slip covered hair clip : a tutorial

If you have girls or are a girl, you know about those painful-rip out your hair metal hair clips. I don't know how many brands I have tried. The packaging always promises that they won't hurt. But they do. 

Having acquired quite a collection of these hair rippers, I had enough. I refuse to buy anymore. Instead I came up with this idea...little slipcovers. Covering anything in cute fabric is great and the fabric also alleviates the hair ripping. 

It works for all sizes and shapes. 

This is how you do it...

Grab those old biting clips.

Trace clip onto the wrong side of your fabric. Make sure that the fabric is folded so you have a front and back to sew together. I happen to be recycling a carrot print boxer short.

Sew it up first, then cut it out close to your stitches. Leave the wide part open at the top (where I have the little mushroom acorn). Make sure you secure the beginning and end of those stitches so they don't open up.

 The trickiest part is probably pulling this thing inside out. Especially if it is real tiny. But, you can do it! I use an assortment of tools (and my teeth), whatever it takes to get the job done. Cut yourself a little slit on the backside. Right where my scissors tip is pointing. If you don't make that slit, it won't work.

Slipcover pulled onto your clip, you can glue it into place or tack it down with a few hand stitches. I ended up gluing this one because I didn't leave enough on the end to sew. Let that be a lesson to you! Leave more fabric on the end, sewing it makes a nicer finished clip. 

And there it is, carrot clip. No longer a menace to our tender heads.

Let me know if you give this a try.

Bag Refashion: cute fabric is the cure

I've been using this lunch bag for over a year. It comes with me every time I leave the house. It totes water, tea, books, snacks and whatever else the day calls for. It usually comes back with more than we left with: sticks, rocks, flowers, leaves...bugs. For some unexplainable reason whichever bottle I use inevitably leaks tea all over the bottom of the bag. It has been washed and dried so many times but the tea stains remain. 

After the latest washing I noticed not only is it still stained, but it's looking quite ragged and faded from the multiple drying sessions. Lately I found myself Looking at and examining lunch bags when shopping. I feel guilty, I have a perfectly good bag...sure maybe it's ugly but it is completely functional. I secretly wished the dryer had torn it up a bit to justify a purchase. "I'll dye it!", I thought.  One of my tried and true ways to quench my urge for the new is to dye.

I wanted red, I dyed it red. It didn't come out red. It came out a pink that actually looks much better in this photo than it did in real life. I didn't like it, Mama Doll didn't like it. I was so close to buying a new bag. The doll gave me the answer!

She was sitting on my work table next to the bag and it hit me. "I have a bit left of that matryoshka fabric, hmm let's see if there is enough". I made a slip cover of sorts. I had just enough fabric with nesting dolls (and adorable animals) for the front.

There was enough of the small print to cover the rest.

It's so cute!

The new fabric is quite soft, it would not hold up to the wear and tear that the bottom will take. So I left the bottom as is, a nice tough black canvas. Mama Doll agrees, this fabric was the right choice.

the coat:the project

It all started with this coat. My husband was shopping for a winter coat. He lost weight after finding out he has diabetes and all of his warm coats look like tents on him. He was trying on coats, I was hanging around waiting to give my opinion. That's when I spied the faux fox collar poking out from the sea of black and gray. I meandered over just to touch it. I tried it on and looked in the mirror. I was smitten. 

From that moment on I needed a coat like that. I have never worn a light colored coat...ever. It's all black and reds over here. 

My logical (frugal) mind said, "But you do not need ANOTHER coat." OK,  but now I really really want a coat with a collar like this. Isn't it funny how you could have no idea that you "need"/want something until you see it. The advertisers can count on it. I walked away with that coat stuck deep in my mind. 

So, I made a deal with myself. I decided to look at it as a project, a puzzle. I calculated the amount of money it would cost (not to mention time and effort) to make the coat. Way too expensive and thinking about putting in that lining made me sure I wasn't doing it. I began scouring Ebay for a wool camel colored coat. 

 I struck gold with this beautiful vintage coat. I always say that God loves to surprise us with little treats and it's true. I bid on it and waited. Nobody else bid and I got this coat for $7.50!! The original coat had cheap black plastic buttons ( I would have changed them). My coat has gorgeous big wooden ones. It is beautifully tailored, the lining is perfect.

