Capital B: Simple Fleece Face Guards: Gifts Under $20

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Simple Fleece Face Guards: Gifts Under $20

Today I'm happily in the company of #myfavoritebloggers again! This time we've set out to each share a gift under $20. The one I chose had been on my list for a long time.... and is WELL under that $20 price point. Maybe more like under $5 even...

Aren't these gals beautiful? I sure appreciate and enjoy them! THEY are a gift in my life :)

As for my contribution... Don't the boys look like they are loving these fleece face guards? They actually really do- Coop put his on and made that "Aaahhh," sound, as though he might as well have been drinking a warm cup of cocoa in front of a fire :)

My mom made these for our family when I was growing up. My brother and sisters and I were often snowmobiling, sledding, skiing or just playing in the snow in the wintertime. And these fleece face guards were the key to all of it being fun, instead of just short lived attempts! We Moms know all too well how that goes, right? Takes 20 minutes to get your kiddo sufficiently bundled, only to have them come in eight minutes later... Or get to the sled hill, only to have them go down once, cry all the way back up because snow got in their face and down their back and there's no way you're convincing them to give it another go.

These super simple fleece face guards will really help make winter play more enjoyable. They are awesome for any age- I'll be making these for Taron and Keaton as well (maybe not in Marvel comic fabric, however...) and even for Stephen and I. They really are like the warm sports version of an infinity scarf when it comes to making them- super easy. :)

I bought my fleece as remnants at JoAnn's last winter. But I noticed last week that the remnant bin is already pretty well stuffed with fleece. This make it 50% off and there will be plenty to make at least one if not two, three, even four face guards with a remnant piece. These would make great gifts for grandkids or your kids' friends- you could choose fleece that fits each of their personalities and interests, then only need a 1/4 of a yard or so. You'll need to cut two pieces 23 inches by 8 1/2 inches for each face guard. Mine are printed on one side and black on the other- whatever goes.

Also, I should note that, thanks to their Dad, my boys' heads are pretty big, so this 23" long measurement works well to be able to slip them over no problem. If your child has a smaller frame, you may want to shore that up a bit. When it comes to tucking the fleece in to coats and over hats or just under the bottom rim of goggles, you won't be sorry to have a bit of extra either though :)

It's usually hard to tell which side is "right" on fleece, but I kinda felt them and figured it out, then place right sides together. While it's true that fleece won't fray and sewing then turning like we're about to do isn't entirely necessary, it does really make this project look a lot nicer. The cut edge does have a bit of a roughness to it that I wanted to avoid here.

Sew up both of the long sides, through both pieces of fabric. Then turn then right side out...

To give the finished project a nicer look, top stitch a wide seam up both long sides again like above.

Next fold your whole piece in half, right sides together, and sew through all four pieces up the short end.

Turn your finished loop right side out and you're done!

OR... So, I wasn't really was happy with how that final seam turned out- it will be at the back and on the inside, so it truly won't matter, but if the bulk of it bothers you too, here's another option that I did end up liking better:

When sewing up the long sides originally, stop about an inch from the end on one end, like above. Then continue with the turning and top stitching, paying attention to stop early then also. This will allow you to tuck the ends together like this:

And then stitch up the edge to form a loop like above. Go slowly and be sure to catch all four layers at once. This does leave a raw edge showing, but I still preferred it and love that fleece won't fray so it's not a concern that way :)

So easy, huh?! These really could take on any kind of personality you wanted with different prints of fleece. Because they're double layered, they really work well to keep the cold and snow at bay when playing outside in the winter :) As simple as this is, it could also be a fun sewing project for older kids to make themselves for friends. I thought they were cute tied with a ribbon for gifting :)

Hopefully these can be useful and fun for someone else also! Make sure to check out the other less than $20 gift ideas from my favorite bloggers also- really great gift ideas that are sure to be helpful: