Delilah's Momma - Work, Play, Eat!

I Made Something....

2011-11-29T16:07:00.002-05:00

On Halloween our little boo baby entered the world! So now I am not just Delilah's Momma, I am Shane's momma too!

He is wonderful and cuddly and I am totally in love.

Hope to back to blogging and sharing projects soon.

Janimal

Delilah's Matching Dresses

2011-10-19T16:16:00.000-04:00

Happy to blog today about some recent sewing projects!

But first....Where oh where have I been?

Ah, just getting to the end of pregnancy and have had lots on my plate. So blogging has not been a priority. I'm not apologizing for not blogging - I think my priorities are in order. But I do miss interacting with the online world quite a bit.

Here's who I have been interacting with. This little girl, who just turned 3. Poor dear woke up sick on her birthday but still agreed to wear a little 3 shirt I appliqued for her and was a sweet and cuddly little one all day. She is the cutest most amazing kid ever. Just sayin'.

I wish I had her hair!

Happily, she was not sick for her birthday party. I made her a cake with princesses on it and we enjoyed ourselves.

I have gotten some sewing done lately! I'm so very happy to show you this Popover Dress for Delilah for next Spring/Summer AND a matching dress for her to put on a doll. I have a prettier doll in mind, but this one was the closest available when I was ready to take a picture.

The fabric is Willow Grove by Alexander Henry and I just LOVE it! (Patterns are available for FREE download from the Oliver & S website)

I alspo recently made Delilah's Halloween costume. I'll try to post pictures after she wears it, in the meantime, here's a clue about what she wants to be...

Oh, the cute! I know that no one finds kids as charming as their parents. These days I am feeling especially in love with my daughter and just can't help expressing it.

I'll be back with more projects. Including a tutorial for some tab top curtains I made.

Take care all,

Janimal

Delilah and Daddy Coordinating Outfits!

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

I am in the final few weeks of pregnancy. Hard to believe!

After the little man makes his appearance, I am pretty sure I won't have much time for sewing. In the meantime I am trying to make a few more projects before my hiatus.

Recently I got to test a pattern for childrens' pattern designer Oliver & S. But this is a new kind of test -- not a new pattern test. But an OLD pattern test! They have several patterns that have gone out of print, but as new sewists discover this great company, they still want them. So O&S is looking into making the patterns available as pdf files to download. As a tester, I was sent an out of print pattern that was converted to a pdf to print myself and sew up.

I already own the pattern, the Puppet Show Dress. It's the pattern I used to make Delilah's Snow White dress, actually. Just a lovely little dress pattern!

So here is the test dress I sewed up! D is currently fitting well into 3T, but I made this dress is a 4T so she could get a little more wear out of it. Not too big though - check it out!

The fabric is "Innocent Crush" by Anna Maria Horner that I bought at Whipstitch Fabrics. You may recall I used this print to make my sweet husband a tie. So Delilah and her Daddy had coordinating outfits to wear Saturday night. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well capturing their matchiness. I do have one funny pic of a crazed looking D, with her Daddy and his tie in the background.

"You talkin' to me?"

I sewed this dress Saturday afternoon, and found myself scrambling to finish to put it on D before we raced out to a wedding reception. So instead of following the lovely hem facing finishing instructions in the pattern, I haphazardly folded the bottom and sewed a very rushed hem. I felt like a contestant on Project Runway trying to get a garment done before racing to the runway. I can only imagine what Nina, Michael, & Heidi would have said if they got a look at my hem.

I'll finish the hem properly and get some better pictures!

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

ROBOT Nursery

2011-09-21T12:07:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to share our robot nursery today!

There are a few finshing touches to add, but it's mostly done and ready for our new little man arrival! It was SO much fun finding robot decor.

Here is the view from the door.

The furniture is actually a stained dark brown. In these photos the pieces look almost black, but they aren't! I'm just not good with photography! Also, the walls are a lovely pale blue, which doesn't show well in my photos either.

On top of the dresser are some robot toys for Shane to play with 2 soft toys, and a stacking robot toy (all from Amazon.com). There is also a clock and a teeny little robot model our nephew made for the baby (awww). But my favorite piece is the lamp.

Lamp purchased from Amazon.com. I think it's super cool!

Didja check out the curtains?! Made them myself using fabulous I Heart fabric by Rashida Coleman-Jones for Timeless Treasures. (I still need to hem them though!) I also made a matching soft ottoman from the tutorial over at Living With Punks.

You've seen this fabric before! Remember I made a fabric bin with it! It's in the nursery now, holding some toys.

Moving around the room, every nursery needs a comfy glider. There is a matching ottoman, but for some reason we didn't put it in there yet. Huh. It's hard to see the detail, but there is a pretty cool robot quilt over the back of the chair.

Sorry about the glare on this photo, but here is the changing table, with some robot sticker decals above. I LOVE these decals. (from Amazon.com) They are bright and colorful, and you can move the parts around and make the robots look however you like! They seem to stick well and yet remove easily too. Also on the table is a small fabric bin (fabulous Kokka robot fabric) that I made to keep diapers and wipes handy, a little robot bucket for diaper cream and other necessities, and there are two nightlights. I really like how the large robot nightlight has a heart.

Moving around the room again, here's the crib.

The whole robot idea actually started with the three robot models on the left side shelf. My husband got them as gifts and they were on a shelf in the basement. They are pretty much the only robots in the room that aren't appropriate to play with! You can see our video monitor camera, and next to it a solid red robot - which is actually stacked measuring cups for the kitchen! Fun for a little one to play with.
The 4 robots on the bottom are made from wood. The 2 smaller ones are poseable! They look smaller in this pic to me as they are in real life.

The wood robots, kitchen cup robot, AND the robot nightlight, bucket, and clock in the room all came from http://www.tintoyarcade.com/. I stumbled upon their site with a Google search, and imagine my delight in finding out they are a local company. I was THRILLED with my purchases!

And here is a shot of the art above the crib. I fell in love with the I Heart fabric I used in the room, and decided the robots on the fabric would be good on the walls too. So I bought some canvases, and some paints, and did my best to duplicate them. They are somewhat imperfect, but if you don't look too closely, I think they're ok! Of course they are hung pretty high from the crib, safe from little hands.

So there you have it! The robot nursery! I still need to hang a window shade, hem the curtains, and add some other details. We bought a a robot 3D pic from a local artist that has a voice bubble from the robot that is a dry erase board!

Thanks for stopping by. It was fun to put this room together and it was fun to show it off. And soon it will be fun to bring home it's occupant!

Later Skater,

Janimal

P.S.

I have a tutorial in the works for the curtains!

Fabric Bin Tutorial

2011-09-07T11:25:00.001-04:00

Hello! I am so happy to share with you a tutorial for making a fabric bin today!

We have a robot theme going in our new nursery and I just fell in love with the I Heart fabric from Timeless Treasures that was designed by Rashida Coleman-Jones. (Purchased at Whipstitch Fabrics) This lovely fabric came in cotton, and also a lovely cotton/linen blend that has a lovely weight I enjoyed working with very much!

Pretty soon I will be able to share photos from the finished nursery. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this little sneak peek at the decor, and this tutorial.

And oh yeah, we picked a name for our new baby - check it out!

This fabric bin will either store baby toys on the floor. Nice and soft for the baby to access. Or, we'll use it to store diapers next to the changing pad. I have other fabric bins too, so now I just need to figure out where they go!

To start, I cut five 10' by 10' squares of the outer fabric and some interfacing. I used a medium stiffness interfacing. I considered using fusible fleece but I didn't have enough on hand. If you have batting, that would work too.

Next I laid out the fabric pieces, with a piece of the interfacing on top. (this is when I realized fusible interfacing might make this a bit easier.) Because the robot fabric is directional, it's important to get the layout correct so each side has robots that aren't upside down! The arrows here show how to layout the fabric.

Ok, the layout is good. Now I must sew each panel in place. I pinned the center piece to a side piece first.

This was sewn together with a half inch seam. VERY IMPORTANT - start and end sewing a half inch before each side.

I sewed two opposite sides first.

Now the other two sides, and this is why that half inch space in sewing is important. If you sew with a half inch space again, you should have a perfect corner.

Now it's time to sew each of the side panels together. It was tough for me to get a picture of this. Basically, if you fold the bottom panel into sort of a triangle, it's a bit easier to put the side panels together to sew.

Once all the sides are sewn, you have something that is starting to resemble a box!

I pressed each side seam open, and if I had been thinking properly, I would have trimmed the seam down to a quarter inch. So do as I say, not as I do, and trim that seam!

The lining of the fabric bin is constructed almost exactly the same way, except leaving a space between a side and bottom panel for turning.

These seams were pressed open also.

OK - It's the home stretch! Now insert the lining into the outer box, right sides together. Pushing into each corner and lining up each side seam.

I started with a pin in each corner, lining up the seams, and a pin between each corner to keep the lining in place

Then sew around the top with a half inch seam.

My favorite part - turning! Use the gap in the bottom of the lining to pull the fabric bin right sides out!

Ta-Dah!

A good press around the top and look - it's a fabric bin! You can top stitch around the top at this point, but I didn't. The turning gap in the lining can be handstitched closed at your leisure!

I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I am pretty excited about our robot themed room and am looking forward to sharing pics of it. Please stop back by!

Later Skaters,

Janimal

Apple Picking Dress

2011-08-15T13:23:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! I am SO EXCITED to show off one of the new Fall Oliver & S patterns today. I was a pattern tester for this dress and I just fell in love with it. I've been dying to share it!

So here it is - worn by my very favorite little model!:

My happy little model likes her new dress!

Couldn't you just eat her up?

This pattern is called the Apple Picking Dress

The fabric I used is called "Delilah" by Tanya Whelan. I think the white polka dots on blue, with the dropped waist style, give the dress kind of a retro look.

It was fun to pick out buttons too. I think buttons can add SO MUCH to a garment. These buttons have just a hint of blue in the inner circle.

Delilah was modelling the dress on the old walkway in front of our house. Oh that walkway was getting old and was SO ugly. Construction is going on now - we took out the walkway and are putting in a front patio. A nice place for us to sit and relax while we watch our kids ride bikes in the cul de sac. My sweet husband is calling it our "partio"!

I need to sew a new outfit for Delilah so she can show off the new construction!

I have a tutorial in the works for the curtains I made for our new little nursery. I just need to hang them and take their picture and hope they look as nice actually up as they do slung across the back of my sewing chair!

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

Making Plans...

2011-07-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

Hi blog friends! I'm still here!

Lots been happenin! First, here's a look at Delilah for the first night in her big girl bed. She's growing up too fast for me....

Nausea and exhaustion from pregnancy have kept me from being creative lately. But I do have one thing to show you, and would like to share some plans for future projects.

First, here is a dress I just finished. This was actually the first dress I made from the Madison pattern by Bonnie Blue that I've made many of since. I think I made the 3t. It has been sitting in my sewing room without buttons for months. I finally sewed on buttons and sewed buttonholes. It's still a little big for Delilah though.

In other news, I did make a new Fall dress. But I can't show you! It was a test of a pattern from Oliver & S that hasn't been released yet. So I can't show it off until they do. All I can tell you is....I LOVE IT! I'll post when I get permission - I think they are released in August.

Now here is a cool fabric that will be featured in our new little one's nursery.

This cool robot fabric is from the I Heart line by Rashida Coleman-Hayes, from Timeless Treasures that I bought at Whipstitch Fabrics. I think it's way cool that the designer is another Atlanta local chick. It's pretty awesome that there are so many cool and talented peeps in our city in the fabric/sewing world.

Now, what to do with the fabric? I have some others too - I'm thinking some fabric storage boxes to put diapers in....perhaps a floor cushion, window treatment. I may even make some cribsheets. I just need some energy...and time.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

O&S Sunhat

2011-06-03T10:15:00.004-04:00

Long time no blog!

I got back in front of my sewing machine earlier this week and made my sweet girl a nice sunhat to wear for the Summer. I know I'm biased, but I think she looks adorable in it.

This was my first project from the Oliver & S book, Little Things To Sew.

The hat is designed to be reversible, but for my first version I chose to make both sides with the same pink polka dot fabric.

I did make one change with the instructions. The final step has the inner cap sewn on my hand all the way around using a blindstitch. I ended up machine stitching most of it and blindstitched just the turning opening. It looks perfect to me and I will probably do the same with my future versions of this hat.

She appeared to be pretty happy with it.

Won't it be fun to have hats to match her little outfits! I better get to sewing!

Thanks for stopping by. I have some plans of things to sew so hopefully my next blog post won't take so long.

Later skaters,

Janimal

Snow White Sleeves Tutorial

2011-05-19T09:00:00.002-04:00

I had a few requests to share how I made the sleeves on Delilah's Snow White Dress. I'm happy to try and oblige! I used the Oliver and S Puppet Show Dress pattern. My method for the pleated sleeves could be used for really any pattern with a similiar sleeve.

