Oatmeal Bath Scrub – Heal Your Itchy Winter Skin

February 20, 2012
Soothe itchy skin with an easy oatmeal bath scrub
‘Tis the season for dry, itchy skin. For me, an oatmeal bath is the answer. You can just dump some oatmeal in the water, but I don’t really like to lay on the oatmeal bits, so I make these oatmeal bath scrubs. 🙂 They’re inexpensive and easy and very soothing.

First, for each scrubbie cut two 4 inch squares of fabric. I usually use super cheap cotton muslin – the cheapest I can find. Or use some really ugly cotton fabric out of your stash. (How does that stuff get in there?)

Soothe itchy skin with an easy oatmeal bath scrub

Sew the two pieces together around three sides. I use a 1/4 inch seam allowance, but it doesn’t really matter.

Fill each bag with 1/4 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal. Sew it together across the top.

Soothe itchy skin with an easy oatmeal bath scrub

Voila! You have a finished oatmeal bath scrub.

I usually make a bunch of these at one time – I can make about a dozen in 15 minutes. They’re terrific for any itchy skin issues. Toss one in the tub while it fills. Let the water pound down on it for a little while to mash out the oatmeal goodness. Once I get in the bath I also squeeze the bag every once in a while. Just having the stuff in the water is good, but it’s also great to rub the scrubbie directly on any itchy places. It helps sooth poison ivy, sunburn, dry skin, allergic reactions, and more. Last summer my daughter “forgot” that she was allergic to grass and repeatedly rolled down a freshly-mowed hill wearing a tank top and shorts. She was covered with itchy red welts, but one bath with an oatmeal scrubbie took care of it.

These oatmeal bath scrubs make terrific gifts too. Make a bunch for a friend when you’re making some for yourself. 🙂

Enjoy! And have a great week!

Best,
Wendi
Applique Wendi (with fabulous hat)

Free Goody Bag Pattern

December 19, 2011
Goody Bags - free sewing pattern from Shiny Happy World
You can whip up some easy peasy reusable fabric gift bags with the free pattern you’ll find here. If you use a cute fabric and some ribbon you can whip up a batch in no time. If you fancy a little stitching time in front of the fire – try some of these Made by Joel designs on them.

I think they’d be great made up in black fabric and filled with black licorice for a little sack of “coal” to add to a stocking. 🙂

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi
Applique Wendi (with fabulous hat)

A Playdate with Made by Joel – and a Giveaway!

December 8, 2011
Free Christmas gift bag pattern with free embroidery pattern.

What do you get when you combine Joel’s Free Holiday Gift Tag printable with my Free Goody Bag pattern?

Red Christmas gift bag embroidered with a white cat wearing reindeer antlers

This! A cute, reusable Christmas gift bag!

The Joel, of course, is Joel Henriques, the amazing dad who blogs at Made by Joel and author of Made to Play – a book showing you how to make tons of great, creative handmade toys.

Want to make a Christmas gift bag yourself? It’s easy!

Get Joel’s free printable gift tags here.

Get the free Goody Bag pattern here.

Free Christmas gift bag pattern with free embroidery pattern.

Transfer the images from the gift tags to the fabric you’re going to use for the bags and stitch them up. I used a simple backstitch – easy peasy. There’s a video here showing how to backstitch.

Free Christmas gift bag pattern with free embroidery pattern.

Now you have bunches of fun reusable Christmas bags!

Have a great day everyone!

Free Stocking Pattern + Free Ornament Pattern = Fun Handmade Goodness

November 18, 2011

Free stocking pattern and free ornaments patterns from Shiny Happy World - combine them for extra fun!

Handmade Christmas decorations are so much fun!

I’ve got a free Stockings pattern and a free Ornaments pattern.

They’re fun on their own, but look what you can do when you mix them together!

We’ll start simple. Sew some rickrack onto the ogee and sew the ogee to the stocking. If you want to get fancy you can run a line of stitching from the top point to make it look like it’s hanging. This stocking will take maybe 20 minutes to make and it’s very easy for a beginner.

