My Volunteer School Box (My Favorite Things or Hints #4)

I love to volunteer at my children's school! I have done lots of fun things but usually find that the parent work room is always out of supplies that I need for the project I am working on. So you know me..... I made my own Volunteer School Box to hold all of my supplies!!!

So here is what I keep stashed away in my box:

Scissors, glue stick, permanent marker, highlighter, red/black/blue pens, extra staples, paper clips, rubber thimble, brads, calculator, staple remover, large paper clips, rubber bands, large eraser, measuring tape, hole punch, crayons (for little siblings to color with), stapler, ruler, masking tape, clear tape, and a post it note pad.

I love having everything I need all in one box. It makes it so easy to find and finish my projects quickly!!!

What else would you put in your box?

CCG

My Favorite Rag Quilt........... Camo Style! (A Retake of My Favorite Denim Quilt)

For years now I have wanted to make My Favorite Denim Quilt out of military uniforms instead of denim jeans. (Like a military memory quilt) I finally got my chance a few weeks ago when my neighbor (who courageously served our country) had a baby and I offered to make a baby quilt for his sweet little guy. (His sweet wife jumped at the chance to get rid of some of the clutter in the garage!)

SPOILER ALERT!!! This is the finished product. I was so pleased with how it turned out, and so were my neighbors!!!

 So after viewing My Favorite Denim Quilt Part 1 and My Favorite Denim Quilt Parts 2 you will kind of get the basic idea of how I make these quilts. This way I can jump straight to the adaptations I made for this particular quilt.

Always check each article of clothing for surprises. This can include but is not limited to insect nests, items in pockets which for this project included, medication and military service patches. Be sure to wash the uniforms well before your start cutting.

 First, get ready to spend a lot of quality time with your seam ripper. Seriously, sit down with your favorite TV episodes and start picking to your hearts content, then get ready to pick out some more!

Remove all hook and loop strips (not from the pockets), tags, pockets, zippers and closures.

A trick I found for the pockets was to leave the hook and loop sections of the pocket attached while I removed the pocket from the pants or jacket. This gave the pocket structure as well as being able to use the fabric under the pocket for the squares.

Don't worry about the stitching holes that are left in the fabric. A good steam or mist of water while ironing the fabric will cause the holes to close quite nicely. (I was super excited about that trick!)

 Next cut out the seams from the areas you do not want (i.e. side seams from the jacket) and iron each piece so that it is as flat as possible. Remember to use the fun seams as part of the quilt. (See the second to last picture for examples.) Experiment with what gives you the most usable fabric. This will also determine how big of squares you will cut. My uniforms were a small/medium so I was able to get a 6X6 square nicely. Now start cutting using a rotary cutting tool, matt and large ruler. Have fun using the character of the material to make unique squares. 

Lay out your squares in a nice large open area and play with how large you would like the quilt. Remember this is the creative stage. Arrange your squares with the pocket and seamed squares as well as rotate the fabric so the print goes in different directions. Take into account that you will loose about 1/2 to 1 full square width with seam allowances. You may go back and add another row or two.

 For this quilt I ended up with an 8X11 rowed quilt of 6" squares. This was about 45 to 50 inches wide and about 1 1/2 to 2 yards long. (Yes this is a big baby quilt but I wanted this little guy to enjoy it for many years) Once the pieced top is finished, turn it over and iron the wrong side to set the seams and make it nice and firm. This will help when you are adding the batting and backing.

 The other adaptations I made on this quilt were the addition of "Warm and Natural" batting and using flannel for the backing as opposed to Polar Fleece. I wanted this quilt to be a little warmer and little more firm than my other quilts so I added the batting between the pieced top and the flannel backing and pinned the entire quilt so there would not be any puckers.

I stitched around the entire quilt edge and then went into the ditch of each intersection of the four squares and did some stay stitching to keep the batting in place.

Clipped, washed, dried and tah dah! A very handsomely cute rag quilt!

