Month: October 2008

Diaper Bag Sewing Patterns

/ Kara Kelso / 3 Comments

I’m on a mission.

Since it’s fall, I have a sudden interest in sewing again. Right now, I really want to make a diaper bag. Not for me, but for someone else. I’ve searched the internet high and low for a really good diaper bag.  What surprises me is I haven’t found much.

I’m not looking for something “different” and “stylish”. Regular diaper bags are invaluable, and in my opinion, nothing can top them. I like pockets and lots of them. I also like easy to sew stuff. So you can see why I’m having problems here.

There was one style I really like, although I’m not sure I can sew it based on the instructions. I read over them carefully last night and *think* I can do it, but it makes me nervous. But I really, really like this style, and want to give it a try. (If you have experiences with the Bundles of Love pattern, please let me know how it went).

The other one I found that would be acceptable was a Simplicity pattern for sale. The price on it was $12, but a quick search at Ebay and I found it for $6 (including shipping). That’s more than acceptable for a pattern I’d probably use again that also includes patterns for other baby items. I almost bought it, but figured I had better give the other free pattern a shot.

If you know of any others, please feel free to post them in the comments. Just know that I’m kinda picky and the bag has to look nice but easy.😉

Garfield Costume Creation

/ Kara Kelso / Leave a comment

After changing his mind several times, my son finally decided he’s going to be Garfield for Halloween. We had already decided to make our costumes this year, but this one we really had no choice on. Sure we could probably find one if we looked hard enough, but why bother? It shouldn’t be that hard to make (although I said that about the airplane cake, and it really wasn’t).

Luckily, so far, it’s been pretty smooth. I went on a hunt earlier this week for a large orange t-shirt or sweatshirt, and did a little happy dance in the middle of Target when I found one on the discount rack for $2.50. HURRAY!  The plan with the shirt is to strap a pillow under him and put the shirt over top. I just have to figure out what we are going to do for stripes, but it will either be fabric paint/markers or black fabric.

Next I went looking for mask ideas. What I ended up finding was a wooden zombie mask with a handle, and foam craft sheets in orange and yellow. I used the orange to cut out the face that goes over the wood mask, then the yellow as his mouth. Then I painted his eyes white,  nose red (I know it’s pink, but I didn’t have any), and used permanent marker to draw on the details.  I’m not the greatest artist, but it worked. It doesn’t look exactly like him, but there’s no mistaking it’s Garfield, and the kid is happy.

Finally, I got orange fabric for the tail.  This was so super easy and again, the kid was pleased. I just took a strip, folded it in half, sewed it together and turned it inside out. Then we stuffed it, sewed the end, and used a marker to draw on his stripes.  On Halloween we plan to safety-pin it to his rear.

Now all that’s left is deciding what to do with all that extra fabric. I got a yard of the orange and only used one small piece, so I’m thinking of attempting my own quilt block. The boy absolutely LOVES Garfield, so I’m going to try a quilt block Garfield on a pillow or wall hanging. I drafted the block already, and it just might work. Should it come out the way I hope it does (and I’ve got my doubts), I’ll post pictures and maybe even the pattern. Crossing my fingers it does work!

Edited: Yes! This costume came out fantastic! For the stripes, we used basic black hair spray. EASY! Here’s the finished results:

Garfield costume

Garfield costume

Garfield costume - back

Garfield costume – back

 

Castle Cake for Princess Birthday

/ Kara Kelso / Leave a comment

After making the airplane cake a few months ago for my son’s birthday, my daughter something special for her birthday as well. Thankfully she chose the castle at the time, and has not changed her mind. This should be a whole lot easier than the airplane was.

I’ve looked at a few ideas from Family Fun, and should be able to come up with my own based on these. Today I ran to the store and picked up the cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, ice cream cones, and gummies. It should be all I need, but I have my doubts I’ll get off that easy. Most likely on Sunday I’ll be running to the store for a last minute decorating detail.

The thing I like the most about this particular idea is I can go anywhere with it. Should I decide just to make a square cake, that’s fine. If I want to stack them in the middle to make a slightly different design, that’s fine too. Bottom line is there should be very little cutting and shaping involved, unlike the last one.

I’m also a little more experienced, and know how to handle the decorating a little better. Let me share with you what I learned from the last disaster.

The cake must be completely cooled and actually cold to start. I’ll most likely make the cake early in the day on Saturday (the day before the party), and stick it in the fridge.

The frosting needs to be warmed up before you start, so it’s easier to frost corners and edges. Just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, repeating as you get further down into the container if need be. Just as long as the cake is cold and the frosting is hot, it won’t stick to the cake.

Use an idea that has few frosting colors, unless you are an extremely good artist. I am not, as we have learned in previous years. Most of the detailed decorations will be done with candy and cookies. Sticking something in the right place I can handle.

For the extra decorations that can be done with candy or any kind of writing, use the gel decorating stuff or food decorating markers, NOT the frosting decoration. It may be great for little flowers and suck, but not for drawing or writing names.

Something new I’m going to try this year is using cookie cutters as somewhat of a stencil. I’m hoping I can just press the cutter into the frosting ever so slightly, making a design that’s easy to trace. Again, I’ll use either food decorating markers or gel. That frosting decoration stuff is pure evil! (But I won’t deny it tastes good!)

If you are searching for cool cake ideas, I hope you find one that works for you!

Handmade Halloween Candy Bag

/ Kara Kelso / 1 Comment

I was at Walmart the other day, walking past the Halloween fabric yet again, thinking how absolutely adorable it was and how badly I wanted a project to use it for. Actually, it wasn’t even really that Halloween specific, but was black with little crescent moons and stars in a yellowish-orange, but it was CUTE.

Then, it hit me. Halloween candy bags.

By the time I actually bought the fabric, it had been marked down to $2/yd.  SCORE!  So I bought it, and am planning to make the bags.

I hunted for awhile for a good tote bag tutorial, but didn’t see one I really liked. I suppose, if you sew, then making a tote isn’t that big of a deal. All you need is 4 sides and a handle, then sew it all together. The size is going to depend on how much candy your kid rakes in, so really I guess you don’t need one.

Point is, if you had  your eye on Halloween fabric and didn’t know what to make, now you do. Just make a tote to hold all that candy!😉