Sock Bunny

Reuse your old socks. Don't throw them away. Learn how to create a cute Easter decoration using those socks. A sock bunny will definitely attract the kids.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM* Brand Products:
  • 3" and 4" eggs, one each
• White stiff felt, 6" x 3"
• White pom poms: 1/2", two; 1/4" and 1", one each
• Pink socks, one pair
• Spring print cotton fabric, 18" x 2" strip
• Acrylic paints: boysenberry pink, lamp black
• No. 6 shader paintbrush
• 3/16" wooden dowel, 4" length
• Plastic-coated wire: 24-gauge marshmallow white, 9" length; bubble gum pink, 18" length
• Craft wire, 24"
• Serrated knife
• Candle stub or paraffin
• Glues: fabric glue, white craft
• Scissors
• Fine-line black permanent marking pen
• Toothpick
• Ruler
• Wire cutters
• Paper towels
• Disposable palette
  Pattern

Steps:

1. Wax serrated knife with a candle stub or paraffin. Use knife to cut 1/4" from bottom of 4" ball so it will stand upright.
    
2. Applying glue to one-half of wooden dowel; insert into 3" ball, letting unglued portion protrude. Apply glue to remainder of dowel and then insert into 4" foam ball. Squeeze additional glue between balls to strengthen bond forming bunny's head and body. Let dry.
    
3. Cut top off each sock and discard cuff section. Slide bunny, 4" ball first, into sock until flush with toe. Do not tie off end.
    
4. Cut remaining sock in half lengthwise for bunny's ears. Fold each ear in half lengthwise with right sides together. Glue cut edges together, leaving open at one end. Turn. Drybrush along center front of each ear with boysenberry pink. Let dry.
    
5. Cut two 12" lengths of craft wire and bend each in half. Insert a wire into each ear and then poke ends in center top of foam head. Spot glue, if necessary. Bend wires inside ears to shape as desired.
    
6. Cut three 6" lengths of pink wire. Gather sock at top of head around base of ears and wrap with wire to secure. Curl ends of wires around a paintbrush handle.
    
7. Paint 1/4" pom pom boysenberry pink and let dry. Glue two 1/2" white pom poms side by side to center of face with pink pom pom at center top for a nose.
    
8. Using photo as a guide, drybrush cheeks on each side of white pom poms with boysenberry pink. Dip paintbrush handle in lamp black to dot two eyes close together. Let dry. Dot a white highlight on each eye with a toothpick.
    
9. Cut six 1-1/2" lengths of white wire. Shape soft ripples in wires; glue three on each side of white pom poms for whiskers.
    
10. Draw tiny eyebrows and a mouth with black marking pen.
     
11. Tie fabric strip in a bow around bunny's neck.
     
12. Using patterns, cut feet from white stiff felt. Glue feet to bottom of body with toes at front.
     
13. Glue 1" pom pom to bottom back of bunny for a tail.

Fabric Easter Eggs

Easter is in the air

I had one of those moments in Target the other day while walking (well running, actually, as I had a screaming toddler in my cart) by an endcap, and instinctively, reflexively even, bent down and grabbed this fantastic cake platter as we sped past. The first thing that popped into my head to describe it was "Barnyard Chic" -- check out the chicken wire detail on the foot! Completely fantastic --

Driving home, this strange urge to make Easter eggs came over me. Strange in that I don't usually get this kind of inspiration until either, a) after the holiday has passed, or b) it's so close to the holiday that there isn't enough time to complete the project. In any case, not only did I finish the eggs in time, but I've come up with a little tutorial (my first!) far enough in advance for anyone else who wants to make fabric Easter eggs, too. These are just a bit bigger than real eggs and a terrific way to use up those fabric scraps! Please be sure to tell me if you have any trouble printing the pattern (it should be 2-1/8"W by 4-1/4"h) or if any of the instructions are confusing so I can fix them!

