DIY Children's Belts

My daughters' swimming class is cancelled today due to the rain.  So I decided to stay at home and do some sewing. 

Got some webbings and rings from the local Daiso yesterday and decided to make some belts for the children.  Btw, isn't Daiso a magical place?  You can find almost anything there.

First, measure how long do you want the belt to be.  The webbing is enough to make 2 belts, just perfect for my 2 girls, so I cut it into two. As easy as that.  Then run through both ends of the webbings through fire to seal the ends, preventing them from fraying.



Next, take 2 rings and insert them into one end of the webbing. 

 

 

 

 

Fold over and sew across it.  Sew through the webbings at least twice to secure them.  As the webbings are thick, I used needle number 14 for this purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

And voila!  The belts are done!  Easy isn't it? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Showing off the belt

There are many beautiful webbings available in Daiso.  A packet of the rings can be made into seven such belts.  Nice, easy and cheap. 

Happy sewing!

My Happy (Frozen) Kids

Seems like I am on a 'Frozen' craze lately.   And so are my kids.  They happily donned on the costumes despite the tropical heat.  I felt sweaty just looking at their long sleeves, cape, gloves and boots.  But then, who cares?  As long as they are happy.

A friend who saw the pictures commented that I will just need Sven to complete the picture.  Oh dear!  Where do I find a reindeer?

DIY Kristoff Costume

Nowadays my girls enjoy ransacking the costumes wardrobe and put on the Elsa and Anna's costumes (from Frozen) and sing 'Let it Go' to their hearts' desire.   There is just something in this movie that captured the hearts of folks of all ages.

It is not fair for the girls to have all the fun though.  My little boy who has yet to speak a full sentence follows his che che and went 'let go...let go...'   It wouldn't be a bad idea to let him dress up as Kristoff and join the girls in their 'concert'.

The boy Kristoff is really cute.  I love my boy and I like the boy Kristoff.  Now I can have both. 

Boy Kristoff

 

 

 

Play Sand

There is a lot of hoo hah about the kinetic sand lately and thus I googled for the video.  It does look impressive.  What is even more impressive is the price.  So instead of spending so much money to buy the sand, which I am sure my little boy would have scatter them around and lost them all in no time, I searched for some methods to make something similar to that.

So here it is :


5 cups           play sand
2 1/2 cups     flour
1 1/4 cup       vegetable oil


First, mix the sand and flour till well combined.  Gradually add in the vegetable oil while mixing.  The sand should be able to hold the shapes well but does not feel oily. 


It was fun to play with the sand.  My girls like it very much and spend a long time playing.  The sand does not stick to the hands and even if it did, it can be brushed off easily.  But then it is of course not as good and clean as the original kinetic sand so best to bring it outdoor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sand doesn't stick to hand


 

 

 

 

DIY Queen Elsa's Coronation Dress

When we were watching the movie 'Frozen' together, my brother in law casually said that it wouldn't be long before I come out with all the costumes in the movie.  I told him that it is impossible.  The dresses are too complicated and have too many details that I couldn't reproduce.  However, as time goes by, I thought, 'why not?'  It has since, become my challenge.  

So far, I have sewn the Elsa's blue dress as well as the folk dress that Anna wore in the latter part of the movie.   And now, I am proud to present the dress that Queen Elsa wore at her coronation.  Elsa looked regal in the dress, which came complete with a cape.  The details at the bodice and the hem of the dress made it a classy piece.


Doesn't my girl look as regal a queen as Elsa? 

Details at the hem

DIY Princess Anna's Costume

The Queen Elsa's costume that I sewn earlier was a hit with my girls.  Both wanted to wear it, all the time.  So, instead of two Elsa's, I was thinking, why not sew an Anna's costume?  Then both the girls can play older and younger sisters, just like Elsa and Anna.

The Anna's costume comprises of a skirt, long sleeve blouse, vest and also a cape.  The costume looks simple. However, on closer scrutiny, it has lots of details : the  light blue wave-like pattern at the hem of the skirt, complete with the motif of the flowers. Similar motifs can be found at the vest as well.  Then there is the darker shade pattern and dangling 'balls' at the cape.  I couldn't find those dangling balls anywhere and decided to omit it.   Will add them back in if I manage to get hold of some. 

Slaved over the costume for a few nights.  Finally, it is done!  The look at the faces of the girls were priceless.  Both went 'Let it go.... Let it go....' and 'Do you want to build a snowman....' repeatedly like a broken record.  Not that I mind though  :)



Homemade Bubbles Solution

My kids love to play bubbles a lot.  Come to think of it, I think all children love it.  Sometimes I will buy commercial bubbles solution for them but then, why buy when we can make it ourselves?

Making homemade bubbles solution is very easy.  You just need :

 

 

 

500mL   water

70mL     dish washing liquid

2tbsp      glycerine

 

 

 

Glycerine can be obtained from baking supply stores.  I got mine at RM1.80 for a bottle of ~10 tbsp.  The function of the glycerine is to bind the soapy solution together and to hold the bubbles so that they do not burst easily.  Not all dish washing liquid needs the addition of glycerine for bubbles solution making.  However, if you have omitted the glycerine and found that you cannot get any bubbles out of your solution or the bubble burst before it is fully formed, then you know that glycerine is needed.

 

 

Mix all the above ingredients together and there you have it, the bubbles solution that will make your kids shriek with delight.