Back to School 2012

Here we are one full year later.  Grandkids went back to school today.  They are very excited to meet their teachers and hope to see friends from last year.  Grandma Cat hopes to get back on track.  Haven't 'blogged' for a full year because the connection from the Captive Illusions domain name wouldn't connect to the blog, which made the blog next to impossible to find.  My daughter, De'Anna, visited from Colorado a couple of weeks ago and straightened everything out for me.  Let's hear it for daughters...Hip Hip Hooray!

I've been helping said daughter, De'Anna, build inventory for a craft fair she will be doing in October in Colorado.  I used Simplicity pattern 1957 (shown below) to make these sweet miniature aprons.  I intended to make them for decorative purposes like it shows on the pattern below; however, the aprons fit Barbie dolls perfectly.



I've made 36 of the full aprons and intend to make a dozen or so out of Christmas fabric.  If I do not run out of time, I'll make a couple dozen or so of the 1/2 aprons as well.  These are fun and quick.  The first apron took about 30 minutes, but after tweaking the pattern a bit, I can now make them in 10 minutes.  They are fully lined and didn't cost a thing as I've got drawers of scrap fabric that I've saved for quilting.

Time to get this blog posted, get shipping done, finish the laundry, make some zucchini bread before the grandkids get home from school, get some accounting done, make a grocery list.....and so on and so forth!
 
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
              
   Captive Illusions            Captive Embroidery
              &                                  &
Grandma Cat's Attic            Crafty Family

Black Friday Sale Alert

Black Friday

Just in time to finish up Christmas gifts in the process, or to start completely new projects, I'll be listing many different fat quarters on my eBay ID catsdontmeow for $1.25 each.

I'm happy to combine shipping, so grab whatever you can use (or must have for your fabric stash!).  All my fat quarters are 100% cotton, measure 18" X 22", and are calico or novelty fabrics from a variety of designers and manufacturers including Hoffman, Alexander Henry, Debbie Mumm, Fabri-Quilt, South Seas Imports, Heidi Grace, Fabric Traditions, Galaxy, Maywood Studios, and so many others.

Also, while you are surfing the web to find great craft deals and steals on Black Friday, check out the auctions on my eBay ID dream77catcher.  I've got some fun things planned with fabric, patterns and decals.

I hope you can join us for some good old fashioned cyber shopping!

As usually, Happy Crafting

Captive Illusions
&
Grandma Cat's Attic

Fat Quarter Window Valance

Fat Quarter Window Valance

Okay, so here's what prompted this project. I moved from California to Idaho this summer and am leasing a house with blinds. I hate blinds. But since I don't own the home and am only leasing it for a year or two, I don't want to spend money on covering the blinds. But I HATE blinds. So, I dug though my fabric stash and came up with some fat quarters that will work well with the very dark kitchen cabinets and the stark white walls and provide a bit of class (I hope) to the blinds. Did I mention that I hate blinds?

Here goes . . .

Measure the width of your window. My kitchen window measures 36” wide; however, I’m going to use a tension rod from cabinet to cabinet. The space between the cabinets measures 42”. For a nicely gathered valance multiply the width times 2.5 (42” X 2.5 equals 105” for mine). That's how wide you will want your finished valance to measure. For the Fat Quarter Window Valance the fat quarters will be used as the 22” being the width and the 18” as the height. Dividing 105” by 22” will tell me how many fat quarters are needed for my 42” wide area which is 5. I can use 6 for a fuller valance for 4 for one with less gathering. Since I have 3 fabrics I want to use, I’m going to use 6 fat quarters, 2 of each color.

If you want your valance to be longer than 17" you can turn the fat quarters and use the 18" as the width and the 22" as the height, if the design of the fabric will allow. Mine would not, but that's okay because I'm fine with the 17" length.


Step 1:

Verify that your design does not run along the selvage but across the 22” edge. Iron the fat quarters. I trim off the selvage more out of habit as a quilter than a necessity for the valances, however, if the edge of the selvage is white you will want to cut if off so that it doesn’t show up in the front of your finished valance. Trim the fat quarters to the same size. I’ve received fat quarters that measured anywhere from 17 ½” to 20” in one direction and 21 ½” to 23” in the other direction. It is important that all the fat quarters are the same size before you begin, but it does not matter what the actual dimensions are . . . as long as all fat quarters are the same size.

