Tree Skirt

I've been sick. yuck! So sadly, no sewing has happened in my home. I am hoping i can muster the strength to throw together Hayden's shorts tonight and the tutorial for them too... but we will see. Nick actually stayed home from work because i felt so ill...

So instead, i will show you an old project. One of my favorites. I actually have all the fabric to make my own and i just have to find the time to!

This was my momma's Christmas present. She was always saying she needed a new tree skirt, and since they got a fancy new tree, i decided i HAD to make her one {my version of saying thank you}. So this is what i made. I L.O.V.E it. I found the tutorial at the Moda BakeShop. I also made the table runner for my MIL but i didn't actually get any pictures of it. Oops. I need to be better about that! My fabric is just fabric from Joann's that i liked. It turned out marvelously. I even free motion quilted it (which isn't NEARLY as scary as everyone makes it out to be!).

I will probably start mine after i finish up Halloween costumes (er... start too! :))

Thanks mom for taking these pictures for me!

And i found a picture of the skirt under the tree!
Merry Christmas in July!

Photoshop

I downloaded the free trial version of Photoshop and man oh man do i feel like i walked into an entirely different world and a whole nother language! It is definitely going to take some work to figure it out! Good news is, though, that my pattern is almost 100% complete so i will probably be able to post it Thursday-ish.

*Photoshop has officially kicked my butt. I am totally lost and SO discouraged!*

Sewing is going slow. I'm out of fusible fleece and i'm being mildly lazy so i will get on the ball tomorrow. I excited for a new pattern i am working on also that will make my life SO much easier!

So yes... Photoshop=confusing, but awesome! toodles!

**oo, oo... and i made my first purchase of online non-quilting fabric! I am so excited! Chalk cloth, laminated cotton, poly poplin... so many wonderful sewing plans coming!!**

Little Boys' Ties

So... i'm working on a pattern. For little boy's ties. Yes, there may be about a million, BUT i like mine best {smiles}. For my little sister's wedding i was enlisted to make 3 little boys ties out of 2 adult ties. I had to be creative because surprisingly two adult ties is just barely enough for three little boys ties.

So i figured i would work on my new tie pattern and turn it into a little tutorial of sorts. That will be coming soon. I need one more run at the pattern before i unleash it on all of you {haha, all four of you...three being my family! ;)}

Alas, i am excited. I think the ties are SUPER cute. They are from Pure by Sweetwater for Moda {that's a mouth full}. My kids are pretty darling too! I hope you enjoy!

Boys' Quilts

I started sewing when Hayden (my two year old) was 7 months old so i hadn't made him a quilt or anything. When i got pregnant with Eldon (my 11 month old) i decided i want to venture into the world of quilting. So i made a simple patchwork quilt. I thought i was pretty snazzy. 

Then i decided since i made Eldon a quilt i had to make Hayden a quilt. So i made him a little more interesting one. Not too difficult. I can't tell you the names of the fabrics though i know they are Alexander Henry and Riley Blake. Hayden's is backed with minky and Eldon's with Chenille.

They like them. And sleep with them. And i love knowing that they lay down every night covered with something filled with love and thought from his Momma.

Baby Hammy Dress Update

So, i decided that the little dress needed a pair of bloomers because every little dress needs something to cover a diaper right? :) I used Made's Perfect Diaper Cover Tutorial. One of the easiest project i have ever done! Wow! It whipped right out and before i knew it i had the perfect companion to the dress. 

I also added a little pink boy because no girl can have too much pink OR too many bows. (yes, i just said that. Pre-boys i was the most anti-pink person ever! Now... ooooooo i can't wait!!)

Birthday Outfit

I looooove sewing kid's clothes. Little boys' clothes are no exception! I haven't sewn any in a while and i forgot how cute and versatile sewing for boys can be. I just have so many ideas!!

So my beautiful little 11 month old turns 1 next month and i can hardly believe it. My husband and i decided to start a new tradition to make buying gifts easier and help us from getting out of hand. For each birthday you get:

Something you want,

Something you need, 

Something homemade, 

And something to read.

I read about it on a blog somewhere in a comment section and i thought it was a fabulous idea for keeping holidays in check. I am working on the "poem" for Christmas and Easter, but they are a bit away still!

So for my baby boy his something homemade is his new little outfit. I made the shorts and shirt. The tunic is the Charlie's tunic pattern by MadebyRae. It's such a darling pattern! The facings are made from Alexander Henry's "2d Zoo." It's one of my fabric fabrics of all time. I love the big buttons and just love the outfit all around. The shorts are a seersucker from Joann and they even have pockets. I am working on a tutorial for them, but i need to make another pair to work through the instructions.

Anyways, i LOVE the outfit. I can hardly believe my little Eldie is going to be 1 but i am so happy for him too!

Dr. Kendell Quilt

My sister graduated medical school last May. Yes, she is a doctor. Weird. Since i wanted her to know how proud of her i was, i did what i always do, i made a quilt. And i love it!

*isn't that a beautiful Doctor? I love her!*

I designed the pattern myself. It's a nine square cross inside a larger nine square cross. The cross is supposed to represent the Red Cross and all things medical. The fabric is from Joann and i love how it turned out. It was probably my most intense project yet. To quilt it, i quilted each of the red crosses in a cross pattern and the others are quilted in a square on the inside of the cross. You can see on the back how it looks in the "doctor" picture.

Sorry the pictures aren't better; once again they were taken quickly when i realized after giving the gift that i hadn't taken any pictures.

McCoy Quilt

Hello hello! So i am trying to go back and post many of the projects i have worked on over the last two years. It's not a terribly large amount, so this won't take too long!

This is the quilt i made for my little sister for her wedding. I loved the colors of the fabric and the quality was to die for. I will never quilt with generic fabric again! The quality was superb! The fabric was Moda (the same as Baby Hammy's quilt). I followed this tutorial from the Moda Bakeshop and it turned out beautifully! I added one extra row of diamonds so that it was a little wider for two people *newlyweds never separate*

The batting is a medium loft which made it extra comfy (and warm... sorry Garrett!) I hand sewed around the white diamonds with yellow and brown embroidery floss (similar to Baby Hammy Quilt) and i tied the larger colored diamonds with yarn.

I really liked how it turned out! I do love quilting (though it's seriously time consuming)!

*Pictures were taken during bridal shower... note to self: remember to take pictures!*

Baby Girl Dress

I made my first baby girl's dress. It was an interesting go of things, but it turned out alright. Now i just need to borrow a baby to try it on *already planned*.

I made it out of a seersucker fabric and i love the soft casual drape. It's based roughly off the pictures found at Made and Rae, but you can really find the shirred dress tutorials every where!

The hardest part was the sleeves. I was doing a tutorial, until, well, the just kinda made the sleeves up. So... maybe i will make another and see if i can plan it a little better!

Anyways, i think it's cute. Hopefully it look cute on a real human baby!

Pinwheel Quilt

Wow. Crafting has been few and far between over the last little bit. A not sleeping baby and me exhausted equaled a lot of naps (for me)! So it took a while BUT...

I'm done! My first little baby girl quilt is finished! *and it may or may not have made me baby hungry for a little girl* maybe...just maybe... My sister-in-law is pregnant with a little girl after two boys. I was just through the moon excited for her so i knew i had to sew her something girl appropriate.

So pinwheels it was. I had triangles left over from a quilt i made for my little sister's wedding (posted here.) Perfect choice for pinwheels. I had quilted with pink and yellow alternating embroidery floss and i just love how it looks! The fabric came from Moda Layer Cakes--but i don't know the line.

Little girl stuff is definitely fun! Enjoy!