The first two clothes are with fleece fabric which is easy for kids to
use. Then the last is Upcycling with a shirt.
Fleece Hat
Materials: Tape measure, 1/2 yard fleece fabric, Scissors,
Needle and thread, Buttons, appliqués, or felt pieces for decoration, 1 yard decorative
cord
Directions:
First,
determine the size of the hat. (To avoid ruining the surprise, measure the head
of someone who is similar in size to the recipient.) Now cut a piece of fleece
that´s 16 inches wide and as long as the measurement you took plus 2 inches.
Fold
the fleece in half, right side in so the 16-inch edges match up. Sew a
1/2-inch-wide seam along this edge, stopping 5 inches from the bottom (see A).
Just below the last stitch, make a 1/2-inch cut in from the side. Turn the
material right side out. Now sew a seam along the last 5 inches of unsewn
fleece (see B).
Roll
the bottom of the hat up two turns, so the cuff conceals the bottom part of the
seam. To keep the cuff from unrolling, sew on a decorative button, an appliqué,
or a felt cutout.
Finally,
gather the top 3 inches of the hat and tie a colorful cord around it.
Pocket Scarf
Materials: Piece of fleece (ours is 60 inches long
an 8 inches wide), Embroidery floss and sewing needle, 3 buttons and Scissors
Directions:
Fold the ends of the scarf, lining them up with
the sides, as shown.
Use
a whipstitch to sew along the sides, creating two triangular pockets.
Sew
a button just inside the center of each pocket. Cut a corresponding buttonhole
above each, as shown.
Add
a third button to the outside corner of one of the pockets, sewing through both
layers of fleece. Cut its button hole in the opposite pocket, snipping through
both layers. You can use this button to secure your scarf in place.
Fleece-Weave
Scarves
Materials: fleece fabric in solid colors, fabric
scissors, tailor's chalk, and fabric glue
Directions:
Cut
a long, rectangular scarf from the fleece, about 5 feet by 7 inches.
Use
the chalk to mark a grid on the scarf (the scarf above has three columns of half-inch
vertical slits spaced about two inches apart; the scarf at right has four
columns).
Cut
open the slits.
Cut
narrow strips of fleece, about 1 1/2 inches wide and a few inches longer than
your scarf. If the fleece isn't long enough, overlap the ends of two strips and
secure them with fabric glue; let the glue dry a bit before proceeding.
Weave
the strips into the slits of the scarf. Tack the ends of the strips to the
scarf with glue.
Tips:
INVITE DIY: Leave the strip
ends unglued and add a note with your gift explaining that the strips can be
rewoven to create new patterns. Include
several extra strips in various colors.
Directions:
For
the headband:
Cut a loop of fabric from an adult-size shirt's upper sleeve, close to the
shoulder seam. Trim the loop slightly so that one side is a bit narrower than
the other. When your child wears the headband, the narrow side should be
positioned at the back.
For
the wrist warmers:
Cut the sleeves from a child's long-sleeve shirt to the desired length. Cut a
thumbhole into each cuff as shown.
Share
your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net. I look forward to hearing from you!
