Just one of those things.

Have you ever got a project stuck in your head and just had to complete it, if not that is all you think about. OK my recent one started with this,I found it in the remnants at Joann's.
Hello, my name is Heida and I have a fabric problem. 'Hi, Heida'. So i bought it and then said to my almost 11 year old, you know this would look cool as________. When you make that statement you have to do it or endure the wrath of questions, millions of questions like when are you going to make ______ ?

So Joann's was having a sale and I bought these to go along with it. Can you see where I am going with this? 

Then my assistant shows up and takes a rest on the supplies. 











I did a little math (very little) to figure out how big the stripes should be, I wanted it to look somewhat realistic but not so much that people would be offended that you were using a flag to cover up with.  I cannot cut a straight line very well so I measured along the whole edge 7.5 inches and then used the white as a guide to cut the red strip.  I did this for the whole thing, so my stripes are not completely accurate but neither am I. 

This is what my boys were doing while I was cutting away. We were at Daddies house and he has the train table. 

So I cut the fleece and then washed it because I am backwards like that.  While we are waiting on that lets look at something else.  This is the scissors case that (long explanation here) the women who tutors my son, mom made for me.  I found a canvas kit at the thrift store but did not have time to do it and didn't want to bog myself down with a new hobby so I asked the tutor if she could do it for me.  She had her Mom do it because she is sometimes bed ridden and likes to keep busy.  The original design was for a parrot but I was not a huge fan so I asked if it could be a recycle symbol instead.  Her Mom was so determined to get it right she googled the symbol because she didn't know what it looked like (how could you not know) and took the yarn it out a few times because it wasn't exactly the way she wanted it.  I thought that was soo sweet of her, and very handy for me.  Now I won't poke myself with scissors when I throw them in my purse. 

Ok, we're back.  I took the stripes of red and white and sewed them together, I didn't want to do a regular seam because I didn't want there to be a back or front to it.  So I just overlapped the material and did a large zigzag.  Then I put it on the floor and realized 'oh, this is where math would have came in handy', but oh well I have scissors.  I was only partly done here, I trimmed and continued sewing, until I ran out of stripes. 

I found this model just laying around so I put him to good use and took a picture.  Now that is on a king sized bed and I didn't even put on the correct amount of stripes, so it is big enough to cover up arms and legs (that is my beef with the throws you buy at the stores that either you can cover your arms or legs but not both). 

This is what the other two were doing while I was finishing.  Sorry about the pants less boy, when we are home (or daddies) the pants don't often stay on. 

This was supposed to be a close up of the seams but you can't really see much, it is not perfect by any means but still looks kind of neat.  My oldest son has already claimed it as his own, although I don't remember giving it to him.

Ant knee shirt

I made this shirt for my oldest son with a freezer stencil, I will not go into detail because there are tons of post out there describing how to do it (much better then I can).  I am very leery of putting my kids names on shirts and such for others to read, call me paranoid but people suck in this world and some are just right in the head.  So if you see in the picture there is an Ant and an arrow pointing at his knee (yes, I know Ant's don't have knees, but use your imagination). 

And this the point I asked the boy to look up so I could get a good shot of him but he was being goofy, then stated that I would probably get last place because no on is going to understand what the shirt means.  Of course that hurt my feelings a little and I said "Well, at least I tried", I was trying to make it into one of those life lesson things.  That you never know or learn anything unless you try.  Even if I fail, I learned something from the experience.   Don't you just love almost eleven year old (yes, technically he is 10 but if you ask him he will say he is almost eleven)?

Recycle Boys shirt

To make this shirt

My boys love puzzles, every single one of them, I wanted to do a shirt that I know they would love and would drive them crazy because they couldn't fix it.





Now you could do this shirt with any design I just love this shirt, I found them at Meijer for the younger two.  I wish they would grow with the boys but that is not how clothes work.  This one is a 12 month shirt, I still have another one that I get to play with.  yippee!

 

I took this puzzle, again, you could take any puzzle, as you can see the babies like to throw the pieces around. 

Take a few pieces, anyone you would like and put them on the back, that way you don't have to draw over the design and try to see the lines through the design.  I am using a fabric marker that washes away and most often fades in a couple of hours. 

Now I did this next step then thought I should have done it a little differently but hind sight is 20/20.  Either way it worked out just fine.  I cut the pieces out of the shirt then I put them back together and ironed the wonder under to it.  I assume ironing the wonder under to it and then cutting it out would work just as well. 

Then you take this stuff, which is called Wonder Under, important to know so when you go to the store at the last minute cause you thought you still had some at home but ran out (or misplaced it), the clerk won't look at you strangely.  This version is a light bond with the intent that you are going to re-enforce by sewing it on as well.  I use this because it it double sided and since the puzzle pieces are small and would bunch if you tried to wing it and the pins would be in the way.  There is a stronger version as well but I like to sew as well because I know my boys will try to pick the pieces off to put them in the right spots. 

Follow the directions on the piece of plastic, trust me if you do them wrong it really doesn't work right.  I read the directions every time I use it just in case I forgot from the last time. 

Take your shirt that you have picked out of your son's drawer because you realized that he has way too many shirts for one little boy, I decided to stick with the green because it ties into the recycle theme that I am going for. 

Decide how you want your pieces to go on the shirt, do you want to have it somewhat put together with a couple pieces out, or do you want it all put together or all apart?  Play around but always remember no matter how you do it, someone will always suggest the opposite way.  :) 

Take off the paper backing, it is time to commit to the spot.  Put your pieces into place and strike while the iron is hot. 

If you are  reusing a shirt, be sure to use a pressing cloth to cover the design so you don't melt it to your iron.  I couldn't find my pressing cloth so I used a piece of muslin, it worked just as well. I will say that I had to hold the iron longer then the recommended time in the directions because it was not adhering to the shirt.  I say go with your gut here and check often. 

And then take the advice of the employee at Joann's and cut the rest of your heat bond into page size pieces stick them in your binder that you know you have of projects you will do when you have time and put a copy of the directions so that you remember what it is and what it is for.  So you won't be searching at the last minute for what you thought you had to begin with. 

I posted this and then realized that I forgot to mention I sewed the pieces on the shirt, I have no pictures of the process because I didn't want anyone to see the horrendous mess on my sewing table.  I did it very slow and turned the wheel with my hand most of the time because the little peninsula shaped pieces make me nervous and I wanted it to look kinda nice.  I also don't have a close up of the stiching, but I used green thread because I wanted there to be a definition.

 Then you go and get this really goofy four year old and ask him to put on the shirt and come outside so you can take a picture of him in it.  Continue to snap away as he works on his hand modeling poses. 





This one is a quacking duck, do you see it?