happy summer fabric...

... and happy (early) birthday, Jen!! I finally finished something for my sister and she gets it early so she can use it all summer long. YEAH! See what happens when you take my son for a few days? You get presents!!



I followed Meghan's lead with the "Bend The Rules Sewing" Charming Handbag at an increased size for the pattern. Also added a pocket, key fob, and magnetic snap thanks to Meghan's suggestions.

I seriously love this bag and can't wait to make more!

Art Smock?

As mommas with kids older than mine... what do you value in an art smock? One that covers the arms? Grows from 2 to 5 years with your child? Easy for an older kid to put on by themselves (or will they really need your help until 5 or so anyway?)?

That said... do you have any patterns, ideas or brands (yes, I will buy) that you would recommend? I am thinking of this for my triplet niece and nephews and have been dragging my feet for MONTHS. Thought I'd enlist some help from y'all.

It's a start!

Kelly and I started the shirt she posted a few weeks ago... so here is a sneak peak!



The tutorial isn't as detailed as I'd like. We had to phone a friend when figuring out the ruffle. Thank you, Leigh, for telling us to just follow the directions :)

I'm excited about the final product but not sure when I'll attempt to do this on my own; definitely out of my comfort zone. I think I may need to wait until another sewing circle night. But what do you think of my fabric??!! Summery and breezy, right? I can't wait to post all the different shirts that we will hopefully make from this!

so (note, not sew) cool

okay, i know it's not a sewing post, but i had to share this one.

have you all seen this clever site?

i love love love the idea of silhouettes anyway, and this just wows me.

am i the only one?

for the big girls

i want us to get together soon to sew.

what about an evening of sewing this?

i'm talkin' about making this for OURSELVES.

i'm willing to host.  

here are some dates, just to get us started...

since tuesday nights seem relatively do-able, what about may 5th, or the 12th?

sunday evenings are cool for me - may 3rd? may 10th?

i say, let's pick a date.

then, independently shop for our fabric, and get our pieces cut.

then come together and whip it up.

Coloring Wallet

I've seen some of you use ribbon ties and some use buttons on the coloring wallets. Which do you prefer? If using ribbon, I'm assuming one is much longer to wrap around? Suggestions? If using buttons, have you found cute kid ones? If so, where?

Thanks!

Again, for the girls!

Here is a tutorial on the shirt dress for little girls. I also love this shirt dress the LuvInTheMommyhood blogger just invented before she found the above mentioned tutorial.

baby gift!

this is so adorable.

who can you make this set for?

Dish Towel Bag

I'm totally inspired by this idea for a tote made from a dish towel and extra fabric. But have been looking for dish towels for months now and haven't seen what I like. Still, seems like a short cut to a cute tote. Perhaps as a teacher gift or hostess gift?
* * * * *

UPDATE: I finally made this, but have to tell you... it is just a basic tote and a small one at that. IF you find a dish towel that you fall in love with but don't know what to do with it, then YES, this may be the right tutorial. But I really stretched it and ended up using the towel on the inside instead of the outer layer and really would have enjoyed working with 2 fabrics instead of the dish towel.

But, now I know I can do totes! And Jen (in case you are reading this), should this go to Mom, Ann or Ellie? It can only fit about a book, reading glasses and a little more. Let me know!

A quick weekend project...

I had some extra time to sew this weekend - and instead of working on my quilt, or making bags like I should be doing, I made some new curtains for my living room.

My living room has been a cozy place to be, full of warm, rich colors... but suddenly, I want LIGHT! Light, fresh colors.... the golden yellow walls could stay, because they seem lighter yellow when the room is light - but all of the dark pillows and the curtains had to go. I recovered the pillows last month - but they just stood out against everything else. Until now. Now it all makes sense.

The stripes are made of a charm pack of Amy Butler fabrics from her Midwest Modern collection - I just took out all the pink ones (I'm using them for a patchwork bag, and Josh is not a fan of pink. Yes, I'm blaming it on him... heh heh). Total sewing time = approx. 1 hour.


Best part? Total price = $12!!! Can you tell the white fabric is 2 $2.99 sheets from Goodwill? Total college decorating, but I think I classed it up a bit. What do you guys think?

Leigh

Hip Jean Makeover

Erin saw jeans like this for sale at a craft fair and called me asking me if I'd try them. Actually she just said "You can totally do this and sell them for $40 or more!" I'm not ready to sell, but I do love them!! This first pair goes to Amelia since it was her mom's idea. But, I'm ready to add some length to my niece's jeans since she is so tall and outgrows the length before the waist.

