A Passion for Pinterest!

The upside to being stuck on the couch recovering from surgery is that I get a lot of baby-free time to spend browsing Pinterest.

I'm trying to decide which recipe to try first - maybe something I can bring to our holiday staff party or as part of a cookie exchange with friends...

 

I'm also trying to decide which DIY project to take on first, likely after Christmas...

How do I decide what to do first???

ConKerr Cancer - Sew For a Good Cause!

I've been pretty slack about blogging lately. I don't have a good excuse, except a lack of inspiration. I still don't have much to write about, but I did come across this amazing charity and felt the need to share it. Basically, you sew kid-oriented pillow cases that are then shipped to your nearest children's hospital. I can't resist the urge to do something to brighten the day of at least one of the poor kiddos that spends day in and day out in a hospital. If you feel the same, check out ConKerr Cancer's web site!

No-Sew Fleece Blanket

I came across this post ages ago and intended to make a blanket for a friend's baby. Well, many moons later and I finally got around to making it, except now it's for our baby!

Squares have been cut from the corners and the long flaps are folded back on top of the blanket. The strips are cut and the first one is tied!

Basically, you just take two pieces of coordinating fleece fabric, cut it into two squares of whatever size you want. Then cut out 6 inch squares from each corner. So you'll be left with a square of fabric with four long flaps. Put your two pieces of fabric together, wrong sides facing each other. Now, along the flaps, cut 6 inches in, creating strips of fabric about an inch and a half wide.Then tie them in a knot. Fleece doesn't fray, so then you're done - no sewing!

All done!

Confused yet? This link has much better instructions!

Cloth Wipes

It occurred to me as I was starting to write this post that these really aren't just baby wipes. You could use the same process and materials for 'family cloth' aka your very own reuseable toilet paper! Somehow I doubt many of my friends are that committed to the environment... but if you are, I would love to hear about it!

So, here goes my make-shift tutorial for basic cloth wipes:

 Using a rotary cutter and a mat (or scissors and a ruler) cut fabric into 6 inch squares.

 I decided to use two different fabrics for double sided wipes. So, one side will be flannel and the other terry cloth (I reused an old bathrobe for the terry cloth!).

 Place the squares with right sides facing each other (the right side of the terry cloth is totally a matter of preference!).

 Sew a straight stitch around the edges, leaving a gap of a few inches.

Trim around the edges, close, but not so close that your stitching will come undone. Trim the corners on an angle.

 Turn the wipe inside out through the gap and push out the corners (I used chopsticks to push my corners out).

 

Folding in the part of the wipe where the gap is, do a straight stitch around the edge.

Now repeat a billion times and you've got a stash of reuseable cloth wipes!

Catnip Bed

 

A little break from wedding posts to talk sewing! I had such success with my hot packs that I decided to experiment with the same idea for my cat, Gabby.  For this fun little project you'll need fabric, a lining fabric (I think I actually used an old pillowcase), thread, sewing machine, rice and catnip. 

Put all four layers of fabric together as follows: lining fabric, outer layer fabric - right side facing up, outer layer fabric - right side facing down, lining fabric. Sew around three edges using a small stitch (so the rice won't fall out later). Turn right side out. Top stitch around the three edges. Next, do a few curvy stitches from the open side of the pillow to the opposite side (like quilting). Make sure not to sew too close to the open side (you need to leave room to fold the fabric in and sew it shut later).You should have separate 'compartments' in the pillow now, with one side open so you can fill them before sewing them shut. Now fill each compartment partially full with a mixture of rice and catnip (about 3:1 if you're using good quality catnip). Fold in the open edge and sew shut. 

Now you have a fun little bed for your cat! Or, if your cat is anything like mine... an extra large toy! For increased playing pleasure, pop this baby in the microwave for a minute and watch your cat go crazy!

Rice Pillows aka Heat or Ice Packs

Although wedding planning has taken up a pretty big chunk of my creative energy over the last year, I've also managed to find time to teach myself to sew. Being a beginner, my preference is for easy projects that don't necessarily require a pattern. This rice pack is one of my favourites! It can be heated up for 2 minutes in the microwave to act as a heat pad, or, it can be left in the freezer to act as an 'ice' pack. 

It's super easy to make. You basically decide how big you want it to be and you make a lining and an outer fabric. Fold the lining fabric piece in half and sew three sides together leaving one open for filling. Then, fold the outer fabric in half (right sides together) and just sew along the long edge and then turn inside out. Insert the lining into the outer fabric. On the end where the lining is already sewed shut, fold the ends of the outer fabric in and sew across to secure the lining and hide the raw edges of the outer fabric. Next, fill the lining with just under 4 cups of rice (any rice will work, and you can add herbs if you want to scent it). Then, carefully fold in the ends of the lining and outer fabric and sew the remaining side closed (making sure you're sewing through all four layers). Make sure you're using very small stitches for all your seams so that the rice can't fall out. 

Is that not the easiest sewing project ever? And they make great gifts!