Finding Pins and Needles

Elegant Ombre Buttercream Cake

2013-05-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

I finally had a chance to make a cake for an adult! Whoohoo! We were celebrating two Birthdays of our female friends so Spider-man and Transformers were out of the question this time. I wanted to challenge myself with trying new techniques and coming up with something elegant.

I learned two new techniques with this cake. The first was the buttercream ombre petal technique, something I learned thanks to The Hungry Housewife. This technique is super easy (she has a video) and it covers a multitude of ugly cake sins. It is as simple as buttercream, piping bag and an angled spatula. I'll admit it, I cheated.. I didn't use icing tips. I didn't have identical tips for 4 color buttercreams and switching them out would be a hassle. I just cut identical sized holes in the bottoms of my piping bags and it worked beautifully, plus less cleanup at the end, just chucked 'em in the garbage. It's as simple as putting a daub of icing on the cake and taking the spatula and swiping to the right, and...repeat. One tip I'd like to add to her tutorial: as a guide, I drew vertical lines on my crumb coat, and horizontal line would have been helpful too.

On a side note, I have recently discovered these babies, they are icing bag ties from Wilton. Ok, so they seem like an unnecessary extravagance. They aren't! They have made the process of icing less messy and less stressful. But I digress.

The second technique was the ruffle flower. I did a lot of research on different techniques, but I melded a few ideas in order to make my flowers. If you haven't worked with fondant before, this would be a great starter project.

How-To Fondant Flowers
1. Roll fondant very thin. Thin petals are more elegant and dry faster.
2. Cut out varying sized circles. I used mason jar lids, medicine caps, and anything I found in the kitchen.
3. I used my Gumpaste tools for the next part, in particular the modeling stick. I rolled it around the edges of the circle to create the ruffles.
4. I took my ruffled circles and "glued" them together with buttercream, then placed them in little bowls. The bowls will give them the rounded shape until they dry. I used glass ingredient bowls. These things come in handy for everything.
5. Use buttercream to make your center dots (I think I used a #3 tip), I alternated using two colors.

This cake was a bit time consuming, but not that difficult. Besides, it was a much needed departure from ladybugs and castles.

Autism Awareness

2013-04-03T15:47:00.003-05:00

Last year I wrote this post about Autism Awareness. Autism is close to my heart having two boys on the spectrum. Well, it's that time again. April is Autism Awareness month and I've updated the Facebook cover (below). Please feel free to use it (click and save) and share it. Take some time this month to learn a little more about Autism, the more you know, the more you can make a difference.

Personalized Pencil Drink Sleeve

2012-11-09T15:12:00.000-06:00

It's important that we show the teachers in our kid's lives that they are appreciated. I wanted to make something personalized for their Christmas gifts this year and thanks to Crafty Staci and her tutorial I was able to come up with something pretty cute.

Name Personalization
You do the personalization step right after you've constructed the pencil front, and right before you sew the back, front, and InsulBrite together. If you're brave you can hand write onto the fabric, but if you're handwriting challenged like me, here's the cool dashed print font for free. I used Adobe Illustrator to curve it and also created the three lines. This can be done pretty simply with most editing software. Print off the name and make sure to mirror the image. I traced the name on the paper with my favorite Sulky Iron-On Transfer Pens. Here's what it looks like transferred onto the fabric:

Next use embroidery thread in red, blue and black. This only requires very simple backstitch and running stitch. Good luck!!

Recognize this ABC lined fabric? I used it here on another teacher gift. You can still find it at JoAnn's.

And a thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

I love my teacher gifts, you can see more here:

Exploding Transformers Cake

2012-10-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

How-to Secrets Revealed...
When you spend as many hours as I did on something you plan to cut up and eat, you better believe I'm going to document it! My son is a HUGE Transformers fan and I wanted to make him an Optimus Prime cake for his seventh birthday. I'm really happy with how it turned out... and it wasn't as hard as it might look. Shhh... here are my secrets...

Exploding Cake
A huge thanks to Rose Bakes for the exploding cake tutorial. It was really easy and I hope to be able to use this technique again sometime.

Spirals
This is pretty simple, you'll need Duff's Decorative Cake Wire Twists. Take your fondant, roll it like a snake and wrap it around the spirals until it's covered.

Cake Topper
Transformers that don't transform are no fun at all, so I wasn't interested in getting a "cake topper". Here's the Optimus Prime toy I used instead. He was a perfect size for the cake top. I jammed toothpicks into his feet/wheels to get him to stand in place. He was definitely the hit of the party, and one less gift I had to wrap!

