I made this toy travel blanket for Elise’s first plane flight. We were flying to Maine and I wanted any toys she dropped to stay in our seats rather than fall into the filthy abyss of the airplane floor.

The border perimeter features ribbons and vintage ric rac to keep Elise occupied while confined in her window seat …babies *love* to pick at tags! And I finally got to use this super cute Russian matryoshka dolly fabric that my friend Heather bought me on one of her famous roadtrips.

Check out the Snag Free Velcro loops on the blanket border to attach toys. Instead of using traditional Velcro that comes in two pieces, I used one piece of Velcro Snag Free Sew On Tape.

All you do is close it and it sticks to itself like so…

I recycled one of Elise’s super soft old swaddling blankets for the back…

…and added two pockets for small books and toys using Velcro Fabric Fusion Iron On Tape.

My friend Macki Cayloma West, traveling mom extraordinaire, inspired the kid’s toy travel blanket. Macki created her original toy travel blanket by sewing traditional two-piece Velcro loops on a flannel receiving blanket. Then she Velcro-ed toys onto the blanket like so:

I like the Velcro Snag Free Sew On Tape on the perimeter because the Velcro’s there when you need it and out of the way when you don’t. Snag Free Velcro feels softer and stays clean of threads and other gunk. But you can really use either type of Velcro – placed in the middle or on the border or both – and get a good blanket.

You can also use baby links to attach more toys onto the ribbons themselves. Whether you make a simple travel blanket or more elaborate version, toys you take on trips are more likely to join you on the way back!

WANNA MAKE IT? Free template, supply list and DIY step-by-step instructions for creating a kid’s travel toy blanket with Velcro loops and ribbon tags after the jump –>

Supplies (for finished size blanket 23″ x 29″):

• 1/2 yard patterned fabric (I used Russian dollies)
• Velcro Snag Free Sew On Tape
• Velcro Fabric Fusion Iron On Tape
• Assorted ribbons – I collect ones from gifts, boutique purchases, etc. in my ribbon drawer
• or new ric rac
• An old rectangle swadding blanket – mine was 24×30 (alternatively, 1/2 yard of flannel fabric or polar fleece fabric)
• Good fabric scissors
• Pins
• Thread
• Ironing board
• Good iron (like Rowenta)
• Sewing machine
• Rotary fabric cutter, self-healing cutting mat and clear acrylic ruler

Please post a comment if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Create blanket front and pockets
Select an old swaddling blanket that you no longer use. Mine was 24″x30.” If you’re using fleece/flannel, cut one piece 24″x30″.

Cut your patterned fabric the same size as your swaddling blanket using your rotary fabric cutter, self-healing cutting mat and clear acrylic ruler. Again, mine was 24″x30″.

Next, cut your pockets. Elise’s small books are 3.5″ x 3.5″ so I designed these pockets with that in mind. Cut one pocket 6-1/2″ x 14″ and a second pocket 6-1/2″ x 10″. Starting with the 14″ wide pocket, turn down the top edge 1/4″ and press. Turn down again 1/4th” and press. (NOTE: I did 1/4″ because I didn’t want to cut off her eyes; you can turn down 1/2″ and 1/2″ if you’d like.)

Topstitch the top of the pocket down close to the edge.

Turn down the left side and bottom of the pocket and press. Place a pin at 4″. Cut two pieces of Velcro Fabric Fusion Iron On Tape (mine were 2″ and 3″ long).

Follow package directions to adhere the Velcro Fabric Fusion Iron On Tape.

Place the second side of the Velcro Fabric Fusion Iron On Tape on your pocket so you can be sure to place the Velcro in the right place.

Iron following the Velcro Fabric Fusion Iron On Tape packaging directions to adhere.

Pin your pocket in place wherever you want it to be on the blanket, matching patterns. Notice that this pocket is pinned all the way to the seam, which is why you didn’t need to turn down the right side of the pocket. I love pockets that run into seams :)

Sew two rows of stitching, one very close to the edge and one 0.5″ inside. Sew two rows of stitching through the middle of the pocket to create two pockets from the one piece of fabric. Mine was 5-1/2″ from the left side.

Repeat these steps with your other pocket but this time turn down both sides of the pocket. Also, this pocket is smaller so no need to sew down the middle.

I tucked a ribbon loop into the left side seam of the second pocket because I thought it looked cute. Follow the steps above to sew two rows of stitching around the pocket and iron on the Velcro backing.

Create ribbon, ric rac and Velcro border
Collect or buy an assortment of ribbons and ric rac – satin, grosgrain, tulle, metallic, sewn, patterned, go nuts! I hoard ribbons from gifts, shopping, etc. and my friend Susan gave me vintage ric rac so I recycled quite a variety for this blanket.

