Upcycled Creations Part Deux: A Heat Pack for an Achy Back

Got some old pieces of scrap fabric you don't know what to do with? Don't throw them away, make this sweet rice heat therapy bag! I found this great tutorial from Sew Mama Sew the other day and I thought it would make a great gift for a friend of mine who just had a baby. I was going to make an entire "wellness package" but um ya...I ran out of time. After going through the instructions I was confused, so I simplified the project a bit and things turned out swell!


Basically I just cut a long rectangular piece of cotton I had left over from another project. At one end I sewed three cotton scraps and then fashioned the entire piece into a slip cover. This was the outside of the bag. For the interior sack I sewed a rectangular muslin bag that matched the dimensions of the exterior piece leaving one end open. I filled the muslin bag with rice mixed with fresh scented oils and sewed the bag shut. After stuffing the cover I was done. Voila a super chic heat therapy!

Favorite Fall Photos

These are some of my favorite pictures from this fall. Many of these were taken last week when we tried ("tried" being the operative word here) to take family pics. As you will notice there is only one of Del (who was unusually sullen) and Pete and ZERO of me : )

Noah

This photo exemplifies our little man perfectly. He's a little naughty, but mostly just seriously adorable. Noah, in his prime at the age of two.

Upcycled Creations Part Une: Girl's Sweater Dress

So what's upcycling you say? Well I would define it as using a well-loved item, for example a lush little sweater-set from Christopher and Banks, and re-inventing it for a greater purpose.

For over a year I've been on the hunt for the perfect sweater dress for Eden, but alas the cute little dresses I often find are often out of my price range. So what's a girl to do? Improvise!! Here's how I made a sweater dress for E out of an old sweater I got at Goodwill. And as a testament to how simple this project is (as opposed to my sewing skills), it only took about 15 minutes to complete!!! Alright folks brace yourselves for inspiration : ) *Sorry about the quality
of the pics, the lighting wasn't the best*

Start with an adult sizes sweater and fold in half. (I would have showed you the sweater as a whole but I got too excited and started cutting before I got out the camera).

Using a girl's dress as a template, mark and cut a diagonal line that will represent the sides of the dress.

Unfold the dress and make sure the lines are even.

Now turn the dress inside out and sew the sides together.

Once you've finished sewing the edges, turn the dress so that the right sides face out. You'll notice that the sleeves have some raw edges, so we can make cuffs to make the dress look complete. This step isn't always necessary, especially if your working with a stretchy fabric such as jersey knits.

Cut the cuffs off of the ends of the sleeves to the original sweater.

Here is the sleeve to the sweater dress and the cuff.

Place the cuff so that is slips over the end of the sleeve. The raw edges should line up together. Make sure that the right side of the cuff and the sleeve are facing each other. This way when you turn the cuff the right side shows. Clear as mud huh?!

Head back to the sewing machine to complete the sleeve cuffs.

fin.