30-minute stockings

I thought I better post these stockings before Christmas is over. Well, I guess it pretty much is over, but better late than never, right?! We have been using random stockings over the last few years... I made mine and Pete's when we were first married, and the kids stockings were given to us by family... none of them matched of course. So I decided to whip out some matching stockings for the whole family (and the newest member-to-be.) I made these in November, just when the Christmas busyness was beginning, so decided to keep them as simple as possible. They literally took me less than 30 minutes each (which still added up to 3 hours, but I thought that was pretty good!) And I even have some fabric left over in case of any later additions to the family :)



I didn't take pictures for a tutorial because I thought they were pretty self-explanatory, but here are the instructions in a nut shell.

What you'll need:
* Quilted fabric
* Bias tape
* Sewing machine

Instructions:
* Trace an old stocking for your pattern. Cut two stocking shapes out of the quilted fabric. With right sides together, sew them together, leaving the top open.
* (I didn't do this, but if you want to add a lining, it would be super easy at this point... simply cut two of the same stocking shapes out of a thinner fabric, sew right sides together leaving top open, then insert into the quilted stocking. You could then sew the tops (the quilted fabric and thinner fabric) together... then continue on to the next step.)
* Sew bias tape around the top. Make a small loop with the bias tape and sew on one end of the top of the stocking so it can be hung.

It really is that easy! I was able to take a picture of our stockings on my parents' mantle... sadly we have no fireplace in our house, so had to hang them on hooks that we stuck to the wall. Someday!

Christmas cloth napkins

I was making our family some cloth napkins to use this Christmas season and thought they would make fun gifts as well. I'm always on the lookout for gift ideas that people can actually use and won't just take up space, so I thought these would be perfect! I gave a set of 8 to my sister and sister-in-law who both have kids, in hopes to make their meal times a little more festive. I originally got the idea from my friend Nicole (thanks Nicole!) and had never even thought to make cloth napkins before, but our family has loved using them. I didn't post a tutorial, but they seem pretty self-explanatory. I made mine double-sided, with green on one side and red on the other, cut them into 10.5"x14" squares, and sewed them basically the same way I made my burp cloths. Thinking ahead, they would make fun Mother's Day presents as well! But with a flower pattern of course.

20-Minute Santa Hats

Last week, while John was at school and Joe was down for his nap, Dan suggested we (I) make some Santa hats. We had about an hour before John was going to get home from school, so I set to work and came up with a hat that could double as a hat to wear out in the cold. I had some fleece leftover from the kids Christmas PJ's, so I used that. It even came out looking somewhat Santa-ish, and I was finished with all 3 in 1 hour! Dan and Joe wore their hats for the rest of the afternoon and have worn them on many outings. Joe has even taken a couple naps with his hat on, so I consider it time well spent.




Read ahead for the tutorial...

Tutorial: toddler trick-or-treat bags

A couple years ago I made some trick-or-treat bags for my kids that were basically two pieces of material sewn together with a handle on each side. But I quickly realized that these bags weren't going to work very well: they dragged on the floor when the kids were holding them down by their side, and my youngest wasn't coordinated enough to open the bag with both handles to put the candy in. So this year I got a little smarter and made (what I think is) the perfect trick-or-treat bag for young hands! They have one handle, a nice big opening that stays open so the candy can be easily dropped in, and they're short enough that they don't drag when held down to your side. AND they still have plenty of room to fill up with candy. The perfect bag!


Read on for the tutorial...

Tutorial: burp cloths

My all-time favorite baby gift to give is homemade burp cloths. They're something that every mom needs, whether it's their first baby or their 5th (burp cloths are used way too much to survive through more than a few babies!) I like to make a lot of these at one time so I have a quick but thoughtful gift whenever anyone I know has a baby. They're inexpensive, easy and quick to make, and who doesn't love a homemade gift?



This TUTORIAL might bore you sewers out there. This sewing project would definitely fit in the "beginners" category. But those who like step-by-step instructions for even the easiest project, read on...

Tutorial: making a little boy tie from a grown-up tie

If your husband is like mine, he has a bunch of ties that are either stained or that he simply doesn't like and therefore never wears. So put them to better use and turn them into little boy ties! Read on for the tutorial.