Two Left Feet

I tried to be careful and think this one out but somehow I ended up with two left feet. I must not have had my coffee yet. I learn something with every project and have just come to expect...complications.
Happily everything worked out. These little shoes and kimono are on their way to Phoenix to welcome a friend's new baby boy. I added a few inches to the kimono pattern so he could wear it in 6 months. I doubt he is wearing much but a diaper this summer.

Doll Clothes

I have been filling a lot of custom orders for doll clothes lately. My girls draw out what they want and I try my best to match their design. The only problem is they draw much much faster than I sew.
As I was about to start my second pair of shoes for the day I decided that it was time my seven year old got a sewing lesson. I cut out the pieces and handed her a needle and thread. Besides tying the knots (and bows) she made these pink shoes all on her own. I think she did a fantastic job. She has great pride in what she made and now realizes that a lot of work goes into one little pair of shoes.

I made these while she was working on hers.

And now I have 4 happy girls.

Kimonos

I love these little kimonos from Weekend Sewing. I've been looking for items to sew for baby gifts and I think I've found the answer.

Not only are they too cute for words but they also have a special place in my heart as a mom of a preemie. When my little Ava was born 3 months early no clothes would fit her tiny 1 lb 14 oz body. The hospital gives all the babies little Kimonos because they are easy to get on and off around all the wires and tubes. Everything she wore for the first few months of her life was handmade. All of these donated by kindhearted strangers. We still have a few that Ava uses as doll clothes. Read more about that here. Now I get to make little Kimonos for other babies.

On a side note, here is another project I made with the same fabric. It is a belt for my niece's birthday. I found the tutorial here.

Ode to Dorothy

The video (yes, video) of The Wizard of Oz has gotten a lot of play at our house recently. Most of the time it is followed by playing with a chalk drawn yellow brick road or flying monkeys. The other day costumes were created from the dress-up box. A Cinderella dress turned inside out, a bumblebee tutu and a few accessories, ta da, Dorothy and the Lion. I love their creativity.

That white blur is one of our oversize Toto's. Please ignore.

I was also requested to make some ruby slippers for Love, now called Dorothy. I felt a blue dress was in order too so here is my twist on the famous blue and white outfit. It is a little hard to see in this picture, but I have more pictures with doll clothes on the way.

A Lion and a Ham

Whenever I download pictures there is always one of these... or these...

or something like this.

Ava, on the other, has a lot of pictures like this.

Poor Ava.

There. That's better.

Why is she dressed like a lion you ask. Well that's a story for another day.

Father's Day Camping Trip

What's a better way to celebrate Father's Day than a family camping trip?


Here are a few of the highlights.

Mountain biking.

Building.

Drawing.

Reading.

Roasting marshmallows.

Napping.

Happy Fathers Day. We love you dad.

Sewing Shirts Like Crazy

I have a confession, when I find something I like I can become a little obsessed. Right now it's making shirts (and listening to Blind Melon, The Cure, The Samples, Sum41, Dashboard Confessional and Weezer). I started with a skirt here and a shirt there and now I can't stop.

This one is The Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing. It is so comfortable but a little boxy for my figure. I decided to do a little research (browsing Anthropologie) and headed to the fabric store. The patterns happened to be $1.99 that day so I grabbed a few... okay seven and a stack of new fabric. I'm averaging about two new shirts a day so I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. Here is what I've made so far.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I'm happy yesterday is over. It started off okay, but then went quickly down hill.



Here was the good part. My Weekend Sewing Trapeze Dress altered into a custom halter shirt. I made it short to begin with because I really need more shirts than dresses but had to make some changes with the straps because of some size issues. Somehow my straps didn't match up and the I had and extra few inches on both sides. This is what I ended up with. I think I could still take it in a few inches at the sides, but its done and I'm happy about that.



The bad news was that while in the middle of this frustrating project I got a call that my parents dog died. We got Sam when I was about 16, 18 years ago, so it was not a complete shock but still news like makes a bad day a really bad day.



A while later I was looking forward to a sewing break and some comfort food but this is what I found in my bread machine. An ugly mess. It was suppose to be zucchini bread with chocolate chips and walnuts. I only have to push two buttons, what is there to mess up? It turns out I hit the dough setting instead of the quick bread. I was tempted to start over and make another batch but I was out of eggs.

Domestic Bliss

For the past few days I feel like I've been living as a 50's housewife.

First of all, I can't bake enough bread. Everyday I've made fresh bagels or a loaf of French bread. Sometimes both. Not by hand but with my new (used) bread machine. It is very simple and the smell just makes me so so happy. Toasted with jam and I'm in heaven.

