Monday, December 20, 2010

To Busy Sewing For Any Blogging


I'm so close to being done with all three of the boys' quilts! All 60 squares are finished and now being sewn together. Now for pretty hand quilting. Not sure how long this is going to take me, but I'm assuming I'll have time for that and about 10 more presents to start and finish in the next 2 1/2 weeks :o) I'm feeling like I'm cutting it a bit closer than I'd like, but I always seem to work it out when there's a deadline. 
I will have a TON of pictures to post after Christmas! (Sorry Aunt Sheryl, I know you're waiting :o) )

OOOPS, never got that posted. I did say I was too busy sewing, didn't I? Well, now only a few more days to go and I'm really cutting it close!!! We'll have to wait and see what happens... :o)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

A Comfy Time Of The Month


I made these a few weekends ago for my sister in law who just had surgery and needed something a bit more comfortable than the normal (or not so normal) papery/plasticy pads. I was happy to do what I could to make her feel a little better! I have thought about making some for myself in the past, but seeing as how I haven't had a regular period in 5 1/2 years (I've been pregnant or nursing and then pregnant with no period in between :o)), I haven't really seen the point. The reasons for choosing cloth pads over disposable pads are the same reasons for choosing cloth diapers. You can see my post on that HERE. After making these and feeling how soft they are makes me think that maybe I should have some of my own, even if I don't need them very much, so when I do it will be a much nicer time of the month :o).
The pattern I used as a guide was in this very fun book that I always drool over at the library.  I should have known if anyone would have had it it would be my sister in law, and she did :o). I should have asked a long time ago!!!


So the finished product is 10 inches long and 6 inches wide from wing to wing.
I used old t-shirts and made 3 different thicknesses (obviously for light, regular and heavy days). The light had the 2 outside layers with wings and 4 layers inside without wings to cut down on the bulkiness, for a total of 6 layers. That sounds like more than it really is since I used very thin shirts. If you were using a flannel like I do with my diapers I would cut back on the layers by a few on each. The regular were a total of 8 layers and the heavy were a total of 12. Even the 12 layers didn't feel that bulky. 
The book had great directions on washing.  It's really no big deal if you use cloth diapers already. You just put them in your diaper pail.
For the pattern I just measured 6 x 10 on a piece of paper and tried to get the shape close to what it looked like in the book instead of scanning it and having to enlarge it by whatever percent. That would take way too much time for me!! :o)
So this is what I came up with.


And this is what I finished with!
I was out of snaps, so I used velcro. I was told that when moving a lot it can scratch a bit, but then I remembered that they did say if using velcro to round the corners and maybe that would fix the problem. Or a button and button hole would work if you don't have a snap press.


I found that it worked much better sewing through the thick layers of knit fabric to set the pressure on the presser foot to the lowest and the stitch length to a 4.0 for most of it. And of course I used my ball point needle.
I think after I finish ALL my Christmas sewing I'll have to make some for myself.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Branching Out With Knits


I haven't worked much with knits until the last month or so (mostly because I had heard it was hard), but after seeing so much of what other people are doing lately, like at MADE and No Big Dill (two of my favorite blogs!) and many others, I got myself a ball point needle and just started. It really isn't hard at all, and knowing how to adjust your machine a little (like change the pressure on your presser foot) makes a big difference with really stretchy knits!
I LOVE the big butt baby pants that RAE makes so I thought I would try to make a version of my own.


That went so well I tried a shirt.
Got the general size from a shirt that fit well and made up the rest :o)


And another :o)
The car one came straight out of a cold dryer so it was a bit wrinkled for the picture.
Previously known as a friend's tank top and short-sleeve shirt. I love getting bags of goodies from other people!


After the shirts, I realized Caleb didn't have any jeans. So a quick dig through my old jeans stash and about 20 minutes later we have a whole new outfit. I've noticed the boys have a lot of separates and few complete outfits, so I need to start making things to bring together what they have - not just add to the volume of their drawers. 
I tried forever to get a cute picture of Caleb, but decided he was way to fast for me!


See :o)


And off he goes.


I made this shirt for my nephew's 6th Birthday. 


Obviously it was a pirate party they were having :o)
I wanted to do something pirate without being covered in skulls and crossbones. It's sometimes hard to find nicer-looking pirate stuff!
I used an old shirt of Samuel's as a pattern, and the back half of a black XL t-shirt and a few other scraps I had saved for the applique. 
I looked online for ideas, but ended up just making up my own thing.


I was able to use the band from the old collar as the new collar. I just folded it under like bias tape so it is about half as big as it was but that's perfect going on a smaller shirt. I think it looks pretty good!! Like my 3sillymonkees tag??? I do!!! I'm trying to perfect it before I do a post on it, so maybe soon :o)



 It's been good for me to just jump into this knit thing and see that it's really not too scary! I feel way more confident and am ready to try all sorts of things with knits now!

Friday, October 29, 2010

The Unexpected Remodel


Check out the fun at my parents' house!!!


The remodel was planned, it was the timing that was a bit unexpected.
I'm sure it will only take 2 weeks :o)
(anyone other than my family watch the money pit on a regular basis?)


