How to: Marker Art Bnner

I have an amazingly fun (and pretty easy) kid project to share.  It was inspired by a number of different creations I've seen in the blogosphere over the past year that involve permanent markers and rubbing alcohol. You might think that permanent markers would not be the best choice for a kids' project, but actually they're much less messy than paint and easier for little hands to manipulate.

We were making a banner for our church sanctuary, but the same concept can be used with just about any theme and fabric finishing technique.  All you need is: 

• white 100% cotton fabric
• permanent markers (like Sharpies)
• rubbing alcohol
• a spray bottle and/or small dropper
• a plastic drop cloth to keep your surfaces clean

Our banner design called for words as the centerpiece for each panel, so I printed them in large, bold font and traced around the outline of each letter in dark pencil before we started decorating with permanent markers.  We tried to avoid the pencil area with the markers, so we would be able to see it easily later.

Then the kids could get to work.  Each of the four panels of our banner was also dedicated to a certain color family, so I pre-sorted the markers and only gave the kids the ones I wanted them to use for each panel. They could draw or write whatever they liked, at whatever angle or scale they wanted.  For our project, the kids tried to draw pictures that were in some way connected to the word theme for each panel.  

This is a great activity for the youngest as well as the oldest kids (ours were 6-13 years old) because there's no "right" way to do it...and it doesn't really matter how great an artist you are anyway.  It's very egalitarian.

Next we took a spray bottle and filled it with the rubbing alcohol.  The fabric panel was laid on top of a plastic drop cloth (actually an old Twister mat), to protect the table underneath.

We sprayed and sprayed, until all of the fabric was saturated with rubbing alcohol and all of the artwork started to bleed together.  The alcohol is doing two different things here.  It's releasing the permanent marker ink and it's pulling (wicking) the moisture to the dry parts of the fabric, bringing the color with it.  For this reason, you can really change the look of your artwork just by spraying the alcohol differently: concentrated in spots, evenly around the whole thing, starting from the inside out, starting from the outside in, etc.  It's fun to experiment.

Once you've sprayed it, you need to let the color spread and dry overnight.  We went through this process several times, each time the white spots filled in more and the colors wandered further into their neighbors' territory.  We did need to add a few swirls and polka dots for a little extra color later in the process in areas where the kids hadn't drawn anything, so that everything was colored.  

We decided to try an additional rubbing alcohol technique later in the process as well.  Using  a pipette, we dripped rubbing alcohol all around the fabric, leaving raindrop-like splashes in the color pattern.  I liked the effect.

Once it's totally dry, you can add fabric paint for any non-bleeding parts of your design.  This is where I painted over the pencil mark outlines to make my letters.

I sewed them all together and added a border and hanging loops.  It now graces our church sanctuary for this Lenten season.  And the church's children are its proud creators!

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.

How To: Easy Fabric Flowers

Spring has finally arrived in Seattle.  Thank heavens!  It's been the most miserably long stretch of wet, cold, windy weather I can remember for a long time.  In honor of Spring (and Mother's Day coming up next week), here's a tutorial for making some really cute and easy fabric flowers.  

I have an absurd amount of leftover fabric from various unfinished and partially finished projects, and wanted to find a good use for it.  My mom also gave me her stash (drawer) of surplus shish kabob skewers, which totaled over 600.  We like grilling shish kabob, but it would take us years to use them up...so, voila!  Beautiful and festive fabric flowers for spring that fit nicely in a vase and are easily arranged in a bouquet.

You'll need:  colorful fabric (I used quilting cotton),  felt squares, pom poms, craft glue, wooden skewers, needle, regular or embroidery thread, hot glue & scented oil (optional).

Start by using craft glue to attach the pom poms to the sharp end of the wooden skewers.  I did this the night before the rest of the project, so that they had time to dry.  The hot glue would work fine too, but has a tendency to get stuck in places you don't really want and makes for a messier look, which is why I went with the craft glue instead.

Cut strips of fabric that are 4 inches wide and between 12 and 16 inches long.  The longer strips will make a fuller flower, so it really just depends on the look you're going for.

Fold over the fabric so that the "outside" is on the outside.  You can press it with an iron, if you want a sharp look, but I prefer a more puffy petal, so I left my fabric un-pressed.

Using your needle and thread (with a knot on the end) make an easy straight stitch along the rough edge of the fabric, catching both edges.  This stitch gets completely covered during the process of assembling the flower, so it really doesn't need to be too uniform or perfect.  This makes it a great project for kids because they can practice sewing a a straight stitch and make a beautiful gather, regardless of skill.  My 4 year old daughter had a blast making these with me!

