Christmas Pillowcase

When I read about a new tradition, the Christmas Eve Surprise box, I knew I wanted to do it for Grant and knew I wanted a Christmas pillowcase to put inside.  I bought 3 yards of Christmas fabric from Joann's after Christmas a couple years ago with intentions of making stockings for Derrick's side of the family to start a new tradition with them.  However, that never happened so I've had this fabric and have been going back and forth on what to do with it.  A pillowcase seemed like the perfect project for it.  Plus, bonus, I don't have to go buy any new Christmas fabric and I get at least a yard out of my fabric stash (that seems to grow and grow no matter what I do).

I used the tutorial here.  It was super simple to make one and let me forewarn you, these are addicting to make.  Once you make one you will inevitably try to think of every other person in your life who may "need" a new pillowcase.  I may even make Grant some for Valentine's Day and Easter.

I thought about including the magic pillowcase poem I've seen around other blogs but Grant doesn't care much for notes and poems I attach to things so maybe I'll save that for next year.

Bit of Whimsy MerMae Doll

I was super excited when Bit of Whimsy had a 40% off sale over black Friday weekend.  My husband decided he wanted to gift to the nieces and nephews this year so I had to come up with a gift for Sophie. 

She loves The Little Mermaid and I thought this doll would be perfect for her.  Not to mention I always love an excuse to buy a new doll pattern.  I've gotten so much use out of the Jean and Beth patterns I bought I consider it an investment.  I can almost always raid my fabric stash without purchasing a single new piece when I make a doll, which I love because I get rid of some fabric that's taking up space in my closets.

When I saw the pattern I immediately thought of a blue paisley fabric I used for pj pants last Christmas and a onesie dress last year.  For whatever reason the paisley made me think of a mermaid.

 

I am so in love with this doll!  Is she too cute or what?  I love her pink and blue hair.  I wouldn't normally use non-hair colors on a doll but considering this one's a mermaid I thought it was perfect.

 

I have to say I was a little intimidated when I read this doll pattern wasn't for beginners like the other patterns on the website.  Not that I'm a beginner but I just wondered how much more difficult it would be to put together.  I have to say I was happily surprised it wasn't that bad.  I think there are just more steps to this doll than to the other 2 I've made.  I've used my other patterns so much, it was nice to start on something new and a little different.  Kinda makes me want to buy another different pattern and make another one haha.  I'll have to refrain though, I think my husband would flip if I added another "project" to my to-do list.

 

I'm happy she is done and can't wait to give her to Sophie.

 

Felt Ninja Turtle Costume Tutorial

I posted here about the Ninja Turtle costume I made my son and like most things I make him, I had to make one for my niece as well.  I originally wanted to make her Donatello, or he purple turtle, but when I realized I only had red felt and no purple I figured it was better to go with red so I wouldn't have to buy any extra felt.

I used the same measurements for my 3 year old son and my 2 year old niece.  The shoulder pieces were 2.5 inches wide with a 5.5 inch opening for the neck.  The width of the body of the costume was 14 inches, the length was 16 inches.  This size fit my 3 year old perfectly and was a little big on my niece, but this just means she will have some growing room in it.  It wasn't falling off of her or anything so in my world it fit perfectly, lol.

I didn't do any measurements for the arm holes I just made them as long as I thought they would need to be for easily taking the costume on and off.  I think, when in doubt make them a little bigger.

 

 I used an 8x12 piece of tan felt to cut the stomach of the turtle.  I didn't use a pattern, just cut it in what I thought was the right shape.

 

To give it some dimension I cut a piece of quilt batting to go underneath the tan piece of felt.  I stitched the layers of the green body, tan stomach piece, and quilt batting in the same pattern as the Ninja turtles on tv.

 

I cut a piece of 2inch wide brown felt for the belt.  I stitched it to one shoulder at an angle, then pinned it down and stitched the yellow buckle in place going through all the layers of felt,

 

I kept the shoulder strap not sewed down until I got the waist belt in place and stitched, this way I knew for sure how long the shoulder strap needed to be.  After the waist belt was stitched down trimmed the shoulder strap.

  

Next I an extra strip of green felt to either side of the body pieces (right sides together).  This is just so the costume hangs easily and moves freely.  You don't want it to be in any way restricting.