Super cool Transformers and Autobot logo
This looks hard to do huh? HA! Check out the Play-Doh Autobot Workshop. I used fondant instead of Play-Doh and it worked perfectly! A dab of icing on the back and bam, perfectly shaped Transformers. This was the easiest part of the whole cake.

The Rubble
The rubble at Optimus Prime's feet are red and blue Sixlets. These are yummier than those hard silver decorative balls and much more colorful.

TRANSFORMER Font
I downloaded the free Transformer font, printed my sons name and age, and then used an exacto knife to poke through the paper into the fondant to transfer his name.

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your exploding cakes or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

Ladybug Cake

2012-09-19T20:03:00.001-05:00

Cake decorating, no needles but it's crafty, right?

In the past few years I've dabbled in cake decorating. With 3 kids, 3 birthday cakes a year, and a number of showers in between I don't have a lot of experience, but wanted to share the one I whipped up last week because it was seriously fun to make.

As I mentioned, my niece had a 1st birthday party and I was asked to make the cake with a ladybug theme. I did, but I surprised everyone by making the inside polka-dotted! Here's how it turned out...

It's crazy how easy this polka-dot technique is. First, I used the red velvet cake recipe that came with my Babycakes Cake Pop Maker machine which I ordered from Amazon.

Once the cake pop balls were cool, I placed whole and half balls in the cake pans and poured the cake batter (white and chocolate) over them. Bake. Surprisingly, they don't overcook being baked twice! So fun and I love the contrast of the red/white and red/chocolate! Thanks Once Upon a Pedestal and Snowy Bliss for the inspiration!

The cake topper was made using the Wilton Mini Ball Pan. I used one ball and covered it with fondant. The head of the ladybug is a ball of black fondant and the face was cut from scraps. I cut the eyes out using a round Wilton icing tip, super easy.

The red polkadots on the white layer believe it or not were cut out using a beer bottle. HA! It was the perfect size and gave the dots a nice rounded edge. Now that is being environmentally friendly... recycling, no... reusing. I'm so green.

The great flowers on the red layer are easy to make using PME Veined Sunflower, Gerbera & Daisy Cutters with fondant. I used the small one on the cake and the large cutter for the "1". I've used these cutters on three cakes now. I highly recommend them!

Cake Decorating Supplies

Wilton Red Fondant
Wilton White Fondant
Ladybug sugar decorations from Hobby Lobby
Babycakes Cake Pop Maker
Wilton Mini Ball Pan (for the ladybug body on cake top)
Fondant Smoother
PME Veined Sunflower, Gerbera & Daisy Cutter
Fondant Mat (tape it down with masking tape)
Buttercream frosting
And other misc. baking supplies (like pans, and CAKE)

And a thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Preppy Girl Vest: Free American Girl Pattern

2012-09-05T16:37:00.001-05:00

Because you asked for it... here is the FREE vest pattern & tutorial from my Sew Cool for School post.

Click here or on the image below to download the PDF.

And a thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your preppy girl vest or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

For info on the other clothes pictured, visit my Sew Cool for School post.

PEZ Pillow Tutorial

2012-09-03T14:05:00.002-05:00

My four year old son is absolutely obsessed with PEZ dispensers, he has 30+ and his collection is always growing. It's actually a fixation due to his Autism, but we love to encourage him since it's age appropriate and I'm just happy he's over his whisk and kitchen utensil phase!! I scoured the internet and found PEZ fabric (found on eBay)! When it arrived, he was so excited. But he'll have to wait until Christmas to get what I made...

Here's a tutorial on how to transfer a word to fabric. For this application, I used felt, since it doesn't require hemming. You'll need a few supplies...

Supplies

Felt
Iron on transfer pen (I love these babies!)
Computer/printer/paper
Scissors
Iron
Pillow fabric
Sewing machine and materials
Piping and bias tape or pre-made piped bias tape (optional)

Print Words

For starters, find a font that you love and that will transfer well, I used the PEZ font (it's a free download). Because the PEZ font has two parts, the white rectangles and black shadow, I printed out Andrew's name twice.

