Chalk Mat Fun

I have had a batch of chalk cloth in my cabinet for months!!!!! I have had an idea in my head for as long too, but have been too nervous to actually commit to cutting and sewing up the chalk cloth, in case I did something and screwed up the fabric.

But after searching different chalk cloth items, inserting a strong needle into my machine, and bringing out my awesome pinking shears, here's the final product...........

On the go chalk mat!

Here's how I made mine :) Adapt as you see fit. 

1- Cut 2 pieces of fabric & interfacing to be 13.5" wide and 10" long. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabrics.

2- Cut 1 piece of chalk cloth to be 11" wide and 8.5" long. Use pinking shears and trim around each edge to make the zig zag pattern.

3- Take the chalk cloth and pin it to the right side of one piece of fabric. Be careful, because the chalk cloth will leave the pin hole marks. (See step 4 before stitching!)

4- Before you stitch all the way around the chalk cloth, you will need to take a 2" piece of elastic (3/4 width) and fold it in half, then tuck it into the left side of the chalk cloth (between the chalk cloth and fabric), about half way between the top and bottom to hold the piece of chalk in the mat. I used a 1/4 seam allowance for my stitching.

5- Now take the two pieces of fabric and place them right sides together and pin in place. Take a large elastic band and slide it between the fabric so that only a little bit of the edge is visible. Stitch along the edges, leaving about a 4" opening in the top. Use a 1/2 SA.

6- Snip corners when finished sewing, turn right side out, tuck in the exposed opening and iron flat. Then top stitch around the length of the mat to hide the opening as well as secure the elastic band in place for frequent use. (Iron only on the side of fabric that does not have chalk cloth on it!)

Decorate with a special note, add a piece of chalk, roll it up and give to someone sweet to play with!

I see a lot of these being made in my future for Christmas stocking stuffers!!!!! Might even make these for my next craft fair.

By the way, I bought the chalk cloth from The Fabric Farm and you can pick up a chalk marker on Etsy by searching "Chalk Pen" in supplies.

I purchased 1/2 yard of chalk fabric and it made 8 chalk mats.

Traveling with a Toddler Part 2: Coloring on the Go

So after showing off the Dino Land Travel Mat, I thought I would keep going with "Traveling with a Toddler" series. For today we have the FOLD & GO ART WALLET. 

This art kit is great to use while in restaurants or even waiting rooms. 

Disclaimer: If you want to make one of these for your own personal enjoyment, or that of your little one, or for gifts, go ahead. If you are making these for resale, please be kind enough to give credit of the design to The Woobie Shop and to buy the pattern for commercial resale. ~ Thanks. 

Here's how to make one of your own: 

1- Cut two pieces of fabric (7" x 11.5")  to be your base layers.

Then cut two pieces of interfacing (7"x11"). One piece is fusible fleece, the other piece is a light weight interfacing. Fuse both pieces of interfacing to the wrong sides of the base fabric. 

2- Cut out a piece of coordinating fabric (7" x 8") to be your pocket for crayons. Fold the fabric in half to become 7" x 4" and line it up so the folded edge is at the top of the pocket and all raw edges are touching. Use the piece of base fabric which has the lightweight interfacing on it. 

3- Use a chalk pen and measure from the left edge .5" and mark a line, then measure 2.5" mark a line, repeat 2.5", and then repeat again.

4- Pin the fabrics together and sew along the chalk lines to make the pockets. 

5- Take a piece of coordinating fabric (5.25" x 8.5") and fold it in half so it becomes 5.25" x 4.25". Stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance along both side seams, snip the corners (see picture below), turn it out and press.

 

6- Place the paper pocket about 3/4" away from the right side raw edge, pin it where you want it and then stitch up both side edges to secure it in place. 

 

7- Take the other piece of fabric (with the fusible fleece fused to it) and place it right side up. About 1.5" from the right side sew into place the large button for closure. 

8- Now lay the fabrics together with right sides touching. You want the button on the front piece to be touching the crayon pockets of the other piece. Pin the fabrics together and insert an elastic band between the fabrics opposite of the button with a little piece of the elastic sticking out. 

9- Sew along all the sides with a 1/2" seam allowance and leave about a 2" opening so you can turn it out. Snip your corner edges, turn out the fabric, press with a hot iron to get out the wrinkles and fold over the opening. 

10- Top-stitch around the entire perimeter of the art wallet with a 1/4" seam allowance to secure the opening you had and give it a finished look. 

11- I used mini colored pencils instead of crayons, but you can fill yours with crayons, mini-twistable crayons, or mini-markers for the writing utensils. I also bought mini-notepads at Wal-Mart in a packet of 3 or 4.

Enjoy! We sure do!

Puff Paint and Ribbon

I am totally one of those moms who always said I would never buy a travel DVD player for my car so my kids could watch t.v. while we traveled.

Well, life happened, I had a kid, and yup, I bought a DVD player for the car. And worse still, I bought one for each of our cars.

Now don't get me wrong, we don't watch it much, but on longer car trips, or when little man is over tired and won't sleep, I definitely resort to using my DVD player.

Having a DVD player for a car means we have to tote around some of our favorite DVDs. So, last summer, I stole this idea from a girlfriend of mine. Actually, she's so awesome, I just bought the case on clearance for $2 and she did the rest for me.

You can totally pick up a travel case at your local Dollar Tree and some colorful paint at Wal Mart or Michaels for $1.