 Here you get a close up of the different types of squares I was able to cut and arrange in the quilt. I really had fun designing this quilt and adding the pockets on it. What little boy doesn't love pockets to stash his cars, rocks, and other treasures in?

My sweet Little Crafty Camper Girl who helped my with this quilt said, "Momma, you need to add pockets for baby food and milk for him!" Seriously I could just eat her sometimes, she always says the cutest things!!!

 Here is the finished quilt all rolled up like a bedroll. I used the collar from the uniform jacket to secure it. (That was a happy accident, as Bob Ross says!) All in all I was very pleased with how the quilt turned out. I did learn a few things along the way. Newer military uniforms have lines that run through the fabric called "rip stop lines." These were a blessing and a curse. The blessing came in that when the fabric was turned a certain way it gave a great gauge for clipping the fabric. The curse came in that because it is a "rip stop" the fabric did not fray as well as the denim does.

This quilt was about a 3 solid day project, from preparing the fabric to finished quilt. I hope you enjoyed this retake on My Favorite Denim Quilt. Happy sewing (and seam ripping!).
CCG

Bathroom Box (Travel and Emergency Preparedness)

 This is a staple item for anyone who travels long distances and has kiddos. (Or not even kiddos I love having this for myself). We lovingly refer to this as our "Bathroom Box". We take this with us wherever we go.

Here are the contents:

Container-use one that fits well in your vehicle and can also fit everything you need.

Toilet Paper- I am not able to use a new roll as it is too big so I get one out of the bathroom that has had a few uses so it will fit.

Soap/Plastic Container-I tried using a zipper baggie for this but it did not last long and looked gross.

Knee High Stocking-When camping we use this to hang the soap from a five-gallon water jug next to the privy for hand washing. Super convenient.

Hand Towel/Wash Rag- We use these when camping or for those "uh-oo" moments in the car when a drink or something spills.

Hand Sanitizer-I am a huge soap and water girl and only use alcohol sanitizer when I do not have a water source. That being said germs still need to get killed so it is nice to have this as a back up.



These items fit nicely into my container and it is placed in a convenient place where we remember to grab it when we leave. Other items we take with it include; a small spade shovel, the "Scotty Potty" (if we are traveling in the truck, it is more stable than a three legged potty) (click on the link for information on the "Scotty Potty") and the privy tent if we are camping.

Other items we have included:

Brown Paper Bags-these are nice for discretely discarding feminine hygiene products.

Plastic Diaper Disposal Bags/Grocery Bags-for diapers/feminine hygiene products when you are not near a trash can.

This little gem has come in handy so many times, including those times when you are at the rest stop/restaurant/gas station and they have run out of one of these items :)

Happy summer travels everyone!

CCG

My Favorite Repurpose Tech Item ............. (My Favorite Things or Hints #2)

   I am always on the look out to repurpose items, especially when I can get them for free!

 Here is one of my favorites.

 

 When I am packing for a vacation or business trip I am always trying to find a small bag for my cell phone charger, USB cable, ear phones etc. I wanted a small bag that would hold everything and that I could throw in my purse or back pack for easy access.  My answer came when I was helping my mother-in-law clean out a closet and I found 2 or 3 of these glucometer bags that she was not using.







I took them home and found that the mesh pockets were just the right size for my USB cable and ear phones. The charger fit nicely in the middle and it zipped up perfectly!!!!!

 

I keep this little gem in my dresser drawer and can grab it when ever it need it. Plus, Mr. Crafty Camper set me up with a fabulous charger that plugs into the car, the wall and will charge two devices at once! And as a bonus, the circle charging indicator light makes a great night light when I am sleeping in unfamiliar places!

 

What is your favorite repurposed item?

 

(P.S. The Anniversary Geocache is almost finished!!!)

CCG

My Favorite Gifts To Give

Well after a very enjoyable 20th Anniversary vacation with Mr. Crafty Camper I am back to being creative again. (Also my sewing/embroidery machine has been broken but now is fixed!!)
I thought I would share with you 3 of my favorite gifts to give. I have received many compliments when I give these gifts on how much the recipients love them and use them! (Hum, maybe I shouldn't share this........ just kidding) All of these gifts are under $10!!!!

