Inspiration for Crafting

My friend is having her fourth child, first girl. You can imagine her excitement at buying and making frilly, pink, cutesy clothes and accessories for this little girl. When I thought about what to give her, I was at a total loss. Then I saw the cutest little denim dress and bought it on the spot. Then I asked a friend of mine to make a headband with two matching bows to sew on the sleeves of the onesie to wear under the dress. I was quite pleased with the results:
But then I found the ultimate inspiration for the onesie I need to embellish for this friend. Some time back I added this gem of a blog to my blog reader and have been enjoying her creativity ever since. I did a quick search on "how to make fabric roses" and found an awesome tutorial. It's detailed, but fairly easy and really quick. I made several "testers" first and then used my real fabric to make the ones for this onesie. Since it's a newborn onesie I started with a slightly smaller square of fabric so the rose wouldn't be too big. I absolutely love the way this onesie turned out!
What baby girl gifts have you been making lately?

Posted by Amber P. at 5:00 AM 1 comments    

Labels: accessories, clothing, gift ideas, girls, newborn, onesies

It has taken me so long to get these pictures on the computer! These are the spring dresses I made the girls for Easter. The top is inspired by a dress of Sammi's and her skirt is inspired by one I found on a blog somewhere. I've spent several hours looking for that skirt again! Elli's skirt was my own idea and I really like the way it turned out.

Here they are in their dresses on Easter Sunday. Such sweet angels!

I'm working on the patterns for these dresses. I'm trying to get all the sizes 3-6 months up to 4T. If you're interested in helping me test the pattern, please leave a comment with your email and I'll contact you when I have it ready! Thanks.

Posted by Amber P. at 11:35 AM 37 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, sewing, toddler

I finished the costume for Sammi to be Minnie Mouse! I am quite pleased with how it looks. And she is, of course, adorable. I learned a bit about fabric during this experience. When you put bias tape on one layer of fabric, the fabric shreds through it very quickly. The only time this didn't happen was on the second practice dress which was recycled from a sheet. As a result, I have resewn almost every inch of the bias tape you see! A very time consuming job with very little satisfaction since I had already done it once!

My favorite part of the dress, though, is the bow. It was a last minute addition as I was planning on buying a bow. Instead I just cut out an extra long rectangle, folded it in half, sewed it together and flipped it right-side out. Then I pulled the two layers apart and scrunched up the middle to make it look like a bow. Then I wrapped a length of black bias tape around it and tied it off. I was going to hide that side, but I thought it looked great to have the knot and the extra bit as an accent on the bow.

I don't normally dress up much for Halloween and last year Sammi barely wore her costume. But this year, she has worn it three times already this week! I'm excited for her to wear it trick-or-treating tomorrow night.

Posted by Amber P. at 4:56 PM 1 comments    

Labels: clothing, sewing, toddler

I finished the second practice dress. I also made the top to match. It looks rather plain from the front, but it's quite cute in the back. It has two ties and curved corners. I've cut the fabric for the real Minnie Mouse dress! Now I just need to get to sewing it.
It's cut from Heidi Grace's Midnight Kisses line of fabric now at JoAnn's. She'll be a modern Minnie!

Posted by Amber P. at 8:10 PM 0 comments    

Labels: clothing, fabric, sewing, toddler

It's Halloween season! I've decided to make Sammi's costume this year. I've had this Minnie Mouse doll for longer than I care to admit. I've always loved her little skirt. So I thought this year I'd make a Minnie Mouse costume for Sammi. She likes to play with her, but usually calls her Mickey (we have two Mickey Mouse dolls.)

I've made two practice dresses. One is tiny for her baby dolls. But, it also fit Elli so I took a picture of her modeling it. It has a tie in the back to adjust for different waists. I used bias tape around the band and then continued it for the ties. Hemming it was a beast because the back has rounded corners and it was so small. But, despite the imperfections, iy looks pretty good from afar!

Here's the practice version: Sammi-sized. It turned out quite big on her. I'm glad it was practice material. I'm going to tweak the pattern and make one more practice one before I cut the actual fabric. I also have an idea for the top of the dress. I'm going to actually have it be two pieces so the skirt can still be worn for dress up after she's outgrown the top.

Posted by Amber P. at 11:13 AM 0 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, holidays, sewing, toddler

Here are my sweet girls. Elizabeth is one month old today. I can't believe how quickly the month went by. I'm glad I put her in the dress today because it was almost too small! I didn't realize how much she had grown in such a short amount of time.

As for Sammi's dress, it was a bit roomy for her when I finished it several months ago and I figured she'd grow into it by now. However, toddlerhood is full of energy and movement. Instead of getting bigger around, she's actually slimmed down and gotten taller. So it looks bigger on her now than it did before. Though I have to say I am quite pleased with the length. Most things seem too short on her so I'm glad I made it a little longer.

And here's a picture of Elizabeth with the baby booties on. They are way too big, but oh so cute!

