Sew Addicted

Updating...

2008-04-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

I just looked through my photobucket of all my sewing projects that I haven't added to my blog just yet - wow, it's like 4 pages worth of sewing, basically everything I did in late 2006 and all of 2007. I'm going to be working on getting things added here soon, so bear with me. :)

Long time...

2008-02-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

Seems like it's been eons since I posted anything here, but alas, only 16 months. I do still sew, but not nearly as much as I knit these days. I bought some fabric today to make jammie pants for both of the boys, and myself, so hopefully I'll have something to show soon. Maybe I'll get around to uploading pics of all my 2007 sewing - not that there's a lot, so it won't take long!

But until then, I'll leave you with this picture of my new flannels -

Sharks for Lucas, Pirates for Dillon, and Ladybugs for Mama. :)

One very happy birthday boy - Dillon's 9th

2007-09-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, his birthday's not until Tuesday, but as today is my Dad's bday, we celebrated both of them with family today. I've spent this past week working on these things for him, and was finally finished at about 2am today.

Skully curved raglan from Ottobre 1/03 - I tried this pattern to see how I'd like the shape of it compared to the 2/05, and I've got to say I'll be using the 2/05 after this. I really do not like the high neck shaping here. He loves it, and I never buy skull stuff, so it's extra special. I'd intended to make him black twill cargo pants to go with this, but ran out of time and steam.

French terry hoodie, from a late '06 Ottobre, made with many mods, and I'm wishing I'd lined it, as it's not very soft inside, and not as thick and warm as our other hoodies. Dillon wears a 134, but this pattern only goes up to a 128. I was so glad that my upsizing worked out well, and although the sleeves are about an inch too long, he's much like his mama and loves long sleeves. The dragons and kanjis are flocked/velvet iron-ons that he found at JA over the summer.

A #9 shirt for Dillon, he'll be 9 as of 8:55am the day after tomorrow. KS raglan pattern, and I drew the 9 freehand myself. I've been wanting to combine these 2 blues in a raglan for a while.

And my favorite, the GameBoy bag. My parents gave Dillon a GB Advance for his birthday. He's had a GB color since Christmas (my 17y/o cousin handed his down, along with alllllll the games and accessories he'd had), but had been dying for the GBA, so they got it for him, and I finally made the bag he's wanted. Gray twill, dragon iron-on, dragon cotton inner that's cured in my stash for as long as I can remember, lots of inside pockets that were hard to get pics of, and he's just tickled with it! He was actually more excited about the bag than the GameBoy!

Misc sewing stuff

2007-09-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

A pair of tester pants for Lucas from Ottobre's recent issue. They're too big, but maybe he'll fit into them in the fall. Random gray stretch twill, and the topstitching doesn't stand out so much IRL.

Thought I had it figured out, and went on to make two more pairs from the same pattern that do not fit him. Ugh.

Lucas asked for a tag on the pocket.

A big new bag for mama

2007-08-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

This was a kinda-UFO that I finished last week in stash game. It's pre-patch cord/etc from JA that I've been hoarding since last year for this exact purpose. It came sewn together in strips like that, and I topstitched/quilted them to interfacing and thin fleece. I'm really loving this bag. I made it to replace a cute Avon bag that I drove into the ground last week, just cut to the same size as the old bag, and added a few inches to the handle length. I carry all my "stuff" to work, it will hold my lunch, knitting, water bottle and whatever else I for-some-reason need to haul around with me.

With a side of my unmade bed:

I intentionally cut the strips for the handles a bit crooked within the strips of the fabric, and I think it looks really neat... although I forgot to actually take a good pic of it.

Summer jammies and more

2007-08-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Ooga Booga for Dillon, monkeys for Lucas.

Undies for Lucas (did I already show these?), and a pirate sun hat for Dillon.

Gotta love my sister

2007-08-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

I made Sarah a tank top from my beloved Ooga Booga fabric - she's originally asked if I'd make her a pillowcase with it, after she fell in love with Lucas's OB outfit. I wasn't quite willing to part with that much of the fabric, so I made this for her instead. I was too impatient to wait for her to give me her measurements, so I guessed, and it turned out perfectly. Think she likes it?

I also made her another tank from watermelon fabric, though I don't have a modeling shot of this one.

Fourth of July

2007-07-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm late SNSing, and I was late sewing as well. I was making these at 8am on 7/4, and I swear they took way too long, almost till 11am. But they fit well, although the undies legs are a bit too long for my taste, I'm not sure how that happened.

Striped C/L from Suz, solid interlocks from JA I guess. Curved raglans and BBs. Stupidly, I only ordered a yard of the stripes, so the backs of the shirts are the same solids as their sleeves. Lucas actually had the nerve to ask for yellow sleeves. I don't know what is up with that kid.

Tinkerbell meets the ShaSha Dream bag

2007-07-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

I made this for my cousin's bday, she turned 12 and is apparently a Tink fanatic, so what's a good sewing mama-cousin to do but sew her a bag? Her dad's bday is 2 weeks after hers, and they always take a trip to a destination of his choosing, and it's Vegas this year (I think they're there right now), so I thought the bag should be a bit bigger than the tut calls for. Here's a link to the tutorial that I used.

I had to do a LOT of fussy cutting to get things to even out on this bag, and get as many Tinks as I could. She's got other fairies along with her, so I made each inside pocket from one of them.

Front

Back

Side

One inside pocket w/ribbon key clip, the other side has the same pocket with a different fairy on it

Matching keyfob

There's also a removable base in the bag, which is just fabric sewn around some thick cardboard. It really needed the support to keep the shape of it when you throw a wallet inside. The closure is velcro, as I somehow lost my stash of mag snaps.

June 2007 sewing

2007-06-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

I sewed a lot of jammies and tank tops in June, so here's a bunch of them:

Surfboards jammies for a trade with another sewing mama. I made these for her son, and she made a striped & embroidered shirt for my Lucas.

Summer jammies for Lucas -

And tank tops for my boys -

Baseball matchies...

2007-06-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

After making a comment this past week to my coworker that I was tired of making matchy stuff for the boys, what do I do but make matching tanks for Dillon's end-of-baseball-season pizza party yesterday. I let them pick the fabric, so it's their fault, lol. I really LOVE this pattern though! It's KS 3389, I think, pretty much just a tank, but with raglan shoulder insets. After making about 6 of them now (the others are waiting to have their threads clipped, will SNS soon), it occurs to me that I could have saved myself $8 by just using my other KS or Ottobre raglans and not making sleeves, but sometimes I just have to learn the hard way, I guess. At least I feel like I've gotten my money's worth out of the pattern now.

