How Do You Keep a Three Year Old Out of Trouble?

Question: How do you keep a three year old out of trouble? 

Answer: Duct-Tape

Ha. Ha. I know. If only. But seriously. I had to get the duct tape out the other day.  Then it occurred to me, that I really need to get a little AuBrynne Dress form made so that I could have it for when she was asleep or refused to try a dress on.

Here is the final result.:

As I was going along, my mother took some photos so that I could share with you all!

First, you want to get the plastic food wrap out and start wrapping your little one in several layers.

As, you can see, my model started to bend over mid-way.  The fix in this case would have been to move the project off the craft table and on to the floor, so she wasn't in that "brace yourself" stance. But I didn't, so it was a more bent over form.  Which was OK, in the end.

Then you want to start applying the shortish strips of duct tape.  The length of the strips will depend on the size of your model.  I used mostly 8 to 10 inch strips. I started in the front and then moved to the back.

Then, you're going to want to mark some reference lines.  Waist, hips, neckline, shoulders etc.

Then, CAREFULLY cut off the layers.  I basically made sure my fingers were under the blade of my scissors, so I would not cut any precious skin.

You will then have this nice shell.  I cut out a couple of card-board pieces to stabilize it so it wouldn't collapse.  Then I stuffed her with crumpled up newspaper. 

I then cut ovals of cardboard and put them in the arm sockets.

I added a hanger and sealed her up with some more duct tape. 

And this is what it is finished!  

Now, go try it with your little ones. 

It will occupy some time and they will giggle the entire time!

 It's very fun!

 I promise!

Jupe Violette

My favorite color has always been Purple.  Then I discovered Pink.  Well, ever since, its been a toss up on which one I like best.  So, whenever I see a fabric that has both Purple and Pink, I am generally smitten.

  I have had these fabrics in my stash for a bit and was glad when I got a stroke of inspiration. 

They would be perfect for a little school dress.  

AuBrynne is super happy with the outcome. And so am I!

School Clothes

I have been trying to put together some school clothes for AuBrynne. 

This morning I made this cute little swing top. 

She loves it.  And I love the stripes.  Pink on Pink. How could you not like them?

I think this will work well as a mix and match set.  A cute skirt with the leggings would be cute. 

 A short or long sleeved tee would also help transition it to cooler weather. 

Today, It was perfect with little leggings and pink ballet flats.

Yay! She will wear something other than a dress or skirts! Yay!

Almost Wordless-Wednesday

This is how the Bug fell asleep last night.

Mind you, her tail-end is perpendicular to the headboard of her bed.

And her legs are pretty much flat against the headboard also.

Contortionist in training?

Shoes on the wrong feet.

Dress Sweater.

Car DVD player safely within hand.

Don't worry. I helped her get more comfortable.

Lunch Sack

We got the school list for AuBrynne this week.  I am SO happy that she is excited to be going to school! She asks several thousand times a day if she can go to school right now.  I hope its that she likes learning. 

Well, anyways, they have a list... You all know about the lists. 

There are expected things and unexpected items. 

I was expecting to see crayons, glue sticks, scissors and the like.

I was not expecting to see Slippers.  

There is a fabulous explanation!  It helps keep the classroom clean and QUIET!

I knew these were smart ladies running the place!

I am sure I could keep my wits about me better if the place were cleaner and quieter.

I jest.   

AuBrynne will also need a Cloth Napkin.

O...K...But this is so smart too!

Its for when they have lunch.  They will set their own places to eat with their napkin to define their space.

Now, I had expected to see a lunch sack on the list.  I had been thinking about this for a while. 

I wanted to make her a cute one. But I wanted it to be insulated.  So, I cut some insulation batting and sandwiched it between some oilcloth and some laminated knit. 

 I sewed it up real quick and cut the edge with some pinking shears. 

 A couple of buttons and an elastic and I have this cute lunch sack to keep the cool stuff cool and the warm stuff warm. 

It turned out pretty cute! And it can be wiped clean with a wet wash cloth. Yay!

T.P. Holder

Hello friends!

Are you all enjoying your summer as much as we are around here?  We are SO glad to have a proper summer season this year.  Last years summer, around these parts, was a real bust.  But we are extremely happy to walk out in the afternoon to hear the buzz of the cicada bugs and have the wet humid heat hit you just enough to send you back to the A/C to get your bathing suit on for some water fun in the sun.

