A scarf AND a hat...in one!

I decided I was in need of a break from sewing for Christmas. I've had the idea for this project in my head for a while. All the materials I needed were on hand, so I decided to give it a go!

While this is my own design, I got the idea from this blog. I can't remember why I decided a giraffe variation would be cute, but that's what it ended up being. Now I have ideas for making these scarf/hats in different animals too. Wouldn't a monkey be cute? Or really any animal with cute ears? If you have any ideas I'd love to hear them!


This could be a new 'thing' for me. Too bad I'm a little late for Christmas, but maybe I can whip up a few for January, since that's when it really starts getting chilly around here.

Giveaway at "Simplify"

Sorry about the short notice, but Camille at "Simplify" is giving away a quilt!!! You get to pick the Thimble Blossoms pattern, and she'll make it for you or send you the kit (if you prefer to quilt yourself). This is an amazing prize, and it's being drawn for tomorrow. So hurry over!

http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/2008/11/feeling-lucky.html?cid=140190076#comment-140190076

One Down, Four to Go...I Think...

I just finished this custom order apron. My friend gave me an idea of what she wanted, and I went from there. She knew she wanted solid black for the main part of the apron. She also thought pink and polka dots would look cute, but was willing to let me see what I could find. Well, I found the perfect pink and black polka dot fabric for her. I think she's going to be thrilled, because I was having trouble finding the 'just right' fabric for her.



I changed my apron design up a bit to allow for adjustments around the neck. Since this apron will be a gift, I wanted to make sure it would fit the 'giftee'. I also think the two bows in the back make it look extra cutesy. I also added knots where the black and pink fabrics meet around the neck. The knots seem to finish the apron off as well as make the fabric transition a little more clean.



I hope she likes it!

All these apron orders for Christmas keep reminding me about my own Christmas shopping...or lack there of...

To Do List:
Finish aprons (by Christmas)
Finish Christmas shopping (by Christmas)

Custom Baby Items - Finished!

I finally finished a custom order for a stroller quilt, matching stroller bag and a change pad cover. These are all for the same friend who had me make the pink and brown crib quilt.





She wanted the stroller bag to fit a water bottle and a few small baby items. I used plastic canvas between the layers to keep it nice and sturdy.



The water bottle compartment has an elastic band since water bottles seem to vary in size. I also thought if she's jogging the band will help keep her water bottle in the compartment :). The other compartment just has a flap to keep things inside and dry.



All the snaps are reinforced with plastic canvas. I've never made anything like this before, so I wanted to make sure the snaps could handle the weight of a water bottle.



I also made her a change pad cover to match her crib quilt. I used just about every scrap of fabric to make this cover. I hope she's happy with how everything turned out!

Better than nothing!!!

So, it turns out the camera that needs to go in for 'repairs' just needs a good cleaning. Well, I don't mind a few specks on my photos if you don't! Hopefully I can get it cleaned this weekend, but for now, this will do.

I am excited to show you my latest project - Mary Jane slippers! I picked up this pattern last week at Quilt Essentials great sale. It's a pattern for 'Ballet Slippers', and you can make basic slippers or add cute straps (i.e. Mary Janes, cris-cross straps, and pretty ribbon straps). I've needed slippers for so long, but I was waiting for something cutesy. As soon as I saw the pattern I knew I wanted Mary Jane slippers :).




I love the little tab on the back - such a cute detail!



I've also been working on a custom order quilt. My friend (who ordered the pink crib quilt in previous posts), also requested a stroller quilt. With the fall weather coming upon us, she wanted something to bundle her baby in while they go out for crisp fall walks. She picked out the two main fabrics and the fuzzy backing and gave me free reign with the design. How trusting of her! :) After I made a few of the quilt blocks I realized it was going to be a bit busy, so I purchased the gray fabric to break it up a bit. I hope she likes it!


The quilt is actually a nine patch, but it's hard to tell from the photo :).

I'm disappointed I can't show you the quilt I finished or the apron I made for my sister-in-law, but I was camera-less and the projects are now out the door to their 'new owners'. At least I was able to post a couple of pictures and give a quick update. Hopefully, more projects will be finished soon!

Sewin', but nothin' showin' for it

I recently finished the pink baby quilt as well as a few smaller baby items, but alas, I have no camera to take pictures of them :(. Hubby needs the camera for work while his is being repaired, so it may be a little while before I can capture my projects on film again.

I have a bunch of projects in the works, though. I'm excited to share them, so hopefully my camera is back soon! I'm just about finished a fall coat for myself, I'm about to start quilting a quilt I started a year ago, and then I have a bunch of custom order aprons that need to be finished before Christmas. It doesn't seem like much now that I'm writing it out, but I really want to get these projects finished in the next two months. Actually, if we're talking Christmastime, I have a Christmas quilt that I started last winter that just needs the binding hand-stitched. So there's another one that needs doing for the holidays. Lots to do, but it's oh so much fun!