 

 For the shell I cut a random oval shape, cutting 2 pieces of quilt batting to make it more dimensional.  For Grant's costume I used some polyfil I had in my stash to make his more rounded.  The I stitched the layers together in the shell design I could remember from the cartoon.  It's far from perfect but Grant knew what it was and that's all that matters.

 

I didn't sew the whole shell onto the back of the body piece.  Instead I placed it where I wanted and stitched it by hand in 4 different spots.  Add the shoulder strap by sewing it to the shoulder and stitch the waist belt on either side and to connect the shoulder belt to the waist belt.

 

Now stitch the front and back body pieces, right sides together, at the shoulders.

 

For the masks I made them about 5- 5 1/2 inches wide and freehanded the shape of an eye mask.  I cut one out in green felt and the other, slightly smaller out of colored felt.  I stitched both together then cut out the eye holes.  I attached a 1 inch wide tie to either side.

 

 

And there you have it a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Costume!  These types of costumes are great for dress up play around the house which is what I originally made them for, however they are also great for Halloween.  They are easy to have multiple layers underneath and kids can move freely in them.  Grant decided to wear his for trick or treat and he had a long john thermal shirt, a sweatshirt, and a jacket all underneath his and it still fit well enough that he could run like a Ninja Turtle from one house to the next.

 

 

 

 

Grant won't hardly take his costume off and he and Sophie ran around my mom's house like ninja turtles when I put them both in the costumes.  So score one for mom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boo-Boo Bear Ice Pack

After I started watching another 2 year old 3 days a week I realized how desperate I was for a cure all for everyday boo-boos.  Seriously, 2 year olds are like magnets for bumping heads, running into walls, falling over toys, and random clumsiness. Grant has always been clumsy but usually a hug, kiss, and a shake it off works well for him and he's "all better".  This apparently doesn't work for every child.  S's first week with us consisted of her losing her balance and rolling down the last 3 steps bumping her head on the rail, slamming her teeth into Grant's forehead (accidently of course), running into the corner of our end table, and busting her lip on the edge of a toy she fell on.

Needless to say she screamed every time and my hugs and kisses were no longer a magical cure all.
Enter, the Boo- Boo Bear.  I gave both Grant and S a baggie with a piece of ice when they collided teeth and forehead, and then every injury thereafter they wanted more ice.  Call me cheap but I didn't want to keep giving out baggies nor keep track of the 1st one I gave them.  So that night I got out my fabric scraps, used a lid to trace a circle (the bear's head), and freehanded the ears and the embroidered face.  I filled it with rice (I have loads of rice) using a funnel and popped it in the freezer.

 

First thing the next day Grant hit his lip on something and the Boo-Boo Bear ice pack was there to cure his pain.  He loved it and him and S have actually fought over who needs it the most when they are "hurt".  Which of course means I need to make another one.  The to-do list never ends.

Bit of Whimsy Doll for Skylynn

I love Bit of Whimsy dolls! I really can't say that enough.  The 2 patterns I've bought have been used numerous times and I love having them on hand for last minute little girl birthdays and Christmas gifts.  We were invited to a family friend's 2nd birthday over the weekend.  Well you don't know this but October is a very busy and very expensive month for us.  Not only is it Grant's birthday, but our county fair, my husband and I's anniversary, our trip to the pumpkin patch, the pumpkin hike at our park, Boo at the Zoo & trick or treat (which means me making 2 costumes, one for Grant and one for my niece).  So to fit much else in with time and a small budget is next to impossible.  So naturally I decided to whip up a Bit of Whimsy doll for little Skylynn.

Usually I have all the fabric and notions I need in my stash to make a doll on the fly, however moving has put a wrench in finding any of my craft stuff, especially fabric.  I currently have my fabric and craft stash located in 4 copy paper boxes, 2 diaper boxes, 1 laundry basket and an armoire.  And I searched for flesh colored fabric for about an hour before I decided it wasn't worth it anymore and made a trip to Hobby Lobby.  I spent a total of $2.35 on flesh colored cotton fabric and the cute pink paisley print I found on clearance and decided I had to have it for the dolls dress.

