I've been so focused on my master's degree that I have had little time for projects and sewing. However, I am in a bit of a holding pattern right now waiting for my student teaching placement in the Fall. So when an opportunity arose to give back to the theater program my daughter is a part of I was excited to help.

I made 27 costume peices for my daughter's school musical.

I sewed "seaweed' onto a skirt for Ariel to wear when her fins turn to legs.

Made 4 seaweed costumes (this is the concept drawing) each with a headpiece, top and skirt. It took a very long time to detangle the strips of fabric that were being repurposed from some old costumes. I got help from some of the drama girls to make the work go more quickly. Luckily, I did not need to iron them because the wrinkles added to the seaweed effect.

The headpieces for the girls' seaweed costumes

My son Tobi 3-D printed the eyes for me to create 2 Sebastian hats. He is so clever, I just cut a basic shape out of paper and said "print something like this" and he delivered. Thanks Tobias.

I also made 4 reed/grass costumes. 

It was tricky to find a solution to secure the silk flower grasses to the actors without attaching them to the base layer that needed to be used for multiple costume changes. Ultimately, I ordered some wide elastic the same color as the base layer, attached the grass to elastic bands at the ankle, waist, and a fabric yolk around the neck. The elastics required plastic clasps to enable the quick changes that were required.

The whole thing was fun, rewarding and took up a lot of time. It was very informative for me to be reminded of my capacity, and I was glad I did not take on any more costumes. All in all, I'm happy to be seen as a resource to the director and the head costume lady and I'm looking forward to helping with costumes again next year. I think it could be fun to help from the beginning and make more concept drawings as I brainstorm with the costume designer.

Baby Blanket for Ruby

After stepping away from my job as a proposal writer this Spring and focusing on our move this Summer, I have finally found time this Fall to enjoy sewing and crafting again. My sister-in-law gave me her old sewing machine and it has been such fun to jump back into a non-mandatory hobby again. The sewing machine is a good solid one with metal machinery inside and it has a lot of functions I have not yet explored. Just using the basic stitches, it has been nice not troubleshooting machine issues mid-project like I did with my old machines.

My first order of business was to make an antique looking quilt for my new niece Ruby. 

About 3 years ago I was playing around with applique, making some blocks with hearts and some patchwork blocks, but I never put them together completely. When I found them in my craft closet I knew they would be the perfect thing for a blanket that was to go to a baby with a beautiful timeless name like Ruby.

I really enjoyed all the hand stitching I was able to do on the applique blocks, but our Summer was so busy that when it came time to put it all together before I was to deliver the quilt, I was in a bit of a mad rush packing suitcases and preparing for an event we were to host the next day.  I was only able to complete the quilt top before I left for the airport. When we got to town we hosted our event, then the following day we took Ruby's big sister's with us to the fabric store. They picked out the backing fabric with me and I put it all together that night.

Then I decided that to finish it off we needed to add some quilted heart shapes in the white boarder. So we had all the girl cousins meet up to help hand quilt the white boarder.

We got it to Ruby the day before I flew back home.

Welcome to the world Miss Ruby, we are glad you are here.

I have been so glad that my husband told me to bring my sewing machine with me on our adventure.  Since the spring I have been doing a lot of sewing.  I make 3 quilt tops for a friend who was donating Quillows to the Mabuhay Deseret Foundation.  And recently I saw someone post on a Facebook page that they were wanting to donate a bunch of small quilts for babies at a local hospital.  So I got my scraps together and built these beauties

 I LOVE the blue white and yellow.  I might make this again with a border that is more fun.

 Some cute fabrics I picked up when my mom was in town.  And check out the mitered corners!

I'm so glad that some of the extra quilt blocks from Danny's blanket were able to go toward charity.  I actually messed up so badly on the # of blocks I needed for danny's blanket that I had enough to make 3 sail boat blankets this size!