I read other blogs and I'm amazed how much sewing they can crank out in such a short period of time. On the very odd day I can finish a project in one sitting, but that is very rare! I usually have 3 or 4 projects going at one time, and they usually take me about a month or two to complete (unless it's a quilt, that could take several months...or in my case...a year...). :)

I think one reason I'm having a tough time finishing projects lately is I'm sleeping a lot more these days. I usually get a lot of sewing done while Peanut sleeps, but seem to be sleeping when he sleeps. At night I seem to be vegging - knitting, sometimes reading, and sometimes tidying up depending on my energy level - or dropping off to sleep again. Hmmmmm, I wonder if expecting a baby has anything to do with that...

:)

Quiltin' Away!

It's been a little while since I posted last, but that doesn't mean I haven't been sewing! In fact, I have several sewing projects that need doing in the next month, so you should be seeing more pics in the future. But right now I'm working a custom order for a baby quilt.

The expectant mom and I got together and talked about what she wanted. She was open to patterns, but liked the one I made for Peanut. She also mentioned that when her girls were babies they loved cuddling anything warm and soft. She was willing to buy the fabric herself and have me do the quilting, so that's what we did! While she was at the fabric store she found a gorgeous waffle weave fabric and some great brown microfleece for the backing. She did an amazing job picking out the fabrics. Her little baby girl is going to love it!

It's not finished yet, but here are some progress pics:

Finished squares!


More squares


The top is finished and now it's time for pinning the batting and backing.


Baby is going to love the soft pink border fabric!

Cutesy Apron

I just finished this apron for a friend. It's an apron pattern I designed and have made a few times. I had one of my aprons for sale at a fair, but my friend didn't like all the pink in the fabric :). So we managed to find a cute fabric in green. (There is a little pit of pink on the cupcakes, but she still approved. :)) I love cupcake fabric! This fabric is by Robert Kaufman and it was great to work with.

Originally the apron was going to be all the same fabric. But I found a lovely coordinating fabric in my stash in brown and green polka dots. I thought it would break up the busy-ness of the cupcake fabric too. I hope she likes it!




Peanut walked by and gave me a 'leg hug' :).


Close-up of the fabric.


Close-up of the gathers and big top-stitching.

A Giveaway!

Penny at "Sew Take a Hike" is having a lovely giveaway. She is passing on a thrifted gingham apron, a cherry bag, a copy of Cook's Country, some CUTE fabric and more! Go check it out and leave a comment here to enter. Enjoy!

It's been a while!

Wow, I just realized how long it's been since I've updated my blog! Sorry! I haven't been up to much in the way of sewing lately. The weather has been amazing and Peanut loves to be outdoors. We spend one or two days a week at the beach and the rest of the time we're in the backyard or neighborhood park. William loves the sand and I soak up a little sun (30 minutes immediately followed by sunblock). :)

I started a knitting project last week that I hope to have finished by fall. If any of you are still curious about the 'mystery' crochet project, it's still in the works. It's on hold for a little while, but I hope to have it finished in the next month or two as well. I've just always wanted to learn how to knit and I found a great sweater pattern that looks complicated, but is actually fairly easy (so far...). The hardest part is keeping track of which row I'm on in the pattern! I started keeping track with a sticky note, which has been has been a big help :). Aren't sticky notes great?! I had to learn a few new stitches for increasing and decreasing, but Google and YouTube have been extremely helpful. I've finished two pieces and I'm almost finished the third. Once it actually starts to look like something I'll post a picture.

I hope you're enjoying the summer too!

A Chain of Giving

I'm a fan of reusing and recycling. I have a tough time throwing things away when I think they could have a new and better purpose. I try not to be a junk hog, but I do hang onto things that I think could have 'a second life'. If I can't find a purpose for it, then at least I can donate to a local thrift store or give things away.

This past week I was the happy (Happy HAPPY!) receipient of a chain of giving. This may be a little tricky to follow: My friend's grandma's neighbor is moving and decided to down-size her fabric/craft supply. She asked her neighbor (my friend's grandma) if she wanted the stuff or if she knew of someone who could put it to good use. My friend's grandma accepted the stuff and decided to pass it along. I'm not exactly sure what happened next. From what I understand 'Grandma' was talking to here daughter (my friend's mom) and mentioned the craft supplies. My friend's mom thought of me and so I got a call a couple days ago to come pick up some free stuff!!! 'Grandma' called it 'craft supplies' on the phone, so I didn't really know what I was going to get. But I love all things crafty, so I readily and greatfully set-up a pick up time.


