It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday - lightweight quilt

I had a few hours of unscheduled time on Saturday, and looked around my house to see what I could get done, got overwhelmed, and started a sewing project instead ;). I did end up getting a lot of housework done eventually, but first I played with my wool :).
My comforters are too warm for the summer, but a sheet just isn't enough, so I decided to make a lightweight merino quilt for the bed. I need 90 8 1/2" squares to make it the size I want, and I cut 44 of them today, so i'm off to a good start. Hopefully I can finish it before it gets cold again, so I can use it this year!

One of the sweaters had perfect cuffs for cozies for my son's water bottle. It is felted, and was the perfect size, so I didn't have to sew a thing, just cut them off and slip them on!



This quilt will be a work in progress for a while, so i'll keep you all updated!

What have you been working on?

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a super cute n easy sheep pillow!

What could be more fitting than making a sheep out of wool? I found this adorable and easy sheep pillow tutorial, Molly's Sketchbook: Little Lamb Pillows, and made one for my bed.

I cheated on mine, and was too lazy to cut the scallops, so I just cut the general shape of the pattern without them. Though it's not as cute without the scallops, I still like how it turned out, especially with the cabled pattern of the sweater.



 

I didn't have any stuffing on hand, so I just used the scraps from the sweater I had left over after cutting the body of the sheep. Since I am always looking for my remote controls, I added a couple of pockets to back for them :).


Thanks, Molly, for the super cute tutorial!

It's What I've Been Working On Wednesday!

I made these a few weeks ago, but haven't had the time to sit down and blog about them until now.

It's been a long time since i've made diaper covers for my own, so when I was invited to a family member's baby shower, and found out she was going to be cloth diapering, I ran to the sewing machine!

I used Katrina's free soaker pattern for the body of them, but created my own rises (waistbands). I like the fold over style rise, so it can be an extra tall rise for night use, plus they last longer, since babies tend to grow longer before they grow wider. For the longies (pants), I just used the sweaters' sleeves, and for the shorties I used the sweater's cuffs. The longies will last through a few sizes, because of the foldable cuffs and fold over rise.

I can't wait to see these on the baby! :)

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Wool drink cozies!

What is more perfect for summer than wool? Ok, we may not be throwing on sweaters, or pulling wool blankets over ourselves right now, but there are still great summer uses for wool. I use wool cozies on all of our uninsulated glasses and water bottles, and they work great! Wool is naturally insulated, so it keeps your drink colder longer, and as an added bonus, not only soaks up that condensation on the outside, but wicks it away, leaving your hands dry. Make them in different colors/patterns and everyone will know who's glass belongs to who too!

 I love making these, because they don't use a lot of material (you can make so many out of a single sweater!), they are cool looking, you can customize them, and they are super easy and fast to make!

 Ready for the tutorial? Start out with any felted wool. Measure from top to bottom how long you want it to be on your glass (I love drinking out of mason jars), then measure around the glass, and take off about 1/2" if it's stretchy, or leave it the measurement around if it is not too stretchy. You want it to fit snuggly, so it doesn't fall off. Now you cut it to that measurement. I like to make the top of the cozy the hem or cuff of the sweater, so it has a nice finished edge.

 


Now you need your bottom piece. Just cut a circle about 1/2" wider than the bottom of your glass. If you have a hard time cutting perfect circles, just print out a template from the web, like this one.




Now sew your cozy seam, wrong side out. I like to stretch it a little as I sew, so the seam won't break if I have to stretch the cozy over a glass tightly.
 


Now sew your bottom piece on, again, wrong sides out.

 


Now flip it right side out, slip it on your glass, add your favorite summer beverage, and enjoy!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a toothbrush cozie! [Update: April Fool's!!!]

Are you tired of waking up to a cold toothbrush handle, or just want to do something special for your overnight guests? Decorative wool toothbrush cozies are the way to go! Check out this easy tutorial, so you can make one yourself in just 17 easy steps!






Ok, c'mon people... did you really think i'm that nuts?

Happy Aprils Fools Day!!!!

Spring into spring projects sale!

