Pirate Pals

When one of your students realizes their school librarian loves pirates *almost* as much as they do... And you have matching costumes. Best day of kindergarten. Ever.

As soon as this picture was taken, we talked pirate-y to one another and then I pulled a pile of pirate books from the library. Some of my favorites are:

• The Pirate Jamboree by Mark Teague
• Magic Marks the Spot (Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates) by Caroline Carlson
• Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long
• Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
• A Year on a Pirate Ship by Elizabeth Havercroft
• Pirates Past Noon (Magic Tree House) by Mary Pope Osborne

Dr. Seuss Shirts

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Orange Lorax Shirt

Supplies for the Lorax shirt: brown craft fur (I found a panel of the fur in the aisle that has pom-poms and felt sheets), white, black and tan scraps of felt, orange cotton t-shirt and matching colored thread.

Let me just say, this mustache was a huuuuuuuuge pain! The fur was really hard to work with and it took me a few tries. The first time I cut the fur, I was left with a mess and fur everywhere! For the second try, I slid the blade of my scissors under the fur but above the mesh. It worked! It cut the shape, but helped the fur to keep that "scruffy" look. Otherwise, it looks way too manicured. Play with it and you'll get the look you want. But, prepare to be covered in fur.

I stitched the mustache in place and then added the eyes (I forgot to stop and take pictures). Done! Adorably done. And the best part? I got the shirt at Value Village so the entire project cost less than $4!

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Blue Truffula Tree Shirt

Supplies for the Truffula Tree shirt: colored craft fur (I bought 1/8 of a yard of each color), non-shiny yellow ribbon, blue cotton t-shirt and matching colored thread.

This is the messy part of the project, prepare to look like you gave a muppet a haircut.

Here are the completed circles.

I cut varying lengths of ribbon and then sewed them onto the shirt. I used a black permanent marker to make them look more authentic. (I don't think the tree tops can withstand being washed, so I'm not worried about what would happen to the tree trunks in the laundry. It will be a special occasion-only shirt).

I did a simple overcast stitch to adhere the tree tops to the shirt, it worked quite well!

The final product, I love!!!

Richard Scarry's Huckle Puppet

I posted my precious Lowly Worm plush a few days ago and today I finished up his good buddy, Huckle.

As I mentioned in my original post, fellow blogger, Suzy Fairchild shared these 1977 Richard Scarry pattern pieces on i heart fabric:

Huckle actually ended up taking longer than Lowly because I lost interest. He just isn't as cute. Granted, is there anything as cute as a 14" felt worm wearing a bowler's hat? I think not.

I veered from the original pattern a little because, while comparing the pattern to the modern pictures of Huckle, I couldn't help but notice that he is a different color and always wearing the Oktoberfest-y suspenders:

Even though I'm not entirely in love with my Huckle, I am debating making matching Sally Cat and Goldbug puppets.

Goldbug would be particularly fun because I could hide him in different places around the library, you know, like Richard Scarry does on all the pages of his books? Ahhh, the things school librarians find entertaining.

Last, but not least, I need to get my hands on an adult-sized Richard Scarry shirt:

Lowly Worm Plush

Spending my last days of summer freedom checking off more items from my Pinterest bucket list. Richard Scarry is one of my favorite classic authors, I can remember many a trips to the public library, paging through What Do People Do All Day? and Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. A few months back I found that Scarry had published patterns (and lots of other fun projects) in his 1977 Best Make-It Book Ever!

One of the projects is a pattern for Lowly Worm and I've been dying to make it ever since I laid eyes on that cute little guy. Unfortunately, the closest library that has a copy is almost 1,000 miles away (according to WorldCat) and used copies are pretty spendy.

Fortunately, there are some wonderful bloggers out there and Suzy Fairchild happens to be one of them. She posted the pattern pieces on her i heart fabric blog and so I was able to finally assemble my little worm friend.

I printed the pattern and directions on just plain 'ole printer paper and got to work using cheap crafting felt sheets.

