Sewing into Spring

Hey Everyone!!

Thanks for sticking with me through my little break.  We did indeed have to put Ella down, and life around here will never be the same.  We're getting on, but it is still much quieter and lonelier without my pretty lady.

Anyways, moving on to happier things, I've been sewing again.  Hannah loves skirts and I wanted to try making her some.  So, last night we went through my fabric stash and she picked out some purple retro fabric that I had leftover from her photo book.  Though the pattern is crazy busy, my little fashionista loved it and thought it would be just perfect for a new skirt. 

The pattern I used was from MADE, and you can find the tutorial here.  I've had the link pinned for ages on my "I Sew Can Make That" board, and I figured it was time to add it to the done pile.  It was super easy, and the directions were very detailed and easy to follow.  I found that my measurements were a touch off, since it sits a bit low on Hannah's hips, but I have a few ideas on how I can tighten things up a bit. 

If you're looking for a super quick project (mine took less than 45 minutes) to make for your little one, I highly suggest giving this skirt a go.  The tutorial also explains how to do a tiered skirt, and how to customize yours with lace, etc.  I see many more of these skirts in Hannah's future!!

Enjoy!!

Happy Sewing!
Sharon

Taking a short break...

Hey Everyone-

Sorry for the lack of posts recently.  Our elderly cat, Ella, is in what seems to be the final phase of her life, and it has been quite rough on our family.  She's about 15 years old, and has been my baby for the last 7 years. 

Once things settle down here (and the tears stop flowing), I will get back to posting.  It will hopefully be a good distraction.

Cheers!
Sharon

So Tell Me Whatcha Want...

(Whatcha Really Really Want)

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the Spice Girls reference...I couldn't resist!!  Lately, I have gotten a bit more traffic on my blog.  I'm thinking it is thanks to some crafty friends and good old Pinterest.  Anyway, since I have gathered some new readers, I'd like to hear what you want me to write about.  Knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, kids crafts, local stuff, you tell me!!  I have lots of ideas, but I never know what others would be interested in.

So, leave me a message with your thoughts.  While you're at it, feel free to start following my blog and my Pinterest page.  That way I know who I am writing for!!

Thanks to those who have continued to support my ramblings!!

Cheers!
Sharon

15-Minute Bandanna Dress

Hey Everyone!!

So, I was playing with my sewing machine again today and I whipped up a little dress for Hannah.  I saw this tutorial for a bandanna dress posted on Pinterest and I had to give it a go.  As with Hannah's Busy Bag, I won't do a step by step on here since the tutorial is really detailed.  I just give you a few of my observations and suggestions.

First, when I went to Michaels, I wasn't sure if I needed a regular sized bandanna or the over sized one that they offered.  Hannah is in size 5-6 and a regular sized one was just fine.  A bit big actually.  The bandannas come in a variety of colors and only cost $2.99 a piece!!  I found some ribbon with a touch of bling on it for $1.99.  All in all, a cheap project!


Before I started, I ironed out all of my pieces.  I know I should have washed them first, but they need to be hand washed and I was in a hurry to get going.  Hannah won't be wearing the dress right away (I don't think), so I have plenty of time to wash it later.  One thing I noticed right away was that the bandannas were neither actual squares or the same size.  They were a touch off, but when I pinned them, I just made sure the bottom hem was even on both sides and pinned them appropriately.  I was originally going to square them off when I sewed, but then I realized that you would be able to see the off seam around the arms.  So, I simply pinned the edges evenly and forgot about the misshapen fabric.  Once the dress was on Hannah you couldn't even tell!!

All in all, this was a quick little project that took very little time to make.  Since my sewing machine is downstairs in the Dining Room and my iron is upstairs in my bedroom, I pinned and pressed everything in one step and then came down to sew all of it. 

Hannah loves her new dress!!  I will likely have to cut the ribbon a bit since it seems a bit long to me.  One tip regarding the ribbon...make sure you buy something that is not itchy.  I couldn't imagine using scratchy tulle or sheer ribbon...ouch!!

(Don't mind that she's modeling it over her school clothes!)

Before I go, I also wanted to give you all a preview of the quilt I started.  I am using a Disappearing Nine-Patch pattern, and this is the first Nine-Patch square I've made.  I still need to cut and reassemble it.  My local fabric shop doesn't sell pre-cut Charm Packs, so I had to match my own fabrics and cut them all by hand.  I bought a new straight edge today that should help speed things along, so hopefully this won't take me forever!  I'll post photos as I go along. 

Here's a close-up of the bug fabric that I used as my inspiration fabric. 

Happy Sewing!

Sharon

Hannah's Busy Bag

Hey Everyone!!

I wanted to share a quick project that I made this weekend for my Diva. She is always asking to bring toys of some sort with her when we go out to dinner, and I never had a small bag to hold everything. Needless to say, my purse had become a bottomless pit of toys and I was bound and determined to put a stop to it.

Cue Pinterest and a tutorial for a cute patchwork bag. It seemed like the perfect size for Hannah's goodies, so I thought I'd give it a try. (We named it the “BusyBag” since it was designed to hold stuff that would keep her “busy” when we go out!)

Here is the link to the tutorial...it is AWESOME!!

