Simple Serged Handwarmers

This post first appeared on The Sewing Rabbit, and now I'm bringing it home! Hope this DIY helps warm your chilly hands this winter :)

My husband got me a serger for Christmas, and I couldn't have been happier (it's the Brother 1034D in case you're wondering, and I absolutely LOVE it.) I had been wanting one for awhile, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and try it out. The only problem was, what to make? After thinking about it for awhile, I came up with the idea to make a few hand warmers for Christmas gifts.

Hand warmers are perfect for the chilly winter weather we've been getting, and they're also the perfect project for practicing with a serger in case you have one (or you convince your husband to get you one for Christmas too :) If you don't have a serger, no problem! Just use a zig-zag stitch around the edges instead.

SUPPLIES: 1/4 yard cotton fabric, serger and thread, long grain rice, funnel, essential oil.

First, cut out 5x5 inch squares from your pieces of cotton. I went with some gingham and chambray scraps I had in my stash.

Next, remove the right needle on your serger by using the little screwdriver your machine came with. Make sure to tighten well after you remove the right needle so that your remaining needle is lined up properly on the left side.

Pin two squares wrong sides (or the sides without the pattern) together.

Beginning at one of the corners, start to serge along each edge with a 1/4-1/2 inch seam allowance. To serge corners, I serged along the edge until I reached the corner then, with the needle still down, I raised the foot and turned my square and began to serge along the next edge.

Stop serging when you're about 1 1/2 inches from where you began and clip your loose threads.

Use a spoon or funnel to fill your hand warmer with rice. Make sure not to overfill, because you still need to serge the opening and you don't want to get rice in your serger :) I used about 3/4 cup I think.

Add 2-3 drops of essential oil to the rice (this will help the hand warmers smell nice each time they're heated!)

Finally, serge your opening closed by starting at the corner and overlapping your stitches. Tie the ends of your strings in knots to make sure nothing comes unraveled and clip the excess.

These little hand warmers make great stocking stuffers or gifts for neighbors. Stack a few together and tie with some baker's twine! Easy.

To heat, simply stick them in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. They're perfect little companions when you need help staying warm outdoors (or keeping your feet warm in bed on chilly winter nights!)

Some Happy Buns!

More PJ's? Always PJ's, if you ask me. Especially when they have an adorable little bum panel like these Happy Buns Britches by Peek-a-Boo Patterns (affiliate) do. I told you I had an unhealthy obsession with making PJ's, and I'd be lying if I said this is the last pair I'd be making anytime soon.

This moose print and stripe print (both by Girl Charlee) were just begging to be made into PJ's, so who am I to ignore that call? I mean, seriously, the cuteness of that little bum.

We've had plenty of chilly days laying around the house watching TV and eating popcorn lately, so snuggly PJ's were just the thing this little guy needed. And the little bum panel on the Happy Buns Britches was the perfect solution for my out of control scrap pile. You only need a small scrap for the back, and there's even an option for a larger panel if you little one wears cloth diapers (which mine does not.)

The Happy Buns Britches are on sale for 15% off today only, so snag your discounted copy while you can. And psst, they're great for girls too. I love a good unisex pattern!

DIY Skeleton Gloves + Silhouette Portrait GIVEAWAY!

I've got the perfect, quick addition for your Halloween costumes today (and make sure to read below for a chance to win a (Silhouette Portrait)!

My son, Connor, is obsessed with skeleton everything. It all started with the shirt he's wearing in the picture below, which happens to be an old shirt from last year that he refuses to give up. He now owns several skeleton shirts and a zip-up jacket in skeleton print that I made him this year.

The wonderful folks over at Silhouette sent us a Silhouette Portrait recently to try out, so I thought it'd be fun to make Connor a pair of skeleton gloves using their flocked heat transfer material to add to his wardrobe - and they were a huge hit!

With the addition of a skeleton shirt, these gloves make the perfect skeleton Halloween costume. Or just wear the gloves by themselves for fun! Who says skeleton gloves are only for Halloween? Not this guy.

Who wants to make a pair??

SUPPLIES: a pair of knit gloves (do not use leather or anything other than traditional knit or fabric gloves!), Silhouette flocked heat transfer in white, Silhouette Portrait or CAMEO, scanner, iron and ironing board, skeleton gloves template (available only in Silhouette Studio format.)