I was so excited about assembling Lowly that I forgot to take pictures along the way. I followed the book's directions pretty closely and he turned out adorably. I did do a lot of hand-sewing. A lot.

I didn't have a tiny yellow feather on hand, so I trimmed down a small feather and colored it with a yellow permanent marker. Worked like a charm!

The gluing of the eyes didn't work so good, so I stitched them in place.

Isn't he adorable!

Have fun making your very own Lowly. I'm in love!

Travel-Size Felt Board

My current felt board is huge. Seriously, it's gigantic. It's as tall as I am.

While this is great for some projects, it can be a bit of a pain and it's really hard to store. I decided I needed to make a portable felt board that was also magnetic. But, you know me, Miss Frugality, I needed to do it for as cheaply as possible.

I found a magnetic dry erase board on clearance for $3.97 at Joann Fabrics (they have everything there). Check it out, you can still find it at Amazon, but for MUCH more expensive! I'd suggest finding a cheap-o alternative.

Next, I took some light flannel, wrapped it tightly around the board and duct-taped it in place. Done!

14" x 14," incredibly lightweight, and magnetic!

Sophie's Squash and Friends

If you have yet to read the adorable Sophie's Squash by first-time author, Pat Zietlow Miller, stop whatever you're doing and go find a copy. I promise, you'll swoon over the sweet story and Anne Wilsdorf's darling illustrations!

A heart-warming tale of friendship, this book is the perfect addition to any library storytime. I'd fallen in love with Sophie and her beloved squash, Bernice the moment I discovered it last year.

Imagine my delight when I came across stuffed versions of Sophie's darling friend (the butternut squash, of course). And then try to imagine my horror when I realized those cute little props cost over $50 with shipping. It looked something like this:

Image from the talented, Monster Wrangler Mike on TPT

So, I did what any frugal Pinteresting, DIYing educator would do... I made it myself. And for a fraction of the cost, I might add.

I purchased one yard of butternut squash-y colored broadcloth (otherwise known as light tan) and one-fourth of a yard of stem-y colored broadcloth (otherwise known as dark tan). I walked out of the fabric store having spent a grand total of $3.87 (coupons and teacher discounts are a wonderful thing). Because I'm a frugal Pinteresting, DIYing educator, I already had plenty of thread, stuffing and paint. I was all set to start my squashes (or is it just squash? Like gooses versus geese).

I headed home and was excited to get started when it hit me... I had no idea, whatsoever, how to make fabric squash. And so I did what any normal person would do; I put the fabric in my craft closet and left it there for three weeks. And then when my art-student sister came to town, I asked how one might go about making fabric butternut squash. Fortunately, (I have no idea how) she knew:

 I folded the cloth over, make a tube shape that angled out towards the middle and left the top and the bottom open. I forgot to include a picture, but I hand-stiched a loose seam along the bottom of the squash so it could be cinched together (brilliant sister's idea, of course).

 I flipped the squash tube inside out and stuffed it with batting. I was very impressed at how "squashy" it looked! And I loved the cinched bottom. As you can see, the neck of the squash was far too long so I just cut off the excess fabric.

 Time to add the stem. Easy-peasy. Sew, flip, stuff.

 I did a loose running stitch along the top neck of the squash, cinched it just a little, added my stem, and sewed it all together. Aside from jabbing myself with the needle several times, it worked brilliantly and feels super secure!

 Viola! I painted on the face with some black acrylic paint and sat back to admire the cutest squash I've ever seen. Or caressed.

 I then repeated the process three times for a total of two large squash and two baby squash.

 Aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen?

 One more step... In the book, Sophie's squash starts to feel a little under the weather and develops some dark spots and squishy areas (ahhh, he's rotting). So, I pulled out all the rotting squash colors I could find and gave him a little makeover.

Too cute. And for waaaaaay cheap. I can't WAIT to debut these little munchkins at storytime!