Pacifier Pouch Version 2

So I tried another pouch. This one only has interfacing on the lining and was made from 6x6 inch squares. I also only covered the top half of the zipper.

It still isn't perfect. I think next I will try:
- 5x5 inch squares (I think it is cuter smaller)
- interfacing on both side again (it kept its shape better)
- no zipper covering on either end (too bulky)
- no interfacing in the key ring loop so it is not as stiff

Pyramid Pouch

I made a "test" pyramid pouch and here are a few things I learned.

- I lined both the inner an outer sides with fusible fleece and the corners on the final product are a bit bulky for my taste (I think I will try lining just 1 side)
- I used 5 x 5 inch squares and a 3.5 inch zipper opening and the opening may be a little small (I am trying to decide if I should make the entire thing bigger or just get rid of the zipper end covering sections - I was going for pacifier pouch sized though and this was pretty close to perfect)
- I want to add a fabric loop to the next one

Overall it was a quick and easy project once I got it all figured out. I think the next one will be even easier and faster!

I used this tutorial if you want to give it a try (it is fully lined with no seams which I love):
http://ricochetandaway.blogspot.com/2011/12/pyramid-pouch-tutorial.html?m=1

Hats!!!

I bought an adult and matching kids hat pattern from Etsy from ButterflyTree. The pattern is really fast and easy and the final product is cute and reversible!

The only thing I haven't quite figured out is what kind of interfacing to use to make the brim as stiff a I want. I used 3 layers of extra thick interfacing and it still wasn't quite what I wanted.

The other tip I have is that these are definitely sized on the large size - if you are in between size down a size.

I really need to make a bow or fray flower for mine because it is a little plain without anything. I am excited to make Chase and baby hats too!!!!

Vest Take 2

I ended up making up the construction order as I went and this round went a little better (the zipper is perfect) but I am sure it could be further refined.

I need a model for all these cute baby things because photos without a model just don't do them justice!

Dragon Vest Pattern

I bought the Dragon Vest Pattern by Puperita on Etsy and I would say this pattern was an epic fail and I would not recommend it. The construction is complicated and not slick at all and involves hand sewing ick. The zipper installation seems like the worst possible technique ever - I will never do a zipper like that again - it looks terrible. It also has a lot of opportunity for human error (for example my zipper doesn't line up quite right so my seam in the front is a little crooked and the zipper doesn't end at quite the same height). The final product does have potential though so I think I am going to try to use a construction technique from another pattern I have and see if it turns out any better.

The only good thing about this vest is that Chase is super sweet and said "It's okay mommy no one will notice - I still love it and will still wear it!"

Thank goodness for loving 5 yr olds right?!

PS. Chase's serious model face is hilarious.

Reversible Infant Bubble Skirt Tutorial

I haven't done a tutorial in awhile and as you can see I've been on a sewing kick lately so here is a quick and easy little project.

I have been oogling adorable baby bubble skirts online lately so I thought I would give it a go.  The skirt is intended to fit about a 3 month old but I don't have a tester yet (I made the skirt based on measurements I found online - if someone out there will test the tutorial and leave a comment so I know the sizing is right I would appreciate it!).

The best part is that it is reversible!

Note:  Use a 3/8 inch seam unless otherwise noted.

Step 1:  Cut your fabric

- 13 to 14 inches of 3/8th wide elastic (this can easily be adjusted up or down to accommodate different ages / waist sizes - some things online said as small as 10 inches for a new born and up to 15 or 16 inches for a 6 month old)

- Cut a lining piece of fabric 24 inches wide by 7 inches tall (in the above picture the lining is the solid purple / pink fabric)

- Cut the skirt piece of fabric 41 inches wide (basically the entire width of a standard piece of cotton fabric with the edges cut off) by 9 inches tall (adjusting the 9 inches will make the skirt longer or shorter)

Step 2:  Prepare your lining

- Sew the short side of the lining right sides together to create a tube and press the seam open

- Iron one of raw edges down 1/2 inch

- Fold the same edge down again another 3/4 inch (this will create a casing that will hold the elastic later)

- Turn the tube right side out when you are done

Step 3:  Prepare the "bubble" or skirt fabric

- Sew the short side of the skirt fabric together to create a tube and press the seam open

- Gather the top and bottom of the tube using either a basting stitch or a zig zag stitch gathering method (make sure the stitching is close to the edge so that the gather stitches will be hidden later)

