Finishing touches

I have spent the last week working on finishing all the gifts I started in October with great intentions of getting done early. Oops. So this week I have:

made my mom a necklace... this one I actually started this morning because somehow I missed her on my list...

Sewn this fabric Frosty the Snowman book for Moo,Finished binding this quilt for my Sister-in-law's mother, who will be joining us for Christmas.This quilt took 12 hours to quilt, and I used 27 bobbins! Not sure I will do pebble quilting this small again, but I love the finished look. Thank goodness it's just a lap quilt!

I have also almost finished a doorway puppet theatre (another post on that later), made a dozen scrapbook pages for my mother-in-law's book, made a dress for a friend's daughter, sewn 8 microwaveable rice bags for an order, finished knitting a hat, and beaded 3 lanyards for namebadges for a coworker. Thank goodness my family is okay with pizza, frozen noodle dinners and spaghetti for dinner!

Winter Wonderland

I saw this adorable winter scene on Chasing Cheerios, and Bug begged to make her own house. We still have a lot of felt from a great thrift store find, and we put it to good use. We dug through the felt and she chose colors while I cut.

I love how she decorated the tree. And the pink snow. That's my Buggie for you. The final scene is really cute - I imagine we will play with it a lot during Moo's naps in the coming weeks.

and... after another entire day knitting this hat again, I think it looks like I tried to knit armor from the game hubby has been playing on the xbox. Not a great look. So, I ripped it all out. Again. And started another hat. Hopefully success with this one!

testing, testing...

I have been picking up knitting the last two weeks, and started AND finished 10 hats in 12 days. Wow. Five of these are for Christmas gifts, I still need to make a little boy hat and then Christmas knitting will be done.

I am still new to knitting, and have not ventured with anything too fancy. However... after my mom brought this book over, I knew I had to try something new. I love all three 'One Skein Wonder' books {hint hint hubby}. Just missing the other two...

Well, after a few tears and a 'yarn over' lesson from my mom, I felt confident and began knitting. Three + hours and 24 rows later, I realized the hat I was making for myself would fit my two year old neice who has a small head. Oops. So, out came all those stitches. I went up a needle size, grabbed a Diet Dr. Pepper and began again. Hope my guage is right this time!

Impromptu Project

I try to do little 'projects' with Bug's help on a regular basis. I would say we do 5 or so art projects a week, although they are usually pretty basic stuff. I have been a little lazy lately, and she has noticed. When I got home from work tonight (I work 4pm-12:30am) she was up (again... we really need to work on her sleep schedule!) and begged to make her daddy a project. Just one. How could I tell her no? I had this snowman printed off, and she got to coloring. Have little kids? Check out the coloring page, it's a good one. A little glue, and she was a happy girl with a project to give her Daddy.
Notice the clock in the background? Oh, you can't see it underneath the dirt? Well it says 1:02 am. Seriously.

Christmas sewing - round two

I have been working on bags this weekend - first I made these matching 'church bags' for the girls. I will fill them with coloring books and finger puppets... and other quiet toys. Just for Sundays so they will be a special treat. They each got one, although you can see from the arm in the picture they may not be a surprise or even stay hidden until Christmas.

Next, I made bed book bags to hang on the outside of their beds. Bug loves "Ten, Nine, Eight" and it's often missing at bedtime. I am hoping we can just keep it in one spot and have bedtime go a little smoother. These bags are big enough to hold a couple books and made out of a sturdy canvas (again, from our thrift store... $1) and fabric that matches their blankets- I wanted them to be specific to each girl. I used this 'kidlet' tutorial as a guide, but added two separate straps so I could button them on. I will upgrade from the safety pins.

I love it when in one night of sewing I can make four projects start to finish.

Two little Indians

Bug and I have been talking about Thanksgiving and making turkey crafts this week. I told her we might make a feather 'hat' like an Indian girl would wear. She then said "and you make me Indian girl dress too? Thanks." So, off to the thrift store I went in search of fabric. Since I live 75 minutes from a clothing fabric store (and civilization), that is my go-to place for last minute supplies. I found this dress that came with a jacket, and the fabric was really soft (and only $4) - perfect!

