Recent Projects

I have been on a cleaning frenzy lately. I think it has something to do with the third trimester nesting phase. I have been scrubbing carpets, washing walls and windows, and getting rid of lots of clutter. I have also been busy with lots of sewing projects.



The picture above is of some fleece pants I made for the Julia, James, and Joshua for Christmas. I also embroidered a small horseshoe on the t-shirts. I think the kids will like wearing these while they watch the Colts games on TV with their Daddy.



I made these cloth blocks for the baby for Christmas. I used a pre-printed Precious Moments quilt panel that had been given to me. I cut out the blocks and stitched them together. I stuffed them with fiberfill. They were pretty easy to put together.



I also made the baby a door hanger for his room that is similar to the ones I made for his brothers and sister. I know he won't be sleeping in his room for quite a while, but I wanted him to match.



I also made a little crinkle taggie toy out of an embroidery test sample I had done several years ago. I used a clean empty chip bag to make the crinkle sound and added some batting.

Recent Projects

Felt Projects

I have made a few things from my felt stash for the kids for Christmas. I made car play mats for the boys and a doll play mat for Julia. I think they will like them. They were easy to make once I decided on how to do them. I put a pocket on the front for storage, and I embroidered their names on the front.

I also made a felt board for the kids. I had an old frame that I took the glass out of. I then attached felt to the backing, and put it in the frame. I cut shapes from felt, and I had my mom cut the ABC's and 123's using the die cutter at her work. I think the kids and I will have fun making more things for it. In addition to more things cut from felt we can also print out pictures, cover them with contact paper, and put a Velcro dot on the back. The kids could then retell their favorite stories, etc.

The pictures below first show the felt board, and then a closed and open shot of the two different play mats I made.

Felt Projects

I Spy Bags

I made I Spy Bags for my own children and some of the other children on our Christmas list. I had a lot of fun creating these. The ones in the first picture are made from small tote bags that I had purchased last year. I opened the seams on the sides of the bags. Then I used a square template to trace an area to be cut out in the middle of the front of the bag. I sewed clear vinyl to the opening using a zigzag stitch first followed by a straight stitch. I sewed the side seams up again (using a triple stitch) and turned the bag right side out. I filled the bags with various small trinkets. I put 2/3 cups of rice in the bags, and sewed the top closed with a triple stitch. I made tags (which I covered with contact paper) for each bag, and attached them to the handles with ribbon.




I also made fleece I Spy Bags. I cut 2 pieces for each bag using my 6 1/2" quilt template. I then cut a square opening in the middle of one piece. I again sewed the clear vinyl to the opening using the same method as above. I used a triple stitch to sew the 2 pieces of fleece together (wrong sides together) using a triple stitch. I left an opening to put the trinkets and rice in (I used 1 cup of rice for these bags). Then I stitched the opening closed and used pinking shears to pretty up the edges. I made tags for these as well and sewed them to the back of the bags.

Below is the list I made for the boys bags. I read a suggestion (after I made these) to use a simple picture beside each item's name to help younger children aren't reading yet. I also read an idea to use printable fabric for the tags and sew them onto the bags. Anyway, I was able to make these bags with many things I already had in my craft stash. I hope the kids like them.


I Spy Bag

Can you find all of the things hidden inside this bag?
Here is a list of what is in the bag. Have fun.

Colored Stone
Button
Penny
Colored Macaroni
Dove
Cross
Shell
Poker Chip
Feather
Glitter
Bean
Bead
Angel
Star
10 Commandments
Initial Bead
Flower
Leaf

I Spy Bags

Embroidered Sweatshirts & Door Hangers

I embroidered the 3 older kids sweatshirts for Christmas using designs from various sources. I think they will like them. I also embroidered the door hangers pictured below. I had a design that I edited in my embroidery software. I deleted all stitches except the outline stitches. Then I inserted text and a graphic for each child. I then embroidered them on felt. I think the kids will like them. I am having so much fun making so many of their Christmas gifts this year.

Embroidered Sweatshirts & Door Hangers