Tutus and Magic Wands

Recently Emily's been a big fan of Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street:

So I thought it would be fun to make Emily a tutu and a magic wand for Halloween. Although she's still too young to go trick or treating, I figured a tutu and wand are things she could play with around the house all year long.

I followed this tutorial to make the tutu. I used a 1-inch elastic and about 4 meters of tulle (cut into 6" x 22" strips).

To make the wand I found the top piece at Michaels (for only $0.35!) and used a balloon stick to hold it in place. Then I wrapped/glued some ribbon around the stick.

Not surprisingly, Emily hasn't shown any interest in her tutu (she's not really into dressing up yet), so I had to get Jessica to model it for me!

Make Your Own Baby Wrap

That's a baby doll -- I don't have a real baby yet!

I got the idea from Carrie (from when Jude was a newborn) that it might be worth investing in a Moby wrap for Jessica. Since I'm a crafty girl and didn't feel like spending too much on something that I might not end up using, I decided to make my own wrap. I found the approximate dimensions of a baby wrap on this forum, bought some cheap jersey fabric ($4.00/m), and made myself two no-sew wraps! Here are the basic instructions, in case you want to make yourself one too.

The dimensions given were:
16 ft. long (5 meters of fabric)
21" wide at the widest part
4" wide at the very narrowest end
Folded in half, it's 21" wide for 70" before tapering down (so 140" unfolded).

The jersey fabric I chose has a bit of stretch and doesn't fray, making it ideal for a no-sew wrap.

Step 1: Fold the fabric in half and flatten it out on the floor (This is by far the most time-consuming and annoying part because there's so much fabric! It's much faster if you have two people).

Step 2: Cut a 21"-wide strip.

Step 3: Measure 4" at the center end of the wrap. Mark the 70" point from the fold, and cut from that point to the end (repeat on the other side).

Step 4: Round the edges, if desired.

Step 5: Stitch/attach something to the center top point of the wrap to use as a guide when putting it on. I used an iron-on patch.

Voila!

I just watched a few YouTube videos to learn how to put it on. I've been practicing with a doll and once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to do.

Ignore the giant pregnant belly -- that won't be there when I'm actually wearing it ;)

I hope Jessica likes it!

Sewing Project: Ironing Board Cover

Like I mentioned before, I've fallen in love with sewing all over again (or maybe it's just the nesting instinct). I've been finding random projects around the house and sewing whenever I have spare time.

Here's a fun and easy project that anyone with a sewing machine can try: an ironing board cover.

Before                               After

My ironing board was in desperate need of a makeover. I found some fun fabric lying around and was determined to make my own new cover. I finished it in one day (4-5 sessions lasting 5-10 minutes each) -- basically whenever I had free time.

Here's how you can make one too in just 7 simple steps.

Materials needed:
- Enough fabric to cover your board
- Thread
- Thin elastic

Step 1: Cut your fabric to the shape of your ironing board, with an extra 3 inches around the edges.

Step 2: Pin a 1/2-inch seam around the edge of your fabric. For speed and simplicity I used my iron to create the seam.

Step 3: Use a zig-zag stitch to sew around the edge of the cover, leaving an opening at the end to thread the elastic. The zig-zag stitch will prevent the material from fraying when washed.

Step 4: Tie a safety pin to the end of your elastic and thread the elastic through the entire cover.

Step 4 is the longest and possibly most boring step, so preferably do it while doing something fun, like watching TV or watching your kids play:

Step 5: Take your funny-looking cover and slip it over the ironing board, tightening the elastic until you get a good, tight fit.

Step 6: Safety-pin or stitch the elastic in place and cut off the extra ends. Out of pure laziness I just left the safety pin on (also so that I could re-adjust the tension in the future).

View from underneath

Step 7: Admire your new ironing board cover!

Flower Hair Accessory

Here's a fun craft idea I randomly decided to try. I had some leftover fabric from having my bridesmaid's dress hemmed (for Amy's wedding, 2 weeks away!), so with it I made some flower hair clips.

Here's how I made them:
First I cut circles out of the fabric (cotton and chiffon).

Then, in pairs, I tied the circles around a penny using matching thread. There are three layers (or six total circles) per flower.

Pliers helped hold the fabric while I tied the thread

One layer down, two more to go

Finished flower

Finally, I glued each flower to a hair clip.

I think they look pretty cute and the best part is they match the dresses perfectly :).

One for each of the bridesmaids