Here’s another super simple one – and one of my favorites. Stitch the little ornament-sized stocking to the regular sized stocking but leave the top unstitched. Now you have a stocking with a stocking-shaped pocket on it, perfect for holding a little Pez dispenser or a couple of lollipops or a small toy. Cute!

You don’t have to limit yourself to just one felt applique. For this stocking I cut out three tree triangles from the ornament patterns, stitched them to the stocking with a little swaggy zigzag action, then added random buttons. A forest of decorated trees!

You can fit exactly five of the large ornament circles in a stack up the side of the stocking. Lay them in place, stitch one row of stitching up the middle, and you’re done.

Here’s a variation with a more well-defined stripe. Instead of simply stitching up the middle of the dots, I laid a strip of satin ribbon down the center and then stitched over it. Easy peasy!

Forget about felt applique! For this one I didn’t sew down the big dots – I just used one as a pattern. I traced around it (randomly scattered over the stocking) and embroidered the circles with split stitch in white thread. Doesn’t it look minty fresh?

And then there’s this beauty! The big ornament circles make great eyeballs, no? The black strip for the mouth is a bit of satin ribbon, and the teeth are simply felt triangles tucked behind the ribbon before stitching.

And now – my favorite. I used the big circles from the ornament pattern  – and Ed Emberley’s Picture Pie: A Cut and Paste Drawing Book. Those three birds are straight out of the book – and it’s filled with other cool pictures too, all made from circles.

I’d love to see what variations you all come up with! Get the free ornaments pattern here and the free stocking pattern here. And then please post your finished projects to the Shiny Happy People group so everyone can admire them. 🙂

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi
Applique Wendi (with fabulous hat)

Neato Ornaments – FREE Pattern!

November 17, 2011

Yesterday I gave you a pattern for a good, basic holiday stocking. Today it’s felt ornaments. (Psst! Visit this post to see how to combine my stocking pattern and this ornament pattern for extra fun!)

But now. . . ornaments. The pattern (click here to download) includes some really basic shapes – a tree, a stocking, an ogee, and two circles. The fun comes with what you do with these basics.

Add rickrack. (Boy – do I love rickrack or what?)

Add buttons!

Add fancy vintage trim!

Layer them together with a bit of really simple embroidery!

Don’t feel like you’re tied to traditional colors. I love these yellow and orange ones! (Especially nice too for folks who celebrate solstice.)

Download the free pattern. Gather up your tiny scraps of trim, your odd beads and buttons, your little bits of yarn – and have fun! These shapes are really simple and fun for kids to play with too. Put on some Christmas carols, serve up some cookies, and let them sew the rickrack on with the machine (nice easy straight lines). They – and you – will have a blast. I promise.

Read this post for the best part – combining the stockings and these ornaments in really inventive ways. 🙂

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi
Applique Wendi (with fabulous hat)

Swell Stockings – FREE Pattern!

November 16, 2011

Planning to make any holiday stockings this year? Here’s an easy peasy pattern – and it’s free! Click here to download.

The pattern is for a basic stocking made from felt and takes less than an hour to make. But (of course) you’ll want to fancy it up a bit. 🙂 The one on the pattern cover just has a bunch of inexpensive pearly buttons stitched on it – with the thread tails visible.

See?

Or use just a handful of buttons in a vertical stripe.

Beads are always nice – and beaded trim is super easy. You’ll still finish this one in under an hour.

This one has a strip of feather boa across the top. Ooh la la!

How about some rickrack? A couple of bands across the top are nice. . .

But vertical stripes are good too.

For this one I cut some dots out of felt (traced around a quarter for the size) and then laid them out and embroidered lines between them.

And here’s one with fancier applique (but still easy). You could do the same thing, using one of my appliqued animals quilt block patterns. How about embroidering on a stocking? One of the puppies or kitties would be really cute! So would one of the Rainbow Girls! Or one of the birds from the Bird Sampler! And did you know you can turn any embroidery pattern into an applique pattern?

The finished stocking is just a smidge over 17″ tall – a good basic size.

So there you have it – a bunch of swell stockings! Download the pattern and make one this year.

