As some of you may know (you are either participating in this campaign, or have gotten a knock on your door!), the month of August is a momentous one in the history of Jehovah's Witnesses. These special tracts are being distributed simultaneously throughout the entire world, directing attention to jw.org - a great resource for Bible education. To assist in the distribution of tracts, my friend, Michele, has come up with a genius DIY project - tract holders! Here are her quick and easy instructions (photos are not mine): Supplies:
Step 1: Cut hard stock paper bigger than the tract. Place less than 1/2 inch apart for folding ease. Step 2: Cover outside in duct tape. You can buy cool designs at the dollar store. Step 3 Cover the gap in between the two sides. You can use a contrasting color or print. This one is red on the inside, and you can see that the larger gap allows the holder to bend in half more easily. Step 4: Cut a smaller piece of card stock and cover it in the same tape that you are using for the inside (see smaller red square on the right). Step 5: Attach the smaller pieces to either side of the holder by placing some tape alongside the edges, overlapping both sides. Be sure to use the same pattern/color duck tape that you used for the outer design. You can customize it if you like, but if not, you are done! Michele finished hers off with cutouts of Caleb and Sophia (the stars of the jw.org series, Become Jehovah's Friend). She attached them by cutting out the printed images and taping over them with clear packing tape. So simple and quick! You can see her finished tract holders: If you are participating in this campaign, maybe you can try this project with some younger ones. Feel free to pin, share and/or comment below. Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to Michele for sharing her wonderful idea!
5 Comments
Aptly named after my little girl, the Super Girl Undies are perfect for early potty trainers. My girl doesn't turn 2 until the end of next month and is getting pretty thinned out as she grows taller. We didn't expect her to potty train so quickly, and I was totally unprepared. For the first day, she had to borrow her brother's underwear! They are a trim fit, thin and easy to take off and slip on. The best part is that they take only about 15-20 minutes to make, including cutting and assembly, and do not require elastic, hemming or bias tape. To start, you will need a cute knit fabric. The cuter, the better! You can use any type of cotton knit, interlock, jersey or even thermal. Anything that has a very good stretch will work, but if this is for underwear, you will want to stick with cotton and natural fibers. Of course, you could use this pattern for swim bottoms and use a nylon swimsuit material! Materials:
Instructions: Print out your pattern. Make sure that your printer settings are adjusted to print the page out as "Actual Fit". Cut out the two pieces. Fold your fabric in half and lay the pattern pieces on the fabric as directed. You will notice that the pattern piece will tell you which direction the stretch needs to go. This is very important, because if you cut it the wrong way, your undies will not stretch over your child's hips. Cut on the fold, one of each. Next, you will need to cut the leg bands and the waistband. The leg bands will be small strips measuring 5" long by 2" wide. Cut four of these with the stretch running lengthwise across the strip. For the waistband, you can either cut one long 15" x 3" piece, or two 7.5" x 3" pieces that you would sew together to make one long piece. If you are using less than 1/4 yard of knit and using up scraps, this is a good way to fit your waistband. Make sure that the stretch is lengthwise across the strip, maximizing the stretch. You will have the following pieces: Next, sew the front and rear panel together by placing the right sides together and sewing along both sides and the bottom. When sewing with knit fabrics, I like to use my serger, but for these, I just used my regular Singer sewing machine. To avoid puckering, adjust your settings to a longer stitch length and loose tension. You can turn it right side out and set it aside, or you could choose to sew some extra padding/soaker panels into the crotch area. To do this, I cut two more 5"x2" pieces (stretch is not as important for this step, so use some scraps, or choose a more absorbent material if you are using these as trainers). Pin them to the inside and sew down. I was not paying much attention and accidentally pinned them down crooked, so you might want to take more more and straighten it. Oops! Now you will take two of your leg band pieces and. with right sides together, sew both ends closed. Turn it inside out and repeat with the other leg band Next, take your leg band and fold it in half, right side (print side) facing out. Holding it open with your hand, stretch it over the leg opening of the underwear piece, which is right side out. Pin the leg band to the underwear piece, with all of the raw edges lying flat together. Sew along the edge, making sure to catch all three of the layers. When you turn it out, it should look like a cuff (see bottom photo). Repeat this with the other leg opening. You will do the same with the waistband. If you cut two shorter pieces, the steps will be identical to the leg bands, only you will obviously be sewing it to the top of the underwear. If you have one long piece, you will only need to fold it in half lengthwise and close the end with a seam. Sew it to the underwear in the same manner. And that is it! You could topstitch around the waist and legs if you choose. If you do, make sure to use a long stitch length and looser tension so that your fabric won't pucker.
If you found this pattern/tutorial helpful, please pin, share and/or comment below. Thank you! If you are afflicted with the incurable disease of fabric addiction as I am, you know that the worst thing in the world is when you find a print you like but then wish it came in another colorway, or that the background color wasn't quite so pink. Or, you have a great idea and want to make something subtle for your little boy and wish that you could find a My Little Pony fabric that's doesn't look like it was drowned in Pepto-Bismol.
The answer to your dreams is Spoonflower.com. This is my latest hobby/obsession, and though the price tag might give you a shock, in the world of fabric, the possibility of having your own design printed on fabric is truly priceless. Not only that, but you also have to option to offer your fabric for sale to Spoonflower customers, a site that millions of people browse and order from. For a full tutorial on designing a fabric on Spoonflower, click on Read More: Here is my doll baby, my daughter Isla, going to her very first tea party. A friend hosted a Mad Hatter-themed afternoon tea and of course, I went overboard on her outfit (of course, I mean, really? An Alice themed tea party is just begging me to pull out all the stops). So naturally, that meant a fascinator and dress worthy of the Royal Wedding, and I scoff at the notion that any clothing store could EVER meet my high standards. Therefore, I marched straight into my local Joann Fabrics (after browsing some ideas on Pinterest) and grabbed up some supplies. An hour or so later, I finally had the complete outfit envisioned. I couldn't find the right fabric in the colors I wanted, so I picked a black and white damask and hand-dyed it at home using a packet of Dylon violet (also available at Joann's). After posting the completed outfit on one of my favorite Facebook groups, I decided to make the pattern and tutorial available, which meant making another one and actually taking pics and measurements this time. First of all, the pattern. Here is a link to the documents you will need to print out. At this time, I only have the pattern available in 24 months/2T size, but maybe I will one day figure out larger/smaller sizes. Link: The Mad Hatter Pinafore Pattern Not included in the link above is the pattern for a circle skirt. For that, you will need to follow the instructions posted below. Now, supplies. You will need:
|
Meet & GreetHi! My name is Astrid and I am an unschooling, working mama of 3 with an intense need to design, craft and create. Follow me for ideas, tutorials, DIY projects, homeschooling resources and more. Archives
March 2017
Categories
All
|