remote control pillow pattern

UPDATE: Thanks to WhipUp for their link to my pattern!

When it comes to gift giving, it’s really hard to buy for my brother. Same with his girlfriend. They don’t have a lot of time for hobbies because they both work really hard at their jobs and at school. The only thing that is consistent with them is the Hokies. Something burgundy and orange usually goes over well, but how much VT gear can one really want? I decided to ask him. I told him to be honest. Do they both really love the Hokies that much? The answer was YES. So for his birthday, I made him this:

easy remote pillow pattern front

And that’s not even the cool part. Look at the other side:

easy remote pillow pattern front

Because they are so busy with work and school, they wind up watching more games in their living room than down in Blacksburg. I figured a VT-themed remote control pillow would be perfect! What’s even better, I made this out of one of his old VT sweatshirts. He had handed it down to me a few years ago and it had been sitting in my closet for awhile. I figured I’d give it back to him new and improved!

I think this would be a cool gift to make for any sports junkie in your life. It would probably work just as well with a t-shirt. I’d just use a more substantial interfacing to give it structure. I’ve written up a pattern and you can download it here. Let me know if you make one! And as always, drop me a line if you have any questions.

five easy steps to silencing your inner elmo

You know what I’m talking about. The Inner Elmo. The la, la, la, la that runs through your head all day. You just want to make it stop. I can imagine that parents with a talking Elmo doll are probably on the brink of insanity. I think that’s maybe what happened to Christy.

We were at knitting one Saturday afternoon and I was talking about how much Bella LOVED Elmo. Christy said she had an Elmo to give me if I wanted one. It was in her closet. I told her thanks, but I don’t need an Elmo that continues to sing la, la, la, la after I turn Sesame Street off. She said no worries. This Elmo doesn’t work anymore. Oh. Well, in that case, cool! We’d love to have an Elmo!

When I brought him home a few weeks later and showed T he had two things to say: “Oh my god, Bella is going to LOVE that!” and “Oh my god, does it talk?” I told him that Elmo was broken and he said, “Cool!”

I showed him the doll and he commented on how heavy Elmo was. All that mechanical stuff inside made him kind of clunky. T suggested that I take it out. Huh? He reminded me that I can sew and that I could do anything I wanted with Elmo. Yes, knowing how to sew can sometimes be dangerous. It makes you fearless with regards to Opening. Up. Elmo.

5 Easy Steps for Silencing your Inner Elmo

  1. With a seam ripper, carefully open up the fabric around the battery box.
  2. The battery box is part of a bigger box, which is held in place by a heavy duty plastic tie. Cut the tie.
  3. The box is also connected to the mouth and hand by small wires. Cut the wires as close to the hand and mouth as possible.
  4. At this point, you might want to throw Elmo in the washer on the gentle cycle. I didn’t put him in the dryer, but rather let him air dry. (I’m not sure why I was so cavalier about ripping him apart and throwing him in the washer, but timid about putting him in the dryer.)
  5. When dry, stuff him with some FiberFil and sew him up!

I did all of this in the evening after Bella was in bed. I was afraid she’d get upset if she saw me cutting Elmo’s insides out. A few days after he was finished, Bella was freaking out about getting dressed because OH MY GOD PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME TAKE OFF MY ELMO PAJAMAS. I was in a hurry get out of the house, so I made a deal with her: take off the Elmo PJs and I’ll let you play with a real Elmo.

They have been best friends ever since.

bella and elmo

 

Thank you, Christy!
 

i made it myself: bicycle pants cuff

T has been riding his bike to work the past few weeks. He needed something to keep his pants from getting caught in the chain. I offered to make him something out my scrap fabric.

bicycle pants cuff

We measured twice, with his pants on. Somehow the first one turned out too small and the second one too big. Hopefully, this one will be just right. Once I get the measurements down, I’m going to make a second one for him. I might also write up a tutorial, although it’s pretty straight forward. I used a cotton fabric that looks like denim, but is lighter in weight (and hopefully cooler, too!). I also used some fusible interfacing and velcro.

Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here.

i made it myself: summer of socks 08

This week has been so busy. I actually had something else to post today for “I Made it Myself,” but I don’t have time to blog about it. In fact, I can’t believe I’m blogging at all. I got up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday so I could do morning pages and post my socks before we leave for Kearney. Who am I? Here are the socks:

socks

And here are the stats:

yarn: cherry tree hill sock it to me cabin fever
needles: size 2.75 mm
pattern: slip rib pattern from stitch dictionary

I am totally in love with these. I’ll blog more about them later.

easy kids shorts pattern

UPDATE: Thanks to the Craft Magazine blog for their link to my pattern!

I’ll say right up front, this isn’t an original idea. There are lots of tutorials on the web on how to make kids pants, like here and here. There’s also a cool how-to in The Creative Family.

