Recently, I was asked about how I got involved with making memory bears; and then this morning, Facebook reminded me that one year ago I posted the story with instructions about making bears. If you did not have a chance to read that post, I thought I’d post the link to that story. (https://marykisner.com/making-a-memory-bear/)
Making memory bears is more about saving a memory than creating a fancy stuffed bear. Almost any stuffed pattern can be used…it’s the fabric that matters. This could be from a favorite shirt, pajamas or bathrobe worn by a loved one.
This is the first set of memory bears I made from a young mother’s bathrobe. Really touched my heart!
My first bears were made with a simple pattern. Then I chose a different pattern that gave a little more shape to the bear. I love being able to add a little heart button to the foot of a bear, and simple buttons for the eyes and nose keep it looking homemade. I have had to be mindful to ask if the bear will be used as a toy by a small child considering the risk of a child choking on a loose button. Sometimes I have had to use no buttons at all so it’s safe.
Please enjoy a few of the many pictures of bears (and dogs!) I’ve made over the years and see the instructions how to do it yourself. It has been a while, but I have fond memories of making memory bears. Enjoy!
I adapted a pattern for a stuffed dog so I could honor my daughter’s dog Otis and his best friend Max. Bert also stamped “dog tags” with their names.
To give my hands a rest from peeling apples, making pizza sauce and canning relish this week, I worked on a simple sewing project for a friend’s cat. I don’t have a cat and can barely pet them because of allergies, but I can sew for them!
One thing my friend discovered was that her cat was endlessly entertained with a little catnip in a toy. A few years ago I made a small pillow with a removeable cover so a little catnip could be tucked between the pillow and the cover. More can be added as needed and the cover can be washed separately. It was time to make a new one!
Here is Purrs with her favorite pillow.
I never had a pattern when I made the original one, so this time I actually measured and took pictures in case you’d like to make one yourself!
Making a Catnip Pillow
Materials
1. Two small pieces of cotton fabric, one made of flannel to make the cover; each 7″ x 8″.2. Two pieces of cotton fabric (any color) to make the inner pillow; 7″ x 8″.3. One strip of hook/loop fastener, about 1/2″ x 6″. (My picture shows two 3″ pieces…it’s what I had!)4. Stack of 3-4 quilt batting pieces, each 6″ square, or poly stuffing to fill the small pillow.5. Small amount of powdered catnip. (Catnip can be purchased at Amazon.com.)
Making the Pillow
Step 1: Sew the pillow pieces, right sides together, leaving one end open. Turn the pillow right side out.
Step 2: Insert the stack of batting pieces or poly stuffing to make a soft pillow. Turn the raw edges and sew the pillow shut.
Step 3: Set the small pillow aside.
Making the Case
Step 4: On the short ends of the case fabric, fold 1/2″ and stitch.
Step 5: Sew the Velcro strips on the wrong side of each piece…on top of the finished edges.
Step 6: With the case pieces, right side together, sew around the three sides, leaving the Velcro edges open.
Step 7: Turn the case right side out. Insert the pillow.
Step 8: Insert a small amount of powdered catnip between the case and the pillow, press the Velcro together and share with your cat!
The next one I chose has several names. In one book it’s called Blazing Star, and in another it has had 5 other names!
I guess I’ll go with Blazing Star or Flaming Star. It appealed to me in its simplicity and made me think of all the stars on a summer night!
Since I don’t have an actual pattern, it helped to have it identified as being on a template of a 4-patch quilt block.
Making the Small Sample Block
I have learned to always make a miniature block first so I can figure out the dimensions of the sections. Painting the block also helps me visualize the colors better before I actually start on the 12″ x 12″ block of wood.
This is a 3″ square miniature canvas. I marked it into smaller squares each 1/4″. On the larger block of wood, each 1/4″ will be equal to 1″.
This took me a little while to figure out the angle for the star points in the background…as shown by all my pencil lines and erasures! That’s why I do this in pencil on a small one first!
And then I tested my color choices:
I started with the darkest color (that really is purple!), then yellow, and finally the gray background. Not very exciting but it reminded me of a night sky with all the stars out.
Making the Larger Block
With my shapes determined I shouldn’t have any pencil lines showing through the yellow paint.First two colors.Finished block…waiting for Bert to put the magnets on the back!And of course, the yellow looks totally different in daylight! I like it!
It’s been fun to try this new kind of quilt block. Now I have a month or two to figure out what pattern to do next. I’m probably good until Labor Day now!
My miniatures are also reminding me what I’ve already done…my own little art gallery! Enjoy!
I may still do the two on the left on larger wood. So many patterns to choose from!
