Make your own Easter Basket!







 These are fun Easter basket for kids to make.  The girls I worked with ages 8 to 11 had a lot of fun creating their own unique Easter basket. 

To start choose two different colors of 12x12 card stock.  Fold one of the cardstock pieces in half and mark one inch lines with a pencil across the paper.  

Next cut your lines starting on the folded side.  Do not cut all the way to the end stop about half inch from the edge.  Un fold the cardstock.  This is the base for your weave. 

Out of the remaining cardstock cut one inch pieces. 

Next, weave the pieces over under over under all the way across the cardstock with your cut lines.  Use the next strip of cardstock and this time weave the opposite from the time before which will be under over under over.  

Repeat this till the cut piece of cardstock is totally woven.  You might need to trim your last strip down to fit the cardstock.  Don’t try to force a too big strip through because it your cardstock will rip.  If that happens you can just use some tape to repair the damage. 

Now staple all your lose ends together.  Make sure you are stapling in one direction so that the back of the staple faces the outside of the basket, because we are going to cover that up with a strip of paper so little hands won’t get scratched when reaching into the basket.  

Now, fold the four corners matching points about four inches to create the basket shape.  

Unfold the basket and you should have a bowl type shape.  


Next, fold in the corners on one side and staple.  Repeat this step with the other side of the basket.  


Use one of your extra strips of cardstock to staple on as a handle.  

Lastly you can use two extra strips of cardstock or pick out a pretty piece of paper that is one to one and half inch thick to wrap around the basket covering the staples.  I simply glued two strips together and then wrapped it around the basket and place a piece of tape to hold it together.  You could use glue or another staple.  





Enjoy your new basket!














Create An Afghan Using Cross Stitch Patterns!





My son saw me making his sister an afghan and asked if I would make him a transformer afghan.  I told him I really didn’t know if I could do that without a pattern.  As I started to search for ideas I found a cross stitch pattern here and decided to try to use it. 


First, I counted the squares at the bottom of the pattern and then chained that same number with the yarn. 


I double stitched the rest of the afghan following the pattern. 



I placed the red yarn I wasn't using on top and thread it through as I double crocheted over it with white yarn.  Then, when it was time to switch I simple did the same with the white yarn. I crocheted a blue and white border around the transformer design. I’m excited for a whole new world of afghan possibilities that have opened up to me by using cross stitch patterns!

Turn Old Clothes Into Barbie Dresses!






I had fun this week turning my daughters stained and hand me down clothes into Barbie dresses!   


To make the orange dress I used this website for my basic pattern.  http://www.craftinessisnotoptional.com/2010/08/barbie-dress-tutorial.html

  So I would not have to sew as much I cut the Barbie skirt out of the bottom of the shirt and for the straps I just cut out the already hemmed sleeves from the shirt. 


For the plaid Barbie dress I looked at the already sewn seams on the shirt and then wrapped the fabric around the Barbie looking for the best place to cut.  

I used the pattern from the first dress, but this time I cut out only one piece of fabric following the hem line to a point.
  

I can’t wait to through my daughters other old clothes to see how I can remake them into a fun new Barbie outfit!

Spring Afgahn!






My daughter fell in love with some purple yarn so I made her this small afghan to cuddle up with as she watched T.V. 

 I used a v stitch for the center.  For the border I single crocheted with pink yarn around the entire afghan.  Then I did a #half double crochet in the stitch next to the hook.  I skipped three stitches then did seven double crochet.  Then I repeated from # all around the blanket.  


With the remaining yarn I made different size flowers and stitched them on the blanket with yarn.