Another Baby Gift from my Favorite Pattern

I went to my go-to pattern for yet another baby present, this time for a dear friend's daughter.  It's made from Butterick's #3782. I had fun picking out the fabric for this one, all found at JoAnn's and I rather like how this one all came together.

 I made my typical changes--lined the bodice and switched out the zipper for a button closure. I added a sash again and this time bound the armholes. And sadly, I didn't get a picture of it, but I used a hem binding in the navy polka dots.  The plaid fabric was printed that way, not cut on the bias, which made it a little easier to sew up.

Woodland Fairy--Another Birthday Present

 Here's another birthday present for one of Clara's friends. This time a girl version of the woodland theme. 

Again, the fairy idea was from here,  the rabbit from here, the owl from here and the rose from here. She also got the 2 trees and a little fairy baby wrapped up in a 'leaf' and a silk square to set everything up on.

I've decided I really need to get a good stash of good wool felt. I'm kind of addicted to making these and need more colors. They are fast, fun and useful in a way. And they are hand work, which I always like to have something to work on while I'm waiting at dance or piano lessons. 

 Here's a close up of the fairy and a look at her wings...not exactly sure what fairy wings should look like, but I had fun coming up with this one.

Under the Sea

In the past week, Clara has been to 3 birthday parties (she's 5). I hate birthday parties, ugh! I guess what I really hate is that my budget for gifts is not that big and there isn't much to find in the stores for that price. Since we had 3 so close together, right after Christmas (read--I don't even want to go into a store let alone look for a present), I decided to make them instead.  Here's 2 out of the 3 presents (forgot to take pictures of the first one finished). The bendy woodland elf/gnome and mermaid idea came from here (I had actually seen these made before, but this is the tutorial that I used to refresh my mind). 

 The rabbit pattern and the idea for the whole "scene" came from my lovely friend Valerie. She's my crafty guru and a lover of wool, so she's really good at these kind of things. The other elf/gnome (not sure what to call him) was different as dictated by Clara. He had a little messenger bag with a little scarf in it, because her friend Andrew is always cold. This guy has pockets (on his pants and shirt) because her friend Shawn likes pockets.
(Excuse the rushing out the door to get to the party which made these a little crummy photos:)

So the other two parties were back to back over last weekend and the third is tomorrow, which means I had a little more time to work on this one...which was a lot of fun. 

 Each set was gifted in a little muslin bag, but for this one I added some embroidery (really just an excuse to stay up and finish a movie after the kids had gone to bed).

 Each set included some play cloths as well...this one had a couple more. All a little silky feeling except the cotton shell one in the front.

 Here's a close up of the mermaid. Again I used this little tutorial.

 Clara helped me pick out some shells from our collection to add to the scene and I made the little seaweed plant thing.

 The little critters were a lot of fun to make. Clara dictated the colors and the type of animals. The starfish pattern I made up, but I got the dolphin one from here.

And here is a little set up...I've had a hard time keeping Clara from playing with it, so I guess I'll be making a couple more for my girls to play with. Which is fine by me. I like this kind of little hand sewing projects. 

Christmas Crafting Part 2--Infinity Scarves

This year I even gifted myself something homemade.  I tried my hand at making an infinity scarf, following this tutorial.  REALLY easy and well worn, by both of us. Sophia got another one that is a black and white, kind of paisley like print as well. My boys laugh at me because I wear my scarf all of the time now (I'm thinking I need to make myself some more), but I remembered how much I really like wearing a scarf at all times. When I lived in Germany, I got into the habit and kept it up for a couple of years after I returned, then I just got out of the habit. I'm really liking it right now, especially with single digit temperatures in our neck of the wood right now. Both of these knits are from JoAnn's. 

Christmas Crafting--Part 1

In case you were wondering what the whole clan looks like, here is our family picture from this year.

 Now on to half of the the Christmas crafting (I haven't gotten around to taking pictures of the other half:)

First up: Clara's Christmas Eve pajamas. I don't really do the whole holiday theme/color scheme because these are the pjs the wear all year round. I usually try and pick something that I think they will really like or a favorite color.  This year I found 3/4 of a yard of this adorably cute flannel in the remnant bin at JoAnn's. I snatched it up, planning on adding to it for a nightgown. I was just going to add white flannel where needed to make a full nightgown. I figured that way the cute fabric would really stand out...and I was trying to keep my purchases to a minimum.

