Bath Pad Tutorial

TUTORIAL


Supplies needed:
1 yard each of two coordinating fabrics
thread
binding or ribbon - something about 4 inches wide
suction cups
clear vinyl
hot glue gun
non-slip fabric (more info below)
old towel

1. Measure your tub. Measure the width of the top of your tub side (you know, where you rest your arms when washing your child), the height of the tub (floor to the top of the side) measure how much pad you want for your knees), and how wide you want the entire pad. My measurements were 5(tub top side)x14(height)x8(knees)x20(width).



2. Add your total measurements - the pad width. Example 5+14+8=27. Now add an inch to your length. Your fabric (if your measurements are the same as mine), will be 28x20. Cut your two fabrics to these measurements. Lay them on top of each other wrong sides together. Now your going to make marks for your 5 and 8 inch measurements. On one end, make a mark at 5.5 inches and 8.5 inches on the other. Sew a straight line down the fabric pieces at these measurements.


3. cut the decorative trim off your towel, if it has any, or a bottom finish of any kind.



4. Using the top of the tub measurement, fold your towel over as pictured above.



5. Fold it over again so you have three layers as pictures above.



6 Cut the width of your towel to 19 inches (an inch less than your width measurement).



7. Now lie your towel pieces in the appropriate sides of the fabric. Basically, you're just laying the towel in between the fabric.



8. Sew a zig zag stitch down the ends of the fabric, encasing the towel in the fabric.



9. Cut two pieces of the vinyl to cover your pad to be about an inch wider all around. So, about 21x29. I just put the vinyl on top of the pad and eye balled it.



10. Now hot glue the vinyl together. While you're gluing around it, make sure to glue some of the edges of the pad so it doesn't slip around inside the vinyl. The hot glue will cause a slight melting of the vinyl. Don't try to peel it apart after this... you just won't be able to! this is what seals it so that water does not get in. Make sure all of your fabric is sandwiched inside.

11. cut another piece of vinyl to be your pocket down the center. I made mine 5x21. Glue the pocket to the top piece of vinyl along the sides and bottom of the pocket.




12. take the end of your 2 suction cups and cut them flat.



13. Glue them in place. Put them somewhat close to the top corners of the pad. In the picture below you can see where I placed mine. It would be better if they were closer to the corners so the sides don't curl up.



14. Cut a piece of your non slip fabric 8x21. I used shelf liner. It is similar to that of the material used for putting under rugs to prevent slipping. Glue it to the bottom of your pad. Now trim the vinyl around the edges close to your glued edges. Make sure you don't cut the glue though. You want to keep the seal.



15. Now glue your binding to the bottom of the pocket and around the top of the pocket, folding it over to cover the vinyl edge. See the picture below.



16. Now glue your binding around the outer edges, folding it around the edge to cover the glued vinyl.



Enjoy!

Bath pad

Did you guess which entry was mine for last weeks S.Y.T.Y.C project? Here it is!

The bath pad is the perfect solution to prevent sore knees when giving your child a bath. The top and bottom are padded, providing cushion for your arms and knees.
Simply use the suction cups on the top to hold it in place and wash away. The bath pad is waterproof so there will be no issues with mold. Just wipe it off and store it.

No more soap bottles falling in the tub! The pocket in the middle is perfect for holding your child's bath needs.


And for Mom's safety, there is nonslip material on the bottom.

Skirt tutorial

Last night I put together this skirt for my daughter out of some scrap fabric. I used less than a 1/2 of a yard of fabric. Here is a quick tutorial



Cut the fabric from salvage to salvage in the lengths shown above. (they are folded in half in the picture) So, your main piece (flower fabric) is salvage to salvage x 7" and so on.

Pin the three inch piece to the 7 inch piece together, right sides facing. Sew them together with a straight stitch. If you are lucky enough to have a serger, serge your edges now. If you are unlucky to have a serger (like me), just zig zag stitch your seams together.



Pin the 4 inch piece to the other side of the main piece, right sides together and straight stitch together, followed by a serged edge or a zig zag stitch.



Pin the raw edges together, right sides facing.


Because your pieces are cut right to the salvage edge, make sure that when you sew your seam, you don't have any of the salvage edge coming through. Sew with a straight stitch and finish with your serger or zig zag stitch.



Now get out the iron and ironing board. Don't skip this step!!! Ironing your seams will leave you with a nicer finish on your finished project. On the 4 inch side, iron down 1/4 inch.



Now iron it down in half so that the ironed edge of your fabric hits at your previous seam (where the 4 inch fabric meets the main fabric).



Top stitch this seam, leaving a 1 inch gap to run your elastic.



Now iron down 1/4 on the opposite side (the 3 inch fabric strip).


Now fold that hem over and iron again.


Sew a simple straight stitch.


You should now be left with this. Simply cut a piece of elastic to fit your childs waist and thread it into the 1 inch opening. Sew the elastic together and sew the 1 inch hole closed.

Enjoy this super simple skirt!!!

S.Y.T.Y.C.

I haven't been religious about posting every day... even though we do "create" something almost every day. Tomorrow, though, I have 2 great things to share with you. One is my first tutorial! YAY! I may even have a few more coming in the near future as well! Stay tuned and check back tomorrow sometime!


This was my crappy entry for S.Y.T.Y.C. last week:

Ok, so it probably wasn't all that crappy except the HORRIBLE pictures I took. Me, the professional photographer used a horrid picture. Why you ask? Because I finished it at 3 in the morning and needed to submit it before I woke Caden up for school in the morning. Blah. It really looks awesome in person and I will post a better picture soon. I think I would have probably done better had I taken a better photo. I made the frame out of wire hangers and covered it with fabric. I'll post more info about it in the near future... probably anyway! :)

Little Superhero!

For Abrams second birthday I made him a superhero cape and mask. Both were extremely easy sewing projects. I plan on posting a tutorial for the cape in the very near future (after I finish my next S.Y.T.Y.C craft). There are some online, but I have a few handy tricks that I want to show you. Wouldn't this be a great gift for a birthday party? Look for that tutorial very soon!



Abram was so excited to get a cape! I had made Caden and Alanna capes a couple of years ago. needless to say, Abram has played with their capes for so long... probably more than they ever have.

Summer Dress

Here is a summer dress I adapted from Dana's vacation dress pattern. Alanna LOVES it and it's so cute and airy for summer. It cost me less than 3 dollars to make too!!! LOVE IT!

Alanna's favorite part is the big pockets. What little kid wouldn't love big pockets to hold lots of little trinkets?

awesome crafts!

Here are some of my absolutely favorite crafts! Check these out!


How amazing and simple is this idea???? It's such a simple and easy way to transform a cheap sandal! Check it out on Shannon's blog Shannon Makes Stuff.



This is another one I WILL be doing with the kids. Such an amazing idea and another simple one too! This one is from Kalleen. You can find it on her blog At Second Street



Here is another great one... A maternity panel for your jeans... brilliant! You can find them on Sarah's blog at Create Studio


These dyed rice filled vinyl easter eggs are super adorable! Dana made these on her blog Made. She also made shamrocks for st. patty's day.


This is such a great idea and so cheap and easy too! I might have to do this. This is from Disney and Ruffles and Stuff.

Those are just a few fun ones I love right now.