Simple Scrap Headbands

There is something so rewarding about making a project for materials that you have on hand.  Don't get me wrong, I love to go out and purchase pretty fabric for a particular project, but making something out of what you thought was nothing, is pretty rewarding.

I had some small scraps of felt that I've been holding on to.  I don't know why, you can buy a sheet of acrylic felt for 33 cents, but I held on to the smallest of pieces. Thankfully, I did, because I turned them into some cute little bow headbands for some friends.

Aren't they sweet?  I think so. The bows themselves are completely assembled with a glue gun, making them quick and easy.    You can use my leather bow tutorial for reference.  These bows are narrower in the center than the original template. But the basics are the same.

 I also made up a few three inch pinwheel headbands, another great scrap buster. You can find the tutorial for these bad boys on The Mother Huddle.  I love this project.  So simple, so charming, and so perfect for summer.

DIY Leather Cord Strap

After making up some fabric cord keepers for Mother's Day, I figured that it was time to tackle the problem of unruly cords in a more masculine fashion.  Leather is such a great material to work with, and is a great gender neutral material. I love it so much, that I have a really difficult time throwing out leather scraps.  I have a whole bin full of small leather scraps, and fortunately, there is plenty to do with them.

These little leather cord straps require a piece of leather that is only 5/8 inch-3/4 inch wide, and only needs to be about 4 1/2 inches long. I made a few different sizes, just to see what I liked best, and to be honest, the smaller the better, four and a quarter to four and a half inches in length seemed to be just about right for phone chargers, and usb cables.  If you need something for a small but bulkier cord, five to five and a half inches would probably work well.

Materials:
Scrap of leather 5/8"x 4 1/2"
Sew On Hook and Loop Fastener (velcro) 1/2"
Leather Sewing Needle
Sewing Machine Thread

Take your strip of leather, and sew around the perimeter of the leather using your leather sewing machine needle. Lengthen your stitch length if desired.

Sew on your hook and loop (velcro) fastener.  You will attach one side to the right side of the leather, and one to the underside, on opposite ends of the strap. Done.  

If you really want to get organized, you could stamp the name of the cord that belongs to the strap using leather stamps.  I had a clever reader mention that she used her embroidery machine to label her fabric cord keepers.  So smart.

If your leather is particularly thick, or has a difficult time moving under the presser foot, reduce the tension on your presser foot, and use a non stick or teflon presser foot.

Tutorial: DIY Cord Keeper From Fabric Scraps

Am I the only one that has a basket full of charging cords?  It seems that everything has it's own charging cord, and all of the cords turn into a jumbled mess in the basket.  I decided that some nice little cord keepers were in order.  All you need is a couple of scraps of fabric, some medium weight interfacing, about an inch of velcro, and about 20 minutes.  These make up really quickly, and are the perfect quick project to use up the last bits of your favorite fabrics. As a bonus, they make a perfect gift for anyone and any occasion.  I made up a couple sets of these for Mother's Day, but they'd make great stocking stuffers as well.

Wouldn't these be so nice to keep your chargers nice and tidy in a bag or suitcase? 

Print off the Cord Keeper Template.  Apply medium weight fusible interfacing to the back of one piece of scrap fabric.  Cut one piece of interfaced fabric with the template, and one without.  You will need 2 total pieces of fabric for each cord keeper. Cut two small 1 inch pieces of velcro.

 Place the two fabric pieces with right sides together.  Stitch around the fabric pieces, 1/4" from the raw edges, leaving 2 inches or so open for turning.  Clip the corners close to the stitching line.  Notch the two curved ends of the cord keepers.

 Turn the cord keepers right side out through the open space.  Press.  Stitch 1/8" away from the pressed edges, to both secure the layers, and close off the open turning space.

Attach the velcro pieces to either end of the cord keeper.  One side should go on the front, and one on the back.

Wrap around your cords and chargers to keep things nice and tidy.  Who doesn't like a bit of organization?

Some of you have had trouble opening the template.  Here are the dimensions: 2 3/4"x 4 3/4".  Ends are rounded.

Cloth Doll

I've been wanting to make a cloth doll for a long time, but  hadn't found a reason.  My niece turned two this past week, and that was the perfect excuse. 

I love the look of the simple cloth bodies, and faces.  I wasn't sure how it would be accepted, but I'm happy to say that I think she liked it.

She has wool felt details, and cotton appendages and body.  I added some embroidered facial features, and a bit of lace to dress her up.

Initially I wasn't going to give her a mouth, but Clark insisted.  He even designed it for me.  I gave him a piece of paper, and he drew out a little smile with a line on one side.  He has a good eye, so I agreed.

I love her black mary janes, and blushed cheeks.  I really liked her sitting on the shelf of my sewing room, but now she's gone.  That means only one thing, I MUST make more.

Leather Chevron Necklace

I love a good scrap busting project, and this little leather chevron necklace made me giddy.  I was able to use up some of my favorite leather scraps (the ones that I was feeling guilty for holding onto because they were so small).  

 I put them together using some leather cord, and a few jump rings.  They were pretty simple to make, and an awl made piercing the leather a cinch.  The most difficult part of the process was cutting the chevron pieces so that the edges were straight and even.

Pardon all of the white fuzz...apparently the tank came right from the dryer....but what did I dry it with?

I love mixing the different leathers together, for a bit of variety.  

Inspiration piece found here. My chevron pieces are a bit wider, and my jump rings a bit smaller.

Tutorial: Soft (Half Square Triangle) Sensory Block

I decided that it was time to put some of my coordinating scrap fabrics to good use, and a sensory block seemed like the perfect fit. The sensory blocks are made out of fleece, minky, and quilters cotton.  The variety of materials will stimulate those little fingers as baby explores different textures.  I also added scrap piece of ribbon to the half square triangle seam allowances.  Inside the block: plastic bags for a big of a crinkle, and a couple of small bells.  

 I used my Accuquilt Go! Baby fabric cutter to cut out several half square triangles.  You don't necessarily need a fabric cutter for your half square triangles, but it can make the whole process much faster and easier (especially since the seam allowances are already added to the triangles.  You could also, make the sensory blocks out of plain old regular squares, and add the tags to the side seams.

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