I'm, Like, All Grown Up Now

Next in the line of never ending (I'm serious, I hope) things for Isabella.... McCall's 5835. This is a size 1 and will be more of a top than dress. I think. 

Jess choose this polka dot design by Riley Blake. I decided on the dark green to coordinate with it. 

It's a sweet, fairly easy pattern. Fairly easy because I changed the way they told you to put the bodice together. The instructions call for too much hand sewing  for my liking right now. Having just sewn the Ice Cream dress by Oliver + S, I finished the bodice with the method shown there. 

I picture it with a little pair of jeans. Jess may have other ideas.... 

I also had some help from my new toy. See that underarm seam up there?? 

Yes, I am all grown up, I finally got a serger. 

I have resisted for so very long because the silly things intimidated me. The price and the threading and such. 

Then I saw a post over on Crafterhours. Adrianna informed me that this model was on sale for a attainably low price. I caved and I'm so glad I did. It can cut down to one step what I used to take three steps to do. Time is something that I don't have an excess of lately. 

It was a bit busy when it came so my attention was not all together when I started trying the machine out. After realizing where I threaded it wrong, I was good to go. So far, it's amazing. 

Dear Serger, 

I 

heart

 you.

Oh!

Dear You Know Who,

I 

heart

you too!

Ice Cream Dress

Oh dear, I'd forgotten how fun it is to sew little dresses. This Nicey Jane fabric used to be the bumper pads Jessica made for Micah's crib. I love reusing stuff, don't you? Jess picked the Oliver & S Ice Cream Dress. The fabric was a little less than eighteen inches across so I could only make a 6 - 12 month size. The solid is from Joann's. 

After seeing a version with a rounded collar, Jess decided that was the look she wanted. The button adds a bit of interest. Both the front and the closure button were some I had in my stash. They don't match but they coordinate with the fabric in a fun way.

 I added the bias trim to try and distract from the not so well matched strip I had to add to make it long enough.... 

I kinda love it.

Micah's Album

Check our Micah's Album page on the top tool bar to see new pages-- I'm basically caught up (just have to get a few pictures from mum). He's growing up so fast!

Swiss Dot Love

I found this lovely Swiss dot at Joann's a few weeks back. I couldn't wait to show it to Jessica and I really hoped that it was something she'd like for Isabella. Thank goodness she did or I might have cried. I let her choose the pattern, McCalls 4424 and then added my own touches.

I almost decided to drive myself crazy and match the side seams but  then decided not to. I did trim the bottom in a black batiste. I think it adds a bit of sophistication. 

Can a baby be sophisticated?

The bodice is lined with white Kona cotton. Finding two matt black buttons the right size made me very happy.

There is a very cute pair of bloomers to match.

Under no circumstances do I want to rush this baby, but I will really enjoy it when she is here and I can see her in these dresses!

Mod Mosaic - Quilt for For a Cause

  I decided to join the auction for Sacred Selections again this year. It's fun to think that I have a very small part in helping children and parents come together. 

I had a different quilt in mind, I started it and then I lost it.

 I mean this literally. 

I lost a quilt.

In my room.

I am now trying very, very hard to get my room organized.

I then decided that I'd try using the Mod Mosaics pattern by Elizabeth Hartman as a jumping off point. It was a very interesting method.  At first I wasn't comfortable not knowing exactly how the blocks would look. They changed with each small white sashing strip. After a bit it became quite fun, the not quite knowing part.

Everything I used I had in my scraps/stash. I love this quilt and it feels good to make something I love from small saved pieces. 

After I finished the large blocks, I was struggling a bit with my layout. It wasn't meshing they way I pictured, then Jessica suggested a smaller block in the middle. I think it makes the quilt. It's nice to have a second voice when you work! I sashed around the blocks with Kona Ash. That nearly made me loose my mind.,I even managed a couple of set in-seams. It's backed in a dark blue with white polka dot, Basic Brights Pattern No. 29398 by Windham. The binding is Kona Charcoal.

Now I just hope someone likes it enough to bid on it!

