Todays Random Projects

Today while scrounging through my pitifully small fabric stash to find inspiration for a quick sewing project I've been meaning to tackle I came across my Raggedy Ann Doll yardage.  I had totally forgotten about this fabric.  It is Raggedy Ann, hearts and flowers on an off white background.

I really love this fabric but really didn't want a couple of Raggedy Ann Dolls all over my sewing machine cover.  Oh, did I mention that I was determined to create a cover for my sewing machine today.  I took some of this material and cut out some flowers, hearts and one Raggedy Ann and proceeded to zigzag around them to secure them onto my red fabric, which I decided would make a better background as a dust cover. 

See, nothing fancy.  Just a quick zigzag around my cut out shapes.  I didn't have a pattern so I winged it.  Just created a giant rectangle that would adequately cover my machine with the extension table and knee lift on it and added some ties near the top to help keep it in place.  I love it.  It looks cute, covers, protects, is easy to put on/take off and was super easy to make.  Plus, I already had all of the materials in my bin.

Front of machine

Back of machine

As for my other project....well it is a work in progress with my four year old daughter.  We are beginning to create an alphabet card set that actually appeals to her.  So with her input (lots and lots of it) we created the first one of, well, many to come.  I am constantly trying new things and am always on the hunt for interesting ways to introduce educational concepts and ideas to my girls. 

A is for Art

She gets to pick out all of the elements, embellishments, papers, and do-dads she wants on each card and help put is together.  Each week is another letter.  This is now going to be a part of her weekly alphabet education. 

We just came back around to the Letter A again and thought this would add something more to her work, writings, identification and allow her to express herself and be creative while she is learning.  I figure it helps her remember the letters better since the entire time we talk about the letter while we are making her new alphabet card.  It is the size of a basic ATC. 

She is so excited about this and asks how we are going to display her work.  If anyone has a good creative suggestion please feel free to drop it in the comments.  Our office already has a clothes line style art line on two of the walls, so there is limited wall space.  I was thinking of making an open front frame a bit larger than the cards and having some kind of clip to keep the card on display in the frame on our work table and just rotate out each week.  Still need to figure out how to store them though.
 

Remi's Doll 2

Yep! Purple hair now complete.

Hooray! I finally completed my daughter's rag doll.  I created a Waldorf yarn wig for this doll.  So very simple to do.  There are numerous resources online if you are interested in doing this style of doll hair yourself and do not know how to do it.  I simple sandwiched my yarn between two pieces of wax paper and used painters tape to hold the strands of yarn in place on the wax paper and sewed  down the middle about four times.  Remove the tape from the yarn and gently pull away the wax paper.  Then I sewed the hair onto the doll with yarn simply going over the sewn seam.  I pulled the hair into side pony tails to cover the back and stitched them into place.  Voila! The hair is complete. 

Back of the doll

I also go around to crocheting up a matching skirt that is attached to the shirt and hence not removable per my daughter's request so that her little sister can not strip her doll naked. 

Remi's complete rag doll.

Remi is totally in love with her new doll and now totes her around the house and to bed every night.  Looks like I will have to begin another rag doll for her sister as she is telling me that Tate needs to have her own rag doll too.

This was a super fun and easy project and my children got to be involved.  Don't be afraid to fail, because in trying you may actually accomplish something pretty cool.

Salvaging a New Dress

We purchased this cute purple dress not even a week ago for my four year old and not even a week later she had ruined it by getting gum stuck on it, not telling me, stuffing it into the laundry where of course the gum went unnoticed and was consequently washed indefinitely into the fabric.  Luckily it ruined this clothing item only and nothing else in the load. 

Horrible fused gum blob/mess.

I was pretty sad as she had only worn this new dress of hers once.  While carrying it to the trash I was contemplating another sewing project and got the idea to salvage this one by chopping the top off and making a skirt since the gum only effected the top of the otherwise salvageable dress.  So I went ahead and cut off the damaged shirt portion leaving enough to create a new waist line hem and leave some of the purple and black striped fabric.  I then salvaged the tulle rose from the top have of the garment, tossed the top, pinned and proceeded with my salvage job. 

