Night Owl's Menagerie

I mustache you to read this

2011-12-26T17:56:00.002-06:00

Would you like to make a weighted mustache bookmark? They are great for shaving your place. hehe. I have been wanting a bookmark that will help weigh down the pages of some of my instructional books. I couldn't find what I wanted and remembered a bookmark I had seen a long time ago that was shaped like the number eight. Inspiration struck me and I decided a mustache shape would be much more fun. Right?

This is a quick tutorial which means no pattern, but I know you can draw at least half a mustache and that's really all you need to be able to do. What you will need for this project is a non fraying, medium weight fabric. I used a faux leather I found in the clearance section of my local fabric store. Faux suede, vinyl, anything similar to that will work really well for this project. You also need weights. I used 1.5" washers I found at the hardware store for 20 cents each. You don't want too big of a washer or you will have a ginormous bookmark. But you don't want small ones either. If you end up with smaller washers, then you can stack two on top of each other for a better weighted bookmark. I tried using the plastic beads that people use to stuff bean bags with. Those work for weight but you end up with a bumpy stache. Which isn't cool.

I would prefer this tutorial to be used for personal use only. If you feel like sharing, I would appreciate a link back or credit to this site. I am happy to link you back. I don't mind if people want to make these for profit, I would just like some credit. It did take me a full day to do this. :)

List of items needed:

Medium weight, non fraying fabric like faux suede, pleather or vinyl.
2 to 4 weights like metal washers found at the hardware store. Approximately 1.5" in size.
sewing machine and matching thread in bobbin
a pencil or marker
scissors

First, trace your pattern. I used a piece of card stock, laid the washer down for a general size reference and then folded it in half and traced one half of the pattern. Then I proceeded to cut the folded paper so I would have a full sized mustache pattern.

Make sure the washers will fit with a nice amount of room. It's nice to have some room for them to slide around a bit which helps distribute the weight on pages that do not want to stay open.

Then cut out your pieces. You will need two. It's easier to fold the piece in half and cut. That way you can make sure the sides are even and it takes less time.

Then lay your two matching pieces together right sides facing out. You will not be turning and topstitching. Just stitching along the outside of the fabric. If you do not own a sewing machine, hand sewing could certainly be an option.

Make sure you have matching thread in your bobbin, and start sewing the two pieces together starting at the bottom of the left curl of the stache. I did not use pins because they leave holes in this type of fabric. The pieces are small enough to keep under control when sewing, but if you are worried about them slipping, then you can use a touch of water based stick glue on the inside between the two pieces. Just make sure you do not put any where you will be stitching or you risk gumming up the needle. Go slow and take your time. You want to make sure you catch both pieces in your stitching.

Once you have reached the other side of the mustache, you can slip one (or two if you are stacking two) washers in between the two pieces on the right side. (see diagram 1)

Do not pick up the needle. Just slide the weights in between and push them toward the top of the curve so you will have plenty of room to sew. Then continue sewing until you reach the middle of the bottom left curve. Stop your machine again and slide the other weight (or weights) in and push to the top of the curve to allow more room to sew. (see diagram 2)

Then continue to where you started and backstitch. You should have a cute mustache with weights inside. Trim around stitching to even it all out.

Here it is being used to weigh down a cookbook. Also works great on textbooks and magazines. You can adjust the size and amount of weights for your needs. In the picture below, I cut a smaller one out and glued it to some stiff cardboard to use as a regular bookmark. That one is on top, then the middle one has two small weights in it, and the bottom one has four.

Thank you! Happy sewing.

Pssssst!

Stay tuned next week for a short tutorial on how to make fun scissor holders like these.

The Gaga Poinsettia pattern and tutorial

2011-12-19T17:03:00.001-06:00

I designed this flower to go on awreath I was making for the Holidays. About halfway through withsewing, I realized this was the biggest, flashiest fabric flower Ihad ever seen. To my surprise, people liked it. So I am sharingthe pattern and giving instructions on how to make this flashy flowerthat I personally think Lady Gaga would love to wear as an accessory. This pattern and tutorial took a long time to put together. Please use for personal use only and if you share the pattern, share the link or give credit back please. I'd be happy to share your link as well. Thank you.

