Gluten free, dairy free, chocolate free muffins

Oh my!! No kidding, these muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, and chocolate-free and THEY ARE DELICIOUS!!! After we found out that we had to completely change our way of eating, my husband and I were quite depressed! I knew I would have to bake and cook more and well...he just likes to eat! We both thought we were going to starve! But, the cooking and baking hasn't been as bad as I thought and I never dreamed these things would taste so well. I assumed that most of it would taste like cardboard! But, praise the Lord, it doesn't!!! My husband likes the taste of the food and so do the kids (and we all know that kids are the pickiest creatures on earth when it comes to food.) We are not going to starve after all!
I followed the recipe on the back of the box. Instead of chocolate chips, I added carob chips. Years ago, I tried carob and I thought it was pretty nasty. But knowing that anything from the cacao bean was a no-no for us now, I decided to try them again. I looked at the health food store in our area and their carob chips had traces of milk in them. Well, dairy is a no-no for us to! So, last evening, we went to a Mennonite grocery in the country. I was sooo excited to find they had carob chips without dairy AND they were reasonably priced!!! Woohoooo! Now, what about the taste? They taste very much like chocolate! I am so happy! Wow, what a change from my experience years ago.
These muffins are AWESOME! Happy and healthy eating y'all!!! :)

Monogrammed Hair Bows

I am from the south and so I love ALL THINGS MONOGRAMMED!!! 😃 And, of course, this includes monogrammed hair bows big and small!!!! I will take orders from time to time for others to also enjoy these monogrammed hair bows! I stay so busy with homeschooling and keeping house, etc that I do not take a lot of orders but I am willing to help out when I can. So, if you need something, don't hesitate to ask! 😉

Sash

Here is another easy and stylish project. Even though it is not quite as easy as the infinity scarf, it is still very, very easy! :) The hardest part is turning the tube of fabric right side out. I can't remember the exact measurements (but I would be glad to measure if there is any interest) but I cut a very long and narrow piece of fabric. Think about the width you would like your sash to be and multiply it by 2 and then add about 1 inch for seam allowance. For instance, if you want your sash to be two inches wide, then multiply 2x2 plus 1" for seam allowance (which obviously equals 5. LOL!!) Hard math, huh? 😉 That would give you a half inch seam allowance on both sides. Fold the fabric with right sides together lengthwise. Sew all the way down the long side (not forgetting to back stitch when you begin). When you get about 1/2" from the end, raise your presser foot and turn your fabric so that you can close this end of the tube. Backstitch. Now, you will need to snip the excess fabric from the two corners on the end of the tube that you just sewed closed. This will help it lay flat once it is turned right side out.
Ok, now the hardest part of this project...turning this super long and skinny tube right side out. It takes some time and something like a chop stick may help you. Once you have it turned right side out, you will need to turn under the raw edge of the open end of the tube and iron. Top stitch it closed. Now iron the entire sash flat. Next, go to the other end of the now flat tube and top stitch to match the top stitch on the other ending the sash. Remember to use coordinating thread so that your thread doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. 😲
Now put that baby around your waist and tie a pretty little bow! Enjoy!!! :)

Infinity Scarf--chevron

Seriously!! This has got to be the EASIEST and QUICKEST sewing project out there!!! Plus, these infinity scarves are super stylish!!! I used Moda fabric and love it!! I cut a piece of fabric 22" by 44". The fabric was already 44" off the bolt so I only had to make one cut! Then, I folded the fabric (with right sides together) length-wise so that the two long sides (44") of the fabric were lined up together. Top stitched it, then, turned it right side out. Then you have a large tube! Next, I folded the raw ends on each end of the tube under and ironed. The next part is a little hard to explain without pictures, sooooo maybe I need to take pictures and make a true tutorial. Hmmmm. :-/ But, you sew the two ends of the tube together. You will need to leave a small opening and hand sew it closed. And it's all done!!!! Seriously super easy and quick!! 😃

Shabby Chic Diaper Cake

This project was so much easier than I originally thought it would be! It's a baby gift and shower decoration ALL IN ONE! Not only is it super cute, but it is useful too!!!! This diaper cake took 108 (a box) of size 1 Pamper Swaddlers. It can be easily disassembled for use of the diapers once baby is born. :)

Chunky Bead and Fabric Necklace

This necklace was a great project to do with my 7 year old who loves to sew!!

Easy t-shirt dress!

Let's make a plain shirt into a really cute dress!

