The Mother Lode

Crafts and Crochet

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Simple Sewing Patterns for Beginners

So to let you know that I am not a sewing genius: my original intention for this post was to be a pattern/tutorial of my own! Alas the finished product does not look awesome, so it will be back to the drawing board, er sewing machine. In the meantime, I want to share these simple patterns that even I thought were easy! They can help you learn some sewing skills and feel the rush of accomplishment from making something yourself. (A feeling I am not having right now!)

First is this versatile and easy fleece hat pattern. I’ve actually even made it with a knit fabric once for a costume and it turned out nicely! This pattern is so easy to follow. The pattern pieces print on four sheets of paper. You trim and tape the sheets together. Then cut two pieces of fleece and follow the directions for sewing. It is a VERY forgiving pattern and one of the first things I ever made. I was making Pokemon costumes for my sons about 3 years ago and the pattern called for a complicated hood. I was having trouble with it and decided to hunt for an easy hat pattern and landed on this! There are many cool things you could do to personalize this hat. I just made a 101 Dalmatians one from fleece for my 6 yr old and it is becoming a favorite for wearing under a hood when it is very cold outside. The fleece website the pattern is from has many options, too!

Next is this pattern for an adorable super hero cape for your little one! I had so much fun making these for my kids. The first one I made out of an old Virginia Tech shirt of my husbands and it was so cute! Since then I made a few for my nieces and I just made one this past Halloween to dress up my 4 year old like Batman. It was so cute and he just told me the other day he wants to take it for his next show and tell at school.

Baby items are fun to make and personalize them with funky fabric. I made a Mickey Mouse lovey blanket for a family member and it was very simple and one of my favorite makes. I also liked making this pacifier clip for my own baby and I think we actually used it with my third one as well. I liked the clip on it because it was strong but not easy for them to get pinched with.

My kids still love this tiny pillow I made for the first long car ride when they were little! It’s so easy and cozy. They play with their stuffed animals with it, sleep with it occasionally, and we’ve used it in the car many times. Somehow I’ve managed to not make anymore of them, but we are heading to the Outer Banks this summer for vacation and that means at least an 8 hour car ride so I think I better get busy!

My last one to share is a heat pack! I love this pattern and I’ve made so many. You can make them in all different sizes. In the fall, I made a new one for my dad and with the leftover scraps, I made two little bean bag sized ones for when my boys get an ear infection. My 3 year old won’t sleep without it right now as he and I both just can’t kick the sinus congestion from a cold!

What are some easy sewing patterns you like? Share them with me in the comments!

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Guide to Quick Kid Costume DIY

Halloween is coming! I love dressing the kids up in fun costumes. (I may also enjoy dressing us all up as a family.) This year I admittedly wasn’t into it. We recently moved and My sewing supplies are completely disorganized. SO we are going with a re-wear for my youngest with an alligator we had and a hand-me-down lion costume for my oldest from my in-laws.

My 3 year old son on the other hand is determined to be a ghost. Everything I could purchase is too scary, so I knew I was going to break down and use the sewing machine. I thought I had a white fleece blanket somewhere in my giant pile of fabrics to be recycled and it was NOWHERE to be found. I moved to Plan B and found the bride of Frankenstein I had made on the fly for myself two years ago. It was an old long sleeve white t shirt with a long strip of fabric attached at the shoulders and two long pieces attached at the back. I basically trimmed it to fit my son, hand stitched a felt face on, and made a VERY fast white hat. DONE. It was seriously a total of 45 minutes to accomplish this and he loves it. Here are my tips for easy ways to throw your own costume together!

  1. Re-use old costumes in a different way (Like I did, cutting up an old costume and adding different elements.)
  2. Think about what everyday items you have on hand that could be used. I’m thinking cotton balls (steam, animal fluff), aluminum foil (candy, robot), plastic bags/newspaper (to stuff and reshape clothing)
  3. Search the house for old clothing that no one is wearing. What can you do with that old pair of pink corduroy pants? (I turned mine into a piglet costume a few years ago for my then 6 month old.)  
  4. What fun costume only requires regular clothing and a headpiece that you could make with hot glue, some felt, and a cheap headband or hat from the dollar store? I’m thinking animals and TV characters.
  5. Hot glue and felt are your friends. I made Tigger and a honey pot one year solely by hot gluing felt onto old clothing. (We had a Winnie the Pooh theme, clearly.)
  6. Hats are unbelievably simple to sew. Cut two pieces from the pattern and run through the sewing machine four times. That’s it! Here is the link for an easy, free, downloadable pattern from Fleece Fun. I made fleece ones last year for my kids Pokémon costumes and yesterday whipped up a white one with scrap pieces of knit and that worked, also! 

Comment with some of your ideas for easy costume DIY! 

Our family as Winnie the Pooh (re-used from my hubby’s childhood), Piglet (made out of old pink corduroy pants), Tigger and the “Hunny” pot made from old shirts, felt, and hot glue. 

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