Posted by Megan Barr on May 3, 2011 in
Uncategorized This is by no means an original idea, but if you haven’t seen it, I thought it would be fun to make my own tutorial. If you’re anything like me, you have stacks of old t-shirts you don’t really like to wear anymore (because they’re so bloomin’ old!) but you can’t bear to part with them because of their sentimental significance. I just hate seeing them sitting there, unused and taking up space, so this is a quick and easy way to make them useful.
Start by laying your t-shirt out on a flat surface. Carefully remove the sleeves, and cut a portion from the neck area. You may choose to make it rounded (like my photo) or square, or any other shape for that matter. The remaining fabric will become the handles of your bag.
From here, you can choose to finish your bag one of two ways… one requires a sewing machine, the other doesn’t. For the no-sew version, cut two rings from one of the sleeves, cutting from the side with the raw edge. Then snip the rings so they become long strips, and stretch them out until they curl up a bit. These will become drawstrings to close up the bottom of the tote.
Now, back to the shirt. Make two tiny snips in the bottom hem of the t-shirt, being careful NOT to cut through the stitching. Your snips should be equally spaced… so make one in the middle of the front of the shirt, and one in the middle of the back. You’ll now have two channels in which to insert the drawstrings. Attach a safety pin to one end of one of the strings and guide it through one of the channels.
Then cinch it up and tie a bow.
Repeat on the other side… and voila! You have a finished tote bag! (Sorry, I forgot to rotate it and didn’t have to fix it!)
Now, with the no-sew method, you’ll have little holes in the bottom of the bag… it’s just the nature of the style. If you’d like the holes to be smaller, you’ll need more of them. That means more drawstrings, and more “hem snips”. Here’s an example of the bottom of a bag with two holes (the top bag), and one with three:
If you have access to a sewing machine, and don’t like having holes in the bottom of your bag, then do the following:
Form the handles of the bag the same way you did with the no-sew version. Then turn your shirt inside out and sew up the bottom. Be sure to sew above the hemline, which you will trim and discard.
To make a gusset (a flat bottom), “pinch” one of the bottom corners flat, and sew a seam about two or three inches in from the tip of the triangle.
Trim off the excess:
Now turn your t-shirt right side out, and you have another tote bag!
Sometimes, when you remove the neck or sleeves, you might cut off a design you like. Simply cut it out, and stitch it somewhere on the bag. The great thing about t-shirt material is that it won’t fray, so there’s no hemming needed. Here’s a design that I reattached on one of my bags:
These simple totes are perfect for reusable grocery bags, clothes shopping or beach trips, or anything else you can think of. I’ll be using several of them as gift bags for thank-you gifts for a few of our boys’ beloved Sunday School teachers:
Tags: tutorial, up-cycle
Posted by Megan Barr on May 2, 2011 in
Uncategorized Goodness knows I try to stay as far away as I can from anything political… always have, and probably always will. And now that I’m a mom, I can hardly even stomach watching the evening news since it’s always so negative. However, it’s hard to ignore the most recent (and most popular) headline regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden.
My heart is heavy regarding this situation, and I stand conflicted.
On one hand, he is the mastermind behind one of the greatest American tragedies in history (among many other terrible acts). And for that, I can appreciate the sentiment that perhaps justice has been served. I can admit that there’s a bit of Patriotic pride that wells up inside me when I hear that people gathered in front of the White House and sing and cheer. It’s proof that we haven’t forgotten those who were lost on 9/11 and that no matter how many things people disagree upon, we can still unite.
On the other hand, I am saddened. Easter was just last week, so the message of the season is still fresh in my mind: Jesus died for every one of us… even Osama Bin Laden. And how dare we sing and cheer about the death of another human being… one that Jesus loved just as much as he loves Mother Theresa or a newborn baby. OBL will surely be judged, but it’s none of our business. Somewhere, he has a mama or a sister or an aunt who’s hurting. Whose heart is empty and aching over the loss of him. That sounds hopelessly dramatic, I know… but it’s what’s on my mind.