So I've been doing A LOT of adjusting this past year, hence the lack of posting.  Moving to a new country, going from a huge house in the woods to a condo in the city, and finding out that you are expecting a surprise Baby takes an emotional toll on a person and invades any space in their head for executing anything creative.
But eventually I found my footing again, just in time to make this awesome quilt for the new baby.

And this cute little guy is a fairly big project in and of himself :)

I got my quilt inspiration from a book in our town's library back in Maine.  I wish I had the tittle, but somehow that information has been lost along the way.  Sorry

I had lots of friends help me with the quilting and they all wrote their names on the trim for me like I did for Toby's Quilt

Lots of little things

As we have been getting ready for our move I have been doing a lot of projects
LITTLE PROJECTS-

• Pillowcase dresses for my girl's nightgowns

• Zipper pouches to keep things in our suitcases organized (we'll be living out of our suitcases for 3 months, so they need to be REALLY organized!)  Here is a tutorial I re-watch every time I have to make one.  (I just loving listening to Debbie Shore on youtube.)
• Wish I had time to make them super cute like these. Oh well maybe next time.

FINISHING PARTIAL PROJECTS-

• Sewing modesty panels in lots of my deep v-shirts(I won't want to wear a cami under them in the humidity I will be living in for the next 2 years.
• I just find a scrap of fabric, hem the top and string a skinny piece of elastic trough.  (if it is bunchy instead of flat the fit is normally better)  Pin and sew into place.
• Some things look better with a flat panel, but it takes SO long to sew in a flat panel that looks perfectly lined up and like it was original to the garment, so I'd rather Sew modesty panels that I can switch from one shirt to another.  I think they give a little more dimension, and they don't get saggy and show cleavage or Boob when you bend over.

• My Hubby's uniform patches for his new uniforms

GETTING THE HOUSE READY-

• yard work (I think I've been doing at least an hour a day for the last 2 months.)
• donations to the thrift store and friends
• Eating all the stuff in the freezer and pantry that we have been avoiding but are too thrifty to just toss out.
• Organizing my sewing area, SUCH a big project.  What to store, what to get rid of, what to take with me...

Luckily our Health Clearances went through this past week so we are officially authorized to go.  (can you imagine not knowing until a month before an overseas move if you are actually going or not!!!)  Hope to get our flight details soon so we can start making more plans

Batman cap for Halloween

For Halloween this year I made a few costumes.
I used this tutorial to make myself a candy corn costume. Make sure to sew the fleece so that it stretches from side to side and then you don't have to worry about a zipper or buttons to get in and out of the costume.

And since we already had a batman costume for my toddler I fell in love with this idea for a cape.  I made mine out of fleece so that it would repel rain and possibly offer more warmth.  Plus, I didn't have to worry about hemming everything or the fabric unraveling.

Toby thought it was the best peek-a-boo toy EVER because it never fell off.

 Hope you all had a great Halloween too

headbands

1 week and counting until the wedding!  The 3 dresses are complete :)

Our bride wants the girls to wear a ribbon in their hair, but I know that they will pull it out a few times during our wedding events.  So instead of  having to retie the bow constantly I thought I'd make some head bands that look like a ribbon tied in their hair.

We could do something like this with the ribbon sewn over a plastic headband  (the flat bow can stay, go, or be swapped out with something different.)

Or something like this that is just some ribbon with an elastic sewn to the ends

We can add a bow to the ribbon and it will look like this  

Or we could do a flower clip instead of the bow.
This one is not the same as the flower in the last post.  That one was made out of the fabric of the skirt and this one is made out of the ribbon.

Last but not least a ruffly headband like this.

If you have time, tell us what you think Heather.  (If you are way too busy with other pre-wedding stuff we will just bring 3 of everything so you don't have to think about it.)  We hear the Bridal shower is today.  Hope you have a great time, wish we were there.

The wedding dress saga continues

This is the dress that I'm assigned to wear.

Cute, right!  I'm trying to recreate it in a child's size, but I am learning that no matter how many times I go to the fabric store or how much fabric I order on-line, I'm never going to be able to match the color shades exactly.  So between my pattern practice and color choices I have a few questions.

