Blue Jeans Baby!

                      Another Up Cycled Denim Design.

                      An artful Apron.
                     
                      Stuff a set of oven mitts in the pocket and gift it to work in the kitchen.
                      Put paper, paints and a brush in the pocket and paint a starry night!
                      Supply sandpaper and incentive and employ it in the workshop.

The artfully up-cycled Apron

 The basic Apron shape. 
I cut the pattern from an opened leg making use of the original hemming as the bottom hem of the Apron.
The pockets of course are salvaged from the jeans and stitched onto the apron.
I start stitching the binding at a bottom side and go up and all the way around.

Up Cycled Denim Apron

 Seam Binding
I like to make my own seam binding for the Apron edges and ties.
 I prefer working with cotton as it presses well and is available in a huge range of patterns and colors.

Start by cutting the selected cotton into strips
approx. 2 inches wide.
Be mindful of the pattern and which direction you want (in this case) the stripes to lay in the finished garment. Cut accordingly.

Sew all strips together at ends, with right side together. Press seams flat.





                The Artful Apron

Fold over (1/4 inch) on one edge of entire cotton binding strip
 and press.

Up Cycled denim

 Pics are now blue binding. 

Pin unpressed edge of cotton binding 
 with right side down
onto wrong side of Apron fabric .
Be sure to fold in end edge (at thumb area) first.
Stitch binding in place around entire outer edge of Apron.

 Turn Apron over now with right side up.
Bring binding to front, tuck in corner at bottom edge, allow pressed edge to fold under and pin into place.

Top stitch binding in place.











Up Cycled Denim Apron

 The ties for the neck and the back area are also made from the cotton strips.
 Fold over and press in a smaller edge on both sides of the cotton strip. Fold in half and top stitch over folds.
Press. Cut to desired length and stitch in place for neck loop and back tie
  

 Applique Heart

Up Cycled denim apron

 Alleen's Glue to the rescue.
Paint the back of your heart with a layer of Alleen's glue.
 Let sit for a minute of two before turning over and applying heart to apron front.
Although it takes 24 hours to really set it is not easy to move because of the glue residue that will be left from the first placement.
Be sure of where you want the heart the first time.

Craft Apron

Zig zag over the edges of the heart with your machine.

Blue Jean Apron

Squeeze on a thin line of Fabric Paint.

Up Cycled Denim Apron

 Set to dry overnight.
















I don't know why this will not sit up properly..lol
The artful Apron can be washed in machine and dried in the dryer.

A baby denim Sunsuit on a handsome little model.

I have had this pattern running round in my head for over 20 years. 
The last time I made denim summer suits my oldest Son was about 2 and happily modeled this version of the summer suit for me. 

Denim Summer suit @ Craft Blog here

I made his suit in 1992. Here it is!


I purchased the seam binding and the snaps.
I decorated the denim with both the fabric paint and acrylic paint spatter after it had been stitched.
The white paint was a puff paint and so required that I bake the garment for about 7 minutes at 250 degrees. 
It is machine wash and dryer safe.




These are the 2015 version of the summer suit.
 Fashioned from the leg of blue jeans these adorable sun suits are a super summer solution for little boys and little girls alike.
Velcro and or buttons and snap enclosures help to make putting on the denim summer suit as easy as ABC
Open the suit up at neck and sides and lay it flat out. Lay the baby in the back bum area.  Pull the bib up at front and secure shoulder and sides.
Add  suede baby boots and a cute t-shirt to the outfit and smile out loud at the outcome. 

Denim Summer suits @ craft blog

      Thanks to little Landon 
                     for being such a happy, 
                                     handsome and willing model.

Lillian the Domestic Engineer.Blogspot.ca

                      in spite of the fact he was a bit too small for his britches.

 

 I love summer and babies too!!

Sew, are you up to it?

Having it all

Life is a busy place.

Ever find yourself stumbling over the piles 
of stuff all bought in the name of having happiness?

Ever complain about the cost of living or the price of gas 
while en route to Walmart to save more cash?

Ever feel like you've had enough of buying into having the stuff
that piles up on the floor in front of us?

Can't see the forest for the trees anymore? 
Can't bag the joy that you're looking for? 
Having a tougher time justifying the cost of having it all 
 and yet
just can't get enough of that sugar crisp..... 

Money can't buy you love but can it really buy you happiness?

Simplify

                             
    We buy, we gather, we collect, we hoard, we sort, 
   we pack, we keep, we stash....we amass!
   We buy, we gather, we collect, we hoard, we sort, 
   we pack, we keep, we stash, we amass.

 We teach our children to desire the riches that only money can buy and they in turn buy into the tradition of the spirit of success.
And so it goes until a loved ones passes....

 After the grief
we sort through the pile that rises up over the course of time. 
We seek to keep the "precious" memories of a life out of the garbage bags with everything else. 
The value of the stash it seems is often correlated to the size of the pile and the pile amounts to the perceived value of a life now gone..
 
