Sleepy Fox // Fabric Scraps

One of my New Year's resolutions is to save more of my fabric scraps, especially scraps from knit fabric.  Knit scraps make really nice stuffing and doesn't tend to compress the way polyfill sometimes can.

 I started collecting scraps before Christmas and then saw this free stuffed fox pattern at Stitched by Crystal via SewCanShe.

 Since we had family coming to visit and stay in our guest space during the holidays, I made this little fox as a sort of guest room mascot.

I decided to give him a sleepy face taking a cue from my daughter's Sewing School 2 book.  She's made a couple of these little sleepy bears from the book and they are super cute.

  I just love this guy.  He's so cute and has a really nice weight since the fabric stuffing is heavier than traditional stuffing.  And, the scarf is just such a fun touch.

I'd love to get some more ideas of what to do with fabric scraps.  

Do you save your scraps?

What's your favorite use for those scraps?

Baby Onesie Dress

This right here is baby cuteness at it's best.  A onsie, with a skirt!  

 

I bought this pattern from my new favorite pattern shop, Brindille and Twig.  I started following their blog and saw the release of their newest pattern, a bodysuit dress.

 I decided to put my own spin on it and make the top  kimono style.  The pattern has a snap opening at one shoulder and I'll be honest, I kind of hate putting in snaps.  So the kimono top allows for easy dressing and fewer snaps.  Win, win!

 The design is really great, but you have to pay close attention to the instructions.  I did it wrong the first time...  The way you put it all together, you have the seam attaching the skirt on the outside so that it doesn't irritate baby's skin.

 Nice and flat on the inside.

This one with a matching hat will be up in my esty shop soon.

Needle Felting Fun

We've been enjoying a really fun winter break.  It's been a lot of relaxing, staying in our pajamas and trying out some new crafts.  My daughter has been interested in learning about needle felting so we got some supplies and tried it out.

This is really fun activity for kids and adults.  Both my kids, age 8 and 6 were able to make some cute little shapes and had a lot of fun doing it.

 Here's what you'll need if you want to give it a try.  A foam block, needle felting tool, wool roving, and a cookie cutter for the shape.  We watched this video to get us started.  One word of caution, the needle felting tool is just that, it's a needle.  I was very nervous that the kids would poke themselves and reminded them constantly (much to their annoyance) to be careful.  In the end, the only one who poked themselves was me!  Go figure.

We attached metal rings to a few so we could use them as keyrings or backback charms.  They would also make really fun Valentine's gifts.

Once you get the hang of it, it's fun to experiment.  There are lots of videos and tutorials for endless fun!

Here's to a fun and crafty New Year!