Homemade Hand Warmers

I'm still trying to come up with a few ideas for Valentine's Day. Since it's winter and my husband works outside I was trying to come up with something warm. I've made him hats and scarves before and he's all set on gloves soooo what does that leave? Reusable hand warmers. They are simple and easily made with materials that are already in the house.

Homemade Hand Warmers

Materials:
-Fabric (Flannel or felt would be great but cutting up an old t-shirt or pillowcase works too)
-Rice
-Needle
-Thread

1. Decide what shape you want your hand warmers to be and cut a doubled piece of fabric into it. If you are making them as a Valentine you could always go with a heart shape. I opted for rectangles.

2. Put the two right sides together and sew all along the edges of your shape either by hand or using a sewing machine. Make sure to leave a small section to flip your shape right-side-out and to put the rice in.

3. Flip the shape.

4. Fill with rice and sew up the last section.

You're done! Heat for 30-40 seconds in the microwave and you're set!
Happy Crafting!

Knit Bookmark Patterns

Valentine's Day is next month and it's time to start storing away ideas for some crafty gifts. For the reader in your life, making a bookmark is a lovely gesture. Pair it with a book or a gift certificate to their favorite bookstore and you have a great present. I wanted to do some knit ones so I worked up this little pattern today and thought I would share. Sock yarn works best because it lays more flat, however, it takes FOREVER. I opted for sport and size 5 needles which was a bit bulkier but took about half the time. Alright, here we go.

Cable Knit Bookmark

Materials:
yarn (sport weight or sock)
corresponding size straight needles
Cabling needle or double pointed needle same size

Cast on 14 st
Row 1: k3, p2, k4, p2,k3
Row 2: k1, p2, k2, p4, k2, p2, k1
Row 3: k3, p2, slide 2 stitches onto cable needle and leave in front, k2, k2 from cable needle, p2, k3
Row 4: k1, p2, k2, p4, k2, p2, k1
Repeat rows1-4 until your bookmark reaches desired length.

Bind off, weave in the ends and you're done! I added a little fringe to each end but they look lovely either way. Enjoy!

Looking for something simpler? Try this one.

Simply Knit Bookmark

Materials:
yarn-worsted weight or sport
corresponding size straight needles (I prefer size 5 or 6)

Cast on 10 st.
Knit across for the first row and repeat until you reach your desired length.
Bind off, weave in the end.















Have fun!

Children's Sewing Project-Stuffed Animal

Okay, so previously I posted about how to make children's sewing cards. They are a great way for kids to practice the very basics of sewing. Once they have it down you can move on to fabric. My oldest daughter wanted to make a stuffed animal for her sister's birthday and we found a great way for her to take what she did with the sewing card and apply it in a way that made sense for the stuffed animal. If you're looking for a gift to give a kiddo, collecting the materials and directions in a jar and decorating it would be a great homemade gift. Just be sure to check with the parents to make sure they are okay with the kiddo having a needle. Alright, here we go.

For the project you'll need:
-Some sort of fabric to use (we used felt)
-Marker with a fine tip
-Something to stuff the animal with (we used Polyfil)
-Needle
-Thread

1. Take a piece of fabric that is doubled over. Directly on the fabric take a sharpie or something that will write well on it and draw the outline of what you are wanting to make. You can do this or they can.

2. Next, safety pin the two layers together and cut out the shape.

3. Once you have your shape cut out take a sharpie and dot all along the edge of the shape. Keep the dots fairly close together.

4. Next take your needle, thread it and knot the ends together. Now you're ready to start. I showed my daughter the first stitch, explaining that she needed to make sure the needle went through both layers and she was off from there. Make sure you let them know they need to stop at a certain point so you can fill the animal and then they can finish it.

5. When they get to the stopping place remove the pin and go ahead and have them fill it.

6. Now they can finish up. Show them how to knot the thread at the end.

You're finished!

It's a pretty easy project to get going and they have a great sense of accomplishment when it's over.

Happy Crafting!