Fabric Easter Egg Tutorial

Materials:

10"w x 5"h Quilting cotton, linen or other non-stretchy woven fabric in one or more prints
Thread
Fiberfill, Nature-fill or other similar polyester or natural stuffing
Disappearing Ink Pen
Scissors
Pins
Hand sewing needle
Pattern (I recommend printing it on card stock for easy tracing)

Seam allowances are 1/4"

1. Cut out the pieces. Place pattern piece perpendicular to the fabric selvedge, trace the pattern with disappearing ink (see photo below) and cut four pieces from desired fabric prints. You may cut multiple pieces simultaneously from the same print by folding the fabric over one or more times, cutting up to 4 pieces at once. (Tip: If you're using a scrap and don't know which way the selvedge is, test which direction the fabric is stretchiest. The fabric is stretchier going perpendicular to the selvedge, and less stretchy going parallel with the selvedge; you want the stretch going from top to bottom of the egg, not side to side, so your egg doesn't get too "fat" when you stuff it. Hopefully that makes sense.)

2. Place pieces together for sewing. Always keeping track of which end is "up", place 2 fabric pieces, right sides together, pinning if desired. Do the same with the remaining two pieces. Transfer the two dots from the pattern to the fabric pieces on top. If using two different fabrics, make sure both pairs have one of each print and that the same print is on the top of both sets.

3. Sew a seam along the right side of one set of egg pieces, from top dot to bottom dot, backstitching at the top and bottom. Do the same with the second set of pieces.

4. Put the two halves together. Turn one set of egg pieces right side out, and place inside the other set of egg pieces, so that right sides are together on the inside.

Match the seams at the top and bottom and pin. (Note the purple ink marks on the lower righthand side in the photo below that indicate where I will leave a hole for stuffing)

5. Sew the two halves together. Sew around the outside edge of the egg, leaving a 1" hole on one side for turning and stuffing, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam.

6. Trim the seam allowances, taking care not to snip into the stitches and leaving the seam allowances wide around the open hole.

7. Turn the egg right side out through the hole and it will look something like this

8. Stuff the egg firmly with poly-fill or other stuffing, and close the hole with small slip stitches/ladder stitches.

9. Voila! You have a completed egg.

I hope you have as much fun making these as I did!

 

By: http://retro-mama.blogspot.com

Recipe Card Holder

One thing that drives me crazy when I'm cooking is digging for my recipe cards amidst the clutter of ingredients on my counter!  I was at my grandma's house this past weekend and she had a wooden recipe card holder.  Unfortunately, it was from 1974!  They just don't make things like they used to!  With the help of Hobby Lobby I decided to make my own!  I just love the way it turned out!

Here's how I did it:

Hobby Lobby has all sorts off fun Wood Shoppe products!  For this project I used a jumbo paper clip, one wooden nickel, a candlestick and a base.  You can either get these on sale or wait until they have a 40% coupon and they are super inexpensive!

First I used the Dremel to grind the candlestick to the angle I needed it.

Then I glued the candlestick, base and paperclip together.

I spray painted with Rustoleum Heirloom White.  Rustoleum has better covereage than other spray paints I've used.  You can find this at Home Depot.  Tip: I actually used a clip while I painted the paper clip to get the inside!

I thought it looked a little dull so I painted a wooden nickel with green acrylic paint and stenciled on an "m".  This is where a Silhouette machine would come in very handy!  I actually had to paint this a few times with the stencil before it came out the way I wanted! I wrapped a little jute around it and called it a day!

I think this little guy will get a lot of use!

By: http://lifessweeterwithchocolate.blogspot.com/

Turn Old Jeans into Pot Holders

Turn the seat of an old pair of jeans into potholders. The jean pockets, already ready for slipping in your hands, make this sewing project a breeze.

1. Find a pair of old jeans. Perhaps you have an unsightly hole that is beyond mending like me?
    
2. Cut two 10 inch squares around each pocket, with the pocket as close to the center of the square as possible.
    
3. Cut out two 10 inch squares in fabric to match the denim squares.
    
4. For the insulation layer, use two layers of thick wool batting cut to equal squares, or use several layers of denim squares cut from the jean legs.
    
