Happy Halloween

Well unlike the last few years I did not make my kids Halloween costumes this year.  We didn't even buy new costumes, we reused and borrowed everything we used this year!  However, I did put together this fun little tutu shirts for the girls to wear during the day today.

 

I bought the solid color shirts and the Halloween leggings at WalMart.  Then I embroidered a fun Halloween design on the shirts and added a fun tutu on the bottom.  They are bright, colorful, and a little crazy!  I like them but, more importantly, the girls love them!  I hope everyone is having a safe and fun Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Sierra!

My niece, Sierra, turns 1 year old today and I'm so sad that I couldn't be there to help her celebrate.  Since my sister's family moved to Wyoming, I definitely miss being close to them.  My sister told me that Sierra is really into cats and ducks right now and I already had some cat fabric on hand so I decided to make her a pair of pajamas and cute little plush kitty to snuggle. 

I made the pajama bottoms by sizing down a pattern I already had and then I added the cute little ruffle on the bottom out of some polka dot fabric.  The shirt is from WalMart and then I added a little kitty from the fabric as an applique.

The kitty plush is my own creation and I'm super proud of it!  I'm in the process of making a tutorial/pattern for it so look for that coming soon!  Happy Birthday Sierra!  We wish we could be there and I hope my adorable niece enjoys her 1st birthday!

Humble Beginnings

We all have to start somewhere right?  Well apparently even way back when I was first learning how to sew I was very bad at starting projects and never finishing them.  I've had a quilt that I started when I was 14/15 (I think? Mom do you know?)  that I have moved around with me for years and yet never finished.  Why?  I'm not really sure.  Maybe it's because I'm not much of a quilter (maybe doing this quilt is how I know that.)  Maybe it's because I'm just a really bad procrastinator.  Maybe it's because my aesthetic changed.  I know all those things are at least partially true.  However, I finally pulled it out and finished it!

I had a very good reason for doing so.  My husband's grandmother is in the hospital with colon cancer.  I really wanted to do something nice for her to help her be more comfortable.  Hospitals can be very cold and very sterile, and uncomfortable.  This quilt seemed like the perfect thing to give her.  It was already pieced and tied (like I said from more than 10 years ago) and all that need to be done was to finish the binding.  The whole thing is badly out of square and just getting a fold over binding done was definitely interesting but I did it and I'm happy to have this project finished!  I'm even more happy to be able to give a gift to a wonderful woman who has been there for my family for many years and I hope this quilt, that has a very humble beginning, will bring her great comfort!

Shirts for Jude

My friend, Randi, did me a favor and took pictures of my daughter, Isabella's, birthday party for me clear back in July.  I didn't have any money at the time so she agreed to work in trade and I finally got around to getting her trade project done for her!  Her little boy, Jude, turned 1 year old this month and Randi drew some very cute drawings and asked if I could make them into appliqued shirts.  I said sure thing and here are the results:

The pictures aren't great, sorry, I had to take them at night indoors because I was on a deadline.  We did a balloon, leaves, a quail and a tree.  I really think they turned out nice!

Boys, Boys, Boys

I've been making quite a few baby blankets lately for friends who have had babies but the funny thing is they are all boys!

First we have the May Giveaway Day blanket (yes, I'm aware that it is now October, luckily the winner, Amy, has been very patient with me and her baby wasn't due until October) she wanted something blue and green with a turtle applique.  I found this adorable blue and green dot fabric that I thought would be perfect.  I also made her an appliqued tie onesie as an extra little surprise for being so patient with me!

Next, I made a cute little trio baby set for a mommy friend from playgroup, Janae, that recently had a baby boy. I used this cute owl fabric and paired it with a fun blue,green,brown diagonal stripe. I made a blanket, burp cloth and appliqued an owl from the fabric onto a green hand dyed onesie.  I love owls and think this set turned out really cute!

I made this fun little dinosaur trio (blanket, appliqued onesie, and burp cloth) for a family member/friend of mine, Tarah, and her baby boy, Darren.   I had seen this fabric at JoAnns a while ago but didn't have a reason to buy it.  When I asked Tarah what theme and/or colors she liked and she said, dinosaurs, I knew I had to use this fabric.  I appliqued the letter D (for Darren) on the blanket and one the blue dinosaurs on a onesie.  The burp cloth is orange flannel with the dinosaur fabric for a binding.  I love this how bright, colorful and fun this set turned out!

I still have a couple more that I very much need to get finished but my time seems to be spread pretty thin lately.  Still it's been a lot of fun helping to welcome all the new little babies into the world!