Ria's new hat

The cooler weather here has thrown me into a tailspin! I have warm weather clothes....and cold weather clothes for Ria, but not much for in between. I decided that I need a light hat to help Ria acclimate to the cooler temperatures. She has hair, but not enough to keep her little head warm when the temperatures drop! The pattern is the Sweet Pea Pilot Cap and can be found on this blog. My friend, Trina, has made several of these, so I tried it, and it was fairly easy! This fabric is Ria's absolute favorite. Mine too. When I went into labor, I took my favorite blanket to the hospital with me (ok, ok, I will admit I can't sleep without it). It is SOOOO soft! After she was born, Ria would just melt into it if we placed her on it - it was one thing that would calm her down. Mom found some fabric - Joanns calls it the ultra cuddle fabric and made her some blankets and a hat....the blankets are used every day but the hat is now too small! I can't believe how fast this baby is growing! We saw my Mom's cousin's baby (it is too late for me to figure out seconds and twice-removeds, I'm sorry) and he was SO tiny. My baby isn't so little anymore - and she stood on her own the other day and again today!! oops. sorry. back to the fabric... anyways, I found some white cuddle fabric and used it to make a couple of hats out of it. The edging on this one is from a tank top that was rather comfy, but was JUST the right color for her, so it was sacrificed. lol. The things I do for this child! HA! sorry. Back to the fabric....again!!! The great thing about this is that you can't see the stitching!!! What a relief, because the first time I try a project, there is always some wonky stitching! Here is a picture of it being modeled. Focus on the HAT, Jen! The pattern calls for a knit fabric, and since this one doesn't stretch, I made it in the largest size. I have to keep messing with it to make it cover both ears, so I will make it extend farther on each size if I make it again, otherwise, with the stretch of the knit, it should be a great size for awhile.

Too long!

Ok, so once again it has been forever and this post is coming because my dear friend Shell is losing faith in my blogging abilities. Ha! Well, it has been too long since I have posted and this little dress is also too long....but too narrow! It is a fight to get it over her head and since she is crawling at the moment, a long skirt isn't helping her make progress. So there are a few modifications that need to be made to it, however, I love it and it would be great for the winter with a pair of leggings...or some wool pants made from a refashioned sweater. The pattern is from McCall's. Overall it was very easy other than the neckline, which is an overlapping neckline like most onesies. I serged it but still tried to fold it over 5/8" like the pattern called for - it was impossible around the curves, so I ended up serging it again and cutting 1/4" off and it turned nicely. :) Not my favorite knit, but I haven't done much work with knits and this was nice to start out with. This was made in the large size, so my next project will be pattern adjusting! :)

More Elephants!

More sewing!

I made these for the son of a dear friend of mine. It was kind of funny. First I started with the green shoes...then I wasn't sure if they would fit, so I made the blue ones a size bigger. The blue shoes were so cute that I decided to make a romper for him out of the fabric. Then I found the elephant and had to put one on. LOL!

It turned out so cute that I am now making a dress and bloomers for Maria and a romper as a going away present for the little boy I am watching. I used my new snap press that I bought for applying snaps to cloth diaper! So much fun!

Baby Sewing!

Hi there! I have been really busy getting ready for my little one! Some of that has been sewing for the baby. I made a fleece bunting and hat that are so cute! Pictures for those should be up tomorrow. I also made a breastfeeding pillow. I picked one up at a garage sale, but I didn't realize that it was slightly mildewy. After washing it, the stuffing became extremely hard, so I took it apart, and used the fabric as a pattern. I made the pillow and two covers. One is linen, from a skirt that I found. I love how it looks so sophisticated! The buttons are only on one side, but make it look so neat! The other is flannel on one side and fleece on the other, and is SO soft! I am sure the flannel one will be getting the most use! They both have zippers for easy removal, and I am finding that the more I put in, the more comfortable I am with them. I used to freak out at the thought of putting in a zipper! I am also working on more Pack N Play sheets, nursing pads, and dog boots. My dog boot pattern needs some modification, so I keep working on it a little then setting it aside before I get too frustrated with it. Nesting has definitely been working to my advantage - I love crossing projects off my list!

Unedible Cake!

Tomorrow is a baby shower for a friend of mine. I have seen these online and wanted to try one - it was SO much fun! I absolutely love how it turned out! It was fun to be shopping for a boy, not that I want to change my mind and find out!

Maternity Skirt and Belly Shots!

I have been studiously ignoring the fact that winter is coming in the hopes that it won't....it's not working! I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do for the winter for skirts and pants....most of my medium maternity pants are getting small, but the larges are too big. I grabbed this skirt at a used clothing store so that I could try and modify it for my ever growing belly. The zipper needed to be picked out so the scissors wouldn't cut into the teeth and break....so I picked it out and still managed to cut the zipper!



A rectangle of knit fabric was folded in half, then I measured it on my belly and cut it to size, serged the ends to make a tube, then sewed it onto the skirt.....5 minutes before we had to go to church! :) When we were at church, I realized that the knit stretched more than I thought and had to keep hiking it up! While Nate was out hunting later on that afternoon, I took it back apart, make the knit tube smaller and sewed it back on. It is SO comfy!
I will definitely be modifying more skirts and pants!