More Makes

Here is another wrap up post of things I made and never blogged about!

I made this super cute shirt for Samuel about a year and a half ago. It's unfinished in this picture, but the main details are there. It's the Mac's Monster Tee pattern from Cole's Corner and Creations. The shirt has a curved yoke which is great for colorblocking but also leaves the perfect space for applique. I chose to do an Olaf face. It's not available in the pattern, but there are a lot of great choices. I currently have two (short sleeved versions) of these tees cut out for Samuel and his best friend for the summer.

This sweet doll is the Doodley Doll Zoey pattern from Embroitique. I combined elements of several faces together to make the embroidery file for the face I wanted. I didn't read the directions very well and ended up sewing the hair right sides together and flipping it out, instead of sewing it with wrong sides together and raw edges, but I prefer my "mistake".  I wanted to use a woven for the headband instead of felt, so I cut two pieces and stitched them together to get edges that wouldn't fray. I do love using fleece for dolls (I used it for her hair, shoes and collar)--it doesn't fray and I have lots of scraps from other projects.

The jumper that matches is the Perfect A-Line Dress (which is reversible) from Tie Dye Diva. This was for a sweet friend whose mama picked out the fabrics. The doll is to match her little girl, who doesn't have a lot of options for dolls who look like her. I used remnants from the jumper to make the doll's outfit and was thrilled with how this turned out.

 

I mostly sew clothes, but the doll above was a nice change of pace. So was this cake I made for a co-worker whose name is Bob. We build data models and tools, so his nickname is "Bob the Builder". We bring in a cake for the birthday after us, so when I was responsible for his birthday, I knew I had to make a Bob the Builder cake! My mom took a cake decorating class way back when and passed down the basics to me. This is just a Wilton shaped pan, and I used the Wilton icing recipe along with some of the gel colors to make the black and bright orange-red. It was fun, but took hours. Next year I'm bringing in a traditional cake :)

 

Finally, here are my cuties in a more recent project--the Night Before PJ Pants from Cole's Corner and Creations. They sew up super fast (there are no side seams) and miraculously fit both my slim girl and my big bootie boy. There are options for cuffs or ruffles, and several different lengths. This is definitely going to be a staple in my kids warddrobes!

A Lot of Catch Up

There has been a lot of sewing that I haven't gotten around to blogging in the past couple years. I intend to try to blog in detail about some, but wanted to share some of the others briefly.

This was an outfit that I made my daugther for the 4th of July in...2014 (don't judge). I used denim for the shorts and lengthened them about 4 inches. They're super cute, just designed to be a little shorter than I prefer. They're the Lucy shorts from Made from Mermaids and I love how simple, yet cute, they are. The shirt was RTW and I embroidered it with the Star Spangled Cutie design from Planet Applique.

This pretty maxi dress is the Lily Lace dress and romper from Made for Mermaids. I think the back is beautiful, but we don't really do open backs, so this went to a sweet little friend of ours. She's the same size as Danielle so her younger sister usually gets our handmade-me-downs. She was so excited to receive it :)

Here's my goofy girl with my goofy dad :) This is a pajama top I made by using the Miss Mary Mack Tunic pattern from Love Notions. The ice cream fabric was from Hancock Fabrics "spot the bolt" table. It did not feel nice at all before I washed it, but it was so soft and comfortable afterwards. And it was a steal for less than $2/yard! It'll make it's appearance again in summer PJs.

This is the free Izzy top pattern from Climbing the Willow. I didn't want my girl getting pinched on St. Patrick's Day, and she didn't have any green in her dresser, so mommy's fabric stash to the rescue! I lengthened the size 5 for my girl and it ended up way too big :( The white fabric has a subtle stripe in it and was really pretty in person. I don't think anyone else had trouble with the sizing, but I am hesitant to use this again (I normally get good results from following whatever measurements are given).

This top and skirt are so cute together, but D never wore them as an outfit except for pictures. I realized, after taking way too many pictures, that my neckband was wonky. I put the top in my mending pile and there it sits, to this day! She wore the skirt a couple times, but it didn't get worn as much because it was a bit of an orphan (ie, she didn't have any tops to go with it). The top is a soft, buttery yellow knit with white stripes and a woven polka dot collar. The skirt is a quilting cotton with colorful mermaids on it. Both patterns are Made for Mermaids: the Samantha suspender skirt and the Charlotte collar top.

