First Sewing Lesson
Category: Fabric
WIP: Space Blankie
I just realized that I haven’t done much reporting on my various creative pursuits in a while. Truth be told, summer doesn’t find me doing much crafting simply because we’re just so busy with all the various outdoor activities that accompany good weather. Crafting hits its stride in the colder months.
However, when I do find a spare moment, I have been working on this little blanket for Monkeyboy. You may remember that I posted about getting the fabric for it months ago, but actual construction has been very slow. I’m actually taking great pains on this particular project and binding the raw edges instead of my usual sew-the-edges-and-turn-it-right-side-out approach. Binding raw edges requires a once-around with the sewing machine and then a once-around with good old-fashioned hand sewing. I just like how it looks, so I do it that way sometimes. I’ve been running a timer while working on it to see how long it takes to do it this way and I’m up to five hours so far. I think it will take another six hours of work to finish it. Good luck coming up with that anytime soon!
Little Boy Fabric
I have few blankets of the non-pink variety, and only one that’s big enough to use as a nursing cover-up. Obviously, a trip to the fabric store was in order! I plan to make two nursing blankets out of the bottom four fabrics and a car seat tent out of the top two fabrics. (That is, when I find the time to get out my sewing machine and actually use it…)
It was a refreshing change to look for boy fabric…there’s some really cute stuff to choose from these days! What a great time to have a little boy!
Lazy Day Hat
You know how you’ll sometimes wake up in the morning and say to yourself, “I’m going to accomplish something today”? I awoke today in such a mood and now Rabbit has a hat to show for it.
Pattern: Make It Perfect’s “Lazy Day Hat“
Fabric: I know it’s still available in stores, but my particular cuts of both do not have the fabric information printed on them. Sorry!
There is a mistake in the pattern at the end–turn fabric B RIGHT SIDE OUT in order to match it up with the brim when you’re making the huge hat sandwich.
A quick project that is reversible and downright cute! There are moments where you just have to trust the pattern and go with it…it’s gets a little “Wha…?” at times.
Bluebird now wants a hat made from the sock monkey fabric and some random American Flag print I’ve got in the stash. I told her she needs to wait until I make an apron and a shoulder bag for myself. It’s time to reward myself for all this sewing I’ve been doing for everyone in the past week.
Rabbit’s Monkey Apron
I had hoped to complete this during last week’s “Super Homemaking Week,” but fell short by a few days. We just finished it this evening–me sewing, Rabbit standing by my elbow and cautioning me to “Watch yo fingahs…”
Pattern: Apron B from “Little Retro Aprons for Kids” by Cindy Taylor Oates
Fabric: Sock Monkey by Erin Michael #15071 (Moda), Red Gingham and some random piece of red with colored dots that I’ve had for forever, Canary Rick-Rack
I love little people in aprons. This is a size 4 (the smallest size in the book), so it’s a teeny bit big, but she’ll grow into it soon enough. I have enough Sock Monkey print leftover to do something big with…perhaps someday I’ll don a sock monkey apron myself, very fun.
Rabbit LOVES her apron! The first thing she said when I was fitting it over her head was, “Huwway! Now I can help Mama make some pancakes!” She loves her pocket and is convinced that there is a “liddle spoon” somewhere in the kitchen that she can carry in the pocket and whip out in a baking emergency. Oh, to be two years old and the proud owner of a brand new sock monkey apron…
Portabello Pixie "Claire" Peasant Top
Ignore the pants, it was an impromptu modelling session.
Pattern: Portabello Pixie “Claire” Peasant Top
Fabric: Dots–from the “Smores” collection by Me and My Sister Designs for Moda, Gingham–from my stash, more than likely bought at JoAnn’s some years ago.
This cute little top was pretty easy to make and a great way to break in my serger. Bluebird thinks it’s so funny that we made her a shirt from the scraps from her apron…I hope she doesn’t get it into her head to wear the two at the same time.
Shirring with elastic thread is fun stuff. Just be sure that you wind the bobbin without stretching the elastic at all–there’s a part where the elastic was stretched a teensy bit when I wound it and there’s a part where I was careful to keep it loose, and the loosely-wound stitching does look better. I don’t know what makes it look better, but it does look better.
I really want to make the dress that comes with this pattern, and Bluebird wants me to purchase the pants pattern so that she can have something to match her shirt. (Personally, I think it would be a little too much pink gingham on one little person.)
Amber’s Apron
My cousin, Amber, turns twelve this week; and she likes to help her mom out in the kitchen, so I thought an apron was a good birthday present choice for the dear girl. She’s one of my favorite people, and she’s named after me to boot (same middle name). You gotta remember the ones that are named after you! (I was even present at her birth…quite the experience for fourteen year old me!)
It’s Apron A from Retro Aprons by Cindy Taylor Oates and I used fabric from Sandi Henderson’s Farmer’s Market collection.
I am completely smitten with the fabric and I’ve been racking my poor, worn-out and exhausted brain trying to figure out a way to use the scraps in something else, but there aren’t too many scraps leftover. Wah.
Happy Birthday Ambone!
Finished: Cheerful Baby Quilt
My dreams have finally come to realization! I am a completely finished blanket! Oh, it’s wonderful!
The oldest girl really likes me and I’ve victoriously been added to the necessary accessories needed for her to go to sleep each night. It also appears that I am her go-to television blanket. She wraps me around her like a shawl whenever she watches TV.
It’s really happened, I’m finally finished. It’s taken years to get to my completion, but it’s been worth it when I’m lovingly dragged around the house and demanded for each night. Life is good; downright cheerful, I’d say.
Cupcake Apron
Yes, I am slightly disturbed that she knows how to pose like that.
Pattern: Little Retro Aprons for Kids, by Cindy Taylor Oates, Pattern A-2
Fabric: Cupcakes–I’ve managed to discard all the selvage from this except for one piece that says “Robert Kau…”; Dots–from the “Smores” collection by Me and My Sister Designs for Moda, Pattern #22074
I am loving this apron, and Bluebird has warmed up to it since her lacklustre reception upon its completion. I am totally looking forward to making more of these babies! The pattern is very well-written, except for one tiny mistake that tells you to put the wrong sides together near the end, but it’s easy to catch and correct. I’ve also purchased the designer’s other two apron pattern books for adults…mwahahahaha, aprons galore!
Patching Up the Blankie
If you have a child who carries a blankie, you’ll totally understand the necessity of tending to whatever injuries the coveted item encounters. Rabbit’s blankie has had this ouchie for a while, but then it caught on something the other morning and tore some more and she seemed rather distraught about it–so I decided to do something about it.
I located some random pink gingham flannel (which isn’t too terribly random when you consider that this a house with three young girls living in it!), cut out a heart, hefted the sewing machine upstairs and started some intense blankie surgery, while Rabbit anxiously looked on.
End result:
