Bust into your scrap pile for supplies you can use to make this doll blanket in just 30 minutes! If you are a beginning seamster, you just need a bit of fabric to make your very first sewing project – this project is a fantastic first project for anyone! And best of all, you can use this tutorial to make a blanket in any size, so feel free to scale it up to make a baby blanket. My tutorial is over at eBay: [make a 30 minute scrap fabric doll blanket]

Project Materials:

• Quilt batting, any kind
• Scrap fabric (about a quarter yard)
• Yarn
• Tapestry needle and needle threader
• Straight pins and scissors
• Sewing machine

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Add some dimension to your Valentine’s Day decorations with these fabulous 3D tissue paper hearts! Emma at Gathering Beauty whipped them up with just two ingredients: tissue paper and thread! Go raid your gift wrapping supplies for your stash of tissue paper, plug in your sewing machine, and head over to her tutorial to see how easy these are! [how to make 3D tissue paper hearts]

Project estimate:

• Tissue paper, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total: Free or $1 and up

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We love map crafts! Claire at Pillar Box Blue used some old maps to make these adorable Valentine’s Day treat holders! If you don’t want to cut up actual maps, look around online for printable vintage maps (there are some mentioned in Claire’s post). You can even personalize these by using maps with a city or area that has sentimantal value to the recipient! [how to make map heart treat bags]

Project estimate:

• Maps, on hand or free and up
• Sewing machine or needle and thread, on hand
• Small tags, on hand or $1 and up
• String, on hand or $1 and up
• Candy, $1 and up

Total: $1 and up!

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If one of your resolutions this year was to use up the stuff in your craft stash, here is a great project for busting that fabric stash! Over at The Fashion Dummy, you will find instructions for making easy and adorable animal zipper pouches. It’s quickest to make these with a sewing machine, but if you don’t have one, it’s a small enough project that hand sewing is pretty easy. Change the shape of the ears and the facial features to create a whole zoo of fun pouches! [how to make animal zipper pouches]

Project estimate:

• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Zipper, about $1 and up
• Fabric glue, on hand or about $2 and up
• Sewing machine or needle and thread, on hand
• Marker or fabric paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total: about $1 and up

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This cute Christmas tree ornament is so easy to make, even the kids can help. If you can cut squares and a few circles, you can make this project. Get the instructions at Hello, Wonderful, where Trixi shares a complete how-to for this fun, family-friendly holiday decoration. They would make great gifts! [how to make a 3D felt Christmas tree ornament]

Project estimate:

• Felt, on hand or $1
• String, on hand or $1 and up
• Star bead, on hand or $1

Total: Free and up!

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These DIY tea bags are the perfect gift for the tea lover in your life! When I saw this tutorial from Jessica at Let’s Do Something Crafty I got really excited because I have actually saved and dried an assortment of herbal tea ingredients, including mint, hibiscus flowers, rose hips, and wild burgamot, and I have been wanting to use them to make tea for my husband’s grandmother for Christmas. She loves herbal teas, so hopefully she will be very excited to try our homemade variety! [how to make DIY tea bags]

Project estimate:

• Coffee filters, on hand or $1 and up
• Loose tea, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand
• Yarn or twine, on hand or $1 and up
• Paper, on hand

Total: Free and up!

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Got a baby shower or kid’s birthday party coming up? Free plushie patterns to the rescue! You can stitch up a 100 percent unique gift for your favorite kid.

1. Owl Softie – Are owls still cool? I hope so, because my two-year-old sure thinks that they are. Craft Foxes has a super cute owl pattern that I really want to make for my guy.

2. Whale – For the little Raffi fan in your life – make him his very own Baby Beluga with Craftiness is Not Optional’s free pattern!

3. Seahorse – The seahorse is one of my favorite undersea creatures, and this free pattern from We Lived Happily Ever After is just precious.

4. Blast Off Rocket Ship – What kid doesn’t like to play with rocket ships? Sew Grown’s pattern is so sweet and simple.

5. Ships Ahoi – Sew and the City shows you how to make your own custom pattern for a fleet of plush sailboats.

6. Sock Dragon – Monkeys, schmonkeys! Craft Passion shares her template for sewing up a colorful sock dragon instead!

7. Elephant – Made by Enginerds has a great pattern for making your very own elephant.

8. Giant Loch Ness Monster – This is another great one from We Lived Happily Ever After. Stitch up a Nessie that’s as big as your kid!

9. Zipper Mouth Crocodile – I remember having a stuffie with a working zipper as a kid, and hiding treasures in there was the best. Sew Mama Sew shares this zip-mouthed crocodile stuffie from the book Flip Dolls.

10. Puppy – This plush pup from More Softies Only a Mother Could Love sits up on its hind legs!

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Who doesn’t love kid art?  Heather recently took the artwork of her son’s third grade class to a new level with this fun quilt idea!  In addition to being a great classroom activity, you could also have your child do an entire quilt themselves over time.  If you have a large family, each grandchild could make a square to present as a fabulous gift for grandparents!  Or for a smaller-scale project, you could do a table runner, placemat, or wall hanging using the same technique.  See how to make one over at iLoveToCreate.  [how to make a kid art collage quilt]

Project estimate:

• Fabric, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric glue, on hand or about $3 and up
• Fabric markers, on hand or about $2 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total:  Free and up!

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Do you have a little helper who loves to be in the kitchen?  Then this is the DIY for you!  Over at the Little House on the Prairie blog, Heather shares how to turn a few dollar store items into a matching set of mommy-and-me aprons.  Based on a passage from the book “By the Shores of Silver Lake”, this idea will get you on the way to making not only aprons, but many lovely memories as well!  [how to make mommy-and-me DIY aprons]

Project estimate:

• Dish towel, $1
• Dish cloth, $1
• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine or needle and thread, on hand

Total: $2 and up

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I got the inspiration for this craft watching Shark Tank. The creators were looking for investors. They now sell for $14.95 and work about the same way as the ones I created.

Project estimate:

• Stuffed aquatic animal, $1
• 1 kids sock, on hand or $1
• Needle & thread, on hand
• 1/4 inch Velcro, on hand or $1 and up
• Soap, on hand or $1
• Buttons, on hand

Total:  $1 and up

Remove all tags from animal and one of the kids socks.

Cut the sock just below the heel, as shown in the picture. Turn over the edge into the sock and sew it, using the stitch below, on half of the top.

Pin the sock to the tummy of the animal. Start sewing from where you left off and sew around the sock to the other side. Cut your thread and tie a square knot.

The Velcro I bought had adhesive backs. I removed the paper and hot glued them on the top and inside of the sock. This keeps the soap inside the sock. I also sewed and glued a button on top of it so that it was easier to open to remove the soap.

To give the animals a little personality, I sewed and hot glued buttons on them. After I sewed them I added hot glue under and around the button and on the thread. If either fails, the other should hold. I feel that this extra precaution is necessary since this is a child’s toy.

After using, remove the soap and hang with a plastic clothes pin to dry. I chose not to add a loop to hang it on for safety reasons. The animal can be machine washed.

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