DIY Felt "cotton" Rounds

As of late, I have been obsessed with CrunchyBetty! It has changed my life and skin care routine. Seriously, my skin has never looked so good!! I'm in love. Right now, I'm removing my eye make-up with olive oil, washing my face with honey, and using a mix of apple cider vinegar and water as a toner (you can read all about this method here).  But, to properly use a toner, cotton rounds work best. I didn't have cotton rounds . . .

I'm also a poor student and that isn't going to change anytime soon. So poor, I don't feel like forking over $2 for cotton rounds! So, being the thifty gal I am, I thought about how I might be able to sew/make some cotton rounds.

My first thought was cotton. Specifically, Bamboo cotton flannel, which I've seen used as the fabric used for washable pads. Has to be pretty absorbent if it's used for that! However, that stuff isn't cheap either. So, I pondered again and thought of felt! Felt is cheap, it will absorb right away, and  . . . um . . .  it's cheap. Thus, my felt rounds idea was born.

At first, I thought I would just buy that good felt you find by the yard. I'd never used it before, nor even looked at it. Well, as it turns out, that stuff isn't cheap! At 18.99/yard, I was disheartened. I opted for the those cheap, craft staple felt rectangles. With thirftyness comes compromise . . . I knew there would be 2 major problems with using the cheap felt:

1. The rounds would be pretty rough

2. I didn't know how will they would wash

But, at $1.10 for 5 squares, I figured I could risk it.

First, I used the bottom of an ibprofen bottle as a "pattern", traced as many as I could on a felt rectangle, then cut them out. Then, I doubled them up and zig zag stitched them together. It took a few attempts to get it right and figure out how to make them look at least some what cute. Here are the "best" I whipped up:

These are a bit rough, but if you choose the smoother side, it isn't so bad. Still, the more expensive felt would be the best option. Also, after I use them, I just wash them by hand and they are dry the next day! They look just fine after I wash them too! They will also work perfectly for removing nail polish, but I haven't used them for that yet. Also not sure how well nail polish will wash out either. Yet to be determined!

So, felt rounds = success. They are cheap and crunchy! I hope Crunchy Betty approves! 

Here are some of my failures. Still useable, just not attractive:

iPad Pillow Tutorial

Here is the iPad pillow pattern! To be fair, it could be used for any tablet type of device like a Kindle or Nook.

As for the pattern, I'm not wild about it for several reasons, and it's mostly because of the size and bulk. There is also the fact that most of these bigger devices have some sort of stand that is built into the cover, so the lack of practical usage is low.

But, maybe you feel differently and you want to have your device propped up by cool fabric and rice! So, grumbling aside, let's get onto the sewing stuff.

This pattern is a little bit different than the iPod Pillow:

1. All the pieces are separate.

2. There is one triangle, which serves as the base, that is shorter than the other three. This was done to minimize bulk. Although, it's still pretty bulky!

3. You are going to use a 1/4 seam allowance. 

4. You are going to make the stopper 1 1/2" wide

Click here to see how the pattern is laid out. Also, here is a pic of all the fabric pieces when they are cut. It's difficult to see, so that is why I drew it all on paper to help you get a better visual.

Here is the pattern to get you started: iPad Pillow Pattern. (For whatever reason, google docs decided to upload that one completely upside down! And I have no idea how to fix that . . . sorry! It's still totally useable, I swear!)

To make the iPad version, follow the iPod Pillow tutorial. But keep in mind the changes I outlined above and you should be fine.

Here is a naked iPad Pillow for your viewing enjoyment. (Ignore my tomato pin cushion! It's bigger than the "usual" tomato pincushions that you might be used to seeing, so don't let that be a point of reference!)

Update - Here is a pic with an iPad . .. finally!

iPad pillow

Okay, so I recently got a request on Etsy for an iPad pillow. I had been meaning to whip up a pattern for quite some time, but since I just got done studying as an exchange student for the past 6 months, I haven't found the time.

Well, that changed today! And let me tell you, making the pattern was a serious pain in the a**!! I couldn't just enlarge the iPod pillow and call it good because if you make 4 equilateral triangles for the entire thing, you get a bulky, heavy, cumbersome iPad pillow. So, taking this into account, I had to rethink the dimensions. You will see what I mean when I post the pattern . . . hopefully I will succeed in making it easy for you!

I will post a tutorial and a PDF pattern soon. Making the pattern yourself will cause you a lot of grief! Or maybe I just made it too complicated . . . who knows!