Road Initials

These letters were inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest.  The original used miniature cars and was sold by a British company, it appears that they are no longer selling them though.

I purchased some inexpensive 16"x20" framed canvas and used a pencil and ruler to draw my letters.  I then used craft paint to make my roads.  I decided that I wanted it to look handmade, so the dashes are not all perfect and the ends of the road are not perfectly straight.

My older son chose 4 of his Hotwheel cars to be hot glued on his letter.  Once he had them exactly where he wanted them, on the left side of the road following each other, I used hot glue to attach them to the canvas.  I was worried they would be too heavy once I hung it on the wall, but we have had no trouble.

Since we already had the cars, the total cost of this project was $7!  They look adorable in my boys' new room.  I'm sure they will look even better once we paint the walls.

The one that wouldn't photograph

I made this adorable outfit in August of 2011, because it didn't photograph well, I never posted it.  My daughter is still wearing the top and just outgrew the pants a month or so ago.  The yellowish, green color is really hard to photograph correctly and I had trouble ever getting good pictures of the entire outfit.

The top is from Butterick pattern 4176.  It came together very quickly.  I love the pleats in the front, the band on the sleeves, really everything about this top.

 

 I would make the opening on the back just a little smaller next time.  It has a tendency to gap open.

This is the best shot I have of my daughter wearing the outfit, I'm surprised I don't have a better one since she wore it so often.  Oh well.

Spring Projects

Here are a couple dresses from last spring.  The first was my daughter's Easter dress.  It is from New Look Pattern 6974, I used a combination of views B & C.  I shorted the lining and then lengthened the colored stripe on the underskirt so that the lining wouldn't show as easily.  I also added piping just below the bodice.  This pattern runs very big, I made it a full size smaller than what my daughter measured and it was still pretty big on her.  The fabric came from JoAnn's Fabric.  

I also made another Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made by Rae.  I love this pattern, it is so simple and a perfect gift for a new baby, I have lost track of how many times I have made this pattern.

Christmas 2011

Here is another of my unposted projects.  The top is the Amelia Top from Mama Stellato.  I made it a little longer, made the skirt part a little fuller, and left the button off.

The pants are triple ruffles, you can find my tutorial here.

The fabric came from Hobby Lobby.

Rainbows!

I made this over a year ago but for various reasons am just now posting it.  

I had been experimenting with sewing curves but only two or three stripes at a time. Then I came across a very cool dress that used all the colors of the rainbow here.  My daughter needed a dress like it for herself as well.

I hope to be catching up on posting my projects soon and will try not to neglect my blog for the next year.

I haven't disappeared...

I just got busy with real life and didn't have time to write about it.  Here are a few cakes I have done in the last couple months.

Two layer cake with hand painted fondant.

 Lightening McQueen face, inspired by a cake I saw on Pinterest.

 A revolver for a boy turning 10.

Fondant isn't my favorite medium for cake and I was stuck using Wilton instead of Satin Ice which is much easier to work with and tastes better.  I still love all the cakes though.  I received a Cricut Cake for Christmas and can't wait to try it out.  We are in the process of selling our house though so it may be awhile.

Treat Bags

Last year right before Halloween I came across a tutorial for some adorable Halloween treat bags by Fishsticks Designs.  I didn't have time to complete any last year, but this year I did.

The bag is wonderful, it has a nice wide opening for seeing what is inside.

When you pick up the handles though, it closes up so the treats stay put.

It came together very quickly, the longest step is fusing interfacing to the fabric, and even that doesn't take long.

The fabric I used came from Riley Blake.  I had purchased two fat quarters (for the outer fabric) and a half yard (for the inner fabric) to make 2 bags, for a total of one yard.  This wasn't quite enough fabric, if you are making 2 bags I suggest 1 1/4- 1 1/2 yards total.

Patchwork Halloween skirt

Last year I won a giveaway of Riley Blake Halloween fat quarters which  I used to make three little skirts.  I had some scraps left, but not enough to make much out of, I was disappointed because the fabrics were so cute.  I finally realized that if I combined them with some other fabrics I could make a patchwork skirt.  It was pretty simple to do, I did it in a nap time and the skirt is even lined.

I kept adding a little more to it so it ended up a little big on my daughter, maybe she'll be able to wear it again next year.

Easy Linen Shirt- Pattern Review

My son is 3 1/2 and has started asking me to make more things for him.  It is hard coming up with sewing ideas for him!  I was excited to hear about Patterns by Figgy's new book, Sewing for Boys, and I managed to find in on Amazon for $15!

