Slow Progress

A friend of mine was searching my blog and came across this bag that I had made. She requested one for her knitting supplies and since I owed her a hand made craft, I agreed. However, having a 11 month old really restricts the amount of time I am able to sew. I was finding that when I did have the time, the sewing machine would wake him up from his naps. So, I moved the sewing machine downstairs. How do you manage to find time to sew/craft?

That still didn't really help! I have been trying to finish the bag all week and basically I have done the outer shell and the liner:

I still need to add the inside pockets and the straps. One day it will be done!

Fluffy Stuffy Bunny

It's been a year since the Olympics. It is hard to believe! This means some of Shea's friends are having their first birthday parties! Yikes! I am noticing a trend that many of the people are requesting no gifts. The kids seem to have everything they need and so many toys.

That being said, I always feel badly not bringing a little something. So, I decided to use the stuff around my house to make some toys for the kids.

The first idea I had was to make a small stuffie. My first attempt was making sock monkeys, but that didn't pan out. I found them too boring. Then I found this cute little bunny pattern from Jenny over at All Sorts blog. It was so cute and looked simple to make I had to try to make one.

The bunny took me about 2 hours in total to make. Not too bad and I would definitely get faster at making these. Jenny's instructions are great and she had some really good tips. I loved how she used the freezer paper - it definitely made sewing the bunny easy and quick. I did add bells in the ears of the bunny - so they flop a little more (from the weight of the bells). I also made a mess at making the pom-pom because I bought fuzzy yarn rather than regular yarn. The fuzz went everywhere once it was cut. So, I had a pre-made pom-pom that I sewed on the bunny instead.

I am definitely going to be making more of these little bunnies and I plan on making a super hero cape for them. Once I figure out the pattern for the cape, I will post it on here.

Christmas Stocking

Some of my friends and I got together and made Christmas Stockings. I used the stocking from Purl Bee for the pattern. I did enlarge it to make a larger stocking and I wanted my seams on the inside, so I accounted for the seam allowance. I used a zig zag stitch to sew on the rick rack and the letters.

My sister helped me figure out how to sew on the cuff as I wanted a folded cuff.

I think it turned out great!

Another "G" Bag - For Gabrielle

Not too long ago, I made our friend Gina a "G" bag (check it out here). I liked it so much, I made one for my little friend Gabrielle's second birthday. This time I added butterfly applique on the back of the bag. And I did remember to use cotton to line it. I made it the exact same size. I added some colouring books, books and crayons inside. I hope she likes it!

Monthly Photo of Shea

Nicole from Making it Lovely had a great idea to take a monthly photo of her daughter Eleanor sitting in her Eames rocking chair and donning a felt pin.

I decided to do a similar idea - minus the Eames rocker and the felt pin. Instead, I decided to make a onesie for each month. I was given a bunch of plain used onesies - so I thought it would be a great to applique them with the month. Now you just have to wait until after Thursday (Shea's official one month birthday) to see what he looks like in it!


Here is the number template that I used to create the applique. To apply the applique to the onesie - I just followed the instructions on the package of fusible webbing that I bought. There are a bunch of tutorials out on the interweb that are all equally good that describes how to applique.

Bag for Kat

I have a little time in between ball games today, so I thought I would share a bag I recently made.

A good friend of mine asked me to make her a bag similar to the pink bag I made for the Book Lovers Craft Swap. We talked a little about what she wanted and I made a new pattern. This bag I made was bigger, had 2 different sized pockets, and a magnetic clasp. I used the MoMo Wonderland Twill fabric - which I LOVED! It was really nice! I wish I would have boughten more of it! Overall, I really liked how this bag turned out.

The inside of the bag - 2 different sized pockets.

This bag turned out to be 18" wide by 14" tall (finished). I used the same tutorials to create this bag as the previous one:
Mama's Pocket Book - Free Tote
Lazy Girl's Instructions on how to do boxed corners

If you are wanting to make yourself a nice bag this summer - I recommend starting with these tutorials. This bag probably took me 2 hours to make. Most of the time was spent on cutting out the material as I used interfacing on all the pieces to ensure the bag kept it shape. I also used fusible fleece to interface the handle - this will make it comfortable on the shoulders.

Tuesday Tutorial - Oven Mitts!

Picture taken from Savy Seams

Okay - let's roll with the apron tutorial and now figure out how to make oven mitts! I found this great tutorial by Savy Seams that has a downloadable pattern and everything. One thing I would add is a loop so the mitts could be hung, which wouldn't be difficult to add.