Ahhh... Summer! I LOVE IT!

Yes, I will get on with it...

So, for various reasons, the toilet paper in our bathroom lived in this, now broken, glass vase.  Those of you who have children, know this just isn't practical -and I can hear you chuckling...

Well, after cleaning up this little accident and a small child with half a bottle of soft-soap smeared all over herself and the bathroom -its amazing this can be done by a 3 year old in about 13 seconds....

Anyway, I decided, we needed a less lethal place for the toilet paper.

I found this bin and decided it would be the right size for holding toilet paper and extra hand-towels.

It just needed a little something extra.

I didn't have my sewing machine, but that has never stopped me. 

I had my iron and my lovely Cricut. Have I told you how much I love my Cricut? Well, I do.

I ironed some heat-n-bond onto some coordinating fabrics and ran it through the Cricut.

And Voila!

Now, back to playing in the out-doors!

M.I.A.

Hello friends! Just a quick little update for a bit of an absence.

Did you know that if you use your sewing machine A LOT,

you will need to have trained sewing machine masseuses give it TLC more often than expected??

I jest, but Yes, My Dearest Pflorence, has been taken for a mini-servicing. 

You see, I use Pflorence like a workhorse.  And it's probably a very close race on whether I use her sister, Pfanny, more... Anyways, I learned a long time ago, these ladies must be maintained to give superior results.  Kind of like the "Oil-change Service" on your vehicle. 
Now, I don't claim to be any kind of prognosticator of when your specific machine will need to be serviced, but way back when -when I was logging hours for my senior project to graduate from college, I came up with a pretty good gauge of when to get your baby tuned up.

Basically, you want to brush any fibers you can see, from your machine away each time you sit down to it.

If you are working on a project that takes more than 6 hours of sewing, or every 6 bobbins (when you would change that needle -wink-) you want to get in to your bobbin area and swipe out any fibers. You will be surprised stuff accumulates down there!
On the Serger, you are going to want to clear out those fibers every time you open the thread cover area.  I usually start by clearing it out each day and then every time I change thread colors. That can be lots of times a day if I am really working on lots of things.
I have been advised lately NOT to use spray air on the machines.  It blows the fibers into the oil and reduces the life of the machine.  It is better to use a clean debris brush or a vacuum.

Now, depending on what type of machine you have -electrical vs. mechanical, you will need to oil your machine.  Refer to your owners manual on how, how much, where and when to do so, but where I sew everyday, on a mechanical machine, I sparingly oil once a week.  But currently, I have a machine that does not require me to oil it, so I don't.  I let the Service Guy do it.
On the Serger, this is about my rule of thumb also, except if I am using the serger a lot more -then it gets oiled more often. Like twice a week.

The next step in the servicing of the machines is the full on Service.  The rule of thumb that was passed to me was every 500 hours of sewing time. And yes, this is hard to gauge -unless you are logging your senior project hours...  But from what I understand, that is normally once a year.  Same thing goes for your Serger.
During a full on Service, the technician will take your machine apart and evaluate the belts, gears, and in some cases computer circuits and then he will change and adjust anything that is not functioning properly.  He will oil all the parts and clear out the fibers you can't see.  He will re-calibrate the needle and the bobbin mechanism and adjust the tension to the correct settings for optimal stitch locking and stitch length and width proportions.
Now, all of this may sound like it could be a perfect DIY project, but please, PLEASE, leave this one to the professionals!  In the case of my machine, I brought it in and they said right off the bat, that there was an update for my machine, in this case it was an actual part that will be replaced.  If I had tried to do this myself, well, I would not have had the part.  And I am positive, I would not have been able to get the machine open, let alone put back together...

Anyway, the ABSOLUTELY wonderful people over at LindaZ's Sewing Center, are amazing to get my machine in and turned around in under 3 days!  Mostly because I purchased the machine from them, but also because they are efficient and professional and miracle workers in every aspect of their business... If you are looking for a sewing machine in your area, you are looking for this type of retailer.  They have their techs ON-Site.  They have educational classes.  And they are HELPFUL and KNOWLEDGEABLE! 

Well, I get my machine back shortly and I can't wait to get back to the project I was working on!  And I can't wait to show it to you! So, stay tuned...