Here are some current vintage ribbon auctions on ebay:

Cut enough so that you have ribbon, ric rac or Velcro every 3-4 inches. This means for each 24″ side you’ll need 6-8 ribbons/Velcro, and for each 30″ side you’ll need 8-10 ribbons, for a total of about 28-36 ribbons. Cut ribbons into 4″ pieces each.

You’ll notice below that I stacked ribbons and ric rack together in some places to add textural interest, so you should cut even more ribbons if you plan on combining them.

Cut 4-6 pieces of Velcro Snag Free Sew On Tape 6-8″ long each depending on the toy that you want to put on the Velcro. Elise’s are pretty small so 8″ worked, but be sure to adjust for your child’s toys. You can always cut longer and trim down later if needed.

Pin the ribbons, ric rac and Velcro around the blanket around 3-4″ apart. Stack ribbons together where you want to add some interest.

Here’s what it looks like pinned all the way around.

Sew around the blanket 1/4″ to affix the ribbons, ric rac and Velcro. I stitched back and forth when I came to a ribbon to make sure it was sewn on there good.

Your blanket should look like this now…

With right sides together, pin the front fabric to the swaddling blanket, sandwiching the ribbon/Velcro between the layers.

Sew around the blanket using 0.5″ seam, making sure to leave 12″ on the bottom open so that you can turn the blanket right-side-out in a few steps.

Trim your corners up a bit so they’ll lay flatter when turned.

Turn your blanket right-side-out through the bottom hole. Fiddle with the corners until they’re nice and smooth.

Press your blanket perimeter to get it ready for topstitching. This is a good shot of how I stacked vintage red ribbon on top of wide sheer ribbon to add a bit of playfulness.

Turn down the bottom opening so raw edges are inside.

Pin shut. Man, I used a whole lotta pins here. You can use a lot fewer.

Sew around the entire blanket close to the edge. This will topstitch the sides which looks nice and at the same time you’ll be sewing your blanket shut.

Attach toys…

And add books. Happy travels!

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this idea and project instructions for personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment below if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

This original Fourth of July craft was created for Daily Candy Kids. Welcome, Daily Candy readers!

I mourn sparklers. The City of Chicago banned sparklers in 2007 joining most other ousted fireworks.  Yes, I understand that sparklers can be dangerous especially for small children yet my nostalgia for dancing sparks runs deep. What’s a Fourth without them?

In the spirit of all things wavy and shiny here’s a craft for making safer spark-free sparklers personalized for your family’s Fourth of July celebration. And it all starts with an unused pair of wooden chopsticks…

This project can be easily adapted to making fairy and wizard wands, birthday party shakers or pom poms in your school’s colors.

Yankee doodle indeed!

WANNA MAKE IT? Free template, supply list and DIY step-by-step instructions for creating my Sparkless Sparklers for kids for the Fourth of July using chopsticks, ribbon and party garland after the jump –>

Supplies:

• Unused wooden chopsticks – the disposable kind you would break apart if using to eat; alternatively, an unsharpened pencil or a dowel rod
• White 3/4″ electrical tape
• Grosgrain ribbon in various widths (I used 5/8” blue, 3/8” red, 1/4” white and 1/8” tri-stripe royal all by Offray)
• Foil fringe multi-color party garland (mine was 15” x 20 feet at Party City for $6.99)
• Scissors

Please post a comment below if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Optional supplies to personalize your sparklers:

• 1-1/2” wood letters (comes in packs of 2)
• Colored markers or kid-safe paint
• Strong craft glue like Gorilla Glue

WARNING: This project contains potential choking hazards due to small parts. It is intended for ages 3+ and assumes parental supervision. Please decide if your child is old enough to use scissors; if not, parents should cut all pieces.

1. Cut your sparks.

Cut 10-14 pieces of grosgrain ribbon at varying lengths, snipping 45-degree angles on one end to make them pretty. I used four 8” blue, four 10” red, two 12” white, two 12” tri-stripe and two 8” tri-stripe.

Unroll the foil party garland.

Cut 1-1½ inches of silver, blue and red strips, keeping the connected base intact. Stack them into a pile.

You could substitute anything shiny here – leftover Christmas tinsel, curling giftwrap ribbon. Personally, I like using foil fringe garland because it’s easier and faster to work with and you get a range of colors in one package – red, blue, gold, silver, green and purple – that you could use for fairy and wizard wands or pom pom shakers in your school’s colors.

Be creative! Each child can have their own combination of sparkles and ribbon depending on how shiny or wavy they’d like their sparkler to be.

