Creative Mom Cafe

One fun thing to do in the warm weather is go on picnics. The sunshine, the fresh air, the threat of ants are all part of what makes eating outside fun. I pulled together some great sewing ideas from around the web to create your own picnic things. From wrapping utensils to wrapping sandwiches there are a lot of easy sewing ideas you can use to have everythign you need for a picnic lunch. Everything except the food, of course.

Over at Instructables you can follow the directions to quickly sew a utensils holder from a dish towel. There is also an idea for making a dish holder from ordinary dish towels as well. All you need are some great dish towels, you can usually find them for cheap at your local dollar store. Then use ribbons, buttons, or iron-ons to decorate them however you want. If you can cross stitch these could be a fun project to get into.

Looking for a simple sandwich wrap that can be reused?  Try a square of PUL for a fun sandwich wrap. You can buy squares of this coated fabric online for very low cost. Sew on a small bit of Velcro to keep it on to hold it secure and you’re ready to go. If you don’t want to buy PUL check out what this mom did with ordinary fabric and a plastic sandwich bag.

If you have left over scraps of fabric laying around the house you can whip up some simple cloth napkins for your picnic lunch. These are so very simple to make and can add a bit of fun and style to any picnic. Of course you don’t have to just use them for picnics. Make a big batch of the napkins and use them every day to keep your paper use low.

Have a picnic tablecloth that keeps blowing away in the wind? Here’s a simple idea to keep the tablecloth cover down using just a little elastic.  The same will work for bench covers as well. If you are really worried about a windy day try these picnic placemats with individual utensil holders. Keeps the wind from blowing away your fork and spoon in the middle of eating your meal.

Once you get these fun projects whipped up there will be nothing left to do but make your sandwiches and slice the watermelon. Have a great picnic!

crafts, sewing, picnics

The weather is warming up and many moms are pulling out their kids’ warmer weather clothes. Around here jeans were the staple of cold weather wear, worn nearly every day to keep us warm. Now the stack of jeans is being gone through, those too short or too stained tossed to the side. If you have those jeans that have become too short in the legs or have stains across the legs they can still be reused for this spring and summer. A few simple changes can turn old blue jeans into cute skirts and fun shorts for your kids to wear.

First head over to ThreadBanger for a great DIY idea on turning a pair of jeans into a cute denim skirt. All you will need is a pair of jeans, a seam ripper, and a sewing machine to create a fun new wardrobes item for your little girl. Add some lace around the bottom, iron on fun patches, use fabric paints, or anything else to decorate the skirt and turn it into a one of a kind piece of art to wear. You could even try some fun embellishing for a unique style.

If your daughter isn’t a skirt wearing type of girl you can still turn outgrown jeans into fun spring pieces. When kids grow so fast it is common to find jeans that still fit, yet are several inches too short. Cut off the bottom few inches off the legs and hem them to create fun capri jeans. You can add a small lace ruffle around the bottom for a fun look.

Of course girls aren’t the only ones that can have their jeans reworked. You can refashion your boy’s jeans by turning them into cool shorts for the warmer months.  You can use the same ideas of adding iron-ons, sewing on squares of fabric, or using fabric paint to make interesting and fun shorts any boy would love to wear.

If hemming jeans seems like a challenge here is a great tutorial on hemming jeans that you can use for all your jeans transforming ideas.

jeans, crafts, sewing, shorts, skirts, DIY

I almost forgot to share the apron I made for the apron swap. I also forgot to mail it until a package came in the mail with mine in it. Ooops! So Monday morning it is going straight out to the post office with a big apology. OK, first here is the one that I made. It isn’t finished yet in the photo, I didn’t get a picture taken when it was completed. The ties were made with green ribbon. The theme was Spring so I went with a fun flower pattern for the main apron and thought this green reminded me of grass.

Here are two close ups of the fabrics I used. You can click on the small images to see them larger.  I really like the funky look they have together, and Ihope my swap partner will like them also.

Now here is a look of the apron that I received. It’s very feminine and flowing, and I love the added decoration along the bottom. The note that came alone with it says it was refashioned out of curtains, which I love.

