The Year of the Number Shirt

Each year I try to choose a theme for the gifts I'm going to give my little angel nieces. Last year was shirts with their ages on them. The last one went in the mail last month (happy birthday Jordy!!) so I can blog some pics now without ruining the surprise.

I love the little "2" shirt because it sort of lets the world know what to expect from this little angel. Her mom may think she's a bit terrible at times, but her Aunt Tif thinks she's perfect in every way! :)

Isn't she the sweetest thing? Oh I love that smile!

This "8" shirt was for my daughter. She is so over pink so she didn't match her cousin's shirts. But she wore this shirt on her birthday and a ton of times since then. 

This was the last one to go in the mail. Again, don't you just think "2" says it all? (BTW, the terrible twos are SO MUCH FUN when you're the aunt and the spunkiness and attitude is just plain funny!)  :)

These shirts totally stretched my sewing ability to the limit. But it was a fun challenge and totally worth it!

Here's what I did: I began by attaching the fabric to iron on adhesive (Wonder Under or Heat n' Bond). Obviously you don't need much fabric. For the circle backgrounds, I just traced a small plate on the fabric and cut it out. The numbers and crowns were all done free hand. I draw them onto some stiff paper, cut them out and then trace them backwards onto the Heat n' Bond on the back of the fabric. I then ironed all the pieces on. Now the hard part (for me), I used a zig zag stitch and sewed around all the edges. (The 8 was the hardest--lots of curves). I think the sewing is necessary or the pieces will eventually start to peel off the shirt after several washings. But with the sewing, my daughter's 8 shirt has been washed over and over and it still looks brand new.

Jersey (Sea Anemone) Pom Pom Tutorial

This fun little pom pom made from jersey knit fabric would make a fun pin or gift topper. Here we make it into a hair clip. Doesn't it sort of look like a sea anemone? :)

Supplies Needed:

Knit Fabric (I used my leftovers from this scarf)

Cutting mat and rotary cutter

Clothespins

Pom pom maker or piece of cardboard

Small piece of felt

Alligator clip (covered with ribbon)
Glue Gun
Scissors

Step 1 - Cut the Fabric
You don't need a lot of fabric but it does help if it's rather long so your strips are continuous. This makes them easier to wrap. My strips ended up being 3/4" wide and 2.5 yards long.

I found the best way was to fold it over several times (notice your edge is curling--you want that, but it's hard to cut this way). I clipped the curled edges as flat as I could with some clothespins and cut off the ragged edge and discarded it.


See that nice clean, edge! I then cut 3/4" strips.

TIP - When I was all through cutting the strips, I pinned my fabric because I can never get this nice of a straight line with knit! I'm storing the fabric this way for the next time I need to cut it.

Step 2 - Stretch the Knit to Curl Your Strips

Go through all your strips and pull them gently to get them to curl in on themselves. You'll see. It's like magic. (FYI: You can also knit with the strips once you've done this to them. See my t-shirt purse at the bottom of this post.)

Step 3 - Wrap Your Pom Pom Maker

I have the Clover XL Pom Pom Maker, but you can use your favorite method--a rectangle of cardboard works fine.  (I found the Pom Pom Maker on e-bay.)

I used almost 2 full 2.5 yards long strips on each arm of my pom pom maker. You can adjust this to suit your needs. 

Step 4 - Cut the Fabric and Tie The Pom Pom

I used a thin strip of knit to tie it off and that worked well.

Step 5 - Trim It Up and Glue a Felt Circle to the Back

Step 6 - Glue an Alligator Clip to the Back

And you're done!

These Are So Fun!

I found this tutorial a few weeks ago and have been collecting "burnable" fabric ever since.  I made these 3 hair barrettes in a matter of minutes!

