This is the official Summer of Slime. I don't know where it started or how it exploded, but the makers of glue, glitter and contact solution (honestly - who came up with this stuff?) must be rejoicing... I have never purchased so many gallons of glue in my life. Actually, I had never purchased a single gallon of glue in my life until this summer.
It's actually an amazing and educational (and messy and addictive) science experiment - I'm still a little shocked that it works at all! Here is the basic recipe Kalista has been using:
https://www.skiptomylou.org/how-to-make-slime/
She simply changes it up with food coloring and add-in like beads, glitter, sequins or really anything else she finds! She also changes things with the occasional clear/glitter flue purchase, but mama can't buy that in bulk so it's more of a treat. ;)
We've also experimented with a ton of fun recipes that I've collected over on my Pinterest board!
https://www.pinterest.com/jellybeanquilts/slime-recipes/
And of course I would be remiss to not mention Kalista's favorite slime-related YouTuber, Dr. Squish! Do yourself and your kids a favor & go watch... she not only makes slime, she find the coolest squishy toys and cuts them open to see what's inside. Who hasn't always wanted to do that??? Highly addictive!!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9rGkf9kmCDi4kAmbd1Csyw
Finally, if you're like my household (or millions of other slime-crazed households around the world) you've lost a fair number of your plastic containers to batches of slime. We converted to using plastic zipper baggies, but what do you do when those run out in the middle of a massive slime making session? Well, if your dad is an ER nurse he might just happen to have a few of these lying around... I can see some Halloween party decor ideas coming together...
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I always assume people were fans of Jelly Bean Quilts before they found ListaLu. After all, my original intention when I created the Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt book & kit was to have something to offer the hundreds of fans asking for a tutorial, tips, a pattern, or even just a cheaper option than a custom quilt!
But ListaLu has truly taken on a life of it's own, so I thought it would be fun to chat with you DIYers about the other side of my baby-clothes-quilt-making life!
Jelly Bean Quilts is the custom baby clothes memory quilt business I've lived & breathed full time since 2008. People from all over the world fill out an online order form (I have a bunch of sizes & options to choose from!) and ship me their box of clothes. I turn their clothing into an amazing quilt, and ship it back!
The quilts are a little bit different than my ListaLu pattern, because to be honest I don't use a pattern! I lay out each quilt as a piece of art, constantly shifting things to fit and balance all the pieces.
Here are some pictures of my work over at Jelly Bean Quilts:
I offer sizes ranging from a Small Throw/Crib Quilt (40x54) for $550 all the way up to a King (120x120) for $1550, and all the sizes in between! I also offer throw pillows, pillow shams, and my extra-special tooth fairy pillows that use one of those tiny pockets we all love so much!
My waiting list is pretty long - it takes about 10 months from ordering to receive your item. This is purely just a factor of how many orders I have in line - I usually have about 40-50 quilts in progress!
I absolutely adore my job! I love to sew all day long while listening to podcasts, and I love that each quilt is a unique creation all it's own. I don't think I could mass produce one or two items over & over!
If you have decided you would like to have a baby clothes quilt custom made, head on over to JellyBeanQuilts.com to fill out your order form!
]]>Don’t Toss that Superhero Onesie! New Book - Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt - Has Arrived
Top Quilter Pens First-Of-Its-Kind Book Teaching Moms to Create Heirlooms from Baby Clothes
(Phoenix) May 23, 2017 - Moms around the world are picking up their scissors and upcycling their old baby clothes into adorable, modern baby clothes quilts after the launch of Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt: Everything you need to know to create a modern memory quilt from your baby’s clothes.
A fast-rising trend, baby clothes quilts are rapidly becoming a popular project. On the heels of the KonMari closet-cleaning craze, moms have discovered that they aren’t ready to part with those adorable baby clothes that hold the memories of baby’s first years.
A baby clothes quilt upcycles those clothes, typically too stained or too worn to be resold, into an heirloom that can be seen and used daily, and even passed down to the next generation.
In her new book, Jamie Wilson – professional baby clothes quilter since 2008 – breaks down the process into step-by-step picture tutorials. Written in response to hundreds of fan requests, she incorporates her best tips and tricks from over a decade of turning baby clothes into quilts.
“Baby clothes quilts are absolutely my passion,” states Wilson. “With a year-long waiting list at Jelly Bean Quilts for a custom quilt, I could not be more excited to have a tool to help more moms preserve those memories and create their own heirloom.”
