Another Something for Me

I've been trying to make more things for myself, so the other day I whipped up this skirt

I used a pretty Anna Maria Horner voile (do you say it like vwall or like voyle?) and used a tutorial by Anna Maria Horner.

I really like it. It can be worn at my natural waist or around my hips. I kind of like it higher up but we were watching American Idol last night and my husband saw a girl wearing a high waisted skirt and said she looked like an old man with his pants up too high. He has yet to see this skirt on me, so I'm not sure what he'll think. But I like it! I'm thinking maybe I'll wear it for Easter. And if he doesn't protest, I think I'll wear it up nice and high :)

Silly Girl

Took some photos of Elora to model the newest dress I made (tutorial coming soon, see previous post). She is getting very hard to photograph these days but I really liked these shots. They don't really show off the dress, but she's so stinkin' cute, I thought you wouldn't mind.

Working on a tutorial

So, I've been thinking I should do some sort of tutorial. I have about 5 sequences of photos from various projects that were supposed to be made in to tutorials. But I'm scared. I'm really intimidated by the idea of creating a tutorial. I think I'm afraid of people knowing that I sort of don't know what I'm doing and most of the time I just fly by the seat of my pants (I always wonder where expressions like that come from). But, I'm going to put myself out there and invite some constructive criticism. So, hopefully soon I'll have a tutorial up.

Oh, and this is what I'll be showing you how to make:

I made this one for Elora last week:

The straps tie through button holes in the back which makes it adjustable so it can be worn through this summer as a dress and next summer as a top! Sweet!!

I have a few kinks to work out. The first dress I made was a little too big, the second one fits but could be a little bigger. I'll work on this and hopefully have a tutorial some time soon. I'm really nervous but I'm just gonna do it!

Evolution of a Pinafore

I recently received a request from a customer for a pinafore. I had not made one before so I googled around to make sure I was thinking of the right thing. And after seeing a few photos, a few tutorials, and reading a few definitions of what technically qualified as a pinafore, I got cutting and sewing.

Here's the first one:

Pretty plain, very basic, made from some clearance Ikea fabric and a sheet from Goodwill (so it wasn't a huge loss if it was a total fail). But it turned out cute and it's now a part of Elora's wardrobe.

This is the next one, I added a ruffle and made it tie at the shoulders, this time in a newborn size:

All of these are totally reversible, and instead of showing you 4 photos of each one, I'll just show you the front of one side and the back of the other side (hopefully that makes sense) so you can see all the different fabrics.

And here is the last and my most favorite one:

It's so colorful and bright and fabulous. I absolutely LOVE it.

And Elora looks crazy cute in it!

I'll be adding these to my shop for the spring and summer. I didn't love the idea of a pinafore before I made one, but after just that first, simple one, I fell in love and these are probably my favorite thing to make these days.

(ps...after looking at this post, I've realized I need to take a photography class. My photos are all really different and mostly bad. I'll be checking out the community college summer schedule in a few minutes to find a class stat!)

Super Easy Baby Blanket

I have been known to throw together a handmade gift right before a birthday party or baby shower, just finishing it and tossing it in a gift bag as I head out the door 10 minutes late. I even sat in the driveway of my cousin's baby shower sewing buttons on the kimono jammies I made for her baby boy. Yes, I am the worst manager of time. At least I'm not in denial, right?

Well, in keeping with my last minute craftiness, I am also sometimes late to blog parties. And today is no exception. You may recall the "Crafty Mamas Blog Challenge" I talked about a while back and even made a few projects for. Well, I am jumping back in (two days late to link up).

So, here is my week 5 project

The challenge was to make a baby blanket. So I threw together this super simple, super cozy blanket Thursday evening when we heard the news that our good friends found out they were having a boy.

Perfect for snuggling up with a good book and your favorite little boy.

Honestly, I was hoping they were having a girl so I could make a blanket with a ruffle or something super girly...but this one was so quick and it's about the softest thing ever, so I think I'm okay that they'll be having a boy.

To make your own super easy, super soft baby blanket, follow these simple steps: find two super cuddly fabrics (I chose chenille and flannel) and pre-wash them to prevent uneven, unwanted shrinking later. Lay them right sides together and make the edges even (I cut mine to be about 30" by 38"), cut arount a bowl or plate to round the corners, pin the edges together, sew 3/4" from the edge leaving about 4 inches open for turning. Then clip the rounded corners with "valley" cuts so they lay flat when you turn the blanket right side out. Turn right side out, be sure everything is laying flat at your seams, pin together your opening so it blends in with the rest of the blanket edge, then top stitch around about 1/4" from edge, making sure to close your opening. Then, give it to someone who is having a little boy so they can snuggle and cuddle.

The End :)

Elora's Purse

I recently realized that Elora was ready for a purse of her own. She's always carrying around my make up bag like a little purse and she'll grab pretty much any bag type item, fill it up with her stuff, throw it over her shoulder, and head for the door saying "bye-bye".

And so, the mini purse was born.

I just started cutting rectangles of fabric and interfacing, started sewing it together, and viola! It worked out quite well I think!

It was love at first sight for Elora. Right away she threw her sippy cup in there, some goldfish crackers, a book, a pacifier, (y'know, all the essentials) and headed for the door.

It helps that it matches mama's purse (which in reality is quite a bit bigger than Elora's purse, despite what these pictures might suggest).

She's pretty cute with her little purse. I wish I had a photo to post, but she's too quick these days. I had a brilliant idea for getting photos of her in the future...now I just need to find a bubble machine.

Something for me

I am always sewing for little ones. Either for my daughter or for my shop. So yesterday, I decided it was time for a new top for me. I hit a great sale about a month ago and bought 17 yards of various fabrics for $34! It was awesome.

I decided to use one of the $1 prints to whip up a "prototype" shirt for me. Well, I ended up really loving it. And I loved that it only cost about a buck.

It looks nice with a cardigan.

Or maybe with a belt?

Either way, I'm pretty excited about this little top. It isn't much but I've really been feeling the frump of the stay at home mom lately. This feminine top is really going to help to ward off the frump. And it's comfy, totally wearable, and my husband said it was "really cute". Yes, those were his words. So, it was a hit.

I plan on making a few more with different prints and embellishments. I need a serious wardrobe revamp so this should help.

I used a dress I recently bought from Target as my "pattern". The dress is pretty big and needs some altering itself, but it really helped me get a shape I like. So, I am off to make about 5 more of these :)

And the winner is....

commenter #12, Lois!!

Congratulations, Lois! I'll be emailing you so you can claim your prize!

For those who didn't win, make sure you head over to my Facebook page for the chance to win a dress or a hand sewn tie!