rag tag done right

Remember when I posted the tutorial for a rag tag baby blanket, and it had been . . . well, a learning experience for me?

Well, I made another for my best friends' final baby, and this time it turned out awesome!!

Would I be silly if I wanted one for my queen-sized bed?

crayon roll

About a week ago, my family and I were invited to a birthday party for a little boy who used to live in our area. Normally, we would not have driven the hour and a half for a 4-year-old's party with his extended family, but we happened to be on our way out of town and travelling through there anyway, so we went.

What kind of gift do you get/make for someone like this? You can't show up empty-handed, but don't want to break the bank for an inappropriately expensive gift. Let me introduce you to the crayon roll . . .



Ta-da!!  These things are easy to make, inexpensive, and cute, cute, cute!  It's a compact, soft carrying case for a 16-pack of crayons.  Each crayon has its own little home, and it's easy to keep in a diaper bag or purse.

I found the Crayon Roll tutorial for this at Skip to my Lou.  I made a few changes:  first, I didn't do the ric-rac around the outside; and second, I used elastic chord and a button to close mine, rather than ribbon.

Then, just like everything I find that is quick and easy, I went overboard and made one for each of my children, and a few extras just to have around in case we need a simple, cheap gift again in the future.

Couple this with a notebook, and you have a sweet little gift for the older sibling of a newborn, for a preschool/kindergarten graduation, or for an impromptu birthday invitation.

oversized bib tutorial

This project comes from another baby gift that was given to us when my first son was born. A guy I worked with brought us some adorable bibs made from kitchen towels. I loved them because they were big, catching everything that fell from my baby's mouth.

3 kids later, I needed to make some more, so I thought I'd put up a tutorial so that anyone interested could make them.

For this project, you will need (this will make 6 bibs:)

6 kitchen towels,

1 pkg extra-wide, double fold bias tape (there are two pictured, but I only needed one,)

6 buttons

1/3-1/2 yd stretch knit ribbing

thread

Open up your towel and measure the width to find the center. (Luckily, mine happened to be on a stripe.)


Cut up the center of the towel 6 inches. (This will be the back of the bib, so you may want to cut the end of the towel with the tag.)


Find something round in your house to use for the neck opening, and trace it, beginning at the top of your 6" cut. It should measure roughly 12 inches around.



Cut around the circle you just traced.


Measure the circumfrence of the item you used to make the hole. Mine was 12 1/2 inches.


Cut your ribbing 1/2 inch shorter than your circle circumfrence, and 3 inches tall. (Make sure the ribbing stretches in the fat direction, not the short direction.)


Measure and cut your bias tape in 7 inch pieces. You will need 2 for each bib, or 12 total.


Now that all the cutting is done, it's time to start assembling.

Fold your ribbing in half lengthwise and pin.


Sew the two short edges closed.


Trim the corner near the fold.


Flip the ribbing inside out and iron, making sure to match up the raw edges.


Stretch the neck hole on the towel so that it's straight and pin the ribbing to the front. Match the ends, and make sure that all your raw edges are together.



Sew the ribbing in place with a 1/2" seam allowance, stretching where you need to make the ribbing fit.


If you have a serger, serge the unfinished edge. If you do not have a serger, zig zag stitch the edge.


Next, open up one piece of bias tape and fold the end down 1/4-1/2 inch, which will create a nice finished edge. Fold the bias tape around the raw slit in the back of the bib, starting at the seam between the ribbing and the towel. Pin it in place.


Do the same for the bottom of the piece of bias tape. Also pin where you feel necessary between the top and bottom.


Sew down the bias tape, making sure your seam is toward the towel, not the ribbing.


Do the other side the same way. When you're finished, it should look like this:


All you have left is a button hole and a button.



Now the bib is finished and can be buttoned behind the child's neck.


Now, go ahead and do the other 5 bibs!!


This bib is really versatile and works for an infant learning to eat solids . . .


We also like to use it for our two-year-old to keep messy dinners from falling into her lap!Happy Sewing!!