Since the tutorial is so wonderfully written, I won't comment too much on the actual construction of the bag, just a few things I found out along the way. First,for the squares...I had some jelly roll strips kicking around in the perfect Diva color, so I started there. They were already 2.5-inches wide, so I cut them into a bunch of squares. So simple!!

Next, I had Hannah help me lay the squares out into the pattern that she liked. I did this for a few reasons. One, if she was "part" of the project, she would busy herself long enough to see it finished. Second, it's her bag; it should be how she likes it, right??

I had some coordinating liner fabric (be sure to pick a good fabric...the bag is reversible!!) , so she picked the one she liked best and went off to play Barbies for a bit.

Sewing all of the squares too abit of time since I’m a beginner sewer, but the tutorial walked me through every step, including which direction to press seams, etc. 

All in all, the bag was quite easy to make.  When it came time to turn it right-side out through the hole I left, I decided to machine stitch across the bottom edge, rather than hand stitch it. I knew that Hannah would be stuffing it to the gills so I wanted it to be sturdy.  Also, the drawstring cording has started to fray, so I might be changing that out soon. 

The whole project took less than two hours and has already gotten a lot of use. The best part is that it can be easily sized up or down depending on your needs. 

I see myself making many more of these in the future!!  I bought some fabric with sheep knitting on it the other day, and I can see lots of knitting project bags being made with it!!

Happy Sewing!!

Sharon

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality photos from my phone.  I forgot to bust out my good one while I was making the bag.

Our Crafting has Gone to the Birds!

Hey Everyone!

Lately it seems like Hannah and I have been seeing more and more wildlife during our week.  Yesterday we saw 2 coyotes walking along the side of a city road (scary since they have to go through our neighborhood to get to the closest safe spot of them), and we've been seeing more and more birds flying overhead.  To celebrate the animals and to try to encourage our feathered friends to come visit our yard, we decided to make new bird feeders.  Our toilet paper tube feeders fed the magpies quite well, and we have been saving up more tubes for spring feeders.  In the meantime, we thought we'd try a different type of feeder. 

This idea originated from a Pinterest post of a project first posted on the HGTV website.  Click here for the link.  Hannah and my husband have been eating a lot of oranges lately, and he is a pro at keeping the peels whole, so I thought it would be perfect for us to try.

To make these feeders you need:

* Orange peels (try to keep them as hole free as possible.  One of ours had a hole from the bellybutton, so I used a snip of coffee filter to plug it)
* Bamboo skewer or chopstick (cut in half)
* Twine or string
* Hole puncher or nail

To make them, you take either your hole punch or nail and make small holes just a touch down from the edge of the orange.  You'll need to make at least two, directly across from each other.  I was a bit off, so I made four holes for better balance. 

Once your holes are made, slide your skewer/chopstick through the holes.  Despite having four holes, we only used one chopstick per feeder.  I wanted a bit of stability, as well as a perch for once the bird food gets lower. 

Then, simply tie the twine to the ends of the skewer, fill the feeder with your food of choice and hang in your favorite tree!!

You can fill these feeders with most anything.  We wanted to give the birds an extra treat, so we mixed up some peanut butter food for them.

To make the filling, you need:

* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup of cornmeal or oats (we used a 1/2 cup of each)
* 1/4 cup raisins or any other dried fruit or nuts. 

Simply mix all of your ingredients in a bowl and fill your feeders.  For ours, we used raisins and dried apricots.  I found that the mixture was a bit too dry, so I added a touch more peanut butter to bind it all together.  You can adjust the amounts based on what looks right and what you have in your pantry.

We have two trees in the backyard, so we hung a feeder in each one.  Let's hope we see some customers real soon!!

This project is great for younger children.  They can help measure out the ingredients, mix everything together, fill the feeders and of course, eat the oranges!!

Cheers!
Sharon

Polish Prince

Hey Everyone!!

So, I know that I am supposed to be on a knitting hiatus, but how can I be when a good friend is due to have a little one next week?!?  I waited as long as I could before I started anything so my hands could rest, but when the expecting Mommy told me two days ago that she was starting to feel like Baby M would be here soon, I could wait no longer. 

I named this project "Polish Prince" since my friend and her family are from Poland.  Her daughter is one of Hannah's best friends at school, and needless to say, she's a little princess.  So, why shouldn't her soon-to-be baby brother be a prince??

I used my fall-back pattern of the 5-Hour baby Sweater (Boy Version) and one skein of Vanna's Choice yarn.  I just three short days (probably added up to about 5 hours of actual knitting time), I had a sweater made.  Not too bad! 

I think it came out great!  I used two snaps at the top to hold it closed, and I sewed on a large button for looks.  This pattern doesn't work in button holes, etc so I tend to use snaps when I make it.  However, I do like the look of something on the front, so I added the button.

Besides being a fast knit, I love the construction of this sweater.  I am not a huge fan of dpns, so the fact that the sleeves are knit flat and seamed is awesome!! I honestly don't know if my hands could do dpns right now.  I also love the classic look of it.  It could be dressed up or down and it should fit great over a onesie or a thicker shirt.  Options are always welcomed by new moms!!

I am so glad that I sucked it up and made this this week since my friend doesn't know if she'll make it through the weekend without going into labor!  She's already 3 cms dilated, so fingers crossed that Baby M arrives soon!!

Happy Knitting!
Sharon