Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Swiffer Sweeper Reusable Pad Tutorial

Can I just say that I love my Swiffer Sweeper Vac? Seriously....LOVE it. However, what I do not love is the cost of those god forsaken...murtherfrickin one use only pads that you are supposed to use with it. Seriously, I do not want to pay almost $10 every time I need a box of refills. That just makes me angry. After searching online for a way to make my own pads (and there are several great tutorials out there) I decided to make my own. Not because the others don't work, I'm sure they do. But most of them involved socks (just a no for me), old T-shirts (we don't have any that we don't wear) or crocheting/knitting a pad (I don't want my cleaning pad to have holes in it, thank you). Sorry that the pictures are a little hard to see detail on, I only had black terry cloth for use on this project! So here it is, my version. Enjoy!
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Supplies:
  • 16" X 5 1/2" piece of terry cloth
  • Sewing machine





Construction:
Step 1: Fold the short ends in 2 3/4"
Step 2: Using a serger OR a zig zag stitch (with one end of the stitch going off the fabric and one catching the fabric) stitch down the length of the pad, sewing the folded ends in place. I used a shorter stitch length since terry cloth tends to "shed" once it's been cut. By using a serger or zig zag stitch it will help prevent this from happening.
Note: double check that your ends are secured...if not do a quick straight stitch close to the zig zag stitch to make sure it's going to stay in place.
Step 3: Turn so that the raw edges of the turned ends are inside the pocket.

Step 4: Top stitch along the length of the pad to make sure everything looks OK and is really held in place. Note: If you want, fold the edges that are not caught by the folded edge in 1/4" and top stitch them in place. It's not necessary and is purely cosmetic, but it is one option to make the pad look more "finished."
That's it! It will be slightly baggy on your swiffer, but will lie flat when you place it on the ground. It has to be a little loose so that you can fit it over the ends. 





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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

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!

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

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!

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Coming Soon: April 2012 Edition





April 4, 2012: Big Girl Clothes!!! 






April 18, 2012: Strappy Bottle Holder Tutorial (the picture is not of the finished product)
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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Cutie Pie Burp Cloths Tutorial (and packaging idea)

I have so many friends having babies lately, it's crazy! The good news? I get to make baby items that my son doesn't need anymore, but that I still want to try my hand at. This go-round I've made burp cloths for a friend (I'm making something else for her too, but that's another tutorial/shout-out). Please note that if you don't want the curved burp cloth here, just cut rectangles and follow the other steps. I just like the look of the curvy ones better.
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Cutie Pie Burp Cloths

Supplies: 
  • 3/8 yard of 4 snuggly flannels (or any material you choose, I just like the flannels for this)
  • 12-pack of cloth diapers (I got these from Babies 'R' Us for about $12)*
  • Rotary Cutter and Mat 
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Pattern. Click on the link below for the PDF pattern.
                   Cutie Pie Burp Cloth PDF

* Get the 3-ply diapers, not 6 ply. You DO NOT want the extra thick section in the middle of the diaper, it makes it way too hard, trust me. I originally bought the 6-ply and once cut realized they wouldn't work.

Construction:

Step 1: Cut your materials. Each section of fabric into 13" X 11" pieces (you should have to cut each 3/8 yard into approximately 3 equal pieces). Cut out your pattern.

Step 2: Fold each diaper in half. Pin 1 section of fabric, right side down, to the each folded diaper. (so that print faces burp cloth. Fold entire pinned bundle in half once, so that it measures 6.5" X 11". Repeat with each section of fabric and cloth diaper.(or you can cut each separately, so each diaper will be folded in half twice {you want 2 layers of diaper on the finished burp cloth so that it is super absorbent} and the flannel/fleece folded in half once). If this step is confusing let me know, and I will try to help you out.*
      *I originally had this as a bigger pattern, but quickly realized that it wouldn't achieve what I wanted it to. That's why my flannel is already cut in the picture, but I ended up cutting it down a little more to get the double layer of diaper that I wanted.

Step 3: Cut out your pieces. Line up the edge of the pattern along the fold of your bundle. Cut along the line using rotary cutter or fabric scissors. Repeat with each bundle. You will end up with 12 fabric sections and 12 cut cloth diapers. When unfolded they should each look like a fat figure 8 (relatively).

Step 4: Make sure your fabric and diapers are still pinned together and unfold so that you see the entire figure 8. Sew along edges using 1/2" seam allowance. Make sure to leave an open section for turning (2-3inches wide should do it). Repeat with remaining fabric and cloth diapers. You will end up with 12 pieces.


Step 5: Clip into seam allowance around curves (so all the way around) being careful not to clip your stitching. Turn. Repeat with remaining 11 pieces.
Step 6: Turn the edges of your opening under 1/2" and pin in place. Top stitch around entire burp cloth, as close to the edge as possible (I like to try to make it between 1/8" and 1/4" from edge.

There, burp cloths done! You have the absorbancy of a cloth diaper, but the cute pattern and snuggly feel of the flannel. If you are using these for yourself, you're done! If these are a gift, see below for a cute packaging idea. I will say some of mine are a little wonky, just because I was in a rush. Had I taken 5 more minutes to really slow down and concentrate they would look much better!
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This is an idea I took from the blog Small Fry & Co. I loved the idea so much, I am using it to give the above burp cloths to a friend. Please note, if you are using the above burp cloths, you WILL have to fold them more than she did. These make for BIG cupcakes!

Here is the original Burp Cloth Cupcakes Tutorial. I have re-written it below for use with the burp cloths we just made.

Supplies:
  • Printer
  • Paper
  • Ribbon (optional)
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Toppers of choice (optional)
Construction:

Step 1: Download the Cupcake Wrapper Template from skiptomylou.org.

Step 2: If you don't like any of her patterns (I love them, but needed something slightly different) use a program like Photoshop to alter the pattern/color. I made mine solid navy.

Step 3: Cut the liners out. STOP! You need to prepare your burp cloths now.

Step 4: Place your burp cloth right side down. Fold the 2 long edges (the super curvy ones) into the center.
 Step 5: Fold in half, so that you no longer see the curvy edges.

Step 6: Roll your burp cloth.
Step 7: Place your rolled burp cloth on one end of one of your cut out cupcake liners.

Step 8: Roll your burp cloth along the length of the liner, making sure you are rolling the liner with it so that it fits the burp cloth.
Step 9: Tape the edge of the liner to hold it in place.

Step 10 (OPTIONAL): Embellish your finished cupcake with ribbon, ric rac, or a topper, if you so choose.

I finished packaging mine by placing them in a plain box that looked like a bakery box and using scrapbooking stickers to write a cute message on it. Again, can you tell I was pressed for time? I didn't really think out the spacing of my letters before I stuck them on, which I did about 5 minutes before running out the door to the baby shower!



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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Crochet Football Beanie

My first official Etsy order (well, official in the sense that it's from someone I don't know. I have had friends, etc order directly from me after looking on Etsy, but this one was legit!) was for 2 of my Football Beanie. Great! I started on them right away, and I think they turned out pretty well.

The tutorial I started with is at Mommies Crochet. After working the pattern the first time (not for this order, the first one was for my son), however, I noticed that the beanie turned out a little short. So I started adapting the crochet pattern to meet the measurements I listed in my Sizing Hats post. This time they definitely ended up longer, and (as a result) I'm sure they will fit and look much better. Thanks so much to April for the initial pattern! I have posted results for comparison below.
This was made from the original pattern

And this was after I added a couple rows to the middle. I think I would even
add at least one more row to the bottom.



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