Onesie Dress

Step 1: Gather your supplies.
You will need:
a onesies, any size
1/3 yard fabric for dress
1/4 yard fabric for ruffle (really just a 3 inch width piece of fabric)
1/8 inch wide elastic, length depends on size on onesie

Step 2: Wash and dry onesie and fabric.

Step 3: Measure the onesie.
Put your measureing tape straight across the front, directly under the sleeves (mine measured 8.5 inches across)


Then measure the length, starting about where you measured the width (mine was 10.5 inches)


Step 4: Cut the fabric.
For the dress: You will need a long rectangle. Take the first measurement from Step 3 (8.5 in) and mulitply by it by 4 (34 in). This is the length of the rectangle.
Take the second measurement from Step 3 (10.5 in), minus 2 inches if you will add a ruffle (8.5 in). Cut the fabric to size.

For the ruffle:
Take the length of the rectangle for the dress (34 in) and multiply it by 1.5 (51 in). This is the length of the ruffle. The width can vary, but I find 3 inches (it will be 2 inches when done) to be a good size. Cut fabric to size.


Press torn edges.


Step 5: Sew side seams together on dress and ruffle.
(I prefer a 1/2 inch seam allowance, but anything will work).

Press.

Now finish the top edge of the dress and the bottom edge of the ruffle turning the rough edge under about 1/4 inch and then again, and stitching. (if you don't add a ruffle, you would finish both edges of the dress).

Step 6: Gather the ruffle and attach to the dress.
After gathering, pin the ruffle to the dress, right sides together, matching side seams and making sure to spread the gather evenly.


Sew in place. (This step is kind of a pain).
Finish the rough edge inside with a zig zag stitch. (This keeps it from raveling and just looks nicer.)


Step 7: Topstitch
This will make the ruffle lie flat and pretty. It also looks more official this way.


Step 8: Attach the elastic.
Remember when you measured across the front of the onesie way back in Step 3?
Take that measurement again (8.5 in) times two (17 in). Cut the elastic this length. Position the elastic on the wrong side of the fabric, just under the finished edge, and sew it on, pulling tight to stretch it as you go. (You can mark the halfway point of the elastic and the dress with some pins. I try to match these up as I am sewing the elastic so it will be even throughout the dress.)


Step 9: Attach the dress to the onesie.
Pin the dress to the onesie, making sure the top edge is straight. Sew in place. I used a small zig zag stitch directly over the elastic. Take your time on this step, and make sure the onesie is flat underneath.

Easy to do and can do whatever colors you want.



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The Maxi Skirt

You need:

2 yards of knit/stretchy fabric (more depending on your height/size)
elastic thread for your bobbin
thread to match your fabric

Step 1: Cut the skirt portion. Make sure to check which way the fabric stretches. Think of this as just 2 big triangles. The width of the waist can be exactly your waist measurement (include 1/4 " on each side for s.a), or an inch or so less, depending on how snug you want it around your waist. Ether way, it's stretchy fabric and will be pretty forgivable. (mine was 17" when pregnant so both were 17")


The length of my skirt was 37 1/2 " long (I added 1/4" s.a to the top and 3/4" to the bottom of my desired finished length.

The bottom width of the skirt was 37" wide, so it had a nice big flare. Instead of having the bottom of my skirt go straight across, I gave it a slight curve. To get an even curve, fold your skirt in half long way when cutting it, that way it is equal on both sides.


Step 2: Cut out your waistbands. I knew I wanted a really thick waistband because I wanted it to fold over like a yoga pant. My waistbands were 17" wide and 10" long (keep in mind 1/4" s.a. on all sides). To visualize how thick the waistband will be, fold it in half width wise. I wanted my waistband to be about 5", so that is why I needed a 10" piece.

Step 3: Lay your waistband pieces right sides together and stitch up the sides with 1/4" s.a (meaning 10" long sides). You will want some stretch in this stitch, so I would use the zig zag stitch. A straight stitch would make it lay funny.

Iron your seams flat so that it will hang right when turned right-side out.

Step 4: Fold your waistband (now one big tube)in half all around, so that there is a fold on one end and the 2 salvage ends on the other side.


Step 5: With right-sides together, stitch up the sides of your skirt with 1/4" s.a. Use the straight stitch.

Step 6: Now it's time to attach your waistband to the top of your skirt. Here is where the elastic thread come into play.

Slide the top of the skirt up through the waistband with the salvage ends of the waistband pointing up. Match all the side-seams and the salvage ends at the top. Notice how the folded side of the waistband is pointing down.

Now when you open it up (it should still be inside-out), iron the seams down.


Flip your skirt right-side out. The waistband will now be able to be flipped down like a yoga pant. Now all you have to do is hem.


Try on your skirt before hemming. Pin up to where you want it and hem.

There it is! Very comfortable. Love it!

Recipe for Finger Paints

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Directions:

1. In a medium pan, mix all the ingredients together. Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes. Make sure you keep stirring the mixture until the moment it turns from thin to thick.
2. After the finger pain has thickened, take the pan off the stove immediately, and let the mixture cool. I put into four bowls to cool.
3. In each bowl, I used several drops of food coloring to create the primary colors. You will need a lot more drops for red or it will be pink.

The finger paint will last for about 3 days in an airtight container. The mixture will become dry and hard to handle.

Very easy to make. Messy, but that is part of finger painting.

Moon Dough

A really easy recipe:

8 cups flour
1 cup baby oil

I only did half and it made plenty. It smells really nice too. It is best to be played with outside though. It still can make a mess. I put it in a pan that I can throw away eventually. Lasts for a long time.

Marshmallow Popcorn

3 bags of popped popcorn (remove all kernals)
2 sticks of butter
16 oz bag of marshmallows
1 cup of brown sugar

Melt all together in a bowl for 2 1/2 minutes. Stir and put in microwave for another minute. Repeat until thin sauce. Pour over popcorn and stir in. Yum!

It is sticky, but yummy. I halfed the recipe and it made enough. It is better to eat it on the same day. Makes the popcorn a little soggy. It was really good though.

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can put them in frozen)
1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I used honey bbq-great value)
1/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (was a little spicy so maybe use half)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp. garlic powder (I used 1/2)

Mix all the ingredients together. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW ofor 4-6 hours.

Very easy recipe and really quite good.