Make a Marble Maze - They are Amazing!

 I am always on the hunt for projects to sew that are easy kid projects.  It needs to be something that a beginner sewer can make, takes only a few supplies but also has an appeal to kids.  The Marble Maze project checks off all of those boxes.  It is easy to sew, takes only a few supplies and kids love them.

They are great for kids who need something to do with their hands while waiting at the dentist office or in the car.  You can play by yourself or race with a friend to see who can get through the maze the fastest.  I have to admit when I made the sample for my sewing class I could not put it down. It is soothing and fun.

Watch the video below on my YouTube channel - Sew-Learn-Create so you can make some for your and your family.  They would also be a great party favor for a kids birthday.

Have an aMazing time sewing up this project.

Danna

Valentine Corner Bookmark

    Using up my scraps is a constant battle between me and the storage space where they are kept.  So I am always looking for small projects that will help me win that battle.  Projects that are useful for a variety of people is a bonus win-win. 

    This summer in one of my sewing classes we made a reading pillow. The bonus project for that class was a corner bookmark.  Since I work in two school libraries I am a big promoter of reading for all ages.  The link to the corner bookmark video on my YouTube channel - Sew Learn Create is below.  It is my most popular video. This project is a great scrap buster because it uses only 3 pieces of fabric.

    Since Valentines Day is approaching I decided to tackle my Valentine fabric scrap bag.  My daughter is an elementary teacher and loves to shower her kids with a small gift at holidays.  So, I created a corner bookmark with a Valentine twist.  

    By adding a small stamped heart on a piece of muslin it made these bookmarks so cute!  To create the stamped heart you use a regular stamp pad and stamp on 100% cotton fabric.  I used an unbleached muslin.  Once you have stamped your image then iron the image on a cotton setting.  This will set the ink on the fabric.  Then you are ready to add your stamped fabric to your project.

    Add your stamped fabric to the folded piece in the project before you lay out the sewing pieces.  I found that using a thread color that matched the stamped fabric for this looked a little nicer.

    To make these easy to gift I cut up an old book page and put the bookmark on the corner.  Then they were slipped into a plastic sleeve with a topper and label.

    I would love to hear your comments on corner bookmarks you make and any variations you add.  Keep sewing and Happy Valentine's Day to all you readers out there.

Danna

Cactus Baby Quilt & Table Runner

 Last Summer at one of my quilt retreats I decided to try a new pattern.  I had seen the pattern on Pinterest and thought it was really cute.  It is a cactus pattern.  The original pattern was done in green for the cactus and pink for the background.

I wanted mine to be a little more subtle so I used a muslin background.  

The baby quilt has 4 of the cactus blocks in an offset pattern.  I used a fun mix of scrappy green fabrics from my stash.  Since the squares are only 2 1/2" it is a great scrap buster project.  I actually made two baby quilts.  One was donated to our church quilt group auction to raise money for the ministry. The other one is on my Etsy shop Cactus Baby Quilt.

The quilt back is a soft green fabric

The binding is a scrappy binding to incorporate all of the fabrics once again on the edge.  Scrappy bindings are a great way to use up those last bits of fabric and can add a playful edge.  The finished baby quilt is 35" x 45".

I thought since the cactus is popular I would make a table runner also.

The table runner uses two of the cactus blocks and I put them facing each other with a wide muslin band in between.  That way you can see the full cactus shape from either end of the runner.  

On the back of the runner I placed a band of pieced scraps.  This gives the runner a completely different look when reversed.  I always like a table linen that has options with two looks in one. The table runner is 17" x 49". It is also on my Etsy shop. Cactus Table Runner

This pattern is easier than it looks and goes together fairly quickly.  I made two baby quilt tops and one table runner top in about a day and a half.  The here is the link to the original pattern by Kairle Oaks .  Her quilt is beautiful and very big!

So break out your green scrap bucket and make one for yourself or that new baby in the family.

Keep sewing & quilting,

Danna

Lunch Box Tag Tutorial

This project combines sewing and art and is a great for beginners.  I prepared a small kit for those attending my Lunch Box helpers sewing class in the summer.  We made reusable snack bags, small cloth napkins and lid grippers.  All great items to have in a lunch box for school or work.  If you would like to make those items go to my Etsy shop WebberWorks where I will have kits available with video instructions soon. 

Lunch Box Tag

Now on to the project.  You will need the following supplies:

2 pieces of muslin fabric 2.5" x 4"
1 piece of batting or felt 2.5" x 4"
1 piece of ribbon or fabric strip for loop - approximately 4" long
Crayons
Wax paper
Needle and Thread or a sewing machine

Follow these steps:

1.  Take 1 piece of muslin and lay out flat.
2.  Place the batting or felt piece on top of the muslin piece.
3.  Line up the edges so they are straight.

1 piece of muslin with batting on top

4.  Fold the ribbon or fabric strip in half and place on top of the muslin with the loop at the top above the pieces of fabric.

Be sure the loop is at the top and the ribbon sticks
 up above the fabric and batting.

5.  Place the other piece of muslin on top of the stack and line up the edges.  Clip or pin to secure for sewing.

Make sure you pin or clip your ribbon loop so it does not slip
while you are sewing.

