happy halloween from . . .

The Super Mario Brothers!

Even if Mario is pouting on the hill.  But soon he decided to participate in the camera shoot . . .

And add a little spunk to his character.

I made both of the boys hats.  I viewed a couple of newsboy hat tutorials online, but I had to come up with my own pattern because I couldn't find one with dimensions.  Mario's hat looks like more of a baseball cap.  I altered the dimensions of Luigi's hat, maybe a little too much, to give it more of a mushroom shape at the top.  I think the right look is somewhere between the two.

I also painted the M and L on the hats with fabric paint.  This was a great opportunity to use the freezer paper I bought a year ago.  I just cut out the circle and the letters and ironed them on the hat.  Then I painted with white fabric paint and viola!  A perfect letter inside a perfect circle!

I also had to make Luigi's pants.  It turns out size 5 overalls aren't in style right now.  With no luck finding a pattern, I was on my own.  I used a pants pattern and just added the top.  These took me at least 10 hours; I'm glad to be done.  I think they turned out pretty well and they fit (barely).  What more can you really ask for?

Have a candy filled holiday!

binding . . . and a few other things on my list

This is the binding that I'm adding to a new wall hanging quilt.  I just love to see binding rolled up like this.  It's too bad you can't just purchase it like this.  That sure would save a lot of time.

It's almost 11am and it's still foggy outside.  It snowed yesterday.  So I'm planning to spend another day inside sewing (for as long as the boys can keep themselves busy).  Here is my list of things I would like to get done today:

• attach this binding
• baste another baby sized quilt
• start and finish a couple of snack rugs for the kids (these are like mug rugs but for snacks since I don't enjoy watching the boys maneuver ceramic mugs)

Not a particularly ambitious list but hopefully doable today.  I hope there are some fun things on your list today!

t-shirt quilt for the hub {complete . . . finally}

I finished the top for this quilt more than 8 months ago.  I even basted the layers together, but then it just sat in a neatly folded pile for 8 months until I got around to quilting it.  Sad, just sad.  (But what's even sadder is that I have a small wall hanging that might break that record.)

This was a project for the hub.  I rarely get to make anything for him because he is, well, a man.  I have plenty of experience sewing for little boys, but grown up boys are altogether different.  It's hard to find cool quilting cotton for a man and solids just aren't that fun.  So a t-shirt quilt is a perfect gift and he requested it so I just had to do it.  With a project like this, most of the fabric is provided by him, so it will fit his personality just right.

This quilt was supposed to be his birthday gift this year.  Since his birthday was back in January, I guess I missed that deadline, but I am happy to say that I finished it up just in time for cooler weather.  And since I backed with a flannel bed sheet and put a layer of cotton batting in the middle, this sucker should keep him plenty warm this winter.

I cut the t-shirts all different sizes, so it was a bit of a challenge to get the layout to work.  I used a black solid for the sashing to separate the t-shirts.  I did not use interfacing on the backs of the t-shirts.

I quilted this in grey thread using double diagonal lines to make diamond shapes.  I actually used painters tape to help guide my straight lines.  I'm sure others have done this, but this also served an additional purpose.  The tape kept the knit t-shirts in place while I quilted (even with the walking foot, the shirts shifted), so I didn't really need the interfacing.

You will never find two t-shirt quilts exactly the same.  I think they always turn out a little quirky because the designs and colors aren't always complementary.  But I guess it's that kind of originality that makes them such a hit.  And it's a great way to preserve old or outdated t-shirts that you just can't bare to part with.

2x2 patchwork pillow {with piping}

I finished this pillow over the weekend.  I used 100-2x2 inch squares in a grid pattern, the largest number of the smallest squares I've ever sewn.  I almost changed the design so many times during the process because I'm always looking for that extra angle that will make something look really amazing.  The problem is that my original design may have been really great and I just don't give myself the chance to find out.  So for this one, I decided to forgo all changes and just go with my original thoughts.  Does anyone else drive themselves crazy trying to find the perfect design?

This was my first adventure with piping and I certainly learned a few things.  I'm documenting them here because I know I will forget next time.

1. When covering the cord with fabric, don't sew as close to the cord as possible.  Leave a little room between the cord and the stitching.  You can sew close to the cord when you sew the layers together.  This will prevent the original stitching from sewing when the layers are sewn together.
2. I sewed the piping to the top layer first and then added the back layer.  When sewing the back layer, follow the same stitching line created when the piping was sewn to the top layer.  This will ensure the top layer stitching line doesn't show between the piping and the new seam line.

