Seams Simple

My version

2010-05-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Excuses, excuses. It's been weeks--maybe a month--since I finished this shirt. But there never seems to be a time when I'm wearing it and someone's around to take my photo. So you get the strange mirror shot. :) Here's the story behind this top. I went shopping at Anthropologie in January. A long time ago. I love looking through that store but rarely can buy because it's so $$$. I found a pencil skirt that I LOVED. Pricetag $150. Too much for me. Especially for a skirt. A few days later I walk into Joanne's and find this fabric--it's identical to the Anthro skirt. No joke. I bought 2 yards for around $12 and it sat in the closet for a while. I sewed the pencil skirt and it turned out alright. Then had enough left over fabric to quickly sew up this top, using a great pattern that I've used before. Sadly, it's been so long that the original skirt from Anthro is no longer on their website. But really, it is identical! Those people make a killing. And I've still got $138 in my pocket, a new skirt and a new top! And no, I will not wear them together!!

Easter dresses

2010-04-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

Don't mind the silly faces. That's just the way we are! Just in time I finished the girls Easter dresses. Because it was general conference and we technically didn't have to get dressed up for church, I almost didn't do Easter dresses this year. But come on, they are only going to let me dress them like this for so long, right? These dresses were inspired (a nice way to say copied) from a few different places. First, the talented Katiedid has darling girls that she makes beautiful clothes for. Then there is this dress from Lilly Pulitzer. I love their bright colors. But $88 for a toddler's A-line dress, seriously? And then I saw Jamie's adorable dress and skirt she made for her girls. And then I looked in the closet and saw the green and pink fabric I had found for $3 and using A-line dresses the girls already had as patterns, it all came together quickly! Next up I want to copy this dropwaist beauty. And of course the matching little sister dress. Isn't that lace gorgeous!? Girls are fun!

Bulletin Board

2010-04-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've had ideas of some sort of family bulletin board/message center in my head for a while now, and have been inspired by many different images and blog posts, but when I was talking with my friend, Becca, and she brought it up that she was trying to put one together, I got motivated to just get it done! A few of the inspirations I used: I originally got the idea for a "Learning Board" from a book I read, and really enjoyed, on motherhood called Steady Days and I used her ideas for what to put on the board. There is a calendar on it with pictures, a sticker chart, a few pictures of Spring, a country that we talk about (so far we're checking a few books out from the library on our "country" and looking at it on the map. Maybe in the future I'll get around to cooking foods from a certain country we talk about. We'll see.) and a holiday (I still need to get some pictures of Easter things up!). It's hung low on the wall in our hallway so it's accessible to Kate. I plan to rotate what we put on the board, and it could eventually just become a family message center or display board. For now it is working well. Kate enjoys looking at the calendar especially. Most mornings she asks "What day is it today?" And it's been helpful to direct her here and show her what might be going on that day or the next.

I followed my favorite design blogs instructions for the bulletin board and it was really simple. I got the board at Micheals, although they sell them everywhere. Just paint the frame, use some fabric tac or spray adhesive for the fabric and cover the edges with gimp or trim. I want to do a few more of these for the walls of our office. I love seeing the pretty fabric on the wall--especially since I found it for $3 a yard. If you live near a Home Fabrics outlet, you've got to check it out!

A few other inspirations:

Soulemama's family board

Family Command Center

Pelmet Box

2010-03-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

I used this tutorial from one of my favorite design blogs to make this simple pelmet box window treatment for the girls room. It's made up of foam board and duck tape--but it works! I used fabric from the old curtains in Kate's room in New Haven so this project cost $3 total! I don't have a staple gun (but should get one) so when I upholstered the pelmet box I used duck tape to hold the fabric and batting down. It worked fine, but a staple gun would probably hold the fabric down tighter, so I'd recommend using one. And looking at this picture, it is a rare moment in the day that I see the floor of this room looking so clean. Will my house ever not look like a tornado ran through it? These girls are hard to keep up with!

Simple lampshade

2010-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

This lampshade came about after I hemmed and hawed and couldn't make up my mind in the ikea lighting department for about 30 minutes. Thankfully, Kate is old enough to go in ikea's childrens area and loves it! I was looking for a simple lampshade for a floor lamp in the playroom. Everything there was either the wrong size or color or shape. After I had given up on their selection and resorted to going somewhere else and paying a lot more for a lampshade, I spotted one on clearance for $7. A brown, pleated lampshade that was the right size and shape, but brown was definitely not what I was hoping for in the playroom. After examining it and deciding the the brown pleats would be pretty easy to remove, I decided to try to recover it myself. It's just the playroom afterall, so it doesn't need to be perfect. I took it home and looked up some quick instructions as a guide on how to do it. The best part was I already had everything I needed at home! I used leftover fabric from my moms apron and some leftover trims from other projects. It was really simple and fun. I like the whimsical look it has compared to the plain green one I almost bought. It is times like this when being indecisive about a little decision works out for the best!

Lollipop Dress

2010-01-26T22:27:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm getting some creative energy back. I've been sewing and crafting a bit more lately and I'm remembering how much I like it. The whole process of creating something from start to finish, and then actually being satisfied with the end product, is very gratifying. I made this dress for Kate's 3rd birthday party. I used a fine welt purple curduroy from Joanne's and for the applique and trim I finally cut into some Heather Bailey fabrics that I was given last Christmas, and love. I've still got more and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I used McCall's 5692 pattern and it was simple to sew. I'm learning that after making so many little girls dresses, you can use the pattern as a guide, but I tend to do things more my way, even if it isn't the right way, or what the pattern specifies. I used heat n bond for the applique and should have referred to my favorite tutorial, as I got adhesive all over my ironing board cover. Oops. This was fun to sew and hopefully I can find time to make a matching one for little sister.

mom's apron

2009-12-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

Another project I found time for was this little apron I made for my mom. She is a preschool teacher and on her wish list was an apron patterned after her apron she wears to work. I guess she doesn't want to wear an apron around the house with a big teddy bear on it? Anyway, it was super simple. I traced her apron onto fabric, made ties and pockets and made it reversible by sewing everything together, right sides together, leaving a small opening at the bottom. Then I turned it right side out, sewed up the hole, did some topstitching and voila! Done. It came together really quickly. The only thing I would do differently second time around--cut the apron pattern out on the fold. It didn't matter too much, but it would have been helpful to have both sides symmetrical. Merry Christmas, Mom!

girly purses

2009-12-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

Santa was a little too ambitious this year and didn't get started early enough. That is my excuse for a few of the planned projects that went unfinished. Fortunately, I don't think anyone noticed but me. These girls purses, however, I did find time for! I made 4 of them, for my nieces and little cousins. I glued sequin trim on the front as a monogram because I always love a little sparkle and filled them with treats my little girl likes to find in her purse. I've used this tutorial before and it is very simple. One day I will get around to making a large one for myself!

sparkly skirt

2009-11-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

A super, simple variation of a tutu. Shiny satin, sequin material and sparkly tulle. I used a skirt Kate had to use as a guideline, then lengthened it a few inches so it would be extra full. I cut a front and back of each type of material and sewed each one together at the sides separately. Then I layered them together, turned down the top to make a casing for the elastic, sewed and then added elastic. Instant butterfly, princess, ballerina, whatever you want to call it dress up skirt in 20 minutes!

