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!

Pod Pillows now on etsy!

So, I've decided to sell some of my fabulous Pod Pillows (I kinda prefer Pod Stand) on etsy! I only made 7 to start, just to see if they actually catch on and sell. I'm hopeful because I think these are awesome and so super useful.

Click the link here to check them out!They are $8 a piece but . . .mention my blog when ordering in the "notes to seller" and receive 10% off your entire order!

Here are my photos of them, courtesy of my step mom, who gladly and graciously helped me out with the photos.

 I've gotten so many views for this pattern and I'm so thankful for everyone checking it out!

Dress Form Pin Cushion

So, I have been eyeballing this adorable pin cushion in the shape of a dress form at Joann's forever, but I didn't want to fork over $16 for it! So, I held off. Plus, it didn't have the sand/emery stuff that keeps pins sharp.

Well, I'm super happy I held off because I found a pattern for one (from Pinterest, of course). I want to modify it just a bit, but here is my first attempt and I think it worked out reasonably well.

If you want to give it a try, the link is here! Of course, the ones they make look just a tad better than mine, but the second try should prove better results. I'm not thrilled at how huge it is just for a pin cushion and putting it on a candle holder doesn't help either, so I'm on a mission to find something else to put it on, but for now, it was all I could find . . .

*Updated* Pod Pillow Tutorial!

Okay, so this is my first tutorial! I’m pretty proud of myself for figuring out the pattern for the Pod Pillow and I am happy to share it with the rest of the world.

My directions might be flawed but bear with me and ask as many questions as you need. Hopefully, someone in cyber space will stumble upon my humble blog and be delighted at this piece of iPhone magicalness. 

You will need:

Disappearing ink pen

Thread

1 Fat quarter of fabric

I bag of rice

A funnel

A spoon

Pattern:
Update: I've read a lot of comments on Pinterest and other blogs that making the triangles is kind of a pain! I have run into this very problem and after making these over and over, I've found that different measurements work better than equilateral triangles.
So, you can now download the pattern here! It comes with a layout of the pattern NOT drawn to scale, then two separate pattern pieces.

1) Cut the pattern pieces out. You have two options: you can cut each piece individually or cut the two pieces out and tape them together. I prefer to leave them in two big chunks and tape them together once. It's really up to you though. The latter looks like this:

This pic is old, but it does show you how the pattern should look once all taped. I've changed the letters to each triangle side. Now, you just match the letters together and sew!

2) Now, once you have taped your pretty pattern, its time to cut the fabric!

      3) Draw lines with a disappearing ink pen on the fabric, front and back. This will help when you are constructing the ramp. It's hard to see in this pic because I didn't choose the best fabric to contrast with a disappearing ink pen, but you get the idea . . .

4)      4) Press triangle lines. This really helps when you are stitching up the sides of the triangle.

5) 

     5) Match, pin and stitch together the following sides:

a.       E

b.      F. 

c.       G. This is the side I like to have the opening. Make one about 1 to 1 1/2" wide

6)   Match and pin ramp corners together. Stitch one side closed (it's the right side in this photo). I tried using the best contrasting thread I could, but again, it's not the best.

7)      7) Turn triangle right side out

8)      8) Press the fold line on the ramp

9)      9) Press a ¼” seam allowance on the opened side of the ramp. I usually just eyeball this.

     10)   Sew ramp shut. Basically, you are closing off the ramp from the rest of the triangle body. I've drawn a line across to use as a guide when stitching it shut.

    11)   Make a seam 1”away from the folded edge of the ramp.

    12)   Make 3 to 4 decorative stitches along ramp (ignore the filled stopper, that will come next)

    13)   Grab a funnel, your bag of rice, and a spoon.

                        Fill tunnel with rice until around ½” away from opening. This is about 1 ¼ Tbsp of rice.

a.       Be sure to pack the rice down so it gets really dense.

b.      Leave about a ½” space from the top

    14)   Stitch opening closed completely (From corner to corner)

    15)   Now, fill the triangle body with about 1 ¼ c of rice. Be sure to pack it in and move it into the corners. Pack it as full as you can so the very top will be filled. The opening should sit open like the picture shows, but you should have no trouble pinning it shut.

    16)   Hand stitch the opening shut. My hand sewing skills are the greatest, but I just do a stitch that looks like a "x"

    17)   You are done! Hooray!

This pic is the original pattern I made that didn't include a printable pattern for you!

Here is a pic of the "new" pattern:

I hope this is easy to follow. It’s a really simple and quick once you get the hang of it.

You can make the triangles smaller or bigger, too if you prefer (check out the ipad pillow tutorial). You might also like a shorter or longer ramp, too. Here is a pic of the 2nd Pod Pillow I tried out before I made this tutorial. The triangles are 6 x 6" and the square is 6 x 6 1/2".

It looks like a throne for my little iPhone . . .

As far as the filling goes, be creative! You can use lentils, buckwheat, sand . . . anything that has some weight. I wouldn’t recommend pillow stuffing for the whole thing, but you could use something heavy like rice or sand on the bottom and fill the top with pillow stuffing, I suppose. The possibilities are endless!!

To all those who stumble upon this blog, please post pics of your Pod Pillows!!!! I’m eager to see any creative deviations from this pattern! Please feel free to share this pattern!

Men's Shirt Dress

I finally made one of those t-shirt dresses that I keep seeing on Pinterest. I really like the way it turned out! I used an old sheet for the top, but I used an old stretch cotton tee for the back so I didn't have to put a zipper in. It takes some manuevering to get it on because it's a little tight when pull it over my hips. And, the side seams are a little weird. Bottom line, it has it's flaws but I still love it!