And if I had another hand (everyone needs one now and then!) I’d place my fear on it. Just because he’s out of the picture doesn’t mean our issues with terrorism are anywhere near over. Doesn’t it stand to reason that he would have created a contingency plan? Wouldn’t it make sense for a leader with any shred of intelligence to designate a successor to carry on with his mission? And don’t you think his followers are gonna be mad as a cat in a bag and come after us with even more resolve? We cannot be so foolish to think that we’re safe now, just because he’s dead.
So where do we go from here? I surely don’t have a clue… but I’m thankful for those who are working so tirelessly to figure out the next step and for those who have worked equally as hard to get us where we are today. What I do know is that I will continue to pray fervently… for strength. For safety. For wisdom… and even for world peace 
Posted by Megan Barr on Dec 27, 2010 in
Uncategorized Evan Jackson Barr!
Our newest addition arrived via c-section at 8:43am on December 22nd. He was 20 1/2 inches long and weighed a whopping 9lb. 14oz.
He has made a smooth transition into our family, and has proven to be a very quiet, very mellow “little” boy. The dogs (particularly Nikki) are VERY protective of him, and he is constantly getting sweet kisses from big brother Ryder.
We’re so grateful for the love and well-wishes from our friends and family… and have been particularly blessed by the immeasurable help we’ve received from our parents! Here’s to the adventures that 2011 will bring as we learn to “do life” as a family of four.
Posted by Megan Barr on Dec 4, 2010 in
Uncategorized Here’s another brief update of life since my last post…
In September, Ryder started a gymnastics class at our neighborhood community center. He was surprisingly timid at the beginning of the first class, but it didn’t take long fo him to warm up to the idea. After all, who wouldn’t want to be allowed to run and jump and flip all over the place? It was a 7 week program, and he loved every minute of it.
We also celebrated our big boy’s second birthday. We were joined by his grandparents Barr and his very best girls, Lainey and Kami (and their parents, of course!). We had a simple but delicious dinner, ate rainbow cupcakes…
and had fun watching the kids play together.
Ryder even got to Skype w/ his Papa and Gigi so they could see him open the gifts they’d sent.
In October, we took an overnight trip to Chicago to support Ryan while he ran his first marathon. He trained really hard for almost a year, and lost about 90lbs. in the process. We were surprised by the sudden heat wave after several refreshing days of cooler weather. We stayed at the W, which was right on the running route, making it easy for Ryder and I to catch a glimpse of Ryan shortly after the race started. From there, we grabbed a bite to eat, and cruised around for a while before meeting at the next checkpoint: the halfway mark. Ryder loved riding in style, and watching Elmo.
Our next job was to switch out Ryan’s empty water bottles for full ones. I was nervous about missing him in such a huge crowd, but we managed to catch up and make the switch successfully. With this little guy as motivation, he was able to push through and finish the race.
He finished in 5 hours, 48 minutes… not what he’d hoped for, but quite an accomplishment. Did I mention that he was running the whole thing on a broken toe? :) Two days before the race, he kicked a box of beer at a grocery store and broke his pinky. But after all that training, he couldn’t just give up without even trying. We’re so proud of him!
We also spent lots of time with friends… We played at local parks, a new place called Little Monkey Bizness, and the Children’s Museum. We also enjoyed some time at Blackberry Farm. The kids LOVE to ride the train and the old fashioned wooden merry-go-round.
In fact, the train at Blackberry Farm was the inspiration behind this year’s Halloween costume. Ryder loves trains, and when I spotted a conductor’s cap in the gift shop, I knew that’s what he had to be. Unfortunately, Ryder spent all of Halloween day like this (poor baby!):
So he didn’t get to wear his costume till the next day, when he looked like this:
He’s the speediest “bike conductor” around… he LOVES to zoom through the house and up and down the street on his Strider (a cool toddler-sized bike with no pedals).
In November, we finally got to fly home for a visit… it had been almost nine months! This was Ryder’s 15th flight, but the first time he had his own seat. It was wonderful to have a whole row to ourselves, and not have to hold him on our laps anymore, and he enjoyed having his own space, his own seatbelt, and his own movie to watch (Elmo was the film of choice). Our first stop was in LA to celebrate and participate in the wedding of Ryan’s youngest sister Michelle. Ryan was an usher and Ryder was a ringbearer… both boys looked so handsome in their tuxes!
