Handmade happy birthday!

I was trying to figure out what I’ve been doing over here.  Now, you know I’ve been sewing.  After some thought, I realized that I’ve been having fun making birthday presents.  Birthday’s are so sweet and special.  It’s like God kisses the earth every time someone is born!  Life is so precious and deserves to be celebrated, right?  We don’t necessarily need gifts to do this, but they do add a special touch.  So, here’s what I’ve been making….

Remember this clutch made from a curtain remnant?

Well, I had a couple other remnants with this similar floral print.  I have a dear sweet friend that I wanted to make pillows for.  She enjoys adding beauty to her home, and I thought she might like to add a little elegance to one of her spaces.  I used a basic envelope-style design for these pillows.  Super easy, and there are lots of tutorials on how to make these.  I just used some store bought pillow forms to stuff the covers.  I was very pleased with how they turned out.

Next up are a couple of messenger bags for a set of twins; the same twins I made the artist roll-ups for.  Continuing on with the theme of upcycling, I decided to use a bed skirt given to me by the very friend I made the above pillows for.

See, gifts just keep on giving!  I thought the fabric was perfect because it resembles canvas.  It’s sturdy, and I’m sure it will hold up to much wear.  The style of this bag was inspired by one of my husband’s bags.  It features two front pockets with faux button velcro closures and an adjustable strap.  I used bias tape to encase all raw edges.  I did not make an inside lining for these bags, so the bias tape worked perfectly.

I really hope they enjoy these.

Last but not least, I had the privilege to make a birthday dress for a little ones 1st birthday.  The party theme was ladybugs of course.  And get this, more curtain remnants folks.  The mom of this sweet baby girl gifted me with a huge box of curtain remnants that I’ve used for many projects.  The polka dots were cut from yardage.  The lady bug is appliqued onto the white eyelet fabric, and embroidery thread was used for the antennas.  It was my first time using an embroidery hoop.  The belt is removable.  I enjoyed this color palette.  You don’t really see the turquoise added in with the traditional lady bug colors black and red.  So, I thought that was a fun twist.

A little bit of planning did go into the selection of this style dress.  I sent my friend a couple of collages for design inspiration and asked for her feedback.  She really liked the first dress in the top row (made by a seller on etsy).  So, I used it as my inspiration to make the dress.

I was asked to incorporate the blue into the head piece somehow, so I just mimicked the style of the other ribbons and added a removable piece.

The kids and I were able to go to the birthday party of this sweet little one.  I must say she was quite adorable.  Everything worked out great.

T-shirt refashion (handsewn edition)

In the age of electric sewing machines, hand sewing seems like a thing of the past.  It is alive and well my friends.  Hence this project.  At least the first part of it anyway.

So, I needed a project for a three hour car ride to and from the airport.  And because children’s clothes use less fabric, I decided to make something for none other than Curly Cutie.  I am determined to use every piece of clothing given to me by my neighbor before she moved.  Remember the first t-shirt refashion I completed from said clothes?  Ha!  Actually Curly Cutie is wearing the shirt today.  She loves it.  On to our next subjects.

 

 

Armed with a pattern, these t-shirts, scissors, and pins I was ready to take this project on the road.  I decided to use the floral print and solid red t-shirts to make CC a dress.  I thought I would use the white shirt to add ruffles or something, but I nixed that.  I completed the project in well under the three hours.  There were some things I didn’t have to do since I used finished garments.  No hemming or finishing seams.

 

 

I removed the sleeves from original shirt.  Cut those down to size and reattached.  Left neckline alone.  Cut off bottom.  I sliced the floral print shirt right underneath v-neck and just used bottom portion.  There was only one problem.  When we got home and CC tried it on it was way to big.  She also made a request to have it sleeveless.  So much for ALL my hard work.  Lol.

 

 

That’s what I get for trying a new pattern and not sticking to what is tried and true.  Using a piece of nice fitting clothing as a pattern.  No need to fix a method that’s not even broken.  If CC would be able to wear this, I had to go back in and fix it.  It was kinda sad having to pick through those hand stitches.  Since I was at home, you already know I hopped on my machine to get the job done.  This in no way took away from my appreciation of hand stitching.  I learned that if I needed to do it, I could.  Being that I don’t have to right now, I won’t.  Lol.

We both really like the final product.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not all that comfortable just yet with finishing knit armholes.  For this project I just used the hem of the original sleeve and added it to the tank part.  Turned out great.

 

 

And this is another way we are doing clothes for CC the easy (inexpensive) way.

