Mollie Makes Kits

I am sorry about my lack of posts lately, I had some family things to take care of. Now I am back and I hope to (regularly) start posting again!

 

One of my favorite things about getting the Mollie Makes magazine is the kits that come with it.

I finished the Neon Mug Sleeve and the Coin Purse (I am using it to hold my buttons). Now I am working on a felt doll, I have cut out all the pieces and started working on the head.

These kits force me out of my comfort zone. They make me practice my sewing skills and make things that I wouldn't normally attempt.

Two Foxy Brooches

Since I live in Canada, it takes a while to get the new Mollie Makes in newsstands (fingers crossed I get a subscription for Christmas!), so I was excited to finally see issue 32 in my local Wal-Mart. It came out way back at the beginning of October in the UK, and I just got it a couple of weeks ago. Of course I had to make the two foxy brooches kit that came with it, and here are the results:

 

 

I haven't done much embroidery so I am really happy that the eyes and nose turned out so good, I thought I would have a harder time than I  did.

 

Aren't they just adorable? I am going to keep the pink one for myself, but the orange one is looking for a good home.



Small Stuffy

I bought an issue of Mollie Makes a few days ago. It's an old issue, but I was really excited to buy it because it came with the fabric to make this:

 

 

Took me a morning to hand stitch it together, and it is so cute!

 

Stitchy Projects

I have been sewing a little bit lately, and I was able to make two adorable projects from felt.

 

This first one is a ninja lip gloss holder. Yeah a ninja! I got the pattern from the Make It Yourself magazine. It had all kinds of great patterns, but this one really is just too cute!

They were easy and fast to make, and I get compliments on mine all the time.
 

 This second project is actually for a school assignment, I had to make a prop to go along with a book and these finger puppets were just perfect. They go with the book Little Blue Truck (a great board book for toddlers!) and it just looks fabulous. The pattern can be found at see vanessa craft.

 

I made the four finger puppets and the felt truck. I glued it to a piece of poster board to make it stiffer so it would stand up while I was presenting it to the class.

 



 

Mike

I will be starting up school again in  a couple of weeks, and I wanted to make myself something special to bring with me to the classroom. This knitted pencil-case seemed perfect for me and I thought it was adorable. This was a bonus pattern included in the Simply Knitting July 2012 issue. I had to learn a few new techniques to complete this project. I used interfacing, sewed in a zipper and put in lining, all for the first time! This project turned out to be more time-consuming then I orginally thought, but in the end it turned out great!

Mike - The Doggy Pencil Case:
Yarn: Patons Canadiana in Brown
Needle Size: Size 7 (4.5mm)
Pattern Source: Simply Knitting July 2012

I've also started knitting my 12th pair of socks in my Sock Knitting Master Class Challenge. It is the Terpander pattern, and I am knitting it in Brown. So far they are turning out really nice. 

Happy Knitting

Soft Cowl

I have had the idea to sew myself a cowl for a while now, and I never got up the nerve to actually do it since I didn't have a pattern for it. Then when I was buying the fabric to make my laptop sleeve, I thought that this fabric would be perfect for a nice cowl. The fabric already had a soft fleece on the wrong side, but I wanted to make it extra warm so I added some white fleece to it.

I don't know why I was so nervous about not working from a pattern, this was really easy. I measured a cowl that I already had. Added an inch to the length and width to accommodate the seams. I sewed the fleece to the knit fabric (wrong sides together) flipped it inside out and sewed the ends together. Voila! A perfectly cute cowl that will keep me warm this winter.

Tablet Sleeve

I got a new tablet for Christmas and I needed a case for it, but I couldn't find any that I liked in the store. So after seeing a tutorial on how to make my own case, I decided that was the best option for me. The Cottage Home has a great step-by-step tutorial on how to create your own custom sized sleeves with fleece lining. I made mine with a really cute pink and black fabric and some soft fleece for the lining. Unfortunately, either my calculations were wrong or my sewing was flawed since it was just a bit too small. So back to the fabric store I went, and I found this great fabric with soft fleece already attached to it. I made the sleeve over again and skipped the steps for the lining. It turned our perfect, super easy to make and didn't take much time at all to complete.

Warning Symbols Matching Card Game

For another activity for my first semester in my Early Childhood Education program, I had to make a safety activity that could be used with children. I had to make it myself, not use any store bought activities. So I made a matching card game out of fabric using warning symbols that are found on common household items (corrosive, flammable, explosive, poison). The idea is that the children will learn to identify the warning symbols and know what they mean.

I printed each symbols onto transfer paper and ironed them onto a piece of white felt. Then I used the tutorial on Stash of Pixels to make the cards out of them. I used some orange polka dot fabric for the back side of them, so they all look the same. This means that for older children it can turn into a memory card game.

 

They turned out even better then I expected. They are really sturdy, washable and reusable. Just perfect!

3 Plush Cubes

I am currently in the Early Childhood Education program. During my first semester, I had to implement an activity with a two year old. I had to make the activity from scratch (no store bought games) and this is what I came up with!

I made 3 different sized boxes (small-medium-large) using the tutorial from Sew Fun for the basis of the cubes, and I added some of my own modifications. I made them out of felt, and I added the applique animals and handles to each box. I stuffed them and put shakers inside them that made different sounds: the small box has sand in the shaker, the medium box has small plastic rocks (the kind that are used to decorate), and the large box has a shaker with plastic beads in it. I made them using (new) plastic prescription bottles that had child-proof lids on them. So even if a child was somehow able to rip open a cube, they wouldn't be able to get to the potential chocking hazards inside the shakers.

The concept was that the child would be able to develop the concept of loud (plastic beads shaker) and quiet (sand shaker). I used the board book Quiet Loud to reinforce the concept. It's an amazingly cute book and was great for this activity.

This was a great project that was relatively simple to make once I figured out how I was going to do it.

Halloween Costumes... yes.. Halloween!

Every year I try to put together a cute Halloween costume that is inexpensive and different, and I like to start ahead of time to make sure I have enough time to make it. Last year I decided to be a ghost, and I found a great idea that put a twist on the traditional sheet over the head with two eye holes cut out of it. I found a great tutorial over on Sugar Bee Crafts that gave step by step instructions. I loved the results and everyone else loved it too!
This year I have already found two great ideas that I really like, and I'm not sure which one I want to do.
The first one is an owl costume that I found over on Prudent Baby , I love the idea of making myself wings and an eye mask and becoming an owl. Or, the Child's Lamb Costume knitting pattern that's available as a free Ravelry download. I could easily change it up to fit me and I think it would be perfect.
I don't know which one I want to do, but they are both so cute!

Because I wasn't busy enough....

I got a sewing machine for my birthday! YAY! Something new to challenge myself with and another creative outlet for all my pent up energy.

I wanted to start this new endeavor with something simple and easy and these frayed edge bibs were perfect! They were so perfect that I made 4 of them! The tutorial is perfect for beginners and it was a great first project.



I wanted to take on a bit more of a challenge next so I moved on to making a stuffed toy. The RevoluzZzionary Monster tutorial was fantastic. I loved the results so much that I made 2 of them.



Next came the Twenty Minute Tote. Great fabric and a fantastic tutorial.



While doing all this sewing I came to appreciate the need for a pincushion. I found the perfect one with the Cute as a Button Flower Tutorial. Looks great and does a fantastic job of keeping my needles right where I need them.



My last project that I'll share with you today is the stuffed owls from the Holiday Crafts magazine. They look so cute and they were really easy and quick to make.

With my experience of learning how to knit is to find some good tutorials and follow them. There are some great ones out there and they are the best way to teach yourself.