Trace & Cut

Using the iron on transfer pen, outline your letters on the paper you just printed. Next, pin your paper, letters down to your felt and iron on the words (see first image below). When using iron on transfer methods, your image will be ironed on as a mirror image. If you are using felt, this doesn't matter, if you are ironing on to a print, make sure you transfer the letters on the "wrong side" of the fabric. For the PEZ fabric, on one printout I traced the rectangles and the other I traced just the black shadow. For the white rectangles I was able to use the iron pen transfer method, then cut them from the felt. For the shadow, I traced the shape, pined it to my dark blue fabric and cut it out (see second image below). This works ok for large shapes, but is a pain for smaller shapes.

Pin & Sew

Next, pin your rectangles onto the shadow and sew them in place. Once you've got your word, pin and sew to your pillow fabric (see image 3 & 4 above). I decided the size of my pillow after this step and cut my pillow backing according to this size.

Making the Pillow

Pin right sides of name fabric and pillow back fabric together with piped bias tape in between. Make sure the piping is facing inward. Sew around the edge, making sure to catch all layers. Make sure you leave a hole for turning right side out! Stuff pillow and hand sew the hole closed. There you go, a customized PEZ pillow! Merry Christmas Andrew!

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your PEZ pillow or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

And a thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Nautical Mag Rack

2012-09-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

I've been haunted by this tutorial, and have wanted to do it for months. Thanks Pinterest. Our guest bathroom is a nautical theme and when I found the the Anchors Away line from Dear Stella Designs, I couldn't help myself.

To be honest, I didn't really use the tutorial, I did it my own way. I cut a 16" x 16" square out of each of the contrasting fabrics. Right sides together, I sewed the sides, leaving 2 inches on either side open. Next I folded under the (8) 2 in flaps and top stitched them, but not together. Last I folded under and top stitched the long open sides. That's it. The dowel rod and double drapery rod brackets were both from Lowe's.

I'm super pleased with how it turned out and my hubby helped install it above the toilet. I love the nautical ropes holding the magazines and the peek of anchors when you look inside. Happy sailing and happy reading.

My "Jean" Doll

2012-08-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

I have a niece turning one and every little girl needs a dolly. I found the "Jean" pattern at Bit of Whimsy Dolls and fell in love. The pattern has simple directions and she's a super sweet doll.

I found the pink flower fabric, "Flight of Fancy" at Joann's.
It has the perfect scale for doll clothes.

FREE Printable Cleaning & Meal Calendars

2012-07-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

A mamma's got to be organized so there's more time for fun stuff, like sewing. Here's a Cleaning Calendar and Meal Calendar I created to organize my day to day. I like the 4 week rotating cleaning schedule instead of just 1 week because there are some things you just don't need to do every week. I also looked at actual calendars with dates, but I figured that's a lot of hassle to create new ones each month.

The downloads:

My family's calendar for your viewing pleasure.

A blank calendar for customization. 8.5x11in.
Click picture to download the pdf.

Meal calendar 4x6in.
Click picture to download the pdf.

To display your calendar here are a few ideas...
1st option is what I use, on the fridge in magnet sleeves. I can easily update or change the calendar and also use a dry erase marker to cross off chores.
2nd great option would be to laminate them. I've got that laminator and I love it.
3rd option is to put the calendar in a picture frame and use dry erase marker on the glass.
4th the old school way, print a new one every 4 weeks and cross out chores with a pen. What fun is that?

Now I'm all organized. Don't ask me if I'm actually following through and crossing off chores. The fun is making the calendar. ;) Enjoy!

The wheels on the bus: Bus driver gift

2012-06-01T17:24:00.001-05:00

Make a SWEET treat to say thanks to your bus driver for keeping your child safe this year. Feel free to use my free printable stop sign card and mason jar lid label!

Materials

Mason jar (I used half pint Ball jars)
Wide Gumball's 1st School Day School Buses Fabric
Pinking Sheers
Ribbon or twine
Candy Examples: red and yellow m&m's, 1/2 in gumballs and I used Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers Rainbow Twists.
Optional: Rectangle hole punch

A little tip for the Jolly Rancher jar: I used a cut
piece of paper towel roll to create the inside structure,
it makes it much easier to create a design. I used
pinking sheers to trim out the cardboard edges and
then stuffed it full of more Jolly Ranchers.

Click for PDF.

Stop sign card and mason jar top are for personal use only, do not redistribute. If you use them and share pictures, please give credit back to FindingPinsAndNeedles.com. Thanks and enjoy!

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your gifts or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

A thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Body Scrub & Wash Printable Labels

2012-05-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

It's Time to Come Clean... here's my ~~dirty~~ clean little secret.... I've deviated from sewing and made Body Scrub and Body Wash. Get it? Come clean? Oh boy, I'm losing it.