Playbill Project

2009-11-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about living in Manhattan was all of the great theater we got to see. We usually went to a show when visitors were in town. We went for our anniversary once and quite a few times just because. I saved most of my playbills thinking someday I would do something with them. This was one of the first projects I did when we moved into the new house. They are hanging in the girls playroom. Kate likes looking at all of the pictures and I like lying on the rug, daydreaming about when we used to be urbanites and singing show tunes. It makes for a good time at 3 in the afternoon. :)

This project was very simple and could be done with any sort of memorabilia. Maybe some favorite pages from a children's book would be cool? I used these frames from ikea and some posterboard.

Another related project to these are shadow boxes. I made a shadow box right after we got married that we have in our bedroom with things from our wedding--Invitations, placecards, a few candid photos, swatches of bridesmaids dresses, a boutonniere and ribbon. I love looking at it and remembering our wedding day.

We've been crafting...

2009-09-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

just of a different sort. Take a trip to Big Lots and pick up the $2 Martha Stewart craft kits and you can too!

A Summer Shirt

2009-06-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

It's a lot easier to take pictures of my girls than myself! It is kind of hard to see the detail of the shirt in this picture because the fabric is so busy. {The fabric reminded me of a dress I saw in a Boden catalog recently. Maybe one day I will be able to afford their clothes!} To see a better picture of the shirt, click here. I saw this shirt/pattern on a new-to-me blog, presser foot. I love their idea of doing a project a month where everyone sews along. I am a little late with this project, but wanted to try it. The pattern is McCalls 5388. I find it's more challenging sewing for myself than the girls because I am more particular about the fit. For example, initially this shirt fit like a maternity blouse. I'm done with maternity clothes. Not quite the look I was going for! I took it in a few inches and added a belt, so hopefully now it looks like I have a waistline. If you end up using this pattern, know that it runs big. Make the size top that you would buy in the store. Your measurements will tell you to make a much larger size--don't do it. It is satisfying to update my wardrobe with $5 and a few hours of work. For my next project I'm going to try and copy a linen skirt from jcrew that I don't have a pattern for... should be fun!

a summer skirt

2009-05-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Do you like the model pose? I tried. I'm having fun sewing a few things for myself these days. With no time--or money--to shop lately I'm trying to update my wardrobe a little bit in the hour or so I have to sew in the evening. It seems that while I love to be stylish, comfort has really taken over. Something about changing diapers and doing puzzles all day that doesn't really allow for a fussy or fancy wardrobe. I love wearing skirts in the summer and I have one knit skirt that I love, but it has bright flowers all over it. Not exactly something that can be worn different ways. I got this book about sewing knits a while ago and thought I'd finally give it a try. While in theory it should have been easy, I had some major tension issues with my machine. I'm thinking a serger is a must for sewing knits--maybe I'll have to put it on my birthday list. While it's not perfect, it turned out well to enough to get lots of wear this summer. It's comfy, can be worn with flip flops or flats and cost less than $10 to make. Now if only it would stop raining and warm up so I could wear it! Isn't it supposed to be April showers? I think we've had rain for 5 days straight!

sisters dresses

2009-04-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

simple. matching. not pink (i love it... but i think ALL of gwen's baby clothes are pink!) inexpensive. easy to sew. polka dots.

I've sewn a dress from this pattern before. There are only 3 or 4 pattern pieces to cut (depending on if you use sleeves or not) and that's about all I can handle these days. Maybe appropriate to wear at a certain special event coming up next month? I can't believe graduation is here already...

knitted booties

2009-04-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

proof that I still have some energy left for creativity. Another project from this book.

Easter tees

2009-03-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

given just a little bit early. These were meant for the girls Easter baskets, but I sometimes get a little too excited about gifts and give them early. Especially when a lazy sunny afternoon prompts a matching photo shoot. I used my favorite tutorial for appliqueing and finally tried making a fabric yo-yo. They are easy and addicting. I'm already thinking of different ways to use them. The peach bunny fabric is scraps from the lining of Gwen's Easter dress that my mother-in-law sent and the bunny's tail was made from the dress fabric. We've got a bit of a robin's egg blue and peach theme going on this Easter. Now if Spring would just stay, we could wear our bunny shirts outside to play!

a shirt for mama

2009-03-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

To get me through the in-between phase where maternity clothes are too big (and exhausted--I don't want to look at them again!) and I've only got a handful of pre-pregnancy shirts that I'm feeling comfortable in. Nothing fancy or particularly stylish, but it fits the mom uniform for the time being. I bought the pattern a year ago planning to make the dress, but time and the practicality of wearing dresses (thanks Gwen) put that one aside for a while. This shirt could probably be sewn in one evening. It took me more like five because I seem to only be able to sew for 10 minutes at a time and I either get too tired or someone needs me. (Kind of like when I was trying to take this picture.) And don't mind the funky sun shadows... we were just basking in the balmy 37 degree Spring weather that day.

knitted socks

2009-03-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

With a new babe comes a lot of nursing. And a lot of nursing means a lot of sitting. All this sitting allowed me to finally finish the second sock to this pair! This is the first time I have knitted socks and worked with sock yarn. Socks take forever to knit. Sock yarn resembles embroidery floss and the needles you use are the smallest they make! But now that they are done they are soft and comfy, perfect to keep my feet warm during these last few weeks (hopefully) of winter. I used this pattern and they were simple to knit. But did I mention they take forever? Maybe if I start another pair now they will be done by next winter.

diaper bag for dolly

2009-02-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

One of Kate's favorite books to read is "Little Mommy". The little girl in the story takes care of her dolls just like a mommy would. Kate loves reading this and then pretending to be a little mommy to her own baby dolls. I'm very excited (and a little bit nervous) to see how Kate responds to there being a real baby in the house. I'd been given advice to have a few special gifts just for Kate when the baby comes home. I thought this would make the perfect "big sister gift". Her very own diaper bag complete with supplies for dolly: a sling, diapers, wipes and case, bib, burp cloth and bottle. I saw the idea here (along with the sling tutorial) and was able to use scraps of fabric I had to sew everything. I used the basic template for this shoulder bag and adjusted the measurements for a little girl. The diaper tutorial I found here, as well as the little wipes case. The bottle I found at the $1 store and I'm afraid that might be the favorite item out of them all! Either way I hope that Kate will have fun being a "little mommy" to her baby dolls and hopefully won't feel too left out when I've got another baby around to take care of!

church bag

2009-02-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

Until now, we've been using an ugly blue and white canvas bag that says "Martha Stewart Living" on the side (I must have got it for free somewhere) to tote all of our scriptures and books to church on Sunday. Every time I look at it I get a little bit embarrassed. It is not cute. At all. I got a burst of energy last night (nesting?) and decided to rummage through my fabric scraps to see if I had enough fabric to come up with a new bag. I found this black and white upholstery fabric I bought from the remnants bin a while back and decided it would be perfect. For the lining I used some leftover red corduroy from my Christmas stocking project and an hour later had a new bag! Tote bags are a really great project. They don't require a pattern, are forgiving on measurements and sew up fast and easy. This is actually the second bag I've sewn. I did the first a few nights ago--it's a shoulder bag version that will be a diaper bag for Kate's dolls (I'll post pictures soon)-- so I went with what I learned from that tutorial and modified it based on the amount of fabric I had and made 2 handles instead of 1. Now I can throw the ugly Martha Stewart bag away and as Kate's books get pushed out of the diaper bag to make room for all the things a baby requires (I'm going to have to take so much stuff) her books can occupy this new bag.

