Trying Sew Hard.

Just Peachy.

2009-04-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite event, Little Feet Repeats, was held this past week. I instantly fell in love with a pillowcase that I found. It's orange, (one of my fave colors) and it's polka-dotty (my favorite design). It was a bit big to be a dress for Kaitlynn so I cut it up and gave it new seams to make it smaller. I wasn't in the mood to make tiny hems in the armpits so I went on the hunt for some bias tape, just hoping and praying I'd have something in my collection. Sure enough, I found some light peach tape that I completely forgot I had purchased for a different dress. Double Score!! So here it is! My "Just Peachy" pillowcase dress:

Baby Gift for Jessica Michelle

2009-03-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

On March 15th, I attended my cousin Jennifer's baby shower for soon-t0-be Jessica Michelle..(most likely). The baby should arrive into the world by scheduled C-Section in a little less than a month. It was a nice, relaxing, low key baby shower. I actually won a game! That never happens. The object of the game was to diaper a baby doll - blindfolded! Shocking that I won that one, huh? Had a little practice here and there over the past 6 years...... and most recently. Anyway - I made her gift and here are pictures:

This is a diaper clutch with pink gingham lining and a chenille bib with pink gingham backing.

Here's the Ballerina flannel bib with Pink satin lining and the baby blanket. The back is the coordinating chenille with.... of course, the Ballerina flannel lining.

And lastly, a photo of the handheld taggy and a shot of the whole kit 'n' caboodle! I hope she actually gets some use out of these!! Early Congratulations Kevin and Jenn!

Please Help the Leukemia & Lymphoa Society!

2009-03-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

My baby sister Jamie is currently training for the "Rock & Roll Marathon" in Seattle, Wa on June 27th, 2009. All funds raised will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Sociey is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to curing Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and Myeloma and improving the quality of life for patients and their families. This cause is very near and dear to our family and we would love if YOU could be a part of it! Her Inland Empire Marathon Team will be running for a 5 year old boy named Micah Brown. Jamie's personal honoree is our cousin Paul who had Non-Hodgkins B-Cell Lymphoma. Any donation you are able to make is 100% tax deductible! (LLS TAX ID#13-5644916) Jamie's personal goal is to raise $5000.00! You can donate to the cause and view her fundraising progress at http://pages.teamintraining.org/ocie/rnrseatl09/jpellettera. No amount is too small!! THANK YOU in advance for any way you can help!

Love Day Galore

2009-02-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

A few Valentine's projects to share here.

Number 1 -

Kaitlynn has to bring a decorated box to school tomorrow. It will store her Valentine's cards and goodies on Thursday during their classroom celebration. I've had this shoebox for YEARS. Seriously, I've been saving it. I didn't know what for - but it ended up coming in handy. I wrapped it in festive fabric and Kaitlynn glued on gemstones, sticky sayings and foam hearts. I fancy this box :)

Number 2 -

I found this idea out in cyber space. This is a soup can. I peeled off the paper label, washed it out and used a tutorial from another blog to create the soup can cover. I really hope my children's teachers don't read my blog posts. I have no idea why they would but you never know I guess!

Number 3 -

A repeat of the soup can project. This one is for Andrew's 1st grade teacher. Looking at it now, I shouldn't have taken such a close up picture. I really did a number with that zig zig stitch. I'm not sure what I'm going to fill them with, but I heart these soup cans!

Diaper Clutch

2009-02-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

I can't remember how long it's been since I've seen the idea of a diaper clutch, but I do remember thinking how genious it would be for me. Now that Mitchell is coming up on 18 months old, the only "baby" stuff that we regularly bring out with us are diapers and wipes.... And a ziploc freezer bag is usually my tote of choice. Otherwise they just end up at the bottom of purse encased in cracker crumbs and gum wrappers. Today I finally found a tutorial I liked and got around to sewing up a diaper/wipes clutch for Mitchell.... Okay, it's really for ME!

In Polka Dot Heaven.

