Soft Blocks

 A great baby gift made from 100% wool.  So easy to make and another project using fabric scraps.

Simply cut 6, 3"x3" pieces of fabric, or any size you want as long as it's a square.  Lay out as shown below and stitch together.  Fold sides up and stitch along squares until only one edge is left.

::TIP:: Leave 3/8" unstitched from each edge to avoid puckering.  Cut a foam block to size and place it through the opening.  Stitch opening closed using a blind stitch.  Enjoy!

Bean Bag Critters

These bean bag fellas are so much fun!  

They love to play and be tossed around.  Their favorite game is hide and seek.  

Made from 100% wool and lightly stuffed with lambswool and lentils.  Another great project using wool scraps left over from my scarves.  These are a favorite of my four-year old and I know big kids enjoy them just as much!

I don't use a pattern, but rather wing it depending on what animal I'm making.  Generally, the head is a 3"x3" square and the body 3"x 5".  Add legs and ears to your specifications.

The heads are stuffed lightly with lambswool and the body is filled with lentils.  Place a small scoop of lentils in the legs before adding lambswool for a floppy feel.  Add button eyes, embroider little noses and whatever shaped ears you like.  You can't go wrong, really.  No matter what, you'll have a fun new bean bag critter to toss around or just cuddle with!  

On the 12th day of Christmas...

The countdown is on!  Only 12 days left until Christmas.  This year, I decided to hand make as many gifts as possible.  I was surprised at how many I could make with just the inventory I have laying around my workshop.  Starting today, I will feature 12 handmade gifts that will perhaps inspire you to get creative and give special one-of-a-kind gifts this year.  So, here we go!

A quilted color block book with ages 0 - 2 years in mind.  Made from all scrap fabric and a muslin jacket cover.

  Finally, the perfect reason to keep those colorful scraps around!

Cut out 16,  3"x3" pieces of scrap fabric and sew together with a 1/2" seam allowance.  Sew pages wrong sides together leaving a 2" opening to turn right-side out.  Stitch opening closed with a blind stitch ( I personally don't like seams showing, but you could easily just stitch it shut on one edge).

Optional - sew two button holes on edge if you want removable pages. 

I sewed buttons on the jacket so that the pages could be removable for more creative play.

Add different textured fabrics to add another dimension of fun!

yellow and blue make green

In our little corner of the world here in the Northeast, our days are getting shorter and the temperatures lower.  For my family, that means we are always looking for fun indoor activities to keep little ones engaged.  Using a few items you probably have around your house already, try some color mixing experiments. 

You will need:

• at least 6 empty water bottles
• food coloring
• water
• paper towels
• funnels

Fill each bottle with about 1/3 of water

 Drop blue, yellow, and red food coloring into 3 of the bottles.  

Tip - lay down a dishtowel or use a tray to contain any spills.

Let your little ones mix and pour the primary colors together and see what they discover!

Bonus - This is a great exercise for fine motor skills.

Use a funnel to help with the mixing and pouring.  

  Minus some drips, we surprisingly made it through this activity with zero spills!

 Watch your budding scientist come up with their own experiments and draw their own conclusions!

Spring/Summer Inspiration

     The 1930's will forever be synonymous with the Great Depression which meant broken dreams and failure for many.  However,  it is the paradox of this decade that has inspired not only our color story, but also our fabric choices and designs.  While many families lost the ability to buy the extravagantly stylish clothing for which the 1920's were notorious, they did not lose their interest in fashionable clothing or fashionable lifestyles.  With movies becoming more popular than ever, entertainment encouraged everyone to look on the brighter side of life.  Movies often featured wealthy people and their problems rather than the problems of the unemployed.  So, for the first time we saw the primary fashion influence shift from Europe to Hollywood. 

     What did this mean for children's fashion? Clothing developed into much more comfortable and attractive styles.  More and more children's wear was being handmade in the home which lent to perfectly tailored outfits with simple lines.  In an effort to conserve fabric, dresses became shorter and boys traded in their knicker for shorter pants or shorts. Often, these shorts were made by cutting men's pants. During the 1930's families had limited resources, therefore, clothing was primarily made from cottons, linen, wool, and other natural fibers that were still readily available.  Fabrics were often hand-dyed which gave a lovely soft muted look to the colors.  

     Despite the gloom and doom of the decade, it became one of the most pivotal eras for fashion.  It became known as one of the most elegant periods of fashion with the simple draping and the explosion of the sportswear industry.  

Natural fibers, simple lines, and fashionable styles.  What's not Good. Simple. Fun. about that?

Wool Bean Bags Are Back!

These colorful and softly felted wool bean bags are a favorite plaything in our household.  Mostly because they are one of the few things the kids can toss around the house without being scolded.

Our bean bags have become towers, cities, roads, and even been planted as farm crops!

....or, perhaps a rain shower?

organizing the little things

Here are some clever decluttering solutions for your workspace using things you might just already have in your kitchen.

Wire baskets from ikea are great for ribbon storage.   

Spice jars  and canning jars from Crate and Barrel are wonderful for storing all those little buttons and findings.  

Mason jars are perfect for organizing all those writing utensils.

A magnetic knife bar affixed to the end of a cutting table is works nicely for all those frequently used tools.  

the little hem design studio is relocating!

We are trading in our seacoast studio for the lakes and mountains!

What's the best part about moving?  Organizing!  The thought of having a clean canvas to set up a design space is thrilling!  Our new studio will have a lot more natural light and space in which to work. I love colors.  They make me happy.  I wanted the studio to have a white backdrop and let the materials shine brightly in this new space.  

There is nothing I dislike more than cleaning. Fortunately, I have a special someone who loves it. On the other hand I absolutely love organizing.  Despite his constant argument that there is no difference between the two, cleaning and organizing are not the same.  The abundant coffee stains on my desk don't even garner a second thought, but a green colored pencil mixed in with the blues, or a hole puncher in the scissor container will send me in a tailspin.

I love repurposing everyday objects as fun ways to organize.   Here I used a kitchen cart to store fabric bolts and the drawers are great for hiding those small things like tape, glue, and small tools.  I've organized my colored pencils by color in small mason jars and placed them in a store display that I got from a local shop that sadly closed its doors. Working with fabric and knowing how a little piece can go a long way, I have a hard time parting with scraps. However, scraps can easily become the messiest part of a sewing studio and these wood bins are great for separating the types of fabric scraps by material for future use.

Storing patterns is also a challenge and if not done neatly, it can get ugly.  Therefore, I don't get too creative and simply hang my patterns on pattern hooks separated by size dividers.  Some people will organize patterns by the pattern itself and include all the graded sizes together.  I like to organize my patterns by size because I find it easier to locate.  Drafted patterns and any instructions are place neatly in a binder.     

I'm so excited to finally have a workspace big enough to house all of my sewing machines.  Ikea has a great table top that is 24" x 79" which is a perfect sewing surface since you don't need that much depth for a sewing machine and gives you extra length for all your machines or added space for cutting.  TIP: Don't forget to check Ikea's As-Is room.  I was lucky enough to find these table tops for $10 a piece!