Tutu Two

Jessica decided that Isabella will need a brown tutu. I tried scaling this one down while also adding more layers. 

I'm not sure it worked the way I wanted it to. I don't have a baby this size to try it on! 

I'll try again......

Micah love to sit in his grampa's chair and watch cartoons. 

He loves to fast forward to his favourite scenes.

I love Recess!

One of my favorite quilts sold. As much as I am sad to see it go it's nice that someone will finally be using it! A matching bumper was requested to go along with it. 

Luckily Mum was nice enough to let me buy some of the now impossible to find fabric that she had in her stash so I could make this happen.  

I LOVE the way it turned out. The crib it's off to fill is white (to explain the choice in backing and binding).

This project reminded us how much we adore this fabric. So maybe if we can get all of the projects we already have started wrapped up we will get back to doing some more quilty goodness with this stuff. 

Modified Dresden Plates

I'm going to have to stop reading Jan's blog. I have had inspiration pictures and wanted to do something with Dresden plates forever and after seeing the cute pillow she posted the other day I ended up having some spare time at Mums house and started raiding her scrap stash - first I was just going to make a pillow but then these circles were so easy and fun to make that I ended up making 9! 

Of course I should say they were easy because Mum bought a template at the quilt show. These templates are wonderful! The other thing that made the process fast was starch (thanks Mum!) I snipped all of my scraps and then starched and ironed them before cutting- it made the process fast and I was able to cut 4-6 at a time accurately.

Of course my fun free project ended up getting rather expensive when I had to go buy fabric to put the plates on to!  Since I hadn't planned this project out I ended up at Joann's  (no patience to order things!) I originally wanted a grey linen but that was $$ and I wasn't in love with any of the limited color choices so then it was Kona Ash but they didn't have enough so I think this ended up being Kona slate...which now that it's done I think looks better then either of the light grey fabrics would have. And then while wandering the isles I spotted the green mini-check twill from the Lisette Collection. Perfect for my downstairs with all of it's little bits of green!

I just 505'd the circles onto the Kona and then machine stitched them on. Easy and fun I used the stitch that looks like a blanket stitch. For the quilting I used a variegated green pearl cotton. I refused to be all fussy with it since it was supposed to be a fun project- so it's not perfect! This was the first time I used the 505 on a quilt that I hand stitched and I have to say it was AWESOME! Are we sensing a theme? No annoying pins to put in or take out!

This quilt makes me super happy, it's already become a favorite for everyday use.

Mendocino Mermaids

Did any of you guess what I was up to? I am totally going to blame Jan she showed an awesome pouch that she received in a swap and I was super jealous (she even named the post- Jealous?- how did she know)! Then Mum sent me a pin that linked to this embroidery. So when we came upon this frame and Mum asked me what I was going to do with it. I was all 'I am thinking of doing an embroidery...' mermaids never crossed my mind and when she mentioned it (DUH!) we both knew that had to be it. 

Please excuse the photos I tried really hard but it was super difficult to get even these photos- I'll try to get better ones at some point but I couldn't wait any longer to show you guys!

The opening on the frame is 16" so these are very large-compared to the originals. 

I did a mix of the two inspiration embroideries and then added my own touches. The solid color of the tails is actually 3 different threads to give them dimension. 

The girl on the lefts face is a little truer to the fabric, the girl on the right isn't quite right but I liked her expression so I went with it. 

I tried to remain true to the fabric. The fabric is linen I backed it with a fusible cotton - the kind you would use to stabilize a collar. It was a super fun project. 

It was originally done for Bella's room but who knows maybe I will hang it somewhere I will see it more- Uber likes it which I wasn't expecting so we will have to see where they end up!

bibs and random second hand finds

I have a new found appreciation for people who make and sell bibs- boy are they a LOT of work! 

