Inspire someone today!

Me being crafty!

2009-11-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

I make most everything from tutorials that I find online, occasionally I make my own patterns. I will be listing the website that I used so you can refer back there for instructions. I'll be making my own tutorials on things that I come up with on my own!

Here are some previous projects that Ive made. I will give you the link for making these items if anyone is interested!

Pillowcase Dress Pillowcase Dress...this is a very simple dress to make!
http://www.everythingsewing.net/pillowcase_dress_how_to.htm

Doggie Scarf

This Dog scarf was made by me. I didn't use a tutorial, I just traced a scarf that I had and went from there. I'll have a tutorial one day if anyone is interested!

Cloth Diaper
This was one of my first diapers, You already have my tutorial on that! This one has velcro, I prefer snaps now that I have snap pliers!

Fleece PJ pants!

http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/2008/09/longies-pattern.html

Stephanie's Diaper Tutorial Part 1~

2009-11-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is day one of my Diaper Sewing Adventures! Today was a rainy day at our house and Tyler was off work for Veterans Day so I took advantage of a few moments to sew! Goodness its been awhile. With Landen starting to get into everything, I have no time but to chase him around.

I want everyone to know that I'm a beginner sewer myself. It wasn't until March of this year I began to teach myself to sew. This was literally the first thing I ever sewed! Anyways, I hope I give everyone inspiration to sew today!

These are the diapers that I'm going to give instructions on making...not that I will be successful to everyone I'm sure, but I'm going to do my best! Like I said, I'm a beginner to this but I'm picking up quick!

Both of these diapers are "hard" and "easy" at the same time. I choose to make more of the "not turned" on the left. I like those because they fit my lil' fella the best and that's what I'm comfortable making. Everyone will be different and if you have questions, just ask!

When you look at these diapers, they look pretty much the same except for the legs. That is pretty much it, its just which you prefer to make! Working with elastic isn't the easiest thing in the world and that is basically the hardest thing in this project, which isn't bad!

These are the things you will need for this project: Sewing Machine, Elastic (I use 3/8 inch), Thread, scissors, pins, fabric, Microfiber (walmart in the automotive section).

*The best fabrics for making budget friendly diapers: Flannel, Old cotton t-shirts, Old towels, Old bath robes, Baby bath towels (my favorite! I go yard selling just to get baby bath towels)

Before you start, I forgot to take a picture of me marking the elastic marks. I fold the diaper "hotdog" style and mark at the top of the straight stretch and the bottom. You want to do this so the elastic stops and starts at the same point on each leg of the diaper!

Okay, here we go!

So, first off you need to find a pattern! I have made my own over time by finding my favorite things in other diapers and combining them into the ultimate Landen diaper. There are plenty of free patterns in the Internet world but here is where I started! http://mayna.livejournal.com/198548.html It was very helpful when learning to sew diapers. Here are some others: http://www.darlingdiapers.com/ http://www.diapersewing.com/fitted_with_velcro.htm http://www.diapersewing.com/mothereeze_sandie.htm http://fernandfaerie.com/sewing_fitteds.html

So, here I'm explaining about layering before you sew. Like I say in the picture, I have 5 layers of fabric. We are eventually going to be turning this diaper right side out so it can get confusing. I have messed up so many diapers by layering wrong! Just a tip, the top two layers should be facing each other (making out), they will be the inside and outside of the diaper at the end.

So, after you have layered, you will want to start sewing a straight stitch around the diaper stopping at the marks for your elastic. You need elastic at the back of the diaper and in the legs. Try to keep a continuous stitch around the diaper, don't cute the thread unless you HAVE to. The less you cut, the stronger put together the diaper will be. More text on the picture!

Okay, continue sewing all the way around the diaper, putting elastic on the back and both legs! But make sure you don't go too far, you need to leave a hole in the front of the diaper so you can flip the diaper right-side-out~

Here ya go, Just sew until you get to the front, do a reinforce stitch, cut the thread and start sewing again a little ways down. Make sure your hand will fit in there to flip it out...Ive done that before and had to pull some stitching out!

Make sure you are starting a stopping with a front stitch then a back then forward again, just to reinforce the stitch~

Now this is what you have when you are complete!
So, flip it right side out! Make sure you get all the corners and cracks!
Sew around the outside to give it a finished look and to sew up that hole you left!
Now, we need to go around and "case" in the elastic. Were basically putting a stitch on the other side (the inner part of the diaper) of the elastic to control where its going. Just pull the elastic straight while you're sewing just in case you accidentally sew some elastic.

Then here I am just putting some finishing touches on the rest of the diaper. I like to put a double overlock stitch or a zig-zag around the outside because it holds down the fabrics and makes everything more sturdy. Last but not least, the soaker! I just make the kind that snaps into the diaper because I HATE stuffing pockets!! You could also just lay it in there and it would work just as great! One other reason I do this is so I don't have 3 million layers in my diaper b/c it takes so much long for the to dry in the dryer!

Now all it needs are some snaps or Velcro. I myself use snaps but I'm fresh out... waiting on the mail man to bring them to me!

Making a cloth diaper tutorial is coming soon!

