Sewing Thank You Gifts

This Summer my mom came to visit for a month to help with our new little man.  We had a great time and it was so nice to have "Grandma" around.  We went fabric shopping, hung out around the house, took the babe swimming, and enjoyed each other's company.  My parents live in Hawaii, so it is kind of a trek to go visit now that we moved away.

To thank her for the countless hours she spent holding and playing with the little man, I made her a few hand sewn goodies.  She sews too, but I know she is super busy with work and it is always nice to get something sewn by someone else.

I made her this pouch to hold her jewelry/receipts/money in while she works out/shops/swims.  :)  It really is a versatile little pouch.  I hope she puts it to good use and wears it out!

I also made her a turtle mug rug.  The turtle is from a really pretty fabric that we both fell in love with at SAS Fabrics, but she let me have it.  Thank you mom.  You rock.  I love it and have big plans for little embellishments on tons of items.  It will go a long way.

Last but not least, I made her a wet bag.  She can use it after her morning swims to hold her suit or her shampoo bottles so the rest of her bag doesn't get wet.  Or she can use it when she travels for her toiletries.  Like I said, these items are versatile.  :)  This pouch is lined in the same oil cloth as the bottom portion and is great for keeping anything wet or items that could leak.

I hope she enjoys these little goodies, we sure enjoyed having her here!

Crayon Roll-Up

My little niece is turning 3 this week and I wanted to make her something extra special for her birthday.  

I LOVE making presents for my family.  I hope they enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoy making and giving them.

This little crayon roll seemed like the perfect answer to the question : What does every 3 year old need?  Something to carry their colored crayons in of course!

I used a super fun monkey fabric for the outside of the roll.  I figure it will hide stains well and it won't look as dirty as a cute pink or cream fabric.  Yay!  The inside is brown too with girly pink and red polka dots.

I used a vintage white button for the closure and a bright yellow hair elastic.  I hope she carries her crayons with her all over town now that she has a little roll-up!

I also slipped in 15 crayons because what would a crayon roll-up be without the crayons??  I made her a few other little goodies, like a headband and a fabric braided bracelet, but in my rush to mail it on time I forgot to take a picture.  Shucks!  I hate when that happens.  

Oh well, maybe I can get a photo of the birthday girl modeling her presents this week!

If you are interested in making one for a little monkey in your life, I used this tutorial.  It is quick, easy, and really straight forward.

Sewing for Baby

I have been enjoying sewing for baby for the past year.  I don't see an end in sight and I don't mind at all.  Baby projects are quick, small, and relatively easy so far.  This weekend I made a "first aid kit" bag.

I have been meaning to make one for months now.  It is nice to have somewhere to put all his little "medical" items in.  It is just large enough for his temporal thermometer, baby tylenol, vitamins, tummy ache drops, and his little bulb syringe.  I love it.  It will be great for trips or long car rides, just in case.

I also made some fun pacifier clips for some baby girls.  I have a few friends that are due soon and I am crossing my fingers one of them has a girl.  I am already planning girl sewing projects, so somebody HAS to have a girl. RIGHT?

These are super fun and easy to make.  I have a bunch of them and love them.  If we leave the house, Arlo uses one of these for the car.  Otherwise, bye bye pacifier.  If you are looking for a quick gift to give a new mom, these are perfect.  They use very little fabric, are a super quick sew, and will be totally appreciated.

Handmade Napkins

I have been getting back into the sewing groove lately.  This past week my mom was visiting and we made a few sets of handmade napkins.  They turned out fantastically and were easy to make.

 

 

We got some beautiful fabric from SAS Fabrics in Tucson.  This place is amazing!  Huge cardboard boxes filled to the brim with fabric remnants for a quarter of what you would pay normally.  It isn't for everybody, but I LOVE it.  It is like digging for treasure.

 

I LOVE the beautiful pink and blue together.

 

We learned how to do mitered corners for this project.  Super simple but they make all the difference.  Tutorial to come soon!

 

I made this set for my girlfriend whose birthday was two months ago.  (Oops...)  Better late than never though, right?

 

 

Fabric Bunting Tutorial

I love garlands, buntings, pennant banners, whatever you want to call them.  They look great on any wall and I thought one would look super cute over the baby crib, so I decided to make one.

I am decorating the baby room with woodland prints, gnomes, woodsy fabrics, browns, and creatures of the forest.  So when I chose my fabrics, I wanted something along those lines.

This was a really quick project to sew and it doesn't use up very much fabric.  I used pieces I had on hand and just cut everything very close to the pattern edge.  :)

This tree stump fabric is one I picked up in California at Birch.  Super cute.  My favorite part about the bunting is the bias tape that I used.  It is a linen tape with a lace print on it that I got at Shirokiya (a Japanese department store) in Hawaii when they still carried craft supplies.  I love love love it.  Super delicate look and it adds a little touch of Hawaii (for me anyways).

This little one with the tiny mushrooms is from Birch too.  I think I need to make a fabric trip out to see my Aunt again, she just happens to live within an hour from their little shop.  I used two wood grain fabrics, one in green and one in brown. I will be using  a lot of those in my baby sewing projects coming up.  They go perfect with my theme.

I don't have the crib set up yet, but I am thinking I want it to drape across the top.  I made this little gnome wall hanging a while ago and it goes perfect!

To make this bunting, I used a free pattern and tutorial from Sew Mama Sew.  You can find it here.

