Inspiration for Crafting

I updated almost a year ago about the denim blanket project I first shared here. My original plan was to make a picnic-sized blanket. Goodness knows I definitely have enough jeans to make a few blankets that size! But we've encountered a new possibility. Let me explain.

We are having our third child, and first BOY!, sometime after Christmas. Sammi, now 4, is excited to have a brother. The other day as we were driving home from preschool she said she wanted to cut "this" up and make it into a blanket for baby Scott. Since I was driving I asked her what "this" was and she said her denim shorts. I had an ah-ha moment because it dawned on me that I had cut enough squares for a baby-sized blanket. I told her I already had squares cut and would she like to help me use them to make the blanket. She agreed.

Finally, after almost a week of talking about making this blanket, we pulled out the squares today while Elli was napping and got to work. Sammi helped me arrange them. She liked the pockets a lot so I think we have at least one pocket on every row!

After we arranged all the squares, 81 in all, we started sewing them together. I'm mostly using my new serger to do the job. But on some pieces the seems are too thick so I've been sewing them on my regular sewing machine. I got half the rows sewn before bedtime. Sammi loved sitting by me at the table and chatting with me while I sewed. She really wants to do the pedal herself, but I told her we're in her observing stage of learning to sew! Sometimes I have her sit on my lap and guide the fabric through which seems to make up for not doing the pedal.

Posted by Amber P. at 10:34 PM 1 comments    

Labels: baby, blankets, sewing

I finally pulled out the box of jeans and squares I've already cut. Over the last two days I've cut nearly forty more. I've still got a long way to go to get enough for the picnic sized blanket I want. But every bit helps. I'm having a lot of fun cutting out pockets and loops so that they'll "work" when I sew the squares together.

As for the backing, I'm thinking of buying a full size flannel flat sheet and making it that big. The blanket we already have has flannel on the back and I really love the way it feels when I wrap up in the blanket. Now that we're in Tennessee, I'm wondering if it will get cold enough in the winter to wrap up in a denim and flannel blanket! We'll have to wait and see.

Posted by Amber P. at 11:16 PM 2 comments    

Labels: blankets, project ideas, sewing

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

There have been so many requests for the 3T version of the Itty bitty Dress. Thank you all for your encouraging words! The link is finally fixed and the dress pattern can be downloaded here.

If you're quick, you can even get it done in time for Easter, this Sunday April 11! Enjoy!

Posted by Amber P. at 9:08 AM 18 comments    

Labels: free pattern, sewing, toddler

This is a great craft idea for a cold winter day when we'll be stuck inside. Not to spoil any surprises, but some of Sammi's creations may find their way into Christmas presents for Grandmas and Grandpas. Check out the process to make your own on Let's Explore.

Posted by Amber P. at 7:00 AM 0 comments    

Labels: gift ideas, kids' crafts, sewing

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

My dear Aunt Penny made this adorable denim purse for me. I think the colors are great and the whole concept is terrific. Maybe this is what I'll do with all the extra jeans from my denim blanket project...

Posted by Amber P. at 3:12 PM 1 comments    

Labels: accessories, gift ideas, sewing

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 finally finished all the squares, sewed them together and put the border on. Whew! I was getting worried that I wouldn't get even that much finished in time. Now I have just 45 days to quilt and bind it so it's ready for entry in the State Fair! Not to mention moving across town and delivering a baby that will happen over the next 5 weeks. Humm, maybe I'm still worried!

Posted by Amber P. at 3:23 PM 0 comments    

Labels: project ideas, quilting, sewing

So, my daughter turned 2 today! Those two years went by so fast. I can hardly believe how much she has grown and how much she can do now. I've decided that the little toys I take places (church, doctor's office, etc.) to entertain her are just not cutting it anymore. So it's time for a quiet book. I brainstormed ideas for several books following different themes, but eventually decided to start with a summer book (which I hope to finish while it's still summer!)

I'm inviting any who'd like to make the book along with me and share your adjustments or creative additions. I finished the first page today and Sammi was already eager to play with it. That's motivation at it's peak! The book is constructed one page at a time and the pages can be put in any order. Pages will be sewn back to back to hide the stitching and other mechanics of the design. Instructions on that will come at the end once all the pages have been posted.

Quiet Book Page 1
Velcro
Pond with Five Fish

• Download the pattern and instructions for the quiet book page 1.
• Materials: Felt in a variety of colors for the fish, felt for the page of the book, blue ripstop for the pond, Velcro.
• Cut out pattern for the pond and for the fish.
• Cut out two fish for each color of felt. Sew one side of the velcro to one fish of each color. Place the other fish of the same color on top and zigzag stitch them together. Fish are done!
• Trace pattern for pond onto ripstop. Ripstop material frays easily so I sewed the opening first and them cut out the whole pond from the material. Sew five pieces of Velcro randomly over the surface of the pond. It should be the opposite side of the Velcro from what what sewn on the fish.
  
• Make opening on pond: place a blue piece of felt across 3 1/2 inches of the top of the pond. Appliqué or zigzag stitch the ripstop and felt together. Cut out pond, including trimming the excess of pond and felt along the opening.
• Align pond on center of 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch piece of felt that will be the page of the book. Appliqué or zigzag stitch the ripstop from one side of the opening along the perimeter to the other side of the opening. Pond is complete!
• Put fish on Velcro pieces or in the pocket. Page 1 is complete!
  

Posted by Amber P. at 9:29 PM 4 comments    

Labels: free pattern, quiet books, sewing, toddler, tutorials

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

This was such a cute moment; I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it. I'm thinking we might be in the market for a children's learn-to-sew sewing machine, hummm.

My daughter is one of my main sources of inspiration for my crafting. Either I'm thinking of something to make for her or something I can make with her.

Thanks, Munchkin!

Posted by Amber P. at 10:19 PM 1 comments    

Labels: random, sewing