Here is a close up of the fabric and the decoration on my apron. Click the small image to see the larger version.

aprons, sewing, swaps, crafts

Over at Unplug Your Kids there are fun weekly projects going on. This is one of the blogs that I absolutely love reading for all the fun ideas and easy crafts that are always going on. This week the kids made a pillow and small banner flags out of fabric. They turned out so cute and the kids were entertained for hours. Sounds great doesn’t it?

Those of you that sew, go ahead and pull out your own bins of fabric and see what scraps and pieces you might have hiding in there. Eve if you’re not a sewer you can usually find fun pieces of fabrics at thrift shops for very cheap. It could easily become a full day of fun by letting the kids pick out their own materials and come up with their own creations. Those who can’t, or don’t want to, sew you could always look for fleece. Because fleece does not fray on the edges you can make many no-sew projects.

With Easter coming up you could try sewing some cute fabric eggs with your kids, make liners for Easter baskets, sew an Easter kite, or make this sweet Easter bunny (pdf).

Stuffed animals is one Easter staple that never seems to go out of style. Everyone ends up with two or three new bunnies, chicks, and sheep before the candy has been eaten. So sewing up some cute handmade stuffed toys would be a great simple sewing project to do to. Follow in Sew Green’s footsteps and recycle old material to make the toys out of. Socks without a match and out grown clothes could be remade into sweet little lovies.

Know any other great Easter sewing projects out there? Leave a comment and let me know!

crafts, kids, sewing, Easter

Last week I finally finished my first apron. I know it took a while to get it done, but I’m glad that I did. And yes, it’s very purple and I like it that way. I actually had fun making it, and learned what to do better next time. Though I’m certainly no Aprinista, I’m getting there. Next up is to make my swap partner’s apron. I’ve got some fun blue material with lots of flowers all over it that I found for cheap. Since it is a spring theme I thought it would perfect.

Speaking of spring, believe it or not the warm weather is coming soon. I have already begun getting catalogues full of crafts, toys, and goodies for spring time. I’ll be passing o the goodness here with lots of craft projects for you to do, both for and with your kids. And plenty of ideas for you to make just for yourself. If your hands are already itching to make something Lisa Lam has 20+ Quick & Easy Makes for Easter and Spring for your Craft Business that you can check out. Several of those I plan to make for upcoming birthdays this year.

Are you planning anything fun and crafty this spring? I would love to hear about it! Maybe some sunny ideas can clear away the winter cold that is still lingering. Or at least some spring inspired crafts can make it feel a little less chilly outside. Go on and leave me a comment letting me know what you’re creating this spring!

crafts, aprons, spring, fun

Despite clearing out and giving away most of my fabric stash, I did manage to keep a few choice pieces. Since I signed up for the apron swap I thought I should actually try to make an apron or two first. Get some practise in and see what mistakes I am making.

So I have enough material set aside for 2 small half aprons and 1 full apron. I am using very simple patterns to begin with. For the half apron I am using this simple pattern that I found at The Longest Year. It is a reversible half apron that seems to be fairly simple to make. If anyone else has used this pattern I would love to see what you did with it.

For the full apron I used this very simple pattern found at Jcaroline Creative. I am loving many of the fabrics I also found there, and wish I had the money to order more. Oh! That’s no good for my decluttering resolution! The entire Chocolate Lollipop collection by Anna Maria Horner is calling my name.

To distract myself from the urge to splurge I thought I would check out some fun aprons that other people have. So I spent some time drooling over the aprons for sale at Etsy. At least I know I can resist buying one that is already made, I just can’t resist buying the fabric to make on myself. I also had to spend time on flickr looking at all the great aprons.

If my post on sewing wasn’t enough to get you inspired to run to the machine I know where to send you for inspiration.

Bluebirdbaby is the blog of a super creative mom that I love reading. She not only knows how to sew, she rocks it. Check out this absolutely gorgeous shirt she made for date night. And the cutest flannel PJ pants for her and her daughter. And the bags! Oh the bags! She certainly knows how to feed the purse addict in me. Not to mention the photos of that adorable little girl that she shares. Perfect to make any mom’s heart skip a beat.

