Personalized Handmade Muslin Blanket and How to Cut a Large Image

New babies are the absolute best aren't they? It's so hard sometimes to remember how small those babes are when they are first born, such teeny tiny little hands and feet! My newest niece was born last week. Sweet little Lottie James. She's baby girl number three for my brother and sister in law and she's got plenty of hand me downs so I thought she needed a little something personalized just for her. I made a muslin swaddle blanket {like I did for this project}, and used stretch heat transfer vinyl instead of normal heat transfer vinyl. Read more and I will tell you why.

The best part about having a Silhouette is that there are unlimited possibilities for what you can create. You can make just about anything that you want on almost any surface. I am a bit out of the baby loop since my youngest son is nearly 11, but when I was at Magnolia Market this past winter {read more about my visit here}, I saw a beautiful muslin baby blanket with the sweetest Bible verse on it. I don't even remember the verse, but the idea for the blanket stayed with me and with my niece's arrival, I finally got to make one.

I ordered my vinyl from Pro World because they have everything! Muslin is a very thin material, so you don't want a heavy heat transfer vinyl being used on it because it will weigh it down. Instead, I ordered the Siser Easy Weed stretch vinyl in black. It cut like butter in my Silhouette and the best part is that it doesn't weigh the blanket down.

Remember how fun it was so spin those huge display wheels filled with bike license plates with personalized names on them when you were a kid? It was usually hit or miss if I found one with my name on it {my husband Mike, not so much. Easy score every time.}, but my guess is little Miss Lottie won't find her name personalized on anything. Again, another bonus of owning your own cutting machine.

When cutting vinyl of a large surface {this blanket is 42x42},  I always set my Silhouette cutting mat in the design software to the size the item is that I am cutting. If you look closely, you can see the outline of the 12x12 cutting mat at the top left. Doing this, just gives you an idea of how the text size will look on the item you are making.

I knew I wanted to curve the name, so I made an oval and sat her name on top of it. The oval doesn't cut.

Once you have all of your design made, then you can start moving your cut images around so that they fit on the space to be cut.  You will probably have to change the length {mine is 30" long}, but all of the cut images are on the roller to be cut {a Silhouette must have!} and not a whole lot of material will be wasted. 

Always remember when cutting HTV that the shiny side goes down and that you need to mirror your image!

Because it was such a large space, I put my iron on the floor in my bathroom and did my application there. For more tips on how to cut and use heat transfer vinyl, see this post.

Now, let's get back to looking at cute little babies shall we.

If you don't have a Silhouette Cameo, I highly recommend it. It will seriously change your crafting game. If you need to stock up on vinyl go check out Pro World. Give the stretch vinyl a try. It's perfect for those delicate projects since it's the lightest vinyl out there or if you are making any project that needs a little stretch like an athletic style shirt.

dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

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How to Make Zipper Bracelets

I've been blogging for a really long time. {I think blog years are similar to dog years.} Through those years I've created a lot of projects. Some of those projects just haven't gotten the love that I think that they deserve. Many have barely been seen, because when I wrote them I had like four people reading my blog. I have a few new readers and I don't want my new friends to miss out on some of these projects because I think they are pretty stellar, so I'm refreshing some of them. I'm bringing them out of the archives for you to enjoy.  Coincidentally, I'm conveniently leaving some of those not so great projects hidden in the archives. You can find them on your own but boy oh boy I'm not bringing them back into the light! Some of those need to get buried far deep down {ahem...pipe cleaner tree} and never seen again. 

I'm starting with this zipper bracelet tutorial because I love my arm candy and because these bracelets cost me next to nothing, which is my favorite price for a project.

I am a craft supply hoarder. I love my garage sales during the summer and I find that it's the best time to pick up craft supplies. Sometimes, like this time, those supplies sit in my closet or in a drawer for weeks, even years before they get used.

