Butterfly Tunic for a Toddler

While shuffling through my stash of fabric, I came across a light grey fleece.  I thought my granddaughter who is visiting us from a much warmer climate for a few months would like something made out of this cozy fabric. I thought the fabric would feel like a warm blanket snuggling her.  She's a little snuggly girl anyway, which I'm loving especially after she told her mother on Sunday that she wanted Grandma to snuggle her after her nap!  Yea, for grandma time!

After I started sewing the tunic together, I decided just plain grey was kind of boring for a vibrant little girl.  So, I asked her what animal or creature she liked best, so I could add it to the tunic. She instantly declared, "a butterfly!"  So, as any good grandmother would do, I fulfilled her request and added a little butterfly to the front, which gave that boring grey just the right splash of color.  

To complete this warm outfit, I made fuschia and white stripped leggings.  I was given this fuschia and white fabric from one of my favorite coworkers.  It was originally an old t-shirt.  I realized this t-shirt was the perfect combination to go with the tunic. After cutting the t-shirt apart, I was able to make leggings but I had to make the waistband by turning the stripe in the opposite direction from the legs so they would be long enough for her growing legs.

I copied the butterfly pattern so I could share it with you, just in case you want to add one to an outfit for your little one.  You can download the pattern here.

I personally love a tunic with leggings. Do you?  xoxo Grandma
Shared at: Creating My Way to Success, 2 Crochet Hooks

A Day of Service

On Saturday, I participated in a wonderful activity.  It was a day of service to benefit a children's hospital, a school for children with disabilities and Hearts Knit Together charities, which provides kits to 16 battered women's shelters.  This activity was organized by my local Relief Society group, which I am a member of.  Women of all ages joined together to complete different projects to benefit our community.

Prior to this day of service, a lot of women sewed together medical dolls and doll hospital gowns, you can get the free patterns to make these here.  Primary Children's Hospital uses these to help children before they have their various surgeries.  Isn't this such a great idea?  I was so touched by this concept for children to have a way to identify with what they're going through. We stuffed the dolls and sewed them closed, then dressed them in their gowns. We stuffed over 100 of them and had a great time doing it.

 We also put together hygiene kits with supplies donated by this tremendous group of women.

This group of women also tied fleece blankets.  This cute girl came and helped too.  

Other women covered and decorated journals for women to record their thoughts. One last activity was to sew the little hearts as seen below.  These hearts will be added to a poem to encourage women who retreat to shelters. 

This day of service was a blast, and reminded me how much I love being involved in meaningful ways to serve those around us.  How do you like getting involved in your communities? xoxo Grandma

A Children's Book Giveaway: "My Far Away Grandma"

By now, you all know that I love a good children's book. Well, I just received a copy of a brand new one. It's called "My Far Away Grandma," written by Deborah Riemer and illustrated by Susan Sargent.  This book is full of bright, whimsical illustrations and was designed to read aloud to children.  

This book just happened to arrive while two of my grandchildren were visiting. I read it to them - in person with one on each side of me - PURE HEAVEN!  If you read my blog often, you know that all my grandkids live thousands of miles away, so I'm definitely a "far away grandma" and the title of the book instantly touched a tender spot in my heart.  

In the book, it mentions the words "scuba" and "tuba." And these curious kids wanted to know what "scuba" and "tuba" were.  While I was reading, my husband went to find a photo of him scuba diving in Hawaii.  After I finished reading the book, he showed our little ones what scuba meant. They were fascinated. 

A couple of weeks ago, the author of this book, Deborah Riemer, contacted me to tell me about her new book.  It definitely seemed like a book I would enjoy, so I purchased a copy for myself and Deborah sent me another one as a giveaway to my readers.  

So, now you have a chance to win a free copy of this darling new book. Trust me, you and your children and grandchildren will love it. We sure did! 

Here's what to do to enter:

1.  Leave me a comment below - worth one entry.
2. Share this post on Facebook, Google+, or your blog - worth one more entry for each place you share this. Let me know where you shared it.  
3. Post your comments no later than March 5th, 10 p. m. Mountain Time.
4. Check back on March 6th to see who wins this free copy.  Residents of U.S. & Canada, DPO / APO / FPO are also welcome to enter.

You can also purchase a copy of this new book at My Far Away Grandma Web Site.

Enjoy!
xoxo Grandma 
Shared at: Creating My Way to Success

"Sew Fun" Needlebook

If you're like me, you have a bunch of friends who are just as into sewing and crafting as you are. Often times it's hard to come up with gifts to give them (on birthdays, holidays, etc.). What do you give someone who creates everything themselves? Well, why not make this needlebook? They are small, compact and oh, so sweet.  They are also perfect for tucking in your purse so you can take a little hand stitching project with you wherever you go.  

I first spotted this adorable needlebook on Pinterest and tweaked it just a little. With my variations, I put together the following tutorial so you can make one or more for your sewing friends too.  


Let's begin:

• Cut 2 pieces of fabric, one for the front and one for the back into 3 1/2" x 6 1/2"
• Cut one piece of felt 3 1/4" x 6 1/4".  
• Sew felt onto the middle of one rectangle.  
• To the left side of the fabric, stitch in place an inch piece of narrow elastic, folded in half.

