Bucket List #24 Completed- Braided Headband

Here's another Bucket List Craft that I made!  Recognize the fabric??

#24 Braided Headband = DONE.

Ohmygoodness...another super easy craft.  Tutorial: Braided Headbands {@ Alisa Burke}

I picked up a couple headbands at the dollar store that had the teeth in them (2/$1). Since I wrapped the knit around the band, I don't even notice the teeth when I am wearing this! I decided to try Fabri-Tac glue for this craft and it worked perfectly. I added a knot to the ends and slipped the headband into the knots. I didn't know how to finish the ends so I just came up with something before the glue dried.  I think the ends are bulky, but fine.

This was a super cute and easy craft. Highly recommend to the novice of novices to try!  And wouldn't you know it- my daughter asked me to buy a headband just.like.this one at Target this weekend- for $3.99.  Actually, she asked me for two.  I said ok for one and I would make the other.  Four bucks, geesh.  Mine= $0.50 

The headband was so easy, that I worked on it while...

I was helping my daughter sew a little creation of her own! She is working on a stuffed owl.  These are the eyes.  She did the stitching all.by.herself!  I was so proud.  sniff.

My daughter, Stella, is 4 and she just discovered sewing...{sigh}.

She received this book for her birthday and we have made several projects from it.  Here is her finished owl.

{Sewing Technique} Sewing a Cube Corner (3pc of fabric)

When I made my ottoman slipcover I followed the basics of a tutorial I found over at Tatertots and Jello.  Essentially, you sew a box from fabric and slip it down over your ottoman.  It had been a while since I had sewn a fabric box so it took me some trial and error before the technique came back to me.

Besides an ottoman slipcover, you could sew fabric baby blocks, a squared floor pillow, a  fabric storage bin, or a boxy pin cushion- just to name a few.


So, if you want to try this, here are a few tips for those corners:

• When sewing the sides to the top: Leave a space; start and stop 1/2" (or whatever your seam allowance is) from edges.  (Or unpick them later.)
• When sewing side pieces together: Lay fabric nice and flat by aligning sewn edges across "top" and folding the inner fabric (which is your top piece) at a 45 degree angle. Now sew down sides, keeping same seam allowance.

And even after all that...



You might still need to seam rip your stitches, sew any gaps, and sew again. I became good friends with my seam ripper today!









These are just tips.  Like I said, it had been a while since I had done this technique and I was rusty.  This is now my reference!  Just be patient with yourself. Mark this post for future reference and when you do get around to sewing a 3D or cube corner, you will have these tips handy!  Hope it helps.

{Tutorial} Hideaway Headband Holder ($1)

I obsessed  thought and thought and thought about how I was going to fix the headband situation in my kids' bathroom.  The situation was, my daughter has a heap of headbands in the bathroom drawer.  And when you open the drawer, they jam it up because they are going wild in there! 

So, I researched solutions.  I saw so.many.ways to make different headband holders but I just wasn't sure if they would work for me.  

My criteria was simple:  easy for a 4-yr old,  out of sight,  fast to make,  solves problem,  and cheap is always good!

My solution:  Hide the headbands inside the cabinet...

How to make this Hideaway Headband Holder:

You will need:

Paper Towel Holder ~from the dollar store (complete with screws)

Roll of paper towels (not a double roll, or use some up first)

Fabric (check your scraps!)

Hot Glue                               Did I really need to type that out?  Pretty self explanatory, I think.  You see where I'm going with this?

Step 1:  Attach the paper towel holder to the inside of a cabinet door.  MAKE sure that you can close the door with a roll of paper towels on the holder!  Also do not screw through your nice doors.  I pre-drilled halfway to get a good start and then tightened the screws by hand.  By the way, this is the hardest step.

Step 2:  Hot glue fabric to paper towels.  Fold/glue your raw edge over to make it look neat.  Tuck the ends right into the tube.  Seriously, that is what I did.

Step 3:  Put roll on the holder, seam side down.  Too easy!

I let my daughter pick the fabric from my stash.  I was surprised, but happy, that she chose this Anna Maria Horner print.  Since my daughter *only* wears headbands, this craft was devised out of sheer necessity, not craftiness.  But I am pretty sure I am going to make one for me...out of sheer craftiness!

And heck, if anything, I now have a roll of paper towels in my bathroom cabinet.  I can think of a hundred reasons I need that.

Hope this solves any of your headband troubles!

MY Headband Holder!

**UPDATE:  I just made one of these headband holders for me!  I even painted the paper towel holder...click here.









Linking here:
Monday:

My first official "featured"

I was featured!!!! YAY!

My badge of honor:

It is official...I have been officially featured...and I have officially earned a "featured" button...which is now officially in my side bar.  thankyouverymuch!

 Check it.  I was #12 (which I shared with the other towel girl) in Tip Junkie's 40 Homemade Christmas Gifts Ideas- for Men.  I am not sure if these other man-crafts have the man-stamp-of-approval, like my towels do.  They are a man-approved craft.

Anyway...high fives for being featured!

Craft Bucket List completed: #23 Bow Shirt

Do you remember on Friday I said I wanted to make this?  I can hardly believe it myself!  (I actually attempted and completed three items from my Craft Bucket List.)  I am going to have to figure out how to show they are "checked" off of the list. I found the tutorial here: Simple Bow Tie Top at Sweet Verbena

#23 Bow Shirt = DONE.

This was super, ridiculously easy to make. Promise.

What I like about the shirt: easy, love the colors, it is so stinking ADORABLE. I did take about 4" off each side seam which, for me (5'5") was making me look pregnant (which I am not).

What I don't like: not mom-friendly. It was great for my shopping trip with my friend, but was a hinderance when my family went to Sam's Club. The bow got caught in my leg somehow when I was loading the car and the bow was all untied when I was done loading. Also, it was hard to carry my 2-yr old because he was tugging on the bow or pulling my shirt down. When I bent over you can see in my shirt. I don't own a strapless bra so I had to rig something up for the day. (tmi? sorry.)  And my bow was bigger than hers because I used satin...I looked back on her tutorial and she used silk. Oops on me.  Silk was not in the value section- orange satin was. I just felt uncomfortable in it when I was around the house and grocery shopping- mom things, you know.  But I am not a stylish person so maybe that is the real problem.

Has anyone else made this shirt?

Will I wear it again...probably yes. I was even thinking of sewing the ends of the sash together and losing the bow altogether. Whaddya think?
Do I change the bow or do I just wear this when I am doing non-mom things?  Or do I just get a grip and be stylish once in a while!  geesh.




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