Made by Me. Shared with you.

Four Months

2012-02-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Miles recently hit his four month mark. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. He's such a sweet baby. We had his four month check up the other day, and he's growing like a weed. He's weighing in at 19 1/2 lbs, and is 27.5" tall. He can barely squeeze into his 9 month clothes, and our stash of 12 month clothing is comprised of mostly warm weather clothing. I guess that it's time for me to start sewing for him. Anyone interested in baby boy clothing tutorials and projects?

Sweet Pea Leggings: Tutorial and Pattern

2012-01-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing the bottom half of my Sweet Pea outfit. I shared the dress yesterday. The dress is 6-12 months, but the leggings are a bit more size specific. This pattern is 6-9 months. Length could easily be added at the bottom hem

If you are trying to squeeze in some chubby little thighs, you'll want to make sure that your knit fabric has a good stretch to it. Joann's has a rayon/spandex blend knit that has great vertical and horizontal stretch.

Materials:

Sweet Pea Legging Pattern
Knit fabric
17 1/2" elastic 3/4" wide
(2) 1 1/2" pieces of elastic 1/4" wide
12" ribbon 3/8" wide
sewing machine
coordinating thread
serger (optional)
safety pin
fray check or fray block
ruler
washable/removable fabric marking pencil, chalk, or marker

Print off Sweet Pea Legging Pattern, cut around rectangular border. Match up pattern lines, and tape together. Cut around legging pattern piece. Cut two legging patterns on fold-the direction of greatest stretch should run perpendicular to the length of the legging. If you don't have a serger available, you may want to add an extra inch of fabric to the bottom of the leg hem for hemming, another option is to use an old t-shirt and use the existing hem of the shirt as the legging hem.

If you are using a serger, you will want to create a narrow rolled hem along the bottom of the legging. If not, create a small hem at the bottom of your legging. You can do this by pressing the additional legging length toward the back side of the fabric, and stitching it in place.

On the fold of your legging pieces, measure 2.5" up from the bottom edge of the legging. Use your marking pen to make a small dot on the wrong side of the fabric.

Attach your safety pin to one end of the 1/4" wide elastic (not shown). Position the 1/4" wide elastic at the 2.5" mark. Using a zig zag stitch tack down the end.

Pull on the elastic so that it extends to the bottom edge of your legging. Stitch the elastic down with the zig zag stitch, and continue to the hem of the legging. The safety pin will allow you to keep a good grasp on the elastic as you stitch to the bottom hem. Repeat the process for the remaining legging piece.

This is what it should look like on the right side of the fabric. Stretching the elastic as you sew will gather in the legging for a slightly ruched effect.

Next, position both legging pieces with right sides together. Pin along the upper side edges. Stitch on both sides using a 1/4" seam allowance. Serge seams, or press seam open.

Match up your newly sewn center seams. Pin along the length of the legs. Take extra care to make sure that the hem of the leggings are aligned. Stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance.

With your leggings still inside out we will attach the elastic for the waistband. Overlap the elastic ends 1/4" on top of one of the center seams. You will have the top of the elastic aligned with the raw edge of the legging waist. Pin in place. Pin the elastic in place around the waist. You should not have to ease the fabric or elastic at all.

Using a 3 point zig zag, or a zig zag stitch, stitch down the tail ends of the elastic. Next sew the elastic around the waistband using a straight stitch. Do this 1/8" away from the top edge of the elastic and fabric.

Close Up

If you have a serger, serge along the top edge of the waistband, this will encase the raw edge, and attach the elastic. DO NOT cut any of the elastic while serging.

If you don't have a serger you can simply zig zag around the top edge of the elastic, with your needle passing just over the edge of the waistband.

Next, turn your elastic under. This will make it so that your elastic is encased in the knit fabric. Pin around the circumference of the waist. Use a 3 point zig zag, or a zig zag stitch to sew your waistband down. You will want to do this about 5/8" away from the top of your elastic.

With your ribbon, tie two small bows. Apply fray check/block to the raw edges. Attach to the top of the ruching on both legs. I get tired of hand stitching things in place, so I used my button attaching stitch to tack these in place.

That's it. You're done! Hooray!

Sweet Pea Dress Pattern and Tutorial

2012-01-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Reduce, Reuse, Refashion: Sweet Pea Dress

from T-shirts.

So today I'm sharing a pattern and tutorial for this little refashioning project I just finished. It is a really simple design, sews up in a flash. I was able to use up two shirts that I had sitting in my "to be refashioned" pile.

This particular dress was made for my niece that is about 26" tall, and close to 18 lbs. I'd say it's probably a 6-9 month size as far as most clothing sizing goes, but I think that the top could work anywhere from 3-6 to 12 months. It has a tie at the top that draws in the neckline; it could easily be adjusted to grow with your baby.

Keep reading for the full tutorial, and link to the free pdf pattern.

What you'll need:

2 knit shirts to be refashioned (or enough yardage to cut out the pattern pieces.

Sweet Pea Dress Pattern
Long piece of knit fabric (2 1/2" x 42"), 42" piece of wide satin ribbon
Coordinating thread
Sewing Machine
Optional: Serger
Fray check or fray block
Large Safety pin

Print off pattern pieces. Cut out around rectangular border. Tape pattern pieces together, and cut out dress pattern piece (along dashed line at bottom).

This dress hits mid thigh on my 26" niece. If you would like to lengthen the dress just add the desired amount to the bottom of the hem. Keep about an inch and a half difference between the length of the lining, and the length of the dress.

Cut two lining pieces on fold (with bottom hem aligned with the dashed line of pattern piece). If you are using an existing t-shirt, use the hem of the shirt as the hem of the dress.

Cut two dress pieces, on the fold, along the solid hem line. Use the existing hem of the shirt as dress hem.

With right sides together, pin the lining pieces along the side seams. Repeat with dress pieces.

Using 1/4" seam allowances, sew side seams. Serge edges if a serger is available. It you don't have a serger available, press seam open. Repeat on dress pieces.

Turn both lining pieces, and dress pieces right side out. Slip the outer dress pieces inside of the lining pieces. Pin around the curve of the arm. The right side of your dress should be facing the wrong side of the lining.

Using 1/4" seam allowances, stitch around each arm. I serged these seams, but this is not necessary. Clip your seams along the curve.

Turn the dress right side out, with lining on the inside. Press along arm seams.

Pin around the entire top of the dress. Pin lining and dress together along the top of both the front and back of dress.

*If you don't have a serger, you can turn the dress and lining pieces under (in) 1/4" at the neckline of the front and back of the dress. Doing so will encase your raw edges.

Stitch 1/8" from edge of dress to secure the lining and dress pieces. Sew around both arms, front, and back. Serge along front and back, if available.

Turn dress inside out. Press neckline down 1" on the front and back. Pin along press, on the outside of the dress. Turn dress right side out. This will be the casing for your tie.

Stitch along pinned edges, 7/8" away from pressed edge. Make sure that you catch both layers of the fabric when sewing this seam.

You should now have a casing created along both the front and back of the dress.

Cut your tie material to 2 1/2"x42", if using knit. Use a narrow rolled hem stitch on your serger to finish off all edges. Apply fray block to corners.

If you are using ribbon for the tie, but to 42", and apply fray block to raw edges of ties.

Connect the safety pin to one end of your tie.

Thread through both front and back casings. Tie in a bow.

And your done. Wahoo. Using knit fabric from old t-shirts makes for a really comfortable play dress. The tie of the dress makes the dress easily adjustable as the baby grows, and this could work as a top when the child is too tall for it to be a dress.

Later this week I'll share the legging pattern and tutorial with you.

Thanks for reading, and happy sewing.

For Valentine's Day...and Mother's Day: Mom Heart Tattoo Applique

2012-01-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

I must admit, Valentine's day is a hard holiday for outfitting boys. You don't want to dress them in ruffles, lace, and huge amounts of pink. However, I think that I came up with a fun and appropriate approach to the holiday.

How about a Mom Heart Tattoo Applique. Because these two little guys are so rough and tough....alright, not so much, but they sure are lovable. When Clark and I started our photo shoot I asked him to act tough, all I got were smiles and kisses (maybe he was remembering our Christmas shirt shoot).

Right now I'm really enjoying the fact that I am the girl that is in the center of their lives, I dread the day that Clark runs off chasing girls, and forgets all about his dear old mom. I'm marking my territory. I'm reminding them now, while their young, that mine is a heart that they don't want to break.

If you are interested in this particular applique template and tutorial, I have a pdf file available for purchase. The file includes three different sized templates. I've also written up a photo tutorial to explain the process that I used to create my appliques. The pdf template will be emailed to the buyer, and you can be printed at home.

Check out the guns!

While I'd love to share all of my projects with you for free, I feel like I need to make my time more profitable. We're hoping to get my husband into grad school later this year, and we're trying to save our pretty little pennies. Don't worry though, I have several more projects and tutorials that I'm working on. Hopefully I'll have them to you early next week.

A whole lotta love here.

Thanks so much for reading!

Fleece Scarflette Tutorial

2012-01-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

We have had a relatively mild winter so far, and I've been very happy that I haven't had to bundle up quite as much as usual. This week, we did receive enough accumulation to send Clark out to make snow angels, and push his dump truck through the snow. I typically don't love spending long periods of time in the winter weather, but after spending a few days cooped up at the sewing machine, I had to get out. I was reminded of how much I enjoy my fleece scarflette that I made last year. It provides you with the coverage you need, and stays in place as you walk/run/etc.

I decided that I'd re-post my original tutorial for those of you who may have missed it. It's a great remnant project, and is a quick beginners project.

One of the problems with a pull over neck warmer, is that fleece often creates quite a bit of static electricity. Static and hair styles often don't mix. To avoid pulling the fleece straight over the head, and having every hair on your head standing on end, I added a simple button closure.

There are many possibilities when it comes to making and embellishing these fleece scarflettes. One other difference between these neck warmers, and the pull over neck warmers, is that these are not quite as tall. They aren't designed to be pulled over your mouth or chin.

All of the above scarflettes are made with slightly different techniques, so I'm going to show you how to make the one above, and I'll provide a few instructions for making the different variations.

Begin by cutting a rectangular piece of fleece. My adult dimensions were 21 1/2" x 12".