The full-color, 70 page, spiral-bound 8.5x11 book has over 100 pictures, and a multitude of design options. Designed to be approachable for all sewing levels, she has also included 2 hours of online video tutorials, where she walks through each chapter of the book and creates a quilt from start to finish.
Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt, along with the ebook version and companion quilt kit, can be purchased online at ListaLu.com. Her books and kit can also be found on Amazon.com.
For more information, contact Jamie at contact@listalu.com
Media Kit: Web/High Res Pictures, Full Bios & Story Ideas https://listalu.com/pages/media-blogger-kit
Reviews
I loved this book!!! I am new to quilting and found the book easy to follow. Since I'm new, the step by step instructions, along with the provided materials really set me up for success. I was very proud of the product that I had made! Now I can say that I have successfully sewn a blanket that I could give to my kids and they can say, "My mom made this! -Bookworm
Love it! I've always wanted to have baby clothes quilts made for my kids, but was unsure about my own skill level and was put off by the cost of having someone else do it. This book made it easy and approachable for me to make them myself and they turned out wonderfully. Thank you so much! -Etsy Customer
This is the best tutorial on how to make your own quilt out of baby clothes! It walks you step by step and has great pictures to help guide you through. I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering a project like this! -Lisa
Jamie has created the most beautiful quilts over many years. Her ability to teach others is such a gift! -Diane
I have been following Jamie’s work via social media for years. She does a beautiful job on her quilts and really has become the expert in modern clothing quilts. So when she came out with her baby clothes quilt book I knew this was my chance to get a detailed tutorial on how to make a clothes blanket with sound advice. I have used this book, and the principles taught in it, to make a clothing blanket out of my husband’s shirts. I need to collect another seasons worth of clothes for my daughter then I will tackle my first baby clothes quilt. Principles and techniques taught in this book and video tutorials are geared towards baby clothes, but easily adapted for adult shirts as well! – Elizabeth
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]]>Clearly she knows her bobbin from her presser foot, she has created a few things from online tutorials, and she's not afraid to jump in & try things. But she's also a busy lady and doesn't have a ton of time for big, complicated projects, so she probably doesn't have a ton of quilting experience.
But if you're a less-than-confident beginner, here's a fantastic 4-part sewing tutorial to get you started!
http://craftsnob.com/2011/03/sewing-101-part-1/
http://craftsnob.com/2011/04/sewing-101-2/
http://craftsnob.com/2011/04/sewing-101-3/
http://craftsnob.com/2011/04/sewing-101-4/
If you're a seasoned quilt, don't worry - there are plenty of design options to suit your desires for a more complicated pattern! And I think you will find that quilting with baby knits and other apparel fabrics is different enough from regular quilting that the book will prove extremely valuable - it really is it's own genre of quilting!
]]>The answer is... yes! And also... sort of!
While the book & pattern were designed for baby clothes (particularly the smaller cutting template), the entire process, tips, tricks, and materials can all be easily adapted to use t-shirt quilts. At Jelly Bean Quilts, I make my custom t-shirt quilts in exactly the same way as my baby clothes - just with larger squares!
All it takes is a little thought to adapt the pattern - you really just need to decide how big your blocks need to be to accommodate the larger designs on your t-shirts, and then make a cutting template square out of a scrap piece of fabric or some tissue/parchment paper! The rest of the process - interfacing, layout, sewing, quilting & finishing - are all the same! The compound blocks I teach at the end of the book are perfect for when you have a mix of larger and small designs on your shirts.
But you don't have to take my word for it - a customer just submitted this great review who used the pattern to create a sports t-shirt quilt, to great success! Here's the screenshot, but if you scroll down I will paste the actual text for those of you on mobile (the text will shrink down in the picture!)
Here's a larger picture of the quilt she created:
Full Review In Text:
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"I have been wanting to make a t shirt blanket for my husband for a long time. There are so many tutorials out there on the internet, but all with varying advice, which left me unsure and my project not touched for years!
I have been following Jamie’s work via social media for years. She does a beautiful job on her quilts and really has become the expert in modern clothing quilts. So when she came out with her baby clothes quilt book I knew this was my chance to get a detailed tutorial on how to make a clothes blanket with sound advice. I have used this book, and the principles taught in it, to make a clothing blanket out of my husband’s shirts. I need to collect another seasons worth of clothes for my daughter then I will tackle my first baby clothes quilt. Principles and techniques taught in this book and video tutorials are geared towards baby clothes, but easily adapted for adult shirts as well!
