Lollipop Dress

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.

We've been crafting...

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

diaper bag for dolly

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!

Easter Outfit

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.

toddler's placemat

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.

Old McDonald

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!

Reversible Apron

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.

What was once old, now new!

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?

pink polka dots

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!

Fancy Tee

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

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.

Lady in Red

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!

Tutu

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”.

For my lil' Valentine

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.

"Bebe" Bed

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!

Birthday Fun

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!)