DIY: Family Cloths

Several months ago, I made a whole stack of family cloths. Essentially each cloth is just a piece of soft flannel folded in half, sewed together, with the edges trimmed using pinking shears so they don't get too frayed. They were super quick and easy to make, and I used leftover fabric so I didn't spend a dime.
I initially made these because as Phoebe was learning how to wipe herself, she was having a really hard time judging how much t.p. to use. This has completely solved that problem as she knows that she can just grab a wipe-- and that should be exactly what she needs to dry off.
The logistics of my system are that we keep the wipes on the back of the toilet, within easy reach for a 4 year old. Right next to the toilet is a bucket to deposit used wipes. Wipes are for wiping pee only (no poop!), and can also be used for blowing your nose, or can be moistened and use to wipe off body parts. Since it is only pee, there is no smell at all, and I wash these when I wash our towels so there is no extra laundry.
So far this system has worked magic in our house. No more wasted toilet paper, no more wet hands and bums from not using enough toilet paper, and less resource use overall.Two thumbs up from me! Pin It Now!

Reversible Cloth Napkins: A Tutorial

After years of saying that I needed more cloth napkins, I finally got around to making some. It was so quick and easy I have been kicking myself for not doing it ages ago. I decided I didn't want to spend any money on them, so I chose to use whatever fabric I had. This means we have a stack of mis-matched napkins, that are not all the same exact size, but I am 100% OK with that. It will give our table a bit of flair...
I should have taken instructional photos to share the process with you, but honestly, it is easy enough that I think a quick explanation will do:

1. Cute 2 pieces of (potentially) coordinating fabric into squares. Most of mine were about 15-inches square, but some of the ones made with children's fabric are a few square-inches smaller, depending on what size scraps I had.

2. Put fabric squares right sides together. Iron flat. Now stitch around the edge (about 1/2" in from edge) leaving a 3-inch opening in the middle of one of the sides (to do this, start sewing about 2-inches above one of the corners and finish when you get about 3 inches from your starting point).

3. Pull napkin through the 3 inch hole you left and use a chopstick or similar tool to push out corners. Your napkin should have the right sides facing out now (and should look suspiciously similar to a napkin!)

4. Iron flat again. Don't be lazy, do it.

5. Top-stitch around the napkin, close to the outer edge. This will give your napkin a clean look and will also close up that 3-inch opening you left earlier.

6. Eat something messy and use!

Note: many people would tell you to pre-wash your fabric before making these and if I were better organized, I may have. But I didn't and I am not stressing it.

Pin It Now!

Some Upcycled Goodies

A few weeks back I was able to find a wee bit of time to do some sewing and made Phoebe a couple of upcycled dresses to add to her wardrobe.

The first was an old t-shirt of mine that I turned into a dress just by simply cutting out a dress shape, sewing the sides together and adding bias tape to sturdy-up the underarms.

The second was a skirt of mine that was just a bit too short for my liking and so it sat in the closet and never got worn. I made this one into a simple dress by sewing the sides together and adding ribbon strips as straps.

I also managed to whip up a few new pairs of shorts for Finn from fabric I had at the house.... there is just something I love about a kid in mama-made shorts!

I have a whole tub of old clothes in our garage, all of which I eventually hope to upcycle into something more useful. But, finding the time is a major challenge. My sewing machine is in my bedroom, which is also where Phoebe sleeps. I rarely have a chance to sew unless Miss P is sleeping, yet the noise from the machine will wake her up, so I can't sew while she is sleeping... So, I have to sew in snippets here and there when Todd can watch the kids and I can sneak away. Although I do think I relish my sewing moments these days as I seem to have so very few of them! Pin It Now!