yepadoodle craft

Teacher's gifts

2010-05-27T07:54:00.001-07:00

2 more days until school is out???? I am in complete denial... I am loving this cooler weather, but it just doesn't seem like summer!

I made these up yesterday for the boys' teachers. I love how they turned out! I am definitely going to have to make another for myself.

I love

2010-05-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

this:

that is all.

Reversible Booster Seat Pad Tutorial

2010-04-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Do you have a crusty booster seat in your car?

Do you have a booster seat for a boy, but need a girly one?

Did your child throw up on his booster seat on the way home from Disneyland and then you washed it and then threw it in the dryer, not thinking it would shrink?

Well, I am so excited to introduce you to my very first tutorial!

I had been brainstorming this one for a few weeks and finally just decided I needed to go for it. It ended up being very easy!

Here's what you need:

old booster seat pad
fabric, enough for 2 sides. They can be the same or matchy matchy.
thread to match

First, remove the tabs on the end of the pad by carefully ripping open the seam, don't just cut them off.

Save these, you need them later. Now take that raw edge that you've just made and zigzag it back together.

Lay your fabrics right side together and lay the pad on top of them. Using your pad as the pattern, cut out the shape of the pad, leaving 1/3 inch extra all the way around for your seam allowance. (Remember, I had to add extra length on mine because it shrunk, that's why it looks so much longer than the pad) You could also trace the shape of the pad and (adding the seam allowance) cut it out.

Pin the 2 pieces together and sew 3 sides together leaving the wider end open. Clip the corners and zigzag the raw edges together.

Turn the cover right side out and iron seams. Slide the old cover into place making sure to get it right into place in the corners.

Now remember those holes in the narrow end? You need to secure those and make new holes. I felt with my finger to find where they were and just zigzagged around the hole. Then I made a small slit to secure it back onto the car seat. Sorta like a button hole. See?

You could also do this by hand, but it doesn't need to be perfect, it's not going to show once it's on the base. Sew a topstich on the other side of the holes. This will help relieve some of the tension on those little holes.

Go ahead, try it on and see how it fits. Perfect!

Now grab those tabs you took off the pad and pin them onto the right side of the fabric on one side of the pad .

Now sew them on. Like this:

Flip them over so they stick out of the pad and carefully iron, (so as to not melt your tabs) a 1/3 inch seam allowance toward the wrong side of the fabric.

Now pin and sew a topstitch or two (I did two), making sure to secure the edge of the old pad inside* this way if you need to wash it later, it won't get all bunched up inside. And for goodness sakes don't throw it in the dryer. Just let it air dry, trust me!

*if you're lengthening the cover, like I was, take your fingers and feel for the edge of the pad inside the new cover. Secure the edge of the pad with pins and sew a line (shown in the next photo) following the edge.

Now pin your cover around the remaining 3 sides and sew a topstitch to hold everything in place.

You should be done! Place your new pad back on the booster, take a step back to admire your work and pat yourself on the back!

Your feedback is welcome and appreciated, if you happen to notice a mistake or something doesn't make sense, please let me know!

I'm linking to my first Link Parties at Tea Rose Home and Someday Crafts!

Baby Boy - Shower Gifts

2010-03-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few baby shower gifts I made this week:

Of course, bibs. I know I always make bibs, but I love them. My pattern and design:

I decided to make a few more things for the little guy so I make the baby chain softie and some wee wee wigwams featured on Make it and Love it. She always has great ideas and easy to understand instructions.

Can you tell I'm loving that green fabric right now? I made a new cover from my ironing board with it, too.

Binky Patrol Blankets

2010-02-18T14:18:00.001-08:00

I signed us up for the Disney program for this year: "Give a day, Get a day:. To earn our tickets, I signed up with the Binky Patrol to make 3 blankets. Ryan paid for the material. I cut and sewed the blankets and Dillon tied them.

I'm not a huge fan of the tied blankets, but it is something that the kids can do to help, so I made 2 that could be tied. For the other one, I used this tutorial for bias tape. I think it looks a little more mature, maybe for a teenage girl. It's not perfect, but it was made with love, I hope the people receiving these blankets can feel that love!

Apron Strings

2009-12-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

The last of the Christmas gifts that I had to make was started and finished today. the kids watched Christmas movies nearly all morning and into the afternoon while I stitched the day away.