What you will need to make this lovelydecoration.

Approximately a 1/2 a yard of fabric. If you plan on using several different fabrics for the petals, you will need approximately ¼ of a yard of each fabric.

Medium to heavyweight fusible interfacing. You can use sew in interfacing as well, but it is much easier with the fusible.

One large button. Any style will do, however I personally like the four hole button style for this pattern.

A sewing machine, scissors, straight pins, hand needle and matching thread. I recommend a embroidery needle which is larger and thicker. It will be easier to use through the layers of fabric.

A thimble. Yes, you need to search for that old sewing kit you received long ago and get that thimble out. There are quite a few layers of fabric and interfacing you will be hand sewing through and you will thank me. :)

wire, wire cutters and needle nose pliers. (optional) You can use floral wire that is available in most grocery/goods stores. You can also use jewelry wire. I used 20 gauge jewelry wire in my flowers.

The pattern. Which is HERE. You need to make 3 copies if you are using all three sizes.

Step 1: Cut out your pieces.

This is where you decide how manypetals you want for each size. I used five for the largest size,then five for the medium, 4 for the small in this example. Feel freeto experiment with different amounts. Just remember to cut 2 offabric for each petal and one of interfacing.

Step 2: Iron on the interfacing.

If you are using fusible interfacing,now is the time to iron it on to your petal piece. Remember you areusing one cut of interfacing for each petal.

Step 3 sew petals together

Alright, get crackalacking on sewing up all thepetals. Put right sides together, pin, and sew from the bottom edgeup to the point, pivot, and sew down the other side. Use a ¼ inchseam allowance. You will leave the bottom open for turning. Clip thetop point, careful not to clip the stitches. This will make the pointlook nice on the outside once you turn it. I usually sew all thepetals together first, then turn them. (see diagram 1)

Pardon me while I ninja spam my latest creation and product. (Psst, it's the stamp.) :)

Step 4. Turn and topstitch

Turn all the petals right side out. Tuck the raw edges at the bottom of the petal inside then iron. Next, topstitch close to the edge. I use a ¼ inch seam allowance. For the medium and small petals, you only need to stitch from bottomof left side up to the tip and then down to the bottom right. Forthe large petal, if you plan to use the wire, then you need to stitcha path for it, which is easy enough to do when topstitching. (seediagram 2) Start at the bottom middle and stitch one way up to about½ inch from the tip of the petal, then down again to the bottom,leaving a ¼ to ½ inch space between stitches for the wire path.

TIP: When topstitching your medium and small petals, to save time and thread, you can chainstitch on the machine. As soon as you stitch the bottom of one petal, place another one under the needle with only a stitch or two in between. Example in the diagram below.

Step 5. Insert the wire.(optional) Skip to step 6 if you are not using wire.

Once you have stitched a path for thewire to go, grab your wire pieces and small needlenose or similarpliers. You will use one cut of wire for each large petal. Eachpiece of wire needs to be approximately 13 inches long. It's okay ifit's too long for now. Take one end and with your pliers, bend thewire into a loop and then wrap the end back around the wire so therewon't be a sharp piece of wire sticking through your fabric. Thenslip the wire into the stitched path you made. (see diagram 3) Bendthe bottom part of the wire into a small loop. Do this for all of thelarge petals. Also make sure you use flat needle nose pliers. I used rounded because I couldn't find my other pair. Flat is much easier to use.

Step 6. Shape your petals.

For the Medium and Small petals, tomake the petals have a nice curve shape to them, you need to pinchthe bottom of the petals between your fingers and using needle andthread, hand stitch the two sides together to create a curved effect. (see diagram 4 and pictures below.)

to the left.

Back to the right.

And you have a bunny ear! Or a petal with a little bit of shape to it.

Step 7. Position and sew your petalstogether.