I totally cruise the remnants/clearance rack at my local craft store because lots of my projects use just small amounts of fabric so I have a drawer full of ends and damaged pieces. I just cut out what I need and there you have it. So I have quite a stack of chiffon and satin for more of these fun flowers. And now I have a use now for those 2 bridesmaid dresses I have in my closet right now! :)

These little sweeties are for my daughter's friends who are getting baptized in the next few weeks. One for each. We clipped them on a little card and my daughter wrote a note. One of the girls actually put it in her hair THE MINUTE we gave it to her and wore it the whole day. I love that!

Sewing Saturday

When I saw this tutorial on Make It and Love It, I knew I had to make one! This was so fun. It's being modeled by my daughter, but it's all for me! I'm wearin' it tomorrow to church. :)

Just a couple of tips if you decide to make one:

1. You need 2.5 yards of knit fabric to get the length. The scarf is 80" long and with the bit that you cut off from the end (15") you can cut your ruffle pieces. And with your 2.5 yards you can make 4 of these scarves with a small amount of fabric leftover.

2. I cut the ruffle strips to be 1" instead of 3/4".

3. After sewing around the scarf, I trimmed the edges just a bit to give it a more finished look.

I'm still a total beginner with the sewing machine so if I can make this, anyone can!

And Then I Made 3 More...

Because one was cute, but 4 together is ADORABLE!!

The Stocking Was Hung...

I have sign orders to make, knitting projects to complete, baking to do--you know how it is. But instead, I spent the afternoon making this fun stocking. I came across this fantastic tutorial and knew I had to make one!

I made only a couple of changes. I did sew mine on my machine. I like the idea of gluing it but I didn't want to have to wait for the glue to dry. (That's how patient I am!) :) I traced an existing stocking and used that as my "pattern". I also just used fabric I had on hand--as usual, my goal/challenge is to try to use only what I have on hand. So the stocking and one flower are made of burlap and the other two flowers are a pretty tan gingham.

The Christmas Workshop Entry

Packages have been sent to most of these recipients so I think I can safely post this now without ruining suprises. Here are the fun projects I've been working on in Aunt Tif's Workshop...

Tag Cloths for my twin nephews. Twins don't need everything to match, right? Who's with me on this? I am in love with both of these masculine, but crazy fun color schemes.

Tag Cloths for my nieces. The front (the polka dot) is the dreamiest, softest fleece ever and the back is a pink flannel plaid. Delicious!

I'm still quite new to sewing--it took my brain a long time to get how the ribbons would be facing the right way when you turn them right side out. Anyway, I used this tutorial to help. (Pattern note: I prefer to start with 15" square pieces of fabric instead of the 18" the tutorial suggests--the 18" one just seems too big).

Okay, now this was F U N. Felt Sugar Cookie Cooking Set for my niece. Found the little mini rolling pin on e-bay and the sprinkle jar is a real sprinkle jar with tube beads in it. (We glued the top shut with industrial strength glue for safety).

And then I found this bag at Hobby Lobby--how cute is it all packaged up?

Homemade gifts are the best, aren't they? I love making them because the whole time I'm working on something for someone, they are on my mind and I'm picturing them and thinking about how much I love them and how much they mean to me.

And oh, how I love being an Aunt! My "babies" are getting too big for this stuff, but my little angel nieces and nephews are just the right age. I love it!

These little blocks are for the sweet girls I teach at church. They are 11 and 12 and they loved this quote, so I put it on a block for them.

Now a couple for the grown ups. This scarf is for my sister in law. I was really unsure about the yarn when I started it--it's soooo thick I had no idea how it would turn out. But now I LOVE this scarf so much--it's so soft and lux--I had trouble actually putting it in the mail and not in my closet! :)

And one other scarf for my brother in law. He's a Buckeye fan so scarlet and gray was the obvious color choice for his scarf. Did I mention they live in Alaska? If anyone needs scarves, it's them!!

Whewww...it's done. My ETSY shop is UpDaTeD!

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween everywhere you turn here at T. Matthews Fine Art. I must admit, I LOVE Halloween. I look forward to it all year!

