Tutorial: Gathered Round Basket

Again, I was looking for tutorials for making something for my grandchildren and found this one. It doesn't look difficult and I have lots of fabric. This tutorial was taken from the A Spoonful of Sugar site and thought "I could do that!". Have fun! Happy Easter!

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I had a few requests for instructions on how to make the gathered round 
basket that I made last week. This is an easy project and the baskets can
be made in any size, are fully reversible, and are useful for so many things.

Materials: (to make a basket measuring 4 1/2 inches diameter and
1 3/4 inches high)

• 2 pieces of cotton fabric cut into circles with a 8 inch diameter 

(I 

used a small side plate as a template)

• 1 piece of fusible wadding (such as parlan or pellon) cut into a circle 

with an 8 inch diameter 

• strip of fabric measuring 2 1/4 inch x 14 inch (for binding)

Instructions:
1. Fuse the wadding to the fabric circle that will form the outside of 
the basket, following manufacturers directions.

2. Baste the basket lining and basket outer together with the wrong 
sides facing.

3. Using a long straight stitch, sew a gathering stitch around the 
perimeter of the circle, close to the edge. Stitch a second gathering 
stitch close to the first gathering stitch. Ensure both gathering stitches
are within the 1/4 inch seam allowance.

4. Gently pull the two ends of thread on the wrong side, the fabric 
will gather along the thread.

5. Secure the threads at one end to prevent the stitches from pulling out.

6. Even out the gathers until the circumference of the circle measures approximately 12 inches. When all the gathers are in place, use a 
standard machine stitch to stitch a 1/4 inch seam.

7. Press the binding strip in half lengthwise with the wrong sides facing.

8. Pin the binding to the outside of the basket and stitch in place.

9. Fold the binding over to the inside of the basket and stitch in place 
by hand using a slip stitch to secure.

Edit 07/ 2012 - Just wanted to clarify in response to a few emails - The circles are 8 inches in 
diameter (the measurement you get if you rule a line through the centre of the circle) and when
 they are gathered they measure 12 inches in circumference (i.e all around the outside of the circle).

Face Washer Bunny

I have 11 grandchildren and 10 of them are girls so I was looking for something to give them for Easter. I came along this tutorial on A Spoonful of Sugar site and thought "I could do that!". And maybe you can, too! Below are the instructions from that site. Here goes...

When my teens were small, I tried to limit their intake of chocolates and sweets. This was always challenging at Easter time. To get around this, the Easter Bunny always left them a book and mini chocolate eggs to hunt for. They used to love getting a special book for Easter - initially they received Peter Rabbit and other books featuring bunnies. Over time it progressed to chapter books. We kept this up all through their primary school years.

One year, my Grandmother made them little bunnies using Face Washers. She had made one for me when I was a child. If you are after a sweet Easter gift for a baby, a child, a Grandmother, make up an Easter Bunny using a Face washer. They can be teamed with bath toys, or some nice soap and lotion, to make a lovely gift.

If you would like to make your own bunny you will need:

• face washer or face cloth measuring approx 33 x 33 cm (13 x 13 inches). (I used a Target Essentials face washer )
• 2 googly eyes (stitch on variety)
• 1 hair elastic or rubber band
• one small pompom (nose)
• one large pompom (tail)
• ribbon

FACE WASHER BUNNY

Fold the face washer in half diagonally. Starting from the point, roll the face washer into a long roll.

Fold the roll in half. Fold the pointy ends up towards the rounded part of the roll, and secure with an elastic band (as pictured).

To make the bunny's face, stitch on the googly eyes and small pompom. Add the larger pompom to the rounded end, and stitch in place. Tie a ribbon around the neck for decoration.

The bunny can be easily taken apart and used as a face washer.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all mothers. Some of you have had children, some would like to have children, some adopt children, some are in the process of having children, some of you appreciate and love children as if they are your own. I just wanted to say "Thank You!" to all of you. 

And there are some of you who miss your mothers who have passed. Just know that she will always love you and she sends a great big hug to you. 

