It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a "paper" grocery bag for play food!

I am doing something totally different on Tutorial Tuesday for the next 3 weeks. I will be guest blogging for Kimberly, over at the Secret Mommy blog. If you haven't been following her blog, you should! Her kids are adorable, and she has a gift for writing. Kimberly formerly posted "Make A Toy Monday" every week, and is changing it to "Make A Toy Tuesday", so we're combining it with my "Tutorial Tuesday" for the next 3 weeks to kick it off! Confused yet? ;)

Today, she posted my tutorial for a "paper" grocery bag, and the next 2 weeks she will be posting my tutorials for play food to fill it! This tutorial can also be used to make simple tote bags to carry toys, or even to use as a lunch bag (as Kimberly suggested) for "brown bagging" it. I like the lunch bag idea, especially since wool is insulated, and will help keep your cold food cold, or your hot food hot! Anyhow, click here to go to the full tutorial! See you next week, when I have a tutorial for play food to fill the bag!

It's What I've been Working on Wednesday!

This pillow is it for the week. It's been a super busy week, so no time for sewing, but I made this pillow this morning. My son had told me a while back that I needed to make a hedgehog, so here it is. Jack said "awww! He's so cute!", so I think I did ok :).

Since I won't be getting my room addition any time soon, I needed convenient storage for my sewing. I got lucky & found this over the weekend at a garage sale:



Now I just need some nice looking baskets, and i'll have a decent looking sewing storage area!

So, what have you been working on? As always, feel free to post pics of your finished recycled wool projects on my facebook page.

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a felted rose!

Today's tutorial is how to make a felted rose, generously shared with us by Lisa of Lydia's Treasures blog.
For the full tutorial go here!

I decided to make the pink one above, before posting this, and I love this tutorial! I used a pink felted cashmere I had, so it is a little fuzzy. For a more defined look, like Lisa's yellow one on her blog, you can use a felted wool or craft felt. I had never made one before, yet I was able to make this in under 5 minutes! They can be sewn to other projects or made into pins or hairclips. Great tutorial, Lisa! Thanks for sharing!

It's Feature Friday - Rags & Rambles

I have another great blog to share with you! Stephanie's blog, Rags & Rambles, is a must read for any recycled wool enthusiast, recyclist, or mom! What will you find on her blog? Great tutorials...



fun pictures of her adorable children...







and of course recycled wool & cashmere projects...




I love reading her blog, and i'm sure you will too!

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

We just celebrated a birthday for my sister in law that I love, and I made her this pillow. She loves Noah's Ark, so Noah's Ark it was! Here it is flat, so you can see it better.



Don't ever expect me to duplicate this one, lol! It took a lot of work, but luckily my husband helped me on this one by making some of the patterns for me (the ark, the giraffe), and brainstorming with me on the rest.




I was pretty happy with how it turned out! The birds & elephants got wonky on me, because they moved while I was sewing them on, but that was the worst of it. I didn't have a big enough blue piece to go across the bottom, so I thought it would be ok if it had a seam. I was wrong. It looked terrible. The whale is covering the seam :).



I have also been making dryer balls over the last few weeks. I like to work on them while I watch tv in bed at night (yes, I watch tv & sew in bed) They were in various stages, so I completed them. If you are interested in purchasing any, I sell them here.



I finished a diaper cover that I had cut the pieces for months ago, but just never got around to sewing.



I made one patterned pillow. I just love this pattern!



I think that's it for this week! What have you been working on? As always, feel free to post your finished recycled wool projects on my Facebook page!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Dandelionlady's felted sweater bag!

Want to make this fabulous & easy felted sweater bag? Head on over to Dandelionlady's blog for the full tutorial here! You'll need to provide your own adorable child ;)

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday - a pillow

My husband was out of town this week, so I didn't get much sewing done. I did make this pillow (I swear my pillows aren't as wonkily shaped as they seem from my pictures!) before he left. My husband quickly claimed the pillow for our family room, and since he usually is unimpressed with my projects, I decided to let him keep it ;). I like it too. Red wing blackbirds are my favorite birds :).

It's Tutorial Tuesday - Super easy hair clips & pins!

I make lots of these, because they are quick, easy, & look great on hats, etc. This is a great project for beginning sewers & children!



This is a great way to use up your felted scraps too! Ready for the tutorial? You will need felted wool (the more felted, the better), buttons, needle & thread, and some pinking shears. If you are making a pin or hair clip, you will need those as well.

Take your pinking shears & cut 2 circles, one slightly bigger than the other, in contrasting colors.



Place the smaller circle on top of the bigger one, then the button on top of that.



sew them together, just like you sew a button on a shirt.



Now just sew it onto what ever you want (directly on a hat, on a hair clip, on a pin, etc.). I made a hair clip this time. You can buy packages of these clips at craft stores, with the holes in them for sewing.



Wasn't that easy? :)

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

I've had a busy week again! I am slowly, but surely getting through my wool stash! I confess that I added one sweater to my stash (the striped one I made the soakers with), but I used up a lot of what I already had. I made 2 pillows, the birdie one above, and the sheep one below...



Some shorties & soakers for my son, since most, if not all, of last year's soakers are too small on him. I made them all with fold over rises, since he grows taller faster than he grows wider...



These look terrible in pictures, but are super cute on him...



I made another bug faced draft stopper...



I got lucky at a huge indoor garage sale (like a flea market), and founds lots of shakers...



Last, and definitely least, I made these shorties gone wrong! This, my friends, is what happens when i'm deep in thought while i'm sewing. I will stay far, far away from the sewing machine the next time I have a lot on my mind!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a recycled wool puppet!

Want to make this super cute puppet from recycled wool (felted sweaters)? Head on over to Martha Stewart's tutorial here!

Attention local (Chicagoland) crafters!

My husband's friend is running a craft show for his church, and they are looking for crafters! I would be there, but my husband has a fishing trip that weekend. Here is the information he gave me for the craft show:

Saturday June 18th 8-4

Booths $20

$25 w/power

St. Alexander's Parish, Palos Heights IL

Crafters wanted, heavily advertised.

more info call Brian 708-267-3864