Before we get started, here's a few more pics of my little girl wearing her dress. Here she is, SO happy giving Princess Ariel a hug.

And here's one of Delilah and I posing in front of Cinderella's castle.

Ok! Off with the tutorial!

I started off with strips of fabric in blue and red. The red strips were 2' wide, and the blue strips were 3' wide. I sewed them together. I eyeballed the pattern piece and made the strips several inches longer just to give myself some play room.

I used 3 red strips for each sleeve, with two blue strips. I then added wider blue strips to the outer edges. The center red strip will become the center pleat on the sleeve.

Each seam was ironed flat, then I folded the red fabric over itself to form pleats. So the inside of each pleat is all red. the blue all remains on the outside. They didn't meet exactly in the middle, I wanted the red to peek out a bit even when folded flat. I pinned it and ironed it flat.

The next step was to lay the pattern piece down on the pleated fabric. The center line of the sleeve piece was aligned to the center of the pleated fabric. I drew around the pattern with a fabric marker.

The next step was to sew a stay stitch line, just inside the fabric marker line, to keep the sleeve piece stable for cutting and to make it easier to work with.

From here I just followed the pattern directions. I cut out the sleeve, and inserted it in the dress. The pleats were perfect!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this tutorial.

Cheers,

Janimal

Delilah Wears Her Snow White Dress AND I'M PREGNANT!

2011-05-16T12:00:00.004-04:00

Hello all! It has been a little while since my last post. Lately I have been really really really tired and haven't done much creative at all. Although I have been making something -- I AM PREGNANT! I may have mentioned before that getting pregnant for me isn't an easy task, but thanks to some talented doctors, we are expecting our next arrival 11/1/11.

Despite the pregnancy exhaustion, we decided to take a little family vacation to DisneyWorld.

Delilah got to wear the Snow White dress I made her to meet Snow White herself! Check it out:

Just walking around the park made Delilah so happy. Here she is in her Snow White dress again. Do you notice the spilled water down the front of the dress? Smart way to keep cool in the heat, actually!

It was SO completely adorable watching Delilah's reaction to the characters she met! We have TONS of pictures that I think will make a lovely picture book to hold some memories for Delilah to look back on. Here is one pic I really love of Delilah and Sleeping Beauty.

I can't even explain how wonderful it was to experience DisneyWorld through the eyes of my little one. I lived in FL for years and went to Disney many times, but going with Delilah was BY FAR the best experience there ever. It was truly magical. Awwwwww.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to get some energy back now I'm in my 2nd trimester so I can share some creative things - but please forgive me if I'm not posting again soon.

Take care,

Janimal

Puppet Show Dress by Oliver & S

2011-04-18T10:26:00.006-04:00

Hello! Hello!

I am so happy to show off one of my favorite dresses I have ever made! We recently decided to plan a trip to DisneyWorld for our beautiful Delilah. Although we limit her TV time, she has a definite passion for Disney films featuring the iconic Disney Princesses. We're pretty sure seeing some of the princesses "live" at DisneyWorld will blow our little girl's mind!

So for the occasion - I am preparing her wardrobe. Check out her new Disney Princess dress...can you guess who inspired it?!?

Snow White of course!

This pretty dress buttons up nicely in the back:

When I decided to make Delilah a Snow White Dress, I bought a costume pattern. Upon further reflection, I opted NOT to use an actual Snow White pattern. I didn't want her outfit to be a "costume", I wanted it to be a dress. Not a long flowing gown (called for in the pattern) but a dress she could move and groove in. Not something to be used for dress up over clothing, but an actual garment of clothing, with proper closures and neat finished hems. So I referred to my favorite childrens clothing pattern designer -- Oliver and S.

This dress is the Puppet Show Dress. I was a bit intimidated as this was a 3 scissor pattern! (O&S ranks the difficulty of their patterns with a 4 scissor rating scale). But honestly, it wasn't scary at all and I am SO pleased with the result. And even better, Delilah loves it too.

I did make my own adjustments to add the red pleats on the sleeves.

Now off to plan more outfits for our trip!

(You know, we like this dress so much, D might just wear it BEFORE the trip. I'll share pictures!)

Thanks for stopping by, Janimal

Sew Serendipity Skirt

2011-04-12T14:10:00.003-04:00

Life has been a bit hectic lately, so unfortunately not much creativity happening at my house. Today's post is to show off something I made many weeks ago, but never got around to taking pictures until last weekend. May I present, the Sew Serendipity Skirt?

This skirt is from a pattern in the book Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt. Here's the cover of the book.

My skirt followed the directions for the cover skirt, except I used just 3 fabrics instead of the 5 Kay used on the cover. Also, the cover version has rickrack trim which I left off my version.

The best thing about this pattern was the invisible zipper installation instructions. The book has clear instructions with lots of pictures. Installing this zipper was a breeze, and if I say so myself, it's perfect!

For my skirt, I used some quilting cottons I had in my stash. So, as it is likely to happen when using quilting cottons, I think it does sorta look like I'm wearing a quilt! For my next version, I will be careful about choosing some nice apparel fabrics to avoid that quilt-look.

I have to recommend this book - not only did I learn how to install an invisible zipper (worth the price of the book alone) but I am confident with the clear instructions I will be able to sew many garments from this book. I think my biggest challenge will be fabric selection. And isn't fabric shopping also the most fun part?!

Thanks for stopping by.
Take care,

Janimal

Seashore Sundress Oliver & S Preview!

2011-04-04T12:32:00.001-04:00

Greetings! I have something so exciting to share today!

If you have been here before, you know I am a BIG FAN of Oliver and S sewing patterns for children. They are fantastic. Each season I wait with great anticipation the release of their new patterns. I can't wait to get my hands on their new Spring patterns. But guess what?! I got my hands on one EARLY! They sent me the Seashore Sundress pattern early to be a pattern tester!!!

So check it out - my sweet girl modelling her preview sundress!

(Yes, it's a little big. I sewed this and took this photograph in January when it was too cold to wear. Delilah is growing like a weed so I've been making her Spring and Summer wardrobe in sizes that are currently too big in the hopes they'll fit when the sun is shining!)

I have to make a matching hair accessory of some kind. Oh and just picture some sweet little sandals instead of those socks!

Delilah, if you like your new dress raise your hand!!!

Before the patterns are sent off for a final print, they have real life sewists follow the patterns and give feedback from our perspective about how the garments fit on our kids, how the instructions were to follow, etc. How thoughtful of O&S to do this?! This is the kind of quality control that just makes me love them even more! I was PSYCHED to test this pattern. I hope my feedback was helpful.
Honestly, the pattern was easy to follow and I love how it turned out. What great details -- There are little pockets at the ruffled hem for Delilah to store her treasures in!

Delilah wants you to know this would be a good outfit for a supermodel to sport down a runway. Scuse her while she struts it out.

(If you want Delilah to model for you, she says she doesn't get out of her crib for less than $10k)

The fabric is Go By Bike by Erin Morris for Free Spirit in violet. My sweet husband bought me two yards from Whipstitch Fabrics for Hannukah! I love it when he picks fabric for me to make D clothes with - it involves him to make it a family project. He's made some odd choices before, AHEM, so I directed him to Whipstitch knowing he would get some good help there. I was SO pleased!

Now check my daughter with her crazy hair and expression to match. She is a character.

For the pattern test, I also made a smaller sized sundress using City Weekend fabric, Oliver and S' own fabric line which they so kindly sent me with the pattern.

This dress went to a sweet little girl in our neighborhood. But I can't show you her picture because she's not my kid, and I don't think it's cool to post other people's kids on the internet. Just trust me, she's cute. The dress looks better on her than on this hanger on my door!

If you are going to sew for children, you simply MUST try Oliver and S patterns. MUST! Later skater,

Janimal

Delilah's Pink & Green Comfiness!

2011-03-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

Heya!

Check out what the most awesome toddler I have ever met is wearing in this pic:

Girl needed some green for St Patrick's Day!

In real life, this looks like SUCH a comfy outfit. It's a nice soft linen/rayon blend, Brussels by Robert Kaufman. I really love this fabric - soft, nice drape, washes well. The top is the Blossom Blouse pattern from the book Sew Liberated, and the pants are from the simple pants pattern from the book Little Girls, Big Style.

This was my 2nd go at the shirt. I added a little detail of a a pink embroidered teapot to the shirt, although it's kind of hard to see in these pictures. I used the same hot pink thread for topstitching for a little more detail. I'm rather pleased at how this outfit turned out. Comfy for Delilah to play in, and nice and cool for the warming weather.

Comfy is the right word.....

I think I'd like this in my size!

Delilah wasn't really in the mood for getting her picture taken. Check out this punim!

The pants pattern is nice and simple and I will be sewing up a bunch of pairs of simple pull on pants like these for D for the Summer. In the right fabric, they can be nice and light and cool, but protect her soft skin from the sun and bugs. The easy elastic waist is a good idea for a little one interesting in dressing herself, and easy for her to maneuver when she makes us proud on the potty!

((Did I ever imagine myself being proud over another human's potty habits?!? Oh how motherhood changes a person!))

Oliver and S is showing off their new Spring patterns on their blog. I was lucky enough to test one of the patterns for them a short time ago and am excited to show you the Seashore Sundress I was lucky to make for them. It's a lovely pattern for Spring and Summer. I'll show pictures very soon!

Take care all,

Janimal

Momma's Got A New Bag!

2011-03-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

Momma's got a new bag!

Here is my lovely new Birdie Sling (pattern by Amy Butler).

Recognize the fabric? That's the Ruby Star Rising fabric I used to make Delilah a dress back in THIS post. Ruby Star Rising was designed by a lovely local Atlanta artist, Melody Miller, and was released by Kokka. Isn't it just the coolest?

As for the pattern, it sewed up pretty easily. The body of the bag is lined with fusible fleece which gives it some body, and there are nice roomy pockets inside. This bag is HUGE! I took it out with Delilah and couldn't believe how much stuff I managed to fit in there.

I will definitely be making more Birdie Slings. The pattern was easy to follow and I think would be suitable for a beginner.

Sorry I haven't blogging lately. Just busy with life. I appreciate everyone who stops by when I do write a post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

Taggy Blanket Tutorial

2011-03-04T06:18:00.010-05:00

Hello friends!

Today I would like to share with you my tutorial for a quadruple stitched taggy blanket! This is my "go-to" fun gift for a baby shower and on a recent Sunday I made four of these suckers.

Why quadruple stitched?

Well, these taggy blankets are made for babies to play with and munch on. There are lots of tutorials for them around blogland. However, as a Mom of a little one who has loves her own little taggy, I realize how important it is that those ribbon taggys stay absolutely secure onto the blanket. I've seen some tutorials where they are just stitched down in one pass - and that scares me a bit. Let's not underestimate our babies strength! It doesn't take much more work to make sure these ribbons are super-duper secure --- so check it out, the safe taggy that is quadruple stitched!

I love having an embroidery machine so I can personalize these.

OK, first things first. You need two squares of fabric in the size you want. I use 15' x 15' squares. I like to use a soft fleece for one side, then a fun cotton print for the other. If you would prefer to use two cotton prints, then I would add a layer of fleece or batting to the middle to give the taggy blanket some weight.

The first thing I do is embroider the fleece. You could hand embroider, or use other embellishment, just make sure whatever you do is secure and safe for a little one.

Next I cut ribbons to make the taggies. The ribbons are varying textures, colors, widths. I cut them around 7', but try to vary that a bit also.

Fold the ribbons in half, and pin to the right side up fleece fabric. the raw ends of the ribbon should point out and beyond the end of the fleece by about a half inch.

Keep arranging various ribbons all around the fleece. I usually end up with about 4 ribbons pinned per side. But if I have thinner ribbons, maybe up to 5.

Once all the ribbons are in place, it's time for stitch line number 1. I stitch down each ribbon with a quick run through the sewing machine, and remove all those pins. No need to backstitch to secure these stitches, as they will be secure and hidden in the seam later. I sew these at about a quarter inch from the side of the fleece.

Sew ALL the ribbons on.

Now that the ribbons are in place, it's time to place the printed cotton fabric, face down, onto the square. The ribbons should be sandwiched between the two pieces of fabric. The cotton fabric should be the same measurement of the fleece. (15'x15') Pin in place. The ends of the ribbon should be poking out the sides.

Now sew around the fabric sandwich, with about a half inch seam, leaving a space to turn the square. (I use different colored pins at the turn space so I know when to stop sewing.)

We're in the home stretch now! Two stitches down, two to go!

In order to turn the blanket and have nice corners, cut them off at an angle at each corner, being careful not to cut into the stitches.

Then turn the blanket right side out through the space you left at the side seam.

