My Sewing Projects

Beginning Part of 2010 catch up

2010-12-27T23:18:00.003-07:00

I made this shirt for me, the suit for Zephyr (this is different than the one pictured later) and this snazzy bow tie (May 2010)

I made Autumn this circle skirt

This is a picture of a quilt that me and my mom made for my best friends from high school for their wedding present (June 2010)

I made this t-shirt for myself (May 2010)

I made this dress for Autumn (I also made a matching one for Prairie but can't find a picture of her wearing it) (April 2010)

I made Autumn's friend a circle skirt a matching one for her doll for a birthday present (April 2010)

I made Prairie and her American doll matching PJ's (May 2010)

I made Prairie and her doll matching outfits for her dance recital (May 2010)

I made Zephyr a new suit (Jan 2010)

I recovered a high chair for my friend (Jan 2010)

I made Zephyr another suit (I made him 3 this year!) and the neck tie to match Ben ( March 2010)

I recovered this high chair for us (April 2010)

2009 Catch up

2010-12-12T20:14:00.009-07:00

These are in no particular order, just wanted to post pictures of a bunch of projects I sewed.

matching outfits for Autumn and her doll Christmas 2009

a hammock for Autumn's doll Christmas 2009

Prairie's princess jammies Christmas 2009

Prairie's Ariel blanket Christmas 2009

Autumn's princess jammies Christmas 2009

box load of doll clothes and me and my mom made Christmas 2009

Autumn's doll's matching robe Christmas 2009

Zephyr's BYU romper

Zephyr and Silas in their matching frog costumes/coats that I made for Halloween 2009

I made Autumn's doll a matching dress for Halloween 2009 (I made Autumn's dress for Christmas 2008)

I made Prairie's rescue pack and her diego belt for Halloween 2009 (my mom made the vest and the patch, wow!)

Jennie demonstrating the strength of the pocket sling I made for Ben summer 2009

Jennie and I tied a quilt for a wedding gift for our friend August 2009

Jennie and I stayed up all night making these matching dresses for my girls to take out to Iowa for their aunt's funeral. The butterfly fabric that I used for the bodice and the stripe on the skirt was fabric the aunt had give me a couple of years previous.

This was the swimming sling that I made out of lycra that I used all summer 2009 to go swimming with a 3 month old baby. It worked awesome!

My best friend from college had a baby in July 2009 so I made her a blanket. Her husband is an aerospace engineer so of course their son needed a space receiving blanket.

I made Autumn and Prairie (not pictured) black shorts to wear for PJ's shorts during the summer. July 2009

Baby Boy Blessing Outfit

2009-05-23T23:11:00.003-06:00

My 57th completed sewing project for 2009!

I made Zephyr's blessing outfit using the same pattern I designed for his sunday outfit, but did it all white instead. The fabric I used for the shirt part of the romper is made out of an old white dress shirt, and the pants and vest are made out of scraps from my wedding dress. I thought that was nice since the girls' blessing dress was made out of scraps from my wedding dress. I really wanted my kid's blessing outfits to be out of scraps from wedding dress because my blessing dress was made out of scraps from my mom's wedding dress.

If I were to make this outfit again I would lengthen the pants. They ended up shorter than the black suit outfit. I didn't remember that I had added so much length to his black outfit. The length was honestly a little too short, but it works okay for an infant because he isn't standing in it. I do need to go get his portraits soon it, because length wise through the torso also, he is almost outgrown it.

The want to be Moby Wrap

2009-05-18T17:23:00.004-06:00

My 56th completed sewing project for 2009!

I have been "wearing" Zephyr a lot, and I like my Baby Bjorn, and I like my pocket sling, but sometime when I where the pocket sling for a long time, my back starts to get sore, so I thought the moby wrap would be nice. I bought some fabric last week and I sewed it up today. I don't know if I got the best fabric, and I think making it longer might have been a good idea, so I will have to give a better report later, but as of now it is done and I am typing this while Zephyr sits in it.

This wasn't a very difficult project. If you can tell from the first picture it is basically one long piece of fabric. Because I wanted to make it as cheap as possible, I bought 2.625 yards of fabric, and then cut two stips that were 22" wide and 2.625 yards long. I did a double duty french seam to connect them, so I end up with 5.25 yards of fabric. Then I hemmed all the edges. That's the reason this actually feels like a sewing project is because of all the hemming!

White bow tie for blessing outfit

2009-05-18T15:21:00.002-06:00

My 55th completed sewing project for 2009!

Ben and I have been vascilating back and forth whether we wanted Zephyr to where a white little suit for his blessing or wear his black suit and having matching ties with Ben. I think we finally decied to do a white outfit.

When I was at Joann's last week I found some really nice white fabric to make a bow tie for his blessing outfit. So I finished the bowtie today. Now I really need to get working on the pants and vest, the shirt is basically done. We are blessing him this Sunday, so I have the rest of the week to get everything ready.

Baby Boy Neck tie

2009-05-16T17:01:00.005-06:00

My 54th completed sewing project for 2009!

This is another conversion from one of the ties that my Dad gave me. I decided that Zephyr needed some diversity, bow ties and neckties. Also making neck ties is a little cheaper because I don't need the adjuster clasps for neck ties, also I was having a hard time getting adjuster clasps, it seems that Joann's doesn't always carry them in stock.

Also a side note I was really proud of myself because I learned how to tie a neck tie, so I tied this myself, I love finding tutorials on the internet.

These are a couple of works in progress pictures. First I took apart the men's neck tie. Then I trimmed down the interfacing to the size I wanted the baby's neck tie to be finished. You can see the interfacing lying on top of the tie on my ironing board.

Old Neck tie to baby boy bow tie

2009-04-26T10:30:00.001-06:00

My 53rd completed sewing project for 2009!

My dad gave me some of his old neckties to make ties and bow ties for Zephyr. This was one of the ties he gave me. I thought it would make a nice looking bowtie to go with Zephyr's black slacks and vest. I thought my little boy looked very daper at church today wearing his new bow tie.

Batik Bow Tie

2009-04-19T04:05:00.002-06:00

My 52nd completed sewing project for 2009!

Ben has a bow tie that was made out of a fabric that looks like a yellow batik with a black pattern. I was looking through my stash and realized that I had a fabric that look very similar to Ben's bow tie, and if I was careful how I cut out Zephyr's bow tie it would look almost the same. Zephyr got a lot of compliments at church about having a matching bow tie with his Papi, so it was a success.

(as a side note these pictures of Zephyr were taken after church, and he was screaming hungry)

Baby Doll Jeans

2009-04-02T08:57:00.003-06:00

My 50th and 51st completed sewing projects for 2009!

Atticus and Little Ella didn't have pants to match their cute little monkey shirts that the kids are wearing, so I decided I better rectify the situation, especially since it is 15 days past my due date and I need to find things to keep me busy. So now they both have cute little jeans to wear with their monkey shirts when we take our little baby boy out for the first time.

Baby Doll Carseat

2009-03-30T15:05:00.007-06:00

My 49th completed sewing project for 2009!

When Prairie was born, I made a little carseat type of thing for Autumn's doll, and its carseat was out of the same fabric as Prairie's carseat cover. I thought it would be nice if Prairie had a little carseat for her baby now that she is going to be a big sister.

This is the day we brought Prairie home from the hospital. This isn't the best picture of the carseat thing I made for Autumn's doll, but it has buckles, and it can hang from the seat in front of Autumn.

Ben found this at a thrift store or some garage sale, I can't remember. I didn't really like the colors, and I thought it would be more fun to have coordinating with our baby boy's carseat, especially since I made the cover and I had leftover fabric.

This is a picture of the work in progress, you can see the front side that doesn't have the backpack straps. At this point I had unpicked everything and taken it apart.

This is the finished product. I don't particularly love the pink with it, but oh well. I am excited that Prairie will have a carseat for her baby that will match her baby brother's carseat.

This is the back view of the carseat with the backpack straps.

I was worried that Autumn might be a little jealous that Prairie was getting a doll carseat, but that she wasn't (since she already has one) so I decided to let her in on the surprise, and she has gotten to see it while I was working on it. I think it was a really good idea, because she is excited about Prairie getting it. One day she did say sadly that her carseat didn't match her baby brother's, but we talked about it and she seemed okay with it.

Autumn looking super cute modeling the carseat using the backpack straps with Prairie's baby doll in it.

Matching Monkey t-shirts for the dolls

2009-03-26T21:44:00.004-06:00

My 46th, 47th and 48th completed sewing projects for 2009!