It is a great tutorial with step by step instructions and pictures.  You could make it really long to go across a huge hallway, or just do a few little pieces for a corner or kitchen.  I love that you can choose any fabrics and make it a completely different feel.  I know this will go perfect in the baby room and I can't wait to see it above our brown crib!

Bird Mobile Pattern

Sweet little birds all perched on branches.  

 I have been wanting to make one of these little bird mobiles for at least a year.  Last week I decided to just go for it and I made 8 little birds in blues, yellows, and browns.  They turned out great.

Then I found some drift wood that I had brought with me from Hawaii and I put together this little mobile for the baby room.

I love that they are all a little different.  I tried to use boyish colors, but I really wanted to throw a hot pink one in there!  

These little birds are great as decoration around the home, pincushions, baby toys, cat toys, you name it.  If you don't have room for a whole mobile, you can still make a few to enjoy.  I am going to make one with a little bell or rattle inside for a baby toy (can't wait to see that in action!)

A quick and easy sewing project, perfect for beginners.  The pattern uses hand sewing, but I used my machine for everything.  To tie the branches together I used raffia, and I used my hot glue gun to position the birds on the branches.

I got the pattern from Spool Sewing.  They have lots of great inspiration and a few other patterns for free. 

To print a copy of your own pattern from the Spool Sewing site, CLICK HERE.

Have fun and good luck.  You will be sewing up a flock of these in no time!

Herringbone Quilt

I love the chevron trend that has been so popular this year and I found this adorable quilt and it inspired me to make one for my niece for her birthday.  

I used this tutorial and inspiration from both blogs to create this little cuddly quilt.

I love the pale purple and flower fabrics mixed together.  I used mostly fabrics from the Top Drawer line, I love how soft and thick they are.

I hand stamped the label with stamps and fabric ink and hand sewed it on the back.

I love how it turned out and can't wait for her to get it.  Happy 2nd birthday Linden!

Bias Tape Bag Pattern and Tutorial

I love sewing.  I like to sew little toys, bags, small quilts, table runners, you name it.  When I came across this super cute and easy bag at Prudent Baby, I had to try it.

Here's what you will need:  bias tape, 1/4 yard of 2 coordinating fabrics. (that's it!)

I made mine with grey store bought bias tape, but you can make your own if you like, and 2 fabrics I have been saving for something special.

You can see the basic shape and body of the bag, I made the original size.  It would be a great lunch bag, date purse, or knitting project bag.  I think it would make an awesome shopping bag if it was about 2 times as big and a bit deeper.  Get the pattern and tutorial here.

Big Thanks to Prudent Baby for the awesome tutorial and pattern!  I can't wait to make more.  

Craft Room

Here are a few pics of my amazing craft room.  I love the organization, comfy space, and creative possibilities.  This room is an awesome step in the right direction.

I made this pennant banner that says : creative space on it to inspire me and remind me what this room can do!

This was taken during the beginning stages of organization.  I love having everything in one place where I can see it.  My fabrics are slowly taking up more and more space.  Love seeing that out of the box!  My yarn is in those two big white boxes on top of the shelving.  I love that because I can pull them down, take a look around, and then slide them back on top of the shelves.  No mess, lots of space.

I got this super comfy couch so my husband could keep me company while I sew.  It doubles as a laundry folding area...  I mean... 

This little gem keeps me sewing hassle free. I got it about 4 months ago and I have no complaints.  Ooo, ok maybe one.  I can't jam 4 layers of wool under the foot.  :)

Sewing on Sunday

I slept in today, on my day off, and enjoyed the cozy quietness of my apartment.  I let my husband sleep a few extra hours and here I am blogging away.  Here is a quick look at my week instagram style.

I made a cute little upcycled pillow for my craft room.  This fits perfectly behind my back on my sewing chair.  Thank you lovely sweater for lending yourself to such a useful pillow.  I added some fabric flowers that I made last week to one corner to spice it up a bit.

I am taking down my Christmas decorations today too.  These are the stockings I made and the little pennant banner that hung above them.  I can't wait to add a few more handmade pieces next year.  On the list: tree skirt, wreath, and tree topper.  WHOA!           

My husband gave me a charm pack with these amazing batiks in it for Christmas.  I started laying out an idea for a simple quilt.  I added a few more things, and started sewing this week.  Thanks HUBS.  You rock!

Handmade Gifts for the Holidays!

Wow!  I have been gone from my blog for some time and it has been an amazing month.  My family came to visit for the holidays and it was a whirlwind.  Lots of eating, sightseeing, and enjoying time together.  I spent the last two months sewing and crafting for the holidays and I think it paid off.  I baked, shopped, sewed, cleaned, and organized for 2 solid weeks at the beginning of December.

Here is what I have been up to:::

Eucalyptus Sugar Scrubs for my girlfriends.  Tutorial to come!

Chocolate dipped pretzels to ship out to family and friends.

A patchwork hot and cold bag with a matching tissue holder for my sister-in-law.

Go Huskers!  A Nebraska ornament for my father-in-law.

Another cute tissue pouch for my mother-in-law.

This little pouch is for my niece, it is for these zhu-zhu toys that she loves, and a snack...

Foot warmers for the family in cold weather.

A slouchy beret for my brother and a tissue pouch for his girlfriend.

Feet warmers all around!

I had a blast making everything and I hope everyone enjoyed receiving their presents!  I had a fantastic holiday and can't wait to see what the new year brings.