her own blankie {and burp cloths, too!}

I've made up a baby blanket for both Emma Grace and Ian using the Scallop Quilt "pattern" from Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol, and so of course I wanted to make one for Baby, too. :)

I've been making up the "just for her" things in shades of gray and pink, and was able to find some lovely polka dot gray quilting flannel and pink and gray paisley cotton at JoAnn. I love how they complement each other, sweet and feminine without being too babyish.

I machine quilted a few of the center paisleys to provide a bit more definition. I love how it looks .... maybe I should quilt a few more of them? :)


Now, after having 2 babies, we have plenty of burp cloths. But there were some fabric scraps left over from the blankie .... and I had a few plain diapers left .... and Baby #3 needs to have something special, too, right?

This vintage lace was a gift from one of my lovely customers - who just happens to live in France. :) Fun!
I sewed it over some gray grosgrain, which I then layered over some pink satin to get the look I was going after.

And there you have it - a bit of a layette for Baby.


Remember to stop by the Facebook page next Monday morning to get the sale code!

And have a lovely, relaxing Thanksgiving!


<3

Emma Grace's Christmas dress (last year's version :D)

 Do any of you remember the dress that I made Em for Christmas 2010? It was so sweet that I decided to use the same pattern for last years' dress as well. :)

I had a large batch of gorgeous antique lace from my great aunt, and wanted to showcase it in this dress. It was so beautiful that I didn't want any florals or prints to compete with it, and chose a soft gray material.

The peasant pattern was, once again, super simple to work up. The most complicated part was adding the lace! In fact, so simple that I made it the afternoon of a Christmas party we were going to (and for which Em didn't have an outfit for - problem solved!).

To keep the focus on the lace, I just used a few pieces around the hem and the sleeves. They're so delicate and lovely!

It's a sweet dress that looks darling on her, and I'm kind of sad that it doesn't fit anymore. But, now I get to make another! :)

dolly diapers

Emma Grace is in sweet stage where she loves her dollies. She loves taking care of them, making them "talk", holding their hands and making them "walk", asking for treats (real ones) for them to eat (and she then finishes what they don't, of course). 

And of course, diapering them. It was getting to the point where she was using more (real) diapers and wipes on them than I was on her some days! So, now her dollies have their own special diapers and wipes which are reusable (and so much cheaper!). :)

I found the pattern for the diapers on Skip To My Lou, and got the idea for the wipes over here. I used flannel for the wipes (which I haven't taken a photo of) and just zigzag stitched the sides.

It's so sweet to see her lay her baby doll down for a change and then talk to her all the while. : ) Maybe someday I'll get a video of it so I can remember ... : )

my creative space today: sewing for baby

We had a new nephew show up a few nights ago (so proud of you Leah! and so looking forward to meeting the little guy!) and so yesterday I quickly pulled out the material that I had stashed to make his blanket. :)

The blanket is brown minky on one side and a JoAnn's print on the other. I used the Scallop Baby Blanket pattern from Bend-the-Rules Sewing (such a fun book - if you haven't thumbed through it yet I highly recommend it!).

Brett's blanket is coming together quickly - now all I need to do is run it through the wash to get all the extra fuzz off and wrap it up for the little guy. :)


you find more creative inspiration over here today 

sewing for babies

Babies seem to be popping up all over this year (what joy!). It seems that every week I hear of someone else who is having a baby. :)
Our family circle is adding two - John's brothers are each having a boy. Emma and Ian are getting their first cousins this Spring! Of course, I have been itching to do some sewing for our new little nephews. :)

One of the things that was on my "Ideas" page was this tutorial for embellished burp cloths on Diary of a Quilter.  I (kind of) followed it to make a set for each new nephew:

burp cloths for baby Owen, whose nursery is animal themed with bright colors

burp cloths for baby Brett, whose nursery is elephant themed with pale greens and blues

Each baby is also getting some of Ikea's wooden child size hangers. I bought some when we were expecting Emma Grace and have loved them ever since! They are really classic feeling - and they never break (a huge plus!). One of the last things I did before we left Cincinnati was to stop by Ikea and buy some for each baby (and their mommies). :)

There are a few days left to enter to win the CSN Stores gift card. If you haven't yet I highly recommend it!