Fold your fleece in half with right sides together. You will be matching up long ends. Stitch a 3/8" seam along the long edges, and one of the short edges. Leave one end open for turning. Clip corners. Turn your tube so that your right sides are out.

Fold the raw edges of your scarflette in 1/2".

Pin along the turned in edge, and along the top edge of the fleece. You will want to make sure that the long seam on your scarf has not rolled under.

Stitch along the open edge of the scarflette. Continue stitching around the perimeter of the scarf. This will tack the two layers of fleece together. I edge stitched 1/4" away from all edges.

Next wrap the scarf around your neck. Determine where you want your button closure to be. Mark the button position on both pieces of fabric. The outer layer of fabric is going to be your button hole marking, and the under fabric will be where you position your button.

I chose not to use the button hole function on my machine. Fleece does not fray, so a simple cut would be sufficient. I marked a hole that was 1/4" wide, and 1/4" longer than the length of my button.

Next I stitched around my button hole marking with a triple straight stitch.

Use your seam ripper to slit the button hole. Attach button to the previously determined location.

That's it. You have created a warm, and feminine scarflette.

Ric-Rac Scarflette

To create the ric-rac scarflette you are going to use two rectangles of fleece. The first will be 6" wide and 21 1/2" long. Your second rectangle will be just as long, but 4" wide. You will also need 43" of ric-rac. You are going to center your 4" wide piece of fleece on top of the 6" piece. Sandwich the ric-rac between the two layers of fleece. Pin in place. Stitch around the entire top rectangle of material. I stitched 1/8" from the edge of the fleece, making sure to catch in the ric-rac.

I used a covered button for this project. The button hole was created in the same fashion as the argyle scarflette.

Ruffled Scarflette

Cut one piece of black fleece that is 21 1/2" x 6". Cut a second piece of fleece that is 4" wide and about 36" long. Using a gathering stitch, stitch down the center of your ruffle. Leave ends long. Pull bobbin thread to gather ruffle. Distribute ruffle evenly along the length of the ruffle. Pin ruffle centered onto fleece. Stitch down the center of the ruffle, attaching the two pieces of material. Center and stitch a piece of ribbon or trim down the center of the scarf. Create a button hole closure using the same method as above.

Cream Scarflette

The cream scarflette was also made using two layers of fleece. The top layer was scalloped along the edges. I used a scrapbooking template to create the pattern. I topstitched around the scallops, and the short edges of the scarflette. The velcro was attached prior to attaching the fleece flower. The flower is made from three layers of fleece with a sequined center. When attaching the flower, hand stitch it in place. You will want to catch the top layer of fleece with the thread, but don't attempt pushing through both layers of material plus the velcro. I'm sorry, I don't have the toddler dimensions, I'm guessing 5"x 18 or 19".

Thanks for reading. Stay warm!

Cardboard RocketShip with Template

2012-01-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

I've got a fun little project to share today. This is a cardboard rocket ship that Clark and I made out of some cardboard that we've had stored.

Crafting with kids can sometimes be frustrating. I like to keep the crafts simple and quick. We turned this little rocket ship into a birthday card for Clark's Papa. On the back we wrote: "Hope your birthday's a blast". This is could a really fun homemade valentine as well.

We gathered up our colorful cardboard, though I really wish we'd used some old cereal or kleenex boxes. This cardboard was a bit too thick for the project. You want it to be thin enough to cut through (especially for little hands), and rigid enough to keep it's shape. You can find my printable rocket ship template here. The basic instructions are included on the template.

We added a small picture of clark to personalize the rocket a bit, but you could decorate with stickers, markers, glitter, etc.

Now have fun crafting with your kids/grandkids.

Long Lost Project: Leather Coil Headband

2012-01-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a long lost project for you. I've been intending on making myself a leather headband with multiple strips, since I made my leather coil cuffs, but I never got around to (which is ridiculous because it took no time at all). I recently snatched up a piece of bronze colored foil leather, it was perfect for the project.

I cut a 3/4" x 14" strip. I left about an inch and a half of solid leather on each end, and cut two slits in my leather (1/4" apart) using my rotary cutter.

I then used this tutorial, and some elastic, to turn it into a little headband.

The cuts in the leather allow you to separate the individual "coils", for a fun look.

I had enough leather left over for a slightly different coil cuff. I cut three of my strips to 1/8" wide, and two to 1/4".

Problems Leaving Comments On Blog?

2012-01-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

So my sister recently told me that she was having trouble leaving comments on my blog. I thought that it was a bit strange because I was still receiving comments, but thought that I'd do a little research. It turns out that for some reason, on some blogs, some people can't comment. To remedy the problem I switched my comment settings from being embedded in the post to opening in a pop up window. This seems to have fixed the problem.

I just thought that I'd share, because maybe you've had similar problems with your blog.

Super Hero Capes

2012-01-22T18:32:00.001-07:00

Last week most of my available sewing time was dedicated to sewing sewing six reversible super hero capes for a family member.

I was sewing them for six of her grandsons, three of which happen to be from the same family. I wanted each of the brothers to have a unique cape...so that there wasn't any confusion. Unfortunately, there really aren't very many caped super heroes: Batman, Superman, Robin (sidekick), and a few lesser known heroes.

I chose to make a Batman cape, red Superman cape, and a blue Superman cape. Each of the capes has an un-caped super hero logo on the back: Green Lantern, Spiderman, and Captain America. The brothers can now play different superheroes at the same time.

In the past I've used ribbon for a tie closure at the neck, but after having to stop dinner to tie on a super hero cape, I knew that there had to be a better way. I figured that a few inches of elastic would do the trick. The elastic stretches over their little noggins, and keeps the cape in position. Can I just say that I'm happy to have this project wrapped up, I have a lot of projects that I'm eager to work on.

Happy sewing!

Tutorial: Shirred Scarf

2012-01-19T19:49:00.003-07:00

I had some requests for a more detailed explanation for the shirred scarf, so hopefully this will help.

Materials:
1/2 yard of material (you'll only use 14")
coordinating thread
elastic thread
sewing machine
serger, or rolled hem presser foot.

First off you will want to find a lightweight material. Mine is a sheer polyester. You will need around a half of a yard for one scarf.

My scarf is 7" wide. You will take your cut of material, and clip through the selvage edge at seven inches, and then again at 14 inches. I used the snip and rip method of cutting my strips of fabric. This lightweight material can be rather shifty to work with. Ripping it results in a much straighter cut than with the rotary cutter. Once your have clipped the material, simply rip it. Rip from one end, and continue ripping until you've made it across the width of the material.

You should end up with two seven inch wide strips of material.

A close up of the ripped edge. Leave the selvage edge in place, do not remove.

Pin your strips of material together at one end (right sides together if applicable).

Stitch your strips together. I stitched just outside the selvage edge.

Press seam to one side.

Next you will want to stitch your seam down, by stitching about 1/8" away from the open edge of the seam. This will make your seam lie flat.

Next you will want to sew a narrow rolled hem on your serger. Serge along both sides of the length of the scarf. If you have a 1034D overlock serger from brother, than this video tutorial may help. If you are using a serger, I recommend trimming off a quarter inch while rolling the hem, this will ensure that you have a good solid fabric for the thread to grip.

If you do not have a serger, you could use a rolled hem foot to create a neat and tidy edge along the length of your scarf. See this post for more information.

Next up, shirring. Here is a great shirring tutorial. You will want to wind an open bobbin with your elastic thread. I wind the elastic thread tightly onto the bobbin.

You will next want to adjust the tension on your bobbin. Many machines have wheels to adjust the tension, but most brothers do not. I have to adjust mine by turning that little green screw to the right. I turned mine two full rotations so that my tension would be quite tight.

Pull your bobbin thread up manually. Make sure that your needle thread is long, and lower and raise the needle so that it catches your elastic thread. Keep both threads long.

Sew two rows of shirring. Keep long tails on your threads after finishing each row. My shirred rows are two inches from each side. Backstitch when starting/ending each row.

Take the long thread tails on either end, and tie them in knots. This will help lock in the elastic thread that has a tendency the unthread with time.

Alternative: for a more cascading ruffle effect, you can sew one single row of shirring down the middle of the scarf. In the picture above you can see that I used a rubber band on the arm of my machine as a guide.

Here's a look at the single shirred row. . .

. . . and the double.

It's a fun and inexpensive scarf to make. It can come together in no time with the help of a serger.

Thanks for reading!

Sewing Tips and Tricks Round Up

2012-01-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a few clever tips and tricks that I've rounded up on pinterest. What are your favorite sewing tips?

Source: futuregirl.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Add tape to the bottom of your presser foot to sew vinyl easily.

Source: scientificseamstress.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Printable bias tape maker.

Source: sewmanyways.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Keep spools and bobbin thread together with golf tees.

Source: scrapbooksetc.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Store ribbon in oatmeal canister.

Source: fivegreenacres.wordpress.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Add seam allowance to your own patterns.

Source: marthastewart.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Make the perfect hem.

Infinity Circle Scarf Tutorial

2012-01-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

I thought that I'd share a tutorial for a simple infinity, or circle scarf. I know you've probably seen a number of different tutorials for this type of scarf, but they are really easy to make, and very versatile.

You will need one yard of light weight (apparel) fabric. This particular material doesn't have any stretch to it, and is some sort of polyester blend. I bought it at a discount fabric store, and unfortunately they never give you much information about the material. Voile would be a great choice for this type of project.

You will cut your yard of material into two eighteen inch strips. My original piece of fabric was 36"x 42", so once cut, I was left with two 18"x 42" strips.

...keep reading...

Pin the right sides of the material together on one of the eighteen inch sides.

Stitch your seam by sewing just inside the selvage edge. Trim your seam, and press open. You will now have one very long strip of material.

Fold your long strip of material in half (with right sides together), this will make your eighteen inch wide fabric nine inches wide. Pin along the length of material, matching up the seams.

Stitch along the length of the material. You will now have a long tube of fabric.

Turn your tube right side out.

Press the material with the long seam at one edge. Press the non seam edge as well.

Take both ends of your tube, and making sure that your material isn't twisted,

line up your pressed, non seam, edge.

Pin the the right side of one end of the tube to the right side of the other end of your tube. Start pinning at the matched up press mark, and pin your fabric working in either direction of your first pin. You will probably only be able to pin about eight inches of your tube. Your unpinned edges of the tube should be on both the top and bottom of your scarf at this point.

