Stitched cardigan.

Went thrifting a while ago looking for things for my Style School assignments, idea by Elsie.  I found a cute little green cardigan with sort of flared sleeves and hideous buttons.  I’ve had it around for a bit because I couldn’t decide what to embroider on it.  Then I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a cupcake!

I wanted to do a silhouette sort of thing so first I Googled images of cameos to find something to base a frame on.  My blue wash out fabric marker didn’t really show up too well on the green sweater so I had to free hand here and there.  I’m happy with the frame and cupcake outline but once I took the hoop off and slipped it on I’m not sure I’m happy with the placement of the design.  It’s a little low I think and not very crest-like, more breast-like!  Might have to do some restitching tomorrow.

Style school project 10? And I didn’t even know!

So I was so busy finishing my pillow last night and blogging about it that I ran off to bed later than I meant to.  Today I wander over to check what the Style School assignment for yesterday was and lo and behold it was the favourite quote pillow!  So while this isn’t really a ‘favourite quote’  it’s still pretty darn cute, a quote and finished on the day a pillow was assigned!

I think I’m going to make a few more to go on our bed with this one.  I’m going to scour song lyrics and other inside jokes and use those, things that mean something to us or is an inside joke only we will get.  Can’t wait to have a few all prettily placed on our bed!

Handkerchief pillow tutorial. Complete with cute embroidery!

My friend gave me a few handkerchiefs her Grandmother had lying around figuring I could make something with them.  I had the idea to make them into little throw pillows for my bed.  I was going to make her one and give it to her, but I’ve already given her a pillow I made so I figured I’d be keeping it.  Then I realized one of the prints would be perfect for embroidering a little something right in the middle.

Perhaps a heart with our names in it?  So I cut out a heart and was just about to trace it when I remembered the awesomeness I had just ordered from Peptogirl!

I flipped through the patterns and found one I liked and I took the liberty of making a slight adjustment.

Here’s how I made the pillow:

First I cut a piece of plain unbleached cotton fabric a little bit larger than the hanky. Then I ironed the two pieces so they’d be nice and flat. In hindsight I should have cut the cotton a bit bigger, I ended up losing the border when I squared it up before putting the backing on.

Next, in a very high tech. transferring process, I freehandedly copied the ’sew in love’ pattern onto the hanky, adding my own little touch.

Then it was onto embroidering before a repeat ironing performance. I just put the hanky and fabric in a hoop together and stitched my design. When I took it out the stitching was through both layers holding it together.

So off to my machine I went where I stiched around the edge of the hanky, I went on top of the hem stitching with the same colour so it wouldn’t show.

While doing that I hit a pin!! Never in all my time sewing have I actually hit the pin. CLUNK! went the machine, and I totally expected the pin to have snapped and tried to pull it out, but nope! It was just bent like crazy! Everything seemed fine so I just took it out and kept going.

Then I chose some fabric for the back, our duvet cover is brown so I was going for something that would make this a nice little pillow to toss on our bed. I squared up the edges around the hanky and then I laid down the front, right sides facing, to see how big it was and cut a piece for the back.

Then I pinned it together, with the pins waaaaay inside to make sure I didn’t hit one again, and sewed around with a 1/4 inch seam.
In retrospect the hole I left for turning and stuffing seemed a tad too small but I got it. When I went back to my bag of stuffing to grab some more I found this peaking out.

I was so excited, a stuffing tool?! Wow. Was stuffing going to be easier?! Why hadn’t I found one in my last bag of stuffing?! Then I opened it and realised it’s really just a chopstick and I could have gotten one of those from the kitchen. My hands worked just fine.

Stitched the stuffing hole closed and ta da! A cute little pillow to enjoy!

Cheap fun! and reuse before you recycle!

The other day I thought I was pretty smart when I got out a roll of transportation stickers I had kicking around and made Wesley a little paper with a road, train tracks, an airport, water and a train station (that looks a lot like a dog house I know).  He had a blast sticking on all the stickers and making a cool picture.  He asked to do it again a few days later.