Peanut and I made the trip to see my friend's grandparents. We had a lovely visit. Peanut ate some freshly picked peas straight from the pod - he thought it was pretty cool :). I was able to poke through one of the boxes a little, and I was thrilled that 'craft supplies' meant fabric. Woohoo! I couldn't wait to get home and dig through everything.

Well, I got home, put Peanut to bed, and got to work...well, more like 'play' :). I couldn't believe what I found! There wasn't just fabric - there were tons of different kinds of trims and ribbons, a Tupperware full of buttons, some lace, finished collars, and - perhaps the most exciting find - some vintage patterns! Not only were there some cute patterns, I found an amazing apron pattern - I can't wait to try it! I've been looking for a vintage-ish apron pattern for my sister-in-law. I actually gasped when I saw the pattern because it is perfect. Yay!
The icing on the cake is that for the price of a little gas I was able to get all these wonderful treasures. Now I just need to think of some projects 'worthy' of all these great things. I'd love to get some ideas from you. Thanks for reading!

Baby Stroller Cushion and Quilt

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you have fun plans to celebrate. I'm just glad the weather perked up a bit after the thunderstorm and torrential rain yesterday! I'm not going to complain about that bought of rain because we did need it, I'm just glad it's sunny today :).

Here's my latest completed project. It's a custom order for a stroller cushion. My friend recently had a baby and bought one of those great jogging strollers. She loves the stroller but thought it didn't have enough padding for her baby. There is a metal bar right under where the baby is supposed to sit - poor baby bum! So she asked me to make her a cushion.

She picked out the fabric which is brown, maroon, pink, and lime green. I found a coordinating minky dot fabric in pink. The cushion has two sets of holes for upper straps and a funky hole thingy for the buckle strap. I made it this way so it would fit both the stroller and the car seat as well as be adjustable for when baby gets bigger.

What my friend doesn't know is that I made her a matching stroller quilt as well! It will fit the stroller nicely and not be too bulky for carrying around. I hope she likes it!

Hmmm...Mysterious...

Here's a crochet project I started a few days ago. It's not something I typically make (you know, an afghan or a sweater). I'm not finished yet, but I'm kinda excited about it. I just had to give you a sneak peek. :)

What do you think it could be?

A blog I love and a giveaway I couldn't resist...

I love Sandy's 4 Reluctant Entertainers blog! She has tons of tips for entertaining (not to mention gorgeous photos) - no matter your age, space constraints, or budget. Here is an exerpt from Sandy's blog:

"With the best intentions, many of us think about entertaining, but never get around to it. For many this blessing of gracious living for both the host and her guests never takes place because of fear … fear of failure, unable to cook, unwilling to share their lives with others, fear of deepening friendships … they are intimidated and think the meal has to be perfect, or … they don’t have the lifestyle that says, “welcome.” I believe in connection. I believe that Americans need to lower the expectations of perfection and open their homes to heart-warming dinners and in doing so, open their lives to LOVE!"

If that isn't motivating enough to go check out her blog, then you should also know that she is having a giveaway! Go check out her blog to learn more about how you could win a lovely Cheery Cherry Apron and more!

http://www.reluctantentertainer.com/

Diaper Bag for a Friend

Yippee! It's finished! My friend just had a baby and wanted a customized diaper bag. We looked at different pictures and designs and came up with this:

She wanted a sturdy bag that could hold its shape, so I used heavy duty stabilizer. The strap is adjustable and has some polyester batting inside for comfort.
It's a messenger style bag, so we took advantage of the flap and added a zipper pocket for extra storage.
The back has a large flat pocket and the sides have bottle pockets.
The inside has pockets lined with clear vinyl. The bottom has clear vinyl too for easy clean up and spills. I decided to add a zipper pocket, because my friend wanted 'lots of pockets' :).

I hope she likes it - I can't wait to give it to her!

Faith, Hope, Love

I think this quilt pattern by McKenna Ryan is gorgeous. I love the message, the colors, the design, ahhhh...everything. It looks like tons of work with lots of applique, so I don't know if I'm quite ready for this type of project. Also, the price tag isn't quite so gorgeous - about $100 for just the patterns!!! I think I'll just drool over the pictures for now :).

More pics here: http://www.pineneedles.com/SuperStore/SuperStore-Assortment.asp?AssortmentID=48

To infinity...and beyond!

I've always wanted to make an infinity dress. For those of you who don't know what it is, its a halter top style dress with very long straps that can be wrapped and knotted numerous ways. If you look at the pic below, the straps are attached at the waist and then come up over my shoulders, cross in the back, then they cross again around my waist and are tied in the back. It's fun experimenting with all the ways I can wrap this shirt.