So here's what's new in the ol' ETSY shop:

Wood "Boo", "Spooky" and "Trick or Treat" Signs (Update: "Trick or Treat" sign has SOLD--thank you!)

Fun embelished pillows (Update: "Trick or Treat" Pillow has SOLD - thank you!)

Another fun pillow (my very first attempt at piece quilting--is that what you would call this? I don't know, but it was F U N!)

A Folk Art Lady Witch and a grumpy Frankenstein Jr. named Frankie (Update: Frankie has SOLD - thank you!)

AND...

Update: Monsters have SOLD - Thank you!

Shop Update

**UPDATE ON THE SHOP UPDATE: I forgot Monday was a holiday. (Is this SUPER early for Labor day or what?) soooooo, I'm changing the shop update to Friday (TOMORROW!), August 29th.**

I am planning a ShOp UpDatE for Friday, August 29th. I will be adding a bunch of fun Halloween stuff to my ETSY shop--artsy (paintings) and crafty (signs, etc.)!

Here's a sneak peek:

This Is What I Do...

...while I watch the Olympics. These are for my darling nieces who I'm going to visit in September.

Another Sewing Project

Hey, sewing is fun. Who knew? I'm just learning, but I'm having so much fun with these little pillows. This one is for my son. I never know if he'll like my stuff. He's such a boy, but he seemed really excited about this one. I made it from fabric from a shirt he just outgrew. (I LOVE finding new uses for old things!)

It's the same size as the Peyton pillow I showed earlier--9"x9". Perfect to throw on the bed for decoration.

It's Official...

I have caught the Halloween Bug. I am swimming in orange and black fabric, ribbon, paint, whatever I can find. I'm thinking I'm going to do an ETSY Shop Update soon with a bunch of Halloween stuff. Here's a few teasers of what's to come...

Nibblefest is also coming up on the 20th. This month's theme is "A Dog's Life" so I'll be posting my entry for that soon too. I'm working on a dog and also a cat, chicken and lamb. I have a veritable farm in my studio right now. :)

Crafty Stuff Today...

I was in the studio all day today making stuff. But probably not what you'd expect. I made these for a hair bow class I'm teaching next month for church. This is the sample:



And I made this pillow for my daughter (of course eventually she'll get the hair bows too):

I have a theory that if something is easily accessible, you'll use it and if it's not, you won't. So I've been completely re-arranging my studio to make things more accessible. For example, my sewing machine used to be buried under a bunch of stuff...
Well, theory proven. I opened my cabinet, saw it just sitting there with nothing piled on top of it and all my fabric scraps neatly arranged and I pulled it out to make this pillow! The pillow is 9" x 9". The picture makes it look a little bigger than that.

I put it on her bed while she was at school and when she saw it, I heard, "Ohhhhh...." and a giggle. That's a good sign. Here it is on her bed. (Oh yes folks, that is pink faux fur. Only the best for the Princess Palace!) :)

Haley's Holiday Collection

Made these for my niece. It's what all fashionable 8 month olds are wearing this season! :)

It's That Time Again

I just taught a class for church on how to make the beaded socks and, I don't know, I caught the bug again. Which is good since Peyton has grown out of all the ones I made her before. So since the class, I've bought a package of socks in Peyton's size and also in my two nieces' sizes and two bags of beads and some more thread.

A friend and I just thought of the "tutu" socks. How fun are they? I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures soon. I love projects like this that keep my hands busy.

It's Monday so We're Crafting!!

How fun are these? My daughter got this blanket when she was born. I don't think she ever used it but I set it aside because I LOVE the print on it. So Diane and I made these pillows today from one baby blanket. Don't they just look like snuggly pajamas? They are thick, squishy fleece, so they feel just like snuggly pajamas too!

Cousin Socks

I made these socks for my daughter and two nieces. I've made the crocheted edge with thread and beads but never tried the crazy yarn. They crocheted up A LOT faster--3 pairs in one night. And they turned out really cute!