Step 2:

Fold a fat quarter in half with the printed side of the fabric together so that the18” edges meet. You should be looking at a two layer piece of fabric that measures 9" X 22". Sew a ¼” seam along the bottom on a 9" edge, cut the inner corner diagonally for ease of turning, turn the fabric, pulling out towards the sides to make a peak. Press. Do the same with the remaining fat quarters.

Step 3:

Decide the order in which you fat quarters will be sewn together. With the printed design together place one fat quarter on top of the other, aligning the peaks. Stitch from the upper edge to the beginning of the angle. Press seam open. Continue with remaining fat quarters in order.

Step 4:

Time to line the top portion of the valance. Each of the seams between my fat quarters measure 7 ½”. I’m going to add 1” to that and cut a strip of lining 8 ½” deep by the width of my valance which is 132”. Press ½” under on one long edge of your lining. Pin the lining to the top, sew a ½” seam allowance. Press open. Fold sides ½” in, insides facing, press, top stitch ¼” from edge. Fold top of lining towards inside making sure lining covers raw edges, press. Stitch close to edge of lining.

Step 5:

To sew in pockets to insert a curtain rod, you need know the type of rod you are using and whether or not you want a ruffle on top. My valance is going to use a tension rod which is ½” in diameter. I’m going with a top ruffle. Stitch across top edge 1 ½” from the edge across the valance. Stitch from one edge to the other across the valance 3 ½” from upper edge. You’ve now formed an upper ruffle and a pocket for a curtain rod up to 1” wide.

Step 6:

Your valance is ready to hang unless you would like to add embellishments. You can string beads from the peaks, sew on bows, pin on butterflies, whatever strikes your fancy. 

Jewelry Box Make Over

Project of the day – Jewelry Box Make Over

Trinity is 6 years old. She is already a consummate collector…of anything and everything. She thinks everything is good for something and someday she will find a use for it. While she is visiting her maternal grandparents today, her paternal grandma (me, Grandma Cat) will hopefully be turning a broken down, unattractive chipboard sewing or jewelry box (that Trinity found and had to have) into something special.

Gathering Materials

Check my scrap drawers, bins and boxes and found a wonderful piece of purple satiny silky fabric (purchased long ago, have no idea what it actually is) with black flocked flowers. Trinity has seen this fabric before and I know that she loved it. I’m sure I have a bit of black velvet somewhere to line the inside of the box. While hunting for fabric, I also found a bit of black fringe that I might be able to use,. Grabbed my box of glue and fray check, scissors, and I’ll add whatever I have to run and find as the need arises to the list.

Time to Begin

It’s almost 9 am on a Saturday morning. First, I’ll carefully take the box apart. I used a small screwdriver ( yup, already had to find something not on the list…a screwdriver), and gently pried off the hinges so they could be cleaned, painted black, and used again.



After pulling them out I see that I will need a pair of pliers to straighten out the points so the box can be put back together. Once all the hardware is off, I’m left with 3 separate pieces to the box…the top, the bottom and the inside ‘drawer’. It took 8 minutes to find the screwdriver and take all the hardware off. Not too bad.

Covering the Box with Fabric

Couldn't find the velvet, though I know it is here somewhere. My only excuse is that we moved from California to Idaho 6 weeks ago and haven’t exactly gotten everything in its place yet. I did find some black polished cotton that will work for the lining. I started with the ‘drawer’ since it was smallest and would either be the easiest because it was small, or the hardest because it was small. Either way, I would get it out of the way first and be happy it was done. I cut a rectangle ½” larger than the ‘drawer’. Then glued the fabric inside the ‘drawer’ using a flat craft paintbrush to spread Elmer’s white glue over the inside surface .

For the outside of the drawer I cut 1 rectangle 1 ½” larger than the drawer, then glued the fabric to the outside, over the edge of the box making sure the fabric ended slightly over the black lining. I used paperclips to hold everything in place while the glue dries. If you’ve got clothespins handy they will work just as well. After everything dried, I took off the paperclips andI used fray check along the edge of the fabric to prevent stray threads later that Trinity or her boys, as she calls her twin brothers, could pull thus ripping everything apart. The box bottom was done pretty much the same as the ‘drawer’, just had to adjust the measurements as the bottom was bigger than the ‘drawer’.