This doll was made using the Jean doll pattern.  I've made more of the Jean dolls than the Beth (the other pattern I purchased a couple years ago) only because I never can find my yarn and I always have felt.

I will say this, if my little one turns out to be a girl I will be investing in quite a few more doll patterns.

Dora Jumper

When my sister was a toddler I made her a simple summer jumper, white with fruit on it.  I was so proud of that jumper, it was one of my first sewing projects.  My mom found some clearance corduroy Dora fabric and asked if I would make one for Sophie.  I thought I would be able to find such a simple pattern online for free, but no such luck.  I searched off and on for days and came up with nothing.

Ugh! I hate it when an internet search yields nothing, so frustrating.

So I had to resort to the next best thing, a store bought pattern.  I really try to stay away from them because they are harder for me to understand and I usually end up getting half way done with whatever it is and it sits in my sewing box for years on end before I give it up.

Here is the pattern my mom bought:

I had never used a New Look pattern.  I usually try to stick with Simplicity.  Not really sure why, but it's the patterns I first started using and I'm not one for change.

This pattern was super easy.  It had a total of 4 pattern pieces and took me less than an hour to finish once the fabric pieces were cut out.  That's my kind of sewing project.

 

 

It seems I can never get a picture of the clothes I make actually on the kids.  They don't understand or care why I want their picture and instead say thank you and run away.  I guess I should just be thankful they say thank you.

 

I love the colors of this fabric and my mom actually bought 2 yards so I have a whole other yard to play with and sew something else.  Maybe a winter skirt to wear with tights! 

 

 

 

2 Maxwell Shirts

I have had it in my mind to make Grant a 4th of July Maxwell shirt and one for our family reunion since I bought the pattern months ago.  Leave it to me to wait until the last week, and right after Relay for Life to get it started.  I will say it was so much easier making this the 2nd and 3rd time around.  That could be for a couple reasons...1 being I've made the shirt before so I'm more familiar with the pattern and instructions, or 2 because I actually cut the pattern pieces out the way they were supposed to be cut out, including the button plackard.  Button holes make me nervous, I think it's because I have to change out presser foots on my machine, make sure the buttons line up with the holes, and measure where to put them all.  Plus if you screw them up they are right there in front and everyone is bound to notice.

So what did I do about this fear of mine......I sewed both the shirts to the point of having no steps left other than button holes and buttons.  Which I guess is a good thing because I only had to switch the presser foot out once and I could run through and face my fear all at once instead of in 2 installments, 1 for each shirt.

 

 

I'm so excited they are done and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing my to-do list is shorter.
I'm super proud of them, especially the light blue one.  I've had a garbage bag full of some of my husbands old dress shirts, pants, polo shirts, etc, for over a year and have done very little with any of them.  Of course my plan from the day I had him clean out his closet was to make Grant some clothes from them.  It has taken me this long to make that happen.

Kind of sad when you think about it, but oh well.  I used 2 of his shirts to make the lighter blue one.  1 for the main body of the shirt and a small piece of another for the yolk on the back.  This was the first and only shirt of the 3 I've made that I didn't use the same coordinating fabric for the pocket flaps and the yolk.

I wish I would have gotten a picture of Grant actually wearing his 4th of July shirt but unfortunately it rained all day and we didn't make it outside or to the fireworks, so it didn't dawn on me to get the camera out.  I will say he looked pretty darn cute in it.

Kids Clothing Week-a little delayed

I had grand plans for kids clothing week and so many ideas of what I wanted to accomplish for my first go around.  I didn't officially sign up for KCW because even though I had grand plans I knew there was alot going on with a baby shower and a Minnie Mouse birthday (more on this later), and of course what we do best-moving. 

I guess I should be proud of the fact that I did get a few things accomplished along with all those other things stealing my attention.  I think I over estimated what I could accomplish with a 2 year old at my feet and not sleeping but with all that being said I do have some things to show off.

I made my neice a couple more pillowcase nightgowns.  My mom requested more for this summer because she loved the one I made here.  She found these striped pillowcases, 2 in a package, for $1 at a discount store, and I got the stretch ribbon at Hobby Lobby @ 50% off for $1.50.  So all in all each nightgown cost a total of $1.25, you can't even go to Wally World and buy a little girls nightgown on clearence for that price.