Granted these are small projects, but I figure I will still count each one as a finished project. This is to complete the assemble of the monkey matching t-shirts. Now the girls's dolls have t-shirts to match. Last night Prairie was really concerned that her tiny baby didn't have any matching clothes with her, so when I was cutting out the t-shirts this morning, and there was barely enough to make her tiny baby a t-shirt, I just couldn't resist. I am excited because I do love matching outfits. I was realizing though that I might need to make some jeans for Atticus and the small baby Ella, because neither one of them have pants that coordinate with the t-shirts.

the three dolls dressed up in their shirts (the girls are going to be so excited, this is a surprise for them that they get when their baby brother is born)

Matching Monkey T-shirts

2009-03-25T16:06:00.004-06:00

My 43rd, 44th and 45th completed sewing projects for 2009!

I was going to Joann's the other day and Autumn asked me to get her some fabric that was blue to make her something out of it. I asked her why, and she said that she wanted to have something to match with her baby brother like her and Prairie had matching clothes after she was born.

May 2006 - Autumn and Prairie's mathcing home from the hospital outfits

I explained to Autumn that this time I made the kids matching outfits for their first Sunday after their baby brother was born. Autumn didn't think that was good enough, and she wanted to have another matching outfit with her baby brother.

Since I am a sucker for matching outfits, I looked at Joann's and found a knit that I liked, that I thought would make the kids cute t-shirts, so I preshunk it, cut it out, and was able to sew all the shirts today.

I would like to make some little t-shirts for Autumn and Prairie's dolls, but my doll clothes patterns have mysteriously disappeared, so I don't know if that will happen. But I think Autumn will be thrilled to have a matching t-shirt with her brother.

a close up of the onesie for the baby boy

a close up of the monkey fabric

all 3 t-shirts all folded up and ready to be given to the kids when the baby brother is born

Little Mermaid Dress-up costume

2009-03-24T15:44:00.002-06:00

My 42nd completed sewing project for 2009!

Since I thought my baby was going to come early, so we got all of our projects done around the house early, now that my baby is coming late, I have had some time, so I decided to finish my sewing projects for Prairie's birthday, so I won't have that hanging over my head after our baby is born.

Prairie loves Ariel from the Little Mermaid, and she also loves all the dress ups that her older sister has. Sometimes Autumn isn't very good about sharing, so I thought it was about time that Prairie has some of her very own dress ups. I liked this pattern because it isn't actually a tail, but it gives that suggestion. The only thing I regret is that I have been planning to make this for her for a while, and I saw the perfect fabric at Joann's during Halloween season. It was green shimmery fabric that had scales on it, perfect for a mermaid tail, but they don't carry it this time of year, so I had to make due with what I could find.

I think Prairie will love it, and I am happy to say that I have her birthday presents all done, yay!

No sew tutu project

2009-03-23T22:14:00.003-06:00

This isn't really a sewing project but I wanted to post a picture of it. This is a birthday present for Prairie in May. I thought since this baby is going late I might as well get some of her birthday presents done.

I bought 1.5 yards of each color, so for a total of 3 yards of tulle. Prairie's favorite color is green, and I asked her what other color she likes and she said blue, so that is why it is blue and green. I used my rotary cutter, and just cut the entire 3 yards of tulle into 6 in strips. Then each strip I cut in half because the fabric was wide enough.

The only sewing I did was sewing the elastic into a loop. I did 18" of 3/4 inch non-roll elastic. Then I just folded each piece of tulle in half and then looped/tied it on the elastic.

Anyway I was really happy with out it turned out, and I think Prairie will really like it, and it is a perfect present for a 3 year old, that pretends to be a ballerina.

Baby boy red bow tie

2009-03-20T17:09:00.000-06:00

My 41st completed sewing project for 2009!

This is the tying bow tie that goes with the plaid vest that I made for our baby boy. His outfit is now complete. I was able to find a nice pair of infant red socks to wear with it, which will look cute because his sisters have red tights to wear. So the first sunday ourfits are completely done! The girls have their skirts, Ben has his bow tie, and our baby boy will have his red bow tie, his plaid vest, black slacks and dress shoes.

Here is a picture of his complete outfit (the bow tie doesn't look quite that orange in real life, it is more of a cherry red).

Ben had the idea to try the outfit on our largest baby doll, so that he could actually tie the bow tie and see how it looks. We were really pleased. Now I am thinking that I will make a few more bow ties, so that our boy has choices when it comes to Sunday.

Plaid Bow Tie

2009-03-19T17:25:00.004-06:00

My 40th completed sewing project for 2009!

When I completed the circle skirts for the girls and the little vest for our baby boy, Ben really really wanted to have a coordinating bow tie. I told him I really didn't have fabric left and it was just scraps. Well I saw what I could do, and pieced it in a number of places, but I was able to scrap together enough to make Ben a bow tie.

Ben is really excited and it will look nice with his Black pin stripe suit. Also I really really need to finish the bow tie for out little boy to go with his vest. He is going to have a little red bow tie, it is cut out, I just need to actually sew it.

I think for plaid it looks best to do it on the bias, but in retrospect I wish I would have done a heavier interfacing, or a sew in interfacing, because I am worried that it is going to stretch out, and I didn't sew it to be an adjustable bow tie, it is sewn to fit Ben's neck perfectly. Oh well. I might have to add an adjuster, or at some point take it in in the neck if it gets too stretched out.

Toddler Hooded Towel

2009-03-13T11:46:00.001-06:00

My 39th completed sewing project for 2009!

The towel that Prairie has been using is the one that I made for Autumn when she was an infant. When Prairie was born I made Autumn a new towel that had a larger hooded section so that it would fit better over her head, because the small one is really for designed for an infant/baby.

This is Prairie has a 2 month old using the infant hooded towel, which will now be for our baby boy to use. (July 2006)

This is Autumn using the towel that I made for her when Prairie was born. It is supposed to look like a blue ladybug, because there are blue ladybugs on our shower curtain. (July 2006)

Well Prairie has been using that hooded towle ever since she was born, even though at her 15 months old , she had the head size of an average 3 year old (yes she has a large head). The hooded part of the towel really hasn't fit on her head for a while, but having another baby is the motivation I needed to make her a new towel.

Now the hooded section of the towel fits fine on her head, and she still has plenty of room to grow into ti.

Prairie's new towel

Prairie trying on her new towel, she was so pleased with it she insisted on bringing it to pick up Autumn from preschool.

Close-up of Prairie with her hooded towel, resembling the emperor in Star Wars, but still so cute with the chocolate frosting from donuts this morning on her face.

Brown Onesie

2009-03-11T21:33:00.004-06:00

My 38th completed sewing project for 2009!

I know this onesie kind of looks funky, but I made it to wear under a pair of overalls kind of outfit, so you won't see that I had to piece it. I didn't want to have to buy anything to make this project, which I didn't, so I just used scraps from home, but there wasn't enough of the dark brown to do the whole thing, and I thought a onesie is a lot nicer than just a t-shirt, because the t-shirt would get all scrunchy under the overalls.

Autumn and I went to DI (the local thrift store) together shortly after we found out we were having a boy, so we found the green outfit pictured below, at the store for $1 and thought it looked like a good outfit for a boy born in late winter/ early spring. Anyway I didn't have a coordinating onesie to wear under it, or really any long sleeve onesies for that matter, so I made one from fabric I had at home, my grandma would be proud.

See this onesie doesn't look quite so dorky when it is with the outfit, and you can't see that it is two-toned.

Infant romper outfit

2009-03-07T12:04:00.001-07:00

My 37th completed sewing project for 2009!

I started this project in July like the day after we found out we were pregnant. I have had most of it done that first week, and haven't touched it since then. I decided this morning that I really needed to sit down and finish it or this baby wouldn't use it. I didn't know we were having a boy when I started this, so I wanted it to be gender neutral.

I also really like this outfit because it is from scraps from my Grandma's basement that has passed away. She is the kind of woman that didn't waste anything, so I know she would be proud that I pieced the fabric together so there was enough to make a little infant outfit, and it

makes me feel a little closer to my Grandma.

Mattress Covers

2009-03-06T20:19:00.002-07:00

My 35th and 36th completed sewing projects for 2009!

I made mattress covers when I was pregnant with Prairie, but it was for a pack'n play and the mattress covers really didn't fit well on this real mattress. So my mom brough an old twim mattress cover that she wasn't using anymore and I cut it up to make two mattress covers. They fit the mattress better and don't bow it. We use a crib that is smaller, it is the size of a pack'n play or the same kind of cribs that they have at hotels. We really like our crib because it is small, it has wheels on it, it folds down compactly, and it fits through doorways.