I hand sew this part. For the record, Ihave terrible hand sewing skills. (So no judging.) But the beauty of this is thelarge button will cover up all those ugly stitches. So if you arehand sewing challenged like myself, no worries! Start with the largepetals and spread them out the way you want them to look. You will most likely wnt to overlap these and sew through them to make the base nice and secure. Now takethe wires that you loosely had looped into circles on the ends, andloop them all together, so the are attached. (see diagram 6) Seweach layer of petals together separately.

Step 8. Sew the button on.

This is when you will want to find a nice long movie to watch or maybe something you can do in the car (as a passenger) on a long road trip. Grab that thimble. Now stack all three layers together andsew the button on the top, connecting all three layers. Make sureyou get all layers and go through the wire loops to secure theflower. (see diagram 7) Once you have done that you have completedyour Gaga flower.

Nice Job!

There is one extra part you can do to cover up the exposed wire on the back.

Proceed to diagrams and photos........

This is where I will repeat that I am not good at hand sewing. So proceed with no high expectations of Martha-like hand sewing.

Cut out a circle that is roughly 3 inches by 3 inches. You can use felt or another type of fabric that will not fray and whip stitch or glue it on and be done. If you want to torture yourself... keep reading.

Cut out three 3" x 3" circles and then cut two of them slighly more than in half. Fold the straight edges to the wrong side of the fabric and machine stitch it like a hem.

Then lay the pieces right sides together. The two half pieces will form a small sham opening for easy turning. (yes I went to extra steps to be lazy.) Stitch together in a complete circle and trim extra seam allowance.

Turn it and then you can slip a wooden clothespin or a binder clip like I used for hanging your ginormous flower you made. I machine stitched a little pocket for the metal handle to fit in and then hand stitched it to secure.

Then take your circle and handstitch it to the back to cover the exposed wire. The petals do look off on the back but that is from me arranging them to overlap to keep the petals secure.

Backview of the flower clipped in place.

These would be great as sunflowers or in patriotic colors for the summer. You also could make them smaller by only using the medium and small sizes but maybe more petals to make it fuller.

Thank you for reading. I hope if you do attempt one of these, you will share. Thank you!

Free Santa and Holiday Stationary

2009-12-16T12:24:00.002-06:00

I recently made a letter to Santa that your child can write on, fold it and it becomes it's own envelope. I had fun making it and I thought I would give it as a gift. It would be best to print on cardstock paper. I would love to hear what you think.
You can download it HERE

I also made another card that turns into an envelope to add into your packages or if you only need to send one or two holiday letters this year. Again, it would be best to print on cardstock paper.

Download it HERE

I'm by no means a professional at this. I draw to relax and have some fun. The directions on how to cut and fold are included in the files, but if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Have fun!

The Thankful Tree Placemat Project

2009-11-17T15:12:00.018-06:00

Here is a little project just in time for Thanksgiving. My friend needed a craft project for her son's cub scout meeting, so I helped her out by making these printable sheets to create a thankful tree placemat. I had a lot of fun creating it and I thought this might be a fun craft for others so I am sharing the free coloring pages and the tutorial with everyone.

The pictures below are my own attempt at making the placemat. Boy, it has been a while since I've gotten out the crayons and paste! I know there are more creative people out there than me and I would love to see your pictures of placemats you make from using this tutorial and I will post them on my blog. The printable thankful tree outline and leaves are at the end of this tutorial.

List of supplies needed:

*Colorful construction paper or scrapbook paper

*printouts of the thankful tree and leaves

*scissors - plain and or shaped scrapbook type

*glue - stick glue works pretty well for this project

*crayons, markers, or colored pencils

*pen or permanent marker to write on the leaves

*A laminator or clear contact paper to seal your picture

Step 1: color your tree and leaves.

Have some fun coloring your tree and writing out what you are thankful for on the leaves. This is where you can get really creative. Writing on and coloring the leaves before cutting them out makes the task much easier. We found that by coloring on the tile floor with crayons, a very fun texture was added to the leaves and bark on the tree. You could also cut out outlines for your leaves for a double effect. Photographs of the ones you love would be great to add to your tree as well.

Step 2: Add a border around the page.

