create something new out of something I wasn't wearing anymore.

Neck Gaiter Tutorial

I have been wanting to create these cute neck gaiters for a long time. My inspiration were these Buffs from Sahalie called Winterized Bandanas. I thought I could make them much cheaper than the $28.50 they are charging. I wanted to use up my leftover fleece from the monster hats that I make. I found the stretchy polyester, at Joann for $3.00 a yard. The fabric is not the easiest to sew, but I’m proud of how well they turned out.

Materials:

Polyester fleece or better yet, Bamboo fleece

Polyester stretchy patterned fabric (I found some $3.00 per yard stuff at Joann. It’s a

little difficult to sew, so I would recommend a better quality polyester.) I have not

been able to find patterned bamboo fleece.

Thread- I used cotton all-purpose, but polyester would probably be better.

Sewing Machine

A walking foot and a slight zigzag stitch when sewing the patterned fabric OR a knit stitch A nice sharp needle in your machine, especially for the double thickness version.

Use a 1/2" seam allowance.

Size Chart:

	Double Fleece Version		Single Fleece Version
	Fleece Size	Polyester Patterned Fabric Size	Fleece Size	Polyester Patterned Fabric Size
Newborn (6 months and younger)	8” X 13 to 15"		4” X 13 to 15”	8” X 13 to 15"
Infant (6 to 12 months)	9” X 14 to 17"		4.5” X 14 to 17”	9 X 14 to 17”
Child (12 months to 3 years)	10” X 16 to 19”		5” X 16 to 19”	10” X 16 to 19”
Child (3 years and older)	12” X 18 to 20”		6” X 18 to 20”	12” X 18 to 20”
Adult Woman	13” X 20 to 22”		6.5” X 20” to 22”	13” X 20 to 22”
Adult Man	14” X 21 to 24”		7” X 21 to 24”	14” X 21 to 24”

Double Layer Version:

1) Cut fleece as shown using the size chart. Make sure that you have the stretch in the right direction. You’ll have a hard time getting it over your head otherwise.

2) Line up wrong sides of fabric together with patterned fabric on top.

Sew a ½ inch seam using a slight zigzag stitch. (about 2.5 mm long and 2mm wide) Start sewing a little into the fleece and reverse so you don’t get the fleece stuck in the carriage of the machine.

3) Fold up the fleece from the bottom, hiding the patterned polyester inside. Turn to where you can see that first seam.

4) Sew slightly to the left of the first stitching line.

5) Hide the patterned fabric inside by moving it over and stitch along one end of your folded fleece.

6) Trim corners of fleece.

7) Turn inside out.

8) Fold right sides together to get ready to make a tube. Put the seam side of the fleece on top of the open end and leave about a ½ of the under side sticking out to the right. You will need that extra fabric to create a nicer final seam to create the tube. Sew a 1” seam from the end of the fleece up to the top of the patterned fabric. Reverse a little at both ends, preventing the stitch from loosening up later.

9) Line up your foot at the edge of the top patterned fabric. Sew to the right of your original seam using a reg. zigzag stitch to make a seam a little softer. Trim off the extra fabric underneath.

10) Turn right side out.

11) Now you have the open end of the fleece and the seam end of the fleece with enough of the open ended fleece to overlap with the stitched side. Stitch with a straight stitch on top to attach.

12) Turn inside out and make another line of stitching to the left to anchor the seam. (2nd picture is the look of this seam from the outside.)

13) You will not need to finish the edge of the top fabric because it will not fray.

Go outside and your neck will be warm and you will look stylish!

Single Layer Version: (much easier)

1) Cut both fabrics into correct dimensions according to the chart.. Make sure that you have the stretch in the right direction. You’ll have a hard time getting it over your head otherwise.

2) Hem the bottom of the fleece rectangle with about a ½” - ¾” fold. Start sewing a little into the fleece and reverse so you don’t get the fleece stuck in the carriage of the machine.

3) Line up wrong sides of fabric together with patterned fabric on top. Sew a ½ inch seam using a slight zig zag stitch. (about 2.5 mm long and 2mm wide)

4) Go back and fold the fleece over itself on the wrong side and stitch along with a straight stitch.

5) Fold the whole thing in half lengthwise, right sides together and sew to make a tube. Start at the fleece end using a straight stitch. Switch to the slight zigzag when you hit the patterned material.

6) Go back and stitch to the right of the original seam of the fleece and add a regular zigzag on the outside edge of the patterned fabric seam to make it a bit softer on the inside. You can leave the upper edge of the gaiter un-stitched because it won’t unravel.

VOTE for my tutorial, PLEeeaaaasse.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Stylish-Neck-Gator/ Go to the bottom of this page to vote without becoming a Paying member: http://www.instructables.com/account/gopro?sourcea=vote&nxtPgName=Sew+Warm+Contest&nxtPg=/contest/sewwarm/%3FvoteButton_EFC1IBXG5V2TFNY

More neck gaiters

I just made two more. One's for me and the other is for my neice Olivia. Compared to the $28.50 at Sahalie for their Winterized Bandana, I think they're pretty neat. I used leftover fleece from my monster hats and some cheap fabric I bought at Joann for $3.00 a yard. See my last post for 2 more kids neck gaiters.

Clayton and His Dinosaur, Neck Gaiters

My mom made my brother and cousin huge stuffed dinosaurs YEARS ago. Brandt's was probably made 29 years ago. I wondered if my mom still had the pattern. Well, a few weeks ago I received the pattern in the mail . She found in the attic. If you have ever been to my parent's house you will know that the place is tiny. How in the world would she still have that pattern? Anyway, I had some scraps of donated fabric (small rectangles, about 12" X 9"). I dyed them will RIT and sewed a few together. To save time and create the look of quilt blocks, I just created seams in the sewn together original rectangles to simulate small squares. I'm not sure why I bothered, because it was pretty time consuming, but it has an interesting look. I think I would have preferred more variety in the values of green, but it's still fine. Clayton gets a kick out of it.



Another project I have been wanting to do is make some of these neck gaiters I saw in the Sahalie catalog. They're called Buffs. I'm so happy that Clayton is starting to pose. (Sarah, I made the white one for Drake. If you want it or the red one, let me know. I am making one for Olivia, too)

Busy with Glass

I made a bunch more jewelry in the last few days. I had a commission, but had to use energy wisely and fire the full kiln in order to produce the few for a client. Clayton was in the studio with me as I was adding the findings and he actually posed and smiled for me! Notice the messy studio in the background. Yikes. I must get that under control!



I think I will keep the 3 rings and earrings pictured here. I haven't been successful selling these lately, so I might as well please myself and wear them.


2 commissioned sets above.

On another note, here is Clayton occupying himself reading some books. Way to go, kid!