Monthly Weigh In - March

This month was great. We went to the mall yesterday because I wanted to see if I could maybe fit into a size six, and I totally did! And not the suck it in, I won't be able to sit in these fit, but the I wouldn't be embarrassed to wear these in public for the whole day fit. So I treated myself to two new pairs of jeans! I haven't been a size six since 8th grade, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Hooray for March!

Previous Weight: 150 lbs
Current Weight: 145 lbs
Monthly Weight Loss: 5 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 68 lbs

Fat Quarter Friday: Gift Card Wallet or Child's Wallet

This week I made a little wallet that is perfect for grownups for your gift and loyalty cards, or for a little kid as their first wallet. I love this little thing, it's so cute and easy to make. I found a tutorial for it on A Spoonful of Sugar's blog, so cute and fun!

Materials:
2 Fat quarters (or a bunch of scraps)
Some fusible interfacing
A hair tie
A button

Step 1: Cut out your pieces.
1st Pocket: 8.25" x 4" (from Fat Quarter A)
2nd Pocket: 8.25" x 4" (from Fat Quarter B)
Fusible Interfacing: 2 pieces 8.25" x 4"
Scrappy Oustide: Cut a bunch of 1" x 4" and 2" x 4" pieces (From Fat Quarter A and B)
Lining: 8.25" x 4" (or you can make it scrappy like I did and do the same thing that you do for the Scrappy Outside.)

 To make the scrappy outside piece, just sew together a bunch of your little 1"x4" and 2"x4" pieces you cut out until they make a strip that is at least 8 1/4" long. If it's too long, just trim it so it's the right size.

 Make sure to iron open your seams.

 Here's all your pieces: 2 pockets, 1 lining, 1 scrappy outside, and 2 fusible interfacing pieces.

 Step 2: Iron on your fusible interfacing the back of your lining piece and your scrappy outside piece.

 Step 3: Take your two pocket pieces and fold them in half hot dog style, right sides facing out, and iron.

Serge or zigzag along the bottom of each pocket piece.

 Step 4: Take your lining piece and lay it out right side up. Pin your first pocket piece so that the bottom edge of it is 1" from the bottom of the lining piece. Sew in place.

 Take your second pocket piece and pin it to the bottom of the lining piece. Sew in place (about 1/8" from the bottom).

 Step 5: Find the center of your wallet and sew three lines down the center. This makes your two sides.

 Step 6: Take your hair tie and position it right above the lower pocket and stitch in place. Make sure you go back and forth a few times so that it's secure.

 Step 7: Take your scrappy outside and pin it to your lining and pocket piece right sides together.

 Sew around the outside with a 1/4" seam leaving a 3" opening at the bottom. Clip your corners and trim off the excess strings and hair tie.

 Step 8: Turn your wallet right side out! Aww, so cute. Poke out the corners with something semi-pointy.

Iron your wallet so it's nice and crisp. Topstitch around the outside of the wallet 1/8" from the edge. This will close up your hole you left from turning and just make it look pretty.

Step 9: Sew on a button to the front of your wallet. Make sure not to hand stitch through the inside pockets!

Fill it full of all those cards that you need, but that take up space in your wallet. Or give it to an adorable kid.

Enjoy making like a million of these!

Fat Quarter Friday: Tiered Baby Skirt

This week I made a cute and simple tiered baby skirt. My mom taught me how to make this kind of skirt when I was 15, and it works for girls of any age! Since fat quarters are small though I made a baby skirt. For help with the measurements and a refresher on the process, I looked here (she's got a great method for making the skirt for any size, so check it out if you want big kid sizes).

Materials: 
Two fat quarters
Elastic

Here are your cutting measurements for the different sizes, I made a 6-12 month size. Since I used fat quarters, they aren't long enough, so I would cut two strips, for example if I was making the bottom tier for the 0-3 month size, I would cut two strips 3" x 19". So you just half the second number and make two strips (or just use longer fabric instead of fat quarters). This skirt is very versatile, so if you want it longer or shorter, just adjust the widths of your tiers, or add more tiers!
0-3 month:
Top Tier - 3" x 21"
Middle - 2.5" x 28"
Bottom - 3" x 38"
Elastic -  13"
3-6 month:
Top Tier - 3" x 23"
Middle - 2.5" x 30"
Bottom - 3" x 41"
Elastic -  14.5"
6-12 month:
Top Tier - 3.5" x 24"
Middle - 3" x 32"
Bottom - 3.5" x 43"
Elastic - 16"

Step 1: Take the fabric that you want your middle layer to be and cut out your two strips (mine were 3x16).