There aren't many people that sew anymore, so finding vintage zippers like these are usually easy to come by at an estate sale for cheap. I picked them up for about a dime a piece. My favorite zipper to use are the 7" jean zippers. I like the brass on them and the thickness of the zipper makes for a nice substantial bracelet. Don't have a garage sale? You can buy a zipper instead. 

I don't make jewelry often, but I do have needle and round nose pliers that are helpful to make and fix jewelry. Consider getting a set. You will also need cup chain ends, jump rings, clasps and charms {optional}.  All of these materials I usually have on hand because when you buy them, you usually have to buy them in bulk.

Start by cutting off the ends of your zipper.

Next, cut as close as you can to the zipper cutting off the material on the sides.

Once you cut your seams, light a candle and hold your zipper over the flame to seal the sides of the fabric. Be careful because your zipper will be hot!

Use a cupchain to secure the end of your zipper. You can even use a dot of glue to make sure it holds in place.

Slide on a jump ring, your charm if you are using it and a clasp. Close your jump ring with your pliers.  Your clasp will fit into the hole at the end of your zipper. 

Pretty snazzy right? You can layer your bracelets for even more awesomeness because one can never have too much arm candy.  If you want to see the original tutorial with even more step by step photos, you can find the post here.

Don't miss the thousands of posts I have in my archives. You can find a "search this blog" bar on the right, or find popular labels to search. dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

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How to Make your Own Drop Cloth Banner

I'm always on the look out for easy to make projects that don't cost a whole lot of money to create. I picked up an inexpensive drop cloth from our local Home Depot with the idea of making a banner months ago. I just hadn't gotten around to it until I found a sign hanger at our local dollar store. You all know how much I love the dollar store and finding that hanger was the kick in the pants I needed to get creative and get sewing! 

I'm so glad I did, because I love how it turned out. I created a few banners and the drop cloth is large enough to make many more banners for any season or occasion. Each banner took me about ten minutes to make. It's a project that is easy to tackle during nap time. 

Project materials:

 drop cloth {I got mine from Home Depot}
sign hanger {I got mine from the dollar store} or dowel/stick
heat transfer vinyl or paint
sewing machine
iron

I started by cutting out my banner from the drop cloth. I made mine 12" wide by 13" long. You can cut yours any size depending on how you want to use it.

When I sew, I use my iron to crease my seams to make sewing easier. I started by folding over the top seam about an inch. It has to be wide enough to fit your hanger through. Keep that in mind if you are using something thicker like a stick to hang your banner.

Then, I turned in my side seams about a half an inch. Once those were ironed in place, I folded the bottom into a point meeting the two sides in the middle. I ironed that down to keep that seam flat.

I cut the extra fabric off the ends of the point.

Starting with the top cuff, I started sewing my seams.

Once the banner was finished, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut my heat transfer vinyl.  For a full tutorial on how to cut heat transfer vinyl like a pro, check out this tutorial.

My oldest son has committed to going to Baylor University in the fall as an incoming freshman. I figured it was time to start speaking Texan.

If you have a Silhouette and you haven't been downloading their free shapes every week, you should. I have been collecting Silhouette files for years and this "be joyful" is one of those files I got for free in the Silhouette store.

That's it! It's super easy and relatively inexpensive to create your own drop cloth banner. 

dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

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Therapeutic Heated Corn Bag Tutorial

About a month ago, I was in a pretty major car accident. I was rear ended from behind while I was stopped. Let me tell you, whiplash is a real thing and it's something I deal with on a daily basis.  For weeks, I ice and heat, heat and ice. I can't tell you how very thankful I am that I had some of my handmade therapeutic corn bags at home. They have been a lifesaver! But they aren't just for accident recovery! We tuck them into the bottom of the bed before we go to sleep at night, we snuggle up with them under a blanket when we can't seem to get warm, I use them under my bowl when I'm trying to raise my yeast rolls. Every single person in my family has one and all of us use them daily.

You may have seen these bags made with rice, I use corn. I think that it holds in the heat better and for much longer. You can also place these corn bags in the freezer. They stay cold just as well as they stay hot. 

