Gifts for the Modern Baby

I don't do much promotion in this space but I thought tonight I would share with you some of the wonderful work from my sister in law. She is so talented and makes beautiful baby bibs, burp cloths, lovies, and quilts. She shops for the most unique designer fabric and has a real eye for the modern baby.

If you're in the market you can check her out at Sew Quilt Mom on Etsy

Here are some of my favorites...

Custom Pirate Brothers

Meet Joe and Sam.

Little brothers who's Mommy was thoughtful enough to have special little pirates made just for them for Christmas.

Thanks Katie for supporting my humble shop!

The dolls were made with specific hair and eye color and cost $40 each.

You can order custom made dolls from me at my Etsy shop

Crafty Gifts Ideas for the Kiddos

I hate to say it but Christmas is quickly approaching.

With this being the year of the Pinterest there are more ideas then there is time in the day.

Here are a few of my favorite ideas for the kiddos on my list.











I'm sure this will not be my last post of crafty ideas for Christmas!!!

Lil' Lovie Dolls

Just finished up a batch of Lil' Lovie dolls to take to Jennybean in Lancaster. Thought I would share since they looked so cute all lined up in a little row. You can also find these sweeties in my Etsy shop. They are perfect for little babies hands.

Sunglasses Case Tutorial

I don't believe I had ever owned a nice pair of sunglasses. Generally I get the $15 Target variety and treat them like crap. They float around in my purse getting scratched by whatever. The last pair I replaced actually had the tint scratched off the lens! So today I decided enough is enough. I've got skills, and 10 minutes. I can fix this problem.

So I cut a strip of fabric with pinking shears wide enough to accommodate my shades and twice as long, plus an extra two inches. I also cut a piece of Warm & Natural quilt batting the same width and length minus the extra two inches. And I cut two pieces of magnets 1 1/2" long.

I layered the batting on the wrong side of the fabric centering so there was an extra 1" of fabric at both ends. Then I lined up the magnet at the one end of the batting in the center of the strip.

Next, fold the fabric over the magnet and sew. Repeat at the other end as well. Be sure that your magnetic sides face each other so they stick.

Then, fold right sides together and sew both sides.

Turn right side out and use the end of a paint brush to push out the corners.

This is what your closure will look like.

Ta Da!!! Sunglasses case, just like that.

And a cutie pie just for fun!!!









Bleach Dye T-Shirt - Part 2

Sometimes my ideas look great in my head, great on paper, and then go terribly wrong.

Case in point - Rock On onesie.

Looks great on paper...

Nicely planned

But something went terribly wrong and I ended up with an angry cassette tape.

I'm pretty sure the issue was that my bleach mixture was too thin. The other issue was that I decided, because it was a more detailed design than the first project, to use paint brushes instead of the Clorox pen. The application was all wrong and I ended up going back to the pen but couldn't get the definition I was looking for. And I could see the bleach bleeding into the fabric so I was trying to work fast.

Maybe I can find an 80's rocker wig for Ian and he can be a rock star for Halloween.

Props for the big smile go to Daddy on this picture.

He was up on the roof cleaning the gutters in preparation for Hurricane Irene!

Maybe third time's a charm with the bleach pen project.

I think I'll invest $2.50 in a new pen and see if I get better results.

Stay tuned!

Miss Avery's Flower Girl Doll

I had the fortune of being commissioned by a friend to make a custom doll for her niece-to-be, the flower girl in her wedding. I've sold other custom orders at my Etsy store but this one was for such a special event. I feel so proud!

The wedding colors are white and charcoal grey with an accent color of hot pink roses.

Here is the finished product...

Her skirt ties in the back with an oversized satin ribbon.

The body was embroidered with the flower girls name on the front and the wedding date on the back.

The shoes were a first for me. Typically my dolls have crazy tights. For this occasion I felt only glittery princess shoes would do!

Her neckline was accented with a lazy daisy stitch and pearls.

Her face was dressed up with glitter on the cheeks, fancy eyelashes, and a hot pink flower in her hair.

What do you think?

Tutorial - Skirt to Purse

I love to turn old into new. So when I saw this tutorial on Whip Up I knew I had to give it a try. I can always use another bag!

I really liked the use of the pleated skirt but did not have one one hand. Then I found a cute stripped mini that I haven't worn in years, perfect! I also had some old drapery in my fabric stash that I bought about 10 years ago because I liked the textures but never found the right project.

So here's what I started out with.

I maximized all the hems and seams on the drapery. The main fabric hem was used as the top of the lining for the purse.

The hem on the lining of the drapery was used as the top of the inside pockets.

The side seam between the main drapery fabric and the lining was used to cut the straps for the purse.

After everything is cut, start by finishing off the edges of the pockets. Press the sides and bottom to the inside and sew to the lining of the purse.

Then sew the lining together with the right sides facing each other. Remember to leave the top open.

To create a flat bottom to the purse, bring the bottom seam to the side to create a triangle and sew across.

Next, sew the bottom hem of the skirt together and finish off the corners, same as above.

Turn the skirt right side out and layer the lining inside. The wrong sides should be facing each other.

Carefully pin the top of the purse together. I used a lot of pins to ensure the two pieces did not shift around as I sewed.

Next, finish off two long strap and a short one for the button hole.

Pin the straps in between the lining and the skirt and begin to sew.

I sewed around the opening twice for extra strength. I shifted my needle position the second time around for a decorative look and also to get nice and close to the edge.

I will say that if I were to do this project again I would use a stronger needle to finish off the purse. There were some pretty thick parts and I went through 4 needles! Live and learn.

Viola! Skirt to Purse!!!