 

 

 

Easy cloth napkins

We have been using cloth napkins for several years now and we absolutely love them.  There is no fuss to them.  We just use them, throw them in the wash and use them again.  Repeat.  I’m not quite sure how much money we’ve saved by using cloth napkins, but I do enjoy not having to purchase paper towels.  I have no problems with paper, but when I didn’t have the resources to purchase them I needed another option.

We have slowly been making changes that help us cut back on spending.  This is definitely one change that has stuck.  One day I had a thought to make my own napkins.  It didn’t seem hard, it’s just a rectangle.

I bought some simple cotton fabric from the craft store.  Cut four rectangles size 18″x20″.  To create the side hems, I folded each side over .5″ and pressed (sides first then top and bottom).  Then, I folded the sides over another .5″ and pressed again.  I sewed around the rectangle starting at one corner and ending up at that same corner.  Project done.  The yard of fabric was $1.50 and I used maybe $.10 worth of thread.  Finished size of my napkins are 16″x18″.

These could even be done by hand.  Would take a little bit more time, but it can be done.  I remember before I started learning how to sew, I made a satin pillowcase for Curly Cutie’s bed.  All seams were sewn by hand with a needle and thread.

If you are familiar with natural hair that has a very curly/kinky texture, you know that this type of hair can tangle and break very easily.  I was determined to do my best to protect CC’s delicate, growing strands by making sure she could put her head on something that would not snag them.  There was no way I could keep a scarf on her head during the night, so this was the next best option.

I guess I shared that because some people can be intimidated by the thought of sewing like I was in the very beginning.

Back to the napkins.  Here is how I used them in a simple tablescape for a nice dinner.

Aren’t they so fun?

Side note:  We still have that bottle of grape juice.  Could not bring ourselves to open it during the meal.  It was made locally and will not be sold anymore.  I have no clue why we are still holding on.

This past Valentine’s day I wanted to dress up the table a little, but realized I didn’t have any coordinating napkins.  I used my handy dandy serger to whip some up in about 10-15 min.  Seriously.  I even used some fabric a friend had given me from one of her curtain projects.

Yep, Curly Cutie made name tags.

And yes, this is our drumming baby boy.  We decided to give him a place setting too and come away from the highchair.  That lasted about 10 min.  Lol.  He went right back.  Good thought, nice gesture on our part though.

And there it is my friends.  Easy cloth napkins.

Purple Passion Envelope Clutch

I heard that SeeKateSew was hosting a sew-along and I decided to jump in.  She provided a free pattern for an envelope style clutch and walked you through the construction process from start to finish.  It didn’t dawn on me that I needed to have my clutch done like yesterday.  I like tackling little projects like this since it’s more experience/learning under my belt and I come away with cute items.

I decided to upcycle a couple of items for this project.  A good ole faithful curtain remnant and a tunic style shirt.

Pretty easy sew.  I still managed to get some crooked seams in there.  If I attempt this again, I will definitely need to find a way to make the clutch more stiff.  Heavier fabric or interfacing.  This particular fabric is a little too flimsy for me even with heavyweight interfacing.

I really like the texture of the stitched flower.  Clutch is nice, shiny and elegant looking.  Not to mention this project was $Free.99.

Uploading this to the flickr group just in case you want to see what other ladies have done with the pattern.

 

 

 

 

Fab Collab

Are you kidding me?  It’s the final week of season 6 over at Project Run and Play.  I made it through the sew along.  This is huge for me.  I set a goal and I achieved it.

I have a teench of joy to share.  So, my shirt from week 5 won the sew along judges vote.  That means I won a little prize.  Yaaayyy!

This has been so much fun, and let me tell you, the other women in the main competition as well as the sew along are amazing!  So many different styles.  So many beautiful fabrics.  It was just great.

Well, I guess I’ll finish this thing up by sharing the look I created for my signature style.  Honestly, I have no clue what my style is at this point.  I feel like I’m too new in the game.  I don’t know.  Maybe some kind soul out there can shed some light.  I will tell you this, I am particularly fond of a few things.  For this design, I decided to use a collaboration of things I’ve found to be fabulous.  Black & White, denim, lace, and pearls.  Not to mention, my appreciation for upcycling is growing exponentially.  Oh, and I love the art of layering.  If you can make any sense of this please do, and then tell me.

The items upcycled for this look were a pair of denim capris and a vintage lace curtain.

Put these two together and what do we get?

Pattern was self-drafted for this project.  I took my inspiration from a cropped jacket given to me by one of my dearest friends several years ago.  Thanks Sally!  Collar can be worn down, but for Curly Cutie I went ahead and popped it!  Aggghhhh!  Lol!  The knit tank underneath was store bought last summer.