At 34 1/2 weeks pregnant, I served as a bridesmaid. Since we had to order my dress many months in advance, we decided that “bigger was better”… and we took a gamble, offering to alter it ourselves. The dress finally arrived about three days before we left Illinois, and fit like this the night before the wedding:
SCARY!!! But never fear! My wonderful, talented mother lugged her sewing machine down south with her, and the next morning, it was transformed into this:
The wedding and reception were absolutely beautiful, and fun was had by all.
The morning after the wedding, we packed up and drove north to Tracy for our annual Thanksgiving extravaganza. This was Ryder’s longest roadtrip to date, and I wasn’t sure how he’d handle it. He was quite a trouper… watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, taking a nap, and watching for busses, trucks, and birds.
We had a wonderful week in California, filled with friends and family… and food (gotta fit in all our CA favorites that aren’t available in IL)! We spent a whole day in Modesto with my family, and Ryder really enjoyed playing with his cousin Tru.
It was also fun to watch he and his other cousin Tirzah play the piano with “Mena” (Grandma Barr).
After a great visit, we flew home again… exhausted!
And the very next morning, we started potty training using the Three Day Potty Training Method which our friends had recommended. Ryder’s been diaper-free for a week now, and is catching on fairly well. We’re still not without accidents, but we haven’t touched diapers since the day we took the last one off. What a big boy!
We woke up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland, and I’m finally finding myself in the Christmas spirit. The tree will (finally) go up today, and we’ll continue to prepare for the impending arrival of our newest bundle of joy. Less than three weeks to go now! Stay tuned for more…
Posted by Megan Barr on Aug 11, 2010 in
Uncategorized Call me ambitious… call me crazy… call me pregnant. I added yet ANOTHER crafted item to my list of things to do or make before Baby comes. Since Ryder is no longer sleeping in a crib, I wanted to give him a cozy place to lay his little head when we travel. A quick online search brought me to this beautiful tutorial by Jenny Garland. And true to form, I just couldn’t follow it step-by-step… so the following instructions are a hybrid of Jenny’s suggestions and what I actually did:
Materials:
~ 1 2/3 yards cotton fabric… this will cover the front, back, and pillow portions of the mat. I happened to find two coordinating fabrics that couldn’t live without each other. I got two yards of each because I wanted extra for other projects.
~ 2 yards minky dot (or some other cozy fabric) to make the attached blanket
~ 25″ cotton or nylon belt webbing (like the strap on a backpack)… Jenny calls for elastic, it doesn’t make sense to me to have the carrying handle stretch out.
~ approx. 55″ velcro (I prefer the kind that is NOT self-adhesive because the glue gums up my machine)… Jenny suggests only 40″ of velcro, but I added some to the pillow portion, and substituted button closures for velcro.
~ 1 small pillow form (mine was 12 x 16″)… Jenny simply sewed a “pocket” for the pillow and stuffed it with fiberfill. I wanted to be able to remove the pillow for washing.
~ 1 piece of 1″ thick foam… Jenny suggests 20 x 40″ but I ended up having to cut mine down to about 19 x 37″ to get it into the cover.
Now the fun begins…
First, cut two 36” squares from the minky fabric. Sew right sides together, leaving an opening to turn. Turn right side out. Topstitch around the blanket… I usually use a zig zag when I topstitch. (I LOVE blankets, and wanted mine to be a bit bigger. I added two inches, making it 38″ square. This got me into a bit of trouble because I ran out of fabric. Never fear! I simply cut a small strip to make up the difference, and sewed it on. Definitely recommend following the 36″ suggestion.)
For the front and back of the nap mat:
Cut two 22 x 52” rectangles from your other fabric for the front and back of the mat… I cut one rectangle from each fabric pattern.
Cut four 4 x 6” rectangles from the same fabric for the button tabs… again, I cut two from each fabric pattern.
