Art-on-the-Go Kit!

We have an Easter service tomorrow, with no Sunday School classes or Children's Church, and we have an upcoming graduation ceremony - both times when we need to keep two young boys occupied and relatively quiet. I thought it would be a good time to make the Art-on-the-Go Kit, from Fishsticks Designs. Of course, with two boys, I needed two kits!

I used stash for both kits, a space print and a marble print. Instead of using fleece for the middle layer, I used flannel from an old sheet. The kits are supposed to contain ten pencils, but my boxes held a dozen, so I squeezed in twelve slots. And there is elastic to hold a notepad in place.

There's also elastic to hold the cover together when folded in half.
Looking forward to seeing how they like these in the morning!

More Peeps!

Well, it didn't happen quite as quickly as I had intended, but I now have a small army of Peeps!

I had previously made just the two pink bunnies, but my boys fell in love with them, too. So I decided to make more bunnies for them, as well as making enough chick peeps so that every bunny had a chick friend. My boys will each find a blue or yellow bunny and a blue or yellow chick near their Easter baskets, and my friend will be getting a pink bunny and a yellow chick. I'll find someone else to get the other pink bunny and blue chick.

The chick tutorial is from Dandelions and Lace - same as the bunny tutorial. They went together easily. Instead of using fleece, this time I used stretch terrycloth - just because I had it and didn't want to buy anything. It worked out well, even though it shed all over me during construction. :) I would recommend these for anyone who wants little Peep plushies in their house...

A reading nook!

A new house has a "sort of" bay window in the front sitting/living room. I always thought of bay windows as having the angled sides, so to me, this is just a "sticks out" window. Nevertheless, it is a perfect spot for a small boy to sit on the windowsill and read a book in the sunshine. So I decided it needed a cushion for the windowsill! I used microsuede for the removable cover, NuFoam for the cushion itself, and muslin for the inner cover. I thought about making a PUL cover like I did for the dog bed, but I decided that might be overkill. No one should be on the cushion with a drink. Anyway, I made this to the sill's measurements, with cutouts in the corners for the edges of the windows. Apparently I goofed slightly - it should be an inch longer. But I can live with that. The cushion is made from two layers of one-inch NuFoam (they didn't have 2-inch at JAF the day I went there, but it's since back in stock, of course), stitched securely together. The muslin cover was made to those measurements and stitched permanently in place - mainly just to make sure the mattress stayed together well. The outer cover was made to the same measurements, but it has cording in the seams to improve longevity. (I made those with bias strips and clothesline.) Instead of installing a zipper - I wanted to have the opening along the inner length, to make it easier to stuff the cushion in place - I overlapped the edges and used my snap press to install a dozen or so snaps along the side. I think it'll work well. Also, I have applied a spray-on UV sunblock to the entire cover in an attempt to decrease fading from the constant sunlight. I tested it on a large scrap, and nothing bad happened to the fabric, so I figured it was safe. ;) And I've kept some large scraps so that I can compare it in a few months and see how well the block worked. Should be interesting!

Marshmallow Peeps!

No, I'm not actually a fan of Peeps. Not for eating, anyway. The only time I will consume a marshmallow is when it is melted in a rice krispie treat. However, I know plenty of people who ARE fans of Peeps. And one is a very good friend. So when I saw Dandelion and Lace's tutorial to make a marshmallow bunny peep, well, I couldn't resist! She also just put up a new tutorial for marshmallow chick peeps - maybe that will get done tonight! ;)

Playing catch-up

This whole idea of writing a thesis in a short time really messes with my sewing time! In the last month and a half or more, I haven't really had much time to sew, which is not fun. However, I have managed to get a few things done. Thing 2 is outgrowing his PJs and needed some new ones that weren't midriff-baring - a look no one wants to see! I had two pairs of PJ pants that were made previously but needed matching shirts. I even had the shirt pattern and the interlock for the shirts, so with this motivation, I cut and sewed them! This truck pair has been in the works for years - the pants were originally intended for Thing 1 - oops! The pants are B6887 size XS, I think, and the top is KS SFT size 3T, with 2 inches added in length to body and sleeves. Then I added an applique to tie the shirt and pants together.

This set has only been in the works since last year. The pants are KS SFT 3T, intended to match Thing 1's set. The top is the same as the previous set. He seems to love them both! And they add nicely to his PJ drawer.

Next up, my MIL wanted a new cover for her dog crate, so we made a trip to the fabric store together and picked out a nice midweight denim (got it with a coupon - even better!). I let it sit for a few weeks - thesis, you know! - but got it sewn up for her eventually. I think it turned out pretty nicely, though I didn't get pictures on the crate.

The front flap is only attached at the top, and she tucks it completely under the top unless she's going to use it.

It fits the crate very nicely, with just a smidge of extra room. She seemed pleased, and that makes me happy.

My good friend who loves the Beatles had a birthday last month. I didn't want to try to do anything too time-consuming, because she'd feel guilty about taking time away from my thesis. But these collars for her chihuahuas worked up very quickly. And she loved them! Sweet!

These are from Creative Designworks - the mini dog collar kit, size Mini (as opposed to Extra Mini or Mini Plus). I had gotten another friend to measure the neck circumference of a chihuahua at the shelter to give me a rough idea for sizing - she thought it was great fun to be part of such a sneaky endeavor.