Stuffed Motorcycle

If you get one your child will be this happy! 

just kidding but isn't he adorable? He kept throwing the motorcycle... which I was very frustrated about until Mum reminded he the next day that my Dad plays a game with him where he has Micah throws the pillows...

Anyway this idea popped into my head while I was making Ubers pillow case. There's not a lot of gifts Dads can appreciate when your getting ready for a baby but I ran this idea by him and he thought it was great. Who wants another stuffed animal?! Not him! But a stuffed motorcycle he can get behind! They are now in the shop.

When this kid smiles it kills me. 

This is assisted standing but with the way this boy demands to walk I wont be surprised if he can do it on his own soon (hopefully not too soon...) 

Ice Cream Dress

I wanted a gift for a young friend and decided on the Ice Cream Dress. It's the first time I've used this pattern. I love Oliver + S patterns and this one is no exception. 

 The fabric is Fleur d'Paris for Henry Glass.

I hope she likes it!

Motorcycle pillow

I've wanted to make this graphic/pillow for over a year. I thought uber would appreciate something in the house that was made with him in mind. 

 He chose red to match his truck (and possibly his old motorcycle)

 I'm kind of in love with the graphic though... as you will see later!

 Anyway I made a second one for the shop

New Onesies

Check them out in the shop

A Remake

A few years back while traveling in Italy I saw this dress in a window. It was cheap and I thought it was a perfect summer dress. 

I didn't try it on.

My bad, because it didn't work for me. Guess I was channeling my 20 something self.....

I showed it to Jessica and she loved it, which is funny because it is much more color than she ever wears at once. Some days I cause her to cringe with my colorful clothing. 

Poor baby.

Before the little guy came along she wore it a couple of times but after little guy, some changes needed to be made. It happens when you are blessed with children, things change. 

Before.

Sorry for the mediocre photos, I think we were supposed to be making dinner?? Poor guys.

After.

Mom friendly but gorgeous!

Even better than the original, don't you think?

I had almost forgotten

Remember this--

 Well it's been joined by this--

 And this--

I am trying to decide if I want to do anymore... I need to make a decision because I really want to order some! I also need to decide what I want to make with it.. any suggestions?

To check them out go here. 

A Nice, Quiet Weekend

Not only was this last Sunday Father's Day, it was You Know Who's and my thirtieth anniversary. That's right, thirty, three zero, three decades. I'm not sure where all that time has gone. I look at our kids and grandson and know I am getting older but apart from the days where my body doesn't cooperate, I don't feel older. I look at this man whom I love more than when we first decided to spend the rest of our lives together and he just hasn't changed that much. (He loves being told that.) 

Anyway, I am blessed. 

We are blessed, to have the life we do.

 Together. 

It's appropriate then that we spent our weekend with people we love, doing things we enjoy.

It was a gorgeous day out on the water Saturday. He and I went out into the ocean for the first time. Not very far, but far enough for me....

One section of the beach was covered in birds. Their noise was so loud, you could hear it over the crashing surf.

Pelicans in flight are kind of amazing.

Heading into open water.

I made him turn back for the inner coastal before we went too far for my comfort.

Beach baby.

Look at that tongue! 

A picnic would not be complete without iced coffee. 

This stuff has changed my life. 

Seriously.

I broke up with a well known coffee house now that I make my own.

I can have it anytime I want.

I've gained weight. 

I am happy.

Join me?

Don't be afraid of the bias skirt!

When Crafterhours asked me to be a part of their skirt week I was thrilled. Susan and Adrianna have such wonderful energy, fun sense of humor and really cute kids! I've been a bit busy so the only way I could get this done was to call in reinforcement. Joining me is my daughter Jessica from Insanely-crafty. Seriously, I would not have finished this if not for her. 

 I decided that I'd like to do a tutorial and show an intermediate skirt, that's really cute and slightly sassy.

 Then I changed my mind. 

What I need this summer is something feminine, cute and comfortable. I need a skirt that I can wear all day,  is appropriate for work or home and maybe a dinner out. 

Jessica needed a skirt that allows for all of the bending, stretching and lifting that goes with motherhood and still provide comfort and cuteness.

I need to show you how easy it is. 

I give you the Don't Be Afraid of the Bias Skirt!

These are so easy, I made four one day and one more the next morning. 

Once you have your pattern made, you can finish one of these in a couple of hours or less.

These skirts are super versatile. You can wear them with the waist up, folded in half or all the way down..... Jessica thinks these would be great for those with baby bumps too. Depending on how you put the waistband you can make the skirt a bit longer or shorter. 

Disclaimer: I am not and do not claim to be a pattern writer. This idea comes from several different projects that I've done over the years. This may not work exactly for you. Please feel free to change it to suit your needs. Adjustments may need to be made to suit different body shapes. Please make sure your pieces are fitting before completing your garment. 

Supplies

2 yards of 56” Wide Linen

½ yard jersey knit fabric (50 % stretch)

1 yard Pattern Ease

Ball point needle 

Wash your fabrics before beginning. Yes, I machine wash and dry my linen. It makes it so much easier to take care of afterwards...

Take your measurements

Measure your Hips ÷ 2 = (H) ______

 Measure about 1 inch below your belly button for your Waist Measurement = (W)_______

Create your pattern

Skirt

Using the pattern ease, draw out your pattern piece for your skirt. Draw a line to represent your hip measurement. Drop down 20.5" and draw a line for the hem. Connect the lines to make your skirt shape. 

 Add 1/2 “ arc to the bottom and top of the skirt pattern piece. 

 Mark your Bias on your pattern piece. It is really important to draw this line as you see it here. The proper bias cut gives your skirt stretch and movement. 

Waistband

Fold rectangle into quarters

 Mark 1 ¼ ” from side of pattern and 1 inch from top . Draw curving line to connect two marks

Cut along line. Here’s what your pattern should look like

Cut out your waistband and skirt pieces

Cut out two waistband pieces from the jersey knit.

Cut out two skirt pieces from the linen. Fold your linen fabric in half widthwise matching the selvage edges.  Make sure the line you have drawn diagonally across the skirt is on the straight of the grain. You can measure from the selvage edge to the line to make sure. 

Sewing

Waistband

Use a stretch stitch and your ball point needle. The photo above is a picture of the stretch stitch I use on my machine. It should be the same on yours..

Sew sides with ¼” seam allowance.

Press seams open.

 Fold waistband in half wrong sides together matching side seams. Press.

Divide waist band into quarters marking with pins at the raw edges.

Sew side seams of skirt with a 1/2" seam allowance and finish the seam allowances with the method you prefer. I wanted these simple and quick, with little bulk, so I sewed with a small zig zag stitch and then trimmed my seam allowance down. 

                             

Divide waist into quarters and mark with pins.

Place waistband to the right side of the skirt matching the pins at the side seams and in the middle of the skirt pieces.

The waistband will be smaller than your skirt waist.

Sew waistband to skirt with the same stretch stitch you used on the waistband side seams. Sew a 3/8 inch seam.  As you sew, keep the area between the pins taut but don't pull the fabric, let the machine feed it. You will be stretching the waistband to fit the skirt. Go slowly and carefully, stopping at each pin to readjust and stretch your pieces. 

If you choose to finish this seam be sure to use a stretch stitch. Iron seam allowance toward the skirt. 

Hem with a narrow hem or go easy, don't hem it and let it fray a bit. You can sew a zig zag or straight stitch around the hem edge to keep it from fraying too much.

When you're done, try and keep yourself from wearing it everyday...... even out to the beach.

Please let me know if there's anything I missed!

Thanks for stopping, come back again, I am still going to show you the other skirt.