Reusing Old Bed Pillows

Maybe it's the fire or maybe I've always been this way but I hate to toss things that can serve a second life. It was pillow replacement time!!
Faced with 4 pillows to trash, I decided to get a little creative and get a little more sewing practice for myself and my teenage daughter. This was such an easy thing for us to do together!

If you're into reusing, here's how to reuse your pillows:

1. This is an old pillow. Wash it, dry it and let's get going!

2. Fold the pillow in the direction you like. Using 8lb fishing line, sew it together. I did length but you can roll and sew it any way you like. 

Why fishing line you ask? The thread kept breaking. Why 8lb? Simply because I had it and it fit through a sewing needle. The thin monofilament doesn't have the hard feel of the heavy weight stuff, so it worked perfectly for this.

3. This is the rolled up pillow all sewn and ready to be covered. 

We used this bolster pillow cover tutorial except we didn't use a zipper. Instead we made a hemmed overlap so it was an envelope style pillow cover. Zippers are on our To Learn List...and we will get to them eventually. Don't look too close, my print isn't straight. It is what it is, a first attempt at sewing a bolster cover, ;) We had fun making this! We are planning to make one more and use the other two pillows to make throw pillows.

Happy crafting!!

More Nightpain and all she has learned

It's been a week and Nightpain has been a fun learning tool.

After just a day my teenager was tired of lugging around a 5lb sack of flour, even this cute one!

Being the oldest cousin, dressing and even the idea of changing a diaper was nothing new or difficult for my kiddo. For her, the lesson was really  having to keep up with this heavy doll 24/7. In and out of the car, up and down the stairs and while carrying other items in her hands was enough for this teenager!

Everywhere Nightpain went she was complimented. Aurora did such a good job on her little doll. The local Game Stop clerk joked that she better not set Nightpain down or someone might try to buy her! Hahaha

It was a great lesson and a good time was had by all. If you must carry a 5lb sack of flour for an educational project, give it a fun personality.! ;)

Happy crafting!

Flour Sack Baby Adventure Continues...

Our little Nightpain is settling in nicely.
Already she has been to the park and the court house on a field trip.

She sleeps in this basket. She gets to snuggle up with Black Butler's Sebastian and a chocobo.

The kiddo did debate making Nightpain her own mini coffin bed out of cardboard. After much thought, she decided that it would be too dark and scary, even for a baby vampire.


Let's talk about Nightpain's hair. We didn't go all out and make it perfect but we did follow this tutorial loosely. http://easypeasycraft.blogspot.com/2011/09/yarn-wig-tutorial.html

I helped a little with this part of the project. It required an extra set of hands.

Making a yarn wig was new for us but this may have started something! Hello Halloween projects!!

See you next time.
Happy crafting!

The making of Nightpain

Our kiddo is the oldest of all her cousins so you can imagine my surprise when she wanted to do the flour sack baby assignment. Of course, I should have known it would be a fun adventure!

May I present Nightpain. 

Yes, that is her flour sack baby's name. It's a goth vampire baby... nothing out the ordinary there! 

To make your very own Flour Sack Baby you will need:

Outfit(s)

Tape

5lb bag of flour (or rice, ect)

2 pairs of knee high pantyhose

Markers (to draw face stuff)
Batting/Stuffing

Fabric glue and a scrap of fabric (optional. You could go bald and draw the eyes right on the pantyhose)

Yarn for hair (optional)

This video on how to put it together is very helpful and fun to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GozoUvpP3IM

As a part of this lesson there will be research on the cost of raising a baby. There will be reports written about childhood injury for things like dropping Nightpain or leaving her in the car. She will be required to get a babysitter if she does not want to take Nightpain somewhere. I do not plan on babysitting! Ha! ;) 

T-shirt to pillow

As you may have noticed, our little crafter is a teenager now. She has been learning to sew. What better project for a newbie than to make a t-shirt pillow?!

Right after the fire she was given this really cute Y'all shirt from a friend of ours. She has since grown out of it.

We made t-shirt yarn out of the bottom for a future project. Making pillows is so easy! Just cut, sew and stuff.

 It's going to be adorable in her pile of stuffed animals and pillows on her bed! It is so much fun watching and guiding her in these craft projects!