Birthday Gifts

Bear's friend E. had her first birthday this past weekend so Mommy did some sewing.


First I finished off a UFO that I'd had stuffed in a cabinet for 5 or 6 years. I had 5 rainbow Drunkards Path blocks ready to go, added 4 squares of super soft furry stuff I picked up at Joann's, sandwiched the top with a layer of flannel and woven cotton backing fabric, tied it, and then bound it with silky blanket binding on two sides. I'm digging the tying method over quilting right now...hand quilting is impossible for me with a toddler around. Machine sewing doesn't always happen either...but I can easily tie a quilt like this in under an hour.


Next I put together a quick dress, shirt, and set of DIY Babylegs. The shirt was made from a tee of my own. I didn't have to hem it because I used the bottom edge of the shirt as is. I did something similar to the Peasant Blouse tutorial over on Blueprints. The dress was just something I came up with on the fly. I will try to put together a tutorial for it soon. I embellished it with some Yo Yo's, but otherwise it was just a very basic rectangle dress. I again used the same Babylegs tutorial from my previous post.


Then I made some cute knitted little people/animals which I altered quite a bit by the time I was finished. By the way, the loopy skirt thing was the same stitch as the one used in this lion washcloth. From left to right - Suki the dog, Bear, E., and Cerra the horse.


And another split-pea filled monster. This time with horns and a cute little smirk.

SO now I need to try my hand at play-food. E. got an awesome up-cycled play-kitchen from her parents and needs some food to go with it. Bear also LOVED it...so hopefully we'll be making her a kitchen of her own in the near future.

Necessity - The Mother Of Invention

I find that some of the most rewarding projects I take on are often the smallest...and also fill some need in day-to-day life. Have a problem? Craft something to solve it. It makes me feel very accomplished when I can fill a need with my ability to craft. This week as provided several such occasions.

First, a "half belt". I like to dress my daughter in jeans. They look good on her, them fit the glimmer of personality I am starting to see, and the have the added benefit of knee-protection. For Bear's recent birthday she was gifted some great jeans from her grandmother, however, one of the pairs was rather big. I try to purchase things big because I want her clothes to last. It's easy enough to roll up the cuffs on a pair of pants, but sagging in the back remains a problem. This particular pair kept falling down to the point of coming complete off the child! So, enter the crafty-mama-mentality.


I had 3/4 inch elastic, poly resin snaps, and plenty of fabric so I decided to make a short elasticized "belt" to attach to the rear belt loops on her pants. Instant elastic waste without defacing the jeans! Plus, I can use it for other pairs if need be. If I did it again I think it would benefit from wider elastic, but it still does the job.


Next came the need for some leggings. The weather here in Virginia is starting to cool off a bit, though it's definitely not cold by any means. It's nice fall weather, the sort that makes you throw on a hoodie and wear socks. I, like a lot of mamas out there, love Babylegs. Not only are the absolutely adorable, but they extend the life of Bear's dresses beyond the summer. The downside being that name brand Babylegs are $12 a pair! Target has their own version of baby leg warmers for a much more reasonable $3...but the color and pattern choices are limited. Plus, from what I've seen, they only carry them in "girl colors". Not really my cup o' tea. So, I made my own.


These have to be one of the simplist DIY projects a thrifty mama can take on. Check out the tutorial here. I looked through my sock drawer and found a black and white striped pair I rarely wear and also purchased 3 other pair at Target for $2 a pair. A great deal! Plus the added bonus of having way more color choices! They sewed up in a flash, so now Bear has plenty of warm legs to wear throughout the fall.



I also finished some diapers. Finally. Seriously, I started them while my mother-in-law of visiting and I'm just now getting them serged and snapped! Ugh, terrible! They do make a pretty picture though.

Quick Project #1

Another monster doll! I'm going to a playdate/birthday tomorrow and I wanted to bring a gift. Gifts aren't expected, but I wanted an excuse to sew and tweak my pattern a bit. I'm happy with how it came out. This one is taller, has felt embellishments, and yarn hair.