tooth pillow for Isabelle

Our wonderful across-the-street neighbors' daughter Isabelle turned three Monday. Here's her little tooth fairy pillow with the mouth pocket for the teeth and the loot pocket on the back. I think I like this version with the felt wings and rick rack belt instead of pipe cleaner wings/felt tutu. It's easier to put together for sure. If you have the materials handy it only takes a couple of hours to finish.

If you'd like to try one, the recently updated basic tutorial/pattern can be found here.

fix that T-shirt already.

BEFORE: too roomy under the arms and in the body

AFTER: more tailored and just right.

This is a reprint of a guest post I did for Pickup Some Creativity's Sewing 101. Enjoy! 


We all have them. Shirts we fell in love with but leave hanging in our closet because there is something wrong with the fit. I have a long, sad history with T-shirts in particular.

I love a well-fitting T-shirt, but actually finding a nice tailored one that fits me right off the rack is nigh unto impossible because of my wide shoulders and average trunk. If it fits my shoulders, it is too loose in the arm holes and body. If it fits my body, it is too tight in the shoulders.


Here is an easy fix for that kind of 'too loose' (now you say Lautrec) fit problem, or for any T-shirt that you would like to make more tailored. It doesn't require a lot of sewing experience or a serger. Just a regular machine with a *zig zag stitch. I don't even switch my needle to a ball point for this.

*Why does it have to be a zig zag and not a straight stitch? Because knits stretch, and so will a zig zag stitch. Straight stitches, not so much.

The Problem: T-shirt that is too roomy.

The Fix: A simple zig zag seam up both sides and arms. So easy you'll be tailoring all your T-shirts in record time.

The Tutorial: Try your T-shirt on. Pinch the excess under your arms with your fingers and determine how much you need to take it in to make it fit better. Knit is forgiving, don't sweat this too much. If it is still too loose or too tight after sewing, just add a new line of stitching and then remove the old one if needed. I usually end up sewing a 1/4 to 1/2 inch seam.


Turn the shirt inside out and lay it flat. Smooth it down with your fingers, but don't stretch it. Pin the sleeve and side together at the seam so that the hems are aligned.



Using a small zig zag stitch (small stitch length as well as width), start at the arm and sew your way down. Be sure to back stitch at both ends to lock your stitches. Important: don't stretch the fabric or pull it as you are sewing. Let it go through at its own pace.



If the fit problem is just in the chest, you can taper off your seam, as shown above.
If the fit problem is in the entire body of the shirt, you can run your seam all the way down the side, as shown above.

Now repeat the same thing on the other side of the T-shirt. I find that most times I do not even need to cut off the old seam. Knit is very forgiving and the new seams lay flat and feel comfortable. If you do cut off the old seam, be sure to overlock the raw edges to strengthen the new seam.


See? That was easy. Done!

shrinky dinks and beanie babies

Thing 1 and Thing 2 are obsessed with Beanie Babies. We own more than I care to say. They come our way in a continuous stream from grandparents, thrift shops and garage sales. It's hard to say no when I see how often they are played with and loved. Slept with. Taken on trips. Clutched as security blankets during doctor's appointments. Toted around in purses and backpacks. Dressed in Barbie clothes and an array of hairclips.


Now the girls discovered a new fun thing to dress them with: Personalized collars made from shrinky dinks and embroidery floss.


I'm charmed by the ones made by my youngest, with the creative spelling and the rough cuts. I started out using a jump ring to attach the collars but when the numbers started to climb I gave that up and just knotted them on instead.

Do you have collarless Beanie Babies? (gasp!) Draw a collar tag on shrinky film with colored pencils, at twice the size you want the final product to be. Cut it out and punch a hole with a standard hole punch. Shrink in the oven according to the directions and tie it on your Beanie pal with embroidery floss or yarn. Now when it is left behind in the produce section, the cashier will be able to refer to it by name over the intercom. "Will the owner of...er...Pugsley...come to cash register seven?"

3D Frog, the shop, and a little giveaway

Thanks so much! Comments are closed for the giveaway!

The Frog In The Woods pattern PDF is done and in the shop! Yay! Go to the shop entry to get the details.


It makes a nice companion piece to the freebie Owl art tutorial, I think. Note: Unlike the owl, this new frog paper cut tutorial is not written or designed for kids. It is for crafty adults!

To celebrate finishing the tutorial (finally) and my country's birthday all at the same time, I'd like to have a little quickie giveaway over the weekend. Just leave me one comment to enter. Come Monday I'll give away two Frog In The Woods patterns to two commenters!

*Also, as a wee favor, if you subscribe to this blog via Google reader, let me know that in your comment. My feedburner count is constantly missing the Google reader subscribers and I'd like to know if you are, in fact, getting the feed. Thanks ahead of time!

*No more info needed! Mission accomplished. Almost all the comments so far are from GR and apparently it works just fine, despite appearances in feedburner. Thanks!