I wanted to have some ready to go for Isabella so on my last fabric.com order I threw in a yard of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom Laminated Cotton Block Print in Amethyst. I LOVE this fabric it is so pretty! Mum had made Micah some double sided bibs that were fantastic so I backed these in the same Minky and this time instead of making up our own pattern I used the bib pattern in Oliver + S little things to sew it was a little large so I ended up shrinking the pattern and making two sizes. 1 yard made 10 so hopefully we will be set on bibs -since I doubt I will be making any more!  

One thing that made the project a little (and I mean a very little) less tedious was Mum and I have discovered 505 Adhesive spray- if you sew and you haven't tried this stuff out you must order some immediately! I was able to glue the cut out laminate bib to the uncut minky fabric and it made cutting the minky out and sewing the binding on super 'easy' because I didn't have to worry about the fabric shifting. 

I try to schedule all of my Dr apt's that Uber isn't interested in coming to so that I can drag Mum with me.... I hate going so I try to make it as fun as possible - we stop at Biscottis (YUM!) for lunch and usually try and squeeze in some additional fun shopping or crafting. This last time we FINALLY checked out some of the second hand stores that (who knew?!) were just around the corner from the hospital on a street I've never driven far enough down. Thanks to a local blogger I was clued in! I scored two awesome things- which was fun because I usually never find things like this--

An old wooden frame with convex glass for $30 (probably a little over priced I am not sure - but I loved it and didn't bother to bicker since the glass which seems original was really awesome) just wait until I show you what I did with it! I am so excited!

And a solid wood side table ($25) which I think will end up going in Isabella's room. I had just figured I wouldn't find anything reasonably priced so I had just planned on Micah's room not having one- it even has little leafs that pop up on either side! I'm not sure it will stay green but I also don't see myself painting it anytime in the foreseeable future!

Mum came home with a bunch of jarred buttons- which I keep meaning to look through. I think there were some really neat ones in there!

Wonkystar Pillow

Things around here have been a bit, shall we say, hectic. Then we went and got a little, um, exhausted. During this time, Jess and I decided to take a break from things we had to do, to make something we wanted to. Mine is small, her's is huge. We have yet to get good photos of hers, so today it's just mine. 

So, I've had this wonky star block favorited and pinned forever.

 By the way, if you don't yet use pinterest please, please do so. It's such a cool resource for keeping yourself organized. Of course it is also addictive. You need an invite (or you have to wait for a few days) but that's not a problem, just email me and I'll send you an invite! 

So anyway, I wanted a small pillow for back support but I couldn't just make a plain cover. Then Jennifer pinned a huge wonky star quilt and made her own mini quilt. That finally sent me over the edge and I knew I how I had to make my cover.

I did this on a whim so didn't really think it through. In an effort to use what I have, I went to the scrap bins. I finally used my "Go" cutter that my hubby got me for my birthday. Did I tell you that? Hm. Anyway, 48 little squares cut out in about five minutes. Yes, thank you! I decided to put them on point and just started sort of free piecing the sashing around the blocks. Mostly because I had a tiny bit of the Kona ash left to use. I can't actually believe it worked. All I had left was two small triangles 

I love it. I may have to eventually make a whole quilt like this.......someday.

An Invite!



I received the funnest of invites the other day, to be a guest blogger on my sister's and niece's beautiful blog, but seriously they are so talented along with their spouses that the thought of what to post was a LITTLE intimidating.  I didn't know whether to show a  sweater for a bitty who will be coming along very soon, its very soft and my own design, easy, simple, hope she likes it. 



Maybe the stamps that are so fun to carve, could make these all day long, just have to figure out what they are good for...



Or to show my favorite thing from Christmas, it may still be up.



Could show some of the scribbles that have been going on....

Or what about my two favorite girls, Soffe has a sprain because she think she has great dane legs, but not really, and Slips just hides from the world.



Perhaps the most beautiful spot in Tahoe, Falling Leaf Lake, we escape here for a afternoon whenever we can, which is not enough.



Most of all wanted to show this, he has to be one of my most favorite possessions, made by my brother in law a really long time ago.  I love him.  He is cast in bronze and is tiny and lovely.  See how hard it is to come up with anything that matches that?  But it sure is fun to try....