This is so the final placemat will be a bit bigger than the coloring page of the tree. I used construction paper that I used scalloped shaped scrapbook scissors to trim around the edges, but any type of decorated or colored paper would work. I found that I could get four 2 inch strips from one piece of paper, which worked perfect. Then I used my glue stick and glued the edges of the border to the edges of the main paper.

Step 3: Cut out leaves and glue to tree.

I don't need to go into more detail than that right?

The tree is now decorated and has a border! Yay! Now to get it sealed so it can be used as a placemat.

Step 4: Seal your placemat.

If you have a laminator then this part will be much easier. I do not have a laminator so I used clear contact paper to seal my placemat. First, roll out a bit of contact paper and lay your picture over it to measure how much you will need to cut. You will want to cut it at least a half inch larger on all sides. You will be able to trim the excess after you have finished sealing it.

Sidenote: I decided I needed more color so I cut out some leaves to add to the border and make my placemat a bit bigger. So you will see some weird looking leaves around the border. hee.

Once you have cut out your piece of contact paper, go ahead and cut out another piece the same size. Then peel the paper backing off of one piece, put it on your work surface, sticky side up and lay your thankful tree on top of it.

Then peel just about an inch or two off of the paper backing on the second sheet of clear contact paper and line it up with the top of your picture and stick it to the picture, smoothing out the wrinkles. Take your time and slowly peel the rest of the paper off of the contact paper one or two inches at a time, stopping to smooth out wrinkles. I used a rolling pin, which worked pretty well.

*** Added note: If a leaf was overlooked and did not make it onto the placemat, you can make a pretty decent patch by cutting out a square of contact paper, stick it to the leaf, then smooth it onto the placemat.

Finally, trim around your placemat with regular or shaped scissors and you are ready to use it on Thanksgiving day!

Have fun and share your pictures!

Here is the link to download the printable Thankful Tree and leaves.

**Please note: the Thankful Tree needs to be printed in LANDSCAPE format on your printer.

Thankful Tree pdf

Leaves pdf

Here are the two placemats my kids finished. They are so excited, they have already used them for dinner. The contact paper makes it very easy to wipe off any messes with a damp cloth.

A father's day remote control holder

2009-06-22T12:33:00.004-05:00

I wanted to make something for my husband for Father's Day that was from the kids but also something he can use. He likes only utilitarian gifts so I had a challenge as to what I could make for him. Since we are always looking for the remote controls, I thought a remote control holder would be useful and I could put the kid's hand prints on it. I was very sure of myself that I could hand embroider the images but alas, my hand embroidering stinks. I had to scrap that and go for a double stitch on the sewing machine. I wanted the pillow to look nice and blend into our living room furniture. So I went for a subtle design. I made it out of some suede cloth scraps I had. It was easy to make and he loved it.

If there is any interest in a tutorial, I'd be happy to add one. This would make a nice birthday or anniversary gift as well.

How to make a sewn dryer ball from recycled materials

2008-12-03T15:04:00.034-06:00

Here is another version on how to make your own dryer balls instead of using those loud and environment unfriendly PVC filled plastic ones from the store or stinky tennis balls. This version offers a solution to what to do with your scraps and it uses less yarn than the other wool dryer balls you can make. Plus you can make these scented and you can refresh the scent very easily if you leave an opening in the panels.

What is the purpose of dryer balls? Mainly to help separate the laundry as it's drying so it can dry faster instead of rolling around in one big wad. I never have experienced a complete disappearance of static from using these, even from the the store bought plastic ones. But I do think there is a decreased amount of static than without using any dryer balls.

This is also a great way to recycle. Because this is about saving money and having greener or more environment friendly homes. You can use recycled felted wool sweaters and cheap wool yarn or if you are allergic to wool, you can use 90-100% cotton sweaters, or any type of 100% cotton fabric that is stretchy. Like cotton sweatshirt fleece. The goal is to use natural fibers though or at least in this tutorial. Of course you can experiment with whatever you choose.