This was taken mere minutes before he fell off and hurt himself. YES, he has a helmet and does wear it, but claims he cannot drink water with it on, so it was on the ground for this picture.

Injured and overly-dramatic

2007-06-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Lucas (4.5y/o) fell off his bike yesterday afternoon, scraped up his left elbow really well, and screamed bloody murder for a good 25 minutes before he'd even let me LOOK at it. I only got the bandage on his 2" x 3" scrape by begging and bribing with M&Ms. When Dillon saw it, he said "Wow, Lucas, that looks like you need a sling", as Luke had been cradling his left arm like a sling would. I was inspired, and remembered Shea's SNS for her niece a week or two ago, so this morning I sewed this up for him. I think it turned out pretty cute, he's been wearing it all day (although I did tell him it would not be worn to school tomorrow, I feel silly with a kid in a sling, but with no cast), and is now laying in bed in it, and Dillon's asked several times for a sling of his own.

He looks like he's in a lot of pain, no?

A model - n- show

2007-05-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

I ordered this adorable Ooga Booga outfit from an online friend for Lucas, and it's so damned cute! He thinks it's pretty awesome too.

Mama's takin' us to the zoo tomorrow...

2007-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo,

How about you, you, you?

Lucas and I went to the Baltimore Zoo with his preschool today, and brought along our friend Emilee. Of course I had to make him a shirt, and this ribknit from an online friend was perfect.

Surfboards matchy-match

2007-04-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

I got this great surfboards knit fabric from another sewing mommy last year. It looks SO good with orange, I really like this combo! I need to make the boys some matching undies, lol.

And Dillon wanted me to show this pic as well, lest you think that his brother is anywhere close to being as tall as him. They wanted to show off their new ON flip flops. Have you ever tried to teach a 4y/o to walk in flipflops?? HILARIOUS!!

Finishing and modeling

2007-04-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

Finally finished a pair of PJs for Lucas that I started last fall. He wore them to PJ Day at preschool today.

And the boys modeling Tshirts made for them by my friend Shari.

It was a nice thought....

2007-04-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

Mia sent pictures of her little preemie guy with the outfit I made for him. She's right - nice thought but the poor kid is totally swallowed by these clothes!

He sure is a cutie, though. :)

Sweet little baby outfit....

2007-04-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

I swear I felt like I was making doll clothes.
Ottobre 58s for a friend's preemie who is just over 5lbs now.
Hopefully he will have grown into them by the time I get them to Michigan!

A few more baby outfits for a few friends and my cousin's DD:

Christmas jammies, and loads of undies

2007-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Holiday pajamas for my boys.

And underwear, for my kids, a friend, and some custom orders that I've completed.

A swap outfit

2006-12-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

I did a swap on SewingMamas for Lucas - I sewed an outfit (l/s shirt, pants, and hoodie) for another mama's little boy, and she sewed for mine. Here's what I made for Camie's Abraham; Lucas is modeling, but I also made the same shirt and pants for him as well.

Jammies

2006-11-23T10:34:00.000-08:00

For Dillon this time, he chose the fabrics, I did the work, as per usual.

One more Halloween bag

2006-10-31T11:17:00.000-08:00

There's a little girl named Emilee who lives next door to my parents' house. She's 10, and always comes running when she sees us there. She's wonderful with both of my boys, spends hours playing with them every weekend, and if you asked either of them who their best friend was, they would name her. She loved the bag I made for Lucas last week, so I made one for her on Sunday, and we dropped it off to her last night. She was so excited, but had just gotten out of the tub when we surprised her, so I didn't get pics of her with the bag.

Terrible lighting and pics, but it wasn't until we were at her house dropping it off that I remembered to even take a picture!

The bigger button is a lime green, though it looks yellow in the pics.

Birthday jammies...

2006-10-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

...for my FOUR year old. Hard to believe he's four now, I definitely don't have a baby anymore. He's got a matching pair of BBs that go with each jammies set. Jammies aren't hemmed in the pics yet, I needed to gauge the length of the legs and the sleeves, since the last pair I made from this pattern needed cuffs added to both to make them long enough.

Late-night sewing, as usual!

2006-10-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

A birthday gift for Amber's Rory, whose 3rd bday party is tomorrow (eh, actually today, since it's 2am). Brown cords that I made a while ago, and Nay cowboys curved raglan w/brown interlock. LOVE this shirt, am wishing I'd cut one for Lucas too. If I can stay awake for another hour, I might make Rory some matching undies, too.

Edited at 3:15am - I gave up on the undies, but made him a pillowcase from soccer flannel, as he and his Daddy are big soccer fans

Trick or Treat!

2006-10-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

Lucas has been begging ever since the Halloween fabrics first arrived in the stores for me to make him a new TorT bag. I made bags for the boys 2 years ago, but somehow Lucas's got lost. Dillon said he liked his old one, so just a new one for Luke.

Shirts for the blonde

2006-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Long-sleeved shirts for Lucas -

He picked the patterned fabrics, and I matched them with solids. The snakes are our fave, though!

A challenge, and a birthday...

2006-10-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was challenged to make something wearable from woven fabric, that would be visible when the wearer leaves the house. I made some cord pants for Lucas, from this cute corduroy that has turtles, frogs, snakes and salamanders on it.

And a hoodie for his birthday, which is a week from today. I had him try it on, and he thinks I was making it for someone else's kid, and wants me to make him one just like it. Sure!!

Sewing for others...

2006-10-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Gosh I'm so great at lame titles!

A cute little outfit for baby Josiah:

And the matching hat, which turned out way too big for his newborn head, and was then claimed by my 3y/o. I'm holding the tail of it up b/c he kept whipping his head around.

An ironing board cover for my friend's mini-board:

And a doll-carrying bag for the same friend's daughter. Lucas and Piglet are modeling, along with my scissors to show the pockets.

And still more underwear...

2006-10-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

These boxer briefs were a custom order for the DSs of a sewing friend, Andrea. She asked if Ic ould put the tags on the outside, which I'd never done before, so it was interesting to figure out how to do it. It worked out though, and I just heard from her the other day that her boys love them, and her daughter wants her own, lol!

Post-midnight sewing...

2006-10-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the last of my custom orders...at approximately 4am! It's done though, and I'm thrilled.

8 pairs of boys' boxer briefs, 6 for orders, 1 for a friend's DS, and one for Lucas:

And a cute little business card holder for my new cards. This is try #2, and will work until I'm able to do a third...I want the ribbon and tag to be better centered vertically on the flap.

Some modeled shots...

2006-10-04T00:57:00.000-07:00

A few things I've already posted, but with models holding them up, LOL.

