Quilted Pillow

This is something I have wanted to try for a long time now. I found a tutorial online, but was a little hesitant because I have never really quilted before. I had tried and failed in the past. It turned out to be easier than I thought, but it is a lot of work and I have a new found respect for quilters who make huge blankets! I chose a few coordinating space fabrics because Austin's bedding is space and it's what he likes. I let him choose the font for his name. At first I didn't think the font he chose would work, but it turned out cute. He is VERY happy with it and I am proud of myself. This project has made me want to do more quilting! Now I need to get back to all of the stuff I am making for Kendyl's wedding. I just needed a little break from it so I whipped this up.

Front

Back

Tote Bags

Kendyl asked if I could make tote bags for the bridesmaids for her wedding. She wanted them to have the black and white damask print that is going to be a big part of her wedding decorations and then each girls favorite color. She showed me a picture of one she liked and we went from there. I am very proud of these because I made the pattern. It's the first pattern that I have made and it wasn't easy, but I learned a lot. I was going to make them and send them to her and then she was going to have the girls names embroidered on them, but my new machine does embroidery so I was able to put the names on as I made them. Embroidery is a little difficult in the beginning but I think I have the hang of it now. I have had several people ask if I could make them a bag similar to these...so once I am done with the wedding stuff I may be making some more bags.

(note: I lost my camera right before Christmas. I figured I just misplaced it since I don't lose things, but it has been 2 months and still no sign of the camera so I'm pretty sure it's gone. =( I have been using my dads Nikon D90 for all of my photos since he was kind enough to let me borrow it until I can get a new camera. But he is in Hawaii on vacation with his camera so the photos are not the best quality because I am using a camera that is not quite as good with indoor pictures.)

Fleece Robe

I made this for Austin a few months ago. He loves it because it is soft and warm. He doesn't get to wear it much because it doesn't really get that cold here but it was something fun I could make for a boy. These are quick and easy to make. Maybe this fall I could make some for all the kids and use my new embroidery machine to put the names on it! I'm going to add that to my list. I could also sell these on Etsy and personalize them when they order it. I'm going to go practice and put Austin's name on his. I will share a picture when it's done.

New Clothes for Macy

Update: I had serious issues with the placement of the photos, but after an hour of trying to fix it I decided to just go with it. So the photos are a little out of place, but you get to see the cute clothes. And, Yes I will take some orders!!! =)

Brandy asked if I would make Macy a handful of new outfits for spring/summer. Of course I jumped at the chance because little girl clothes are so much fun and I rarely get to make them. I ended up with six outfits that I am very happy with. I used a variety of colors, but all can be worn with the pink leggings. I also think all can be worn with a top underneath for the cooler spring days. Once I get these outfits to Macy I will have to get Brandy to send me pictures of Macy wearing them because they don't look as cute hanging on my dressform as they will on Macy.




















The purple outfit above is a nice halter top with capri pants. The fabric is very soft and nice and light for spring/summer. The middle picture above is a cute butterfly skirt. It is not completed in this picture, but I think it is going to turn out really cute. I cut some butterflys out of the extra fabric and sewed them on to the top with some fun stitching from my new machine. It's the first time I have done any appliquing and I think it turned out pretty good. The third picture above is a dress I made from a photo Brandy sent me of a dress she found on Etsy. I am very proud that I was able to make the same exact thing just from looking at a photo. The straps can tie at the neck like a halter top or then can be worn straight back or cris/cross. There are button holes in the back that the straps can slip through to hold them back there. Brandy will have to take a picture of the dress on Macy so that you can see the back.

This is just a normal pillowcase dress. I really like this cupcake fabric. I used a brown polkadot ribbon for the tie. I think this dress looks really cute with the pink leggings. (photo below)












This halter dress is made from the same type of material as the halter top and capri pants above. It's really soft and light. This fabric is really cute in person. I think this dress would be cute with the leggins and a white long sleeved top on a cooler day. (photo below)









I really like this outfit. I love the colors and the way the fabrics go together. I also did an applique on this top. I used a ribbon spool to get the larger circle for the middle of the flower and then I used a thread spool to make the "petals" of the flower out of the second fabric. I think it turned out really nice. (last two photos at the end)

Upgrade!!!

