make a flower card for mom

Nothing says Happy Mother's Day like a flower, right? That's what I'm going with anyway. I guess I just love flowers. If you'd like to make a similar card for your mom, download the flower template here.


Here's what you do:

Cut an 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock in half so you have two 8.5 x 5.5 in. pieces. Score and fold each piece in half and you now have two 4.25 x 5.5 in. blank cards ready for flowers. This size card fits in a standard invitation sized envelope, available at your local office supply or humongous-everything-store. I get mine at Target or Wal-mart.

Cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon for the stem and glue it down to the center of the card, putting the top end behind where the flower will be, and letting the bottom end hang off for trimming.

Before the glue dries, cut two leaves out of fabric or paper. Glue them on, tucking the ends under the ribbon. After the glue dries, trim the ribbon flush with the edge of the card.


Use the template to cut out flowers from fabric or paper or both. Any colorful combo works. Use a one-inch flower or starburst punch to make the middle piece. Add a button on top and maybe some sequins for sparkle.

You can skip the card part and just make mom a brooch from a fabric or felt flower, gluing two leaves behind the flower and adding a safety pin or a brooch fastener.

Send it to a mom you know and brighten their day. See y'all next week.

P.S. In a transparent bid to win some of my favorite fabric, 2D Zoo in Pool, I'm including a link to a great fabric (and pattern) giveaway by Candice at Daffodil Hill Too. Be sure to enter by May 12. She has a sweet fabric shop on etsy too, if you are interested in beefing up your stash.

woken up bunny

Here's the belated picture of an awake Baby Binky Bunny, instructions for which are included with the pattern. No binky for him, though. He says he's not sleepy.

Bought a pattern but don't have this version of the face? Download it here.

a kinder, gentler headband

DIY fabric headband covers

I've posted before about my headband saga. I love the look of ready made headbands (on other people) but they rarely work on me. When they are not giving me a splitting headache, they are falling off the back of my head.


The cheap, narrow, dime-a-dozen flexible plastic headbands that I have found are ideal for my head alas offer no fashion pizazz, so I came up with a pattern to cover them with fabric a while back. The pattern has instructions included if you would like to make one. Just measure your headband first to be sure it will fit, then adjust accordingly if needed.

I have worn the blue polka dotted headband so often since then it's getting a bit worn looking, so I recently dug that pattern back out to make more headbands for spring and summer. I made a set for my niece Raven for her birthday too while I was at it.


Pretty fast/easy to make with a sewing machine, and you can throw in a layer of interfacing if your fabric is too flimsy. I don't bother finishing the slit for the headband much, I just cut a slit and seal the edges with Fraycheck. But you could do a buttonhole instead if you want to be an overachiever like that. You really only need one plastic headband since the covers are interchangeable. (View the older post if you want to see more pics and more tips)


I thought about having getting a head shot of myself sporting one, but that would need to wait until these all these conditions coexist:
1) skinny day
2) great hair day
3) makeup on
4) real clothes
5) six year old learning to wield my Canon SLR

So don't hold your breath. If you have a drawer full of cheap plastic headbands and you'd like the headband cover pattern, get it here. (PS, if you already had it, get it again if you want the New and Improved set of directions)

Postscript: So. As unlikely as it seems, conditions 1-5 did actually come together:

and here's the follow through

To this. I bought it at Target in their closet organizing section, and I'm really happy with it. No more felt being trampled underfoot or piled in corners and laundry baskets, where I can't see what I have. The smaller scraps that I couldn't bear to throw away got squirreled away in an old coke bottle crate which sits on top of the organizer. There are cubby holes left empty, so clearly that indicates I need to buy more felt. Yes.

Try to ignore the beige walls, the clutter, the dust and the very non-craft-bloggy look of my crafting studio. One day I will have a prettied up space to create in. Not today.

wake up, bunny!

I promised pictures of an awake bunny when I launched the BBB pattern recently, and I've been having a bit of a quandary. Yeaaaaahh...I have tried the eyes embroidered like I envisioned for the pattern, but I just gotta tell ya. I no likey.