3. Bundle sparks.

Make two even stacks of ribbons, making sure the ends are even.

Place the foil stack on top of one of the ribbon stacks. The foil base is long so I staggered the pile so that the ribbon started 1/2” below where the fringe begins (or you can cut it but it works fine this way). Place the other ribbon stack on top. Your foil is now in a ribbon sandwich.

3. Attach sparks to your wand.

Unwrap the unused chopstick. Gently slip the ribbon and foil stack between the sticks, making sure to avoid breaking them apart.

Starting at the ribbon end, wrap the electrical tape around the wand.

Wrap the tape around ribbon until secure…

…then go down the stick by overlapping tape a bit on an angle, just like you would change a tennis grip.

Trim the foil pieces to various lengths so they complement rather than overpower the ribbon.

3. Personalize (optional)
Decorate your wooden letter using markers or paint.

Once dry, glue the letter securely to the base and allow to dry completely before using. Happy and safe Fourth of July, everybody!

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this idea and project instructions for personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment below if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

My baby Elise is four months old now. She can hold her toys in both hands and sit up assisted. I think this big girl is ready for some colorful jingly oversized 5″ x 5″ baby blocks!

I am really loving the colors that I chose …which sort of was a fluke. I just went through my fabric stash, cut squares and grouped them afterward. And well I think even my graphic designer friends would approve :)

Block 1 – Fresh: Three shades of blue, one shade of green, with yellow and gold on the ends

Block 2 – Warmth: Light pink, hot pink, burgundy and red with tan and black on the ends

WANNA MAKE IT? Free template, supply list and DIY step-by-step instructions for creating my colorful fabric baby stacking blocks after the jump –>

Supplies:

• Six 6″ x 6″ squares of colored fabric for each block
• Six 6″ x 6″ squares of craft weight fusible interfacing for each block (optional but recommended for thin fabric)
• Thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Hand-sewing needle
• Pillow stuffing (you could make these blocks with foam but I had a lot of extra stuffing in my craft closet)
• Jingle bells
• Rotary fabric rotary cutter, self-healing gridded rotary mat and clear fabric ruler
• Good iron
• Ironing board
• Sewing machine

Please post a comment if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Cut your 6″ x 6″ squares of colored fabric and iron-on interfacing using your rotary fabric rotary cutter, self-healing gridded rotary mat and clear fabric ruler.

Iron your colorful squares to remove all wrinkles. Then iron the interfacing on to the wrong side of the colored fabric. Trim any extra interfacing from the edges as needed.

Take two pieces of colorful fabric and place them right sides together. Sew one side together using a 1/2″ seam. Repeat until you have four squares sewn together in a straight line.

Bend the first square and the fourth square so their right sides are touching. Sew. It will look like a sewn box like this…

Press the seams open.

Now you’re going to put on the two end pieces. Here’s a trick to easily center your pieces. Fold one side of end piece in half; do the same on one side of your sewn box. Now I don’t usually use a lot of pins when I sew but this is one case where you do want to put in a pin here to hold the centers together.

Repeat on the opposite side.

When you have all four sides pinned it will look like this. Notice that I’ve put the pins in from the outside; this is because you’re going to sew the end piece on the bottom as you’ll see shortly.

Flip your box so the end piece is on the bottom. Sew each side from corner to corner, stopping at the seams.

Repeat on the other end piece with one important difference: Leave about a 4″ opening on one of the sides. I mean, sew from the corners about an inch on each side, but then stop and backstitch. Turn the block right-side-out.

Here’s what mine looked like …pay no attention to the fuzz …I rolled that off after stuffing and sewing :)

Stuff the block tightly with pillow stuffing, making sure to really pack it in on the corners. Slip a handful of holiday jingle bellsinside …I had small ones already in the house but with the tight stuffing I would recommend buying larger bells for a louder jingle.

Hand sew the opening shut.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this idea and project instructions for personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment below if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Hearts is the theme of two easy Valentine’s Day gifts perfect for spoiling the sweet toddler and tween girls in your life.

First is a teeny pouch bracelet perfect for storing candies or tiny love notes.

You can make it with either heart-shaped velcro and button closures.

Next is a cute and simple mini-purse…

Like the bracelet the flap is actually a heart! Here it is shown open and turned over…

…and here it is open…

This is an easy and quick Valentine’s Day project.

