Circle Sensory Bean Bag

  By Sarah | July 5, 2012 - 7:50 am |
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As an addition to my triangle bean bag post I thought I’d write a quick tutorial on how I did my circle bag. Since I’m pretty new to sewing and was making an attempt to figure a few things out on my own I have no doubt that some people may have different ways of doing some things, but this is what worked for me this time around. The overall construction is pretty similar to that of my triangle bag so I won’t get into that here. I started by tracing a circle onto the back of my fabric using a pencil and a lid to a container. (I’ve found there is no shortage of circular items of all sizes sitting around the house available to be traced.) For the inner bag just pin the pieces of fabric together and sew along this line, leaving a space open for turning. The outer bag … Continue reading →

Quest of a Wannabe Runner

  By Sarah | June 29, 2012 - 7:52 am |
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Just under a year ago I got the idea in my head that I wanted to try to be a runner. I’d like to say it came from a loftier place but really the idea was born after finding out Walt Disney World holds marathons. Really cool, themed out, everyone dresses up marathons. I started training last fall. I pushed myself and was doing pretty well. I even did two 5k races. Right after the second race I learned a really important lesson, when something hurts, STOP. I had, of course, decided to push through the pain thinking I was tough enough to deal with it. This was a bad plan. That plan resulted in a broken ankle. Broken ankles are not fun. So now that I’m long healed from that situation I’ve decided to try again. This time I’m using the Jeff Galloway walk/run method. For just over two weeks … Continue reading →

Baby Blanket and Rattle

  By Sarah | June 25, 2012 - 8:31 am | ,
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My good friend Kate recently had a baby and I thought I’d share a couple of things that I made for her. First is the Spiral Baby Blanket. I found the pattern here and really loved how unique it is. Brian has made numerous requests that I make another one for us because he thinks it’s so cool. The pattern is so fun and easy that I just might! Since Kate’s nursery theme is giraffes I also made a little giraffe rattle. I found the pattern on Pinterest, but here is a direct link. I used blue and green flannel fabric and some soft blue and green ribbon for the mane. The tail is rick rack and adds a little texture. I repurposed a small rattle from another toy and viola, cute giraffe rattle.   I fell so in love with this soft, little giraffe that I became a little worried I … Continue reading →

Phat Fiber

  By Sarah | June 20, 2012 - 10:39 pm | ,
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Check out my most recent discovery, Phat Fiber. Phat Fiber is a mystery box of fancy yarns and yarn goodies. Here’s the deal as far as I can tell so far. Phat Fiber picks a theme for each month. Then their contributors send in samples that go along with that theme. These could be handspun yarn, handpainted yarn, handpainted roving, stitch markers, etc. Basically if someone who works with yarn might love it, it might be sent in. Then Phat Fiber divides these samples into individual boxes that fall into one of three categories. Fluff, for people who love roving. Stitches, for people who love yarn. And Mixed, for people who love it all! Then, once a month, at a time and day that is released by email a few days prior, the boxes go on sale. They call it a box drop. Luckily there are two drops on sale day because these things … Continue reading →

Crazy Fabric Haul

  By Sarah | June 19, 2012 - 9:32 pm |
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I’ve recently started teaching knitting and crocheting classes at the local Joann Fabrics craft store. It’s a great fit since I love teaching and crafting. The one main downfall is doing this job requires me to frequently enter the store, and that typically ends up costing me money. I’ve only taught 2 classes so far and was very proud of myself to have left empty-handed both times. Today, however, was a completely different story. I only went in to drop of some samples for upcoming classes initially. Then I decided to see if a fabric I’ve been wanting is on sale (it was), then I decided to check out the remnants (uh-oh). This is what I ended up leaving the store with.  In case you were wondering exactly what’s there, here’s a breakdown. 11 fleece remnants (ranging from about .5/yard to 1.4/yards), 2 minky dot remnants, 6 assorted cotton pattern remnants, 4 fleece … Continue reading →