Use up your scraps of fabrics that you’ve collected from other projects-make a blanket! I feel like I have spent a lot recently on craft supplies and fabric so I want to challenge myself to make things out of the scraps I have laying around from old projects.
I found a cheap fleece blanket in the laundry room which inspired me to jazz it up a bit. After trying to add some trim to it I decided I didn’t have the patience for that but I liked my idea of using up scraps for a blanket….so I found a few yards of fabric in a cotton that looked like blue denim. Nice!
My blanket is 45 inches (115 cms) wide which is the standard fabric width. You could aim for pieces of fabric 2 yards long (72 inches or 183 cms long) but this is a project for using up what you have so make it whatever size you fancy.
I thought I could arrange the trim and extra pieces of fabric as trim on the bottom of the short ends. I laid it out to get an idea of what it might look like.
Then I ironed any unfinished hems of the fabrics so it would look like a wide trim. After I arranged it how I like it and I pin everything in place.
After sewing each trim in place I went in search of a backing for this blanket to add weight and cover up the back. I found some blue jersey (t-shirt fabric) that was almost the right size of the blanket. I trimmed off any excess fabric from the jersey to be the right size and pinned it to the project with right sides together. Sewing all the way around leaving a gap big enough to fit my hand into. Reach in and pull the fabric right side out.
Just a few steps left now…I need to hand sew the gap that was left. Then sew it all the way around again so that the edge stayed flat.
I think this would make a great road trip blanket…or picnic blanket but since its January and we are up to our hips in snow…we’ll use it for now as a snuggle up on the couch blanket.
The final size of the blanket was 45 inches wide (115 cms) and 63 inches long (160 cms). If it was 2 full yards it would be 72 inches long so this was leftover.
Tea Cup Pin Cushion – DIY Easy Peasy!
Use an old tea cup-even a broken one, or like mine one that is missing a saucer to make a pin cushion. Its a super fast craft for any skill level.
You just need: scrap of fabric, shirt, pillow case, napkin…some sort of cloth….you only need about 8 inches square piece of fabric for most cups. Also grab your measuring tape, stuffing, hot glue gun, a needle and thread.
I chose not to glue mine into the tea cup with hot glue simply because my mom might flip out if she ever read this. She has two Royal Albert teapots that are absolute beautiful that leak tea on the table due to a tiny crack. I would love to make a craft out of that….I’m thinking a dainty ivy cascading out of it. Or drilling holes in it to put silver spoons dangling from below as a wind chime…. But she might faint if I asked for it. They cost a pretty penny back in the day and she has loved using them for her guests.
I have seen some tea cup pin cushions that were really glamorous. They glued the cup to the saucer and put laces and trims all around the base. The pin cushion also had a few decorative hat pins and some sort of tassel hanging from the handle. What a gift that would be for someone who still appreciates the dainty things in life. Have fun with this!
Sew a fleece snood-neck warmer in just minutes!
DIY Sew a Fleece Neck Warmer (Scarf Alternative) Snood
At the school my kids go to they prefer the children do not wear scarves for safety reasons…preventing a playful accidental strangling sounds like a good idea. In my part of Canada (eh!) we need our necks covered when its bitterly cold. So this neck warmer is a create idea for everyone in the family. Its ideal for toddlers though and their skill level and patience with getting on their winter gear.
This link will bring you to my instructions for the hat in this photo-it has a hole in the end so your pony tail can enjoy the outing too… http://mybrightideasblog.com/make-fleece-hat-wear-pony-tail/
So lets make us some Neck Warmers!
You will need:
- 2 pieces of fleece
- sewing machine
- pins
- scissors
Adult 25 inches x 9 inches
Toddler ages 1-3 years old 21 x7 inches
Child 4-9 years old 23 x 8 inches
10 years old to Adult 25 x 9 inches
Cut 2 pieces of fleece to size. It can be all one color of fleece or 2 colors that compliment each other. We used the pattern fabric to match her hat and purple fleece for the inside.
Make sure the stretchy-est direction is going lengthwise.
Sew a straight seam on both of the long sides of the fabric.
Place the right sides together and stitch down the long sides of the fleece.
Reach in and grab the end and pull it halfway through the tube. You are pulling one end into the other so its now half the length.
Match up the end seems and pin. Then pin all the way around the opening.
Sew these ends leaving an opening of 2 or 3 inches so you can turn it right side out by pulling everything through the hole.
Once you have it right side out…sew the opening closed with a bit of hand stitching.
Voila! Anyone can make a neck warmer in an easy 10 minute project. This is an easy project to have your children do with you.
Also if you don’t live in the bitter north and want a scarf but not so warm make it out of a t-shirt fabric. Better yet make it out of an old t-shirt. Use up your scraps of fabric. I love this sort of thing for camping in September when its pretty chilly at night.
Make a Fleece Hat to wear With your Pony Tail
Pony Tail Fleece Hat
For gals with a pony tail you have quite the dilemma when you need to pop on a hat to go outside. To avoid a big lump on the back of your head we will make up a Fleece Winter Hat that has an elasticized end that allows you to pull your high pony tail or your messy bun out the top.