I backed the pillow with light blue minkee that I've had for a couple of years.  I don't even remember what I originally used it for.  It's super soft, but I forgot how much it moves during sewing.  I lined each the front and back pieces with muslin, so I guess it could have been the muslin sliding smoothly against the minkee.

I even added a carry strap for little hands to drag the pillow around.  We do a lot of shifting rooms at my house to keep things interesting, so it was important to be able to easily carry the pillow around.

The pillow form is one of two down pillows that I bought at a white elephant sale more than a year ago (2 for $1).  Since this is down, it doesn't stand upright as well as other pillows, but man is it comfortable.  I designed this pillow for Logan, but I find the hub sneaking rest with it more often.

I actually prefer the wrinkled look of quilts, but I had a really hard time deciding whether I should wash this pillow cover.  I included an invisible zipper (great tutorial here) for easy removal, but I was afraid I would affect the look of the pillow.  Since the pillow was created for little boys, I'm sure I will have to wash it soon anyway.

not much to show . . .

So . . . I've been gone quite a long time.  There's a lot to do when you move into a new house, and I guess summer is filled with it's own fun activities so it's hard to keep up with hobbies.  And when your new house is 20 degrees hotter upstairs than downstairs, your new sewing room doesn't look so enticing.

I just counted up my project starts the other day and I have at least 10.  Yep, I have officially exceeded single digits.  I guess I've had trouble focusing lately.  But that also means that I should have plenty to post about very soon.  The cooler weather and shorter days help boost the productivity.

I thought a would share just a bit of this project. This small scale project took 100 2.5-inch squares.  I love how these colors work together: light blues, oranges, and yellows.  The combination looks fresh and modern but still boyish enough to pass on to my little guys.

I hope to finish up this project this weekend so stay tuned . . .

a new pair of racer shorts

This is about all I've had time for lately.  I saw this tutorial on the Made blog and knew it would be a great project to try.  Instead of hemming the shorts, binding is added to the edges of the short's front and back before joining the two pieces together and it creates this fun and laid back look.

I am pleasantly surprised at how much I liked making these.  I thought for sure I would get tired of all that binding, but I thought it was kind of fun.  It would probably be even more fun (not to mention faster) if I used ready-made binding.  Yes.  I made my own binding because I go around looking for trouble.

I also added some back pockets.  I think that this pattern is the ultimate low-key shorts pattern, so they really don't need pockets.  But after working with these cotton stripes, I didn't think they screamed "laid back lazy Sunday" or " pick up basketball game" as well as I wanted them to.  So I added the pockets to make the design a little more intentional to go with the drama of the stripes.

I really, really like the look of these shorts.  I used some fabric that I had on hand and an old shorts pattern for these.  I don't think it's the perfect fabric (or fit) to showcase the comfortable look that Dana created, but I certainly have a lot more stash fabric to get through and plenty of tissue paper to draft a new pattern.

a row of baby shoes :: another baby shower gift

I am told cloth baby shoes are all the rage right now.  I wouldn't know much about baby rages (my kids are out of the baby stage), but I do agree that cloth baby shoes are absolutely adorable. I also consider myself a practical person, so I waivered on these because of how impractical baby shoes really are.

But when you are using your own sweat and tears (and not spending $30+ a pair), practicality goes out the window.  And you have to admit that these are totally worth the gamble.

I purchased the Cameron Baby Sneakers pattern from SewingWithMe7 on Etsy.  This shoe pattern is about the only one I could find for boys.  I think this pattern could be used for either gender, but it's not overly girly like a lot of others.  This pattern is just plain cool!  The pattern sizes included in the purchase range from 0-3 months to 18-24 months . . . a really large range if you ask me, so I could make all kinds of shoes for kids up to 2 years old.  I used the 3-6 month size for these.

Since we are expecting twin nephews in the next couple of months, I had to go with 4 pairs of shoes.  I really don't think that's enough, but these tiny objects are surprisingly time-consuming.  My speed improved toward the end, but there is so little room for error.

I pretty much followed the pattern to the letter except for the closures.  I think the pattern uses velcro which I used for one pair, but I tried to mix it up a little.  I also used a neutral linen for the sole to make them look a little more like shoes.

A brownish-green pair with constrast stitching and snap closures . . .

A blue striped pair with a loop and button closure . . .

A green print pair with orange contrast stitching and velcro closures . . .

And a brownish-yellow plaid pair with loop and yellow button closures (my personal favorite) . . .