I wanted it to be more of a dress-up dress, so I used this pattern again, so it's easy to get off and on. The only thing I did different was I added a reverse applique zig-zag at the bottom. I really wanted to avoid fringe, and I thought zig-zag would be a similar look but a lot easier. It was time-consuming, but I love the finished look. I did double rows of stitching because of how much this fabric might fray.
I had dreams of my girls playing together for pictures, but when it came time, {reality check} they both decided they wanted this spray bottle with water. This is the result of my photo shoot: Once Moo was distracted with Diego, I did get one of Bug that's a good shot of the dress. It's exactly what I had in mind, and simple enough that even Daddy approves!{UPDATE}

We did get a better (no fighting) picture on our way to Thanksgiving dinner!

Finishing touches

I have been working on cleaning out my 'craft room' this last week, and it is a little more work than I hoped it would be. However, in the process, I have stumbled upon unfinished projects. Bug was sure pleased to see this again. All it needed was the binding sewn on by hand and done! So, I got to two of them before she got horribly impatient and cranky, so two down, two to go. These are actually leftover pieces from a quilt top I made for the quilt shop, and instead of a small quilt I opted to go with individual dolls. Cross your fingers for me, they might be easier to share this way!

Christmas Sewing - round one

I have picked up a few extra shifts at work, and as a result I am tired and not feeling so creative. I hate that trade-off! Now I have a little more money for fabric, but I want to nap more than I want to sew. I did get these two done for Christmas for the girls.

This skirt for Bug will coordinate with the one I made for Moo. I actually made them the same size - even though the girls are 18 months apart, they are currently wearing most of the same clothes.

A cute twist on a pillowcase dress for Moo - I didn't think that a tie around her neck was a great idea for her, so I love this elastic option.

Naptime blanket

My mom gave my girls a fleece princess panel a week or two ago, and I just finally got to finishing it now. A simple zig-zag around the edges and some snips from my scissors, and we have a blanket done in one Moo naptime! Nothing fancy, but the girls have loved picnics on it.
I love the rosy naptime cheeks!

Crewcuts inspired top

I have been drooling over the clothes at Crewcuts, and decided it was finally time to just make something inspired by their line.

I don't have the budget for this gorgeous cashmere shirt for either of my girls, so here is my thrift store waffle shirt take on it. Sorry the picture quality is so bad, tonight after they went to bed was the only time I had with no kid on the sewing chair with me.
I used an existing shirt of Bug's for the pattern - I just cut it long, as I wanted this to be a tunic. Cut off the hem close to the seam, keeping it intact. This will become the neck ruffle. Cut the arms from the arms, and from the top of the arms, you will need two 4 x 3" squares for the pockets. It was easy to get all of the pieces from a woman's medium to make a 3T. You will also need a 1" piece for the hem, I just cut it right above where I cut them hem off. That somehow escaped the picture.
Right sides together, sew the shirt body and arms. I did a straight seam plus a zig-zag, as this will be worn by a very active toddler. Since I used the existing sleeve hem, I skipped hemming them. Also sew the neck together.

With right sides together, sew sleeves in. I use lots of pins.
It will now look something like this: At this point, I decided on pocket placement. (Sorry no picture) I did fold the pocket pieces down one inch and sew before I attached them, so the top had a clean line. I opted to just sew the pocket right on without turning it under, which will work for this fabric. I might sew the pockets on before I sew the body together next time. Just a thought.
Now for the ruffle... I wanted a little more ruffling on the front, and a little less on the back. To achieve this, I found the center of the ruffle and pinned it to the center of the shirt, and same with the back. I put the side seams from the hem more forward than the shoulder seam, so I had more fabric in front.
Instead of a gather stitch, I just pinned it in place and shoved it through the machine. I have found that my seam ripper is the perfect size to fit under the foot and help hold the fabric. Sew all the way around twice. Again, it's going to be worn by a toddler.

I also wanted it to stay close to the existing collar, so I did a quick whip stitch and attached the new ruffle neckline to the top of the old collar. For the hem, I took my 1" pieces of fabric and folded it over the bottom of the shirt. Again, lots of pins. I ran this straight through the machine, again I didn't fold it over. I like the look.... and you're finished! This really took no time at all, and it was only $2!

Bug loves it, and I love how it looks on her!

Cheese!

Consignment

I took my first consignment order ever, and I was so nervous! It was to stipple a baby quilt, and I love how it turned out! It helps a lot that the quilt top she provided was awesome. Turns out she loves it too... HUGE sign of relief. I might be finishing more quilts soon... Christmas is coming way too soon!