 

Spring has sprung! To jump start your spring projects, how about a sale? Take $1 off all individually listed sweaters in my shop, $5 off of blankets, and $5 off of mystery lots! Stock up now, because I won't be having a sale like this again for a long time!

To take advantage of my sale, just check out as usual and I will refund you the difference, or let me know which ones you want, and I will send you an invoice for the correct amount. Please understand that if you choose to email me with your options, the sweaters can still be purchased by someone else, until I get the email and remove them from my shop.

Sale ends Wednesday, March 19th, 2014, at 4pm CST.

It's What I've Been Working On Wednesday - Fleece guinea pig accessories

With new pets come new sewing projects! As much as i'd love to make everything out of wool for our new guinea pigs, it is just not practical for all the washing these things will need to endure, so I made a bunch of fleece accessories. Fleece at the fabric store can get expensive, but the thrift stores are full of fleece, just waiting to be upcycled! I found 2 different big double layer (twice the fabric!) fleece blankets, each under $1, and set to work.

I made cage liners first. Why not just use small animal bedding? Bedding is expensive, and not eco-friendly, since you have to use so much of it and throw it out often. I found that my piggies use their "litter box" for most of their pottying, and use so much less litter than filling the cage. The fleece is soft on their paws, more attractive, and for the stray "tiny Italian sausages" (what my son calls their poops, lol), it is easy and fast to just scoop them off the fleece.

 


I saw this idea for a "fleece forest" online, and my piggies LOVE it! They spend most of their day in there, and they think they are invisible when they are in there, lol. I see you Scruffy!



This is another idea I got online. I just made a triangle of fleece with a fringe of fleece hanging down on one end. We don't have to look at the... um... litter box contents, and they like feeling like they are hidden. Win-win!
 

Since whatever doesn't end up in the litter box is usually done in the corners, I made poo-pads, so I can just lift out the litter squares and shake them off into the garbage. Easy Peasy cleanup!



The little bed I did make out of wool, but tucked a piece of fleece in the bottom, so I can switch that out when it gets dirty

.
 

Just like the wool hidey bags I made for them,  but this one is fleece, so I can wash it with the rest of their fleece stuff.




Scruffy loves to lounge in there :).


Since I love to sew, and my guinea pigs seem to love everything I make them, i''m sure there will be more guinea pig sewing in my future! :)

It's What I've Been Working On Wednesday! Wool pet supplies!

We just adopted 2 new family member, Spotty and Scruffy (guinea pigs)! 

At first I used regular bedding in their cage, but my sweaters looked like this every time I picked them up.... and that's after brushing off what I can... and it ends up all over the floor. Ugh!
 

After reading around online, I found that a lot of guinea pig enthusiasts use fleece liners in the cages, instead of bedding. Less messy, way less expensive, more comfy for the piggies... brilliant! Instead of fleece, for my first attempt, I of course used wool :).

 

Guinea pigs love having stuff to hide in, especially since they are new to us and scared of everything! The cardboard box hideaway was fine while we weren't interacting with them, but when I would go to pick them up, they would go racing around the cage in a panic. I decided to make little sacks for them, like I had seen online made of fleece, but out of some wool blanket scraps I had. With these little tunnel/sack things, I can just pick them up, sack and all, so handling time is a lot less scary and panicked. On the open end, I just folded the edge over twice and sewed, so the opening would be stiffer and stay open.




They seem to really like them! At least they are less scared for now.





I wonder what else I can make for them from wool? :)

I'm weather proofing with wool!

We have the coldest temperatures ever recorded in history coming our way. It is supposed to be a high of -10 degrees!

Monday

HIGH/LOW

-10°/-18°

I have an old house, and just about nothing is insulated. My dining/family room has a sliding glass door, and you can feel the cold pouring in over there. I just hung a wool blanket up for now, but I plan to make something more permanent later. It is amazing the difference that made! Even the floor is warmer.


In the same room I have a few little octagon windows. They are not insulated (or at least not well), and if I put plastic over them, they will fill with mold from trapped moisture. Wool will insulate, while remaining breathable and moisture wicking. I made little covers to go over them from pieces of a pale yellow blanket. I used a lighter color on purpose, so light could still filter through, and as you can see it is :).

 

Everyone stay warm & safe!!!