What I love about this book:
- Not only are there a TON of pictures to show each and every step, but there is a video tutorial guide for each step too. At the end of the book is a unique code that you can enter into her website to access the videos. I did not watch each one, just the ones for the steps I was unsure of or wanting to make sure I had it just right.
- The format. So many of the book’s pages had a special section at the bottom titled ‘Pro Tip’. I learned so many fun details and tips here. Things I never would of thought of. So useful and easy to read!
- The materials list. To use a fusible stabilizer or not? That’s one of the biggest questions with a clothes quilt and Jamie not only answers it, but give specific brand names of what to use. Have you ever looked at stabilizers at your big box fabric store? It can be crazy confusing if you don’t know what you are buying. She also shares all her fabrics with us, even thread and scissor brands!
- At the end of the book is a chapter dedicated to special design cases – like preemie clothes and those cute little pants with the picture on the butt of them. She shows you just how to piece them into a quilt block so they can be included as well.
- Design. While each of our quilts will be unique, this books shares some basic design tips and layouts that are pleasing to the eye.
This book will not teach you how to sew or use your sewing machine. You need to have a basic understanding of material and sewing first. But if you have that, this book is for you! Even if you have never sewn a quilt in your life I am confident with this book you can do it!
I viewed this book on my laptop. I used Adobe to view it and the links worked perfectly to get to the videos or to purchase materials right from there. I kept my laptop open on my sewing table and followed right along with each step as I created my quilt."
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Isn't that awesome! She did such a fabulous job adapting the pattern, and I love the extra-fuzzy gray minky she chose for the backing - perfect for a throw blanket to take to a football game!!!
You can see this review (and more reviews!) live and in person over on the Kindle version at Amazon, if that's your style!
You can also purchase via the Etsy listing for my PDF book, or here on my site: Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt Digital Download
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Be still, my beating heart!
Here's a screen shot:
Here's the text, in case you're on a phone & the screenshot text is too tiny:
"Love it! I've always wanted to have baby clothes quilts made for my kids, but was unsure about my own skill level and was put off by the cost of having someone else do it. This book made it easy and approachable for me to make them myself and they turned out wonderfully! Thank you so much!"
Here's a larger snap of the customer-created quilts for your viewing pleasure - aren't they awesome! YOURS WILL BE TOO, I promise! :)
You can see this review live and in person over on the Etsy listing for my PDF book + videos. You can snag your copy on Etsy, or here on my site: Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt Digital Download
You can also get the Kindle version over on Amazon, if that's your style!
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As a mom to a 13 year old boy who loves himself some Star Wars (and wife to a 39 year old who is arguably the bigger Star Wars fan) I had to do a little something to commemorate this day.
I only wish some of this awesome Star Wars nursery swag had been around 14 years ago - it seems like when my son was little people just didn't care about nursery decor like they do today - I had cute little jungle animal sheets and a giraffe mobile, and that about sums up my nursery decor! Fast forward to 2017... thank you, Pinterest!
Let's check out some of the cutest stuff I found on Pinterest!
How cute is this Star Wars Nursery Announcement from the Etsy shop JosephPrints!?!
Or this Star Wars Mobile from Lespetitesshop, also over on Etsy? (Although why are mobiles always facing out... shouldn't they be facing down so the baby can see them?)
These Star Wars Wooden Sign Blocks would be a great addition to a nursery shelf, combining every new mom's 2 favorite things - Star Wars and Guess How Much I Love You?
Finally, the cutest Yoda Bath Towel in the world! This is almost enough to make me want another little yoda... almost! ;)
Have a great Star Wars Day, and May the 4th Be With You!
]]>Everything is the same as the PDF version that you can purchase here on my site... there is an access code in the book for the videos and cutting template download, and links to resources as well. This is just a great option for those of you who prefer to keep all of your ebooks organized in your kindle library!
This version is jam-packed with pictures, so it's only available on color tablets (ipad, galaxy, nexus - any of them), kindle fires, and the kindle viewing app on computers, phones, etc - just not the e-ink version of kindle. You wouldn't be able to see my great step-by-step tutorials!