Sarah's flannel pants, and apron:

And Dillon's pumpkins and cords outfit, which he actually would not take off once I PAID HIM to try it on and let me take his pic. He's cheap though, it only cost me eight cents, lol! But he liked it, and IT FIT, so yay.

For my online store...

2006-09-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've been up to my eyeballs making boxer briefs to sell online in the last few weeks. They're selling really well, which thrills me, but I need to slow down a bit on them so I don't get overwhelmed and fall behind.

First, spam for myself, you can visit my shop on Hyena Cart:

Dragons for custom orders:

Sweets in blue and pink:

Halloween:

And there's lots more on my store for you to see if you'd like.

Here's a bag I have up for sale right now:

Misc stuff...

2006-09-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

More stuff I've made in the last months:

A fleece rag quilt:

A circle skirt/shirt/headband set for a trade on my sewing group:

Baby gown for the new baby adopted by friends of my friend. It turned out way too short, so I ended up chopping it off to shirt length, and am going to make royal blue pants to go along with it:

An apron for my sister:

This fabric is so neat, I had to take a close-up of it:

For Lucas...

2006-09-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

Various things I've made for Lucas lately:

Winter Pjs and boxer briefs:

Soccer t-shirt, he wears this every Saturday to Dillon's games:

The first pair of jeans I've ever made, aren't they great??

Brown cords that turned out a bit too short. They'll be gifted to a friend's DS for his 3rd bday next month:

For Dillon...

2006-09-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Things I've made for Dillon lately:

Soccer gear bag:

Boxer briefs:

A cape for his birthday:

Pumpkins shirt and green cord cargo pants:

A big BUFF

2006-09-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

BUFF = Boring Use of Flannel Fabric, btw.

Lounge pants for my sister:

Pillowcases for, L to R, my sister, Lucas, Dillon, me:

More pillowcases, frogs for Luke and snowmen for my body pillow:

PJ shorts for Lucas:

So far behind!

2006-09-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't been keeping up with posting my finished projects here, so the next few posts will be me catching up. If you want to see my stuff in a more up-to-date fashion, feel free to visit me on MySpace. But for now, here goes with the recent sewing stuff.

Boxer briefs for Lucas:

Spinny skirt tester for Svea:

Another skirt tester, for Grace:

Cool beach gear...

2006-08-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

Dillon left this morning for the beach with my parents, and I made him a beach bag and muscle tee to take along. :)

The blue on the front is a scrapbook patch from me&my BIG ideas. I love using sb materials in my sewing.

And the elastic on the neck and arm holes is a cute stripe that matches perfectly, here's a closeup, and a sneak peak at Lucas's almost-matching shirt:

Sewing for Svea: modelled

2006-08-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

She's such a cutie, here she is modelling the hoodie, pants, and sweets top that I made for her 5th birthday:

For Hannah, part two

2006-08-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to be gifted to Hannah this past Friday, but their plans changed and we weren't able to meet up with them before they left for WI. However, I'll be shipping this out to her as soon as they arrive at their new house.

The bag:

The contents:

All packed up:

Dillon really liked the colored pencil roll, so much that I'm going to make one for him, for his trip to NC with my parents next week. Hmm, maybe I should get started on that soon. :)

Sewing for Svea...

2006-08-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Svea, my friend Amber's DD, will be 5 on Friday. My fave little girl to sew for :heart: I should really do it more often.

KS hoodie from fabric.com pink FT:

Sweatpants and bell-sleeved swing top from Ottobre, pink FT and sweets knit:

I had Lucas try the pants on, so I could see if I could mod the pattern to make them for him, and see if they were "boy" enough for him (the pattern was meant for girls, and the smallest size is 2 up from his current pant size), and they are too big and too long, so I really hope they fit Svea, who isn't that much bigger than Luke. But the good news is that I can mod the pattern for him, and he thinks he neesd pink pants to match his friend. I said "how about orange?"

Cute little things...

2006-08-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ever since he made little Halloween gift bags last fall, Dillon has been after me to find neat little things that he can make. After seeing the snugbug tissue holder that I made for Hannah (the one that holds bubblegum, lol), he decided that would be good. We cut 3 out in various sizes, one is just as the sewalong specifies, one is a bit narrower (leftover strip after cutting out quilt sqaures, just used what we had), and one is 2 inches wider, and I added 1" of length to each section to make it bigger. The black (motorcycles) and blue (ocean life, from the ocean/beach quilt swap at AW) worked out great, so we put snaps on them. He refused to sew the pink one (although he did iron and fold it with me), but when I sewed it up and flipped it, I realized that I didn't add enough length in one section, so the flap didn't fold all the way down, it only cam halfway. Wracked my brain on how to make it useable as it was, and decided to put eyelets in the top corners and string thin ribbon thorugh it. I tied it around the headrest of the passenger seat in my car, and it works great for holding CDs, and the smaller pocket has my Rita's card in it, lol.

TFL!!

Productive

2006-08-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

After I got the moaning and groaning out of my system, I made a sweets shirt and pink FT hoodies for a very *sweet* little girl who has a 5th birthday coming up. Made the matching FT pants a few days ago. Haven't gotten pics yet, will try to get them up tomorrow, we'll see. But hey, see, whining can be productive, LOL!

Where I whine and ramble

2006-08-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

I need to get some sewing done, but I'm just not feeling motivated...and you'd think that the mounds of fabric taking up space in my tiny house would be a motivator...but no, I like to look at them. What I need to do is stop buying more fabric, and stop trading for fabric. It's bad, I tell you. Hello, my name is Jessica, and I'm a certified fabric collecting junkie. Stash Game is coming up, starts next Saturday. That's when the girls on the sewing board sew as much as they can during a 4 week time period, making everything from fabric/notions that they already have. You get positive points for sewing "from stash", and negative points for buying, i.e. adding to the stash. It's been a really great motivator for me in the past, and I'm looking forward to it again (we do it 2x a year, usually Feb and Aug), but I feel like I just have no time anymore, as much as I want to, I am just too beat when we get home in the evening to do anything, and I have to get to bed, so I can get up at 5:30 and start the whole thing over again.

OK, enough moaning, time to shower and get dressed and maybe sew.

Tshirts for Swap...

2006-07-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Here's my contribution to the Tshirt Swap, finally.

2 size 2T raglans, from KSFT:

Size 8 and 10 boys color blocked shirts, from 3/06 Ottobre:

Size 12 girls shirts, also from 3/06 Ottobre:

For Miss Hannah, part 1

2006-07-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is a gift bag I'm working on for a friend's DD, they are moving cross-country in a few weeks, and this is something to help keep her occupied on the trip.

