May 8, 2011 Instead of flowers, the husband bought stick-on mustaches for the girls. He knows me so well.
Belle didn’t get the memo, and got moles instead. Cheater.
I think this one is my favorite. I love how Thea’s ‘stache makes her angry face more… angry.
I hope all you mothers out there had a fabulous day filled with love and laughter and stick-on ‘staches.
May 7, 2011 A long time ago my mom got me a hair towel for my birthday or something, and I love it so much that I copied the pattern and made myself several more. They’re really easy and quick to make up, using a hand towel as the starting point.
I found some hand towels on sale for 50 cents each, and bought several. Because I’m smart. And because that’s how much I love these things. I like that they’re smaller than a regular towel so they don’t flop all over the place, and there’s elastic in the back to secure it so it doesn’t fall off. Also, it saves using 2 towels after my shower.
My hair is really long, but it’s pretty thin. If you have long/thick hair you could use a bath towel as a starting point instead, and just make your towel longer.
I’ve made a sketch of the pattern and you can download it here if you want. It’s a rough-ish sketch, but includes a 3/8” seam allowance. It’s a guideline so you at least have the general shape — it’s easily modifiable if your towel is longer/shorter or you use a bath towel instead.
(When you print it out make sure that you print page 1 and check the 1” test box to make sure it measures 1” — you may have to remove the scaling option in your print settings to get the correct size).
Supplies needed:
Hand towel
Sturdy thread in a corresponding color
Heavy duty denim or jeans needle
3.5” of 1/4” wide elastic
1 button, approximately 3/4” or so wide
PDF pattern/guide
Step 1
Print out and assemble the pattern pieces. There are 3 pages, meant to be placed exactly next to each other (no overlap). Match the numbers and tape the pages together.
Step 2
Cut out pattern.
Step 3
Fold the hand towel lengthwise, inside out, matching up finished edges.
If you have a decorated hem/edge, you may want to place this at the top so it’s visible when you’re wearing the hair towel.
Step 4
Trace the pattern onto the towel. Lay the pattern so that the long straight edge matches up with the finished edges of the towel.
You’ll see that the pattern is a little wider than my towel, so I ignored the overlap and traced around it.
Step 5
Cut along the marked lines.
Step 6
Cut 3.5” of 1/4” wide elastic. Fold in half. Open the towel, and pin the elastic between the two pieces, along the straight bottom edge.
Step 7
Stitch cut edges together using a heavy duty needle, making sure to catch elastic at the bottom of the towel between both towel pieces.
After using a straight stitch, go back over the cut edges using a zig zag stitch to prevent the towel from fraying.
Turn right side out. This is what it should look like when you’re finished.
Step 8
Along the top of the towel (the wide, curved edge) mark 1” down on the seam line. This is where your button will go.
Center the button on the seam line, and stitch the 3/4” button to the towel, using your machine (or by hand). Make sure it’s really secure on the towel.
And… that’s it! All done. Super easy, right?
Place it on your head, twist once or twice, and then bring the end back and loop the elastic around the button to keep it in place.
You can also add rickrack or an applique if you want to be fancy, or you’re making this as a gift.
If you make one please leave a link in the comments so I can check it out. :)
Also, you can click here to download a printer friendly version of these instructions, if you’re so inclined. Am I thoughtful or what, right? If anything’s not clear, or you have any questions, shoot me a message and I’m happy to help.
May 6, 2011 Just signed up for the Kids Clothes Week Challenge over on Elsie Marley. The challenge is to sew for at least an hour a day from May 9-15. I’ve clearly been on a making-kid-clothing streak lately, so this should be a lot of fun!
May 4, 2011 Thea can now unscrew lids with her teeth. She puts the lid in her teeth, and then rotates the tube with her hands until it opens. Namely, she does this with lipgloss.
She did this in front of me last night, staring at me the whole time, daring me to stop her. I told her to give me the lipgloss.
She backed away, hid it BEHIND HER BACK, and then stuck her tongue at me.
When I gasped with shock, she smiled sweetly and gave me a hug.
Damn kids.
May 2, 2011 OMG. This trip to NYC was much busier and hectic than the last trip. I had meetings for 2 days, then went in to the office for another day, then the husband and I lugged the baby, all her crap, and a CAR SEAT on the subway and train to NJ to look at apartments. Then we had one day of messing around and shopping before we came home.
The trip was really productive, although nightmarish at points. There was an episode where we got on the subway with the baby, the diaper bag, the stroller, and the CAR SEAT. We went the wrong direction. We got off the subway and stood outside trying to get our bearings, while the husband headed over to a Starbucks to get me a coffee. While he was gone, I got caught in a downpour. LIKE. THAT.
But, I’m glad we were able to get as much done as we did, and still squeeze in a little bit of fun. We stayed at The James on Grand — truly a beautiful hotel. The staff was amazing, especially the guys that worked the door — I think they became BFFs with Bryan.
We met up one night for a group dinner with some of the fantastic people I get to work with everyday but rarely get a chance to see in person. We had a pretty big meetup, and it was a total blast. The food was delicious. Really good times, and Thea actually slept through most of it. So adorable, no?
Our trip to NJ was surprising — the area looked *nothing* like I had envisioned. We drove around the Westfield and Summit areas, and settled on a place pretty quickly. I’m hopeful that the rental process will be straightforward and we’ll get the place and it will be a piece of cake and the kids will love it and we’ll move in without a hassle and the kids will make a majillion friends and we’ll love it and…. you know. All that stuff.
I’m getting excited about the move and living near and working in such an insane city. Oh, the possibilities! I want to get going on all the packing and yard-selling as soon as possible, so I hope we’re able to figure out this apartment thing but quick. I’m antsy to get this show on the road — the sooner the better.