I loved this book! !! I am new to quilting and found this book easy to follow. Since I'm new, the step by step instructions, along with the provided materials, really set me up for success. I was very proud of the product that I had made! Now I can say that I have successfully sewn a blanket that I could give to my kids and they can say, "My mom made this!' -Bookworm
This book was instrumental to me, a beginning quilter, complete an adorable quilt. I am delighted with the results and I'm positive my quilt is something that my family will treasure forever! I could not be happier with this purchase!! -Hilary
This is the best tutorial on how to make your own quilt out of baby clothes! It walks you step by step and has great pictures to help guide you through. I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering a project like this! -Lisa
Jamie has created the most beautiful quilts over many years. Her ability to teach others is such a gift! -Diane
Great! I'm now on Etsy too, so that you can purchase your kit whichever way is most convenient for you.
]]>In honor of the newly released Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer, I've got a few adorable Star War onesies to share.
"I am a father, like my Jedi before me" - Seriously though, it's adorable onesies like this that make think about having another kiddo! But a teenager + a newborn... nope.
"Storm Pooper" - Perfect for your own little pooper! Also available in black, because dressing a baby in white is like the ultimate jinx.
"Future Jedi" - Classic! And available in tons of colors. This would be so cute on a quilt!
"Come to the dark side... we have cookies" - I'm in! Unless they are oatmeal raisin.
"Too cute I am" - Perfect for your own little Yoda. And really, isn't every scrunchy, squishy new baby a tiny little Yoda??
We created this little video about my eBook, so check it out!
]]>But what the heck is it?
For those of you uninitiated into the world of fuzzy baby stuff, minky is basically a super plush, super soft fabric. Most people can't help but touch it when they see it, and it's perfect for anything designed to snuggle.
It is commonly used for baby softies, like toys, plush animals and blankets. It can come in a variety of styles, like smooth chevron, chenille ribbing, animal prints, and ultra-plush. But by far the most popular is the dimple dot, which is what we use in our kits!
Because it's such a plush fabric, we don't need to use batting in our quilts - and since these blankets aren't bed-size, batting would make them a little too stiff anyway, so minky works great! It's also a high-quality, professional looking fabric, so you quilt will really look polished.
White is standard in all our kits, mainly because it just coordinates with everything! We do carry several other colors, and are happy to swap out the white for the color of your choice - just let us know in your order notes! It might just take an extra day to ship, depending on your order time - we will just have to open up your box, make the swap, and pack it back up.
Caring for minky is easy - another reason to love it! It doesn't pill or look old with washing, so feel free to machine wash it! It's also very sturdy, and can really hold it own as the backing material for such a wide variety of fabrics types that most people use on the quilt top.
]]>There are 3 ways to get all of the info you need to create an amazing baby clothes quilt:
This is the whole book, instantly downloadable in PDF form, and can be read on your computer or tablet. It is the exact same book that is printed in spiral-bound hard copy that you can purchase individually or in my kit. It included a second PDF that is a printer-friendly version of my cutting templates, printable on 2 sheets of regular printer paper on any home printer. You will be sent a link immediately for both downloads, and can access them again in your account on my website.
It also includes access to my 2+ hours of video tutorials, which are password protected right here on my site. The password is in the "Online Extras" chapter of the book.
If you like ebooks, frequently shop at a fabric store that has apparel fabrics and interfacings (like Joanns,) and want to purchase your own materials, interfacing, etc, this is a great option for you!
This option is for my physical book, 70 - 8.5x11 pages that are spiral bound and printed on gorgeous high-quality paper with over 100 pictures. It also comes with a pre-printed cutting template, plus access to the downloadable template if you need to re-print in the future. I find it much easier to have craft/sewing books in their physical form so I can keep them open to the page I'm on, have them next to my project as I'm working, etc... I use my tablet for a million things, and with how-to and cook books I feel like I can never find my spot again! So I wanted to make sure the "real" book would be available for all of you who love hard copy sewing books!
The hard copy also includes access to my 2+ hours of video tutorials, which are password protected right here on my site. The password is in the "Online Extras" chapter of the book.
If you love a beautiful hard-copy sewing book, frequently shop at a fabric store that has apparel fabrics and interfacings (like Joanns,) and want to purchase your own materials, interfacing, etc, this is the perfect option for you!