2009-01-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Not sure if you know.. But I seriously LOVE polka dots. Maybe in an unhealthy manner?? I've been holding on to some pink and brown polka dot remnants for months now... just waiting for the perfect project to come along. A super duper friend brought me a pattern piece and instructions for a smock top this afternoon. I sewed it up real quick and added velcro closure this evening. It wasn't polka dotty enough, so I grabbed a pair of her jeans and added a ruffled band around the bottom of the pants. This was the first time I have ruffled without a ruffler foot... well who am I kidding? This was only the second time I've ruffled anything. The first time I tried it out for fun with a ruffler foot on my machine. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be - plus I learned about some new features of my machine in the process! And the results couldn't be cuter!!!!

My Semi-Homemade Holiday

2008-12-29T13:44:00.001-08:00

I hope this post finds you all warm and cozy! Above you'll see a slide show of most of the gifts I created for my loved ones this Christmas. I didn't get pictures of the stepping stones we made for my Dad's backyard. With a bag of cement, a bucket and pie pans, we handed over a moment in time. The stones including Andrew and Kaitlynn's handprints and Mitchell's footprint. They are permanant yet portable. I also made a NASCAR themed blanket for my Mom's husband that I never caught a photo of! I was able to really break in my new sewing desk last week. Most of the projects were sewn in a matter of 3 days - nothing like waiting until the last minute?! That's pretty much protocol in my house!

Have a VERY MERRY and Happy New Year!

Shhhhhhh......

2008-12-11T11:31:00.001-08:00

......it's a secret!

I'm working on a Christmas gift for someone, although I can't say who. (I think they read my blog) I'm about halfway there and hoping to finish it up tomorrow sometime.

The Sneak Preview -

I cannot wait to share this one with all of you once the holidays are over! I love it so far :)

Behold the Almighty Table.

2008-12-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been waiting a lifetime for this wondrous piece of sewing furniture. I'll admit it's only been about 4 - 5 months since I first spotted it, but it has felt like forever. I originally found it on Walmart's website for about a hundred dollars. Unfortunately shipping & handling was somewhere in the range of 30 dollars, which is what kept me from acquiring it for so long. In the meantime, I purchased a "vintage" desk and matching swivel chair from a consignment shop in town that was going out of business. The desk was a bit roughed up... it's definitely got some history. But for 45 bucks, I planned on making that my project, my second hobby, my baby. We bought a sander at the local hardware store and I got to work on it one night. Do you any of you realize how hard it is to sand something with that many layers of finish on it? Holy Moly is all I have to say. Since we moved a few weeks ago, my "baby" has been on the back burner for sure. Cory tried to talk me into getting rid of it, while we cleaned our garage last week, but I wouldn't budge. Which is what forced him to spill his guts about the sewing table he had bought for me! He put it together tonight and it is sooooo absolutely stunning. If this doesn't get me motivated to finish my Christmas sewing, then I don't know what will!

And now I present to you, the Sauder Sewing and Craft Table, Cottage Home Collection:

Anyone interested in purchasing a partially sanded vintage desk with matching swivel chair??

Been awhile...

2008-11-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

We moved just over a week ago and in turn any extracurricular projects have definitely been put on the back burner. But I squeezed in a quick project tonight. It's for Baby Aidan. A taggy, with real tags -

Hope Mommy Heather likes it!

And check out that super sweet new dining table in the background ;)

Job #2

2008-10-22T17:40:00.001-07:00

I got hired for sewing again! YAY! My friend Heather requested a Christmas apron for herself, a matching one for her four year old son and a matching bib for her baby. So here they are!

Next project for my sewing machine: Christmas gifts. I've checked out a few blogs recently in which the blogger explains how she likes to have alllllllll the Christmas gifts made/purchased/wrapped/ready to go by the end of October... or as soon as humanly possible. That way they can spend Novemeber and December actually enjoying the holidays. What a concept, huh? I won't be done by the end of October (obviously) but it'd be great to have most things) ready for giving by December 1st! That's the goal.. I'll update this blog soon and let you know how I'm doing.

Tutu Virgin.

2008-10-08T12:40:00.001-07:00

My husband's work had a 90% off clearance sale one day a few months ago. I couldn't shop at it, but he picked me up 20 yards of Organza. I've never worked with it before and wasn't sure what I'd eventually create out of it, but this morning I finally figured it out. I'm no longer a tutu virgin. All of us who craft, or who have young daughters know how trendy these pretty little things are right now... and there are some REALLY gorgeous tutus out there! This is my first one - it's taken a ton of tying, trimming, tweaking (and it's very basic) but I've finally gotten it to the point where I am slightly satisfied. I have so many ideas running through my head for these...........my bank account better watch out!