The skirt above did make an appearance when we went to see the mermaids at the aquarium! You can't see it in this picture, but it was too cute not to share. These are my sweet nieces (yes, they're twins) that came to visit. I made a mermaid applique for my nieces shirts using fabric and Heat & Bond. Danielle wore her mermaid skirt from  above, and the girls wore some Katie John skirts from Coles Corner and Creations with mermaid fabric accent (I was pretty low on mermaid fabric and decided last minute to make outfits for the aquarium--there was some seriouspiecing going on and I might have stapled a hem that I forgot to sew...). We had a great visit and the mermaids were really cool to see!

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!

New Summer PJs

If I can get caught up on pictures, I have a lot of projects to share with you.  I have been sewing up a storm!  I'll start with sharing Danielle's 6 new nightgowns today.

She likes them :)

I like to make her nightgowns for her summer pjs, because it's quicker than a top & shorts and I can make them a little long so they'll last all summer as she grows.  I normally use a pattern I draft (using indietutes' tutorial), but decided to use a "real" pattern this time.  This should make it easier to sew similar items for my nieces since they are a size larger than my daughter.

I made the 5 pjs shown here plus some Abby Cadabby ones

I used the "Amelia" pattern by 5 Berries Sewing Patterns.  I plan to post a detailed pattern review on Pattern Review soon.  The short of it is that I thought the instructions were really strange (hand-stitching the ends of the elastic together...huh?), but I really loved the results, thought the pattern was drafted well and has a really nice shape.  On top of that, 5 Berries gave away a pattern for FREE to their Facebook fans a couple months ago.  That's pretty cool.

Tinkerbell!

The pattern is actually for a dress with a sash, but I used the short sleeve markings and added a little length, leaving the sash and the elastic for the sleeves off in order to make a nightgown suitable for summer.

The use of stash fabrics in addition to some character prints means these are very affordable pjs indeed.  I am really happy with how they turned out and plan to use the Amelia pattern pieces for future nightgowns/peasant tops/pillowcase dresses/etc.

Hop To Bed Shirts

I finally made shirts for my twin nieces to match some flannel pants I made them for Christmas.  Oops.  The good news is that the shirts are long enough that they should be able to wear them in the fall, and I can always let down the hem of the pants if I need to.

Here's a picture of one of the shirts with the only bit of fabric I have left over, so you can imagine what it looks like with the pants.

This is the same design I used for Danielle's pillowcase (my test stitch out), and you can see the original designs I merged and modified in this post.  I'm happy with the end result and hope my nieces like them.

In the Works...

I don't have anything new to share, but that's because I've been busy doing the legwork for a lot of projects.  What are they, you ask? (actually, you didn't, but I'm going to pretend you did...)

I owe my sister some pajama tops for her daughters, to go with the frog print pants I finished in time for Christmas.  I did a little Embird manipulation on these two designs from the "Leapin' Lilypads" set from Designs by Juju.

The design set didn't have a frog on a lilypad, which would
match the fabric, so I put two designs together to make my own

And this is the end result:

Font used is "Puppy Love" from 8 Claws

I removed the flower, then rotated the frog to fill in the gap in satin stitch that was left.  I added the phrase "Hop to Bed" because, well, it's for pajamas.  I really like the result and just need to stitch it out (twice) now.


I also found some graphics to use as inspiration for a bird on a branch silhouette I plan to make for my downstairs bathroom.

