Fleece EARwarmer - Tutorial and Pattern

 I started out on my earwarmer quest, inspired by the beautiful ones over at Delia Creates.  Sometimes, you don't quite need a hat.  An earwarmer is a fun way to add a pop of color and stay warm.

Using Delia's as my inspiration, I came up with a slightly different way of putting it together.  And, I made a downloadable pattern too.

Download pattern HERE. (link fixed!)

All you need is some fleece and thread. 

Download and print the pattern.  Place the marked edge on the fold of the fabric and cut.  Be sure to pay attention to which way the fabric stretches the most, and lay your pattern down with the direction of stretch.  You'll need 2 pieces cut this way.

A note on sizing; the pattern is sized for my child-sized head and fits my 7 year old well.  Yes, I do have a very small head!  However, if you want make it bigger, all you have to do is slide the pattern over from the fold and cut it a bit larger.

You should have 2 pieces of fleece that look like this.

With right sides together, sew along the 2 long edges, leaving the shorter sides open.

Turn right side out.

Topstitch.

Match the shorter sides and sew with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Try it on and make sure the fit is good.

Sew the seams flat.

Add a pretty embelishment.  Done!

So easy, you can make one for every day of week.

What style will you make?

Slipper Desperation

 Winter is in full swing and I'm desperate for slippers.  The kimono slippers I made back in October have gotten a ton of use and unfortunately, didn't hold up too well.

 I do really love the pattern, but it definitely needed an adjustment for my narrow feet.

 I pulled the insole out of my running shoes and adjusted the width of the base.  Last time I used grippy fabric for the base and within 2 months, I tore a hole through it.  So this time I did the sole in vinyl and made the insole with vinyl and fleece. 

 I made these slippers using fabric sitting around in my sewing room.  Hence the red soles.  We'll see how these hold up.

Nothing better than cozy toes on a cold day!

NICU Shirts

A friend had a baby recently that needs to spend some unexpected time in the NICU.  Not really knowing much info, I felt desperate to do something to help.  

I thought that some kind of shirt with lots of snaps might be useful. 

 I used my baby hat pattern to make some matching hats.

 The shirts are reversible and have snaps on the front and at the shoulders.

We've been fortunate and none of my kids have ever spent any time in the NICU, so I don't know if these are helpful or not.  Nonetheless, I'm sure they will be appreciated.