Cut two 13 1/2 x 17 1/2″ rectangles for the pillow (one rectangle from each fabric pattern if you’re using two)
For the pillow:
With right sides together, sew one short side, and one long side of the 13 1/2 x 17 1/2″ rectangles together. Turn in the raw edge of the other short side (approx. 1/4″), press, then stitch. Sew velcro around inside of the short side you’ve just finished the edges on. Put aside.
For the strap:
Make a tube for your strap by sewing two pieces of fabric right sides together. Turn. Insert strap… I decided which fabric the strap would be attached to, and chose the opposite pattern.
Attach the strap by laying one 22 x 52” rectangle right side up. (If you’re using two different fabrics, choose the one that will be the BACK of the mat for this step.) Measure up 10” from the bottom left and right corners and mark. Sew the ends of the fabric covered strap to the back of the mat with a 1/4” seam allowance on each mark.
Make Closure Tabs:
Get your 4 x 6” rectangles out. Stitch two of the 4 x 6” rectangles right sides together along both long sides and one short side, using a 1/4” seam allowance. Clip corners. Turn right side out. Press. Topstitch around the three edges you just stitched. (I used one piece of each fabric pattern… and I forgot to topstitch, but that would’ve been cute! lol) Repeat with the other set of rectangles. Pin the open end of the closure tabs to the bottom of the right side of the 22 x 52” rectangle you already sewed the elastic on. PLEASE make sure you point the closure tabs upward toward the top of the mat! Stitch the tabs in place with a 1/4” seam allowance.
Attach the blanket:
Get your other 22 x 52” rectangle out (the one you haven’t sewn anything to”). With right sides together, line up an edge of the square blanket along the length of the 22 x 52” rectangle, leaving a 4” gap on the lower edge of the 22 x 52” rectangle. (Since I made my blanket bigger, my gap was only about @ 1/2″… I just kinda eyeballed it.) Pin. Stitch blanket edge to rectangle with 1/2” seam allowance. Fold excess blanket toward the center of the mat.
Attach the pillow:
Using the same rectangle you’ve just attached the blanket to, right side up, pin the open long side of the pillowcase to the “head” end of the rectangle, in the center. Sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Leave the 22 x 52” rectangle you just stitched the blanket and pillow to, right side up. On top of this, place the other large rectangle right side down… make sure the carrying strap, closure tabs and pillow case are tucked inside. Pin the two pieces together. Stitch the top, bottom, and ONLY the length with the blanket attached together using 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave the other length open… you will attach velcro to this edge later.
We’re putting velcro on this baby to make washing easy.
You have one open length on your nap mat cover. Turn under the raw edges approx. 1/4″ and stitch. Then sew the hook part of the velcro to the front of the cover, and the loop part to the back.
Now we just have to add the velcro to the closures, and we’re finished! I sewed approximately 3″ of velcro onto each tab (placed vertically near each end). To figure out where to put the velcro on the mat itself, I had to insert the pillow and the foam into the cover, and roll it up. I marked the edges of the closure tabs with a washable fabric marker and removed the pillow and foam. Then I eyeballed (of course) the place where the tabs would end up when the mat was rolled, pinned (well, ok, I didn’t really pin, but you should!), and sewed on the corresponding pieces of velcro.
That’s it.
Seriously, that’s it. Put your foam in (this was actually quite a feat!). Velcro closed.
Fold up your nap mat, rolling the pillow down first, and press the closure tabs down. Voila!
(I realize this is probably confusing, and I didn’t think about taking pictures along the way, so please feel free to ask questions!)
Here’s my finished product:
Rolled up and ready to go!
