Quiet Book

I saw a few ideas for making quiet books for kids and just had to get together my own ideas and come up with a super cute one for my little guy. Here’s a little tour.

The cover.

Colors! I want to add a paint brush to do pretend painting.

The colors all detach and can be rearranged.

Grocery shopping! Bananas, watermelon, grapes, milk, an apple and bread all fit into the grocery bag!

Cars! They attach with snaps. The wheels are sewn onto the book.

They can be moved around to match different cars with different wheels.

Shapes! The shapes can be matched or mis-matched.

Cookie jar! This is my personal favorite. I got this idea from MADE. There’s a zipper…

… And inside are six chocolate chip cookies!

This is the back.

It closes with velcro.

I had so much fun coming up with the ideas and hand-sewing the book together. I hope it lasts for many years! It was a ton of work but totally worth it.

Chalkboard Sign

Check out the super cool chalkboard sign my dad made for me. He made the frame as a 'prototype' for these frames.

It was sort of discarded in his shop, so I took possession of it. I asked him to cut a piece of plywood for the inside. Then I spray painted the frame with glossy antique white paint and used spray chalkboard paint for the plywood.

I couldn't resist making a cute little banner for it. I used scrapbook paper, t-shirt yarn, and buttons from this Etsy shop.

Bike T-Shirt

I made this shirt for my husband and gave it to him for Christmas.

I made the shirt from old t-shirts (and some new jersey fabric.)

I used this tutorial for freezer-paper stenciling the bike.

He wore it for three days in a row after Christmas. He loves biking.

Top 10 of 2011

I have been more than a little busy this week!

I wanted to do a “Top Posts of 2011” post like I did last year for 2010.

However, I don’t actually know how to manipulate Google Stats to just show the top 10 of this year.

I took the posts from my top 10 all-time views (there are 7 of them from this past year!) and then I added three of my favorites that are also popular.

#10 (my pick)

Repurposed Craft Supply Organizer

#9 (my pick)

Child's Rocker

This little reupholstery project is really popular.

#8 (my pick)

Felt Car Mat Tutorial

#7

Toddler Slipper Pattern

#6

Taffeta Flower Tutorial

#5

Non-gathered, flat front Yoga Skirt Tutorial

#4

Cute Little Tote Bag Tutorial

#3

Ruffle T-Shirt Skirt Tutorial

#2

Big Flower Tote Bag Tutorial

#1….

Stuffed Dinosaur Tutorial & Pattern

Thanks for reading my blog! I have taken a needed break from sewing/crafting during this time of Christmas/New Year’s, but I’m itching to get back to work soon.

My husband and I just finished a project that I’m anxious to share. I just have to get some good sunny days to take pictures of our final product!

Happy New Year!

Freezer Paper Stenciling

Guys are so hard to craft and sew for! But I had the perfect idea this year. I made some pretty sweet shirts for my husband and one of our little guys for Christmas.

They have bikes on them. My husband loves to bike. I not only made the shirt for him using a raglan shirt pattern I drafted myself, but I hand cut the stencil for it from freezer paper.

(Hello, Silhouette??!? I’d love to be given one of your products to try. Or win one. Whatever works. But I don’t have $300 to buy one! Not even on Black Friday!)

I digress.

I cut the stencil using a bike picture I found online. I cut it with some guides from my dad’s shop to help go around the curves nicely. I used a utility knife (not shown) and cut on my self-healing mat I use with the rotary cutter.

After I got it all cut out, I found out I had to carefully place the pieces inside the wheels. So it was like putting a puzzle together. I then ironed all the pieces into place.

I applied fabric paint to the stencil. I didn’t actually use a brush. I used a scrap piece of fleece. It worked out fine.

Here’s my first draft of the stencil. I actually cut three of them. I had to test it out before I tried it on the shirt I’d made.

Here’s me doing it to the actual shirt. Same steps. Just more fear.

I spent a lot of hours on this shirt! I am so excited to give it to my hubby—sorry this post won’t be up before Christmas, but I can’t risk spoiling the aura of surprise!