Easter Shirts

I LOVE bunnies and Spring and Easter and having a little one just adds to the fun! Having already made his Easter basket, directions here,

 I wanted to work on his wardrobe. I am  not a fan of alot of boy Easter outfits however, as they are too dressy for my taste.  I want my lil bubba to be cute and comfy.
These shirts were easy to make and I like having one playful and one "dressy" for his first Easter.  Hoping the weather is warm enough for short sleeves.  If not, we will put a white long slv. onesie underneath.
So here's what I did:

1. Googled "Easter Bunny" and found the picture of the bunny with carrot car.  The vest I just have seen lots and been meaning to make. 

2. Drew the picture on news paper and cut out individual pieces. 

3. Cut out corresponding squares of colored felt (this is a good time to mention that all fabrics should be pre-washed.) and heat n' bond larger than pattern pieces and ironed heat n bond onto felt.

4. Traced pattern onto heat n' bond paper side.  ( When working with letters it is important that you trace backwards, with pictures not so much.  Just make sure all pieces are the same way so they will fit  together correctly)

5. Cut out pieces. Remove paper. 

6. I ironed pieces on shirt one at a time. 

7. Sewed around each piece with same color thread. 

8. Attached buttons by placing a ring of super glue around button (not covering holes) so I could sew them.

9. After buttons dried, sewed them on.
*A note about buttons:  I am SUPER Careful when I sew buttons that they are securely fastened as my lil  bubba likes to pull and tug and put everything in his mouth.  Not trying to scare you, just letting you know why I glue and  sew.  You might not feel the need to do both of these for an older child.

I know there are lots of pre-made cute appliques out there, but I get so much more satisfaction from doing all the drawing and cutting myself.  It's less expensive too. 
Sew long!

Skirt to Shoulder Bag...

I should get straight to the point.  I have made a skirt into a bag.  That will have shoulder straps...eventually.  When the weather is not so nice and we don't have friends with a new baby to visit.... and on that note here it is so far.  Smile.


So anywho I am all about repurposing old clothes that I dont wear (or quite frankly don't fit) into other items or just learning to sew projects.  I love the idea of reversible things and this skirt was reversible so I thought maybe a reversible bag? And while I am on the topic of reversible!  Let me remind everyone, because apparently I can NEVER seem to remember myself: if you want to applique (i.e. my LOVE motif on skirt) something, you must do it before you put product together,  I cannot tell you how many times ( well, actually 4) I have made a reversible bib and then realized that if I put a decoration on one side the seams would go through and "ruin" the other side.  This is not a part of sewing that requires skill,...just some remembering and planning. Not my best qualities!!!  Anyway, I figured I could save the top finished seam ( I am ALL about that as I find finishing tiny seams and bias tape a bit tedious) and perhaps just sew the bottoms together for a nice carry-all?

So this was the skirt. Great for Texas..not so much for Minnesota.. and I will admit that my "above the knee" days are drawing to a close. You can see Ive already gotten busy with my new pinking shears, sew ( I said it!) much fun! Please If You Are Actually Reading This Blog I am assuming you are as much of a hack as I am and I just want to encourage you to have fun and go for it! As always I saw a great pattern online for a bag and then just decided to go it on my own. I realize that this is not the "sure fire" method and I know I am risking not coming out with a great

"end product", but here's the deal: You can always follow a pattern if you want to make it perfect, sell it,etc. If you really want to learn how and why certain sewing methods, measurements, seams, etc. work, and you are patient enough... I think its worth doing it this way. Just my opinion.

So I just sewed the "right sides" matching fabric together and left a turning flap on one side. when I cut the seam off the skirt it came apart and I was able to pull it apart as you see above. I sewed both sides but only one needed the "turning flap". I can't even explain it. I suggest that if you are unsure just pin where you will sew and then see if it will work out. It is CRAZY, but sometimes it is so hard to picture what will be right side up, inside out, etc. when you are sewing...it really does involve thinking backwards and I just have to pin it to see sometimes. So here are the eventual straps...

