Stretch Knit Pregnancy Band Tutorial

I recently bought a pair of jeans that I love...this is monumental because this doesn't happen very often for me.  Me and jeans, well, let's just say we don't get along so well.  It is so hard for me to find a pair I that I love.  They are either, too short or too long, make my butt look weird, flare too much in the legs or not enough, blah, blah, blah...I am never smitten...until now.  Unfortunately, the big suck factor with these newly found lovelies comes from the fact that I'm pregnant so my perfect jeans fit everywhere except for the whole 'gotta button them up' thing.  Stinky!  You might be thinking why on earth would I even bother buying non-maternity jeans right now but the whole 'I can never find perfectly fitting ones' was a huge part, plus they have super cute button flap pockets on the back and I have been looking for a pair with those forev-ah, double plus they were on super clearance for $7.98!!!  BARGAIN!!

Ok, so in thinking about my last pregnancy, I remembered some new-found crazy-ily priced maternity thingy called the Bella Band.  It's basically a piece of elasticized fabric that you put over your button-popping pants to help hold them up.  I figured there's no way in heck that I was going to spend that kinda money when it looked simple enough to make so that is what I did.  FYI, the two I made cost me $5!!!  I know this is totally a preggers post but bear with me, ok!?!  I'll give you some non-preggy crafty tutorial next week...promise!

Alright, so here is what it looks like peeking out from under my shirt...it looks cute sticking out like this but it can also be hidden under the shirt so you don't HAVE to see it!

Do, you see these freakin' cute jeans!!!  

Did I mention the awesome butt pocket flaps!?!

I love the back pockets...I soooo have been coveting a pair of jeans with neat-o back pockets!!!

OK, so this is how you make a stretchy preggers band:

Stretch Knit Pregnancy Band

1/2 yard knit fabric 

coordinating thread and sewing machine

rotary cutter and mat

soft measuring tape

***FYI***  This post contains some nakie pregnant belly shots, beware as they are not and I repeat NOT pretty!

First, measure your belly at the widest part, making sure your measuring tape is snug!

Yeah, I'm in my pj's...hmmm, what can I really say?

My length was about 30 inches and then I cut my width to 8 inches for one band and 12 for the other.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like a shorter band or a wider band that is why I did two.  With my first pregancy, I liked shorter better but with my second shorter bands totally bugged me...see what you like and cut to that width.  

You also want to include a little extra fabric for the 1/2 inch seams at the top and bottom of the band!

Then cut your fabric so that the length you need is going with the stretchiest part of the fabric.  

See the picture above, the most stretch is going perpendicular from the selvedge!!

The least stretch is going the same direction as the selvedge!!!

Ok, so cut your fabric...and iron 1/2 inch seams along both long edges.

Then, stop what your doing as you sit in amazement at the ridiculously awesome magnetic force field that your sewing machine has for small children...

and watch as a small child starts inching her fingers toward all your spools and bobbins...

and then reaches her little hands up to see what she can wrap her little paws around...

grabs something...

and makes a run for it...all the while giggling her devious little laugh!

Ok, really...let's get back to business!  

Sew a straight stitch down both seams, backstitching at the beginning and end.

Then, fold your fabric in half lengthwise with right sides together (and seams you just finished on the outside), sew the two short ends together making a tube of fabric.

Iron down your seam and then topstitch on the right side of the fabric.

That's it!!  

Really, it takes 20 minutes to make (and if you don't have a little stinker in the house it takes less!)

**You may want to try it on and see if it's snug enough at this point.  Knit definitely stretches so if you think it's too loose than just turn the band inside out and sew a new seam further in.  

Aaahh, it feels so good to wear my jeans!!!

Naked belly shot...sorry folks!

Here is the full 12 inch wide band...I wear it folded over though cause I like the feel of the shorter band right now!

Peeking out from my shirt...'Hello there Lovely!'

Did I mention those super awesome button flaps on the butt?  Oh, ok...just checking!!