Prairie's Baby Doll Sling

2009-03-05T08:20:00.002-07:00

My 34th completed sewing project for 2009!

This is Prairie's baby doll sling that she is getting as a present once our baby boy is born. I feel very relieved to have both of the slings done. I think the girls will love having their very own slings.

Autumn's Baby Doll sling

2009-03-04T22:17:00.002-07:00

My 33rd completed sewing project for 2009!

When I was pregnant with Prairie, I wanted Autumn to have something special when our baby was born. So I made a diaper bag with all the same things that I would use for Prairie. This time I thought the present the girls would get is a baby doll sling. So they are each getting a sling once our baby is born. I finally got around to making them and I finished Autumn's, now to finish Prairie's.

Baby Boy Quilt

2009-03-03T23:22:00.004-07:00

My 32nd completed sewing project for 2009!

This quilt has been in the making for a quite a while. I had all the fabric bought last February (months before I was trying to even get pregnant). Then I cut out everything for this quilt once we found out we were pregnant in July. I started it, and then didn't touch it again until the beginning of February, and kind of worked like crazy on this quilt.

Doing the edges not straight was me and my mom's design, and I think it looks really fun with this quilt. It makes the binding take a lot longer, but I finished it, so that is what really matters. Anyway I am pleased to have the quilt done, I love the bright colors.

These are pictures of the quilt from the back before the backing fabric was added and quilted. You can see how much time I spent pressing out all the seams.

My helpful photographer

Diaper Hanging Bag

2009-03-03T16:15:00.003-07:00

My 31st completed sewing project for 2009!

This was a completely unnecessary project, but as I was organizing my new shelf today that Ben built me over the weekend, and making sure all the diapering stuff was just so, I thought "wouldn't it be nice to have a new diaper hanging bag that matched my bedroom". So then I went off to my sewing room, found leftover fabric from other projects, and actually enough purple and blue fabrics from scraps from my wedding quilt (made 7 years ago) and put this together today.

Was it the best use of my time? I was supposed to mop the kitchen, and clean my bedroom bathroom today, but I will have to say it is fun to have something to spruce up my room, and I like that it matches. Now I want to make some black curtains for my windowm, a black dust ruffle for my bed, and get blue or purple towels for Ben and I to use when we shower, so that when they are hanging in our room on the wall they match. Sounds nice, right?

Matching Sunday Outfits

2009-03-02T22:57:00.006-07:00

My 28th, 29th and 30th completed sewing projects for 2009!

When Prairie was born I had matching outfits for Autumn and Prairie to wear home from the the hospital as seen here. This time I decided to do matching outfits for the first sunday that we take our little boy to church. I finished Prairie and Autumn's skirts today, and then was able to finsih the vest for our little baby boy, that will go with his sunday outfit that I have already posted about. I still need to make a bow tie or neck tie out of red fabric for him to go with his sunday outfit. Ben is also hoping I can piece the scraps and make him a bow tie out of the plaid fabric so he can match the kids.

This is fabric that my mom actually bought my senior year of high school. I know that we had bought atleast some to make a bow tie for my friend, but I have no idea why we got so much. With the girls circle skirts, there is very little left, in fact I am going to have to piece it to make a bow tie for Ben. But I did get a pair of maternity pants out of this fabric also as you can see here from my last pregnancy.

Autumn's skirt (no modeling because she is still out of town)

Baby boy vest with his sunday shirt and black slacks (he has interchangable vests)

Prairie modeling the whole outfit. I had brand new red tights for both girls to go with the outfit, and I have some infant sized red socks for our little boy

Baby Boy Sunday Outfit

2009-02-26T21:23:00.001-07:00

My 27th completed sewing project for 2009!

This project has been in the works for quite a while, and it was a lot of work, so bear with me, because I posted a lot of pictures to show all the details.

I had a good friend in NY that was very particular about dress clothes, and I think it has totally influenced me. Because since I knew I was having a baby boy, I really wanted him to have some nice clothes to wear to church on Sunday, and I want him to have real tying ties and bow ties (my next project).

Anyway it is really difficult to find dress clothes for infants, or they are really expensive. I haven't even been able to find patterns, so hence part of the reason this project was so intense, is I had to design a lot of my own pattern. I combined a couple of patterns and made up some stuff myself to get this design. I really tried to get the details to really look like a men's dress shirt. Anyway I am really pleased with the result and Ben was so excited for his little boy to wear it. Now to figure out little neck ties and bow ties.

Back view the vest on

close up of the vest and shirt (those are little white buttons that are actually snaps)

the shirt without the vest (cute little pocket is covered by the vest)

All the buttons, the cuffs, the vest and the shirt front

Back view with the vest off (it is a romper, the shirt does not tuck in, it is attached to the pants)

close up of the back of the shirt, with the yoke that men's dress shirts have

close up of the cuff (it doesn't actually button and unbutton, the button is just there for decoration)

the snaps in the crotch seam, for easy diaper changing, also I did the snaps so you can't see them when it is all snapped up, which i think makes it look a little fancier

So I think my older daughter will be happy. A couple of weeks ago when I was working tons and tons on the baby quilt, she asked me "what is more important mom, a quilt or church?" She thought I should be working on her baby brother's sunday outfit, not his quilt. Maybe I will post pictures of the quilt in a couple of days, I am just hand sewing the binding down, and then it will be all done.

Swaddling Blanket

2009-02-25T20:07:00.001-07:00

My 26th completed sewing project for 2009!

I am a big swaddler and I like to have a special swaddling blanket for each child. I picked this fabric out before I was even trying to get pregnant. I had decided to make the 3rd baby quilt red and orange, and I thought this would be fun to go along with the red and orange baby quilt

Baby Bean Bag

2009-02-25T10:40:00.003-07:00

My 25th completed sewing project for 2009!

My good friend from college has made a bean bag for each one of her kids when they are born. They are really cute, and they look like they work so well with infants. Anyway she was nice enough to send me the pattern that she designed. I got the pattern in the mail on Monday and was so excited I cut out the bean bag that night from scraps I had at home. I have some upholstery fabric scraps from different recovering projects that I have done in my front room.

Anyway I finished the bean bag this morning. Prairie has been really excited about it. I actually finished the cover yesterday and she has been taking the cover around filling it up with junk. Now they I filled the liner with the beans, I told her not to open the zipper anymore. Anyway I am excited to be able to use it with our baby boy, and I am sure the girls will enjoy it too. Also I am excited because it matches the front room.

Prairie is fake sleeping here (you can also see the new couch cover my mom made for me while she was here)

Looney Tunes Bassinet Sheets

2009-02-24T23:41:00.003-07:00

My 23rd and 24th completed sewing projects for 2009!

Please ignore my bad photoshop skills, this is the same mattress just with different sheets on in each picture

I bought our bassinet at a garage sale when Prairie was a few months old. At that point she was sleeping through the night, so she was sleeping in her crib in a shared bedroom with Autumn, so we really didn't use the bassinet that much, except for naps sometimes. Well it came with a sheet, but it has some stains, and I thought since we would be using it a lot, it would be nice to have some sheets that were new, or atleast that didn't have someone else's stains.

I was originally going to do a looney tunes applique quilt as the baby quilt for this baby, but then decided not to. But when I thought I was going to do that, my mom had found a leftover panel of looney tunes characters at one of her quilt group things. Anyway I thought some of the pieces pieced together would make nice sheets for the bassinet, so I pieced them together, and violia! I have bassinet sheets. I think Ben will be happy because he has been wanting me to do something with Looney tunes for all of our kids, so I have new sheets, Ben has looney tunes, and I used supplies from my house, a great project.

There is our bassinet all ready for out little boy. As of Wednesday February 25th I am 37 weeks and our baby is considered full term now, so I am really feeling the rush to be ready. (as a side note both of my girls were late, Autumn 10 days and Prairie 7, so I don't realistically think our little boy is coming anytime soon, but I want to feel ready)

Canned Food Wallhanging

2009-02-22T22:54:00.008-07:00

My 22nd completed sewing project for 2009!

We found out late in the year that we had Ben's sister for Christmas. I had had this idea of doing a wallhanging for her sometime, but hadn't actually started it or anything. When we found out we had them for Christmas I really wanted to do this wallhanging for her. My sister-in-law does soooooo much canning. She is amazing all that she has stored at her house and she grows almost all of it in her garden. I thought this would be a neat wallhanging to celebrate all that work that she does for her family.