I have been itching to try my hand at a circle skirt.  I have wanted to make one since my look for week 2 when I found out I didn’t have enough fabric.  I thought this would be the perfect time to crank one out.  I found a tutorial from Dana to be quite helpful in making this type of skirt.  I opted for a fabric waistband in place of the elastic one in the tutorial.

I can see why these skirts are well loved.  Simple and cute.  This certainly will not be my last.  CC gave me a huge hug after we put on her outfit.  She was soooo happy.  She told me that she is very proud that we made it all 6 weeks and that we make a great team.  *Cue waterworks.  I didn’t really cry, but my heart was deeply moved.

How about those purple and pink footies?

And that’s a wrap!  I am linking up to Project Run and Play and The Train To Crazy this week.  Thanks to all that left me such sweet comments and words of encouragement throughout the sew along.  It is truly appreciated.  Why am I sounding like I just won an award?  Well, maybe I have in my own mind.

Goal #1 – Join sew along and upload a design weekly – check

Goal #2 – Do not purchase any items to complete designs – check

P.S.

Goal #3 – Keep up with house chores – epic fail

I’m off to clean.  Onward sewing soldiers!!!!!

 

Men’s shirt refashion

We are in week 5 of Project Run and Play Season 6.  This week we were to take a men’s shrit and transform it into a children’s clothing item.  Would you believe that I did not have a men’s button down shirt in my entire stash?  What was a girl to do?  Hit up the husband.  Problem with that was, he had already cleaned his closet and given away all unwanted items.  Just my luck blessing, while visiting the husbands parents, papa (paw-paw) saved the day.

Woot!  I knew I wouldn’t have enough material for an outfit considering the shirt idea I had in mind, so I just went with a shirt.  I used a Butterick pattern (B5020) and made a few modifications to account for the shirt buttons.

I think the shirt turned out nice.  I like to see a bit more skin covered up, so Curly Cutie will not be wearing this top without something like a bolero or little jacket.

And that’s five weeks down.  Grandpa never knew his shirt could look so shaaaarp!

A heart for MY heart

Well, it’s week 4 of Project Run and Play Season 6.  This week we were to create a Valentine inspired look.

I definitely wanted to go with a shirt and skirt for Curly Cutie.  I learned from making this outfit that CC looks good in stripes.  I decided on a striped tank and a paper bag skirt.

I had no clue this style was called a paper bag skirt.  The name works.  It takes me back to the days of going to the corner store to get penny candy.  $1 went a mighty long way.  Lol.  And my paper bag would get all crumpled towards the top.  No folding, trying to be prim and proper, was necessary.  You just snatched that bag up and went on to enjoy your cavity inducing goodness.

I did have one problem with this outfit idea though.  No striped fabric on hand to use.  So, I set out to make some.  Maybe this was me being a little extra, I don’t know, but I had to see if I could make it happen.  So, quite naturally, I went through my stash to find my next victims.

Pink and white would be used for the stripes and yellow for the accent color.  I cut the pink and white shirts into 1″ strips.  Alternating colors, I joined them together using a serger.  I discovered two cool things.  One, when I flipped the sewn strips over and pressed the seams in towards the pink strip it created a smooth front and back.  Two, when the stripes were facing right side up the pink stripes look slightly raised creating a bit of texture.  I continued joining strips together until it was long enough to make a shirt front.  I knew I wouldn’t have enough to make a back too because the pink shirt had applique details on the front.  I was cool with that.  So, I decided to make the back of the shirt yellow.

The yellow shirt was also used for the heart applique on the front of the tank.  I knew I didn’t want a design with a lot of hearts on it, so I kept it simple and added a single heart.  Curly Cutie is definitely MY heart, so this design is fitting.

I used this easy tutorial of Kim’s over at Oh, Sweet Joy to make the skirt.  I salvaged the fabric from a pair of denim capris.  This is a light weight denim, so it’s not bulky at all.  I almost looked over this pair because of the print towards the bottom of the legs.  I knew I would need most of the material to make the skirt and that print was throwing me off.  I decided to go ahead with making the skirt and I just positioned the fabric so the design would show through at the back of the skirt and not the front.  I also used the inside of the capris for the outside of the skirt.  I think it turned out decent.  I used some yardage I had on hand for the belt which I think is such a cute accent.

This outfit is a definite winner for CC.  She said, “Mom, I am so loving my Valentine’s day outfit.  Thank you so much!”  I was too thrilled.