Gather the fabric by pushing it down the thread and knot the other end of the thread, like this.

Cut a small Pac-Man shaped piece of felt fabric, grab your shish ka-pom-pom, and get ready to assemble the flower.

Place a small amount of hot glue at one end of the fabric, on or near the threaded gather.  Lay the pom pom end of the skewer on the hot glue and press the fabric around it to secure the skewer in place.  Then run a longer line of the hot glue along the threaded gather.

Begin to roll the "petals" of the flower around the skewer.  I applied a couple of inches of hot glue at a time, not the entire length of fabric, because I didn't want the glue to cool and harden before I had time to roll and pinch the fabric in place.

Secure the base of the flower bud while the glue is still warm and somewhat malleable.  You can do a little adjusting of the blossom shape at this point.

Now take your little Pac-Man piece of felt and apply a line of hot glue to the middle.  Then apply the felt to the bottom of the blossom, covering the rough edge.

Add more hot glue to the felt and wrap it all the way around the base of the blossom, holding it in place with your finger while the glue cools.

The final touch is to add 3-4 drops of scented oil (essential oil or fragrance oil) to the pom pom.  The flowers will smell wonderful, won't wilt and will brighten even the darkest corner...or deary Seattle day.

Costumes at Taproot Theater

We had another great 4-H adventure this week, this time with a visit to the Taproot Theater in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. Since it's the costume time of year, we decided to see how real-life sewing and carpentry skills can be put to use in a creative way. We were led on a GREAT tour by Sarah, the friendly and charismatic costume shop manager and resident designer. We were there, almost to the day, one year after the theater sustained major fire and water damage caused by an arsonist on the loose in the neighborhood. He has since been locked behind bars, but the consequences for the theater and many of the surrounding businesses were severe. Luckily, for the neighborhood (and for our club), Taproot was able to rebuild and come back from the ashes.

During our tour, we visited the set for the current show Wedding Belles, which ends this week. We peeked in on the set construction room, which was filled with all sorts of fun carpentry and power tools. We also saw the Green Room and where the actors meet to read through scripts and prepare for the plays, and the make-up room where the actors get ready to go on stage.

But the main focus of our time at Taproot was the costuming department. We were eager to see some sewing in action, and were not disappointed.

They were busy getting ready for the holiday season show Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol. Here is some of what we saw:

We are planning to go back and see a matinee of the show when it opens at the end of November. We urge everyone to take in a production if you get the chance!! We're so lucky to have a great neighborhood theater like this to take advantage of for shows and as a creative resource for our community. Thanks Taproot!

Meet Your Maker, Part II

Me, part deux…

When we first moved to Seattle, I started waiting tables at an Indian restaurant and going to school for my master’s degree in teaching. My future mister tried a couple different career paths, eventually settling into a financial field. We lived in the Fremont neighborhood “the center of the universe” and got a puppy named Molly.


I finished graduate school and quickly got an ESL teaching job. I was frequently mistaken for a middle school student in the halls at school. I’m about the same size as most of the students, and apparently I looked pretty young (I hated getting carded then…now it makes my day). I loved my job and the young immigrants that I got to work with. They were (still are, in fact) interesting, industrious and engaging. I often feel a pull back to the classroom that I may follow at some point, or maybe I’ll just travel the world to visit the places they all came from.


But I was busy. We had one, then two, then three little chunky-cheeked babies. I gardened, made soap, sewed slip covers, made baby food and changed diapers. I decorated one house, then another. We finally landed in a part of Seattle that we just love: Ballard. It reminds me in some ways of the small town where I grew up, but is still very much a part of the city. I also like that it has the only Nordic Heritage Museum in the United States. My son’s soccer team chant a few years ago was “Lutefisk, lutefisk, lefse, lefse! We’re the Ballard Vikings! Ya, Ya Betcha!” Priceless.

My older kids have started school and we now spend lots of time in 4-H, music lessons, hockey and soccer. I am one of the founding members of Elliott Bay Pipe Band and do my best not to embarrass my banditos. It helps that I have 28 years of piping experience to fall back on. I try to grow lots of berries and vegetables, sew things, and learn something new whenever I can. I try to be faithful and mindful of the earth and the trees and the creatures around us, like my parents always have been. I try to be careful about what we consume and what we throw away. I try to do, more than I talk. I also try to stretch a penny as far as it will go (Granny Gretha) and wash out our Ziplock bags many times before they get thrown away (Grandma Evie). Stewardship takes many forms.

So that’s me, for now. I have big plans for the future. I have not gone back to teaching or learned how to knit yet, because I am budgeting my time in the event that I become the overlord of a vast soapmaking empire. We’ll see what happens.