Bookmark This!

It seems that I work all the time now.  My job is full-time, Peaches goes to school about 20 minutes away and I still take care of the house and the cooking.  I've found myself a little down in the dumps but yesterday, I made a simple bag for Peaches' blocks and realized that I need to create something...anything to help my mental state.  

My journey out of the stay-at-home blues started with a mission to recreate Martha Stewart's crafts which eventually led me in all the right directions to start creating my own items for sale.  Now, I'm going back to that model and I'll be trying each of the following projects from this website:

http://crazylittleprojects.com/2014/08/quickandeasysewingprojects.html

And I'm also going to time them and see if they really are "sewable" in under the alloted time they state because you know I'm a stickler for those who brag about time and ease of projects (read: Martha Stewart).  

First Up - a "5-minute" bookmark that I plan to make for Peaches who is an avid reader and has graduated to books where she actually needs a bookmark.

Supplies:

• Scraps of fabric
• Small piece of elastic (hers was 1/2 inch wide but as she states really, most any width will do)
• Sewing machine

First I asked Peaches which fabric she wanted and let her know that she could have two so that it would be reversible.  After some careful coaching thought, she chose these two:

Fun fact - the first pennant flag that I ever made for Milla was with this fabric

I then sent her upstairs for her daily "quiet time."  Seriously, this kid went from sleeping 14 1/2 hours per day (including a 2 hour daily nap) to only 12 - 12 1/2 hours now that she's in kindergarten and gets home too late, so for the sake of everyone's sanity, she needs this quiet time. Plus, it's only for an hour which should give me plenty of time to make the bookmark.

I started the timer on my phone and cut out the fabric a little smaller than she did (3" by 9"). I then used a straight-stitch on my machine with the two right sides facing each other.  Of course I screwed up, and had one on the wrong side, but I stopped the timer since it wasn't fair that I was the idiot.  

After ripping the stitches (my seam ripper gets some serious usage), and a few profanities, I got started on the project again.

I then turned it inside out, pressed it flat and pressed under the edges so that I could sew in the elastic (seriously, if you want the step-by-step, check out the original: http://crazylittleprojects.com/2014/07/bookmarktutorial.html

After sewing in the elastic, it looked like this:

                           

And the timer that does not lie, said this:

Close, but no cigar my friend.  And I even HUSTLED.  

But me, being me, I had to personalize it for Peaches. Using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut out the words "Milla's" and "Book" on Heat Transfer Vinyl and made it a bookmark just for her.

Finished product - cute.  5 minutes?  Nope.  Would I do it again?  Probably not!

Front of bookmark (Milla's)

Back of bookmark

Spirit Fingers

It's Super Bowl time here in Seattle and there is nothing like it.  The city is electric and everyone is representing in Blue and Green! GO HAWKS!

Earlier in the season, we were at Peaches McGee's cousin's house watching the game and these people with silly pom-pom gloves appeared on TV.  Someone commented on how cool they were and I (stupidly) blurted out, "I'll make a pair for everyone if the Seahawks go to the Super Bowl."  

Cue the pom-pom sweat factory.

I asked the hubby to pick up a few pairs of gloves since apparently it's difficult to find them in most stores in January (WUT?!) Okay - I may have only gone to one store, but I hate shopping! 

He came home with three which was a huge relief - only 30 pom-poms to make.  Wait, did I say ONLY 30?  That's what I thought until I felt like my fingers were going to bleed after making 32 (of course I ruined two in the process of sewing them to the gloves - grrrrrr.)

Here are the supplies and instructions are below:

Instructions:

• Send husband out to buy gloves because you can't stand going to more than one store

• Make a pom-pom for each finger - I used a pom-pom maker like this one and a video tutorial on how to use it may be found  here.  Make more than you need... you WILL ruin at least one of them. 

 

• Sew the pom-poms to the mittens with embroidery thread that matches the color of the mittens.  I sewed through the pom-pom from top to bottom and then attached it to the mitten by sewing through the tops of the fingers (without a an actual finger in them).  There's a seam there already, so it doesn't add any bulk and looks seamless (no pun intended).

• Make your child model them even those she doesn't want to!

There you have it; now you have the ability to cheer with your fingers!