And you'll be seeing this (and a ton of other people's crafty Spring ideas) linked at a few of these blogs (click here) - you might enjoy checking them out!

Handmade Christmas, part II

This project was actually a Christmas present for me. :)

A while ago I saw this tutorial for sewing your own ironing board cover and saved it in my "ideas" folder. It looked so easy, and my ironing board definitely needed a face-lift! Then a few days later I found some really cute material on the remnants table at the fabric store. And now, several months later, I finally took the time to make it into this:

It turns out that the hardest part was getting everything together and taking the time to make it - so glad I did! :)

The ironing board cover takes 2 yards of fabric and about an hour to complete (or longer if you get interrupted;)). Basically, if you have a sewing machine, iron and ironing board and some basic sewing skills, you can make this!

Hmm, maybe I'll make a few more as Mother's Day gifts?

I'm posting a link to this on a few of these blogs.

handmade Christmas, part I

I made a dozen tea towels to give as gifts this year to, well, some of my loved ones (you know who you are already, so what am I trying to hide?). :)
They were so much fun to make, and so pretty that I'm thinking of keeping a few for myself!

I meant to post these and the tutorial right after I finished making them two weeks ago. Really, I did.
But you still have time to make some too, if you'd like!

To make them I used:

• 6 cotton "flour sack" towels, 30"x30"
• a bag full of ribbons and trims that I've been saving
• sewing scissors
• iron and ironing board
• my sewing machine

I cut the towels in half the long way to end up with 12 towels that were 15"x30".
Then I pressed them, ironing out a bunch of the wrinkles and pressing a hem on the raw edge.
Next I sewed the hem on the raw edge, making them finished on all four sides.

I have a bag full of short ribbons and miscellaneous trims that I've been saving and I spent an hour or so sorting through it looking for just the right combination of ribbon and trim for each of my loved ones (making them so cute and personal). That was the most fun out of the entire project!

The last step was sewing the trim on to the towels. Once that was done, all that was left was to wrap them up!

I'm linking this at these blogs - check them out for some terrific Christmas ideas!

Scallop Garland Tutorial

Remember the garland tutorial that I mentioned a few days ago?

Well, it's about to start - 3, 2, 1 .......0.

 

The first garlands that I made were white, but I used a really pretty orange for this tutorial because, well, it's pretty. And it shows up better in indoor pics than the white did.

First, cut (or tear) a few 1" strips of fabric.
Fold each strip in half, in half again and again and so forth, until there are 12 layers (I found that 12 was about all that I could cut through).
Cut your stacks of strips into 1 1/2" sections.
Trace a half circle onto the top layer. I used a spool of thread for this one, but I've used other things too.
And then, cut 'em out!

Next, you'll need your pile of half circles, 2 6" strips of ribbon, thread and scissors. And a sewing machine. That really helps too.

Take one of the ribbon strips, fold it in half and lay it on top of one of the half circles.
Lay another half circle on top of this stack, sandwiching the ribbon between two pieces of fabric.
Run this stack through the sewing machine and line continue to sew the half circles, making a line of scallops as you sew.
When you have achieved a length that you are happy with, make another fabric and ribbon sandwich and feed it through the machine, back stitch and cut the thread.
That's it!


What do you think, want to make one too?

 I'm linking this at some of these blogs - head on over and check 'em out!

winning and a new blogging friend

So, a few weeks ago I entered a giveaway over on The Back Country Drive and, lo and behold, I won!!!
It was my first time ever winning a giveaway on a blog and it was so much fun. :)

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a few photos of what I won (it's pretty cute).

image from Back Country Drive

Quoting from her blog:

I used to have a company called Cottage Cowgirl. I made little cowgirl clothing. I have taken a break from it and am currently re-planning my business and starting back up this Fall.