It is kind of an intense project, so I wasn't able to completely finish this before Christmas. I did complete the top, so she would have a pretty good idea how it would look. Ben requested a few weeks ago if I could finish this for her birthday (February 23rd). I wasn't sure because I have been trying to get a lot of projects done for our baby boy. Well I had some time today so I worked on it and was able to finish, phew just in time.

I am really pleased with it. I love the fabrics (my mom was nice enough to get these for me). I looked at some patterns for bottles online, but then ultimately made up my own pattern, and I am pleased with how it turned out. I have enough of the fruit and vegetable fabrics that I could make something similar for myself sometime. Anyway I am excited to have this done, it has been hanging over my head since Christmas, and I really like having projects done, especially with a new little baby coming, who knows when I will get to stuff.

Terry Cloth Changing Pad cover take 2

2009-02-21T21:02:00.001-07:00

My 21st completed sewing project for 2009!

I finished the second changing pad cover, so I think we are set for diapering stuff. I really need to finish our baby boy's quilt (I just have the binding left) and a couple of more outfits, oh yeah and a couple of sheets for the bassinet. I am feeling almost ready for this baby.

Terry cloth Changing Pad Cover

2009-02-19T18:17:00.002-07:00

My 20th completed project for 2009!

I got some terrycloth at Joann's to make a couple of covers for changing pad. I am really happy with how it turned out and I have enough fabric to make a second cover. This way when we have some little accidents, it will be easy to clean up, and terrycloth is soooo absorbent.

Changing Pad

2009-02-19T18:05:00.004-07:00

My 19th completed sewing project for 2009!

I even moved the non skid pads so they were still centered on the new length and I also moved the straps so they were still centered

My big splurge for this baby is to buy a contoured changing pad. But after I bought it I didn't like how long it was. Then I checked it on the bathroom counter where I was going to put it, and it overhung the sink. So my mom had the idea that I could take it apart and shorten it. So I hijacked the changing pad and I am really happy with the result. It fits very nicely on the counter, and it is still long enough to put Prairie's nighttime diaper on, so I think it will be plenty long for an infant.

Paisley Baby Sling

2009-02-11T21:49:00.002-07:00

My 17th completed sewing project for 2009!

Ben's little sister is pregnant and due 2 weeks after me. When we went to visit her in August in Idaho we picked out fabric to make her a baby sling. I LOVE the fabric that she picked out. I finished her sling because she was going to be visiting this weekend and I knew I wouldn't see her again until after her baby is born. Anyway I thought it turned out really nice. I really love baby slings and they are really easy to sew up.

Flowered Baby Girl Dress

2009-02-06T19:45:00.002-07:00

My 16th completed sewing project for 2009!

I had a baby shower that I was going to, so I decided to make a present with some fabric that I had allready. This is a 3-6 month dress and I thought it turned out really cute.

Princess Footed Pajamas

2009-02-03T15:33:00.002-07:00

My 15th completed sewing project for 2009!

Autumn has worn holes into her Christmas pajamas already. I am going to patch the holes, but she has been wearing the pajamas sooooo much that I thought having a second pair wouldn't be a bad idea. My mom bought this fleece over a year ago for Autumn, but we never did anything with it, so she sent it to me so I could make her another pair of pajamas. Autumn LOVES the new pajamas because they are princesses. She is going on a trip to NY in a little bit and she said the only article of clothing that she was packing was her princess pajamas.

Under the sea crib sheets

2009-02-01T21:50:00.001-07:00

My 13th and 14th completed sewing projects for 2009!

These are just some sheets I made for our crib for our baby boy. I wanted a couple of new sheets for him. I was excited to have some sheets that coordinate with the fish theme in the girls room. So these are fun easy projects that sew up really quick.

Baby Boy Carseat

2009-01-31T16:37:00.003-07:00

My 12th complete sewing project for 2009!

I finished the carseat, and feel much better. I was feeling a little silly that I waited so long to finish this project. I was going to feel really foolish if our boy was born early and I didn't have his carseat ready. So now I feel much better because it is all ready. Also I figured out a new way to do the binding and elastic, that was way easier, and also the little clips weren't difficult at all to sew on, which I thought they might be. Anyways I am pleased to have it done, and Ben loves it (which I am glad since he is the one that picked out the fabric.)

More carseat work in progress

2009-01-28T09:46:00.002-07:00

So I worked really hard on the carseat over the weekend, and haven't touched it since then. I finshed the sun shade, and it looks really nice, I really love having the linging fabric in it. I used the leftover fabric from the sheet that I cut up to make the wedding dress bag to do the lining and the back side of the cushion for the actualy carseat part.

I also got a lot done on the cushion part. I got all the batting pieces cut out, the back pieces, I zig-zagged them together and then sewed the pieces together. I also put the over large buttonholes in for where the straps come through, and I put the letter Z on the carseat. Yes our son's name is goig to start with a Z.

So the next part, I am not looking forward to, and that is probably why the carseat isn't done yet. I need to put the binding on and put the elastic on the edges and also sew on these hook things that keep the cushion attached to the plastic part of the carseat.

the finished sun shade

the carseat partially done (waiting for the binding and elastic)

my messy sewing room after working on the carseat somewhat obsessively

Hello Kitty Jammies

2009-01-26T23:00:00.005-07:00

My 11th complete project for 2009!

I bought this fabric back in September for Prairie's Christmas pajamas, but then decided that she would love the ariel pajamas even more, so decided to not use the Hello Kitty fabric. Well I couldn't have predicted how much she would wear her ariel jammies. Basically she wears them constantly, and only takes them off when I tell her she has to get on clothes to go somewhere, and then as soon as we get back to our house, she immediately changes back into her pajamas (Autumn is doing exactly the same thing). They are both wearing their Christmas Jammies out, so I thought it wouldn't hurt them to each have a second pair of pajamas, especially since they are eating most of their meals in their pajamas.

So this is a back up pair of pajamas, she likes them, but they hold nothing to the Ariel jammies. My girls are pure girl, they love disney princesses.

Carseat - work in progress

2009-01-23T09:33:00.003-07:00

No new finished projects. I was on such a roll before we went on vacation. Ben said I should bring my sewing machine so I could keep up with my average of finishing 1 project a day.

I had fun sewing up those spiderman pajamas, but decided that before I sew up any more baby clothes I need to finish some of the essentials, like the carseat. My carseat that I used for Prairie and Autumn had expired, and so I bought a new one for this pregnancy. I like having unique infant carseats, since you take it everywhere and then it is easier not to get confused with other peoples carseats, especially at church. So I am making a new cover for the carseat. If you want to see what the carseat covers have looked like that I did for my two girls click here.

So I ripped apart the carseat cover in early december and haven't touched it since then. Ben picked out the fabric for the cover the day we found out we were having a boy. Ben wants to be very involved in choices since it is his son. So I got a lot of it cut out yesterday and finished ripping apart the sun shade on the carseat. Hopefully I can start getting it sewn together. I would hate to have the baby come early and not have the carseat ready, I would feel very foolish.

the naked carseat

the original carseat cover all pulled apart

the new one cut out with some of the pattern pieces still attached (I made my own pattern from the original one that I ripped apart)

the sun shade cut out and th original one (the tan pieces are the original one, and I made notes on it to remember where the different pieces attach to eachother). Also there is all the little pieces of fabric that I still have to cut out that are piled up on one of the orignal sun shade pieces

Also I am going to line my sun shade and the original one wasn't, which will make it even nicer, lining makes things soooo nice!

Spiderman PJ's take 3

2009-01-20T21:15:00.004-07:00

My 10th complete project for 2009!

So this is the last project that I am doing out of the spiderman fleece that my mom bought me. I threw away the rest of the scraps, and it really was scraps. Actually now that I typed that I realized that after everything I cut out, there was one complete spiderman that had no cut in it, so I carefully cut it out to applique onto a shirt or some outfit for our little boy in the future, so I guess I will maybe have one more project out of that fleece.

I am pretty excited to be sewing some clothes for my little boy. I went through our baby clothes the last two days and was dumbfounded to find plenty of boy and gender neutral clothes for our little boy for the first 6 months. I thought I was going to have to go crazy sewing. I don't have any dress clothes for him, or swimwear, but that is a small list compared to what I thought I was going to have to make. Don't get me wrong, I am still going to sew a few outfits for this sping and then for this summer, but they aren't as necessary as I originally thought.

