Elephant, circa 1976

My MIL gave me this old toy pattern and I immediately recognized it because we had the dog and kangaroo when I was a kid. I made the elephant tonight.





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Pink Inked Bag

I had more of this great fabric left so I made another bag with it.. for sale at Blackbird Pie. I also have some of the same fabric in multicolour but haven't decided what to do with it yet.







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A few goodies

A bib and 2 hair elastics (the beaded fabric flowers) and an Anpanman sunhat and onesie. The sunhat material and patch for the onesie are from my brother and sister-in-law's trip to Japan.



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Superkid

I made this for a little girl who is into superheroes. I tried to make the t-shirt look deconstructed and stylish but it came off pretty homemade-y ;) I used acrylic paint mixed with textile medium to put a line of messy number 4s stamped down one-side of the shirt, then set it with the iron. I carved the stamp out of a potato. Good thing she is just turning 4 and not 14. There is a matching wristcuff and headband around the top of the hanger. The shiny material is cool but tricky to sew.







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Banner Tutorial

Stitch. Rip. Repeat has a banner tutoral on her site: Sew a festive banner. I have been meaning to make a Happy Birthday banner for parties.



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Sunhats

I have wanted to try sewing sunhats for a long time and finally gave it a go with Kwik Sew 3309. I am charmed with the results and by how easy they were to sew. I have some ideas I would now like to try with the concept. The one on the right is size 12-18 months and the left one is 3-6 months, both made with cotton and interfacing.



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This Week's Work

A couple bibs and placemats:





A pencil crayon roll. I love the ribbon used for the tie, it is marked like a measuring tape.



and another cross stitch for my friend, this one is based on a Subversive Stitching pattern.



Any suggestions what to do with this old piece of embroidery I found? I really like it, but am not sure what to make with it. The stitching is about about 6"x 6" and it was made from a vintage pattern.



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Tidbits from the Weekend

I finished the embroidery piece I was working on and sewed it into a bib, along with 2 other bibs:



I also did a tiny cross stitch for a friend, this is just 1" x 1.25".



I was sorting through some old craft materials given to me by my MIL and her mother, and found these sweet embroidery patterns. I can't wait to use them, maybe on a clothespin apron. I love using my clothesline now that the weather is warmer. I do think though that you must get more sentimental when you get older because 10-15 years ago I'd probably rather wade in pirahna-infested water than wear embroidered kittens on anything.





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Picnic Placemat Roll

We go on lots of picnics in the summer but I am always a bit skeeved by the picnic tables which have had who knows what on them (squirrels, people's bums, old food) so I sewed this placemat roll today during naptime. I can throw it in the wash when I get home if it gets dirty and it's more environmentally friendly than paper napkins (I am going to sew a cloth napkin to tuck in there too). K, you can stop teasing me about wanting to bring my tablecloth because now I have these!





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Update- These are so easy to make and will be so useful! I made another for me tonight and I used a stitch I hadn't tried before on my machine to finish the edges. I will be taking these camping, they can be wiped with a damp cloth and hung to dry. If you fold the top half over the silverware they fold up quite tidily.

A Bag Only a Parent would Need

I wanted something washable I could bring with me when we are out and about, so I whipped this together during naptime today. I was going to use some embroidered courduroy, then I was going to use rainbow ribbing to match the red courduroy but both times I remembered that DH said if he is carrying a bag remotely feminine people look at him like he might have stolen it.





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17 Bags Plus One

I just finished this big order for 17 tote bags. They are unlined and have a pocket with a badge on the front.



A summer bag. I couldn't resist the prints at the fabric store. I did something new and used wide ribbon for the handles, doubling it and sewing seams on each edge with a pretty stitch.





My newest addition in my quest for an organized sewing room.



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Pencil Crayon Roll

Well, this seems pretty dorky compared to the hobbit house below, but I think my kiddo will dig it. And it's something you can make with fat quarters of fabric if you don't quilt.





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Skirt and Backpack

Well, I certainly have been getting my money's worth with that backpack pattern! These two items were made for a charity fundraiser, I will post more about that later.





Now, the pattern for the skirt (it's size 4) reads for the waistline "add one inch to waist measurements" so I had to guess what size a 4 year old's waist would be. The last time I guessed measurements I made a skirt for B's 3 year old that was big on her 6 year old. I hope it fits okay.

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Embroidered Bibs

Two bibs with vintage embroidery patterns.





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Let's not forget the accessories

a matching diaper case to hold a little wipes container and a couple of diapers. Pattern can be found on Jan Andrea's baby-related craft site.



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I know this will be a big suprise

I have made more bags.

A commissioned messenger-style diaper bag. The messenger flap is a cool taffeta with flocked printed flowers, the bag body is corduroy with embossed flowers and it has a checkered lining that made my eyes slightly cross when trying to cut and measure it. It has a couple of bottle pockets on the sides.





and a Thomas toddler backpack, made for a swap.



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Little Bird in Nest

A little toy I made for my son. I really wanted to go out and buy new fabrics and make a black and white nest with a red bird but I refrained and used scraps.



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Inked Bag

A bag I made for my friend K's birthday.





I used a webbing strap I scavenged from a bag my husband was going to throw out but made the newbie mistake of trying to iron out a wrinkle in it and melted a small part of it. I really like the webbing though, it adjusts easier than the fabric straps and it much easier than sewing a strap myself.

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Headband & babooshka (sp?) lol

I fixed the tension on my sewing maching today and gave it a good greasin'. I spun off a headband for me ( oh lordy check out my bed head) and a babooshka (sp?) for Karlynn...I love the word babooshka...just wish I knew how to spell it! m

Clutter Catcher

I sewed this over the weekend for the car. I still hate bias tape, but pockets for diapers, pockets for granola bars- be still my organizer-loving heart!



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