Big Sister Dress!

Every soon-to-be big sister needs to have a special dress, right? A dress that announces to the world that she will soon lose her status as an "only child"!

 

I have a very good friend in Utah that is going to be a grandma for the second time this fall. When her grand-daughter was born, I made 2 sweet, personalized bibs for her. Now this little darling will soon be 2 years old and is making way in her world for a sibling!

 

So, I got to work and made a Big Sister dress! I didn't know her size, but guessed it would be close to a 2T. This silly Butterick pattern came in sizes L and XL, so I chose the XL. I think she'll be able to wear it next summer too, with shorts or leggings. Once a big sister, always a big sister, right?

 

Here's the back. It turned out so cute!

 

 

 

 

 

Once it made it to Utah, my friend corralled her little sweetie and posted a photo:

 

 

Just as hoped, they all loved it!

And that makes it all worth while.

I Got My Groove Back!

 

 

I took my embroidery machine in for a check-up on May 8th and just got it back this past Friday on July 10th! 2 months getting a check-up! I tell ya, if I didn't have my regular sewing machine, I'd have gone postal. Apparently it needed a part that was on back-order. I can deal with that. But then the shipping docks in California were on strike, so it could be a while before the part got here, the repair guy said.

 

Long story short, I picked up my machine Friday, only to find out the foot pedal and cable were missing. I was so frustrated! The repair guy never could find them, so he gave me new ones off a different machine...no charge, he said. NO Charge!! I don't think he knew what a hot mama I could be, mid-menopausal and all.

 

So, I got to work on a couple bib orders that had been waiting since May.

I hope these kids still make a mess when eating. At least drool a bit.

 

 

 

This one is for Will...duh. Do I really have to be so specific? :)

 

 

 

And don't forget Grayson!

 I wonder if these kids will ever be friends.

Maybe they'll sit together at lunch in 2nd grade and ask each other if they happened to have a personalized bib when they were babies.

Maybe the bibs will show up for show and tell.  

Yep, they turned out pretty cute. I am finally putting my labels on things.

Gotta give myself credit. I also bought some business cards! Woohoo!

Maybe I'll make the Forbes list someday.

 

 

My hubby is out of town all week and it's stinkin' hot outside, so I think I'll delve into my stash and do some more stitching!

 

Almost threw it out...

 

 

I have a lot of planters. Big ones, little ones, in-between ones. A few weeks ago, I was digging up the dreaded ferns that multiply like rabbits in the back garden

we call "The Enchanted Forest".

 

As I dug, I fantasized about keeping a few in a planter for the lower deck. Get that *tropical* look, you know? Yep, here in Iowa, not much is tropical except for the hot, humid weather during the summer.

 

So, I went into the capped garage and found this old, icky looking planter that was already filled with soil. It would be "good enough" for the time being.

 

3 ferns were planted. Those same 3 ferns were cut down to soil level after a day. They were drooping like an old lady's boobs. I still had hopes they'd start growing again.

 

When we returned from our Colorado vacation about 2 weeks later, they did!

They were growing like nobody's business!

 

BUT, that planter was still ugly.

 

I decided to do a little DIY project with what I  had in the house and

 give this planter a make-over.

 

First, I cleaned it up good with soapy water and a brush. No miracles there.

 

I wanted to give the pot a plaster-like texture, so I added some leftover dry grout from a tile project to a sample jar of paint. Lowe's sells these  reject paints for $1 and I pick them up from time to time for small projects.

 

 

I mixed the grout and paint well with a plastic spoon. It became thick quick, so I worked quickly! Using a paint brush and a foam brush, I applied the mixture to the entire outer surface.

 

 

Once I had it all covered with the paint/grout mix, it was sure clean looking, but not really what I had hoped it would look like.

 

 

I went digging through my paint stash and found nothing that I thought would work.

In the back of the closet, I came up with some old brown shoe polish paste. Who keeps shoe polish anymore? I guess I do. Can't tell you the last time I used it though.

 

 

Using an old rag, I dipped into the polish and smudged it along the raised parts of the planter, giving it a rustic look. That's what I was after!

 

 

 

Easy job. Cost me next to nothing and looks a whole lot better! No telling how long that shoe polish will last, but who cares? It sits under the deck (ferns like shade), so it won't get beaten with rain and if it does wash out, I got more in the back of the closet. :)

Outfit for Ella!

School has been out for a few weeks for us and I had a real itch to sew an outfit for my grand-niece who lives in Utah. (I know...you're thinking I'm not old enough to be a Great Aunt, right? Heck, I was a Regular Aunt when I turned 6!) This niece is on my husband's side and is just the cutest little toddler ever! Her mama posted on facebook about how much Ella loves giraffes, so that had me inspired. Nothing like a little bit of *ooooh!* to get me going!

I haven't sewn garments for quite a while. The last piece I made was about 2 years ago for a friend who had a part-time job working as a clown. It was quite the project, but I battled it and was happy with the outcome.