Did I mention that Kaitlynn can be a bit corny at times?

But she can be precious too ;)

FREE!!

2008-10-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said free. This amazingly talented lady is having a giveaway for her 100th post. You don't want to miss it - it's gorgeous!

Visit her blog to enter the contest!

The Final Project.

2008-10-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

I started out National Sewing Month stating that I'd like to end the month with a big bang. I toyed around with quite a few ideas, but only one ever ended up coming to fruition. I decided on (drumroll please.....!) a scrap quilt! This quilt, aside from the backing, is made solely from scraps I had leftover from previous projects. My idea started out really well if I do say so myself. I had JUST enough scraps for the squares I needed, cutting was easy-peasy and I liked the way it was starting to look. Somewhere in all that perfection, mistakes started popping up. Problem is I didn't see them until it was all sewn together. But you know - I'm OK with that! It's a scrap quilt, it's not supposed to be perfect! Most important thing - my kids love it. They are enjoying pointing out what each square is from - which dress it came from, who's blanket I made with that fabric... etc. etc.

All laid out and ready to become a quilt.

The top before I decided to add the strips.

And the finished project -

I hope you all enjoyed National Sewing Month 2008 as much as I did! There are many more posts to come seeing as Christmas Day is just 2 months and 23 days away!

Week #4, Project 3 and 4.

2008-09-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hi readers!!

I hope you like this one. The Bakersfield SAHM Meetup is having a Fall Festival at the park this evening. To raise some money for our group, I created a couple of items that will be given away in a raffle. A Fall themed apron and coordinating quilted table runner -

A Pretty Package if I do say so myself!

Week #4, Project 2

2008-09-22T20:13:00.001-07:00

Nothing exciting to report around here. A few months ago I made some great hot pads for my sister out of dish towels. Problem was, she forgot to take them home from my house, and ME being ME, I started using them. She's came into town this morning and I had the urge to sew this evening, so I whipped her out a new set. Pathetically, I have so many dish towels on hand that she was able to rifle through my stash and find ones to match her dishes and kitchen perfectly. Here they are!!

On the side, my sister had a seam coming apart on her New York & Company top that she wore over here today. She was going to take it to a dry cleaner to have it fixed - until I volunteered to do it. I managed to find EXACT matching thread in my cabinet and I actually fixed it! Kinda proud of my little seam repair... Hey, after the tooth fairy pillow disaster, I'll take success wherever I can get it.

Week #4, Project # 1.......

2008-09-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

.........is a total bust. My 6 year old has his first loose tooth. I made him a tooth fairy pillow this morning, but it's so embarrassingly horrific that I will not be posting pictures. Luckily 1st-graders don't check out patterns, hems or seams. We'll have to use this one for now, unless I get around to making another one this week.

Happy Sunday to all!!

Week 3, Projects #1, 2 and 3.

2008-09-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

I've been holding off on sharing this one and it's been killing me! This project was made for a dear friend of mine who I sew with every Tuesday morning. I had been thinking about what I should get/make her for her birthday (which was today, the 19th) and on Wednesday night it finally hit me! I remember her mentioning before that she liked my pin cushion (given to me by my other dear sewing friend, Christy). Currently she keeps her pins in the plastic container they came in. The pin cushion just didn't feel complete though, so I also created a sewing machine cover and a case for her scissors. I went out on Thursday morning with the intention of finding coordinating polka dots (her favorite) and ended up with something slightly polka dotty and a super duper awesome geometric print to go with it. Here is the finished project -

The sewing machine cover is trimmed with medium ric rac - my very first time working with that stuff, interesting experience to say the least!

Here's the pin cushion! I read all kinds of suggestions as to what it should be filled with - Dried coffee grounds, polyester fiber fill, hair (weird?)..... This one ended up with rice!

Here's the scissors case that I actually "invented" on my own last Saturday night. Now, I'm not sure whether or not I should be bragging about that, but since this picture doesn't really show of the mistakes, I'll take the credit for now!