Now it needs a nice pressing. I pull a bit on the ribbons to stretch the sides and give me a nice flat straight seam to press.

Once the blanket is turned and pressed, topstitch around the outside edge about a quarter inch from the side. This stitch should close the turning gap and is one more stitch that secures the ribbons. That's the triple stitch.

You could end there, with a triple stitched taggy, but I like to add one more row of topstitching, about a half inch from the edge, and you are still catching the tail of the ribbons to give them a fourth stitch down and make your taggy blanket extra safe for the lucky little recipient.

I made four BOY ones last weekend! I hope they all like chewing on them. I at least can rest easy knowing they won't be able to yank out those ribbons!

So there ya go! Happy stitching!

Take care,

Janimal

Sailboat Top

2011-02-28T08:47:00.002-05:00

I am continuing my love affair with Oliver and S patterns. I think I may just sew all of them!

My latest is the sailboat shirt. For Delilah (of course). It's a sweet simple top, with a topstitching detail at the yoke and hem, with buttons on the shoulders.

Delilah is sporting her comfy pink sweatpants. This top will definitely go better with some different pants or a skirt. But when I make something for her, I just want her to wear it, right away, NOW! So I pulled this over her head right away. Well, and I want to make a couple more of these for her for the Spring/Summer, and I had to make sure it fit before going off to cut up more fabric.

Ok - I have WAAAAAY too many pictures of her making this funny face.

This kid just loves to pull the funny face. I suppose we should stop laughing when she does it.

These action shot pics let me know she can move and play in the top -- success!

A girl's got to move and groove!

So I can now make some of these tops confident that Delilah can both look cute, AND be comfortable playing. Woohoo!

Although Delilah seems to like her new shirt, she didn't feel like her ensemble was complete. So she went indoors to accessorize.

The girl likes her jewelry! The fabric I used for this top is Frippery by Andover Fabrics.

And...in other Oliver & S news, Liesl, the talented designer behind Oliver and S, has designed some GROWNUP patterns! Sold under the brand "Lisette" for Simplicity. The O&S patterns have such tremendous instructions, and are SUCH a pleasure to sew with. That I could have patterns for myself with the same quality of design and instruction is just thrilling!

If you have any interest in women's clothing patterns with terrific instructions, these are for you. And I say that without even seeing them yet -- that's how confident I am after working with Oliver and S patterns.

Later this week I will post my tutorial for my quadruple stitched baby taggy blanket. So please stop back by!

Happy Stitching!

Janimal

CAMO DRESS!!! Can you see me?!

2011-02-23T15:02:00.002-05:00

I've been talking about the "camo dress" for so long, it's about time I unveiled the thing.

Drumroll please......

Now that you're blind from the glare off my pasty legs, let's talk about the dress! This is the Socialite Dress pattern from Anna Maria Horner. I chose camo fabric from J&O fabrics as my first run through as a sort of funky muslin to check the fit. I'm a big fan of muslins being wearable if they work out - and am pleased to say I wore this camo dress to brunch last weekend!
I have a pair of stilletto knee high lace up suede boots that I think are PERFECT with this dress - but not for a family brunch outing.

Here's a headless shot -- it's all about the dress (and my straggly hair - oy!)

I could totally win a game of hide and seek in my camo dress now.
I really like that this dress has pockets. And they were totally easy to sew in. Swear!

I'm sorry I forgot to get a picture of the back of the dress. Taking a picture of my butt just wasn't in my mind -- you understand!

This pattern has no zips or buttons to sew, the dress just pulls on overhead. It can be worn with or without a belt but honestly without a belt I think it looks a bit tentlike. I sewed myself a medium, and it fits. But for the next run through, I think I will make the top bigger and the lower part smaller. It's a bit more snug in the bust than would be ideal. This dress was pretty easy to put together. I would recommend it for beginners. And I'll be making it again.

So there you have it. What do you think? Chic or scary?!

Later skaters,
Janimal

P.S.
Oh, I have a tutorial to post for my quadruple stitched taggy blankets, and another Oliver & S pattern complete to show off. Come back soon!

Uncooperative Model

2011-02-18T16:59:00.001-05:00

So I tried to take a few shots of Delilah wearing an Ice Cream Blouse I made her. She was not a cooperative model.

But still is really cute!

I tried to think of a funny caption for this one...but really had a hard time. That's a safety gate - we have the living room childproofed and gated off. So the best caption I got was.

"Let me in!"

Can you think of a better one?

I don't even know what she's eating in this next photo. Hope it was something healthy.

In this next one, you can see her cute pigtails. I am SO GLAD this kid is now liking wearing pigtails because without them her hair is such a little mullet.

This shirt actually was cut to be a dress, and i just didn't add the bottom panel and made it a shirt. So it's a bit long, tunic length. But hey, that means she can wear it a little while, right? I swear this kid is growing SO fast.

But she'll always be my sweet baby.

Awwwwww.

Happy happy!

Janimal

P.S.
Pattern is the Ice Cream Dress by Oliver and S. Fabric by M'Liss from Hancocks.

A HandMade Tie

2011-02-10T08:46:00.007-05:00

Ever been to the Purl Soho website?!?! Purl Soho is a fabulous store in NYC, which has a lovely online shop and fabulous blog with tons of cool projects.

There is a great tutorial on their blog to make ties for both men and smaller ones for boys. Check it out HERE.

Here is my version of the men's tie.

That's voile fabric from the Innocent Crush line, by Anna Maria Horner. I just fell in love with that print when I saw it at Whipstitch Fabrics.

I like the fabric so much, I bought a few more yards so I could make Delilah a dress to match.

Forgive the knot. I did it myself, and I'm not experienced when it comes to tying men's ties!

Perhaps a tie is one of those things you should show off actually being WORN on a person! So I need to get this around my handsome husband's neck to really show it off.

I just think a little girl dress with a matching tie for Daddy will be SO cute. Perhaps an ensemble that needs to be ready for Father's Day? That gives me plenty of time. For my next version, I think I will widen the pattern a little and make a more traditional wider tie. It was mostly handstitching and that can be quite soothing to do while relaxing on the couch in front of the TV.

Now - full disclosure -- I saw the tutorial on the Purl Soho blog and have had it on my "to try" list for a while. I signed up for a class at Whipstitch Fabrics to make a tie, and lo and behold, we used the same pattern and instructions. So I had some great in real life instruction to make this tie. This was my first time taking a class at Whipstitch, if you are in the Atlanta area, you're in luck because the classes are nice and small with quality instruction. If you are out of the area, I think this particular tutorial from Purl Bee is really well written so still go for it!

Happy Stitching y'all!

Janimal

Modelling Post

2011-02-07T10:30:00.003-05:00

Gorgeous Delilah sat still long enough for me to put her gorgeous curls up into pigtails. And graciously agreed to model her pretty Sunday Brunch Jacket (previously posted the jacket HERE).

I had toyed with the idea of sewing a cuff on the bottom of her jeans with matching fabric. Hmmmm. I had really liked this jacket on the hanger when I finished it, but I must say, it looks even better on my cutiepie model. Not that I could be biased at all.

You know how in catalogs the models tend to be looking off camera at something? Well, here's Delilah's catalog shot....

And well, since it's almost Valentines Day -- KISSES!

Delilah wore this jacket to Sunday Brunch! What it was made for! Then a matinee performance of The Wizard Of Oz, which was wonderful.

The Sunday Brunch Jacket pattern is by Oliver and S. The fabric is a soft corduroy Nest by Valori Wells, purchased at Whipstitch Fabrics.

Thanks for stopping by! One of these days, I promise to show you the finished camo dress. I haven't managed to figure out how to wear it - I'm not good at accessorizing myself.
I have a few other finished projects too, so hopefully there is at least one more blog post for this week. I hope you'll stop back by.

Take care,
Janimal

Felt Flower Hairclip Tutorial

2011-02-04T09:00:00.011-05:00

Hi there!

I have a tutorial today! A pretty flower hairclip tutorial!

I love the felt rose hairclip tute on PurlSoho.com here. I actually have made their version of a felt rose and worn it myself as a pin.

The felt rose I am going to show you is a little smaller than the Purl version. I found that on Delilah's fine hair, a heavy hairclip doesn't stay in place as well. This little flower is smaller and lighter, and very easy to do. It does require a needle and thread, but I suppose it really could be done with glue.

So away we go!

Start off with a circle of wool felt. About 2' in diameter.

Cut the circle around in a kind of corkscrew manner. About a quarter inch thick curl.

At this point, thread a needle with embroidery floss. I like to use a double thickness and tie the end with a nice thick knot.

Take the outermost point and roll it up a little. Then push the threaded needle right through the back.

Push the needle back through at a different angle, holding the rolled piece together. Then keep rolling.

After you've wrapped the rose up a little more, do a few more stitches in the back of the flower, from a few different angles, holding it all together.

When you get to the end, put the flat center circle flat on the back and sew or glue it in place.

Ok! Flower done! Now let's have a leaf on our clip!

Cut a leaf shape just bigger than your clip.

You can simply glue the leaf in place, glue the flower on top, and be done!

I wanted to add some detail to the leaf and decided to embroider them with darker shade of green thread. You can stitch the detail on and then glue to leaf to the clip, but I thought I would use those stitches to keep the leaf firmly attached to the clip instead of using glue. So as I sewed the detail on the front (top) of the leaf, I wound the needle through and around the clip, holding it in place.

Eventually the leaf was attached to the clip by my stitches and it had a nice detail on top.

Now all that is left, is putting it together!

I suppose I could have glued the rose to the leaf, but I decided to stitch it together.

I also did a few more stitches through the hole in the clip, for a little more reinforcement.

Now, the flower and leaf are all stitched together to the clip. But I think as a finishing touch, I will add a little glue over the stitches to give it a little extra reinforcement. And....next time I do this, I might wrap some ribbon over the top of the clip first, so you don't see as much of the metal clip. A small detail as you don't really see it.

And there you have it! A cute felt flower clip for a cute girl. She wasn't available to model this when I finished it, so here is a bad picture of the clip in my hair. Holy camera flash Batman!

It will TOTALLY be cuter on Delilah!

In other news.....I finished my camo dress! Well, I still have to sew the belt, but the dress itself is finished. And it fits! Well, sort of. I'll make some adjustments to the pattern for next time. I'll tell you all about that in an upcoming post.

Take care y'all!

Janimal

Mullet Time!

2011-02-02T10:21:00.004-05:00

Hello Friends,

Yesterday morning Delilah wore two garments that I sewed for her. Though they weren't made to go together, I think they looked adorable together. Unfortunately my picture just has Delilah sitting down, so it's tough to see the ensemble. But you get the idea.

Now, about Delilah's hair. It's soft, it's curly, it's lovely. Playing with her hair is one my life's greatest joys. At the moment it's at an odd length. It's not quite long enough to do a lot with, but it's

getting there - so while we wait out her hair growth......MULLET!

The dress (that is a dress all bunched up) has been on the blog before. The fabric is Metro Cafe by Robert Kaufman. The long bloomers are the softest City Weekend knit by Oliver and S. This knit fabric is SO soft and lovely. Fabrics purchased from Whipstitch Fabrics.

I'll be back soon with a new tutorial AND the completed camo dress! Woohoo!

Later skaters,

Janimal

A Wee Doggy

2011-01-27T11:52:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends.

Delilah has been accessorizing a lot lately. She loves to put on her necklaces and bracelets. So I decided to add to her collection by sewing a little necklace pendant.

This little guy is from a sweet pattern in the book Wee Wonderfuls. The Doxie necklace. Not only does D like necklaces, but she loves doggies. So it wasn't just luck that she likes this little guy~!

The pattern calls for using rickrack but when I made it, had none on hand, so I just used plain white ribbon. My NEXT one will have cute rickrack! The fabric is a little scrap of French General from my stash.

There is a lovely FlickR group HERE to see other peeps projects from the book. Check it out! If you want a preview of what to expect from the book, here's a link to my post on the mermaiden pattern from the book, with a link to the FREE download of that pattern on Martha, so you can make your own!

Thanks for stopping by,

Janimal

Viewfinder Dress & Icycle Eating!

2011-01-25T10:00:00.008-05:00

Hello again!

Here to show you Delilah's newest dress. I have been sewing quite a bit lately. So much, that I am kind of itching to try a craft project that DOESN'T require sewing. I'm putting on my thinking cap for what to do, friends.

Since Ruby Star Rising (By Melody Miller) fabric arrived at my house I've been trying to think of what to make from it. I am pretty happy with the dress I made Delilah (seen here and here) and decided one more dress for her should be in the works. So here it is, the viewfinder dress!

(Perhaps one of these days I'll find a better place to take pictures other than hanging on the side of my house!)

If you could see this dress up close in person, you could read the funny things written on each viewfinder lens. Too cute.

