Blog with Friends - Back to School

It's Blog with Friends time again!! WOO HOO!! I am so happy to be back with a new tutorial for you!! It feels like it has been AGES since I had a new tutorial!! I think the last one was a Blog with Friends! 

Anyway, this time around I have an easy peasy nap mat cover for you. Super fast, super easy!!! 

My cousin's little boy is starting preschool and they requested that the parents have covers for the kids' nap mats. 

Viola!

What I Used 

Less than 2 yards of fabric
Zipper
Coordinating thread


STEP 1

With the fabric folded in half, like it comes off the bolt, I put the nap mat on it and cut the fabric.
You want to leave several inches at the top and bottom as well as the sides for seam allowance, room for it to be folded, and room for it to spread out when the child lies down on it. 
Make sense??


STEP 2

Sew the zipper in the top.
I guess I'm a little rusty at this tutorial thing because this is the only picture I took of the zipper process.

You are going to fold the fabric over at the top by 1/4" and press.

Fold over 1/2" and press.

Place the zipper on the wrong side of the fabric and pin in place.

Sew the zipper.

I did a double row of stitches for reinforcement.



STEP 3

With wrong sides together and your zipper open, sew the 2 open sides together. 

Turn right side out!

Slide your mat inside.

Zip it up!

You're done!!!!!

So, what do you think?? Fast and easy????


Don't forget to click the links to all the other posts!!! You know they're going to be AWESOME!!!!!

Karen at Baking in a Tornado has this DELICIOUS recipe for Kit Kat Brownie Bars. OMG!! I NEEEEED THESE!!!!

Lydia from Cluttered Genius has the perfect list for you - Favorite Sites for Teaching Online. As a homeschooler this is AWESOME!!!!

Melissa from Home on Deranged has a great post about Apps to Use and Apps to Lose for the School Year. 

The Lieber Family has a great tutorial for making a Personalized Pencil Pouch AND a More Organized School Year. AWESOME!!!!

Eileen from Eileen's Perpetually Busy has a wonderful tutorial for making a special display for Take a Trip Back in Time. 

Robin from Someone Else's Genius has an awesome tutorial for this GORGEOUS Back to School Wreath! Love it!

Joy at Evil Joy Speaks has a tutorial for a Back to School Homework Table! SO cool!!!

Make sure you click on all the SUPER AWESOME links!!!!

No Sew Notebook Cover

More crafting for the new school year!

We had a couple of old composition books around that the kids didn't use last year. I had an idea to pretty them up a little bit.





What I used :

Scrap fabric

Ribbon

Glue gun





I made a few mistakes here and there but I will tell you alllll about them in the steps! LOL



STEP 1 -







Put your notebook on top of the fabric with the bottom of the notebook hanging over about 1/2". Leaving 2" on both sides of the notebook, cut around.





STEP 2 - 







Cut 2 pieces of ribbon 2" past the edges of the notebook.





STEP 3 -





Cut a piece of ribbon about 4" longer than the notebook (this will be the place mark).





STEP 4 -





While your notebook is closed*, put some hot glue on the binding and attach the place mark.

*I had it open.





STEP 5 - 





With your notebook closed*, add hot glue to the spin, center your fabric and attach it.





STEP 6 -





Add hot glue around the edges of one side and wrap the fabric around. Do that to both sides.

(You should have some room at the top and bottom where the cover is longer than the fabric.)





STEP 7 -





Open the notebook, hot glue the edges of the fabric and stick it to the inside.





STEP 8 -





Close the notebook, add hot glue to the top edges and place your ribbon on top. *Do NOT mash the ribbon down. I think that's why mine looks wrinkly.

Do the same to the bottom edges.

Open the notebook back up and glue the edges of the ribbon to the inside.





ALL DONE!!!!!









I made this one for Cailey because she LOOOOVES SpongeBob!!!









And I made this one for me! ;)



I am going to try my hand at adding the fabric to spiral bound notebooks. I'll let you know how that goes. ;)





HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!!

Cute and Easy Can Craft

I had this old tin can sitting around with all our pens and pencils in it. It was so ugly!! I decided to pretty it up a little bit so it could sit on our table for the upcoming school year.









I had a bit of scrap owl fabric left over from my cousin's pjs and I thought it would be perfect for this!

I used a fabric marker to mark the measurements. I left an inch at the top and bottom.

Next I took my trusty hot glue gun and glued the fabric around the side. I folded over the fabric at the end and glued it in place.

Then I folded the remaining inch at the top into the can and glued it. After that I folded over the remaining inch at the bottom and hot glued it.

I decided that it needed a little something else and added the ribbon (hot gluing it in place, too).

Now I have a cute pencil can for our table!  Simple, easy and cute! ;)



HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!

Tutorial ~ Make a Chair Buddy

This year Colin will be doing full time Kindergarten. He isn't all that thrilled about it to tell the truth. So, I decided to make him something to help get him into the spirit! A chair buddy!!

I had some Hot Wheels fat quarters sitting around and figured they would be perfect!

This project is super fast and easy!  Thank goodness, because now Cailey wants one! LOL She has decided not to use her little desk this year. Maybe Colin will use both the desk and the chair buddy!

What I used for Colin's:

4 fat quarters

1 scrap (for the little pocket)

What I used for Cailey's

2 pieces of flannel - 21" x 23"

1 piece of yellow cotton - 21" x 19"

1 scrap (for the little pocket)

Step 1



Take the scrap piece for you little pocket, fold it in half and press. Next, fold over the top ends by 1/4" and press. Fold over again by 1/2" and press. Sew in place.

Then, with right sides together, sew up the sides, creating the pocket.



Turn right side out and press.

Step 2 -



Take the fat quarter that you are going to use for the large pocket and fold over the top by 2 1/2" and press. Fold again by 2 1/2" and press again.

Sew in place and press.

Step 3 -



Pin the small pocket in place on the front of the fat quarter you will be using for the large pocket.

Sew in place and press.

You should now have 2 small pockets on the front.

Step 4 -



Take the 2 fat quarters you will be using as the body and sew the tops together.

Open it up and press the seam.

With right sides out, fold in half and press the seam from the outside.

Step 5 -



Take your last fat quarter and cut it in half. Fold the halves in the half and press (with right sides out).

Place your pockets on one side of the body and pin down the sides.

Take one of the halves and pin it with the raw edges against the raw edges of the bottom of the large pocket and main body. Pin in place.

Now sew all three pieces together.

Fold the bottom part down and press.  (On the wrong side, press the seam up.)

Take the remaining half and sew it to the bottom of the other side of the main body, Repeat the pressing.

****If you are NOT using the fat quarters, you will lay the pocket fabric on top of the main and fold over 1/2" and press. Fold over another 1/2", press and hem.

Step 6 -



Now, fold the body in half with right sides together and pin the sides,

Sew the sides up!

Press!



Turn right side out and press again!

You are ALL DONE!!!



You now have yourself a Chair Buddy!!! YAY!!!

Here is Cailey's!





Let me know what you think! Have any questions? Just comment or shoot me an email by clicking the Contact Me button at the top of the page.

You can also find me on Twitter or Facebook - the links are over on the right side.

HAVE FUN SEWING!!!!