Okay, now for the top. To give it a little bit of ‘wow’ factor (I hope), I cut two layers of quilt batting slightly smaller than the top and glued them in place, one on top of the other, and then covered as the bottom and ‘drawer’. I glued the bit of black fringe that Trinity liked around the top and held it all in place with straight pins until it dried completely which took about an hour.

Putting the Box Back Together

I painted two coats of black model paint onto all the hardware pieces after scrubbing them with steel wool to make sure they were clean and give the model paint a grip-able surface. Put the hinges on the back, hooked the drawer back on the inside rivets and put the front clasp back on. Done deal.

Until next time, Happy Crafting

Grandma Cat

Captive Embroidery

Have you noticed the lack of embroidery in our eBay store? Well, there is a good reason for it. 1/2 of Captive Illusions has now become Captive Embroidery. Cathy will continue to run the eBay store as Captive Illusions, and De'Anna will be taking the embroidery. We will still be working in conjunction but will be 2 separate businesses. To keep the business separate, we have taken all the embroidery off eBay and are moving it to ArtFire. It's a site for homemade and art products and supplies and I'll be slowly transitioning all our embroidery there.

In the coming weeks, you will see out Christmas stockings going up. Some old favorites and some new fun styles. I'm also working on some fun new baby items which will go up as soon as I have them perfected. In addition to anything you see listed, we do a lot of custom work so don't be afraid to ask for something special.

Captive Illusions (dream77catcher on eBay) will still be there and offering the cotton fabric, ceramic decals, sewing patterns, AccuQuilt GO! and accessories, along with anything else that catches Cathy's eye. Through this transition, and past it, both companies will continue to be dedicated to customer service and satisfaction.

We look forward to seeing you here and reading your comments. 

Giveaway: Critter Die and Mat for AccuQuilt GO!

t's time for another Captive Illusions Give-Away!  

If you've got an AccuQuilt GO! 
here's your chance to win the

AccuQuilt Critter Die 55030, 
Cutting Mat 55112
and 16 Pizazz 100% Cotton Fat Quarters

No purchase necessary.  Win this and you'll be rolling out Butterflies, Dragonflies and Bumble Bees at a record pace.  Up to six layers of fabric can be cut at the same time.  The winner of this giveaway will not only receive the AccuQuilt GO! Critter Die 55030 and the AccuQuilt GO! 6" X 12" Mat needed to use the die, you will also win 16 different 18" X 22" fat quarters from the Pizazz collection of 100% cotton. fabric.  Perfect fabric to create your first sets of Butterflies, Dragonflies and Bumble Bees!


If you already have the Critter Die, we'll be happy to send any of the following dies instead:


 

If you don't have an AccuQuilt GO! . . . Why Not?!!!  The AccuQuilt GO! is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  You can cut up to 6 layers of 100% cotton fabric with each pass through the fabric cutter.   Each piece accurately cut, every time.   An entire quilt top can be cut in an hour or two. Check them out in our  eBay store.

 
Who can enter? Anyone in the whole wide world can enter. There is no cost to you at all. All you need is to have a valid email address in your blogger profile or post your email address in your entry in order to be notified if you win.

How do I enter? Only the First Entry is required to enter the contest. If you would like to earn additional chances to win, follow the instructions below. Please post separate comments for each entry in the MckLinky.  

FIRST ENTRY: This entry is mandatory before doing any of the Bonus entries  
Go to our eBay store and tell us which fabric you would be adorable as a Butterfly applique. - Be sure to put your entries in the MckLinky (click where it says "You're Next Click Here to Enter")

OPTIONAL BONUS ENTRIES:  Do one or all of these to earn additional entries.  
* Follow me on Twitter
* Tweet about this giveaway and leave the tweet link (only one tweet per giveaway)

* Subscribe to this blog  
* Leave a valid comment on one of our non-giveaway posts

* Blog about this giveaway with a linkback (be sure to comment with a link to the blog post)

* Add this blog's button to your blog (right column)

* eBay Scavenger Hunt: Go to our eBay store and find one each of the following:

1) A fabric with either a butterfly, dragonfly or bee on it

2) A AccuQuilt GO! die that you would love to own
3) An insect decal 
When you find the item click into it, locate the Item Number on the right side. Put all 3 item numbers in your post. HAVE FUN!
 

(All entries will be verified prior to the drawing.)
 