We're now going to start machine stitching the tube together. Pull both of the unpinned sections of the tube down and away from your pinned section. Starting about two inches away from your first pin, match up some remaining fabric, and start sewing along the pinned length of the tube. Take care to not catch the unpinned material in your seam. Continue sewing as far as you can. You should be able to sew an inch or two beyond your last pin, simply align the fabric as you go.

You'll now have about a four inch opening in your tube.

Turn the sewn section of the scarf to the inside, and flatten out the scarf.

With an iron, press the un-sewn section of the scarf under.

With a needle and thread stitch the small opening shut. I like to start with my knot on the inside of the scarf so that it will not be exposed. Use small stitches so that they will not be too visible.

You're done. Wahoo!

This makes quite a long scarf, but I like that it gives quite a bit of volume, and is easily wrapped three times. I think that this is the perfect beginning sewing project: straight cuts, straight seams, and you can sew it up in no time.

Can I just say that I love this print. It reminds me of the material on a lot of my own baby dresses. I bought an extra yard....I might just have to use it on one of those vintage sewing patterns that I have lying around.

Here's another version of the scarf (don't mind the dirt marks on the mannequin...she doesn't know they're there).

Happy sewing!

Vintage Patterns, and what to do with them?

2012-01-12T23:39:00.000-07:00

When ever I make it to a thrift store I try to check and see if they have any sewing patterns. Usually I find a large selection of early nineties home decor patterns, or patterns for stuffed rabbits and pigs wearing dresses.

I have had a couple of successful trips to the thrift store, and one being just a couple of days ago. The store was well stocked with vintage clothing patterns. I would have loved to buy them all, but I held myself to only picking up my favorites. I just imagine that some old lady died, and her children were thrilled to finally throw out the huge collection of patterns that she'd collected through the years. (I'm pretty sure that my children will have to go through the same thing).

I love vintage patterns, but mostly for the illustrations. I don't know what has happened through the years, but it seems that most pattern companies lean toward photographs (I'm sure it is much cheaper), but the fashion illustrations always look so much better than the finished product. In my mind it is in their best interest to keep fashion illustrators in business, and bring back a dying art.

Honestly, I will probably frame these and hang them on my wall before I get around to making them...although I am really in love with that yellow and black dress.

Many of these patterns aren't my size, but I couldn't resist snatching them up. I wish that I were more experienced with grading patterns. It seems that it is difficult to get a correct fit with vintage patterns, the fit and sizing of dresses (not to mention the redesign of undergarments) have really changed through the years.

I love that middle dress.

I also picked up a few stretch and sew patterns. These are multiple sizes so I should be able to get a correct fit.

Are you like me? Do you collect patterns that you know you'll probably never get around to making?

A Pencil Skirt, and My New Favorite Fabric

2012-01-11T11:50:00.001-07:00

As I was sewing up blessing outfits and bow ties for Christmas, I started to wish that I had something new to wear to church. After all, we all deserve to dress up a bit, don't we?

I have a simple black stretch pencil skirt that I've had for a few years now. I love the way it fits, an I wear it all too often. I decided that I'd like to recreate the skirt in a different fabric, and make it just a little bit longer.

I was thrilled when I found a similar suiting fabric at Joann's...Bengaline. Have you heard of Bengaline? Have you sewn with it? I hadn't, but I fell in love with it. It is a suiting fabric that has micro ribs running perpendicular to the selvage edge (at least this particular fabric did). The small ribs give the fabric a nice vertical stretch. I needed a horizontal stretch, so I simply positioned my pattern pieces with the stretch running horizontally.

The fabric is great for skirts. It lays well, only wrinkles slightly, and it doesn't cling like most knits do. It was also really easy to work with. I didn't have any issues cutting out the pattern pieces, or sewing it up. If you are afraid of stretch fabrics, this is a great starting point. The fact that the fabric had so much stretch eliminated any need for a zipper-Wahoo! I believe that I probably could have eliminated the slit in the back as well.

As far as the skirt goes, I added about an inch and a half to the hem of the skirt, and brought up the waistband. The waistband is long enough that I can wear it up on the waist, or fold it down and wear the skirt lower on my hips. I have a feeling that this skirt will make a great early maternity skirt (don't worry...I'm not expecting again-just planning ahead).

Just an FYI- I bought 1.25 yards of fabric, but probably only used about a yard. The fabric is 58" wide, so you have quite a bit of material to work with. Also, if you want to make your own pencil skirt, but don't have a pattern or existing skirt to use as a guide, check out the tutorial on Cotton and Curls.

Memories, a Winner, and a Freebie

2012-01-10T12:13:00.001-07:00

I know that I've shared some pictures from Miles' Blessing Day, but I wanted to share this small album that I just created. I've done a really lousy job of documenting our families adventures, and special days. I used some quick pages and the My Memories Suite to create this blessing day album. The My Memories suite offers some really fun features to make your albums even more special. You can add music, videos, links, and even narration. I plan on having all of our family members recording short audio clips of their memories and feelings of the blessing day. It seems that memories can fade far too quickly, and I really want to preserve them while their fresh.

Also Lyndsay is the winner of the My Memories Suite giveaway.

Lyndsay said...

I like Frosted, but it was hard to just pick one! I also love their free calendar blank pages - awesome, I've been searching for something like that!!

Lyndsay, I'll be in contact soon.

If you didn't win, and you're feeling a little bit down, don't be. My Memories is still offering $10 off their digital scrapbooking software to all of my readers. Just be sure to use the promo code: STMMMS16259 at checkout.

My Memories is also offering the quick pages that I used to create this album for free. You can follow this link to download the png files, which you can insert as you would a photo, in any software program. Booyah! Simply layer the photos behind the free templates, add some journaling, and your done.

Enjoy the freebie! I'll be back later this week with some projects that I've been working on.

Feature: Magic Braided Leather Cuff (and Headband)

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out how I could make a braided leather bracelet. I'd been running it through my mind, when I came across Melissa's (I Still Love You) year end wrap up post, and found her Magic Braided Leather tutorial. Don't you love it when that happens...an answer to my crafting questions.

I had to try out the technique the night I found the tutorial. The great thing about this technique is that you don't have an open end of the bracelet. You create slits in the material, and in working in multiples of six, can magically braid it. It really does feel like magic.

I also tried out the technique on a headband.

I used this tutorial to turn my leather band into a headband (so comfy).

Unfortunately this leather makes me look like I have a horrible case of dandruff.

I'm so excited about this technique. Check out the full tutorial on I Still Love You.

Free Printable: 2012 YW Theme: Arise and Shine Forth

2012-01-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

My family and I are really involved with out church group. Both my husband and I spend a good chunk of our free time volunteering to help our local congregation out. I work with the young women in our youth group. Each year all of the youth of the world wide congregation focus on a theme, which is scripturally based. This year our theme is "Arise and shine forth...". I decided to make up some printable cards for the young women that I work with. They are small, about 4 1/4" x 5 1/4", but the perfect size to store in their scriptures. I used the My Memories Suite software to create the printable. I really loved how easy it was to create a simple printable using this software. Don't forget to enter the My Memories Software Giveaway that I'm hosting, you have just a few more days to enter. You can find the post here.

If you are interested in a digital file for the 2012 Youth Theme, you can find it here. The file is for an 8.5x11 sheet, with four images per sheet. The file is for non-commercial use only. Print off as many as you'd like, share them with your friends, but please respect that it is for non-commercial use only.

Selfish Sewing: Shirred Scarf

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

You can see the bobbin side of the shirring in this shot.

In an effort to expand my wardrobe, and bust my fabric stash, I've been sewing a bit more for myself lately, and may I just say that it feels great. I've made a couple of scarves lately, and I love how quick and easy they are to make. I also love that one size fits all. If you are trying to think of something to give a new mama, a scarf is a perfect option.

This particular scarf is a shirred scarf. It was made by using two widths of material that were sewn together to form a long strip (I believe that I cut my material to be 9 inches wide). I used a narrow rolled hem to finish off the edges, and I then shirred two rows using elastic thread. My shirred rows are roughly 3 inches from each edge.

You can find my tutorial for this scarf here.

One thing that I'd really like to do this year is use up the fabric that I've collected over the past couple of years. I've picked up fabric on sale, but unfortunately it seems that I've collected it quicker than I've been able to use it up. This particular fabric I've only had since June, but still that is 6 months. I'd like to use the fabric I have before I decide that I no longer like it.

So, what are your favorite stash busting projects, and how long do you hold onto fabric before passing it on? I'm thinking that eventually I'll have to have a fabric stash swap with some local sewists.

Bling in the New Year Belt

2012-01-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a little sparkle to ring in the New Year. Have you noticed all of the sequins and glitter popping up everywhere? I made myself a sparkly sequined belt for the New Year, and it couldn't have been simpler.

What I used:

Sequined trim from Joann's (4-6 inches longer than the width of waist)

Strip of faux leather (cut to the same width and length as trim)

Velcro: same length as overlap

4 covered buttons

To create the belt I used a three point zig zag stitch to stitch the trim to the faux leather. I stitched all the way around the trim. I then attached a piece of velcro to the belt. The rougher piece was attached to the right side of the belt, and the softer piece was attached to the wrong side of the belt. When attaching velcro you'll want to make sure that you try the belt on for proper placement.

I then sewed a four covered buttons to the end of the belt. So simple.

Yep, still breaking out the maternity clothes.

I'm not a very glitzy girl, so a semi sparkly belt is perfect for me. Speaking of sparkle, did you see the glitter hot pants shared on Grosgrain...my behind couldn't handle that much sparkle.

Don't forget to enter the My Memories Giveaway.

Refashion: Sweater to Lace Embellished Cardigan

2012-01-02T10:30:00.003-07:00

Lace Embellished Cardigan

With the new year, I hope to introduce a few on going series to the blog. One of the new series will be Reduce,Reuse,Refashion. It is a series that I'm starting with the hopes of sewing my way through the piles of discarded clothing that I've been stashing for far too long.

My first project starts with a all too tight knit top that I've had for five plus years. I really like the top, but it is less than flattering on more maternal figure. To make this little sweater into something more wearable I made a few simple changes.

