Hooked on Hot Pads

I've been watching a lot of TV lately.  I don't know what it is- the heat, the reduced work load, something repressed from my childhood- but I can sit for hours and watch reruns.  Total time suck!  

To assuage my guilt a little, I've been trying to crochet or knit during these epic viewing marathons.  HOWEVER.... I can't take on any larger crochet or knit projects because I have two pillows I've been putting off for months and it just wouldn't be fair to them.  (Anyone else feel like they can't start a new project because they've been neglecting an older project for months? Please say I'm not alone in this!!)  So what's a TV viewing gal to do?  Crochet a hot pad, of course!

Who: This one is for my family to enjoy.

What: I was inspired by Sew Take a Hike's tutorial here.  I found a tip here about using freezer paper when sewing crochet onto fabric.  What a lifesaver!!  

Cost: Nothing.  Again.  Sorry!!!  I had several bits of yarn from previous projects- so this was a great stash-busting yarn project.  For the fabric, I used a very well-worn pair of khaki pants that I had in my throw away pile.  It was perfect- so soft, but still very strong for use in a hot pad.

Sew Cheap Summer Challenge July Update

It's the end of July (can you believe how fast the summer is going by?) and time to update the Sew Cheap Summer Challenge List.  Once again, here is my original list of 10 sewing goals for summer updated to show the changes I've made and the projects I've completed.  

1. Tiny Curtsy Skirt  Completed 6/21
2. Itty Bitty Baby Dress
3. Infant Peasant Dress  Completed 6/27
4. Summer Stripes Skirt  Completed 6/5 ( was going to be the Reversible Wrap Top)
5. The Party Dress  Completed 6/13
6. Gobble Gobble Turkey Shirt
7. Gathered Clutch
8. Felt Fringe Christmas Tree Skirt Completed 7/6 (was going to be the Mooshy Belly Bunny )
9. Lamb Pillows Completed 7/24 
10. Pillow Cover

And now a word about budget.  When I last updated you, I had spent $25.  Since then, I've spent an additional $9.00 on the peasant dress and tree skirt.  The lamb pillow was made with materials I already had on hand.  This brings my total for summer to $34.  Not bad, I think.

  

Project #6: Little Lamb Pillow

Today, I bring you my girly version of the Little Lamb Pillow.  This was seriously one of the fastest and most immediately pleasing projects of the summer.  I think I had the whole thing cut, sewn and filled within an hour.  And it turned out adorable!!  I love it!!

And now for the details:

Who: Well if the pictures below are any indication, this one may go to the dog.

What: I used this pattern and tutorial from The Purl Bee.

Brief Tangent- have you checked out Purl Soho's website (The Purl Bee) before?  It's one of my absolute favorite spots to go for crafting inspiration.  They have a wonderful collection of sewing, crocheting, knitting (and more) projects for all skill levels.  As a newbie knitter, I've had success with their knitting projects.  Also as a long-time crocheter, I've found their patterns super easy to follow.  And, of course, their sewing projects are also really unique and inspired.  Really, I can't say enough good things about this site.  

Cost: Nothing.  I had the pink felt from the winter and the white felt was leftover from my tree skirt.  I even had just enough stuffing sitting around to finish this off.  I love when a project works out like this.

Before you go, I originally planned to photograph this on the couch with a blanket.  However, Mollie had other ideas as you can see.  What a cutie!!

Where Have I Been?

Well, I got side tracked.  I was looking around online last week and got caught up in a series of posts Jess at Craftiness Is Not Optional did on making Barbie® clothes.  Her sewing ideas were super straight forward and seemed easy to do.  And it looked like a great way to bust through my stash of fabric scraps.

Ok, time for a confession.  I was so smitten that I went out and bought a Barbie® just so I could sew her clothes!  I know, I know... it's terrible.  I have since learned, though, that my niece does indeed like to play with Barbies®, so I have someone to gift this doll and wardrobe to.  Whew....  

First up, I started with Jess's ideas for making a dress with darts and a velcro enclosure.  So easy.  And look how cute it turned out!  The belt is made from bias tape and black felt.  I think she looks ready to hit the beach in this dress.

But maybe Barbie® isn't headed to the beach today.  Maybe, instead, she just wants to do some shopping in Santa Barbara.  (Ok, maybe it's just me who wants to do some shopping in Santa Barbara.)  Well, she'll need a cute skirt and tank top for that.  And a cute purse- a must!!  I used Jess's tutorial for both the skirt and the tank top.  The only difference I made was to line the skirt with a contrasting fabric, so that I didn't need to enclose the elastic.

Last item to share today- Pajamas!  For the pants and top, I simply drafted a pattern by tracing a rough outline of Barbie® on to paper.  I added seam allowances and was ready to go.  This is definitely one of my favorite creations- it's just so cute to see Barbie® all cozy in flannel pajamas!

Final Details

 Who: For my niece (eventually)

What: I used some of Jess at Craftiness Is Not Optional's tutorials for Barbie® clothes. 

Cost: Nothing... except for the Barbie®.  Ha ha!!  For the rest, I've just been busting through all my scraps of fabric.  Love it!!!

Project #5: Felt Fringe Christmas Skirt

Who: This one is for myself.  A little selfish, a little early Christmas sewing for myself!  

What: I used the tutorial from Pretty Prudent to make a version of their Felt Fringe Christmas Skirt.   I've been looking for a tree skirt since we moved into our house several years ago.  We have much taller ceilings in our new house and have been getting a 9 or 10 foot tall tree every Christmas.  Unfortunately, finding a tree skirt has been impossible.  I've had three requirements: it has to be large, it has to be non-traditional (especially color-wise), and it has to be cheap.

The ladies at Pretty Prudent do a great job with their tutorial, so I won't bore you with another set of directions.  I will, however, share a little about the dimensions of my skirt.  

• I used 3 yards of red flannel as my base.  Before beginning, I cut this and sewed it together to make a larger square.  From that, I cut out my skirt base.  
• I used 1/2 yard each of the four colors to make the fringe.  For all four colors of felt, I cut them into 3 inch high strips (giving me 6 long strips of each color).  I cut my fringe about 3 inches wide.
• In addition to fringe strips, I also cut 2 inch high strips of the pale pink felt to sew as binding around all the cut edges of my red flannel.  I don't know exactly how much it took to do this, but my guesstimate is that I used a little less than 1 yard of the pale pink felt to make both the fringe and binding.

I absolutely LOVE the end result!!  It's such a big, bright skirt and I can't wait to use it this Christmas!

Cost: I had about half of this fabric in my stash: 3 yards of red flannel, 1 yard of pale pink felt (didn't use it all), and 1/4 yard of white felt.  I bought the (additional) white, fuchsia and teal from Joann's.  In total, I spent $ 7.50 and spent 2 afternoons working on this- maybe 6-8 hours total.