2009-11-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry everyone that tries to follow my blog, Im trying to find time to really make this what I want, Im going to be doing the cloth diaper tutorial in the next day or so...I PROMISE! Thanks for being patient!

For those of you that have been following me...

2009-09-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not posting anything recently. I have a teething, cranky baby on my hands and don't have the time or energy to do anything but the things that I have to do. I'm going to make something this week, Its on my "to-d0" list. Happy B-day to me tomorrow, the BIG 25~

Pajama Pants out of shirt sleeves!

2009-09-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Okey Dokey..I bought this shirt at Goodwill the other day for 75 cents...It was a size 14 in little boys. My plan was to make a diaper out of it but it wasn't long enough....now I'm just going to embellish some prefolds (instructions from my fellow blogger
http://crunchywannabe.blogspot.com/2009/01/embellishing-prefold-picture-tutorial.html her blog is similar to mine...she's crafty too!!

Anyways, after I cut out the parts that I need for embellishing the prefolds, I decided that I could make some babylegs out of the arms, I can't let them go to waste...for those of you that have no clue what I'm talking about, they are just fabric that you slide up the child's legs. We love them with cloth diapers because it makes diaper changes so easy...not undressing the cutie patootie and you don't have to worry about clothes not fitting over their diaper! So I cut the arms off, then I had an even better idea...

Making Pajama Pants for Landen...

So, to do this, you don't need much~

*Arms from an old longsleeve shirt or a find from a yard sale or thrift shop

*A sewing machine and thread

*Scissors

*Pins

What you do is...cut the arms off the shirt~

Then, measure the inseam (that is the length of the legs, from the bottom of the pants to the bottom of the crotch) Just start from the bottom and measure up until you reach that mark and make a nip with your scissors on the inner part of the fabric, then cut upward towards the top of the sleeves.

These will fit 6-9 months and the inseam is about 9.5. and the Rise (from the bottom of the crotch to the top of the pants) is about 16.5. If you have question on how big or small, just find a pair of pants that you already own and measure to see the size you need.

Then, flip the arms inside out. Pin the back opening pieces and the front opening pieces together...now its looking more like pants!
Sew along the pined section with a straight stitch, then go back over it with a zigzag stitch to reinforce the stitch. It gets a little tricky around the middle of the crotch, just be patient and go very slow!

This is just an example of the zigzag...I like taking pictures!
Okay, now it taking shape! Half way there!

Now, you have to make a waste band that will fit snugly around that baby's waist comfortably. You will just need to measure your little ones waist for this one. When you cut this out, make sure you are giving yourself a little seam allowance (you need room to sew so make it about 1/2 inch bigger than you need...if you are a beginner, give yourself more than that) Oh and also, if your fabric is stretchy AT ALL, make sure that it is stretchy width wise so you have some stretch around the waste band...i hope that makes since!

Okay, so you have it cut out, now you need to fold it in half, prints facing each other.

and make a straight stitch all the way down.
Then, go back over it with the zigzag for reinforcement!
Now, you need to fold the top down making it like so...now it looks like a waist band!

Now, this is the tricky part. You can choose to put elastic in the waist band, Ive never tried but it would work too!

Anyways, put your waist band above your pants, with the fold side down and slide it right down inside the top of the pants, lining up the 3 pieces of fabric (the two from the waist band and one from the top of the pants)

Can you see?? I hope you're understanding!

Slide the pants over the sewing machine.
Okay, sew the pieces together. Remember, the waist band is smaller than the top of the pants so make sure your pulling on the waist band, kind of stretching it to make it pull the top of the pants and make it smaller. That is so it will hold their pants up! Just do a straight stitch, then a zig zag afterwards...

DunDunDunDaaaaaa!!!
Now, all you have to do it flip them right side out and put them on your babies!

Revamping your onsies!

2009-09-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

So I made this diaper today...I didn't document this go around because its a new pattern that I have made myself. I just took all of my favorite things about different diapers and made the perfect one for Landen. As I said, I didn't document it for the blog page because I didn't know how it would go...I think it went almost perfect!

I LOVE the fabric that I used, its so adorable that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a matching shirt. As a cloth diapering Mama, we Love to put our chunky monkeys in just a T-shirt while were at home. I can never have enough, especially if they match his diaper! So, I just took a onsie that he is actually never worn and make a monkey shirt for his diaper. (I also like doing this when the onsie still fits everywhere but in the length)
I cut it off at the bottom and I used the double zigzag around the bottom...just so it won't fray in the washing machine. You can also hem the bottom but I'm not so good at that just yet! So, like I said just do a stitch around the bottom
and Viola!

Now for the fun part! Take a picture off of fabric or an old T-shirt and cut it out. I put a piece of flannel behind so its more "sturdy" while sewing and because the monkey fabric is cotton knit so its very thin. Now, I just do a cute crazy zigzag around the picture to attach it to the flannel. You can do any stitch you'd like, I'm also not making it "perfect" I want it to look a little messy and crazy...like my dear child..lol!
Then, pin the picture to the onsie shirt and begin sewing around it.
As you can see, I put a zigzag stitch around both with a dark brown fabric because that's the way I pictured it. You can create your own shirt however you please!