 Now, about that fur collar. Again it was Ebay to the rescue, I found the perfect faux fur. Just what I wanted, it was around $15 for 1/2 yard. Yay! 

I love this coat way more than the one I first had my crush on. It's longer, the fabric is richer, the color, cut and fit is perfect. I don't even like the other one at all when compared. Isn't it funny how fickle we can be? In our instant gratification culture it can be hard to wait for something when you want it badly. Every single time I have waited though it has been well worth it. 

More Sheet Magic

It started when I bought a backpack to use while on vacation. We would be taking a ferry instead of our car. That put a damper on my usual way of packing. I tend to bring all the comforts of home: my drying rack for all those wet towels and bathing suits, my electric kettle and coffee press, teas, "real" cups for us all. You get the picture. Once I even plotted how to take (smuggle) a sick guinea pig on vacation with me. (My husband put his reasonable foot down on that one.) Now, we each were to have one rolling bag and one back pack. A week before we left I found a back pack I could live with, it's purple and blue and flowery. Blue? Mind mind starts turning. Now I want some blue/purple clothes to go with it. I have one week and no money to use for wardrobe. I head to my trusty fabric stash. I find a blue patterned sheet that I got at a garage sale for pennies and a small piece of purple jersey. With no time to waste I forego using patterns. Sometimes I decide not to sew at all because I dread the nonsense of dealing with patterns. It's happened that after unfolding, folding, cutting, reading, sewing I end up with a garment that doesn't fit me and that I don't even like. So this time I grabbed a couple of garments that fit me well, I layed them right on the fabric and just cut away. This cut my work time drastically and gave me a perfect fit. I made this wrap around tie skirt and a purple shell to wear with it.

  I find a long, loose, cotton dress the best thing to put on my sun drenched body after spending all day at the beach. Of course I don't want to look like I'm wrapped in a old soft sheet, even though I am! For this one I used a favorite 20 year old Cynthia Rowley dress. I'm glad that I've kept it all these years, it's tattered and has pills but the fit is still great.
My vacation book, Wren Bay was wonderful. I devoured it.

"There is something satisfying in taking what one already has and using it in a new way."
from Wren Bay, the story of making a home

felted flower-saved

It's cold outside! I wanted to make a new hat that wasn't so tight that it flattened my hair down. A nice loose, comfortable warm hat. This knit hat pattern was supposed to have a felted crocheted flower on it. I have never felted anything before, so I thought it would be a nice experiment. Even after the shrinkage from the felting process this flower is too big for the hat. So, I pinned it on my lapel for a corsage. The consensus around here is that as a corsage it's still a bit too big. I like the flower. I didn't want to just chuck it on the pile of half done "maybe someday I'll do something with this" pile. 

So, I figured out a way to love it and make it useful. I sewed it to an elastic hairband and it finally found it's place. I think it's so spiffy that now I'm going to make a bunch more in different colors.

Crafty Kids & Cheese Wax

For a snack I set out a bowl of cherries and some of those little cheeses that come wrapped in red wax. About 1/2 hour later when I passed through the kitchen I was surprised to see that my daughter had made a slew of these tiny wax figures. I was shocked that they were not only adorable, but they are TINY. Creativity just pours out of children as easily as their tears. I remember being like that too, as a child. What happened? Four years of art school happened followed by a couple of artistic careers. I learned the “rules” of art, but lost the passion and spontaneous fun of it. Since leaving my career and spending so much time with children I find those rules are loosening up. I have been slowly regaining a love of making things, but I still have a long way to go. As for my children, I try very hard not inflict my mold on them. Which is difficult for someone who has such strong opinions of what is good.

I put a kernel of corn there to show you how small these guys are. She used the stems from the cherries to make these little plants and the snow people's arms. I love them.

The snow baby is half the size of the corn kernel! It's crazy, I would have just thrown the wax away. She made the base out of a game chip and a bottle top. We adults would call this recycled or repurposed because we need reasons for doing this, right? But children just do it.