The Pink Ipod case

2009-01-08T16:00:00.004-07:00

My 9th complete project for 2009!

I made this for Autumn the day before we left for Puerto Rico. We thought this Ipod had died, and said Autumn could play with it as a pretend one. Well one time she said she thought she saw something on the screen, so I tried a hard restart and charged it up and it was good to go (I guess Ben didn't need to buy a new one in July). Anyway that was still months ago, Ben told her he didn't want her to have head phones, but I thought it would be okay for the trip. So we got some princess music loaded on, and borrowed a pair of headphones from the portable DVD player.

Then I surprised her the next day by making this case. It is out of pink wool felt, and has a plastic cover so the ipod doesn't get scratched and it has a hole to plus in the headphones, and a pocket to store the headphones when she isn't listening to it. Also it has a strap so she can carry it easily.

Let's just say Autumn was beyond thrilled, watching her dance around with her new ipod case was priceless.

Back view with the pocket

View from the top, pink velcro to keep the ipod in its pocket, and the pocket with the headphones in them

Side view

view of the case with the flap open

the Lavendar shirred dress

2009-01-08T11:50:00.002-07:00

My 8th complete project for 2009!

I had two shirred dresses all cut out for Priarie since September, and this morning when I got up I really didn't feel like doing the cleaning to leave on our trip, so I thought I should whip up this dress for Prairie. Also it feels nice not to have those projects hanging over my head, since I had already cut them out. Prairie was very pleased and will be wearing it on the plane tomorrow.

Black with Green flower maternity swimsuit

2009-01-07T21:13:00.001-07:00

My 7th complete project for 2009!

I am really really happy with my second maternity swimsuit. I added some height onto the bodice, so I get a little bit better coverage, I did some of the seams tighter, overall it is easier the second time because you can make something fit you really well. I am excited to go swimming with my two new swimsuits.

Blue Leaves shirred dress

2009-01-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

My 6th complete project for 2009!

This was a project I cut out in September to make at my mom's house in NY, but I never finished it. I decided that since all Prairie would wear during the summer, I should maybe come prepared to Puerto Rico. So I decided that I would finish this dress today. I think she will like it. Now i think she needs a pair of knee length black leggins to go with it .... I guess we will see what I have time for tomorrow.

Maternity board shorts

2009-01-06T23:05:00.003-07:00

My 5th complete sewing project for 2009!

These are the completed maternity board shorts

I really like to wear a pair of shorts with a swimsuit, but my shorts that I usually wear didn't fit because I am pregnant, and also I really wanted to have cute swimwear, like thinkgs actually matched. So I found that below pair of pants at DI (local thrift store) for $4.

They were way too long, but also way to small, so I thought the extra length would help me add to the sides so that they fit appropriately. I used my maternity pants pattern as a template, and used some of my board shorts to figure out the length. I did a curved cutout in the front, so it hugs right underneath my huge tummy. I redid the waistband, and did the waistband on the front of the pants on the bias so it can work with the curve of the pants.

I also had added 8.5" of width to the shorts so that they would fit me correctly. If you notice in the above picture, there is only one green striped on the side of the pants. When I added width, I used the green part, so there were then double stripes. I actually had to unpick the white racing stripe entirely because it was over the seam line. So then I added back in over one of the seam lines that I did. If you look very carefully on the bottom picture you should be able to see the other seam line, but because the racing stripe is covering up one of them, it is normal to have a side seam, and so it doesn't really look like I added anything.

I am pretty pleased with out these turned out. If I were to do the project again however, I think I would have 1.5" of height on the back of the shorts, so that they rode me a little higher and felt a little more snug, especially in the front that they are trying to stay on underneath my tummy. Overall they are nice, and it wasn't worth another 2 hours of work to take off the waistband and add height to the back of the shorts.

Prairie's Butterfly Swimsuit

2009-01-06T13:25:00.004-07:00

My 4th complete sewing project for 2009!

This is another prep for Puerto Rico trip sewing project. Prairie has one swimsuit (that was Autumn's) that is a little too large, and two swimsuits from this past summer that are too small (can we say wedgie city?). Anyway I actually started this swimsuit in July, but never put the elastic in the arm, leg, and neck holes, so I did that today, and it turned out great! If I could make Prairie one more swimsuit, I think she would be really set. Autumn has 3 swimsuits that fit right now, so I know she is good to go.

Prairie modeling her new swimsuit

July 2006, Prairie showing off her swimsuit

I really wanted to include this picture too. This is a swimsuit I made for Autumn when she was 9 months old to wear. So this is swimsuit fabric that I have had for about 4.5 years. Anyway this is when Prairie is a baby and she is wearing the swimsuit out of the same fabric that her new swimsuit is out of.

Wedding Dress Bag

2009-01-03T11:09:00.002-07:00

My 3rd complete project for 2009!

This has been on my list of things to get done for about a year and a half. I am so glad to have it done. My mom made a bag for my wedding dress, but then when my sister got married, we just started using my wedding dress bag to get her dress from one place to the next. Anyways so I have had this white sheet to make a bag for my dress for a while.

Since we moved from our old apartment in September I have been storing my wedding dress in Ben's suitcase, but we were trying to start getting things packed up for our trip to Puerto Rico, so I decided it was high time I made the bag for my wedding dress. So I made it and it is done. My wedding dress is safe, and Ben can now have his suitcase back and pack up our trip.

The Ariel Travel Pillow

2009-01-03T10:05:00.005-07:00

My 2nd complete project for 2009!

Prairie is a very picky sleeper, so I have been a little concerned about her on the trip. She isn't sleeping in a crib anymore, but refuses to sleep with anything except her Mickey Mouse foot pillow (that her Grandma Mary Anne made for her) and her Monkey blanket.

Anyway I told her that her Mickey Mouse Foot Pillow is too large to take on the trip, and I don't think she will use a regular pillow at the hotel so I decided I would make her a travel pillow. We had some leftover flannel from her new sheets, so she picked that out. The Pillow was a quick sew and I was really happy when Prairie took her nap that day she requested her Ariel pillow. I think we will be okay on th trip.

Crazy Maternity Swimsuit

2009-01-02T17:41:00.001-07:00

My 1st complete project for 2009!

So we are going to Puerto Rico with my Dad, and sister and her husband on the 9th of January so I am in high gear to get everything ready for Puerto Rico. I don't have any maternity swimsuits, and I tried on my swimsuit, thinking that maybe it would just stretch over my huge tummy, but it really didn't fit well, so I am sewing some swimsuits, because it is sooooo much cheaper than buying them.

So I took a pattern and and added a seam line in the front and added some extra room for my tummy, and then just gathered it at the bust line. This is the first time I have made a swimsuit for myself from a pattern, with a built in bra and everything, and I am really pleased with the outcome. I am hoping to make two more swimsuits and a pair of pregnancy board shorts to wear there also, so I have a lot of sewing to do.

This is the pattern I used Kwik 3416 and I did view A, I did straps from the sides instead of the center, and I sewed them in so I don't have to bother with tying straps.

A Year in Review

2009-01-01T09:50:00.002-07:00

So I just wanted to write a little note after posting SO many projects yesterday. I just wanted to try to get everything updated before the end of the year.

I started this blog about a year ago because I was feeling a little unfulfilled being at home full time. I felt like I wasn't doing anything with my life. Don't get me wrong, I totally think raising my kids is really important, doing the laundry, dishes, making meals, but I didn't feel like I was doing stuff for myself or making progress just for myself. I had the idea to keep a blog to keep track of all the sewing projects I did. I have really enjoyed keeping track of everything I sewed, and so I can look back at this year and not think "all I did is scrub the carpet hundreds of times when Prairie had accidents", but I can see the talent that I am developing.

Anyway I don't know how many people that actually read this blog, and that doesn't really bother me if hardly anyone does. I do like sharing what I do with the free time that I have. I really love sewing, I love creating. I really loved the section about creation in Deitor F. Utchdorf's talk in September 2008 and especially this quote "Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things." I felt some deep satisfaction this past year sewing projects and seeing what I am able to create with a little fabric, some patterns, imagination and work. I really love being a mom, but I know that my sewing machine and the creations that happen because of it help me stay sane, and enjoy all the time with my children even more.

Anyway for those of you that read, look forward to another year of seeing the projects that I am making. The first thing on my list of things to do is to get ready for a family vacation in Puerto Rico on January 9th, and after that I will be in high gear to get everything ready for our little baby boy to arrive in March, so lots of boy baby clothes, so cute and so fun to make.

