H&M Bib Hack Tutorial

Here's where I got my inspiration. It's not exact, but close enough for me! 

I salvaged the back of this filthy thing! Tshirt material is the best cuz it's soft and flexible.

Here are the pieces you'll need:

Start by lining up the points and adjusting the top material to fit the shape, like so.

Then make some mirrored pleats.

I swear by Fabri-Tac, it keeps everything in place. If you don't have it, pins work great, too.

Place the two neck pieces facing right-sides together like shown.

Pin and sew.

Cut off the excess.

It should look like this when layed out.

Then put this piece and the backing right sides together.

Pin those babies together!

When sewing, start near the point and move up, and once you've come full circle, make sure you've left room at the bottom to turn it right-side-out. (You'll see what I mean 4 pictures down).

There will be a little bit of excess Tshirt material around the scoop of the neck, to ensure you sew the two pieces together properly, just trim it.

Like this:

Well lookie there!

And there's a nice little opening at the bottom for me to pull it's guts out. Do just that.

Once it's right-side-out, iron the seams flat, and fold the points under to make a "finished" edge.

Start sewing at the point and make your round again, with a 1/8-1/4" seam allowance. (Below shows where I started my back stitch).

And voila!!!! You're done!

I still need to add the snaps (or Velcro if you prefer) but that's very easy, and they come with instructions when you buy them.

I apologize about the crappy photos, they were taken with my phone, my computer is down and I have zero access to my beloved photoshop! Hope it gives you the gist though:) I'd be happy to answer any questions!

Lights

The finished product. I thought it would be much easier than it ended up being, but now that I've successfully made one, I think I will have a go at a few more. I love the industrial look. Here's a look at the materials:

Recycled Baby Food Jars: $0

Switch Light: $1 (dollar store)

1 5/8" Washer: $.75 (Home Depot)

(or if it's you're lucky day, find some laying around in your shop/tool bag!)

Recycled milk/cream/half and half cartons: $0

Portland Cement: $12 for a 90 lb. bag (Home Depot)

Patience: Priceless.

Gretchen* Doll

Nothing is a Good Place to Be: random illustrated thoughts.

My Latest Concoctions.

My Daughter turned TWO?

I thought this was such a lovely shot of my little darling two-year-old. Happy birthday, Della Bean!!! We love you so! 

Baked Shrimp Scampi

Today was my first experience making shrimp! And thanks to this recipe that I found via Pinterest, it turned out to be a success. I doubled the recipe, because my husband came home with a TWO pound bag of shrimp. No complaints here:) You would never have heard my teenage self say that! Shrimp has grown on me in the last few years.

Baked Shrimp Scampi from skinnymommy.com

Here’s What You Need: 
1 lb of large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tail on
2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of butter
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1 TBS of white wine (1/2 TBS apple cider vinegar+1/2 TBS white grape juice)
3 cloves of garlic, diced roughly (1/2 tsp ready to use minced garlic)

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 425. Add seasonings and ingredients to shrimp in large bowl and toss well to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the shrimp out. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden but not overcooked. Serve hot.

For the dipping sauce, I combined about 1/3 cup Caravelle's Sweet Chili Sauce with 1 TBS Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce and a good solid chunk of my mother's/aunt Kathie's pesto. It's the perfect combination of sweet, sour and hot. 

As the Yo-Gabba Gabba characters would say, 

"Try it, you'll like it. Try it, you'll like it." Except they say it many, many, MANY more times than that. Enjoy!