Hot and Cold Packs

These are frequently used in my house and I always make sure that I keep a couple stored in the freezer door.

These hot/cold packs are great for aches and pains and can be either placed in the freezer for a cold pack, or in the microwave for a heat pack. I mainly use these as a freezer pack for when I have a migraine.  I keep two there, so that I can alternate between them. They are also used as a cold pack for when the kids have a temperature or a bump on the leg. In our house they are used in the microwave to ease stomach cramps or any other aches.  Everyone has a different preference, some people prefer a heat pack for migraine, you decide yourself how you want to use these packs.

You can also make miniature versions to be used as ‘pocket warmers’. My son made a couple of these last year. He would heat them up in the microwave before he set off for school, and then place them into his coat pockets. Every now and again he would put his hands in his pockets for a warmth, very useful in the winter months!

You can also make larger versions of these. I have never made any personally, but I have seen patterns online to make neck rice packs. These are long and can be draped over your neck or your limbs. I have even seen some made as a feet warmer to go in your bed.

These are very simple to make, as I mentioned my 12 year old son even made some. All you need is some cotton fabric and a filler (either rice, wheat or barley), I personally always use plain uncooked rice. As an option you can add a fragrance such as lavender.

I also make covers as an extra option, the reason being you can’t wash the rice filled pack. I make a simple slip cover to fit over, so that I can wash the cover occasionally. Here is one of the many links to websites that offer tutorials for these packs. http://tipnut.com/make-your-own-microwave-heating-pad/

Why not have a go at sewing one of the options that I have mentioned above.

Fabric Liners for baskets or boxes



Fabric liners are great to cover wicker baskets or other storage boxes. I have even made many fabric liners to cover plain cardboard boxes! I call them slipcovers, I don’t know if there is a different technical name for them. One of the photos above shows a cover I made for a wicker basket that was in my daughters’ room. She used it to keep some of her books in, but she kept scratching herself on the sides. Now she can use her storage box with no problems.

Satin covered box

I have made storage boxes out of ordinary cut to size cardboard boxes available free from many local shops. Once the box has been decorated with nice fitted fabric over it, you can’t tell that it is only a cardboard box. I normally strengthen the box side by putting parcel tape on the sides of the boxes to stop them from coming away, I learnt this the hard way! I use cardboard boxes a lot in my house for cheap and easy storage.

I have one box (photo above) covered in a lovely purple satin material that I keep in the main hallway to store all the family’s hats. I also have some boxes to store under small tables for the kids toys.

Wardrobe box

The photo opposite is a close up of one of the boxes that I use on the shelves in my son's wardrobe (see below)The photo opposite is a close up of one of the boxes that I use on the shelves in my son's wardrobe (see below).

One of my biggest projects was for my son’s bedroom. He had one of them 6 shelf hanging wardrobe organisers in his wardrobe. The only problem being every time he took out an item of clothing from one of the shelves, the other clothes would tumble on the floor and he would just scrunch them back into the space and whinge about it.

After a visit to Ikea one day, I noticed that they had similar shelves with fabric covered drawers in them. The cost was a bit pricey for the whole lot and the boxes themselves were not the right size for his shelves. Then I thought why not make my own – so I did.

I found a style of box that was perfect width and depth. The only problem was the height, but that was simple to fold down/ cut down to the right height.

At the time he had a bedroom in a jungle theme, so I made drawers using jungle style material (upycled from curtains). For these drawers I made them slightly different from normal slipcovers. I made these covers so that they were a bit longer, so that I could fold the bottom underneath the boxes and hand sew them so that the fabric is secured to the boxes. This prevents the covers from falling off.

I also added handles onto the fronts of the covers so that my young son could easily pull the drawers out of the shelf. These are great and keep his clothes all neat and organized. Even though he doesn’t have a jungle themed bedroom any more, he still has these boxes in his wardrobe.

It goes to show that even though I made these drawers from cardboard boxes they can last quite a few years! I didn't manage to find a tutorial for this project, so I had to make my own design. Just make sure that you measure all the sides of the boxes that you need material for and add a little extra for hems and then sew them together in a way that it will slip over the storage box. It would probably be helpful to draw your plan onto paper so that you know which sides need to be sewn together.

Sewing Children's Costumes - Strawberry Shortcake

Every year my children’s school celebrates ‘World Book Day’. The younger children in the school are all invited to dress up as a book character.

Last year my daughter decided to dress up as ‘Strawberry Shortcake’. I always like to make something myself so that it is original, not just the usual shop bought costume.

I only had to design a hat and a bag for this costume. Luckily she had a pair of blue trousers and a suitable top in her wardrobe. I searched the internet for ideas on how to make my own hat as I had never made one before. There are quite a few tutorials out there to choose from.

The basic materials needed to make this hat were: some cardboard for the rim, some ribbon and some nice pink fleece (which I already had), red and green fabric pens to hand draw a few faded strawberries onto the fleece.

To make the bow I used a few ribbons stitched together, so to make a nice large bow for the front of the hat. I then glued a vinyl strawberry onto the ribbon, which was then sewed onto the front of the hat.

It was my daughter who actually made the strawberry shaped bag. She used a sewing pattern from one of her children’s’ magazines. I had another spare vinyl strawberry , which was glued to the front of the finished bag. 

