Self-binding Baby Blanket Tutorial

I saw this tutorial on another blog and tried it out. It was great! I love how easy it is to put this blanket together and how cute it turns out! The tutorial came from Tea Rose Home. The link is http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2010/08/tutorial-swaddle-blanket-with-self.html

I made this one from two pieces of coordinating flannel. I bought one yard of each and then cut them into squares, as the tutorial explains, but I made the smaller piece larger by two inches (38" instead of 36"). The width of the binding was less around the edges. Next time, I will stay with the original sizes, so the binding will be wider. I still love the way it turned out and it is a great size (38" square) for my four month old granddaughter to enjoy now and grow a little, too.
I have already made a couple of others and will be giving them out to new mothers this year. I like to use fabrics that are not the usual baby colors and designs. I have lots of fun looking for two pieces of fabric that will complement each other, but when put together, the blanket will yell, I am an original!

Craft Tutorial- Silverware Wrap, great for a picnic

This week my craft tutorial will be another quick and simple one.

I enjoy getting outdoors when I can and I go on several picnics when the weather is good. So, when I saw a quick easy way to create a silverware tote, or wrap as I call it now, I jumped on it. (I personally like to take silverware on picnics, instead of the plastic ware, because it just works better! Of course, you could put plastic ware in this wrap, if you just wanted to.)

I also made several of these for gifts and for our family reunion.

Silverware Wrap

A picnic necessity

   

Materials

1 Kitchen Towel
Thread matching the towel
25” piece of coordinating ribbon (The width is your decision. I use a ¾” wide ribbon.)
Straight pins
Sewing Machine

First, you lay the towel out, wrong side up, and fold one end up about 7 inches.

 Pin in place.  (My towel was not square and doesn’t match up exactly, but it is close enough.)

Next, you will add the ribbon tie. Measure 10” along the ribbon. At the 10” mark fold the ribbon in half.  On the right hand side of the towel, measure up from the fold 4 inches and slip the folded end of the ribbon in between the towel edges. Push it in about  ½” . Pin in place.

Now, you must decide how many pockets you want the silverware wrap to have. I chose five. Next, you will want to mark the area to show where the pockets will be and how large each will be.  There are some people who will make one pocket wider than the rest to accommodate a larger item they want to have stored there.  I decided to have each one about 3 ¼  inches wide, since the width of my towel is about 16” and I just want them all about the same size.

        

It is now time to sew.  You will sew  ¼” seam along the sides of the towel, from the bottom fold to the top edge of the 7” fold of material (or from top edge to bottom fold as I have done), making sure you take a couple of stitches past the top and then back stitch back down a few stitches to reinforce the edge.

On the side with the ribbon, you will want to stop once you have stitched over the ribbon and then backstitch back over the ribbon, before continuing to finish that edge.  This will reinforce the ribbon tie.

Then you will sew along each line that you drew to create the pockets, again making sure you go a couple of stitches past the top of this section of material and then back stitch back a few stitches to reinforce the top of each pocket.

It is finished!

 Just fill it with silverware or plastic ware and fold down the top. Then, starting from the edge that doesn’t have the ribbon, roll the wrap up. Slip the longer ribbon under and around the wrap and tie!

Drop it in your picnic basket and you’re ready to go.

My First Blog! Weekly Craft Tutorials

I have been sharing my craft ideas and creations with friends and family by hosting craft days at my house, but many times those I am working with want to have a written tutorial, so I am posting a craft tutorial each week, so everyone can get to it. Everyone will also be able to go back and see any crafts they may have missed. 

This weeks craft is a fleece steering wheel cover. I have made several as gifts and everyone seems to enjoy them and find them useful on cold mornings. I have worked with two of my grandchildren, one is 9 yrs. old and the other 12 yrs. old and they were able to cut and sew one together easily.

As you can see we are Dallas Cowboy fans around here.
I found the idea and some instructions for a steering wheel cover on the America Sews Husqvarna website. I found the instructions hard to follow and it seemed incorrect in a couple of areas, so I came up with my own. (Not that I am down on the site. I don't know if any other instructions are incorrect or not and I was glad to find this idea.)

Steering Wheel Cover

(Should fit an average size steering wheel, about 47”circumference)

Materials

One 6 1/2 ” X 47” piece of fleece

Two 26” lengths of ¼” elastic

Thread that matches fleece on your sewing machine
One needle threaded with about a 24” length of thread, doubled. (This thread could be white or any color, it will not be seen.)

Several small safety pins

 A bodkin (optional) (Could be used to insert elastic)

Directions

Fold the 6 ½” X 47” fleece in half, short ends together, right sides together. Stitch a ¼” seam. Finger press seam open. You should now have a circle of fleece.

61/2” X 47” strip of fleece

Sew short edges together.

Finger press seam open. You now have a circle of fleece.

Fold one edge over ¾” wrong sides together all the way around.  Pin every couple of inches.

Sew ¼” from cut edge all the way around till you are 1” from the beginning. Remember to back stitch at beginning and end as you go. This secures your stitches.

You have now formed a casing with a 1” opening to insert elastic.  Create the same size casing on the other edge, again with a 1” opening.

Leave one inch opening in casing.

Sew casing on both edges.

Now, you will insert one piece of elastic into a casing, pulling it all the way around and stitch ends of elastic together.

One way to do this, is to pin one end of the elastic to the top edge of the casing where the 1” opening is. (This keeps it secure while you pull the elastic through the casing.) Then connect another safety pin, to the other end of that piece of elastic. Now, insert the safety pin into the opening of the casing and start working it through the casing.

Bunch the material up onto the safety pin and then holding the front end of the pin (you can feel it through the material), carefully pull the bunched up material at the back of the pin off the pin, which should move the elastic into the casing. Now continue to bunch the material up on to the pin again, then hold the front of the pin and again move the material off the back part of the pin. Continue this all the way through the casing. When you have the pin at the opening again pull, it out about 1 ½ inches. Remove the safety pin, holding tightly to the elastic. Then unpin the safety pin that is pinned to the casing, keeping the pin connected to the elastic piece. Pull that end out about 1 ½”, remove the safety pin and place the two ends of elastic together with one end over the other. Now using the threaded needle, hand stitch the ends together securely, making as many stitches as necessary to secure. You don’t want the elastic to come apart and ruin the use of the cover. Cut the thread and allow the elastic to slip into the casing.  Then insert elastic into the other casing, following the same directions.

Finish by stitching the opening on each side closed. You can do this by hand or by machine.

Now, go put it on a steering wheel!

Please let me know if you need any further clarification on the instructions by emailing me at buzybcreations@gmail.com