For the embroidery details, follow the steps below:

• Sew together the front to the back, leaving a 1 1/2" section at the bottom back not sewn so you can turn your fabric.

• Clip corners (see top image) and turn the fabric right side out (see bottom image.)
• Iron the rectangle from the back side of the embroidery.  
• Hand stitch the opening closed.  
• Fold the fabric in half and iron.
• Cut a piece or two of felt  3"  x 6".  (This is your inside "page".)
• Fold felt in half and iron along the seam.
• With a sewing machine, stitch across the felt along the fold (or center) of your fabric.  
• Hand sew a button opposite the elastic. 
• Add needles, pins and safety pins to the felt pages.

I hope all your crafty buddies like this just as much as I do!  xoxo Grandma

Shared:  Threading My Way

Blue Toddler Tunic

You can jump for joy in this blue toddler tunic! This piece was refashioned from one of my old tops.  When I purchased it from The Loft,  I loved the light-weight cotton and the tiny floral, but every time I wore it I felt like an old lady.  Do you ever purchase something for yourself and then you wear it a few times and later decide you hate how it looks on you?  I'm really hoping I'm not the only one out there that does this.

My scissors seemed to enjoy taking this top apart and with a few snips and a little sewing, this top soon became a tunic for my granddaughter.  I made a coordinating headband, but as you can see from the photos, it went around her waist as a belt instead because she was not going to wear it in her hair. 

I really love how the color of the fabric seems to make my granddaughter's eyes seem even bluer. So here's to an easy refashion and a lesson learned: do not buy clothes for myself that I don't absolutely love how they look on me!  Oh well, at least the purchase wasn't a complete waste.
xoxo Grandma

Linked to:  The Dedicated House: Anything Blue, Creating my way to Success, Love 2 Upcycle, Gina's Craft Corner: Tips and Tricks, My Fashion Forward, Diana Rambles
Featured on: Day Dreams and Sunshine

Toddler's Vintage Aprons

One of my goals for the new year is related to a trip down memory lane!  My mother loved to sew patchwork quilts. She also loved fabric shopping so much that eventually she filled two large closets completely full of fabric. (I blame her fabric hording on being a depression era child.)  We used to joke that we could go fabric shopping in her closets. And to her credit, she was very generous with her fabrics. In fact, I still have a couple of yards of that fabric, which was purchased at least 21 years ago, because that's how long she's been gone from this earth.  A 2014 goal of mine is to use up a majority of my fabrics so I don't have my mother's full closet obsession.  

So, with my vintage fabric, I decided to make what my mother made around 1958 for her children and then again around 1990 for her grandchildren: toddler sized aprons.

My grandchildren won't wear a bib, so maybe this cute apron has a chance of staying on my little granddaughters to keep their clothes clean and stain-free.

I started this project by reproducing a vintage toddler apron pattern.  If you'd like to make this apron, download the pattern here. 

Do you recognize the happy bears on this fabric?  

Instructions for making a Vintage Toddler Apron:

1.  Cut out your fabric by folding the 33" in half and then fold your fabric in half again.

2.  Pin the pattern onto the folds of the fabric as directed on the pattern.
3.  Cut the pattern out.
4.  Unfold your fabric.  Place the outside cuts together.  Now cut off the lower bottom corner of the apron by rounding it's corners.

5.  Sew the shoulders together using 1/4" seams
6.  Onto the raw edges, sew double wide folded bias tape - you'll need one package per apron.
7.  To keep the apron on your darling, sew a little velcro onto the top back edges.  

If you want to add a gathered look, make the center fold wider and add about 8" of seam tape right under your finished bias tape.  Insert 4" of 1/2" elastic.

From start to finish, allow about an hour to complete this toddler vintage apron.

I hope you have fun making this little apron for someone you love. I'm thinking these may just be the perfect Valentine gift for my cuties.

xoxo Grandma
*Thanks to my neighbor for letting me try theses aprons on her daughters.
Linky Parties: Diana Rambles

Beaded Sunsuit

Since I got to sneak in a little warm weather time with my grandchildren this month I'm going to share this bead embellished sunsuit I made from a free pattern found at Elegance and Elephants with you.

Of course, I changed a few little things to make this sunsuit more my personal style. I adding an additional 1/2" width to the straps because 1" was just too small for me to iron without burning my finger tips.  I also slightly curved the front of the sunsuit.  I like how it makes the sunsuit look softer.

My favorite part of this sunsuit is the beads I sewed on next to the side pockets.  The beads were upcycled from a shell & beaded belt one of my daughters left at home when she left for college.  Several of the shells were falling off this belt but I couldn't throw it away because I loved the shells and the beads so I cut these accents off of the belt and saved them knowing I'd figure out a way to use them. The beads added a little fun and my granddaughter liked the large pockets which were perfect for her little hands to fit in.

xoxo Grandma
Linked to the following parties: Project Run and Play - If you love this little outfit, please click on the heart on #17 on Project Run and Play.  Thanks a bunch!