6.  With either a needle and thread or a sewing machine sew all the way around the outside edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Back stitch the ribbon loop to secure.

7.  Now the fun begins.  Using the crayons color a design on the fabric.  You can color just one side or both sides.  I used the Neon crayons and a black Metalic crayon from Dollar Tree.

Color any design you want.  Have fun with it!

 8.  Once you are finished coloring your design you will use the wax paper and iron to "set" the colors.  I slipped my tag inside a folded piece of wax paper so it would set the front and back at the same time and not mess up my ironing board.

If you colored on the back be sure to put
wax paper on both the top and bottom.

9.  Iron the wax paper using a pressing motion not side to side.  If you move the iron around it may smear the crayon.  Use a medium setting on the iron.

Use a pressing motion not moving side to side.

10.  Let the tag cool and you are done!  Attach it to your lunch box and show off  your creative talents to your friends.

This is a great summer project for kids and grand kids.  They will have fun making these tags and putting on their new lunch boxes for school.  Remember if you want to make the reusable snack bags and other lunch box helpers check my Etsy page WebberWorks for kits.

Enjoy!
Danna

They all said "I made this for you!"

As you may know I teach sewing and quilt camps each summer.  Last Fall I decided to try something new with my sewing classes.  In November and December I offered a Saturday class.

The purpose of the class was to provide the students an opportunity to make Christmas gifts for family and friends.  It was a huge success.  The girls had a great time and with each completed gift I would hear "My Mom is going to love this gift." or "I can't wait for Grandma to open this one."

 Here is the way the class worked.  I had 7 projects the girls could make.  We had 2 1/2 hours and they could make as many projects as they could complete in that time frame.  Every project was pre-cut so they could start sewing right away.  When they finished a project they had to gift wrap the item before moving to the next one.  The wrapping allowed for "no peeking" by parents when they picked up their child.  Some Moms really wanted to see what they made.  This only added to the excitement since they had to wait until Christmas.  

The key chain project.  This was
great for almost anyone.  It could be
used as a backpack tag also.

I kept the projects very simple and most required smaller pieces of fabric so I was able to use up some of my many scraps.  The projects are listed below.

1. Tissue package covers
2. Bookmark
3. Key Chain
4. Tic Tac Toe Game
5. Rice Hot/Cold Bag
6. Crayon Bag
7. Coasters

A few of the projects they could make more than one - tissue covers, bookmark and key chain.  The others they could only make one to make sure all of my classes had chance to make each project.

Key Chain supplies

Tissue covers, bookmarks and Tic Tac Toe Game supplies

For the gift wrapping I used brown lunch sacks, a simple tag and bakers twine for the closure. 

The wrapping station was a busy place.

Each class of 4-5 girls made a total of 40+ gifts since some projects could be done several times.  It was fun to watch the girls finish a project go to the wrapping station and then run find the next project to begin.

Working on a Tic Tac Toe game board.

Look at all of those gifts!  That smile says it all.

During these classes I was reminded of the true meaning of giving and receiving a gift.  It is not about the item it is about the love shared between two people.  Remember God loves us so much he gave the ultimate gift - His Son.  

I hope you will join me in encouraging young people to give of themselves and their talents each and every day.

Danna

Bandana Bibs x 3

I have am truly enjoying working with and learning new things about my embroidery machine.  I am the type of person who does not want my time to be wasted on practice pieces that wind up in the trash or the Goodwill box.  So I am constantly looking for a project that can be given as a gift or used in my own home.

My oldest nephew recently added twins to his family.  What a perfect opportunity to make some baby bibs and add a personal touch with embroidery.  I settled on the bandana style bib that is popular for boys.  Since the expected twins were boys it was the ideal choice.

I found the bandana bib pattern online at Simply Small Wonders. The pattern has several sizes and the instructions were easy to follow.  The twins have a brother that is just 12 months older so I made a bib for him to match.  I embroidered the fabric first and then cut out the pattern.  This made it easy to get the wording centered.

For the twins I embroidered Little Brother on each front
before I assembled the bib.

I added one for the big brother also.

The bibs were made from fat quarters of a soft grey with white polka dots.  Each bib is fastened by a pearl snap. 

I made a second set for the twins out of traditional bandana fabric in red.  One can never have too many bibs especially with twins. 

Second set for the twins in traditional bandana fabric.

Used a pearl snap on this set also.

This bib was quick and easy to assemble and provided another opportunity to practice my embroidery skills. The bibs turned out very cute and made a practical gift for these two special additions to our family.

Danna

Sewing Camp 2016 - Doll Skirt

As I stated in the previous post Sewing Camp 2016 was a great success.  One of the more advanced projects we made was a wrap around doll skirt.  It is not only a wrap around skirt but it is reversible. This way you get two different looks for all your hard work.

My sample skirt.  A friend was kind enough to loan

me her daughters doll.

I found a simple pattern online. It has very clear directions and was easy to sew. American Girl Reversible Skirt Pattern.  The pattern is designed for 18" dolls but some girls made theirs for stuffed animals and they fit quite nicely.  The Velcro closure makes the skirt very versatile.