Now Rydie has a cute place to sleep in hotels, or at his grandparents’ houses… and he’ll be all set when he starts preschool (someday!). :)
Tags: nap mat, tutorial
Posted by Megan Barr on Aug 8, 2010 in
Uncategorized I receive daily updates from several blogs that I follow, and yesterday I got one from MaryJanesandGoloshes with a tutorial for no-slip bookmarks. I have found that Ryder loves to carry around books… MY books… the ones I’m currently reading. So I’ve had to forego using traditional bookmarks and resort to folding down the corner of the page I’m on. Otherwise, the bookmark falls out, and I’m forced to search for the last page I read. Major bummer! Needless to say, a creation like this definitely caught my attention. Plus, it’s so cute, and seemed so easy I just couldn’t resist. Her tutorial is pretty vague, but I tend to just “wing it” anyway. Here’s what I did…
Materials:
1 length of ribbon
1 pretty button
1 ponytail holder
embroidery thread, needle
JoAnn Fabric was having a huge weekend sale, and I was already planning on going to gather materials for the million other projects I have on tap. So I figured I could look for the supplies while I was there. Luckily for me, everything I needed was 50% off! I wanted to try to make a few bookmarks so I could have one, and give some away as gifts. I bought one full spool of ribbon, and found six really beautiful buttons that would all coordinate with the ribbon. I already had all the other supplies, so this was a very inexpensive project for me. :)
I chose two different size books from the shelf to try to determine how long to make the ribbon… I settled on approximately 16″. As it turns out, I was able to use the entire spool of ribbon, and make exactly six bookmarks… totally coincidental.
First, I folded one end of the ribbon over and stitched across to create a finished edge. Then I looped the same end around the ponytail holder and stitched it down, as close the ponytail holder as my presser foot would allow me to get. I went over it a couple of times just to add a little strength since it will be pulled on a bit.
Next, I threaded a needle with embroidery floss (at “full-strength”… I didn’t pull it apart), and knotted the ends together. I ran a basting stitch approximately two inches from the end of the ribbon, and pulled tight to gather it up. Then I slid the button onto the thread, and fastened it to the ribbon, and tied a knot.
The last thing I did was trim the raw and of the ribbon just for decoration. You could use some sort of anti-fray glue if you wanted, but I didn’t.
It only took me about 45 minutes to create all six bookmarks. Now I just have to decide who to give them to! :)
Random notes… There are only four pictured because there are two each of the clear jewels. I did the turquoise one first, and happened to have turquoise thread in my machine already. It was kinda fun to have the contrasting thread… something to think about. Since I didn’t want to change my thread color every 30 seconds, I simply used black for the remaining five bookmarks. Also, it would be super-fun to use brightly colored and/or contrasting ponytail holders as well… but these were ones I already had in my stash so I put them to good use.
Tags: tutorial
Posted by Megan Barr on Aug 8, 2010 in
Uncategorized Time is passing quickly, and before we know it, our new baby will be here. In the meantime, I have the world’s longest list of projects to complete, birthday and Christmas gifts to buy, and a nursery to put together. Needless to say, I’m finding myself quite busy!
For Ryder, we did what most new parents do… go to Babies R Us and pick out the perfect overpriced bedding set that comes with more pieces than we’ll ever find a use for just the right stuff. We LOVED what we chose. It was gender neutral (because at the time, we didn’t know he was a he), it was educational, and it was something we could live with staring at every day for at least a couple of years (although we intended to be able to use it for all subsequent children… HA!). Here’s a look back at how his nursery turned out:
You may remember that the laundry hamper in the bottom right corner was up-cycled quite some time ago… Reminisce by clicking here. And we actually had to cut the crib bumper apart, leaving only the piece at the head of the crib, and the long piece against the wall. The first night Ryder slept in his crib (which was our third night home because it took that long for me to be able to walk up the stairs!), Nikki freaked out because she couldn’t see him and tried to jump in. Nothin’ like an 80lb. ball of fur and teeth lunging into your baby’s bed in the hope of protecting him from the monsters in the closet! Once we removed the unnecessary pieces, she was content to stay firmly planted on the floor, just as watchful as ever.
