Crochet Headband

I was working on a knit/crochet top and it wasn't coming out exactly the way I had hoped. I had crocheted a band for the bottom of the top and decided that maybe fabric would look better for the waist section of the top. I hated to waste the work I had already done. So, I thought the band could be used as a headband. It looks really cute on the mannequin head, but will I actually wear it? Not sure...

Repurposed Sweat Pants

My mom gave me a pair of old red sweat pants. I've been really getting into sewing knits, so I thought they'd be perfect for making a pair of play pants for my son. I used Dana's kid pants with pockets tutorial and decided to use some scrap plaid fabric for the insides of the pockets just for fun.

Little Boy's Apron

My son loves to help me cook. He watches all my cooking shows with me and likes to pretend he has his own cooking show called "Aiden Makes Cooks". When he plays with his toy kitchen, he pretends to be The Next Food Network Star, or a contestant on Chopped. I bought him an apron from a farmers market, and I was going to buy another for my other son, but then I just decided to use up some fabric I had leftover and make my own. I traced the apron and added elastic to the neck strap, but left off the pockets.

Holey Jeans Fix

These ones are mine.Used white thread.

My son is constantly wearing holes in all his jeans. This is the coolest knee patching idea I have seen. The patch is on the inside, and the zigzag stitching on top secures the hole, while looking super cute. It was very tricky doing this on such small jeans. I really had to make sure I was not sewing through more than one layer. I'm not sure this will work for me on my younger son's jeans which are even tinier, but I know my husband will like this, since he never wants to part with his favorite worn-in jeans. I found the tutorial at I Am Momma- Hear Me Roar, but she found the tutorial here at Katie s Secret Blog. LOVE IT!

Little Boy Pants

Sewing has become my new favorite craft. I still love knitting, but my wrist pain keeps me from knitting as much as I'd like. I've been learning sewing techniques from my favorite craft blogs. I have become so obsessed with Dana's kid pants tutorials at Made , that after making 3 pairs, I bought fabric for 3 more. I feel like I have to keep making them in as many fabrics as possible. They were so simple and so flattering on the boys. Her tutorials let you customize the design. One pair has elastic all the way around, and one has a flat front with optional pockets. I was not a huge fan of the seersucker I used on the first pair. Maybe it was the quality of the fabric, but it unravels so easily. I do not have a serger, so I opted for a zigzag stitch. On the second pair, I chose a cotton-linen blend (which also unraveled easily). Note to self: buy a serger. For the 3rd pair, I rummaged through my husbands drawers to find a red thermal he never wears. I have been reading a lot of tutorials on using men's shirts for knit fabric. This was my first attempt at sewing knit fabric. I used a zigzag stitch, a ballpoint needle, and a walking foot. It turned out well, but I will not lie and say it was easy. It was definitely tricky, but I would love to try it again. For the pattern, I downloaded Dana's from her site and adjusted accordingly. My older son is 5 1/2 and wears a 4/5 in boys, so I added a 1/2 in. all the way around the 2-3T pattern. I added 6 in. to the length. For my younger son who wears a 24m- 2T, I took off about 3-4 in. on the length, and used a pair of his pants that fit him, to trace. You can find Dana's basic kid pant here. I love her fabric choices and the way she styles her boy. She has a great eye for color combinations, even down to the shoes.

Outdoor Place Mats

We bought a new patio table made of aluminum and tile. Our last one, which was glass, exploded! It had been very hot for a week, and then my husband set a cold 6-pack on it for a couple of minutes, and it just cracked into a million pieces. So I decided I did not want another glass table. The tile on our new table is beautiful, but we were afraid it might get scratched by our dishes. My hubby suggested I make some place mats since sewing is my current craft obsession. I found some bright fabric at walmart for only $3 a yard.

Boy's P.j. Pants

This probably took less than an hour. They are so cute! I might make a pair for my toddler and maybe some for myself! Thanks Prudent Baby! You can find the tutorial here.