alphabet magnets

I love pinterest!  Matt makes fun of me but I have found so many neat projects, ideas, and recipes on there.  Looking at pinterest is actually part of my nightly routine and a little treat for myself after I do my nightly injection.

A few days ago, a good friend tagged me in a pin of these adorable alphabet magnets that you make from your scrap fabric!  I had actually just been looking at a way to use my scraps (I don't want to move them) and ways to teach the kids the alphabet...what a perfect combination!  I used the basic guidelines from this blog: http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2009/10/tutorial-how-to-make-plush-alphabet.html but altered them a little.

I finished up our set last night so I put them all up on the dishwasher as a surprise for the kids this morning.  They were a huge hit...we played with them for almost a half hour before doing anything else this morning!

Here are instructions to make them the way I did:
1. Go to microsoft word, pick a font you like to use, type out the alphabet (and numbers if you want), make it the size you want, print, and cut them out....these are your templates.
2. Gather your material.  Each letter needs about two 3inx4in pieces of the same material if yours are the same size as mine.  Lay these together wrong sides toward each other.  
3. Trace the letter/number on one of the pieces of material using a washable fabric marker.  This is the one I used: http://www.joann.com/dritz-dual-purpose-twin-marking-pens/prd3117/?green=3AB21459-5252-5E94-98D0-AB5A18AD730F
4. Place a piece of batting between the two layers of fabric making sure it is a little bigger than the letter/number.
5. Sew your layers together on the lines you already drew.  I decided to sew all of the letters and numbers with the same color thread...in my case black but you can always pick thread that goes with your fabric.
6. If you choose to make your letters magnetic there are two options to hide the magnet: either place the magnet in the layers like the blog above shows and simply sew with it in there or sew most of your letter and place the magnet inside the letter before finishing sewing.  I chose the second option because I wanted it to be as flat as possible for most of the sewing but either way will work well.
7. Cut out your letters.  Leave about 1/8th-1/4th inch of fabric outside of your sewing so you don't cut into the stitches.
8. Enjoy!!!

The blog also has a good tutorial for a bag to hold all of these but ours isn't finished yet.  I forgot to purchase the string to hold ours together so for now they will stay on our dishwasher!  

Enjoy making a set for your little ones and let me know if you have questions!!!
.katherine.

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