Easter Outfit

2009-02-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

I had a goal to get this finished before the baby comes, and I did! I'd been coveting the Oliver + S pattern for this jacket and skirt and was so excited when I got it for Christmas. To make it even sweeter, my mother-in-law, Leslie, (who gave me the pattern) and I scored this suiting fabric in the discount bin at Denver Fabrics, $11 for 3 yards of 60 inch wide! Now, thanks to a generous offer from Leslie, the baby will have a matching dress with the leftover fabric.

These pictures weren't the easiest to take. 1. Kate doesn't like to get dressed, so to have to do it an extra time was a little bit painful. 2. She doesn't want to pose/smile/hold still for anything!

The pattern was a lot of fun to sew and the directions were really straightforward. I used a double-needle for the first time--I didn't even know there was such a thing--for the top stitching with peach thread to match the peach buttons. I'm happy that this is done and it fits! Now I'm thinking about making a yo-yo into a hair bow with some of the fabric scraps. We'll see if I can fit my belly in front of the sewing machine.

easy pillows

2009-02-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

My energy for sewing projects is definitely waning, however I do have a few I want to get finished before this baby comes. These pillows have been on my list for a while and they were a quick, one evening, gratifying project that I should have done much earlier! I bought the fabric back in October at my visit to Purl Patchwork and really love it. I made the pillows myself out of muslin and batting which actually made constructing the pillowcases even easier than using pre-made pillows because I was able to cut the fabric all together, just making the case fabric a 1/2 inch or so bigger. I've used this template before from this book and love it. It's easy, looks nice, requires no zippers, yet can be removed to wash. I made one pillow for the rocking chair (that already gets it's fair share of use) and one little one for Kate's crib that is slowly becoming a big girl bed. They are already nice and wrinkled and worn in, and my back feels much better!

creating in the kitchen

2009-01-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

When Paul and I were in San Francisco we visited Tartine Bakery and quickly understood why it was so crowded. Tartine is a small shop that sells pastries and sandwhiches. We ate lunch and for dessert decided to try something different than we would usually order. Paul had a coconut macaroon and I had an almond rocher that was so tasty I bought the cookbook because it had the recipe in it! It's a simple little cookie that while a little strange looking, is really tasty and actually pretty easy to make.
I made some of the rochers (a fancy french word pronounced ro-shares) for Kate's party and then decided to use the new tart pan I got for Christmas to try my very first tart--chocolate hazelnut, also from the Tartine cookbook. It was delicious and worth the effort of peeling the skins off the hazelnuts (although next time I'll try to buy ones that are already peeled!) So far I'm loving the cookbook and dreaming about becoming a pastry chef and opening a shop of my own. It sounds romantic, although being around delicious pastries all day probably isn't the best thing for the waistline.

Another Christmas gift I received was a fancy cookie cutter meant to be used to make edible bouquets--similar to the ones they charge $50 for! You can find a video here with instructions, it was surprisingly simple to make and comes together at the end. While making it I kept thinking I was just going to have to give up and throw everything together in a bowl for fruit salad, but in the end, it turned out ok. It's fun for kids to look at and I think Kate may have eaten more fruit than usual because it looked so "fancy".

toddler's placemat

2009-01-29T15:49:00.001-08:00

Kate loves to help around the house and is getting quite good at some tasks. She helps to set the table but doesn't seem to know where to put things, so the forks or spoons just end up in one big pile in the middle of the table. I've seen place mats similar to these before and thought it would be easy enough to make one up with materials I had on had. I went with oilcloth for easy cleanup, it just wipes clean! I used pinking shears around the edges and used a plate, fork, cup and spoon to trace around. I then used the bright blue thread and did a wide zig zag stitch around the tracing so it would stand out a bit. It has really helped Kate figure out where to put things and it's now a little game. You could use regular fabric for this and some embroidery thread, or just fabric markers--the only downside being if your toddler is as messy as mine you'd have to wash it after every meal! See here for more examples.

Animal Puppets

2009-01-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

I found these pictures on my computer and thought I would share these easy puppets with you. There isn't much to write about--I saw some in a Land of Nod catalog and they looked easy enough to copy, and they were. I used felt (try and get the good stuff with some real wool in it) and drew patterns on paper before tracing and cutting out the fabric. I gave these to a few of Kate's little friends for Christmas as well as my nieces and nephew to go along with the puppet theater. The possibilities with these guys are endless!

Old McDonald

2009-01-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

Kate loves animals. Some animal noises were some of her first words. She loves looking at pictures of animals, trying to find cats and birds out the window and singing Old McDonald. I saw a tutorial for a fabric barn or dollhouse a while back and decided to make it for her birthday. I can remember having these types of fabric playhouses when I was little and thought she might like the idea that it could also be a purse. We gave it to her on Saturday and she has loved it. She lines the animals up in her barn and makes their noises. She carries it around and says she's going shopping with her animals. It's been a lot of fun. I'm especially happy that she likes it because it wasn't the easiest project to do. Now that I've done it once, the next time will be a lot easier (if there is a next time) but if you attempt this project and get a little frustrated, just know I did too. :) It was nice to be able to use fabric I already had making it a somewhat "free" birthday present. There is just the time part... it did take some!

Puppet Theatre

2009-01-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

This was a fun and easy project I did for my nieces and nephew for Christmas. I got the idea and instructions from the Bend the Rules Sewing book and it basically consisted of sewing long, straight lines. I think my favorite part of this puppet theatre is that it rolls up into a nice compact bag. I'm becoming more aware of the amount of "stuff" kids can generate, so it's nice to have something that doesn't take up a ton of space! This is the first project I've done from the book and the instructions were really easy to follow. Maybe next year Kate and baby sister will be getting this for Christmas...

a family tree

2009-01-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

I made this family tree as a Christmas gift for my grandparents and one for myself as well. I got the idea here and it doesn't need too much explaining. I bought heavy card stock at Joanne's and traced out the trunk and leaves. I included first, middle and last names and left a few blank for the babies on the way. It's pretty simple, but I think it would look great on a wall next to a bunch of other framed photography. Family photos would be perfect. :)

Quick, easy magnets

2009-01-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

I made these magnets for Kate to give to some of her aunts and uncles and great grandparents. It was a quick and easy project that was fun and could be adapted to make magnets with different things besides pictures, like pretty paper or pictures from magazines. I got the idea from my friend Becca and then came up with the idea to give them in old Altoids tins. There isn't much to the magnets, I found the big glass beads in the home decor section at Target. I think they are meant for candlescaping or fake flower arrangements. I bought the heavy duty 3/4 inch magnets from Michael's as well as the crafters goop glue (which works great, just smells toxic. I did these outside because I didn't want the fumes in the house.) Just cut out the pictures (which I re sized in photoshop) glue to the glass bead and then glue the magnet on the back. One tip-- I learned the hard way that if you spread the glue around on the bead before putting the picture on it, it will leave little air bubbles between the picture and the bead. Not a huge deal, but if you put a big drop of glue in the middle of the bead, don't spread it just put the picture on it and it will spread itself, you can avoid the air bubbles. Make sense?

A Christmas Dress

2008-12-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

finished just in time. Probably because there were so many pieces to this dress it became more of a chore than a fun project! I still can't say I love it, but it will look very festive with her red and white tights. I used a Simplicity pattern that was inspired by Project Runway. The pattern gave different variations so you could customize the dress with short or long sleeves, bubble skirt, appliques, etc. It sounded like a good idea in the beginning, but ended up requiring too many steps! Anyway, it's done. Christmas is here. We're excited.