Cindy's Clown Dress Jan. 2013

So, about a week ago, I found a darling Butterick pattern that I wanted to make for Ella. Knowing that I wanted to add a giraffe to the front helped me narrow the choices down. I needed a simple, non-gathered front with enough space to embellish. Butterick pattern B3846 was it!

I found an adorable giraffe template on Etsy for $2.00 that I printed off. I already had some giraffe fabric in my stash, so I was set.  (Giraffe fabric in 3 different colors...I'm a good stasher). Also, in my stash was 2 yards of hot pink fabric and some eyelet lace that would work well!

Here's the finished outfit:

Adding that eyelet lace gave me fits and I realized, as I was beyond the point of tearing it out, that this was not a good pattern for trim, unless it was above the seam line. I made it work, but I gained a few gray hairs in the process.

 

 

The back is just so cute!

 

 

 

 

Notice the little detail I added to the shorts.

It was a cutout from another piece of fabric.

 

Then, of course, every little girl needs a matching bag for her new outfit!
I found this simple pattern on
Crazy Little Projects called a Mini Messenger Bag.

 

 

Inside the bag, I added a cute little photo holder that could hold a photo

of her favorite (and only) Great Aunt!

 

 

It's all on en route to Utah as of yesterday and should arrive tomorrow!

 

My next project?
Hmmmm....

 

 

Comments appreciated! Don't be shy!



 



Happy (belated) Valentine's Day

 

 

 I hope you all had a sweet day yesterday! I've always been a big fan of Valentine's Day with all of the hearts, chocolate, flowers and hopes of love. It just seems that everyone is a bit kinder, a bit softer and a bit more caring as Valentine's Day approaches. That alone makes it special.


I usually make a treat to hand out to my friends to celebrate the day.

 This year, I got my idea from Pinterest for the Twinkie Minions shown above.

 They took maybe 30 minutes to make them for a full box of Twinkies.

I even put one in our neighbor guy's mailbox who often scoops the snow off our driveway.

For Christmas, we gave him a box of Ding Dongs with a note that said: "From your Ding Dong neighbors"!

***Hey, if you want to join me on Pinterest, I'm here: https://www.pinterest.com/duchick/

Just Friday, my follower number hit 500!!! Who will be 501?

 

 

 Another project I saw on Pinterest was a patchwork heart, so I thought I'd try to make one as use it as a pot holder. The directions were limited, so I had to wing most of it. At this stage of quilting, my knowledge base doesn't involve "scale" and how large to make squares and HSTs.

So it turned out kinda big, but it looks nice as a decoration or trivet behind my stove top.

Yes, I do remember to remove it when turning on the gas!

 

 Here's a pic of the sewing along the way....(it took a lot longer than I expected!)

 

This is a recipe I really planned on making over the weekend, but it didn't get done. It is pinned, so I'll remember it for next year...or next week.

 http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/raspberry-almond-scones/

 

 

 And finally, this is my sweet Sophie relaxing in my sewing room as I plug away on a project.

BOM #4 for Sew Sweet Simplicity

 

 

 

Back as promised...only 5 days later!

 

Making block #4 was the most enjoyable one for me. I'm not sure why, but it just flowed so smoothly and I didn't have to do any ripping out! Perhaps it's because (gasp!) I'm getting better at piecing and keeping my seam allowances consistent. Maybe it's just cuz I'm finally following the instructions! ha!

I'm still not completely sure what I'll do with these blocks once I'm done. I'll be making the 2 bonus blocks for a total of 6. I'd really like to make a lap quilt for our family room, but I want it long enough to cover my tootsies too. These colors were chosen to match our colors in that room.

Below is what Jacquelynne Steve's block #4 looks like on her blog:

 

 

 

I hope you can see the resemblance!

 

 

We are heading back into the teens this week, but no more snow expected for a while.

Have a terrific week and stay warm!



BOM #3 for Sew Sweet Simplicity

Hey there! It seems like forever since I've been here. If you're checking, it was November 30th, to be exact. Those holidays, a road trip to Florida and lots of work have kept me busy. I've certainly not had enough time to spend sewing!

Anyhoo, I finished Jacquelynne Steves BOM #3 several weeks ago, but I didn't jump to post it for a couple of reasons. One, it didn't turn out right! I'm not sure where I went wrong, but it doesn't look like the sample she has in the tutorial. I played around with it, even ripped out stitches, and finally sewed it together as shown above. (BTW, the colors are a bit off due to photographing on a gloomy winter day using only my Happy Light in the background, which usually works pretty well.)

If I have time, I'll make this a bonus block and try #3 again. Otherwise, it will just have to do!

This is what it should look like (minus the applique in the center):

 

I'm thinking I want to do some machine embroidery stitching in the center of each block when I've got them all completed and sewn together with the sashing. I've got a feathered design that I won on a blog that I'm very interested in trying. Maybe even some trapunto. Has anyone tried trapunto embroidery? I'd love some tips!

 

Soon, very soon, I will post BOM #4! Promise!