Now, fast forward nearly two years… Ryder has quickly and successfully transitioned to a twin bed, and no longer needs his crib bumpers. The new baby is coming in December, and will need crib bumpers. And since Nikki is still around, and still uber-protective, we figured we’ll be faced with the same predicament in the very near future. Why go out and buy brand new stuff if we’ll just have to cut it apart? (And let us not forget about the ever-useful diaper stacker, hamper, and quilt!) So… (almost) super-mom to the rescue! :)
I agonized over finding the perfect fabric upon which to base all future nursery decorations, and ended up with a fun array of stripes and polka-dots in various shades of teal and brown. I re-covered Ryder’s old crib bumpers, and in a day, they went from this:
To this:
And the dust ruffle went from this:
To this:
I still plan on making a valance, and I’m sure there will be other fun things to create along the way. But for now, I’m pretty happy with the results, and I’m super-excited to begin to put it all together.
And for those of you who may be thinking, “But what about Ryder? Doesn’t he get anything new?” Of course! I’m currently awaiting a shipment of some awesome transportation-themed fabric for his new big-boy room. I’ll be whipping up a fun comforter and valance… and just wait till you see the shelf I scored from NapervilleYardsales.com to go on the wall in place of the quilt pictured above. Speaking of that quilt, I have a really cool project in mind for that as well… so stay tuned!
Tags: refashion, up-cycle
Posted by Megan Barr on Jul 30, 2010 in
Uncategorized I’d like to start this entry by welcoming myself back to the land of the living. I’m now in the second trimester of my sixth pregnancy (reached 18 weeks a couple days ago), and I’ve finally begun to resume a relatively normal life. I can now walk past the fridge without wanting to lose the last morsel I ate, workout without wanting to pass out, and even make it through an entire day without a nap (although I still take advantage of naptimes to catch some zzzz’s when I need them!). I have also reacquainted myself with my trusty sewing machine, and have MANY projects to complete before this baby arrives.
So… since I’ve sorely neglected my blog for the last few months, here’s a quick and dirty update of life in the Barr household:
In May we had our first ultrasound. There’s nothing like the night before an event like this. My heart beats a million miles a minute all night, and sleep… what’s that? Miraculously, we saw a strong heartbeat right away. First hurdle crossed! Ryan ran his longest distance up to that point… the Soldier Field 10-miler. Ryder and I did the 2-mile walk. It was really fun to see Ryan cross the finish line (which was the 50-yard line in the stadium where the Bears play)!
In June, I turned 30, and Ryan ran his first 1/2 marathon. I also saw a new movie… in the theater… with girlfriends… for the first time since WAY before Ryder was born. :) Other than that, I spent lots of time at the park with Ryder and friends… while trying to survive morning/noon/night sickness.
We had two more ultrasounds in June. One was an “emergency” because I was having some bleeding. The same thing happened with Ryder, and strangely, the only pregnancies I’ve ever bled with have been the successful ones. Luckily, everything was just fine. The second one was part of the first trimester screening they do to check for Down’s Syndrome and other problems. Once again, everything came back normal and boring. We LOVE normal and boring!!!
One thing that wasn’t normal and boring was a major storm that hit our area. Ryan was at school (of course!), and I was starting to get nervous about the color of the sky, and the severity of the winds, lightning, and thunder. Even though there was no tornado warning, I gathered the dogs and Ryder and headed down the basement, just to make myself feel better. I figured we’d just watch TV for a while, and it would be no big deal. Boy was I wrong!!! As soon as everyone was downstairs, I ran back up to grab a bowl of water for the dogs… and the power went out. With one tiny flashlight, and my cell phone, I headed back down to my terrified toddler and nervous pups. Ryder was so scared, he stayed velcroed to my hip for more than 30 minutes, and he was absolutely silent (something that NEVER happens). Just before the lights went out, he had picked up a Wii-mote… and he hugged that silly thing as if it was his dearest friend.
After about a half-hour, he finally released his grip in exchange for a sippy cup and stuffed doggie. We snuggled for a bit, and then began to sing some of his favorite songs. That seemed to help him relax a bit (and me too!), and soon I realized that the storm was lightening up a bit. We still had no power, but I figured it was getting late, and I should try to help Ryder feel as normal as possible. By the light of our trusty flashlight, he had a warm bath, and went to bed without too much of a fuss. I settled down on my bed to read, and after a while, I noticed a really bright light shining through the window. To my relief, it was the SUN!!! About an hour later, the power came back on… and so did the A/C and the sump pump. Whew! By far, the worst storm I’ve experienced, and the scariest 30-minutes of my life (while down in the basement trying to keep my family safe). Glad it’s over!!!