Note: If you'd like to use the skeleton glove template that I created for your own personal use, you can find it here. It is only available in Silhouette Studio format, but if you'd like to make this project without a Silhouette, feel free to trace your glove and draw the bones freehand onto the back of Silhouette transfer material, then cut out by hand.

ONE: to create your own skeleton gloves from scratch, first place one glove on a piece of paper and trace carefully around it. Scan your picture and open in Silhouette Studio.

TWO: next, choose the "draw smooth freehand" option and begin drawing finger bones.

THREE: continue drawing bones with the draw smooth freehand tool.
FOUR: after you've finished drawing all your hand bones, you can use the arrow to click individually on each bone and adjust them as necessary.
FIVE: add wrist bones, the use your arrow to select all of the bones. Right click and choose "group" to group all the bones in your hand together.
SIX: you can now move your scanned picture off of your work board.

SEVEN: to make a second hand, simply right click on your hand and select "duplicate." Once you've duplicated your hand, make sure to right click on it again and choose "flip horizontally."

EIGHT: now you're ready to cut! Load your flocked heat transfer material into your Silhouette Portrait and cut according to the recommended settings.

NINE: Weed out your design by removing the extra transfer material.
TEN: place your design sticky side down onto your glove.
ELEVEN: I know the directions say otherwise, but I've found that my heat transfer designs adhere best when I turn my iron heat between the "silk" and "wool" setting, and iron directly on top of the plastic (on an ironing board of course.)

Remove the plastic carefully, and now you have the perfect set of spooky skeleton gloves for Halloween, or just for fun!

Connor loves his new gloves! I'm sure this won't be the last year you'll be seeing these babies :)

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Now for the best part! We get to give away a Silhouette Portrait!

If that doesn't excite you, then there's something wrong with you! Between the two of us, Shannon and I own both the Silhouette Portrait and the CAMEO, and they have been essential to our daily crafting. You can make everything from personalized clothing, decorations, and gifts for friends and family. The possibilities are really endless! Need some ideas?

1. Monster Teeth Treat Bags  2. Trick-or-Treat Bags 

3. Skeleton Bones Treat Bags 4. Faux Stamped Jewelry

5. Library Tote with Library Card Pocket  6. "You Blow Me Away" Valentine  

What's great about The Silhouette Portrait is that it's compact in size (only 3.5 pounds), but has a cutting size of 8" wide, and can be used to cut fabric, chipboard, vinyl, you name it. You can read more about the awesomeness that is The Silhouette Portrait here.   

So, do you want to win one? Of course you do. Enter using the widget below. Good Luck! The lucky winner will be announced here Monday October 27th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guidelines: Open to US/Canada Residents 18 years old or older. Void where prohibited. Giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Prizes will be fulfilled by Silhouette America. Winner cannot have won another Silhouette America giveaway in the past 90 days. Winners should expect to receive their prize within 4-6 weeks after the giveaway has ended. The giveaway winner will be emailed within 24 hours after giveaway has ended, and will have 72 hours to claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed, a new winner will be selected. 

Two Art Caddy Totes

Have you heard of the Friday Fiver over at Crafterhours? Every Friday, the ladies at Crafterhours host a deal for a different product or pattern that you can snag for just $5 for one day only. They've had some amazing steals (many of which I snagged myself), and I've found myself eagerly clicking over each Friday to see if the Friday Fiver has been posted yet. If you're not a Crafterhours blog stalker every Friday (at least), you need to be!

A little over 2 weeks ago, the Friday Fiver deal was for the Art Caddy Tote by Gingercake. When I first clicked on it, I thought "cute pattern!" and clicked away. But one look at the jumbled war zone that is my kids' collection of art supplies, and I quickly clicked back over and added that baby to my cart. I needed all those pockets. And there are plenty!

I purchased supplies to make two caddies simultaneously, one for my son and one for my daughter. I'm the kind of person who likes instant project gratification, a.k.a. a project I can finish in a day, and I could tell this pattern was going to take a few days and after finishing one, I probably wouldn't want to make another for a very long time lol.