Of course as usual I didn't get pictures with the kids in their clothes because toddlers in this house don't seem to like my camera very much.  They turn their back to me, run in the opposite direction, and lay face down on the floor when I say "come take a picture for me".

I also made a shirt for Grant.  I bought the Maxwell shirt pattern a couple months ago with KCW in mind.  I have quite a few of derricks old button up shirts I've wanted to repurpose for Grant and decided it was the perfect pattern to attempt it. 

 

My husband's shirt before I started cutting it to pieces:

Maxwell Shirt front:

 

Back:

 

It is so darn cute I can't stand it and I have to say I'm pretty proud even with the mistakes I made in the process of putting it together. 

I'm going to be honest because lets face it we all should be, this shirt has alot of problems.  Not due to the pattern, I absolutely love this pattern and it's super easy to follow so you should definately buy it if you have a cute little boy in your life.  All of my errors were because of myself, ugh, wish I could blame someone else but I can't.

Button holes make me nervous, don't ask why they just do.  So I had the grand idea to avoid having to make so many I would just use the existing button plackart (have no clue if thats how you spell that but you know what I mean).  I just left that pattern piece in the envelope and went on my merry way cutting and sewing.  If I was a better sewer or had done this before maybe it would have turned out better but because I hadn't I had to improvise on more than one occasion.

I feel it's necessary to purge these imperfections to all of you so here they are:

 

Top of the button plackard



 

The inside collar

 

Inside button plackard

I'm gonna say these blemishes give this shirt a little character, and take this as a learning experience rather than being uptight about it (which I usually would be).  Normally when I sew clothes (or anything for that matter) and the above happens I start to get flustered and say many choice words (not outloud of course) to my sewing machine, the pattern, my scissors, or anything else I can blame for my lack of perfection.  But not this time.  I took it and ran with it making the best of the situation.

Aww, I'm growing up becoming a big girl.

I have intentions of making a few more of these shirts and next time I'll make it and face my button hole fears and hopefully show off a shirt with a few less imperfections.  There's no point in hoping for perfection, it's just not gonna happen.

Toddler Onesie Turned Dress

When I was testing my freezer paper stenciling skills for our Relay for Life tshirts, I didn't want to practice on a good shirt or use an intricate design.  Instead I took one of Grant's 24 month onsies (the size Miss Sophia is in now) and used the freezer paper to make a heart stencil.  This way if the stencil didn't work as easily as everyone said then I wouldn't have wasted a good shirt and if it did work the onesie could still be worn.

Once I painted the heart I thought it was just too plain to wear as is, and of course I like to try new things so I decided to make a dress out of it.  I have been wanting to turn a onesie into a dress for quite a while but like so many other things, it's taken me awhile to get around to it.

I used a freezer paper stencil to paint the heart.

 

Then decided how long I wanted the top part of the dress to be and cut the bottom off the onesie.

 

I searched through my fabric stash and found the only girly fabric I had enough of and cut a wide strip ( the length depends on how long you need the dress to be so there are no exact measurements), used a basting stitch on my machine to make the fabric ruffle.  Then put right sides together and stitched the onesie to the skirt.

 

Of course the purple pants are not part of the outfit but I had to get her in the dress and snap a picture before she got bored of me and ran off.  I still want to add a fabric flower to the top but either way I think it is too cute on her, and I'm so glad I got my butt in gear and made it.  Is there a better feeling for a crafter or sewer to see the excitement of someone who loves what you made them.  Sophie was running all over the living room twirling for everyone saying "too cute, too cute". 

 

 

 

 

Kids Clothing Week

I am so excited about Kids Clothing Week this week.  In case you have never heard of KCW, the idea behind it is to take one hour a day for an entire week and dedicate that hour to sewing clothes for your kids.  I have been looking forward to it for over a month and planning what I want to accomplish and attempt.  So far I haven't made Grant much in terms of clothes other than pjs.  They are pretty easy and quick, and I've made them so many times there's no need for  directions.  I've been wanting to branch out and have been collecting fabric and shirts of my husband's to repurpose as well as a couple staple patterns and tutorials.  I bought the Flashback Skinny Tee pattern back in January but my fear of knits has kept me from attempting to use it.  My sewing machine has been eating my knit fabrics and I'm not really sure why, so I've put them aside and taken a break.