1- Slit the front of the top down the center.

2-Attached a length of contrast lace to the bottom of the sweater. (This particular top had a ribbed section near the bottom, I aligned my lace with the top of the ribbing). I used a three point zig zag stitch along top and bottom of the lace.

3-Serged the raw edges.

4-Turned the serged edges under (1/4").

5-Stitched down the turned under edge.

6-Added a few decorative buttons to one side of the cardigan (not functional...the top is still too tight to actually close, but looks great belted or over a tank).

This was a really quick and easy refashion. It turned something in the back of my closet into something that I actually want to wear.

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm hoping to have this be an ongoing (but regular) series throughout the year. If any of you have projects that you'd like to share as part of the series, let me know, and I'll consider them as a guest post.

Don't forget to enter the My Memories Giveaway.

An Apron...as crafty as our Christmas got

2011-12-31T09:11:00.003-07:00

Christmas 2010 was filled with a number of handmade Christmas gifts, but 2011 was a bit different. I was sewing up until the last moment, but with blessing outfits, bow ties for church, and a little something for myself as well (which I am really excited to share with you). Handmade Christmas gifts were in short supply.

I did manage to pull off a cute little wrap around apron for my Mother in Law. I really like how the apron turned out, but unfortunately the pictures just don't do it justice. I had a small window of time to take pictures, and unfortunately it was a very dark day.

The apron features a box pleated skirt, with slightly fitted bodice. You can tell that I didn't sew darts into the bodice, this because I wanted the bodice to be fitted, but forgiving. My Mother In Law and I don't have exactly the same proportions, so I wanted it to give if need be.

Do you ever find that you give gifts that you really want, but never take the time to sit down and make. I need a full length apron, but do I ever get around to making one for myself....no. Maybe next year.

Don't forget to enter the My Memories digital scrapbooking giveaway.

My Memories Suite Review and Giveaway

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was recently contacted by My Memories Suite, to review their digital scrapbooking software. I was really excited to get to know their product, and to see how it could work for me. I've always appreciated a well kept memory album; but the cost of supplies, the set up and clean up, and the mess it makes have deterred me from "scrapbooking" in the past. My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software is rated number one on Amazon, for my full review and a chance to win your own software click here.

Blessing Day

2011-12-27T22:06:00.001-07:00

Miles was blessed on Christmas day. It was such a special day for all of us. Miles has been such a joy and a blessing in our family. Seeing a little baby dressed in white was a good reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

He looked awful handsome and cozy in his blessing outfit. The size of the bow tie ended up being a bit overwhelming. Next time I'd move it down a bit and scale it down a little as well.

Don't you love his sweet blanket. Miles' grandmother knit it for him.

Christmas day was beautiful. We had nice sunny weather, which made it really nice and comfortable for taking pictures outside, unfortunately the clear skies and noon day sun wasn't ideal for taking photos.

I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas. I can't wait to share a few of the projects I've been working on lately. I'm also trying to figure out a few series that I'd like to try out in the coming year. Hopefully all goes well and I can post a bit more regularly in 2012.

On an unrelated note, if you're doing any after Christmas shopping be sure to check out Shabby Apple-you can get an extra 20% off their sale section-Wahoo! Just enter WINTERSALE at checkout for 20% off, and free shipping. The sale runs through the end of the week.
20% Off the Sale Section at Shabby Apple and Free Shipping with Code 'WINTERSALE'

Christmas Light Onesie

2011-12-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

After celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving with his pumpkin on his bumkin, I decided that Miles needed a Christmas onesie as well. There's nothing plastered on his behind this go round, just a string of appliqued Christmas lights.

Christmas shirts are something that I get a kick out of. There's a lady at our church that has a whole collection of festive attire. At our last Christmas party she had a bright green sweater that lit up and played music. It was perfect....for her. I myself prefer to make subtle references to the holiday through color choices, but to each their own.

I do think that it's fun to dress up a chubby little baby in holiday themed shirts, especially if it is their first time celebrating that holiday. If you noticed, my Christmas shirt for Clark is a bit more subtle (although he is still insisting that I add some Christmas lights to the front of the shirt). You can check out my holiday onesies from last year here.

Merry Christmas!

This little guy decided to roll over yesterday, it kind of breaks my heart to see him grow up so quickly.

Lil' Boy's Christmas Shirt: Mistletoe League

2011-12-18T22:52:00.003-07:00

Pucker up Ladies! It's Kiss-mas time.

Clark decided that he really needed a Christmas shirt this year, so I whipped up this little number. I LOVE it (hopefully you do to).

The material for the shirt came from two t-shirts that I picked up at Wal-mart on clearance a few months back. I only paid one dollar a piece-that's cheaper than our local thrift stores charge for t-shirts.

I used the existing hems for both the sleeves and the bottom hem, doing so saves so much time.

I then created a simple little pattern for the text of the shirt. I used a freezer paper stencil, a sponge stencil brush, and fabric paint to create the wording.

I also added a little number detail for the shirt as well. Each number has a layer of red felt topped with some matching knit fabric. I then stitched them to the shirt with a triple stretch stitch and some contrasting thread.

He doesn't really love the shirt. He think that it needs some Christmas lights on it. I'll probably give in and add one to the back of the shirt, hopefully that will be enough for him.

Christmas is less than a week away. I still have 3 Christmas project to finish up, and I'm hoping to make a new dress or skirt for myself before Sunday as well. We'll see what I can accomplish.

Wrapping up the Holidays: Ribbons and Bows

2011-12-15T16:55:00.001-07:00

Here's a little bit of inspiration for wrapping up those holiday gifts, courtesy of Pinterest.

Source: stylisheve.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: taradennis.com.au via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: original-home.ru via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Miles Blessing Outfit

2011-12-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

Aside from one small detail, I have Miles' blessing outfit finished. For the most part it is a refashioned outfit. I went to my local thrift store and picked up two white sweaters. The cable knit sweater I picked up for one dollar, and the ribbed knit I had to pay three dollars for. So four dollars of material for the sweater, cap, pants, and booties-Not too bad.

I used an existing outfit that we have to create a pattern for the little cardigan and the knit pants. The booties are Sweet Pea Patterns Little London Bootie. The cap was my own design...I almost added a little brim to it, and I'm kind of regretting that I didn't, but he'll look cute in it just the same.

I mentioned in a previous post that Miles was going to have a bow tie of his own. He's going to be matchy matchy with his dad and brother on his blessing day. I know that traditionally blessing outfits are solid white, but I really like the silver, and do you have any idea how difficult it is to find matching shades of white? So call me a rebel, but he's going to sport a silver bow tie.

I'm kind of in love with the little onesie. I picked up a plain long sleeve onesie at Wal-mart, and added a faux placket. I simply cut a piece of white knit material that was the length of the onesie and three inches wide. I made 1/16" pintucks in half inch increments from the center of the placket. I then applied some fusible adhesive, adhered it to the shirt, and stitched along the edges. I also added four buttons down the front.

I still plan on embroidering his blessing date on the onesie....any suggestions on the placement? I've been thinking on the hip, but I suppose the back of the neck, or the hem of the sleeve could work as well. What are your thoughts?

I know that the outfit isn't as formal as some blessing outfits, but I like that I'm dressing him as a baby boy, and not a full grown man. Here's a picture of Clark's blessing outfit.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of Miles in his blessing outfit.

Boys in Bow Ties

2011-12-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

I really do love my boys in bow ties. I grew up with my husband, and one of the things that I've always loved about him (before I ever fell in love with him), is his quirky sense of style. He's by no means fashion forward, but he sure can work a bow tie.

I started making bow ties for my husband and Clark last Christmas, and it seems that for every gift giving holiday I end up making them new bow ties. Some of you may tire from seeing the same projects repeated with new fabric, but I do love how this batch turned out.

Here are a few of my favorite things about this batch:

1-The stripes. I love a stripe cut on the bias. I love that the stripes end up running in the same direction when tied.

2- The fabric, particularly the silver fabric. It is the perfect weight for a bow tie. I think that I am finally figuring out the appropriate weight for the bow tie. The green and blue fabric is too thick, but the silver is light weight, and pressed so nicely. It also looks crisp and sharp when tied. A silk weight or silk like fabric is best.

3-Adjustments. The mens bow tie pattern that I used is The David Bow Tie pattern from Burda Style (free on their web site). The only problem is that it is a bit short when sewn together. I've figured out how much I need to adjust the length so that the tie is easy to tie. I also decided to use a continuous piece of elastic for Clark's bow ties. In the past I've used two separate pieces that velcro together, this just adds unnecessary bulk under the collar.

4-Texture. This rust colored fabric has some definite texture to it. The darker stripes are embossed and velvety. It adds a bit of bulk to the fabric, but I still love, Love, love it.

Ahhh....Stripes. Retro Pointed Bow Tie by Cheri .

In case you are wondering...Miles is going to sport his first bow tie Christmas Day for his baby blessing. I'll post pics of his outfit as soon as I finish it up.

So do you have any gifts that you repeat every Christmas? I know that my husband can almost always count on a new pair of socks from my parents?

Candy Cane "Chenille" Striped Stockings: A Tutorial

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I already gave you a sneak peek at our new Christmas stockings, and today I'm going to share a tutorial with you. Hooray! I've had a horrible time lately finding the time to sit down and write up posts, so I'm pretty excited to have this together.

Our Christmas stockings are a red and white faux chenille, much like this blanket that I made earlier this year. The Chenille look is created by layering multiple layers of 100% cotton fabric, and stitching and cutting them on the bias. When the fabric is washed it frays up and exposes the different layered fabrics. I thought it would be fun to go for a candy can effect with red, white, and gray.

Materials: 4 stockings

4 pieces of 1 yard 100% cotton fabric (Do NOT launder prior to cutting)

1 package of extra wide double fold bias tape

Coordinating thread

Straight edge ruler

20" ribbon

Trim, lace, or ribbon for decoration

Stocking Pattern (click for my printable stocking pattern)

Overcast serger, pinking shears, or additional 1 yard material for lining

Fabric Scissors

A bit of patience

Note: Our stockings aren't huge, so if you want yours to be quite spacious, you may want to scale the pattern when printing.