This is pretty much how our house looked all the time growing up. It explains why when I smell paint or sawdust my first thought is home :o) 
There were always lots of friends and family helping (usually in the wee hours). Everyone worked, no matter how old (or should I say young). There was always something that you could do even if you could only carry 3 shingles up the ladder at a time :o) That was me when I was 9 years old. We thought it was fun most of the time!


I love all those familiar sights and sounds!


I should have pictures of  the finished product to share very soon. Have fun Mom and Dad!!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

More For Me



I know I should be working on the boys' quilts, but I guess I get distracted easily :o) !!!!
I had a fun week sewing for only me, but then I felt kinda bad and am trying to make up for it by doing extra squares this week :o) That evens out right?
 I got this pattern from a friend's Grandma a long time ago (maybe 5 years or so) and always liked it but never really thought seriously about making it until last week.  I saw this fabric for $1.50 a yard, and for some reason immediately thought of this pattern. I figured I could make it work with 2 yards, and if it didn't turn out that great it was only $3 down the drain. So at my first available nap time I started cutting out the pieces. I thought I would just get that part out of the way that day and sew the next, but it went so fast that by the time everyone was up 2 hours later I was almost done! The next day all I had left to do was the tie, hem and the sort-of sleeve.


 I Love it!!! And really love it for $3! And I'll take many more like that :o) And, thanks so much to my friend Sarah, I have these pretty pictures to share.




 I love that the dress can be more dressed up or dressed down with different shoes, and it can fit you through many shapes and sizes, because it's made to just pull over your head, and you use the tie to make it as tight or loose in the right place for you as you want to. And that's great for me because I'm always changing between just pregnant or just had a baby, and sometimes I'm even at my normal size :o).  I was going to make the neckline a bit higher, but then that problem with most dresses (no nursing) is there again, so I thought I'd just leave it low enough to be accessible and wear a tank or something under it.  But then I saw somewhere how to make a little crocheted chain with your thread (using a regular needle, not a crochet hook) to make a button loop. It was so easy and delicate and I think just adds a little something extra.



I plan on making some variations of this into tunic-type shirts for this fall/winter, and maybe one (or two) more  next spring :o).  Things to look forward to...  So this is done and I still have 2 other pieces of fabric burning a hole in something (my sewing machine I guess) :o).  A green dress is coming next...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Making Progress


3 more down.
:o)


51 to go :o(

Saturday, September 18, 2010

New Fun



6 1/2  yards for $11.
I'm ready for some fun!!!
I have sooo many ideas!!! Now just to find the time :o)

Friday, September 17, 2010

Back From The Beach And Here I Go



We are just settling in from a wonderful vacation at Edisto Beach! My whole family gets a house together every year for a whole WEEK! This year we had 18 people! It's always a crowd anytime my family does anything, but that's the fun of it (most of the time) :o) 

This was Josiah's permanent look the whole week. He wasn't a big fan of the wind :o)
He was a really good sport though, and did start having (more) fun the last day or so.





I love how Samuel does his best to get into every picture possible.



This was about the fourth day and Josiah would play just as far as he could reach :o)



This is a very typical first-thing-in-the-morning picture of Caleb going potty :o)



Dad and Pasha working on one of the puzzles that were completed that week.



and Samuel having some iPhone time.



The only sewing project I made any progress on was reading half of The Idiot's Guide To Sewing. I've had it for about a year but never really spent much time going through the whole thing. It is a very informative book, and I would say it's definitely worth the time it takes reading it!
Everyone had a great time relaxing and just being together without having anything to do but just that.

So now vacation is over and I know I HAVE to start seriously working on the boys' quilts or they will never be ready in time. I tried a few different ways to applique the pieces on, but settled for a machine zig-zag stitch to get the job done in the shortest amount of time. I really like the look of hand-stitching the pieces in place, but after 5 pieces and about 2 hours I decided to try another way. I still like the look of doing it by hand better, but I'm happy with the zig-zag (and it will save me so much time!) So far I have 3 tractors


 and 3 taxi's finished,


 and it took me 3 days, so I'm feeling better about my time. And I have some ideas for everyone else's Christmas presents that are fun but should be pretty quick projects. So 3 1/2 months and counting... that's just CRAZY!!!!  Its going to come sooo fast and right after Christmas Caleb turns 1. I was just telling a friend that I'm going to go ahead and start crying about that now because it's going by way too fast!!!  I love seeing my boys grow and do new things, but I wish they would stay little just a little bit longer :o(

P.S. Caleb said momma this week :o) Some things about them getting bigger are good!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Maybe?



If I start now and don't stop for even a minute until Christmas maybe I'll finish 3 of these in time :o)
Think I can do it??? I'm sure gonna try!
This was a pattern that my mom got sometime in the 80's, but she was busy homeschooling and never got around to making this for my brothers, so she gave it to me a while back when she was cleaning out some stuff and I stuck it back for sometime later. I have thought about it from time to time, but it was never in front of me, so it was always just a thought until I did my organizing last week and decided now is the time if I ever want to get it done. I also thought that I'd better do it now before we have another boy and then I'll have to make 4 :o)
I'm not pregnant by the way, but I guess I just assume that we'll have boys for a while. I could be wrong and I already told Tim that the day we have a girl I need more money and a sewing room because I plan on sewing all day from that point on!!!! Sewing boy stuff is fun, but I'm sure it will be nothing compared to all the lace and frills that I have waiting on me!
Anyway, I just figure we'll never have less than the 3 boys we have now, so I should hurry up and do this before I have less time.