These heated corn bags really are a family favorite and since my accident they have been a necessity. I can't wait to share the tutorial with you so that you can make your very own. Or, if making them isn't your thing, I have a great friend who has a small business and she makes them. You can find out how you can purchase a Hot Sack from her and her company.

You are going to start with your fabric. I find that heavy cotton fabric works better than a fleece fabric {the fleece feels damp when heated}. You will cut your doubled over fabric 12" by 10.5". I like to take 24" of fabric and fold it so I have less seems to sew, but you cut two pieces and place them together to make your corn bag as well.

Put your fabric right sides together. Start by sewing up your seams. If you folded your fabric, you should only have your two sides and a top. I sew both the long sides closed and turn the fabric and open it. You will only have one side open now. Take that final open side and turn the top down on both sides about a quarter inch, ironing it down to stay in place.

You may be thinking, if I put corn in these bags and then microwave them isn't it going to pop? Nope. You use feed corn for these heated bags. You can find it at your local farm supply store or here on Amazon.

You don't want to fill your corn bag too full. I like to fill it about half way full {about three and a half cups}. If you have a child with sensory issues, you can fill it fuller, since the weighted bag is more of a comfort to them. The fuller the bag though the longer it takes to heat and you run the risk of burning your fabric in your microwave.

Once your bag is stuffed with corn, you will sew your final seam. This part is tricky since you have a bag full of corn attached but just take your time.

After you are finished sewing, you can pop your bag in the microwave and heat it. I heat ours for three minutes {I like mine pipping hot!}. The kids heat theirs for two minutes. For your first time, only heat it for two  minutes to see how strong your microwave it. You can burn your fabric so be cautious. Never heat these corn bags for more than four minutes!

I slip mine into the bottom of my bed to warm my feet. I'm always so surprised that the corn bag stays heated for as long as it does {hours!} at the bottom of my bed.

We just love our heated corn bags and I know you will too!

If you prefer to purchase a Hot Sack instead of making one, please visit my friend Stephanie's website. Five years ago I purchased my first corn bag from her and have been hooked ever since!

dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

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Cross stitch family portrait

This project has been on my to do list since before Christmas when I saw custom family embroidery creations all over the internet. I remember learning how to cross stitch when I was about 10. I was a child of the 80's after all and we cross stitched everything! I hadn't picked up a needle and embroidery floss in nearly 20 years but I remembered how to do it right away.

All three of my kids know that I make things. I create and I craft but rarely do they take the time to appreciate the things that I make. Usually I will get a grunt or a courtesy "that's nice mom" but this time, I got a much better reaction from this little cross stitch family. The kids loved it! All three of them at different times saw it and commented on how great it was. It's sort of like when you see yourself in a picture, you always look at yourself first before focusing on the other people or things in the image. The kids loved the glasses on my husband. They mentioned the long sleeve waffle shirt under his t-shirt {a staple my husband wears often}. They noticed the dog and their clothes. My oldest son loves to dress up so I put him in a suit. So very fitting. They just all around appreciated the work that I put into this project and I loved making it.

It was really easy to create. It did take some time. I worked on it a few minutes at a time here and there, but it was an easy mindless project I could work on while watching TV. I can't wait to show you how you can make your very own custom cross stitch family!

Supplies you will need to make your own cross stitch family portrait:
graph paper
embroidery floss in several different colors
scissors
needle
colored pencils
embroidery cloth

Martha Stewart was kind enough to offer some clip art patterns of people that you can use as a guide. I did just that, using it as a guide more than using them completely. I used some graph paper to draw my guide and used my colored pencils to fill in what color embroidery floss I would be using on each part. Keep in mind the various heights of the children, the size of their feet {my younger two kids had only two squares for their shoes, the rest of us had three}, and the eye spacing {there are four squares between the adults and three squares in the kids}.