I purchased one yard of four different colors of 100% cotton fabric (cotton poly blends won't fray up as nicely). I used the gray as my base layer for my stockings, and sandwiched my white between two layers of red. I was able to make four stockings with enough fabric left over to make at least one more.

I then cut two rectangles of fabric sandwich about an inch taller and wider than the size of my stocking pattern for each stocking. As you cut out your rectangle you will want to make sure that you are cutting it on grain.

With my fabric cut and pinned in place I began sewing lines of stitching 1/2" apart. Each stitching line was sewn at a forty five degree angle. I find it easiest to sew my first stitching line down the center of the fabric, and then work my way out in either direction. (Note: you do NOT want to sew from corner to corner on your rectangle, it will not be a forty five degree angle. If you have a straight edge ruler it will most likely have a marking for the forty five degree angle. You can use a marking pencil to mark your first stitching line.)

Continue sewing lines 1/2" apart.

Once your rectangle is completely stitched you can use a stocking pattern to cut out your stockings pieces. Make sure that for each stocking you make you have two pieces (they should face in opposite directions when right side up-simply flip your pattern piece over when cutting out the back of the stocking).

When your pattern pieces are cut out you will carefully cut the top three layers of fabric between each stitching line. Take care not to cut through your base layer. This is a bit tedious, so sit down and watch your favorite show.

Place the right sides of your stocking pieces together. Pin in place around the perimeter of your stocking. I stopped sewing 5 inches from the top of the heel side of the stocking, the small blue pin facing the opposite direction is to remind me of that.

Use 1/4" seam allowances and stitch from the upper edge of the top of the stocking until 5 inches from the top of the heel side of the stocking. Clip the curves of the stocking to the stitching line. You may notice that I didn't clip v's on the curves. I used my serger to finish off the raw edges, and I didn't want to clip away all of the fabric.

If you have an overcast serger you can serge the seam allowance. I did this in two parts: I first serged to the toe of the stocking, and then once I'd finished off the top of the stockings with bias tape I serged the remainder of the seam allowance. I figured that stopping at the toe would be the best place to prevent unravelling of my serged stitches. If you don't have a serger you can pink your raw edges using pinking sheers, or you can create a simple lining for your stocking.

Turn your stocking right side out.

Note:If I were to create a lining I would cut out two additional pattern pieces of a single layer of cotton fabric. I'd stitch all the way around the lining using 3/8" seam allowances, and then insert the lining into the stocking with wrong sides together, prior to attaching bias tape.

Next you will want to gather any trims that you may want to use to decorate your stockings. I using ribbon, lace, piping, and ric-rac.

If you want to use piping or trim under the bias tape you will want to attach it now.

Next you will attach your bias tape. I used extra wide double fold bias tape. Open up your bias tape and align the raw edges with right sides together. Stitch along the pressed edge all the way around the top of the stocking.

You can now fold the bias tape over the raw edges and stitch 1/8" away from the bias tape edge. Turn your stocking wrong side out.

Cut a five inch piece of ribbon and press in half.

Sandwich the ribbon between the two layers of your stocking. You will want to make sure that the ribbon angles up, and that the raw edges of the ribbon extend beyond the seam allowance of the stocking.

Stitch the open five inches of the stocking, securing the ribbon as you sew.

If you are serging the raw edges you will want to turn your stocking inside out, and finish serging the seam allowance.

Your stocking should now look something like this.

Here's what our stockings looked prior to hitting the washing machine. . .

. . . and after. The agitation of the washer, and the heat of the dryer help to soften and curl up the edges.

That's it.

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know if you have questions, this was a bit of a beast to write up, I'm not sure how well I explained the process.

Tips Tricks and Techniques: Version 2- Reusable Patterns

2011-12-07T10:16:00.001-07:00

I've shared ideas before on creating reusable patterns, but I'm really excited about this next idea. I made up some christmas stockings for our new family of four. I wanted to make sure that I saved the pattern so that I could use it in the future (should our family grow even more). The pattern needed to be durable and easy to store.

I found a scrap piece of clear vinyl that I had laying around from past projects (see: magnetic bibs, paper and plastic card wallets, and wipeable changing pads). The clear vinyl is perfect because you can write on it with permanent marker, you can pin through it, and it folds up nicely. My favorite part about using the clear vinyl is that you can see through it. Because it is transparent you can easily transfer an existing pattern to the vinyl. You can also see the fabric beneath, perfect for matching patterns or centering designs.

I am always jotting notes onto the patterns that I make. For this one I wrote down the seam allowance along with the year-that way I won't confuse it with any other versions.

I'm still hoping to share a little tutorial for the Christmas stockings. I just need to get my buns in gear.

Wrapping Up the Holidays: Printable Gift Labels

2011-12-05T19:06:00.001-07:00

I love the holidays. I love the lights, the sweets, the music, the shopping, the family, and especially the gift giving. One of my favorite parts of gift giving is the process of wrapping up a special gift. For me gift wrapping is therapeutic. Wrapping up a small simple gift in pretty paper and bows makes it seem that much more special. I thought that I'd share some of my favorite gift wrapping ideas between now and the Christmas holiday. I'll pop in whenever I find something new and share a few ideas with you.

How about some printable labels for those pretty packages? Here are a few I've found:

Source: whiskergraphics.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: eatdrinkchic.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: blog.worldlabel.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: sassandperil.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Sunday Best

2011-12-04T15:27:00.001-07:00

In the summer I made some tie and vest onesies for my nephews to wear at my brother's wedding reception. I made a sample onesie to try out the pattern and ensure that the sizing was correct, lucky Miles gets to wear it now. I thought that I'd show you a photo of the Tie and Vest Onesie on little Miles, he sure looked sharp.

I have a tutorial to share with you later this week, and a new tip and trick that I can't wait to tell you about.

Floral Slide Headbands: More Options

2011-11-30T20:36:00.001-07:00

I thought that I'd share a few different headband options that were made using the template that I shared on Monday. The template is for the leaf base, it is a slide that can be removed, and can also be shifted along the length of the headband for different positioning.

These are all headbands that I made for my booth space. I used faux leather material for both the flowers and the base, and some embroidery thread for french knotted centers.

The flowers were made using the rose of sharon die for my accuquilt Go! baby. The die easily cut through the faux leather.

You can find the template and tutorial for the headband slide here.

Just a little reminder that the template is for personal use only. Please do not sell any product made using my tutorial or template. Thanks!

Two Months

2011-11-29T13:49:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it has been two months since Miles joined our family. We love him, and he is the sweetest little guy. He seemed so small when he was born (Clark was a bruiser), but Miles has quickly packed on the pounds. He's weighing in at fifteen pounds and is already 25" long. I hate that they grow so quickly, but love watching him learn and develop. What a blessing.

Singed Satin Rose Slide Headband: Tutorial and Template

2011-11-27T17:31:00.001-07:00

I recently finished up a project using some red costume satin. I had quite a bit of scrap left over and decided to make a little headband for my little niece. I'm sure that you've seen the singed satin flower pins and clips before, but I thought that the technique would be perfect for a holiday headband.

For the tutorial read more.

I started by cutting out several two inch circles of costume satin. I used my Go! Baby fabric cutter from accuquilt, and it made the process so quick and easy.

I then sealed the edges of the satin by melting the edges with a candle (yep that's an easter bunny on my candlestick). You need to hold it near but not on the flame. If you burn bits of the fabric don't fret, all is not lost.

As the edges melt the fabric slightly curls up on the sides. It will also darken just a bit.

For my headband I made four fabric roses. I started by rolling one fabric circle for the center and stitched the bottom together. I then added petal after petal and secured the ends. In the picture above there are three or four petals added.

You can mold the shape of the petals by turning the petals out a bit as you stitch them together.

Here's a look at my stitching...nothing impressive, but it doesn't need to be. Just make sure that your petals are secured to one another.

This flower ended up having about nine petals. Tie a knot in your thread to secure your stitches.

I then created a base for the headband. I used some faux leather that I had on hand. Faux leather or felt are great because you don't have to worry about any raw edges. Template here.

I sewed the smaller of the two pieces to the top of the larger piece.

I then sewed the long rectangular piece to the underside of the base. You will want to make sure that you stitch right near the edge of the rectangle so that you have enough room to slide your headband through the slide.

Here's a top view.

Next I gathered four roses, and tacked them to the headband. Make sure that when you tack them into place that your stitches don't go through the inner rectangle, otherwise you won't be able to insert your headband.

For the finished headband I used a piece of elastic and threaded it through the slide using a large eyed needle. I then sewed the ends together using a zig zag stitch.

I then rotated the elastic so that the stitching was hidden under the slide of the headband.

In place of an elastic headband you can use a plastic or metal one, simply slide it in the slide, and position the flowers to your liking. I love this option because the headband fascinator is removable and can be used with other slides.

Finished.

Here it is on my sweet little niece.

Love those big eyes!

Here it is on my littlest guy (I had to check it for sizing). Doesn't he look like he's enjoying it a little too much.

Clark was less than happy to model it, but I needed it to be somewhere in the middle.

Thanks

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Source: kimboscrafts.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Thank You! I started this blog a year and a few months ago. I started it with the hope of bringing more traffic to my etsy shop, that didn't happen. Starting this blog gave me so much more than I could have hoped for. I'd struggled with post-partum depression after Clark was born, and hadn't been able to find myself. Starting my blog helped give me an identity other than Mom (please don't misunderstand me, I love being a mother and wouldn't trade it for anything). It has helped me feel like an individual with something worth sharing. It has allowed me to develop talents that I never thought that I'd have. It has challenged me creatively, and it has brought me so much satisfaction.

So thank you blog. Thank you readers. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment. I don't blog because I want to receive a certain number of comments, or have a certain number of followers, but I sure do appreciate hearing from you-I wish that I were better at responding to your comments.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! I certainly feel blessed. I'm off to snuggle my boys (my greatest blessing) and eat some gluten-free pie!

Leather E-Reader or ipod Cover

2011-11-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

For Father's Day I made my husband a leather ipod cover. He has really enjoyed it and I decided to make him a larger version for his Kindle. This is such a quick project and just requires a supplies.

Want to make your own? You can find the full tutorial below.

I used two pieces of leather and two pieces of felt for the lining. I'd recommend a wool blend felt, but acrylic could work as well. The felt provides an extra layer of padding, and prevents any fibers from the leather from sticking to your e-reader.