Part 1: Tissue holder made into a bubble gum holder, and a pencil roll filled with pens, pencils and colored pencils. Still working on the bag to hold these things and the rest of the stuff. :)

Swinging again

2006-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to making myself a new bag. I've wanted to make a Swing Bag for me ever since I made one for my Mom in May. This is, again, heavily modified, as I shortened and narrowed the body piece, added pockets inside and out, added a mag snap and key loop, and squared the bottom of the bag. It turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. I call the fabric Watermelon Stripe. The inner and outer pockets have ribbon at the top, the outer just to add more pink, and the inner for contrast so I can see where the pockets are.

I also made a matching key fob, but forgot to take a pic of it.

Now I need to get back to t-shirts for swap. :)

Shopping bags

2006-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

These are made from leftover 4th of July fabric, and an online sewalong. They're just right to keep a stash of bags in the trunk of my car, to be pulled out when we hit the grocery store, Target, etc.

Birthday dress for Tori

2006-07-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

My cousin will be 1 later in the month, so here's her bday gift. Ottobre baby dress from 2/05, but with gathered skirt, rather than tiered, Heather Ross pink/orange/brown stripes that I got in a fabric swap back in March. :)

Close-up of the stripes, because they're just so cute:

You'd think I don't own any other fabric

2006-07-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

And I'm so darned tired of this snakes fabric! It's all my boys want me to sew with, or it certainly feels like it. Otto boxer briefs for Dillon, I mod'd their pattern to fit a size 128 heiney. :) And I fixed Dillon's snake shirt, just hemmed it up a bit. Oh so exciting, I know.

TFL.

I hate the way thi sturned out!

2006-07-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Dillon asked for a short-sleeved snake shirt. No problem, whip out the 2/05 curved raglan and get to work. It turned out 2-3 inches too long, I don't like the blue with the snakes (yes, it matches, but I guess my eye prefers contrast), and you can't see the curve of the sleeves from the front. What's up with that?

I'm going to shorten the hem, and make matching shorts and they can be PJs. Then I'm going to remake the shirt with orange interlock for the collar and sleeves, using the KS raglan pattern. I'm so tired of looking at this fabric, even though I really like it.

FOE and show

2006-07-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

I can't really call this a sew n show, I hardly sewed at all. I use this flip-top chest as a seat when I'm at the machines, and when I'm wearing shorts, my legs stick to the vinyl top. Made a FOE-edged cover to put on it, and I think it tones the color down nicely, and it's removeable, as I didn't want to change it permanantly. You can see before pics here.

Close up of the fabric, I really like it:

TFL!

And now for something completely different!

2006-07-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

(from 7/2006)
Well, not really, but if I'd titled this post "More Ottobre tanks for the boys", you wouldn't have opened it, LOL!

The one on the right is for Lucas, it's got a "Stars & Stripes" woven scrapbook label from JA's on it. The left one has a sewed-on football patch, it was actually my first attempt at Lucas's shirt, but then I realized I'd used the wrong size.

And Dillon's red/black at last. Looked so boring I had to jazz it up a little with the soccer ball.

Oh, and the little tags say "Teenie Weenie". :)

Steering wheel covers

2006-07-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

(from 7/2006)
I have been wanting to give this idea a try for a while now, and just got around to doing it today. I like the way this steering wheel cover turned out, and that I got to use this fabric at last, it's really cute. It jazzes up my boring gray car interior very nicely.

And here's the second one I made, just constructed it a bit differently.

I wrote a SewAlong for this project for my sewing moms group, if you're interested in seeing it, just let me know.

Tank for Dillon

2006-07-16T17:01:00.001-07:00

(from 7/2006)
At last, a tank for Dillon. Finally got around to tracing off the pattern and diving in. He picked out this American flag last week, and begged me to make him something with it. I thought he might wear this on Tuesday, since I've completely misplaced the Old Navy flag tees I bought for both boys back in May.

I think he likes it!

Revisiting the dress factory

2006-07-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

(from 6/2006)
A few more dresses, custom made for the daughters of some online friends.

Gathered skirt in Batik Stars

Circle skirt in Batik Stars

Gathered skirt in sparkling stripes

For Kallan

2006-07-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

(from 6/2006)
Cute little tank that I made today for the DS of a sewing mama friend who is moving to Italy. They are in MD this week, awaiting their military flight overseas, and we got to hang out with them today. I have another in the works for her older DS, but machines were conspiring against me finishing it.

My dress factory

2006-07-16T16:59:00.001-07:00

(from 6/2006)
I made these dresses for 4th of July, and they're up for sale on Amity's now. I had so much fun, and can't wait to make more. Girl stuff is a fun departure for me. :)

Stars N Stripes

Star Spangled

Stars Batik

Fireworks

(I hate hate hate the way Photobucket resizes some pics but not others, and have no idea how to fix it!!)

Lucas helps me by modeling. This one is after I'd said that it would be bedtime once the photo session was over:

And this is after I offered a bribe for a smile:

And this one is a gift for my XF's sister's DD, who is a few days older than Lucas; they're cousins:

Thanks for looking!

Father's Day for my Dad

2006-07-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

(from 6/2006)
I made my Dad a bbq apron for FD, gave it to him today since I won't see him tomorrow. Simplicity pattern from WM, #5154. BBQ fabric from eQuilter.com, and it's backed in black denim.

When I asked my Dad (who is a photographer) to pose for a modeling shot, he grabbed a bbq tool and headed out to the grill, LOL! Excuse the sweaty and tired look, he's been working like a dog for weeks to paint their house, and I caught him during a break.

And the last minute, super-simple fabric card:

I don't think the bbq fabric shows well, so here's the bit they show on the website:

Muscle tees for Luke

2006-07-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

(from 6/2006)
I made Lucas two shirts from the Ottobre free pattern (Click here) today. The red one was to match his swim trunks, for water play day at school. He's so pale, I wanted to cover him as much as possible when he's out in the sun. The second one is just because he loves the snakes fabric.

Next I need to find a pattern like this one to fit Dillon. :) Happy Friday!!

Sweet baby stuff

2006-07-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

(from 6/2006)
The boys & I spent the day with sewingmama friends at a park up in PA, and had a blast. Six moms, 19 kids, and a beautiful day outside. One of the mamas is expecting her 4th baby, and had never had a baby shower before, so of course we had to have a little shower for her. :) She's one of the sweetest people I know, and she was so surprised, and even embarassed to be the center of attention. I made her what turned out to be a really big baby blanket. Both the boys wanted to have their pic taken holding it last night after I finished it, and Dillon's also holding the matching gift bag I made for it.