One more thing before I get to the instructions. You can use this tutorial to make dryer balls for sale, however, I would prefer you make them as gifts or charge a very low cost for them. Because the idea here is to help make greener homes not greener wallets. I'm a realist though and I know that just saying don't make these for profit doesn't do very much. So instead, I give you a motherly guilt trip, to keep your prices low and focus on the bigger picture not the bigger amount in your PayPal balance. I would also appreciate a credit link back to me.

Now for the instructions and pictures. First a materials list.

You will need:

1-2 recycled felted wool sweaters. (you do need to prefelt in the washer and dryer) If it is a large sweater you can usually make 4 to 5 dryer balls. If avoiding wool; cotton sweaters or midweight stretchy cotton fabric.

1 skein of 100% wool yarn if using all wool. (not superwash) Or 1-2 skeins of 100% cotton yarn if using all cotton or non wool fibers.

scissors or a rotary blade

cutting mat, sewing machine, needle and thread.

Step 1. Make your pattern.

The pattern I made is for about a 10 inch in diameter ball. For size reference, it is approximately the same size as the plastic dryer balls you can buy at the store. It is 4 inches from tip to tip and 1.5 inches at the widest point. If you are using non stretch fabric, you need to add a seam allowance of 1/4 an inch all around. (note that this can be a messy process with some wool sweaters so I am using my old rotary mat - make sure you use a well covered surface or an area you don't mind getting messy.)

Step 2. Cut out your pieces.

Take your sweater or recycled piece and cut out six pieces. I try to make sure the stretch is going from side to side but I have squeezed a few pieces out of fabric with the stretch going up and down and haven't had much trouble sewing it. Just remember, these are going to live in your dryer, so they don't have to be fancy, just functional. And save all of your scraps! You will need those later.

Step 3. Sew your pieces.

Take two pieces and put them right sides together. Pin them if your fabric looks like it's going to slide around while you sew. For simplicity's sake in this tutorial, I'm sewing all pieces except the last one, from one tip to the other. There are other ways to sew a ball, but I think this is the easiest. You don't need to be perfect. Sew from tip to tip, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. you can do a straight stitch or stretch stitch. Make sure you backstitch your first and last stitch so the seams do not come undone.

Next, take your third piece and put it right sides together to one of the other wedges. Sew from point to point. continue to do this until you have 5 of your pattern pieces sewn together.

When you get to your last piece, keeping your ball right side out, put right sides together, pin and sew only a half inch down on end. Then go to the other point and sew a half inch towards the center. You want to leave enough room to fit your yarn core into the ball.

You are finished with the machine sewing part. Now you have a dryer ball that needs to be filled.

Step 4. Making the core of your drying ball.

So remember those scraps you saved? Now it's time to use them. You want to cut any big pieces into strips about an inch or two wide and about 4 inches long. You can have smaller pieces than that however if you wish.

Get out your yarn and gather as much of the scraps that you can in your hand and start wrapping the yarn around the wad of scraps.

Wrap the yarn around the scraps until you can't see them anymore.

Tie a knot in the yarn and then push it into the sewn ball.

Get out your needle and thread and hand sew the opening closed.

Now, your ball should weigh approximately the same as a tennis ball if you used enough scraps and yarn. If your yarn ball fits in snugly with just enough room to sew the opening closed, you should have the right weight of a dryer ball.

You are finished! I suggest using about 4-5 dryer balls at a time. However you can experiment with different amounts to see what works for you. If you like scented dryer balls, you can put a small sachet of potpourri in the core of your yarn ball. Leave a small opening when you hand stitch the dryer ball closed and you can use a dropper full of essential oil and stick it into the core to re scent the dryer ball when the fragrance fades.

Look! He looks pretty happy to have a new life as a dryer ball!

The light colored dryer ball on the right is made from 100% cotton yarn and fabric.

Happy Sewing!

How to make a recycled pin cushion with a lid - quick and easy

2008-09-19T21:32:00.005-05:00

So you have small children, a pet who likes to get into your sewing notions or maybe you like to take your work with you in the car or when you travel. What about your pincushion? My kids have always been fascinated with the "bootiful" pins I use. So making a pincushion with a lid made the pretty pins not so much a temptation. Plus, when I want to do some hand sewing in the car, I can carry along my pincushion without the fear of a sewing bag full of loose pins.