Question #1 the waist-
High waist (black dress) or low waist (cream and coral)?
With the high waist I have to add so much length to the layers that they look a little strange, so I'm thinking that the low waisted dress looks best.

Question #2 fabric choices-
Now that the dress I'm supposed to wear has been decided I know that I need to have the skirt lined with  beige instead of coral.  (so that small swatch on the front of the dress is what the whole skirt would look like.
Or, I could go with a different shade of coral.  (The bottom one in this photo is the other option.  It is not as see through as the fabric in the coral and cream dress, so it wouldn't have the same effect as the one I'm trying to recreate with the 2 layers.  But I wonder if it is a better color match.)

Question #3
Is the top too creamy?  The only other fabric option in the fabric store for the top was a champagne color.  Would that be too dark?
Question #4
What do you think of the lace?  Is it good or should I get something with a smaller pattern?  No shine?


So to sum up my questions

1. High waist (black dress) or low waist (cream and coral)?_________________
2. What shade of coral should I use, the see through one or the one in the bottom of the photo?_________________
3. Should I use a champagne color lace for the top instead of cream?_________________
4. What type of lace should I use for the top?_________________
5. Bonus question, am I just obsessing over all this too much, and it doesn't really matter?

And for your enjoyment, here are some more goofy pictures of Gwen in her dresses.

 These two are my favorite :)

She LOVES the black one, so I know that all this work will be worth it when she has 2 fun twirly dresses.

Butterick 4967 Pattern Review

Wedding dress option #3

I was putting off this dress option because I could tell it would be more work than the others.  It had no sleeves and the sizing wasn't quite right for my oldest who is growing tall and thin.

But I sat down to make it and after about a weeks work it was done.  She loves the dress and I was able to make it out of fabric that I had in my stash, so all it cost was 1 zipper and my time.  I might go to the fabric store to buy stuff to make the sash that goes around the waist as seen in the pattern.  I'm sure she'd love it to be fuchsia like her shoes.

 I put it on her and told her to go in the other room to check it out in the mirror, when she came back she was so excited. I asked if she loved it and she said that it made her feel like a princess.  I was so glad because last month I tried to make a shrug for her and when she tried it on she was grumpy and told me it made her feel like "a fat old woman."

  I'm not sure where she heard that kind of talk because we never say fat in our house in hopes that it won't promote a poor body image.  (If I'm dieting or something I always try to say "I am trying my best to eat healthy so that I feel good." stuff like that.)  Anyway, it must have come from school.

Cons to this pattern

• It was just not made for my oldest's body type.  I read some other reviews online that complained about the same thing.  She wears a size 7 dress, but i had to make her the size 5 and add 4 extra inches to make it fit.  (2" to the bodice and 2" to the tiers)
• Another place that obviously needs to be adjusted if I make this dress again is the neckline.  If she grows out of this dress quickly it will be because it is choking her.  If I make it again I will need to adjust the neckline by and inch or two so she has a little more room up there.
• It didn't have a sleeve option.  So I just used the sleeve from the last dress I make and it turned out great (New Look 6930)

Pros to the pattern:

• My daughter LOVES IT!!!
• I love that it doesn't look babyish.  So she gets to feel grown up without looking too grown up.  (I think my husband will like it for that reason :)
• The tiers are so cute and playful.  They move beautifully because they have a circular shape instead of being a straight strip of fabric that is ruffled.
• I learned a lot of new techniques (How to PROPERLY finish a circular hem, how to add a sleeve before sewing up the side seems, and more about how to sew delicate fabric.)

Overall, This is a cute dress, I love that it has a lining, but if your daughter doesn't fit the sizing very well, keep shopping for a similar pattern from a different company that might be more suited to her body type*.  It will just save you a lot of time.

