Toddler Shoes Makeover

I have a fairly strict no-characters-on-shoes rule. I got these shoes on clearance a few months ago with the intention of covering them with SOMETHING. Paint? Felt flower? My baby girl really liked the Dora on them (though she's never seen the show), but I never let her wear them outside the house.

I used a couple samples from my extensive supply of vinyl to make the flowers and leaves to cover the obnoxious cartoon on these shoes. I used regular hot glue, but I plan to use E-6000 if the flowers start to come off.

I must admit I was nervous at first that she'd be upset about covering Dora, and I was greatly relieved when she was excited about the flower. SCORE!

There are a few little parts of the design underneath that show around the edge. I could have been more careful and covered them up, but I'm okay with the way they turned out. And so is my daughter, which is what matters. 

Spiced Up Table

I like to keep a vinyl cover on my wooden kitchen table to protect it from a little something I like to call My Kids. I replace the vinyl every couple of years. This time I decided to make it pretty.

I use the heaviest gauge vinyl I can find at JoAnn and tape it down under the lip of the table. I know someone who sews an elastic casing into her vinyl tablecloth, but I find that masking tape works great for me, though it does leave a sticky residue.

I rounded the corners of the fabric and singed the edges to see if it would help it not to fray, but I'm not sure if it worked. I did leave the selvage edge in tact on one side, as you can see. The fabric is home decorator weight. It lays flat pretty well because of its thickness, though I would have used regular quilting cotton if I had found a pattern I liked more.

Lincoln demonstrates how the table looks all set and ready for (me to still make) dinner.

Next time I think I'll try again to find a pattern that's less busy. I like how it at least coordinates with my dishes, though. It brightens up my kitchen quite a bit.

Twilight Goodies

For anyone looking for some Twilight stocking stuffers, I just updated my Etsy shop with the handmade vinyl key chains and rectangular coin/credit card purses I made for the Eclipse premier.

Pilot Caps, Goggles & Jackets

*UPDATE*
I have now posted the pattern. Scroll down to the end of this post!

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Have a young pilot-in-training in your house? I have two! For homeschool this year my sisters and I wrote a theme called "Soaring Over America." Naturally we needed pilot caps and bomber jackets for the kids to wear.



As you can see, these little aviators are equipped and ready for take off!



These inexpensive flight jackets are made from Walmart hoodies. I wanted them to have a collar instead of a hood, so I modified them a little. I like how the soft, wool-looking lining shows a little more with the collar turned down.



The pilot caps are made from thin vinyl, though they could easily be made from felt as well (I'm thinking kids' party favors for an "Up" themed birthday...)



I lined the caps for extra comfort and so I could use some cute fabric lining. Don't you love the stars?



I made the goggles out of felt with an elastic backing.



I was thinking these also make great superhero masks by themselves, but in the end I stitched the goggles to the caps so they wouldn't get lost. It also helps my two-year-old put them on easier.


(back)

Intrigued? Let me give you a hint. I made the goggles in two layers of felt to help them keep their shape better. I cut out one layer with the felt folded in half so they would be symmetrical, then sewed it onto a rectangle of felt for the second later. Not until I was finished with the sewing (well, minus the openings I left for the elastic) did I cut out the second layer. I've done this with some other projects, too. It's helps out a lot.



By the way, if you're interested in a pattern for the the caps I can post it for you. It took me some tweaking to get it the way I wanted it. I don't mind sharing. Especially with Halloween coming! *UPDATE! Pattern posted below*

I made simple initial patches for one sleeve and sewed wings patches onto the other sleeve. The idea is that the kids will earn more patches throughout the year. I even have a genuine air force wings pin for them to earn. I'm excited for that one.



Don't these look fun all ready and waiting for the boys to find them in the morning? The different colored felt and lining helps the boys easily tell which cap belongs to which kid. No fighting over them!



You can bet these will be doubling as Halloween costumes! I even made an extra cap for myself. Hmmmm... Amelia Earhart or Anne Marrow Lindbergh?

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PILOT CAP PATTERN
The pictures below are set up so you can easily print each on 8 1/2 x 11" paper. Cut out each picture, overlap them, then tape them together for the pattern. My kids have small heads (as do I), so you'll want to add some seam allowance. I suggest first sewing up a test cap in scrap fabric and adjusting it until you have the right fit. Use felt for a simple, quick cap, or use vinyl and a cotton lining for a fancier one. Feel free to comment or email me with questions. Maybe in the future I'll make it into a full tutorial.