The one problem is that searching through my fabric, it is mostly pretty girly. Not that it is a bad thing, but I want some nice fabric that is gender neutral and would be a nice addition to someone's kitchen. Any suggestions?

Craft Swap - Pimp Your Office

I recently joined another craft swap and the theme was Pimp Your Office! My office mates and I are currently attempting to decorate our office - so I thought this was quite timely.

Before I show what I received, I thought I would share what I made:

1. Shoe bag - fefff, this was the hardest thing I made because I messed up my measurements and had to insert a panel. I cut 1 square for the bottom of the bag, then one rectangle that would be sewn to the square to complete the bag. Before I sewed the rectangle and square together, I sewed a "tunnel" (sorry - my brain froze, I can't think of the correct description) for the ribbon to pass through to close the shoe bag. Then I just sewed the square and rectangle together the best I could. To finish it off, I threaded ribbon through the "tunnel". I didn't line this bag because it is meant for shoes. The inspiration came from these bags that Smiles of a Summer Night made - big difference between the one I made and hers are the size - I made mine quite large. Oh ya - I used home decor weight fabric that I bought from Ikea - I used this heavy material so I wouldn't have to line it or use interfacing so it would keep it's shape nicely.


2. Magnets - these are super duper easy to make. I bought all the supplies at Michaels - what was needed is glass beads (found in the plant section), decorative paper, glass glue (modge podge works), and magnets. One trick I learned is to glue the glass bead onto the paper BEFORE cutting the paper. It is way easy to cut the paper nicely so it fits the glass bead. Then glue on your magnet!


3. Birdie pencil holder - I found a wooden pencil holder and I actually covered the front with fabric. First step of course is to paint the whole thing white (I did 3 coats of white acrylic paint). Then I covered the pencil hold part with some nice paper. Lastly, I glued on the fabric - I traced the bird outline onto the wrong side of the fabric and then cut it out approximately 2 cm bigger than the outline (this is so it could be glued to the edges). Once the fabric was glued on, I glued on white ribbon around the edges to cover the seams of the fabric. I think it turned out quite nicely.


4. Chalk Board Painted Pots - This was super simple! I painted 3 pots with black board paint (comes in a container or in a spray can - I used the container type because I wanted some texture and didn't want to deal with spraying the pots). I painted 3 coats of the blackboard paint to ensure complete coverage. Once dried, I modge podged some pretty decorative paper around the top. I actually put a coat of the modge podge glue over the paper to ensure that it was water proof. Voila! A pot you could write on!


5. Dreamcatcher - my swap partner had put a dreamcatcher on her wish list, so I thought I would take the opportunity to learn how to make one. There are a lot of great websites out there that provide wonderful instructions! I had no problems making it and I think it turned out quite nicely.


6. Lastly, I gave my craft partner a wall sticker - Obviously I didn't make it! I found a bunch of pretty cool wall stickers at a local store called Paboom.

Wall sticker in my craft partner's office

I will show you what I received back soon!

New Baseball Babes + Tuesday Tutorial - Hooter Hiders

We have a new addition to our baseball team! One of the ladies on our team had a little girl last Saturday. She is so adorable! Mom and babe have been at our last 2 games. Here is a picture of our new little Chronic (our team name) at her second baseball game:

Second game for our newest team member!

Michele and baby hanging out at the baseball diamond.

Mom didn't receive a "hooter hider" at her shower - so I have been searching for tutorials how to make one for her. I found a couple tutorials, but I am pretty sure there are more out there:

Hooter HIder tutorial by Made By the Mama Monster

Hooter hider tutorial by Bliss Tree

Our friend that plays on a different baseball team had a baby shower for his little girl. I whipped up a baby towel for him on Saturday. His team all wears camouflage, so I made a towel in a pink camouflage fabric. It is pretty cute! Sorry for the bad pictures of the towel, I was in a rush to get to the shower! Dad did try the towel on too - so funny!

Auntie Mandy and newest team member of the Bratz crew!

Easy Peasy Swap - Pillow

Photo taken by MelMakesPretty

Thanks to Mel Makes Pretty! She took some photos of the items I made for the easy peasy swap. When I was reading her blog, I noticed we sew similar items - so I wanted to mix it up a little. I decided to make her a pillow (it was on her "like to have" list). I bought the fabric while I was in Calgary and I made my own pattern by using the dimensions of the pillow that I bought a couple years ago. It was pretty simple to make - one thing I would do differently next time is make a pillow insert this way the cover could be put in the washing machine. If anybody wants the dimensions, send me a message and I can post them on here.

