Minky Fabric $4.99

I've posted quite a few minky related projects lately.  Pillowcases, receiving blankets, burp rags, and cuddle squares are all fantastic projects you can make with less than a yard of fabric.

Today you can find a great price on hear print minky fabric.  Check out Pick Your Plum, and snag some while you can.

Can you imagine how sweet a soft cuddly pillowcase would be for Valentine's Day?  

Boy Faves: Fabric

I'll be honest.  I thought that once I found out the gender of our baby, that I'd be filled with ideas of projects that I wanted to work on.  I'm sure if it had been a girl, that I'd be sewing away full force.  It's a boy.  We are thrilled, and we will love him, but with two boys already, the needs for this baby are minimal.  There are a lot of things that I'd love to sew for him, but really, what we needed to get for him was a bigger car, and another bed.  Burp clothes, blankets, and clothing are taken care of.

But, I am still determined to sew for this little guy. There is something special about sewing for baby.  Boys can be hard to sew for.  There aren't as many options when it comes to clothing and color choices.  So, I thought that I'd start a little Boy Faves series, both to inspire me, and share with you some great boy related options that are available.

Today I thought we'd talk fabrics.  Fabrics are inspiring. Although designers can neglect the baby boy, there are some really great fabrics available.  If I needed to make blankets, or car seat covers, I'd be all over these, but I am trying to exercise a bit of self control.

Patterns

I love using geometric and repeating patterns for boys. There are a number of different options available, but these are a few of my favorites. One of the reasons that I love them so much is that I think they can grow up with a baby.  No need to immediately replace the bedding when they start walking.

Prints

I tend to lean more toward patterns than illustrative prints, which is funny seeing that I have a background in illustration, but I love the graphic nature of a repeating pattern. That being said, here are a few more pictorial prints that I love. Jay-Cyn is one of my favorite designers, which explains why the majority of the prints are his. Camp Sur and Camp Modern have won me over, and are my favorites.  How great is that wood grain print? Note: I've pinned a lot of his samplers to share examples of the great fabrics available in the individual lines.  

There you have it. A few more options for sewing with boys. Stripes, plaids, and even polka dots. What are your favorite boy related fabrics? Do you have a boy theme that you really love? I'm kind of over race cars and robots.

Simple Gifts: The Potato Warming Sack

I recently made a couple of microwaveable potato sacks for some of the recent graduates that I know.  If you've never heard of a potato sack, the basic idea is that you prick a few washed potatoes, stick them in the pocket, and then pop them in the microwave.  It's a great thing to have in the kitchen when you're just cooking for yourself (or a few people).  It prevents the potatoes from shriveling as much as they tend to in the microwave.  The potato sack is insulated, so it will also help keep the potatoes warm if you have to wait for the rest of your dinner to finish cooking.

The potato sacks that I made started out with two layers of cotton material, and a piece of pure cotton batting.  They were all cut to 10x22 inches.  I placed the two layers of fabric with right sides together, stacked the bat on top, and stitched around three sides of the rectangles.  I then turned them right side out, folded in the raw edges, and stitched the open end closed.  I then machine quilted the potato sack, and folded the two short ends in so that they slightly overlapped, creating a small pocket.  It is a really quick project, and is quite practical.  Paired with a cute apron or two, it would be a great housewarming, graduation, or even wedding gift.

I made one for myself, and yesterday we used it to bake a few sweet potatoes in the microwave.  Delicious!

Thanks for reading, and happy sewing!