  If having it all is living the dream
  why does it look like a nightmare in here?

How do we value a happiness 
that is ever foreshadowed by the cost of having it?

Give up on it. 
Re invent yourself and the purpose for your being. 
The cost of having it all is much much higher than we are willing to see. 

Can't see the trees through the forest of need
can't see the ultimate result of our greed
can't see the forest for the pile of trees
that now sit transformed in front of thee?

Can't believe the insanity that we are buy into 
now more than ever from the face of a window?

What can you do about the piles of the past now tripping you
on the road to your future?
Sort, pack, keep and trash!

Can you repair, remake or reinvent a purpose for it?
Can you give it to a Senior in need or a young family that lives down the street? Can you donate it to the local charity store for the many others who need?

 Do you really need it?
Next time you head off to the market to buy
a little bit of happiness from the jingle guy
remember to ask yourself why, oh why 
would you buy into the notion of a happiness pile
that will never amount to having lived a good life.
 lp

 Not Buying anything Blog

    a good blog to visit







You may also like Happiness

Be good to yourself and kind to one another.

Wired for Display

 Craft away!

Craft a Wire Picture Stand

  These Great Stands are made

 using 9 gauge, coated bottom wire for chain link fencing.
 Use of pliers are required to bend wire.

* Pictures *Cards * Recipes
 *Lists *Note Holders.


Coat hanger wire will work but a heavier wire is preferred.
Use a coated wire hanger for a finished look.
OR try spray painting the wire for an awesome effects.
 Spray after forming the stand to avoid scraping off paint with pliers.

.

 For the added adornments

 you are limited by the diameter of the wire. 

The hole in the adornment must be big enough to fit over the wire.

Above I fed on beads and jewel baubles.

I created paper beads to thread on which were coupled with plastic beads

in the knotted and looped stands above and below.

The stands are all created with a single length of wire.

Create your own Card for the stand HERE  

Potato Stamp Card

 Wire used in Jewel Display. Check it out HERE

Sugar Cube House

                          How Sweet it is
                This Sugar Cube House is the perfect Christmas Kid Craft.
                                                      Let their imaginations run wild!

Sugar cube house

Lillian the Domestic Engineer

Crafting with sugar cubes

Sugar Cube house - Gingerbread alternative

 CLICK HERE for details

Upcycled Neck Tie Craft

Up cycled neck tie snake craft

These lovable snakes are fashioned from

 neck ties.  

   Time to take another look at the old neck ties that can be found hanging around in most second hand stores.
 You may have to move aside an old suit jacket or two and perhaps even wipe away a few dust bunnies to see the true colors of the opportunities that lay in waiting.
 
These snakes would have an even greater sentimentality if crafted from a favored neck tie of Dads, Grandpas or even great Grandpas. Ask around! There are many an outdated neck ties hanging around in closets all waiting to be found.
The awesome patterns, textures and colors all seem to lend themselves well to the project.

 Don't all the neck ties you now see all suddenly seem to have eyes?
 Don't the patterns all seem to scream snake skin?
 I certainly started to think so. 


                   Up Cycled Neck Tie Snake Craft

               These snakes are just great laying on a bed. 
              They are also happy laying on the floor in front of the door, keeping the draft at bay.
            After years of hanging around in the closet they are surprising happy to return to a closet.
                         By looping the snake over a coat hanger and tieing the ends into a knot
                                     the snake becomes useful as a scarf hanger. 
                    Drape your scarves over the snakes body loop and let hang. 
                  I have attached a memory wire bead bracelet to each of the snakes head area
                                   making these snakes alo useful as a bracelet holder.

Lillian the Domestic Engineer Up cycled neck tie project

                             Saxy the Snake

Begin by completely opening the back seam on the tie with a seam ripper. This can be a bit tedious.
Caution must be exercised to avoid ripping the tie itself.
The inside strip of interfacing can be removed and tossed.

Once opened, unfold edges and flatten with iron on medium heat.
 Exercise some caution in ironing with silk. A damp cloth between your fabric and the iron itself
will keep the fabric from having an unwelcome sheen in spots.

Reverse the tie fabric so that the right sides are together, match side edges, pin in place and stitch together.
Turn the tie inside out again (which would now be good side of fabric out)
The tie liner now becomes the snakes (lower) inside mouth and the silk tie (top) is the head.

Craft blog Lillian the Domestic Engineer

 Button eyes are now sewn to the head.
 Keep the bottom (mouth) liner and the top silk (head) fabric separate when stitching buttons on.

Upcycled neck tie

Neck tie Snake

Up cycled neck tie Snake

 Be creative with the eyes. 
 Both single button eyes and two button piggyback pupil eyes are effective.
 The flat yellow buttons were hand sewn on before stitching the orange, rounded button on top. 
  I may even choose to add a set of false eyelashes to the next Snake?
 Finally stuff the snake body. I use a wooden spoon to help work bits of stuffing right down to the tail area.
This tail end is eventually wrapped with metallic thread, creating an ornate tail and effectively closing the hole.
 Old pillows can be purchased reasonably and are an economical source of stuffing!