Now it’s July. We’re still frequent visitors to the many parks around the area, and have the tans to prove it (relatively speaking). After injuring his pinky toe pretty badly, Ryan had to take a hiatus from running and kettlebells and decided to trying biking instead. He is now the proud owner of a really fancy time-trial bike… ya know, the kind Lance Armstrong rides in The Tour. Once the marathon is over (in October), his training regimen will also include swimming so he can begin to prepare for an Iron Man competition.
A couple of weeks ago, Ryan flew to Santa Barbara for a series of business meetings. That same day, his youngest sister Michelle flew out to visit Ryder and me. We introduced her to Portillo’s, showed her the best parks around, and had a really fun time playing together. We also went shopping for my bridesmaid’s dress for her upcoming November wedding. A couple days after she arrived, the rest of the family showed up as well (my in-laws and Ryan’s other sister, with her one-year old daughter Tirzah). The house was full of people, love, and laughter. Together, we drove to Michigan to celebrate Grandpa Barr’s 90th birthday. His actual birthday is in September (same day as Ryder’s), but we partied a bit early. It was so much fun to see everyone again, and even more fun to watch Ryder and Tirzah interact.
While the family was here, I happened to have some doctor’s appointments scheduled. During one of those appointments, we found out that we’ll be having another little boy! I’m scheduled to have a repeat c-section on December 22, and we hope to be home by Christmas morning at the latest. I’ve tried a million times to explain to Ryder that there’s a baby growing in Mommy’s tummy, but he just doesn’t get it yet. :)
Speaking of Ryder… he’s definitely not a baby anymore! He’s fearless at the park… climbing walls, sliding down the tallest slides, and swinging (well, being pushed in the swing) higher than any other kid around. He’s not the biggest almost-2-year-old I’ve ever seen, but he’s certainly growing at a good clip. (He still wears 18mo. clothing, and some 12mo. shorts!) And he’s talking non-stop. We can’t always decipher what he’s saying, but he usually gets his point across pretty effectively. He’s picking up one or two new words everyday. His favorite activities include playing with his best girlfriends, twin sisters Lainey and Kamden; swinging at the park; and being chased around the house by Daddy in the evenings.
Last week, we transitioned him from a crib to a twin bed with much success.
And now, the tutorial… a Placemat Purse. I saw this idea online somewhere, and even though I don’t have any girls, I do have nieces. It’s a very easy project, and takes very little time and money to complete. Unfortunately, at the time I made this purse, I wasn’t thinking about creating a tutorial. So I don’t have step-by-step pictures. Luckily, I think it’s simple enough that you’ll get the gist from the final product. Next time I make one, I’ll try to remember to fill in the gaps with pictures and update.
Materials: one pretty placemat, two pieces of (approximately) 7 inches of coordinating grosgrain ribbon. Note: choosing a placemat with interfacing or quilting in it will give your purse a nice weight, and enough body to stand up on its own. The ribbon handles aren’t the sturdiest in the world, but since this was intended for use by a toddler, I figured she wouldn’t be filling it with too many heavy items.
Step 1: Fold placemat in half , right sides together. The fold will become the bottom of the purse. (Note: I chose to cut of a bit of the width, once folded because I didn’t want it to be quite so long horizontally… you can do the same, or leave it as is.)
Step 2: Sew up the two sides… I usually use 1/4in. seam allowance.
Step 3: Create a gusset. (This is where pictures would be helpful!) With the purse still inside-out, pull the sides apart, and pinch one of the bottom corners flat. Sew straight across, creating a triangle shape (you can make it as big as you wish). Repeat on the other side, then trim close to seam. Turn purse right-side out.
Step 4: Sew on straps. The first time I made this purse, I used my seam ripper to undo two one-inch spaces in each side where I could insert the ribbon and re-sew the seam. This made it look as if I’d sewn the whole thing from scratch :)
Front
Back... Shows gusset
The second placemat purse I made was quilted. I simply sewed the ribbon to the inside of the top edges. Then I sewed another strip of ribbon around the entire top of the inside of the purse to cover up where the straps were attached (before sewing the sides together). I also gave this one a wider gusset. Like the first one, I cut off some of the width to make it boxier instead of short and long.