I finally finished my first attempt to make a door quilt on a piece of 12″ x 12″ plywood. I was determined to make this painting on wood that hopefully would maintain it’s bright colors. Fabric quilt blocks were my original solution to needing a door decoration that would fit in the flatter space between the front door and the screen door. Last year I managed to make six quilt blocks that solved the problem, but when I started pulling them out this year the colors had faded and looked pretty sad. (See https://marykisner.com/prepping-for-new-door-quilts/).
So, I had Bert cut two pieces of 12″ x 12″ plywood for me to play with (just in case it didn’t work, no point in having a bunch cut out!). First, I wanted to replace the fabric patriotic quilt block that was on the door right now:
This picture was taken when I first put it up last year…nice bright colors.
I first painted the block, both sides, with a base coat of white. When dry I sketched out the pattern and put a second coat of white paint on the corresponding white sections:
This looked pretty easy but I was re-learning how to use various brushes. Not as easy as I thought it would be!
Then I started with the red paint and filled in those sections. It took a second coat to get the solid color.
I’m certainly not as steady as I should be to do those straight lines!
Then I filled in the blue sections:
Now the dilemma…the original pattern had white stars on the blue squares. I did that with some fabric that had stars in the pattern and managed to get at least one white star centered in the block. However, how to do that with paint? After seeing how unsteady I was with a tiny brush, I did a quick run to JoAnn Fabric Store and picked up some embroidered appliques of stars. Perfect!
After finishing the block with a satin finish acrylic spray, I just glued the stars to the blue squares!
Funny how different light made the colors brighter!
The block sat on my old organ by the front door for a week until Bert had time to figure out how to hang it on the front door. It couldn’t be hung the way the fabric blocks were because we have a door knocker right in the middle. The fabric blocks just draped over that with no problem.
Bert finally had to put magnets on the back (the door is metal under the paint!).
Now the block has to sit below the door knocker.
Oh well…now to see if the paint fades over time. This block should be appropriate through the 4th of July holiday. I’ll have to think about whether it’s worth it to make more in wood. Enjoy!
As you may know by now, most of my projects revolve around filling a need and making something practical and useful. If you’ve been following my posts about Door Quilts, you’ll know I have made six nice 12″ stand-alone fabric quilt blocks to hang on my front door. They lie flat and don’t get squished like a wreathe does between the front door and the screen door.
However, when I pulled out the Patriotic Door Quilt last month, I noticed it’s really faded from the sun. Here’s how it looked when new…
…and now it’s really bleached out from the sun:
Rather than make a bunch more fabric quilt blocks, I thought if I painted a quilt block on wood and coated it with an acrylic spray it would last better in the sun (kind of like the huge barn quilts you see across the country).
While I’m waiting for Bert to cut 12″ square boards for me, I thought I’d see if I could make miniature ones to satisfy my need to practice with paints. So, eventually, my fabric door quilts will evolve into wooden quilt blocks that will also hang on the front door and solve my problem just fine!
It’s been a long time since I painted anything. I’m not especially creative with paint, put I enjoyed playing with a few paints to make my garden stakes a few weeks ago (https://marykisner.com/final-garden-signs-for-2022/).
It helped that the pictures were tiny and didn’t need to be too detailed!
Twenty years ago, I spent hours painting small houses based on photographs. They were also not “creative” but instead were mostly straight lines and the photographs showed me shadows.
This is the house I grew up in, from an old photograph.The camp was fun to paint because I could add the tiny outhouse!
So, after making the garden stakes, I thought I’d try some miniature flowers:
This tiny canvas is 3″ x 4″
Even though I copied the daffodils from a photograph, I had to really struggle to get the petals turned right and getting the color right. Very frustrating. The point of painting was to do something fun, not frustrating! It seemed like I needed to paint something with straight lines. Quilt blocks would be perfect.
First Attempt
I started with a set of 3″ x 3″ square tiny canvases and some tiny easels to go with them. So cute!
This block is called Vermont Maple Leaf.Adding the lines with a fine black marker seemed to help it look more finished.
Second Attempt
This block is called Fifty-four Forty or Fight. It’s the same block I made in fabric.I must say it’s a challenge to get in those tiny points!The fine black marker helped it feel finished.
While I’m waiting for my 12″ wood squares, I’ll experiment with tiny ones to see which patterns would look good on the front door! I must be nuts! Enjoy!
It took only a minute to decide what to make. My front door quilt needed to be replaced. It was nice and fresh last year and lasted two full months on the front door. When I put it up around the middle of March this year it was looking a little faded and by now it is definitely not inspiring!
The original spring door quilt.After 3 1/2 months total on the front door…pretty faded! I was also ready for some bright colors!
First, I looked for a simple quilt block in my favorite book:
I found “Birds in the Air”, as shown above.
