Confined Crafting

The kids and I have been making some Easter cards and gifts. I like to stock up on crafting essentials at The Works , which is cheap and cheerful - perfect when you are crafting with small children who don't take that much care! The easiest option here is to get some blank cards and stickers, then let the kids loose! I really enjoy seeing their creativity when they're allowed this freedom. With a little prompting and discussion, there's often the chance to develop linguistic skills too as they tell you about their drawing or creating. The card on the right, for example, shows the Easter bunny hiding eggs for the birds in a 'winter tree' with no leaves. It was lovely to listen to my 4 year old explaining this story as she drew. I also got the finger painting pads out to try a few ideas. Fingerprint chicks and bunnies were so simple to create and yet look so cute! There's no particular distribution here but you could easily make a scene, using stickers as props. T...

 Here's a round-up of free PJ patterns for those joining in the #ConfinedCrafting sew-along at Easter! Various free patterns for PJ short sets at Mood Sewciety Pattern at Trevor Loves Mommy (free if you subscribe to newsletter). Draft a PJ shorts pattern using a pair of your own shorts at Pretty Prudent .  This pattern from Life Sew Savory has POCKETS which I know you all love. Versatile free pattern to download from Patterns for Pirates . PJs without a pattern at DIY Fashion Rebel . Self-drafted pattern with shirred waistband from NoodleHead . Knit fabric lounge wear from iCandy Handmade . Tutorial on making PJ bottoms from an old sheet from Five Marigolds . Very easy pyjama set from Swedish designers The Assembly Line .  Hollywood Glamour from Charm Patterns .  Capri length bottoms, and pockets, from Peppermint Magazine .  A zero-waste design from The Craft of Clothes . Of course this list is not exhaustive, but hopefully some good ideas here to get everyon...

 I decided to upgrade my needle storage from pincushion to needle book. This feels more secure especially from little cats who think that a needle with some thread left in it is a tasty treat! I used the free template and instructions at  The Domestic Doozie  blog. This would be a great scrap buster project. It only needs 3 small rectangles of fabric, some batting and some felt, and a button and loop of elastic. The book can be as decorated or embellished as you like - each page of felt could be embroidered, for example. I kept it very simple as a real quick make. It took about 30 mins.

 I recently ran up some eco-friendly face wipes for a friend. These are designed to replace cotton pads or face wipes, and are washable. To increase their green credentials I made the pad section from an old towel. I had some charm squares spare, so used those as the backing fabric. I cut the towel into squares that were slightly smaller than the charm square, and wrapped the fabric over the towel piece to form a small border.  I then sewed the top fabric down with a zigzag stitch. This meant I was mainly sewing on the fabric, as my machine can't sew through towel (unless I haven't found the right setting or needle of course)! Very very simple, but pretty and functional! There are lots of tutorials for other ways to make these face wipes, such as:  https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-make-reusable-make-up-remover-pads/ It seems to be even more simple with an overlocker:  http://juliawithanh.com/sewing/23-reusable-face-pads You can even crochet some! https://dab...

 This morning my daughter reminded me that it's her best friend's birthday today and asked if we could give her "a cushion like we gave her cousin at Christmas". Cue a quick rummage in the fabric tub! I had some Disney Princess fabric left from a fat quarter bundle, plus some butterfly patterned fabric that would work for the back of the cushion: First I ironed the fabric then cut a 16" by 16" square from each. I then folded the pocket fabric in half and topstitched along the fold to give the pocket strength. I next placed the pocket piece on top of the front piece of fabric, with the topstitched edge in the middle and the raw edges lined up at the bottom. I then placed the back piece of fabric on top, right sides facing, and pinned. I sewed around the sides and bottom of the fabric, leaving the top open. I trimmed the excess fabric off the seams, being careful not to snip the threads! I then turned the cushion inside out: I had some polyester stuffing to ha...