Step-by-step tutorial and supplies list for the Valentine’s Day heart bracelet and mini-purse after the jump –>>>

Supplies:

• Kathy’s free template for the heart pocket bracelet and mini-purse for kids (PDF – this is for teeny toddler and tween wrists …to make this for larger wrists, just enlarge it on a copier or lengthen the straps)
• 1 square of red felt
• 1 square of dark pink felt
• Button (for mini-purse, optional for heart pocket bracelet)
• 6″ grosgrain ribbon for mini-purse handle
• Embroidery thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Thread
• Fabric glue
• Sewing machine (or you can just hand-stitch or use fabric glue)
• Velcro (for bracelet)

How to Make a Heart Mini-Purse
Cut out my free mini-purse bracelet template. Lay the rectangle pattern onto the felt and cut (you can pin the pattern to the felt first if you’d like).

Fold the rectangle together. Fold your ribbon in half and slip inside the layers on one side. Sew the left and right sides together using a zigzag stitch, leaving the top open.

Cut out the heart pattern and fold it in half. Place it on a folded felt square that’s slightly larger than the pattern. Cut and open your heart.

Notice the line on my heart pattern? The area above the line is the part that will be on the back of the heart. Put fabric glue onto the back of the heart above that line and affix to the mini-purse. Let this dry completely. I recommend putting it under a heavy book to ensure a good bond.

Cut a small buttonhole slit in the heart just large enough for the button to fit through. Careful, not too big!

Fold down your heart top and mark where the button will need to be placed to fit through the buttonhole. Sew on the button.

How to Make a Heart Pocket Bracelet
Download my free heart pocket bracelet template. Note that this pattern is sized for a 3-4 year old, so increase the size as needed by increasing the band size or enlarging the pattern on a Xerox machine before cutting. Pin onto the felt and cut out.

Fold the pocket in half, matching sides together. Sew the left and right sides using a zigzag stitch.

Cut out my free heart pattern. Fold the heart template in half. Fold the felt in half so that you just have room to fit the template. Cut out your heart.

Notice the line on my heart pattern? The area above the line is the part that will be on the back of the heart. Use fabric glue to affix the top of the heart onto the back of the bracelet. Let this dry completely. I recommend putting it under a heavy book to ensure a good bond.

Cut out hearts from your velcro. I fold the velcro in half and cut. Peel back the adhesive and place on the band of the bracelet.

You can sew a few stitches in the velcro heart like I did to ensure it stays secure.

Cut a small buttonhole in the heart flap.

Close the heart flap and mark where you should sew your button for the pocket to close. Sew the button and fill with sweet surprises.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern template for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

My niece Madison is universally and deservedly spoiled by all members of our family. I try to make her special handmade Christmas and birthday gifts like this one and that one.

With our cross-country family — Madison in Arizona, me and Shane in Chicago and the grandparents in Michigan — I decided to make Madison a family-themed coloring book paired with a new box of crayons, lots of stamps and ink and other fun art supplies using my Amazon.com application on my iPhone (addicted).

To make the book I gathered a bunch of photos and followed Jennifer Apple’s free Photoshop tutorial with a few slight additions that you’ll see below. These instructions will help you turn a photo like this…

…into a black & white sketched coloring page like this one of Uncle Shane…

…and these of Madison’s grandparents lovingly dubbed Mammy and Papa.

Supplies:

• Kathy’s free cover templates – you can print a generic one that says “My Family Coloring Book” (PDF – be sure to sign your name after the “love”) or edit my source Adobe Illustrator cover template to customize the name (TIP: if you don’t have Illustrator on your computer, just download a free trial version or rent computer time at FedEx Office)
• Color digital photos, preferably ones taken without a flash
• Adobe Photoshop (if you don’t own it, just download a free trial version or rent computer time at FedEx Office)
• Adobe Illustrator (optional if you’re customizing the cover, see Photoshop tip above)
• Cheri Liney font (free!!)
• Legal size white paper (8.5″ x 14″) for coloring pages
• Two sheets of white cover weight paper for coloring book front/back
• Sewing machine
• Turquoise blue thread
• Computer
• Printer
• Crayons

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS >>>

Create your cover
Download and install the free Cheri Liney font. Open my free cover template in Adobe Illustrator and change the name as needed. The Cheri Liney font overlaps the letters a bit. If you don’t want the letters to overlap, do what I did to space them out a bit manually:

• Select the type box using the arrow tool. Go to Type > Create Outlines
• Go to Object > Ungroup. Now the letters are all individual objects.
• Use the arrow tool to select and move the letters around left and right as desired

Create your coloring book pages
UPDATE: Patricia from Crafty and Artsy Giveaways pointed me to Crayola’s Facebook application that makes coloring pages from photos. While not quite as good of quality as the process posted here I think it’s a super (and quick!) alternative to use if you don’t want to go the longer Photoshop route.

Follow Jennifer Apple’s free Photoshop tutorial to turn your photo into a sketch (steps 1-6). Then follow my additional steps 7-10.