5. For each potholder, assemble the three square layers of denim, insulation, fabric. Align the insulation squares with the fabric square, with the wrong side of the fabric touching the insulation. Pin in place. Align this pinned piece with the denim square, with the right side of the denim touching the fabric piece. Pin in place.
    
6. With a ½ inch seam allowance, stitch three sides of each pot holder.
    
7. Turn inside out and press. Topstitch the remaining side closed. Repeat for other potholder.

Happy baking with your homemade potholders!

Funky Jeans Bag

Recycle an old pair of jeans into a funky bag with this tutorial by Stefi Luca. Use a bright fabric like the red fabric pictured for the lining and embellishments.

Materials:

• 1 pair of worn out jeans
• some cute linen for lining
• matching thread
• imagination

Instructions:

When you have all the materials at hand, we can proceed to the next step.

Level the top edges of the waistband and pin them together. Cut the jeans a few inches under the crotch point. Then separate the front and back sides at the crotch area.

Sew the front legs (as to cover what used to be crotch area), which will make your short jeans look like a skirt.

Turn the jeans inside out, pin again the top edges of the waistband on the wrong side and sew the bottom. Cut out the remaining fabric, after sewing.

Lay the jeans on the folded linen and cut it along the line of the jeans: 1 inch exceeding the waistline. Sew the linen on the wrong side. Before sewing you can add some inner pockets if you wish, if not – no biggie as there are plenty of outside pockets.

I applied two inner pockets, one regular and one phone pocket to which I added a lid. I followed my dad’s suggestion when seeing my green bag: “What if you turn your bag upside down looking for something inside, your phone may drop down”.

Cut two strips out of the jeans legs and two out of the linen. I wanted really long straps so I created one strap from one strip and a half. Sew them and get two lined straps.

Place the straps between the jeans and the lining and sew them all together. Add a fastening device. I have first thought of sew-on snaps but finally gave in for an easier solution.

It’s time now to use the last ingredient, your imagination, to give the bag the last really nice touch into the funky spirit.

Here we have a funky scrap bag.

Easter Potpourri

Materials:

• 4 Lemons
  4 Oranges
  1/2 cup Whole cloves
  1/2 cup Whole allspice
  10 Cinnamon Sticks
  10 Bay leaves
  Decorative jars with lids

This free Easter craft project shows you how to make Easter Potpourri.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the fruit carefully. Remove only the peel, try not to remove any of the white pith.
Next chop into or tear into one inch pieces.
Spread the peel on paper towel and place it on a metal pan.
Stick it in preheated oven to 175 deg F'.
Dry in the oven for 1 1/2 hours and turning it over in stages. The peel should be slightly crunchy or hard.
Spread the peels on dry paper towels and let air dry for a day.
Mix with remaining ingredients and fill jars with the mixture.
Pour into open Easter baskets when ready to use.

Potpourri Easter Chicken

This Easter chicken is filled with potpourri for a fancy alternative to a simple Easter chick.

Materials:

• various felt colors, Pink, Green,Yellow, Orange
  Stuffing/toy wadding
  potpourri
  needle and thread
  feather
  2 small beads for eyes.

Start by printing out the following pattern and cutting out the pieces from appropriate colors of felt .


Start by stitching the sides of the rectangle together to form the body. Then stitch the base onto the body of the chicken.


Cut 2 feet out of felt.


Cut 4 wings out of felt and sew together for each side, do not turn inside out.


Cut 2 head pieces and stitch them together and turn inside out and fill with adding. Stitch the feather on top for hair and add the eyes.


Fill the body with potpourri and draw up the stitches, top with wadding.


Stitch the head into place and secure. Stitch the beak.


Bow tie - stitch across the rectangle piece and draw up in the middle to form the bow, secure with a few stitches.


Stitch the small rectangle into place to cover the gathering on the bow tie.


Stitch the bow tie into place.