Fabric Memory Game Tutorial

Are you in need of a quick sewing project to use up some scraps in your stash?  This fabric memory game fits the bill and is perfect as a gift for little ones of any age.  

If you find the right fabric, you can make an applique game like this.

Or just use different fabric squares to create a memory game like this.

Once they're complete, whip up a couple of clear vinyl bags using this tutorial and you're ready to give a unique gift that can be used over and over again.

This tutorial goes into detail on how to make the scrappy version but it's the same process for the appliqué version.  You just need to appliqué your pictures onto each plain front square instead of cutting matching scrappy squares.

Before I start, I should mention that I have used a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  I use this size on all my craft projects to give me a little room for error.  Hey, I'm not perfect;-)

Supplies
Backing fabric (this needs to be a solid color or a simple print so each square looks exactly the same)
Different fabric scraps for the front.  I made 16 squares so used 8 different fabrics.
Batting to give the cards some strength (I had run out of batting so used polar fleece instead)
Other basic sewing supplies

The Fun
Start by cutting out all your pieces, I used a 5 X 5 inch square.  For this game, I made 16 squares so I obviously cut 16 backing squares, 16 pieces of polar fleece and 2 X 8 squares for the front of my cards.

Now layer the squares like a sandwich with right sides of your fabric together and polar fleece on top.

Pin all the way around.  (I flipped my sandwich over before I pinned.)

Stitch around the outside using a 1/2 inch seam allowance but make sure you leave an opening on one side for turning through.

Cut the corners and trim the seam allowance to about 1/4 inch on all sides except for the one with the opening.  If you look closely, you can see my stitching line and the opening with the larger seam allowance untrimmed.

Turn through, making sure you push the corners out well and press.  (Excuse the state of my ironing board.)

Now top stitch around the outside of the whole square, stitching the opening closed in the process.  (Sorry about the change of fabric, it is the same game, just a different square.)

Repeat the process for the other squares and you have a fabulous memory game.  You can make it as simple or as difficult as you like and it's perfect for little ones as the cards are durable and can be thrown in the wash if they get dirty.

DIY Lightsaber - A Simple Tutorial

My son is into pretend play at the moment, he can't seem to get enough of it.  He is constantly pretending to be different characters (mostly of the superhero variety) and I have to join in most of the time whether I like it or not!

The other day, he decided he wanted a lightsaber to play with.  Don't ask me where that came from as he has never seen 'Star Wars' but with the amount of advertising around these days, he's obviously picked it up from somewhere.  I love that my son thinks I can make anything in the world but sometimes he really tests me.  I thought about this one for a little while and came up with this.

Take a small torch and wrap strong, clear plastic vinyl around it and stick it on with masking tape.  (You can skip this step but I wanted the lightsaber to last more than just a few hours.)

You then need to wrap a few layers of baking paper around that and tape it down.  Make sure you fold the ends over at the top otherwise the torch light will shine too brightly out there.

Give the lightsaber to your favorite little 'Jedi' and watch them have hours of fun.  The best thing about this is that the plastic and baking paper is quite soft, so if they do happen to hit something or someone with it, it shouldn't do too much damage.

Happy crafting!
Kat

Just a cheap cardi!

Work, work, work is all I seem to be doing at the moment as we are having a month long sale at work, but I did manage to squeeze a little sewing in today.
I am trying to finish off a few more blocks before I start any new projects, it is rather hard as I keep finding new ideas for a new project.
I did manage to complete a little paper pieced flying geese block though.  Really happy with how it turned out and I managed to get my scraps sorted out and used up a few as well.

I am really enjoying paper piecing at the moment especially these smaller blocks.  I got this one from here.


I also picked up a cardigan from Kmart for $12 and decided to make it pretty.
During the Craft show I picked up some lovely laces and flowers from Pitt Trading and thought they would be perfect for my cheap cardi.

I started with just this plain cardigan

Then stitched on some lace and a flower

And finished with this.....

Add your favorite Little Black Dress and you have a gorgeous cardi for work or for play.

Hope you all had a great weekend and didn't work too hard

SUZ

A Quick Tip For Your Next Picnic.

Do you have formula dispensers laying around your house that you don't really use anymore?  Don't throw them out just yet, they do come in very handy.

Last week we went to the park for lunch and as the weather is a tad cold at the moment, I wanted to take a thermos full of boiling water to make us all a hot drink.  Whilst searching my cupboard for something to take the coffee, milo and sugar in, I put my hand on this and filled it with everything I needed.

Perfect right?  I put more than I needed in and took a teaspoon to serve it out, but you could easily put each persons preferred mixture in each section then simply tip it up into the cup.