It's a perfect time to whipped up these bad boys as Mother's Day gifts, teacher's gifts, or even bachelorette gifts. They aren't my recipes, the Body Scrub recipe is from PaulaDeen.com. And the Body Wash recipe is from LiveStrong.com. You can visit those sites for full instructions. But I thought I'd share with everyone the labels I designed, feel free to use. Plus bonus gift tags!

Click for pdf.

For personal use only, do not redistribute. If you use them and share pictures, please give credit back to FindingPinsAndNeedles.com. Thanks and enjoy!

The labels fit on regular mouth half pint Ball jars. I laminated the labels since they will be in wet areas. When you cut them out from the lamination sheet, leave a 1/4" edge and it should stay waterproof as well as fit nicely between the lid and band.

A few tips when making the recipes... For the Body Scrub, one batch will fill one half pint jar perfectly. This is a SUPER easy recipe. For the Body Wash, I used Kirk's Castile soap, it took about 1 1/2 of the 4oz. bars. I also ended up using a lot more water because it was too thick. One batch filled 3 half pint jars. I suggest that you mix the essential oils and food coloring before you put them in the jars, it's much easier to stir in a larger container.

Happy mixing!!
And a thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Fabric Rosette Tutorial Showdown

2012-05-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

While making these bookmarks for teacher appreciation week, I found I needed a tutorial for a cloth rosette. To my surprise, there are a number of rosette tutorials out there with a number of different techniques. I thought it was only appropriate that I do a showdown.

{insert cheesy showdown music}

Here are the tutes, results and my reviews. Disclaimer: I've never done a fabric rosette in my life... this is my amateur trial and error attempt and in no way should reflect badly on the tutorial authors!

1. Cherry Street Cottage: Fabric Flower Tutorial: The fold, hot glue and twist version.

Difficulty: Easy (depending on your hot glue skills)

This process is very simple really, my only complaint with this version is fighting with the dreaded hot glue. The hot glue makes it very difficult to make this look neat and tidy with the small scale of the project.

A few tips:

Try and keep the hot glue dots tiny, and in the center of the fabric strip. You may decide you like the opposite side and you'll have your choice if you're careful with your glue.
If you want a looser rosette, you can go in after and glue the bottom to secure it better.
Since this tute calls for a double fold, you may want to glue down the folds ahead of time. This will make the wrapping process quicker.

1. My version of Cherry Street Cottage: Fabric Flower Tutorial

2. Little Birdie Secrets: fabric rosette tutorial extravaganza!: The fabric glue and twist version
Difficulty: Super Easy

This tutorial is similar to #1. Their differences are the type of glue and in #1, there is folding of the fabric before twisting, requiring a wider piece of fabric. This one just seemed to go really smoothly for me (to be fair #1 was my first attempt, so it's only natural that it would get easier). At first I thought the fabric glue wouldn't hold well enough while wrapping, but it did great. The fabric glue is also much more forgiving than hot glue. I used Sobo glue. My art professor in college is the one who introduced me to Sobo glue, it has worked well for many projects.

2. My version of Little Birdie Secrets: fabric rosette tutorial extravaganza!

3. Create and Delegate: Shabby Fabric Roses: The roll and stitch (or glue) version.
Difficulty: Medium

This tute included rolling the fabric before starting. This proved to be a bit tricky. I'd suggest putting a weight on one end while rolling from the other. So far, from #1-#3 I feel like this one turned out the best. The tute suggests stitching but also mentions glue as an option. My first try I stitched. I didn't feel like I had the control that I needed, so I used glue. To each his own.

3. My version of Create and Delegate: Shabby Fabric Roses

4. Plumtickled: Fabric Rosette: The gather version.
Difficulty: Super Easy...unless...you're a perfectionist.

Super fast and easy, but if you want a perfect looking rosette, this is not the tutorial for you. It's really in it's own league. This was the fastest one for me by far!

4. My version of Plumtickled: Fabric Rosette

5. andie johnson sews: Ruched Fabric Flower Tutorial: The hand-stitched ruched version.
Difficulty: Medium, or more so time consuming.

By far the most time- consuming, but well worth it. I love how this turned out! You might recognize the chalkboard fabric from my post Sew Cool for School.

A few tips:

I used a felt circle for the backing and trimmed the excess after I sewed it on.
Double up your thread and make sure your knots are secure. I had my thread break on me twice while doing the running stitch. That was extremely frustrating!