Skirting: the Issue

2009-12-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

Check another one off the list, Mama's on a roll!

A request from Miss P., to Santa

Fabric is from JoAnne's, pattern taken from a Target skirt we already had.

Sewing Mojo

2009-12-17T14:57:00.001-08:00

Good thing I made that quilt, because I think I found my sewing mojo!

Checking this off the the list of gifts to make!

Procrastinating

2009-12-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

here's what i made, when i should have been making christmas presents.

it's a twin size quilt for Miss P. who, by the way, still sleeps in a toddler bed. i know.

i just got the idea in my head and had to do it. right away.

now why can't i seem to do that with my housework!???

i made it using scraps of my favorite fabrics from the past few years. of course it's not finished yet, i need the batting to go on sale at joanne!

Riiibbit!

2009-10-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

While visiting my sister, Heather, in Chicago last week she gave me this adorable collage that she made for Mister Maser. Isn't it cute?!!!

I knew I wanted it to be a frog, since my sister-in-law, Carrie, bought him a stuffed frog when he was born. I e-mailed a few images for inspiration to Heather and this is what she came up with. Adorable! Thanks, Heather!

Aprons for Charity

2009-10-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well, not charity technically, but for the kids Fall Festival at school. I donated these to the "Country Kitchen" which had fresh baked goods, jam, garden produce, and such. I don't know if they just didn't have any interested parties, but by the end of the night they were still sitting on the table. Maybe I priced them too high. Who knows. Well, I talked to a couple interested ladies and got them SOLD!

Baby Shower Gift

2009-09-26T14:51:00.001-07:00

I cut these out on Friday night and sewed them up Saturday morning before a baby shower. I've made them so many times, that by now they are a cinch to whip up, even last minute! I made up my own pattern and directions, but there are several great tutorials on the web.

A Blessing Outfit

2009-09-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we blessed the baby at church. For weeks, no months, before he was born I searched all sorts of fancy boutiques, department stores, chain stores and etsy for something for him to wear, but found nothing. So I decided I had to make something. I wanted something simple and classic with an heirloom quality. I wanted something blue, not white. I don't know why but I have blessed all my boys in blue. I found a great online store that will send you free swatches of fabric. After getting the samples in the mail I picked the color I wanted and went to the fabric store for a pattern. I don't know if it was me or the pattern, but I had a hard time with some of the directions, so I'm not sure if I made it right, but it works. I love how it turned out!

ReCycle / ReUse

2009-09-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

When I had my first child I bought a used Jenny Lind crib for a mere $20. It lasted for the next 2 kids until my daughter kicked the side and broke a spindle. I actually duct taped it back together until she moved out of it a few months later. I know, ghetto, but I wasn't ready to move her out quite yet. As I was dissembling it I was looking at it wondering if there was something useful I could do with it. I saved a side and stuck it in the garage with the rest of my projects until I thought of something I could make with it. So here it is: a blanket rack.

I need to give it a fresh coat of paint, but I was so excited to get it hung up, I couldn't wait!

Here's what I did:

I cut a section of the side to include 7 rungs. I thought this looked like a good size. Next I cut small blocks to mount on the back so that it hung away from the wall. This gives the blankets room to hang in the back. Finally I got some ring hangers and attached them to the back.

I love that I made something useful out of "junk", but I also love it because that crib was a little sentimental to me and now I can think of my babies when I look at it!

projects!

2009-09-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Finally feeling better from the flu we had last week! I had a few projects that I wanted to do and finally had the time, motivation and energy to get them done.

The first is a onesie for my soon to be born niece. At my SIL's baby shower they passed out a white onesie and asked us to decorate them, but all they had were fabric markers! Well, being the crafty snob that I am, I sat there thinking about all the cute things I could do with it if I was at home with all my supplies. I decided I would politely let her know I would do it at home and give it to her later, using the baby as my excuse, because I couldn't really be expected to produce something whilst nursing my baby, right? Well, they were on to me... I am a craft snob and they knew it! We had a good laugh about that!

The next one was freezer paper stencils. I have been wanting to try this one and have had the stuff for a while, but kept putting it off. It was so easy and quick!

My daughter has been obsessed with Mary Poppins lately and when I saw this image while looking for Mary Poppins costumes on the internet I knew I had to try it. It will be perfect for our Disneyland trip!