Get a free felt ornament pattern here.

See some fun ways to use the ornament and stockings together here.

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi
Applique Wendi (with fabulous hat)

How to Make a Fabric Bookmark

November 3, 2011

There are a lot of tutorials out there for fabric bookmarks, but I’m very. . . picky. . . about my bookmarks. I’m a book collector, you see. My husband is a writer. We met when we worked together at an independent bookstore. I spent twenty years selling children’s books. Almost all of the art in our house is by children’s book illustrators. We are book people.

I like a bookmark that’s not so tall that it hangs way out of the top of a standard paperback. And I definitely want a bookmark to be THIN. Nothing that will damage the spine please! (Lots of fabric bookmarks are way too thick.)

So here’s a quick and easy tutorial showing you how to make my kind of bookmark.

Materials to make a fabric bookmark with an embroidered motif.

You’ll need two pieces of fabric – one for the front and one for the back of your bookmark. I, of course, am partial to a bit of embroidery on the front, but you could just use any amazing fabric that you love.

If you’re going to have embroidery, do it now before you assemble the bookmark.

bookmark from Davis- Kidd Booksellers

Grab a bookmark you like the dimension of (this one is 1 5/8 x 7) and some super-strong, paper-backed fusible adhesive. I use Heat and Bond Ultra Hold. Do NOT try to sew through that stuff! It will gum up your needle like crazy. I keep mine separate from all my other fusibles – just in case.

Cut out a piece of adhesive about 1/2 inch bigger than your bookmark all the way around. It doesn’t have to be neat.

The bookmark in the photo is just a guide for the dimensions. You’re not going to glue it inside or anything.

Making a fabric bookmark using fusible adhesive

Lay it adhesive-side down over the back of your embroidered piece. (Never iron the front of your embroidery! There’s more info here about how to iron your embroidery without smooshing the stitches.) Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to fuse it in place.

purple striped fabric

Let it cool. Peel off the paper and lay your bookmark backing right side up over it. Fuse in place. Now the bookmark front and back will be glued together.

finished fabric bookmark made with an easy tutorial from Shiny Happy World

Flip it over so you can see the front. Trim to the size you want it. This is super easy with a rotary cutter and a ruler, but you can do it with scissors too.

Embroidered lady wearing a hat - motif from the book How to Embroider Almost Everything

You’re done! The adhesive will add quite a bit of stiffness to the fabric bookmark. You could make it even stiffer by using two layers of adhesive with a sturdy interfacing between them, but I’m ok with some bend to my bookmark. And the adhesive does a really great job of keeping the edges from fraying – so you can skip the time (and bulk) of adding a hem.

I think including a handmade bookmark with a book makes it a really nice gift. And it takes no time at all! The lady took me about an hour to stitch (it would have been faster if I hadn’t added all the satin stitching) and making the bookmark takes all of five minutes.

Looking for the pattern for that lady? It’s in my book How to Embroider Almost Everything.

Happy stitching!

Come Visit Me at Made By Joel

July 11, 2011
Made by Joel Embroidery

Hey everyone! I’ve got a guest post over at Made by Joel – one of my very favorite blogs!

For those of you who don’t know about Joel – he’s an awesome Dad who make The Most Amazing Toys for his kids. Simple things out of everyday materials that have LOADS of play value. Scroll through his archives and order his book, Made to Play!. It looks fabulous!

Anyway – Joel does these terrific coloring pages – really great lines drawings that just beg to be embroidered. So I stitched one up and wrote up a post on how to do it.

There’s a lot of info you’ve already seen on my site about how to transfer the pattern and what some of the basic stitches are. But I also include some information about my thought processes as I made the design decisions about what stitches to use where, where to add color, and what color thread to use. I think it would be useful to anyone who wants to learn more about making their own embroidery design decisions.

Check it out!

Best,
Wendi

The Simplest Skirt Pattern

June 28, 2011
The Simplest Skirt - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Here it is – the simplest skirt you can possibly make and the best project I know for beginning sewists who want to make clothing.

Size this one up to fit adults – or down to fit dolls and stuffed animals. It’s all good.

