Toddler boots

I am making more shoes for the little guy. This time I made a pair of boots that he can wear when we go to indoor play areas or for just hanging out at home. He can also use them outdoors as long as the ground in relatively dry. I made the pair for the tutorial below out of a faux suede that I bought at the local fabric store and leftover recycled fleece scraps. The black pair above is made with black vinyl and red recycled fleece scraps. We have dubbed the black pair as the "Elvis boots" so pretty funny. The pattern is fairly simple and based on the toddler shoes . It is also patterned after a McCalls pattern for baby booties. I enlarged the pattern and also changed the back flap and sole. I tried the original pattern, but was unhappy with the results so since I love to change patterns, I decided I could come up with something that worked better. I am pretty happy with the results and plan to make a few more pairs for the little guy.

Here is the boot pattern in tboot1 and tboot2 . Below are the sewing instructions. The shoe size is approximately a toddler size 6.

Note: A quarter inch seam allowance has been added to the pattern. You can use more if you want the shoes to be a bit smaller.

1. Cut out the pattern pieces. You will need two of each for the inside and outside fabric.


2. Zig-zag all the pieces if you are using material that frays.

3. Sew the front inside and outside fabric pieces together on the narrow curved side. Turn and top stitch.

4. Sew the back inside and outside fabric pieces together along the top and side edge. Turn and top stitch. Sew the casing for the back elastic as marked on the pattern.


5. Cut a 3 inch piece of elastic and thread it through the back casing. Sew both edges to form a gather for the back heel.


6. Grab the shoe bottom and pin on the front and back of the shoe. Sew together and turn right side out. Sew on hook and loop tape or any other fastener that works for you. I used the hook and loop so the little guy can have fun taking his boots on and off by himself.

Lots of pies

Apple Pie

The new kitchen is awesome and I am spending lots of time making all sorts of goodies. I love the dishwasher of course and the fact that I can clean up my mess is record time. I am pretty amazed that we lasted so long actually without a dishwasher. We really do cook a lot so it is definitely worth it for us and totally fine that we had to give up cabinet space. It is funny though because I think it is all about perspective since our new kitchen is pretty simple and still small. I guess I have been cooking in an old small kitchen for so long that pretty much anything is a huge improvement. Add on top of that a dishwasher and I am happy happy. Here are a few fruits of my labor in our new kitchen. I have been into pie mode lately and made a few yummy ones.

Apple pie - my own creation.

Turnip and carrot pot pie - my recipe again.

Broccoli quiche - from Vegan Brunch

Broccoli quiche - from Vegan Brunch

Pumpkin pie - recipe from Vegetarian Times

Monkey pants tutorial

I have made a lot of the monkey pants from the pattern I purchased from danslalune on etsy. I received an email from someone asking if I could do a tutorial on how I make the pants. The pattern is super cute, but putting it all together is a bit challenging at first. The main challenge is the gusset portion. I did change the pattern around a bit to accomodate non-stretch woven fabric and also sized it up to fit my 18 month old. However, the orginal pattern will work fine as long as you use stretch knits. Here is how I make the pants.

1. Cut out the pattern pieces. I am using recycled microfleece for these pants.


2. Open the pants back and lay flat. Line up the gusset piece with the larger curved portion facing upward as shown.

3. Pin the gusset into the back of the pants. I like to start at the ends and center. I then work my way around to fit in the gusset.

4. Sew in the back gusset. Pin the front and back together and sew.


5. Now you can sew the top casing and hem the pants as you would any other pants. Hope this helps!

Carob graham crackers

We finally remodeled the kitchen and now have a dishwasher. Yahooo!! I love the dishwasher. I also love that I can now open the drawers and not worry about all the saw dust going on the pots and pans below. Let's say our funky 1958 kitchen seriously needed some improving. You can judge yourself by the before and after pictures. I have been cooking and baking lots and lots of fun stuff in the new kitchen. A fun baked goodie that I made recently was carbo graham crackers. I got the recipe from Jennifer McCann and the Vegan Lunch Box. Great recipe and really easy to make. The crackers can be made with chocolate also, but I went with the carob. Jonas really likes them a lot. Yummy!

Toddler and baby shoes

I am still making shoes for the little guy. He started walking about a month ago and I find the soft sole shoes are great for toddling around. I use them outside also and though they don't last as long as hard soled shoes, they are pretty durable. I made two sizes for the pattern including 6-12 months and 12-18 months. The shoes are pretty forgiving with respect to size and allow for lots of wiggle room. The pattern is pretty simple and based on the slipper style shoes you see in the stores. I also made the sole so there is no left or right shoe. I find it a lot easier to put on a wiggly toddler. I made the following shoes out of denim material I had left over from his recycled jeans. I used scraps of black vinyl to line the bottoms so his feet stay dry. The pattern is in three pdf files that you can download below.