5. My version of andie johnson sews: Ruched Fabric Flower Tutorial.

My conclusion:
I'm most likely to use tute #3, #4 and #5 depending on the look I want. #3 turned out to be my best looking "clean" rose, #4 is just plain fast and #5 is just plain cool looking. Good luck everyone and I hope you find the tute that best works for you!

Here's the cheesy little poem I wrote to accompany the bookmarks. Feel free to use it, but please don't redistribute it. Thanks!

In my son's life,
You’ve made a mark.

The year is at a close,

A new journey he’ll embark.

As a token of appreciation,

Here’s a bookmark.

For other teacher appreciation gift ideas: Teacher Tote, Mrs. D's Pencil Pouch, and Bus Driver Gift (Candy in mason jars).

You know a different method? Send me the link and maybe I'll do round 2.

A Time-Out for Autism

2012-04-02T08:38:00.001-05:00

*Check out my most recent Autism post and updated Facebook cover.*

I'm going to take a quick sewing time-out and talk about something that's important to me. April is Autism Awareness month. Autism that is something that is close to my heart and close to my family. I have two sons with Autism (4 and 6 yrs old). Last week the CDC released the new Autism prevalence statistics and they are staggering.

1 in 88 American children have an Autism spectrum disorder.
1 in 54 boys in the United States have autism.
That's a 78% increase compared to a decade ago.
Those statistics are already 4 years old!
Someone doesn’t have to have every indicator to be Autistic.
Many states don’t require insurance companies to cover treatment.
Children with Autism need advocates.
Children and families with Autism need support and understanding.

Please take some time out to learn more about Autism and it's signs. Early intervention is extremely important, and it's imperative we know what to look for. Here are some links where you can find more information:

Learn the FACTS, Signs and Symptoms
Learn how to support a family with Autism: Family Support Tool Kits
Check out Autism Votes to find out how you can support legislative reform to cover Autism.

If you suspect your child has Autism, I encourage you to contact your Doctor. Do your own research and be your child's advocate. Sadly, many in the medical field aren't sufficiently knowledgeable about Autism.

I want to use April to make people more aware so I created the image below. If you'd like to spread awareness, feel free to save it and use it for your facebook timeline cover. I hope you'll join me.

Spread awareness and

A song that has been especially meaningful to me as I take the journey with my two boys:

Easy Peasy Rice Heating Bag

2012-02-06T09:04:00.001-06:00

Now that Christmas is over, I can spill the ~~beans~~ rice. I made a number of rice heating pads as gifts. Of course I got the idea off of Pinterest. Thanks to Pinterest, no one can take credit for anything novel. I researched a number of tutorials and tried to tackle it.... which led to much frustration trying to sew seams while the pad is already stuffed with rice. I came up with a solution.

Materials & Tools

Uncooked white rice
Essential Oils
Flannel- 2 18x9in and 1 4x18in (the fabric I used from Joann Fabrics)
Hook & loop (Velcro)
Thread
Sewing machine
Bowl
Funnel (optional)
Stir stick or spoon
Pins
Chalk or another contrasting water soluble marker or pencil

The Heating Bag
Cut your strips of flannel, 2 pieces 18x9in and 1 piece 4x18in (for the strap). Right sides together top stitch a 1/2 seam along 3 sides, leaving one of the long sides open. Turn right side out. Measure and mark with chalk 4 lines running the short direction. Top stitch along these lines. This should give you 5 pouches for rice. For reinforcement, take your sealed long edge, fold twice,and topstitch and zig zag edge (see photo at the bottom of the page).

Mix your rice and essential oils in a bowl. I'd suggest using a stir stick or spoon to mix it. Use a funnel or spoon the rice into the 6 pouches. Sit the heating bag on end (see picture) and fill. I filled mine about 4 inches high.

Pin all the way across just above your rice line to keep the rice back and create a clearance from the edge. Next, pin and sew up the seam by folding it over twice. I topstitched twice and then zig zaged the edge to reinforce (see photo).

The Strap
Next take your 4x18in piece for the strap. Fold it long way (hot dog) right sides together. Sew up 3 sides, leaving one of the small ends open. Turn right side out, tuck raw edges in and iron. Top stitch the entire perimeter. Wrap around your heating bag to measure where you want to place your hook and loop squares. Sew the hook and loop on their respective sides to create a snug hold. And that's it! Stick your warmer in the microwave for about 2 minutes (play with the time according to your microwave).