What you’ll need

  • fabric (amount will depend on your measurements)
  • elastic
  • double-fold bias tape (optional)
  • sewing machine, thread, basic sewing tools
  • less than an hour. I mean it. I’ve never actually timed myself, but I think I can make one of these in 15 minutes.

Difficulty

Very, very, very easy.

Here’s how to make it.

Step 1

Measure around your waist and the desired length of the skirt.

waist _______________ length ______________

For a skirt with “average” fullness, cut your rectangle twice your waist measurement, plus 1 inch for seam allowance. This does not need to be an exact measurement.

My daughter’s waist is 24 inches. My target for the total length of my fabric rectangle was 49 inches, but the fabric was 44 inches wide. Did I piece in an additional 5 inches? No way. I just used the existing width of the fabric.

Anything from 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 times the waist measurement will look good and have some fullness, but you can go even smaller for a more fitted look, and even larger with a very thin fabric. Play around with it!

What width elastic will you be using?
You’ll need to add enough to your total cut length to make an elastic casing. Add the width of the elastic + 5/8 inch. That’s enough to turn it under 3/8 inch, press, then turn it under the width of the elastic + 1/4 inch.

You can see a video showing how to use elastic in a casing here.

Will you be adding a hem?
I usually add 1 inch hem allowance – enough to turn it under 1/2 inch, press, then another 1/2 inch, press, and stitch. Some people like wider hems. In this sample I didn’t hem at all – just bound the lower edge with bias tape. It’s up to you!

Cut your fabric rectangle.

Step 2

Fold your rectangle in half, right sides together, and stitch the short edge with 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Finish the seam allowance. This was kind of a ravelly fabric, so I zigzagged the seam. You can see how to do that and another easy seam finish option in this video.

Step 3

If you’re going to use bias tape to finish the seam, prepare it now. I found a packet of very old single fold bias tape that I wanted to use. Since it was single fold, I needed to fold it in half one more time and press it.

If you want to make your own and don’t know how – watch this video. For this project you can cut your strips on the straight grain.

Step 4

Attach the bias tape by folding it around the raw edge of the skirt fabric and stitching it in place.

Step 5

Here’s what your finished hem will look like.

If you want to do a regular folded hem instead, you can see how in this video.

Step 6

Fold the top edge under 3/8 inch. Press. Fold again the width of the elastic plus 1/4 inch. Press. (I used 1 inch elastic on this skirt.)

Stitch the casing as close to that folded edge as possible, leaving about 3 inches open for inserting the elastic. Thread in the elastic, pin the ends together and TRY IT ON.

If you want to see me do this step on this very skirt, watch this video.

Step 7

Once you know the fit is good, securely sew the ends of your elastic together. I sew a box around the edges of the overlapped bits, then sew an X across the box.

I’m showing you an example from another project because if I sewed this one in a thread dark enough to see, it would also show through the very thin white fabric of the skirt, and that would’t be pretty.

You can see all of this in the same video I mentioned in Step 6.

Step 8

Let the elastic pop back into the casing, fold the casing back in place, and stitch that opening closed. Throw on the skirt and go play on a tire swing.

It really is that easy!

You can size this to fit anyone – though the shape isn’t terribly flattering on most adult women. Those of us with hips, anyway. 🙂

This is a great project for kids to make for themselves and also for their dolls and stuffed animals – easy to sew, easy on and off, and really inexpensive.

Want to see what some kids have made with this basic pattern?

 

This skirt got some fancy beading.

And I love the tutu on this Ugly Doll – made with tulle and no hem needed.

And, of course, the gap-toothed kid holding it! 🙂

These were all from a Summer Camp I taught a couple of years ago.

Best,
Wendi

Easy Apron – Free Sewing Pattern

June 14, 2011
Easy Apron - a free sewing pattern from Shiny Happy World

Aprons.

This is about the easiest apron you can possibly sew. A rectangle of fabric, gathered at the top, and edged with double-fold tape that also serves as a tie.

Easy peasy!