Holiday Baking

2008-12-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

A quick, simple, cheap and eco-friendly way to share your holiday baking.

Instructions: Save tin cans. Remove labels, wash in dishwasher and dry before they can rust. Grease can. Fill half way with quick bread dough (I tried both pumpkin and banana, both were delicious). Bake as usual, maybe a little less time. Let cool. Cover with fabric square. Use rubber band to hold down fabric while tying with twine/ribbon/string. Attach gift tag. Give. Or eat. I got the inspiration for this idea here. Happy baking!

a lucky little boy

2008-12-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

because his mama is so great! Finally a gift I can post about because it's been received! This little ensemble is for the baby of my cousin, Emily. Emily and I grew up together, both being the only girls in our families of boys. She is the big sister I never had. She is expecting her first baby around the same time I am and now I just wished we lived closer.

I decided to stay away from light blue, figuring that she'll get enough of that. I made the little guy my favorite pair of baby shoes, a soft blanket and appliqued onesies. I kept the baby's daddy in mind when choosing the appliques. A true outdoors man, I thought Daniel might appreciate the fish, dogs, longhorns and namesake initial. I'm envisioning Daniel putting the little guy in his fish onesie, strapping him in the baby carrier and taking him fishing.

Baby gifts are a lot of fun to make. I can't wait to meet this little guy and I'm so excited for his parents!

Turkey Finger Puppets

2008-11-26T18:55:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is here! I'm hoping this last minute project will be another distraction to keep our little ones in their chairs at the "kids table". We'll see. At least they were fun and easy to make, and hopefully will become useful at some strange time when kids need distracting. Like waiting in line at the grocery store or at church. I'll add it to my finger puppet stash. I saw the idea here and went with it. Just a little sewing and hot glue. I had all the supplies on hand after a random (but very discounted) shopping spree at discountschoolsupplies.com. 25 cents for a bag of 100 googly eyes... who can resist. (Obviously not too many people. Looks like they are sold out.) Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good food and good company. And of course gratitude.

family pajamas

2008-11-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

You know when you get the catalog with the family all in matching pajamas? They sell them everywhere at Christmas. Well, I always feel kind of sorry for the dad in the picture. It's usually some cheesy model, but still, does he really want to be wearing those red plaid flannel pajamas that his wife, son, daughter, dog and cat are wearing? I doubt it. And if he does, he still looks kind of ridiculous. Despite my opinions on matching holiday pajamas I thought it might be a fun and easy project to make our family pajamas. I wasn't going to have them all be some red plaid tackiness, but had a hard time finding a print that would be cute for Kate and Paul. So I decided we could sort of match. Sort of. I made Paul plain black pj pants, for myself I used a printed cotton and I made Kate's a red flannel with a ruffle made from the left over material from my pants. I like them...ok. I guess I should have gone with my instinct and skipped the "sort of " matching idea. I think next year I'll just make pj's for the kids. My girls. (Wow, that sounds weird.) Because kids are allowed to match and not look silly. They can wear as much plaid or flannel or crazy bird fabric as they want and I'll still think they look pretty cute.

Pilgrim Party Hats

2008-11-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is 4 days away! Where has this month gone? I am really looking forward to the party that Thanksgiving will be--and hoping my turkey comes out ok. We are doing a kids table this year, mainly because of our lack of space at the adult table. We may have to tie them to their chairs to get them to sit through dinner... so I thought I'd try to come up with a few things to distract them while the adults are chatting away. I saw this pilgrim hat idea to store treats in and thought I'd modify it to be a party hat. They are a little elementary looking, but I didn't want to spend too much time on something that will likely just get stepped on and ripped apart. But maybe it will hold their attention for a few seconds? We'll see. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving preparations are going well!

leaf garland

2008-11-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Only 10 more days until Thanksgiving! This leaf garland was a fun and very easy Sunday afternoon project. Outside most of the leaves have fallen and turned brown so it was great to see these vibrant colors again that surrounded us only a few weeks ago. I got the idea to make this garland from a friend and I love decorating for free! We collected these leaves about a month ago and put them away in heavy books so they would dry flat. We pulled them out yesterday and they were in perfect shape. I used some thread and a needle to sew through each leaf and hung them with thumbtacks. The entire project took about 20 minutes. Kate tried to help, but mostly liked crunching up the extra leaves. I'm sure older kids would love this project. I really like the way it looks hanging in our house and it's getting me very excited for Thanksgiving!

knitted hat

2008-11-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

This simple hat is my first project to be checked off the list after my shopping spree at Purl Soho in NYC. I noticed such a difference knitting with good quality yarn, I don't know if I will ever be able to go back to using acrylic. This yarn is a nice quality cotton that is so soft. Perfect for a sweet baby's head. I originally thought Kate might be able to wear it, but it will have to be saved for a new baby. The pattern for this hat came from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. It's been rainy and cold here lately--perfect weather for knitting!

Advent Stockings

2008-11-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

I am so happy, excited and relieved that this project is finished! These stockings will serve as an advent calendar for our family this year, and hopefully many years to come. The original inspiration for this calendar came from a mittens advent calendar I saw in a catalog last Christmas. I loved and if it weren't so expensive, I probably would have just bought it. I waited for it to go on sale but never did, instead sold out. I considered this year (for a brief moment) to knit mittens for all 24 days and quickly realized that the calendar probably wouldn't be finished until 2020. I then searched around and was inspired by this and this stocking advent calendar and decided stockings it would be. I love a little sparkle in holiday decorating so that's where the sequins and trim ideas came about. I used corduroy for the stockings and made 2 different patterns. The stockings are small, they will just hold slips of paper with different advent activities that we will do each day leading up to Christmas. Maybe someday I'll incorporate small gifts or tokens, but for now I think we've got enough stuff. Kate is still a little young to get really excited about this but I'm hoping in the years to come the kids will really look forward to each day's activity. And if they don't, I know I will. I do love the holidays!

The Gentle Art of Domesticity

2008-11-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

I checked out this book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket, from the library a few weeks ago and just had to pay a late fee when returning it because I didn't want to send it back. It is different than any other craft book I've picked up. If you're expecting a collection of project ideas and patterns like I was, this book is not. Rather it's a compilation of beautiful photographs and inspiring essays on the gentle arts. Baking, sewing, knitting, quilting, etc. It also explores art, literature and film that can inspire or were inspired by the gentle arts. The author put her PhD on hold to pursue the gentle arts because she found they made her happier! I found the book to be really inspiring and refreshing. One of my favorite quotes from the book was:

"Despite the fact that domesticity is a deeply unfashionable concept, experience tells me that it is a wonderful means of building and supporting and sustaining relationships. A creative domestic space is one that not only enables individuals to flourish, but also encourages shared lives and experiences."

This quote reminds me of a portion of this talk I heard last month. Now let's all go create something beautiful!

knitted mittens

2008-11-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

My practical self has decided that large knitted things just aren't going to work for me. I have this thing with finishing things and crossing them off the list. And big knitting projects take too long. I've decided to stick to smaller projects like mittens, hats, baby booties and socks. Well here are my first pair of mittens. Check. Again, my knitting skills are extremely novice but I've now mastered knitting in the round! It's really pretty simple, but I feel like it looks hard with four needles flying around. At least I fool Paul. I found the basic pattern for these mittens here. I'm happy with how they turned out, although I need a little help with my finishing skills. Any tips from knitters out there?