*After reviewing the different pattern companies the only other pattern similar to this one is made by McCalls, but they seemed to be owned by the same company as Butterick and have the same size charts.  So I don't have a similar dress to refer to, but I reviewed the patterns of many of the popular company's and I noticed that Burda has a lot of patterns for girls that I liked.  When I looked at their size chart it seemed to be more suited to my daughter's body type.  I think I'll give them a try next time I am pattern shopping.

SIM 2464 pattern review

Wedding dress option #1

We have a wedding to go to this summer and my Mom tells us that my girls won't be flower girls, but she wants them to wear Coral dresses so that we can have family pictures that will look nice with the wedding backgrounds/flowers.  So first I searched Amazon (My favorite store :) for some dresses that would work, but I didn't see any coral dresses with sleeves that would work.  So I decided that I should consider making the dress.  I chose this pattern to try out from my stash and found some fabric scraps to try it out on. 

 I don't like spending $ on fabric for a pattern I've never tried before.  I made the size 8 top because Gwen already has plenty of clothes in her current size.   So you can see in the pictures that it is a little big, but I'll put it in the top of the closet and she will look adorable in it next summer with some leggings under it.

 She wasn't all that thrilled about doing a fashion show 1st thing in the morning.  but I had just finished it while she was sleeping and couldn't wait to check it out on her.

 My review of the pattern is this:

• The pattern is for intermediate sewers who know how to:
• use bias tape
• piece together curved pattern pieces
• handle a "3 way intersection" of pattern pieces (On the front)
• sew a casing
• Make a ruffle

• The guide for the elastic on the sleeve seemed to be too big.  It was as long as the sleeve was, so it would not have made a ruffle on the sleeve as shown.  I had to take it in a bit.
• That being sad, this is the easiest sleeve EVER!!!  I love that the top front, back and shoulder are all 1 piece.  That saves a lot of time not having to ease in a sleeve.
• There is not interfacing, so you skip that step, but then have lots of turning under of seems and stitching them in place to reinforce.
• I LOVE that there is no zipper and no buttons!
• However, Where the side seems come together, the elastic was a little bulky.  Next time I will make sure that the elastic is hidden about 1/4" or 1/2" in from the edge of the seem to cut down on all that bulk and hopefully make it more comfortable to wear.
• Also, I used 2 strips of 1" wide elastic instead of the recommended 5 strands of 1/4" elastic.  I think it still looks cute and it took way less time.
• The wording on some of the steps was not specific enough for a beginner seamstress.

Pros and Cons aside, I LOVE this pattern. I will make it again because...

• it is beautiful, it adjusts to fit any body type because of the elastic.
• It is light and airy without showing too much skin.  Perfect for a hot day.
• Elastic is SO much cheaper, easier to sew, and easier to wear than a zipper, buttons or Velcro.
• It does not take a ton of fabric and as you can see from the pattern, you can use coordinating fabrics from your stash, so it might not cost you anything to make it!  

However, I'm not sure if it will be right for this summer's wedding.  What do you think?  It's not very fancy and there are a lot of other patterns out there.  Maybe I could dress it up with a soft crepe and some sparkly trim.

I have a few other patterns that I'm going to test out this month before I make the final call.  And hopefully I will finish my swaddling blanket tutorial soon.  I just made another swaddling blanket last week for a little miracle being sent to some friends here in New England.  When I printed out my how to swaddle directions I realized that I don't have directions on how to make the blanket, and it is so easy, I should.

-Bri

Craft Hope Project #20
I LOVE this group called Craft Hope, they do a new project for a good cause every month.  I have been having fun checking in with them and dreaming of joining their ranks of sewers.  Well, this month I finally did it.

 I only made 6 bibs to send off, Not quite what I had been dreaming of doing, but every little bit helps :)

Here is the pattern and directions for the project

 And I made one for my cute little guy too, I can't believe he's so big that he needs one!

An old Friend form the dessert had a baby recently and I had this blanket pattern that I had been dying to try.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/11/cathedral-window-baby-playmat.html

It was fun to watch how it went together, but I don't think I'd make it again because... 