How do I win? This contest will run until Thursday, December 31, 2009, 11:59 pm Pacific. A random entry will be chosen using Random.org. We will announce the winner on this blog post and the winner will be contacted via email. The winner has 72 hours to claim their prize and send mailing information or a new winner will be chosen from the remaining entries. We hope you had fun. Come back often to see what else can be won.
 

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK ! ! !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Want to enter more giveaways? 
Check out this Blog Hop of other great giveaways around Blog Land. 

Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List....

Dress A Girl Around The World Campaign

A few weeks ago we posted instructions on how to make a pillowcase dress.  Here is my granddaughter wearing the first pillowcase dress I made.  Yesterday my daughter and Partner in Crafting, De'Anna, found out about a wonderful campaign of Hope 4 Women International entitled 'Dress A Girl Around The World'.

Originally two women from the United States delivered new or gently used pillowcases to women in Smile Africa Ministries and  taught the women how to make pillowcase dresses.  Sewing the dresses not only teaches the women to sew, but also clothes their children.

We would like to become involved in the campaign that asks you to 'Imagine a world where every little girl had at least one dress!  What if that dress where made by you?'  We would like to invite you along for the ride.  This Saturday my daughter, my sister, my granddaughter and I are going to spend the day making pillowcase dresses.  We'll take pictures and post them on Monday.

Next week we'll send out invitations to all of our family member for a Create a Dress Fest, where we will all work together to see how many dresses we can put together in a day.  Then we'll deliver fliers door to door in our neighborhood and see what happens on the day we set aside for Neighbors dressing Neighbors in Need. 


Please become a part of this with us.

There are so many ways you can help:

One Way To Help:  Take an hour or two and make just one pillowcase dress and send it to us.  We will add it to the ones we've made and add your name to the donation card when we forward all the dresses we make and collect to Hope 4 Women International.

Another Way To Help:  Send a new or gently used pillowcase to us and we will make a dress out of it.  I've read that a good place to find lots of gently used pillowcases is from the Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Another Way To Help:  Send any of the items needed to make a pillowcase dress from your supplies on hand...1 yard pieces of cotton fabric from your stash, 1/2" to 1" wide elastic, or thread.

Another Way To Help:  Purchase 1 yard of fabric from our eBay store and ask us to make a dress from it.  You will not be charged shipping, so don't pay the automated invoice.  We'll send a revised invoice without shipping charges.

Another Way To Help:  If you decide to do something with your church, family or sewing group for Hope 4 Women International because of something you read on our blog . . . please let us know.  And if you can, please send us pictures of your work.

Now I better give my sister a call and let her know that instead of recovering my dining room chairs this Saturday, we'll be working on the Dress A Girl Around The World pillowcase dresses!

Use our Pillowcase Dress Instructions or use How To Make a Pillow Case  Dress directly from Hope 4 Women International.

Friday Humor: My Wife, The Quilter

An oldie, but a goodie...hope you enjoy the poem.

My Wife, The Quilter            

 

She learned to quilt on Monday.
Her stitches were very fine.
She forgot to thaw out dinner,
So we went out to dine.
 
She quilted miniatures Tuesday.
She says they are a must.
They really were quite lovely,
But she forgot to dust.
 
On Wednesday, it was a sampler.
She says the stipplin's fun.
What highlights! Oh what shadows!
But the laundry wasn't done.
 
Her charm quilt was on Thursday,
Green patches, blue and red.
I guess she really was engrossed;
She never made the bed.
 
It was wallhangings on Friday,
In colors she adores,
But she never seemed to notice
The crumbs on all the floors.
 
I found a maid on Saturday!
My week is now complete.
My wife can quilt the hours away;
The house will still be neat.
 
Well, it's already Sunday.
I think I'm about to wilt.
I cursed, I raved, I ranted--
The MAID has learned to Quilt!!


         Author Unknown

Check out our Fabrics  on eBay

Craft Tip: Storing Cotton Fabric

Whether you are a quilter, seamstress or occasional crafter your fabric needs tender loving care to prevent fiber damage.  Fabric can fade if exposed to fluorescent lights and ultraviolet radiation from sunlight.  Folded fabric can begin to weaken along the creases or develop permanent creases that will not iron out.  Acid is damaging to plant-derived fabrics such as cotton and linen.