See above, blue bunny. Perhaps it is my non-expert skill as an embroiderer, but it just falls flat somehow. I don't prefer the shiny-ness factor of the satin stitch, and the shape is not as wide and cute as I'd hoped on an actual stuffed bunny. It looks. Well. Kinda weird, no? Is it me? Like she's squinting. Poor blue bunny.


So, nothing for it but to swallow my pride, admit I'm a doofus, and provide an alternative. See above. I've redone the eyes with a slightly different shape, and instead of completely embroidering the eye with a satin stitch, I opted to cut the basic shape from felt, stitch it on, then add an outline around the eye with more stitching. Last step, add a french knot highlight in each eye.


I like this much better. Sorry for the hard to see colors -- I adore this chocolate brown for the bunny's eyes, but it is not real easy to see the stitches, duh, shoulda used a lighter color. I lightened the photo quite a bit to increase the visibility, sorry if it looks blown out.

If you've bought a pattern and you prefer this New And Improved! method of the awake bunny, then just click on this link to download a new template and instructions for the eyes. If you prefer, I will very happily e-mail you a whole updated pattern with this change incorporated, just e-mail me to let me know.

baby binky bunnies

It's a boy!

It's a girl, too!

These sleepy bunnies and their binkies (and the PDF pattern) are done at last. Looking at them snooze along sure makes me want to take a nap. Or maybe that is because I stayed up embarrassingly late to finish the little darlins. Hm. But, I'm so pleased with how they turned out.



It was fun to be able to use some of the vast library of charm squares I have accumulated. I think I could get seriously addicted to patchwork. And to linen. I loved the texture, weight and feel of it on this project.


The binky has no batting, binding or actual quilting, so there's all the fun of a patchwork blankie without the more time-consuming finishing of a quilt. It is held together with sweet old-fashioned ties.


Bunny has a yarn pom-pom for a tail, and plenty of room to embroider a name (and maybe a birthdate and stats) on the back of the diaper.



They like to nap in baskets too. Preferably nestled in with some grass for cushion and perhaps a bunch of Cadbury eggs, in case they get hungry. You can see in this shot that the ears can be tacked together, or left loose and flopsy.

If you'd like to make a Baby Binky Bunny, please visit my shop to get the pattern. The same pattern makes boy or girl bunnies, depending on the fabrics you choose and whether or not the bunny gets eyelashes. There's no need for you to have a vast library of charm squares for this project. The binky would be just as charming with a two-fabric checkerboard pattern.

If you'd prefer your bunny to be awake, I've included an alternate face in the pattern with open eyes and a little smile. The PDF pattern includes materials list, pattern pieces at full size for the bunny and binky, detailed instructions, and lots of clearly drawn diagrams. I confess I have a strange love of drawing diagrams.

Late Note: There is also now a Bib & Booties accessories pattern for the Baby Binky Bunny, available in the shop.

so close...

I've got the binky down. Bunny is still being tweaked. Can't wait to show you the final product...maybe later today? if humanly possible.

the reee-diculous pile, part 1

I was recently surveying the huge snarl of various half-done projects on my desk, so I took some photos to share what I've been up to. And what I will be up to.

First off, my main priority is to finish my bunny pattern I did months ago and get it in the shop. It will now be named Baby Binky Bunny, instead of Bonnie, because it isn't really a girly bunny. It could pass for a she or a he. All depends on the fabrics. And I'm adding a little quilt blankie for her/him to snuggle whilst napping (that's the attractively arranged wreck of fabric under the unfinished bunny).


Teetering on top of a pile to the left of that is the fabric and felt for the next bunny victim after I finish Draft No. 2. with the green ears and brown linen.


Here's another thing on my pile, a new pattern drafted from my Girls Style Book: the sleeveless blouse on the left in the book (and how cool is the little dress on the right? that'll be pattern draft no. three). I'll be making this amazingly simple 3-piece blouse in white for starters. This could be such a great little summer shirt staple for my girls if it turns out well. Crossing fingers.

Oy. There is so much more junk on my desk! I'll save that for another post, I can see your eyes glazing over. Oh, wait those are mine. :-)