If you really want to be in awe check out her workroom. Not many crafters are lucky enough to have their own space to work in. She’s not only lucky enough to have a new one but also creative enough to make it her own. That color pops. Andnow everytime I see green paint I think of her. It’s almost like a signature calling card.

You should head over and check out her Etsy shop and lust over her creations with me. Like this adorable shirt and pants set. It makes me wish my little was was small enough to wear that. And look at these pink pocka dot pocket jeans. Some little girl would be thrilled to wear them, I’m sure. But my favorite? The sleepy sack.

These “Sleepy Sacks” hang on your little one’s doorknob and hold their pajamas and favorite bedtime book! The drawstring holds everything in tight and is easy for little hands to loosen.

It sounds like just the thing a mom could use!

(If you know a creative, crafty mom who needs some spotlight on them let me know! I’d love to share them here.)

creative mom, crafts, etsy, inspiration

Aprons have been making a comeback in kitchen fashion. They were once seen as old fashioned and tired, but recently many women are bringing them back. With fun and funky new prints they aren’t the 1950s staple anymore.

Despite the stigma some have against aprons and what they represent, they really are quite useful. Anytime you are in the kitchen cooking and baking having an apron on hand can keep the mess to a minimum. Even when you are crafting a good apron can save your clothes from paint, glue, and an assortment of other stains waiting to happen. You know what they say about all work and no play? Aprons can be fun and playful too! Forget the ideas of standing in th kitchen in heels and pearls with your little apron on, today’s apron look is whatever you want it to be. Blogs such as The Apronista and Apron Memories are great reads for those with an apron love going on.

If you’re still looking for the perfect sewing project to take on why not try making an apron. There are dozens of tutorials online that will guide you through any apron style you like. You can make a retro styled table apron, a small craft apron, recycle a dishtowel into an apron, and even a cute little child’s apron. There are so many more tutorials out there, all you have to do is look.

One site that is overflowing with apron tutorials is My Byrd House. In fact she loves aprons so much that right now she’s putting together an apron swap. Sign up ends on January 20th, but you have until MArch 1st to get your apron made and swapped. I signd up and am already looking for the perfect spring prints. Go join me!

sewing, aprons

If your fingers are itching to sew something up but you’re not sure what to do look no further. Pattern Review have created a list of their top 15 favorite sewing patterns of 2007. There are some great patterns in there, lots to get you inspired and ready to sew. There are also lots of photos of things made by the members who used these patterns. You will definitely walk away ready to pull out the sewing machine.

Of course you don’t have to stick with just this list. There are so many great patterns out there in the world. I love searching through my local thrift shops where i always find a box or two full of older patterns. There is a nice mixture of used, slightly used, and new patterns just waiting to be discovered. I also like to browse Ebay and Etsy for cute patterns. There are many used and odler patterns that people are selling for super cheap. On Etsy I can also find people selling their own patterns. Most of them are in a downloadable format, which makes for less paper waste and no waiting for shipping.

If you’d like to try your hand at making your own patterns to sew up let me recommend a few books to find. Make Your Own Patterns by Rene Bergh, How to Make Sewing Patterns by Donald H. McCunn, and Make Your Own Dress Patterns by Adele P. Margolis. These are easy to follow and very helpful books that are also fairly easy to find at most libraries.

If you don’t think you’re just in the mood to whip up something fun and quick sewing up some quilted potholders could be the task. These are really simple to do and you can make them in no time. Just the thing to scratch any sewing itch without getting involved in a long term project.

sewing, patterns

Whip Up os doing a month of crafts for kids that you don’t want to miss. Check out these cute, and simple, pencil toppers or these creative glove puppets!

I showed you all on Wednesday that I was sewing something up with pink felt. It was a cute little felt bag, perfect for Valentine’s Day. Jut fill it up with candies, a toy, and a card and you have a sweet way to say you care.