Source: patternsbyfiggys.com via Rachel on Pinterest

As soon as it arrived I flagged several projects including a jacket, a set of PJs, 3 or 4 different shirts, and a pair of pants.  The first section of the book is filled with pictures of the various projects.  One thing I really liked is that it showed them in different fabrics.  The Heartbreaker pants are shown in everything from knits to suiting.  I wasn't sure which project I wanted to make first, so yesterday I decided to just dive in on the Easy Linen Shirt. 

I had a little difficulty finding the size chart, it wasn't listed in the index, but you can find it right after the introduction.  My son measured between the 2/3 and the 4/5 so I made him the bigger size.  This ended up causing the sleeves to be pretty long so I cut 4 inches off.  Then I used a slightly deeper hem on the sleeves so that as he grows I can let them out, he prefers his sleeves to be on the shorter side so I didn't want them long now.  You could easily leave the sleeves long and put elastic in the cuff if you have a similar problem.

I am not a pattern tracer, but because the patterns are double sided you do need to trace that patterns.  This shirt only had four pattern pieces so it was easy to trace, I used freezer paper. All the sewing instructions were clear with illustrations that help explain the steps.  This shirt was really easy and even using French seams came together quickly.

The fabric I used was from a wrinkle resistant dress shirt I had picked up at Goodwill.  The very reason that type of fabric was perfect for this shirt, made it frustrating to sew with, it will not hold a crease even with starch!  I ended up adding another row of stitching around the cuffs and hem to keep them from looking bubbled. 

This shirt is marked a beginner project, if you are a true beginner you may get a little frustrated attaching the collar and with all the topstitching. You will be able to do it, it will just take patience and possibly a seam ripper.  I feel like I am an advanced seamstress but I had a bit a trouble getting my collar just right.  I do plan to redo it but since I used a water soluble tape to align it, I need to wait until after the shirt has been washed.

My fabric choice makes this shirt feel a little dressy for everyday wear.  After I was was done I remembered the Lightning McQueen applique I had found at Hancock Fabrics. It makes the shirt perfect for wearing every day.  My son requested another shirt with Tow Matar next time.

I'm not sure what my next project from this book will be, but there are several I want to make.  This is one I will definitely make again.

Jump Rope Dress, View A- Pattern Review

I purchased this Oliver +S Jump Rope Dress pattern last fall, hoping to participate in a sew-a-long and have a dress for my daughter to wear this past spring and summer.  

Source: oliverands.com via Rachel on Pinterest

As you can see that didn't happen.  She does have an adorable dress to wear this fall though. (It is really hard to get decent pictures of a not quite 2 year old)

I am very happy with this dress.  It is cute and it is a great transition dress as our fall temperatures vary considerably.

I really, really wanted to fall in love with this pattern company.  Their packaging is really cute and the dress designs are timeless.  The designer Liesl pops in on the online forums regularly and requests feedback on the patterns.  It's easy to want to love these patterns.  I have heard tons of great things about Oliver +S patterns but I have to say for the price I was a little disappointed.  It was a good pattern, the dress wasn't difficult, and it turned out well, but for $15 + shipping I can buy 7 or 8 patterns from my local fabric store, 15 if I catch the $0.99 sale.  With a little creativity you can come up with the little touches that give the charm the Oliver +S patterns have.

The instructions are very similar to other commercial patterns.  I had read that there were no raw edges in these patterns, but only the placket and collar edges were enclosed.   The instructions for how to lay out the pattern for cutting is not in the instructions, but on the pattern papers.  The pattern pieces do not have markings showing where to lengthen or shorten the bodice and the skirt, that was a little disappointing.

My daughter measured at a 12-18 month size but when I compared the pattern to another dress I had just made her, it was bigger than the 3T pattern.  I ended up making the 2T size and crossed my fingers it would fit.  Although it is difficult to pull over her shoulders, once it is on it fits beautifully.

Changes I made:

• Used French seams
• Lined the skirt
• Shortened the belt loops
• Used biased tape to enclose the seam where the skirt and bodice meet
• Made the skirt 1.5" shorter
• Used a 1.25" hem instead of the recommended narrow hem
• Used the placket for the smaller sizes
• I only put one pocket on the dress using the view B pocket.
• I wish I had also made the belt longer and used interfacing to help stiffen it some.

The inside of the dress is almost as pretty as the outside.  The dark brown fabric is from Patty Young, I used Kona cotton for the lining.  My contrast fabric was leftover scraps from Hobby Lobby.  You can't see it well in the pictures but the majority of the top stitching is in pink thread, that might be my favorite part.

The popularity of Oliver +S patterns is really nice in that there are tons of examples available.  It is easier to picture what your finished project will look like with different combinations of fabric when you can see pictures.  This helped me TONS as originally I thought I would use a much busier fabric.  I do really like this pattern, I just don't think it lived up to the hype.  I won't be rushing out to buy additional patterns unless I can find them on sale.  Since I already have the fabric my next project will be view B though.