Still Discovering New Tricks...

It is the weekend and that means it is time to sew. I put up my math textbook and red pen and enjoy creating for my grandkids.
I have found a new and wonderfully easy shorts pattern for boys. A friend in Mississippi told me to try it and I have been very happy with it. It is by KWIK-SEW and is pattern number 3149. I have also discovered that the patch madras that is out for this spring and summer is the cutest I have seen yet...so I bought enough for a pair of T3 boys pants and a pair of T3 shorts...one and one-third yard. You will see pictured here the pants. I made them first since I decided my grandson would need them first....I am still working on the shorts. I am trying to find a really cute halter sun-dress pattern in a size 5 for my granddaughter so that I can use the same patch madras for her. If you know of one let me know. There are some adorable ideas in the Kelly Kids catalog this spring and summer but I cannot find the patterns in a sewing store yet.
I am also thoroughly enjoying doing some applique on my new sewing machine. There is definitely a learning curve on it...should have considered that when I got super frustrated after my first attempt. I have read many blogs and know now that it takes time and practice...both of which I need lots more of! You can see in my pictures the first two that I have done.
The dress is an idea copied from a friend. Take a t-shirt and cut it off an inch below the armhole. Find 3 or 4 cute fabrics, cut each a 45 inch width by 6 inches (for a 5 year-old). Sew together, gather the top and sew it to the bottom of the t-shirt. I embellished mine with ruffles attached to hide each seam.
I am thrilled that spring is around the corner. I am seeing daffodils popping up everywhere and know that is just two weeks I will be driving to the beach. That day cannot come too soon.
Stay warm and happy creating!

Monogrammed Shirts

Now that the pants and shorts are made the shirts needed to be monogrammed. I bought these two size T3 shirts at WalMart and Target. They are very easy to find and are well made. I suggest using these if you are looking for a good budget friendly boy's Polo shirt. I like the green monogram but decided to try a new font and style with the red....and I like it!
It is fun to think that I am sewing for spring and warmer weather...Bring it on!

Spring is Coming!

I do not know about you but here in Tennessee it has felt like spring for the past few days. This puts me in a "you had better sew now before you want to be outside all day" mood. I happened upon some adorable madras patch cloth here at our Hobby Lobby....I LOVE to find cute things by accident! Anyway....I immediately saw some boys pants (for those early spring days when you still need something on their legs) and bought enough to make a pair of shorts too. I love these madras patch materials.....they work up so well and they are priced well at Hobby Lobby. Check yours out! The seersucker/alligator pants are another adorable cloth I found at my local fabric store...I am almost certain that it is the same cloth featured in the Kelly's Kids catalog for this spring and summer....it is such fun to see these things made up in cute kid's clothing. Once again I used the "Britches and Bloomers" pattern for the pants....so easy and almost completely done on a serger...and used a short pattern for the shorts since last year's models did not turn out as well without a pattern. I added the pockets because I am convinced that those small touches add a professional look to any home sewing project.
Enjoy this wonderful weather!

Another Sewing Saturday

If there is someone out there that enjoys their sewing machine or serger more than I do then please step forward! I could do an advertisement for Bernina sewing machines and Babylock sergers. They both helped me complete a dress in one day!
My granddaughter needs a dress to wear to a father-daughter dance...and my creative wheels began to turn. For a little girl I did not want the dress to be too grown-up but it is a very special occasion. I found some candlelight satin at JoAnn's and some tulle with a slight glitter finish on it and I began to dream. I really wanted to keep it looking like a little girl, not a prom dress. I have never sewn tulle but can say even now that it is not easy....it seems to have a mind of its own. I was able to make the tulle an overlay on the full skirt, just to give the dress a dressy look. You may not be able to tell that from the pictures. The double-faced satin ribbon adds a nice touch. I was pleased at its outcome.
The pants are for my grandson. I love the brown knit with animals on it...just too cute to pass up for a little boy. That "Britches and Bloomers" pattern is a great one for boys. I put two pockets on his backside. The madras is a little early for now but will be perfect when spring comes and is still a little cool. I love that patch madras.
The ruffle-legged pants for my granddaughter are from a Pink Fig pattern.....they remind me a lot of the Portobello Pixie pant pattern but these have 4 ruffles instead of three. I hope she will be able to walk in them! I could not pass up that happy, splashy spring pattern. I am so proud of the ruffles that were all done with the ruffler attachment on my new sewing machine...NICE!
Maybe I have inspired you to get sewing. I did take a wonderful long walk-break today because of some really nice warm weather. I know that when the weather does change my yard will be calling me so I had better get my Saturday sewing done now!
Happy creating!