Take your second fabric and cut out two strips for the top tier (mine were 3.5x12) and the bottom tier (mine were 3.5x 21.5).

Step 2: Put each of the matching strips right sides together

and sew down both of the short sides on each. You now have three rings of fabric.

Step 3: Take your bottom tier and do a basting stitch along one of the edges. Pull on the strings to gather up the fabric until your third tier is the same length as your middle tier.

Layer the gathered edge of the bottom tier with the middle tier, right sides together and pin in place. Make sure your side seams match up.

Sew them together.

Step 4: Take your top tier and fold over one of the sides 1.25" and pin in place. This is going to be the casing for the elastic.

You're going to sew this in place, but as you do, fold under the raw edge 1/4" so that you have a nice clean edge that won't fray. Leave a 1" opening.

Step 5: Take your middle tier and put a basting stitch around the top. Pull the strings and gather the fabric until it is the same length as your top tier.

Pin them right sides together

and sew.

Step 6: Now your going to hem the bottom of the skirt. Fold the bottom edge of the third tier under twice 1/4" and sew in place.

Step 7: Cut your elastic to be the appropriate length (see chart at the top). Attach a safety pin to one end of your elastic and thread it through the casing on the top tier.

Once you've gone all the way through and out the end, put your two ends of elastic stacked together and sew securely in place.

You're done! Enjoy this super quick and easy project.

Fat Quarter Friday: Fabric Dice

This week I made a fun, large plush die. I've seen these large dice made out of foam before and kids go nuts for them, so I decided to make one for fat quarter Friday!

Materials:
1 fat quarter
some felt
polyfil
needle and thread
spray adhesive (optional)

Step 1: Take your fat quarter and cut it into six 7" squares.

 Step 2: Trace out 21 circles on your felt (in a contrasting color). I traced around a standard spool of thread which ended up being a great size.

 Step 3: Cut out your circles and place them on your squares like the pips on a die. Once they're in a position you like, you can spray a little bit of spray adhesive on to the backs of the felt to hold them in place while you sew. You don't need to do this step, but it makes it a lot easier when they are moving all about.

 Step 4: Using a small tight zigzag, go around each felt circle.

 Step 5: This next part seems a little silly, but it is totally important and makes putting the cube together a lot easier. Using your ruler and a fabric marker (ok, I used a sharpie, but that's just because I don't have a fabric marker) make a line 1/2" in from each of the sides on the back of each of the six squares.

 Step 6: Now we're going to sew the cube. I was stupid and didn't take a good picture of this, so bear with me. Take two of your squares and put them right sides together. Now you're going to sew from a 1/2" from the top to a 1/2" from the bottom (this is marked in my picture with red dots). Make sure you back stitch. This will be marked on the back of your squares from your lines you made in step 5. Continue until you have four in a row like so.

 Now sew the two ends together so you have a ring of fabric. You can iron open the seams or just finger press them open.

 Step 7: Now we're going to sew on the top and bottom. Take one of your remaining squares and pin it to your tube. Make sure that the lines match up neatly, this is where the blue arrows come in, match up the blue arrow from the previous picture to the blue arrow in the following picture and repeat for the entire square.

 When your top is all pinned, you're going to sew it on, but only from where you're 1/2" line marks cross (from red dot to red dot). Do this on each edge.

Repeat all those steps for the bottom, except leave an opening on one of the sides. It needs to be about 3" so that you can turn the cube right side out and fill it full of stuffing.

 Step 8: Turn it and stuff! Once it's full (but not too full or else it wont roll right) hand stitch the opening shut.

 Now you can play with your awesome, big fabric die.