Steelers T-Shirt Quilt

 So...my brother in-law is a HUGE Steelers fan (that's is an understatement) and his birthday is tomorrow.  A couple weeks ago, my sister in-law asked me to make a t-shirt quilt.  "Sure!" I said.  Ask me today and I will say, "Never again."

 25 t-shirts later.
7 yards of black broadcloth.
2 1/3 yards of wool blanket batting.
14 hours.
2 boobins.
250+ pins.

 My first sign that this was not going to be an easy task was my mother (the woman who has made wedding dresses and prom dresses and princess dresses) said to me, "good luck with that." Ugh

 T-shirt fabric is difficult to work with.  It stretches.  It rolls up.  It does not play well with others. :)  Once we got the layout of the quilt, I began cutting.  I felt a pang of guilt for cutting into these expensive t-shirts.  My guilt turned to frustration because the fabric was not cooperating.  But, in the end, it all came together.

It measures 78 inches wide by 84 inches long.  It weighs about 10 lbs.  I hope he likes it.  Happy Birthday, Keven.
Mel

Animal Photo Blocks

I was recently given the task to come up with some activities for infants and toddlers with the theme of animals.
I found these photo cubes at Target in the Dollar Spot.
I googled images of animals, cut pics to size, and assembled them.
When infants or toddlers play with these, they can name the animals and make the animal sounds to go along with that animal.

Thanks, Target!

Tutus and Butterfly Wings

My dear friend's daughter wants to have a tea party for her birthday. I said, "I will make the tutus and butterfly wings!"
It's really easy (and inexpensive).
You will need:
black felt by the yard for the wings
various colors of felt squares for the wing design
ribbon
3/4" elastic for waist band
sewing machine or hot glue gun
thread
scissors
Measure the waist of your little fairy and cut the elastic to that exact length then sewing to make a circle or band.
Cut the tulle/netting in strips of 2 inches or so. You can vary it.
Simply tie the strands of tulle/netting around the elastic band. I put it over my knee to make it easier to tie. I added a ribbon in every 4 or 5 strands of tulle/netting. Add tulle/netting until you get the fullness that you want.
Here are the wings laid out. I double layered the black felt for sturdiness. I just used simple shapes to make the butterfly wings and stitched them on. You could hot gun them if you are sewing challenged.
Here is the finished project. Isn't she cute. She did not want to take it off! Oh, it's going to be an adorable fairy tea party.

Nest Corsage

So we are planning a baby shower with a nest/bird/woodsy kind of theme. I wanted to make special corsages for the mommy-to-be and the grandmas. I have been deliberating for weeks. Then POW! it hit me. Nest corsages! Of course.
I used:
*brown felt
*green felt
*plastic eggs
*scissors
*a pen
*a cd for tracing
*glue gun
*pin backs (Package of 10 - $1.29 at JoAnns)
1. I traced the cd onto the brown felt.

2. I roughly cut out the circle to make it look more natural.
3. I cut the circle in a spiral.
4. I used a paper punch and brown cardstock to make the back look more neat.
5. I took the spiral and formed it into a 3d nest-looking shape.
6. I cut out 2 leaves but folding the felt in half and cutting out a leaf shape.
7. I turned the nest upside-down and hot glued the edges.
8. I glued the leaves onto the edges.
9. I glued the cardstock circle onto the back.
10. Next, I glued the pin back on.
TA-DAH!

Egypt in Preschool

My co-teacher (partner-in-crime is more like it!) Brooke and I decided to embark on a voyage around the world this summer with our preschoolers.  We began with Egypt.  I made the pyramids from thick yellow cardstock - literally 4 triangles glued together. I cut a section out of the front one for access.  Safari Ltd. makes an Egyptian Toob (we love Safari here).  I found some random palm trees in the block area. We sprinkled a mixed of cornmeal and gold glitter to make the desert sands.  It was a fun and educational week.