Sienna Dress

I have been following Lil Blue Boo for a while now, and I am so inspired by her creativity. I have been saving old t-shirts, and finally bought her "Sienna" pattern to make some little girl dresses. I love the pattern, and love how they turned out! I am also pleased that Bug and Moo will wear them.

I wanted this one to be simple, but when I got the body of it together, I was disappointed. Pink neckline and ruffle bottom to the rescue! Perfect now. {Just don't look at the length of the sleeves... guess I didn't learn last time}

When I had Bug try this one on, she said:
"Oh, thanks Mom for this great Super Girl Christmas dress to wear to my Halloween tea party! I love it!"

{new skirt}

I saw {this post} on Ruffles and Stuff today linking to a great little craft blog, Crafterhours and could not help but whip up a skirt tonight from their tutorial. Or early this morning... the line is a little blurry if you stay up past one. It didn't take long, and I love how it turned out. The only 'adjustment' I made to the pattern was to shorten the front of the skirt a little because Moo has such a large tummy for the waistband, and I wanted it to look even on the bottom. I only took off about 3/8" in the center and tapered it out from there to the edges. I think it will work.

I may make another for Bug and keep them for Christmas gifts - I have already started shopping and hiding things away. Guess I better look through my stash for another polka dot print!

Sweater Dress

My brother and sister-in-law just moved for the third time in a month. Along the way, with every move, they decided to de-junk a little more. That means clothes for me... I love re-purposing clothing! I was inspired by this sweater dress, and here is my version:

I forgot about the 'before' picture, but it was a basic black ribbed sweater. Pretty basic. It was in great shape, just a little too short for me to wear.

I should have measured the sleeves instead of assuming I know how long my kid's arms are... oops. They are pretty long... so I rolled them up and they are now cuffed sleeves. Easy fix! Believe it or not, these are the best two pictures out of the thirty I took. Seriously. Can the lighting in my house be any worse? And she would only stay in one place if she was standing on a table. That's my Moo for you!

{accessories}

I made these to match the girls Halloween costumes, and I just now realized you can't see them in the picture I posted. Moo was obviously a cow without a hood (she hates hats) but Bug looked like... a fuzzy marshmallow. I wasn't sure if she would dig the hood, so I made a lamb clip for her hair 'just in case.' She actually loved her hood, and still asks to wear it. These only took a little while to make, and I had all of the supplies on hand. It would have taken even less time if I had all my supplies from different crafts separated and organized... soon. I hope.

Do you see what I see?

I thought this fabric was adorable, but couldn't figure out a quilt to make with it... so it sat, and sat, and sat in my closet. I hate having awesome fabric and no project (just ask the hubby!). I have loved this pattern so much, I decided to do it again, but in a shirt.

When it was finished, I asked Bug what she saw in this shirt... POLKA DOTS! How funny, I thought for sure it would be the kittens or flowers. Another hit with my big girl!

Both kids currently have the flu, so no modeling pics. We have changed clothes enough times today due to vomit, I opted not to have a photo shoot.

{trick or treat}

I made the girls costumes again this year - Moo was a sweet little cow and Bug was a little lamb. We just did our ward's trunk-or-treat, as we didn't need lots more candy in the house, and I only had a minute to slip away from work. Luckily, the church is right next to the hospital, and we had enough staff so I could walk them around the parking lot.
Here they are with Daddy!

Polka Dots

Bug is still obsessed with polka dots, and we don't seem to have enough in her closet currently. My solution? This awesome pink fabric my Mom picked up for me. I just did a simple pillowcase dress, but made it into a shirt. I layered it with a long sleeve shirt, and I love the look!

I bribed her with nerds for posing. She was much more cooperative with candy in hand. Cheese!

Ruffle makeover

After yet another great ruffle post on My Mama Made it, I decided to do one myself! I just love how it turned out! I hauled the girls out to the thrift store today to get something cream to use for Bug's cuffs on her halloween costume, and we saw this sweatshirt just begging for a girly addition.
I used the same cream I picked up for Bug's cuffs - love a double duty purchase!

I love how the pleats are uneven - a big step for me. I like everything even. I can't help myself.

Maybe she will be called a boy less now...