Easter Swap Project Inspiration #4: Fabric Eggs Tutorial and Pattern

Hello sewers! Is that a word? Seamstress sounds so...I don't know...official. Like you have a little tailor's shop somewhere. But I never can seem to find the right word to describe people like me...oh well!

Another great Easter toy swap inspiration for you! Or just a simple spring sewing project if you prefer:)

I went searching for a pattern for fabric eggs and found this fantastic tutorial/pattern over at Retro Mama. It is really well written, and has tons of pics to explain each step along the way. Whether you are swapping or not, I think you will be excited to add this to your growing list of must make projects. I can see these in bright springy prints for Easter, but also in various shades of natural, brown, or even light blue linen or possibly wool felt to be added to your play food collection. YUM!

And while you're over at Retro Mama, be sure to spend a little time browsing around. Her patterns are gorgeous (just love Ruthie Bear!) and she has some other super sweet tutorials - you're just going to flip for her little houses, I know it:) And you just might find her somewhere else....

Hello Hearts!

Belle actually counts down to her birthday using major holidays. After Christmas, we have to get through New Year's, Valentine's Day, a few family birthdays, Easter and Mother's Day before she gets another round of excessive numbers of presents. Strange calendar system, I know. But her favorite questions are, in this order: When? In the morning? Is that tomorrow? It can really drive one up the wall:) Needless to say, on January 1 she is ready to haul out the hearts. Let's get a move on...there's a birthday waiting for me at the end of this endless parade of holidays!

I held her off as long as I could, but we've been playing with felt Valentines for about 2 weeks now. And there have been heart shaped cookies coming out of the tiny wooden oven in the corner of our kitchen for even longer than that.

Here are just a few of the Valentines crafts that have been seen around these parts recently.

The felt Valentine set didn't last long in the Etsy shop, but have no fear...there are tons of these little things floating around our house:)

And this little guy has just captured my heart! I designed this new Bowling Pin Doll pattern especially with toddlers in mind. It's neck is just right for little hands to grab hold of, and the lack of dangling limbs means that even the roughest round of tug-o-war won't amputate any body parts. This was the prototype for the pattern and I think it turned out pretty well...just like a bowling pin. I'll be trying it out with a different head shape soon:)

And finally, how can you bake heart shaped cookies without an adorable play apron??? I picked up this vintage Valentine print by Kokka at a local quilt market a couple of weeks ago. The ticking and chambray came from my stash, but I think they are pretty much a perfect complement. This apron is in the shop for now, but someone is NOT very happy about that. She has plotted any number of attempts to commandeer it from the sewing room. So far I've managed to stay one step ahead of her, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she's just letting me think that I have her number:) We'll see how long it lasts!

What Valentine crafts are you whipping up this year?

Cookies for Santa and Holiday Wishes for You

We've wrapped and hung and baked and sung. The tree sparkles, the presents shimmer, and the cookies smell delightful. And now we wait...for Christmas, for Santa, and for the birth of our Lord.

Tonight, I send to you my warmest wishes for a very happy Christmas! I hope you find yourself surrounded by loved ones, filled with the spirit, and blessed by the Savior. And an abundance of cookies never hurt anyone:)

And in case you need a last minute gift, these little cookies are sure to delight a child in your life. My present to you...a quick almost-tutorial. Directions only, but pretty simple to follow. And you have just enough time to whip up two or three as you sit by the fire and enjoy the glow of you tree (and the cleanliness of your family room - cuz that won't last long tomorrow!).

You will need:

some felt scraps (red, white, green, brown, tan, cream, yellow, etc.)

a tiny bit of stuffing

embroidery thread

cookie cutters

1. Select a cookie cutter for the outline of your cookie.

2. Trace the cookie cutter onto the felt color of your choice TWO times for each cookie. Example - to make 1 chocolate chip cookie you would trace two circles onto tan felt. Cut out your cookies.

3. Draw and cut out embellishments for the top of your cookie. Example - to make one chocolate chip cookie cut out approximately 9 small circles of dark brown felt.

4. Use embroidery thread to stitch decorations to the top of your cookie. You can also embroider details like sprinkles at this time too.

5. Place the two pieces of your cookie right sides together and sew using 1/4" seam allowance. I did this on my sewing machine for speed and durability, but you could do this by hand if you would like. Leave a 1.5" opening for turning and stuffing.

6. Clip any corners and curves, then turn right side out.

7. Add a small amount of stuffing...don't overstuff these or they cease to look like a cookie and become more of a hockey puck.

8. Fold open edges in and whipstitch the opening closed using matching thread.

Merry Christmas!

The Set that Will Likely Never Be...

Did you create a holiday sewing list? I'm wondering if your vision for all the things you were going to make for the loved ones in your life was as unattainable as mine. I seriously overestimated how much I could accomplish! And even more than that, each day seemed to trigger a new idea for something else that would make someone in my life (mostly my girls) smile.

Meet Gingerbread Baby.

Are you familiar with Jan Brett's books? Each and every one is truly amazing! And many of them make a nice addition to your holiday/winter reading rotation. The Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends are two of our favorites! With gorgeous illustrations and a slightly new take on this classic story, they are highly engaging. [Insert former literacy teacher's comments on repetitive text, the value of following characters from one book to the next etc.]

And so, our Gingerbread Baby was born. After reading the books at bedtime one night, I thought to myself, "You know, Belle would really love to have a Gingerbread Baby to carry around. I think I'll make her one tonight." Was this a project on my previously established holiday sewing list? No, but it's just one quick little doll. And she'll really love it...

A few hours and a small stack of wool felt later, I snuck into Belle's room and tucked Gingie into her clothes for the next day. A fun little surprise!

If only the insanity had stopped there...

Because at this point, I realized that we were headed to the Nutcracker in a few days. And, the gingerbread cookies just happen to be one of my favorite parts. And this little gal really did look just like the costumes in the ballet. And Belle would really fall in love with ALL the characters. And, of course, I should just make her an entire Nutcracker play set...right???

Can you see how I get myself in trouble around here???

I sat for a few hours and sketched patterns for Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker, and the Mouse King. Then I meticuously traced each of those patterns (why didn't I pull out the scanner here?), so that I could have a copy of each to save. Then I cut each tiny piece. And well, you can see where this is headed.

At this point, Gingerbread Baby remains a loner, though the skirt part of Clara's nightdress is finished. Of course, once we actually saw the ballet, Belle's favorite was the Sugar Plum Fairy and I haven't even cut those pieces out yet.

So, as the title suggests, this set will never be complete. Especially not before Christmas. But maybe over time I'll finish it up for next year. But then, who am I kidding? I will have thought of a million and one other projects to do between now and then.

So, am I the only one whose brain works faster than her hands? Do you all struggle to control zillions of creative thoughts that just can't feasibly be brought to fruition? Or am I the only one who gets herself into these kinds of situations?

Are you hungry?

Looking for a holiday gift for little hands? This quick and easy tutorial that I found on One Inch World has Bee's stamp of approval.

I whipped up a batch of felt farfalle using just one sheet of cream colored felt during our drive to and from our fall family reunion. FIFTY-SIX little pastas later, we pulled into our driveway. When I poured the pile of butterflies into a wooden cooking pot, Bee was hooked. She played with these the entire evening.

Fill, pour, stir, spoon, and nibble (pretend nibbles, of course). While a bit tedious on the stitching end, it was well worth it to see how much pleasure it brought to my sweet Itty Bit. I'd highly recommend these for the toddlers and preschoolers on your holiday "shopping" list!