Vacation

We are off for summer vacation!  Posting will be spotty at best for the next few weeks.  Hopefully I'll be back up and running like 'normal' sometime the week of July 11.

Hoodies

Who doesn't love a good hoodie now and then, really?

Another fabulous Lil Blue Boo creation....the Recycled Hoodie Pattern.

I used freezer paper stenciling for this Duke version I made for a friend.

And this may be one of my favorite sewing projects I've ever done...how cute is this Valentine hoodie??

The Sienna Dress

One of the patterns I find myself using over, and over, and over, is The Sienna Dress Pattern from Lil Blue Boo.  I LOVE this pattern.  It's easy, I can use old t-shirts I already have, and my daughter lives in these dresses.

With (or as) Disney Princesses...

 How about Cinderella?

With a pretty little flower...or several....

Here's one I made for Miss A on 'clown day' at preschool (front and back)...

And as part of a set for friends...



You can't beat it!  This pattern was well worth the money.

The Craft Blog World

About 18 months ago I was looking around online for an owl applique tutorial (don't ask), and instead of just a tutorial I happened across the world of Craft Blogs!  I may be sheltered, or maybe it's having 2 babies 17 months apart....but whatever it is, I had no idea all this fabulous info was out there.  I fell in love. 

I found the owl applique I was looking for at Lil Blue Boo.  What a cute and simple tutorial!  I made two matching dresses, and they turned out fabulously!  The dress pattern is another Lil Blue Boo, but that's a post for another time.

Since then, I've learned that I can find nearly anything in this fabulous community of bloggers.  And the folks who put the info out there are so talented and share their creations so freely.  What a wonderful thing - a community of folks who share and share alike!  Imagine if that was the norm!

I just had to...

I know, I know, I have a billion projects I really would like to do.  But what can a gal do when something this cute AND functional shows up in blogland?

Another home run by Dana over at MADE.

I have a really hard time keeping the kids warm after being in the pool.  Or getting out of the shower for that matter.  I held out for a few days ("be STRONG, Kate!!!") until today.  When I saw the cute Target beach towels on sale.  And then that was it.  I promise to line them from my stash and make my own bias tape.  Really.

I wonder if I can get these made up tomorrow?

Stupid pins

With Daddy out of town on business last week, I spent a lot of time in the evenings sewing.  And pinning.  Lots and lots of pins.

I can assure you that I almost never pin anything.  Honestly.  Because really, I don't get the point.  I pin stuff together, and then as I sew it slides around anyways and all the pins do is make me mad at how far off my seams are getting.  It's not like they help me.  Stupid pins.

However, I do firmly believe in pins when sewing gathers.  A little extra fold in the gathers ain't no big thang.  Hence, no problem how far off you get from where you're supposed to be by the next pin.  Pins and I make peace when it comes to gathers.

It does look pretty, though, in the evening light, all those pins and white fabric.

Today, I'm told by little Miss A, we have to go to 'The Fagric Store' to purchase green 'fagric' for a Tinkerbell costume.  What can I do?  She's the boss...

Link Parties

Well, my friends, I've finally bit the bullet and participated in a 'Link Party'.  One of the blogs I read regularly is Creation Corner.  Every Friday she gives you the opportunity to share a craft you did during the week.  I think it's a neat way to see what lots of different people are doing.  Sometimes I find really fantastic things there.

Check it out:



Another favorite is kojodesigns:

Princess Jammies

Why, oh why, would someone design jammies for preschoolers that button all the way up?  I mean, really.

The buttons aren't sized correctly for the buttonholes either, so the shirt comes entirely unbuttoned rather quickly.

For all it's faults, this is Little A's favorite pair of pajamas.  Thankfully the pants fit perfectly.

A few seams up the front of the shirt, and problem solved.  I also cut off the sleeves (which were too short now anyways!) so Miss A could wear her favorite PJs all summer long.

And so, I'm thankful for quick fixes on favorite things!  We really do love our princesses around here.  And our Aunt Mary, who brings us super fantastic jammies!

Treasure Bags

Amazing, isn't it, how you can have a huge list of craft things 'TO DO', and yet - stuff slips in.  Am I right?

Like these hobo sacks. 

I followed these instructions from the fabulous Dana over at MADE.  MADE is one of my favorite blogs, partly because Dana does so many 'boy' tutorials.  There are tons of great ideas out there for girls, but boys tend to get the short end of the stick.  Not true on Dana's blog.  Love, love, love her.

These bags were pretty easy to sew together during naptime.  Although, I will say, I H-A-T-E sewing brocade.  HATE it.  It's slippy and unwravels like crazy.  I LOATHE the stuff.  And I swear it multiplies in my stash because I never seem to get to the end of it, although I don't buy the stuff.  EVER.

