! ! ! !

celebrating

!
MOM !
A collection of handmade gifts
for the mothers in our lives

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 Introduction:
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I was so excited when Dana invited me to be part of the “Celebrating

MOM” event. Not only to be working with someone as wonderfully talented as
Dana, but also, through our blogs, and now this book, to be bringing attention to
what is-in my opinion-one of the most underrated holidays of the year: Mother’s
Day.

I don’t think any of us doubt our affection for our moms, but the very nature of
motherhood; selflessness, humility, and a self-sacrificing spirit, make it easy for her
to slip through the cracks. Whether she is our mom, step-mom, mother-in-law,
grandmother, godmother, surrogate mother, or any other motherly figure in your
life, we all have someone who encourages, comforts, and unconditionally loves us.

Let’s celebrate her!

I would like to dedicate this book to my own mother-

Who taught me about sewing, creativity, and thinking outside the box.
But most of all, taught me about the true and ultimate Creator.

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 Contents:
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“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly
announces she never did care for pie.” -Tenneva Jordan

Introduction 2

Chapter One: Apparel 4

• Bouquet Tee 5 • T-Shirt Apron 10

Chapter Two: Accessories 12

• Crinkle Scarf 14 • Rose Cuff Bracelet 18 • Family Tree Brooch or Pendant 22

• Grosgrain Ribbon Belt 26

Chapter Three: Home 30

• Lace Doily Coasters 32 • Silhouette Chalkboard 34 • Field of Flowers Vase 38

Chapter Four: Graphics 40

• Mothers Day Graphics

Acknowledgements 50

About the Author 51

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Chapter one:

APPAREL

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“MOMories”
“Whenever we fought as children my mother
would make us sit next to each other with our
arms around each other's shoulders and sing
to each other. If I really needed to tell my
brother that he stunk or was driving me crazy
then that was fine so long as I sang it to him
with my arm across his shoulder. We always
ended up laughing.” -Chandi

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A lovely bouquet of blooms that will never loose their freshness!

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 • Use! pinking shears (or regular sewing
! scissors) to cut eight rounded! !

rectangles with a flat bottom in three sizes: 2”, 1.5” and 1” tall.
• Then lay out all the pieces, putting the smaller on top of the larger, and
sew along the bottoms in one long line. Gather them up by pulling the top
thread only.

• When you’re done, tie the threads from • Then cut five, 1/2" strips of knit
both ends into a knot to secure. You in the length of your shirt.
should have a nicely gathered flower just
like this:

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• Arrange them on
the shirt, starting
at the flowers,
and coming
down to the side
seam of your
shirt

• Pin, and stitch on with a

narrow zigzag stitch.

All done!

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“MOMories”
“’Mom, what's a Tempest? Is that a woman
with a bad temper?’
~the question my home schooled child asked
when studying the Bard of Avon.”
-Christine

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The T-Shirt Apron

No matter what your style (or your mom's!) there is a t-shirt for it.
Which means there can be an apron for it, too!

• Cut the front design out in a large rectangle from sleeve inseam to sleeve
inseam, and from under the neck to the bottom of the shirt.
• Fold the bottom of the shirt up until it's right under the design, then fold
the hem down for a more finished look. Sew into four even sections, with
the end section sewn into two for spoon slots.

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• Using the back of your shirt, cut

6 strips, 2.5" x 24".

• Then sew three strips together

into one, and repeat for the
other three. You should have
two long snakes.

• Put them on top of each other

with wrong sides facing and
seams matched, pin, and stitch
all the way around to make
your apron waistband and ties.

• Then pin your apron skirt to the

back in the center, and sew on!

All done!

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Chapter two:

ACCESSORIES

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“MOMories”
“Every time we would complain or beg for
something, [my mom] would always tell us yes
we could have it...when she won the lottery.
Needless to say I am still waiting for that
Barbie I wanted when I was 7, LOL” -Tasha

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A darling alternative to the chemically wrinkled summer scarves you’ve

seen in stores. To revive the crinkle after washing, simply twist and let
dry!
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• Cut a 13"x60" rectangle, and slice

three-inch long slits every half-inch
across each end. Hem both long
sides.

