It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday!

I had bought this pullover hoodie, just because it was 50 cents at the thrift store, and I liked the colors/stripes. I am not a fan of pullovers (it's a sensory thing for me), and it was a bit snug, so I went to work on it. I simply cut straight down the center...



and looked through my stash for a zipper, but they were all too short. I finally found the button down part of a felted wool cardigan, I had in my scraps, and just sewed it with a zig zag stitch to the top of the hoodie edge. It took about 5 minutes, and I love how it turned out!



It needed a little something, so I appliqued a recycling symbol to the chest. Now I have something to wear to all those upcoming Earth Day celebrations!

It's Tutorial Tuesday! t shirt boxer briefs or wool soaker boxers

Today's tutorial is originally for making boxer briefs for boys out of t-shirts, but you can also use the pattern to make boxer-style wool soakers! Today's tutorial comes to us from Nancy's Couture blog (thanks, Nancy!), an awesome blog for anyone that sews! For the tutorial & pattern for the t-shirt boxer briefs, head on over here. Thanks, Nancy!!

Now if you are using this pattern to make wool soakers, I recommend going a size up from what they would wear in the underwear in all the measurements except the leg width. I also made the waistbands from sweater ribbing, instead of elastic. What's nice about these is you can make 2 of crotch & rear end pieces to make a doubled up soaker area. I did 2 layers, and after I sewed each crotch seam, I faced them in, so there was no uncomfortable crotch seam on the inside of the soaker (did that make sense?). I did make a mistake though, and forgot to use the hem of the sweater for the bottoms of the legs on the first pair, but since it is felted, it doesn't look bad. I think they came out really cute, and look a lot less "diaper cover" than regular soakers for your bigger kiddos that just need a night time solution.

It's What I've Been Working on Wednesday - cotton pocket diapers

I haven't made anything wool this week (gasp), but I did make more overnight cloth pullups for my son. Last week I had made one piece pullups, but those take a while to dry, so I got brave and attempted a pocket style. They are actually easier than the one piece style! The one on the left looks a little wavy/wonky, because I stretched as I sewed. Once I wash it that will go away & look like the one on the right. All you do differently than the one piece, is pull away the inside layer a few inches, in the back, when you are sewing on the waistband. You just slide an insert in, and you are good to go! You can make your own inserts, or you can even fold a prefold (old school cloth diaper) or even a clean microfiber cloth. The materials I used this time were soft, 100% cotton, mens thermal shirts that were super cheap at the thrift store.

ETA: I realized that I was using the term "all in one" to describe the other style I made, and changed that to say "one piece", because I realized the term "all in one" usually indicates that you don't need a cover. Both styles are 100% cotton, and require a cover (wool, plastic, fleece). My son wears wool pants, or longies, at night that double as a diaper cover.

It's Tutorial Tuesday! Woven recycled wool Easter basket!

I know I did an Easter basket tutorial last year, but I wanted a bigger Easter basket for Jack this year. He tends to get bigger things from the Easter bunny, instead of a lot of candy, like his favorite cereal that is never on sale, or that light saber he's been wanting ;), so he needs more room! Since I was making a new one, I thought i'd try something new, so here you go! You can make this any size you want. Last year's basket was easier than this one, because it had a lot less steps, but this one is still not hard. The hardest part is trying to figure out my explanations ;)

First step is to cut out your bottom piece or pieces. The size, and whether you want an oval or circle bottom, is totally up to you. If you are working with a heavily felted, stiff wool, you will want to cut one piece. Mine was still floppy, so I used 2 pieces for extra stability. I wish I would have used a stiffer wool. It would have involved less steps, and it would have given the basket more stability, and helped it to retain it's shape.


Next, cut 2 strips that together equal the distance around the basket + 1/2" (for seam allowances), and 2 strips of the sweater's ribbing, the same length & thickness (mine were about 2" thick, though it doesn't matter as long as they are all the same thickness).


Set aside the ribbing pieces for now. Take the 2 non ribbed strips, place them together right sides in, and sew the 2 ends. Now you can sew the strips (which now form a circle) to your bottom. I sewed mine so the bottom seam was on the inside, for a cleaner look, but you can make it so the seam is on the outside if you want more stability & it to keep a better shape.


Now you will want to cut strips for the vertical slats of the basket. You can cut them to any length, but the length of the strips will determine the height of the basket. My strips were approximately 6" tall, resulting in a basket height of approximately 9" (6" strips + 2" rim + 2" bottom piece - 1/2" on each end for overlapping to sew). My strips were 2" wide, and I pinned them to the inside of the bottom rim with about 1" in between each one. The number of strips you will need all depends on the size of your basket, the width of the strips, and the space you leave in between each strip (you don't even have to leave a space between the strips). I highly recommend pinning them all in place before sewing, so you know your spacing is ok.