I feel like this is such an incomplete project, but in my efforts to document my work I want to at least get this much posted...I am going to sew these this weekend, but I must say that they are strips of unfinished material that I will need to pin and fold over very close to the edge and well...to be quite honest i despise that part of detail work!!!  I think I might be well suited for some sort of ...uh...maybe there is not a job that calls for shoddy, haphazard work...but if there is Im the girl and I will happily do it!  Sew long!

Update:

The straps were not as hard as I thought:

I just pinned alot and then it was easy to sew.  I attached them by folding the bottoms over and just straight sewing them onto the bag.  You could also sew button holes on the straps and buttons on the bag.  Would be cute, I just am not patient enough. So anyway, while sewing I did miss a pin  and it got caught and I had to take machine apart.  A bit of a pain, however I learned how to fix it and cleaned the inside...

I decided I wanted long enough straps so I could peek in the bag while it was still on my shoulder.  That's one of the things I love about sewing.  You can tailor your projects to your liking. 

OK, sew long again!

The book...and a little extra.

  Soon after I got my sewing machine I went out and got a cheap starter kit with some thread, bobbins, and scissors. Saturday is my sleep in day and while I am snoozing my husband takes our little boy to the store and they buy me a good sewing kit with extra thread and a kit to make a book!  LOVE!  I love him, the fact that I was smart enough to marry him, that he lets me sleep in on the weekends, and that he is teaching our little boy to be so generous and thoughtful.
  I loved making the book.  It is so cute and the directions were easy to follow.  He got it at Walmart in the sewing section.  I notice that by the directions on the fabric there are extra prints of the animals.  These CANNOT be wasted I decide.  So here's what I did:

You might remember me bragging about my bag of felt for 5$ from the thrift store.  I am assuming this was a really good deal, but I have no idea what "new" felt costs so if it was not the deal of the century, Please Don't Tell Me..

I made the book from the directions and then cut out the little animals left over and also a piece of fleece and felt the same size (bigger than I would sew).  The fleece was also left over from the book kit.  I then stacked (from top to bottom) animal, fleece, and felt.  I picked felt colors to match ( I can do that cause I have so many colors of felt...hee hee) I sewed around the animals, leaving a hole, and then stuffed cotton balls right into the pocket between felt and fleece.  Yes, I said cotton balls.  I pulled them apart a little and they worked great!  Then I sewed them up and cut around the edges with pinking shears.

Then I cut strips of fabric from some bias tape I had and sewed one end to book "spine" and the other to the animal.

Here is the finished project.  My little one loves it and we are having fun matching the animals and letting them play on the pages.  There is also a zebra that I was still working on when I took the pictures. 

I hope this will inspire you to take a prepackaged project and add your own touch. 
Sew long for now!

Kindle Case

     I mentioned in my first post that my sweet Mother-in-law gave me this sewing machine as a gift.  I wanted to make her something as a thank you.  She got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and probably has a case for it, but I thought it might be nice to have a spare...made with love from me!  And now that it's all finished Im glad she probably already has one because I am not the most postitive that the one I made will fit, but if not it will be a nice small purse.  Again, I don't like patterns and not liking patterns means you have to be happy when your projects turn out a bit large, small, or just a little wonky.  ( I picked up that last term from another sewing blog and I think it fits my work nicely...smile)
   So like I said I don't like patterns.  I looked at a few on Pinterest then decided to go on my own.  Wish I had taken more careful notes, but I didn't.  Hence I am not labeling this post "tutorial".
  
  I wanted it to be padded so I bought fusible fleece (all of this is really cheap btw) and a fabric scrap ( about 2.50$) large enough so the inside would be lined. 