But last minute I changed my plans and made pajama pants instead. The reason was that Sophia got these cool fabric markers and I kind of wanted to try them out. I just used a plain t-shirt for the top.

There wasn't quite enough fabric to get a full length of pants out of it, so I added the pink onto the bottom as well as the ric-rac for a little touch.

Don't mind the early Christmas morning 'I didn't brush' my hair look and focus on the cute fox I drew. The fabric markers were easy to use and so far have made it through one washing. I'd give them 2 thumbs up...we have lots of projects in mind for these.

And yes, she really really likes these pajamas.

 Every year I give my kids an ornament. Eventually when they go off and get married or move out on there own where they put up a Christmas tree, they'll get their box of ornaments. Some years they have some memory attached to them. If we take a family trip I usually try to find an ornament for that year then (score because the trips are usually in the summer and the ornaments are super cheap then). We have Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Promontory Point and Panama City beach represented. Some years I just grab the cute cheap ones from Target (we are partial to birds and some years they've had some good ones). Other years I make them.  That's what I ended up doing for this year...we didn't take any big trips and the store ones were kind of disappointing this year.

The girls got the little matryoshka dolls and the boys got the snowflake looking ones.

They are all made from wool felt and I kind of like how they turned out.

Birthday Bag--A Little Early

And a bonus rose--taken right after an afternoon shower.

This bag was made for my wonderful sister-in-law and friend for her birthday.  It's a little early but I wanted to get it done before school got out.  There's just one thing left on my list to do before the kids are home and life gets summer busy.

 Just a simple pattern-only 4 pieces plus the pocket-lined and reinforced with duck cloth on the inside. The fabric is from the Waverly home dec line at JoAnn's.

What I Now Have Off My Plate

9 quilts are now off my to-do list (2 aren't shown).  I was in charge of making sure these 9 beauties were finished in time for the 9 graduating seniors in our church congregation.  The parents provide the 2 twin sheets, another wonderful lady monograms them and I coordinate the tying and binding of them.  I had a hand in helping with 8 out of the 9 in some way, whether it be tying or binding or sometimes both.  While it's a fun project, my fingers were numb for a couple of weeks from pulling the needle through the layers.  I'm just glad they are done and will be presented this weekend.

Mini Chevrons

 So this week over at Project Run and Play it's chevron week.  I wasn't planning on sewing along because 1) I have a million other things going on and was not planning on sewing along this season and 2) I'm not really a chevron kind of gal so this week I wasn't even feeling inspired in my thoughts of "If I were to sew something what would it be?"

Until...

I was in the middle of this dress that I was making for a baby present to one of my amazing friends, mother of now 5 kids.

As I was sewing up the bodice, I thought to myself that it looked kind of like mini chevrons.  Not sure if that counts or not...but I'm going with it.  The pink mini chevron was leftover from my sew along with last season of PR&P, where I picked a color scheme and everything was matching/interchangeable. I never ended up using it for anything, but the teal leaf print did show up last season.

I used Butterick pattern # 3782...one I used a ton when my girls were little (you can see it on my youngest in my header...boy do they grow up fast!)

I did modify it a bit by lining it and having a button closure instead of a zipper.  I also gave it an underskirt because the white muslin was a little see through.

I also added the teal sash to the pattern, sewing it on as part of the bodice for the front and just having it tie in the back.  The leaf fabric is printed so that the leaves all go in one direction (see bottom picture), but I wanted it symmetrical  I cut it out so that I would have 2 pieces going opposites and sewed those together.  The little tab covers the seam, but I do like the visual aspect it gives to the dress as well.

Some of you might say "White, with a baby!  Are you crazy?", but really white muslin is easy to clean and as long as you put something on the spot it comes out.  I love the crispness of this color combination, especially against the white.  On the bottom of the underskirt I added white rickrack, which kind of mimics the lines of a chevron print.

 And here's a full view of the back. 

 So what do you think...chevron or not?
Linking up to The Train To Crazy and Girl.Inspired.

Sowing While You Sew--Week 7--Reversible Apron

So this has been kind of a crazy week for me with school projects due (it's the end of the 3rd term for us) and a camera acting funny (Any suggestions on a good beginner dslr for under a grand?).

This weeks project is a Reversible Apron.

Here are the printable instructions

Here are some pictures of an apron I made a couple of years ago.

You can have a lot of fun with this project, using a couple of different fabrics and a fun button.