Step 7: Flatten your artwork into one layer (Click the icon on the upper right of the layers palette and go to “Flatten Image”).

Step 8: Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. Move the arrow on the far left over towards the right to darken the sketch as desired.

Step 9: Type the name using the type tool. (Advanced instructions: OK, here’s where I do a few extra steps because I’m a perfectionist. I went into Illustrator and typed the names with a stroke of 1, then changed it to outlines and manually moved the letters apart as described above.)

Step 10 (optional): If you have background behind the letters then use your Magic Wand tool to select inside the letters. Then switch to your background layer and hit “delete” to delete out the image from behind the letters.

Bind your coloring book
There are a lot of more qualified people out there to bind booklets the “right” way. I just did what I usually do: added some room on the left margin and sewed it together on my sewing machine. My book was about 10 pages so I was able to get my machine to get through it with a fresh denim needle.

Sandwich your coloring pages between the cover and a blank piece of paper for the back.

Sew down the left side using a brand new denim needle and a fancy sewing machine stitch if your machine can do it. Note: If you have a lot of pages you may want to use a hole puncher and yarn instead. Color away!

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern template for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

My coworker Danielle recently came back to work after the birth to her first child, son Otto James. We work together at a web design company in an industrial part of Chicago near Oprah’s TV studio and the legendary Chicago meat markets. So I thought it would be fun to make a book for Otto called “Where My Mommy Works” using photos of objects both inside our office as well as around our unique neighborhood, spelling out the words using Scrabble board game pieces.

I was inspired by others who have made personalized word books in the past (like this one by Non Dairy Diary and oh! look at that one from Party Perfect!). The fun twist with my project is that it’s all about mommy’s workplace …the place that she goes everyday that Otto never sees, giving Danielle a chance to talk with Otto about where she goes during the day. And it uses Scrabble letters game board pieces rather than typed words or vintage lettering, making it a word book that *anyone* can create!

I recruited my talented coworker, part-time photographer Megan, and we set out around the office and into the neighborhood to shoot photos. Megan’s got such an eye as I’m sure you can see by the photos.

From Danielle’s plant on her desk…

…to the Metra public transit tracks that we cross to and from to get to work and lunch everyday…

…to the meat, eggs and bacon trucks that line up near our front door…

…and our website client and neighbor Oprah Winfrey…

Danielle loved the gift and we had such a ball making it for her. What kind of word book will you create?

Supplies:

• Digital camera
• Scrabble board game
• Computer
• Blurb (recommended), Shutterfly or other book making software

First, take photos of your workplace. We shot photos like Danielle’s clock…

…and ceramic lion.

Next, spell words using Scrabble tiles. We shot photos on the concrete floor in our office.

Next, bring the photos into your book making software and assemble your pages, adding a front and back cover, and order your book. Now you can sit down with your book and tell your child about your day!

We’re in the middle of converting our den into a baby’s room. We’re keeping it simple — borrowed our niece Madison’s crib, kept the room painted light gray — and have begun accenting with oodles of girly fabric.

This project focuses on how to make a dust ruffle bed skirt for a crib or toddler bed. Below is what the crib looked like before…

Voila! All the extra diapers, humidifier and accessories are now hidden under a wall of pink below…

The biggest challenge making this dust ruffle project is dealing with the volumes of fabric. But overall, it’s basically easy straight stitching to get a custom bedskirt in your fabric of choice at the right crib height.

Supplies:

• 6 yards pink fabric, 44 inches wide (NOTE: This is based on my crib’s measurements which I’m guessing is pretty standard but please refer to my step-by-step instructions below to measure your own crib or bed before buying your fabric)
• Pink thread
• Quilting pins
• Gridded self-healing rotary mat, clear fabric ruler and rotary fabric cutter
• Good Rowenta iron and ironing board
• Sewing machine

Cut your base piece

Your base piece is the fabric that will go under your mattress; eventually you’ll be attaching your ruffles to all four sides of this piece. Usually store-bought brands use a thin white material for the base piece but I used pink to avoid instances where the white creeps out on the edges …I think that’s sloppy-looking and it bugs me so I say make a colored base piece.

For size, measure the metal crib base underneath the mattress and add 2” to each. For instance, our crib base was 50.5” x 26.5”, so I cut a base piece that was 52.5” x 28.5”.

Cut your ruffle pieces

Cut two side ruffle pieces and two front/back pieces. Again, you’ll be dealing with a lot of fabric here so I recommend measuring twice and cutting once.

For the two left/right side pieces: Measure the width of the metal crib base underneath the mattress, multiply by 2x and add 2 inches. Measure the height of the metal crib base to the floor and add 4”. For instance, our crib width was 26.5” and 18” to the floor, so I cut two 55” x 22” pieces.