 Add the tongue.

Neck tie Snake

I have done tongues in two fashions.
#1 Felt is cut, glued and stitched to the underside of the top nose fabric.

#2 Felt is cut, glued and stitched to inside lower lip,
where tie edges have been stitched together and meet at top.

Lillian the Domestic engineer

 Now add the final tiny bits of stuffing (between liner and tie top fabric)  into the head area.

Too much stuffing will cause the mouth to bulge and distort. Don't over due the stuffing here.

Hand Stitch the tie liner (at back of throat) to top of silk tie, closing off the hole.


  TIE ONE ON!

Upcycled neck tie snake

Happiness IS homemade

                                         
Craft on!

   The Windsor Knot

            6 steps to a perfect tie                                       








A Neck Tie for your I Phone

Up Cycled Tie Project

 
 Click on the link to see
these terrific up cycled
 satchels. 
Perfect for your I Phone.











More Creative Up-cycled Tie Projects Here

 These fabulous neck pieces are another
 wonderful way to up cycle neck ties.


Lillian the Domestic Engineer
 

ROCK On! Crafting with kids

 Lillian the Domestic Engineer. Craft Blog

Craft your own BUGS

 While you're in diggin' up dinner send the kids out diggin' up rocks.
 The creation of these lovable little Ladybugs will keep them crafting.

Crafting with kids

Glue a Magnet to the back of the finished rock and they become
Computer Bugs
 or 
Fridge Magnets.

Line them up in your Winter Garden just for fun and play!









ROCK ON!

#1. Gather and Wash the Rocks.
 Provide a bucket of warm sudsy water, a couple of wash cloths, an old towel, a safe and allowable place to slop and a tray to lay the clean rocks into.

A Bubble wand and a small jar of dish soap can be presented after the rocks have been washed.
 adding a whole new dimension to a bucket of soapy water!
 Not to mention the added enjoyment of imagination and the potential for creatively crafting...
Perhaps that evening at the table inside they could craft up an assortment of Bubble Wands.
The possibilities are endless. Pull out your kitchen utensils and plunge them in. Try Pipe Cleaners or
 Strings and Straws.. check out the Link below for Wand and Bubble Solutions you can make at home.

 #2. Provide the Paint.
I used the Acrylic Paint that can be purchased for a Dollar a bottle. Paint the rock Black.
Let dry for 10 minutes. Paint the Red Wing shapes leaving small Black Circles showing..
You can always go back and touch up the Black circles if you need with a black sharpie.

#3. Provide the Eyes.
Glue them on. I use Arlene's Tacky Glue available at Walmart. It dries quicker and is a bit thicker than regular White LePages glue making it easier for kids to work with.. Do take care.  These eyes are small items that should not be used without supervision by children under 6.  They can be purchased in assorted sizes in packages at the Dollar Store.

 #4 Provide the Fabric Paint.
 This can also be purchased at the Dollar Store. Cut the tip off the little bottle and gently squeeze the Fabric Paint onto the rock. I created little dots of silver paint to form the Antennae. Leave to dry for at least 2 hours.

#5 Optional. Apply a thin coat of Acrylic Spray to the finished bug. Walmart has a couple of options in a can. Leave to dry overnight. (The spray does have an odor so dry overnight, in a well ventilated space..like the garage.

Enjoy yourself and your children today. 
Take time to laugh, take time to play.
 The future is not as far away as sometimes it seems to be.

These critters will age and evolve into the sweet memories of the past and a growing family.

Engage your kids imagination...Play is wonderful stimulation.

This crew of little critters have come to life with the addition of the fabric paint. 
The paint is squeezed from the tube directly onto the bug. 
The depth of the paint gives a new dimension to the critter collection.
 

Rock on. Craft your own bugs.

Painted rocks. Kid crafting

Craft Blog. Lillian the Domestic Engineer

Crafting with kids.

Painted rocks

                                 When the bigger kids paint
                                         the tools change
                                                              but the fun results remain.
       

Painting rocks

  
                                                                 Easter Eggs.
       Although you can't put all of these eggs in one basket, you can put all of this color on one egg.

Easter Egg painted rocks

 These oval rocks are first painted with a black acrylic paint. Using a small paintbrush the larger circles are painted on, allowing the paint to dry before the applying the smaller circle of contrasting paint.
I have used an acrylic spray to seal the finished egg rocks.

Painted EGG Rocks @ craft blog

          Paint pens could also effectively be used to create bright, stunning, fun painted rocks.


Check out more HERE @ Lillians Page For the Love of Crafting

Check out this Great Blog on Bubble Solutions and Wands.