My husband has the first version of the Kindle, though the new version is on his Christmas list. The dimensions of his kindle are 5 1/4 x 8 inches. I cut my rectangles to be 6" x 8 1/2" to accommodate for seam allowances and the depth of the e-reader.

Next I found the center point at the top of one of the rectangles, and used a spool of thread to trace a nice little half circle.

I then used my craft scissors to cut out the half circle. For some reason I'm afraid to use my sewing scissors on leather, so I just use a cheapo pair of Wal-mart craft scissors and they work just fine.

Layer the cut piece of leather onto one piece of felt and pin in place. I always pin along a seam allowance to prevent piercing the leather in the middle of the cover.

Using a leather sewing needle and thread stitch along the top edge. Follow the contour of the semi-circle.

Repeat this step with the remaining piece of leather and felt.

Next I added a few rows of decorative stitching to the front panel. As you can see I used a teflon presser foot, this isn't necessary, but it does help the presser foot slide over the leather with greater ease. I've used a regular presser foot for leather without any problems.

I only added the decorative stitching to the front of the case, but you could add a few rows to the back as well.

Next line up the two pieces of the cover with felt sides together. Stitch along the two sides and the bottom of the case using 1/4" seam allowances. Trim any irregular edges if needed.

*I just used all purpose thread for the e-reader sleeve. When I made the ipod sleeve I used a heavy duty thread, but my machine prefers a lighter weight thread. If you are concerned about the strength of the seam you could always use a triple stitch for reinforcement.

That's it. You've created a simple e-reader sleeve. It's a really quick and fun project.

I used the very same technique for the black ipod cover. See, you can make handmade gifts for guys.

Autumn Flavored Round-Up

2011-11-22T14:02:00.001-07:00

For those of you in the United States, Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. I'm sure that many of you are already slaving away making pies and the traditional Thanksgiving food. I've always loved Thanksgiving, but to be quite honest, the pie is the only thing that I really get excited about. So rather than doing a Thanksgiving food round-up, I'm sharing some treats that I've been drooling over on Pinterest. If you need something more than turkey and mashed potatoes, here are a few autumnal treats to try.

Source: adventurescooking.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Autumn Brittle

Source: blondiescakes.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinteres

Apple Cider Caramels

Source: m.hersheys.com via Tricia on Pinteres

Reese's Bark: We made this yesterday, it was very easy.

Source: eat-drink-smile.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

Source: myfarefoodie.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Salted Maple Caramels

Source: lillyella.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles

Source: scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Lace Leather Cuffs

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned that I'd been sewing quite a bit for my craft booth, well I thought that I'd show you a bit of what I've been working on. I've had some of my leather coil bracelets for sell in the booth, and wanted to come up with a few different styles. I used the same basic technique that was used on the faux leather and lace belt to sew up these little girl lace cuffs.

I also created a few more basic bands with some contrast stitching. I love the bracelet in the front, the leather was so rich that I couldn't bare to cover it in lace or slice it up.

If you're looking for a really quick holiday gift project this is it. You can find my tutorial for leather cuff bracelets here, and my leather coil bracelet tutorial here.

Thanks for reading.

Selfish Sewing: A New Bag for Me

2011-11-17T21:39:00.001-07:00

I mentioned last week that I really wanted to do some sewing for myself, well I did just that earlier this week. I sewed together a simply Phoebe Bag that I had cut out a couple weeks ago. The pattern is the Phoebe Bag by Rebeka Lambert, you can find it on her blog Artsy Crafty Babe.

This particular pattern is available free for personal use, but Rebeka also has a number of great bag patterns for sale in her shop.

I've been spending most of my sewing time working on projects for my booth at the local gift bazaar, so it feels great to sew something just for me.

I used some boucle fabric that I've had left over from the skirt I sewed up last year. I think that the bag will get a lot more use than the skirt has.

The pattern came together really quickly, and the bag is the perfect size. I can fit my poopy clutch, wipes case, and a burp cloth (along with my wallet, pen, phone, and keys).

If you are looking for a quick gift to make up for the holidays-this is it. Go check out her pattern, I even adjusted it a bit to make a smaller version for Clark to gift to his friend for her third birthday.

Nursing Sleep Bra: The Tutorial (with pattern)

2011-11-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to all of those that expressed interest in this tutorial. I love to hear from you and know what it is that you like. It takes quite a bit of time and energy to write up tutorials and scan in patterns, so it was very nice to know that there was some interest in this one.

Before I get started I must apologize for these photos. I hadn't looked through them until recently. I noticed that there was a smudge on my lens in several of the photos, and some of them were taken at night with a flash, my apologies.

I mentioned in my initial post that this is a bra that I created by analyzing an existing sleep bra that I own. Mine is a size medium, but according to the sizing chart on the manufacturers website, this medium sized bra can accommodate 34 D and E, 36 C and D, and 38 B. I'll be providing a pdf pattern if you want to use mine, it's not perfect, but it worked for me.

If you need a different size then I'd recommend either adding or subtracting from the seam allowances on the sides of the bra. I'm assuming that there probably isn't a huge difference in the size of the front lapping pieces, but you could add a little extra room to the top of the front pattern pieces if your well endowed and would like more coverage.

So before I start on the full tutorial you can find the downloadable/printable pattern pieces here.

The materials are listed on the pattern, but I'll re-list them for you here.

Materials:

1/2 yard rayon/spandex knit fabric (I purchased mine at Joann's)

Coordinating thread

1.25 yards 1/2" elastic

1.25 yards 3/4" elastic

1 yard or so of elastic trim (purchased here)

Ball Point sewing needles (Joann's or any fabric store)

Sewing Machine and Overcast Serger

The first thing that you'll want to do is print off your pattern pieces. Trim around the inside rectangle, and tape the pattern pieces together. Cut out both pattern pieces. Align the back pattern piece on the fold and cut out. With the fabric still folded, cut out the front pattern piece. You should end up with a total of three pattern pieces: one back, and two fronts that face opposite directions. I really should have photographed this, sorry.

Serge the scooped edge of the back piece of the bra. If you don't have a serger you could overcast zig zag the edge, or leave them raw. You will also want to overcast the top scooped edge of the front pieces.

We will now attach the elastic trim to the front and back pieces. Cut three pieces of elastic trim, each piece should be about one inch shorter than the length of the pattern piece. Cutting it slightly shorter in length helps pull the bra in toward the body. Find the center of the pattern pieces by folding them in half, this point should be quite easy to determine on the back piece. On the front piece you can meet up the top and bottom corners and mark the center point with a pin. Pin the center of the elastic to the center of the pattern pieces. You will match up the bottom edge of the elastic trim with your overcast edge of your pattern pieces (right sides together). Pin along the length of the elastic, easing the fabric and elastic as you pin.

Using a zig zag stitch sew along the lip of the elastic trim. I used 1/4" seam allowances for this step. Using a zig zag stitch will allow both the elastic and the fabric to stretch. Ease the fabric as you sew.

Turn the elastic toward the back of the fabric and press. Topstitch 1/8" away from the pressed edge using a narrow zig zag stitch. Repeat for both front pieces and back piece.

Take your two front pieces and pin them together at the sides matching up the bottom edge. Stay stitch them together along the sides, this will prevent them from shifting position when you stitch the side seams.

Pin your secured front piece to the back piece, with right sides together, along the side seams. Use a 3/8" seam allowance and stitch in place. Overcast the edge to finish.

Serge the raw edges of the material along the armholes.

With right sides together pin and stitch the shoulder seams.

Finish seam edges and press the seam toward the back of the bra.

Stitch the shoulder seam down to prevent chafing.

Cut your elastic. Cut two of the 1/2" width elastic to 18 3/4". *Cut one of the 3/4" elastic to 29".

*At this point you may want to wrap the length of the elastic around your rib cage to ensure that it isn't too binding.

Once your elastic is cut you will want to overlap the ends of the elastic and stitch them into loops by zig zagging 1/4" away from the elastic edges.

Turn bra right side out.

Divide your elastic and the bottom of the bra into quarters.

Match up quarter points and pin in place, overlapping the bottom edge of the bra by 1/4". By pulling on the elastic ease the difference in lengths and pin the center of you quarter marks.

On the right side of the fabric/elastic, use a three point zig zag stitch to sew along the top edge of the elastic. This should catch the knit fabric. In the photo above you can see the right side of the bra on the right, and the underside on the left.

Turn the elastic toward the inside of the bra. Use the three point zig zag stitch 1/2" from the bottom edge of the bra to secure the elastic. There should be a slight elastic lip that shows along the bottom edge.

Use the same technique to attach the elastic around the arms. Instead of stitching 1/2" away from the outer edge stitch 3/8" to finish them up.

That's it. You've finished your own Nursing Sleep Bra. Clear as mud? Let me know if you have any questions. I know that my photos weren't quite as illustrative as they could have been. Sometimes it's just difficult to know what shots you need as you go along. Like I said let me know if you have any questions about the tutorial or the pattern.

Children's Gift Ideas: Felt Cookie Sheet Puzzles

2011-11-13T21:56:00.001-07:00

This is a gift that I made for Clark's birthday last month. I hadn't posted it, and I thought that now might be a good time.

Do any of you ever run out of things to do with your toddlers? Clark's attention span is pretty good for his age, but I seem to run out of activities pretty early on in the day and week.

He's getting to the point where he's pretty good with puzzles. I decided that I'd make him a rocket ship puzzle. He's obsessed with rocket ships and planets.

I didn't want to have to deal with creating interlocking puzzle pieces, so to give the puzzle some structure I created it the same dimensions of the inside of a cookie sheet. Using the same dimensions of the cookie sheet allows Clark to have a basic format to work with. At this point I took a piece of paper the same dimensions as the finished puzzle and broke it down into eight sections, or the same number of puzzle pieces that I wanted. I designed the image of the puzzle in a way that each piece had part of the rocket ship, planet, or stars overlapping the edges of the puzzle piece-making it easier to see where the pieces connect.

I transferred the images to felt, and cut out the main shapes. I then sewed my image onto two thicknesses of felt with a thickness of batting sandwiched between them. If I'd thought through this a bit more I would have made the bottom layer of felt a different color and extended it beyond the border of the top layer by a quarter inch or so, that way Clark would be able to tell which sides are edge sides.