• I felt like it was a waste of fabric to be cutting circles and leaving un-usable gaps instead of squares or triangles with straight edges.  So wasted fabric means an expensive project.  
• Also, when compared to conventional quilt construction,  I thought this method was more difficult to make the intersections look clean and nice.

However, I did love that there was not a ton of quilting to do when I was done and that I didn't ave to bind it .

I forgot to take a photo of the back of the blanket before sending it off to Baby Josh.  But it was the light blue fabric with little spots of the medium blue bias tape poking out at the intersections.

Here's the how-to

1. you cut the circles of top fabric, bottom fabric, and batting.
2. Sew them together into sandwiches
3. Sew on the double fold bias tape (This is what makes it look like a wedding ring quilt)
4. Draw squares onto the circles with a washable marker
5. Sew the circles together into strips along the marker lines
6. Sew the strips together
7. Sew down the curvy flaps and you are done.

Even though I won't make this one again, I still think that it looks cool.

simple skirt tutorial

Here is one of the previously mentioned frustrating tutorials.  If you know how to make all the photos stay turned in the right direction through the uploading process PLEASE let me know.  I am going to be teaching some sewing lessons this week and I wanted to be able to send my students the pattern online so they can review it before class, but I want it to look professional.

Simple Skirt Tutorial

Pumpkin Costume

I've not been very ambitious over the years as far as costumes go for someone who likes to sew and make crafts.  I'm not sure why.  But When I told Gwen that Toby was going to wear the costume that she wore when she was a baby she got excited and said that she wanted to match him and be a pumpkin too.  So I searched online and found a pattern from Martha Stewart for a pillowcase pumpkin. Thanks Martha, it turned out great!

Gwen, the original pumpkin in 2006

Our Pumpkin Patch 2012

  

Little Sister Dress to Big Sister Skirt

Last year I found this cute dress for my 3 year old to wear for Christmas events.

However the zipper head snapped in two.  I hate sewing zippers.  But the dress was REALLY nice with a soft lining fabric.  So instead of fixing it, I upcycled it to a skirt for my older daughter.  (3T dress to size 6/7 skirt)  This is how I did it.

1. Cut the dress right under the armpits, leaving a few inches of fabric attached to the top of the waistline.
2. Next, cut the zipper out of the dress.
3. Turn it inside out and sew the lining fabric to the top of the waist line.  (I used pins for this because the lining pops out a bit on the bottom and I wanted to make sure that it would be even)
4. Then sew about 4 or 5 inches of waistband elastic to about 15" of ribbon of the same width.  Don't forget to burn or melt the ends of the ribbon so it doesn't fray. (My daughter wears a size six, but you might need to adjust the elastic length depending on your daughters size.)
5. Turn the skirt right sides out.  take the end of your elastic and line it up with the side seem of the skirt on the inside so it is sandwiched between the pieces  (keep the ribbon trailing out towards the back.)
6. Sew the side seems to secure the elastic. And rrepeat steps 3-5 for the other side.
7. Examine your skirt's waistline.  You will probably need to use a seam ripper to take apart a few stitches where the waistline meets the back seem where the zipper used to be.
8. Stitch the edges of the hole you just made with a blanket stitch so it doesn't fray.  But DON'T stitch it closed again!!!
9. Thread the ribbon through the hole.
10. Repeat steps 7-9 for the other side.
11. Pin the ribbon and elastic in place so it stays out of the way for the next step.
12. sew the bottom of your waistline to create a casing for the elastic and ribbon to stay in place.
13. If there is a gap in the back, sew a panel of fabric to one side of the opening in the back to flap over the opening and keep your daughters undies hidden.

The elastic/ribbon bow should make it so you don't have to re-tie the bow with each use.  You can sew the bow in place once you know it fits so it always looks perfect, or just double knot it so it can be adjusted as your daughter grows.

Is that not the cutest free holiday outfit ever?  I can't wait for Santa pictures :)