Want to? :)

Well, I searched for a tutorial for a t-shirt dress using a t-shirt and one fabric. I needed something SUPER CUTE and SUPER EASY! I couldn't find anything exactly like I wanted so here we are! :)
What do I need?
1 long sleeve T-shirt
1 yard of fabric (depends on size of dress you are making)
Sewing machine
Coordinating thread
Scissors or rotary cutter
Measuring tape or ruler
Marking pen/pencil
Pins

Fabric pieces for a 2T:
Sleeves: cut two pieces 4.5" x 17"
Skirt of dress: one piece 9" x 34"

How did I come up with the measurements??
For the skirt of the dress I measured across the bodice of the shirt where I wanted the skirt to attach. It was 11 inches across. I multiplied 11 inches by 2 to get the width all the way around the shirt. Then I added another 11 inches (width of the shirt) to make room for the ruffles.  Then I added 1 inch for the seam allowance. That gave me 34 inches.
Width of shirt all the way around: 11"x 2" = 22"
Width plus another half for ruffling: 22"+11"= 33"
Seam allowance: 33"+1"= 34"
Then, I knew I wanted the length to be a little below the knee, so I measured from the place I wanted the ruffled fabric to begin on the dress to below the knee of the little girl. That gave me 7.5". I then added 1 inch for the bottom hem and .5" for the top seam allowance. So, 9 inches. :)

For the sleeves, I basically did the exact same as for the skirt of the dress. I figured out where I wanted the ruffle to begin on the sleeve, measured width of front side of sleeve, multiplied by 2 to get circumference, added another width to allow for ruffling, plus 1 inch for seem allowances. Ok, is that about as clear as mud?? ;) 
Please comment if you have any questions!

Sewing Instructions:
Start with a plain white long sleeve t-shirt...


Sleeves:
Step 1: With RST, sew the short ends of the sleeve piece together. Press open seam allowance.
Step 2:  Fold up bottom 1/4" and press. Fold up another 1/4" and press. Sew a top stitch close to edge.


Step 3: Sew two basting stitches for gathering the fabric. Pull basting threads to gather. (Use your longest stitch for the basting stitch.  Then to gather, pull the top two threads...not your bobbin threads. Gather until it is the same width as the sleeve where it will attach.)

(As you can see, I took a short cut and didn't cut off the salvage edge. Shhhhhh, don't tell anybody! ;))

Step 4: Repeat steps 1, 2, & 3 for other sleeve piece.

Step 5: Figure out where on the sleeve you would like the ruffled fabric to be attached to the t-shirt.  I slipped my ruffled piece up over the sleeve to see where I thought it looked best.  Then I marked the sleeve with a frixion pen like this.....

Real professional, huh?  Haha!

What's a Frixion Pen? I found this at my local fabric store. It is awesome. You write directly on your fabric with it.  To remove the ink, all you have to do is press over it with your iron.  It completely disappears! Here is a picture of it...

My markings were very messy at first so I used a ruler to straighten my line before cutting...


And here is the sleeve after it's cut...


Step 6: For the other sleeve, I took the cut off piece of the first sleeve and placed it on top and marked it like this...


Step 7: With RST, slip the ruffled fabric piece up over the shirt sleeve and pin in place like this....


Step 8: Sew piece onto sleeve using a zig zag stitch and a 1/2" seam allowance.
Step 9: Flip the fabric piece over the right way.  Press seam allowance up toward the t-shirt and sew the edge of the fabric like this using a zig zag stitch.... 


Step 10: Repeat for other sleeve.

Yay!  You're done with the sleeves!  Let's move on to the bodice to finish your adorable dress!!

Bodice:
We will actually repeat alot of what we did for the sleeves to attach the skirt piece to the dress.

Step 1: With RST, sew the short ends of the skirt piece together. Press open seam allowance.
Step 2: Fold up bottom 1/2" and press. Fold up another 1/2" and press. Sew a top stitch close to edge.



Step 3: Just as you did for the sleeves, sew two basting stitches for gathering on the top side of the fabric. Pull basting threads to gather. (Use your longest stitch for the basting stitch. Then to gather, pull the top two threads...not your bobbin threads. Gather until it is the same width as the shirt where it will attach.)

Step 4: Slide the ruffled fabric skirt up over the shirt, pin, and sew using a zig zag stitch.
Be sure to place the ruffled piece where you want it to be attached.   My shirt was a little too long, so I moved it up and cut off the extra.

Step 5: Cut off the extra fabric.  Please be super careful doing this though! You do not want to cut the ruffled fabric piece.

 

Step 6: Iron the seam allowance up towards the t-shirt.

 

Step 7:  Using a zig zag stitch, sew the seam allowance to the shirt...

 

All done!!! 

Wooohoooo!  Look how cute!!! 

And SUPER EASY!!! :)

P.S....I added a little flower pin for added cuteness!  ;)

 

 

God bless you!!!

Love,

Staci :)