With a smidge of guidance, I let my kids choose the fabric themselves. I wanted them to really love their new caddies and make them their own since they'd be carting around all of their stuff in them. The fabric all came from my favorite local Jo-Ann Fabric, where I spend at least 3 days out of the week - I work out in the same shopping center where a Jo-Ann Fabric is conveniently located, so it would be a shame not to visit, right?? ;) The ladies there all know Connor and his favorite candy (I bribe him so I will have a happy shopping experience - thanks Skittles!)

My favorite thing about this pattern is the many, many pockets. I really stuffed these caddies full, and they held up without a problem and with room to spare.

We are definitely a maker family, if you can't tell by the pictures. At one point while filling my daughter's caddy, I thought I had run out of room for all. the. markers. But then I turned the bag around and found I had forgotten an entire pocket. Problem solved!

She loves having a bag that holds all of her coloring supplies, as well as scissors, glue, and every other odd and end that previously cluttered up her room.

Connor got a decidedly less girly bag :) He chose monsters, which I absolutely adore. I love that he finally has his own opinions on what patterns, colors, etc. he prefers.

I finished these bags just in time for a long road trip that we're going to be taking for a friend's wedding. These are going to be a perfect distraction for the long trip ahead!

A New Season + a New Pullover

Well hello again! It's been a whirlwind past two weeks with a new kindergartener, a new pre-schooler, and starting a new job as an assistant teacher at my son's pre-school. Happily, everyone is settling in nicely and most of my nerves are intact lol. It helps that both kids are loving school, especially Haley who bounds off the bus everyday with new stories about what they did that day in kindergarten. It's only been two weeks and she's already learned how to spell several words and repeats them to me excitedly each day. Oh the kindergarten years, when school is carefree and fun. I hope she never loses her love for learning.

While the kids have been in school, I've been busy adding to their fall wardrobes, including making a couple of these awesome Pine Lake Pullovers by Peek-a-boo Patterns (released this past Thursday.) This is a pattern I tested (with no expectation of a blog post), but I just wanted to share because it's become another new fall wardrobe favorite - I even have a couple more in the works for next fall.

This one is made of a fun leopard printed fleece that I found, and a mint colored zipper for a fun pop of color. Haley loves it and, as the temperatures have started dipping into cooler digits lately, she's been wearing it to school almost every morning. She especially loves the kangaroo pocket. Is it just my daughter, or are other 5-year-olds also just as obsessed with pockets at this age? Whatever the case, she loves that she has a place to keep her hands (and some rocks) toasty on crisp mornings.

I've come to grips with the facts that my babies are growing up. I think. No promises that there won't be any tears when Connor starts school in a couple of years (there were a few when I watched my daughter board the bus), but I do love to see how proud they are of themselves when they come home having learned new and exciting things.

Here's to a new season!

Two Henday Hoodies

As a pattern tester, I was provided this pattern free of charge, but all opinions are my own.

I'm the kind of person who appreciates a quick and dirty project - one that I can sew during naptime or right after the kids go to bed, so I typically stay away from outerwear. I know, I'm such a baby. I don't want to have to sew a lining because I'm pretty much sewing two jackets...which is exactly the point so it'll be warm. And don't even get me started on pants. I've had the same pair of shorts for my daughter sitting on my work table for months. MONTHS. Because I can't bring myself to make another fly or sew on tiny belt loops. Pants are my kryptonite.

And I mean that is a completely non-creepy way.

Anyway, after making up a few Raindrop Tees, I called my fall sewing done and set out to catch up on Game of Thrones - I've become a recent addict and am currently in the middle of season 3. And then, Jess of Gracious Threads put out the call to test her newest fall pattern, the Henday Zip-Up Hoodie. My kids are always in need of outerwear (probably because I never sew any??), so I asked Jess how long it took to make one. Less than 90 minutes, she said, zipper and all. Sold.

A Gingham Boardwalk Dress and Some Denial

At this point in time, I know I'm supposed to be talking about fall-ish things but you know what? I'm not ready for that yet. We've been enjoying the bare foot, popsicle-filled, dog days of summer, and I'm not so sure I want to see those days go yet.

Just last week, I drove by a house near ours that was already decked out in full Halloween decor, and all I could think was, "this is not happening yet."

We have too many pool days left. Too many afternoons spent at the park. Too much summer left to seize. And yet...