Today after setting up my lovely table from IKEA I brought the box upstairs to flatten out and draw some roads on.  We made roads to Grandma and Grandpa’s, our house, Nana’s, some of our friends houses, the preschool, the indoor play place we hang out at and “Daddy’s friends’ house”.  I tried to get some specifics about who those friends were but that was the only answer I kept getting.   So while Daddy indeed have friends, apparently Wesley isn’t too concerned with their names.

That's 'Mommy's van' and 'Daddy's car' in the dirveway.

Of course after I had drawn all those places and added some trees, bushes and flowers Wesley requested an airport.  Into city planning mode!  I found some space behind the preschool for it.  Hope Grandma and Grandpa don’t mind.  When they got their 17 acres out in the country they probably didn’t think an airport was going in across the street.

Juice pouch jackpot! Or however you say that in German.

Here’s my stash of juice pouches from the trip! Not sure why they’re in German since we were in Spain . . .

I can’t wait to make myself a little bag that, hopefully, no one around here will have!

Pocketed pillow, mark it with a C!

More Style School inspiration, well actually the bonus project this time. Decided to make it a gift for my soon to be married friend. Luckily both their last names start with a C so the pillow works now and after the happy day!

I used Leaves Vine Stripe, from the Apple fabric by Alice Kennedy.  It’s available from Timeless Treasures.   Or, be like me and get yours on Etsy.  The back panel and the pocket are just dark chocolately brown cotton fabric.  I got the doily from the thrift store and I had the cute little button kicking around.

Place setting stockings.

The other day while looking through the flyers I found this neat idea, for $13.99.   Of course I instantly figured I could make something similar quite easily.  And so I did!

I started with our old stocking.  I believe I got them at the dollar store years ago, and they say our names and I figure we should be Mom and Dad now so it was time for new stockings anyway.  So I disassembled them to re-use the fabric.

With the help of my friend google, I searched for an image of a stocking and sized it to a size I liked and began cutting!

I recovered enough fabric to make 6 stockings.  We’re travelling at Christmas this year and won’t need our stockings and so I have a whole year to make us something snazzy and neat.

I don’t have any wonderful dishes but you get the idea.

Here are the other stocking friends.  They could also be used as place holders if you stitched names on the stockings.  Perhaps I’ll get to that for next year.

Spontaneous craft.

I really enjoy reading the Frugal Family Fun Blog, I’ve come up with similar ideas for either my classroom or my kids.  One day we were out somewhere and our son was getting restless.  I grabbed a stick and started to form it into letters for him to guess.  We made a W for Wesley and some other letters I knew he would recognize.    Today, after playing in the yard for a while he came running to the door to tell me he found letters.  He had a pile of sticks and was excitedly telling me all the letter he had found.

Today’s find.

We went to a birthday party today.  Guess what the kids were drinking?!!

JACKPOT!!

Sure I had to intercept everyone before they threw out their garbage, or garbage pick, but I’ve got enough to finish my project now and possibly start another! Thanks Jen.

My first tote!!!

Ok, well it’s not quite finished yet but I’m crazy excited about what I have so far!!

I have a bag/tote addiction.  Which is sort of crazy since I hate carrying purses, but since growing up (or at least reaching an age where I *look* grown up) I’ve started carrying something with me.  Well that and having kids, now I’ve got to have things with me even if I have the diaper bag! Etsy was an addiction for a little bit, I absolutely love this lady’s bags.  I own 3 of her bags, 1 was even custom made for me, I feel so special. I try not to check her site too often, I just want it all!!

I’ve become inspired by her style and started to design my own bags.  This is the first one I’ve actually got to sewing.  I’ve got a stash of fabric I’ve been collecting for almost a year. The teal coloured pocket is actually a dishcloth I found on clearance. The strap I have set aside was a thrift store find, currently it’s a belt but that will change. There’s a panel on the back with 2 pockets, lined in a different colour even!   I’m so proud.  Perhaps tonight I’ll have a chance to sew the lining.   Fingers crossed, I might even get to put the strap on and sew it together!