Headband Kerchief Sewing Tutorial...Easy, Fast & Fun

My children are extremely fair skinned.  They burn like I do, which is to say, always.  They also have fine hair which does little to protect their scalps from the sun.  My son's hair sticks up enough that it isn't too much of a problem for him (though his ears are always a worry), but my daughters suffer frequent sunburns where their hair parts on the top of their heads and you can't put sunscreen on easily.  

They are also kids who don't like hats.  I have tried many hats: hats with straps, hats with big brims, hats with small brims, baseball caps, cowboy hats & beanies.  I'd buy them sombreros if I thought they'd wear them.  They ditch the hats as soon as they get outside.  I can't blame them really, but it has posed a problem for me as a skin cancer fearing mother.

So this is my solution: Headband Kerchiefs

They cover the scalp, keep the hair out of their eyes, are comfortable and easy for the kids to put on themselves, add a little pretty bling to the ensemble and they're ridiculously cheap and easy to make.  

All you need is the "Fat Quarter" squares from a fabric store.  One fat quarter makes two kerchiefs.  You also need elastic for the headband, scissors, pins, and a sewing machine...or fast sewing fingers.

Start by cutting your fat quarter in half so that you end up with a piece of fabric that is approximately 11"x18".  

Fold one piece of the fabric in half again (right side in) and pin one of the edges that is perpendicular to the folded edge.  Sew a 1/4 inch seam along that pinned edge.

Fold the fabric right side out again so that it makes a pointed shape, like this. Iron it. 

Fold the outside edges of the fabric in toward the center about 1 1/2-2 inches and pin in place.

Fold up (and iron) 1/4 inch of the bottom, unfinished edge of fabric so that you will have a nice, clean look when you move on to the next step.  Also cut a piece of elastic that measures between 19" and 21", depending on the size of the head that the kerchief will be fitting.  My five year old daughter needs a 19" piece.

Lay the elastic down along the bottom edge and fold up the fabric aproximately 1 1/2" so that it more than covers the elastic band.  You want to have about 1/4" of extra fabric space beyond the elastic so that when you stitch it you won't hit the elastic, which needs to be able to move freely inside the fabric "sleeve" that you're creating.  Pin everything in place and stitch.

The only thing left to do is connect the two ends of elastic to each other with a few zigzag stitches.  If you were successful in not catching any of the elastic with your sewing machine needle, you should be able to pull the band through a bit so that the area where the two ends join is tucked nicely away, inside the fabric. 

My young model started out being quite amenable to photos, but apparently my window for smiles was very small and I "took too long."  Oh well....at least her head won't get burned.

Dancing Bears Soap

I have a new small batch soap to introduce.  It's called Dancing Bears Soap because it's sweet and brown colored...awwwww.  It's made with fresh goat's milk, which is where much of the sweetness comes from.  It lathers wonderfully, also thanks to the goat's milk.  I added just a touch of vanilla oil to further sweeten it, though it's definitely not an over-the-top vanilla smell.  I only made one batch.  Let's see what people think!!

Glow in the Dark Star Lamp Shade

Here's a fun, easy idea.  My younger daughter got a glow in the dark solar system set for her birthday.  We put a bunch of the stars on her ceiling, as instructed, but we had a bunch left over.  The problem with glow in the dark items, in general, is that they never seem to get enough bright light to "charge" them sufficiently.  

This was our solution to that problem:  use a hot glue gun to attach the stars directly to the lamp shade.  That way, they're very close to the bright light and get a good charge right before the lamp is switched off at bedtime.  

See...

Attach

Charge

Enjoy

Have fun!

My New Favorite Thing

This past weekend I had a booth at the Ballard Seafood Fest.  I had the good luck to be placed next to an artist named Augusta, who makes woven pewter thread and reindeer leather bracelets in the Indigenous Scandinavian Sami tradition.  Her company is called Nomadic Artistry and she has some lovely photos of the many varieties of bracelets that she creates.  I had to have one. You can see why.

Augusta is originally from Petersburg, Alaska.  This town on Mitkoff Island in the Southeastern part of the state is known by most as "Little Norway".  It's full of fishing folks and beautiful scenery, judging from the photos I saw. Someday I'd like to visit.

To make the bracelets, Augusta weaves or braids fine pewter threads and attaches them to strips of tanned reindeer leather.  She uses reindeer antler or pewter buttons as a clasp.  The leather softens and molds to your wrist over time and is extremely comfortable to wear.  

Judging from the condition of the one Augusta has worn on her own wrist for many years, they are extremely durable as well as looking delicately refined. I would have taken a picture of one on my own wrist to show you the scale, but then you'd all see my blue veins, scars and freckles...and no one really needs that, right?  Just take my word for it.  My Sami bracelet holds its own against the David Yurman torque that I've worn for the past 20 years.  Now it has a friend on my wrist to keep it company.  :-)

The Skruben Anniversary Winners Are...

#2 Katie who wrote: "I really enjoyed the post about how you use hemp oil + green tea as a facial moisturizer."


#9 CS who wrote: "I laughed out loud when I read your Mountain Beaver Saga. He even has the same nickname as my husband! Good luck with your raspberries and keep blogging. I enjoy reading all your topics!"


Email me (asbloom [at] seattlesundries.com) with your mailing address and choices of products (one soap, one lotion bar & one Smooch Stick), and I'll get those out in the mail to you pronto!!


Thanks to EVERYONE for the feedback and interest in Skruben!

Blog Anniversary...& Giveaway!

Image courtesy of Tack-o-Rama

Tomorrow marks the two year anniversary of Skruben, and my entry into the blogging world.  It's hard to believe that much time has passed.  It's been a pretty colorful two years with a collection of posts that are moderately random, but hopefully informative.  My goal is quality content, not quantity (clearly).  I hope you all enjoy what I come up with!

In celebration, let's do a giveaway!!  Two winners will receive their choice of one Seattle Sundries soap (in a tin), one Smooch Stick and one lotion bar.  Winners will be chosen by RNG on Monday, so you only have the weekend to get your entry in.  Do it now so you don't forget!

To enter, leave a comment telling me what your favorite Skruben post has been so far and/or what kinds of topics you are most interested in reading in the future.  Now...GO!!!