And here is Cheryl's baby boy "modeling" his blankie, lol:

Fabric cards

2006-07-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

(from 6/2006)
I made 40 fabric cards for my sewing moms swap:

Up close, my favorite card:

Thanks for looking!!

That's a lot of stuff!

2006-07-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

(from 5/2006)
Since last Friday, I've made:

22 pairs of boxer briefs

2 pairs of PJs

4 muscle tees

1 Tshirt

I'm pretty darned proud of myself. I haven't made this much in one week since Stash Game last August. :)

Boxers for Lucas, and one is for my friend's DD...can you guess which one? All 92s from Ottobre 4/04, there are 13 in this pic (the one other one is on Lucas right now), you can't see them all because they're piled up a bit to fit them in, but there's multiples of almost every fabric.

Boxers for Dillon, 8 pairs, size 128, mod'd from the 4/04 Ottobre issue

Curved raglan for Lucas, awesome interlock from Sewzannes, and he's wearing the matching boxer briefs too. He didn't want me to get his head in the pic.

Gray camo summer PJs for the boys, from KS3234, here's Lucas modeling.

Muscle tees from KS2749 (apparently it's discontinued, as it's not on the KS site), 2 size 7 in soccer balls for Dillon and his cousin, and 2 red for Dillon and Lucas, all 4 with black FOE

And just because I'm so darned proud of myself, here's a pic of everything:

I haven't made this much in one week since Stash Game last August. :)

My 1st camp shirt, with a side of bloodshed...

2006-07-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

(from 5/2006)
I finished this shirt last night, err, this morning around 3! It matches the batik/denim reversible bucket hat that I made a few weeks ago. The modeling pics were taken this morning, and then we went to a family party celebrating my uncle's retirement (he worked for the same company for *41* years!!). It was at my aunt's house, and they just have an 11y/o girl, so not much in the way of toys or outdoor stuff to do for Lucas or my 2 2.5 yr old cousins either. They were all running in the house, and Lucas got tripped up by an area rug, and hit his head on the corner of the wall. I've always heard that kid's head injuries bleed a ton, and make it look worse than it is, but now I certainly believe that. So now I've been informed that cold water gets bloodstains out pretty well, and both the camp shirt and my shirt are in the washer. :) Lucas is okay, though.

Batik is from a friend, both the shirt and the hat are from KS 3079; I omitted the pocket (just a lint collector, and a PITA to sew!).

He wanted to model with the hat both ways, so here are two pics:

Little purse, puppy and blankie

2006-07-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

(from 5/2006)
Lucas and I visited a sewing mama friend today, and her 8y/o DD and I made a little purse, from the Craftster coin purse tutorial, just added a strap to it, and a snap:

I've had this little puppy cut out for a week now, it was intended to be a toy for Haydn's kitten, but turned out much bigger than I was thinking it should be! Hopefully she'll like it anyway, though. I need to get some buttons for Pup's eyes tomorrow and sew them on. My boys are calling her "Blindy" for now. ;)

And a flannel blankie for a friend's new baby:

Thanks for looking!

The Mother of all bags...

2006-07-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

(from 5/2006)
...or my Mom's Mother's Day gift!

I made my Mom a bag for Mother's Day, and for once in my life, it's totally completed more than 8 hours prior to gift-giving time! It's a Swing Bag with squared base and pockets inside and out. I used AH Mother's Day fabric for the interior, and khaki cord for the outside. I used all my best "gadgets" on this bag, and made a few neat sewalong projects to go with it. It's got a key clip on one side, magnetic snap at the top, and comes with a tissue holder, matching keychain, and a cute little change purse that I put an eyelet and split ring on, so it can be clipped to the key clip in the bag. My Mom takes the train to work, so I thought the change purse would be a good place to keep her train pass. The outer pocket and one of the inner ones are both the width of the bag, and then the other inner pocket is split in half. The blue ribbon stripe on the front is Amber-inspired, and I took the pics at her house, because I love the hooks by her front door. :)

I'm thrilled with this bag, and cannot wait to make my own. This one's not really my style, but I just love it, and hope my Mom will too.

Tissue holder and keychain:

Change purse/train-pass holder:

Thanks for looking!

Cute lil change purses

2006-07-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

(from 5/2006)
I found a tutorial (aka a sewalong) for these cute little change purses that don't need any fasteners to keep the coins inside, so I had to try it. I made 8, I don't know what happened to the other 2 in this pic.

Link to the tutorial on Craftster

I made them from a cotton woven, but will use interfacing, or a slightly heavier fabric next time. They need a bit more body to them, to hold their shape and keep change inside. I made a Snugbug tissue holder from the same fabric today, but don't have a pic. I sure love this fabric!

PJs for the McKids

2006-07-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

(from 5/2006)
I made some summer PJs for Amber's kids, in exchange for some fabric, which you'll see featured in a future entry. All are KS patterns, and all fabric is interlock from JAs.

All the kids with Mama:

Svea, 4.5:

Rory, 2.5:

Tait, 16mos:

Fleece for the cousins

2006-07-16T16:40:00.001-07:00

(from 5/2006)
My cousin Lisa complimented Lucas on his gecko camo hoodie at Easter. Sweet Mama's boy that he is, he told her "Thank you, Mommy made it for me". She thought it was adorable, so I said I'd make a hoodie for her DS, Adam, who is 2.5 years old. Adam's a Thomas freak, so of course he gets Thomas the Tank Engine. My other cousin, Melanie, who is Lisa's sister, has a DS named Alex who is also 2.5, so I coudn't leave him out (especially since both boys go to daycare together). I wanted Alex's to be a surprise to his mom, who loved the Tigger jacket I made him for his 1st bday, so I had to guess at what to use for his, and ended up with Nemo fleece. It's darned hard to find good fleece in May, you know! I did end up fussy-cutting the "roo" pockets for them. I screwed up on Thomas though, I'd fussy cut it so Thomas would be front and center, only to find that I'd cut him BACK and center. Oh well. Also used some cute dinosaur ribbon that I bought from a sewingmama friend, cut it, and folded to use as a side tag. Not sure you can really see them in the pics though. Anyway, Lisa asked me to make a 4T for the boys so they could wear them for a while, so Lucas is modeling them. They will be gifted to the boys on the 20th, at a family party. :)

PS Lucas is mad at me in the 2nd pic b/c he'd just heard that neither of the hoodies were for him!! Poor kid, you'd think I never sewed for him or something!

Edited 5/20: I gifted the hoodies to Adam and Alex today, here's a pic of them modeling.