The girls were able to follow the pattern easily and they made some adorable skirts.  Here are a few of the finished projects.

One set of doll skirts.

Some very happy campers!

You can find all kinds of free patterns for 18" dolls online.  Most doll clothes can be made with a small amount of fabric like fat quarters.  I encouraged my students to find some patterns and continue to expand their sewing skills.  

Danna

Sewing Camp 2016

Sewing Camp 2016 was exciting and full of students and projects.  In my July camp I had three students and in August I had five students. Each group was unique and exciting to work with.

Working on assembling a pattern.

Supplies ready to go.

We made some simple projects to start off camp.  Again this year we learned to sew a button on our water bottle cover.  Sewing on a button is an important and useful skill.  Next we made a bag tag, needle keeper and pincushion.  Each project progressed the students hand sewing skills and introduced them to the sewing machine.

From these simple projects we ventured into projects that required more skill and patience.  I will post more about these projects in future posts.

Projects all set to show off at our Gallery Show

I like teaching sewing camps for lots of reasons.  First I enjoy sharing my love of sewing with the younger generation.  It is important that we share the talents and skills God has given us.  So I encourage each of you to share your creativity and talents with someone.  It doesn't have to be a big group or camp the one-on-one instruction works well.  Find someone today that you can teach and encourage.

Danna

Crayons, Crayons & More Crayons!

At the end of the last school year I ask teachers to save their broken crayons for a project I was doing over the summer.  I was expecting to receive a bag of crayons instead I ended up with a box full of crayons. WOW! Who knew elementary school kids had so many broken crayons.

My copy paper box full of crayons.

The project I had envisioned was for the students in my Sewing Camps to make heart shaped crayons and then sew a bag to carry the crayons.  They could sew one for themselves and one to give to a friend.  At both of my sewing camps we made crayons and bags and the girls loved the project.

The two purple bags tied with ribbon are the crayon bags.

But, I still had a whole box of broken crayons left.  What to do? What to do? After spending hours peeling the paper off the crayons I had several ideas.

Peeling the paper off the crayons was in a strange way

kind of therapeutic. It was mindless work that was much needed

after a long school year.

First I made "crazy crayons" to pass out at my churches Trunk or Treat party.  I figured the kids would get enough candy so why not make something a little different.  This was a big hit!

Crazy crayons are made by putting a small piece of

various colors in the mold.  Each one comes out different.

Next I packaged in paper cupcake holders a small set of solid color crayons and a "crazy crayon" for my family and friends children and grandchildren for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

These paper cupcake holders hold 5 crayons perfectly.

I found my holders at the dollar store in a package of 24.

Each cupcake holder had 4 solid crayons and one "crazy crayon"

The remaining 500+ crayons I made will be used for student prizes in my husbands school classes and our daughters after school program.  It just goes to show that when you ask people to save some items that are destined for the trash can you need to be prepared for more than you thought you would receive.

The question now remains will I be able to distribute all of the crayons I made before the end of the school year, and will I ask for more?  Check back in June to see the result.

Danna

A New Adventure - Sewing Camp Bigger Projects

In the previous posts, A New Adventure - Sewing Camp and A New Adventure -Sewing Camp First Projects, I have shared about my sewing camp for kids.  I told you about some of the smaller projects the campers sewed both by hand and on the machine.  In this post I will describe our two larger projects.

Now if you have read other posts on my blog you will have come to the conclusion that I am a thrifty crafter.  This same thriftiness holds true in my seamstress projects as well.  Using old t-shirts the campers each made a pieced t-shirt scarf.

The tie dye t-shirts work great to add that fun element.

 The seams don't have to be perfect on this project.

A scarf ready for pinning the final long seam.

This was a great project for learning to sew short straight seams. The t-shirt knit is forgiving if the seams aren't perfectly straight.  It is also a great way to use old t-shirts you have outgrown and keep those memories alive.  The pattern and tutorial for the t-shirt scarf are on this post Repurposed T-shirt Scarf Tutorial.

The final project was a small monogram pillow.  The main body of the pillow is made from a canvas painters drop cloth.  The drop cloth canvas is a nice weight and a neutral color.  Be sure to wash and dry the drop cloth first to soften the canvas.  One other nice benefit to the drop cloth is the amount of fabric you get for a small price.  To see some other big projects made with drop cloths check out these posts.  Drop Cloth Table Runner and A Couch Refresh.

Our final project - a monogrammed pillow.

To see a tutorial on how we made the pillow go to my Instructable Beginner Sewing Project -  on Instructables.com.  

Sewing Camp 2015 was a success and I have already started working on the plans for 2016.  Since camp I have been told by several moms that their kids have been sewing on something each week.  They are excited and proud of the projects they are making.  Sharing your knowledge of a talent and passion you have is essential to keeping the craft alive in future generations.  I thoroughly enjoyed teaching these kids my passion for sewing and it brings joy to my heart to hear about the creative spark that has been ignited in their lives.  So be sure you are sharing your gifts and talents with the younger generations so you can share in the joy of igniting a new creative passion for years to come.

Danna