If you ask 10 quilters, seamstresses or crafters how to store fabric, you will probably get 10 different answers.  Some of them might be:

In a dresser drawer
In pizza boxes
In Pendaflex files
On a bookshelf
In shoe boxes
In cardboard boxes

While these all sound like great ideas, personally, I wouldn't use any of those methods, mostly due to acid release.  The best way to store large piece of fabric is wrapped in muslin or in a white, cotton pillowcase.  Of course those methods are not see-through.  To solve that problem I either cut a swatch and stitch it to the outside or scan the fabric and pin the scan to the outside of the bag.  Acid free boxes are a great way to store small pieces of fabric, but you will want to make sure the boxes are actually acid free and not just lined with acid free paper.  You can also roll fabric in acid free tissue paper which prevents creasing while protecting the fabric.

Project Update: Christmas Gifts

64 days until Christmas.  I should have been working on Christmas projects for months now, but life got in the way and I'm just beginning the process.  I've got 22 grandchildren, nieces and nephews on my Christmas gift list.  More than some of you, but less than others.  With the economy the way it is, I certainly can't afford to spend $20 on each child, let alone the $50 to $100 toys being advertised on television during the after school programs for kids.  Last year I made pillowcases out of fun fabrics and my daughter and son-in-law embroidered each with the child's name in wonderful fonts that matched the fabric.  This year I've decided to make Christmas Loot Bags for all the kids.  I've gone through all my fabrics and chosen 22 different Christmas fabrics and cut one yard pieces.  I've made an excel spreadsheet with a description of the fabric, the child's name and thread color and passed the information on to my daughter.  She'll embroider each child's name on a piece of 100% cotton white fabric measuring 5" X 8".  If she didn't have the time, I would have either embroidered the names  by hand, used fabric paint, or applique the names.

While De'Anna and David are embroidering the names I'll start sewing up the Christmas Loot Bags and creating a casing at the top to insert a drawstring.  When I get the name blocks back, I'll applique them onto each Loog Bag.  The Loot Bags will be wrapped and handed out as the first gift the children get on Christmas Eve so that they can put all the goodies they get from everyone inside.  Easy to carry home.  Hopefully, the kids will bring their loot bags to every Christmas Eve family get together.

Boutique Craft: Lined Window Valances

Valances are almost a One Size Fits All item- small windows end up with more gathers than large windows - making them a great boutique item.  Simple Lined Valances are quick and easy and can be stitched up by the dozen.  Fat Quarter Lined Valances with embellishments cost more and take a bit more time, but they bring in a much higher dollar at boutiques.  Use your imagination to make them unique, stunning and fun!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Our project is done in pink to show our appreciation for all the wonderful work done by the American Cancer Society towards finding a cure.  Please give your family the best gift possible for Christmas this year...a healthy you.  Take care of yourself by getting the dreaded yearly mammograms, eating right and living life to the fullest.  Visit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website for more information on breast cancer, getting involved and donations to help.

Click here to view full project detials

Craft Tip: What is a Bodkin?

I used to attach a safety pin to a piece of elastic or ribbon to thread it through the casing of my project.  That is until I came across a Bodkin.

A Bodkin lets you thread elastic, ribbon and drawstrings quickly and easily without twisting. Simply clamp the bodkin over the elastic, slide the ring down to lock into place and thread through casing. The Ezy-Pull Bodkin (pictured to the left) has special teeth that grip securely and are held tight with a sliding ring.

This is so much better than using a safety pin.  No worrying that the safety pin might open while in the casing (had that happen several times over the years).  No worrying that you will pull so hard, the safety pin shreds right through the ribbon and you have to start over (yes, had that happen too).  No worrying that the safety pin will find an area where the casing was just a tad narrower than it should have been, and the safety pin simply refuses to squeeze threw (yup, did that a few times!).

Bodkin...odd name, but a great gadget to keep in your sewing box.

Craft Tip: What is a Fat Quarter?

A Fat Quarter is the same amount of fabric as a traditional 1/4 yard cut of fabric except instead of measuring 9" X 44", a fat quarter measures 18" X 22". Many quilters find the wider width offers more versatility for cutting templates or strips than the traditional 9" width of 1/4 yard.

Traditional 1/4 yard (9" X 44")

A fat quarter is produced by first cutting 1/2 yard of fabric from the bolt, then cutting this in half crosswise (usually along the fold), yielding 2 fat quarters.