Alex in Nemo, Adam in Thomas. They both really liked them. :)

Batik bucket hat

2006-07-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

(from 5/2006)
I feel so accomplished right now. Not because I got so much done, but because this fabric came into my house 2 days ago, and I've already sewn it up! I'm very impressed with myself, LOL! The only other time that has happened is when I make Halloween costumes.

This is an awesome green batik that I bought from another sewing mama, denim from JAs, pattern is KS3079. I'm planning to make a camp shirt from the remaining batik, and board shorts from the denim, possibly with batik cargo pockets. It looks awesome in my head, so I'm hoping it comes out as well. Here's the beginnings, though.

Reversible bucket hat for Lucas. No modeling shot because it was 10pm by the time I got it finished. I think I might make him another, simpler (i.e. not reversible) one for outdoor time at daycare. Poor boy has such fair skin, he could really use it.

More flannel

2006-07-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

(from 4/2005)
Today I made two flannel sheets for Lucas's cot at daycare, and a matching pillowcase (travel sized) to go with one of them. I hunted down the cots they have at school online to get some dimensions, because I know it's nowhere close to the measurements of a standard crib sheet (FYI, it's 52x21, so I did 56x25 with 2" squares cut from the corners), and just did FOE all around the outsides. I'm so impressed with myself, LOL, because the 2 sheets took me about 30 minutes (I've never done FOE on a "real" project before, I've only played with it to see how it "works"). The pillowcase with applique took an hour, but it was fun. Flannels from JAs. TFL!

Random cuties

2006-07-16T16:38:00.001-07:00

(from 4/2006)
Just a random photo; the boys had me pull out the couch bed a few Friday nights ago so they could watch a movie. I agreed, but they had to get into their jammies first. Now, they both have jammies that I've made, but only a pair or two each. So it was neat that they both chose to wear a mama-made set together, and I had to take a picture of it.

Soccer & shorts

2006-07-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

(from 4/2006)
An online sewing-mama friend, Amy, just moved to Maryland from California. I asked her a while ago if she could make this shirt for Dillon, after seeing some she'd made for a swap. When we met up at our "Welcome to MD" party for her, she had brought it with her. :) I made the matching red shorts in Dillon's size, and another pair for Lucas, for a shirt that's yet to be made. I love this shirt, she does such a nice job.

Blue camos

2006-07-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

(from 4/2006)
Just finished up some blue camo jammies for the boys. Camo knit from Joanns, it's actually pretty nice and soft after being prewashed, although it didn't feel as good in the store. I think I'm going to have to get some more of it. Also made a baby hat for a co-worker who just announced that she's expecting in Nov, and is hoping for a boy. No modeling because the jammies are Easter basket surprises. KS3234 for the jammies, in XS for Luke and Med for Dillon. Dina's knotted hat sewalong for the baby hat, shown with my rc to show the witty bitty size.

Kanji PJ set

2006-07-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

(from 3/2006)
The kanji PJs that took a year to make...

Started these pants last spring. Tossed them after something (to this day, I still do not know WHAT it was!) got spilled on them while they were innocently lounging in my UFO box. Made a new pair during last stash game, along with a matching pillowcase. Finally got around to making the shirt during this stash game. Don't have a modelled pic (my 7y/o is very hard to get a good pic of, so most of the time, for clothes at least, I dont' even try), but here's my makeshift mannequin. Curved raglan from Otto, pants from some KS pattern, shirt is JA's CL, flannel from JA's. Monkey boxer elastic on the pants, don't think you can see it, though.

Dribs and drabs

2006-07-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

(from 3/2006)
Assorted stuff I made during February's Stash Game

Apron for Lucas, made my own pattern based on his measurements, and then had to shorten it a few inches, which is why the top looks like a square, I folded it down so the chest wouldn't fall at his knees. Next time, I'll either make the neck piece two tying pieces, or put elastic in it. This boy's got quite a noggin.

4 flannel pillowcases, 2 regular sized and 2 travel sized, one for Lucas at daycare, and one for Dillon's "reading corner". All flannel from Black Friday sale, this year and last, I think. The small ones are both pizza, the large ones are ugly golf bags (Dillon picked it out, I still have to face more of that fabric to make him some boxers, oh my!), and whales and goldfish for Luc.

And my attempt at the potholders. Should have rounded the corners, but no, I had to make it difficult. I love projects like this, I'm an instant gratification kind of girl.

More fabric bowls

2006-07-16T16:34:00.001-07:00

Loads of bowls

Not as long as I live! I decided in October to make a bowl for each of my co-workers, 8 wonderful women that I enjoy so much, and are so admiring of my sewing work (what little of it they see, at least). Unfortunately, I was long on the plans and a bit short in the time and effort department. I put a lot of thought and shopping hours into finding the right fabrics for each of the girls. The first one was completed 2 days before Christmas, and I finished about 1 a week, and the final one (the snowmen, I saved the best for last!) was gifted in mid-February. Oh, I also made a CareBears bowl for my sister, but was smart enough to do hers first! I don't think I could have sewn another satin stitch after that, but it sure thrilled them all, so I'm glad I did it.

Dogs for Terry:

Turtles for Karen:

Purple starry night for Mary:

CocaCola for Geraldine:

Purses and makeup for Crystal:

SpongeBob for Michelle:

Piggies for Ann:

Snowmen for Kim:

8 is ENOUGH!

Shopping cart heiney warmer

2006-07-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

(from 3/2006)
This was Lucas's idea. We used to have a cart cover, but I sold it last year, because he kept taking it off. Now he's been complaining that the seats are always so cold, b/c they're always outside, so he asked me to make him a "heiney warmer". We came home, he picked out the fabric, and I made it for him. Roughly the size of a placemat, with five layers of scrap fleece inside, quilted and self-bound, he thinks it's the greatest thing. Always nice to please someone.

Lucas's hoodies

2006-07-16T16:33:00.001-07:00

Lucas's beloved red hoodie, the first thing I made from the Ottobre curved raglan pattern (added hood and kangaroo pocket from KSFT), got too small on him. He was so upset, and in denial about it, but the sleeves were halfway to his elbows, and it seemed like we were ripping the poor kid's ears off to get the thing over his head (have I mentioned before that he's got a big head?). I offered to make him a new one from the same fabric, I offered to take him shopping for fabric for a new one, I let him "shop" thru my stash for a new one, and he just wouldn't. Finally told him that maybe we could give the old one to someone who would love it as much as he had, and then we'd make him a new one. That did it, so we took it to Amber's house and gave it to "Taiter Bear" to grow into (probably won't take long!) Found this gecko gamo fleece at JA's on sale, and both of the boys loved it, so YAY, finally! Made Dillon one as well, but he's hard to catch for pictures.

Here's the red one:

And the new one:

Airplanes

2006-07-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

(from 4/2006)
LOVE love love this yummy knit that I got from Dina. PJs for Dillon, unfinshed Otto boxer briefs that Luke tried on and never gave back for elastic-ing and hemming, and now I need more of it!

Dillon *was* laying peacefully half asleep the morning I took this one. He heard the camera turn on, and rolled away on me. But you get a nice shot of our mama-made pillowcase collection.

Pants and more pants

2006-07-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

(from 3/2006)
A few pairs of pants, two PJ pairs for me, and one for Lucas to replace another pair that got too short for him recently. He already has a shirt that matches it.

Luke's drawers

2006-07-16T16:31:00.001-07:00

(from 3/2006)
I bought these undies (and 8 other pairs in various hand-dyed colors) and the matching T-shirt from a sewing-mama friend a week ago. Lucas thinks it's pretty neat that his unders match his shirt. The shirt's not as pink IRL as the pics look.

Made the pants for Lucas, have a pair for myself I'll have to take a picture of also.

Fabric bowls

2006-07-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

(from 9/2005)
My sewing moms group has been enamored of Fabric Bowls for quite some time now. Being the type of person who has difficulty sewing a straight line free-handed, I had been avoiding them for almost as long as I'd been admiring them. When I broke a needle on my serger (within an hour of coming home from a big sale at the fabric store, no less!), I had to find something to sew that didn't require the serger, so I finally tried the bowls. Now I see why so many people like them! They're pretty easy to make, although the massive amounts of satin stitching does take a while. But they're totally addicting, and I'm thrilled to have found such a great outlet for my stash of fall/Halloween fabrics!

I made the three larger ones on Saturday, and then Dillon asked me to make him the smaller one on Sunday.

1st Day of School shirt

2006-07-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
Dillon and I found some really neat woven scrapbook labels at Walmart in June. I bought them, planning to use them (someday!) in his scrapbook, but he had something else in mind. He wanted a shirt to wear on the first day of second grade. He picked out KS2894 (I think it's b/c he liked the sleeve pocket!), and royal blue, and orange knit fabrics. I made this while he was out in Oregon with my Mom, so I couldn't fit it on him until the day before school started. I think it's a size too big, and the sleeves are too long, even though I took 2" off the pattern when cutting it out. He loves it though, and will probably be able to wear it on his first day of third grade, too!

The tag on his hip says "Pop Quiz"

The tag on the pocket says "Back to School".

Airplane Busy Bag

2006-07-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
Dillon, my almost-7-year-old, took a trip from Maryland to Oregon with my Mom, to visit her oldest brother and his wife and family. I made Dillon an "Airplane Busy Bag" to keep him occupied during the long flights and layovers.

My first attempt used medium-weight interfacing and ziploc bags. However, Dillon quickly ripped two of the bags, and one of the handles came out of its seam. So I made a second version, with clear vinyl and velcro for the pockets, and handles that looped all the way inside the bag. I also used some iron-on vinyl to make the outer fabric more sturdy, not to mention spill-proof. The second bag made it through the ten-day journey beautifully, and now Dillon uses it in the car.

The first attempt:

The finished product:

Selena's bday hoodie

2006-07-16T16:27:00.001-07:00

(from 8/2005)
This is a hoodie I made for a friend of Lucas's from daycare, for her 3rd birthday last week. It's a 3T from KSFT, with an added ruffle at the bottom, and I didn't bother with the pocket (it's a lint-catcher!). Lucas modeled it for me, but Selena just loved it, and I'm hoping that once the weather cools off, I'll be able to get a pic of her wearing it to daycare.

I made a little booboo when sewing the size tag into the neckline, and once I'd fixed it, the outside of the back collar looked a little wonky. So I put this cute tag over top of the wonki-ness. It says "Precious Angel", which is SO not Selena, and I got a kick out of that!

Strawberry Shortcake & Care Bears

2006-07-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
My friend and coworker, Stacey asked me to make her a reversible totebag with CareBears and Strawberry Shortcake fabrics she picked out. I picked out this bucket tote, and added pockets to each side of it, along with a key ring on a cord.

Dillon's boxers

2006-07-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
Dillon needed some new boxers, as he's outgrowing (and passing down to Lucas!) the ones I made him earlier this year. He picked all the fabrics for these.

More PJs for Luke

2006-07-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
More jammies for Lucas, this time a pair of short sleeved and shorts jammies, and a pair of long-sleeved and pants jammies, all from the same fabric, all from KSFT. I used a cute boxer elastic that I bought from a friend, that has monkey faces and stars on it. Both boys love this elastic, and at the rate I'm using it, it won't last long! Maybe 30 yards wasn't enough!

For the choochoos

2006-07-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
Lucas is just in LOVE with Thomas the Tank Engine, so when we found several prints of Thomas fabric at the store, he had to have all of it. I made him a pair of boxers and a pillowcase from the "train tracks" fabric.

PRR Bass jammies

2006-07-16T16:22:00.001-07:00

(from 8/2005)
Pajamas for Lucas, KSFT 3T Tshirt and knit shorts, from PRR bass, undyed.

Greetings from Hawaii

2006-07-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
This is the original bucket tote bag. I love this fabric, it say "Greetings From Hawaii", and just feels very summery to me. I didn't interface the bag nearly enough, so it's very floppy and doesn't hold it's shape at all. The thing hanging off the left side is a clip for my keys. I didn't put any pockets in this bag, so I haven't used it much, but it sure is cute.

Back to School Swap

2006-07-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
I did a Back To School swap with a group of other sewing moms a few weeks ago. I sent a big batch of cloth lunchbox napkins for all the kids.

Each child got a pair of napkins. The ones on the far left are butterflies, the center is outer space, and on the right there are two pairs of RV fabric napkins, and one pair of "Greetings from Hawaii" napkins.

My new sewing area

2006-07-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

(from 8/2005)
Since we moved to the new apartment a few weeks ago (mid-July), I have a new sewing area set up. My sewing table is at one end of the living room, and the closet that holds all my fabric stash is right next to it.

Sewing table:

The view from the sewing table into the "Fabric Closet":

Fabric stash in the closet:

August = Stash Game

2006-07-16T16:19:00.001-07:00

Stash game has begun again, and I'm hip-deep in it. All my entries for August will be things I've made during stash game, using nothing but what I have on-hand, no new purchases allowed. Let the games begin!

