Saturday, July 28, 2012

Bibs for Selah

Today I got the chance to celebrate my friend Candy's pregnancy at her baby sprinkle.  I have been sewing in quick spurts when I can (this whole time full-time job thing seriously gets in the way... ) and almost forgot to take pictures.  Luckily the soon-to-be-mommy-of-4 just left the bibs unattended while she was chatting with her other friends and I managed to snag some very last-minute photos. 

"Golden" font by 8Claws
Shabby Rose applique from PlanetApplique


This was my first time doing "shabby" applique and I love how it turned out, even if it did shed a bit.  I thought it would be quicker than regular applique, and it was, in terms of stitchout time.  But it's offset by the time spend clipping the edges.  I really like the effect, though, and would like to do some more of this type of design soon.


"Harlow" font by 8Claws
Redwork cross from DesignsByJuju


This was also my first time doing a "redwork" design.  I thought this would be faster too but it took foooorrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr.  I think by about the fifth time the machine stitched over the same lines I wanted to scream.  Granted, I was doing this around midnight the night before (hey, gotta grab the rare moments these days when I'm awake AND have the energy to work in my sewing room).  And though I didn't pick the designs with time as a consideration at all, I was kind of disappointed because I thought they would be quicker.

My beautiful friend Candy and
lots of diapers for baby Selah


I really had fun making these bibs.  I think they are my new favorite thing to embroider.  They're affordable, come in lots of colors, are easy to hoop and are just a great canvas for being creative.  I know I make it sound like I love everything I make, and sometimes it's just because I blog during the post-project glow, but I really like how these turned out!  It's so much fun (and a little scary) seeing how designs stitch out for the first time, and I will be adding "Harlow" and "Golden" to my list of fonts to use again!


Monday, July 16, 2012

Sassy or Not?

Janay brought up some interesting--and excellent--points on her blog yesterday.  She was discussing sayings we see on clothes and her point of view.  I have tried to be careful with what my kids wear but realize a few items have slipped through the cracks of my best judgement.  Take this shirt for example:



I have this picture of my daughter at work and when people see it I feel like I have to explain that she is not allowed to be disrespectful, that she's just full of spunk.  Instead of having to keep rationalizing the shirt, I've decided to display a new version of it:



Photoshop to the rescue!  It's not as colorful, but I won't feel like I have to defend the photo.  And I'm sure I'll take a picture of her soon that I like better, and it will be replaced altogether.

I just want to say thank you to Janay for the reminder to consider what we show to the world, especially the things we sew/embroider.  I am not particularly concerned with what people think of my wardrobe (or that of my kids) but I want to make sure what I present to them is a reflection of where my heart is!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Alex and Anna Summer PJs

I have become hopelessly, shamelessly addicted to pattern testing.  It will be a bit more difficult now that I am back to working full-time outside the home (have you noticed my lack of posts lately?  Yeah, that's because I fall asleep right after the kids most nights now, so no sewing or blogging gets done). But I'm still going to try! 

Last night I signed up to test for the Peek-A-Boo Pattern shop.   This is actually my 3rd time getting the opportunity to test for Amy,  and I haven't even posted about the other 2 patterns yet, oops!

The Alex & Anna PJs are
knit summer pjs that can be
used for boys or girls


I made these summer pjs for Danielle using some old knit t-shirts my mom gave me.  I think this is one of my very favorite things I've made to date.  In part because of the fit and how comfy they look, in part because it is so much fun to sew knits on my new machine, in part because I love the fabrics.

I used the t-shirt's original hemline which saved
a little time when I sewed the pajama top


The pattern offers either a tank or sleeved shirt--I chose to make the sleeved shirt.  I'm going to make Samuel a pair next out of some more up-cycled shirts (thanks, Mom!)  The shorts, neckline and the sleeves all have a thin, contrasting band/cuff.

I cut the band for the sleeves and shorts
the "wrong" way so that the stripes would
be vertical--I love it!


They are supposed to be snug-fitting, but Danielle is rather slim so they fit more like a regular top and shorts.  That's okay, though, because I really love the shape of the tee and could see making some daytime tees using this pattern.


Hey look, the pjs look good with Fuzzy Bear too :)


I really do like how these turned out.  Right when I was thinking about how I wouldn't be able to make Samuel summer pjs because I didn't have any patterns suitable or quick enough, the opportunity to test popped up on Facebook.  Perfect timing!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Got Milk?

I made some baby gifts for a friend a month ago, but wasn't able to get them to her until this past week.  Thankfully I made baby Jaxon's onesie in the 3-6 month size so it will still fit for a while.  His mama is a lactation consultant, so I manipulated the font "Skinny" from 8ClawsandaPaw to make the phrase "Got Milk?"



I compressed the "m" to make it look more like the famous phrase, took the curve off the bottom of the "t" and distorted the "?" from another font so that it fit in with the rest of the letters.  I compressed the "o" a little as well and the stitches are skinnier at the top and bottom, making it look a little off even though the widest stitches are the same size as the rest of the letters.  I will have to play around in Embird a bit more to even it out next time.

I also made a taggie and burp cloth for Jaxon:

Monogram done with "Cubed" font


I used satin & grosgrain ribbon for the tags, along with some satin blanket binding for the really wide cream ones.

I also used the blanket binding to add a "J" to the front of the taggie.


The front side is some leftover piggie flannel


I've been appliqueing a lot with my sewing machine now that I have one that can do a blanket stitch (and a satin stitch and a ton of other stitches also).  I made similar taggies to donate but put a heart on those and I'm finishing up some cute appliqued skirts for my nieces :)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...