a little crafty nest

all a-quiver (a tutorial)

This past weekend, my big boy, my eldest, turned six.  There was absolutely no hesitation about what we wanted to give him for his special day...he is obsessed with bow and arrows.  And while I took a peek at some store-bought bow and arrow sets, there was no question we wanted to make him his own. 

My husband made the bow (ponderosa pine and larch) and four simple arrows, using feathers from a grouse he hunted with a sling and shot a few years ago.  He also used some feathers from an old family friend's parrot (?) and foraged goose.

I was excited, though a little intimidated, to make him a real quiver.  When I began, a few weeks ago, I had no idea the carrier for the arrows that archers wear slung on their backs is called a quiver.  A nine year old boy told me this after I had gone to see his folks about some hide to make the quiver.  I finally found some buffalo hide that was 1/4" thick...tough stuff, for sure.  Around here, the Native American Church is a pretty big deal, so I was grateful for the generosity of tools and tips from a few friends.

This is the finished quiver I made for Forrest.  I thought I'd take you step-by-step on how to make one for yourself because it was much easier than I anticipated, and so very satisfying.

These are the equipment and tools you will need:

A nice sized piece of hide, a piece of leather for the strap (I used a belt I found at a thrift store for $2), sinew or leather string for lacing, a leather punch, and a rotary cutter.

Next, measure your leather.  I wanted a quiver for my six year old, so I cut a piece that was 17" long x 12.5" wide.

After cutting through the hide, I used a ruler to make pencil marks 1/4" in from the edge, 1/2" apart along three sides for where I wanted to punch the holes for lacing.  Being precise makes a more polished look.

The hole punching is tiresome work!  I had to rest many times to get the holes in...buffalo hide is really really tough!

Next came the tricky part, attaching the strap which I decided to attach before doing any of the lacing.  I cut a belt to 25".

Above you can see two 1 1/2" slits I cut to insert the strap.   The bottom slit is 3" above the edge while the top slit is 1" down.  I punched four holes into the strap and into the hide at each slit.  Then I slipped the strap into both slits and sewed them down with the sinew, which is unbelievably strong.

Once the strap was attached, I laced up the long sides of the quiver.  This was a whole body exercise as I needed my feet to hold the quiver while pulling really hard on the sinew. 

My husband also helped hold it steady while I spent a long while tightening the seams which was a little tedious with a crochet hook.

I used a yogurt container to make the template for the circular bottom piece of the quiver.  I stuffed it into the bottom end and simply cut off what was sticking out.

This leftover container made the template for the circular bottom end.

Lacing the circular piece to the bottom of the quiver is a lesson in patience, but it paid off!

This is probably one of my most favourite things I have ever made!  So much easier than I anticipated, and now my mind is off and running about all the other potential leather work to be made!

And my six year old...how did he like it all?  Well, let's just say it was a definate bull's-eye!

smock tops (a shared tutorial)

What to do for a drooling baby who keeps soaking through layers of clothing?  In the past I've often used bibs to keep the little babe dry, and now a new discovery has replaced the messy, flappy, often garish bibs.

 
How sweet it is to see little children dressed in simple, functional clothing that can easily be hand-made?  These cotton and linen smocks were inspired by sweet Melanie at Our Ash Grove, with a little dose of Elsa Beskow.

 

I am often inspired by the  illustrations of clothing in children's books.  I've long admired the smock top on this little fella in Ollie's Ski Trip.  When I saw the tops Melanie made for her baby boy (who is just a week younger than my little boy), we chatted and decided to do a two-part tutorial together that shows both of our versions of the smock top.  You can check out her smock tutorial here.  (Disclaimer note : I have been thoroughly influenced and creatively inspired by Melanie...this is entirely her idea...isn't she brilliant?)

I first assessed my dwindling piles of fabric and found some linens, including an old, old pair of brown linen pants that were my favourite for several years.  I snipped away the holes and salvaged the remnants.  On the inside, I've used some flannel prints.  Melanie pointed out that it keeps the babe dry with an extra cozy layer...so clever!  Once I gathered and pre-shrunk the fabric, I made some very basic measurements.  For a 6 month old baby, I went a little roomy and made a pattern out of brown paper bags.  The measurements are roughly as follows:

• front neckline down to front bottom hem is about 9.5 inches
• front shoulder strap to front bottom hem is 14 inches
• width across bottom hem is 13 inches, but it could also be up to 15 or 16 inches
• back shoulder strap to front bottom hem is 16 inches
• an important note is to make the back shoulder strap with a slight curve to snugly fit babe's back

 
Step 1   Trace the pattern onto the wrong side of the linen and the flannel.

Step 2   Cut out one pattern from both the linen and the flannel.

    
Step 3   Pin the two pieces with right sides together and sew allowing for a 5/8" or 1" seam allowance.  Make sure that you keep the bottom hemline open.  Do not sew this part at all!

Step 4   Carefully cut triangles all the way around the seam allowance.  I don't know the technical lingo for this important step, I just know that this is how I've always made lined bodices in the past and it works really well.  It allows the material to squish together when you turn it inside out without letting any bumps or puckers to form.

Step 5   Now trim off the excess seam allowance so it is just about 1/4" from the sewn edge.

 
Step 6   Turn the smock inside out and press with an iron.  I love this part...now it's all clean lines!

Step 7   Fold the bottom hemline inwards on both the linen and the flannel sides of the smock.  Stitch all the way around the smock, about 1/4" from the edge, including the bottom hemline now.  This gives it a finished look and prevents the smock from losing shape in the wash.  Also, add buttonholes to the front strap ends and sew on buttons onto the back strap ends.  You'll need the help of the little babe now to find the right placement for the buttons.  I like to make the straps a little long so that I can just move buttons as my child grows...it kind of lengthens the wear of the garment.

 
Step 8   This is where more creativity comes alive.  I really like applique work in that it is a simple, yet easy way to make a piece of clothing unique.  It took me a long time to figure out if you use the double sided sticky fusible webbing (available at any fabric store), it makes the applique go on soooooo easily.  For years I never used this stuff, but now I'm hooked!

 
And here is the finished smock.  It looks a lot better on, though.  Perhaps it's the model, though...he is so darn cute, I think!

 
 
The versatility of these smocks is wonderful.  The first one I made, which is really roomy, fits my two and a half year old daughter, even if it is quite snug.  I have plans to make her bigger, fuller, pinker ones this spring.

 
I hope you find these smocks as sweet, clever, and versatile as I do!  And be sure to check out Melanie's version...it's wonderful to see how the same idea can be manifested in different ways. 

Oh, and the timing is so good!  Just today, little Huckley broke his first tooth!!!  Bring on the drool!