Jump Start, part II

I got this T shirt at Target on clearance for $4 last fall but never did anything with it.

Oops, I forgot to take a before picture.  Just imagine this shirt with a high crew neck.  Okay?

I played around with it for a while before deciding how to spruce it up.  I thought about adding ribbon or lace, but  the teal color just didn’t seem to go with that.  So, I found an old T shirt with some lovely stains that was added to my scrap pile and cut that up, did a little stitching and gathering and pinning, and…

Ahh, sunshine.  Too bad that is some leftover snow down in the corner.

I call this a garland Tee.  I could have extended the garland neckline around the back, and may do that at some point, but today I felt like being done.  I really like how it turned out.  I wasn’t sure because the shirt is such a bright color.  But, in general I like the garland on it.  Also I just realized this isn’t the best picture in terms of detail on the top of the shirt.  Sorry about that.

I also realized that I haven’t introduced everyone to my new BFF, my dress form.  How I love her.  She was a surprise birthday present from my parents last month and she has really become part of the family.  The first thing my husband thought of was ways she could play tricks on people (like hiding behind the door or in the bed), so if you are planning on coming to visit, consider yourself warned.

She does such a good job modeling my winter-spring top, doesn’t she.

Welcome New Baby

Friends of ours had a baby boy a few weeks ago, so of course I wanted to put together a baby gift.  I also got to use Wunder Under for the very first time and do some applique!  It was super easy and I think this set turned out really cute.  I used light blue and green flannel with white terry cloth on the back, and I think flannel might be my favorite baby-stuff fabric!

2 burp clothes and a bib.  Welcome baby!

Vacation in action

We got back awhile ago, but I am just now getting around to sharing my outfits from vacation.  They were well used!

Exhibit A: Dress

It’s a deep v neck with a knee length skirt.  I made it out of regular quilting cotton.  It didn’t fit quite right and I ended up having to hand sew part of the top with a little travel sewing kit (because it was too big).  Not one of my best creations but I like the style of it.  If I could get the fit right I would love it!

Exhibit B:

This piece got a lot of wear!  It is just a tube top shirred with elastic thread.   And take a look at that beach.  Ahhh….

Right now I’ve been working on a couple of Christmas projects.  We were gone again for Thanksgiving and then I took some time to decorate for Christmas, and had some birthdays to create for, so I got a little behind.  I would have loved to make a lot more and I still have some ideas that I don’t know I’ll get to.  Oh well.

Maybe I will just go back to the beach.

Lots going on

husband and I are about to leave on vacation!  I have a new dress to wear and also a beach / swimsuit cover up to wear there.  No pictures yet because it rained for 4 days straight this week and I don’t have any good indoor places to take pictures.  anyways.

In other news, here are some gifts I’ve made lately.  You will notice a theme:

A thank you gift for my mother in law

Part of a wedding gift for a friend.

Cloth napkins are so easy to make and look so classy I think.  I need to make some for myself.

In other, unrelated news, I ran my marathon this past weekend and my legs are so sore.  It’s not so much the walking as the getting up and down.  But the race was awesome.

Kitty Cat

When you ask Little Honey what the kitty says, she doesn’t just say “meow”.  Rather, she does a pretty good impression of an actual cat meow in this soft high pitched little voice.  It is adorable.  And since she loves kitties so much, she was a kitty for Halloween.

For Halloween I try to make costumes out of what we already have on hand so I wasn’t planning on going all out on her costume.  I was going to put her in a black onesie with tights and find a headband with cat ears.  But a) I knew she would never leave a headband on and b) it was a bit cooler out than I thought so I was afraid she would be cold in just the onesie.  So… we got some “fur” and this black cat went out on Halloween!

I basically made her a hood (actually out of the pattern that my friend used to make her son a doggie costume) and a little furry black tunic.  Furry fabric hides a LOT– I made this during her nap right before we went out so I couldn’t try it on her while making it, and it ended up way too big.  I safety pinned it in the back to get it to fit.

And can you believe she kept the hood on all night?  I think she was the cutest kitty cat out there!

Meow!!

Baby Bedding In Action

We crossed state lines last weekend to finally get to meet the sweet little baby who gets to sleep in this crib!  (Well, once she’s up to sleeping in her crib that is.)

I was so thrilled to see that it fits perfectly and looks great on the crib!

Don’t you love how she gets to have her own Ipod player in her crib?