I did a little planning.  I went on the web and got the dimensions of the kindle fire and then made myself a mock up to use to help me measure the fabric.  Here is where I think I made a crucial error though... I didn't allow enough extra material to compensate for the fleece and 2 layers of medium weight fabric.  In other words, the case was thick enough (good for protecting Kindle) that it made the interior smaller.  But just a bit.  So when she gets it tomorrow we will see...

My Fake Kindle (the graphics are terrible I know...)

Anywho, I cut the shape I thought would work...

I ironed the fleece on and then cut another piece of material and sewed it on the fleece side.  So now my material was pretty thick and Im realizing I may should have used some directions, but it's too late and nap time is almost over so I forge ahead.  Let me tell you when you make the liner the same material as the outside of you project its ALOT more confusing when you want to sew and turn...just saying.  I recently got a big bag of felt on sale at the thrift store for 5$ and think that might be good for interiors.  It would make the project a little padded too without having to add fleece.  We'll see. So without further ado, here is the finished case:

I did end up sewing a button hole and cute blue heart shaped button on it, but apparently forgot to photo that! I will say the buttonhole feature on my machine is great! It makes 8 different types and so far I have used 1 type...3 times. But that's how I roll,...slowly.
  I think I am going to try a shoulder bag next.  After I finish the book I am working on for my son.  I will show that soon!  Done with the electronic cases for now and on to something a little less exact.  My husband did offer to get the new IPAD 3 so I could have a model to practice making cases with....he is so kind.  The weather is so nice here so the machine is getting some rest now but it will be humming again soon.  Sew long!



Hippity Hoppity...Easter basket

Happy Easter!  Ok, I do realize that we are still a month out and that we have a whole other holiday to go before we get to bunny day... but I LOVE Easter!  I wanted to make my little bunny a special Easter basket for his first one, and the one I saw on Pinterest looked perfect!  I want to give credit where credit is due, so let me give you the link to the directions I followed: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/fabric-easter-basket.html#more  Now, here is my finished project and what I learned while making it!

I love it!

Now, here's the "nitty gritty" of this project:  The directions call for a "honey bun" of fabric.  I will tell you first that these are hard to find and the only ones I found on the internet were very girly and about 40$.  What I learned after some research and calls to fabric stores is that the term "honey bun" is used for a roll of cotton fabric used by quilters that has forty strips of 1.5" by 44" fabric (usually multi-print).  What I ended up finding at JoAnn's was a "jelly roll" (don't you love these names?) which is a roll of twenty 2.5" by 44" strips.  It was about 8$.  You could also just buy regular fabric and cut your own.  I ended up using 11 strips total.  So that should tell you how much fabric you actually need. You will also need 2 packages of cotton cording (find specs on directions link).  You can find this at JoAnn's on the home decor wall by curtain accessories.

Assembly: I cut my strips in half so the colors would alternate more often on finished basket. I followed the directions from there, sewing one piece of fabric on cord, attaching 4 more lengths and then winding. I will tell you that when I got to the end of each 4 lengths I did reattach the fabric to cord with sewing machine. This was not in the directions, but I felt it would keep my winding intact.



  

The directions are clear and easy to follow.  The tricky part I thought was sewing the basket together once the base was wound and I started stacking the coils.  My advice would be to sew right down through the top of the top coil to the one underneath it.  I tried other ways and got a few finger pricks and broke two needles in the process! The directions for the handle were easy and that part went quick.  I wish I could tell you how long it took me... I did it during 2 naps (baby's naps...I wish I could craft in my sleep, ha!) and about 30 mins after he went to bed so I guess about 2.5 hours.  I think I could shave an hour off that though if I did it again.  Hope these little hints help you if you decide to make a basket for your little bunny! 



                                                                        Sew long!

The One with the Pants

My little projects have been going so well that I decided to tackle something a little more advanced.  Pants!  In the interest of this being a true account of my journey in sewing I intend to share my mistakes as well as victories.  Maybe you can learn something from my mistakes, if not technical than at least the comfort that you are not the only seamstress that has spent alot of time and effort on a project  to walk away with only the knowledge of what not to do next time.  Here is the first pair...

so these green pants have too short of an inseam and the legs are too long.
Here is the second...