Posted by Amber P. at 7:15 PM 3 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, sewing, toddler

Well, we are moving tomorrow. The craft room has been boxed up in preparation for our new home. Unfortunately, we are downsizing in a major way and I'm not sure what I'll have access to on a regular basis. As if moving wasn't busy enough, baby #2 is due in just two short weeks. I'm hoping we get rooms put together and the house is in a livable state before she arrives.

With all that said, here are the projects top on my list that I promise I will get to just as soon as I can:

• Regency Dress project: Amy--I'm so sorry I haven't finished it yet. This is my #1 project to complete. I just hope she doesn't outgrow it in the meantime!
• State Fair Challenge Quilt: All I need is to quilt and bind it and it's done. Unfortunately, I only have four weeks until the deadline.
• Quiet Book Make-Along Page #2: I've cut out the pieces and scanned the pattern into the computer. I just need to put it together so I can make adjustments and get it published! By the way, how is page #1 coming? Check out K's comment about her adjustments. Sounds adorable!
• Baby Doll Afghan: This needs to be finished to give to Sammi when Elizabeth arrives. However, it's all boxed up and I'm not sure it'll be uncovered in time. How sad...

I'm not sure when we'll get the Internet up and running. It'll probably be sooner than later since we'll go stir-crazy without our connection to the larger world! But until then, Happy Crafting!

Posted by Amber P. at 3:41 PM 1 comments    

Labels: clothing, crochet, explanations, project ideas, quiet books, quilting

My mom recently sent me an email with this free kimono pattern from Habitual. In the email she summed up my feelings about crafting perfectly: "So many projects, so little time."

This is definitely on the list of to-do's once we are settled into our new place and I've recovered from the arrival of the baby (only four more weeks!)

Posted by Amber P. at 4:44 PM 3 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, free pattern, project ideas, sewing, toddler

I started on the Regency Dress for Sammi out of the material that I thought would be most "formal" for a costume. However, I must have altered the pattern as I was making the muslin because the "final" product turned out too small. I got this far on it and had Sammi try it on. I could barely hold the back together as she moved her arms. I thought it might be torture, for both of us, to try to make her wear it. I'm looking for some inspiration to finish this dress. I think it will be so cute, but I need a little girl to look adorable in it. All of my friends have little boys. If you know a little girl that would like this dress (or whose Mommy would like this dress) please leave a comment. I would be happy to see someone get to wear it!

In the end I hemmed the original dress like so.
It didn't turn out quite perfect, but it looked nice on her. I got the idea for the hemming from a maternity shirt I love to wear. It has the same detail around the cuffs and the mid-section.

Sammi was adorable at the contest. She smiled and talked to the judges. She even lay down on the table and started drawing circles, snakes and cherry-pickers for them! (Her cherry-pickers look like scribbles almost in a box shape. She loves her work vehicles!) In the end it was enough to win Third Place and get a nice little prize of some snacks that sustained her through the walk back to the car.

Posted by Amber P. at 10:32 AM 3 comments    

Labels: clothing, sewing

This was my project last week. I want to enter my daughter in our city's annual baby contest in two weeks. The theme this year is "Babies Through the Ages." since I live in Utah, I know the pioneer era is the most common "age" so I wanted to do something less common.

I absolutely love all the Jane Austin movies because the clothes are so spectacular. So I spent several days looking at Victorian era dresses. I decided that I like the Regency style a little more because it fit with the image I had in my mind for what I wanted. I had a difficult time finding just the right pattern, so I made it up as I went along. For that reason, I started with a Muslin, which I just learned about from Sew, Mama, Sew's Women's clothing month in May.

You may recognize the fabric from one of the sheets I purchased on Memorial Day. It came with the lace sewn in and I thought it would make the perfect bottom for a dress. Since it was already sewn in, I had to be really precise with my length. Unfortunately I failed! It's a little long for my daughter to wear. I did get to teach her how to hold up one side, though, so that was practical. But I think I will shorten it by bringing up the fabric just above the lace in a decorative way.

So now I have a very short amount of time to make the real thing. I hope it turns out and I hope Sammi's in a good mood for her time slot of the contest. It's just before her nap, arrrgh!

Posted by Amber P. at 9:13 PM 2 comments    

Labels: clothing, sewing

Okay, enough hinting. I created this cute little set to give to my friend Melody for her upcoming arrival. My daughter has loved watching all the new things I've made. With each new thing she tells me "for Tyler's brother." I don't think she's grasped that she's getting a sister, but she sure remembers that Tyler is getting a brother!

Posted by Amber P. at 11:30 AM 0 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, gift ideas, sewing, shoes

The neckties were so fun to make that I thought I'd try a bowtie onesie as well. Actually, I was inspired by my friend Melody. Her son wears a bowtie to church and I think he's just adorable.

The bowties proved to be more challenging for me to create than the necktie. I had a vision of what it should look like. It took me a couple of weeks to problem solve and decide on a way to make it work. I pleated the "bow" part of the tie and then ironed it down. It gives it some depth and I think looks an awful lot like a bowtie. So, maybe I am a bit of an artist after all...

Enjoy the Bowtie Onesie Free Pattern. I'd love to know if you make any and how they turn out. Wouldn't it make a cute set to give a bowtie onesie and a necktie onesie as a gift?