This option is the complete kit, and includes just about everything you need to complete your quilt. It includes the spiral bound book and pre-printed cutting templates. It also includes the fabrics and supplies you will need - interfacing for the squares, white minky for the back, thread, pins, and safety pins. It comes in an adorable box, and makes a great gift for Mother's Day or a baby shower!
The kit also comes complete with access to the 2 hours of online video tutorials, as well as to the printable templates should you need to reprint for future quilts.
All you need to have on hand to complete your quilt are your baby clothes (about 30 items, but this is very flexible as you will see in the book!), a sewing machine (any machine with work!), an iron, and scissors. If you have sewn before at all you should have those things on hand, but your can add my favorite scissors to your kit right here on ListaLu.com if you feel like your scissors are a little dull.
If you want to order once and have exactly the things you need - not having to run around to fabric stores to find the materials and notions - this kit is perfect for you! This kit is also a fantastic, unique gift!
]]>I started sewing when I was just a kid - I am an Iowa farm girl, after all, so obviously I was the president of my township's 4-H club! My high school was tiny, but it had (and still has!) a great home economics program, and I created my first quilt during my senior year in Textiles II.
I started creating baby clothes quilts back in 2004, when my little Jelly Bean was just a baby (he's 14 now - someone slow down time!) My husband was playing pro soccer and we had to move a lot - every 6 months, to be exact - and since the teams provided us with furnished apartments we liked to pack light and fit everything in our Honda Civic.
Packing light takes on a whole new meaning with a baby, but that plastic tote of adorable baby clothes that Erik had already grown out of was just not making the "need it" cut. I was up late one night with the Jelly Bean, rocking him to sleep, when I started watching a rerun of Martha Stewart. She was creating a blanket out of worn out wool suit coats, and I had an epiphany - why not cut apart Erik's clothes and sew them into a baby clothes quilt?
T-shirt quilts were not a new concept - they are pretty popular in Iowa, and are commonly created out of high school sports t-shirts, sorority t-shirts, camp t-shirts and the like. But the t-shirt quilts at that time were very traditional, with cotton sashing and borders, and I had never heard of anyone doing a quilt with baby clothes. As much as I loved to quilt, I personally lean towards a modern aesthetic, and I wanted Erik's quilt to be about the clothing and the cute little memories in that caterpillar onesie, not look like a traditional quilt.
So I started cutting. Literally, that night I cut apart all his clothes, and I had his quilt done by morning. Of course, I didn't use the right interfacing, and I didn't have any instructions or patterns so it looks a little rough, and I just used a receiving blanket as the back and hand-tied it with yarn instead of quilting it. But he loved it, and I loved it, and it was exactly what I hoped it would be - to this day, every time I look at it I don't see the stitches or the mistakes, I just see Erik in those cute little walrus jammies! He even still has it hanging on his wall at 14 years old!
One thing led to another, and I started making quilts for friends and family. Eventually my husband retired from pro soccer, and we finally were staying in one place. In 2008 I was pregnant with Kalista (my little Lista Lu), working for a web marketing company, and I decided it was time to turn my hobby into a business so I could stay at home full time. I put up JellyBeanQuilts.com, placed a few ads on Craigslist, and had my first order in just a few days!
Over the next decade my business grew quickly, and I've reached the point that my turnaround time for custom quilts is always at least 10-11 months. I actually have an entire room of my house that is just bin storage, because I have about 50 quilts in my line up, and 50 quilts= tons of clothes!!!
Which brings me all the way back here, to ListaLu! ListaLu was created after years of fielding daily emails about how fans might make their own baby clothes quilt at home, as well as after redoing countless projects started by customers or other quilters but not finished - mostly just because they just lacked the knowledge of what materials to use and how to put it all together. I knew there was a need in the marketplace for a comprehensive DIY kit and book, and I had the knowledge - why not create that product?
After a ton of research, product development, pattern design, writing, photography, videography, web design, sewing, sourcing, package design and coffee, I am finally here - my Create Your Own Baby Clothes Quilt Kit & Books are officially ready to roll!!
My customers have been so excited about this kit, and I am so excited for you to try it out! I can't wait to see what you create, so please tag #listalu in all your social media, or send me pics and I will shout them out!
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We hope you love our baby clothes quilt kits, ebooks and supplies. Stay tuned - more DIY products and patterns for fun, unique ways to preserve the memories found in everyday objects are on their way!
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