Baby Bloomers -- Oh what fun!

One of the teachers at my school is having her first baby and it is a girl.  I love making baby gifts for little girls.  There are sooooo many to select from.  Boys are a little harder and not near as much fun.

I wanted to make her something special yet very practical.  I decided to make her some baby bloomers.  I found on the Internet a pattern several years ago.  (I could not find the link but if you do a search you can find many different patterns)  The bloomers are sizes 0 - 6 months and 6 -12 months.  I decided to make mine in white since that would give her the most variety for outfits.

The bees are 0-6 months and the flowers are 6-12 months

I used the bee applique because that is our school mascot.

Here is a close up of the applique.  The bee antennas are drawn on with a fine point sharpie.

The flowers will work well for spring and summer outfits.

 



I stitched the appliques on before I put the bloomers together. For any type of applique I use Wonder Under to attach the shape. Then I stitch around the shape with coordinating thread.  Next time I would lower the position of them so they were more centered on the baby's bottom.  But for a first time run they turned out really cute. 

So the next time you need something fun and cute for a baby girl try making bloomers.

Danna

Christmas Countdown - 21 more days!

There is something special about receiving a handwritten note from a friend. Too many times today we opt for the quick email, text message or social media post to keep in touch with friends and family. So, on those rare occasions when you open your mail box (the one at the curb not your computer) and it contains a note it really brightens your day. Electronic messages are not bad, but they can become somewhat routine, leaving out that creative, personal touch. To go even further up the “let me make your day meter” send a note on a handmade note card and watch the smiles grow bigger and bigger.

Handmade note cards are very simple and a ton of fun to create. I usually start with either blank note cards I have purchased or make my own from plain cardstock. There is no shortage of ideas or supplies to embellish your notes with all of the scrapbooking materials available today. But don’t forget to keep in mind using everyday things like old postage stamps, tissue paper, newspapers and yes, even fabric scraps.

When making your notes keep these design ideas in mind:

• Keep the design and embellishments flat if you want to be able to mail the note card.
• Let the color of your cardstock be the background for your note card. This allows the items you selected to embellish with stand out.
• Leave the inside blank so any kind of note can be written.
• A set of 4 – 6 notes is the perfect size.

Below are a few notes I made using stamps, washi tape, and ironed on fabric scraps. Check out the notes and tags I made in the No Scraps Left Behind series .

These were made with my quilting friends in mind.  They are small white notes I purchased and then added washi tape to the bottom and stamped the phrases from a quilting stamp set I have.  The flowers are colored paper cut  with a punch.  The extra detail I added was the thimble stamp on the front of each envelope.  The set has six notes, 3 of each phrase.

 

These notes are the same size as above and from the same set I purchased.  I added fabric scraps (literally) to the front of each card and then stamped the words around the fabric.  The scraps already had Wonder Under adhesive bond on the back so I simply ironed the fabric to the cards.

 

On most of the cards I used the odd shapes that were created from cutting out applique items. On this card I decided to create familiar shapes.  You don't have to stay in the "normal" range of shapes or objects.  Try something outside the box.  You might be amazed at what you create. 

 

These small personal gifts are great for teachers, coworkers, stocking stuffers or just about anyone on your list. Don’t forget to make a set for yourself so you can surprise a friend during the new year with a personal handmade note from you.

 

Danna

Items 4 - 26 (No Scraps Left Behind )

 Thank You Notes, Small Note Cards, Gift Tags, Bookmarks and Mats

Thank You Note Cards

On the quilt I appliqued the name and flowers to the solid white section.  I used fusible webbing to apply the appliques.  After cutting out the letters and flowers I had a pile of scraps that had the fusible webbing on the back.  The note cards, tags and bookmarks were the easiest items I made in this great experiment.

 

I used the same process to make all of these items.  I gathered the fabric scraps with the fusible webbing on the back and let the shape of the scraps dictate each piece.  I fused the pieces onto white cardstock with an iron set to the cotton setting.  I then stamped the greeting on the front.  The inside of the cards were left blank. 

I was trying to attempt a modern "less is more" type feel for the Thank You Cards using the larger scraps and fewer shapes.  The note cards, tags and bookmarks were more from the "Confetti" more playful approach.  For the mats my approach was to have something for Mom and Dad.  In the future I might add some type of edging to give the fused pieces a more finished look on the mats.

Since making these I can see limtless possibilities for using up my rather large scrap pile from previous applique projects. This is a great way to use up every little piece from a project and create something that anyone can use.  The best part is it will coordinate with the original project.  So remember this trick the next time you use fusible webbing to create a project.  Save the scraps!

I would love to hear your ideas and comments.


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