Once my image was sewn to the felt sandwich I took my rotary cutter and cut it into my predetermined puzzle pieces. Next I sewed around the open edges of the puzzle pieces. If you wanted to make your own puzzle, and keep the puzzle pieces in place on the cookie sheet, you could consider attaching magnets between the batting and bottom layer of felt. I'd suggest using the technique that I used for these number and shape magnets.

So what are your favorite activities to keep your toddlers busy (especially during the winter months)? I'd love to know, I'm desperate for some new ideas.

Selfish Sewing Pinspiration

2011-11-11T13:06:00.001-07:00

First off thanks to all of you that expressed interested in a tutorial for the nursing sleep bra. Sometimes I wonder whether or not people read my blog, so I always love to receive feedback. I'd hoped to have the tutorial up this week, but a bout of Mastitis has left me without much energy. Hopefully I'll have it ready for you at the beginning of next week.

With the holidays on the way it is hard to justify sewing for myself, but lately that's the only thing that I have felt inspired to do. I'm thinking that it's probably due to the fact that I need something new to make me feel comfortable in my postpartum body. I'm thinking that come January I'm going to spoil myself with a comfy knit dress, a new sweater, and some fun accessories. Here are just a few things that have been inspiring me lately. Any ideas on how to make a knit dress nursing friendly?

Source: shopbop.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: oasis-stores.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: saksfifthavenue.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: sewlikemymom.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: birdsnest.com.au via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: homemade.tipjunkie.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: needsupply.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Nursing Sleep Bra

2011-11-08T14:57:00.001-07:00

I'm currently nursing a newborn baby, and nursing bras are a must. When I had Clark I bought a nursing sleep bra from Motherhood Maternity, and was surprised at how much I appreciated having it. It was great for holding nursing pads in place, and was supportive (enough) and comfortable.

Just a week before Miles was born I decided to use up some knit fabric that I had in my stash and make another one. I used my existing bra as a guide, and came up with a very similar style.

I hadn't intended on sharing this project, but then I figured that someone out there might appreciate it.

It is a lapped front nursing bra with elastic trim. I have all of the photos to share a tutorial with you, but I'd like to know if there is any interest in a tutorial before I sit down to right it. Anyone interested in a tutorial?

Handmade Holidays: What are you making?

2011-11-06T21:04:00.002-07:00

It is the beginning of November, and I still haven't decided exactly what I'm going to be making for the holidays. After last year I decided that I'd try to save myself some stress and just buy my gifts this year, but I don't think that is going to happen.

I have in mind to make Christmas pajamas for the boys, and I have a couple of project in mind for Clark, but I keep on adding more and more items to my list.

Sew Mama Sew is running a handmade holiday series on their blog. Each day their featuring some free tutorials and patterns from the internet. Last week my Fleece Toddler Slippers were featured on their Passion for Relaxation post.

If you are looking for some great handmade gift ideas, you're sure to find some inspiration on their blog.

So what holiday gifts will you be making? Are you making holiday outfits, toys, or pajamas? I'd love to hear what you have on your list.

Captain America Shield

2011-11-04T07:30:00.000-06:00

Clark celebrated his third birthday at the beginning of October. I wanted to make him some gifts that would keep him entertained and promote imaginative play. I decided to make some dress up props. Being a three year old boy he is obsessed with super heroes.

I decided that a Super Man cape, and a Captain America shield would be fun for him. He loves them. I just wish that I could keep him from throwing the shield like Captain America does.

The shield is my own design, and I was in such a hurry to finish up the projects that I didn't make a full tutorial, but I'll share some basic details to help you create your own.

I used craft felt for all of the exterior material, doing so means that you don't have to finish off any edges, but it also means that it is going to show wear more.

The shield has an interior layer of peltex (a rigid interfacing often used in bags), and a layer of cardboard for rigidity. If you were wanting to save money and use only cardboard I'd recommend three layers at a minimum. The cardboard (single layer) has bent as the shield has been used to fight off villains. In front of the cardboard I used some shredded plastic bags for stuffing. The plastic bags help cushion the shield and give it a slightly domed appearance.

On the back of the shield I attached two bands of felt (double thickness). The bands are used for holding the shield, and were attached prior to sewing the front and back pieces of the shield together.

The shield could obviously be made any dimensions, but my shield is 16" in diameter, and the cardboard inside is probably a half inch smaller than that.

For the front of the shield I created a printable for the center ring and star. I then cut out a red circle that was 3" larger in diameter than the blue, and attached the blue circle. Each underlying circle is 3" larger than the layer attached to the top. When sewing it together I started with the star and worked my way down layer by layer, by doing it this way I only ever had to sew through two layers of felt at a time.

If you want to make your own you can find my printable file here. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm sure that I left out some details.

Clark loves his new toys, and wants to wear all of his props at one time. The dinosaur tail was blogged about here.

Top-toberfest Favorites

2011-11-01T12:02:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of the guest posters who helped me out with Top-toberfest. I really appreciate their willingness to share their creations and their talents with all of us. A big thank you to everyone that linked up their shirts and tops in the Top-toberfest link party. Here are a few of my favorites from the link party.

Easily Dunn shows you how to turn an old top into a no sew cardigan.

This stash-busting upcycled hoodie by Becky of My Craft Closet is absolutely adorable. I love the material choices.

Kimberly from The Brown Eyes Have It, turned this cute, but outgrown, dress into an adorable upcycled shirt.

Show Tell Share, shows you how to make this fantastic yoked tunic. I love the plaid!

Vixen Made shows you how to make a girl's Boyfriend Cardigan using an existing top. I'm so happy that she submitted this project. I'd hoped to do a cardigan tutorial of my own, but never got around to it.

Those are just a few of my favorite tops from the series. Be sure to check out the rest of the links.

Top-Toberfest: A Shirt for Thunder by guest contributor Janine

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

A Shirt For Thunder

Today I'm thrilled to have a guest contributor for Top-toberfest: Janine. Janine is a work at home mom that loves to craft. I'm so appreciative that she was willing to share her talents, and these great boys tops with us today. She uses a variety of techniques, including: freezer paper stenciling, hand stitching, bleach, hand painting, and bubble wrap, to create some custom tops for her son Thunder.

My son’s name is Thunder Jason and I thought it would be neat to have fun with it and make him an original shirt. I find that boy’s clothing seems to be all the same and if you find something with words, pictures, etc it’s usually too over-the-top for me. I’m not a huge fan of all the cartoony pictures and cheesy sayings.

I bought a plain, grey shirt from WalMart. First I washed it in case of shrinkage, then I sprayed some bleach on it. I would have used a bleach pen and done a more ’tatoo’ looking design, but I couldn’t find bleach pens anywhere in my town. After washing the bleach out and drying it I made a freezer paper stencil like this. I followed Cheri’s instructions and used red Tulip fabric paint as recommended by her, painting in the stencil with a small paintbrush. I made a large "T" lightning bolt and the small letters spell 'Thunder J.' When the paint dried I painted some bubble wrap and stamped it randomly on the shirt.

And finally I did some embroidery. I made some tiny lightning bolts, ‘x’s on the wrist, collar, and bottom hemlines and embroidered “Made By Mama” on the shoulder.

I’m SO happy with how it turned out! I‘ve also included pictures of 2 other shirts I made.

The red shirt says, “You’ve been…Thunderstruck” and was made using the same freezer paper stencilling and bubble wrap technique.

The blue one says, “THUNDERIFIC SO TERRIFIC!” and was made by hand painting with fabric paint and a paint brush. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Be careful, freezer paper stencilling is very addictive :)

Thanks so much Janine. The tops turned out great, and I'm sure that your son loves them. I especially love the hand stitched details that you added, they really add something special.

Want to share your custom tees or tops with us? Link up all of your shirt related projects in our Top-toberfest link party. I'll be featuring some of my favorites from the party come November.

Top-toberfest: The Dahlia Top with Lorene of I am Just Lu

2011-10-27T06:45:00.000-06:00

I'm thrilled to welcome of Top-toberfest guest blogger today. Lorene, of I am Just Lu, is going to share a fun reverse appliqued top. I love her choice of colors, and the best part of this top is that it was made using two tops that she already had in her drawers-Wahoo. Be sure to hop on over to her blog for the full tutorial. While you are there check out all of her other fun projects, informative articles, and tasty kitchen creations. She's as well rounded and talented as they come.

Hello Leafy Treetop Spot fans! I am Lorene, or Lu, and I blog over at just Lu about crafting and whatever else comes up in the course of being mommy to two adorable little ones and wife to an elementary school teacher.

Right now, we're just finishing up a year-long series about Becoming the Housewife MacGyver, for which Tricia has been my honored guest! We've had a lot of fun, and I hope you'll come see what we've been learning.

I love Toptoberfest so I am so thrilled to be participating this year as Tricia's guest. Without further ado, I now present to you...

The Dahlia Top is a reverse-applique design using two knit fabrics, both old tshirts in this case. That might sound (or look) complicated, but it's really more a matter of patience than talent. Trust me -- there's not a particular abundance of patience around my house (especially that's left over for crafts... I figure my children need my patience more than my other creations ;), but there is definitely more patience than artistic or sewing talent. :)

This top was inspired by this top on Etsy. I am a big fan of buying and supporting handmade, but I knew that I could put together a similar top in colors that I really loved for a tiny fraction of the cost. Of the three tops I've made, two of them were free, using only old tshirts that I wasn't wearing anymore. You can't beat free!

So, come stop by my place for the full tutorial and template -- and you can use the template for so much more than just a top! The same flower would look great on a skirt or a bag or anyplace else that you can think to put it, with any type of fabric -- or even paint! I've provided the template in several different sizes, or you can resize it to fit your projects needs.

See the full tutorial for the Dahlia top here on just Lu.

Thanks so much Lu for sharing your darling top with us. I can't wait to try out this technique.

Top-toberfest: Sweater Knit Cowl Neck Tunic

2011-10-26T08:41:00.000-06:00

I thought that it would be fun to recreate a top from last year's Top-toberfest series and change it up just a bit. I thought that it would be a great way to show how easy it is to adjust your own patterns and create a new look. The cowl neck tee was a favorite of mine from last year, and the pattern was basic enough that I new it could be adjusted easily. I picked up some lightweight sweater knit, and felt that it was begging to be transformed into a fall tunic.

There's no new tutorial for this top, but you can see my post from last year on my cowl neck tee for links on drafting the pattern.

To adjust the pattern I first found a sweater with the same fit and length that I wanted in this top. I then created a separate pattern piece for these sleeves by transferring the shape of the arm opening to my new pattern piece, and used my existing article of clothing as a guide.

Rather than finishing off the sleeves with a hem I gave them a good pull when the top was completed. The tension on the fabric caused the knit to curl up on the ends, just what I was hoping that it would do.

I used an existing sweater dress/tunic that I have as a guide on determining the length of the top. When adjusting the pattern I followed the basic shape of my garment. This top fits rather close to the body, and the hem hits me about six inches below the hips.

A couple of basic adjustments to a pattern I love, and now I have a new top for the season. I had hoped to take a few pictures of me wearing it on Sunday, but by the time my husband was around for a photo shoot I was covered in spit up and chocolate finger prints.

Want to make the belt, you can find my tutorial here.

Don't forget to link up your tops to the Top-toberfest link party.

Lace Belt Tutorial

2011-10-26T08:20:00.000-06:00

Last week I showed you how to make the lace embellished top or tank. During the photo shoot I accessorized it with a lace, faux leather, and ribbon belt. Although the belt is not a top in and of itself, I think that it can do a lot for a basic top. Today I'll show you how I made my belt.

Materials: Faux Leather or vinyl, a yard or so of satin ribbon, around a yard of lace, leather punch, sewing machine, and fray check

To begin you will want to cut a strip of leather, and one of lace, that are as long as your waist plus six inches. I cut my belt material to be about 1/2" wider than the width of my lace. Once your materials are cut you will want to center your length of lace over the belt material. You can pin along the length to secure the two layers. I then machine stitched down the length of the belt. The first rows of stitching were about an eighth of an inch from the edge of the lace. I then stitched around a quarter inch inside the initial rows. The placement of your machine stitching should be determined by the shape of your lace. I recommend using a lace that doesn't have much of a scalloped edge to avoid the edges from pulling away from the material.

I used a regular sewing machine needle on my project, but a leather needle or heavy duty machine needle would worker on thicker or hard to work with material.

Next fold over the ends of your belt by two inches. Pin them in place. Stitch around the entire perimeter of the tab (see image below).

You will next want to mark where you would like the holes of the belt to be punched. I put three holes each 1 inch apart, the first hole being 1/2" away from the edge of the belt ends. You only need two holes on each end, but adding a third allows you to adjust the belt width a bit more (great for when you are wearing the belt over multiple layers).

Now cut a length of ribbon that is long enough to tie either in a bow or a know. Angle the edges of the ribbon and apply fray check to prevent fraying.

That's it. I can't wait to make more of these belts in different colors and widths.

I'll be linking here.

Top-Toberfest: Peter Pan Collar Tutorial with Erin of Sutton Grace

2011-10-25T06:30:00.000-06:00

It surprises me how many people I know that have craft blogs. I know people from high school, people from college, and people from church.

Our guest poster today is someone that I know through family, but didn't meet in person until after I'd found her blog. I'm pretty lucky to share a sister in law with her, and was thrilled when I got to meet her in person this past summer. Erin, of Sutton Grace, is not only extremely talented, but she's a doll as well. She has a Top-toberfest tutorial that I am eager to try out. It is for a Peter Pan Collar embellished top. Hold onto your socks because this is too cute. Make sure to stop by her blog, she has adorable projects waiting for you to explore.

Hi! My name is Erin and I blog at Sutton Grace. I am so excited to be guest blogging for Tricia. She is one of the few people I first "met" via blogging and have met in real life. She is just as sweet and kind as she appears on her blog!I am not a very fashionable or trendy girl. I am a stay at home mom (of four!) and a t-shirt and jeans or a t-shirt and a skirt is my daily uniform. But sometimes I get bored with plain old tees! I have embellished t-shirts with all sorts of different ruffles and I love them but I was craving something a little different... enter the peter pan collar!

I loved it so much I added peter pan collars to matching store bought dresses for my daughters. How cute are they?

Peter Pan Collar Tutorialsupplies:scoop neck t-shirt (I got mine at Wal-mart for $4) or dress.coordinating fabric about a 1/4 to 2/3 of a yard depending on the size of collar you are making.matching or contrasting bias tape- make your own or use store boughtbasic sewing supplies1- Trace the curve of the back neckline.2- Place a piece of paper inside the shirt and trace the curve of the front neckline.3- Draw a second line 2.5" from the original lines. 4- Cut on the lines leaving a few inches of excess paper on each end.

5- Find the center of the front piece. Fold in half draw and cut the center curve (I just free handed it).6- You now have one back pattern piece and two front pattern pieces.

7- Find the center front and center back of your shirt and pin the pattern pieces to the shirt leaving the excess paper extending passed the shoulders.8- Fold the excess paper of the back pattern piece over the front piece so it lines up with the neckline (doesn't make the shirt buckle & fold and there is no gap between the paper and the shirt). Pin the paper together (do not pin the paper to the shirt).

9- Remove all the pins except the two holding the front and back pattern pieces together at the shoulder seam. Tape and trim the pattern. Remove pins. Now you have one pattern piece.

10- Pin and cut out your pattern piece on fabric that is folded on the bias. Cutting fabric on the bias helps it to lay flat around curves. (I forgot to take a picture of this step that is why the fabric is different in this picture!)

11- With your two fabric pieces right side together sew along the bottom edge. Clip the seam around the curves. Turn right side out and press.

12- Find the center front of your shirt. Start at the center and pin the collar to the shirt. Baste.

13- Sandwich the bias tape around the raw edge with the longer side of the tape on the inside of the collar. Pin and sew.

Finished!

I did the collars on my daughters dresses the exact same way except one thing. To make it easier to get the dresses over their heads I cut a slit on the center back, reinforced the bottom of the slit with a few stitches, folded and sewed the collar around the slit and added a hook and eye.

Thank you Tricia for having me be part of Toptoberfest!

Thanks Erin for the great tutorial. I love this project, and am so glad that you were willing to share it with us.

Top-toberfest: Lil' Pumpkin Appliqued Onesie Template

2011-10-24T06:45:00.000-06:00

I thought that I'd share a Harvest/Halloween applique with you today. I call it the "There's a pumpkin on my bumkin applique". There are very few times in life when it's okay to have pictures or words plastered on your bottom, but the baby stage is one (if not the only) acceptable stage. Having boys, I don't get to indulge in ruffled bottom tights and bloomers, so an appliqued onesie will have to work.

It's a simple little applique that I designed. I'll share the file with you so long as you respect that it is for personal use only. The template is designed to fit a pre-washed Carter's 0-3 month onesie. You can feel free to adjust it to different sizes.

My applique is done with some scrap knit fabric that I have had stashed away, heat and bond fusible adhesive, some embroidery thread, and lightweight fusible interfacing.

Begin by applying the heat and bond to the wrong side of the fabric.

Next transfer the image to the front side of the fabric using pattern marking/transfer paper. Cut out your pieces.

Adhere the applique pieces to the onesie. I had the small pumpkin in the front, and the large pumpkin on the behind. It should fit right in line with the seams and snaps on the onesie.

I used my embroidery thread to do some hand stitching. I feel that it adds some visual interest to the applique. You could do some machine stitching around the images if you prefer. If you are using a fabric that frays (knits generally won't) you will want to ensure that you either satin stitch (tight zig zag) around the image, or apply some sort of fray check or fray block to the raw edges.

Once I was done with the applique and hand stitching I used some fusible interfacing to secure the embroidery threads, and prevent the thread from irritating babies chest.

That's it.

A fun little applique for the season.

You can find the template here. Once again, the template is for personal use only. Please link up the tops that you've been working on this year in the Top-toberfest link party.

Top-toberfest: Turtleneck Refashion with Guest Blogger Emily

2011-10-21T06:30:00.000-06:00

Today I'm so excited to have Emily from Replicate then Deviate. Although I've never met her face to face, she is just about the sweetest thing. She's always takes the time to comment on a post, and my fellow bloggers will understand that nothing keeps a crafter/blogger going like encouraging comments. Aside from being sweet, she's also very talented. She sews, she plays the piano, she cooks, she's the mother to an adorable little girl, she's basically what we all want to be. Today Emily is going to show us how she turned a couple of oversized turtleneck shirts into these cute crew neck tops. Here's Emily...

I got each of these turtlenecks for about a dollar. They were a few sizes too large for me, which is great for refashioning. Now they're some of my favorites.

I used a shirt that fit well (with a similar amount of stretch as the turtleneck) and traced the body of the shirt, adding my seam allowance. (I kept the bottom hem of the shirt in tact). If you want the neckline to be more scooped in the front, open up the shirt and line up the side seams (so you're only cutting one layer of the shirt instead of two). I left my necklines symmetrical.

I kept the original hem of the sleeve bottom as the bottom of my new sleeve. My grey shirt had three quarter length sleeves and I wanted half sleeves so I didn't trace the full length of the grey shirt sleeves. (make sure the fold of your shirts line up). I was able to keep the sleeve seam the same too (only cutting the top curve for the shoulder).

I sewed the body of the shirt, right sides together. I sewed the sleeves in (shirt inside out, sleeves right side out). (not pictured)Using the scraps from the side of the shirt, I cut some strips to bind the neckline. (both the shirt and the strips are doubled in this picture). Since the fabric isn't stretchy in this direction, I should've cut more. (more like 90% of the neckline, rather than 80%). I'll show you what to do if that happens to you too.

Even out your strips if necessary and sew short ends together to form a loop.

On the right side of your shirt, sew the binding while gently stretching the binding loop. Start in the back of your shirt.

Open up your loop and add another scrap if you need to. Since you started in the back, it won't be as obvious. Reclose the binding loop.

Fold the binding up and over the neckline (so the raw edge is now on the inside of the shirt) and sew with a decorative stitch.

Go model your shirt. Skirt refashioned and blogged here. (They matched great when I got dressed in the dark).

Thanks so much Emily, I love a good refashion!

Want to share your latest tops or tees? Link them up to the Top-toberfest link party.