I cut off the jean and then used the shape as a general guide for cutting the fabric but adding width for the pleats. I made marks for the pleats and pinned to determine how wide the fabric needed to be. I sewed the new fabric together length wise and then sewed along the bottom 1/4" seam allowance and a top stitch before pinning it around the jean. 1/4" seam allowance all around with right sides together (see photo of folded fabric), press down the new fabric and top stitch ribon or ric rac. YEAH! Would love to have a machine with an arm for this project, but as long as I went slowly, it was fairly easy!

may i have this dance?

don't be fooled.  while it looks like she's offering us her bum, my girl twirls all day long in her new tutu.  a friend gave it to us for a pantie party (yes, we celebrate potty training with a party) gift, and we've since hardly taken it off.  and, of course, because there are two cute bums in this house, we made another one as soon as possible to eliminate quarreling ballerinas.  simple, simple to make! the only sewing is to sew the elastic in to a loop.  then you simply cut the toile in to strips, and tie it in the middle of the piece on to the elastic.  i used three whole 25 ft. rolls, and this makes a nice, generous, full tutu.  wanted to post because this is a great gift for any little girls that like to dress up on an everyday occasion!  our favorite outing so far in the tutus was the trip for m and ac to lowes with daddy. 

ditto.

except, i've got different fabrics.  here's a shot, above, of all of the cuts and the paper/graph ordering system, that is my saving grace on this project.  i've got double the amount of fabric, because i'm making a twin sized quilt, not the lap size.  common' ladies, not too late to join!

Part 1 of my quilt-along with Kelly and the rest of the blog world.

heh heh...

Ok - I'm in love with quilting. I've been obsessed for a little while, but I was busy making bags and stuff. But Kelly's gentle question of "Do you want to do this with me?" let me jump in with both feet. Kelly and I went shopping for fabrics, and then we washed and cut and cut and cut. Last night, we got on the phone and started sewing. Here's what I have...

My Block A's...



And my Block B's...

I love these colors together. I am using them everywhere - and I love the fabrics that I got for this quilt. It just makes me so happy. I can't WAIT to see it done!

Next time - maybe more quilt blocks? If not, I'll show some bags that I've been making. And Kelly - I stocked up on some PINKS!

Leigh

Luck of the Irish!

Jen-- this post is for you!! Now YOUR blanket is done!! And instead of for Logan, we can give it to Brother's son. YEAH!
****
My sister, Jen, picked out this fleece and satin binding. I loved the simplicity of this blanket and thought it turned out very cute. The fleece was a little stretchy, but looked fine at the end. I've never used binding tape and learned to make a mitred corner from this video. However, I need to pay attention to how she did the last corner!

Another tip is after making the diagonal angle, put your finger under the angle to smooth the silk binding and push it all the way to the opposite corner which will give it more of a 45 degree angle. This makes more sense if you are doing it than reading it. Last note: if you need more binding, I read that you should join 2 pieces at an angle to prevent fraying and it looked nice, too!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

quilt along

leigh and i are going to make this.
there's a quilt-along on this gals blog.
we're about a week or two behind, but think
we can play catch up, since she's just at the cutting part.
ha.
i've got a two year old who is outgrowing her crib.
i'm sizing this up to a fit her new big girl daybed.
leigh is making the lap-size one so that
she has something to snuggle up to when
she watches american idol and so you think you can dance.
ha again.
do you ladies want to join us in the fun?
who doesn't need a mod quilt in the house somewhere, SERIOUSLY?

Mail Sack Bag

Happiness is a new mail sack! I bought this pattern online - made by Pink Chalk Studio. I installed my first zipper! Its a little wonky but it works. Ben continues to shake his head as my bag choices get bigger and bigger. Love it though!

Dresses and tunics

This dress was a DIY kit I bought off Etsy as an intro to getting used to a pattern (I still haven't tried one!). I loved the Amy Butler prints and it is a style that I had seen a woman selling at the Farmer's Market. The beauty of this design is that it is a dress first but then can become a shirt to wear like a tunic for when the girl gets a bit older.

Meghan's pillowcase dresses (please share, Meghan!) are very similar and that is my next dress to try. But for now, just sharing a finished product!

6 years later!