Have a great day!

Still busy...

Last year I had bought some ABC panels that I was going to make wall hangings for my granddaughters. Today I got up and decided I would make one for my daughter. She does daycare in her house and this would help the children to learn their ABCs. So I used one panel and put borders on it with bright colors (I like bright colors!), added batting, and fabric for the back. Voila! (that's French), here it is:

So let me know what you think and any ideas that you have for the next three,

DIY: Chick & Bunny Treat Holders

I saw this tutorial and thought this would be 
so nice to do with children for Easter. They are so cute!

This one’s for the kiddies… a fun little craft project + “friendly” holders for all those Easter Bunny treats!

PAPER BUNNY CUP Treat Holders

You’ll Need:
white paper cup
white cardstock
pink felt or pink cardstock
2 wiggle eyes
small pink pom-pom
medium white pom-pom (for tail)
white chenille stems
scissors, glue, glue dots or a stapler

Directions
• From the white cardstock, cut 2 large white ovals for the bunny ears. Trim one side of the oval off so it’s squared off at the bottom.

• Cut 2 smaller oval shapes from the pink felt (or paper) for the inner part of the ear. Glue the pink ovals in the center of the white ear shapes and set aside to dry.

• Cut white chenille craft stems into short pieces for the whiskers. Use craft glue or glue dots to attach the whiskers to the cup, then glue the pink pom pom on top for the nose.

• Attach the ears to the back rim of the cup with a stapler or glue dots.

• Glue the white pom pom to the back of the cup to create a cotton tail.

• Fill with a colorful Easter grass and candy treats!

*****

PAPER CHICK CUP Treat Holders

You’ll Need:
yellow paper cup
orange cardstock
orange chenille craft stems
2 wiggle eyes
yellow craft feathers
scissors, glue/glue dots, stapler or tape

Directions
• From the orange cardstock, cut a small triangle for the beak and glue it to the front of the cup.

• Glue the wiggle eyes above the beak.

• Cut six 3/4-inch pieces of orange chenille stem for the chick feet. Twist three pieces together at one end for each foot. Attach the feet to the front of the cup with glue dots or tacky craft glue.

• Staple or tape a few feathers to the back edge of the cup, making sure they peek out over the top.

• Fill with a colorful Easter grass and candy treats!

Here is the link to the blog that posted it. http://blog.hwtm.com/2009/04/diy-chick-bunny-treat-holders/

Fabric Houses Tutorial

I saw one of these dollhouses on Pinterest and thought it was so cute. I have added the link for the tutorial so you can make them yourself . This would make a nice Easter gift for a child or even a birthday gift. The pictures show some houses or barns that be for a boy or a girl.

I am planning to try it, too. It looks like so much fun! I may just make them for my granddaughters.

 http://uklassinus.blogspot.com/2008/08/fabric-dollhouse-tutorial.html

Dogs and children - anxiety signs

Just a word of warning - be careful with your children and your dogs. Children have a tendency to hug and kiss dogs. Most dogs do not like this. Sometimes they show anxiety. This is a good site that explains it. http://doggonesafe.com/Signs_of_Anxiety

Babyccino? What do you think?

I have discovered that children are drinking coffee in coffee shops that has been labeled "babyccino". It is suppose to be made with decaf expresso. Here is a picture of a little girl drinking one. I am not quite sure if this is a good idea or not. Even though it is decaf coffee, isn't there a little bit of caffeine in decaf? It is served warm/hot. Isn't there a chance of the child burning themselves? And is it being served to children (some as young as 2 years old?, just so the parents can be labeled "trendy"? What do you think?

If you want more information, you can go to this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/coffee-for-kids-babyccino_n_1279127.html

Chalk Board Placemats

 These are placemats that have been made with chalkboard fabric. It even has a little pouch where chalk can be placed. These will keep little ones busy at the table while waiting for their food. I made these from a free pattern from Bernina.

You can get directions at http://weallsew.com/weallsew/files/2011/08/ChalkboardPlacemat081111.pdf