|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Notice Board from Sewn with Love.
|
|
As crafty people, we often like to make hand-made gifts
around the holidays for the people we love. I like making gifts for adults,
because they appreciate the gift itself, as well as the fact that you spent
time and energy to make it by hand. The area where I struggle is with kids'
projects. My boyfriend has several nieces and nephews, and even though all they
want are Barbies or anything related to the movie How to Train Your Dragon, I
hate the idea of buying them lots of cheap plastic toys that are going to break
and get tossed away in a couple of weeks (and they'll get enough of those
things from their parents, anyway). Handmade items are meant to be kept, and that's what makes them special. A treasured handmade blanket, toy, or
outfit will be passed down, where it will make new memories to add to the old.
I recently looked through a copy of Sewn with Love, which has a lot of great patterns that would be
perfect kids' gifts. All of the projects in the book are made from vintage
fabrics and inspired by classic designs, so the pieces are timeless—not
something trendy that kids won't want to be seen with in a few months. The book
is full of clothing projects that would make beautiful keepsakes for a special
child. There are a few non-clothing projects in the book, too, and I think the
Notice Board would be perfect for my boyfriend's nephew. He always has lots of
coloring book pages and superhero trading cards lying around, and this would be
a great way to organize them. And it's a quick project, which is a must-have
for me since I've procrastinated and am quickly running out of gift-making
time.
Materials:
- Wooden board, 20" x 14"
- 2 oz of ¼" thick batting
- Printed cotton, 26" x 20"
- Plain fabric, 21" x 15"
- 3½ yd elastic, 3/8" wide
- 19¾" ribbon, 3/8" wide
- Tape measure, scissors, and pins
- Hot-glue gun and glue
- Staple gun and staples
- Iron and ironing board
1. Covering the
board
Trim the batting to the same size as your wooden board
and attach it to one side of the board with a few dabs of glue.
Cut a rectangle of fabric six inches larger than your
board on both dimensions. Press the fabric and lay it on your work surface
wrong side down. Make sure you have an equal overlap of fabric all the way
around the board.
Starting in the center of one long side, fold the edge of
the fabric over the board, and secure it in place on the back with a dab of
glue and a staple. Stretch the fabric taut from the opposite side and glue and
staple in place. Continue around the board, working outward from the center and
alternating sides to ensure an even tension all over. At each corner, make a
triangular fold by folding the loose fabric up to the top edge and then back on
itself. Staple the fold in place.
2. Adding the
elastic
Measure and mark with pins three equally spaced points along
the top and bottom of the board, about 5" apart, measuring from the
left-hand corner.
Cut eight 15½" lengths of elastic. Secure one end of the
first piece on the back of the board at the top left corner by stapling it in
place. Take the elastic diagonally over the front of the board to the first pin
on the bottom edge and staple the other end to the back of the board. Position
the next piece parallel to the first, taking it from the first pin on the top
edge to the second pin on the bottom edge. Continue in this way, and then work
back in the other direction to crisscross the lengths of elastic, taking the
fifth piece diagonally from the top right corner to the last pin on the bottom
left edge.
To hang the notice board, cut a length of ribbon about 19 ¾" long and staple one end at each corner on the back of the
board.
3. Finishing the
back of the board
Cut another piece of fabric ½" larger than the board all
the way around. Fold and press the raw edges ½" to the wrong side. Glue the
piece of fabric to the back of the board.
I'll definitely be making one of these for the nephew.
There's also a niece who would love the Silk Chiffon & Lace Dress from the book, but with
time flying by, I think that project may have to wait for a birthday.
To meaningful gifting!