I think these turned out pretty neat.  And my sister-in-law was very pleased with them.  I hope these keep tiny feet warm because they will definitely keep them stylish.

mommy I cracked my arm

Yep.  Two fractured bones.  This little guy fell off a moon bounce slide at camp yesterday and fractured both lower arm bones in his left arm.  Poor little man.  But don't let him fool you.  He was just being silly in the photo above.  He usually looks like this even with a broken arm.

The emergency room didn't have any kid-sized arm slings, so they gave him an adult small that, after some finagling, was wearable for his 5-year-old arm.  But who would deny me the chance to sew something better when I see the need.  Certainly not this guy.  He was all in.

I spent 2 hours last night while he was sleeping constructing this sling.  I made the strap adjustable because I didn't know exactly where his arm would fall.  I lined both the sling and the strap with quilt batting and added a layer of light blue fleece to the inside for extra softness and warmth . . . not that he can feel anything with that arm or that his arm would get cold in the middle of summer.

While I was telling the grandparents over the phone about the broken bones, Logan commented that I shouldn't say that the bones are broken because it makes him think that something fell off his arm.  To be fully correct I should say that he cracked his arm.  As you wish, my dear.

baby shower gift :: simple burp cloths

These burp cloths make excellent baby shower gifts.

I've seen this tutorial everywhere, like here and here.  I originally thought it was just too simple to give as a baby shower gift, but then I realized that many people don't realize how little effort these require.   Plus, they use very little fabric, so they are both inexpensive and a potential scrap buster.

Pieces of fabric are sewn to the middle of commerical tri-fold burp cloths.  I bought mine at Target: 12 for $17.  From quarter-yard pieces of fabric, I cut 6-inch wide pieces.  So my fabric pieces ended up about 17 or 18 inches by 6 inches.  Then I turned under the long side seams 1/2 inch, ironed the seams and pinned the fabric to the middle of the unfolded burp cloth (the long way).  Then I sewed the two pieces together close to the long edge of the fabric.

To finish the short edges, I serged them across the entire cloth.  These are as quick to make as you are hoping they are.  I had 8 done in about an hour or so.  This pile is for a set of two little nephews arriving soon, so I tried to keep the fabrics boyish (or at least gender-neutral).

chic & simple jacket

I tackled a pattern came from this book by Christine Haynes for a birthday gift for my sister.


This book contains some really great patterns.  Most of the designs do not have fitted elements so this book would be good for beginners, too, but be warned that the instructions have very few illustrations.  Many of the designs have a rectangular body and use a tie around the waste to "fit" the garment.  And I have never seen so many hip and modern designs in one book.  Just about every one of these designs is on my to-do list.

A few things I really like about this jacket:

1. The raglan sleeves.  I have mentioned before that I love raglan sleeves, particularly on little boys.  I don't get much a chance to add them on my own clothing, so this was a nice change.  And I love how much easier they are to sew on than a set in sleeve.
2. The sleeve length.  The photo in the book shows these sleeves a little longer.  I think it's because the jacket in the book uses a cotton fabric without a lining and turns the sleeve hem under 1/4 inch twice.  I used a different seam allowance, so my sleeves turned out a little shorter.  But I do like 3/4 length sleeves for springwear.
3. The jacket length.  I am picky about my jackets being just the right length.  I think this length is pretty good.
4. The bias tape. I used a neat bluish-green fabric with different colored dots. I love this fabric. I also (surprisingly) did a pretty good job attaching the bias tape.
5. The gray cordoroy.  I just love cordoroy.  Especially gray.
6. The tie.  It's a fun element.

I added a lining to the jacket.  The pattern in the book does not have a lining.  I wanted my jacket to have more weight, so I added a lining.  My original intention was to use the bias fabric for the lining, but my brain must have been taking a break when I bought the fabric because I only bought 1 yard.  So I had enough to line the sleeves and that was it.  I bought 3 yards of cordoroy and that was enough for outside and front and back parts of the lining.

I think it's a little inconvenient to have a tie without a way to keep it in place if you have to untie it.  So I added belt loops to each side.

Some things I would change next time:

1. The sleeve pattern.  There isn't enough ease in the armpit.  This jacket is intended to be worn in the fall probably over a very light, fitted shirt.  In that case, the ease is okay.  But I would add a little extra room in the pit so I can comfortably wear the jacket over thicker shirts, too.
2. I wish the jacket was a little more fitted.  I will have to research the few other patterns in the book that are a little more fitted to see if I can adapt this pattern a little.

Too bad this jacket isn't for me.  But this project was quick enough that I should be able to whip up another in no time.  I'll be on the look out for a great fabric!