A Pattern-Free Summer: Homemade Pull-Ups

The twins are around that all-fun potty training age. Little Bits has no desire whatsoever to even try. Miss Mommy, on the other hand, pretty much self potty trained herself before she was two. I went to the store and was appalled by the price of pull-ups. (I'm sure we have all been at one time or another.) And like every other crafter, I said to myself, "I can make that!" So I did. I bought PUL (waterproof) fabric and used old t-shirts to make a few pairs. They work great! I used 2 layers of fleece inside of the lining to absorb. I found a free pattern and tutorial for undies here: Easy-On Potty Training Pants. I found this pattern to be a little small for my girls so I altered it a bit to make them bigger.

I found this adorable butterfly PUL at Hobby Lobby and used my coupon, making my 1/2 yard only $4. I used old t-shirts that I had laying around but you could pick up some thrifted ones for cheap. I think that I estimated that I could get 10 pairs out of the 1/2 yard of PUL. So, including the elastic for the waistband, I will have spent less than $10 for 10 pair of reusable homemade pull-ups. Not bad at all!

Sewing Class: Make Your Own Shorts Pattern

Have you ever wanted to sew something but didn't have a pattern? Have you ever wanted to make your own? I bet it's much easier than you think it is. I made a pair of shorts in about an hour, including making the pattern. I will show you how but only if you give it a try. ;)

Here is what you will need:
-a pair of shorts that fit the person you are making the shorts for
-a pencil
-a ruler
-paper (I prefer tissue paper. It comes in big sheets and is easy to pin.)

Turn your shorts inside-out and fold them in half. Line the long side of your shorts up with the edge of your paper. Using your ruler, trace your shorts leaving 1/2" seam allowance. I left 1" at the bottom for the hem and 1 1/2" at the top for the waistband.

And there you go! You have a pattern. It's a good idea to mark the size and top and bottom of your pattern, for future reference.

Now, to use your pattern. Cut two pieces with the long side of your pattern on a fold. Sew the two leg seams. I used a serger because I used knit fabric and wanted to have room to stretch. You can use a regular stitch.

Turn one piece right side out and slip it into the other. Line up the centers and pin. Now sew all the way around.

You should have this.

Now make your waistband. You can serge the edge or fold it over 1/4" for a clean finish. Then fold over 1", pin or press it in place, and then stitch. Don't forget to leave about an inch or so gap so that you can put the elastic in.
For the hem, fold over 1/2", then again, and stitch.

Measure you elastic on your model. Make sure to make it a little tight so that the shorts don't fall down but not too tight. Using a safety pin, pull the elastic through the waistband, being careful not to twist it. Hold on to the opposite end so that you don't loose it. That's never fun. Stitch the two ends of the elastic together and then stitch the gap closed. I like to sew a tag with the size in the gap. If you don't have a tag you can use a ribbon to signify the back of the shorts.

A handy little trick for keeping the elastic from rolling is to stretch the waistband out and sew through all the layers. Make sure you have the gathers evenly distributed before you start or it might not all match up like you want.

If you want to make a pair of pants the idea is the same, just make the legs longer.

And here is my goofy, ratty-haired, Kool-aid smile model. Hey! It's summer. ;)

Macrame: Low Tech Crafting

Just over a week ago we had a tornado hit our neighborhood, including our yard. We were blessed to have no damage to our house but we had several days without power and lots of free time. I have been wanting to try macrame for a while and this seemed like the perfect time. It's a very old craft. The basics are pretty easy but it can be used in so many ways. I will show you the simplest one for now.

Here is what you will need:

-any sturdy yarn or cording. (I suggest you use yarn for your first attempt. Cording can tend to be slippery but it is more strong. I used cotton yarn for all of my projects.)

-any ring (I used a key chain)

-scissors

Measure 4 pieces of yarn, 1 yard each. I used the old trick I learned from my mom to measure. Hold one end straight out in your hand and the other end to your nose while looking the opposite direction. On a grown person this should roughly be a yard. Here is my dear daughter showing how it's done.

Fold your 4 pieces in half, with a loop at the top. Put the loop through the ring and pull the other end of through the loop.

Pull tight.

Separate your strings into 4 groups of 2. Tie each group into a knot. I just eye-balled it but it was about 6 inches down. You want to have enough room to get your pot through here.

Next, you are going to take your strings and separate them into new groups of two and tie knots about 3 inches down.

This part can be a little tricky, but you are going to take the two outside strings and tie them together, creating a tube.

Now we are going to do it again, separating and tying knots. 

Take the two outside string again and tie them together in a knot.

Lastly, tie a knot in all of the strings at the very end.

It can be a little confusing and look like a mess as you are doing it so I hope the pictures help. The best thing about this kind of crafting is that you can do it anywhere and it can be as simple or as complicated as you want. I did all this sitting outside on my patio, eating some yogurt and watching my middle child roller skate while the twins napped. My garden somehow managed to make it through the storm. A few trees around it fell so now it will get even more sun. The rest of our yard is still kind of a mess but it is peaceful here.

If you want to step it up there are tons of fancy knots that you can do.

The Perfect Princess Purse

I have four daughters, and even if my oldest will have nothing to do with anything "girly", we can never have too many purses. This adorable little purse took no time at all to make. I cannot take credit for the idea. I forget where I first saw the idea but when I went searching recently I could not find any directions for it. Here is how I made it.

Supplies:

2 pieces of fabric, 11"x 7"

2 circle bracelets

 You should have 2 pieces like this. Turn them over so that they are facing right sides together.

Now make a mark 3 inches down from the top on both short sides.

 Stitch about 1/2" from the edge, from one mark, all the way around to the other mark. Make sure to backstitch really well at the beginning and the end. This part will see a lot of wear.

You should have this. (Look really closely. I know it's hard to see.)

Turn your purse inside out and press the top edges over about an inch. You can press the raw edge under again about a 1/4".

Take your bracelets and fold one edge over one bracelet and hand stitch.

Here is the method of stitching that I used. I wanted those straight lines on the front. You can use whatever you want. Whatever holds it down will work.

Sewing around the bracelet can be a little tedious. I found it helped to hold it like this for the stitching.

Sew all the way to the end and tie a knot. Repeat for the other side and you are done!

See! What little girl wouldn't love this? It can even be worn on the wrist or arm like a bracelet.

Sewing Class: Drawstring Backpack

This backpack is super easy and quick to make. I think it would be

great for putting gifts in instead of gift bags. Can't you just see yourself

as "that" mom? The one with the most creative gifts that everyone compliments you on? I can.

Enjoy!