My sister just gave me a blanket that I cut and pinned almost 6 years ago-- ready to hand sew and give my friend when she had her baby! Well, it was a good idea, but my friend's baby is now in Kindergarten and has 2 younger siblings. Obviously this fabric sat in a bag for a while until I gave it to my sister who was going to take up sewing. That didn't happen (YET, Jen!) so it came back to me this week. Less than 1/2 hour after starting, I finally have my baby blanket!! I love it-- even the uneven border that a woman on a boardwalk surrey would not notice. See how far I've come since my last post?


Question for you advanced sewers: Others would "quilt" a blanket this size to keep the lining from slipping, etc. It is sewed into the border. I don't know how to "quilt" the blanket. Would you do anything else to it to help it last longer? If so, what?

aaww yeah, that's phat!

a whole assortment of fat quarter tutorials!

check them out here.

Minky Binky Lovey-Boo Woobie

I finally made a woobie/ lovey blanket!! Instead of the 30x30 that Meghan has made (beautiful ones!) and that Quilting Adventures has nicely cut out (FYI-- all cut and ready to sew... great last minute baby gift), I wanted a slightly smaller 20x20 blanket that would be a lovey. I'm finally meeting my friend's 3 month old baby this week!!! I used minky fabric my friend gave me mixed with some new flannel. I love both of these, although I don't understand how simple math and squares can end up a little lopsided. I think I need to get more comfortable with that aspect of "homemade with love." I added Logan to a photo for perspective although you don't necessarily need it for this simple project!

Notes for future lovies: I would leave the lining out for a true lovie vs using lining for a blanket. I would also add the satin binding around the edges.

cute storage

i've been a little nuts to find some cute storage solutions. i'm striking out. am i going to have to (shaking and nailbiting here) "make my own pattern??? here's a little catalog of things that i've found and like! but they don't work for what i want right now...
first, let me say that i'm kinda ticked that a lot of times, the pictures on people's blogs do not show any kind of frame of reference. we should keep this in mind as we post. when i'm looking for the perfect thing, i find myself with my head tilted, fractions and inches soaring through my head, and i think "for heaven's sake, just put a penny in the picture somewhere, just give me a little clue!"
for example, i set out to make these last night... cute suckers, aren't they? well, turns out, that they're like 8 measly inches or something. you have to translate from centimeters. i still think they'd be super cute to put a little gift in and give to a friend - but, they're not gonna hold anything that i want to store currently.
so, on to this idea... i found these patchwork fabric baskets... her photos show the sewing machine, so i scroll down to see a finished one, and what do ya know, but they're on the smallish side as well. very adorable, though, "keep these in mind," i say to myself.
so then i found these boxier fabric rectangles, which is much more like what i think i'm looking for.
but deep down, i think i want squares. something much more firm. not so basket-y. much more box-y.

are you wondering why i want this storage yet?
i've been trying to figure out a way to organize my growing stash of fabric, supplies, etc. here's a little peek at how things are looking these days... (don't judge me, girls).


now i need your brains... how do you store your stuff? your stashes? your craft supplies? i want to see all of my fabric. that's problem number one. i put most of my shelving underneath my workspace, but i think i really need more shelving on the walls. i've currently got the fab compartamentalized in to sizes (i'm very technical here, now watch out) like "big," "solid," "scraps," and my personal favorite, "crappy scraps." they're in rubbermaid, ikea boxes, and the ever so fancy ziploc bags.
also, can you add some links to this post with other cute storage solutions? not just for crafting stuff, for anything - i love the idea of giving a gift IN something i make.

Bag Addiction

This is my first post and I don't know what I'm doing! Ben has been traveling and so I've been up LATE sewing.

This is my new favorite. It's called the "Charming Handbag" from a book Sarah got at the library called "Bend-The-Rules-Sewing". It's written by the woman from the Angry Chicken blog. It was easy and quick!

I've experimented with fake patent/black vinyl which was difficult but cool.

The two patent totes are varitions of the fat quarter purse tutorial from sewmamasew.

I used the enlarged template for this dresden petal bag and it looks like a banana. I think I'll only do 5 strips per side instead of 7 next time. I don't think I'll cut off the top to make the pockets either. I'd rather have a bigger bag.

This is the "Sweet and Sassy" bag from the class I took at Quilting Adventures. The final step is learning how to install grommets which I'll do this Friday night. Exciting! : )

lazy skirts?

i tried the lazy skirts. thank you, sarah, for posting the link! i love these, and hope to do a bunch for m and a.c. to slip in to throughout spring and summer.

i'm curious - are they called lazy skirts because they're meant for a lazy day, or because it's a lazy way to sew a skirt?

i've never made a skirt before - and i knocked out four of these babies for my babies.

they are so fun to make! i had fun playing with patterns, ribbons, even making my own ribbon out of fabric, and ric-rac!

the mary-had-a-little-lamb skirt for a.c. turned out to be like a mini-skirt (oh, me and my seam allowances), but hey, we like leggings in this house, so it's all good.

what do you think of turning these in to an adult version? i'd love to make myself some skirts, but not sure i want the elastic. also not so sure that i want to get in to buttons and such. anyone have a good grown-up (simple) skirt?

