Thanksgiving Applique

Most of the sewing I've done lately has been in secret, because I'm busy making Christmas gifts.  But, I was excited to find some time to sew up some quick and super cute Thanksgiving outfits for my little ones.  For Valerie's dress, I started a plain long-sleeved t-shirt from Walmart.  I used some knit fabric to add a skirt and then made ruffles with three pieces of coordinating cotton fabric.  For the applique, I made my own pattern and used heat n bond, an iron, and a zigzag stitch.  Then, I used some of the extra fabric to make a little hair clippie to match.  For Almanzo's shirt, I used another long-sleeved t-shirt from Walmart, the same applique technique, and my own pumpkin pattern.  I love how easy and fun it is to turn a plain t-shirt into a cute and unique outfit!

Fleece Longies

Today, I finally got around to sewing two more pairs of fleece longies for Sweet Pea.  Fleece longies are a great diaper cover alternative for the winter and also make cute pajama pants.  I'm hoping to sew a few more pairs of these for Sweet Pea, so we can use them when she decides to start potty training.  So far, every time I've asked her if she wants to go on the potty, she says, "No!", but she always tells me when she has "poo".  I have several Gerber training pants my aunt Sheri gave us and plan to use those with fleece longies instead of Pull-Ups, because it's more like underwear and will be easy for her to pull on and off by herself.  Plus, since I use cloth diapers already, I hate the thought of buying disposable training pants, because it seems to defeat the purpose of potty training.  For the first pair of fleece longies, I sewed a zigzag stitch along the edge of each leg cuff and for the second pair I just folded them over and sewed a straight stitch hem. I'm not sure which style I like best.

Owl Party Favors

I was watching the first episode of season 2 of The DIY Dish a few weeks ago and decided right then that owls would be the theme for Almanzo's first birthday.  I couldn't wait to find some cute fabric and sew up some of these cute little owls for party favors.  I picked out three coordinating fabrics for his birthday banner (including one with owls!) and decided to match the stuffed owls to the banner.  I also found some minky fabric in the remnant fabric bin and, since I already had two other coordinating colors of minky fabric from previous fabric store trips, I decided to use the minky fabric for the base of the owl and the polka dot fabric to match the birthday banner for the wings.  I had some felt in my fabric stash, so I used that for the eyes and the beak.  I love the frayed look of the wings and the soft minky fabric.  I'm planning on making enough of these little cuties to give as party favors to all the little ones that come to his birthday party.  And I'm also going to use some coordinating paper to make owls to use as decorations. 

Birthday Shirts

Just a little something I whipped up yesterday to celebrate our little man's birthday.  I'm doing an owl theme for his birthday and, since I was making one for him, I just had to make a number 2 shirt for his big sister.  I ran out of fusible web, so I just decided to let the edges fray and do a regular straight stitch.  They turned out really cute after washing them.  Now I just have to work on the owl party favors and birthday banner.  I can hardly believe he's going to be ONE soon...somebody please SLOW down time!

Wordless Wednesday

(Note: I made these toddler bibs using this pattern, but hemmed up some towel fabric from JoAnn's instead of using an actual towel.) 

Birthday Banner

I found this tutorial for the cutest birthday decorations before Valerie's first birthday, but didn't have the time to make one for her then. This year, I was so excited to make one for her second birthday. Of course, I waited until the day before, but it was so easy to make that I was able to start and finish it during nap time. I love how it turned out and can't wait to make one for Almanzo's birthday in October. I love the idea of having unique, handmade, and reusable party decorations. Next year, my plan is to add handmade tablecloths and napkins to Valerie's birthday decorations and maybe another banner (which reminds me that I better get some more of the fabric I used so everything will match).

NICU Blankets

In lieu of buying a gift for Valerie's birthday this year (which she doesn't really need, because she is very blessed with plenty), I decided to use my sewing skills and all the fleece and flannel fabric I've accumulated to sew some blankets for the NICU.

Since both my children spent their first week of life in the wonderful care of the NICU doctors and nurses, it is a very special place to us.  When Almanzo was in the NICU, I gave the nurses several blankets I had made him to cuddle up with and so he would have a piece of me there when I wasn't.  The nurses commented on how soft and cute his blankets were and how they wished they had more blankets like that instead of the boring receiving blankets that were beginning to show their wear.