I like the bird on the left

I really like the shape of these branches and leaves, so I pared
it down to just have a single, branching limb

The little birdie on the right is going to make an appearance (sort of) as well

A little photo editing and sketching and I was able to put the different elements I liked together to come up with a pattern piece to cut out.  Now I just need to cut it out. And sew it.  And bind it.  And I think that should about do it :)


Finally, I did a little more Embird magic for the other wall-hanging I have planned.  I fell in love with several spring designs that Planet Applique released last year and bought them with the idea of making a quilt.  Long story short, only one design fits the vision I have, and that's the topiary.  Since I need designs for two panels, I modified the single ball topiary to make a double ball one.  Make sense?  Didn't think so.  Here are some pictures:

Here is the original design (with some color changes)

And here's what I derived for a second panel

I got two balls by shrinking the ball from the 5x7 design and pairing it with the ball from the 4x4 design.  I split the flowers out and put the 3 smaller ones up top and the 3 bigger on the bottoms.  I cropped the stem into two pieces, and moved the bow (which I shrank a little as well).  I am pleased with how the two-ball topiary turned out and think the designs will look perfect together.  Now I just need to do all the cutting, embroidery, sewing and quilting!

Beyond all that, I have fabric coming in for a shopping cart cover for Samuel because I was short on the fabrics I chose.  I also have some vinyl coming to make some decorative bins out of wipes boxes (thanks Pinterest, for coming up with more projects for my to-do list!). Whew!  I'm tired just thinking about all the sewing I need to do!  What about you?  Do you have big plans in the works?

The Big 3-1

I was having trouble keeping track of everything I wanted to make for Christmas, so I made a list a few days ago. I counted and realized I have THIRTY ONE items on my list and there are only 8 days until Christmas!! Obviously, some of them will have to give, but I have been known to work well under pressure so I'm going to try to do them all anyways. They are a mix of embroidery, hand sewing, crochet, applique and sewing--but mostly embroidery. Several of them are in-the-hoop designs, so those might actually get done quickly.

**Updated to add:  Lest you think that 31 items is do-able:  one of the items on my list is to make Christmas pj pants for the family.  That's 4 pairs.  And I've got half a dozen items that I need to make double of, because they're for my twin nieces.  Why am I still on the computer?!?!?

My goal for today is to get 7 items finished. It wouldn't be so hard, except my husband has been waiting a year for this video game to come out. He has early access to it (because he signed up forever ago) and his computer is back from the repair shop. So, yeah, conflicting priorities in our household, since someone has to watch the kids :)

I probably could get more done if I wasn't trying to blog about everything I had to get done, whoops.  But I wanted to post some quick pictures of the other 2 sets of pjs I finished up for Danielle last week.

Ballerina flannel from Hancock Fabrics

I figure these pictures are as exciting as hearing about my to-do list, so this post is cohesive after all :)

Cat face flannel from the fabric angel
who donated the flannel for the last pjs

Anyone else working on their own Christmas miracles?

New Winter PJs

The weather got cold in October and I was unprepared for it since it's normally in the 70s until November.  Danielle got a few store-bought pairs to tide her over, and I got started making her some flannel pjs.  Of course, by the time I finished them up today it was back in the 70s.  Grrr.  That's what I get for getting sidetracked with other projects. 

She likes them!

Anyhow, I used the ultra-versatile peasant top (drafted from the indietutes tutorial) and lengthened the sleeves to make the pajama top.  I angled the inside edge some to make them more sleeve shaped.

The yellow line is the original short sleeve,
the red line shows the changes to make a long sleeve

The pants were made using McCalls 6224 in a size 1 width and size 2 length (for my 2 1/2 year old who last measured at above average height).  I wanted to use a pajama pattern so that the pants would have some extra ease and comfort, but these were waaaay off on the size.  The pattern is unisex, which might account for some of the sizing problems.  I sewed a deep hem and had to do a double row of stitching to hold the excess fabric up (they were about 3 inches too long).   There is also too much ease in the hips, even though I used a size 1.  I will using a different pattern in the future to make her more pants.

I only had enough of the heart fabric
to make the top, but I think these pjs turned
out cute with the solid-color pants

A lady who lives near my mom was giving away fabric because her grandchildren are now teens, so my mom brought it to me on her last visit.  (Thanks, Mom, for looking out for me!)  The cute heart fabric is part of that bunch.  I used some yucky pink flannel from WalMart for the pants.  I bought it a few years ago to make myself a robe, and decided not to spend the time working with the flannel after I saw how bad it looked after one wash.  It is good enough for pjs that will only be worn a season or two though.