I also bought the Maxwell Shirt pattern by Shwin & Shwin.  As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to make one, or a dozen for Grant.  It's really difficult to find cute patterns that are interesting for boys, but Shwin & Shwin have quite a few others I'm eyeing and dying to buy.

The staple tutorials I'm planning on working from are the Basic Pants pattern at Dana Made it and the variation of it the Retro Racer Shorts tutorial.  Of course I can't leave little Sophie out of the mix, and it's always nice to change things up from boy to girl every now and then, so I'll be making her a couple more nightgowns like the pillowcase nightgown I made her here.

As excited as I am to start on my to-do list for Kid's Clothing Week, this is probably the busiest week to try to get some serious sewing done.  The About to Pop baby shower I've been planning for the last couple months is this weekend, Sophie's birthday party is the following weekend as well as my sister's who is turning the big "20", both of which are happening the same weekend we are moving.  Therefore all my projects for KCW will be posted next week. 

I know I'm keeping you all in suspense right?

I guess the big question now is why am I still on the internet when I should be sewing, baby shower crafting, birthday cake baking, and packing.

Off to work I go....

Flat Sheet into Toddler Blanket

Last year my mom found a twin size Toy Story sheet set at Dollar General for $1.75.  Of course Grant still isn't in a twin size bed yet so the fitted sheet is stored away.  I hate flat sheets for any size bed, They always end up balled up at the end of our bed and end up being more trouble than they are worth.  Normally all of our flat sheets just sit on shelved in the back of our linen closet.  However the Toy Story one was just too cute to store away and never use, and since I'm planning on decorating Grant's room in Toy Story, he was in need of a blanket for his toddler bed.  Naturally the crafter in me wanted to make one so I decided to use the flat sheet to make a quilt.

Is this the cutest Toy Story quilt you've ever seen or what?  I wish I had a picture of it on his bed but at this point we haven't converted Grant's crib into a toddler bed so its a little too big.

 

First I measured Grant's bed to figure out the dimensions I needed, which ended up being about 33x58 inches.  I cut the sheet, taking advantage of the finished edges wherever possible.  I bought 2 yards of matching flannel and cut it about 2 inches wider on all sides so I would be able to turn it over the edges. 

 

 

In between these layers is a layer of quilt batting.  Before turning a stitching the edges I tacked the layers together.  All this means is I took some thick upholstery thread (you can use embroidery floss, yarn, etc) and made knots randomly, which binds the layers together preventing them from shifting.  Then I turned the edges over, like the picture above shows, pinned them in place and used my sewing machine to stitch around all four sides.  You could do this part by hand as well, I've done it by hand many many times, but I was lazy and wanted a quick project, since Grant was all too interested in what I was doing and trying to be extra "helpful".

 

 

I'm so excited to see this on his bed in his new room with all the other elements I have planned to decorate. 

 

 

 

Tie Quilt

My Mom, sister, and I took a trip to Amish country last week and had a blast.  While we were there we stopped in at a fabric/quilting store and hanging on the wall was this quilt:

I realize this is not the best quality picture but all I had was my camera phone.

I have never seen a quilt like this before and I'm in love.  What an adorable idea.  In case you can't see it very well each square looks like a shirt with a tie, and on the sides are small bowties. 

How cute would this be as a memory quilt with ties and shirts from male members of your family, grandfathers, fathers, uncles, etc.  I now have this on my to-do list for my son.

Pillowcase Nightgown for Sophie

My Mom asked me last year if I would make my neice Sophie a nightgown since the ones in the store are about $10 (ridiculous) and we had no luck finding any at yard sales.  Of course I said "absolutely, a nightgown will be easy", we found some cute polka dot knit on clearence and I was set.

Fast forward 1 year and my Mom was still waiting on that nightgown.  I've come to realize it takes me forever and a day to start a project I've never made before, even when it's a seemingly easy one.  I had put off this nightgown and justified it stating I was super busy with other projects (so not a good excuse).

Then, lo and behold, I came across this post and was immediately inspired and couldn't wait to make little Sophie a nightgown. 

