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!