50 Memory Clothes Ideas: #3 – sweater blanket

Posted on January 25, 2016 by tellingfamilytales

felted wool sweater blanket by yellow suitcase studio

Do you have old clothes that you just can’t seem to part with? They might be your own or those of a loved one, or your child’s, but there are memories attached to those clothes that you don’t want to forget. How about using them to make a memory clothes project? Give those clothes a second life will keeping those precious memories close. This year I’ll be sharing 50 ideas using old clothes that you can enjoy or share with family and friends. Here is today’s idea:

Wool Sweater Throw by Peggy on DIYcraftyProjects.com

Continuing our sweater theme for January, I thought some ideas for transforming old sweaters into a cozy blanket would be perfect for these cold winter days and nights. If the sweaters are wool they can be felted first but you can use them even if they can’t be felted. This one was made with a mixture of cotton, unfelted wool and felted wool. Some wool yarn has been treated to prevent felting.

upcycled warm wool lap quilt from fiberluscious.blogspot.com

There are several ways to handling the seams as you can see from the ideas above. Here is another variation on sewing felted seams that could be used on a sweater blanket.

felted seam technique from blog.betzwhite.com

Anxious for more memory clothes project ideas? Check out this Pinterest board.

50 Memory Clothes Ideas: #2 – sweater purse/tote bag

Posted on January 18, 2016 by tellingfamilytales

sweater purse from sew-over-it.blogspot.com

details for sew-over-it’s sweater purse

I never thought of using a sweater to make a tote bag before. When I saw the above idea on Pinterest I loved it. when I searched deeper, I found lots of different variations of the basic idea of using a sweater to create a tote bag or purse. If the sweater is 100% wool you can even felt it first which has some advantages in making the “fabric” sturdier plus felting bonds the fibers together so it doesn’t unravel when cut. The images above and below don’t come with instructions but I found a few tutorials to help get you started on transforming a sweater into a tote bag.

If those tutorials don’t help with your project a google or Pinterest search for tote bag or purse patterns should head you in the right direction. What a fun way to give new life to a beloved sweater and keep memories close at the same time.

felted sweater purse made by GrannyBeansBoutique on etsy.com

another felted sweater purse from GrannyBeansBoutique on etsy.com

Anxious for more memory clothes project ideas? Check out this Pinterest board.

50 Memory Clothes Ideas: #1 – sweater pillow

Posted on January 15, 2016 by tellingfamilytales

sweater pillow from http://www.maidenjane.com

With Christmas decorations gone, sometimes things feel a little bare. How about adding a cozy sweater pillow for a fun new accent? Great to snuggle up with for a nap or reading a good book. If the sweater has fond memories attached to it, that makes it even better. A sweater pillow makes a great gift too, especially if you share a story about the history of the sweater along with the pillow. I found three different tutorials with different approaching to making a sweater pillow. Click on the photos above and below for the links.

sweater pillows from StoneGableBlog.com

sweater pillow from sometimes-homemade.com

Anxious for more memory clothes project ideas? Check out this Pinterest board.

50 Button Crafts: idea #50 – button clock

Posted on December 28, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button clock via Pinterest made by MasonBee on Etsy.com

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

As 2015 draws to a close it seems fitting to do a button clock for the final of my 50 button Crafts posts. Maybe it is just me but the end of the year makes me realize how fast time is passing and I wonder if I am getting enough of the important stuff done in a day. A button clock could be a nice bridge to stories about times past or each button could represent a ancestor and naturally lead to a story about that person. I found three basic ideas for making button clocks (remake an inexpensive wall clock or buy a clock kit and use a cookie tin lid or embroidery hoop for the clock base.) The two bellow have tutorials. The one above doesn’t but here is a tutorial for making a button clock with an embroidery hoop.

button clock from DoodlebugBlog.com

button clock from MarthaStewart.com

It would be a good idea to document where the buttons for your project came from and any relevant stories or information about that person or family. If you are looking for more button crafts, check out my Pinterest board.

50 Button Crafts: idea #49 – cup cozy

Posted on December 21, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

knit cup cozy via Pinterest

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

With all the cold weather that comes this time of year, I was drawn to the cup cozies I found on Pinterest this week. There are lots of ways to make them so I’ll share a few of those I found with buttons. This is a fun way to share some of the buttons from your stash along with stories of cold days and warm drinks from your life or an ancestor’s. I’m a huge hot chocolate or lemon and honey tea. Nothing warms me up when I get cold to the core like something hot to drink. In the winter hot chocolate and graham crackers was my favorite after school snack growing up.

crochet mug cozy from Hobbycraft.co.uk

felt coffee cozy from practicallyfunctional.com

custom sized mug cozy from Hazelnutgirl

50 Button Crafts: idea #48 – miniature clothespin snowflake with button

Posted on December 18, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

miniature clothespin snowflake by Racquel Schroder Bregg

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

The year of button crafts is almost over and Christmas is just a week away. I was thinking I might be done with Christmas themed button crafts but this was too clever not to share. Just combine miniature clothespins (taken apart) and a single button to make a sweet little snowflake. Lots of possibilities for bridging the gift or craft activity to family stories. What about memories of doing laundry and hanging clothes on the line to dry. We don’t do much of that these days. Or go the snow route and talk about winter memories and how deep the snow was when you or an ancestor where growing up. Here is a step by step tutorial. These would make a great January project as well as a Christmas decoration.

snowflake ornaments from MamaOf3Munchkins.com

50 Button Crafts: idea #47 – button Christmas card ideas

Posted on December 14, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button ornament card from sweetppaperie

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

Christmas is just around the corner so I thought I’d share some of the fun Christmas card ideas using buttons. There are so many out there and the possibilities are endless but hopefully these will inspire you to create something memorable from your button stash.

Santa card from imeondesign

tree cards from love-and-lollipops

ho ho ho card from CookieDesignCards

wreath card from hopefulhoney

Ideas for a More Christ-Centered Christmas

Posted on December 9, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

image from lds.org

I don’t know about you but I want my Christmas to be more about Christ and less about Santa and the typical stress of the season. LDS.org has some simple ideas to help us focus on the real meaning of the holiday season including simple activities to do each day for a more Christ-centered Christmas. I was a bit late getting started but I’m working on doing something each day to celebrate Jesus’s birth. If that sounds good to you too, you can find the ideas here. There are some great ideas that could become wonderful traditions for you family to pass down through the generations.

50 Button Crafts: idea #46 – Button Wreath Ornament

Posted on December 8, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button wreath ornament from MarthaStewart.com

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

This button wreath is along the lines of the stack style button ornaments I shared a few weeks ago. A great project to do with kids and it lets them do their own thing. While green buttons are necessary you might check out this post on dying your own buttons. Or just buy a bag of buttons in greens from the craft store and enjoy the time to talk about Christmas memories and crafts you remember as a child. MarthaStewart.com has instructions here.

50 Button Crafts: idea #45 – Button Ornaments

Posted on December 7, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button covered ornament from MySecretCottage on etsy.com

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

Making a button covered ornament isn’t hard. You start with a Styrofoam ball, buttons and straight pins and get to work. I found instructions here if you need them. With shaft buttons, hot glue is the best way to attach them to the Styrofoam ball. You can see from the examples I found that there are endless possibilities on the look and style. What a wonderful gift a button covered ornament would be if the buttons came from an ancestor or beloved grandparent.