I'm sorry there is no live model to wear this dress right now. It's too cold! Just two weeks ago little Delilah was bundled up like this:

....she's eating an icycle! It's not quite icycle weather right now. But it's too cold to wear a summery Popover Dress. (I think the expression on her face = hilarious)

Ahh, the Popover Dress by Oliver and S. You can download the FREE pattern and instructions HERE and see my tutorial pictures HERE. It's such a lovely simple dress pattern, that is suitable for beginners.

To coordinate with the viewfinder fabric, I had trouble figuring out what to use. I thought about some patterns, some pink cotton, but nothing looked quite right. I ended up using a natural colored cotton/rayon blend from fabric.com.

To get my hands on Ruby Star Rising, I made purchases of it from Whipstitch Fabrics, FabricWorm, and Purl Soho. It was sold by other stores too - I believe there is a list on Melody's site. I think most stores have placed reorders so soon you could have some of this fab fabric too. (And I think I need one more print and color. Greedy greedy!)

In the near future I hope to show you some progress on my camo dress, and am working on a new creative tutorial to share. So please stop back by sometime!

Thanks for visiting!

Janimal

Camo Dress Progress And What The Cool Kids Are Wearing

2011-01-24T08:49:00.002-05:00

Well, I got started on the camo dress.

All laid out and ready to cut. This is my muslin of the Socialite Dress pattern, sewn up in camo. (I am using camo as my muslin instead of my planned Amy Butler Temple Doors fabric)

I've actually made a little progress, but nothing cool I can really show you yet. I am a bit concerned that I may have cut the top too small. But I suppose this is why we sew a muslin, right?! It's just the more and more I look at my camo dress project, the less muslin-ish it is to me and the more oooooh-I-hope-it-works it gets!

Camo appears to be what the cool kids are wearing. Check it out.

Here, some famous British chick I don't know, wore that Balmain sequined camo dress on a red carpet. I like it better with the jacket but I still don't think sequins go with camo.

Another Balmain fan, Beyonce. I read that the military jacket cost $4700! And the camo pants about $1600! Holy cow!

Apparently Beyonce has had an eye for a camo for a while, this pic below was from 2007!

Um, this next pic is really not the kind of camo garment I think I could or would try to pull off. Although I do think it would garner some attention. Hey, do you think that's what Paris was going for? Attention? You know she hates attention!

Rihanna is a bit more subdued in her camo.

Oh Jessica Simpson rocks the camo too. And she's recently engaged. I should email her and suggest a camo wedding dress. Seriously, in my googling for camo garments I came across a ton of redneck wedding attire.

And here's Kim Kardashian in another Balmain creation. Would someone remind me why she's famous again, please?

I just think this pic of Katy Perry is totally cute. And she has great legs.

More tight camo pants on Mary J Blige. Perfectly accessorized of course, diva.

When I first saw this pic at first glance I thought it was Lindsay Lohan. Perhaps trying to blend in camo as she strolls into rehab....again. But it's Miley. Hmmmmm. Scary that I got those two confused. SAVE MILEY!

There are a bunch of pics of famous dudes wearing camo also, but they are a bit boring in my opinion.

What I discovered here, is that it seems a little camo can go a LONG way. Too much is just.....too much. A camo piece with the right accessories can look super classy. But the wrong garment and styling and it's redneck city. This concerns me because although I LOVE ACCESSORIES, I am pretty awful at putting them together. I have a bunch of pretty necklaces that I can never figure out how to wear. Le sigh. And a camo dress *might* be overkill. Ah well, if it's not wearable, perhaps I can make a little camo bag from it!

SO I guess this post today was a fashion show. I'll have to make sure my next post shows a bit more......creativity! I'm up for it! Please come back!

Thanks for stopping by!
Later skater,

Janimal

Ruby Star Rising Dress and Stinkeye!

2011-01-19T13:28:00.002-05:00

Recently I showed you a simple dress I made using the fabulous ruby star rising fabric from Melody Miller. Delilah had to model it for you.

She makes the funniest little faces when I ask her to model for me.
I had grand plans to make a matching hair accessory and bag, but couldn't wait for those for Delilah to wear this dress. Though it was a struggle convincing her to take off her ballet tutu to put this on. She's REALLY into wearing a tutu these days!

It's a little big on her at the moment. But that's ok, because she's growing like a weed so maybe she'll get to wear this more than once!

Isn't she cute? Perhaps never mind on making the matching hair accessory. Delilah INSISTED on wearing this non-matching purple hairbow no matter what.

She was having all kinds of fun running around.

Now here's the pic that makes me feel badly. She woke up at 4am that morning, and wouldn't go back to sleep. I should have known something was wrong. Look how tired the poor dear looks here. Happy, but those are some sleepy eyes.

Despite the early wake-up, I dragged her little booty to music class that morning. And she got sick about a minute after this pic was taken. So I assume her early morning wakeup was due to an upset tummy, poor dear. (All's well though, she was fine after that morning episode and got a long nap.)

A little vent.......

I caught the stinkeye with accompanying whispers from a couple moms at music class while I was taking care of the cleanup. Despite being engrossed in taking care of D and the mess, I STILL noticed their attitude and caught some of what they were saying. What's up with that?! I didn't intentionally bring a sick child to class and I hightailed it out of there immediately.

Class hadn't started yet so D hadn't handled any instruments. She had no fever, and until the moment she blew chunks, appeared happy and was running around playing. Perhaps I should have known something was up, but I really had no idea I would be facing vomit in a public place later. Um, compassion fellow moms?

A little background......Actually I've met some nice moms at this music class, but also have gotten some negative reaction from some moms when I disclose I am a working mom. In our suburb, being a stay at home mom appears to be the norm. That's cool, yo. But it means I get sympathizing judgment and comments about working - "Oh, you work? Well that's ok. If you have to." - real quote accompanied by arm pat. I respect those who SAH, it's too bad so many people can't be respectful of people who make different choices. It doesn't bug me so much, I choose not to judge their lifestyle choices and I don't care how they judge mine.

But this attitude about my sick kid did irritate me.

Anyway, how about I sit right next to one of the stinkeye ladies at the next music class? And maybe say something like "Hmmm, it smells funny in here, like vomit or something!!" And talk about my career. Hehe.

Or perhaps I will take the high road and focus on the moms that are actually COOL in the class. Decisions, decisions.

Ordinarily if I caught someone being nasty (and their comments sounded nasty) I would call someone on it. But at the time, my child was my focus not those catty women. I should (and probably will) just let this go. They don't matter.

But every once in a while, cattiness just really gets to me. Since I was a girl in school I have always had a special dislike for catty people (not just women!). I have always been the type to be as direct as possible, and to not put up with or be friendly with mean chicks. In school I was the type to stick up for those being picked on. Gosh, I think I still am that type. I suppose there were enough mean girls in school that we are bound to encounter mean moms too. They suck.

So anyway, do I even have a point? I lost it somewhere. Oh yeah, mean girls suck. And its extra super lame to be mean to someone when they can't have a go at you back (like when your kid is puking on you.)

Ah, anyway, not my usual kind of post talking about all this. Thanks for stopping by and be nice to someone today!

Janimal

Taggy Blanket for Baby

2011-01-14T12:05:00.003-05:00

I like to give expecting parents a practical gift for their babies, AND also make them a taggy blanket for fun. Since getting an embroidery machine, I get to give out personalized ones. Up until now, I have forgotten to take pictures of them to show here on my blog. But here you go!

I hope little Lila likes her new taggy.

The pink is a nice soft fleece, with a piece of scrap cotton and lots of assorted ribbons of different colors, textures, and sizes for little fingers to play with.

My own daughter, at 2, sleeps with her taggy each night. Although hers is (gasp!) store bought. I picked it up in a baby store when I was first pregnant. It's kind of fun to collect different ribbons to use for these. Even my sweet husband has gotten in on the act and has given me ribbons as gifts!

I have to go hide this now until I see Lila. If Delilah sees it she may claim it for her own!

This gift is good for both boys AND girls. I'm going to write a little tute and post it here shortly. If you have some sewing experience, you can probably figure this out on your own, just take this one hint from me. Make sure to use a small stitch and ensure those ribbons are super duper secure (mine are triple stitched) because these are for babies and safety first! Tute hopefully this week!

Thanks for stopping by.

Later skaters,

Janimal

Delilah's New Jacket AND Her Fabric Obsession

2011-01-12T08:15:00.006-05:00

Delilah has a new fancy jacket and a love of fabric!

First, check out Delilah's new Sunday Brunch Jacket (pattern by Oliver and S)

The fabric is lovely and soft, Paisley Corduroy in Autumn Nest by Valori Wells (purchased from Whipstitch Fabrics). I just love it. I want to make a skirt or pants to match, but I think using the same fabric will just be too much. So I must find a nice solid that coordinates I think. Hmmmmm. Any suggestions?

It took me far too long to choose these wooden buttons! Do you guys agonize over buttons like I do?

This jacket was SO much easier to make than I thought it would be! Seriously, the instructions are so clear and the result so polished looking. I am dead chuffed! I just think it will look great on Delilah. I'll post pics of her wearing it when I can.

Now, I actually had another project in mind before starting the jacket, and got out a lovely piece of voile fabric (Paisley Jungle by Kaffe Fassett, purchased from Intown Quilters). I pressed it and prepared to lay out my pattern pieces to make Delilah a nice light tunic top for Spring.

Delilah had other ideas. She swiped it!

She did agree it would look cute on her.

Perhaps as a Sari?

Perhaps more stylish as a top?

She wore it as an OBI belt for a little while.

In the end, she just kept the fabric.

It found a new home in her room. At bedtime she might grab it and run around the room with it flowing behind her. Or we'll each take the corners and flap it up and down as she giggles. She says it's HER fabric, and I must say, I think the kid has taste.

So, my kid likes fabric. Just like her Momma! Although I think it would make a cute top for her, I really like that she decided to just claim some fabric for her own.

Thanks for stopping by!

(Progress on my camo dress is forthcoming!)

Later skater,

Janimal

P.S.

I am aware that pictures of my toddler aren't as charming to other people as they are to me. But hey, it's MY blog after all, and I want to show off her cuteness!

Ruby Star Rising Dress For Delilah

2011-01-10T18:20:00.010-05:00

I have LOTS of projects in the works -- all put on hold because of the arrival of this:

Yeah Baby! That's Ruby Star Rising! A fabulous fabric line by Kokka designed by Atlanta artist Melody Miller. Local shop Whipstitch fabrics sold out within 48 hours! I bought some from them and also managed to make online orders at Purl Soho and FabricWorm. (By the way, FAST shipping from FabricWorm. Nice!)

I just HAD to make something right away! But it's so hard finding the right project for fabric that is SO awesome.

Of course, Delilah had to have a Ruby Star Rising garment of some kind.

So, here it is, the Ruby Star Rising Dress.

This print in the line is called "Ephemera", and includes bits and pieces that appear in the other fabrics in the line. Check out those awesome viewfinder reels and pretty teacups!

The back of dress is pretty cool too....

It took me a loooooong time to choose the buttons! I settled on these peach ones to try and maintain the retro feel of the dress. The lining is linen from Fabric.com.

I'm pretty proud of myself for matching up the side seams like this.

To get the other side seam matched would have required cutting into another yard/panel. This is pricey stuff, so I made do and I think it looks just fine.

Delilah really wants to model this for you, but right now, here is a more appropriate outfit for her:

SO much snow in Atlanta! She's bundled up like Randy from A Christmas Story. Not a good day to wear a linen/cotton dress. Hopefully she can wear this to a party next weekend (with some nice comfy layers underneath) so I can show it off on my cutiepie. That gives me a few days to come up with the right accessories!

She managed to sneak a snowball into the house! She

sweetly offered me a bite. Snow has no calories, you know.

The dress pattern is Madison by Bonnie Blue. This very simple pattern is becoming kind of a "go to" for me to show off my favorite fabrics. It's just a simple A line jumper, which showcases pretty fabrics without overwhelming my little model.

I have other garments to show you though! I actually do manage to sew other garments with design details! Please visit here again! Besides some shots of my little model in this dress, I hope to show you a couple other Oliver and S items, and post progress of my camo dress.

Please stop by again soon!

Janimal

In Case I Need To Hide In The Woods

2011-01-05T17:06:00.006-05:00

Greetings lovely readers.

Most of the stuff I make is for my adorable kid. But ya know, I think this year
I may just have to make some clothing for moi.

So, may I present a project in the works -- the Socialite Dress by Anna Maria Horner!

When I typed this the first time I wrote "Socialist" instead of Socialite. Haha.

That must be my inner Brit fighting for blog space.

And....with this pattern I GUESS I need a muslin.