 For the 'C', I just cut it out of the fabric and backed it with some interfacing and then zigzag stitched all the way around it.  This would be something an older child, with more sewing experience could do to make the project a little more challenging.

 Just a picture of all of the different fabrics used in this one apron.  These make great little gifts for friends and family.  Fill the pocket with art supplies and make the apron out of a dark easily washable fabric and call it an art smock.  Fill it with your child's favorite recipes and give it as a wedding present to a favorite aunt.  The possibilities are endless. 

 Hopefully, I'll be able to get a step by step up with pictures by the end of the week.

Sowing While You Sew--Week 6 Comfort

Blankets and quilts are one of the most widely requested and received items for charities, when it comes to sewing.  It's one of those projects that will be easy to find a place to donate.  I think that is because a blanket or quilt is a symbol of comfort and warmth and that is just the thing needed for someone that is either going through a difficult time or feeling a little lonely.  The other nice thing is that the degree of difficulty can vary greatly, allowing even the beginner to make a blanket to donate. 
Project Linus is an organization that helps you find a place to donate, if you need help.  I also know that you don't have to look very far to find a place to donate.  Nursing homes, hospitals (especially children's hospitals), and shelters are just a few of the places that take homemade blankets and quilts.  Just call and ask if they need some and which sizes they prefer.  That being said, you are sure to find someone close to you that might need a little warmth and comfort, so you could make it a gift to someone you love.
Here are just a couple of examples of blankets that I have either made or received.
Let's start with one's I've made:
This one is an example of a simple fleece blanket, which I gave to my daughter for Christmas a couple of years ago.  Each of my kids now has one.  It's just a big rectangle of the super soft fleece and then I hemmed each side.  That's it.  Perfect for the beginner.

This is just an example of a simple quilt that I pieced for one of my sons 10 years ago and it is still used by him on his bed.  Half of the squares are from jeans and the other half are of flannel.  For the back I used a sheet and then simply tied it with yarn.

This is just a fun little lap blanket made from outgrown flannel pajamas and flannel from other projects.  Each square is actually 3 squares sewn together with an 'X' and then pieced together.  I then snipped the raw edges and after going through the wash a bunch of times it starts to look nicely frayed and worn.

Now here are some blankets and quilts given to me:

This one is one that my mother-in-law knitted for me and gave to me one Christmas.  I love it because it's the perfect weight and while it keeps me warm, it isn't too bulky or heavy.  Many places take knitted and crocheted blankets as well.

This is an example of a blanket that does not require any sewing, so perfect for those younger siblings that have been wanting to do a project too.

My sister-in-law gave this one to us for Christmas this year.  It's 2 pieces of fleece laid together and then snipping the fringes and knotting them together.  This one has become one of the favorites with the kids to cuddle up with.

Here is a simple tied quilt that my mom made for me years and years ago.  I think I was 6 or 7 when she gave it to me.  She made one for each of the kids that year for Christmas in their favorite colors.  That was no small undertaking, seeing as there are 10 of us.  I think maybe just the girls got them, but I'm not sure.  Still that is 6 of them.  I'm glad I still have this symbol of comfort and warmth my mom made me all those years ago.

This quilt was another Christmas present, this time from my sister.  In our family we have a rotation going so we only give gifts to one sibling and their family each year.  She makes a quilt every year.  This one is very impressive and has over 4000 little strips and squares.  The time she put into this quilt makes me feel special that she gave it to me.

This is a baby quilt made for my youngest daughter by a very talented friend.  My daughter still sleeps with it on her bed.  Baby quilts and blankets are a great place to start, because the size is not too overwhelming for a beginner.

Another baby blanket made for my youngest.  This one my sister-in-law crocheted.  And yes my daughter still sleeps with this one on her bed too.

Finally, I wanted to share this little blanket with you to show how the gift of someone anonymous benefited me.  It is a simple crocheted blanket, no bigger than 2 feet and probably didn't take very much time to make.  But it symbolizes much more to me, as it swaddled our stillborn baby 6 years ago.  While it didn't actually give me warmth, it warmed my heart and gave me comfort to know that someone cared enough to take the time to make this little blanket and donate it to the hospital to then be given to a grieving mother to hold her little baby in it for a while.

So I share that story in the hopes that you are able to pass on to those you are teaching to sew that sometimes they might not see who will benefit from their donation, but they are always appreciated as they bring with them the warmth and comfort that is put into them by the hands that created the blanket or quilt.