Stay.See.Make.Do.

A Gift for Mom

I found this tin at a yard sale and bought it for my mom.  Velvet tobacco is what her dad used, and she and her siblings would cut the cans up and make whistles.  She actually got one of these tins a few years ago and couldn't resist taking the snips to it to see if she could still make one of those noise makers.  She did do it, but was sorry she had to sacrifice the tin.  I saw the whistle and heard it, but I can't tell you how to do it.  I will ask her next time I'm home, and hopefully get a picture of the one she made.

Weaving a giant potholder

I thought I'd share this mat I made a few years ago.  Well, the mat isn't much to look at, but some of you might be interested in the method of the making.

Remember weaving pot holders from cotton loops on a small peg loom when you were a kid?  Frankly, I don't.  But I had at least seen them before, so when I read about this idea in one of the Tightwad Gazette books I had to try it out.   What you do is this:  Make yourself a big loom from some scrap lumber or a big picture frame or some stretcher bars.  Use finishing nails to make the "pegs" about an inch apart along all sides.  Now for the genius - the loops.  Take some old t-shirts and cut them into one or two inch strips horizontally from the bottom up to the armpits. Loops! Actually, you may want to cut your loops before you build your loom so you know how big your loom needs to be.  Then you  just weave it the same way you would a potholder, only bigger.  Make more than one and hook them together in a row or a square!  This is definitely a craft I'm going to try again some day.  Unfortunately I'll have to make a new loom since the one I used for this got left behind after our last move.

Playsilks dyed with Kool-Aid

These were a gift for baby's first birthday, but frankly, everybody likes them.  They are pretty, soft, and light.  They are great for peek-a-boo and superhero capes.  They are incredibly easy to make, and compared to the real thing, about half price.  And it only took about an hour.

I mostly followed the directions in this post at Artful Parent, except I only used two packages of Kool-Aid per scarf instead of three.  As far as I'm concerned they're still plenty bright.  I think I should've gone for a blue one but I knew I had to have a pink one and I'd only ordered six scarves, so there ya go.

Puppet Theater

I'll be adding to this post in future, but Typepad is not letting me get more photos on here, and it's eating my text. 
Hopefully it'll be working for me tomorrow...

This is the puppet theater I made based on directions in Amy Karol's book Bend the Rules Sewing.  I used half of a thrifted sheet to save on some seam stitching, and I replaced her curtain ties with buttons and elastic loops.  The casings for the dowels were made with blanket binding, one on the front to make a visual base for the window, seen here with curtains tucked in.  Not the best pic, but the puppeteer is sure a doll.

Hello, Oobie!