I just can’t get enough of upcycling.  That’s a wrap!

*Extra:  I made CC a dark gray one too.  A girl needs options, right?

My Chocolate Drop

Week #3 of Project Run and Play Season 6 is here.  The theme for this week is a boy look.  So quite naturally I used the tot I have on hand.  This theme was quite intimidating if I may say so.  I had not yet ventured into making clothes for my sweet baby boy just yet.  I am really enjoying this sew along because it’s forcing me to go where I have not traveled.

I am all about simplicity, so I decided on a simple sweater, pair of pants, and a hooded sweater vest.  And you already know where my fabric came from.  My stash.

Golden sweater is 100% cotton.  Tan sweater is a soft wool.  Dark chocolate pants are a stretch corduroy.  AV baby’s outfit is comfortable and moveable.  Just perfect for bringing all his stuffed animals into submission.  Lol!

I ended up using clothes he already wears as patterns.  They seemed to work out just fine.  I definitely knew I needed to make a pair of pants to cover the largeness of his bottom with a cloth diaper on.  We are still going strong.  Well, maybe slightly weakened.  I need to find another solution as this little guy is an extremely heavy wetter.  These diapers just don’t stand a chance for more than an hour.  I digress.  Here are more pics of my guy.

Doesn’t he just look like a little peanut butter and chocolate morsel of goodness?  My husband loathes when I refer to colors as food items.  I’m sorry babe, but I just can’t help it.  Lol.  No matter what color he’s wearing, he’ll always be my chocolate drop!

For the young artist

One of my dear friends asked me to come up with a gift for her twin nephews who like to draw.  I knew I wanted to make some type of roll-up.  I was inspired by Lotta Jansdotter‘s Tool Roll from her Simple Sewing book.  Lindsay over at Lindsay Pindsay made a roll-up for her knitting needles inspired by the same pattern.  Hers is similar to the one in the book.

I slightly modified the pattern to come up with a design I thought would work for the boys.  So, here’s my take on it.

I filled them with some random items I have here at the house just to give my friend some ideas of what they can put in their roll ups.  For the colored binding strips I just used some material from cut up t-shirts.

The outside fabric is from……..wait for it…………a curtain remnant.  Let me guess, you weren’t surprised.  I used the music print because, if my memory serves me correct, they are a part of a musical family of singers and musicians.

My friend just told me that the boys have been enjoying their roll ups.  They love to sit and draw.  That is all I can ask for.  It feels so good to create an item that others will enjoy and are able to use.  The boys have a birthday coming up in April and I will be making them messenger bags to hold their things.

Done any upcycling lately?

Patchwork stripes

Second week of Project Run and Play‘s Season 6 sew-along is here.  I made it through week #1 alive.  We’ll just take this thing a day at a time.

This week’s theme is Stripes and Polka dots.

And again, my goal was to use items I already had on hand.  I thought I would kick things up several notches in the color department, as my last week’s design was monochromatic.  Not only did I bring in some color, but I tried a new technique……patchwork stripes.  I don’t think I can throw myself into the “quilter” category just yet, but I’m headin’ in that direction.  I had to figure out some way to create stripes since I don’t have any striped fabric.  If you look closely you can find dots in some of the stripes.  I decided to go with a tiered skirt, simple tank-style shirt , and asymmetrical sleeveless cardigan.

For the skirt I used material from a couple of charm packs, and a couple of fat-quarter batik prints.  The shirt is made from a curtain remnant.  Cardigan is made from a ribbed knit.  Pattern for shirt and cardigan were self drafted (shirt using instructions from improv sewing book).  I used Ashley’s tutorial over at Make It & Love It for the skirt.

Timeless Treasures Tonga Treat Gelato

Jennifer Paganelli (West Indies)

Fat Quarter Batiks

curtain remnant

This was such a fun outfit to make.  I was very surprised at how the skirt turned out.  I really think it’s an art how quilters are able to choose fabrics the work well together.  I don’t know all of the rules and am kinda glad about that.  I just go with the flow.  I also go with what I have.  I really wanted to make a circle skirt, but quickly learned I didn’t have enough fabric for that.  Tiered skirt it is!

I ended up using pretty long strips of fabric, so it kinda gave me the full effect of a circle skirt.  I love that the soft elastic band around the waist of the skirt will give Curly Cutie several seasons of wear in this piece.  She was very cooperative while allowing me to take pictures of her.  And had a little fun along the way.  It was cold, but she was glad to be outside for a few minutes.

She likes it and I’m glad!