The cozy scarf/snood shown in the photo below is just as easy to make….just follow this link.
Let’s Get Started!
You will have this hat sewn up in 15 minutes! This is a great first sewing project if you are new at this or if you have a youngster you would like to teach how to use the sewing machine.
View from the front!
Let’s take a moment to give a shout out to my hat model Miss B. She was cold…those eyes are smiling but also pleading to get back inside!
View from the back! It’s a little slouchy and super easy to pop your pony head out of the back.
You will need:
- Fleece fabric
- Elastic
- Safety Pin
- Sewing machine
- Scissors
- Thread
Fleece Fabric
Start by measuring your head and work out your size OR just go with the below suggestions. Fleece is a very forgiving fabric. If it’s too small it will stretch and if it’s a bit too big it will sit nicely on your head.
A young child size hat cut fabric to: 20 x 12 inches.
My 7 year old was 21 inches x 12 inches.
My 10 year old was 22 inches x 13 inches.
An adult size hat cut fabric to: 23 x 14 inches.
Hubby had a big head and he was 23 1/2 x 13 inches.
This hat is for my 10 year old so we measured and cut a piece of fleece 22 x 13 inches.
Fold the fleece in half with the right sides together.
Pin the side and sew using a ¼ inch seem allowance.
This is my 10 year old’s first time taking the sewing machine for a spin.
Fold over 1 inch on the bottom edge and pin. This will be the bottom edge of the hat.
Fold the bottom cuff over an inch and sew over the edge with a zig zag stitch.
Again pin the edge of the other end for the top part of the hat.
This time we did a straight stitch and stop sewing before you get an inch from where you started to sew. This will be our elastic casing.
You will need a small piece of thin elastic but do not cut it to size until later. Pin the end of the elastic and use the pin as a tool to wiggle the elastic through the casing.
Slide the pin into the one inch gap.
Wiggle the pin all the way around. I apologize for my cuticles in this photo!
Overlap the ends of the elastic and pin together.
Secure the elastics with a few stiches forward and backward.
Hand or machine stitch the one inch gap closed.
Now, flip the hat right side out…how does it fit?
Wonderful job!
Now heads will be cozy and pony tails will be free!
Put it on your gorgeous head! Now get outside!
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Easy to Make Fleece Hat with Flowers – Simple Sewing Project
Sew a Super Easy Fleece Poncho-Simple Starter Sewing Project
How to Sew an Easy Fleece HairBand
Anyone can make this!
This super cute hairband was made from a left over piece of fleece from a poncho project Fleece Poncho Top in photo found at this link: http://mybrightideasblog.com/?p=218&preview=true
Miss M and I made her first sewing project the fleece poncho and with a few more minutes sewed up the co-coordinating headband.
For a 7 year old head we cut 2 strips of fabric 5 inches by 20 inches. For an adult sized head cut 6 inches by 22 inches strips of fabric.
Fold each strip in half to lengthwise (right sides together) to form a tube and sew a seem.
Pull the end through the tube to turn it right side out.
Lay one strip on the bottom with seam facing up. The other lay on top with the seam facing down. Fold the bottom one in half.
Fold the top one in half. Pull the ends even. Now its starting to take shape. Try holding it in place to see how if fits.
I tucked the ends of the right side into the left side and folded under the edge so it wouldn’t have any raw edges showing. Sewing a line across all the layers is a little tricky. Fleece or jersey-t-shirt material can be used and is very forgiving for sizing. You could use this idea for re-purposing old clothes.
Sew a Super Easy Fleece Poncho-Simple Starter Sewing Project
This fleece poncho type body warmer will take the chill off! Its so simple my 7 year old Miss M. did the sewing!
First step. Measure the approximate width over the shoulders for where you would like it to sit. Then measure the body length from the shoulder to around the waist. This is the kind of not very specific measuring I find myself doing all the time. A fitted dress with darts and zippers is not my kind of sewing.
We decided to go 25 inches wide and 20 inches from the shoulder to waist hips area (so double that).
This means you will need to cut a piece of fleece 40 inches by 25 inches.
For the neck hole: find the middle and use a t-shirt to show how big the neck hole is and copy that onto the middle of the fleece. I like to fold the fleece in half so the neck will be easier to cut.
I went a bit bigger than the tshirt and wished I had gone a bit smaller instead. As long as it goes over the person’s head its great. If you make a cut that it too small you can try it on and then cut a bit more off.
You could leave all the seams unfinished if you would like because they won’t fray like cotton would. However, this was Miss M’s first time at the machine so we wanted some easy sewing. We folded the fabric over once and did a Zig Zag all around the straight edges.
Around the neck we folded over the fabric once and did a straight stitch.
Then we laid it out flat folded in half. We measured 7 inches from the shoulder and put a pin to mark it. Then 3 inches down add another pin. Sew between the 2 pins. We used a straight stitch-this part will be under the arms.
Miss M. pretended that it was a huge inconvenience to come over and take a few photos but she seems to have enjoyed herself.
The fancy hairband will be in this blog: http://mybrightideasblog.com/sew-easy-fleece-hairband/