Now sew all the way around, so all of the strips are attached.


Now make some handles. If you are using a thick wool you might only need to cut them to the size you want. Since I had a floppier wool, I used the technique from last year's Easter basket tutorial here. Now take your ribbing pieces that you set aside and sew your handles in the center of each. After you do that, sew the ends togther, and turn right ride out. This is the top of your basket.


Now you can sew the ends of the strips to the top rim, just like you did with them on the bottom. I have no idea why I don't have a picture of this step, but I don't :( . Hopefully you can envision it. Now it's time to make your horizontal slats. If you have a softer felted wool like mine, you will need to make them double thick, so you will need 4 strips for each slat... 2 to equal the girth of the basket, and 2 for the second layer. Mine had 3 double thickness slats, so I needed 12 pieces.

To make each of the 3 slats, I laid each pair horizontal, overlapping 1/2" and sewing where they overlapped. I then sewed 2 of those together, right sides out, to make one long double thick slat.


Now weave the horizontal slats in & out of the vertical slats, overlap the ends a little & pin them together. Once you have all your slats in, you can sew them where they are pinned, and slide your sewn ends behind a vertical slat.

If you wanted a plain basket, you are done! I thought I was, but my son informed me that Easter baskets need to have eggs on them, so I cut some eggs out of colorful scraps I had and hand sewed them on.


I had some felted green in my stash, so I cut some into strips for Easter grass too.


Now I have a cute woven basket...


... to leave out for the Easter Bunny.

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, ReFabulous

This week's theme is a little different! I am still featuring things made from upcycled wool sweaters, but these sweaters have been unraveled before being made into fabulous things! Some call this "frogging" the wool because you "rip-it" at the seams before unraveling, and it is also know as "reclaimed" yarn. Any way you look at it, it's a fabulously green thing to do!

My first yarn reclaimer of the week is Etsy shop ReFabulous. She reclaims wool yarn, & makes dryer balls out of them! I own a wool dryer ball myself, & know from personal experience that they work great. You could buy a pvc dryer ball that was made in China, chock full of chemicals, and harmful to the environment, or a recycled all natural product made by a hard working mom... hmmm. Oh, and the wool ones are quieter too :) If you have a little extra reading time, you can check out the Refabulous blog.

Bloogs blowing by!

"Think of black water. Think up a white sky. Think up a boat. Think of Bloogs blowing by."

My son, 3 years old, loves Dr. Seuss books, and his favorite character of all of them are the bloogs from the book "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think". On any given day you can find him running through a room saying "Bloog, bloog, bloog, bloog, bloog! I'm a bloog blowing by!". He has been sick this past week, so I wanted to make him something special. Last night I made him a Bloog :) The entire bloog is made of cashmere, except the pink hair on top that is lambswool. I even stuffed it with tiny scraps of cashmere that I had left over from prior projects. My son son was thrilled! Guess what book he wanted read to him before his nap? ;)

Pincushions or art?

I love these critters from Etsy shop Lucyslockets. Her animals are made from recycled sweaters (some of them from my shop!), and other upcycled materials, and are just so cute that I can't stop browsing her shop. Her animals are so realistic that I half expect them to start running around at any moment! Not only are they cute, but functional. You will always know where your pins are with one of her critters... unless they are off looking for nuts, or nibbling on some grass. I am in awe of her talent, and shocked at her low prices! Each one of these original, hand stitched, eco friendly, adorable, and useful critters is under $20. I'll be ordering one myself!

Moe Bears!

ETA: I made an error... I said mohair, when it was in fact an alpaca sweater. I got the 2 mixed up for a moment. As a side note, the alpaca sweater that made the bear is in my avatar!


There are more bears in ShopMoeMoe's shop , but these aren't just any bears... they are made from Resweater sweaters! I just love seeing the finished products. I was so curious as to what the mohair one would become, and now I know!

Cute little slippers & shoes!

One of my favorite things made of recycled wool are children's slipper shoes. They are so cute that it's hard to believe that they were once a sad sweater that didn't have a closet to call home! The striped pair are made by the talented Kaboogie. More of her work can be found in her Etsy shop:

Kaboogie Shoes
www.kaboogie.etsy.com




Now these truly deserve the term 'upcycled', because I don't care how lovely the sweater... these are much better off in their second life as Polliwogs slippers. I don't consider Olivia just a wahm or crafter, but an artist. Don't take my word for it... check out these slippers! For more of her work, go to:

Polliwogs
www.hyenacart.com/polliwogs