And check this out - the case for the scissors and the sewing machine cover are (drum roll please!).......................reversible!!

Happy Birthday Billie Lynn!

Week 2, Project 3 and a First.

2008-09-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

National Sewing Month is halfway over and I have had the privilege of completing 10 projects in just 2 weeks. The following pictures are of project #10. This was started on Saturday night. I spent a couple of hours on printing, cutting, pinning, cutting again, interfacing and cutting appliques... again. Only to realize at 10:30 p.m. that I did not have the correct color of thread to sew them on with. How disappointing :( At about 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, I ran over to Walmart (again!) and found the perfect thread. I was able to knock out the project before lunchtime! And I am so happy I did. I absolutely love, love, love this blanket. It is soooo comfy, without being bulky and I think the 10 year old girl I made it for is going to be as in love with it as I am. I was told she loves pink and cheetah print, so this is what I came up with - My First Appliques!!

So what did I learn with this project?? Don't applique with material that stretches! Seriously, how many times can I learn my lesson.. before I actually learn it?! I am really tempted to make one of these for each of my kids for Christmas. I think they'd be something really special that Andrew, Kaitlynn and Mitchell would love for years to come!

How is National Sewing Month going for all of you???

Week 2, Project 2

2008-09-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

This MAY be my favorite so far! I found a great (and simple) tutorial online for baby bibs. The writer instructs us to use terrycloth on the back of the bib so that it can be used as a washcloth after meals. Unfortunately, I had none stashed away, and no time to buy any, so I ended up just using a washcloth out of our linen closet! I'm really happy with the way the end result. Next time I plan on making it a bit longer so that we can cover ALL of Mitchell's front. I didn't realize it at the time I purchased the fabric, but the animals on the bib are the same as his nursery theme - The Bazooples! And here's my little model -

Week 2, Project 1

2008-09-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

The much awaited I Spy Bag... well for me anyway. I've been itchin' to make one of these for awhile. I finally got all of the supplies together with some help from a friend. So here it is! It's only been finished for about 10 minutes and the kids are already fighting over it. Looks like I'll be making some more of these very soon :)

Week 1, The rest of my projects.

2008-09-07T13:21:00.001-07:00

First things first. I found this comfortable (but unfortunately stretchy) material at Walmart awhile back for $1/yd. I had intentions of pajama pants for Kaitlynn and this week I finally made it happen - she loves them, so I love them.

Number two project. This was done on Sunday morning. A dress! From a pattern! And it worked! Crazy, crazy I know... I hate patterns. But Christy had given me a few that she found awhile back and I finally got brave enough to try it ... ALONE. Scary - but it worked!

Not much to say here. A Coaster. A criss cross coaster at that. Google these little cuties and you'll see how easy they are. I plan on making a full set, but for fun I wanted to try just one with some scrap material I had in my hall closet. More on these later!!

Saving the best for last - The wine bag and set of coasters made for a pajama contest at the Mom's Night Out at my house on Saturday night. I have to be honest and say that I didn't really "make" the bag. I read the pattern, cut out the pieces, sewed the lining and attached the boa. Miss Billie did everything else - including the coasters!

Week 1 of National Sewing Month 2008 is completed. Goal - 2 projects. Completed - 7.

Week 1, Project 2.

2008-09-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm in slight disbelief! I found a tutorial for pajama pants yesterday. It wasn't very self-explanatory, which is not good for me. I have discovered that I'm a visual learner - I need to SEE how things go together and what they are going to look like....... to just read instructions? It does me no good. But, today is Andrew's 6th birthday and I've been holding on to this thermal Pirates material for awhile now. So I thought, why not? I'll give it a shot. I modeled these pajama pants after a pair of jeans we bought during back to school shopping. Remind me to never use thermal again, or anything with ANY stretch for that matter. Regardless, I'm just happy they LOOK like pants, let alone are actually something he will like and wear. The fabric was purchased at Joann's in the remnant bin. Total cost, not including thread and elastic??

57 cents!

Does anyone have an idea of some kind of coordinating accessory I can make out of the scraps I have left??

My Promise To You.