Abbreviations

2006-07-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Amy, who emailed to ask what on Earth some of my abbreviations meant! Here's a list:

KS = Kwik Sew, a wonderful pattern company that makes simple, easy-to-follow patterns. See their website at www.kwiksew.com. When I write "KS####", I'm indicating which pattern I've used for the item, and I usually try to link to it, b/c it's a pain to have to search it out.

KSFT = Kwik Sew For Toddlers, which is a book of master patterns that you can use to sew pretty much a whole wardrobe for your toddler. I have loved the hoodie, raglan shirt, and t-shirt patterns so far, but it also has pants, shorts, dresses, jackets, etc, in sizes T1-T4. For comparison's sake, Lucas wears a size 2T in RTW, and I make T2s from KS for him. And then there is also...

KSFC = Kwik Sew For Children. I don't have this one yet, but it's on my "must buy soon" list, so I can make Dillon more stuff. It has sizes 4/5 up to a 12, so will last quite a while.

RTW = Ready To Wear, or store bought clothing.

Big 3 = This means the "big three" pattern companies, or McCalls, Simplicity, and Butterick. I'm not sure where this term came from, but I believe it's referring to the fact that most of these patterns tend to run big on the sizes. You can buy their patterns at Joann Fabrics. If you sign up for their mailing list (in-store, or I think you can do it online), you will get notifications of their sales. At least once a month one or two of these brandsd will go on sale for $1 each, which is a good deal.

JA = Joann Fabrics, link in the previous. Never pay full price here!

WA = Walmart. Though not the greatest source for sewing needs, sometimes I'm surprised by what I can find here. My ever-popular ladybug flannel came from WA, and for just $2.84 a yard! I also buy needles for my sewing machines, cording and binding (it's cheaper than at JA's for these things), and interfacing here.

That's all I can think of right now, but if you see something I haven't explained, let me know!

Boring but functional

2006-07-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

A few "boring" but functional projects here.

Here's my new ironing board cover. The one it came with got sticky/gummy-ed up while in storage, so I traced the old one and made a new one. Didn't have any kind of cord to do the drawstring kind of thing the old one had, so I serged elastic all the way around it. That didn't hold it tightly enough, so I sewed lengths of elastic across the back, as you can see in the 2nd pic. It was a VERY tight squeeze to get it onto the board, but it will stay there now until I have to CUT it off to make another one.

Made placemats for the boys, Dillon's (the red/orange) still needs binding, but they've been using them and love them. I need to get some of that outdoor tablecloth stuff that WA sells off the huge rolls by the cutting table for the next set of mats, b/c I'm washing these every day or two, and it's annoying.

And some mama cloth for me. I whipped these up one night on a whim, after seeing that I was out of P&T, and didn't want to have to run to the store first thing the next morning. They're just JA's fllece and flannel, serged into rectangles, but they're working so well, I don't think I'd change anything. I think there's a few more than the picture shows, I thought I'd made either 20 or 24, so some must have been *ahem* in the wash.

Mama's purple hoodie

2006-07-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

(from 3/2005)
I've had this awesome sweatshirt fleece sitting around for as long as I can remember. Bought at least three years ago, with the intention of making myself a hoodie or jacket from it. Finally found a good pattern for it that I liked, and made it last week. It's very comfy, but turned out a bit too big, even though I used my own measurements to determine the size. Heck, at least it's not too small though!

The hood is lined inside with a cute ladybug flannel:

It's a Boxer-palooza!

2006-07-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

I found a great pattern for boxer shorts for the boys. I'd originally intended it just for Dillon, as Lucas is still in diapers. He is going potty quite often though, at least two or three times a day, so when he saw what I had made for Dillon, of course he wanted some too. I had to size the pattern's smallest size, a four, down to fit his lil 2T bum, but it works, and they both love them. The pattern is KwikSew 2179, which does actually have an open-fly, but in my mind, that just encourages "playing" by my children, so I left it out.

Here are Dillon's:

And his modelling shots:

And Lucas. He's with the DD of another sewing-mama-friend, the beautiful Miss Svea:

And then we had to get into the "holiday undies". No idea where they got this idea, but once Dillon saw this shamrock fabric, they both had to have them.

I've made Dillon about 6 more pairs since I took these pictures, and maybe three for Lucas. Also a pair for Svea (from the ever-popular ladybug flannel), and one for another friend's DS (airplane/jet flannel). I'll try to get pics of them one of these days. Dillon's just went so quickly from sewing table, onto his bum, and then into the laundry that I didn't even have the chance to take a pic!

Sewing room, before & after

2006-07-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

(from 3/2005)
My sewing mamas group had a challenge this past weekend, to clean up our messy sewing rooms/areas. Mine was certainly qualifying for the messy title, so it had to be done. Here's before and after pictures:

BEFORE:

And here's the "during" pics. Mostly just sorting fabric.

And the finished product:

Sew Addicted

Updating...

Long time...

One very happy birthday boy - Dillon's 9th

Misc sewing stuff

A big new bag for mama

Summer jammies and more

Gotta love my sister

Fourth of July

Tinkerbell meets the ShaSha Dream bag

June 2007 sewing

Baseball matchies...

Injured and overly-dramatic

A model - n- show

Mama's takin' us to the zoo tomorrow...

Surfboards matchy-match

Finishing and modeling

It was a nice thought....

Sweet little baby outfit....

Christmas jammies, and loads of undies

A swap outfit

Jammies

One more Halloween bag

Birthday jammies...

Late-night sewing, as usual!

Trick or Treat!

Shirts for the blonde

A challenge, and a birthday...

Sewing for others...

And still more underwear...

Post-midnight sewing...

Some modeled shots...

For my online store...

Misc stuff...

For Lucas...

For Dillon...

A big BUFF

So far behind!

Cool beach gear...

Sewing for Svea: modelled

For Hannah, part two

Sewing for Svea...

Cute little things...

Productive

Where I whine and ramble

Tshirts for Swap...

For Miss Hannah, part 1

Swinging again

Shopping bags

Birthday dress for Tori

You'd think I don't own any other fabric

I hate the way thi sturned out!

FOE and show

And now for something completely different!

Steering wheel covers

Tank for Dillon

Revisiting the dress factory

For Kallan

My dress factory

Father's Day for my Dad

Muscle tees for Luke

Sweet baby stuff

Fabric cards

That's a lot of stuff!

My 1st camp shirt, with a side of bloodshed...

Little purse, puppy and blankie

The *Mother* of all bags...

Cute lil change purses

PJs for the McKids

Fleece for the cousins

Batik bucket hat

More flannel

Random cuties

Soccer & shorts

Blue camos

Kanji PJ set

Dribs and drabs

More fabric bowls

Shopping cart heiney warmer

Lucas's hoodies

The Mother of all bags...