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your heating bag or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

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And a thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Sleeve Sweater Dress Tutorial: for your AG doll

2012-01-31T19:40:00.000-06:00

I was in the mood to up-cycle some old clothes, and sweaters have so many possibilities. In my pile of too worn out, too small, too dated clothes, I found my husband's sweater that has shrunk. It was an XL, it looks more like a large now. The sleeves are perfect for making 18" doll clothes (American Girl).

So, here's what you've been waiting for... the Sleeve Sweater Dress tutorial...

Materials and Tools:
A sweater: Mens large or bigger or a Woman's equivelant size
A doll for fitting (This is designed for an 18" American doll)
Scissors
Pinking Shears (optional)
Snap
Sharpie Marker
Thread
Sewing Machine
Ruler
Pins
Optional Materials (see Accessorize)

Cutting: First measure and cut about 12" up from the bottom of the sleeve (this will be the body of the dress). Next measure about 6" up from the remaining sleeve and cut again (the arms of the dress). None of these measurements are real exact for 2 reasons, 1) you're dealing with sweaters that stretch, and 2) dolls will vary in size. Feel free to trim during this process to make a better fit for your doll.

Take your sleeve piece and slip it on your doll's arm, slide the fabric all the way to one side against the existing seam (see picture below). Pin the sleeve according to what shape and fit you want. I left a slight "bell" at the end of the sleeves on my dress. Once pinned, take the sleeve off, draw with a Sharpie the general shape of the sleeve. With the fabric still pinned together, cut along your line. Take your newly cut piece (still folded), flip it over, and use it as a pattern on the other existing seam. Trace, and cut.

Try it On... On the doll of course... position the dress piece where you want it to rest, folding the top down to fold under her arms (see picture below). Mark (I used a sharpie) on the fold where and what size the arm holes need to be. This doesn't have to be exact since your sleeves can stretch to some degree to accommodate a larger hole.

While the dress is still on her, pin the back to fit, sort of a dart, but instead of sewing up the triangle, you'll be cutting instead (I used pinking shears).

Sew: Right sides together, sew the long end of the sleeve (see picture below). I used a zig zag stitch as well as a top stitch. You'll probably need a lot of reinforcement because of the nature of the fabric. With the body of the dress inside out, slip the sleeve through the hole with the right sides out. Pin the sleeve around the hole. Pin the top and bottom of the hole first and stretch the rest of the fabric to meet the sides (see picture below). Zig zag and top stitch around, attaching the sleeve. This can be tricky, so take your time and make sure you're not sewing layers together that don't belong.

You may finish your rough edges with hems, zig zag stitches, or even pinking shears . I chose to leave mine raw... my preference.

Assemble: Where you've cut a slit in the back of the dress, attach snaps.

I created a cowl neckline in front by hand stitching a few stitches to secure the shape of the fold. There is a lot of fabric, so you can shape your neckline however you'd like.

Accessorize: Side ponytail... optional, but encouraged.

You should have a small scrap piece from the center of the sleeve, great for making embellishments for your dress (possibly a belt or tie). I used a scrap piece of leather and a metal rectangle ring for the belt. I sewed one end and used sticky "hook and loop" at the other.You have only used one sleeve, you have the rest of the sweater still to up-cycle, a matching beanie hat, headband, leg warmers or fingerless gloves would finish the look nicely. Good luck!

In the comments, We'd love to see your finished sweater dresses, please post links!

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your Sweater Dress or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

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A thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Little Red Embroider Hood

2012-01-29T10:21:00.002-06:00

The embroidered Christmas pillow, a gift for my mom. Click to see a larger version.

From the moment I pinned this, I knew I wanted to embroider it!

Pin It

Warm Hands, Warm Heart

2012-01-27T17:58:00.000-06:00

I was in need of small handmade gifts to give my kid's bus drivers. I figured I'd make hand warmers and dress them up with a novelty bag. SEW SIMPLE! Credit, but I've added my own twist.