Black Maternity t-shirt

2008-12-30T11:35:00.001-07:00

My 114th completed sewing project for 2008

Ben was kind enough to get me the really cute maternity shirt pictured below from Target for Christmas. I then took the shirt and made a pattern off of it, and lengthened the sleeves and made the above black maternity t-shirt. If I were to make another shirt I would make some changes to the pattern that I drew up, but overall I am pleased with the result.

Plum colored Maternity Shirt

2008-12-28T21:30:00.001-07:00

My 113th completed sewing projects for 2008!

This is the same pattern as the green one, just a different color. I am really glad to have a couple of more long sleeve maternity shirts -- thanks for the fabric mom.

Ariel Sheets

2008-12-28T19:26:00.001-07:00

My 112th completed sewing project for 2008!

I have been trying to figure out a way to help Prairie potty train at night. I bought this flannel and told her that when she has a dry diaper in the morning she gets to use the Ariel sheets that night. We have had the flannel for almost 4 weeks and it hasn't done much to encourage her, but her diaper was dry Sunday morning so I had to hurry and sew the sheets so that night when she went to bed she got the Ariel sheets.

Green Maternity Shirt

2008-12-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

My 111th completed sewing project for 2008!

I really don't have very long sleeved maternity shirts, and this wasn't a big deal when I was pregnant with Prairie because we didn't control our heat and it stayed plenty warm in our apartment. Now that we are paying for our heat, we are being really cheap, and we keep it cold, so I really needed some more long sleeved shirts, so my mom was nice enough to bring out some fabric for me to make some shirts with.

Spiderman Fleece Ball

2008-12-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

My 110th completed sewing project!

I don't have a picture of this project and I already gave it to my nephew. We gave my 3 year old nephew an outdoor bouncy spiderman ball, and we didn't think his little brother should be left out so I made a little fleece ball from the leftover spiderman fabric for him with a big belle in it so when he rolls it around it will make a little noise.

50 east pieces blocks

2008-12-24T17:11:00.001-07:00

the 50 completed blocks

the blocks all cut and placed next to each other

I told my mom that for her birthday I wanted to make 50 easy pieces blocks for her generations unite quilt. We got so busy doing other projects for Christmas, that she told me not to worry about it. But a couple of times when she ran errands and I didn't go I worked on the blocks and was able to finish the blocks for her for Christmas. It was really fun to surprise her on Christmas morning with those 50 blocks all sewn up for her special quilt.

The Belle Princess Dress

2008-12-23T22:13:00.001-07:00

My 109th completed sewing project for 2008!

I actually cut this dress out to make for Christmas last year, but decided that one princess dress a Christmas is plenty, especially considering the number of hours I have to put in to complete one of these. Autumn seemed pleased with the dress and I was very happy with the finished product, now the problem is that Prairie is old enough that she wants to wear them, but Autumn doesn't want to share them.

Baby Doll Clothes Bag

2008-12-23T21:08:00.001-07:00

My 108th completed sewing project for 2008!

so after all those clothes that I made for Prairie's baby doll, I figured that she needed a bag to keep all the clothes in. I had leftover bedding fabric so I did that for the lining and I had some scraps from some capris and skirt that I made a year and a half ago that I made the outside of the bag. I made little straps with velcro on the back of the bag so that it could hang on the crib.

Bum flapped PJ's for baby doll

2008-12-23T14:01:00.001-07:00

My 107th completed sewing project for 2008!

This is another matching pajamas for Prairie's baby doll for Christmas. It is to match some FDNY pajamas that my mom gave to Autumn when she was 2.5 years old. Prairie doesn't ever wear them to bed, but occasionally she will wear them around the house. I thought it would be cute for her baby to have some bum flap pajamas.

This is a picture of Autumn wearing the pajamas when they fit her (this is the night that Prairie was born, it was the best picture that I could of them without having to take a new one, I know I am lazy)

Stack 'n Whack quilt and pillows

2008-12-23T11:00:00.005-07:00

My 104th, 105th and 106th completed sewing projects for 2008!

a good couch sized quilt

those are weird shadows from the trees (shot of the back of the quilt)

the label

Pillow #1

Pillow #2

what the back of the pillows look like

This was Jennie's Christmas present from me. I started this in April because she is doing a full sized stack 'n whack out of these fabrics for her bed. I was originally just using the leftover pieces, but the project escalated enough that I had to buy enough fabric to finish my projects for her. So when she finishes her quilt she will have a full sized bed one, and these she can put on a futon or something.

Baby Doll Ariel Jammies

2008-12-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

My 103rd completed sewing project for 2008!

Of course Prairie's new baby doll had to have matching pajamas, in fact that is what the doll was wrapped up in when Prairie opened the baby on Christmas morning.

The kitty cat shirred baby doll dress

2008-12-21T15:54:00.003-07:00

My 102nd completed sewing project for 2008!

Another matching outfit for Prairie's baby doll for Christmas. This little shirred dress was made to match the one that Prairie is wearing in the picture below.

the Baby Doll Jeans

2008-12-20T15:47:00.003-07:00

My 101th completed sewing project for 2008!

This is yet another piece of matching clothing for Prairie's baby doll for Christmas.

The Rainbow Footed Jammies

2008-12-19T21:41:00.003-07:00

My 100th completed sewing project for 2008!

Autumn told me that she wanted footed pajamas this year. I actually got this fabric for her pajamas back in April, but have been dreading sewing her pajamas, because the pattern I have for footed pajamas only goes up to 4T and for pajamas Autumn really needed a size 6. I have drafted patterns up in sizes before, but it isn't fun so I had been dreading it. Then my mom suggested where to look to find a footed pajama pattern. I found a one that has sizes from 4-14, and then called my local fabric shop and they carried it so we went out that afternoon and bought the pattern and then I sewed up the pajamas that night. I love patterns.

Autumn calls herself the rainbow fairy when she wears these jammies.

Prairie's Ariel Pajamas

2008-12-19T20:37:00.003-07:00

My 99th completed sewing project for 2008!

These aren't the best pictures of Prairie, but she was absolutely thrilled with her Ariel nightdress, and she actually wore it, and if you know Prairie that is a miracle because she is a naked kid, so since Christmas eve when she got her new jammies she hasn't slept naked, yay!

Spiderman Pajamas Part 3

2008-12-16T15:33:00.002-07:00

My 98th completed sewing project for 2008!

These are the spiderman jammies that I made for my 3-year-old nephew. It might not look it in this picture, but he was really pleased with his new pajamas. We then took pictures with both of the boys and our baby boy doll together. I think we will have to do this photo shoot again in March when our little infant baby boy can wear his spiderman pajamas.

Bear Long Sleeve t-shirt for Doll

2008-12-15T15:30:00.002-07:00

My 97th completed sewing project for 2008!

Another matching t-shirt for Prairie's baby doll for christmas

Kitty Cat Long Sleeve T-shirt for doll

2008-12-13T15:24:00.001-07:00

My 96th completed sewing project for 2008!

Another matching t-shirt for Prairie's baby doll for Christmas

Spiderman Pajamas Part 2

2008-12-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

My 95th completed sewing project for 2008!

So after I cut out the 2 pairs of pajamas for my nephews, and then decided there was enough fabric to make my little baby boy a pair of spiderman pj's, so I cut those out. There were still some decent sized scraps leftover, so I drew up a pajama pattern for this baby. This baby doll is an anatomically correct baby boy doll that Ben got to use for work when he had kids that have been sexually abused. Since we found out that we are having a boy, Ben has let the girls borrow it at home to play with. Well the baby didn't have any clothes and I thought it was high time that this little baby boy had some clothes to wear, so FINALLY this baby has some clothes that actually fit him, and now he is more appropriate for when Ben wants to take him back to work.

Spiderman Pajamas Part 1

2008-12-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

My 94th completed sewing project for 2008!

We had Ben's sister for Christmas that has 2 little boys. The 3 year-old loves Spiderman so we thought matching spiderman pajamas for the boys would be a lot of fun. This is little Dean wearing his Spiderman jammies, doesn't he look excited?!

Yoga Mat Bags

2008-12-06T14:42:00.002-07:00

My 92nd and 93rd completed sewing projects for 2008!

The girls are getting yoga mats for Christmas and so of course they had to have bags for their mats to go into. So I used some of Ben's old khaki pants that he could no longer use, and cut off the legs to make the yoga mat bags and then appliqued the girls' names on the bags.