Before I show you my muslin fabric - here's the fabric I'm thinking for this dress:

Amy Butler Temple Doors in Fresh Mint from the Soul Blossoms line (available at Whipstitch Fabrics). What do you think - too bright?

I think this dress might be pretty in a lovely textured silk dupioni - but let's not get carried away yet!

I think the loose fit of this dress might work for my weird bodyshape combo. Like most women, my upper body measurements don't match the bottom ones. I don't like to brag but I'm happy to say I have quite a nice derriere. Not too big, slim hips, and quite cute. (blush) Unfortunately my belly makes up for all that backside perkiness by sticking out unattractively and pouchy. (I would blame Delilah but if you saw the chocolate stash in my desk drawer you would know the truth.) Up top I have broad shoulders and a bodacious chest.

Sometimes when I try RTW garments if I get a dress that fits up top, my lower half is lost in a sea of fabric. And if I find something flattering to my slim booty - it just won't go over my lady lumps up top. And if I do find something that fits the top and bottom, that sad pouchy belly sticks out and messes up the whole deal. Sigh. So I find myself thinking I may have to use the large pattern for the top, and somehow draft down to the medium or small at the hips while still allowing some extra ease over the abdomen. So - muslin time.

Now, I am NOT a fan of cheap muslins! I don't want to waste my precious sewing time working on something that has no shot at being worn! But I also don't want to waste my pretty pretty designer fabrics on a garment that will frustratingly not fit. So what to do? The challenge for me is to find some fabric to use as a muslin that I won't mind so much wasting, but if it works out I won't mind so much wearing.

Here's my muslin fabric pick for this dress:

Purchased online from J and O Fabrics.

Yeah CAMO! A friend of mine got me thinking about camo when she wore a camo jacket with some cool bright orange dragon embroidery on it. It was hipster fabulous. Then I saw some pieces by Junya Watanabe made from camo that were just COOL. Dresses and skirts with crazy ruffles and folds. I'm not prepared to layout a cool thousand on one of his awesome camo creations, so this simple Socialite dress will be my version. Perhaps if I can get the thing to fit, then I will add a ruffle at the hem as an homage to Watanabe.

And it's not like camo fabric is going to run out. The designer fabrics come and go, but I can always get more camo, right?!

If it doesn't work? Well, I like to make taggy blankets for little babies as gifts. I never have fabric for boys in my stash but camo would be great for this and I could cut up the wadded muslin and use it. See, no waste.

But hopefully my camo dress will be FABULOUS! Check it out, camo dresses can be so dreamy!

Fabulous camo gown by Gary Harvey made from recycled army jackets. Swoon. (oh click on that link - fabulous dresses to see!)

And Ohhhh, I like this one! Michael Kors , yes yes yes!

Unfortunately, not everyone does camo with so much style. This one is a Balmain. Available for purchase for just over a thousand bucks. Yuck.

I was thrilled that "Don't ask, don't tell" was repealled. But let's not get carried away and put sequins on our camouflage, please.

What do you think of camo? Would you wear a camo dress?

Wish me luck. I'll share my results, good or bad!

Later skaters,

Janimal

Ice Cream Dress Sewing

2011-01-03T10:04:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!

Cheers for 2011 being an excellent new year. I hope your dreams come true this year.

Delilah started off the new year wearing a new dress sewn especially for her. She so kindly agreed to model it for a photograph but these days THIS is how she likes to pose for the camera.

I'm pretty sure that's her father's influence.

You would think a dress that was made for her would fit properly - but clearly this one is a bit big.
That's actually on purpose. I made the 3T because I want dresses I make her now to fit her when it gets warm enough to wear them, say 4-5 months from now. I have made her some other garments lately too, also a little too big, but come Spring time she'll have a marvelous wardrobe.

Know what that dress was missing? Jewelry. Girl has to accessorize.

Notice the change in footwear. At 2 Delilah has particular ideas about her appearance and decided the silver dress shoes should be replaced by her rad new lace up sneakers. My kid has a sense of style already!

I think the home-made ensemble brought out Delilah's nurturing instincts.

Seeing Delilah taking care of her babydolls makes me think she would be an awesome big sister. Hmmmmmm......perhaps that could be my project for 2011!

Fabric is Bicycle in Gray by Michael Miller with coordinating prints Play Dot in Sea and Feeling Groovy in Charcoal, purchased from Whipstitch fabrics. The pattern is the Ice Cream Dress by my favorite childrens pattern designer, Oliver and S.

Happy New Year All!

Janimal

Ice Cream Blouse - Thing One & Thing Two!

2010-12-29T09:13:00.005-05:00

Some time ago, there was a sewalong for the Ice Cream Dress by Oliver and S. I signed up, bought some fabric, cut it out, then didn't sew the dress. Why? I started to see all the other people's dresses and just fell out of love with the fabric I chose. I just wasn't motivated to get sewing with it.

Recently, I decided it was high time I sewed this pattern. I got out the pieces, and decided the fabric would be better as a shirt, not a dress. And since I was making one, why not make two?

So.....here is Delilah in her Thing One Thing Two Ice Cream blouse!

I think the bunny slippers really complete the outfit, don't you?!

I have had this Dr Seuss fabric (by Robert Kaufman) for a while, not knowing what to do with it. Delilah loves The Cat In The Hat so I was itching to make her something with it. I am thrilled with how it turned out! I made a size 3T which is roomy enough that hopefully it will fit for a while.

Oh, and here's the top that I made from the original fabric choice. I like it very much as a top. I think I would be less in love with it as a dress. Fabric by M'Liss from Hancock Fabrics.

In the works......I am testing a pattern for Oliver and S! I am very excited about it. Their Spring pattern collections looks really fun and I feel so lucky to have an advance copy of one of the patterns. I can't show it to you, as it's not released yet, so here is just a little teeny peek.....

I can't wait to show this garment off.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Later skaters,

Janimal

Delilah Works The Runway

2010-12-21T10:43:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!

Delilah's school had a holiday fashion show this year. We were asked to dress our kids in their best and watch them work the runway. I ALMOST sent Delilah in with her Cat in the Hat dress -- because she loves it SO MUCH. Not quite as much as her Muno dress, but close!

Instead, I dressed her in the MusicBox Dress (design by Oliver and S) that I sewed for her using a classic Liberty of London cotton lawn fabric.

Practicing her runway moves:

Delilah wears a 2T right now. I had sewn this dress in the 3T size, so she could wear it when the weather warms up. So it is a tad long. But no matter! The bodice fit perfectly over her turtleneck. She wore it with style and grace and she swished down the red carpet in her silver shoes!

We tried to get a nice picture of D in front of the Christmas tree. She was in a funny mood.

Now here's the supermodel shot. CHEEKBONES!

After the show, Delilah had to field some calls with other modelling offers. It was serious business.

Course, after the show, Delilah really let her hair down. What did they serve those little models backstage anyway?!?!

This pattern was lovely to sew. Oliver and S just has SUCH wonderful children's clothing patterns. Pretty clothing with clear instructions and quality construction. I love it! The Liberty fabric was purchased at Purl Soho.

::Dear modelling scouts - Delilah is going to focus on her education for right now. Thanks anyway!::

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Holidays!

Janimal

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2010-12-20T15:08:00.002-05:00

My apologies for posting this a bit late. I randomly selected a winner for the giveaway and picked....drumroll please.....

Carolina Girl Mommy!

Carolina Girl Mommy said...
I was thinking Buttercup bag when I saw the fabric... then read you had thought that, too... so if I win that may be what this fabric is destined for :)

Desiree

So congratulations Desiree - I hope you enjoy the fabric and make a pretty bag!

Thanks to all who stopped by and entered. Happy Holidays!

Janimal

GIVEAWAY POST!

2010-12-13T09:06:00.006-05:00

Hi there! It's giveaway day!

I am giving away fabric for the big Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway day. Fabric I really really really like. I just have too many projects on my list that this lovely yard of goodness would sit and sit - and it's too pretty for that!

Want to see it?

Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner in Woodcut - HOME DEC WEIGHT! A full yard of it! Purchased from that fabulous store, Whipstitch Fabrics.

I think this would make a fabulous Tote Bag. And probably would be enough left for a Buttercup Bag. And how about a matching business card/giftcard holder?! Oh there are so many projects this would be lovely as!

So please leave a comment to enter. That's it. Any comment! I'll pick a winner at random on December 17th. I hope that you'll check out the rest of my blog and perhaps come by to visit again sometime.

Happy Happy!

Janimal

http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/december2010/GiveawayDayButton.jpg

Cat In The Hat Dress

2010-12-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

I like to make dresses for you!

I like to make them in the zoo!

I like to take your picture too!

I like to sew, oh yes I do!

OK - so that wasn't great, but who can compare to the amazing Dr Seuss?!?!

Delilah is a fan:

Delilah is decked out in a dress (pattern Madison by Bonnie Blue Designs) made with love by her Momma (ahem, me) from whimsical Dr Seuss Cat in the Hat print from Robert Kaufman.

Totally cute, right?!

I think the simple dress pattern without any other embellishment shows off the fabric, but doesn't overpower the kid wearing it.

When I first saw the Dr Seuss fabric was coming, I preordered some, not knowing WHAT to do with it. Then I received an invitation to a Dr Seuss art exhibit at a local gallery! PERFECT!

Our little lady struck a pose at the entrance to the gallery. Classy!

Delilah was a big hit at the gallery, of course! She was very well behaved in a bouncy two year old sort of way, and she was noticed for the dress, but adored for her cuteness. (Where this kid got those luscious eyelashes I have no idea.) The art, by the way was AMAZING. Dr Seuss, Theodor Geisel, was one talented dude.

We managed to choose a small Dr Seuss print to purchase and bring home. Gosh we did feel important buying ART from a GALLERY! Like grownup people! All that fanciness was a lot for us, so we departed the gallery in our finery and went out for burgers and fries.

Thanks for stopping by,

Later skater,

Janimal

Felt Birdy Toy Tutorial

2010-12-07T08:00:00.011-05:00

BIRDY TUTORIAL TODAY!

Hello friends! While visiting my Father-in-law for Thanksgiving, I whipped up a little birdy, handstitched using wool felt. The night before our flight I threw a few pieces of felt in my suitcase and during a naptime, this is what I came up with!

Photography was all done indoors in bad lighting as quickly as possible so I could get this finished.

First: I drew a birdy on some paper! You can download this drawing HERE.

Ok, this step is obvious, right, cut it out!

Then use that piece to cut pieces from wool felt. I had brown and pink felt handy - have fun picking colors.

For the beak, add about a quarter inch tab so you have room to stitch it on later.

Ok, once all the felt is cut, we can sew!

Place the wool felt birdy pieces so you have two pieces facing opposite directions, and layout the other felt pieces so they mirror each other.

Choose whatever color you like embroidery floss and straight stitch on a wing. I used a slightly darker pink so the stitches would show and be decorative.

Once I started stitching, I decided a few rows of stitching would be pretty, so went around each wing three times. Totally optional to do whatever you want here.

Next, the beak needs to be sewn on. Here is a pic of the WRONG side of the birdy, so you can see how the beak is stitched on. I used brown to MATCH the birdy this time, so the stitches wouldn't show up as much on the outside.

Stitch the beak on both birdy pieces, making sure they line up and are still mirroring each other.

Now for the eyes. Using embroidery thread, I pulled the needle from the middle of the circle, and did stitches out from there, making little stars in the center of the circles for eyes.

Instead of felt, you could use buttons for eyes, assuming the toy is for a child old enough where they won't be a choking hazard of course!

I almost didn't give this birdy any legs. But thought better of it and cut a couple legs out of felt, and sewed them to the bottom of one birdy piece, with the matching brown thread, just like I used for the beak. The legs were too long so I trimmed them AFTER sewing them on.

Ok, time to stitch the birdy together. START with the beak. If I had grey matching thread, I would have used it here. But alas that wasn't the case so I used black. Use a whipstitch (great tutorial to whipstitch here). Once the beaks are sewn together, stuff just the beak. If you don't, it can be hard to get stuffing in the beak properly once the birdy is sewn together.

Keep on whipstitching around the birdy, leaving about a two inch opening across the top back of the bird.

Then enlist a little helper to help finish the stuffing! Delilah recruited her Daddy to help to, so this was a whole family affair. She put little tiny bits of stuffing in the birdy at a time. So it took a while. But we didn't mind, this birdy was a labor of love!

Hey - we stuffed a bird on Thanksgiving - perfect! Once all stuffed up, sew him closed continuing that whipstitch.

Now, those feet! This birdy's feet need some attention!

A few snips with the scissors and VOILA!

So there you have it! A soft felt birdy to love.

Hope you liked the birdy tutorial. It was quite relaxing to sit and handsew him up while Delilah slept, and was a joy to have her be my little helper to get him all stuffed and finished. I hope if you make one you have as much fun as we did.