Materials & Tools

Flannel (2) 3.5in x 7in
Scrap flannel and felt
Muslin or other solid fabric for bag 11in x 7.5in
White rice
Essential oils (I used cinnamon vanilla), you can find this by the candles in Walmart
Brown paper bag (optional)
Thread
Fabric glue
Sewing machine
Scissors
Bowl
Spoon or popscile stick
Small funnel (optional but really nice)

Hand Warmers

Cut the fabric for the hand warmers from a soft flannel. Take your 3.5in x 7in piece and fold it in half creating a 3.5in x 3.5 in square. Pin front sides together and top stitch all around the edge, leaving a small opening. Turn your square right side out. Do this again for the second bag.
Take your rice and mix in a bowl with a few drops of your chosen essential oil. You'll want to use a Popsicle stick or a spoon so that your hands don't get messy.
Take a small funnel and pour the rice into the bags. Don't over-stuff, you want to be able to play comfortably with the bag in your pocket and not have the seams pop.
Close up the hole by top stitching that side or hand stitching it shut.

Hand Warmer Bag

Take your 11in x 7.5in muslin or other solid fabric, turn under and hem the top (I used a contrasting thread color).
Fold your fabric in half so you know where to apply your decorative touches. I free handed a mitten, cut it out and used fabric glue to temporarily hold it while I top stitched around the edges. I like the frayed look of the flannel. The black part of the mitten is felt.
Fold the bag's right sides together and sew up side.
Cut a strip of flannel to create a mini scarf, cut ends to make fringe. This will be your bag tie.

Instructions Insert

I literally tore up a paper bag and fed it through my printer for the instructions. I liked the tattered edge so I kept it, in other versions, I used pinking shears.

Cozy Hand Warmers- Place warmers in microwave for 25-30 seconds. Let cool for a few moments and pop them in your pockets!

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Knock off of a knock off: Christmas wreath pillow Tutorial

2012-01-27T16:28:00.000-06:00

I got this idea from this site, a knock off of a Pottery Barn pillow. I wanted to change a few things, so I created my own tutorial. I wasn't so keen on the idea of gluing the pieces on (my kids would pluck those suckers off in no time), nor using buttons for the berries. So here's my version...

Materials & Tools:

2 cuts of fabric (back and front) for your pillow (I used tan for the front and a red stripe on back)
stuffing
thin cardboard or card stock for leaf template
green felt (varying green colors optional) an 8x10 sheet is sufficient
red pom pom fringe (I used 3/4)
a circle template (I used an embroidery hoop, a plate or bowl will work also)
green and red thread
sewing machine
scissors
pins
pen (preferable disappearing ink or water soluble pen)

Freehand a simple leaf for a template. I drew it on thin cardboard. Using a disappearing ink pen, I traced leaves on my green felt. I would also recommend using varying colors of green for a richer look. The number of leaves you need will be determined by the size of your pillow, and size of your circle.

Next with the same pen I traced a circle on my fabric. I used a 7" embroidery hoop, but a plate or bowl will work too. Next, draw random clusters of 1-3 circles in varying positions around the circle, this is where you're "berries" will go.

Next take your pom pom fringe and cut individual balls off, leaving the tails (see picture). Place the balls on the circles you just drew and using the sewing machine, sew the tails onto your fabric (try to get as close to the ball as possible, this can be TRICKY!). Run stitches forward and backward a number of times over the tails.

Next, lay out your leaves, overlapping and pinning them. Make sure they fit snuggly up against the berries so that the tails are hidden.

With green thread, sew the stem lines of your leaves, affixing them to the fabric underneath. Make sure to secure your stitches by back-stitching at the beginning and end of your stem.

Your wreath is done! Now, take your pillow back fabric and right sides together, stitch the perimeter of your pillow leaving a small hole for stuffing. Pull right side out, stuff and hand stitch up your hole. Whaala!

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Mrs. D's Pencil Pouch

2011-11-14T10:22:00.001-06:00

Another teacher gift... a pencil pouch. I've been holding on to these Michael Miller "Dick & Jane" fabrics for more than a year now. They were a great choice for a teacher gift, especially a Preschool teacher. I followed this Zippered Wristlet tutorial. I added the personalized felt monogram embellishment, easy peazy and it makes the gift more meaningful.

The "Mrs." is done using a Threaded Backstitch.

The teacher tote on the left can be found here.

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Teacher Tote

2011-10-31T17:07:00.003-05:00

The teachers in my kid's lives do so much for them, and I wanted to make something special and personal for their Christmas gifts. These are also great for Teacher Appreciation Week! For the teacher tote, I had Caleb write a message to his teacher. This works great if your child likes to draw.... but mine doesn't :) He doesn't enjoy coloring or writing, so I'm sure his teacher will appreciate it even more.

Here's how to do it... scan your child's drawing. Use a photo editing program and flip or reflect the image horizontally. Print the image at the size appropriate for your project.