First, on the left, laundry bags. These make great gifts for high school graduates, college students, and missionaries. I purchase the laundry bag a my local big box store for around $8 or $9. The one I love to get is made of a canvas material with a polyester bottom and pocket with a strap. It has a zipper pouch attached to the pocket to hold your quarters. I embroider the recipients name on the bag, roll it up, and tie it with tulle. It is so simple but all of the young adults I have given them to have absolutely loved them! (the pic below is not exactly what I purchase but you get the general idea)

Next, the hooded towel on the right. I actually make two different versions of this towel. One with the hood and one with out the hood.
The hooded towels are great baby shower gifts. (If you know the name of the baby you can embroider it on the towel for a sweet personalization).  For this gift, again I got to my local big box store and find a towel that has a single wide band at both ends like the picture below.

This gives you plenty of room to embroider the baby's name on it, or if you don't have an embroidery machine, you can add a super cute ribbon.
I purchase two towels and one hand towel. I can get two "hoods" from the hand towel. Sew it together and add the embroidery along with a ribbon on the band of the hood and presto you have a great gift for under $5 to $10 depending on how expensive of a towel you purchased. All the moms and kids have loved them!

Towels with no hoods are great gifts for baptisms. It is probably the number one thing forgotten on the child's baptism day. Also the kiddos love to be able to choose the color they want the CTR (Choose the Right) embroidered on the towel.

I know that these gifts are not new and trendy, but sometimes the classics are the best! I always love to give a gift with love, not just something off a registry if I can.
Enjoy your day!
CCG

Summer Fun with an Epic Fail

I know it has been a really long time since my last post. I have been an EMT for the past 5 years and decided it was time to continue my education and become an RN. Finishing off the pre-req's for the program has been very time consuming (along with working) and I really haven't done much in the way crafty fun. But that is going to change as I am now waiting for an opening in the program.

So............

My sweet daughter had her BFF over for a play date and wanted to make BFF shirts.

I found two shirts at Wal-Mart for $1 each in the clearance bin earlier this year and stashed it for just such and occasion. She had the general idea of what she wanted so I got online and chose some free coloring pages and used them as a template.

 

 I grabbed my stash of Sharpie markers, my light box and some cardboard and went to work tracing the outline of the shirt for the girls to color. They had so much fun coloring, giggling and adding their own personal touches to the design. They were so proud of themselves!!! (I thought they did a great job, I giggled as I saw them use a yellow Sharpie for the skin. It instantly made me think "jaundice," I so have too much medical terminology on the brain!)

We set them out in the sun to dry, I ironed them with a hot iron, and later they wore them for the rest of the play date. My little voice in the back of my head said, "you better hand wash that shirt just in case!" So glad I did, as the shirt did not hold the ink as well as I thought is would. I was able to get most of the bleeding out and decided to soak it in vinegar to see if that would help set the ink. Nope! It bled even more! My sweet daughter was heart broken and so was I. (I called the BFF's mom to warn her and to have her tell the BFF I was soooo sorry!!!)

The Epic Fail started when I used regular Sharpies when I should have used fabric Sharpies, and then continued when I soaked the shirts in vinegar. Note to self.......Sharpies are for paper!

So the next time I see a great deal on a t-shirt I am going to grab a set of Sharpies for fabric too!

Sewing Basics

I was browsing on one of my favorite blogs Ucreate and found this lovely little jem from Sew4Home sponsored by Moda. You can download the guide HERE.

This resource guide covers a lot of the basics of sewing for beginning to advanced sewers. I printed off a copy for myself to refer to for my next sewing project. (I have three in mind and only have four days till I go back to work, will see if I get them all done). I am especially excited about the needle section, thread section and the tape measure section. A big thanks to Ucreate for posting on this great guide and, Sew4Home and Moda for always inspiring, teaching and encouraging this great hobby! Check out each of their sites and enjoy the inspiration!!
CCG