Car Seat Cover [how to]

Have you seen the cute car seat covers shielding all those sweet little babies in the grocery store, church, and everywhere else? Well as it turns out they're insanely easy to make! Like beginner sewers can tackle this easy! So, if you're in need of a personalized baby present, whether for yourself or for a lovely friend, here's what you need to know about them:

First, you need to make sure that your cover is big enough to cover the car seat. I have a massive Graco car seat, so what worked for me was cutting my top and bottom fabric to 35"x 42" dimensions [which meant adding a border to the quilt top that I was converting into the top layer.] There are so many tutorials that give instructions on how to make them, but this one is what I followed. The only difference I made from the linked instructions was to use ribbon ties instead of Velcro wraps for securing to the car seat handle. The reason I did this was two fold; 1) I couldn't decide what fabric to use for the wrap; and 2) I really wanted to keep this cute and feminine. The bows seem to add an extra bit of whimsy, and remind me of ballet slippers which is exactly what this cover needed!

If you're looking to make one of these covers take a look at the tutorial and dive right in! I'd love to see a picture of your completed project - leave a link to it in the comments section so I can check it out!

Ah-lex-ick-ah

I have a special place in my heart for my nieces and nephews. Before having children of my own, I already had several nephews, and a few nieces. One of these nieces was a lone princess for a few years before being granted a female cousin [on her Dad's side of the family anyways.] And so this sweet niece and I would play, painting nails, brushing hair, and all other sorts of girlie adventures. We even went 'pink' camping one summer! On Christmas Day, this sweet niece is turning eight, and will be baptised and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In Honor of her birthday, and her baptism, I have been working away at a special gift, for this very special girl! Darius calls her 'Alexica' [pronounced Ah-lex-ick-ah], but to me, she'll always be my sweet princess Alexa even if she scratched a chunk of skin out of my face, while smiling, the first time I met her.  Here's a sneak peek at what I've been making for this special girl:

What handcrafted gifts are you eager to give?

if you would like to make a scripture bag purse of your own, check out this blog for the free pattern and tutorial!