Uh...can you say "overcorrection"? !!!  Ok, so go ahead and laugh.  I am.  I swear.  I wasn't at the time (ask my husband) but soon realized that I had learned something(s) and it hadn't cost me anything but a little time and two shirts with stains that were headed for the trash anyway.
    So anyway, I found that I should have done more careful measuring...stretched the elastic as I sewed the casing around it, and that knit fabrics are not as forgiving as you might think.  You might remember that I did make a pair of cute striped pants (pic in my first post Feb.) and those fit great.  Let me tell you a little secret:  All I did was cut a strip of fabric off outside of each leg and turn them inside out and resew.  The length of the shorts was already correct and the elastic waistband was already there!  I think I may stick to sewing this type of pants for awhile...at least until baby's legs get too long.
    But on to the victory!  I got out another plain white onesie and put little Bubba's (that's not his real name thank God) on the back.  Then I decided that the front needed a little something as well so here is what I did:

Maybe it will be his Earth day shirt.  I find it's good to alternate easy "sure thing" projects with the new and more challenging ones.  OK, sew long for now!

"I THINK I can make that..." (car seat cover tutorial)

 We are far North... I mean like top of the map far. AND...I came from the bottom of the map!  Not Mexico, but pretty darn close.  Let's just say that "yall" was a regular part of the vernacular in my home state!  So this Southern girl is just getting used to the cold when she finds out that she will soon have a tiny baby to keep warm too!  Best news ever!  I was so thankful for all the winter hand me downs we got, but I still wanted one of those cool fleece car seat covers I saw the other Mommies with.  So one week after my machine arrives I hear it's going to snow.  And by gosh I wasn't going through another snow trying to pull a blanket over my bundle while he worked just as hard to pull it off!  He isn't that tiny any more and taking hats and blankets off are no problem for him.
   So I looked at a couple of patterns online and decided that I just wasn't patient enough to do all that so I got one of our old NY Yankees blankets (we had four!) and just got to cuttin' n sewin'!  Anyway, I learned alot and find that I enjoy the trial and error aspect as well as having to figure out the how and why of what will work.  Here is the finished product.

Ok, so it isn't a professional job, but it only took me about 2 1/2 hours from dream to finish and didn't cost me a dime!  I think the ones you buy are about 30$.  I knew I wanted the "see out" flap and elastic around the bottom.
Here's what I did:

1. Threw the blanket wrong side up over the carrier.  Traced a line with a sharpie.  I was NOT very precise as I knew it would all be bunched up and as long as it was big enough it would be okay.

2. Folded edge of blanket and pinned around to sew a seam about 1 inch from the bottom of fabric where I could insert the elastic. 

3. Sewed the seam and left one opening to insert elastic.

4. Found out that I could NOT easily insert the elastic and went back to drawing board...hmmn...maybe if I poke holes through the inside layer of fabric pocket seam I can thread the elastic through...yeah, that worked.

5. Put cover on carrier and held it up to holder with two hands and made marks where straps should attach.

6. Cut two rectangular straps and sewed velcro buttons on, then sewed on my marks.

 NOW, here is where I wish I had been a little more careful and taken more time, but alas, my hubby was soon to be home, I was getting tired, and quite frankly the couch was calling!

7. Look out flap.  I put on the cover, attached straps and just made small marks in corners of where I wanted flap (If I had measured it would have been straight and looked better, but baby is yet to complain!).

8. Cut out flap and sewed zig zag around edges (blanket was made of two pieces of material so this was necessary) and again sewed velcro to flap and cover.

Viola!  The things I would do differently are: figure out an easier/better way to do elastic (although you cant see it when it's on carrier and it works great! and I would measure flap and maybe add a border to flap.

I love having it and notice that my little one falls right asleep in it because it's so warm and cozy. 

Sew long and happy creating!