I used a rotary cutter and went to town.

Removed tulle flower.

Salvaged tulle flower.

Right before I sewed it up, sewed the flower on and tacked it to fit my skinny kids waist.

I did try taking a picture of my four year old running around in her new/salvaged skirt but she wouldn't stand still.  It looks super cute, and you would never know that it was once a dress.

Remi's Dolly

So a few months back now, I created this doll, she is to be a Christmas gift for a friends' daughter.

I found that after creating this doll it somehow become my job as mommy to create all sorts of dolls for my daughters recently.

This is my current work in progress, designed by my four year old.  She was very specific about her doll being fat bodied with skinny arms and legs, buttons for eyes and a pink sewn on mouth. Oh! Also, she must have purple hair.  So I have been working with my daughter on this doll of hers for a couple of weeks now.  She helped me create the pattern, choose the fabric, stuff the doll which she graciously said I could sew by myself, choose the buttons, and embroider the mouth (that took some serious patience on my part to not simply tell her to just let me do it). 

So now I am in the process of crocheting up some clothes that can't be stripped off the doll.  Since my oldest doesn't want her little sister, who has a penchant for naked dolls, to denude her dolly.  This is how far we have gotten to date.

Since this is a doll for my older daughter, it is her job to help me as much as she can.  She hasn't quite gotten the hang of crocheting yet, though she sure does try and creates some seriously spectacular knots in the process. So for the most part she just tells me how to do what she wants done.  LOL! She really does know how to boss you around though.

As for the dolls purple hair, it will have to wait until after a run to buy yarn.  I do not currently have any purple yarn on hand, which is odd, but does occasionally happen.  My daughters are prone to purchasing me neon bright yarns, and any yarns that are purple and pink when birthdays and holidays role around.  Since they both know mommy likes yarn.

I will update you all later on the progress Remi and I make on her doll.

What 2 do and Questions for U

So I will be blogging a how-to on a scarf to shrug in the future but that is on hold like our paycheck because I do not have any yarn I would like to use to do this or an already made scarf that would be suitable.  Military LES will be a week or so behind so in the mean time I am trying to think of some great ideas that won't involve me purchasing some new yarn.  I have mostly yarn not really suitable to clothing, as in acrylic.  

Nothing wrong with acrylic for accessories like hats and scarves, small items, and toys but as a rule I try to steer clear of it when I make clothing items unless my child insists on some crazy bright color that for whatever reason seems only to be made in an acrylic yarn. I probably have an irrational fear of flames and acrylic yarn but it is something I just can't get past.  Funny too since I spent a good deal of time crocheting up a huge bright afghan for my daughter but she is not allowed to sleep with it on her bed at night.  That darn irrational fear of mine. 

I have been scouring the internet lately trying to find some awesome local yarn carries here in the Florida Panhandle around Eglin AFB but really having a hard time finding anything besides big box places.  May just have to spend a day driving around and hope I stumble upon one or head to Pensacola.  Not looking forward to that.  I am not a shopper and really would prefer to know exactly where I am going and what I am looking for (as in what they carry). 

All of this talk of yarn has made me curious.  What type of yarn do you prefer? Weight, color, or texture preference? Do you hoard yarns, shop as needed, or keep a specific supply on hand? Do you keep multiple sets of hooks/needles or simply switch out for each project? How many WIPs do you have on average or are you more like me and prefer to finish one project before you start a new one (though at the moment I do have one WIP I could be working on but it doesn't even need to be finished for almost a year)? How do you organize your WIPs? Do you organize your yarn? Where/when do you create?  Do you have a certain process you go through each time you create?  What do you do with your left over yarn, and swatches? Sorry, that was a barrage of questions. 

Maybe I will pull out that WIP since right now I seem to be in a pickle and not able to move on to that next project I would like to do.  I would really love to hear about your YARN and ALL.