The last project was a blanket that I had gotten in the free diaper bag from the hospital. I love the jersey knit blanket, great for wrapping him into a little burrito! But it had the hospital name on the corner and I just didn't like it. So I made up a little applique with his initial on it. Here's the before:

Here's the after:

I have really missed being creative these last few weeks and now I have tons of motivation to get some of my other projects done, let's hope it lasts!

Nesting

2009-07-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have not felt very creative lately, my excuse is I've been creating the ultimate crafty project: a baby. Now that I'm 2 weeks from delivery, I've felt the need to prepare for this child to join our family. That means cleaning, gathering essentials, getting the room ready (he'll be sharing with Miss P), and a little project I've been wanting to do. I guess you could say, I'm nesting.

The pattern for the bird can be found here.

Shirt Applique

2009-04-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am working on this shirt for our friends son, who loves trucks. We're off to visit them for a few days and I wanted to bring him something. I hope he likes it!

It was easy to do and very inexpensive, just your standard T-shirt, fabric scrap, and some Wonder-under. (I love that stuff!) I have been wanting to do some shirts for the kids and this was good practice. O-Dog has now requested a shirt with a big 4 on it.

Morning photos

2009-03-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures the other morning. I love these grape hyacinth, I wish they lasted longer as they are already drying up and disapearing.

I just happened to notice 3 butterflies hanging around them and grabbed my camera to snap a few. I could actually see their little "tongue" going in and out sipping the nectar of the flowers.

Hoping to win some cute fabric

2009-03-26T17:01:00.001-07:00

I had to throw my name in the hat to win some pretty fabric, can you blame me? Anna Maria Horner is one of my favorite designers!

Thrifty make-over

2009-03-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

Last year I bought this cute pegged board at the local Goodwill. I think I paid $2.50. It was painted a yellowy gold and then antiqued. Not bad, but for my purpose it needed a fresh coat of paint

I think I have a pretty good eye for seeing the potential in something, although if you ask my husband, he might say I see a things through diamond encrusted bright fuchsia colored glasses. Don’t even get him started. In addition to that, I always think things will take ½ the time that they actually do. What can I say, I’m an optimist(Okay, maybe not all the time, but when it comes to my crafty projects, I am.)

Here's the before:

Anyway, I have had it sitting in the garage for several months and felt inspired to work on it. I had some old paint, an aqua color and decided to use some of that, 3 coats worth. This is one rare project that actually took me less than the time I thought it would take. From painting to hanging it was about 1 hour.

After I got the shelf secured on the wall I got Miss P’s blessing day dress to hang on it along with a matching bonnet, a tiny crystal bracelet and some crocheted booties that my mom made. I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Flower Power

2009-03-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I just love runuculus, they remind me of peonies which I also love! I took these last year in our backyard, they have yet to make an appearance this year. I love how vibrant the colors are. No photoshop here peeps, it's all natural! Even down to the bugs!

Telling the tooth

2009-03-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

My Church is involved in the Festival of Trees again and have asked for donations of handmade items to be sold so I decided to put my collection of scraps to good use. I came up with these little tooth fairy pillows.

Learning Curve

2009-03-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

A while back I was asked to do some upholstery work for some family-of-family (you know like a friend-of-a-friend deal). Something I have never done before: 4 cushion slipcovers with piping and zippers. I had the existing seat cushions, but the back part, I had to make from scratch. I took apart one of the existing slipcovers to make a pattern from it, and left the other one to be able to go back and look at the construction of it.

Did I mention it was velvet? It's very hard to sew with, because it's very easily crushed and once it's crushed ...it's crushed, you can't undo crushed velvet. So you get this mottled look on the fabric.

Oh, and the piping? I had never made piping before. That part was okay, but then getting it to look right once I got the whole thing together was a challenge. After ripping apart the puckered seams for the 10th time, I was nearly in tears and beginning to foam at the mouth. Deep breath. Little prayer. Calm.

When I let my mind think about the entire project ahead of me, I started to stress out, but if I just thought about one small step at a time, It was okay. And prayer, ....prayer helps everything - yes, even sewing! (My mom taught me that!)Well, as soon as I finished the first slipcover I fit it onto the cushion and when I went to zip it up....pop! The zipper broke.

GARBAGE! (that's my dad's favorite swear word.)