• Dampen your scarf by spraying it

with water, or running it under the
facet.

• Then twist the ends in opposite

directions as tightly as they will go,
and tie together in a loose knot.
Hang to dry, or throw in the dryer!

• Fray the ends by pulling out the

short, horizontal threads in your
slits, tying a knot at the top.

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• Print this butterfly template,

and use it to cut butterflies
from knit, felt, or any non-
fraying fabric.

• Then pin your butterflies on your scarf, and hand stitch around the body.
You can also add a little sparkle, by threading a seed bead on every other stitch!

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“MOMories”
“My friends and I were talking about our moms and what they are
and are not willing or able to do for us. I innocently described my
mom flying out to cook me a freezer full of food when I was
pregnant and unable to merely glance at raw meat without gagging.
I continued to detail many such tasks, thinking all moms did these
things at the drop of a hat.
Finally my friends desperate to come up with something my
mother would NOT do for me, ‘Well she wouldn't clean your
windows would she?’
‘Not only would she offer to clean them, she would then put on soft
music and the entire time she scrubbed she would say things like -
Don't nice sparkling clean windows make you feel wonderful!’ I
replied with a laugh and a new realization that this was not
altogether the norm.
My friends needed to hear no more, they instantly crowned her
‘THE FAIRY MOMMY’ I know they all love and appreciate their
moms, but mine does have something a bit magical about her…” –
Sharon

A photo of
Sharon’s
“Fairy
Mommy”, taken
20 years ago
(she still
has the
wings!)

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A feminine marriage of flowers felt and pearls.

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• Start by cutting two strips of felt. For a small-medium wrist, cut 1 1.4" x 8
1/2" As a rule, you'll probably want to cut the length to about 1 1/2" longer
than your wrist measurement.
• Cut a 3/4" length of Velcro and attach one side to the end of each strip, by
sewing around the edges.

• Place one strip on top of the other, so that both Velcro pieces are on the
outside, and on opposite ends, and stitch all the way around to create a cuff.

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• Take approximately 6 medium sized flowers and pop them off the
stems, removing the plastic pieces, so you're left with just petals.

• Hot glue the petals to your cuff, one layer at a time, finishing with a
pearl in the center of each flower. Continue down the cuff, gluing
flowers very close together. If you don’t want to mess with hot glue, a
couple of hand-stitches would work nicely, too!

All done!
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“MOMories”
“My son was in kindergarten and we were
going to the store. I was preoccupied, so when
he asked about the twentieth question in a five
minute period which was ‘When did you get
married, Mommy?’ my reply was, ‘A long time
ago.’ He was quiet for a while and then asked
‘Was Jesus alive?’” --Sydney

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Make mom her own family jewelry, at a fraction of the cost!

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• Cut 7-3 inch lengths of heavy-duty bendable wire, and using your
needle nose pliers to bend one end of each piece into a circle.

• Open a flat-backed safety pin and wrap extra wire around the pin
and “tree trunk”.
• Gently bend your “branches” down into a tree shape.

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•! Thread a bead for each birthstone
!
onto a headpin and trim! !

with wire cutters to about !” from top of bead. Then bend

the end into a circle with pliers.
• Twist the end of the loop up slightly to open, and attach to
the loop on one of the branches, then close the loop again
with your pliers.

• To make a pendant instead of a pin,

skip the safety pin, and attach the
loop of the center branch to a chain,
using a larger loop or jumpring.

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“MOMories”
“Before we would leave the house or my
mother would drop me off somewhere she
would say, ‘who loves you more than anyone?’
We would always have to reply, ‘Mommy
does!’ Before she would let us leave. Simple
pleasure.” -Erin

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So quick and easy-you’ll want to make one for every outfit!

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• Cut a 45” length of ribbon (or about 1.5x your waist measurement) and
thread it through 2 D-rings, folding under the edge, and stitch closed.
• Then fold under the opposite end and hem.

• Take apart two fabric flowers, and put them back together into
one, alternating layers. You can use two different colors, or two
of the same for a nice, fuller flower.
• Use a needle and thread to stitch the front of your belt, covering
the rings.!

That’s it!

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Have fun playing

around with
buttons or
brooches in the
middle of your
flower….

Or use hand made

flower pins for a
charming, vintage
look!

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“MOMories”
“I love my mother. She has always been there for me
when I needed advice with kids or marriage or just crazy
life stuff. I am number 4 of 5 kids, nothing special, but if
anyone asked I would say that I am her favorite child. It
may not be so, but I feel that way whenever we are
together. It's a great thing to feel like someone special. I
feel spoiled by her love and care. Last year for her
birthday I made her a yummy cake with homemade
frosting. I was holding the cake and she went to smell it
so I raised it up a little toward her mouth so she could
get to it easier but she came down way faster than I
thought she would. And so I got her in the face with it!
Instead of being upset we had a great laugh and them
she took a handful and got me right back! I will never
forget it. I love you, Mom!” -Stefanie

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Chapter three:

HOME

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“MOMories”
“Me: Guess what? I have a blog.
Mom: You do? Oh, honey, that's incredible!
I'm so proud of you!
Me: Um, mom? Do you know what a blog is?
Mom: No!!!” -Michelle

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Bring in the
feeling of fresh
summer
breezes, and
sun-dried
linens, with
these fun
coffee-table
cuties!

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• Cut eight 5” squares of muslin and press the edges under "”
• Then cut four 4” squares of batting, and place one in each of
four of your muslin squares.

• Place the other four squares on top, pin, and stitch around the
edges in two rows.
• Starting in the middle, spiral your lace, with the bottom of each
row tucked under the tops of the row before it, stitching as you
go.

All done!

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Add a little cuteness to mom’s kitchen counter, with a silhouette of

yourself when you were young, or one of her grandkids!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide

forever to have your heart go walking around outside your
body." -Elizabeth Stone
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• Cut an 8.5”x11” piece of freezer

paper and slip it into your
printer. Print a side-view photo
of your child, taking up as
much of your paper as possible
without any clipping.

• Carfefully cut your silhouette

out, all in one piece.

• Use double-sided tape to gently

adhere your stencil to a 10”x12”
board, painted mom’s favorite
color.

• Paint a thin coat of chalkboard

paint, let dry, and repeat.
Carefully remove your stencil,
and you’re done!

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Then you can feel free to

dress it up with flowers,
polka-dots, or cute notes
to mom!

You can also screw in

some small hooks, and
tie ribbon to hang it
on the wall!

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“MOMories”
“When I was just learning to write in cursive I
had a dispute with my mother. I wanted to go
play at a friend's house and for whatever
reason she wouldn't let me go. Well, I figured
out a way to show her. I left a note on
my pillow, where my mom was sure to find it,
painstakingly written in little girl cursive that
read, ‘In the story Cinderella there is a mean
mom. I have the same mom.’ I had forgotten
about this event completely but my mom was
asked to speak in church last year on mother's
day and that was her opener. Thanks mom!” -
Meredith

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Cheer up mom’s table with flowers that will stay bright all year ‘round!

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• To make this vase, simply remove the heads of some mixed
fabric flowers, and hot glue them to a vase in random patterns!

• Start by hot gluing

all of one color, and
keep adding colors
until the vase is
completely covered.
Then add a few
randomly mixed
colors for a “field-
grown” look!

*The bright colors

really cheer up a room,
but a monochromatic
color scheme would be
very elegant as well!

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Chapter four:

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"Mothers are God’s way of

giving us hugs”-anonymous

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank:

Dana, of www.dana-made-it.com for hosting the “Celebrating MOM!”
event, and inviting me along!
My wonderful husband, for taking the photos of me, and only very
rarely making fun of me for being obsessed with a little craft blog.
My darling daughter, for keeping my lap warm while I sew, type,
edits photos, etc. :o)
Starbucks Coffee. (Couldn’t have done it without you guys!)

And most of all, my generous God, who hears and answers the
insignificant prayers of this silly, silly girl.

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!!

About the Author

Disney Powless is the optimistic and slightly scatter-brained author of the craft blog,
RufflesandStuff.com.
She began sewing and crafting at the age of 6, and enjoys sharing her hobbies and
projects with all the kindred spirits in the craft blog world!
She lives in the great northwest with her husband and their daughter, and she brings the
rain with her wherever she goes. :o)

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