I also need to note that my daughter really doesn’t need any more pants. She has plenty, and it’s too hot to wear them now anyway. So, I did the next best thing. I made her shorts! (Shhh… she has plenty of shorts, too. I just really wanted to sew these and was looking for an excuse!)

easy kid shorts

They turned out nice. The t-shirt fabric is from one of my old Gap shirts that has a little stretch to it. I didn’t make them too snug, and hopefully they’ll last through the rest of the season.

easy toddler shorts

I used a pair of her shorts as my pattern and traced them onto paper first. The template fits on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, so I figured why not share it with the blog world? You can download it here.

Drop me a line and let me know if you make a pair. I’d love to see a photo if you do! Also, this is my first attempt at writing a sewing pattern. Please let me know if something isn’t clear!

bruschetta tomato basil topping

I’ve been making bruschetta out of my old bread. When it gets too dry, I toast slices until they are crispy and spoon on some tomato and basil topping. Instead of rubbing garlic and oil on the bread, I added them to the topping.

bruschetta

Bruschetta Tomato Basil Topping

2 tomatoes, deseeded
12 (or more) fresh basil leaves
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t kosher salt
1 T olive oil

Whiz everything together in a food processor. Spoon onto bruschetta. Enjoy!

socks, socks, socks!

Some of you may have heard me rambling on about Summer of Socks as I knit on tiny needles around and around in circles. While I was working on my parents’ afghan the past year (and a half!) I had been collecting a little bit of a sock yarn stash. (Well, if you call a rubbermaid tote filled with yarn a little bit. Hey, it’s a medium sized tote, not a big one!) Anyway, I decided that after knitting such a large project, I was only going to knit small things for awhile.

Then I heard about Summer of Socks 2008 and joined immediately. It’s basically a bunch of contests all summer long and the more socks you knit, the more chances you have to win. Look at all of the socks knitters have finished and it’s only the end of week two! I think the winner of the most socks last year knit something like 42 pairs. Pairs! My goal is just one sock a week. So far, I’m on track. Here’s my first pair:

socks

For those who are interested, here are the specs:

Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Needles: size 3 mm
Pattern: plain toe up stockinette socks with Wendy Johnson cast on, Cat Bordhi master toe up heel flap and Elizabeth Zimmermann sewn bind off

I also decided to sponsor a prize for one of the raffles. I’ve been working on some different sock basket prototypes and I think I’ve finally got a pattern I really like. Most sock knitting totes are designed for knitting on the go, but I wanted something that would look cute around the house. I do most of my knitting at the kitchen table and wanted a little basket to show off my socks-in-progress. Here is the tote I am donating as a prize:

Just before I started SOS08, I finished up a pair of socks that I had on the needles since last October. They don’t count toward the contest, but they turned out really cool! I love the zig zags.

jaywalkers

For those who are interested, here are the specs:

Yarn: Cascade Sassy Stripes
Needles: size 2
Pattern: toe up Jaywalkers with Wendy Johnson cast on, Cat Bordhi master toe up heel flap and Elizabeth Zimmermann sewn bind off

Phew! Now I think I need a proper pair of sock blockers so I can take prettier pictures of my socks. I found an online tutorial (not big on the coat hanger idea) so maybe before the next pair is finished!

free fabric!

UPDATE: I’m crossing out items as they are taken.

I’m giving away some fabric to either FreeCycle or the People’s City Mission and thought I’d check with my crafty blog readers to see if they wanted any of it. Most of it is from a garage sale. The guy was a fashion student at UNL. He said it is all “designer” fabric, but I have no idea what that means. There are no labels. I don’t know what the content of the fibers are, either. I’m guessing most are synthetic unless I’ve noted otherwise. But, hey, it’s free! All I ask is that if you are not local, you pay for shipping and handling. First come, first served. I’m also posting this on twitter. Click the images for larger sizes.

I also have a Big Box of Scraps. Felt, cotton, polyester, denim, silk, lace. Some big, some itty-bitty. (Good for appliqués?) It’s heavy. I could stuff it all in a flat rate box if you are interested.

fabric 1

watermelon perla: 180″ x 52″ – good for curtains or chair covers
black: 56″ x 76 ” – nice drape
black: 120″ x 80″ – nice drape, lighter weight than the above fabric
navy: 44″ x 54″ – satin-like shine on one side, dull on the other side
black: 44″ x 18″ plus a little extra – satin-like shine on one side, matte on the other
black: 45″ x 96″ – satin-like shine on one side, matte on the other

fabric 2

tan: 50″ x 18″ plus a little extra – light weight
brown, green and red: 22″ x 13″ plus a little extra – appears to be cotton
black: two 52″ x 6″ pieces and one 19″ x 12″ piece – appears to be cotton
brown: 56″ x 8″ – this is really soft and would make a nice scarf
gray: 58″ x 13″ – this is really soft and would make a nice scarf
black and white: 58″ x 48″ – taffeta like, shiny on one side