Making Memories during the School Holidays

This quick post is a roundup of 6 cool things you can make with your kids during the school holidays.

From activities to keep them occupied or activities for making memories, these days (although sometimes painfully slow, full of overtired hot little ones screaming for food or teens moping around spouting the I'm bored routine) do pass quickly when you look back and it's awesome to have these things together.

Simply click on the photo to go to the site or click the link under the photo

1. Liquid Chalk

Liquid Sidewalk Chalk - Mom's Minutes

2. Super Hero Costumes

Super Hero Costumes - Twin Dragonfly Designs

Super Hero Costumes - Twin Dragonfly Designs

3. Super Hero Photo Booth

Super Hero Photo Booth - One More Mushroom

4. Bored Jar

Bored Jar - Shabby Beach Nest

5. Dining Room Table Tent/Cubby

Dining Table Cubby - Good Magazine

6. Instruments to Make

DIY Musical Instruments - Chalk in My Pocket

Turning Kids Art into Mini Quilts!

Pirate Sam and I decided we needed to make something fun and different. Sam has had a unit at Prep based around Pirates so he has been drawing maps like crazy. Pirate Island, Treasure Smeasure, Feather Island and Skull Island to name a few.

I am not the world's best quilter, I don't seem to have that certain amount of patience that is required. But mini quilts, they are my thing!

So Sam and I decided to turn a Treasure map into a mini quilt that he can use and we can wash if it gets dirty. (He gets a bit sad when paper tears)

To start we needed a Treasure Map. Once you have a map you can work out what you need to create it's 3D counterpart.

You'll need:
1 x piece of fabric for your island
1 x piece of fabric for your front
1 x piece of fabric for the back
1 x piece of wadding ( I chose a piece of Thermolan as it will wash well)
1 x embroidery hoop (not really needed but helps keep stitches regular)
needle
embroidery thread
scissors
transfer pen or pencil for fabric (mine is air soluble)
tracing paper if you like
ribbon for tying map scroll together
sewing machine
iron or press

1. Trace your image onto your island fabric

2. Embroider the line work using simple stitches like back stitch or chain stitch. Try not to change any part of the kids work. The imperfections bring the charm!

 

3. Press the island piece using an iron and then cut out the island. Pin it to your front piece.

4. Applique the island to the front piece using a zig zag stitch

5. We'll be stitching our quilting stitches in a grid to represent the longitude and latitude lines of a map. Pin the front piece to the wadding and stitch evenly spaced lines in one direction, either vertical or horizontal.


 6. Pin this piece to the backing piece and then stitch the lines in the opposite direction to the lines you just stitched. Completing the grid effect on the front but leaving only one direction of lines on the back.

 7. Now use quilt binding around the edge to border the quilt. Whilst binding the quilt attach the ribbon at one side so the map can be tied like a scroll.

ENJOY!

 

Silver Linings, Clouds and School Holidays

Today Erin and I made her first softie. She drew the design herself and we stitched and stuffed it up today.

We traced her drawing so we could use it as a pattern template and cut each of the three pieces out of the fabric she chose from the 'shop' downstairs in my sewing room.

We added the seam allowance and made the sun rays first. 

 

We clipped the corners so they would fold in neatly and attached it to the sun. 

Then we lightly padded the sun. After applying a basting stitch to keep the stuffing in we attached it to the cloud body.

We clipped all the corners and curves and left a little opening to stuff it. Then we hand stitched the opening closed.

Now Erin is designing her next softie and can't wait to show her Dad when he gets home from work today.