Teething and Reaching New Heights

We all want our babes to thrive and grow stronger and taller. However, with the good comes the bad. My babe can now reach the ends of his crib which are much higher than the rails. The ends are massive solid rectangular pieces of wood. How in the world was I going to protect my babe from these? Nothing like a problem to inspire a bit of mommy creativity. I decided to make a rectangular quilt with extra fabric on the perimeter to slide ribbon through. Then I could cinch up the ribbon to hold the quilted guard to the end of the crib.

I placed a second piece of fabric underneath the Baby Snoopy fabric shown above, right sides together. Then I stitched them together, turned right sides out and machine quilted where there was batting. Then I top stitched a seam to provide a slot for the ribbon. I slid the ribbon through and went to the nursery. It fit fine, but I knew that my little guy could tear it down in no time! So, back to the sewing machine. I top stitched another aisle to slide elastic through. After sliding the elastic through, I went back to the nursery. I placed the guard on the crib and cinched the elastic as tight as it would go. I noted the location and then tied off the elastic. Then I placed the guard back on the crib and tugged. It was secure!! I do not think that the babe will be able to tear it down with the addition of the elastic. I left the ribbon in as well. I figured a little extra cinching never hurt! This is what the final quilted guard looks like.

I have written three Do It Yourself Tutorials available in my Etsy shop and my Artfire Shop. There are even two No Sew Tutorials.

Tips for Fabric Coiling - Machine Sewing

1. Use a Thread Color the same color as your pattern and not the background.
2. If machine sewing, after tailing off your coil, only cut one thread short. Pull some thread from the spool and then cut with a length of thread attached to your project. Thread through a hand sewing needle. Then hand sew the tail snug and tight to the last coil to help blending in the end point.
3. Walmart is a good place to find 3/16" fabric clothesline. It is half the price there than at my local hardware store.
4. In a pinch, the top of a glue stick makes a great substitute for a thimble.
   

I will be adding to the list as I discover useful tips for fabric coiling.

Books reviews on fabric coiling. I have just bought a second book on fabric coiling. I will review them both books about fabric coiling in my blog once I have had a chance to read the second book.

Another Coiled Fabric Coaster - Practice Makes Perfect!

So, I made my second coaster today. It was easier the second time. I actually reversed the stitch length and width and like how it came out better. Also, I used blue thread which goes with the pattern instead of the background; so it accents the blueberries well. So, I learned to use a thread color that matches the pattern and not the background. I measured the cording today and figure that one coaster takes about 7.5 feet of length. I think that I will make two more coasters with this fabric to get some more practice before I start the bowls. We'll see ... I really want to make a bowl ;)

Coiled Fabric Adventure - My first creation

So, I was going to make a plate for my first coiled fabric project. However, we could really use some baby friendly coasters at my house, so I stopped the coiling at the size of a coaster. I am going to make a few more and experiment with the length and width of my stitch as well. The inner coil is the toughest part to get; so making a few more coasters will give me more practice with that as well. He is a photo of my first coaster.

Coiled Fabric - My latest crafting adventure

My latest interest is fabric coiling. I was in the fabric store this week and saw a book on this topic, It's a Wrap. I knew that this was something that I wanted to try out. So, I bought the book and the necessary materials to get started on my latest crafting adventure. I am currently in the process of wrapping fabric on clothes line. Then the line will be coiled to make plates, bowls, baskets, bags, whatever. Of course I am starting with the most basic, the plate. I hope to make some more progress on it today! Here is what the coiling process looks like. I'll post more pictures when it's done.