Happy Holidays,

Janimal

Top From Sew Liberated Book

2010-12-06T09:59:00.007-05:00

Hello friends! I am working on a tutorial for you - just need to get my little template scanned and uploaded. In the meantime, let me show you a little something I just sewed up for Delilah and the pattern/book it came from!

My cooperative little model even struck a pose for me! Right before bedtime too!
(Fabric is by Kokka - and now I see the the LUCKY word upside down, but the PEACE word is right side up. I think perhaps I should have made the LUCKY word right side up instead - it seems more noticeable. Hmmm...the back is the same as the front, so perhaps I'll turn it around and see the placement there. It's still oriented that way but perhaps the PEACE will be more centered than LUCKY - ah well!)

This hippy little peasant top was SO fast to sew up. I finished it and couldn't wait to see how it fit Delilah so put it on right away. Next time she wears it probably won't be with her fleecy cupcake pajama bottoms.

The pattern is from this book: Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee.

(wow, bad flash from my camera on the book)

My fabulous husband bought me this book from Whipstitch Fabrics (he knows I love that store) for Hanukkah. What a good boy!

Ok, one more picture of her gorgeousness...

This top pattern actually is included in sizes for Mom AND daughter. Is it bad I am tempted to be all matchy matchy with my kid?!?! I really like the gathered detail on the arm. It was SO easy and fast to make. It gets me excited to try other patterns from the book - like the bags or the cover skirt.

Thanks for stopping by, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Janimal

Edit: I made the Small, which was listed as size 2-3, with the description saying they fit large to be grown into. This was apparently an errata and the Medium is actually 2-3. So this wasn't a very big shirt. Next time I'll make the Medium!

Works In Progress Peek A Boo!

2010-11-23T16:05:00.001-05:00

Hello there! Have a peek at projects I am working on!

Sorry I don't post much. Actually, I'm not sorry, really. Life is busy and GOOD and doesn't leave me much time for blogging, and I'm not sorry about that. I'm a Mom! A wife! An employee! All things to be grateful for!

So anyway, here's a peek at something I am working on for my favorite person on the planet. Check out this snap of a work-in-progress toddler musicbox dress, from the pattern by the always terrific Oliver and S.

Just a teaser - I'm looking forward to sharing this dress ON my little model in all her glory when it's finished.

That's Liberty of London fabric purchased from the lovely shop Purl Soho. It's such a lovely soft cotton. Liberty fans know it is spendy stuff, so to do this dress justice I feel like I MUST use very nice buttons to finish it right. Alas, I just haven't found the right buttons yet so this dress is unfinished. I think it will be lovely for the Spring (I made a 3T so it's a little big for D now anyway) but if I get it finished I might be tempted to layer it over a warm top and leggings so Delilah can go ahead and wear it now!

What else?

Here's a peek at a project in progress:

Not telling you what it is.

Ha!

Take care,
Janimal

Applying The Fabric Stash Rules

2010-11-17T08:45:00.001-05:00

My last post was about my fabric stash rules. This one is about how they actually work for me and how I have actually applied my rules (and enabled myself to buy more fabric, pshaw).

I made a few recent fabric purchases, here's how I justified them according to "the rules"

Last week I went to this site: http://www.fabricmart.com/
Ok, I got sucked into the clearance area here. One of the lovely ladies from my local sewing guild forwarded an email about some superduper sale.
I found this:

That's crushed velour - sapphire blue. For a DOLLAR a yard. YO! A DOLLAR!

Uh oh, remember rule #1? I got very quickly sucked into the appeal of dollar a yard fabric. I trampled all over rule #1 and 12 yards of variously colored crushed velour is on it's way to my house. I have no idea what this stuff feels like, so I can't say I love it. But yo, a dollar? What's a (Jewish) girl to do?
Um, so, I, um, bought some. In several colors actually. If you have any ideas what to do with it, I'm all ears. And I will probably be willing to share.

I totally just busted rule #1 (don't buy stuff just because it's on sale) BUT - I can still redeem myself! I can't apply rule #3 (buy for a project) because I have no idea what I would make with this stuff. So that leaves me with rule #2. If something comes in the stash, something must come out. SO, when this stuff arrives, I have a decision to make. Either decide I don't love it enough to be "stashworthy" and just give it away, or keep it and give away some other fabrics from my stash.

For a buck a yard, I am cool with this plan.

Either way, to manage the stash, I am going to have to give away some fabric. Either to a friend who's daughter is learning to sew, to a lady who sews her heart out making doggy blankets and beds for rescue animals, or to another sewing friend who doesn't have the same stash rules as me. Regardless, I get to give something away and that always feels good! It's an inexpensive experiment to check out a different kind of fabric, and a new fabric supplier. I'll post about this stuff when it comes in and let you know what happens to it.

Which brings me to me NEXT purchase.
(See, I told you I might be a little bit of an addict)
Whipstitch Fabrics sent me a 10% off coupon. Uh oh. I may have stash rules but I CANNOT RESIST this store.

I bought some more fabric online.

First up are 3 home dec fabrics from the Innocent Crush line by Anna Maria Horner. Check 'em out:

GORGEOUS! Totally rule #1.

These all are justified under rule #3. These home dec fabrics are going to be sewn into bags to give away as gifts. Won't they be lovely as Frenchy Bags?

These next couple fabrics are velveteen, also part of that same Innocent Crush line.

And this pretty cotton lawn by Alexander Henry.

I totally applied rule #1 to these. What lovely fabrics! Rule #3 does not apply because I really have no idea what I will do with them. BUT - hello rule #2! I am making the cover skirt from the book Sew Serendipity, which is using THREE fabrics chosen from my current stash. That means under rule #2 I am allowing myself to replace them with three pretty fabrics back to my stash. I only bought a yard of each of these 3, so I *may* buy more of each later. We'll see.

And last, but not least, I bought two knit fabrics to make tops for myself. I have a simple pattern to follow and these fabrics should coordinate with the skirts I just mentioned in the works from the Sew Serendipity book. These fabrics most solidly fall under rule #3. Planned projects that will not just become part of the stash.

Now, the problem I have with applying rule #3 to the purchase of these fabrics, is that I really can't HONESTLY apply it again in the very short term. I mean, with bags and tops all planned on my project list, it's tough for me to justify buying more fabric for immediate projects - because I already have too many projects planned. Rule #3 is now "on a break".

But that's the beauty of rule #2. I can still buy fabric, if I am willing to part with another. This keeps my stash fresh with beautiful fabrics that I love, will help me be (eh somewhat) responsible with my cash and storage space that I won't just go buy a bunch of fabrics that won't be used, and fabrics that might otherwise sit and not be used will have a new purpose in the hands of someone who appreciate them and will use them.

Ok - am I just kidding myself? Maybe. But this system, so far, seems to work for me.

Just don't send me a coupon.

Later skaters,

Janimal

P.S.

Seriously - what should I do with the crushed velour?

My Rules For Buying Fabric - Managing a Stash

2010-11-15T13:30:00.006-05:00

I think I may be a fabric-oholic. That doesn't want to be in recovery! But I do need to MANAGE my addiction. It would be waaay easy to let my stash get out of control. I do NOT need to appear on the show "Hoarders" people.

((I found some awesome pics of ORGANIZED fabric stashes at THIS VINTAGE POST over on Domestic Diva))

So I recently came up with a few simple rules to keep my fabric stash under control. Pretty much all fabrics *should* follow rule #1, and then must follow either rule #2 or rule #3.

1) Don't buy something just because it's on sale.

By all means I am going to peruse the bargain sections of the stores I frequent. But when I am tempted to buy a bunch of stuff just because it is a great deal -- I must STOP! and think. I look at the regular price. If I wouldn't be willing to spend that amount on it, I shouldn't buy it just because it is cheap now. It's sometimes so tempting to grab something and think, "Oh that's sorta cute and wow just $1.50 a yard I can buy a ton of it!" -- because if I don't LOVE it, chances are it will just take up space in my sewing room, never to be used, and not especially admired. I'd rather save that few bucks from the clearance stuff and be willing to pay a little extra for a fabric I drool to play with.

2) Only buy something for the stash, if something else comes OUT of the stash.

I am a lucky gal that I have a room, all of my own, in our house, that is MY SEWING ROOM. It's a small room, and despite it's usual disarray, I relax just walking in the door. Anyway, I have a nice bit of space to store my fabric. But it would be alarmingly easy to let the fabric stash just take over. So - if I want to buy something to add to the stash, a different fabric has to come OUT of the stash. That means either A) make something with something or B) give some fabric away.

Fabrics in my stash that I probably won't give away:

Heather Ross Far Far Away. I WILL make something from this one day!

Let's Enjoy Britain by Kokka (heck pretty much any Kokka fabrics you would have to wretch from my poor withered hands on my deathbed to get it away from me.)

Michael Miller Tweet. Too cute.

Liberty of London Cotton Lawn "Yoshie" - Fabric to swoon over.

(The above fabrics were purchased from SomeArtFabric, Whipstitch Fabrics, and Purl Soho. All fabric purveyors worth getting to know, y'all.)

3) Only buy something if you have plans to make something with it right away.

This is how I cheat myself on rule #2. If the fabric I buy is used right away, then it never becomes part of the "stash" and therefore, doesn't need something to come out in order to come home with me! But I have to be honest about this. If I am invoking rule #3, it really does have to be used right away to make an actual project I have planned.

So there you go - the rules! I made TWO fabric purchases last week using the rules, and my next post will be about how I applied them to manage my stash.

Any of you have rules for fabric stashing? I would love to hear them.

Later skaters,

Janimal

http://todayscreativeblog.net/get-your-craft-on-29/

Another Jacket For Delilah

2010-11-04T10:00:00.002-04:00

I already showed you a jacket made for Delilah HERE.

After a visit to Whipstitch Fabrics, I was raring to go on another one. Here it is!

I'll post action shots of my toddler in it as soon as possible. Or, well, since she's two, perhaps pictures of her refusing to put it on. I'd say we have a 50/50 shot these days! Perhaps if I bribe her with Halloween candy.....

YUM!

Last night we gave Delilah a little Krackle bar from her Halloween stash. We've never given her a chocolate bar. We may have just created a monster!

In the meantime, here is the back of the jacket, and a shot of the lapel.

Yeah, I know you've seen the jacket I made like this before. But seriously, I am SO PROUD of this jacket. I just love it. The lining is the softest City Weekend knit, a new line of fabric released by Moda for Oliver and S. The print is Toadstools in lime by Alexander Henry. Both fabrics bought from Whipstitch Fabrics.

(Can I rave about Whipstitch some more?! Seriously EVERY fabric in the shop is gorgeous. If you can't make it to Atlanta, they sell on Etsy, here.)

(I am not affiliated with Whipstitch, nor do I get any compensation for raving about the shop. I just think they have great fabric. I may a teeny non-intimate sewing crush on Deborah Moebes!)

This pattern is suitable for beginner sewists. It's Burda 9780 and check it - no sleeves to set in!

Oh, did you hear? Liesli from Oliver and S is coming out with a book! I can't wait!

Later skaters,

Janimal

Superstyle Bag Swap

2010-10-28T09:12:00.002-04:00

I recently signed up for the SuperStyle Bag Swap from the Sew Mama Sew blog. All the participants were assigned a partner and told to make the other a bag by October 25th.

(It's pretty groovy to me that a bunch of total strangers can get together and decide on an honor system swap thingy like this.)

Here's the bag I made! Fabric is Innocent Crush Woodcut in Passion by Anna Maria Horner for the outside.

My original plan was to tackle a more complicated bag - but I needed to be realistic about the amount of time I would have to sew before the deadline. I bought the larger sized Buttercup Bag pattern from Made by Rae (the small version of the pattern is available for free HERE)

The lining is Willow Wren in Chartreuse by Alexander Henry.

My partner mentioned liking some owl print fabric that is in my stash. So I decided to pop some of it in the box with the purse as a little surprise!

Want to be inspired to make a bag?

The FlickR group for the bags is here

Fabrics for the purse were purchased at Whipstitch Fabrics. (I went to the local store but you can also buy from them online HERE. Excellent quality, beautiful fabrics, and nice people.)

I totally dig the whole SWAP idea. I want to do another one - so maybe I'll come up with one to coordinate myself. The question is, what to swap? I think a sewn toy swap might be fun....hmmmmmmmmmm.....suggestions?!?

Janimal

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE!

2010-10-25T11:09:00.013-04:00

On Saturday we went to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! We were excited! Before the show, Delilah got excited as she posed with her DJ Daddy in her Muno dress.

Somehow I had managed to convince my sweet husband that LOTS of parents would be dressed up for the show.

Turns out that wasn't the case.