**In the instructions I suggest using Wonder-Under to fuse the fabrics together. A cost-saving method I learned from my mom is to use a plastic produce bag instead! Just cut out the bag so it's larger than the pieces and place it between the onesie and the fabric. Cover it, carefully, with a scrap piece of fabric or an old tea towel. Iron over it with the iron on the hottest setting. You need to be more careful when removing the tea towel than when using Wonder-Under, but it works well.**

Posted by Amber P. at 11:30 AM 3 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, explanations, free pattern, gift ideas, sewing, tutorials

I have seen these adorable onesies floating around the Internet. I am not that great of an artist so it is hard for me to create a "picture" version of something and have it really look like that something. So, I enlisted the help of my talented husband to create a pattern for the necktie. Not only did he draw the tie for me, he helped me get it in digital form so that I can share it with others who may not want to draw a tie themselves!

This is such a cute and easy project. It makes a great gift for expecting friends.

Enjoy the Necktie Onesie Free Pattern. I'd love to see the onesies you create using it!

**In the instructions I suggest using Wonder-Under to fuse the fabrics together. A cost-saving method I learned from my mom is to use a plastic produce bag instead! Just cut out the bag so it's larger than the pieces and place it between the onesie and the fabric. Cover it, carefully, with a scrap piece of fabric or an old tea towel. Iron over it with the iron on the hottest setting. You need to be more careful when removing the tea towel than when using Wonder-Under, but it works well.**

Posted by Amber P. at 11:27 AM 5 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, explanations, free pattern, gift ideas, sewing, tutorials

I finally finished the enlargement for the Itty Bitty Dress from MadeByRaehttp://www.made-by-rae.com/2008/04/free-itty-bitty-baby-dress-pattern/! Now both the girls have finished dresses. This pattern is so fun and easy to use. Here is the pattern for the Itty Bitty Dress Enlargement. It makes about a 3T size dress, which is a little big for my daughter, but I have no idea how much she'll grow over the next few months before the baby arrives.

In order to assemble the dress, you'll need the instructions from the original pattern which can be found here.

Happy Sewing!

Posted by Amber P. at 1:06 PM 77 comments    

Labels: clothing, free pattern, sewing

I found this cute pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's collection of free patterns. It is listed as easy so I think it will stretch my beginning crochet skills to include clothing.

The pattern includes instructions for several sizes (0-6 months, 12-18 months, 2-3 years, 4 years.) I'm thinking of making matching sweaters for my girls for the fall. Now I just have to pick a color...

JoAnn's is having a sale on their baby yarn now. But I think I'll go to the local yarn shop to buy yarn for this project so I can get their help on any parts of the project that may stretch my current skills a little too far.

Now that I've found a new project, it's time to finish that baby blanket...

Posted by Amber P. at 9:47 AM 3 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, crochet, free pattern, project ideas, yarn

I finished the newborn baby dress last night. After I braved starting the piping it just took off from there! I was so giddy about finishing it that I could hardly go to sleep. And it was the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning. I love the pattern and I think it is a darling dress. Now I just have to wait four more months for the baby to arrive so I can dress her in it!

In the meantime, I am still tinkering with the larger size for Sammi. It's fun to have her around to try it on. It makes it a lot easier. At this point, I just need to sew the piping in and put the accent fabric around the bottom. Hopefully I'll finish it this week.

Posted by Amber P. at 5:11 PM 6 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, sewing, shoes

Since I am so new to sewing and not entirely confident, I decided to bring in the experts for the piping on the Itty Bitty Dress I'm making. First I went to the fabric store and asked about how to make piping. The lady that helped me was very informative and recommended getting a zipper foot for the process. So then I went down to the Bernina store (since I have a Bernina) and asked about the zipper foot. I explained that I wanted to make piping with it and the very nice lady there directed me to the tricot foot.

The tricot foot has a nifty groove in the bottom that holds the piping and fabric in place as I sew the piping into the fabric. I was even brave enough to ask her about using the foot to sew all my layers of fabric together. I'm certainly glad I did! Turns out, you can use the foot to sew all the layers together and then you only need to sew around the piping once. (The instructions with the pattern say to sew the piping onto the bodice of the dress and then to sew the skirt to the bodice over the piping.) Since I was worried about all my seams showing, this seemed like an ideal alternative. So I snatched up the foot and headed home. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm wore of as I looked at my material and the foot. I was still feeling a little overwhelmed. It's taken me several days to attempt the piping. More on that adventure later!

Posted by Amber P. at 12:08 AM 0 comments    

Labels: clothing, sewing

Here's part of what I've done so far for the matching dresses for Sammi and the baby. This is the top of the baby's dress. It comes from the Itty Bitty Baby Dress pattern from Made By Rae. I'm attempting to enlarge it to fit Sammi, too. I sewed the top part together and then tried it on her. It's a bit big. But, since I have no idea how much she'll grow in the next four months, I'm going to hold off on fixing it until later in the summer. In the meantime, I'll finish the baby dress and try it on Sammi's doll.

Posted by Amber P. at 2:06 PM 3 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, project ideas, sewing