overdue diaper bag

My friend Sarah saw my diaper bag on the floor in my dad's living room. She asked everyone in the house who the "diaper bag that doesn't fall over" belonged to. I then promised to make her one also...that was almost three months ago. I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to sew, but we all get carried away in the stream of life sometimes and things get pushed aside.

Well, I'm happy to say it's finally done! I used fabric from Lizzy House's Red Letter Day line. The pattern is the Everything Bag in Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.

***If you don't sew, you can ignore the next part or read and be bored!***

I'm not going to do a full pattern review, but I will say that it was pretty easy to sew up. The longest part was putting all the interface and fusible fleece on. I've made three of these bags so far and not found any errors in the pattern instructions. The only thing I don't like about the bag is that the divider is not attached at the bottom, so I may try to change that next time I sew it.

Oh and please excuse the poor lighting in that picture (and the messy desk).

shopping spree!

I recently received a $50 shopping spree at my local quilt shop. This is some of what happened with it. I really do intend to make some of these Oliver + S dresses to sell, but it's hard to part with them! Pattern review for the birthday party dress coming soon!
PS Sorry if it's hard to see the playsuit or dress completely. My model wouldn't keep still!

don't laugh! at least i tried!

So I decided to make a doll for Matilda for her birthday. This was at Liam's suggestion after seeing Coraline. So I set out to make a "Matilda" doll. Keep in mind this was my first doll ever! I have also never embroidered anything before. I wanted to do a simple embroidered face, no buttons or anything.
She seemed to like it and even gave it a hug and kiss.
I used the pattern from Emily Martin. (I think Martin is her last name.) I think you can find the pattern on Martha Stewart's website. I also used Anna Maria Horner fabric from her garden party line.

So the doll's a little scary but not scary enough to not play with. (-:

ready for planting

So we all have our boots ready to hit the garden! Liam's already have a bit of dirt on them, Jack's were purchased last night. He's already put some mileage on his cows. Matilda isn't quite up to walking in hers yet, but I'm sure by the end of the summer, she'll be wearing them around. Now all we need are our seeds (the boys made the shopping list already) and for the cold weather to go away!
And I whipped up a cape for Super Milo! Happy second birthday Milo! I hope you have many new and exciting adventures this year.

birdcage

I finally finished! It was very difficult to photograph though. Sorry about the lighting. And in case you were wondering, that's my husband behind the quilt holding it up.

Birdcage on a Chain quilt using Amy Butler's Belle quilting fabric and Gutterman thread. All 100% cotton.

Now I'm ready to start my next one! Especially since my wonderful husband went out and got a wonderful new sewing machine for me for Christmas!! I won't have to hand quilt anymore...well, maybe sometimes!

busy...super busy

I'm finishishing up a load of projects. I think I'll finish most by Sunday. Excpect pictures then.
Also no Wii Fit Challenge update because I broke my toe...again...and haven't exercised too much on it.

pattern review: oliver and s playdate dress

Yes my addiction to Oliver and S patterns is still going strong. I decided to make the playdate dress for two very sweet twin girls I know in Texas.

It was really fun making two dresses at once. Liam picked out the fabric. Pretty good choices for a 3 year old boy. And it just so happened that he picked fabric from Amy Butler's Daisy Chain line while she was sitting right behind him signing books.

So to get to the review...the instructions were very detailed and easy to follow. This was my second time doing a pleat, and it was super easy to do. This was also my first time to do piping, and I now know that I was way to scared of it for no reason. I also made the buttons myself because I thought it would look better with coordinating buttons. I used a button kit from Joann. The only thing that didn't come out quite right were the ruffles on the front. I think, however, that's due more to my inabilities than the pattern.

Basically, it's an easy, fun pattern for an intermediate sewer. (I think that's what I say about all Oliver and S patterns.) Although if you are a beginner sewer and want to be adventurous, I say try to tackle it.

hanging with my bff

I actually got to meet the Amy Butler last night! There was a book signing at the quilt shop (Quilt Beginnings) near my house. She really is as nice as everyone says she is. I wanted to get a picture with her, but between my shyness and my kids being ready to go home and eat supper, it didn't work out.

I picked up a copy of her new book and oh are there awesome patterns in here. I almost can't wait for friends to get pregnant so I can have an excuse to sew! There are a few clothing patterns, toy patterns, and an awesome pattern for a crib bedding set. (So Evelyn, I'm waiting for you to give me some happy news so I can get to sewing!)

I also picked up some fabric from Amy's (we're on a first name basis now, haha) new line daisy chain so I can make some dresses for some sweet twin girls down in Texas. It took a long time to pick out fabric because it was all so beautiful. I guess that means I'll have to go back for some more to make some outfits for Matilda!

pattern review: bubble dress

This is another Oliver and S dress, of course. I was scared to start this one at first, but once I got into it, it was easy peasy and really fun to make.
Pros: -Instructions very thorough
-Great for advance beginner/intermediate sewers
-Can be made with or without scalloped sides (which are easier than I thought)
-I learned a new, easy way to gather
Cons: -Bubble dresses aren't that great for 6 month old babies (would look cuter on someone who can actually walk
-Finishing the seam allowances where the bodice and skirt meet is kind of awkward.