I also made Mel a pin cushion like the one I made myself. I didn't fill it so I could save on shipping and included the instructions how to finish it off. The fabric is by MoMo Wonderland. I love this fabric. Unfortunately I have used every single piece of it! So, I may have to go find some more online.

Photo taken by MelMakesPretty

Photos are Back!

Alrighty! I found the camera charger (don't ask where I found it... I feel pretty silly!).

First I want to show off what I received from a swap I participated in. MelMakesPretty sent me this beautiful necklace and bracelet. She is also from Australia, so we swapped chocolates... yummy! I can't wait to try them out. I wasn't able to take photo's of what I made her - but I made her a pillow and a pin cushion, like the one I made myself. Hopefully she will take some photo's that I can post on here.





Here is some of the fabric I bought the other day. Yikes! What am I going to sew with all of it? My favourite is the penguins - I think they rock! So, I am definitely going to make myself something out of that fabric!

Late! Tuesday/Wednesday Tutorial

Okay, I am a little disorganized this week. db is now working in Vancouver 3 days a week for the next couple of months. This means lots of organizing life and other stuff like ball without him. The one thing I have noticed is that I spend about 1/2 my day looking for items I have put down. Usually I would just ask him where I put something and he usually knows. Like my glasses and keys - I swear I am going to put a beeper on them!

One of the things that I have magically hidden somewhere in our abode is my camera charger. I can't seem to find it anywhere. I even called db in Vancouver tonight to ask if he knew where it was - but he didn't. So, that means no pictures of the wonderful crafting I have done lately. Sigh.

I also went fabric shopping today and spent way way way too much money. Yikes! I got some really cute fabric including some of my favourite Arcadia by Sanae! I have no plans for any of this fabric I bought today, but I love it all.

Onto this week's tutorial: APRONS! I found this great site that lists 52 free apron patterns. I haven't gotten through all of them yet, but there are some goodies in there! I am attending a couple of weddings in the fall, so I might make a kitchen basket with a apron, oven mitts, coasters, glass magnets, place mats and some pot holders in it. What do you think? Would you have liked/like to receive this sort a gift at your wedding? I can't decide if it is too old ladyish of a gift. Anyways, check out the 52 aprons and let me know which is your favourite and that you would like to receive as a gift!

Tutorial Tuesday - Baby Dress/Tunic + Catch UP!

First I want to congratulate my baseball team - we won the Union Bay tournament we went to this past weekend! It was a very fun tournament and we had amazing weather for camping. We walked away with $500, but donated $200 to one of the team's efforts to raise money for Breast Cancer. I tried to take some photos, but when I went to use my camera, the battery was dead. Opps - my fault!

Hope everybody checked out Sew Mama Sew blog's May giveaway. Unfortunately it looks like I didn't win anything - oh well! I figure that I am saving all my luck to win a huge lottery so I can retire. Hope some of you out there had better luck than me.

Now that summer has arrived, I found a perfect tutorial to make a little girl dress/tunic. Made by Petchy created a pattern which you can download for free and posted very well written instruction how to make this cute dress. What I really like about this dress is that it could be a shirt also. My plan is to download and print the pattern and try making it a little bigger so it fits a 24 month year old little girl. Of course that is after I finish all the other sewing I have to do.

photo taken by Made by Petchy

You can find the instructions and downloadable pattern by clicking here.

Tutorial Tuesday - Lil' Owls

I am coping Indie Fixx's Tutorial Tuesday from awhile back, but only because it is totally worth spreading it all around!

Alex from MOONSTICHES put together this really well done tutorial, which was inspired from a pattern she found in a book (info on the front page of the tutorial). Since Alex does not share the pattern from the book, you can buy the book (although it’s in Japanese) or come up with your own pattern and use Alex’s tutorial as an inspiration for your own owl. For more inspiration, visit the Owly Love Flickr Pool.

Click here to see the full tutorial that MOONSTITCHES put together to make these cute little owls. I am definitely adding these guys to my "must make" list!

Tutorial - Boxed Corner Bag

For the Book Lovers craft swap that I participated in, I made a reversible box bag. I started with using the instructions from Mamas Pocket Book Blog, but creating my own pattern. My pattern measured 18" (length) x 12" (height) with the small squares 2" x 2". I also used super duper heavy interfacing on BOTH the lining and the front of the bag. I really wanted this bag to keep it's shape. When I got to sewing the corners of this bag - I was confused by the instructions, so I found new instructions for the corners on Lazy Girl's Design Blog.

