Cuddly No-Sew Quick and Easy Fleece Blankie!

Still no new serger for me.  It is in my state finally, but alas not yet arrived at the store to pick up.  I've been drooling over my fabric and wishing I could start sewing it all up!  I know I don't need the serger to do the sewing but I prefer it so much that I will wait for it! Since the fabric keeps piling up, my husband has put a ban on the fabric purchases.... well, my mom convinced me to go with her to the fabric store on Monday (it took a lot of convincing.... lol).  I picked up some cute spring and summertime prints and the fabric to make my daughter's Easter dress. 

Miss K came with us and found some fabric of her own.  (That girl would buy the whole store if she could).  She wanted me to make her another blankie out if this cute fuzzy fleece.  Miss K has 3 blankets already, plus the cloth doll in the post  below AND she had to have a soft and fuzzy lamb from the fabric store too.  Pretty soon she will have no room left in her bed for herself!  Anyway, I thought I would whip up a quick no-sew blanket for her today before I pick her up from Kindergarten. 

This really only took me 1/2 hour or less to do!
1. Lay your fleece out in double thickness and cut out your rectangle ) making the sides as straight as possible.
2. With fabrics still on top of each other cut strips through both of the two layers

3. Tie knots into the strips

4. Enjoy the quick No-Sew Blankie!  Now isn't that cute and easy!

She will be so happy and surprised when I pick her up!  And I really like working with the fleece because it doesn't fray and you don't have to sew it!
And here sits some of the pretty fabric I got Monday....

just waiting to be cut and made into cute clothing!  I can see it all now in my head :)

"Black Apple Doll"

So as I await anxiously for my new serger to arrive this next week, I found some other cool projects to try.  Every night I surf the crafting websites for cool things to try.  My daughter is always next to me (bad habit, I know) and she is always peering over my leg, sneaking looks.  Last night I stumbled across these cool "Black Apple Dolls" and she was hooked from the get go.  She wanted one so bad and I figured it was easily doable.  This morning we grabbed some scraps and set to work.  About an hour and a half later we had her done!  Miss K does all the stuffing for me.  The hardest part of this was the tiny legs and arms (I suck at turning things that small inside out!). 
Miss K loves her new doll!

If you want the easy tutorial for this fun project you can find it here: http://www.marthastewart.com/264299/black-apple-doll

Tiered Dress for Miss K!

I've been dying to do this Simplicity's pattern 2377 all winter and I got the cutest fabric for it.  Then the problems started!  Not with the pattern and not with the fabric but with my mom's old serger.... one issue after another.  I kept breaking needles and strings and so on.  It was a nightmare!  Needless to say that serger has seen better days and I don't like working on it.  But I plunged forward and finished the dress.  I love it!  It fits Miss K perfectly!  She wore it today and was so proud of it.  Makes me smile to see her happy.
And my mom told me she ordered me a new serger (for my birthday) and I should have it next week!!! YES!  Now I can tackle the 3 huge boxes of fabric I have awaiting to be used. 
(I also just had my gallbladder removed so that's why I've been MIA lately, but I should be back in action very shortly!)

The awesome fabric I purchased here: Great deals from Fabric.com! Click here
Love the site, Love the fabric. I could browse here all day long! (In fact I sometimes do)

Freezer Paper Stencils!

So my son Mr. T is obsessed with squirrels lately.  I don' t understand why, probably something at school with his friends.  Anyway, he wanted a squirrel shirt so bad but I wasn't about to search for one or buy one.  We set out to discover the magic of Freezer Paper Stencils!  Super easy process.
1. find a stencil design
2. cut out a sheet of freezer paper the size of a normal piece of paper.
3. put the freezer paper in your printer (yes your printer!) paper side to the printing side (mine is up)
4. print and cut out stencil
5. iron on to a t-shirt so the freezer paper sticks
6. paint in the open stencil areas
7. when starts to dry, peel off freezer paper. It comes off like magic! so easy.
8. let paint dry completely.

Wah-la! done!  Mr. T was so happy!

The kids are addicted now.  We are moving on to doing "The Regular Show" Mordecai and Rigby shirts next!