Now look at them together...matching and cute as a button!

Handmade wipes/wash cloths~

2009-09-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

Making your own wipes/wash cloths is very simple. You can make them for yourself or for a baby shower gift. Personalizing a gift is not only special but you can save money that way too!

This can be put together with a handmade bib to match which I will demonstrate later in my blog.

This is so simple and only took me 8 minutes to complete 1 wipe.

For our family, these wipes work great because we are full time cloth diaper users. Its so much simpler throwing the wipes in with the diapers when its time to wash. Otherwise we would have a trash can full of dirty wipes all the time. We also use them as wash cloths in the tub!

I got this flannel truck fabric at a yard sale...I used an old sheet that we weren't using anymore for the other side. You can use an old T-shirt too, they work great for this project!

Supplies you will need:
*Sewing Machine...you can hand sew if you'd like as well!
*Thread
*Fabric - flannel, an old t-shirt, an old bath towel, an old sheet...whatever works for you!
*Scissors/Rotary cutter
*I use a Rotary board because its easier for cutting the fabric but I realize not everyone has one.
*Pins

Here we go!

I just put this picture here to give you an idea of what you would need!First, you cut out 2 pieces (8x8) is what I use, you can make any size you would like...put the print (whats going to be showing in the end) on the facing inward.

Pin each side to be sure the fabric doesn't slip while you sew...

Do a straight stitch almost all of the way around...leave a 5 inch hole so you can flip it right side out...as shown in the next picture
See, I have a hole in the right corner..
Now flip it right side out...

Where you have your hole, fold those pieces inward and pin......then do a straight stitch all the way around the wipe for a clean finished look.Taaadaaaaa......

Now, I do a zigzag stitch around after the straight stitch to make it pretty! Its up to you!

See the difference between the two...If its for a gift, throw a bow on it and its ready to be used!

Feeding your little munchkins frugally!

2009-09-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

So, I have a 7 month old and he eats like crazy these days. When you look at a shelf of baby food at Wal-mart, its easy just to pick up some fruits and veggies already ready for your child to eat. (don't get me wrong, I buy some baby food but VERY little) When you start really thinking about it, they are eating the same fruits and veggies that we eat so there has to be a cheaper way. I was shopping for some stuff to take on vacation and really looked at how much baby food is in 1 container.

*If you buy the plastic containers, its even more expensive but here's the run down.

1 pack (2 containers) is 5 oz (that's two 2.5 oz containers), that's $1.00. So that means 5 oz is $1.00.

Would you believe me if I told you that I made 64 oz of peas for 89 cents? Its true!! Lets see how much money we saved...we will just say that my purchase of the peas was $1.00 with tax and all. I paid 1.5 cents per oz of baby food. The buyer at retail price is paying 20 cents per oz! That's really amazing!

Here's how I did it!

I went to Wal-mart and bought some baby food!

I poured 7 cups of hot water in a big pot and poured the peas in...letting it simmer to a boil

Simmer...simmer...simmer...until they feel soft and squishy

Put them over a bowl and drain some of the liquid out...I save it so I can use it if I need more liquid when I'm pureeing

Place in a chopper, pureeer or smoothie maker...this is what works best for us!

Mix...Mix...Mix...until its the right consistency. If it seems "dry" or needs to be more liquefied, just us the liquid you saved in the bowl!

Get out an Ice cube tray....pour the peas into this. One square makes two ounces!

Cover with plastic wrap

Place it in the freezer...thanks honey for demonstrating!

About 20-24 hours later, I checked and it was ready to go!

Label a zip lock freezer bad with the date...you should only leave it in the freezer for 3 months.

Place in bag and put it back into the freezer!

Or you could feed it to your baby!!

Your sweet baby will be getting the same amount of nutrients, maybe even better because you know what is in the food. You are saving money and it only takes a bit of your time. That's a big savings if you really think about it! If you have the time, this is the way to feed babies in this economy!

Some of the great benefits to making your own baby food:

*You never have to run out to Wal-mart for baby food!

*You know exactly what is in your child's food!

*You can make things that they don't sell in baby food, like spinach or do combos!

*You can stock up, especially if you have a deep freezer. They can last up to 3 months!!!

*You are saving tons of money...it may take a little bit of your time but honestly it took me 45 minutes to complete from start to finish (except for the freezing part..lol)

My first day at this!

2009-09-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

So, Ive had the sudden urge to create this blog. Ive always been creative and I feel that I want to share my knowledge and skills with anyone who wants a project! I started doing photography in high school and continued on into college, It just my "thing." It is my true passion in life, and I'm sure from time to time, I'll be posting pictures! Over the past years Ive become especially creative, even more so after the birth of our first child. We decided at the beginning of the pregnancy that we were going to give cloth diapering a whirl...we LOVE it! We also make our own wipes and baby food. I feel that I have so much to offer everyone else and to show how easy it is to do these things. I know not all women are lucky enough to be stay at home mothers like myself, but some things only take a minute and you would be surprised once you give it a shot! I hope I motivate and give others the ideas and skills to make something grand!