1) No Sewing Required
I posted earlier in the week about Asher's birthday flip books, inspired by these instructions I found online. They are simple to make, requiring nothing more than a printer, paper, scissors (a rotary blade comes in handy if you are making several), white glue, and a hairy subject matter. Okay, that last part is optional, but, let's face it, great hair is always a plus. (Says the woman who once got the award for "Biggest Rat's Nest" at summer camp. Sigh. True story.)
2) Sewing But No Fabric Required
I made a bunch of these notebooks for Olivia at Christmas time:
She was going through a Harriet the Spy phase and filling multiple volumes a day with the hilarious observations of a five-year-old ("Dus PePl Rile DrIve Me Crase I Theeck So"). These books are a no-brainer: scrap paper folded in half and machine-sewn down the middle. (Snap!) They're so simple/cheap I'm actually thinking of making a "cookbook" version as the invitation for Olivia's cooking-themed birthday party in the fall. (Yes, she plans her birthday parties up to a year in advance, doesn't everybody?)
3) Sewing and Fabric (But No Turned Seams) Required:
I was brainstorming ideas for a gift for my sister who just had her sixth (!) baby last January. Not an easy task, by the way, which is why I just barely stuck it in the mail today. (Sorry.) I finally came up with this idea to make a baby-safe photo album out of wool felt and re-purposed vinyl:
Obviously, the photo album is a little more involved than the previous two projects but is still easy enough to make in an afternoon. To put it together, you will need:
- 4 pieces of wool felt cut to 6" x 6"
- 4 pieces of wool felt cut to 6" x 5.75"
- Scrap plastic/vinyl (I cut up one of those zippered bags that bedding comes in)
- Scissors
- Thread
- Sewing Machine
Cut "windows" in the center of all 4 narrow pieces of felt, as well as all but 1 of the square pieces (this will be the outside back cover so it doesn't need a window). Cut 7 pieces of vinyl slightly larger than the size of your windows. Machine-sew vinyl to felt. Stack felt pieces in the following order: square piece (front cover), narrow piece, narrow piece, square piece, square piece, narrow piece, narrow piece, square piece (back cover). With wrong sides together, align the top, right, and bottom edges of the first square piece with the top, right, and bottom edges of the narrow piece beneath it. Top stitch around top, right, and bottom edges but leave an opening on the left (this is where you will slide photographs into your finished album pages). You have now completed 1 page. Repeat the process with remaining felt pieces until you have 4 finished pages. Stack pages and, leaving slightly less than a .25" seam allowance, top stitch down the left side to create the spine. Finished!