With these two tutorials, I created exactly the bag I wanted! I am currently creating a new bag using these two tutorials + one other... I will post links & pictures soon!

In other news, db and I are off to Calgary for the next wedding. This will be the second out of five we will be attending this year. db is not really wanting to go; he would rather stay and play baseball, but it is his dad that is getting married so he has no choice :)

I will be back from Calgary next Tuesday with a fun tutorial! Have a great long weekend everybody!

Tuesday Tutorial - Freezer Paper Fun!!

When I was in London, my sister gave me a large roll of freezer paper because I had read various techniques of printing onto fabric using a home computer and printer.



As, I looked into more things to create using freezer paper, I came across this tutorial, which uses bleach to make a white stencil. I always want cool t-shirt, but never find any fun ones. I think this is my next project for myself - but instead of bleaching, I think I will use fabric paints. I am very sure this is not a new idea, but it is new to me and looks fun and easy to do! Think of the fun tea towels you could make... or the baby onesies... oh so many gift options!

There are all sorts of stencil ideas out there - I found this flickr group dedicated to printing with freezer paper stencils onto fabric: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fpstencils/

Also, I wanted to follow up on the pin cushion tutorial I posted a few weeks ago... I finally made mine! It's so pretty! The instructions that Oh Fransson gives are amazing - so easy to follow. And if you do decide to make a pin cushion for yourself, listen to her advice about filling the bean bag - I filled mine too much and had to take it apart and take some of the rice out!

It took me about 2 hours to complete - probably longer than necessary because I was watching movies at the same time :)

Twirl Skirt for Anna

On Tuesday, I posted that I wanted to make a twirl skirt for Anna using this tutorial created by House on Hill Road. Well, it's done! Well, almost done - I still need to fit the elastic around Anna's waist so it fits properly.

The tutorial was easy to follow. I am still a little unsure if the skirt will fit Anna - she is extremely small waisted and following the recommended sizing, it may bunch at the waist a little too much. Next time I make this skirt, I would ensure that the width of the fabric doesn't double the waist size. Anna's waist was 20" around, and the recommended sizing suggested I make the skirt 40" and it just may be too much fabric. But I won't know until she tries it on!

Here is my do to list for the rest of the week:
1. Skirt for Anna - Completed!
2. Towel for Michele - Completed!
3. Bag for Kat - need to buy some more materials
4. Bag for MLF - going to start cutting it out tonight
5. Towel for Johnny - need to buy some more materials
6. Towel for Angela - need to buy some bias binding material

Feff... lots of people are having little ones right now, as you can probably tell by my list. I am working hard to keep up with all the deliveries!

Tutorial Tuesday - Pin Cushion and Organizer by Oh Fransson!

It's time to craft something for myself! When I sew, I can't seem to be organized and there is pins everywhere, I can't find my seem ripper or my scissors and there is little threads everywhere! Searching around the common blogs that I read, I noticed that Oh Fransson has a Pin Cushion and Organizer tutorial (the tutorial is actually on Sew Mama Sew's blog, but can be linked from Oh Fransson also). I am still debating on what fabric I want to use - I did pick up some nice fat quarters recently - I might have to dive into those! Once I am done - I will post pictures!

So, this is my next project! Hopefully this will keep me somewhat organized, so I don't have to spend so much time searching for my scissors and that db can actually enter the sewing/computer room without seeing my huge mess!

Link to Download Oh Fransson's PDF instructions is available at this link: http://www.sewmamasew.com/media/blog/SMSPincushionOrganizer.pdf

Tutorial Tuesday - Passport Cover

Okay, I know I am posting this on Wednesday. Is it Wednesday today? I have been super busy getting ready to attend a wedding on Saturday and getting ready for my trip to London! Only a couple more days before I leave!



In spirit of my trip, I am going to make myself a passport holder. The original tutorial is from bunny bum, but I got the link and idea from scoping out Smiles of a Summer Night's blog.

So check out both those blogs! They are wonderful and have other tutorials! I may not have time to post pictures of my passport holder, but I promise I will when I get back from my trip.

Silly Sewing

Tonight is a good friend of mine's stagette and all the ladies attending were assigned a piece of clothing to bring for the bride to wear. My assigned piece of clothing was the skirt. Yikes... I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. I knew that this skirt would only be worn once, so I wanted to keep my costs as low as possible.

I thought of an idea of a tutu, but when I went and checked out prices... wow... they are expensive. My alternative was to scope out the thrift shop and hopefully something would turn up. I ended up finding a basic stretch skirt (I know it will fit her) and decided to sew some embellishments on to it. This is how it turned out: