A Little Strawberry Goodness

I recently acquired a little MP3 player, which has been very nice. But, I felt it needed a little case, so I went in search of a pattern to make one. I found this cute little pattern for a Happy Star, but the pattern needed a little tweaking, and I wanted a slightly different shape. So, I made a strawberry shape, and cut down the size of the batting pieces by 1/8", making it much easier to sew and assemble. I also altered the size to fit my player, and turned it upside down so that I wouldn't have to make an extra hole for my earphones. Much less work that way.

Etsy

I've updated my Etsy site with all sorts of goodies, so go check it out!!!

Flirty Skirts

I just got this pattern a few days ago, and I absolutely love it. It is the Miss Twiss Hustle Bustle Skirt pattern. It is a very simple skirt but it turns out beautifully. Check out her site for more examples.

Here are my examples. The first one is a black skirt with very dark grey flowers on it. The flowers show up the closer you are, but they are a nice shade of charcoal. I made this one for Valentine's Day, so I would have something cute to wear on my date :) (and I apologize for the slightly wonky pictures, my 9 year old son took them because there wasn't anyone else available)



This next one was made from a recycled vintage sheet. I love the fabric, but it needs a slip. I had thought about flat-lining it, but it's done so I can't do that. I may have to figure out how to make a simple slip or break down and buy one.



This last one is from some material a friend gave me. I had planned on passing it along as it wasn't my favorite, but now that it's in skirt form, I love it.

Little Village And A Baby Blanket

Well, I finished the corset, and managed to somewhat deal with the sizing issues. I took in the sides a little, creating a bit of a flat felled seam. It works, for now. The pictures aren't much different, so I won't bother you with those. I do, however, have pictures of my next projects that I finished up.

Here is a baby blanket I made for a friend of mine. The embroidery was so cute and easy, and it just cried out, "Stitch Me!". Audibly. I swear.

I just did a simple two layers of flannel, one side brown and the other side pink (she had a girl). Then I did the embroidery on a scrap of muslin, and appliqued it to the blanket. It was much easier than trying to embroider onto such a dark piece of flannel, plus it gives a nice contrast.

A closeup of the birds


Now for my next little project, some Little Houses. These are so darn cute, and such a quick way to use up scraps. I made several, using a scrap piece of linen, some felt, and some calico fabrics. These are little ornaments, that can easily be made by just about anyone. You don't even necessarily have to have a sewing machine, they'd be easy enough by hand. I did some embroidery on mine to make them extra cute. I plan on making several more with a plain muslin for the house, so that the kids can draw on them as a great little crafty, handmade Christmas present for certain family members (shhh.... you don't know who you are!). The kids will love the project, and I will love the quiet. I almost forgot to add, but the instructions for these great little ornaments can be found here. I can make one of these babies up in about 20 minutes or so (if I'm not being climbed like a mountain goat), and they are so fun to embellish!

So here are the little houses. I'll start with my favorites, and go from there.

Almost Done...

I am almost done with my new short corset. However, it happens to be a little too big. I really need to work on those sizing issues....

But anyway, they turned out so pretty. I almost hate to sell them, but if I want to make another pair, I will likely have to. Plus, I hate to have them sitting around not being used.

Anyway, here are some pictures. They turned out so pretty.....




I used this embroidery pattern, which was so pretty. I had a hard time keeping it to only three colors, but it's so pretty and simple, that now I can't touch it. I usually have a hard time sticking to simple designs, because I always want to add more, but I also love the look of the simple designs, because they are so pretty.

So if anyone is interested in buying this, you can email me for the details.

These Look So Cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFy7vKf0LbA

I want to make some of these now. Such easy little tiny stars, and little strips of paper. These look like a good use for shredded paper :)

More instructions here: http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/japan/morigami_star.htm

Stash Contest

I just found a cute little site today that is giving away a stitcher's dream stash. Some beautiful threads, and a stitching book. I love embroidery, and this just looks like it would be such a fun little package to get. Go check it out!

Cute Little Cloth Diapers

I made these last week, in an effort to start potty training. I had heard these were good for helping the little ones feel when they're wet, teaching them that they need to use the potty sooner. So far, not too bad.

Here are some pictures of what I've made: (for some reason blogger keeps turning the second pic on it's side, but you get the idea).

Fun With Henna

I have been experimenting a bit with henna lately. I started with a little kit, and that went well enough, but then I got into mixing my own. It seemed to work a little better, though the stain isn't quite as strong I don't think. I'll find out after tonight anyway.

So here is my first attempt at my own mix of henna paste, which involved the henna powder, lemon juice, honey and tea tree oil.

By the way, these are pictures of the applied henna while it's drying. I'll try to get the pictures tomorrow after I take the henna paste off, which will leave a lovely little pattern for about 2 weeks.

Side by Side


Toes

Right Foot

Left Foot (not as good as the other side, and somehow I managed to smudge one of the leaves)

And I just liked the way this shot turned out. I am definitely loving my new camera!

Sewing In Small Doses

I've been working on some small projects lately, and having all sorts of fun doing it too. I've been making some dresses for 18" dolls, like the American Girl dolls. They are turning out cute, and they work up so quickly that I love making them. I like quick projects. They're so much fun to do and see through to the end without major commitment.

So here are the three I've made so far:





These are all for sale on my Etsy shop too.

Sew Busy......

I've finally finished some of my daughter's projects up. I still have a few more things to finish, but we're getting there.

First up is Ariel's Easter dress. She absolutely loves it. I made it from Jennie's Girls' Romantic Dress pattern, and did a few things a little different. I reversed the interfacing at the bottom of the skirt, and added some ribbon to cover the raw edge. I used some white satin covered buttons on the back. I'm also planning on adding a white satin sash from the sides of the dress to pull in the waist just a little bit. That's the only thing I haven't "finished" on the dress, but it was an afterthought anyway, so technically the dress really is done.








Now, onto the jammies and matching slippers. I actually got the ideas for all of these from Kara of Thought and Thimble. She has the cutest ideas. The jammies are from a vintage Simplicity pattern, #8488, the slippers are from a Japanese pattern book that was just too cute to pass up, and the embroidery (I did that by hand the week before I had Zach, I just wish I had used some darker thread), was from a cute little book called Doodle Stitching. Quick word on Doodle Stitching. I loved the book, it gave me some ideas to free up my talent, but it was all a little elementary for me. It was very cute, but I've been embroidering for so long that all the stitches were easy. It did, however, allow me to realize that I don't always have to follow the pattern exactly, and I can actually create my own designs. Hence, the kitty. I did base the pattern off of a bunny pattern from the book, but I made it my own and made it to match the jammies. (You can see the rabbit pattern done up nicely here.)

Tiny Happy Purses

I found this pattern yesterday, and I knew I had to try it right away. I found a really cute home decor remnant at JoAnn's, which was also on sale for 75% off the original price. It is a really cute cream colored, with a diamond pattern woven in, and little dots of green, pink and purple in the middle of the diamonds. As usual, my camera does not do it justice. I then found a really cute farm print for the inside, complete with barns and chickens. Somehow they just seemed right together. Now I just have to decide whether to sell it, keep it, or give it away! I'm definitely going back for more fabric though.

Just a quick note, I did change the pattern for myself. The remnant I bought wasn't quite wide enough, so I made the straps and the purse body separately. I reinforced the straps with a good couple of passes with a zig zag stitch, which worked nicely. I also made a covered button with fabric from the lining. And while you can't see it (because of course, I forgot to take a picture), there is a pocket on the inside that is made from the outer fabric.

H/T to Thought and Thimble for linking to the pattern in the first place :)

It Is Finished!

My quilt that is! I finally finished the baby quilt that I've been working on for nearly a year. It is light and dark yellow, light and dark green, and white with yellow rosebuds. It also sports some origami flowers, which were a lot of fun to make. (I highly recommend Fantastic Fabric Folding by Rebecca Wat, it's where I got the idea for this blanket.)

Here is a slideshow of the blanket.

Works-For-Me-Wednesday

In light of Shannon's bow-capades, I thought I'd share an additional bow pattern that is very easy, and very cute, and very frilly.

Loopy Bows


Now, go on over to Rocks In My Dryer for more great WFMW tips.

Nature Art

Recently, I discovered that we had an abundance of mushrooms growing in our yard. They are everywhere. Now, being ever the opportunist, I remembered a craft I did as a child, involving mushrooms and hairspray. After some extensive searching on the internet, I managed to find one that seemed familiar.

Take your little white garden variety mushroom, and remove the stem. Place it gill side down on a piece of paper, and cover it with a glass. Allow it to sit over night, and voilà, you have spore art! Spray the paper with a non-aerosol hairspray, to preserve the spore art. Have the kid color the pages, or just put them on the fridge as is.


Be sure to pick mushrooms with a firm, round cap, and remove the skirt if necessary to reveal the gills. This will give you the best spore art. Also, be sure to avoid poisonous mushrooms, and I wouldn't let the kids eat them, just in case.

Alternatively, you can purchase store-bought mushrooms, with the same results.