For a first timer, I think they turned out relatively well. (As long as you don't examine the zippers in the back too closely! After starting the project I noticed that the fabric was quite faded in some areas, thankfully my client didn't mind and thought it gave the pieces a vintage feel. She was happy with them and in the end, that's what's important.

Chore Chart

2009-03-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have had several projects that I wanted to get check off my to-do list and here's one of them. My Sis-in-Law, Carrie, works at Tricks gym, as the assistant teacher in their CampUs classes. She is amazing with kids! She is one of those women who know just what to say to a kid to snap them out of a funk or stop a meltdown before it starts. I know it's selfish, but I'm sometimes glad she doesn't have kids yet, because if she did, who would help me with mine!!!???? Someday she is going to be an amazing mom. So recently, she came to me with an idea for a chore chart for their class, but didn't know how to make it happen. So we worked together and with the help of my trusty sewing machine, we did it!

She started with scrapbook paper, cut to size and laminated to make a small board. We went to the fabric store and picked up some clear vinyl, which we cut into rectangles. I stitched the vinyl rectangles onto the board to make pockets. She already had little cards with the classroom jobs on them, which fit into the little windows. She has wooden tiles with the students names on them which will be stuck under each window with velcro so they can rotate them each week. They can remove the job cards or change them as needed.

Sounds easy right? Well I had to cut out 36 rectangles out of the vinyl, sew 6 rectangles onto each board (6 different boards), with double stitching on each rectangle and single stitch around the perimeter of the board to finish it off. Then I had to pull all the hanging threads back thru to the back of the board and tape them all down.

If you live in the Sacramento area, check out Tricks for gym, dance CampUs and swimming too!

Oh Baby!

2009-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

I had a baby shower to go to and being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't even think about the gift until the afternoon of the party. (Even though I had been to Target at least 5 times after recieving the invitation in the mail!) I am terrible about that! I decided to go to my stash of baby bibs, but wasn't really happy with the selection I had on hand. I decided to try and sew up a couple before I had to leave.

I am especially pleased with how the cherry one turned out. I made a little girl's apron with the same fabrics last year so the bib was made with the scraps from that project. I just love the color combination.

I already had this one made, so I added it in the gift too.

My Process

2009-03-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

I had an order for 2 aprons so last week I quickly put together some new designs and just love how they turned out! I thought I would share my process for designing an apron. I like to start with a base fabric and 2-3 simple complimenting fabrics. I was given free reign on color choices and pattern.

Most of the fabric I use is purchased at JoAnne Fabrics, but when I can't find something that inspires my project, I check out the quilt stores, they usually have a wider selection and carry more of the "designer" fabrics. After I gather the fabrics for the project, I sit down to sketch out a design. When I'm happy with the design, I decide which fabrics I will use where and add in a rough sketch of the fabric so I can get a visual of what it will look like.

I start cutting out each piece in it's chosen fabric. I didn't use a pattern for this one, I just made it up as I went. I cut as much as I can using my rotary cutter and mat, it goes much quicker than with scissors.

After all the pieces are cut out, In my mind, I seperate the piece into 3 sections: bodice, torso, and skirt. Sometime I have to write out each step of the process so I don't forget to do something and have to rip out a seam. (For this apron I was going to add a loop to hang a dish towel on, but I forgot to add it to my steps. Oops! By the time I remembered, it was too late!) I complete one section at a time and when they're all done, I sew them together.

Here's the finished product:

Sometimes when I am in the middle of sewing a project I tweak the fabric choice a bit or add a little something. Here, I switched the pocket to the other side and I think I switched the neck ties fabric. I also came up with this pocket detailing from one of my favorite shirts that has this ruffle all the way down the front. It's so simple, but I love it.

Here's an upclose view of the front:

Do you see that little piece of red thread sitting there. It's bugging the heck out of me, I just wanna reach my hand through the monitor and pick it off! Ugh!

So there you have it! It's probably not the normal process of a pattern designer, but it works for me!

Here's the other half of that apron order:

Thanks to my sistas to being such fabulous models!

Apron Giveaway Winner

2009-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

I made this apron for a giveaway I had on my other blog. Jessica, the lucky winner, came over and picked out the base fabrics and then I played with the design a bit. I have made several aprons now and was feeling confident enough this time to forgo a pattern. I changed up the front and the neck ties, and added a pocket. All my own design! The entire thing is fully lined.