2008-09-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

Let's celebrate!! September is National Sewing Month! It's one of those holidays I never even knew existed. And if you're like me, you may want to visit http://nationalsewingmonth.org/index.html

I shouldn't be making promises like this - then I might be known as the blogger who breaks promises. But, here goes nothing! I vow to create two new projects each week for the entire month of September!

For week #1 I've made the two aprons and tomorrow I'm going to be creating a gift (of which cannot yet be divulged) for the Bakersfield SAHM Meetup group. I hope to finish off the month with a BIG BANG!

I would love for you all to join me in:

SEW, WHO'S UP FOR THE CHALLENGE???

My First Job.

2008-09-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

I got my first sewing job this week. A friend asked me to make her two aprons for the preschool internship she'll be doing this semester. She was going to pay me - so technically it was a job :) But I was just going to use that money to buy her GORGEOUS hair bows off of Etsy anyway, so we just ended up trading one homemade art for another. Below are the finished products! Each apron is large enough to cover all areas of her clothing (you know how crazy preschoolers can get with paints, bodily fluids and food) and even though it's hard to tell, there are 3 equal sized pockets across the front. I hope you like them Jannice!

DOH!!!

2008-08-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

An approximate recap of a recent coversation regarding my first quilt.

A couple of weeks ago....

Billie Lynn: Hey, I got this super duper cute quilt kit at Joann's. It's got everything you need in it to make a quilt.

Me: Oh how cool! I think I'll pick one up for a birthday present for Mitchell.

(I then proceeded to Joann's a week later to buy a pirate themed quilt kit on clearance for $14.97)

This morning....

Me: Hey Billie Lynn, check out my super duper cute quilt kit I got at Joann's!

Billie Lynn: Yes, that is super duper cute. I can't wait to make mine, but I still have to cut everything.

Me: HUH???

Billie Lynn: I haven't started cutting anything yet.

Me: HUH???

Billie Lynn: (Looking at me....)

Me: I have to cut stuff?? I thought this was a quilt kit, all ready to go.

Billie Lynn: Oh no girlfriend, that's just the fabric you still have to cut all your squares out.

Me: (in Homer Simpson voice) DOH!!

Billie Lynn: By the way, you picked a really difficult quilt kit. You have a lot more cutting than I do.

Me: Stupid me, I should have paid more attention to the picture on the front so I would have known what was in store for me!

All in all, it wasn't a death sentence. (although it felt close to it). While running my mouth during our sewing date, I wasn't paying enough attention to my cutting, and left one square an inch short. I pieced together a 5-square strip... then double checked and realized I really only made it a 4-square strip. My batting was sized ridiculously wrong after I cut it to what I thought was the right shape and size. Oh well! In the end, I like the quilt. It took me four and a half hours (off and on) and it was worth it. It was a great learning experience..... I learned not to talk too much... and that you still have to cut quilt kits - blech.

Got The Bug.

2008-08-18T19:15:00.001-07:00

Can you tell the sewing bug as bit me again? Three new "creations" to post tonight:

First I've made my sister a new tote bag with the cutest dish towels - EVER! The last one I made her didn't come out too well, so I'm replacing it for her this weekend when she gets to my house.

Second, I scored some sweet deals at Joann's on Sunday so I've got lots of fabric & embellishments to keep me occupied (now that the kids are back in school). I purchased materials for some kid's aprons I'm making as Christmas gifts, and here's the first one.. finished in August.. now I have to stare at it for 5 months. (oooh, BTW - I'm still adding some cute stuff to it, but the basic form is done)

Lastly, I just had an urge to make a Taggy blanket today, so I decided to make one for my friend's Baby Miranda. This one was made all of scraps (that's why nothing is color coordinated) and it's filled with grocery bags to make it crinkly.

I'm sewing with a friend tomorrow and I hope to start and finish another project - stay tuned!

Sneak Peek

2008-08-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

After watching Billie Lynn make her pillowcase dress yesterday, and giving me some instruction on it, I got brave enough to try it myself this morning. It's definitely a rough draft. I didn't have any super beautiful embellishments to go on it... and honestly I didn't have the greatest ribbon either. But all in all, I'm satisfied with how it looks so far. I'll have to make a quick stop at Michael's tomorrow for sparkling diva buttons to exchange out the pink hearts. I sure wish I would have tried these way back in May so we would have gotten a bit more use out of them. But with any luck, she can wear this until maybe October or so.... after that, maybe I can shorten it into a shirt and stick it with pants. - Any suggestions on that???