Fat Quarter (18" X 22")

Uses for fat quarters is limited only to the imagination of the crafter. Besides quilts, stash builders utilize their fat quarters in aprons, place mats, napkins, tea cozies, pin cushions, tote bags, doll clothes, pot holders, and so on and so forth. Post a comment and share you fun ideas for fat quarter stash busting.

Microwave Potato/Corn Steam Bag

Holiday Boutiques and Craft Fairs are right around the corner. Time to whip up some quick projects that can be turned into holiday cash. This Microwave Vegetable Steamer is a quick project that can utilize scrap fabric and batting. You can easily make a dozen in a day...and still have time to call the local pizza parlor to order dinner, put the kids in the jacuzzi for a quick bath, and let the dog out for his daily constitution,. The finished bags measure 10 1/2" X 10 1/2", but you can make it any size you like as long as it will fit in a microwave.

All you need is 1/3 yard of outside fabric, 1/3 yard inside fabric, and 1/3 yard batting.

Click here to view full project detials

Friday Humor: Fabric Pheromones

Thought quilters might relate to this article found at http://www.needlepassionembroidery.com/fun.htm . . .

A recent study indicated that fabric gives off certain Pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts. When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones (in the fabric) cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter I.e. storing food), therefore perpetuating their species, and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut into pieces and mixed with others. Sound tests have also revealed that these fabrics emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women known as "quilters". When played backwards on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants, "buy me, cut me, and sew me". In order to overcome the so called "feeding frenzy effect" that these fabrics cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs to avoid being pulled into their grip. (One must laugh, however, at the sight of customers in a fabric store, with WW2 army gas masks and headphones!).

Studies have also in dictated that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects that these fabrics have on the human population. They are called FABRIC STORE CLERKS. It's also been experienced that these same Pheromones cause a pathological need to hide these fabric purchases when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash), and when asked by significant other if the fabric is new, the reply is "I've had it for awhile."

Written by Kathy Smith

Heather's Quilt Progress

While I meant to update the progress on Heather's quilt weekly, life intrudes and so it's 3 weeks later! I now have all the silhouettes appliqued on the block. My sister Jan came over last Saturday and after lunch and a movie we cut the blocks with the silhouettes to the exact same size and then we cut all the sashing and border strips for the quilt.


The top is now ready to be assembled. The next time all the grandchildren with their sticky fingers leave the house for the day, I'll sew the top together and then baste top, batting and backing together. Then I'll have to wait for the next childless day to do the actual quilting.

Accidentally Green: Quick Applique Fix

Girls being girls, our Miss Trinity got a terrible stain on her favorite pink sweater. She was not a happy camper. It wasn't an ordinary stain either. Not something fairly easy to get out...say chocolate or ketchup (her favorite foods). It was gooey and sticky like adhesive or gum. No matter what I did, I could not get that stain out. I also could not afford to run out and buy another sweatshirt that could be stained just as quickly. So I let Trinity go through my scrap bin to find a fabric she liked that I could make a heart or flower or any kind of applique shape that could be ironed over the stain.

Butterflies...I was thinking that I could make a sweet appliqued butterfly to cover the 3" stain on the upper left part of the jacket. Trinity loves butterflies.

But when Trinity came across a pink fabric generously sprinkled with tiny iridescent glitter with heart, rose and skull tattoos...that was the end of the search. No matter how much I tried to change her mind, she was set on the tattoo fabric. It is very pretty fabric, but tattoo fabric for a 5 year old that will want to wear the sweatshirt to school? I wasn't so sure that would be appropriate. However, there was one tattoo on the fabric of a heart, pink roses, stars and a halo that I thought might do. And there were intricate butterflies.

So the process began. I cut out the tattoos that I would be using, applied Heat N Bond Iron-on Adhesive Ultrahold to the back of the fabric, carefully cut out the design, peeled the backing off the Heat n Bond, and ironed the tattoos on the sweatshirt. Viola, an adorable pink sweatshirt that no one else in her class will be wearing (not that she cares in kindergarten).

I consider this 'Accidentally Green' because while I thought I was saving myself from a tantrum by our resident Drama Queen, Miss Trinity, I was, in fact, saving the sweatshirt from the rag bag and ultimately from the neighborhood landfill. And when the sleeves are up to Trinity's elbows, she will be proud to pass this sweatshirt on to her best friend, Heaven.