Back to Sewing

My poor blog! I have been neglecting it and will try to do better.
I have been busy enjoying the holiday season and things have finally settled down. For Christmas I received a wonderful new Babylock serger and a new Bernina 730 sewing and embroidery machine. To say that I have been busy sewing would be an understatement. Last weekend I spent 4 days in a condo in Pigeon Forge with 2 dear high school buddies sewing....yes, we would sew until 1 or 2 a.m. and then get up the next day and do it again. If you have never done this you need to try it. We would get each other's opinions on everything we were making. We shared recipes, food, sewing tips...it was great. I cut out all of the outfits I took to sew and was able to get everything put together that I took with me. I have put pictures of the outfits with his posting so that you can see what I made.
I stole a wonderful idea from my friend Chyrl. She was making these really cute t-shirt dresses and she helped me choose fabrics to make one for my granddaughter. I liked the idea so much that I made 3 and you can see them in the pictures. I tried to find a t-shirt at Target to use but there were none so I found mine at WalMart. They are the "Faded Glory" brand and they worked out fine. I cut the shirt off one and a half inch below the armhole (the half-inch allows for a seam). Find 3 fabrics that you like that will complement one another. I cut each piece of fabric 6 inches wide and left them the width of the fabric (all were 45 inches wide). I ran all 3 pieces of cloth horizontally and seamed them to each other. You will have the skirt made...just join the backs with a seam, gather the top of the skirt with a gather thread and attach to the top of the t-shirt you have cut. Now you will have an adorable dress! I embellished mine with ric-rac and ruffles. Use your imagination and have fun. I think theses dresses will be co cute with leggings.
There are pictures of the items I was able to complete last weekend. Two of the outfits were rompers for my grandson.
The ballerina tutu and name are my very first try at using my applique and monogram modules on my machine. It is such fun to see them come together.
I hope I have inspired you!

Hairbands

I completed a project this weekend that I have been wanting to try since the summer. I saw this headband in my sewing store weeks ago and knew it would be fun to try. I have taken pictures of it so that you can see up close what I did. This band I made matches the 4-ruffle capris that I made for my granddaughter last weekend. I hope you can see in the picture that I cut 5 circles of cloth the same size (using as a model the top of a jar of jelly). I cut 1 smaller circle and ran a gathering thread around the edge of it. When you pull the gather thread around the smaller circle the cloth will gather up and pull to the center. 
Take 4 of the circles you have cut. Fold each one, edge to edge, until you have a fourth of the circle you started with. Lay each of these 4 side-by-side on top of the 5th circle you cut that is still flat. Sew these in the center with a zig-zag stitch on your machine, just enough to attach them to the flat circle underneath. You will not see the zig-zag stitches after you finish so do not worry! Now attach the gathered circle in the center of your folded circles, gathered side out. Zig-zag attach again. Choose a cute button to put in the center of this and sew it down to attach it. You are through! I had to guess the length of headband to put my "flower" on but I used a piece of elastic so that it will flex to my granddaughter's head. I love the colors and think it will be cute with her matching capris. Try it and see what cute variations you can come up with!

Still Sewing and Celebrating!

I am continuing my celebration of National Sewing Month with a few new finished projects this weekend. I was able to get my granddaughter's ruffed Capri pants put together...and by the way, ALL of those ruffles you see on the legs were HAND RUFFLED...whew! There are 8 in all so I was doing LOTS of football watching while I ruffled yesterday. They are from a new pattern by "Rosie Posie" that you see pictured. This pattern was so much like the Portobello Pixie pattern that I already had that I probably could have used the Portobello Pixie one but, as a true seamstress, when I see a new pattern I really want to try it. This new pattern had one more ruffle so if you like that go with it. Little girls look so cute in ruffles and seem to love them so all of that labor is worth it to me. I serged the raw edge on each ruffle with my roll hem foot and I would DEFINITELY advise that...it was a HUGE time saver. 
The diaper cloths you see pictured are for a new grandmother friend of mine. I wanted her to have cute "girly" burp cloths to use when her first granddaughter arrives next week. I LOVE making these...they are so easy and useful. You cannot have enough and every new Mom needs a bunch those first weeks and months. I love "dolling" them up with trims and ribbons. Buy the Gerber brand cloth diapers at Target or WalMart...make certain they are the cloths with the double panel down the center...that is where your cloth will be sewn on. Then choose a cute ribbon or rick-rack to sew down the edge of the cloth where it meets the diaper. They are adorable with a monogram on them but my machine will not do that...yet! Maybe I can look forward to doing that one day to my burp cloths!
Happy sewing and creating!