The inspiration came when I saw these cute felt Valentine gift bags
from Hearth Song. They are so adorable, and so simple. I knew I could make them myself. As it turned out they are so simple anyone can make them! All you need is some felt, a needle and thread, and a basic blanket stitch. Don’t worry, it is a simple stitch to learn. I recently learned it myself when I attempted to make some felt christmas ornaments. Use this tutorial on sewing felt and you can’t go wrong!

Now here’s how I made the bag. (more…)

wordless wednesday, felt, sewing

I actually did this project back before Christmas and had planned to share it, but kept forgetting to. I had posted before about finding some cute fabric in my stash and wanting to do something with the scraps. I had enough to make a large tote bag for my oldest to use to carry his stuff in and with the scraps made three small bean bags.

Because I was using scrap pieces of material and I wanted to make the frogs the center of attention on each side of the bags the peices were cut into some unusual shapes. So far that hasn’t affected how fun they are to play with. The filling is lentils, from an old bag I found hiding in the back of the cubbard. I did not follow an exact pattern on making these. I sewed up three sides, turned them right sides out, filled with the lentils, and hand stitched them shut. It took about 15 minutes for the machine sewing and filling, then an additional half and hour to hand stitch them closed. It was a really quick and simple project that both of my boys have gotten hours of fun out of.

And it used up scrap material and that half finished bag of lentils that I had forgotten I had. So it scores one for reusing. (more…)

When you are a crafty mom it’s hard for most of your projects not to be kid-focused. If I’m not making something for the kids then it’s something about them, such as my scrapbooking. My next project is going to be a version of these super cool bunting flags. I’m already making the plans in my head for both of my sons and my nieces and nephew to get one with their name. Of course it will most likely be a while off as I’m already up to my eyeballs in projects and I’m broke. Why does all of this crafty stuff have to cost so much money?

Being that I am broke most of the time I try to cut costs on my crafts without cutting quality. Of course the best way to cut the costs is to do it right the first time. You know the old saying “Measure twice, cut once”. Well it applies to knitting also. I began working on a scarf for myself, one of the rare selfish crafts, only to realise I was running low on yarn. Luckily it was fixable, I had to take it apart but making the scarf more narrow extended my yarn usage perfectly. Luckily I’m not the only one who has knitting issues. Take her advice, buy extra yarn just in case!

Oh, and a great tip for those of you who sell your crafts. Use Flickr to get noticed more. It’s definitely something to try out and see if it helps.

crafts, Flickr, yarn, knitting, sewing, projects

Everyone knows how to make fleece hats or knit wool hats, and making a fleece scarf or knitting one is just as simple. But what if your kids need gloves? Can you make simple gloves from warm fleece or knit a pair for your kids to use this winter?

There are several patterns out there for knitting gloves. Including thse adorable mini mittens that would make cute tree decorations. But for functional gloves you will need something bigger. These basic mittens are simple to make and perfect for keeping little hands warm. Here is another pattern for knitting some warm gloves and a matching hat. You can also make yourself some fingerless gloves to keep your hands warm without getting in the way of knitting.

If you would rather sew than knit making warm fleece gloves is no problem. These simple mittens are perfect for keeping hands warm and can be made in no time. And here is great step by step instructions for making a fleece hat and gloves. If you’re feeling really crafty you can try using your own gloves as a pattern to work with. Just be sure to add extra room around for the seams.

If you are wanting a great project that your kids can do this time of year to learn aobut giving this could b the perfect one. Making several fleece hats, scarves, and sets of mittens to donate to your local homeless shelter, church, or any charity that will give them to those in need this winter is a wonderful way to help your children really get into the giving parts of this season. You can reuse old fleece sweaters or blankets to make everything with as a great way to show how to recycle too!

gloves, knitting, fleece

There’s something warm and snuggly about a soft, fleece hat. They are perfect when you’re going out in the cold weather, especially if you are going to be out there a while playing. I mentioned the other day that with the latest cold front that has hit here I rumaged around and found enough fleece to make my nieces each a fleece hat to wear. They aren’t as creative as a dinosaur fleece hat, but they’ll keep warm still.

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