While we were there we also made some curtains for her nursery.  Her room looks adorable!!

action shots

I did wear the 2 dresses that I made for the wedding weekend.  Both fit really well and I think I looked pretty fab.

I know I look kind of bored here, but the rehearsal really was fun.  I was probably thinking about the yummy dinner to come.

I continued my Matron of Honor duties the next day at the brunch.  Here I am with the groom as they finish opening their prezzies.

And I also made this little dress:

Sorry it’s a small picture.  I should take a better one but I never got a chance at the wedding.  (Plenty of other people were.)  Little Honey’s dress is made of white eyelet linen and was actually a combination of this, this, and this.  Super cute.

Well, now that I am sitting back soaking my poor foot (turns out New Shoes + Marathon Training = Blister), eating Teddy Grahams and drinking Diet Orange Soda, while cheering on the Tigers, I have a chance to tell you all about my Fall Wardrobe!  Here is comes!

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Coming soon

Sorry for being a little MIA lately.  I am sure you’ve all been hanging on your seat every day!

I have been doing some boring projects, like taking in a shirt and shortening the straps on a tank top.  But how nice to have clothes that fit!

My friend and I also have traded sewing patterns for shirts and I can’t wait to try it out.  The one she gave me involves an invisible zipper, which will be new for me.  I had to wait to buy fabric to use a coupon so I had to go a few days before working on any projects, sadly.

I did do an awesome refashion of an old T shirt.   I will take a picture the first time I wear it to show you all.  It turned out really cute.

And I tried for a while to figure out a pattern for a dress I want to make for my sister’s rehersal dinner.  But then I found a pattern with a similar neckline to what I want on sale for $1.99!  So I’ll be working on that soon.

I am also almost done with a new summer top.  I just need to hem the bottom.

Coming soon!

Here I am!

So, I thought I would go ahead and start with a little background.  I don’t like to work too much at the computer, but I have a lot of projects I want to share.

I learned to sew from both my grandmothers.  My mom’s mom, Oma, sewed a lot in her day, making clothes for my mom and her siblings (even complicated things like their winter coats) and then making clothes for my sisters and I.  Looking back, she was totally amazing.  I used to design doll clothes and she would whip them up for me like magic.  She taught me basic hand sewing and helped me design and sew a doll for my sister one year for Christmas.  Oma ruled.  My dad’s mom, Grandma, also did some sewing with me, and taught me how to tie knots in thread, and I still use her technique.  When she got older and stopped sewing, she passed on her sewing machine to me.  It is the same machine I now use all the time, a Kenmore.  I have no idea how old it is.

I sewed on and off after I got the machine, which was shortly after I got married 7 years ago.  I made curtains for our house (which, when we sold, the buyers wanted to keep, presumably because they were awesome), and I made some scrubs when I worked on the floor (I am a nurse).  But it wasn’t until 2 things happened that I really started sewing as a regular hobby (as opposed to sewing a particular project).

First, I had a baby!  She’s 14 1/2 months old now.  It seems like there is something about having a baby that brings out craftiness and creativity in people.  I realized there is a whole world out there of adorable baby gear that is actually really easy to make– blankets, burp clothes, bibs, clothes!  Baby clothes are easier to make because they are so little.  Also, now all my friends are having babies, so I can make them gifts.  Also, when I was pregnant and picking out baby bedding, I saw nothing I liked for a reasonable price, so I decided to make my own.

The second thing that encourages my sewing was that we moved about 8 months ago, and I now have a permanent spot for my sewing machine and accessories.  Not having to lug my machine out and set up shop only to put it all away so we could eat dinner is so nice, and helps me be so much more efficient.

I’m also learning a bit about “refashioning”, i.e. taking an article of clothing that I would otherwise be getting rid of and turning it into something else.  It’s like recycling your clothes, which makes me feel good.

So, what do I sew?  I’m still very new, so most of what I do now is to learn.  I’ve made some bags (I love bags), some dresses, shorts and tops for my baby, some  tops for me (both from  a pattern and a refashion), baby items, blankets, curtains, and pillow covers.  I have an endless list of projects to complete.  So, let’s get started!

Let’s get started

Hello out there.  I’ve decided to start a blog!  I have a lot of new crafts and projects that I want to share with everyone.  So, stay tuned for some updates and pictures too!

thank you for stopping by, and I promise that my blog won’t look so boring next time.