Delilah LOVED her Muno dress and also LOVED that her Daddy was dressed as DJ Lance! He was slightly less than thrilled to be the only dude dressed up. But, great guy that he is, he got into it. He posed for pictures with people. And was noticed by the real DJ Lance on stage and got high-fived by him. The intermission performers gave him the mike to help yell Yo Gabba Gabba! And today a couple people we know have sent us pics they took of us from their seats in the theater -- because although we didn't see them -- he was pretty hard to miss in his bright orange DJ outfit!!!

Here's the real DJ Lance performing.

We limit Delilah's TV time - but she is crazy about Yo Gabba Gabba. She grabs the remote and asks for it. The live show did NOT disappoint!

Jack McBrayer and Paul Scheer came out to do a knock knock joke and a dancey dance!

And....BIZ! Biz Markie was great. He sat on the stage and had kids beatbox with him. Then he busted out "You say he's just a friend" for the parents to sing along. WAAAAAY COOL!

I will be turning my pictures into a photo book on Shutterfly for Delilah.

Delilah cried to go back to her seat when the show was over. Then we blew her mind by hitting the after party. When she approached the gang to have her picture taken with them, her whole body shook and she had this incredible laugh of joy. Totally awesome! (Those pictures I don't have yet. I'm excited to see them.)

Here she is just hanging out after her photo op.

Happy!

We HAD to get our picture taken with Biz! My guess is that this after party was A LOT different than the after parties from his former years performing.......

Muno kept flirting with Delilah at the party. I think he liked her dress! So before he left, had to get a family shot with him. I'm not sure what he whispered in hubby's ear....

And she got a little Plex magic robot love.

An exhausted and happy child closed down the after party and slept soundly.

The dress is another simple jumper that buttons down the back (pattern is Madison Jumper by Bonnie Blue Designs) in a red fleece. I embroidered red circles using red thread, and added wool felt to make the eye and mouth. The boombox bag I have posted about before, here. Some people stopped me and where they could buy our bag! It's not for sale. We like it too much!

Thanks for stopping by. YO GABBA GABBA!

Janimal

Delilah's New Shopping Jacket

2010-10-22T09:12:00.013-04:00

Delilah got a new jacket! This was SO much fun to sew.

It's a little big. But since she is 2, I can still make her wear it. HA!

Alas the size 2T is more like a 3 or 4! I even waaay shortened the sleeves. But she wore it anyway. I suppose she can wear it next year...

We've discovered a new place for photo-taking. The toy department at Target. She's always in a good mood there.

She's so cute I just could eat her up.

I really like the assymetrical back hem to the front. You know when you pick up a kid and their clothes ride up? That extra length on the back can hang out and still cover her tushy.

She's concentrating very hard on the dancing Mickey Mouse on display. Which was sold out. So we did not come home with an animatronic dancing mouse for $69.99. Score!

The pattern is Burda 9780. The outer shell is a soft cotton sateen I got on clearance from http://www.someartfabric.com/ and the lining is a pink interlock knit I purchased at Discover Sewing. (I bought my sewing machine from Discover.) I was a bit scared of working with a knit but it was totally cool.

I think this pattern looks more complicated than it really is. Honestly it was pretty simple, and I would recommend it for beginners. I found this pattern by browsing on http://www.patternreview.com/ (and if you are interested, my review of this jacket is posted on there too, HERE)

I know some people sew *a little* but are a bit intimidated by patterns. I was for a LONG time. But you know, now that I am working with patterns, they aren't so bad after all! I bought some at a sale recently for $.25 apiece. I may not ever make anything from them, but just reading them can be educational.

Now if i can just get over my intimidation with set-in sleeves.

Another one of these jackets is cut and ready to be sewn. (In dreamy soft City Weekend Interlock knit and some gorgeous toadstool fabric by Alexander Henry. Check us out soon in a Target near you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

P.S.
I always read about people making a muslin first. Basically making a pattern out of muslin or other cheap fabric before trying it with something you like. For me, I also am hesitant to cut into my pretty fabrics for a first time with a pattern. I have purchased some cheap fabrics for this purpose, but now I don't want to sew with them. My sewing time (and I bet yours too) is too short to work with fabrics I don't like. I was thrilled to find the nice cotton print for this jacket on clearance, because it was inexpensive like a muslin but still a wearable piece. I'll keep looking for good stuff on clearance, but I have decided to get over my hesitation to cut the good stuff. I want to sew with good fabric. If I mess it up, so be it. So anyone want my crappy clearance stuff?!! I have some yucky polyester for yooooou!!!

The Scary Dress

2010-10-19T09:03:00.011-04:00

You just have to see this.

For Mother's Day this year, I made a specific request of my husband. Please choose some fabric and I will make our daughter a dress with it. He was happy to oblige.

Daggers and skulls and glitter, oh my!

Just so you know, I went ahead and made the dress.

Although I haven't thought of what the right occasion would be for her to wear this. Exorcism? Gang party? Ritual Sacrifice? Probably not going to send her to her church based preschool in it.

There is a lesson here, folks.

Here is a picture of my little sweetheart, made using the same pattern (Madison by Bonnie Blue ) but in a lovely cotton lawn print by Robert Kaufman.

I think I like this dress a little better!

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

Delilah The Artist!

2010-10-18T10:06:00.001-04:00

Delilah the SERIOUS ARTIST!

We needed a new picture for the wall. So on a recent sunny day, Delilah got the job done.

An open mouth is a sign of serious concentration, y'all.

Oh the use of color! A budding artistic genius! Is it too early to discuss the pros and cons of being an art major?

Please take note of Daddy's sexy socks and sandals combo. Simma down ladies!

Unfortunately right after this picture was taken, rain started to fall. :-(

Now how good does this look on our dining room wall?!

Later skaters,

Janimal

TeddyBear Party - Your Feedback Please?

2010-10-15T08:30:00.002-04:00

What was originally supposed to be a small gathering of neighborhood kids for cake and pizza has gone off the rails for Delilah's birthday party.

It's now a teddybear themed party. Complete with teddybear themed favors featuring each guest's initial embroidered on their own little bear.

I wish I could say this was all of them. I am going bear crazy!! (Teddy bear embroidery design is from http://www.moosebstitchin.net/ - I left out the wire to make them posable.)

An invitation to one family, meant we had to invite another family, which meant we had to invite another family, and so on, and so forth, etc. etc. to avoid anyone having hurt feelings at the lack of an invitation. The list got MUCH longer, fast.

Now, I like all the people on the list. I just hadn't intended for the party to be very big. And have some guilt now over the folks NOT invited - just because they weren't associated with the people on the growing list. But then the party would be HUGE!

Does that make any sense?!?

Anyway, I will get over that and would like some feedback please. These bears are to given away with a little bag of Teddy Grahams. I tied a bag to a bear with a ribbon. Like so:

And it looks to me like the teddy is wearing the bag like a cape? Hubby says this is fine as is, but I wonder if there is a better way. Any suggestions for putting these bears and little bags together? Maybe a little cellophane bag if I can find them?

Thanks for stopping by,

Janimal

Happy Birthday D

2010-10-14T11:26:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DELILAH!

Yesterday Delilah turned 2 years old.

Every day has been a special gift.

D - you amaze me. I am so proud of you. You are so sweet and smart. You share your goldfish with other kids, and give the very best hugs and kisses to your parents. You're a terrific and enthusiastic dancer. That you count to twelve and then fake it to 19 and 20 is adorable. That you can speed through singing the ABCs is amazing. That you know hundreds of songs and love music class is fun. Your obsession with books makes my heart happy. Your brilliance working with puzzles amazes all the older kids. Everywhere we go people are taken with you. You hair is soft and curly and delicious around my fingers. Your smile is gorgeous. Your laugh is the best sound in the whole world.

Being your Mommy is the best part of my life. Thanks sweetheart.

Barbie's Conservative Dress

2010-10-12T10:00:00.008-04:00

I made Barbie a new dress!

Have you noticed how revealing Barbie clothes are these days? (I was gonna say "hoochy" instead of revealing, then thought better of it. Then thought again, obviously.) I mean look at this, really.

I'm no prude, folks. I'm actually reeeeeally liberal. I don't mind having a little cleavage out there myself from time to time! But it escapes me that our little girls' dolls have to dress like Paris Hilton. And Bratz dolls blow my mind. (I also have a whole feminist love/hate relationship with Disney Princesses. That's another post for another day.)

So Barbie got a makeover. A yellow dress, sortof modeled after the Popover dress from Oliver and S. Made with a scrap of fabric from the Oliver and S City Weekend knit fabric (purchased from Whipstitch Fabrics). (Which is soft like buttah! BUTTAH!) Dear husband says she looks very "Mad Men" in it. Not sure if being Draper's new secretary is really a great look to go for either.

I took the dress off DraperSecretary Barbie and tried it on our BeyonceBarbie. I like the yellow on her, and her boots go better! (Scuse all those fingerprints on the fireplace, yikes!)

I think this is a good time to share how I feel about having multicultural toys. I believe that bigotry and racism are learned behaviors. And unfortunately, out there in the big bad world, Delilah will be exposed to messages of ignorant hatred. So I figure it's my job to make sure she gets another message. My toddler isn't ready for a talk about tolerance (!), but I do believe that who and what I expose her to lays a foundation for the adult she will be one day. So it starts now, with the friends and toys she plays with.

The yellow City Weekend knit is just so lovely and soft. I had cut it to make Delilah a nice soft hoody, and the scraps were perfect for an easy little Barbie dress. And after working with it on such a small scale, I am excited to work with it on a garment. Mmmmm.

I took pictures of the dress construction, so I'll try to get up a tute soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

Meet the Mermaidens!

2010-10-06T14:55:00.015-04:00

Meet the Mermaidens!

They were a SPLASH hit at our house. They provide OCEANS of fun. Do you SEA how cute they are?

Hehe.

These cuties are from a pattern featured in this lovely book.

The talented Hilary Lang from Wee Wonderfuls recently released this book and it's full of such lovely pictures and great directions.

However, you don't need the book to make your own Mermaiden. The pattern is free HERE on Martha's website.

I'm no stranger to making dolls. Check out this post and this post. I love making them. I especially love giving them to my gorgeous little girl. But you really don't need any experience at all with doll-making to follow any of these patterns. The instructions are so clearly written. I may have a teeny bit of dollmaking experience, but I am still a rookie. If you have thought about making dolls or toys at all, this book could be a lovely way to jump in. Great directions. Check out the reviews on Amazon - everybody loves it!

So back to the girls.

Mermaiden A here, I made with wool felt. The pattern includes making a ric rac hair flower but I didn't have any ric rac so added a couple flowery buttons I had in my stash. The wool felt makes her nice and soft.

Mermaiden B (I really need better names for them) uses the suggested cord for hair and some scrap cotton for the tail. I also used felt for her body but next time I may switch to flannel for the body. The cord looks a bit dark in this picture. In real life it's a bit more red.

(Note the tan color of the bodies. I figure, when I go to the ocean I come home with a tan. So Mermaids should really have some tan skin too, right?!)

My favorite thing about these Mermaidens? Delilah actually squealed over them. I told her I made them for her and since that day she has picked them up and informed me "Mommy made these." How cool is that?!?! Here's your action shot.

(By the way, fleece footy pajamas look like the most comfortable article of clothing ever made. I really need a set for me.)

Thanks for stopping by.

Later skaters,

Janimal

Boise State!

2010-10-01T08:52:00.003-04:00

Just a little note to those of you who like college football.

BOISE STATE FOOTBALL IS AWESOME!!!!!!

It was great fun to make up Delilah a Boise State dress. Solid blue with BOISE STATE embroidered in orange. The lining of the dress is the same orange, with orange buttons down the back.

A simple dress, with a simple message - take notice of BSU!

It was lovely to put D in this dress and go see a parade, here in the Atlanta heat. In this city, college football is a VERY big deal. It's all about the SEC though here. And this year, BSU is a player in the race to the National Championship. Very exciting!

**I had toyed with the idea of appliquing on the logo, a bronco. But decided to leave things a bit more simple. What do you think?***

Later skaters,

Janimal

Adventures At MoMA

2010-09-28T12:30:00.009-04:00

Recently, I had the lovely pleasure of spending a weekend in NYC with my two brothers and nephew.

I have to share this funny little experience from MoMa.

I backed up to take a picture of my brother as he checked out this huge hammock looking art installation.

I looked behind me to make sure I wasn't going to run into anything. You know, like a giant stack of bales of hay.

Ha! The haystack was in the other room. All clear.

The security guard yelled. "MA'AM! MA'AM! STOP!" I froze of course. Turned around. Nothing there. What up dude? He tells me "That's art" And I am puzzled. Then I look down. At this.

Uh huh. A blotch of spray paint on the floor. Here is the plaque on the wall.

Yep - a 42 year old blotch of spray paint. Conceptual art by the very important Lawrence Weiner. (I had to Google him) Sorry security dude.