Ya'll like my new stuff??

2008-08-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I finally jumped back into sewing this afternoon, with a little help from my friend, Miss Billie Lynn. This month's CafeMom sewing group project was an apron with a pocket. And unlike the checkbook cover fiasco, this actually went well & I was able to proudly post a picture of my successful project!

I know it's hard to tell, but the front pocket is Baby Pink with coordinating white polka dots. I'd like to embellish this apron a bit more, but that's on the back burner for now... which means I'll be getting back to it when my youngest is about 23 or so.

Next case on the docket, an idea I found in Family Fun Magazine. A contributor in this month's issue showed how she took all of her sons' sports t-shirts and made a quilt out of them. That way she didn't have to just discard them, but she was also doing something useful with them. We only have one shirt like that for Andrew - or at least we did! It's now a pillow cover. Billie Lynn and I cut the HECK out of this t-shirt before we finally got it to work. Luckily she was there the keep me in line, otherwise you'd be reading a rant about my failure right now. Instead... here's the finished project!

Lastly, I have to show off the pillowcase dress she created today! Her first time, free hand, no pattern or tutorial in front of her. It came out beautifully! Here's a picture of her little Madison modeling it in all it's glory -

Andrew starts school on Monday and I'm just as excited as he is - if not more so! Kaitlynn will be in preschool for half days on Tuesday and Thursday, so I hope to be updating my blog more often with some new creations!

More Hair Decorations

2008-08-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I haven't been sewing lately? But this is THE week.... I think. If not this coming week, then the following week when both of the older kids go back to school. We were buying Icee's this afternoon while taking advantage of Target's free air conditioning, so naturally I had to peruse the dollar area. They had Grosgrain ribbon for 1.00/5 spools. They also had sets of three spools of satin ribbon on clearance for 50 cents.... Add in some hot glue, 15 minutes and an alligator clip, and the end result is this -

New Found Hobby.

2008-07-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

This blog was intended to be all about my sew projects. But I'm going to be a brat here and say "It's my blog and I can do what I want" ;) One of the mom's in my parenting meetup group here graciously hosted a Bow-Making class at her home last night - with teachers and all! It was a lot of fun but looks like it could get to be a pricey hobby. Since I always have so much ribbon left from various sewing endeavours I've been able to make 4 bows without purchasing much. Here's what I came up with tonight. I love this set.. sadly I can only think of one top that Kaitlynn has to match..... there's another way this could get expensive!!

Extra Pieces?

2008-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

I recently joined a CafeMom.com group called "Beginning Sewers". But if these people are beginning, then I am regrettably unskilled when it comes to sewing. The group owner gives a project each month for us to complete and then show off to the other group members. It's July 29th - okay, so I waited until the last minute this month. Let me assure you that I won't be showing anybody my July project - except for my blog stalkers here. It's bad - in fact, I have an ENTIRE interfaced piece of fabric leftover that never got used. Ummmm..... Yah...... I'm not so good at patterns.

It's a fabric checkbook cover - "pay no attention to that man behind that curtain" (name that movie?), or the untrimmed thread, or the uneven shape, or the non matching corners, or the fact that it's too big for my checkbook.. the list could go on, but I will spare you any additional details.....

The Never-Ending Project.... until now.

2008-07-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

I believe I began this project back around June 30th. Normally when I sit down to make something, I have this need to see the end result within at least a few hours. I had that same need with these pajamas, but unfortunately I didn't have know-how. Christy (once again!) came to my rescue yesterday, spending FIVE HOURS at my house to help me finish these pajamas. In her defense it wasn't all sewing - of course there was lunch, chatting, reprimanding children, feeding the baby etc etc. In the end though, Andrew has a new pair of PJ's - and he better LOVE THEM DANG IT!!! ;)

Busy Night.

2008-07-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

This morning I went on a dish towel hunt. Not just for tote bags this time, but for aprons and also potholders. Aside from completing Kaitlynn's dress (once more) and a bag for my mother in law's birthday, I also made two more bags for Idon'tknowwho yet. Managed to knock out my first apron too! Good practice for the holiday gifts I plan on giving this Christmas.