I actually bought some embroidery fabric at the Goodwill Outlet {remember, you pay by the pound, so it ended up not being very expensive} and I had some embroidery floss on hand. I only had to buy four new colors of floss that I didn't have in my stash, so overall this was a really inexpensive craft for me.

I decided to frame it in a chunky wood frame and set it on our mantel.

Isn't it so much fun to have our own cross stitch family portrait?

You should make your own. It's such a fun project. And now I'm wondering, what else I should cross stitch because I'm back on the wagon!

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Easy to sew, easy to give beginners pajama pant kit with free downloadable directions file

My niece is eight and when she asked her mom recently for a sewing kit, my sister in law was at a loss. She wasn't quite sure something like that existed or really what she was looking for, so when I got the questioning text, I messaged back "I got this!".I ended up taking one of my readers favorite tutorials and creating a pajama pants kit that had pre-cut materials inside to make a beginners sewing project. 

I'm sharing with you the file, so that you can create a sewing kit for some of the beginner seamstresses that are in your life.You can download the file here. I've added color pictures so that the directions are easy to follow and can be completed without a seam ripper {fingers crossed}.
All you need to do is to select the fabrics {you will need 7/8 yard for the pants, 1/8 yard for the trim for a size 10 and under} and purchase the elastic and then simply pre-wash the fabric, iron and cut the pattern pieces out. I used a pair of my daughters pajamas that were in her drawer since my niece and my daughter are about the same size. I also ironed the cuff in half before I cut it to make that step easier.

Print off the directions, and add the pattern pieces to a Ziploc bag that you can package and give as a gift. I know this would be perfect for any child learning how to sew!

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DIY infinity scarf with snaps--a Lululemon vinyasa scarf knockoff tutorial

It's fall. My least favorite time of the year. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why the rest of you love it. I used to love it too when I lived in the Midwest, but now as a pacific northwest transplant, fall marks the start of our rainy season and nine long months of doom and gloom. But I digress. 

Fall means cooler weather, dressing in layers and scarves. Lots of scarves! One of my favorite scarves of all time is the Lululemon Vinyasa scarf.  I received it last Christmas as a gift and love the tutorial on how to wear it 10 ways, though I really only wear it one or two of those ways most of the time.

I'm too cheap to buy another at the $48 price tag so I used my current scarf as a guide to sew a knockoff that I love.

Here is what you need:

1 3/8 yard of fabric 

12 pack set of snap fasteners

2 yards of 3/8" {or 1"} wide grosgrain ribbon

I pre-washed my fabric and then cut it down to size. It's 60.5" long on one side and 27" wide on the other.

I have a serger and could have used that to finish my seams but I chose to stitch around the whole scarf and then use a zig zag stitch at the very edge to make sure the edges don't unravel.

I cut my ribbon and used a flame to seal the edges. Then I pinned my ribbon as close to the edge as I could.  I stitched the ribbon down making a huge rectangle around it to secure it in place.  I put the ribbon on the same side of the scarf on both edges.

I don't put snaps on often, and was a little intimidated by the process, but man, it was way easier than I thought it would be!  I marked 2 1/4 inches in pencil on a board so that I could easily measure how far apart my snaps would go. I followed the package directions for putting the snaps on. I used the full package of 12 snaps on my scarf.

I really love how the scarf turned out and was impressed at how easy it was to make.

You can watch the Lululemon video for 10 ways to wear your Vinyasa scarf {knock off!}

I usually wear my scarf 3 ways.

The first, like this, with a few of the snaps unsnapped at the top and folded over.

As a hooded scarf, especially if you get caught in the elements.

And finally as a wrap.  I'm always cold, so having something to throw around my shoulders helps. I love the versatility of this scarf. It's by far, my favorite thing about it!

I love to travel with it because it not only makes a lovely accessory, it also makes a great blanket on a cold airplane, or something to lay your head on when you are trying to take a little nap.

Making it on your own sure beats the nearly $50 price tag too! I think any beginner sewer could tackle this project. Give it a try!

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