And FYI if you haven't checked out the rest of the iCandy Handmade blog you need to do that immediately.

Like right now, go ahead, I promise you will be browsing her archives and before you know it you will have lost 2 hours of your life and your crafting to-do list will have doubled in size.

Anyways...I didn't want to purchase the stretchy lace that the tutorial called for because I didn't want to wait for it to ship before I got started, so instead I bought some stretchy ribbon I've seen used alot for making baby headbands.

I also didn't have a pillowcase so instead I used the knit my Mom originally purchased for the nightgown and layed a pillowcase on top to cut the fabric the width I needed.  This just took a little extra time that wouldn't have been necessary if I had a pillowcase.

Here's how it turned out:

 

I so wanted a picture of her wearing the nightgown but she wasn't too into modeling and was tugging at the shoulders trying to undress herself so no such luck.  I'm so excited with how easy this was to make that I can't wait to make more.  My mom bought a package of 2 pillowcases for $1 at a store in town called Rose's.  They are nothing fancy but Sophie is makes anything look cute.

 

Kids Clothing Week is coming up,  If you haven't heard about it you should go to the website.  This will be my first year participating and I plan on making the other 2 nightgowns during that week, so I won't be tempted to procrastinate.

Puffy Vest

I saw this post on A Girl and A Glue Gun and Sugarbee a while ago and immediately went out and bought the flannel fabric I needed to make Grant his own puffy vest.  I thought after reading the tutorial how simple and quick the project would be so I could knock it out in a naptime.

Ask me why I ever think that will be the case, cuz it never is. 

Why don't I learn?

I proceeded to make my own pattern to use and cut both my lining fabric and outter fabric, then decided since I already read through the tutorial and knew (ok, thought I knew) exactly how to make this vest I didn't need to read the tutorial again.

This was mistake #1.

I stitched the lining and outter pieces together in the way I thought, ignoring the fact that they weren't matching up correctly, thinking the imperfections would work themselves out.

This was mistake #2.

I ended up getting most of it done (or rather thinking I had most of it done) to realize I had messed up the entire vest and there was no salvaging it unless I ripped out every seam I had previously stitched.  And seriously who wants to do that?  So, like so many other projects I screw up on the first attempt, it ended up getting thrown in a bag and procrastination set in on making another.  Every time I saw this bag an eye roll and a thought of, "I really need to make another one of those", would follow.

Finally I am here to say I have finished this project.  My words of advice.....
Read the tutorial.....And then read it again so you don't have to rip seams or procrastinate making another.

It really is a simple project.  I get easily distracted and lose focus cuz here is my background noise music:

Grant:  "MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA"

(picture a 2 year old jumping up and down in front of you patting your knees, getting closer and closer to your face with every "Mama" he says)

 

Me: "what?"

 

Grant: "MAMA, MAMA......"

 

Me: "I said what?"

 

Grant: "MAMA, MAMA, MAMA......."

 

Me: "WHAT?"

 

Grant: sigh, eye roll, and he proceeds to turn around and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

 



I stuffed mine with Polyfil, made the faux pockets and collar.  You can tell my work is not perfect but I think it's really cute.  My only regret is the length.  The next one I make will be about 1 inch longer on the bottom.  Grant is growing so fast these days (what am I talking about the kid has grown like a weed since birth), so I know this one won't fit him very long.

 

 

I swear I don't take him in public dressed this way but he wanted the vest on and I had to take advantage of my fleeting moment to take a few pics.

 





He likes to turn to the side when he knows I'm about to take his picture, laughing the whole time.

 

I get alot of pictures that look like this one.

Or this.

 

After making this here is what I would and will do differntly the next time around, I will use quilt batting instead of stuffing (mainly because I'm lazy).  I think I over stuffed mine making it shrink a little in length.  I also won't bother using bias tape on the arms.  I used it on the one above but it looked a little strange to me.  It may not have been the tape, maybe it was my pattern but when I tucked the tape inside and stitched it down so you can't see it when Grant's wearing the vest, it seemed to fit him better and look better on him.

 I have this vest on my list for the fall to participate in the fall kids clothing week challenge at Elsie Marley.  I've been dying to participate for about a year but just havn't had the guts to attempt.

I've got my guts now.