For the two front/back pieces: Measure the length of the metal crib base underneath the mattress multiply by 2x and add 2 inches. Measure the height of the metal crib base to the floor and add 4”. For instance, our crib length was 50.5” and 18” to the floor, so I cut two 103” x 22” pieces.

Because I bought 44″ wide fabric and was making an 18″ high bed skirt, I was able to just slice the fabric down the middle to make the two ruffles (they are both 22″ high).

Make side seams on ruffle pieces

Take one of your ruffle pieces and put one of the left/right short ends wrong side up on your ironing board. Turn the short end under 0.5 inch and press. Turn it again 0.5 inch and press; notice that your raw edge is now hidden within the ironed seam. Sew a straight stitch close to the edge to create a side seam. Repeat on the other short end of your ruffle piece.

Repeat this step for the other three ruffle pieces.

Make hems on bottom sides of on ruffle pieces
Place one of your seamed ruffle pieces wrong side up on your ironing board. Turn up one of the long edges .5 inches and press. You’ll be dealing with a lot of fabric here so just roll it over your board and iron as you go.

Now turn up the same long side 2.5 inches and press; notice that your bottom raw edge is now hidden within the hem.

Sew a straight stitch close to the edge to create a hem. Note that your top edge (the one opposite of the sewn hem) will still be raw. Repeat this step for the other three ruffle pieces.

Baste and gather your ruffle
Change your sewing machine stitch to a long stitch. Sew basting stitches along the raw top edge about 0.5 inch down. Remember *not* to backstitch – you want to be able to pull the threads later to make your gathers. Sew a second row of basting stitches about 0.75 inches down from your first stitch. (Now yes, you can gather with only doing one stitch but I think it’s easier to make the gathers with two, and it protects you if one of the thread breaks as you’re pulling it).

Take the two top threads on one side and pull. Your fabric will start to gather. Push the gathers towards the middle, working from each side to evenly distribute the gathers. You’ll want to gather the fabric until it’s 1 inch shorter than your base fabric on both sides. In other words, take the width of your base piece, subtract 2”, and gather your ruffles to that measurement.

Repeat this step for the other three ruffle pieces.

Attach your ruffles to the base piece
Here is the method that I worked out so I could finish the seams while avoiding getting out my serger ☺

Line up the gathered end of one ruffle onto the base piece, right sides together. Place the ruffle’s raw gathered edge 0.5” from the raw *long* edge of the base piece. You’ll have 1” of exposed base piece on the left and right side of the ruffle. Turn the base piece’s raw edge under 0.5” and then again 0.5” to hide the ruffle. Your raw edges should now be sealed. Pin.

Continue along the entire long edge of your ruffle piece.

Sew close to the edge. Repeat this step for the other three ruffles. When you get to a corner, turn the sewn edge down on itself like in the photo below.

Fold your raw edge up 0.5″ and then another 0.5″ to hide edges inside the hem.

Pin and sew close to edge as above.

Adjust hem as your child grows
As you adjust the bed lower and lower, your bedskirt will need to be re-hemmed so that it continues to brush the floor rather than puddle onto it. Just measure the new height, turn up all four sides to that height, and sew.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern template for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Here’s an easy, fun and practical gift for new arrivals: Planes, Trains and Automobiles burp cloths. Friends Tamara and Jon recently welcomed Lucas, little brother to adorable Sienna, and I made these especially for him.

Now while this craft has little to do with the classic movie, the idea of using it as a theme made me smile anyway. I reused my airplane shape for this project and drew two new shapes for the car and train. One sewn, I rolled each burp cloth and wrapped with an orange satin ribbon.

Del Griffith would be proud.

Supplies:

• Kathy’s free planes, trains and automobiles printable template (PDF, 136K)
• White cloth diapers for your burp cloth base (wash in Dreft to preshrink and iron before using)
• Blue fabric (you’ll need less than 1/8th yard – wash in Dreft to preshrink and iron before using)
• Fusible interfacing (you’ll need less than 1/8th yard)
• Orange thread
• Paper scissors
• Good fabric scissors
• Pen
• Good Rowenta iron and ironing board
• Sewing machine with a good zigzag stitch
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles DVD – optional good inspiration ;)

First print and cut out my free planes, trains and automobiles template.

Cut a piece of fusible interfacing slightly larger than the cut shape and iron to the wrong side of your blue fabric.

Put the shape face down on top of the interfacing and trace with a pen.

Cut out your shape using good fabric scissors.

Fold the diaper in half. Center your shape about 2-3 inches from the cloth bottom.