At the bottom of every page there is a list of exactly how many pieces of each template I will need to make the block. Most of the shapes I have used before, so all I had to do was sort through the bag of cut templates to find T10 and T15.
Next, I searched through my stash of cotton fabric, remembering that I needed to use a light color for the background so the block would show up on the dark front door. These colors looked bright and cheerful!
After cutting out all the pieces, I arranged them on the table to see if I liked the colors together.
In one day (and two Hallmark movies) I was able to hand stitch the block together.
Block ready to iron and add the borders.
I added a piece of lightweight batting between the block and the back fabric. I top stitched in the ditch on the major horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. Finally I added the border and binding.
Sure looks more colorful that the old quilt, don’t you think?
Now I have my computer back, so I can post these pictures! Yea! Enjoy!
The door quilts I’ve made over the last year have served me well. They are easy to store, add some color to the front door and are a quick fix when the seasons change. Read about why I started making these door quilts at https://marykisner.com/a-year-of-door-quilts/.
I now have six so I can change them about every two months. I suspect by the end of this year I will need to add some new ones…I think the colors tend to fade from being exposed to the sunlight on the door. However, for this year I’ll just switch them out when it’s time.
I noticed I put up the yellow spring one on this exact date last year! So, I guess every two months I’m ready for a change. We’ve had a few warmer days of 40 to 50 degrees, but the weather is to change dramatically in the next few days. That taste of spring must trigger my need for a touch of color in my life.
I learned with my first two door quilts that because my door is a dark red, the decoration needs to be light. Thus, on the Christmas stocking the only thing that showed up at a distance was the cuff. However, on the Valentine one (against the green background) the heart showed up beautifully from a distance. See the difference?
So, since I decided to decorate with small quilt blocks, I chose a yellow background. This quilt pattern is called Dutchman’s Puzzle, Dutchman’s Wheel or sometimes Wild Goose Chase.
When seen from a distance, the shape really stands out. Take notice, Mr. Snowstorm…your days are numbered! Enjoy!
This is a follow-up to a previous posting about recycling a wedding dress (https://marykisner.com/recycling-a-wedding-dress-part-1/). A friend had asked if I could do something with her daughter’s old wedding dress. She had stored it for 15 years and the dress did not hold any positive memories for anyone. Of course, I agreed to see what I could do with the dress.
After carefully unpacking the dress and cutting sections apart, I had a huge pile of satin fabric with sections of lace, a huge pile of lining fabric, 23 lovely fancy buttons and a long white zipper! The fabric needed to be ironed and my pattern figured out.
My research about recycling wedding dresses gave me lots of ideas of things I could make out of this dress from Christening gowns to stuffed animals. I decided to focus on trying to make a tiny “angel gown” for a NICU baby who was not going to make it home from the hospital. It’s a very sad topic, I know, but I hoped I could do it justice.
Making the Pattern
I learned that a simple gown pattern could be fashioned from a standard Kimono pattern…something like this one:
Apparently, the gown is designed to be worn with the overlapping portions as the back of the dress with a simple tie. This simplifies its use.
The free pattern above needed to be printed out and taped together, like this:
The pattern was quite fitted, while I wanted the finished gown to be flared at the bottom. I traced these onto another piece of grid paper and added the flare at the bottom.
The original pattern on the left…the altered pattern with a flare on the right.
Cutting out the Gown Pieces…but first a Practice Gown!
Before committing to cutting the satin, I decided to try the pattern with some cotton fabric. I wasn’t clear about how to sew it together…the original Kimono pattern did not have a lining so adding the lining to the satin made assembly a little more complicated.
I found two pieces of pink cotton and cut out the pieces. I first sewed the shoulder seams and then, right sides together, I stitched up the back and around the neck.
I clipped the seams and turned it right side out. Then I hemmed the arm hole openings.
Finally, I sewed the front and backs together along the side seam and finished the seam with a zig zag stitch.
I added the ties to the back. I think it will work in satin!
Cutting the Satin and Lining
Now that I had the sequence to sew the parts together, I could work with the satin. I found a section of the train that was free of embellishments and cut out a piece large enough to handle the pattern. I ironed that piece. There was no point in trying to iron the whole gown…it would get wrinkled again as soon as I folded up the extra fabric.
I cut the pieces for the extra small and the small gowns from the satin and lining fabric.
I started by sewing the shoulder seams of both the lining and the satin.
Then I placed the satin and lining right sides together and lined up the pieces around the neck area and the back wrap sections.
I clipped the curves and turned it right side out.
I top stitched as shown below. I also sewed the hem on the sleeve openings.
Finally, I sewed the front to the two back and finished the seam with a zig zag stitch. The final step was to zig zag the edge and turn the bottom hem.
