Square Dance

Finally!  I finished the quilt!  It is now residing happily on our bed and I love it!

Mug Rug

I made this mug rug for my husband who obviously is a Patriots fan.  I sewed it inside out with the batting, then topstitched the perimeter and finally, quilted it in straight lines.  It turned out okay.  The next one I do will be with binding.  

A Classic Jumper

I made Ella this Classic Jumper from the One Yard Wonders book.  It's the first item I have made from the book and I'm looking forward to making more.  The instructions were pretty easy to follow.  The only difficulty I had was of course the button-holes.  After spending a couple of hours fighting my machine, I gave up and had a friend do them for me just so Ella could wear before she grows out of it.  I used the 12 month old measurements so she'll probably be out of it by summer.  I love the dress on her and she loves the buttons.  She ran all around the house and yard so it's obviously super comfortable and the length is just right.  I know you can't really see the length of the dress from this picture but it falls just below her knees.

Babies, Babies, Babies

I'm in the throes of making baby gifts!  The gifts below are for a sweet little baby boy who was born last week.  His nursery is decorated in red, gray and black with elephants.  I decided to mix it up a bit with greens and blues.  The burp cloths were my go-to when Ella was a newborn as were the onesies so I'm getting these out asap so the new mom will have them handy.  I love the bib pattern because it's larger and really is more useful when babies get to the age where they actually need to wear them.  Next up, baby gifts for a Christmas baby girl. 

Sew Easy Pajama Pants

I learned how to sew pajama pants!  I was skeptical when I signed up for the class at my local quilt store, Valli & Kim.  I kept having flashbacks from my home economics class in high school in which I attempted pants with a elastic waistband.  Super small waist, extra wide hips.  Not so this time.  The instructor used the Sew Easy Pajama Pants pattern by Taylor Made Designs. I highly recommend this pattern and the class too if you're close to Dripping Springs.  I love my PJs!

Mommy and Me Pillowcase Top and Dress

Love love love!!  I purchased the pattern from whimsycouture on ETSY.  The instructions were  pretty easy to follow especially considering that I have really basic sewing skills.  The dress for Ella is still a little too big but I can't wait until we have our Mommy and Me photo op!

T-shirt dresses

I recently purchased "Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses" which features over 25 patterns for dresses using "t-shirts" instead of sewing a bodice.  I love the book - lots of inspiration in there that I would never think of on my own.  I made one for daughter using a plain t-shirt and fabric that I had on hand.  It was so easy and turned out REALLY cute.  Now, she has to grow into it.  I can't wait to make more.  Oh please, let my girl be a girly girl - at least for a couple of years.

Bibs and more bibs

Lots of babies are being born around here so I've been busy making bibs.  I decided to go for a bigger bib that would be in use longer than the smallish newborn bibs that I made for my daughter.  I also decided to use snaps - with the snap tool.  I love the results.  The snaps really jazz up the bib giving it more of an upscale boutique feel but getting them on was quite a problem.  I think it took me longer to figure it out then to actually make the bib!  I also went through a lot of snaps which was frustrating because they are expensive.  Nonetheless, I love them!  Just need a better solution...

Teething or Nursing Necklace

I love this necklace!  I have received so many compliments on it and it is so simple to make especially if use this pattern from "BEFFIE48" on ETSY.  Her patterns are super easy to follow.  In fact, the first quilt I ever made was using her Rag Quilt pattern.  I've made two necklaces - one for myself (and Ella) and one as a baby gift for a friend.  I used hello kitty fabric so that both the baby could enjoy playing with it when being held by her mom or big sister and big sister would enjoy it too because, well, it's hello kitty.

Happy Mother's Day

I celebrated my first Mother's Day with Ella by sewing a sweet little dress (pictured) for her.  So far, I've only made one clothing item, pajama bottoms, in a class where the instructor worked with me from start to finish.  Here, I purchased an old school Simplicity pattern and did it completely on my own without ever having used or even read an "old school" pattern.  It was quite an ordeal and very time consuming.  I spent a lot of time looking up sewing terms and reading and rereading the instructions several times.  But, I did it!  And I love the dress and especially the smiles.  Miss Ella kept grabbing it and pulling it up to kick her legs so now I need to sew a diaper cover to match!  

Another Work In Progress

I finally began working on my sweet daughter's quilt for her crib.  Hopefully she won't be out of the crib before I finish it.  I'm using the Buggy Sue & Walter pattern by Zan Taylor Designs which incorporates a lot of applique.  I was making excellent progress until my ZigZag stitch setting went out on me.  So, the "work" is no longer "in progress".  Don't you hate when that happens!  I miss my machine and the small bursts of time I utilized to express my "creativity" ahem "boredom" when Ella is sleeping or bouncing happily while watching me sew.  Hopefully, I will be re-inspired when I get my machine back.  For now, I will use my time to read and then obsess over which fabric to use for the border.  In case you can't tell from this AWFUL iPhone pic, the color palette is reds, pinks, and a little black.  I love that it's girly but not too babyish.  Hopefully this little quilt will stand the test of time for my little one and carry her through her toddler years.

Let's Play!

I finally finished it! I started this gift project several months ago for a dear friend's little toddler boy but parenthood took over and I had to put it down for the last few months. It felt great to be sewing again and I finished it in record time with Miss Ella watching from her bouncer. She was such a sweetheart letting mommy work in 30 minute increments! I call this quilt "Let's Play" because it features all the things that little boys love to play with - helicopters, cars, dinosaurs, robots. It will also be fun to play I SPY with this one at bedtime. I didn't use a pattern. Instead, I just let it organically come together with rows of 5inch squares and 2inch white sashing. I used the big red dots as outside "Side" borders and the binding is green fabric with red dots. The back is primary color dots on a background and I quilted it with horizontal and vertical "in the ditch" lines using red, green and blue thread on the back and white on the front. I loved how it turned out and especially enjoyed the bear hug and thanks I received from my sweet and gracious friend!

QuiltCon 2013

Miss Ella was a hit at QuiltCon!  It was her very first quilt convention (and mine too).  She cooed and gurgled at all the ladies and was a real gem in the exhibit hall while Mommy participated in a few craft projects - zipper bracelet and door hanger.  We had to have our picture taken at the Moda BakeShop and scored some amazing Red Riding Hood fabric and other pinks and reds for Miss Ella's quilt.  We also were fascinated by the quilt displays.  Amazing work.

A Stocking of Her Own

In the midst of feeding and diaper changes, I used some of the fabric for Ella's nursery to sew a Christmas stocking for her. I made my own template by tracing one of our stockings onto some cardboard. The tricky part was the cuff. Thanks to some guidance from my mom (who is staying with us to help with Ella), we got it figured out. I loved how it turned out.

Even Princesses have to burp now and then

So why not burp or spit up in style? After checking out burp cloths online and at stores, I noticed "patterns" for them so I thought hmmm. I have a lot of fabric maybe I should give it a go. I began searching for free ones and hit the jackpot of patterns for burp cloths, bibs, blankets, quilts and more. The pattern I chose was surprisingly simple. All you need is prefold cloth diapers that can be found at Walmart or anywhere where baby stuff is sold. The fabrics and flannel came from my ever growing stash. So easy, so cute! Next, Bibs!