Using a tight zigzag stitch, sew around your shape. Remember to backstitch. Repeat for the all three shapes.

Officer: “Do you feel this vehicle is safe for the highways?”
Del: “Yes. Yes sir I do.”

Last year I made Madison a super cute pint sized kid’s pleated apron out of pink retro Wizard of Oz fabric. I added fun numbers cookie cutters and wrapped both in cookie jar wrapping paper. Madison loves the apron and calls it her “pretty.”

This year’s handmade gift is inspired by the fabric memory game idea at Chicago-based Elizabeth Anne Designs originally featured in the book “Stitched in Time.” Madison lives in Arizona and visits Chicago once a year so I made her a kid-friendly Chicago-themed memory game (and it gave me a perfect excuse to use printable ink-jet fabric. Great stuff …you gotta try it). And I wrapped it in super cute Madison Street Wrapping Paper.

First, my friend Heather and I explored the city looking for kid-friendly photo ops such as a bubble gum machine in a corner burrito joint…

…a colorful Chicago hot dog sign…

…yellow fish swimming on a graffiti brick wall…

…and — of course — a “Madison Street” street sign. To fill gaps, Elena Kovalevich graciously allowed me to me use some of her gorgeous Chicago Flickr photos. Elena takes fabulous photos …do check them out!

This template makes 48 memory tiles which is a pretty advanced game but kids can choose to play with fewer tiles to make it fit for all age groups.

Supplies for memory tiles:

• Kathy’s free Chicago-themed memory game template with 24 photos (each sized at 2 x 2 inches)
• Four sheets ink-jet-printable cotton fabric by Electric Quilt Printables (use the Joann.com coupon to the left)
• Four 8.5″ x 11″ rectangles of printed blue cotton fabric (for tile backs and outside of bag; I used my friend Susan Curtis’ stash)
• Four 8.5″ x 11″ rectangles of stiff hatband interfacing (recommended) or 8 sheets white felt
• Thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Zigzag pinking shears
• Sewing machine
• Rotary fabric rotary cutter, clear fabric ruler and self-healing mat
• Computer
• Ink jet printer (laser printers won’t work)

You’re welcome to use these instructions and Chicago template for free for your own personal use. Anyone using the project simply post a comment below or email me to track its usage.

These tile instructions are different than the original craft; I modified to make them easier and more efficient. Open my free Chicago-themed PDF template. You can use my photos or use my original Photoshop file to add your own. Print out two copies of each sheet on photo fabric using an ink jet printer on high quality. Let dry for at least 15 minutes; I let mine dry overnight.

Peel off plastic backing. Soak for 10 minutes in room temperature water to remove extra ink, ideally in distilled water. Swirl around during that time to keep the fabric moving if you notice a lot of bleeding.

Lay flat to dry on towels. You can blot with paper towels so that water doesn’t pool on your fabric.

Stack the fabric layers as follows: Place the blue fabric printed side down. Place your hatband interfacing (or two layers of wool felt) on top of the cotton. Put photo fabric image side up on the stack.

Machine-stitch through the tile layers around the outline of the photo. Smooth as you go to avoid puckering.

Cut out the images using pinking shears along the gray cut lines, leaving a white border around all sides.

To play the game, put the tiles face down on a table. Shuffle and line them up into rows. Each player must turn over two tiles per turn. If the two tiles match, then the player wins those tiles and can take another turn. If the tiles do not match, the player must turn them face down again and it’s the next player’s turn. The player with the most tiles at the end wins!

I made my own pattern for the ribbon drawstring storage bag. See how to make it after the jump.

Supplies for memory game ribbon-tie storage bag by Kathy

• One 7″ x 25″ piece of blue cotton fabric (for bag outside; I used my friend Susan Curtis’s stash)
• One 7″ x 25″ piece of yellow cotton fabric (for bag lining and contrasting trim; I used my friend Susan Curtis’s stash)
• 2 feet of 5/8″-wide grosgrain ribbon
• Rotary fabric rotary cutter, clear fabric ruler and self-healing mat
• Thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Sewing machine

Seam allowance: 1/2 inch (13 millimeters), unless otherwise noted

The bag instructions are different than the original craft …with my handbag past, I humbly think my pattern for a drawstring storage bag is better. Fold the outside blue fabric lengthwise right sides together to make a 12.5″ x 7″ rectangle. Stitch the long edges of the bag using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Repeat with the lining fabric.

Make the bag bottom. Now this part is sort of hard to explain but when you’re done, the bag will be able to stand up. Take your blue piece and fold a triangle where the side seam meets the bottom. Your triangle should be 1.5 inches wide and 1 inch tall with the seam flattened open. Mark with a pencil and sew across the bottom of the triangle. See how it’s already creating a soft bag bottom?