- Pull the gathers on both the top and bottom edges so that the tube is 11.5 inches across at each opening which is the same size as the lining tube (tie the gathering threads to hold the gathers in place at the desired width)

Step 4:  Attach the lining to the skirt

- Tuck the lining inside the skirt (right sides facing each other) and line up the raw edges (make sure the back seams line up)

- Pin (making sure the gathers are evenly distributed) and stitch around the entire tube

- Turn the tube right side out and top stitch around the edge on the lining fabric where the two fabrics meet

 

 Step 5:  Create the elastic casing

- Turn the skirt inside out and fold skirt in half (wrong sides are now together) so that the raw edge meets the iron fold of the lining piece (place the raw edge of the skirt tube right against the iron fold and fold the casing down over the raw edge) - you are basically tucking the raw edge under the elastic casing edge

- Make sure the line up the back seams

 

- Pin in place and repeat around the entire top of the skirt making sure the gathers are evenly distributed

 

 - This is what it will look like when the waist band (elastic casting) is pinned down over the raw gathered edge of the skirt fabric.

- Top stitch near the bottom edge of the waist band around the entire skirt (make sure to leave a 1 inch gap to thread the elastic through)

Step 6:  Thread the elastic

- Use a safety pin to thread the elastic through the waist band casing

- Zig Zag stitch the end of the elastic together to create a loop and pull all the elastic into the casing

- Top stitch closed the 1 inch gap

That's it!  You are now the proud owner of an infant bubble skirt!  Enjoy!

Feel free to leave comments if you have any questions!

Ruffled Diaper Cover

It is May 1st and snowy and wet and cold. What is a girl to do with a day off on an icky day like today? Well - sew adorable summery ruffle and bow butt bloomers of course! This is another pattern from LittleLizardKing Etsy shop.

I added the bow and ended up doing the ruffles like the romper pattern instead of this diaper cover pattern.

The one trick I love about these patterns is that she has you sew in the elastic as you sew the casing rather then using a safety pin to thread it after the fact.

I suspect that baby girl may spend much of the summer in white onesies and diaper covers!

BTW there is apparently no good way to take pictures of bloomers without a model.

Reversible Ruffle Jacket

I bought a sewing pattern off Etsy from PeekabooPatternShop for a reversible ruffle jacket. Let's just say that mistakes were made on this project and it definitely isn't my best work but the final product is still cute.

Here is what I would do differently next time:
- First I decided I wanted a warmer coat so I used a layer of flannel inside the sleeves and skirt and fusible fleece inside the bodice. This was a huge mistake - it made the project very bulky and made the button holes look like crap because it was so thick. My recommendation would be to settle for a light weight coat. It will make the project so much easier.
- Another thing that was slightly annoying is that the sleeves are so tiny they are really hard to attach to the ruffle and the bodice...it can be done but be prepared to spend some time on it. Also at the end you have to hand stitch the sleeves closed. Blegh I hate hand stitching!
- The coat skirt isn't that full - it is barely wider then the bodice so if you want a more poofy look add some width to those pieces.
- The pattern called for 4 buttons but I like the 2 button look much better - besides who wants to take the time to button baby into 4 buttons?
- Lastly the pattern came with a matching hat pattern but since I'm not in love wih how bulky this winter warm coat is I opted to skip the hat until I make a lighter weight version.

I do love me a reversible anything though so that is a major perk of this pattern! I wonder if making a larger size would be easier...

Ruffled Sun Suit Romper

I bought a pattern from LittleLizardKing on Etsy for this fun little romper! (The first two pictures are from the pattern and the next two are what I made).

The pattern was very easy - the only tip I have is that if you hate raw edges as much as I do you may want to serge the top raw edge of the ruffle before you gather the ruffle. You only see it if you lift up each individual ruffle so it isn't a big deal but still...

I want to try to modify the pattern to make a reversible lined romper without ruffles!

Baby Girl Nursery

We finished the nursery!  I am so happy with the results - it is exactly what I wanted.

For those of you out there like me scanning the web for ideas I have listed where I found everything so you don't have to hunt as hard.

Paint Colors:  Egg Shell Gliden Granite Grey (GLN59) and Semi Gloss Sherwin Williams Charming Pink SW 6309 for the stripe

Crown Molding Tip:  Apparently the crowning molding I picked was too thick for a regular miter saw so keep that in mind when picking your molding as it made the project A LOT more difficult then it needed to be.

