Monday, August 10, 2009

50 Uses for a Bandana

I'm not gonna give you the exhaustive list provided on the back of the bandana packaging, but thought I'd pick a few of my favs.

  1. mask...if you're a preschooler or a bank robber...

  2. fancy food wrapper....bandana? fancy?

  3. emergency diaper--for a mouse maybe. It'd have to be a small emergency, that's for sure!

  4. make a bikini....???? let's picture this...wet bandana clinging in crevices...only if they throw in a free download of photoshop.

  5. and, #50...."sew into a soft wallet"--the only thing less supportive than a bandana would have to be a piece of toilet paper. Which brings me back to #4....a bikini?! sorry, can't get over it.

Although I do appreciate the nice bandana people for fanning our creative spark, I did already have my own use in mind when I picked up a few of these at Michael's (sorry Lisa, they're closer). Dane's room is a cowboy/western room, and I wanted to make him a crib mobile. We'll make that Craft Use #51.

So, this is what I used: some sort of duct work circle thing from Lowe's (I just wandered around in that area until I found the size/look I wanted), twine, ceiling hook, fun fabric, western shapes (did a google search for the images I wanted), cardboard, bandanas, hot glue, modge podge, exacto knife, and pinking shears.


Step 1: Print and cut the shapes wanted. Since I was doing a western theme, I chose a cactus, horseshoe, boot, cowboy hat, and sheriff star.

Step 2: Cut the shapes out of cardboard with an exacto knife.

Step 3: Cut the shapes out of bandanas (or other material). I used pinking shears. Make the fabric just a little bigger than the cardboard shapes. Don't forget you'll need two pieces for each shape, one for the top and one for the bottom.

Step 4: Coat one side of each of the cardboard shapes with modge podge and put the coordinating fabric on them. Wait until dry. Turn over and repeat with the remaining fabric.

Step 5: While the modge podge is flowing, cut a strip of whatever fabric you want (I used pinking shears). Coat the wrong side of the fabric with modge podge and then put it around the silver circle.

Step 6: When the modge podge is dry, cut strips (about 1" X 4") and hot glue them in loops on one side of each shape. You'll loop the twine through these to hang the mobile.

Step 7: Use a nail and hammer to make holes in the duct thing. Punch 4 holes. Pretend it's a clock and punch the holes at 12, 3, 6, and 9. You're going to use the holes to hang it from the ceiling.

Step 8: Cut twine as long as you want the shapes to hang. The duct circle comes with little metal tabs on the top and bottom. I bent all of them to the inside of the circle on the top of my mobile. I did the same on the bottom, but I looped my shape twine over four of them before I bent them up.

Step 9: Cut 2 pieces of twine long enough to hang it from the ceiling at the length you want. Thread one through your 12 & 6 o'clock holes and the other through your 3 & 9 o'clock holes. Bring the two together at the top and tie. I also tyed one shape from the intersection of these two pieces of twine, so there's one shape hanging from the middle.

Step 10: Mount your ceiling hook and hang your crib mobile!!

I would rate this project at a medium rare level. After you get all the stuff together, you can get it done in half a day. If you decide you want to do and need help with a particular step, let me know!

Finished western baby mobile!


Dane's view. He L.O.V.E.S. it!


You could do this with ANY theme!

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Ok! this is too cute!! With that said I will let the Michaels thing slide this once! LOL shhhh don't tell my husband!

Lil Eskimo said...

Thanks! Definitely, DON'T tell him. You guys are my favorite Hobby Lobbies!