Monday, November 30, 2009

A friend of mine, a mom of three sons, commissioned me to make stockings for the two significant young women in her life - her daughter-in-law and her one-day-soon-daughter-in-law. I love how they turned out. I gotta say, the pink roses trim that we got at Hancock's is scrumptious!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

just in time

Yay, leaves!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I finished this reversible dress for my youngest. Of course the side shown in the picture is brown with lime green polka dots. The pockets are brown/lime houndstooth and the reverse side is solid lime green. Both sides are made of baby corduroy. I thought it would be way too thick to use baby cord on both sides, but I am glad to be wrong this time.

Monday, November 23, 2009

c'est finis

>>>Whoo hoo!<<<
I've only been waiting for forever to find the time to sew the binding onto this quilt!
It is in the dryer right now. It had gotten dusty waiting for me to finish it, so when I sewed my last stitch (all on machine, because I am a lazy daisy) I threw it into the washer. I can just imagine the girls bundling up underneath its vintage sweetness on a chilly Saturday morning and watching Bugs Bunny and Road Runner on DVD with their silly brothers.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

jelly roll, jelly roll, now let me see that jelly roll

This is the beginning of a quilt made with my very first jelly roll, the "Soiree" line, made by Lila Tueller for Moda fabrics. I got it when I went to see my very first quilt show. A local fabric store had all their jelly rolls and fat quarters on sale for, like, 30% off or something enticing. There are a million different ways I could have done the strips, but I went the simple route and just sewed them in horizontal lines. When I spread it out just now, it looked like a spring picnic.

Can't wait to get this one finished!

wanted: selvage edges

I know it would be tedious, but I want to do this... make something out of the poor, unused, mostly tossed selvage edges of fabric. My friend, Tori, made the cutest wallet out of them and I was inspired. Now I am dreaming of ALL the things I could make. Something has me thinking
selvage quilt binding.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

elegant

Just doesn't get any lovelier than this.

White linen napkins with a white embroidered initial.

Friday, November 20, 2009

a qult for a friend with cancer

This is a "raggy" quilt made of seven different flannels. Using a total of 5 yards, the blocks are cut in 8 x 8 squares. Finished quilt measures 45 x 60. The quilt was a group effort by all the ladies in the Mom's Night Out sewing classes for one of their classmates, Allison, who began a battle with breast cancer last week.



more stuff for baby



This time it is a little travel-sized pillowcase.
I was given carte blanche as to what to do with it... there were so many things I thought about.
One of my favorites that nearly got embroidered on the case was a pink chandelier.
Chandeliers are big in the world of home fashion, just look. But, if nothing else in the room goes along with the whole idea, I guess it would be dumb, huh?

Thursday, November 19, 2009

easy breezy lemon squeezy

My youngest child's playschool teacher is expecting and asked me to embroider some of the gifts she got at a recent baby shower.


I nearly dropped my teeth when she showed me the burp cloth packages. For $18 Buy Buy Baby sells these "designer" burp cloths. Now, granted they are absolutely the most adorable things ever.... but, really!


One of the burp cloths has grosgrain ribbon sewn onto either side of the middle. The other burp cloth has a panel of super soft flannel. Can it get any easier to reproduce? I doubt it. I'm thinking craft fair, aren't you?


Anyway, here is how they turned out with the embroidery on them:

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

my first craft show

Ok, so my very good friend, Tori, and I are going to go in together and have a table at a craft show coming up in March. Seems like a long way away, doesn't it? Yeaaaaah. Sure.

So, we are thinking about sewing outfits... she has a beautiful flair for pairing some really fun, funky fabrics together and making a wonderful ensemble. Me? I'm less "out there" and tend to choose more classic prints. So, we figure we will have the corner market (or the market cornered - heh heh - whichever way you want to look at it) on stuff to choose from.

We are thinking about getting a certain number of patterns, say, 4, and making one in each size, like a size 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 that are all the same fabric. So there will be 4 different styles/color combinations with 5 sizes each.

Clear as mud?

Have any of you done craft shows? (Either as a vendor or customer) What tips/pointers can you give us?

Monday, November 16, 2009

operation: modesty ministry

Last week and over the weekend I have carried on what my husband refers to as "The Modesty Ministry", in which I offer my time and skills as a seamstress to lower the hems on the school uniform skirts.
whirr whirr whirr
About 25 girls now have longer, more modest skirts. (whether they wanted that or not)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

guess who figured out how to do appliques?

Well, officially it is my second applique, but this one I actually got paid for. The only thing cuter is the little boy who will be wearing it.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

hey diddle diddle

For a little boy, soon to be ONE!