CUTE!

Sloppy Joes the Meat-Free Way

Here is a recipe that my momma used to make us when I was a kid for Saturday family lunches, a super delicious homemade Sloppy Joe, that's right I said HOMEMADE! You don't have to buy a can of Manwich to partake in this messy goodness.

This also makes a great dinner for those nights when you work late, like me, and you forgot to put anything in your lovely, little, glorious crockpot...boo hoo! Getting home to make dinner is total chaos on those nights cause bedtime is nearing so fast...it's that crazy time of night where you feel like all you do is rush around! This meal works well since it can be made in no time at all...can I get a woot woot for fast dinners!?! I like to use vegetarian meat crumbles instead of ground beef, which makes it a meat-free dinner, since I try to serve red meat only once a week and chicken can get so boring and old. Plus, the "fake meat" crumbles cook up a heck of a lot faster too!

So, let me show you what a meat-free Sloppy Joe looks like:

How's that for some meat-free dining?

Ok, so here's the recipe:

Meat-Free Sloppy Joes

1 pound bag of "meat" crumbles (I use the Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles)

3/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

Heat your crumbles through until completely unfrozen. Add in ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar and stir until well combined. You may want to add more ketchup if you like it saucier or more vinegar if you like more kick...maybe even a tad more brown sugar if you like it sweeter. Basically, the ingredients can be played with to make it taste just right for your family...you can't mess it up cause you just have to balance out 3 ingredients. Serve on buns with a side of pickles, chips and a nice green salad...YUM!

This is all you need, really!!

No Manwich needed here!

Brown up your "fake meat" crumbles...see, doesn't it look just like the real thing? It tastes pretty darn close too, my kids don't even know the difference!

Then add in your ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar and heat through...that's it folks, you've just made yourself a homemade sloppy joe!!!!

Scoop some up on a nice kaiser bun (whole wheat if you dare). We like to add some cheese too, my favorite is pepperjack for the spicy kick but the kidlets love themselves some cheddar!

A fast and easy meat-free dinner

Dig in!

Twix Bar Fake-Out Recipe

I just love me some candy...and being pregnant has only made my sweet tooth that much worse, I hope I don't gain ridiculous amount of poundage this go-round! The other day I just had to stuff my face with some Twix bars. They are soooo good...chocolate and caramel all sitting on top of a delicious shortbread base, what could be better!?!

Unfortunately, my house had no Twix bars in sight...totally crap if you ask me, the husband is so getting an earful for eating the last one and not writing it on the list! Hello people, that is what a list is for, I bought a magnetic dry erase board to hang on the fridge clearly in visible sight for a reason! There wasn't even one of those little gems in my private, hidden from the kidlets stash (anyone else have one of those?)...it was sad.

So, I dug into my trusty recipe box and found my Twix Bar Fake-Out Recipe that I adore but don't make all too often...that is going to have to change starting today. I LOVE it. It is sooooo good and tastes just like the real thing. Really it's that good and actually not too hard to make given the three layers of greatness that you need to have in order to have that Twix bar in your greedy little hands.

Case in point, I give you exhibit A:

Behold...the Twix Bar!!!

Seriously, I wasn't lying to you!

So, are you ready to eat something totally awesome?

Get to makin' on this recipe ASAP then!

Twix Bar Fake-Out

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter

3/8 cup white sugar

3 tbsp light corn syrup

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Beat butter and 1/4 cup sugar in mixer until pale in color. Add flour to form a crumbly dough similar to pie crust. Press dough into an 8 inch square baking pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake shortbread base at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Leave in pan, cool in fridge.

To make caramel layer, bring to boil: 3/4 cup butter, 3/8 cup sugar, syrup, and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Stir constantly once boiling for 7 minutes. Caramel mixture will thicken and become pale in color. Spread caramel on COOLED shortbread base. Let caramel layer cool for 30 minutes in the fridge and then an additional one to two hours in the freezer to get the caramel layer stone hard.