Toddler and baby shoes

Here is the shoe pattern in page1, page2 and page3. Below are the sewing instructions.

Note: A quarter inch seam allowance has been added to the pattern. You can use more if you want the shoes to be a bit smaller.

1. Cut out the pattern pieces. You will need two of each for the inside and outside fabric.



2. Zig-zag all the pieces if you are using material that frays.

3. Sew the front inside and outside fabric pieces together on the shorter curved side. Turn and top stitch.

4. Sew the back inside and outside fabric pieces together along the top edge. Turn and top stitch along the top and about a half an inch down from the top to form a casing.



5. Grab the shoe bottom and pin on the front and back of the shoe. Sew together and turn right side out. You are almost done.

6. Cut a piece of quarter inch elastic and thread it through the casing. Stitch the elastic together and tack it to the shoe front. All done!

Not so lardy cake

I made this sweet bread a few years ago and decided to make it again. It is similar to a raisin bread. It was really easy to make vegan by replacing the "lard" with Earth Balance shortening. I think last time I made it I used Earth Balance margarine and dubbed it the "Margy Cake" so now it is the "Shorty Cake". The recipe is from Bread - the breads of the world and how to bake them at home by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter. The description in the book says it is a special rich fruit bread that was made in England for celebrating the harvest. Happy harvest!

Fleece vest to sleep sac

I am definitely getting into recycling mode. I have to say it is really satisfying to find something at a thrift store and give it a new twist. I found a medium size fleece vest with a full zipper and thought it would perfect for a sleep sac. I used the same pattern as the hemp sleep sac. I removed the pockets and cut through the zipper to make room for the neckline. I cut one inch binding strips and finished the neck and arm holes. I have to say the best part was not having to sew in the zipper. Though it is not difficult to do, I find it a bit cumbersome and having it already done was great. I think the whole project only took about a half an hour and cost about $4, so very nice.

Fruity baby sweater

My adorable little niece is turning one this weekend. Very exciting! We are planning a road trip to see her this weekend and celebrate. Little guy is going to love hanging out with his cousin. I made a sweater for her birthday. The pattern is from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding. I made the Kai sweater. The yarn is recycled from a white sweater I found at the local thrift store. I took apart the sweater and dyed the yarn in tangerine, cherry and lemon. I am really getting into the recycled yarn and fabric. I found a cool website called Wardrobe Refashion where everything is made from recycled fabric or yarn. I hope to make the pledge soon myself and commit to using only recycled goods. Check out the blog if you haven't seen it before. There are some really great projects posted.

Toddler cheezy crackers

I made these crackers a while back and loved them. I am now making them for the little guy and he loves them also. The only change I made was to cut back on the salt. I am trying to keep him from turning into a salt lover like his mama. I used 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon. He loves the soft texture of the crackers and they are the perfect size for his little hands. I was surprised how easy it is to make your own crackers so if you haven't tried it then definitely give it a go. Though be warned that you may only want to eat homemade crackers. My next batch is going to be homemade graham crackers. Here is the cracker recipe at Have cake, will travel.

Calzones with sunflower seed pesto

I am a bit behind with posting. We spent a glorious end of summer week at the beach and I was without internet access so that is one of my excuses. It was nice to unplug for a while and feel a bit refreshed on coming back. I also ran my first four miler a few weeks ago though I am also a bit behind now with my running. I need to remind myself how hard it was to get going in the first place and not let my time off period extend too long. The good news is I have lots to post.

I used the sunflower seed pesto from the last post to make calzones. I brought them with me to eat after the four miler and they were quite yummy. The little guy also really liked them a lot. I used a basic pizza dough recipe and also marinara that I made a while back and froze. Here is the recipe.

Sunflower seed pesto calzones

1 cup sunflower seed pesto
1 cup marinara
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
pizza dough

Mix together the filling. Roll out the dough, fill and bake for 25 minutes at 375 F. Brush the tops with olive oil after they come out of the oven. Enjoy.

Sunflower seed pesto

Here is my version of a toddler friendly pesto that is made with sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts. I am waiting until he is around 18 months to introduce tree nuts so decided to try a variation that he can also enjoy on his pasta. He seems to really like basil. I made a summer tomato salad with a thai basil dressing that he liked also. I was surprised since the thai basil has a strong flavor. Maybe he will take after his mama and love basil. I am a big basil fan and cannot get enough of it in the summer time. Here is the recipe.

Sunflower seed pesto

3 cups of basil leaves (I used a mix of thai, globe and purple)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients except the olive olive oil to a food processor and chop well. Add enough olive oil to form a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.