This is a quick and easy version. You can most certainly take your time, look around for the right container and make a breathtaking covered pincushion. Or you can just do it and start using it. I'll show you the latter of the two. What you will need: A plastic container with a lid, a utility knife or scissors, duct tape, spray adhesive like Elmer's Craft Bond, a glue gun, scrap of fabric, ribbon, a scrap of an old sweater or fleece, stuffing for your pincushion, scissors, pins, thread, sewing machine, needle and some time to yourself.

First, raid your pantry or your friend's or relatives for a container with a lid. Or if you are lucky like I was and receive a gift in one of those small decorated metal containers you have your work done for you. But let's say you don't have any people in your life that like to give you gifts that come in snazzy little metal tins. So let's go back to the pantry. In this tutorial, I used a crystal light container, or probably the generic version to make my pin cushion holder. Anything that is structurally sound, not too large and has a lid will do. I also used one of those
metal containers of flavored instant coffee for a pincushion and that is a great size too.

Step 1.

So you have your container. If it's too tall you can cut it down and tape it back together. Because you know everything can be put together with duct tape. well, in this case packing tape. I used a utility knife to score the plastic then cut with a pair of utility scissors. Be careful cutting and use your common sense. yada yada.

Now don't be frightened by the pictures. You will be covering up the Frankenstein work you did on the container and the pincushion will hide it on the inside.

Step 2.

It's time to decorate your re sized container. Measure the height and width of the container. Add 1/2" to both the height and width. Find some fabulous scrap of fabric and cut it out. Now take it to the ironing board and fold in your edges by 1/4" of an inch on both sides. Iron your edges down for a nice crease. Do the same thing on one side on the length of the fabric. I added a second layer of fabric on mine since the cherry print is rather thin.

Now open up your windows or go outside and use your spray adhesive on the fabric and stick it on the container. You can also use a hot glue gun to glue it, just make sure you smooth out the glue so it doesn't dry bumpy looking. Leave the end that you folded over and ironed unsealed for now.

Find some ribbon you can use to cover your edges. You don't have to use ribbon but I think it adds to the charm a bit. I used 3/8" ribbon. Just measure the circumference and add 1/4" to know how much ribbon you need. Cut two pieces. Hot glue them in place, starting at the end that has been left unglued. Tuck the ribbon slightly under the seam and then glue it around the edge on both the top and bottom. When you get to the end of the ribbon, fold it under the seam and glue in place. Do this on both top and bottom then glue the whole seam down. Let me confuse you by showing you a completely different container since I did not get a good picture of the main one in this tutorial.

Step 3.

Whoo-hoo. Your container is finished and you can move on to the construction of the pin cushion. I really like using old sweaters or fleece for these. It's cheap and the fabric is usually thick and stretchy. Cut out a rectangle using the measurement of the circumference and the height of the container and add 1/4" for your side seam. That will be the body of the pincushion. Then trace two circles using your container as a pattern. These will be the top and bottom of your pincushion.

Sew your side seam together using a 1/4" seam with right sides together. Then take one of the circles you cut out and pin right sides together in circle to the end of the tube. This is tricky to visualize, I tried to take a decent picture of how it's pinned. Then sew the end to the tube. Then sew the second circle piece to the other end but leave a half of an inch to turn. Trim your excess fabric and then turn your tube right side out. Stuff your pincushion. You can use any kind of batting. Natural would be better but of course not necessary. I love to get raw wool that still has the oil from the sheep on it. I think it makes the pins slide into the fabric easier. I also will use shredded wool sweaters from my other projects to stuff my pincushions. I'm all for recycling and saving a trip to the store for stuffing. Now you can hand sew your opening closed. It does not need to look pretty because it will be on the inside bottom. Yay! You can be sloppy and it doesn't matter!

Wow. that was a lot of steps but look at your cool pincushion with a lid!!

Once you get the idea of it, you will see the possibility in other types of containers you have around the house. Have fun, recycle and keep those pins away from the kids and the pets.