Finished Gowns
The gowns looked like this in the front…
…and this is the wrap and tie on the back.
I decided to use one section of the lace border and a few of the buttons to dress up the fronts.
The gown on the left is the small, the one on the right is the extra small. I’m very pleased with how they turned out. My next step is to visit with a nurse or someone from our local hospital to see if these gowns could be useful in their work. If not, I have some lovely doll clothes for my granddaughter! Next time I get bored, I think I’ll try to make a stuffed bear with some of the satin. Enjoy!
Sometimes potential projects fall into my lap and I can’t resist! A friend asked if I could do something with her daughter’s old wedding dress (thanks Peggy!). She had stored it for 15 years and the dress did not hold any positive memories for anyone. However, it did represent an investment in money, time and storage space. Of course, I agreed to see what I could do with the dress.
It arrived in its archival storage box, straight from her attic.
Before I opened the box, I spent several days researching my options. I found many possible projects on Pinterest using a wedding dress. However, most were special items to preserve the memories of the owner. For example, I found Christening dresses for the first baby, Christmas ornaments and even a lovely memory bear!
Those ideas were great if the dress was a special heirloom to the family. However, this particular dress did not hold any special memories for me or the family…it was basically a beautiful dress with lots of material that could be recycled into something else. I remembered hearing about recycling wedding dresses into tiny dresses for NICU babies that had not survived.
Recycling a Wedding Dress for NICU Babies
I started with the various charities who accept wedding dresses that are recycled into tiny dresses for NICU babies. Such a sad thought, but what a wonderful service! I was unable to talk with a real person, but the website, https://www.theangelgownproject.com had a complicated application process to submit a dress (a filled out application, all bows and ribbons removed, dress packed in the tiniest box possible and mailed someplace in the U.S.). They would not be able to acknowledge receipt of the dress or tell me what happened to it. It felt like I would be just shipping it to a landfill!
Then I discovered a number of organizations across the country that provide this service and encouraged local groups of seamstresses to get together and make them for their local communities. To help with this effort, I found many patterns available to freely download. I decided to make the tiny dresses myself. Once they are made, I’ll find a way to donate them to a hospital nearby.
Tiny dresses for NICU babies (from Pinterest).
Deconstructing the Dress
My first step was to get the dress out of the box…no small task! I thought children’s Christmas toys were wrapped up tight! The dress was clean but very wrinkled…except for the very front that showed through the plastic. I laid it out on the floor to get a feel for its design and decoration.
I unstitched the zipper carefully and removed it.A total of 23 tiny buttons were sewn on top of the zipper, so I removed them. They could be used to decorate the tiny dresses.
I removed the lining in one large piece. Then I made two cuts down the sides of the dress to remove the train section of the dress. I wanted to leave it in one solid piece to preserve as much of the fabric as possible until I was sure what I was going to make.
Lots of edging lace and plain fabric in this section.
Now I have a huge pile of satin fabric with sections of lace, a huge pile of lining fabric, 23 lovely fancy buttons and a long white zipper! The fabric will need to be ironed and my pattern figured out. Look for that in Part 2, coming soon!
Let me know if you did something special with your family wedding dress…who knows, I may want to try some other things. Enjoy!
My dear son-in-law gave me a new challenge at Christmas time. He is in construction and landscaping and his hard work is reflected in these sweatshirts! (I do suspect he asks me to try to mend things just for fun.)
This particular challenge involved two hooded sweatshirts that probably should be thrown out, but the main issue was the pocket pouch on the front of each. They were ripped and shredded because he shoves his keys and tools, etc. into them. He also gave me a third sweatshirt that I could use as replacement fabric. Apparently, he wants to have his company logo visible, not a football team. I offered to buy him a new sweatshirt, but noooo, he thought I should try to fix these! See what I mean…he’s teasing me!
Here are the steps I followed to mend them:
First, I cut the damaged pocket pouches off the shirts.
Note the stress holes where the old pocket was attached.
Next, I prepped the inside front of the shirt with a large piece of sturdy cotton so the pocket would have a stable base to be sewn to.
Then I used the old pocket as a pattern on the extra sweatshirt to cut two new pockets. I used the fabric under the arm because it didn’t have much wear and tear.
I sewed a hem on the curved sides of each pocket and placed them on the front of the shirt. I was not about to try to unstitch the leftover pieces of the old pocket. They aren’t pretty, but don’t affect the new pocket’s use.
I pinned and sewed the new pocket down.
The inside looks like this.
I also took the ribbing off the bottom edge of one of the old shirts because it was shredded. I used the ribbing off the replacement shirt and fixed that too.
If either of these sweatshirts end up back in my mending basket, I guarantee they will be disposed of! However, each time I take on a job like this, I learn something new! Enjoy!