Baby Doll Body

2008-12-02T22:19:00.002-07:00

My 91st completed sewing project for 2008!

the completed doll that Prairie got for Christmas

I am very very picky about baby dolls. I don't want my girls to just play with any baby doll, I want it to be a doll that I think is very cute, and so I am very selective about what I let into your home on the baby doll basis. Prairie got a baby doll for her 1st birthday, but it is a very small doll, and more difficult to make clothes more. Recently she has gotten really into dressing her doll, but we don't really have clothes to fit her doll, and there are a lot of clothes to fit Auutmn's doll.

I thought it would be nice if Prairie had a doll the same size as Autumn's doll. But like I said I am very picky. Well sometime during the summer, like in June I found a doll head that I really liked at the local thrift store, but I hated the limbs on it. Well I searched and searched on the internet and could never find a good place to buy doll replacement limbs. So finally I was at the thrift store again and found a doll that had perfect limbs for my baby doll. So I hijacked the two dolls and switched the heads, and actually made an entire new body for the doll for Prairie.

My mom a year ago replaced the body for Autumn's doll because her doll is about 24 years old, and it was wearing out, so I had the original body as a pattern, so that the dolls would be the same size.

If I were to redo it I would know better how to make sure the doll actualyl had shoulders, but it turned out pretty well.

The orignal body and limbs of the head used for Prairie's baby, and then I put that second head with that body (so this is the baby that is getting donated back to the thrift store, because I really do not like the limbs or the head)

The body parts from Autumn's doll being used as a pattern to make a new body for Prairie's baby doll.

Prairie's baby doll head and limbs assembled from two different baby dolls waiting for their new body.

Fish Curtains for Windows

2008-11-29T10:18:00.002-07:00

My 90th completed sewing project for 2008!

I just made some simple window topper curtains for the girls' room window that matched the fabric for the shelf curtains. I also got another fish printed fabric with the aqua as the main color to do a sheet for the crib for our baby boy. It should look really cute.

Baby Doll Froggy Blanket

2008-11-28T22:14:00.002-07:00

My 89th completed sewing project for 2008!

This is the quilt that I made for Prairie's baby doll crib, and this is all the bedding put together and all ready for Christmas.

Fireplace Curtains

2008-11-28T10:15:00.001-07:00

My 88th completed sewing project for 2008!

I made these curtains to go under the fireplace to hide all the toys. They are hung up with velcro, and there is splits about every 2 ft so that the toys are easier to get to. I am really happy with how the curtains turned out.

Fish Curtains for Girls bookshelf

2008-11-24T10:13:00.002-07:00

My 87th completed sewing project for 2008!

the shelves with the curtains closed

the shelves without the curtains

I made these curtains to go over the built in bookcase in the Girls' room. Autumn is keeping all of her "treasures" on there and the junk is driving me crazy, so I was happy when I found this fabric at Walmart, that was the right color and went with their undersea theme. I LOVE having the curtains over the shelves.

Doll rust colored t-shirt

2008-11-22T11:12:00.001-07:00

My 86th completed sewing project for 2008!

Another matching t-shirt for Prairie's baby doll for christmas

Orange fleecey sweatshirt and pants for doll

2008-11-22T10:11:00.001-07:00

My 84th and 85th completed sewing projects for 2008!

More clothes for Prairie's baby doll for Christmas

Doll Pillow

2008-11-20T10:09:00.001-07:00

My 83rd completed project for 2008!

This is a pillow to go with the matching bedding for Prairie for Christmas for her baby doll crib.

Doll Black t-shirt and pants

2008-11-19T11:07:00.001-07:00

My 81st and 82nd completed projects for 2008!

These are just more clothes for Prairie's baby doll for Christmas. I am going a little overboard with the clothes, but loving it!

Doll Receiving Blanket

2008-11-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

My 80th completed project for 2008!

This is another Christmas present for Prairie's new baby doll. I swaddle my infants a lot, so I want to make sure that Prairie has a swaddling blanket to swaddle her doll in when I swaddle our baby.

Doll Crib Mattress

2008-11-18T10:05:00.001-07:00

My 79th completed project for 2008!

Prairie is getting a baby doll crib for Christmas and it didn't have a sleeping pad in it, so I made this and am making all matching bedding, but this was the first part that was done.

Two Baby Doll t-shirts

2008-11-17T10:02:00.001-07:00

My 77th and 78th completed sewing projects for 2008!

More Christmas presents for Prairie's new baby doll

Crib sheets and crib mattress covers

2008-11-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

My 73rd, 74th, 75th, and 76th completed projects for 2008!

We brought up a crib to Idaho for Ben's little sister because she is pregnant. We actually found this crib for free on the side of the road and it is the crib that Prairie used for over a year, but then we found one that was slightly nicer at a garage sale this summer for $5, so we didn't need this one anymore. Anyway we bought a new mattress for it, and I made mattress covers and sheets for the crib, so they have a crib for their baby due in April.

Autumn's Second Play Dress

2008-11-13T10:02:00.002-07:00

72nd completed project for 2008!

I was supposed to finish for the summer, but I finished it for Autumn's birthday. She hasn't gotten tons of use out of it yet, but it will still fit next summer and I am sure she will get a lot of use out of it then.

Lindsey & Dustin Wedding Gift

2008-11-12T09:57:00.002-07:00

My 71st complete sewing project for 2008!

This was a wedding gift for my sister-in-law, she got married December 2007, and I finished the project in November 2008. Better late than ever, right?

Baby Boy Outfit

2008-11-10T09:55:00.001-07:00

My 70th completed project for 2008!

This is what I made to celebrate finding out that we are having a boy. I am already planning that this is what my little boy is going to wear on the plane when we fly to NY in June for my mom's 50 1/2 birthday party!

Autumn's Fancy Pink Dress

2008-11-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

My 69th completed project for 2008!

This was a birthday present for Autumn. This was made with supplies I already had at home, so I didn't have to buy anything to make this. I always like projects like those.

Monkey Maternity PJ Pants

2008-11-05T11:52:00.001-07:00

My 68the completed project for 2008!

I have been getting a lot of use out of these, since I LOVE wearing my pajamas and my tummy is getting huge!

Striped Baby Doll Shirt

2008-11-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

My 67th complete project for 2008!

Christmas present for Prairie for her new doll

Atticus' Aurora Dress

2008-10-30T09:29:00.001-06:00

My 66th complete project for 2008!

The Orange Creamsicle Dress

2008-10-18T13:08:00.001-06:00

My 65^th completed sewing project for 2008!

It is FINALLY done! Yay! I started this dress in April, and it is finally done, 6 months later! I got orange because I thought it would be so nice for spring and summer …. Well I guess it will be nice for fall!

I am pretty pleased, because when I started this dress I had just finished my half marathon and now I am 18 weeks pregnant, and it still fits pretty well. I am just glad that I finally figured out a way to make all parts of the dress work for me.

So this dress does bear resemblance to the pattern, but I made so many changes. I changed the neckline, so it didn’t go quite as deep and was more modest. I added in the connecter triangle piece in the bodice, I widened the shoulder straps, designed my own sleeves for the dress because the dress was sleeveless, and I raised the neckline on the back of the dress as well. Then I changed the shape of the entire skirt. It is supposed to be a straight skirt that is gathered at the hip line, which was very unflattering on me, so I took the skirt off, and made it into an a-line skirt which I thought was much more flattering to me.

Also I did an invisible zipper in this dress and that is the first invisible zipper I have ever done and I loved it! I really love how when the dress is zipped you can’t see the zipper. Anyway I am glad this dress is done, hopefully I will find ways to use this dress a couple of times before I get too pregnant. My baby bump is really started to swell, at least I can tell.

Autumn’s sewing

2008-10-17T17:03:00.003-06:00

The pillow that she sewed on the machine on Thursday October 16th

The pillow that Autumn hand-sewed at Grandma's house and finished on this most recent visit

On Thursday we actually didn’t have to rush off to somewhere in the morning, so as soon as I woke up I started looking through my fabric to figure out some of the doll clothes for Prairie for Christmas. Well Autumn came in the sewing room and started asking all of these questions and then started telling me how much she likes to sew. I am very excited about the prospect of Autumn liking to sew, but so far she has only done some very minimal sewing projects with her Grandma, and right at the moment I wasn’t in the right mood to do sewing with Autumn, but she was very persistent that she wanted to sew. She kept asking me what I was doing with the scraps of what I was cutting out. So we got her a box to store her scraps in.