I made tons of mistakes - some were just blatantly obvious and others will be my little secret :) I somehow got a ribbon-trimmed pocket on there. This dish towel cost me ONE dollar and the strings were made from leftover scraps I used on a previous (what else?) tote bag!

For the Second Time..

2008-07-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I finished Kaitlynn's dress for the second time today. The first time, it was a bit too short. So this evening I added a band around the bottom to give it a little extra length. I used black bias tape - not sure if that's what you're "supposed" to use, but it works for the time being. Excuse the really cheesy pictures!

Elvis Has Left The Building.

2008-07-07T14:59:00.001-07:00

Future Projects -

2008-07-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

1. Fabric Checkbook Cover (w/matching tote, of course)

2. A Denver Broncos quilt for my friend's son. (need help from you experts out there!)

3. Andrew's pajamas - so far the shell of the shirt is done, and the shorts look like shorts. I need to finish the buttons and holes, neck piece, sleeves and casing/elastic. Might have to hit up my mentor on that one - I'm just not good at thinking OUTSIDE of the box.

No picture for that one - it's stuffed away in the back of my hall closet for now.

4. Reuseable grocery bags. Probably won't really use them for grocery shopping, but they'd be cute overnight bags for my kids.

5. Criss Cross coasters for my sisters kitchen - beach themed.

6. Whatever project will go well with my red and blue Hibiscus Walmart-clearanced fabric.

Also temporarily residing in the back of the closet.

I'm aiming for at least one project a week, so my thoughts are that I'll complete it before Andrew goes back to school - realistically though, who am I fooling?!

You've got to be sick of it..

2008-07-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

I know it's got to be old just looking at a bunch of tote bags on here.. so I just have to show you two more and then I'm done.. unless I make some other amazing bag that I have to share with you all.

I wish this picture wasn't so dang dark :( It just does not do the bag justice!! I'll have to see if I have a better one. I ended up buying a beach-themed pack of buttons, and added a buttonhole and seagull button to this one! We all agreed that this was the cutest bag EVER! I want one for myself now ;)

The blue bag was for my mom. She loved it, thankfully. I found the teddy bear iron on at Michael's (she loves teddy bears) and the bear is even wearing red which was my Grandma's favorite color, so it just worked out perfectly.

Tomorrow is my one day to finish the Elvis themed blanket and coordinating pillow for my aunt's Presley-obsessed mother's birthday. It's going to be done by Thursday night, seeing as we leave out of town (AGAIN) on Friday morning, where we'll be delivering the gift. Pictures to come soon.

Bags Galore!

2008-06-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you all... but I'm starting to think I may have an unhealthy obsession with tote bag making:

My bag I use for larger sewing items.
The bag I use for smaller sewing items.

Kaitlynn's "Beach Bag"
The "Mitchell's Rotating Diaper Bag" Bag
Andrew's New Overnight Bag

Four more coming this weekend, to a blog near you ;)

My Formal Apology.

2008-06-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

For some insane reason, I don't have this blog set up yet so that I get email notifications when readers leave comments on my blog posts. I had no clue that anyone was even reading, let alone leaving nice little comments, advice, tips and opinions for me! So thank you to all of you and I promise to return them from now on.... as soon as I get my alerts turned on again!!

Dish Towels!!

2008-06-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

I've been on the hunt for a project. Necessary Criteria:

1. Must be simple

2. Must be functional, not just decorative

3. Must not be a pillow or blanket

A dress for Kaitlynn is in the works and if I get brave enough to finalize her buttonhole, I'll be able to finish it tomorrow. But for now - I finally have a tote bag for some of my sewing supplies. I didn't follow the tutorial exactly, not because it was hard but because to start off, I purchased the wrong materials. SOO I fudged the instructions just a bit but I love my bag just the same. You can be sure I will be making many more of these very soon!

I LOVE THIS BAG!

Blankets on a Saturday Morning

2008-06-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

While perusing the plethora of Elvis fabrics yesterday (for a birthday project coming soon to this blog) I had a hankerin' for some sewing. I let each of the kids pick out their main fabric for a lightweight summertime blanket. Kaitlynn (to no surprise) chose Hannah Montana even though she has no idea who that is. Andrew couldn't make up his mind so I finally had to convince him he wanted Spongebob. I came across some contrasting yet coordinating pieces to match and got to work early this morning.