Curtain to Cover-up

I used a thrifted curtain to make this cover-up for the beach. I really like the combination of orange and pink. I also like red and pink together. The curtain was made up of panels of very sheer Indian cotton with lines of pink square sequins. This is a glamourous change from my usual bathing suit cover-up...an old towel. I lined the top for stability and a better fit. 

inspiration: little houses

 

I find myself drawn to things fashioned as little houses lately. Maybe it's because they evoke in me a comfortable safe feeling, maybe they are just ridiculously adorable. Either way I've put together a few that I think are very cute and fairly easy to accomplish. These food houses are the best. We all have these ingredients- rice and bread, but it's the execution that really is great. I wish I had come up with these ideas, but at least we can duplicate them. The rice house was accented with cheese and nori, the bread house roof was dusted with cocoa powder. Try powdered sugar for a snowy winter roof. 

O.k., these little houses do take a bit more effort to accomplish. But, because of the simple shapes they are not too difficult for even a beginner. The top embroidered house is a tissue holder which has an opening on the underside to pull out the tissues. The two cheery little potholders can also be used as coasters. Or just string them up around the kitchen. I love the mix of springtime fabrics here. These are great projects to use up those cute thrifted cotton prints you may have laying around. 

Recycle Sewing and Snow Bunnies

I cannot remember when we’ve had as much snow as we got last week. When a big snow is predicted I plan for it. I stock the house with food, water, candles, batteries and lots of library books. Then we settle in. Outside obligations come to a halt and I look forward to a couple of days of reading, sewing and making comfy foods. This time I made myself a pair of pajamas out of an old red flannel sheet and a pair of bloomers out of curtains that a friend was getting rid of. I make sheets into curtains and clothes out of curtains. While I was busy with all that my daughter did a bit of recycle sewing herself. She made this adorable black bunny out of a glove of mine whose match has been missing since last winter. Of course I found it’s mate the day after the rabbit was made! I told my girl that she must turn that one into a bunny too. It’s much easier to live with two very cute bunnies than one lonely glove.


The snowy season calls for special foods like these whole wheat donuts. To combat the gray/white sky I try to put as much ‘sunshine’ on the table as I can.

Sheets For Curtains

My girls have a trundle bed so when I buy sheets I get two matching sets. That leaves me with two unused top sheets. They are never used for their intended purpose anyway. Instead they sit in the linen closet waiting patiently for a rare opportunity to become a makeshift tablecloth or picnic blanket. This time I did something a little different. I turned the top sheets into curtains. Since there are two of them, there are my two curtain panels. I just hemmed them to the required length and added a coordinating although unnecessary ribbon at the top. Voila! New curtains. I hung them up with ring clips, you can’t get easier than that. Not to mention that this project satisfies my thrifty nature. You can easily change your curtains whenever you change your sheets, and they’ll always match. Oh, make sure that you wash and dry your sheets before cutting into them so you don’t have them shrinking up on you after they are finished. Also, since sheets are not meant to hang in direct sunlight they will fade, but I am finding with this set that they are fading at the same rate as the sheets are due to the fact that the sheets are washed more often than the curtains. So it works out. I hope some of you will try this. It's not often that you get such a big change with so little effort.

Recycling an old favorite

Twenty years ago I had a particular favorite shirt. It was already soft and faded when I bought it at a thrift store. What I loved and still love about it is the print. Once the shredding began I retired it to the fabric bin, I didn’t have the heart to throw it away. Well, this week it has emerged to give a little flavor to a plain raglan top I made. I cut a piece of the print from an area that was the least faded and made a collar. That old shirt holds a lot of good memories, a lot of history for me so I am very pleased to be able to wear it again. I’ve decided to turn the rest of it into a wide headband for me and a dress for a doll.
In the background of this photo there is a picture of me and my Dad from around 1988, in it I am wearing the old favorite.

The pattern for the new top is from the Japanese craft book Cotton Time, March 2006 issue.

Recycled Tablecloth

I’ve had this thrifted vintage tablecloth for many years. Rosebuds with bits of metallic gold tendrils, very sweet. I made these pants for my daughter out of it. The coolest thing is that the lace was already attatched to the cloth.

Alice in Wonderland Clock

If you have to look at something multiple times a day or it is a permanent fixture in your home why not make it attractive and amusing, right? I found myself in need of a portable alarm clock. Not satisfied with any, I settled for a cheap little drugstore number that I could work with. I embellished it with images from Wonderland. I save my expired calendars because they are always beautiful and useful. I cut these images from a 2007 Alice calendar illustrated by Iassen Ghiuselev and glued them in place. With minimal effort and no cost I have instant transformation.