One More Quilt

Well, I just couldn't resist making one more baby quilt. When I had out the fabrics for the cloth ball I made, I kept putting these 5 together and thinking how cute they looked, so I just did a quick squares quilt. The back is kind of crazy--a pieced combination of the fabrics from the front plus a couple of others. I was just trying to use stuff I already had. This one is fairly small; it will be a nice "tummy time" quilt.

Made by me wardrobe #1: Butterick 5397

This is the most successful of the three garments I have sewn for myself in the last month. The other two I'll post soon--I just happened to finish this one today and had on pants that matched so . . . voila!

This was a "one hour pattern" which, of course, took me about six hours. As Mr. Rogers used to sing, "I like to take my time to do it right," and with this knit top, I definitely felt the need to go slowly. I'm starting to get over my fear of knits sewn without a serger (I don't have the room or the budget for one) and thought this would be an easy pattern to try. It was quite straightforward and I like the drapey knit fabric I used, although it was very fussy to work with (it was some kind of rayon knit blend). It's hard to see from the picture, but the fabric has red and blue (kind of turquoise-y) circles outlined in black on a gray background. I am between two sizes with "Big 4" patterns, so I opted for the larger one since I don't like any clinging on my "back chub." My top fits fine, although it is a little wide at the shoulders. I would definitely make this again, and the whole top cost me about $6 (the pattern was $.99, and I got the knit on clearance from fabric.com) so it definitely qualifies as a bargain!

Update: I posted a review of this (my first pattern review!) on sewing.patternreview.com! If you sign up for a free membership or are already a member, you can see my review here:

http://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/61036

Jolly good knit-along idea!

I know you have that little thing of, well, giving birth to deal with in the very near future, Leigh, but I think you shouldn't let that event get in the way of joining us Craftybelles in a little project just in time for the big day (um, not Baby Key II's big day . . . . the OTHER big day coming up soon):

http://blogs.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/03/11/knit-the-royal-family-just-in-time-for-william-and-kates-big-day/

Good news: each one only takes five hours to make, according to the article!

Baby Projects

Here are some things I made for my baby boy. The first picture shows a couple pairs of pants (the drawstring ones aren't quite finished), two hats, and a bird garland I made for his room from Fa La La Felt. The second picture shows a ball I made using a pattern from Anna Maria Horner's book "Seams to Me." I will give that to Jack when the baby is born--something new for him to play with and a ball that won't hurt if it happens to hit the baby!

Once upon a thread

I have been sewing things for me to wear and need to take some pictures . . . but in the meantime I keep finding great links. Here's one for a website that is having a series on sewing projects based on children's books that you'll love!

http://thedillspiel.blogspot.com/search/label/Once%20upon%20a%20thread%20%2711

More great snack food ideas for kids . . . .

. . . that you can put together in just a few minutes (or not . . . see amazing photos!)


http://wurtzelinc.com/breakfastforclaire/

Sweet Dreams

I found this lovely gray flannel in the remnant section of a local craft store. There was about 3/4 yard left for $1.50/yd. I bought it, brought it home, and then needed to come up with a plan for it (I do this rather often).

As it turns out, you can make a pillowcase for a standard size pillow with this small amount of fabric. All I did was square the edges, fold it in half width-wise, and stitch one short and one long side using a 3/8 inch seam allowance. Then, on the unfinished short side, I turned under 3/8 inch twice and stitched to make a narrow hem.

Since the fabric barely covered the end of the pillow, I found 7 pink buttons (90 cents), stitched them on the end, making adjacent buttonholes. I was very pleased with the way the pillowcase turned out--a soft, lovely addition to my room for about $2.

Another great snack idea for your boys . . .

http://thehokeypokeykitchen.com/?p=393



They can eat and learn to add and subtract at the same time!

To make for an anniversary gift . . . ?

In June, Armando and I will be celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss . . . I'm thinking that a great gift for him will be the text from some of our letters embroidered onto a t-shirt (or the inside of a sportcoat for him?) in the spirit of these garments from long ago. J/K!! Seriously, though, can you imagine the painstaking process of making these?

http://annekata.blogspot.com/2011/03/stitched-words-agnes-richter-and.html


I love this blog (annekata) . . . she's in the Netherlands and posts great ideas and tutorials for projects that have a unique feel and look to them.