Originally, I wanted to make a dress, but in my search for ideas, I found someone who paired a shirt with a skirt. This way, I have the option of wearing the top with pants, other skirts, or the matching skirt. Fun stuff!

Here's the tutorial I based my infinity shirt/dress on, but I did change a few things like the length of the dress as well as the length of the straps. I also added extra fabric in the band for modesty and I left the fabric square to get the hankerchief hem. http://rowena.typepad.com/rostitchery/2006/06/one_seam_conver.html



Here it is as just a top. The straps are quite wide so I can scrunch them up like a tank top or spread them out to get a cap sleeve.


Here is the infinity top with the matching skirt. I'm debating how often I will wear the matching skirt - does it seem a little 'too' formal to you? I was hoping to wear it to church, but I may save it for weddings or formal occasions. Hmmmm.

Thanks for looking, and I'd love to read your comments!

Baby Silhouette Canvas with a Tutorial

Peanut isn't exactly a baby any more *sniff, sniff*, but you get the idea. I wanted to capture this moment in time with a fabric silhouette. I got the idea from this blog http://blissfulliving-domesticbliss.blogspot.com/2008/05/fun-little-projects.html.





Hmmm...I'm thinking this might be a great gift idea for Father's Day or simply a personilized gift for a loved one. So, here's a write up of what I did:

Materials: 2 types of fabric, a canvas (bought mine at Walmart), Heat'n'Bond (a double-sided iron-on adhesive, I bought mine at Joann's), tacks

1. I took a side view photo of Peanut (I had him look out the window. He loves the outdoors, so this was an effective method for us :)).

2. I uploaded the photo onto my computer and just traced his profile right off the computer screen. Seriously! I put a piece of paper on the monitor and traced away. It worked great!

3. I cut out his traced profile carefully. I will use this later as a stencil.

4. I ironed my selected fabrics (I used two fabrics - a brown sateen and a green cotton gingham to match Peanut's room). I made sure the brown piece was large enough for the silhouette and the green gingham was a few inches larger than the canvas.

5. I cut out a piece of Heat'n'Bond large enough to fit Peanut's profile. Then, I ironed the piece of Heat'n'Bond onto the back of the brown fabric. Leave the paper backing on the adhesive - you will use this to trace the silhouette.

6. I traced the profile stencil from earlier onto the paper from the Heat'n'Bond. (Note: if you care about which way your silhouette is looking, make sure you trace the profile in the opposite direction)

7. I cut out the profile. You'll want to cut the silhouette out carefully with sharp scissors (preferably sewing scissors) because you'll see mistakes on the fabric if you cut too far.

8. I peeled off the paper backing from the silhouette and laid the silhouette, adhesive side down, on my gingham fabric. I spent a bit of time making sure the silhouette was centered on my fabric.

9. Then, I ironed the silhouette onto gingham fabric. I started ironing in the center and worked my way to the edges to avoid wrinkles in the fabric.

10. I let the silhouette set for a few minutes until it was cool. Then, I centered it on the canvas.

11. I used tape initially when I was stretching my fabric over the canvas. The gingham was tricky to work with because I wanted the checkers to line up correctly.

12. Then, I flipped the canvas over and tacked everything down. I started with a tack in the middle of each side and then I tacked each corner. You might have to fiddle with corners a bit to get them to look nice.



13. And voila! There you have a lovely canvas silhouette!

If you use this tutorial I'd love to hear from you - this is the first tutorial I've written. Please let me know if any of the directions are confusing or if you have any questions. I'd also love to see your silhouettes, so please share!

Enjoy!

While hubby's away, why not play!

Last weekend, I bought some fabrics to make a quilt for Peanut. I realized I love to sew, but I haven't made him very many things. Also, whenever we go visiting in the evenings I never have a blanket for him (if any of you have had us over in the evening, you know that I always ask to borrow a blanket because I don't have one with me :)). I decided to make a quilt just for him that we can take with us when he needs to sleep.

I cut and pieced on Wednesday, then quilted and bound yesterday. I was amazed how quickly it went - TWO DAYS! I think using a pattern helped, because I didn't have to waste so much time figuring out the math. Also, it's a crib size quilt, so it's a nice small one.

It's finished! Binding and all!

A close up of the fabrics and binding. I cut the binding strips on the bias to get the diagonal stripes.

Looking out his window with his quilt. You can see the back of it here. Pretty simple - just a green paisley fabric. (I love paisley! - I'm hoping it's not too feminine for my little man.)

Just sewing and crafting

I recently realized my family blog was turing into a crafting blog. Since my family doesn't necessarily care to see all my crazy crafting projects AND I'd like to be able to share my crafting with the blogging world, I decided to start a blog just for sewing and crafts.

Enjoy!