Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (17 page)

HOW TO

1.
Cut out some animal and flower shapes from your old cereal box.

2.
Either cut a circle out of your cardboard by turning a bowl upside down and drawing around it with a marker, or have your paper plate ready. With a skewer or a sharp scissors point, make a hole in the center of the circle.

3.
Cut a length of string and tie a few knots (to form one large knot) in one end. Thread through the center hole from underneath the cardboard.

4.
Draw two diagonal lines across the plate, crossing over the center hole. Make four more holes on the diagonal lines, about ½ inch away from the edge of the circle.

5.
Take 4 lengths of string and knot their ends. Thread each one through a hole from the top of the cardboard circle.

6.
Attach a shape or a CD to each length of string.

7.
Hang the mobile from a hook in the ceiling above the crib, making sure that it’s extremely secure and hung high enough so that it’s completely out of reach of the baby—even if the baby should stand up.

Toddler and Beyond

It’s even more fun when you can make things for a child who can join in. Lola loved to help me design her Pillowcase Nightgown and pick out the fabric squares for her comforter. The nightgown is now too small for her, but is proudly sported by the stuffed bear who sits grinning on her bed.

Pillowcase Nightgown

This was the most thrillingly easy thing I’ve ever made for Lola, and it’s sooooo pretty.

HOW TO

1.
If the pillowcase has embroidery/lace at one end, decide if you want it to be the top or the bottom of the nightgown. You are better off having the opening of the pillowcase as the bottom of the nightgown—that way, there’s less hemming. Hold up the pillowcase against your child to see how long you want it to be. If the pillowcase is too long, mark with a pin how much you need to cut off. A
standard pillowcase should work as a long nightgown for ages 5 through 7 and a shorter one for ages 8 through 10.

2.
Measure your child from the top of her shoulder to under her arm. My daughter measured 7 inches.

3.
With a pencil or tailor’s chalk, mark 2 rectangles in both top corners. The length will be the measurement you just took in step 2 and the width should be 2 inches. Cut out the rectangles.

4.
Tuck under the raw edges of the armholes ¼ inch and then another ¼ inch to create a seam, and sew.

5.
Fold over the top edge (front first) ¼ inch and then 1 inch to create the casing.
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Press. If your pillowcase is 100% cotton, the pressing will keep your seam in place and you won’t need to pin it. Repeat for the back and then sew both hems.

6.
Cut the yard of ribbon in half and thread half of it through the front 1-inch casing with a safety pin. Repeat for the back.

7.
Bunch the fabric together on the ribbon to create the desired amount of gathering. You can sew a button on either side of the top to hold the ribbon in place. You don’t have to, but it’s handy if you don’t want the ribbon to get lost in the wash!

8.
Get creative and decorate your little number in whatever way you can think of. I added a little pink and green button to mine and then cut a large letter L out of a scrap of green fabric. I sewed it on the front with a zigzag stitch to prevent the edges from fraying. You can cut flowers, hearts, letters, or even animals out of old scraps, and with a sewing machine, you’ll have it done in under 5 minutes.