So I guess you can tell that I don't "get" some of this modern art stuff. But maybe I should be looking at the floor of my garage differently, huh?

Despite my near run in with the paint splotch art, I really enjoyed MoMA and there was so much awesome artwork that I was able to appreciate. Here I am doing my own mandolin impression with Picasso.

My photos don't come anywhere near doing justice to these beautiful art pieces. Here is a gorgeous Monet. I could have stayed in this room just looking at this for hours.

One of the cool things about going to the museum, is taking in others' reactions to the art. I really like this pic of my two brothers. They are such different people, and I like the contrast of one dressed darkly crouching and smiling, and big bro standing in his light outfit looking thoughtful. Both checking out the same piece.

Thanks MoMa for a fun afternoon,

My brothers and I live in three very different parts of the country. We have very different lives. It had been WAY too long since we had all been together, and NYC was a fun backdrop for our 48 hours together.

(I think 2 days is the perfect amount of time to visit with family. Long enough to love each other and refresh those familial bonds, but not too long where you drive each other crazy the way only siblings and family peeps can)

Thanks for stopping by. I have some sewing stuff to post very soon. :-)

-Janimal

Enclosed Ribbon Hem

2010-09-24T09:10:00.004-04:00

Before I say anything - let me just say I am floating on air this morning. In a fabulous mood. Giddy with excitement.

What is giving me this joy?

EDITED: Delilah hit a toddler milestone, that we high fived over all morning. And I wrote a funny little bloggy bit about it. But have reconsidered that bit of detail. I have to remember that anything written on the internet is there for forever. And twelve year old Delilah might not be all that thrilled at me writing about two year old Delilah's milestones. So, moms of toddlers out there, just think about the joy you have when you kid hits a milestone, and that's me, today. Over the moon at my little miracle's accomplishments. The kind of thing only another parent could truly appreciate. And to future older Delilah - I love you kid. This was a good morning!

So - now that you (edit) DON'T have your dose of TMI - let's talk sewing.

Here is pictures of some simple cropped summer capri pants I made for Delilah, using a technique I learned from childrens clothing pattern designer Oliver and S for an enclosed ribbon hem.

We were having fun in the shade of our driveway blowing bubbles. What you can't see in this picture is that Delilah and I wore matching Foofa shirts that day. We looked pretty silly but this kid was delighted that Mommy matched. Unfortunately, my pants weren't as cute.

Using a ribbon to finish a hem is ridiculously easy. The result is nice and clean on the inside, and is as cute as you want on the outside. These pants were actually from a pattern I had for simple shorts I just lengthened the pattern to make pants, and added a wide dotted ribbon. Nice and light and airy in seersucker for the hot Atlanta summer, and still protecting her skin from sun and bugs. (The pattern was purchased on Etsy from this seller, and is just one pattern piece and SO easy.)

(If you want to try a ribbon encased hem, the technique is explained in this FREE simple skirt tutorial on the Oliver and S blog.) I would show you, but honestly the directions are really that good on their own!

Speaking of Oliver and S, one of my favorite FlickR groups is the Oliver and S patterns group. Let me just say, their patterns are awesome. The instructions are SO clear. If you have been hesitant to sew using a pattern, these are the way to go. I think patterns can be intimidating to many talented but inexperienced sewists. But I really think O & S brings them within reach.

Happy Friday everyone!

Get Ready For The Holidays!

2010-09-23T08:30:00.007-04:00

It's September already?!?! How did that sneak up on me so fast?!? Time to kick holiday gift crafting/sewing into gear!

At a local sewing guild meeting, we shared "30 minute gifts". So I made a few giftcard holders that can double as business card holders for the recipient later. A gift in a gift.

(My easy-peasy tutorial to make these is HERE.)

I have plans to get together with a friend and make some reusable fabric giftbags. My friend found THIS TUTORIAL to make some drawstring bags that looks pretty cool to follow.

Other gifts to make? Well, I just spent a weekend in NYC hanging out with my cool brothers and even cooler nephew. I got to shop at the fabulous Purl Soho and bought this book (that was recently spotlighted on their blog).

Oh the dollies in my future! One of the doll patterns was published over at Martha Stewart, so I'll make that dolly up, and post my pictures and the link hopefully within a week.

And...I will probably post some of my NYC pics. So there's your warning - non-crafty posts ahead. With my cute brothers in them.

Later skaters,
Janimal

Front Yard Cemetery Decorations

2010-09-13T08:30:00.007-04:00

It's almost HALLOWEEN!

Oh yeah!

Which means it's time for a spooky neighborhood cemetery in our yard. Each year we add to our decor and it gets spookier and spookier. Here are some pics from last year.

(The men in our cul-de-sac all have their own headstone. Al is a neighbor, Larry is my husband, and our friends get a good chuckle out of his.)

That back headstone for our other neighbor reads "Here lies MR POOLE - fell off a stool, now HE'S A GHOUL"

These headstones are the cheap foam ones you can buy at your local drugstore for a few bucks a piece. I simply turned some around and painted on the backs with white acrylic paint. They have held up remarkably well to the elements and the weathering effect makes it just creepier! This year I may add some of the neighborhood ladies to the cemetery - I just have to work out some rhymes.

There are also bright orange twinkle lights wrapped around our trees and throughout our bushes. Bring on the trick or treaters!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Changing The Hat

2010-09-10T08:30:00.011-04:00

Hello Blogland! Today I am happy to show you how I customized a hat for my girly girl.

Recently, I found this hat at Kohls. Armed with my 30% off coupon, it was mine at a bargain price.

Although I wasn't a big fan of the black buckle detail, I liked the texture of the fabric, and I thought Delilah would look adorable in that shape hat -- if I fixed it up a bit.

Here's Delilah chilling out waiting for a real photographer to take her picture, sporting her transformed hat, now featuring a flower that matches her shirt. Eating Cheerios of course.

The best part - the flower is attached with Velcro, so her hat can be customized for other outfits!
The shirt and main hat fabric is Travel England in turquoise by Kokka, with a Michael Miller Graceful Vines print for the lining and contrast in the flower. Both purchased from the lovely people at Some Art Fabric. I made the pants too. Nice and soft pique knit. Next time I may make some for me!

(My tutorial to make this simple shirt is HERE)

Notice the hat has a center covered button detail? HA! That's not a button. Let me me show you how......

First, I made a fabric flower - you can see my tutorial on that here. Instead of a button for the center, I decided to make a covered fabric button for the center. Except I had no fabric covered button supplies. I improvised. You can too!

Supplies:
Fabric flower, cardboard cut into a circle, small piece of batting slightly larger than the cardboard circle, fabric square, and strong glue.

Glue the cardboard to the batting.

Wrap the fabric around the circle, using dabs of glue to hold in place on the back.

Let the center button dry before gluing to the center of the fabric circle.

The black buckle detail on the hat was easily picked off.
I sewed velcro the back of the flower, and to the hat, so this flower comes off to easily customize the hat for other outfits.

Thanks for stopping by. Your feedback is so lovely.

- Janimal

My Little Teapot Dress!

2010-09-07T15:55:00.004-04:00

SO sorry to be gone so long! Life has just been busy and blogging hasn't been a priority, although I have still been creating and sewing and have lots to share!

Check out Delilah modelling her teapot dress!

Honestly, I thought about waiting until I could style D up in the dress and take her picture under natural light in the pretty outdoors. But I couldn't resist sharing this silly photo. I'm amused by Delilah's unimpressed facial expression. I like that she gave me a partial little teapot spout with her arm, and that her other arm seems to have magically disappeared altogether. OF COURSE she is enjoying a sippy of milk and some Cheerios because that's what she asks for constantly. I snapped a couple quick pictures, and put the camera down. So this picture also reminds me of the fun tickles and laughs we had as I chased her to take this dress off!

(Once it was off, Delilah grabbed the dress from my arms and happily yelled MY DRESS! followed by a HUGE giggle and that was an awesome moment as a Mom and a sewist.)

Here's the back view.
I had just sewn on the last button. And see below - you can still see the fabric marker line that I had drawn to make sure my buttons were straight.

This simple dress was the perfect choice for me to show off some fun fabric. This is Bermuda Metro Cafe by Robert Kaufman purchased at Whipstitch Fabrics on Etsy. Whipstitch is local to me but I still haven't made it into the shop. One of these days I will visit the shop and am afraid of the fabric buying frenzy that may ensue.

For Delilah I have figured out that I need to make up patterns in a 3T, but adjust the length. Which makes me a bit nervous as I am no pro at adjustments. I am thrilled that I seem to have gotten the length right on this dress.

For sure I will be making more little tank dresses for Delilah to show off some of my favorite fabrics. And my favorite little girl.

Sorry to have been away - I'll try to post more often but you know blogging just doesn't rank as high on my activities list as, say, sing Ring Around The Rosey a gazillion times with my hilarious child. I trust y'all understand!

Buttercup Bag Sewing

2010-08-11T08:10:00.008-04:00

Hello Blog Friends!

Last week a friend came over after Delilah went to bed and we tackled making little purses.
(Check out this free pattern and tutorial of the Buttercup Bag from Made By Rae, HERE)

We made our way through putting together the Buttercup Bag. After making the first one, I knew I had to make another. For my favorite little person of course! Check out Delilah's Buttercup Bag!

That minky fabric shed all over my sewing room. But it was worth it. Delilah has been carrying her bag around with her since I gave it to her. She looked awfully cute as she swayed through Home Depot with it on Sunday.
When we go out shopping, Delilah clamors to hold my purse for me. So it was high time she had her own.

She kept it with her right up until bedtime. I think it coordinated well with her jammies!

(I think the look on her face is hilarious)

I had a half yard of some cute Amy Butler fabric and made another using an orange cotton for the lining. So cute I think!

Making these bags may be my new obsession. I have two more cut and ready to sew as gifts for some little girls. (With their names embroidered on, of course!)

To make these for little girls, I used velcro as the closure as I found the magnetic closure on my first one to be too strong for a small child to maneuver. Also, in the instructions, it says "attach straps" at the end. I sewed them on the outside per the instructions for the first one I made, but on these two versions I decided to sew the strap to the inside of the seam, so it looks a bit more finished. Here's a pic that shows the strap ends hidden inside the seam, rather than sewed to the outside.

(If anyone wants to know how I sewed the straps, email me and I am happy to send you pictures of how I did it.)

Here's a peek inside the other bag to see the velcro and the pocket.

I used sew on velcro. And it's the kind that has the hook and loop together rather than separate, to reduce the fuzzies that can caught up on the hook side of velcro. (Purchased at Hancock's)

Thanks for stopping by!

Janimal

Entering a Giveaway

2010-08-10T09:46:00.006-04:00

Over at Sew MaMa Sew, there is a giveaway of a Husqvarna Viking Serger.

This is the best blog giveaway I have ever entered, I think!

Entries are supposed to say how our lives would be better with a serger. I would sew my little heart out on it!

I think I need a more compelling entry than that. But I'm having a hard time coming up with a compelling "OH MY, A SERGER WILL CHANGE MY LIFE" kind of story, because, not to brag or anything, my life is already pretty awesome. I mean, I get to hang out with these two silly people.

Seriously adorable, right? We have our ups and downs like all families, but we are happy as can be. A new sewing machine would be WONDERFUL, but I'm not sure it will be life changing for me.

It would provide me with another tool to make pretty things for this little munchkin.

(Cue: adorable please give my Mommy a serger face)

I've considered opening an Etsy shop. My motivation is that I would take any money earned from the shop and put in a college fund for Delilah. I like the idea that i could contribute to her education and future by creating and sharing. A serger would open up a whole other world of projects for me. It would be lovely to finish seams so fast. I could go berserk sewing knits. I love the look of rolled hems on some of the clothes I own and would LOVE to do that myself.

And...if we are fortunate enough to have another child, the possibilities of serging stuff for an infant --- OOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooh!

A serger would provide me with more creative freedom. It would be lovely.

So, fingers crossed.

Musical Popover Dress

2010-08-04T11:12:00.010-04:00

I think I mentioned in a previous post that I had one more Popover Dress cut out and ready to be sewn for Delilah.

Ready to see my little supermodel in training?!

The fabric is musical notes from Hobby Lobby and the pink is Kona cotton.

The bottom is pink ribbon with a little white stripe. I used the technique from the Lazy Days Skirt pattern. It's pretty easy to make a nice finished hem with ribbon and I love the extra detail and pop of color at the hem.

And one more picture. Do you think this little girl could do no wrong or what?!

I am seriously in love with my daughter.

The Popover Dress pattern is easy for a beginner (and available FREE from the lovely Oliver and S). My photo tute following the pattern is here. If you have a little girl and can sew at all -- this pattern is a really good start at making garments.

Later skaters,
Janimal

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac133/cerise422/sewcandoPARTYbuttonworking.jpg"/>