** I used a star stitch on Andrew's blanket, NEVER again! Whenever I set my machine on the high speed for the top stitch it was messing up the look of the star and I just didn't have the patience to do it "right" (aka, slow) - Lesson Learned. **

Got Patterns?

2008-06-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

I need some patterns! Problem is, I've never actually used one before. My New Year's Resolution/Goal was to make my kids' Halloween costumes, but seeing as I'm practically terrified to even attempt clothing, I'm not sure if I'll accomplish that this year. I'm hoping by November or so, I've learned enough to make children's aprons. Can someone send me in the right direction for an easy pattern for those? Also, if you have any advice on easy clothing items for a first-timer to try out, let me know!

Finding Reasons to Buy.

2008-06-11T20:36:00.001-07:00

Each time I go to Walmart, I have to stop in their fabric department... and even if I didn't have anything in particular that I wanted to make, I will find a reason to use a cute piece of material. I spotted an adorable butterfly print that my 3 year old daughter loved and so I decided on a pillowcase since hers hasn't been in the best shape as of late. While perusing the fabrics today, I also found a sports fabric that had my 5 year olds baseball number on it, so I thought what the hey? He could use a new pillowcase also. I knocked both of them out in about an hour, and I'm bragging about that as if I even know how long it should take someone to make 2 pillowcases. I was very happy with the butterfly project, I haven't inspected it yet to see how many mistakes I made, but since the thread blends with the fabric, it isn't visible to the naked eye anyway. While sewing the sides of my son's pillowcase, I was using red thread for the top and white thread for the bottom. (purely because I didn't have an empty bobbin available to wind some red thread for the bottom) When I made the hem for the opening of the pillowcase, I didn't realize I should have switched the red thread to the bottom. SOOO.. to make a long story short, the white thread is what is showing on the outside of the pillowcase and you can see every darn mistake I made. If there's ever a day in my life that I don't have to spend chasing my kids, cleaning the floors or playing taxi-cab driver, I might just tear that hem apart and do it the right way - today was not that day.

The History of it All.

2008-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm trying sew hard to become proficient at something creative. I have long called myself the most "uncreative person on Earth" - I just didn't get that gene. So a couple of months ago, I was forced into sewing when my 5 year old son brought home a pattern from Kindergarten that instructed me to sew him a puppet costume. After many phone calls, and an hour of reading the instruction manual for my never-before-used-machine, I finally got to make a mommy date with the most gifted sewer I know. (you can find her blog to the right, Mama Said Sew) That was my first official project and as per usual, I didn't get a picture of it. But I have captured every project after that, and they are shown below. I hope you'll visit my blog often to see what I'm up to each week and offer up your opinions and advice!

A Taggy Blanket for my 9 month old, made with real tags. I was hoping he'd fall in love with this and never let it leave his sight, maybe even take it to college with him..... but I learned he could give less than a youknowwhat about it.

A blanket for Baby Joshua. This project taught me just how important it is to make sure your fabric has straight edges! Especially when your material has lines on it.

This headband made for my 3 year old taught me that my sewing machine wants nothing to do with elastic. I can't tell you how many times it jammed up and I had to start all over again. In the end I just ended up hand-stitching the elastic in.. and I could write an entire blog about how terrible I am at that!

A blanket for Baby Miranda McCoy. This one was a LOT harder than I ever thought it would be. I learned that I am not quite ready to be working with satin trim. As you'll notice in all the pictures, that may have been the last time for a long while that I will ever use a satin trim.

The project for Baby Lauren Malavar is probably my favorite so far. It had a flannel back, basic cotton on front with colors and theme to match the nursery. I originally intended for the pillow to be much bigger, but unfortunately the majority (not all) of the employees at Walmart's fabric department haven't quite figured out how to cut a straight line. (we have something in common) At any rate, by the time I had trimmed the edges and sewn my pillowcase, it was the wrong size and the wrong shape. So it came out as a much smaller baby pillow, stuffed and top stitched all the around. I personally love it :)

Now I'm on to posting about what I created today........