hot water bottle cozy

a well worn sweater.

a hot water bottle that no one would want to cuddle with.

cut sweater to size, allowing about a 1/3 inch all the way around.

you don't want it to be too tight when finished.

also, choose a fabric that will stretch some.

this will allow for easy removal when it is time to wash, and extra room for when the bottle is filled with water.

I chose to sew on the flower for fun.

simply stitch all the way around leaving it open on the top.

you can either fold the neck down or keep it up,

it's cute either way.

2 minute tunic

It has been a toasty March, and the little lady needed something to wear.

This is a small woman's shirt that I no longer wear.

This style of neck works perfectly for this no sew project.

Simply cut off the sleeves all the way to the seam on all sides.

Depending on how deep the arm holes were, you may need to throw a little tank on under the tunic.

It's very light weight and keeps her cool and comfy in the heat.

ruffle my feathers

We love ruffles.

Both of us have been making ruffle pants for the girls for years.

They are simple and quick to make from scraps you have on hand.

The best part is, when your daughters favorite jeans get too short,

you can add on length with a cute ruffle.

Try it on leggings & cords too.

 I have also made worn leggings into biker shorts with a ruffle which look really cute with a matching tunic for summer. 

a bed for hazel

Dog beds are expensive, and the cute ones are really expensive!

I wanted one I could wash, and something simple.

I found a small quilted blanket at the thrift store.

I had a sheet (for the back) in my stash at home as well as some memory foam.

All it is is a big pillow sham. 

I cut the sheet to size,

allowing a little extra to finish the exposed edges

and cutting it longer to allow for an overlap in the middle to slide the memory foam into.

It was a fast project, and she loves it!

The kids love it too, the memory foam is really comfortable.

I think it would be really cozy for arthritic and older dogs as well.

(If you prefer a puffy look, just use fiber fill.)

on target

what I had.

squirmy kids who like to shoot at each other.

an embroidery hoop.

extra fabric.

what I made.

a target.

the center is polyester,

so if you have the velcro darts, they sometimes stick.

this is going to come in handy this winter.

scrap garland

This is so easy, my 7 and 9 year old boys can make them.

Cut strips out of an old felted wool blanket,

then cut squares from the strips.

Line them up and start sewing a straight stitch feeding the pieces in as you go.

Don't cut off the extra thread at each end,

you can tie it off and use it to hang the garland.

sweater better

I think we all have one of these in our collection.

It is probably really comfortable,

and possibly on the frumpy side as well.

One of us gilly girls has a great sense of style, and I am not her.

This is how E made her sweater worthy of the racks at Anthropologie.

One simple cut right up the center.

In our tradition, a little lace and a doily make anything better, right?

Finish off the unfinished edge any way you please, and you're on your way! 

old scarves come full circle

I apologize that my before picture for some reason would not upload...

This is a pretty simple upcycle though,

and I think that you can imagine what these scarves might have looked like as they were.

It's not that I didn't like the scarves, I just didn't wear them.

One was a scarf I had knit a long time ago and it was too skinny, the other was just blah.

Now that everyone is wearing infinity scarves,

I decided to make my own.

One simple line stitch later, 

end to end, and they were done!

One on the machine, the other by hand.

Couldn't have been easier.

in need of a stocking

I was told the new puppy needs a stocking.

However, I really couldn't justify going out to buy one.

I had a sweater, and an idea.

Hazel the Great now has her stocking to be filled at Christmas.

Now that the weather is cool,

the lime tree has moved inside.

The pot that it sits in on the deck is pretty blah, so

I made a simple slipcover to camouflage it.

It is really simple.

A long strip of fabric, enough to cover the pot, one stitch down the side.

shrunk to fit

I have always had a love/hate relationship with wool.

I am almost embarrassed to admit how many sweaters have been

accidentally "modified" in the last two weeks.

Sometimes though, everything turns out for the better.

This little mistake just so happens to fit a certain six year old!

It took less than a minute to sew this flower on for her.

Sew glad she loves it!

table cloth ruffle pillow

Here is a sneak peak of a pillow you will see at the next Mama's Happy sale.

We are hoping to be there in November and December, more details to come...

I love the color of this pillow, it has a really soft suede texture and a down insert.

The ruffle was made from the edge of a vintage table cloth, and of course a doily to finish it off! 

burlap wreath

We had a few extra embroidery hoops...as well as some free burlap.

By using the outer adjustable hoop, you can easily cover the circle with simple sewn strips of the burlap bag.

First, remove the blocks of wood and any staples that remain.

Cut two strips down each sewn edge of the bag.

Estimate width to the size hoop you will be using.
Using the finished edge as a guide,

sew another seam all the way down each piece.

Allow just enough room for a snug fit around the hoop.

Now, thread your strips onto the hoop through the opening.

Before you cover the opening with the burlap, tape it closed to complete the circle.

To beef up the wreath a bit, I flipped it right side down, and hot glued an extra strip around the entire back of the hoop. 

I gathered up a few random doilies and buttons

and hot glued them on to make it a little more colorful.

The glare doesn't do the wreath justice,

 it was unusually bright when I took this picture.

2 minute garland

I picked this package of paper leaves up for less than $1.oo

Simply sew a straight line, lining up the leaves as you go.

Use the extra thread at the beginning and end to tie off and hang. 

not too stuffy

a pile of pillows that I was not loving (minus their covers.)

a few square decorators samples scored for 69cents.

a table cloth with great texture.

If you can cut a square and sew a straight line you can do this.

I've had this stash of bright zippers that I bought for pennies.

It makes the pillows a little more fun, me thinks.