Paper Pumpkins

2008-10-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

For a quick and easy craft project to spice up your Halloween decor click here. These would also be great in red for Christmas and made to look like ornaments. Kid friendly too... although maybe not for the under twos. :)

Halloween crafting

2008-10-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

I made these witches brooms for a few of our little friends and still have some to give out at Halloween. I filled them with toddler friendly treats (animal crackers, suckers, stickers) but you could fill them with candy or whatever the receiver would like. I originally spotted these here and here. For another Halloween craft idea (that is a lot of fun) check out a project we did last year (and will repeat again).

Christmas Robe

2008-10-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

I think I love this robe more than Kate ever will. One of my favorite blogs to read is SouleMama and I remembered seeing a similar robe she made for her daughter last Christmas. I am planning to make Kate some Christmas pj's and then remembered the robe and it quickly made it's way to the top of my project list. I found the vintage pattern on ebay as well as the flannel Michael Miller fabric. The flannel is so soft I'm going to have a hard time waiting until Christmas to snuggle her up in this! It came together really quickly. I got a little hung up on the button holes--I've only made 1 before. But I think I've got the hang of it now. I should probably put the Christmas projects on hold for a while and think about Thanksgiving. I am cooking the turkey afterall.

knitted bonnet

2008-09-30T10:53:00.001-07:00

My original intention for the hat was knitting it for the new babe. I even bought unisex color yarn because we don't know the sex yet. Somehow it fits Kate! Clearly, I am a beginner. It turned out cute in a funky, pioneer sort of way. Hopefully she can get some wear out of it this winter. And if anything, I learned how to knit an i-cord with double pointed needles. Baby steps. The pattern was on loan from my friend Becca, who got it out of this book. It really is a beautiful book with pretty pictures. And if you're only a sewer, check out their other book, with sewing projects. Remember peanut?

quick, easy and inexpensive napkins

2008-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

We use a lot of napkins in this house. It's either the little hands that are always messy (or the big ones), I need something to put the toast on or to wipe up the floor. We are always using {and buying} a lot of napkins. We usually use cloth napkins at dinner but we don't have very many. So here are the red polka dots again in action! I cut rectangles, ironed the edges (folding in 1/4 inch twice so the raw edge isn't exposed) and sewed! It took about 30 mins from start to finish and couldn't be more simple. {Just a side note, I bought this red fabric sometime in college on a random trip to walmart. It was before I was really even sewing, I just remember it was on clearance for $1 a yard so I bought 3. I've had it forever and it has served many purposes! Suddenly my kitchen is made up of red polka dots. Maybe one day I will use it all up...} So help save the planet and yourself some money and sew some napkins!

meet Lucy

2008-09-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

Aka "dolly". This gal has been on my project list for a long time. And I'm so excited she's finished! I've been reading the Wee Wonderfuls blog for some time and love the dolls she makes. So when this pattern came up for sale, I couldn't pass it up. The pattern was really easy to follow, just a lot of steps and quite a bit of hand sewing involved. There are still more clothes to be made but I think I may take a break for a little while! I'm really happy with how it turned out. I worked with a wool blend felt for the first time {as opposed to the cheaper polyester felt more commonly found} and I really noticed a difference. It made me want to find some 100% wool felt. Felt is kind of addicting. I'm already thinking about all of the things I want to make with it! For now it's off to a tea party with Kate and Lucy. You're all invited :)

Corduroy Pants

2008-09-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say I made this jacket... but no, just the pants. Speaking of jackets though, look at this one--it's gorgeous! I've got to get my hands on that pattern. {I think I'm putting it on my Christmas list, hint hint.} But really, nothing special, just simple brown corduroy pants to wear with the cute jacket. I have a hard time finding jeans or pants that aren't knit that fit well over kate's big cloth diaper bum. So I used leftover fabric from this jumper and these pants really are simple to make. Except when you start them at 11pm and sew the wrong sides together, and then have to rip them out and start over. Don't do that. I used Simplicity pattern 5936 and for less than $10 I got a jumper and pants! Not bad.

High chair for baby

2008-09-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Kate's baby, that is. I'm not sure who is more excited about this doll high chair makeover, Kate or me. I found this little chair on craigslist for $5 and it was too cute to pass up. Especially since they sell wooden high chairs at Pottery Barn Kids for $50! I spent $3 on a quarter yard of oilcloth fabric to recover the seat (and still have plenty of fabric left over to make place mats, lunch bags or bibs. Oilcloth is great.} I put on a coat of white paint with leftover paint from another project and voila! A new doll high chair for $8! I was thinking of stashing this away for a Christmas present but considering Kate is all over the house, it's pretty hard to keep things from her. Plus she has already taken a liking to it and likes to put her baby in the "baby high chair".

5 years later...

2008-09-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

A scarf. It was 5 years ago that I sat in my friend Maria's apartment and she first taught me how to knit. I made it pretty far and then gave up. Fast forward 5 years later and I decide I want to give this knitting thing another try. While there are about 10 other projects I'd rather be doing than this scarf, I felt that I owed it to myself, and the scarf, to finish! Don't look too closely--it's not without flaws. But it is super soft and maybe sentimental? I remember sitting in that apartment with Maria who shared it with her new husband, Skyler, Paul's best friend. Paul and I were just dating at the time and I can still remember our conversation about marriage, the future, possibilities and where it would all lead. After all that uncertainty 5 years later I'm pretty content with how things played out. And equally content that the pink scarf is finally finished!

Brown Jumper

2008-09-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

There is a sad story that goes along with this jumper. Sad to me, anyway. This summer I found Kate some adorable new shoes at the Nordstrom anniversary sale--brown and pink mary janes. I thought they would be perfect for fall so I bought them a size to big so she could grow into them. On our way back from California we mailed a few boxes because we couldn't fit everything into our suitcases. I put the shoes in the one of the boxes thinking we wouldn't need them for a while. We got back to Connecticut and my first project was a brown and pink jumper to match her new shoes for fall. A few days after we arrived the boxes came looking like someone had taken baseball bats to them! I guess the journey was really long! Most of our stuff was fine and we were just relieved it arrived. I began unpacking the boxes and only found 1 brown mary jane. I was sure the other one was buried under something or kate had found it and took it in another room but after a long search we determined that it was gone! The little brown shoe lost along the highway somewhere in middle America clearly fell out of the ripped box. What good is one shoe!? Especially when you have a brand new jumper to match! Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. We've filed a claim with UPS so hopefully we get some money and I can look for another pair of brown and pink mary jane's to match... if not, she's wearing the jumper anyway!

Enough with my sad story, the jumper itself was very simple to make. I embellished the top with 2 covered buttons. I bought a covered button kit at Joann's and it's about the coolest kit ever! Next I'd like to try these embroidered covered buttons. Until then, be on the lookout for one brown shoe. It's got to be somewhere in America. Lonely, I'm sure.

Knitted bib

2008-08-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Sort of. My lofty goal of making a quiet book this summer has not yet been achieved. I did, however, manage to pick up knitting again. I first learned how to knit back in college from a good friend and I'm ashamed to say that I still have not finished the scarf I started then. (Although I am close.) The scarf is still at home in Connecticut so I thought I'd try a smaller project this time. I had completely forgotten how to knit so I watched videos online. A friend told me about knittinghelp.com and I also found other great how-to's on youtube. This bib was really simple. It only required the knit stitch and making button holes was actually a breeze. I'm looking forward to trying out a few new patterns. Knitting is one of those great mindless activities that you can do while watching a movie or on long drives (as the passenger, of course).