I need 60 12x13 inch squares of muslin for all 3 quilts (20 per quilt), and after Tim helped me with my math we came up with 7 yards at 45 inches wide. That gave a little room for it to shrink in the wash before cutting and it was perfect! Good thing I was very careful cutting, because there was no extra.
I had seen the muslin for $1.99 a yard, so I was planning on $15. But it was on sale so it was about $9 :o)


I can't wait to get started on these!



I love  the tractor and think all the hand quilting will give such a nice touch!


Because I had already planned on $15 I thought it was only right for me to have a quick look around ( because Tim was with the boys waiting on me in the car) and I saw a .50 cents a yard table with this pretty yellow flower gauze. So I couldn't help but get 6 yards when it only cost $3 right? I'm thinking summer jammies shorts shirt robe maybe pants too or use whatever's left and make my own piping for pillows in my room :o)


I can't remember the last time (if ever) that I got 6 yards of something. It's usually just a yard here and there and I put stuff together at some point, so this is quite the occasion! And I got some interfacing, and my total was still only $14!

Friday, August 20, 2010

This Makes Me Sooo Happy


I spent a whole day last week organizing ALL my fabric and sewing supplies. It took a very long time, but it is well worth it to be able to see and get to what I need while sewing! 
This little cabinet has all my bigger pieces - most being 1/2-2 or maybe 3 yards. I also have a HUGE dresser that has more scrap pieces and clothes that need mending or are waiting to be turned into something new.
And also a basket that is under my sewing machine that has things that I'm suppose to be working on next, but I usually end up finding something new and more exciting that gets my attention instead :o)


I'm very proud of my laundered, mostly ironed, and neatly folded stacks of endless sewing!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I Love New Clothes!



So, I said that I was already planning my second dress from the pattern I used for my navy blue dress, but before I could find all the right pieces of the pattern that would be needed (because I never just set stuff wherever and think I'll be able to find it again later) I came across this shirt that has been waiting for a new button for about 2 years now
See the missing button right in the middle?


And I thought instead of a new button I could attach a skirt and have a new dress!
 I used the skirt part of the same pattern but left out the pockets, because I only had about a 1/2 yard to work with and it was just enough.
It was a fast project, and because I already have a slip from my navy dress there was no lining needed. One afternoon sewing and I have a new dress to wear. I only wish I would have made it at the beginning of the summer so I'd have more chances to wear it before fall gets here.
I found this bit of fabric on a remnant table for $1.50, and the zipper was ripped out of a skirt that was headed to goodwill so this was basically FREE!!! I LOVE that :o)
I tried to tell Tim (again) that I needed new shoes, but it didn't work this time :o(
It was worth a try anyway.
If you look real close you can see that the little beads are roses. They were my Grandma's. I always loved playing with them when I was a little girl. They're kind of funny little beads but very special to me! I'm so glad I have some of her things to remember her by, and things that maybe one day my little girl can play with too.



A dress is sooo much better than just a shirt!
I think I need more!
Maybe the shoe thing will work next time :o)

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Reupholstering Help

 I've been thinking about recovering a chair of mind for the last 10 years now. WOW, I'm not even old enough to be talking about something from 10 years ago! Anyway, I guess I am and THIS is so helpful for those of us who don't have any clue what we're really doing :o) Check it out if you're unsure how many yards of fabric you'll need for different pieces of furniture.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

My New Friend


As you saw in the last post, I did get around to making a dress form a few weekends ago. It was so nice to have while working on my dress! 
I told Tim that I should name her, but he thought that was weird. I still think she needs a name though. So does anyone have ideas? Maybe Molly the Mannequin.


I looked at a lot of tutorials and videos on youtube to see how to make one and  THIS and THIS were very helpful! It was a humorous process, but the end result gave me something very useful!
I did NOT take pictures of myself being wrapped up in duct tape. Sorry.
 Most tutorials I saw said to do 3 layers of duct tape. We only did 2, but I had some kind of extra heavy duty tape, so it worked well. Then I got some much thinner, regular duct tape, and added after it was on the stand to smooth out the look a little more.
You can see how thick and stiff the first kind was here.


Here I used long strips from top to bottom and just made a little snip wherever needed to go around curves. it  gave a much nicer look! As nice as you can get duct tape to look anyway :0)


This is what my sewing corner usually looks like. Mess all around, Caleb's blanket and toys on the floor right beside me, and me usually looking out the window watching Samuel and Josiah digging in their new sand box.


One day I'll have a room all to myself, full of fabric and endless things to work on. But for now this is what I've got, and it works just fine. Funny how any other mess around the house drives me completely crazy!!! But my mess...not so much :o)

P.S. Thanks mom for the lamp stand!!!