Curtains and Butterfly Curtain Rod:  Target

Book Shelf, Picture Frame Ledges and Frames, Plant and Pot, Lantern, Lamb Skin, "End Table" (which are really trash cans that I wrapped some fabric around):  Ikea

Crib:  Graco Lauren Crib with Combo Changing Table with the hardware switched out for these lovely pink bubble glass pulls from Dwyer Home Collection (I ordered it on WayFair but you can find it almost anywhere online)

Sheets / Changing Pad Cover:  The fabric is from Walmart of all places and I made them myself using this tutorial

Mobile:  Etsy from DragonOnTheFly (the picture doesn't really do it justice - it is really amazing - check out DragonOnTheFly's shop)

Chandelier:  Z Gallerie (the only warning about this Chandelier is that it is made as a "plug in" light instead of a ceiling wired light.  My husband had to do some electrical work to get it wired and we had to buy the ceiling cover plate from home depot (which of course came with a gold hook and gold nuts so we had to paint those white too).

Blingy Wall Art Piece:  Z Gallerie

Crib Skirt:  I made the adjustable crib skirt myself - there are a ton of tutorials on Google

Tips:

- If you are like me and you HATE sewing gathers and ruffles here is a fun trick.  Instead of "gathering" the fabric you can pull out a long bobbin thread (as long as the piece of fabric you are trying to gather) and then you zig zag stitch over the bobbin thread.  This creates a "casing" for the bobbin thread and it way easier to gather / pull through then a loose running stitch.  Here is a tutorial someone else did online.

- Since the changer is on one side you really only need 2 panels (1 long side and 1 short side)

- The long panel I cut 56 inches wide and 17.5 inches long (this does not include the ruffle length that will be sewn on) - this is big enough to do 1 inch double folds on 3 of the 4 sides (all sides but the edge you sew the ruffle onto)

- The short panel I cut 20 inches wide and 17.5 inches long (this does not include the ruffle length that will be sewn on) - this is big enough to do 1 inch double folds on 3 of the 4 sides (all sides but the edge you sew the ruffle onto)

- The ruffle I cut a 6 inch wide piece and folded it in half (I made the ruffle piece twice as long as the panel widths so that when it was gathered it was very ruffled)

- The two gathered pieces are 2 inches wide (I cut them that wide because I serged the edges so the finished piece was 1 - 1.25 inches thick and again double the panel length)

- I used ribbons instead of fabric ties to attach it to the crib because making fabric ties seemed like a lot of effort for something you aren't ever going to see

Drunkard's Path Baby Superhero Quilt

A neighbor recently commissioned a baby quilt and I have been dying to try the Drunkard's Path pattern and this little beauty is the result. I did realize after the fact that it is rather modern and non-traditional and that some people may not like the idea of superheros for a baby quilt. Oops. Oh well I love it and am happy I made it -I'll try a more traditional quilt next.

Gypsy Sling Bag

I recently finished my gyspy sling bag. I am very happy with the final product. The straps were crazy long so I did shorten those and I made a larger inside pocket but otherwise I stuck to the pattern. I used fusible fleece instead of two layers of interfacing on one side and that worked well.

Quick easy pattern for a nice extra large bag - perfect for travel and the beach.

PS. Can you believe that is Walmart fabric?!

Quilts in Progress

Here is the dog pee quilt (now washed) in progress - I think may add a border...and the dog pee quilt corner leftovers baby quilt in progress.

Note: Can you tell I am in love with Central Park by Kate Spain?

The Design

I picked the design for my first applique art quilt!

The Next Thing To Conquer...

Can you believe that this is a quilt?! I have been researching art quilts lately and I think I am ready to try a very basic one!

Applique

I saw this cute little applique online and was thinking it would be fun to do a quilt like this.

Finished Quilt 2 - Vintage Farm Baby Quilt

I just finished the farm baby quilt. I did something a little different and I quilted this one using lines instead if stippling it. I am happy with how it looks and how it mirrors the picket fence look but I will say that all the starting and stopping threads is quite time consuming. A vintage farm quilt...who knew I would love it so much!

PS. I found another reason that I love precut fabrics...when you have quilt rows layed out on the floor and your puppy pees all over them (ahhhh it was not a good moment) you can wash the fabric without it fraying because they use pinking shears on precuts.