I found the pattern for this bib on knittinghelp and just a tip--I started making it using wool yarn until I realized, duh, I wouldn't be able to wash it. Use a cotton or polyester yarn that can be washed and dried.

Taking a break.

2008-06-07T12:20:00.001-07:00

We’ve made it across the country (again) and are now summering in California. Actually, working, but I’ve always wanted to say I was “summering” somewhere and I think Long Beach might beat out the Hamptons? Anyway, while packing for our 2 month time away we had to cut a few things out and unfortunately the sewing machine didn’t make the cut. There is an ancient one here that I may try to dust off and I have a few non-sewing crafty things to do (a quiet book for kate and possibly another attempt at knitting) but I don’t expect posts here to be very regular. So I’m signing off for the summer. Hopefully the 2 readers that look at this blog will come back every now and then. Until then I’ll enjoy reading lots of books and being inspired by all the other crafty people out there on this world wide web. Happy Summer!

Reversible Apron

2008-05-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kate will sometimes "try on" my apron and then trip as she tries to walk around the kitchen. It's obviously much too big for her! I've been meaning to make her a smock type apron but when I saw this tutorial I liked how the apron was reversible and thought I'd give it a try. It was really simple and took less than an hour to make. The most time consuming part was cutting out the letters for "chef" and "artist". It would also be cute to put the child's name on it. I used heat 'n bond lite to iron on the letters, then did a zig zag stitch around the edges before sewing each side together. Bias tape is used for the tie and it's adjustable so hopefully it will fit her for a while! Now my little "chef" can help in the kitchen and hopefully be a little neater. Although I doubt an apron will really change much.

Another interesting bit of info i read lately on the Montessori philosophy of apron wearing:
An apron makes each task special. Donning and taking off an apron marks the beginning and the end of important work. These aprons are used for preparing food, setting the table, washing dishes, painting, and so forth.

Alphabet Magnets

2008-05-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve been looking around for some magnets for our fridge that Kate can play with—but my search hasn’t gone very far. I remember seeing the idea to make your own on The Purl Bee and decided I would give it a try. I found business card magnets on eBay, 26 magnets for $2.50. Don’t go to Staples, they want to charge you $15 for 50 magnets. Then I just used scrap fabric I had around. One side of the magnet is sticky, so you stick the fabric on the sticky side, trace the letter on the back and cut it out with pinking shears. The trickiest part was drawing the letters backwards on the back of the magnet so they turned out right on the front. Kate seems to have taken interest in them. Although she doesn’t quite get that after taking them off the fridge you’re supposed to put them back on. Alas, another thing for me to pick up off the floor!

What was once old, now new!

2008-05-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Before:
After:

We cleaned out our closets last weekend and this t-shirt was in the giveaway pile. It had been sitting there for a few days when I remembered an idea I saw in the book “The Creative Family” by Amanda Soule. She suggests repurposing an old t-shirt into a pair of comfy knit pants. I’ve been looking for a little white knit skirt for Kate and haven’t found one so I thought I would try repurposing my old white t-shirt into a little white skirt. It worked out pretty well. Especially considering it was free! I used another skirt Kate had as a model and figured if it didn’t work out there wasn’t too much risk involved (besides time, of course). The most frustrating part was figuring out how to sew on the knit material. It’s not the same as quilter’s cotton! My thread kept breaking and eventually I figured out I needed to change my needle and type of thread I was using. Now Kate has a new comfy white skirt for summer. And if she stains it, I don’t care! Look through your closet—what can you make new again?

Getting things done

2008-05-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

I feel as though I have been furiously sewing lately and I don’t have much to show for it! Nothing too exciting--just mending, hemming, sewing diaper pail liners and these shoes. I’ve made these cloth baby shoes before in a girl version and they were even easier to make the second time around. Comparing them to Kate’s shoes now they seem so small! I’ve already forgotten just how little newborn toes are.

Simple Pillows

2008-05-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

These pillows came together so quickly. I got the general idea from this book, but basically it's just three pieces of fabric, 1 front and 2 for the back. The back pieces overlap creating a nice pillowcase. No zippers but still easily removable and washable for all of kate's messes. Really simple and really fast. Finally our pillows match!

pink polka dots

2008-04-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Another dress! I’m addicted. I think this will be my last one for the season. Kate’s closet is now ready for Summer! I used Simplicity pattern 4246 and I like how the skirt is so full. Can you tell I love polka dots?

*please forgive the blurry pictures. It was too rainy to go outside and this girl is too busy to hold still!

Sew Vintage

2008-04-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

They don’t make things today the way they used to. The sewing machine I learned to sew on was about 80 years old and belonged to my Great-Grandmother Ansley (kate’s middle namesake) and after 80 years still worked great. When I bought my own sewing machine a few years ago my mother-in-law gave me great advice. Either invest in a fancy (and expensive) Bernina or find an older machine with all metal parts. Not ready to invest a thousand dollars I found my trusty ole Singer on eBay for $150 dollars. It was made in the 1950’s and still sews great. I really love it.
I started thinking about how great old sewing things are because I got the best package in the mail today! For $6 on eBay I found 100 wooden spools of thread and a ton of sewing notions (ric rac, bias tape, blanket binding, sequins, lace, elastic, etc). I was so excited I had to take pictures of my great find. If I went to Joanne’s today and bought all of this thread and notions I think it would cost at least $75. And I got it for $6!! It was fun to go through it all and think of the little old lady it used to belong to. I wonder what type of things she used to sew, probably fancy dresses and petticoats. Now it’s my turn… where to start!?

Baby Legs

2008-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

When I spotted these homemade baby leggings I immediately thought of my little niece, Leah. Leah is wearing braces on her legs for the next few months and has to wear mostly onesies and socks. I thought these would be perfect for her. I used this tutorial and it was so simple. I did it while we watched American Idol (addicting…) and after seeing how easy it was I want to make some for Kate as well. I tried these on Kate to see how they would look and of course they were much too small. Hopefully they will fit Leah who is just 5 months old! I also like the idea of easy diaper changes. That is one thing I dislike about tights—taking them on and off!

Fancy Tee

2008-04-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

The internet is wonderful—there are so many great ideas. I’m all about stealing different ideas and using tutorials. It’s one of the reasons I’ve gotten so into sewing lately—there are so many great projects out there. Well, after lots of copying I’m happy to say this is finally a project I thought up myself! Well, sort of. I love the clothing at Mini Boden. It’s a little different and great quality. We have a few things from there that I found on sale and they have been worn over and over again and we still love them. One of their signature items is the appliqué tees. They are cute and funky and I’ve wanted to order one for Kate for a while. But $25 is a lot to pay for a tee shirt even for myself, let alone Kate who will spill who knows what on it. So I thought, “Hey, I can do this myself” and I did. It was really simple. I found this tee on clearance at Old Navy for $2 and used scrap fabric I had at home. A little heat-n-bond lite, some tracing and zig zag stitching and Kate’s got a new shirt! I can’t wait to do another one. I’m thinking the ice cream cone is next. This would be great for spiffing up onsies or little boy tees too. And in full disclosure, I did use this tutorial for instructions on the appliqué.

Crayon Roll

2008-04-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve seen these crayon rolls on a few different blogs and finally got around to making one myself. It was really simple and quick. It rolls up nice and neat and seems perfect for throwing in the diaper bag for trips or church. Kate still doesn’t quite understand how to “color” but today she liked pulling each crayon out of its slot and trying to put it back in. It’s also a great way to use up scrap fabric. I used this tutorial.