Then I told her we really needed to eat breakfast before we did anything else. Well I called my mom “help! What kind of sewing project do I let a 4 year old do?” Let’s just say my mom is amazing! She talked me through gave me some really good ideas. Well as soon as breakfast was done Autumn was ready to sew again, but I told her we should get ready for story time and after that we could work on it some more. So well after story time we went to the grocery store, and by time we got home I had to rush to make lunch so it would be ready when Ben came home for our family meal of the day. So finally when the girls were both in their rests/naps I had finished cleaning up the kitchen and I made it back to the sewing room.

The room that Autumn takes a rest in is adjacent to the sewing room, so I started yelling, and she yells, don’t start without me, I love sewing. I told her that I can take a break and sew during her rest and when her rest is over (she has a digital clock so she knows) she can come in and we can work on her project. So like 10 minutes later her rest is over and we start her project.

She looks through my box of large scraps and finds some princess fabric leftover from sheets I made her last year and she decides these little squares would be perfect for a pillow for her doll. She does it. She pressed the fabric herself, she pins the pillow herself, and then I make her practice sewing straight lines on the sewing machine and she is struggling with this and gets really frustrated and decides that practicing isn’t any fun. She finally says in exasperation “I feel like I am so stupid at this and that I am not good at sewing!” Well I decided it was time to call Grandma again, and again she was amazing. I have no doubt that my mom is doing the right profession; she is an amazing teacher and works soooo well with children. So even though she had classes going on at her house, my mom took the time to talk to Autumn and give her a really good pep talk, and just explained that her students are usually 7 when they start, so it is going to be a little harder for Autumn, but she can do it. And then told some dirty secrets to Autumn, that when I started sewing when I was a child that I didn’t sew very straight lines, and Autumn thought that was really funny. Anyway Autumn was renewed after talking to Grandma.

So we did one more practice and it was really good, Autumn was so excited she had to call Grandma back and tell her, and Grandma was so excited for her. Then we decided that it was time to actually sew the pillow. So she sewed the pillow, she turned it, I showed her how to push out the corners. She pressed the pillow again, and then she stuffed it herself. She then pinned the opening close, and I asked her if she wanted to sew it on the machine or by hand, and she said by hand. Autumn said “I like sewing by hand it is so fun!” (well maybe she isn’t my daughter , I hate hand sewing). Grandma had taught her really well how to hand sew, so once I threaded the needle and put a knot in it she didn’t need any help, she just went right along, and did a great job.

She was really proud of the project that she finished. I don’t know how my mom teaches classes so many hours a week and doesn’t kill her back. My back was sore from leaning over to help Autumn so much. Autumn was very proud of her pillow and has already been talking about her next sewing projects, I guess I will have to cut down my list of sewing, because it is pretty time consuming to have Autumn sewing, but well worth the skill and confidence she is developing, plus maybe someday my girls will come home to visit and we can all sew in my basement together too.

The Ribbit outfit for a doll

2008-10-16T22:02:00.002-06:00

My 63^rd and 64^th completed projects for 2008! (and my first completely finished Christmas sewing project!)

Prairie really likes changing on her baby but it doesn’t have very many outfits. So I am trying to replicate as many of her outfits that she has right now as possible. I am having sooooo much fun sewing doll clothes. I really love being creative with patterns with a doll, because it is so small.

She has this outfit that is a green shirt and matching green pants, and she LOVES it and calls it her ribbit outfit (like after a frog). Well when my mom made the outfit for Autumn two years ago, she pretty much used every piece of fabric to finish it so I knew she didn’t have any scraps leftover, but I realized that I had made a t-shirt a while ago for myself that was about the same color. When I checked the scraps I had it matched close enough, and the pieces that I had left were about the perfect size to make the t-shirt and a pair of pants. I was amazed. I didn’t have to piece anything, and after I was done the scraps were even worth saving to put into a patchwork quilt, so I love when I use stuff up, plus I don’t need to buy anything, I love that.

Anyway I am very excited about this project, and can’t wait to get some more doll clothes done.

The Nemo Blanket take 1

2008-09-27T20:59:00.006-06:00

My 62^nd completed sewing project for 2008!

So I explained in the previous post how I am redoing the girls bedroom. This is completely for cosmetic reasons, Autumn really did need a blanket that actually covered her feet. This is really nice because she actually sleeps with it, so it is a lot easier to make her bed. Also I finished this as a surprise for her when she got home to Utah from visiting Grandma, Grandpa, and Baba Russ all by herself.

This is the picture that has inspired the color change, the girls picked out the picture at the surplus sale for Ben's work

Ben also finished the ladder for the bunkbeds and the side railings for the top bunk. Autumn was very excited to have it all finished.

The next step is to make the nemo blanket for Prairie’s bed. Not as big rush, she isn’t as tall, so she still has a blanket that I made for her last winter that covers her whole body. Plus the mattress that she uses in the bunk bed isn’t as long as Autumn’s. Her Nemo blanket will be the same on the top (and the blanket is actually completely ready to tie, I just need to tie it). But her back will be orange and she will have white ties.

Here are some of pictures of the good work that Ben did to completely finish the bunkbeds. It is really nice to actually have a side railing up there instead of a long board, and it is so nice to have the railing designed for Autumn’s tent so it actually stays up now.

the before picture

This was a bookcase that we found by a dumpster 2.5 years ago. Here is a before picture and an after picture of the paint job. I was really happy with how it turned out. Big bonus it actually fits in their tiny room.

the after picture

The Bed Curtains

2008-09-27T12:40:00.002-06:00

My completed project for 2008!

I decided to redecorate the girls room. I made them each these really nice quilt as a baby for their beds and neither one of them like them. The quilts that they like are these little flannel ones that my mom tied, and they pretty much refuse to use anything other than that. Both of my girls like the ties on the blanket and they use them to help them go to sleep. Anyway I really want to work on getting Autumn to make her bed in the morning, but it is ridiculous to have her making her bed with a quilt that doesn’t even fit the length of the bed or that she doesn’t use at night. So I decided to redecorate and just make them bedspreads that are tied blankets so they will actually used them. Plus these blankets my mom made, she made them for when they were babies, they are getting small, and we keep our house cold during the winter, so the new bedspreads are going to be large enough to cover their body for a long time.

Anyway I went and bough the fabric, but haven’t finished the blankets yet, but Prairie really likes having a curtain over the bottom bunk. In fact when we moved to the new place we hadn’t hung the blanket over the side yet, and one night she was yelling very politely “excuse me, I want a curtain” over and over and until Ben obliged. So I decided to actually hang a curtain rod and make curtains for the bed that would work better and look a lot nicer.

These curtains were actually from Autumn’s first bedroom and were hung on the window, but I ripped out all the seams I had done and hemming, so I pretty much started from scratch, I just didn’t have to buy any fabric. I did buy the ribbon to string through it though. That is the new colors for their bedroom, the blue and aqua. It is based off a poster that Autumn wanted to get to hang in her bedroom, and it is an undersea print.

Anyway I found some curtain rods that had been hanging around, so the only thing I spent money on was the ribbon, so that is a nice project. It looks really cute on the bed, and it cost very little.This is the before picture

Apron for Auction

2008-09-25T13:40:00.003-06:00

My 60th completed sewing project for 2008!

My relief society (my church's women's organization) was having a service auction tonight, so I decided to make an apron. I didn't have a pattern so I looked around online until I found an apron that I liked and then made a pattern based off how it looked. My mom was nice enough to let me steal fabric from her stash. I was really pleased with out it turned out. The funny thing is my upstairs neighbor saved up all of her "money" and bought it, and I bought her item of hair bows without know that she had made them.

Purple Fleecy Thing

2008-09-20T00:30:00.003-06:00

My 59th completed sewing project for 2008!

This started 5 years ago when my mom made a fleece jacket for Autumn when she was born, except the pattern is way large, so we bunched it up and she used it that first winter when she was an infant and it fit about perfect the next winter when she was 1. Well Prairie LOVED the fleecy thing, so when I was at my mom's house at new years I made Prairie a green fleecy thing out of the largest size and it fit her perfect for the winter. Well Prairie is really tall for her age, and there was no way she was going to wear the green fleecy thing again, especially when we bike during the winter, she needed something that covered her legs. So I resized the pattern so it would be a 3T pattern and made her her new purple fleecy thing out of this cute care bear fleece my mom had on hand. Prairie loves it! She had already used it a couple of times since we got back to Utah, because the evenings can get a little nippy this time of year.