Homeschool Helper » Sewing

Make Reusable Sandwich Bags

amy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:19:48 +0000

Since I showed you how to make fold over baggies to carry chips and carrots in, I thought I would also show you how we made sandwich bags. I used the same PUL fabric from Very Baby. I think for sandwich bags you could use any fabric that you wouldn’t mind your bread touching.

Cut out a 10″ Square. Serge all the way around the edges. I used the rolled edge stitch on my serger.
No serger instructions: Cut out 2 – 10 1/2″ squares and sew them right sides together using a 1/4″ seam, leaving a hole for turning. Turn it right side out, iron and whip stitch the hole.

Sew a 1″ piece of velcro into the corner. Flip it over and sew the other side of the velcro onto the opposite corner on the opposite side of the fabric.

Fold in the corners without velcro first, then fold in the velcro corners. It is like an envelope.

You can also use it as a little tablecloth when you picnic.

Homemade Halloween – Wizard of Oz

amy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:10:08 +0000

We like to have themes for Halloween at our house. In past years, we have done Veggie Tales and Peter Pan. This year we decided to do the Wizard of Oz.
Dorothy
I used McCalls pattern 4948 to make Dorothy’s costume. For the shoes, I spray painted some old shoes red and then sprayed a coat of glitter paint over the red. We found a basket purse at a garage sale to carry Toto in.

Glinda
We got two dresses at the thrift store for Glinda’s costume. They were both similar in color, but neither one was quite right. One was straight with lace over it and the other one had a full skirt, but was plain. My mother was visiting us, and she combined the two dresses to create one Glinda costume. We made the crown out of poster board.

Tin Man
We got some grey pants and a hooded sweatshirt at the thrift store for the tin man. We sprayed on some metallic fabric paint. We bought an oil funnel and painted it silver. I sewed it onto the hood of the sweatshirt with yarn, leaving enough yarn to tie it under the neck for added security. The funnel already had a hole in one side, we had to drill a hole in the other side in order to sew it onto the hood. We cut an ax out of cardboard and painted it.

Cowardly Lion
To create the cowardly lion, I traced around a hooded sweatshirt for a pattern for the hood. I cut it out of some tan fabric I already had. After sewing the right sides together and turning, I sewed some brown bias tape onto the bottom to encase the raw edges, leaving enough to tie the hood under the neck. Then, I looped some brown yarn around my fingers to use for the mane. I had to do the mane in small sections. I took the looped yarn and sewed the center to the edge of the hood. To make the ears, I cut out rounded triangles (2 for each ear), sewed them right sides together, leaving the bottom open for turning. I cut out of brown felt slightly smaller rounded triangles to glue to the inside of the ears. Then, I cut holes in the hood where I wanted the ears and sewed them in.

To make the tail, I cut 2 1/2″ x 24″ rectangle out of the same fabric. I sewed it up lengthwise, right sides together and turned. I used the same looping method to create the end of the tail.

The lion will also wear a tan shirt and tan pants.

Make Fold Over Baggies for Picnics

amy — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:13:36 +0000

I wanted to have some reusable baggies we could use for picnics and my husband’s lunchbox. Of course, it is the green thing to do to reduce the amount of trash we put in our landfills. But, I will admit that my main motivation is economics. It seems sillly to keep buying baggies if I could make something we can simply wash.

I started looking around to see what’s available. There are to lots of bags you can buy that use velcro, but I am afraid the velcro would get yucky. So, I decided we’d just make our own fold over style bags using PUL fabric. PUL fabric is used for making cloth diaper covers, so it is washable and has a moisture barrier. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable putting hot foods in it, but it should be fine for our purposes.

I ordered some PUL fabric from Very Baby in Candy Pink and Sea Spray. I was pleased with how thin the fabric is. It is just right for this project. Here’s how I made mine. They are just the right size for chips, crackers, or cookies. They are a little small for sandwiches. Here’s what we use for sandwiches.

Cut out 7″x15″ rectangles.

Serge all the way around. I used the rolled edge stitch on my serger. If you don’t have a serger, don’t fret. This part is inside the bag. Just zigzag around the edge or use pinking sheers all the way around.

With the fabric shiny side up, fold over one side 6″.

Fold the other side down 3″ or so until the fold meets up with the end you just folded. Pin the folded parts just through the top layers.With the pins still in, turn the bag inside out.

Sew up the two sides. I used 1/4″ seam allowance.

Turn the bag right side out and take out the pins. Now, just flip the top over and you have a fold over baggie ready to put in someone’s lunch box.

Altering Hand-me-Downs

amy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:28:47 +0000

We receive a lot of hand-me-downs clothes for the kids, for which I am very thankful. Sometimes, though, they are in need of repair or a little altering before the kids can wear them. I’ve re-sewn hems, put flowers back on dresses, sewn up little holes in seams, and the list goes on. It makes me glad we invested in a good sewing machine in our pre-children days.

The most common alteration I need to make is adding elastic to pants.
Use a seam ripper to rip two holes in the waistband seam just to the inside of the belt loops.

Choose some elastic a little narrower than the waistband seam. Put a safety pin on one end. Use the safety pin to help you draw the elastic through, being careful not to pull the end all the way through.

Carefully pull the elastic through until the very end is just inside the open seam. Using matching thread, sew the elastic into place. I used a zigzag stitch for added stability.

Now, you’ll need to try the pants onto the child. While they are wearing them, draw up the other end of the elastic until the pants fit comfortably. Safety pin or just hold this in place. Sew this end of the stretched elastic the same as above, being careful to ensure the elastic is not twisted. Cut off the extra elastic and sew up the seams you ripped earlier.

This whole process only takes about 15-20 minutes.

What types of alterations have you made to your children’s hand-me-downs?

Fabric Storage Cubes

amy — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:54:03 +0000

The other day, I was noticing what a mess the kids’ train stuff was. In order to protect my sanity, I try not to look at their toys too closely, but they keep the train in the sun room, so it is hard to miss. I didn’t think I could take looking at that cardboard box another day, so I set to work making some fabric storage cubes. I had some old jeans for the outside and some flannel I had gotten for pj’s but never gotten around to making. I used Crazy Mom Quilt’s tutorial with a few minor modifications. After I had the cubes sewn together, but before putting in the cardboard, I sewed down each of the side seams through both layers. This seemed to hold the cardboard in place better.

I also made a mini bag with velcro for all of the tiny parts. I feel so much better now!