Xmas Gifts 5: Ashley Purse

My second vinyl purse attempt. This one is a little bigger. It's more like a slim diaper bag. In fact, I tried to make it the same dimensions as my Similac diaper bag from the hospital. I'm embarrassed to admit that. You know the one I'm talking about. It's really the perfect size bag. Ashley's bag is much cuter, though. I love the little bird on it.


I stitched along all the seams to help the purse keep its shape. I was a little disappointed at first because right up until the very last step it looked more like a messenger bag with its flap missing. Then I stitched those final outer seams along the top section and--voila!--the whole thing came together. I was pleased.




Isn't this the cutest little guy? I just want to toss him some bread crumbs.




Here's the lining. Recognize it? It's from IKEA. The little bird on the front of the purse is from this fabric. I love the little inner side pockets. They are perfect for keeping keys and chapstick handy.


Just as I was about to send this home with my brother to give to Ashley in California I realized I didn't have any pictures of the purse on a human. So here I am, modelling the purse at 11 o'clock at night while my brother snapped the picture for me. He actually paid me a huge complement: When he saw the purse he looked a little surprised, maybe even dumbfounded, and told me it looked like the kind of bag his friends would buy from some hip store. He's in with the cool, film student, artsy crowd, and I know nothing about cool, so I was very pleased to get the complement.
(In case you were wondering: The bracelet I'm wearing is one of the gifts my sister Ashley gave me for Christmas. My sister Bridey made me the knit hat for Christmas last year).

Xmas Gifts 3: Melanie Purse

Inspired by the shape of a favorite purse I own, this purse was my first "big" project in vinyl (and by big I mean in size of the individual item, not in scope of the entire project). I found the vinyl difficult to work with because I couldn't get my machine into the little nooks and crannies at the bottom of the purse very well. Also, the thread was a mess. I adjusted the tension quite a bit, but in the end it seemed to be more luck than science. Other than those hiccups, I'm pleased with how cute the purse turned out. I think the flower/bow (inspired by the flower on my favorite flats) makes the purse, but I also love the green vinyl (from Design Company Fabrics) and the fun black and white Alexander Henry fabric (from JoAnn). This purse was for my sister-in-law, Melanie.

Silhouette Coin Purses and Mirrors

These little coin purses and mirrors have been my babies for the last couple of months. I made them for the New Moon Experience in Salt Lake City. Each vinyl zippered coin purse is lined with fabric that corresponds with the character. The eyes and eyebrows are all stitched on by hand. The two vampires' faces are stitched with sparkly thread.

My favorite one is the first one pictured, Alice. She reminds me of an old-fashioned silhouette that used to hang in my grandmother's house. She also looks a little like Snow White.


A few of the Alices and Bellas I made into mirrors instead of coin purses.


Alice


Bella


Edward


Jacob


Here is my setup at the event. I had a fun time trying to decorate it, but now that I look at the picture it looks a little busy. I came up with the ideas for the setup at 5:30am on the morning of the event when I was too excited to sleep. This was practically my first attempt at selling my crafts, so I was a little nervous. But it was fun and a good experience. (Notice Bella's hair was too big to fit into a frame!)


(The other shelves in this picture are from different vendors. I like the way they all looked together)

I had also planned to make some rectangular zippered pouches with the silhouettes stitched onto the fronts, but unfortunately I ran out of time. These cutout ones are so much fun, though. But boy, they sure took a lot more time than I had initially anticipated! I bet my family is glad not to have tiny little vinyl scraps all over the carpet anymore.

I still have a few of the coin purses and mirrors left over, so just let me know if you are interested in purchasing one and I'll let you know if I still have the one you want. Along those lines, I was also thinking of opening an Etsy shop. I have a few ideas of some other things I'd like to make to sell, as well (For example, some variations on the Little House play set I made for niece last year). There are so many different things I like to make that I fear the contents of the shop would be constantly changing! If you have any feedback or suggestions I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Also, not to give too much away, but you just might want to peek back here December 2 for the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day.


Finally, here are a couple of related items I've made in the past, in case you're interested:

• Toy Story Bullseye coin purses
  
• Fire and Ice coin purse
  
• All posts labelled "Vinyl"
  
• All my Flickr photos tagged "Pouch"(These have some older items not on this blog)

Play Shoes

I'm on a shoes kick. Can you tell?








This little monkey desperately needed new play shoes, as his old ones had wholes the size of silver dollars in the toes. I think I've finally gotten down a good pattern and method for making these soft shoes. The key? Simplicity. I love them. I made these out of vinyl because I needed something more durable than the soft leather I used for his green and brown church shoes. This is marine-quality vinyl so water won't soak through it. Although the vinyl is not very breathable I'm hoping the vents on the sides will help with that.