This dress and skirt were made for your little cowgirl in mind. They are 100% cotton and have a cute little texas star design. The dress is a size 12-18 months and the skirt is a size 2t.

I chose the dress and it fits Emma beautifully. It has elastic along the back of the bodice to make sure that it will fit her for a while, too. :)

From 2010-09-11

From 2010-09-11

From 2010-09-11

From 2010-09-11

From 2010-09-11

From 2010-09-11

From 2010-09-11

I could post photos of Emma all day long! I'm thinking that the dress would also be darling over a pair of leggings or jeans as she gets taller. I've been doing that with some of her other dresses that I haven't been ready to consign to the depths of a hand-me-down box, and it's worked really well. And been super cute!



Thanks again to Cheech at Back Country Drive for the giveaway! We love it. <3

Late Summer Sewing

Emma has been shooting up like a little sunflower this summer! She's outgrowing her clothes again (my baby girl is getting so big! *sniff*).


I just packed away all her tops that were mid-drifting on her and realized that she didn't have very many left! Vemma is starting to take off but our budget is still pretty tight, so I didn't feel like going out and spending money on clothing that she might only be wearing for another two or three months. Also, I had this cute fabric in the closet and had found this darling tutorial and free pattern on Prudent Baby ..... so Emma got a new top!


I used some darling quilting weight fabric for the "skirt" of the top, and bits of a linen blouse that I've been cutting up for the neckline and trim around the bottom. The pattern is made to have snaps instead of buttons, but I was out of snaps and, on top of that, there were some vintage bunny buttons in my collection that I've been wanting to use - so I finally did!


Emma enjoys the soft breeziness of the top, and I am loving the adorable little one it's on. She seems to be getting more and more darling each day.

Linking to these parties - click on over and check out all the gorgeous fun-ness!

a blanket for our little one

I made a blanket for Ian using the Scallop Blanket "pattern" (it's actually more like illustrated instructions than a traditional pattern) from Bend The Rules Sewing. If you haven't seen Bend The Rules yet, I highly recommend thumbing through a copy. My mother-in-law gave me the book for last Christmas and I am loving it!

Even though I didn't get an ultrasound during my pregnancy with Ian I was fairly sure that we were having a boy. So for his blanket I pulled out the yard of this airplane fabric that I had bought at Hancock when I was pregnant with Emma.
I already knew we were having a girl when I got it, but it was so sweet and classic, and, well, that ultrasound might have been wrong! Now it seems as if Hancock has discontinued the print, so I'm glad I went ahead and bought it instead of waiting until we had a boy.
The blanket has cotton flannel on the back to make it a bit more snugly. :)

Since I used a light color for the backing and the stitching was clearly visible (and since Ian was taking his time coming - he was a week overdue) I took the time to quilt four airplanes in the center squares. They are "flying" around the center in a circle and add a nice bit of detail.

new listing:

Upcycled Tshirt Blooms and also a listing for a single bloom

A trio of lovely little blossoms that will add a bit of springtime cheer to anything you pin them on.

Wear one - or all three - on the lapel of your shirt, jacket or sweater, pin them to a hat or bag, a pillow, lampshade .... the possibilities are nearly endless!

These would make a lovely Mother's Day gift (it's coming up!). :) And if you live locally, they'd be nice for Easter, too.

little girl skirt

Did you like the little skirt that I made for Emma a few days ago?

I used a free pattern download that I found over on the Oliver + S blog. Oliver + S is a darling company that designs and sells children's clothing patterns. Their patterns are just adorable, and wonderful to work with!

This pattern is quick and simple to make (it doesn't even have a rolled hem). In fact, it is so very quick and simple that I didn't even take any pictures as I worked on it. Seriously, this projects goes by quickly. :)

I love that the material has a vintage look to it. :) And so wish that I could get wallpaper in that design!