Since this was intended for use by a toddler, I chose not to include any buttons, snaps, or magnetic closures. But you could certainly add something like that if you wish. Please feel free to email me or send me a FB message if you have questions.
Tags: tutorial, update
Posted by Megan Barr on May 2, 2010 in
Uncategorized So far, my desk apron has done the trick! Ryder has grown bored of trying to get under my desk, but has found many other mischievous fun things to do. Unfortunately, he still climbs under the other part of my desk (under my feet) and pulls on all the cords, etc. I could probably easily remedy this situation, only the fabric I bought for the original curtain was the last bit of clearance stuff left on the bolt. So I might still go for it, but it won’t match. Function over form, I guess…
Ryder’s Easter basket served its purpose quite well. (Revisit how I refashioned a Goodwill cardigan into an Easter Basket here.) We joined our friends at their neighborhood Easter egg hunt and really enjoyed watching the kids collect their loot… even in the pouring rain.
At least once a week, we get to visit with Ryder’s best friends. When we go to their house, he LOVES to “cook” in Lainey and Kami’s kitchen. He proudly wears their pink aprons and chef hats, and “vacuums” the playroom floor with gusto. So I looked around on a local yardsale website and found a nearly identical kitchen for $20. I paired it with the dishes I played with as a litter girl and whipped up this fun hat and apron combo. You could be looking at the next Guy Fieri!
Now that he’s got the gear, I realized we were running short in the food department. So of course, I had to try making some… it’s a work in progress, but here’s what he cooks so far:
Keep an eye out for more delicious felt!
A few weeks ago, we marked a big milestone in Ryder’s life… his first haircut! We went to KidSnips where Miss Kathy hand-picked an Elmo video and seated Ryder in the Superman car. I was worried he would freak out, but he couldn’t have had more fun. When Kathy was done, his long curly mullet was gone, and he’d been transformed into a handsome big boy! They packaged a lock of his hair and attached it to a fun little certificate that I put straight into his baby book.
Speaking of Elmo videos (or “Eh-nuh” as Ryder calls him)… this is our newest obsession. Ryder has also fallen in love his his “baby” (one of my Cabbage Patch Kids). Baby usually stays in bed, but sometimes he gets to run errands with us. I captured his photo on my phone while running errands at Target…
Spring has been SO beautiful! We’ve already enjoyed countless outings to local parks and zoos…
… and grilling season has officially begun in our house. YUM!
Looking forward to more awesome weather, more outings, more sewing, and more FUN!
Posted by Megan Barr on Apr 1, 2010 in
Uncategorized I quickly became tired of chasing Ryder away from all the junk useful and well-organized items under my desk. So I decided to try to create a way to keep him out… I figured the ol’ “KEEP OUT” sign just wasn’t gonna cut it
So I found a inexpensive piece of fabric that sorta kinda goes with the room and went from this:
To this:
All I did was cut it to the proper height (it was already the perfect width) and sew a finished edge on three sides (the fourth side had a nice edge already, so I saved myself the effort). Then I used some of the scraps to make some bias tape-type ties and sewed them to the corners. But as soon as I tied it up, I thought “Hmmm… now, every time I have to get out some fabric or something, I’ll have to untie the whole thing.” And that’s just way too much time and effort to be worth the venture… So I took it down and did this:
All I did was cut it up the middle, but not all the way through. I used an overcast stitch to finish the edges without losing any width (although it looks like I lost width because I tied the corners tighter), and then attached four more ties. Now I can just untie the middle and get out what I need without dismantling the whole thing. It was a quick and dirty “function over form” kind of project, but so far it’s working much better than my TP cover
Speaking of my failed TP cover, I ran across this the other day, and think her idea is much more effective than mine… although, knowing Ryder, he’d probably still find a way to make a mess. I’ll have to try it her way someday.