The blankets I made are approximately 15" x 15" squares with a little ribbon tag that were turned-and-topstitched. I added another little tag to each blanket with these words written on it:

We delivered these as a family on Valerie's birthday.  We are so thankful for all they have done...and, even more so, we are so thankful for God's protection and healing.  What a precious blessing these little ones are!

Summer Pajamas

My Sweet Pea has been slowly outgrowing all of her pajamas, which is actually a good thing since they were all long sleeve and too hot for the summer.  I decided to try making some pajamas, since I already know how to make pants/shorts by using another pair of pants/shorts as the pattern.  For the top, I just traced the outline of another top for the sizing and made it my own pattern.  I used a cotton knit fabric that happened to be on sale a few weeks ago.  I like how it turned out, but I'm going to try to tweak my patterns a little to make a better fit the next time. (Also, please excuse the crazy-bed-head-hair and uncooperative-toddler-frown in that last picture. LOL!)

Wordless Wednesday - Birthday Dress

Prairie Girl

I finally had some time today during a wonderfully long nap time to sew a peasant dress and bonnet for my Sweet Pea.  I used this pattern for a peasant blouse and added a few inches to make it a dress.  The pattern was so easy though that I'm already planning my next projects.  I might even make some modifications to add a pocket or a ruffle on the bottom and maybe even an apron to complete the prairie girl look.

I bought this pattern off of Etsy to make a bonnet and made the 12-24 month size.  I forgot to add a 1/4" seam when cutting it out and should have made the rim wider so it was more of a prairie bonnet than baby bonnet.  It was obviously a little small, but V loved it so much she wouldn't let me take it off.  Also, my stitching was a little crazy, since it was my first time making the pattern and it took a lot longer to make than the dress.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to use the same pattern to make a fourth of July dress out of some cute patriotic fabric I bought last week and then I will make another bonnet and peasant dress set from some super cute "prairie-esque" fabric I found.  That is...if the kids both decide to take wonderfully long naps again... 

NEW In My Etsy Shop

 Spring Flowers Peek-A-Boo Nursing Cover, $20

 (modeled by my sweet friend, Veronica, and her little Alivia)

Purple Floral Wrap Style Carrier, $35

Coaster/Hot Pad/Placemat Tutorial

My friend, Karen, taught me this really simple way to use up fabric scraps and create some unique handmade gifts.  Her idea was to make coasters, but I also used the same concept to make a matching hot pad and placemat set.  This is a great beginner sewing project too, because it requires very little sewing.  For my tutorial, I made a set of 8 coasters.

Supplies:

• Fabric scraps cut into 5" squares (1 for the bottom, 4 for the top, and one for the middle - I used a piece of flannel for the middle, because it's a little sturdier)
• Thread (You can choose whatever color thread you want to match your fabric or just use a plain white or black thread.)
• Iron & Ironing Board

Directions:

Isn't that super easy?  It makes a quick and cute gift idea, especially with the limited time that comes with having two little ones under two.  I'd love to see your own version of this tutorial, so please send pictures so I can share some them here!

Auction Quilt

My friend, Kelli, started a wonderful ministry at our church called Mom Time.  It's a time for stay at home moms like me to get together to fellowship and encourage each other as moms and wives.  We meet the first and third Thursday of every month.  On the first Thursday of every month, we have several speakers (women from our church) come and teach about topics such as marriage, children's health, and playing with our kids.  We decided we wanted to spend some of our time learning to quilt too, so we could donate a quilt to the Trinity Baptist School auction (a ministry of our church).  Kathy agreed to give us quilting lessons and found the cutest pattern for a quilt.  We spent months working on it along with the help of Kelli's sister-in-law, Linda, and then Kathy and her mom graciously quilted it together for us before revealing the finished product at the auction.

 

Thank you, Kathy and Linda for all your time and effort to help us finish this quilt!

I also decided to donate two baskets to the auction from my Etsy shop and was frantically working on finishing them just two weeks before the auction.  I love how they turned out and am already dreaming up ideas for next year's auction. 

PS - Sorry for the blurriness of the pictures; they were taken back in January with our old camera.