Comfy Kids Pants

If you've been following Celebrate the Boy on Made, then I'm sure that you've seen Dana's fantastic tutorial on Kids Pants.  Clark seems to run out of pants before anything else, so I decided to make up a pair for him. Normally, I don't like plain pants, but I love the slightly flared leg, and wide hem on these pants.

I ended up shortening Dana's pattern a bit, though I wish that I would have left the length for a wider cuff.  Dana says that the pants fit a slim/tall 2-3 year old.  My son is not quite two and a half, and normally wears a 2T in pants.  These pants were a bit snug through the diaper area.  If he were just wearing undies, they probably would fit a bit more comfortably.  

To be quite honest, I didn't read her tutorial, and I took the liberty of using a 5/8 inch seam allowance.  If I'd used 3/8 of an inch, they would probably have fit better through the behind.

 Clark loves these pants.  They must really be comfortable.  I did sneak one small pocket on the back of the left side of the pants, unfortunately I wasn't able to get a clear shot of it.

Dana recommends doing two stitching lines on the hem of the pants.  I recommend finishing the raw edge of the hem, turning the hem up, and then using a twin needle.  Using a twin needle ensures that your stitch lines are uniform.

Never used a twin needle before?  You can find more information on twin needle stitching here.

Band T-shirt to Baby Onesie

I've mentioned it more than a few times, but my Sister-in-law is expecting a little girl.  It's their first, so they get to stock up on baby clothes.  My Brother-in-law is quite adamant that he doesn't want his little girl decked out in pink ruffles.  While he was sorting through some of his old t-shirts, he recommended that my Sister-in-law turn one of his favorite band t-shirts into a onesie for their little girl. Neither of us had ever made a onesie before, so it was a bit of an adventure, but we ended up with this.

We think it's pretty cute.  We created a pattern based on a little gap onesie that they already had.  My Sister-in-law is going to make her a matching headband.  I'm sure it's something that her daddy will be happy to dress her in, the only ruffle in sight is a slightly gathered sleeve.

 Thanks for reading.

Knit Baby Squash Hat

Early this season, I mentioned a few of my knitting goals.  One of which was to learn how to knit in the round.  I am by no means a pro, and my stitches leave much to be desired, by I have successfully completed two baby squash hats that are knit in the round.

I used some cream peaches n' cream yarn, and followed the pattern outlined in 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, by Judith Durant.  The pattern calls for circular needles, but my only set of circular needles was too long for this particular project. I ended up learning how to work with double pointed needles....which took a bit of getting used to, but wasn't all that difficult to pick up.

 

One of the biggest difficulties for me was  keeping my tension uniform as I worked around the circle.  I don't think that this yarn is ideal for a beginner project when knitting in the round, it really doesn't camouflage the tension issues at all.

I love this little hat.  It is intended for newborns,  but I'm guessing that it will only fit newborns with small to average size heads.  There's no way that Clark would have fit in it.

Are you interested in learning how to knit in the round, or use double pointed needles?  You can check out the youtube instructional videos below.

Thanks for reading.

The Lonely Button Hair Pin

I have an extremely quick project to share with you today.  It includes only three things: hair pins, spare/lonely buttons, and a hot glue gun.

I have had some lovely little buttons in my button jar.  I loved them, but didn't know what to do with them. Rather than just pulling them out of my button jar to admire, I decided that I should give them the attention that they deserved, and put them on display.

All of the buttons that I used were shank buttons.  I simply slipped them onto the hair pin, and glued around them.  So simple!

 I can now proudly display my buttons!  Wahoo!

 I have these cute juvenile buttons that I was tempted to turn into hairpins, but I think that I'll wait until I have a little girl to use them on.

Has anyone ever spray painted bobby pins?  I'm thinking that some bright yellow or aqua hair pins would be fun.

Personalized Diaper Changing Pad

You  may remember my Wipeable Diaper Changing Pad, from last summer, if you don't, you can find the link to the tutorial on my side bar.

I really do love these diaper changing pads, and use it whenever I can with Clark (oh how I wish he was potty trained...or at all interested in being potty trained). It wipes clean, and is very convenient for when I'm on the go.  I stuff a partially emptied package of wipes, and a couple of diapers inside the changing pad, and I'm off.

I recently made this personalized changing pad for my niece that is due to arrive in early spring.

My new sewing machine has the ability to stitch a few basic fonts.  The letters aren't very large, but it has been a lot of fun to play around with.

Brother SA114-Non Stick Foot

Now, working with vinyl is not the easiest thing to do. Because this particular project has two sides of vinyl, it becomes even more complicated. Often times the vinyl will stick to either the presser foot, the strike plate, or both.  To make the sewing process go a bit smoother, I like to use a non-stick presser foot.  It allows the vinyl, leather, or other hard to sew material, to slide beneath the presser foot without as much "stick".

To prevent the vinyl from sticking to the strike plate or sewing machine, I like to pull the material, by gently lifting the bottom layer of vinyl away from the sewing machine (rather than pushing the material through the machine with my hand on top of the material).  You can also place a layer of gift wrapping tissue paper under the bottom piece of vinyl.  It will allow the material to move with greater ease as well.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for reading.

Scrap Fabric Bunting

We woke up yesterday to an inch and a half of new snow.  I'm not sure why, but spring is taking it's time making it's appearance.  I'm not expecting 70 degree weather, but having some grass peaking through the snow in my back yard would be quite welcome.

 In an effort to invite spring to Idaho, I made this cheery scrap fabric bunting. It was a quick project, and I am rather pleased with how it turned out.

Each flag of the bunting is made out of two layers of cotton, making it double sided.  Rather than sewing the flags to bias tape or ribbon, I created button holes on each flag.  While button holes aren't my favorite thing to make, the process was relatively painless (thanks to my replacement sewing machine), and the button holes make the bunting very versatile.  I can easily adjust the length of the bunting by adding or removing flags.  I can also remove or add different colors of flags to make the bunting appropriate for the season.

The flags themselves have pinked edges, and a tight zig zag stitch around the perimeter of each flag. Fabric buntings are great ways to use up scrap fabric, decorate for the holidays, and adorn a baby or child's bedroom.  I have a couple of windows in my house with just blinds, no drapes, I'm thinking that this would be a cheerful way to dress them up for spring.

 I'm thinking that I need to make a personalized baby bunting for my sister in law's baby shower next month.  It's going to be cute (assuming that I find the energy to make it).

Thanks for reading, I'll be linking here.

Friday Finds: Wooden Toys for Boys

Two of my favorite blogs (Made, and Made by Rae), are celebrating boys this month.  If I get my buns in gear I might try to turn out a few boy themed sewing projects.  While we wait to see if that happens, I thought that I'd join in the celebration by sharing some of my favorite toys for boys from Etsy.

These aren't just any toys, but wooden toys.  I love wooden toys and buy them for Clark whenever I can.  I love having wooden pull toys, wooden train tracks, and of course wooden blocks.  These Etsy finds go beyond building blocks (though you can find those too) and are fantastic choices for encouraging pretend play.

organic SKITTLES - 10 pin retro wooden bowling developmental set

Little Sapling Toys

Personalized Camera - natural wooden imagination toy with name

Little Sapling Toys

 Natural Colorful Wooden FISH PLAY SET, Great Pretend Play

Sasi Shop

 t-rex wooden dinosaur toy

Banished

Small Bring along waldorf kitchen

Jounik

Wooden Tool Box FREE SHIPPING

Uncle Woods Workshop

Aren't those lovely.  One day I'm going to buy myself some power tools and learn  to do some woodworking.  Until then I'm going to drool over these lovely toys.  Perfect for the little boys (or girls) in your life.

Ruffled Baby Skirt from Old T-shirts

Despite the fact that my sewing machine is out of order, I managed to get a bit of sewing done.  Don't worry, I didn't do any hand sewing.  I decided to try out the gathering foot on my serger, and I must tell you that I'm quite impressed (not with my skills, but with the machine).

 I started out with two old t-shirts that I'd thrown in a dye bath a while back.  I wasn't particularly fond of the t-shirts so dying them was a great option.

I'm no master at the ruffling/gathering foot and stitch, but it was rather easy, and the skirt was definitely a quick sew.  I made the skirt to be size 3-6 months. There isn't any elastic in the waist.  The knit material provides a bit of stretch, so fitting the waist band to the size of the  baby's waist should work quite nicely.

I used the hem of the t-shirt for the hem of the skirt.  I love it when half of the work has already been done for me.

To create the waistband I folded the fabric over, and serged the raw edge of the waistband to the seam of the top gathered tier, and the bottom of the waistband. I lost nearly all of the gather that existed prior to serging down the waistband, but I'm not too disappointed. After all, I didn't put in a whole lot of time or money.

I also created this little infant headband to coordinate with the skirt.  I simple served two layers of fabric together on either side, and attached a small knit flower to the top. Easy Peasy.

I'm still trying to decide what to applique or freezer paper stencil to the front of the onesie.  Any suggestions?

Thanks so much for reading, and being patient as I wait for the return of my machine (and my energy).  Clark had surgery earlier this week, he's doing well, but it took it's toll on his mama.

Tiered Skirt for Mama

A few weeks back I mentioned that I was working on a skirt for myself.  Well, I worked on it, I finished it, I wore it, but I failed to photograph it.

So here are a few shots of the skirt, but unfortunately I don't have any of me modeling the skirt.  I quite like it, and it is very comfortable to wear.

I found this sheer, crimped, fabric for $1/yard.  I'm not sure what the exact material is, but it was fun to work with.

The skirt itself is three layers: a lining, a long layer, and a shorter layer (about four inch difference).  I rolled the hems on each layer, which worked well for the sheer material, but not for my lining.  I had hoped to shir the waistband of the skirt, but unfortunately the three layers of fabric were too much for the elastic thread.  I ended up with four bands of stitching, but no gather.  I ended up sewing in some 1/4 inch elastic along each of the shir lines on the back of the skirt.  It keeps the skirt on my hips, but adds a bit of bulk to my backside, which I guess isn't all bad.

It was a really quick project, and I'm rather pleased with my new skirt.  I'll try to get a shot of it the next time I wear it.


Did you miss the post on sewing and serging rolled hems?  You can find it here.

For the Love of Lace

Possibly my favorite of the bunch, Impressing the Gals Coat: Mod Cloth

Lace is one of those details that for some reason I'd distanced myself from over the past few years.  I'm gradually inviting it back into my life, and have grown quite fond of it.

Romantic Lace Necklace in Ivory: Nez Jewelry

The return to the more feminine silhouette and details is quite nice, and more than appropriate for the Valentine's season (is it a season or just a day?...I'm going to go with season).

Never Forget a Lace Top: Mod Cloth

 Over the past few months I've procured quite the supply of lace trims, and they are all quite lovely.  I'm excited to start on some new apparel projects for myself. I just have to wait for my machine replacement to find it's way to my sewing room. Until that happens, I'm gathering inspiration, creating patterns, and cutting out fabric.

The Prim of Your Life Cardigan: Mod cloth

I thought that I'd show you a few inspiration pieces that I've collected over the last little while. Enjoy.

Cloud Art Dress: Anthropologie

Lady Jane Dress: Mod Cloth

Vintage Lace Collar From a Doily: a Tutorial

I've seen quite a few vintage lace collars floating around Etsy.  I think that they are lovely (see this, this, and this).  I don't typically decorate my home with crocheted doilies and lace, but I love the idea of decorating oneself with  it.  

I've had an old ecru doily in my stash of things to be repurposed, and I finally got around to transforming it into something new. . . a lovely little collar.  Want to make one yourself?  Here's how...

Start with an unwanted doily, mine was about 10 inches in diameter.

Cut up one side of the doily to the center. I ended up rounding off these two sides, because I thought that it looked better with the scalloped edges.

Cut a hole that is large enough for your neck.  You are most likely going to be wearing it at the base of your neck, so measure at the widest point. Once you've cut an initial round, you can adjust it as needed.

Finish off your raw edges.  Initially I had thought to use a thin double fold bias tape for this step, but then my sewing machine quit on me, and I was then forced to use the rolled hem function on my overcast serger.  It worked quite nicely, I only wish that my thread was a better match.

If you wanted you could hand stitch the rolled hem so that it is turned to the underside of the collar. You could also sew a thin velvet ribbon along the rolled hem to make it a bit more polished (I'm going to have to wait for my replacement machine to show up before I tackle that).

To finish it up I attached a "pearl" from a broken bracelet.  The collar is fastened by slipping the pearl through one of the holes in the lace.  

 That's it.  A super simple and easy way to turn a household doily into a lace collar.