I have been sewing for about 13 years now. During this time I have been using my mom's old sewing machine. It's been great. It does what I need it to do and I really haven't had any problems with it. I found out the other day that it is 25+ years old. Now that I have become a more serious sewer and have grand plans for the future it's time to upgrade.

Say goodbye to old faithful...



and HELLO to my new machine!


I was talking to my dad the other day about wanting to open an etsy shop and try to make some money doing what I love to do. He said if I was going to do that I need to be able to compete with the rest of the people selling and need a really good machine. So he bought me this one. It has over 70 different stiches, 8 different button holes, it threads itself, has an LCD touch screen, is computerized, and it does embroidery!!! I am going to be able to do SOOOO much more with this machine. I can't wait to get started! If any of you would like to buy the old machine or know someone who would let me know, it would be a great starter machine.

I am off to play with my new sewing machine.

My First Order & Cute Dresses

I got my first order! Well, kind of. Kendyl is getting married in May and has asked me to make some things for her wedding and for the bridesmaids. So this last week I have been working on stuff for her. When I finish each project I will post some pictures. It will be a fun change from only making clothes.

I found some extra fabric in my stash the other day and decided to take a break from making stuff for Kendyl and try making a "pillowcase dress". Apparently these are big in the south. They are adorable. So I made 2 from scratch today and I think they turned out so cute. What is great about them is that the little girls can wear them as a dress one year and then as they grow they can wear it as a top with leggings or jeans the next year. And you can wear them by themselves in the summer or layer a longsleeved shirt and leggings with them in the winter. The ribbons are adjustable. It took about 30 minutes for each dress. That included cutting the fabric, ironing, and sewing. And all it took was about 3/4 yd of fabric and some ribbon. The pictures below aren't that great, but I wanted to show them. Austin wouldn't let me try them on him and get a picutre so I can't show you how cute they are on. =)

Current Projects

Right now I have a lot of projects I am working on. I need to get these done so that I can start on some new things that I have in mind. Hopefully I can get down to business and finish these soon! When I am working on a project I will show pictures of it on the dress form, but when I have completed a project I will model it or have the person I made it for model it so you can get a better idea of what it looks like on. For the next post I will show a dress I recently finished, a robe I made for Austin, and better pictures of my mom in her jacket. And I am hoping Kendyl will take some pics of her jacket and PJ pants I made her so I can show everyone.

Project #1
This is a knit jersey fabric. I have never worked with this fabric before so it is a new experience for me. So far it is going well, but I haven't done much sewing yet to see if it is going to be difficult. It's going to have double straps that criss-cross in the back. It should be really cute once I finish it.

Project #2
This is a pink satin fabric with a little bit of a gold shimmer. This is more of a "going out" kind of shirt so I probably won't get much use out of it, but it will be cute and I like to try to make a lot of different things.

Project #3
It is a little difficult to see how this shirt will be when it is finished. It will have a little hole in the front and have a rhinestone broach to hold the two sides together in the middle. I think it is going to be a really cute top when it is done.

Project #4
This is a skirt I am working on for my mom. It's a nice flowy satin material. This material is difficult to work with! But it's really pretty so it is worth it. I just need to put the zipper in and finish the hem and then she can model it. =)

Project #5
I have been working on this dress for a long time. It's a soft flannel material. I really like the pattern. The front has the ruffle detail and also on the front and on the sleeves is a pretty sparkly band.
A close up of the ruffle and sparkle detail...the sparkle detail is just pinned on for now.

There is one more project that I am working on, but I cannot show it yet because it is a surprise for Kendyl. I told her I wanted to make her something to wear for the dress rehearsal for her wedding. I want her to be surprised when she opens it. So once she has it I will post the finished project on her for all to see.