Do this on both sides of your blue and yellow pieces. Now line up a blue triangle with up a yellow triangle, matching one triangle from the outside to one triangle on the inside. Sew. Now your front is attached to your back. Turn the bag so that the blue is on the outside and yellow on the inside.

Sew tops together. This step just makes it easier to do the next two steps. With the top edges even, stitch around the top of the bag through both layers. Fold the top down 1/2″ (the yellow will be showing on the front). Fold down again about 1/5″ inches.

Make ‘ribbon holes.’ On the one side of the bag, zigzag two rectangle buttonholes large enough for the ribbon to fit into, one on each side of the seam (I eyeballed it just a bit larger but you could measure 7/8″). Using a seam ripper, cut a hole in the middle of the buttonhole through all fabric layers.

Secure ribbon ties. Pull the ribbon through one buttonhole. Slip the ribbon under the 1.5″ yellow trim, around the bag and through the other buttonhole.

Sew the yellow trim close to the edge to encase the ribbon inside, being sure not to stitch through the ribbon itself. Cut the ends of the ribbon with your pinking shears to give them a pretty zigzag. Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon.

Now you can pull the ribbons to close your drawstring memory tile bag.

Updated: I found out that I got 4th place beating not only Stephanie Izard, Top Chef winner, but also Roger Herring, chef and owner of Socca in Chicago. Hip hip!

Peanut butter & jelly mac and cheese. Yeah, that’s right.

My totally original recipe for this peanut-butter-infused creamy cheddar cheese sauce topped with crunchy grape jelly breadcrumb crust placed 4th out of 19 cheftestants in the sMACkdown charity mac and cheese competition benefiting the Organic School Project. Yay!

“There was macaroni and cheese with apples; with oxtail; with mustard and pumpernickel; with truffle oil; and, most inventively, with peanut butter and jelly….” Gapers Block, 2009.

Peanut butter and cheddar is a flavor combination you’ll either love or hate. As someone who grew up snacking on cheddar cheese spread with peanut butter, I’m squarely in the “love” camp.

Another highlight was chatting and drinking beer with my favorite Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard who also shares her entry here …what a totally down-to-earth and inspiring lady (and I admit, I was pretty stoked to have bested her in the taste-off). Eight professional chefs and eleven amateur cooks like me competed at Goose Island Brewery for the title including Chef Guiseppe Tentori (Boka), Chris Pandel (The Bristol), Roger Herring (Socca) and James Gottwald (Rockit).

Who won? Chef James Gottwald of Rockit Bar & Grill triumphed with his tasty oxtail mac & cheese …it was my second favorite next to the tried but true 1990s staple, Truffle Mac and Cheese (yum).

So rewind back to elementary school, get over analyzing it, and give my peanut butter & jelly mac and cheese recipe a try!

Peanut Butter Mac and Cheese Ingredients:
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter (for macaroni)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (for cheese sauce)
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
4 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
2 1/2 cups of sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2 cups of mild white cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt to taste
Enough butter to butter your baking pan

Make the peanut butter mac and cheese
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook 7 minutes or until al dente. Drain and cool immediately with cold water. Return to a pot.

Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to keep lumps from forming. Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer, whisking often, until the mixture is smooth, about 10 minutes. Stir in 5 cups of cheese until melted. Stir in the peanut butter; feel free to use a bit less or a bit more according to how subtle or strong you’d like it to be (NOTE: I used a blend of mild and sharp cheddar cheeses so if you’re using more mild cheeses use a bit less and if you’re using more sharp cheeses use a bit more). Season with salt to taste.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the macaroni to coat. Add the cheese sauce to the macaroni, stir well.

Pour macaroni into a greased 3-quart baking dish and top with jelly breadcrumb topping (see recipe below). Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until hot and bubbly.

Grape jelly crunchy breadcrumb topping
4-5 cups fresh homemade bread crumbs (see directions below)
4-8 tbsp butter (depending on your taste)
1/4 cup grape jelly

Place bread piece/slices on an ungreased baking sheet in a single layer to dry out. Bake in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes; turn them over about halfway so they dry evenly. Remove from oven and let cool. Tear dried bread into smaller pieces and place in your food processor; chop into course breadcrumbs.

Melt butter in a medium, deep skillet. Add breadcrumbs and toast just until lightly brown. Add in grape jelly, allow to melt, and stir to coat. Continue to toast until starts to get crunchy. Remove from heat and set aside. Put on top of mac and cheese before baking. See you at recess!

PB&J Mac and Cheese logo by Heather Crosby.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this original Merriment recipe for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me so I can smile when I see it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!