I went for a "scrappy" look with the neck ties:

Pintuck detailing on the bodice:

Added a pocket on one side:

I love the how colors and patterns look together on the bottom ruffle!

Berry Delicious!

2009-03-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Once a summer we try to get up to out favorite U-Pick Berry Farm in Camino and stock up the freezer. It's quite a drive up the hill and the berries aren't all that cheap, but we do it as family and I figure we're making memories for the kids, so you can't put a price on that.

One of our families favorite ways to enjoy the berries is over vanilla ice cream or better yet, homemade vanilla ice cream. So summery and delicious! Another one of our favorites is my mom's recipe for cobbler. It has become a "signature recipe" for my side of the family. I made it the other night with some frozen berries for the grocery store, but it's always better with fresh berries. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is berry perfection in a bowl.

It is so, so, so easy to make! I hope you like the recipe!

Berry Cobbler

Berries - enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan, 2 berries deep (this is usually about 2 bags of frozen berries from the grocery store) If you are using frozen berries, let the berries defrost in the pan before preparing the recipe.

Topping:

2 C flour

2 C sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 to 2 cubes cold butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. One at a time, mix in the eggs with a fork until the mixture is a crumbly texture, you want a "sandy" constistency. Do not over mix. Sprinkle it over the berries (layered in your 9x13 pan) and gently pat. Now take your butter and cut it into thin slices and lay over the topping. It will seem like a lot of butter, but trust me don't skimp! Now bake for about 1 hour of until the cobbler top is golden brown.

I made some the other night but wanted to leave some for my dear hubby to eat so I made some personal sized ones using my ramekins. This would be a great idea for a dinner party. Just be sure to have a good quality vanilla ice cream on hand, it is a must!

Enjoy!

A new apron for me.

2009-03-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have made several aprons for friends, but never for myself so I decided it was time for a new apron! I like how it turned out!

I Scream

2009-03-04T10:48:00.001-08:00

The inspiration for this bib was Miss P, of course! Boy is she a screamer! At church, in the car, at home...okay, pretty much anywhere. Sometimes for no reason at all, seriously this girl can belt it out, and loud!

Giant Cuppycake

2009-03-04T10:44:00.001-08:00

I offered to make the cake for our friends daughter's first birthday and made the same cake that I did for my own little Miss P's Party.

Miss M was a little hesitant at first. And rightly so, after all it was as big as her head! But by the end she had devoured half of it. I think it was a hit!

I know that cupcake pans are so popular right now, but you don't really need one for this size. I used a 10x10 pan and one strawberry boxed cake mix. After it was cooled, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and froze it. I then cut in in 4 squares and stacked them on top of each other. I didn't use any filling, I figured her little body didn't need even more sugar pumping through her veins. After they were stacked I began carving them into a cupcake shape, much like they do on Ace of Cakes. When I had the shape I wanted, I started "icing" the bottom half with cool whip. For the top half, I colored more cool whip with red food coloring until I got the right shade of pink. Then I iced the top with it. Easy Peasy!

Mini Quilt

2009-03-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

I love sewing, but I don't have time or supplies to really get into quilting right now. I have 2 different ones that are sitting unfinished in a box somewhere. So, having never actually finished a quilt, I thought I would start out with a small project that I might actually be able to finish this time. I had some fabric scraps left over from some bibs I made a while back, that I had thought about making some yo-yo's out of. I made the yo-yos and some circle appliques from Anna Maria's tutorial and made this adorable little quilt for Miss P's Doll.

Thrifting Finds

2009-03-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

I love to go to thrift stores! I don't get to go very often, but today I was driving by one and thought I'll just run in really quick! Whenever I go, I always check the linens section for fabrics or vintage linens, I have never really seen anything. That is until today.......

I just love this vintage pillowcase! It only cost me $.75 and the vintage ric-rac which according to the original packaging sold for $.15 in it's day, cost me $.25. I had to laugh at that one! The embroidery stitching must have taken the owner hours and hours. Each stitch is perfect. The colors are so cool and soothing. The edge is finished with scalloped tatting. So sweet. It has a few small stains, but nothing that a little oxyclean can't handle. I love the color of the ric-rac. I will have to find a special project worthy of it, possibly an apron......keep watching to see!

You will probably laugh at me for this one, but the pillowcase smells so good! Of course I will wash it before we use it, but it smells like it just came off someone's clothes line. Then, I think, I will use it for MissP's bed.