Next use an iron transfer pencil to trace the image; iron it onto your precut fabric. Next, hoop your fabric and sew over your image using embroidery thread and an embroidery needle. I suggest using a backstitch as it is simple and allows the lines to keep their detail.

It's best to follow your child's lines from start to finish, so the hand drawn quality really transfers over.

After you've finished the embroidery part, apply it to a gift. I applied mine an outside pocket of a Poochie Bag. You can click here for the complete free tutorial. By the way, the pocket on the other side is made from the jean material with the alphabet fabric for lining. All the fabrics shown can currently be found at Joann Fabrics.

Thank you teachers!
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6 - May 10, 2013. And the official Teacher Appreciation Day is May 8, 2013.

A thanks to CraftGossip.com for showcasing this post!

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your teacher tote or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

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Donut Break

2011-10-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

Let's take a break from making doll clothes and have a snack... or a tasty pincushion!

Tutorial can be found here. It's really pretty easy, use a CD as a template, felt, needle & thread, stuffing and get creative. I used embroidery floss for the sprinkles. There's all sorts of room for embellishments and different color combos. It's also a great pretend play toy for your kiddos.

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Dolly Purse Freebie

2011-10-25T19:58:00.001-05:00

The dress pattern can be found in this book: Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls. It's worth it to buy the book, there are a ton of basic patterns that you can embellish. The dress pattern I used didn't have the gathered bodice or the belt loops. An easy addition!

The shirt pattern is free at Liberty Jane Patterns

I created the purse pattern. You can download it for free: pattern, instructions.

Download instructions

Download full size pattern

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Sew Cool for School

2011-10-25T12:43:00.000-05:00

This was probably my biggest doll clothes challenge thus far, and certainly a hodgepodge of patterns.

The skirt is from Liberty Jane Patterns. This was my first time sewing pleats, it was time consuming, but the payoff feels great!

The beret pattern is free and you can find it here. It's Molly's hat (I left off the loop on top)

The long sleeved blouse I patterned myself. If there is interest, I can upload the pattern. It opens in the back and uses a strip of velcro for the closure.

The free vest pattern and tutorial can be found here.

The glasses can be found at Hobby Lobby

The chalkboard is clearly a cut of the vest fabric. I glued it on cardboard.

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That's a Wrap!

2011-10-25T11:49:00.001-05:00

Another adventure in sewing doll clothes...

The free pattern for the skirt came from youcanmakethis.com. Because I used the leather the way I did, I couldn't use the pattern in the intended way. Below I show a diagram on how to alter the pattern.

The free pattern for the shirt came from libertyjanepatterns.com.

The headband and wristlet were my own, I just pieced the leather together with a zig-zag stitch. The headband has a small elastic piece sewn on the bottom (see picture below).

The purse, again was just pieced. I folded up the bottom up on iteself and sewed the sides, then folded the top over. Not rocket science. I sewed in a snap for the closure and used the decorative button to hide the stitches.

The leather I used was from a swatch ring. It was free and gave me a wide variety.

Once you have laid out your material, zig-zag stitch to piece them together. You will have to print 2 copies of the pattern since you aren't cutting on a fold, and lay them out as shown above. Instead of a hem, I zig-zag stitched around the outside to finish the edges.

Please join our flickr group and upload pictures of your wrap skirts or any other Finding Pins and Needles projects. I'd love to see them!

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Finding Pins and Needles

Elegant Ombre Buttercream Cake

Autism Awareness

Personalized Pencil Drink Sleeve

Recognize this ABC lined fabric? I used it here on another teacher gift. You can still find it at JoAnn's.

Exploding Transformers Cake

Ladybug Cake

Preppy Girl Vest: Free American Girl Pattern

PEZ Pillow Tutorial

Nautical Mag Rack

My "Jean" Doll

*FREE* Printable Cleaning & Meal Calendars

The wheels on the bus: Bus driver gift

Body Scrub & Wash Printable Labels

Fabric Rosette Tutorial Showdown

A Time-Out for Autism

Easy Peasy Rice Heating Bag

Sleeve Sweater Dress Tutorial: for your AG doll

Little Red Embroider Hood

Warm Hands, Warm Heart

Knock off of a knock off: Christmas wreath pillow Tutorial

Mrs. D's Pencil Pouch

Teacher Tote

Donut Break

Dolly Purse Freebie

Sew Cool for School

That's a Wrap!

FREE Printable Cleaning & Meal Calendars