Bean Bags

2008-04-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

Kate’s been into throwing things lately so I thought I’d sew her a few bean bags to throw around. I used 6 inch squares of fabric and lentils for the filling. I had good intentions to make lentil soup a few weeks ago and never did. At least it served another purpose! Kate had fun throwing these into the pot this morning and feeling the texture of the beans. I love fast, simple and free toys!

Lady in Red

2008-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Another dress… they are addicting! I used Simplicity pattern 7189 and it was pretty simple. I had a few moments of frustration where the pattern was not making any sense (Who writes these patterns anyway?) but got it all figured out in the end. The pattern says to add ric-rac at the hem and collar… I’m thinking about it, but kind of like it simple. Especially because the polka dots are so bold. We’ll see. I sized down on this one and she’s still got room to grow, but at least she’s not swimming in it. The weather is finally getting warmer here, so hopefully she can wear it soon!
This girl is on the move. It was hard to take a picture of her, she’s so fast!

Sewing for Summer

2008-04-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

Jo-Ann’s was having a sale on patterns for 99 cents (and I love a sale) so I picked a few up to make Kate a couple of Summer dresses. The pattern for this dress was a Simplicity 5695 and was very simple. I tweaked a few details of the pattern—I added lining and used my fancy ruffle attachment instead of doing gathering stitches for the bottom. My seamstress mother-in-law bought me the ruffle attachment for my sewing machine as a Christmas gift and I love it! It took a little getting used to and looks very intimidating, but it’s actually very simple and saves a lot of time. I’m really happy with how the dress turned out although Kate does have to grow into it a bit! I made a size 1 but the sizing measurements on the pattern must be a little off. I’m not sure if this is the case for all simplicity patterns or not, but I’ll try sizing down next time.

I finally got Kate to smile today! She’s getting better, or maybe she’s just happy to be holding the Tylenol bottle. Tylenol has been her friend these past few days!

10 Minute Family Book

2008-03-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

I debated if this was even worth posting since not much "craftiness" went into it--but I liked the idea when I saw my friend, Ruth's, book so I thought maybe it would interest someone else as well. We live far from all our family. The closest family is in Washington D.C. about a 7 hour drive on a typical day. We miss them all. We want Kate to know her family members so this seems like a great idea to make sure she stays familiar with their faces. It's also great for keeping her occupied for long periods of time when she needs to sit still (church, airplanes, etc.) She seems to look at it a lot longer than most of her books.

It's easy and cheap. You could get all fancy, scrapbooky with it, but I'm not too into scrapbooking anymore. Just glue pictures, add captions, laminate and hang on a ring. It's really cute to watch her as she studies everyone's face!

Purl Bunny

2008-03-26T17:11:00.001-07:00

These purl bunnies look a little more like purl aliens, but they were fun to make. It's one bunny that flips over to show a face on each side. I got the free pattern over at The Purl Bee. They have lots of great, free patterns and tutorials on their website. I want to make the fabric ABC magnets next and my knitting skills could use some refining. My almost-complete first knitting project is collecting dust in the closet! Kate had fun playing with her new bunny friend today, even if it does look like an alien!

Spring Belt

2008-03-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through the j.crew catalog last week and thought this belt was so cute. Probably not the most practical and probably not something I’d wear over and over again, but I still love it. The price though is hard to justify for one of those “wear a handful of times” accessories. Also, it basically consists of ribbon, a silk flower and some crystals.
A few days later I was in the craft store and noticed the silk flowers on sale. I remembered this belt and thought I’d try to recreate it myself. It was very simple and didn’t take much time at all. I can’t say it’s quite as cute as the j.crew version, but for 1/16th of the price, it will do for those occasions where I want to wear something “different”.

Playsilks

2008-03-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

A set of playsilks have been on my wish list for Kate for some time. {Never heard of playsilks? Click here} I’ve been meaning to buy them for her but keep putting it off because they aren’t cheap! I saw this idea to buy plain white silk squares and dye them your self using kool-aid for half the price and knew I could pull that off.
It really was very simple. Here is the basic idea: Step 1: Soak the silk in a bowl of cool water and a glug of vinegar. Step 2: Use a wide mouthed jar and mix together your packets of kool-aid (I used 3 of each color) with 1 and ½ cups of warm water and 1 Tbsp of vinegar. Step 3: Put the jars in a pan of water about 1-2 inches high and bring to a simmer. Step 4: Once simmering, put 1 playsilk in each jar. Step 5: This is the only tricky part. You let the silk “simmer” and absorb all the kool-aid. Stir occasionally to even out the color. Once the silk is done the water will look clear and diluted. Step 6: Remove the playsilks from the jars and rinse in a bowl of cold water. Step 7: Hang to dry.
A few notes: I bought the 30x30 inch squares. The flavors of kool-aid I used were grape, cherry, lemon and lemon-lime. I’m still looking for an orange or blue kool-aid to dye one more silk. The trickiest ones were the grape and cherry flavors and I read a few places that most red dyes can be tricky. For some reason the kool-aid takes a long time to absorb and it seemed that the color kept rinsing out when I rinsed it. I ended up running the red silk through the washer (by itself) on the rinse cycle to get out any extra color and it still looks pretty vibrant. They are for Kate’s Easter basket and hopefully they will be used for all her imaginative ideas once the creative play thing kicks in. For now I think she will enjoy playing peek-a-boo and dragging them around the house. Oh and taking them “in” and “out” of whatever toy box they may be in. Thanks to her new “in” and “out” game, all of my shoes are now “out” of the closet and “in” the laundry hamper.

Aprons

2008-03-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I have ever sewn an apron and it was fun! Now I can see why there are clubs whose entire purpose is to sew aprons. There are endless possibilities. I used a tutorial I found here and it was so easy. No pattern needed, just some rough estimates and embellish as you like. I suppose if you were making a full apron you might want a pattern, but you could probably wing it as well. This apron is lined and could be reversible. I made them as birthday gifts. Very, very simple.

Clothespin Dolls

2008-03-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

These clothespin dolls were so simple. No sewing involved. I found the old-school wooden clothespins at a craft store and cut scraps of fabric and ribbon and hot glued them on. Then I drew on the faces with a sharpie marker. You could get more creative and use rick rack or hot glue sequins or buttons, but I had limited materials, so I just went with it. I made the pouch with felt, just cut and sew up the sides and use ribbon to tie it all up. These are for Kate’s Easter basket, but these would also be great to top a birthday gift with or a good craft to do with older kids.

Tutu

2008-03-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

I’m lucky to be staying with my parents this week. My mom doesn’t have a sewing machine, but I wanted a few projects to keep myself busy. I came up with this tutu, which requires no sewing at all. It’s very simple and quick. I saw this description here and figured the rest out on my own. I used 2 yards of tulle which was fine, I maybe could have used a little more. Now Kate waddles around like a little fairy talking on “her phone”.