To make the chocolate layer, melt chocolate chips over low heat. Spread melted chocolate directly onto cooled caramel layer. Let cool for hour and then stuff your face!!

Ok, so we first cream the butter and sugar until pale...

Add in the flour until you have a nice crumbly, soft dough like this.

Press dough into your parchment lined pan and poke holes in the shortbread to reduce breakage when cutting your final product!

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until just golden brown on the edges.

Now, on with the caramel layer!!

Melt the butter into the sugar, sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup.

Heat through until boiling, then stir constantly for 7 minutes!!

**Side Note** I had a kidlet crisis halfway through stirring for my 7 minutes, that's what I get for not waiting to make this until nap time!!!! If you do too, your caramel mixture will start to separate, mainly the butter will separate (like in my picture above). It is nearly impossible to get the butter mixed up again especially when you are stirring an extremely hot and boiling crazy mess of yumminess. If this happens to you, don't worry, it totally does not affect your outcome!!

After 7 minutes of stirring and boiling, pour your caramel on top of the shortbread...it's lookin' mighty fine right about now, right!?!

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes and then in the freezer for a few hours to speed up the hardening process.

Once your caramel layer is hardened and cooled melt your chocolate.

See, I told you I had some butter separation...no big deal, you won't even see it once your delicious chocolate layer goes on!

Ok, so again, melt your 1 cup of milk chocolate chips...

And pour on top of your cold caramel layer.

The chocolate will start to harden up immediately. Score your bars with a sharp knife, this will help with chocolate breakage when you are cutting your final product. Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Then, take your parchment paper wrapped bars out of the baking dish...

And start cutting them up into little Twix Bar pieces of joy...YUM!

A fake-out Twix bar recipe just can't be beat!

Gold!

Square Flower Embellished Shirt

This past weekend I bought some plain long-sleeved shirts off the clearance rack. What can I say, I can't pass up a deal! Since the belly is growing, I thought they would be a great cheap shirt to stretch out without feeling bad, PLUS they are super comfy and soft, me likey a lot!

The only downfall is that they are plain and rather boring. I needed to spice them up a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love myself some plain t-shirts but our winter here has been sooo long and drab I just needed to wear something fun! So, the Square Flower Embellished Shirtwas born. Want to take a look-see?

Pretty and no longer boring...yay for me!

You see, what I did was cut up small squares of fabric and stitched a star pattern in it that makes it look all flower-y and pretty...and non-boring! Not your normal flower but whoever said I was normal ;) It was so easy, I tell you...let me show you how I did it.

Square Flower Embellished Shirt

1 plain, boring shirt that you like but don't love

1 cheap-y t-shirt (or 1/4 yard of knit material) to cut up...may be similar color or not!

thread (contrasting thread stands out and looks super pretty!)

sewing machine

rotary cutter and mat

Here is my boring but comfy long-sleeve jersey shirt...it just needs some fun, doesn't it!?!

Here is the cheap-y Hanes shirt I used to make the square flowers.

Cut one sleeve off your t-shirt on the sleeve seam (where it attaches to the rest of the shirt).

This way you can still repurpose the rest of the shirt for something else!

Cut your sleeve up into 1 inch x 1 inch squares.

Pin all your squares in place so that you can see if you like the placement of them before you sew them down.

You may also want to try on your shirt to see how you like it too!

Now, take the pin out of one square at the top of the shoulder and stitch a line diagonally from corner to corner...don't forget to backstitch too!

You don't ever want to sew over a pin, that would be a big ouchy for your sewing machine!!!

Then, stitch the other two remaining lines of your flower to make a criss cross pattern.

You are now down one flower, pat yourself on the back...woot woot!

Keep doing this for each flower until they are all secure on your shirt.

Then, just cut all your loose thread ends and clean this beauty up! Unless you weren't lazy like me and didn't wait until the end to do this :)

All finished...an easy shirt embellishment done in no time!

Ahhh, so pretty!

LOVE!