Monday, December 26, 2011

Five Little Christmas Dresses--#1

I now have 5 little granddaughters to sew for.  Hooray!!  Of course, they all got a new dress for Christmas! Here's Macy's little jumper.   I used  Simplicity Pattern # 2292 and just add a few gathers across the top.  It is made from a soft brown corduroy.  Love, love, love ruffles on little girls!  Simplicity featured my project on their facebook page!  Here's the link if you want to have a look http://www.facebook.com/simplicitypatterns

Monday, December 5, 2011

Fitted Car Seat Canopy

It is cold and windy here in Kansas so our newest little granddaughter really needed something to keep her warm and cozy in her car seat.  Here's what I came up with:




This was made by trial and error!  Next time we have a grandchild, I promise to make another one and write up a tutorial--it could be awhile!!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Adorable Anna and her matching doll

Our beautiful Anna had a birthday last week!  I made her a birthday dress of course, and then thought that her birthday dolly should have one, too!  Here they are:



I used soft pinwale corduroy with pink cotton trim.  Anna's dress started with  Simplicity pattern # 1949. I just added the little pink ruffles and fabric trim on the sleeves.  Dolly's dress was Simplicity pattern # 2296  with the same changes.   What fun!!

Photo by Amy Armstrong
I think dolly's dress might be a little big, but Anna is SO CUTE!!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Wrap Dress

Slowly but surely I am working my way through a stack of fabric earmarked for my wardrobe.  I love sewing my own clothes, but have a hard time finding the time.  Generally I start something for myself and work on it a few minutes here and there until finished.  That can take a long time!!  Yesterday I finished this cute wrap dress:



I love wrap dresses (and they are flattering on almost everyone) so if you're in the market for a new dress you might want to give this pattern a try.  I used  McCalls pattern # 6024 minus all ruffles and I think it turned out great!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Fortune Cookies

I made these cute little fabric fortune cookies for a lesson today.   I can't take credit for the idea or instructions so go here to learn all about it!!


Monday, October 31, 2011

Cheer for Halloween!

I just had a trick or treat visit from the cutest little cheerleader ever!


Macy and her mom make a great cheerleader squad!


I used Simplicity # 3689 as a starting point for Mom's costume. I simplified it by eliminating the cutout on the skirt and adding an elastic waist.  I'm pretty strict about sewing correctly, but when sewing costumes I almost always take shortcuts!

I designed Macy's costume to look like Mom's.  






Simplicity.com - Sewing Patterns

Friday, October 28, 2011

Bloggers Quilt Festival

It's that time again!





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This is a quilt I made some time ago.  Now that I 'm looking at it again, I want to make another log cabin.  I love them!

See you over at the festival!!     

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Our Newest Granddaughter Has Arrived!

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We have a new granddaughter!  Here's her quilt:


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Nothing New Here!

Nothing but homecoming at my house, but Jill over at Creating My Way to Success is doing a feature on me.  I know she would love to have you stop by for a visit!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A Little Bit of Fun and a Lot of Homecoming Dresses


Here's the rundown on all of my current projects:

Lots and lots of Homecoming Dresses


and some hemming of Rick's pants (1 down and four to go);





a few more squares on the cathedral window quilt;



Eric and Holly's quilt;




a little bit more on the guest-room quilt;


a baby quilt;


AND, a little work on a dress for myself.  I sometimes wish I could concentrate on just one project at a time!  





Saturday, September 3, 2011

Birthday Outfit for Lucy

Pin ItHere's Lucy's birthday outfit!


The skirt is just a simple ruffled skirt with a wide elastic band and belt loops.  The skirt is made from Kona Cotton and is very full.



The Belt is adjustable with two different fabrics for contrast.   








The top is  Simplicity #5695.  I love this super easy dress pattern so I just shortened it to make a cute blouse.  Last but not least, here's my free pattern for the purse.








Saturday, August 27, 2011

Quiet Book for Lucy

Here's the quiet book I made for Lucy's birthday.  I hope she likes it!


It is in a zippered case that opens flat.  I put a pocket on the outside to hold extra pencils or whatever she else she wants to take with her.

Page 1:  I made this by using transfer paper--super easy



Page 2:  A pocket with a magnetic snap.  It holds a notebook, stickers, and colored pencils 




Page 3:  A clock with stick on felt numbers and letters.  The hands are heavy felt.



Page 4:  Yarn hair and a pocket for clips etc.


Page  5 and 6:  Clothes and doll  (This was by far the most fun)!  Doll has a velcro slip and clothes a velcro back.




Page 7:  Zippers





Page 8:  Shoes to tie





Page 9 and 10:  Road with cars



Page 11:  Buckle Seat Belt



Page 12:  Flower matching


Page 13:  Noah's Ark with a pocket to hold a little book and some animal cards in pairs.   






Page 14:  A little book of Sunday pictures  ( a photo album sewn right onto the page.





The End

Monday, August 22, 2011

Replacing A Coat Lining



I'm guessing most of us have had a beautiful coat with a tattered lining. Instead of buying a new coat (or always trying to hide the lining) replace it!  Replacing a lining is time consuming so don't expect to have someone else do it if you're on a budget.  But, if you have some basic sewing skills, it's pretty easy.


Here's how it's done.


1)  Carefully remove the old lining.  It will probably be shredded in places, but try to keep it intact as much as possible.



This is the original lining

2)  Pay close attention to how the lining was put together and attached to the outer garment.  If it helps, notch pieces before taking them apart like this:


I also notch the shoulder seam on the sleeve and anything else that needs to match.

3)  Press all the pieces, lay them out on the new lining fabric and cut out the new lining.



4)  Now sew it all together and into the garment.

Here's the finished product:




Finally, don't skimp on lining quality.  Buy the best you can afford and make sure that for a winter coat you buy a coat lining.  If you can't find good lining in a local store, there are several plaes that you can order from online.  Unfortunately, colors are often limited.  I bought this black lining at Joann Fabrics and it is very nice.  I also recently bought some light grey lining from Sew True.

Have Fun!










Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sewing for myself

It is not often that I can squeeze in some sewing for myself.   I have a stack of fabric and lots of plans, but most of my sewing is the kind that pays the bills!  This week I managed a few minutes here and there and made this:



I've had this red crepe in my closet for years and finally put it to good use.  I used Simplicity pattern # 4047.  I changed the neckline just a bit and hemmed rather than faced the sleeve.   Pretty easy!