 

Follow this pattern to whip one up in an afternoon, and you’ll be an expert – ready for some really fun variations – patchwork aprons, ruffled aprons, and frilly, fancy, useless aprons.

But first – an easy apron.

What you’ll need

  • fabric for the main apron and pocket (amount will depend on your measurements)
  • sewing machine, thread, basic sewing tools
  • 1-2 hours

Step 1

Cut the following pieces. . .

For the main apron piece, measure all the way around the waist, and measure from the waist down to the desired length (usually anywhere from mid-thigh to the knee, depending on the look you prefer).

Cut a rectangle of fabric the width of the total waist measurement, and the height of the desired length plus 1 inch.

For the pocket, cut two squares of fabric, both 6 inches square. This will make one pocket. If you want to make two pockets, cut four squares.

For the wasitband/tie, cut strips (on the straight grain) 3 inches wide. You’ll need to cut multiple strips and join them together to get the desired length.

  • For a girl’s apron that ties in the back, you’ll need a total length of 58 inches. To double-wrap and tie in the front you’ll need 84 inches.
  • For a woman’s apron that ties in the back you’ll need 72 inches. To tie it in the front you’ll need 96 inches.

Step 2

Place two pocket squares right sides together.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch almost all the way around the edge, leaving a two-inch hole to turn it right side out. (If you’re new to sewing, this video shows how to sew straight lines and turn corners.)

Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching.

Clip the corners close to, but not into the stitching.

Step 3

Turn the pocket right side out. Tuck in the raw edges at the opening you used for turning and press all the edges flat.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Stitch along the top edge of the pocket, as close to the edge as possible.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Repeat for a second pocket, if you choose.

Step 4

Position the pocket so that the top left corner is 5 inches down from the top edge of the apron piece, and 5 inches in from the left edge of the apron piece.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Stitch the pocket in place, very close to the edge of the pocket. Stitch down one side, across the bottom (closing up the opening you used for turning), and up the other side.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

It’s VERY important to remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching. Otherwise your pocket will eventually come loose and fall off and you’ll be sad.

Step 6

Hem each side of the main apron piece.

This video shows how to hem.

Turn the edge under 1/2 inch. Press. Turn under another half inch. Press. Stitch down very close to the folded edge of the fabric.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Repeat with the second side.

Repeat for the bottom edge of the apron.

Step 7

Time to prep the waistband/tie. Essentially – we’re going to make some wide double-fold tape. There’s a video here showing how.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Use a 1 1/2″ bias tape tool to turn your 3″ strip into double-fold tape. If you don’t have the right tool, just do it by hand.

Fold the strip in half the long way. Press.

Fold each long edge into the center. Press.

Refold the center. Press.

The tool is handy, but doing it the old-fashioned way doesn’t take long. 🙂

Open up the center fold and turn the short end under 1/4 inch. Refold and press. Now you’ll have a neat end to your tie.

Step 8

Gather up the top edge of the apron (using either a gathering foot or the basting-stitch method from this video) until it’s the desired width, usually a little more than half of the total waist measurement.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

This isn’t rocket science, so don’t tear out your hair (or your stitches) if you end up a little longer or shorter than you wanted. A little bit of variation won’t look bad.

Step 9

Fold your double-fold tape over the raw, gathered edge of the top of your apron.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

If you pin the center of your tie to the center of your apron piece and work your way out from that center point, it’s very easy to get everything even with no measuring.

Pin the double-fold tape in place.

Step 10

Stitch the folded edges together, the whole length of the waistband/tie.

Easy Apron - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Start at one end. Stitch the short end together. Turn the corner and stitch all the way down the length of the tie, enclosing the gathered edge of the apron top in the fold. Sew slowly, making sure that you are catching the back fold of the tape in your stitching. Turn the corner and stitch the other short edge.

Finished!

Easy Apron - a free sewing pattern from Shiny Happy World

You’re done! Tie on your new apron and get ready to make another. Now that you have the basics down you’re ready to try all kinds of fabulous variations!

Brag a little!

Don’t forget to take a picture of your finished apron! Post it to the Shiny Happy People group so everyone can see and be inspired by your work. Sharing is fun!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi