One Third

I have a plan.  I have a crazy plan.  I have a plan to make three quilts by giftmas.  I want to make one for each of the kiddos.  I only have one pieced and sandwiched.  I have ideas for each of them, but putting them together is taking quite a bit of time.

The quilt pieced and sandwiched was waiting for quilting inspiration.  It is for B, and I think I know what I want to do.  It will be a simple geometric pattern.  I have the binding selected.  It is from the same fabric collection as the quilt top, Punctuation from American Jane.  It just needs to be cut and sewn into strips.  I am hoping to handsew the binding, but I may have to adjust that plan as the deadline approaches.

The next quilt was stuck on piecing.  The fabric is the City Weekend collection and is soft and feminine.  I had selected a pattern, but I didn't love it.  Then a friend showed me this quilt.  I love it, and have decided to make this pattern.  It required a bit of fabric, which has been ordered.  The backing fabric has been selected.  Not sure about the binding yet.  I need to hurry.

The last quilt will be made of jeans.  I have enlisted the help of everyone I know in collecting jeans.  It will include jeans from everyone in our family as well as from our community.  It will be a simple 4.5inch square top.  I will quilt it with straight lines.  I don't think this is the best time to learn free motion quilting.

Am I crazy?

Cool Sewing Books

I enjoy sewing.  I like being able to create something.  I plan on making a few more dresses for Aine as they have been a big hit.  I may have to find this book as it has some neat things in it.

She Loves It

Today was a productive day.  Although I did not finish until 1am, it was worth it.  I was able to make a dress/tunic for Aine from IKEA fabric.  It is a black and white leaf print which Aine immediately put on with her new black shorts.

(she assured me that her hair was combed, but she had just come out from the bath.  She is also munching a cookie)

I also made a nightshirt(gown) for Eamon.  He has been wanting one, so I crafted it from the same pattern I have been using for Aine's nightgowns/tunics.  I used IKEA fabric in the same print as Aine's dress below.

The best result of the day was the dress I made for Aine from the IKEA dot fabric.  I used an Ottobre pattern from the 3/2008 issue.  It is the tie-back dress, and it is a huge hit.  I did not finish under the wee hours of the night, so I hung the finished result on her doorknob.  She immediately put it on and modeled for photos.  She LOVES it.  A big plus is it spins.  I am sure she will be wearing it a lot this summer.

Two and One

One nightgown/dress and two pairs of shorts completed today.  Aine has requested more of the nightgown/dresses.  She really likes this one with miniature skulls (fabric by Michael Miller).  She has worn it since it came off the machine.  I finished a pair of elastic waist linen shorts to wear with it when we leave the house as it is a bit short.  She insists it is best solo, so I may have to make another shirt for the shorts.  I have some black and white IKEA fabric in mind for the shirt.

Eamon loves his red horseshoe shorts.  He thinks they are very comfortable pj bottoms.  I made them big and long as per his request.  He wants a nightgown now, so I will see what we can find in the fabric pile for him.

Out of Practice

Inspired by the Kids Clothes Week, I decided I need to get back behind my sewing machine.  I finally was able to sew a bit today.  I traced a few patterns from old Ottobre magazines this morning as soon as I awoke.  I set the fabric aside hoping to sew a bit when Benton napped.  Then I pulled out my pajama pant pattern as we are low on summer sleep wear.

I decided to start with pjs, so I cut some Michael Miller fabric I had for Aine..  I used a pattern for her pink horseshoe pants, but I winged it for the boys.  I used existing pants as a guide while cutting whimsical camping fabric for their pants.  Big mistake. I forgot to compensate for the elasticized waist while cutting.  I didn't realize this until I had put the pants together and held them up.  I hopefully asked Eamon to try them on - no luck.  Then I turned to Aine - nope.  With enough elastic they fit Benton.  The smaller ones intended to Benton were somewhat salvaged and fit him now with no room for growing.  Not all is lost as he LOVES his new pants.  Aine is quite pleased with hers as well.

Next up is a nightgown, a dress and a skirt for Aine.  I also plan to make Eamon a pair of pj bottoms as well as a nightgown per his request.  At that point, we shall see where we stand and if anything fits :)

Halloween Costumes

A cape, withes socks, witches dress and bat wings were desired for the autumnal festivities. It took me a bit to get started, but everything was met with rave reviews. They wore the outfits all day. E exclaimed, "This is the best costume ever!"

Repurposing

I have very busy repurposing things around the house lately.

First, I pilfered an old shirt from Dave for a dress for A. It was a fairly straight-forward task. I followed this tutorial. She loved the dress. I have one more shirt waiting to be transformed.Next, I turned my attention to shirt of E's onto which I had spilled a drop of bleach. I decided to try reverse tie-dyeing. Voila a new look! E loves it.
Next up were some baby legwarmers for the wee folk. I grabbed two pairs of my knee highs and transformed them into legwarmers for the kiddos. Rave reviews for the third time!

New Bags

This weekend, D went through his closet and selected items to donate to Goodwill. I noticed a pair of pocket jeans in the stack, so I asked him to keep those for crafting. I quickly set to work with the kiddos cutting them apart. After debating on which pockets to use, we settled on the cargo legs. Just a few seams and a strap added produced enviable bags. E has a sketch pad and colored pencils in his. A is trying to decide which of her treasures to put into hers. We plan to pair them with good spotter's guides and head out exploring.

More Recycling

My craft room (aka The Den) is a mess. I have WAY too many projects going with no completion in site. I decided to try to tackle the mess one stack at a time and not just move things around the room. I took a stack of sweaters I had set aside for baby soakers and longies. I cut into them and fashioned three pairs of longies for Baby B. He has wore two of the pairs at night and they work beautifully - no leaks!

(I think he is sad, because Dave called him an Ewok in these pants)

I plan on making a few pairs of shorties/soakers from the remaining sweater pieces. I wanted to do it all at one time, but I am reminding myself, "baby steps."

Repurposing

A wanted a nightgown, so I set to work. I found two cute pillowcases at Goodwill . The first one I made adapting the shirt pattern from Simplicity 4206. It was super easy and a good fit. A loves it. She wore it for a week straight.The next one I made with seam binding. I followed the same general shape as the first one. I made the binding from some fat quarters I had. Voila nightgown #2. It is a bit wide, but she likes it. D asked me to cut a pair of his pj pants and convert them to shorts. After a quick measure, I cut off the legs and hemmed the new shorts while he prepped the kiddos for bed. He liked the results and wore them that night.

With the remaining pant leg, I fashioned a pair of pj shorts for E. He was thrilled to have pj garb that matched his poppa. I also shortened another pair of his pj pants, so he has two pairs of bottoms for the summer.

A

Finally some FOs...

With Dave home post birth, I have been able to get a few projects completed. Most have been accomplished while holding the baby, nursing or having the baby in the Moby wrap. The main projects were birthday gifts. The other two were based on found patterns and new ideas.

The first is a little shirt for my niece Kailana's 1st birthday. It is the Katja pattern from Knitty.com. It is the 12 month size knit with 2nd Time Around Cotton. I think it turned out cute. I wanted to sew some linen pants as a coordinate, but life got in the way.I found a cute hat pattern to use up some of my yarn stash. It is called the Amanda Hat. It was on Ravelry. I am loving that site right now. It is a great resource for knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, etc. I can search by pattern or yarn and see finished objects left and right. There are also forums to ask questions about anything fiber related. The hat is knit in Malabrigo worsted weight in the Brownberries colorway.When I bought the linen for Kai's pants that were never made, I saw some green and a cute print. I snatched them and turned them into an outfit for Aine. I used Simplicity 4206 for the shirt and pants. I kept fudging with the pattern, but it worked.


Realizing how cute Aine's outfit was, I decided to make one for the second birthday. It is for a friend who is turning four. I appliqued a 4 on the front (my sister's idea). I used some quilting cotton I had on hand. It is fraught with errors, but I did my best with a fussy babe in the wrap. He was tired of the sewing!
I hope everyone likes their gifts.

Miniswap

I signed us up for a miniswap through this blog. It was quite a bit of stress to send out with visitors and D gone for a week. We are finally mailing it out. We were matched with two children ages 8 and almost 6. I did most of the work with input from the kiddos. We included an Arizona map and calendar, two Arizona postcards, two wrist cuffs, a jump rope, cowboy pants, a doll skirt, two Usborne books and two blank books for them.

Here is a picture of the goodies:

Quilt II

I made another baby quilt from the Bend the Rules book. It is such an easy blanket to make, so I decided our wee one needed one. I am not sure about it. I wanted gender neutral, since we do not know if the baby is a girl or a boy. The colors are a bit muted, so I may need to make another one. Everyone asked says it is gender neutral and nice, so I may give it to a friend who is also expecting her third.

Laying it out while the kiddos played with playdough

Finished Product

Baby on the Brain

I have been busy with some sewing and knitting. I made a few baby bibs from Bend the Rules Sewing. These are a SUPER, EASY project. We even sent a few to cousin William.
I also knitted two pairs of baby socks from a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Watercolor. The pattern is super easy and is available for free at Interweave Knits.

Ruffle Rib

Braided Cable

Baby Quilt

Inspired by the book, Bend the Rules Sewing, I decided to make a baby quilt for my new nephew. I found some spacey flannel for it(robots and spaceships). We used orange flannel for the back. I didn't want a "baby" quilt, as I hope he can use it for several years. It is an easy quilt to sew. E & A helped me lay out the strips and add the prints at random intervals. They enjoyed "helping" me pin and sew the quilt. Eamon was grateful when we used the scraps to make a scarf for him.It is packaged and ready to go to its new home.

Ornaments for the Babies

I made elf slippers for the youngest cousins this year. K's slipper was pink with her initial. W's elf slipper was blue with a pom-pom on the toe. The pattern is from a blog I read. It can be found here, however I shrunk it down a bit. I hope they like them when they get bigger.

All Set

The final project for the holidays was matching pajamas pants for the family. We started a tradition last year of matching pjs. Last year they merely coordinated, but this year we all matched. Here is a picture of D & E on Christmas with their matching pants.

Repairs

In between the holiday sewing and crafting, I noticed Aine needed some jeans patched. She picked out her colors, and we set to work. The patches work quite nicely on these play jeans even if it does look a bit Whiskey Tango.

Aprons

I made two aprons this year for family to go with some culinary treats. The basic pattern was fairly easy for both. Hopefully they like them, and they fit reasonably well. I tried to make them coordinating, so they could cook/entertain in fashion.

Happy Cooking!

Now that's Productivity

DH took the kiddos to a Veteran's Day Parade today. I elected to stay home to clean and craft. I spent three hours cleaning - mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, changing beds, washing clothes, wiping down walls, etc. The remaining time was spent sewing.

I finished 6 pairs of pajama pants. A finally got her Halloween pants, which have been waiting since last year. E got some Thomas pants from a thrifted Thomas curtain. Two of my nieces will receive their Halloween pants from last year as well as a warm pair of flannel ones for their new home.Now on to a few quilts, a skirt for A and two sweatshirts for the kids. In the meantime I need to finish the clapotis.