To finish her transformation, I drew some freckles on her face with an eyeliner pencil.

She returned home happy, with first prize for the best costume in her class!

Where to find cheap fabric

This is my own list:

1 Donated items from family and friends
2 Market stalls
3 Charity Shops / Thrift Shops
4 Car Boot Sales
5 Back yard sales
6 Fabric shop sales
7 Online Stores

1 Send the word round to your friends and family that you are keeping a fabric stock for sewing projects and that any donations are welcome. This can be clothing, sheets, curtains etc.

2 Visit outside markets. They normally have stalls that sell end of roll material, which is generally much cheaper than if you bought this from fabric shops. Also some stalls may have clothes or material that you can make use of for your projects.

3 Charity Shops / Thrift Shops are a great place to find some bargains if you are willing to spend time searching. I have written a blog article just about this topic (dated 29 January 2011).

4 Car Boot Sales – You can find a lot of bargains at Car Boot Sales. There will normally be a choice of new and old items here.

5 Back Yard Sales are quite popular over in the US but I have never seen or been to one in the UK! Here you can find some really good bargains if buying sheets or curtains.

6 Fabric Shops normally always have sales occasionally or some stores have a bargain section where they always have some rolls of fabric at reduced rates. The nearest large stores nearest me is Dunelm Mill and Hobbycraft. The other store I like to shop at is a local family run business store that have a great choice, this is Dainty Supplies Ltd this is their website (www.craftonline.co.uk).

7 Online Stores are becoming a lot more popular. I must admit I have never bought any fabric online, but I do know a lot of people do this. Apparently they can be very reasonable.

There may be some others I have missed but these are the main ones that I personally know about.

Make an apron from a dress - Upcycling

The photo I have used for this article shows a project of a dress that was donated to me from a family member who no longer needed it.  It was an excellent design to make into an apron for a family friend of mine. Aprons are my main project for upcycling clothes.

The first time I made an apron from clothing was for myself. I had a lovely long flowing skirt, which got torn in the washing machine and was unrepairable. However there was still plenty material left on the skirt to be useful. I used the bottom front part of the skirt (this was the undamaged part) for the skirt part of the apron. I then made the apron front (chest square) from the same material. I then attached these together. The material at the back was long enough to make the straps for the apron too, so I didn’t need to have to use up my apron straps that I had purchased from the fabric shop. I also had enough to add a front pocket to the apron. For this project I didn’t need to use any other fabric, just the skirt!

It wasn’t a particularly hard project, but it made me think that if I had a dress to make into an apron it would be a lot easier and quicker. Obviously the style of the dress makes a difference. So now I look at dresses that normally have a wide waistband and that have straps (not sleeves). Also if a dress already has long straps at the waist for tying in a bow at the back this saves making your own waist straps. I normally sew my own straps if I have enough matching material, however straps can be bought in many fabric shops by the metre.

The photo I have used for this blog was one of the dresses that makes this task so quick and easy. Here are my quick steps showing you how I transformed this particular dress into an apron.:

Step 1: Unpick the front of the dress from the back of the dress.

Step 2: Sew up all the hems around the apron skirt.(I didn’t need to change size)

Step 3: Re-attach the waist straps to the apron.

Step 4: The neck straps of the dress were sewn together to make one strap to go over the neck.

Step 5: Make a pocket from the material from the back of the dress and sew to the apron skirt.

That was it, very easy, very quick and totally unique!

Sun Lounger Cushion Cover

Unfortunately I didn’t have any photos of the cushion before the makeover. This is my mums sun lounger, the original cover was pretty much threadbare but the cushion itself was saveable.

I was in the Ikea shop when I noticed the material, I thought it looked like the old style deck chair material. It was in the sale section, only about 2 metres left on the roll. I automatically thought of my mum’s sun lounger. I bought the last 2 metres immediately because it was so cheap and I thought if she didn’t like it, then I could find some other project for it. However she agreed it would be ideal for the sun lounger.

When I designed the cover, I mainly followed the pattern of the original cover. I did however add extra large pieces to the back of the bottom and top, so that the cushion would slip over the frame and stay in place. The original one had a habit of slipping off the frame!

My mum is pleased with her new looking lounger. This saved her a lot of money because the cost of replacing the cushion alone would have cost about 10 times more than the price I paid for the fabric, and a new cushion wouldn’t be exactly the same size. So a great bargain in all. At the time I never found any tutorials on the internet. The nearest type of tutorial for sunlounger cushions I have just found recently is on the following website:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6876495_do‐recover‐chaise‐lawn‐lounger_.html

The above mentioned website doesn't cover making extra flaps that I used to ensure that the cushion stays on the frame, but it does cover the basics of how to make a sunlounger cushion cover.

Sewing With Children

My daughter has requested this blog. She has been begging me to mention her and show off her own work. She loves doing crafts and occasionally she does sewing too. I taught her to use the sewing machine about 2 years ago when she was 6, she has since made some lovely things. She loves to make her own headbands and she has also made herself and her friends some aprons. I have attached two photos on this blog and have promised her that I will try to place some more of her and her projects in future blogs.

I know some parents are a bit nervous to allow their children to use the sewing machine but I also know some parents who have 4 year olds using sewing machines. I think it depends on each individual child and you need to judge for yourself if you think they are capable.