All in all, great dress and easy to sew. The finished product fits well and looks neat.

knitting and sewing and fairs, oh my!

We went to the state fair last weekend. It was a gorgeous day!
Jack enjoyed the Ferris wheel immensely. Poor guys was too short to ride any other rides, so we rode this one twice.
Liam's first roller coaster ride was on this freakish caterpillar.
I finally finished a little cardigan for my niece who will arrive in September. It's from a Debbie Bliss book, and I used the oh so soft cashmerino aran. I love the simplicity of it.
I'm also sending my sister the baptismal gown we've all been passing around for years. My siblings and I were all baptized wearing it. So far all of our children have also been baptized in it.
Since it's been around for so long, I had to make some repairs to the smocking. I hope I did a decent job. It was my first smocking and I was kind of nervous.

good mail day

I got two new patterns in the mail today, and I'm itching to get some sewing done. But I made a pact with myself to finish all outstanding projects before I get to sew any new stuff. It's hard!

I also made another big oopsie and cut some batting the wrong size. Now it's too small for my quilt. I either have to sew it together or get some new batting. The cheap side of me says sew it back together, but since it's for someone else, I think I'll just get some new batting. I have a Joann coupon anyway, so it will be inexpensive. (Joann coupons are my nemisis!)

All these big oopsies seem to happen at 11pm. Maybe I should stop cutting/sewing at 11pm.

work in progress

I am almost done with this quilt top. I just have some sashing to finish, then I can begin the long process of hand quilting! I'm really excited with how this turned out. The colors are a lot more vibrant than in this picture. I didn't have good light while taking it, but I will be sure to post many pics of the finished product.
We had to take a picture of this. This is what two tired little guys look like after two weeks on vacation. We stopped at a hotel on the drive back from Houston, and it took us a couple of hours to calm them down (hotels are exciting to little guys). When they crashed, they really crashed!

tea party sundress pattern review

I fell in love with this pattern as soon as I got it. It's really hard to find classic and cute patterns for kids anymore. Well, Oliver + S certainly does that!

I made two tea party sundresses so far out of leftover fabric from Matilda's bedding. This pattern is phenomenal! There are a few different options that come with it. You can do piping (which I will try next go round) or make a unisex playsuit instead of the dress.
The pattern is super easy to follow and is easy enough for beginner sewers to tackle. The way the bottom hem is done and the understitching make this little dress look so professional. I made two in 0-3 month size, but the pattern goes all the way up to 18-24 months. You can also purchase 2T-5T. I did make the bloomers with the dress in the bottom picture. I do, however, usually put a onesie underneath it, so I don't really use the bloomers.

I really have no complaints with this pattern. It takes little fabric and is so fun to make. Bonus: Oliver + S is having free shipping on their patterns this summer!! You can bet I'm buying more as soon as I get back from vacation!

*I'm trying to get better at these pattern reviews. Please give me some feedback as to what you would like to hear about the patterns I try out.

pattern review: prairie girl

I just completed the cute Prairie Girl pattern from Favorite Things. I used Alexander Henry's Aviary print in green. I originally wanted to use the pink and white fabric, but I already told my sob story.

So about the pattern...I bought this originally because I love the look of the shirt. There are also so many different options included in the pattern, that you can use it a few times without making the same thing over and over. You can make a shirt, or dress or have ruffled sleeves, plain sleeves, or none at all.

I made the shirt with plain sleeves. It was a fairly easy pattern to follow. It's definitely for intermediate sewers. I only say that because it assumes the sewer knows things like understitching. If you are a beginner sewer, you probably could still tackle this one with the help of the internet to define a few things for you.

The only bad thing I could find about the pattern is that it's kind of hard to sew the dickie on. The pattern gives the option of sewing snaps to snap the dickie, sewing the dickie directly to the shirt, or buying a cami to go underneath. I don't think the cami underneath would have worked for me b/c the shirt would have opened up too much at the top, but I think that just because I'm a bit large in the bust area. I did manage to sew the dickie on in such a way that it doesn't look bad.

In all, I really liked the pattern and the way the shirt came out. I think next summer, or maybe later this one, I'll tackle making the dress.

I'll try to remember to post a picture of the finished product later, but it's currently being washed since it was lovingly worn for the first time today.

matilda's room

So I'm due March 25th for my first girl!! I am so excited, but I have only just gotten around to decorating the room. So far I really like the wall color. I went with purple because I thought it was way more fun than the regular girly pink. I also decided to paint all the trim white.

I ordered a great crib that just reminds me of classic Americana. But my favorite, favorite part of the room is going to be the bedding! I just ordered all of the fabric yesterday from above all fabric. My hubby was a great sport and helped me pick it all out. Of course it was Amy Butler fabric since I am in love with everything she does. We picked some from the Lotus line. I can't wait to get going on some sewing!