Luckily the loafs are small and there are other people around who will help me eat them. I'm already thinking about these sandwiches for lunch.

While I'm waiting for the bread to bake I've been sewing up a storm. Seriously, sewing like crazy. The other morning I pulled out my pile of items waiting to be finished. In a matter of hours I made:

4 bean bags

2 zippered pouches

2 pairs of flannel pajama pants

and hemmed 2 skirts

I would have kept going but the girls needed to eat breakfast.

Then I was feeling so accomplished that I felt the need to fill the empty space on the shelf with some new fabric. Someday I'll get around to taking a picture of the fun new stash but in the meantime here is what I've made so far.

A sheer blouse. It is a little too long for me and I need to re due the sleeves but I love the color combination of the grey dots and lavender trim.

A sweet detail. It needs a little cleaning up but not bad for a first try.

I also made this (in about 45 minutes). I love everything about this dress. It is made from one cut of fabric, extremely light weight, comfortable and the fabric and trim cost me less than $4.00. I immediately made another one in black. The black does not have as much drape and needs a little tailoring. I'll take a picture after I pull it out of my to finish pile.

So, other people might spend their summer vacation at the pool. I bake and sew.

Summer Skirt

One of my friends from work came over to sew yesterday. Sort of a sewing play date if you will. I love it that I know others on the same schedule as me and we can meet for lunch and sew on a Wednesday. I passed up the stacks and stacks of unfinished projects (post to come) so I could make this skirt. I thought about making the yard sale wrap skirt from Weekend Sewing but then I remembered my mom had passed on a similar pattern of a skirt she use to make, lets just say awhile ago.

When comparing the patterns, this one by Simplicity required far less sewing and looks practically identical. It is made from one large pieces with a few extra strips used for the ties. So simple, so easy and yes, I will make more.

Cooking, Pioneer Woman Style

While I've been working on items to add to my Etsy shop I've also been dreaming about this salad from Pioneer Woman's Recipes. Although I could have fed the block I'm so glad I tried it. I will definitely make this again except maybe reduce the ingredients by 2/3. Last night I made her baked lemon pasta, so yummy. Her peach desert is up next. I think I printed about 10 of her recipes. It is a little ironic though because she is no longer a vegetarian and today I've been off meat for 2 months. I might not be digging into her juicy burgers but the onion rings, oh yeah!

Etsy Shop is Open Again

I received an e-mail saying that the craft book I was asked to be in went to print last week and my copy of My Crafts with My Kids is on its way from China. I almost forgot that this was in the works. I can't say I really thought it would ever happen. Who knows if anyone will ever see it, but I still think its pretty cool.

Here is a picture they used on one of my 6 pages. My submission was sent in just as my Etsy shop was getting busy. I wrote about My Kangaroo several times. Therefore, I decided to relist some of the items I still have in my closet and get serious about starting some of the new projects I've been thinking about.

So, as of today I have one listing in my shop and will be connecting with Etsy on a daily basis once again. Wish me luck.

Old to New - Part Three

Yesterday an old shirt became a new pouch. I just started cutting and this is one of the items I came up with (more to come). Wouldn't this make a great gift for a little boy. I like that it is a masculine bag plus they can practice the fine motor skill of buttoning.

Old to New - Part Two

One dress with stains became a new favorite skirt today. Scissors + sewing + elastic = a happy kid in a blue skirt.

And that makes mom happy too.

Old to New - Part One

I plan to do a lot of craft projects this summer but don't want to have to go buy something every time I feel inspired. Yesterday I was flipping through the June Anthropologie catalog and was in the mood for something long and dangly around my neck. I sorted through some necklaces that belonged to by grandmother. Although I love both of these pieces I was looking for something a little more modern.

I decided to remove the pendant from the chain and add one of the shells. I think it is simple and fresh and makes me fell like I stepped off the beach.

I have kept the other parts of course but I think this combo will get more wear.

The Sandbox

The girls and I arrived home about 8:30 p.m., tired from a long day. We were greeted to hugs and a big surprise. While we were gone Jeff built a sandbox in the front patio. Although it was late Ava and Erin dove right in and played. They were so excited.

It is the first thing they want to do when they wake up in the morning. It is hard to get them to stop playing long enough to eat breakfast. In addition to the sandbox Jeff also hung misters, planted me some flowers and added a few plants to our garden. I love that this is what my husband choose to do when given a weekend alone. What a great guy.

What a fun summer we have ahead of us.