Coming Soon: May 2012 Edition

May 2, 2012: Reusable Swiffer Sweeper Pad Tutorial

May 16, 2012: Bun Shaper Tutorial

May 30, 2012: Kindle Fire Cover Tutorial

Bottle Holder Tutorial

When I came across a tutorial for a bottle holder on Small Fry & Co's Blog, I was super exited. The tutorial is easy to follow, and since (at the time I wrote this) my son was finally learning to hold his own bottle, this will prevent lost bottles, milk all over the car, etc. There were a couple of things I wanted to change though, so I have re-written the tutorial with those changes. Hope you like it!
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Bottle Holder

Supplies:

• 1 piece of fabric 3" X 26" (or shorter, I personally think this may be a bit long, but hey, it works)
• 1 cord stop
• 1 piece of cord 12" long
• 1 section of 3/4" velcro 1" long

Step 1: Fold your fabric lengthwise, right sides together. Press

Step 2: Sew along long raw edge. Turn.

Step 3: Turn raw edges of ends inward 1/2". Press

Step 4: Insert ends of cord into one end approximately 1/2".

Step 5: Top stitch around entire edge of strap. I also used a zig zag stitch over where the cord was inserted to ensure the cord was secured.

Step 5: Take "rough" section of velcro and sew it on the end of the strap opposite where you inserted the cord.

Step 6: Sew the "soft" section of velcro 4" up from the end of the strap, on the same side as the "rough" section.

Step 7: Install the cord stop. This can be tricky. I threaded a needle, looped the thread around the cord, and threaded the needle again with the same thread. Then I inserted the needle through the cord stop and PULLED (while holding the stop open). It was tough, but once the cord started coming through it worked great!

That's it...easy peasy, took me about 15 minutes to whip this up. And now I don't have to worry about my little man hitting me in the head with his bottle while I'm driving!

I Made My First "Big Girl" Clothes!

I'm in love with this skirt. No, seriously. It's comfortable, warm for winter, and cute! What more could I ask for?

The original tutorial is at the following link: Knit Skirt Tutorial

Just one thing: when you add the ruffles, be careful. When I went by the tutorial, I ended up with "wings" because the layers ended in points on the side. I had to go through and re-hem each side to make the ruffles rounded instead of pointed. It looked like I had 3 sets of wings without doing that! 

I also used a heavier knit material than the tutorial writer did (apparently), since my skirt holds its form more than the one pictured on that blog did. That's OK, it actually fits my personality better. 

Don't be afraid to try on the skirt before you add on the waistband/ruffles...I ended up taking mine in about 2 inches to get it to fit correctly! Remember that knits stretch, so unless the skirt you use to make your pattern is a stretchy skirt, you will most likely have to make this one smaller. Skirts that have zippers are a little wider than stretchy skirts, since they don't stretch over your body and conform to it. I used a zippered skirt for my pattern and didn't even think about that, thus creating more work for myself!