Anyhoo, the reason why I just HAD to make these is due, in part, to a recent trip to Party City.  Ever been to Party City?  That place is super duper fun!  I found a giant bag of "gold doubloons" (anybody watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney?).  I know they're bound to buy me several minutes of cooperation during our hours in the car this summer.

Hence, TREASURE BAGS!

Instead of two open-ended strings around the top of the bag like Dana's tutorial calls for, I made it one string, sewn together in a loop.  I figured I'd be rethreading those babies all the time if they could come out.

I kinda feel like I should make myself one.  They look like fun, no?

Now, back to my 'to-do' list!

Pencil Caddy

My daughter is currently obsessed with crafts.  I love it, but it does mean that we have tons of pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, markers, etc....floating around.  So I made her a super cute pencil caddy yesterday.  I used Noodlehead's Pencil Pouch tutorial as a jumping off point.

I love the way embroidery looks when it's mixed in on sewing projects, so I figured I'd try a little out.  I was just finishing up the crown when Miss A came over and very politely informed me that instead of a crown, she would prefer a heart.  We compromised and put a heart on the back...

I loved it so much I immediately cut out two more.  One for my little guy, and another for a cousin we'll see later this summer.

They only sat unfinished overnight.  I couldn't wait to put them together!

Raspberry Pie

Oooooh, Raspberry Pie you delicious creature, you....

Today we shall have you for Breakfast....

for Lunch....

AND for Dinner....

How I love thee.

If you have ever had a raspberry pie from the grocery store....this is NOTHING like that.  You need the real, fresh (or unsweetened frozen) raspberries.  It's sweet, and tart...basically if you like lemonaid, you'll like this.

Use whatever pie crust you like.  I think I have an old recipe from Betty Crocker.  You need the kind you have to bake with the pie.  I also hear you can purchase these crusts at the grocery store - but I'm a bit of a pie crust purist and haven't tried that yet.

Filling:

- 1 Quart Raspberries (I actually have no idea how many raspberries I use...I just fill up the pie mold)

- 1 Cup Sugar

- 1/3 to 1/2 Cup Flour (depending on how 'runny' your berries are)

Bake a 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents (approx 45 minutes).

Scrappy Quilted Table Runner

I completed the first part of my planned Quilt-A-Long project - a table runner!

Honestly I'm not sure what (if anything) I'll work on next to go with this.  Maybe a few placemats?  The trouble with this design is that you have to iron every seam as you go along.  This is difficult for me because I can't leave my iron on with two preschoolers underfoot.  So, to go from sewing machine to iron and back again over and over and over....well, it's just not fun.  And really, if it's not fun, what's the point? 

I do love how it looks though.

YAY Chair!

This was a SHOCKINGLY easy project!

My poor, poor sewing chair has looked like this for the better part of a decade:

Need a close-up?

And after a quick 30 minutes (and a lesson on the staple gun) we have....

YAY!

Beachy Hat Ribbons

I had a friend come by with a last minute request to attach ribbons to her daughters' beach hats.  Lord knows those hats blow right off in the wind!

It obviously took longer to take the pictures than it did to sew on the ribbon.  I believe the hats were a Target purchase.

I rolled under the raw edge of the ribbon and tacked it down right on the original seam in the hat so you can't even tell it's there from the outside.

Alterations Part II

Between all the pool time and the last day of preschool activities this week, I actually did manage to squeeze a bit of sewing in!

The little man has three 'updated' tank tops (why bother holding on to long sleeve t-shirts when there's no way they'll fit in the fall??).

I got my jeans re-fitted.

I took in my pretty grey long sleeve shirt I've been hanging onto for a year now.  Yikes.

I took in my new Target dress, which I LOVE!  And ya can't even tell I fiddled with it.

I took off an inch or two from each side seam and took in a bit at the dart.

And I did manage to remove the zipper from the back of this pretty little hot pink dress.  It did ruin the zipper though, so I'll have to head to JoAnn's before I get a chance to take this dress in and sew it back up.  Well, that, and figure out how to install a real zipper....on a real, pretty dress.  Oh boy.

Alterations

This week I put away my 'fun' projects and pulled out a pile of clothes I've been meaning to alter.  This is a new skill for me (part of my 'no fear' mantra) - so there is definitely a lot of trial and error going on!

A grey long sleeve shirt for myself I needed to take in (note to self - do not zigzag 'finish' the edges on knit.  it pulls the fabric and gives it a bit of a wave), a pair of jeans to take in, a new summer dress from Target to take in at the top, and I figured while I was at it I might as well cut the sleeves off a few of the little man's winter t's since they surely won't fit him by the time winter rolls around again (instant tank tops!).  The sweet hot pink number on top of my sewing machine is a hand me down dress that I need to take in - and wow is she pretty!  So glad my sister decided to give her up!

That's what I'm up to!  What are you up to?