AH HA!
so, i was walking down my hallway and saw this little beauty.
i asked her "have you ever considered modeling?"
she grinned.
i quickly pulled out the mary had a little lamb skirt (and the tune, we sang it together, of course - how else do you win over a diva like this?)... slipped it on her, and heaven behold!
now, the next day... my model coerced her big sister to get in to the modeling act.
but they decided that there was a much more fun (though unwilling) body in the house...
cooper, next time you run away, i will know you've gone to vogue.

The joys of working with burlap...

Here's a peek at what I worked on today:



Kelly - these are coming your way! I only finished 7 of them - the prep was brutal... I washed the burlap coffee bag first, and it softened up a bit and shed all over the place. Then I moved it from the laundry room to the kitchen, and it shed all over the place. I made some templates based on a cardboard coffee jacket I got from BCC, and the burlap shed all over the place. Then I started cutting. Guess what? it shed all over the place. Moved it into the dining room to press some wrinkles out and sew it to the felt I cut out as well... still shedding. I've hermetically sealed all the burlap in plastic bags, and I bet it's still shedding all over the place. I actually took a shower after sewing today, because the little burlap pieces were cutting into me - you know, like the little hairs after you get a haircut? But this I think is worse - the burlap fibers go airborne.

OK - so that's the bad side of working with burlap. The good side is - it looks REALLY cool! And it actually sews up pretty easily. I'll finish up the rest of them when I can do it all in one shot - that way I don't have so much shedding. Then I'm going to toss them all into the drier to fluff with no heat, so they can get all their shedding out of their system.

The turquoise one on the right is my favorite. It actually says "Yirgacheffe" (or at least, as much as fits on the jacket). And I didn't even plan it that way!

Peace -

Leigh

shall we?

who's up for it?
http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome

patch purse

a finished product!
hip hip.... hooray?
not sure about this outcome as far as size is concerned.
definitely love the bag. love the project. love the fact that i used scraps from my stash.
however...
a little freaked out about the large handles vs. tiny bag.
i should always give myself at least double the seam-allowances, because this somehow is a recurring theme when i sew.
what to do?
repeat this bag, but make it bigger and move handles?
turn this little sucker in to something else? but what?
i'm not totally whining... i'm happy that i got something completed.
and had fun in the meantime.
here are a few pictures to chronicle my efforts (note. must learn to place these pictures better).


oh, yes, and of course - i shall give credit where credit is due...
http://jemimabean.blogspot.com/2008/11/dresden-petal-handbag-tutorial.html

alright, ladies. holler at me.
help me save this could-be-beauty.

Finally finished!

Hi, guys! I'm excited that my first post here is a finished project - it will allow me to get this one off my list and get started on more fun things...

Not that this wasn't fun. Way back in September, Sew Mama Sew posted this tutorial... and I knew I wanted one for my kitchen. Not long after, our kitchen rug finally died - the backing had disintegrated and was sticking all over the kitchen floor. So my Patchwork Kitchen Mat idea started to take place in my mind...

Six months later, it is finished. Voila!

This is my first real "quilt," although I really shouldn't put that in quotes. It is a real quilt - I guess I did that because... I'm going to walk all over it every day, and that feels kind of wrong to do to a quilt.

Here's an up close detail...

The quilt design is nothing fancy, and I didn't even do any hard quilt stitching - just straight lines like recommended in the tutorial. I HAD to use the apple and pear fabric from Alexander Henry in the mat, although I am not so much a pale blue and pink girl, so I went with the browns. And the Farmer's Market apples from Michael Miller make me want to cry they are so cute - so I put them both together so I could enjoy them everyday. Kelly had helped me pick out more prints that worked with these, but I kept seeing this in my mind, so I went with it.

Now I just hope my hubby doesn't think this is too... girly. My 3 year old has already told me he loves it, and apparently he loves laying all over it. Perfect for when I want to do dishes.

I do have tons of links to share - I have a folder in my favorites named "I want to make NOW!" So I'll go through that and start posting the links to get them out there - and you guys can hold me accountable to actaully make them!