This would be perfect for traveling in the car too.  I'm sure there are so many more uses for these things and I'm now determined to find them all.


Happy crafting!
Kat

Super Easy Peanut Butter Biscuits

This recipe is one I thought I would share as our mum used to make it for us when we were kids.  It really is the easiest biscuit recipe I have used (only 3 ingredients) and if you love peanut butter, you will LOVE these!  I know you're all running to get your pen and paper to jot this one down, so without further ado, here it is (please excuse the bad phone photos).

Peanut Butter Biscuits

1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of castor sugar
1 egg

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined.  I threw in some m&m's for that something extra.  Chocolate chips would work well too, who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate?

Roll into teaspoon size balls and place on a tray.

Bake in a moderate oven for approx 10 mins or until browned slightly, this will leave the biscuits soft and gooey inside.  If you prefer your biscuits hard, just leave them in a little longer.

Once cooled enough to touch, pour yourself a nice hot drink and serve on your favourite vintage crockery.  (I have my nan to thank for this set.)

Happy cooking!
Kat

Doll House Number One.

When I had my oldest child, I joined a mums group through our local hospital.  Almost 4 years on and we are still meeting on a weekly basis for a coffee and a chat whilst the kids have a play.  The only problem with joining a mums group is that the kids birthday's are all within a couple of months of each other.  This year I wanted to be organised so I started planning early as I wanted to make each of them something special.  I searched the Internet for inspiration, (which I do quite often) and stumbled across this tutorial for a fabric doll house.  I decided this would be the perfect gift for the four girls in the group.

Here is what I came up with for the first doll house.  There are a few things I need to tweak in the future but overall I think it's pretty cute and the birthday girl loved it.

Here it is opened up complete with felt path and pond in the yard.  The little people I was able to get from my sisters friend and I think they just finish it off, although they are not the easiest things to paint!

I thought the walls needed something so I used some felt to add a fireplace, chair and lamp.  I have good intentions of stitching these on but I just ran out of time so grabbed my hot glue gun to keep them in place.

What does every doll house need?  A flat screen T.V of course and a light in the roof to brighten things up!

Mr. J liked this so much, he wants one for himself.  He's the last of the kids to have their birthday so I might have time to make one for him and perhaps his little sister might get one for her birthday too.

Happy crafting!

Kat

Love the winter sun

OK, so where I work is having a sale at the moment and it lasts for quite some time.  This will be the second weekend of the sale and I am a little exhausted.  We are busy, busy over the weekend.
Even though I have been working, I have still had a little time to sew.  Who wouldn't want to sew sitting here near the window with some winter sun coming through.  Nice Hey?

It is a little untidy and I have two machines out as I was checking my Bernina machine to make sure it was running nicely.
I haven't finished anything yet, but I think there is always time and room, to bring in more fabrics!  Today I came home with these goodies.

I love all these colours and since I haven't been shopping for something for me, I bought these with the intention to make a couch quilt.  No idea what pattern to use yet or when I will get it started, but it should be nice and bright. I ended up with a bit of Heather Bailey, some Jennifer Paganelli and a little Fever.  I think these mix so nicely.  Can't wait to get started.

Cheers SUZ

Clutch Bags.

My best friend recently turned 30 and I wanted to make her a clutch bag that would be big enough for her phone and cards but also classy enough to use for a wedding or a night out.  I searched the net for tutorial and whilst there were heaps, I couldn't find exactly what I wanted so I decided to come up with my own.

Before I attempted my own pattern, I thought I would try a couple of different tutorials I found to get my head around piecing the bags together.

I started with this clutch but I really didn't like the tutorial.  I'm not going to link to it here as I found it difficult to follow and I really didn't like the end result.

The next one I tried was this one from Noodlehead.  Such a simple idea but looks great made up.  I love the way she does the zipper, it takes away so much bulk at the ends.  I had these fabrics in my stash and they work perfectly together.

Here's a look inside the bag at the card slots.

I stumbled across this next tutorial on pinterest and had to give it a go.  This fabric was also in my stash from a few years ago and I love how it turned out with this design.  This is such a simple idea but looks great and very easy to follow.  You can find the full tutorial here.

After these three bags, I was ready to attempt my own.  Here's what I came up with.

Once I had them all made, I couldn't decide out of the bow clutch or my design so I sent both.  I gave her a little sneak peak on facebook to keep her guessing.

This is what she opened up.  I can report back that she loved both purses and said she couldn't decided which to use first.

I'm planning on doing a tutorial for my clutch bag but I have a few projects to get finished over the next little while before I get that blogged.

Happy crafting!
Kat