Let's Play Mail

2008-02-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

I can’t take credit for this creative idea at all. I saw the idea both here and here. It’s a “mail center” for Kate to play pretend mail. She won’t get the concept of it for at least another year or two but I saw the idea and found the mailbox and couldn’t wait! I got the little red mailbox at Target in the $1 section in the front of the store. It was around Valentine’s Day… so they may be out by now, but I hear you can get them at Michael’s as well. To make the pieces stiff I used pellon, which is just like a really sturdy felt. It was behind the cutting counter at Joann’s. I used scrap fabric and embroidered the sayings, names and stamps. You could make these really fast if you used a fabric marker instead of embroidering. I enjoy having something to do while I watch TV, so I didn’t mind embroidering. I also was very minimal about how many postcards I made. I plan to make more “pieces of mail” and envelopes too, but I think I’ll wait until she actually wants to play mail. Right now she’s into taking the pieces out of the mailbox and putting them back in. She’s also fascinated by the Velcro. I used sticky Velcro to hold the names and stamps in place. This was very simple, fun and inexpensive. We try not to spend too much money on toys (especially big, tacky, plastic ones) so this provides some new entertainment until winter is over and we can go outside! And then hopefully next year she will have fun “sending mail” to all her favorite people. Because, unfortunately, many of them live too far away!

Sew Organized

2008-02-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

So this is nothing creative or crafty, but it is simple and does have to do with sewing! We’ve been busy around here trying to be happy it’s still February. You know, being sick, traveling, studying, being sick, going to the doctor, crying, being sick… you get the idea. I also have been organizing! My sewing/miscellaneous closet has been in desperate need of an organization makeover. I should have taken before pictures! So thanks to an old hanging sweater storage, now I have a place to fold and store all of my extra fabric and scraps instead of throwing them in one big messy pile. I like to look in the closet a few times a day just to marvel at how neat it is. Sometimes I get OCD about these things, sometimes. There are a few projects in the wings though! Hopefully I can get some done before we leave again on Thursday. At least we are going to a warmer climate! Some sunshine would definitely be helpful!

For my lil' Valentine

2008-02-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

One of kate’s favorite toys to play with are balls. She is figuring out how to throw them and chases them all over the house. When I saw the homemade balls that Alicia made with this pattern, I thought it would be a quick and easy Valentine gift for Kate. Of course I couldn't wait until Valentine's Day to give it to her {and we will be out of town} so she had fun chasing it around the house today while I cleaned the kitchen.

Challenge Accepted

2008-02-07T18:44:00.001-08:00

When Kate was first born my mother in law Leslie came to stay with us. While she was visiting she helped me sew my first dress. Not for me of course, but Kate. That dress we sewed is still too big for Kate, but I’m looking forward to her being able to wear it. After Leslie left she sent me a package with all the materials I needed to sew this pink dress (pattern, fabric, thread, zipper, etc) and included a note that said “Your next sewing challenge; should you choose to accept it.” Well a year later, I finally accepted the challenge! It was a lot of fun and easier than I expected. Patterns have always intimidated me for some reason so I usually just stick to projects I can make up as I go. I have to say though, now I will do a lot more pattern sewing. It was fun! I taught myself how to sew a zipper (which also isn’t that difficult) thanks to youtube.com. Who knew they had sewing tutorials!? {Seeing someone do it made much more sense than reading instructions. }

The best part is—it fits! She’s got a little room to grow but by the time it warms up it should fit her perfectly. I feel like I am learning and improving—so thanks Leslie for the challenge! Who knows, maybe one day I will be able to sew a dress for myself… although that doesn’t seam very simple.

"Bebe" Bed

2008-02-02T18:07:00.001-08:00

Kate loves her new “bebe”. She has started giving it nice wet kisses too! For her birthday we gave her a new doll bed for her bebe from ikea. I painted it white and thought it would be fun to make a quilt to go along with it. Although this project may have been more for me than kate—she doesn’t quite get that the “bebe” goes in the bed—hopefully in a few more months she will like playing with the doll bed. For now it looks pretty cute in her room. Paul’s mom, Leslie, helped me pick out the fabric while we were visiting in Denver and I’m happy to have some left over for future projects. {maybe doll clothes?}

The quilt was very simple and came together quickly. For the mattress and pillow I used a piece of fabric and batting. Having kids makes for a lot of fun sewing projects, but having a little girl makes them even more fun!

Bedroom Curtains

2008-01-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

Our apartment now has 19 windows. Considering our apartment in Manhattan only had 1 (yes, sounds sad I know—but it was a big window and it was a studio) 19 windows seems like a lot to us! Most of the window coverings in the house were left by the previous tenants and are neutral, but the drapes left in our bedroom were hideous. By the time we bought new furniture and did our other fix ups on the place (this apartment is 3 times the size of our old place—we had to do some shopping) we just ignored the bedroom. No one really goes in there besides us and even then we don’t spend much time in there other than to sleep.

One of my new year’s goals/projects has been to spruce up our bedroom. It has 3 windows and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on drapes considering we will only be here for another year and a half. I wanted something cheap, easy and something that blocked out more light than our flimsy (practically sheer) curtains that we had before. Joann’s was having a 50% off sale on all their home décor fabrics (I think it may still be going on) so I went over and picked up some fabric to sew some (very simple) window coverings.

These new ones block out the light much better and while I can’t say I love them, they’ll do for the next while and are much more acceptable than the ones we had before. Now I'm searching for a new night stand (something used on craigslist) to replace the plastic drawers serving as Paul's night stand now... shoddy, I know.

Birthday Fun

2008-01-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun celebrating Kate's first birthday. We tried to stay pretty minimal considering she is 1 and doesn’t really understand the concept of birthdays yet. She seemed happy at her little party and enjoyed eating the cake!

I saw this banner in a Pottery Barn Kids catalog and thought it was so cute. Until I saw that it was $40. A little ridiculous for a birthday banner. It looked easy to make and it was {much cheaper too!} I bought felt squares from Joann’s. Cut out letters using scrap fabric and hot glued them on. The only sewing involved was folding down the top of the felt square and doing a zigzag stitch. I used rickrack to string and hang the letters. It came together in one evening and was fun to do. Hopefully it will store well and we can use it in future years as our “birthday sign”. {We still need to get a special “birthday” plate or mug. I remember always looking forward to using that birthday mug on my birthday. Maybe for her 3rd or 4th birthday…}

Anyway, for kate’s little party I found this idea from Martha Stewart Kids for party hats and thought it would be a good use of my scrapbooking paper now that I’ve given that up! They were really easy and fun. We even tricked kate into wearing it for a little while--it lasted about 3 minutes. (Enough to get a picture at least!)

Baby Shoes

2008-01-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

The theme of “handmade holidays” was all over the crafting blogosphere this past holiday season and some ambitious people even took pledges to give only handmade gifts. I am certainly not one of those ambitious people, and my gift recipients are probably grateful for that, but I couldn’t resist giving my smallest recipient {my new niece Leah} something handmade. That and I really wanted to try and make these soft baby shoes. These shoes were one of the most fun projects I have ever made. Relatively simple and quick, they came together in one evening. The sole is made out of 2 layers of fleece and while these wouldn’t be great for walkers or even crawlers (such as mine) they seem perfect for keeping newborn toes cozy. I’m not sure if Leah will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them, but at least her little piggies will be warm!

Seams Simple

2008-01-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

I have been reading and admiring crafty blogs for some time now. I love seeing what people come up with and borrowing ideas. There are some wonderfully talented people out there and for fear of being compared to them I hesitated starting my own craft blog. I've enjoyed posting some of my projects on our family blog--but certainly don't want to turn it into "Jill's craft extravaganza" as Paul calls it. So this blog will be for ME! Don't expect anything great, just me trying to be crafty and journaling my attempts. If anything, it will get me motivated to stop watching television and be productive. Seams Simple, right?

2008-01-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." -Laura Ingalls Wilder