WIP Wednesday #10

Hello, Wednesday! It was a very productive sewing weekend, and I managed to finish up some projects I didn't even realize were on my list. :) (In case you've missed out, I'm following along with Freshly Pieced's W.I.P. (Work In Progress) Wednesday series as a good way for me (and you) to keep track of what's going on around here.)

Completed this week:

Two makeup bags (to be used as upcoming gifts) (I used the wonderful Scrappy Make-up Pouch tutorial from Noodlehead.)

Gift set for friend's baby shower

Started this week:

Cutting the fabric for valances for a friend's nursery

In progress/On the "to do" list:

Hide and Seek Spectrum baby quilt — Everything's washed and ironed — now I just have to start cutting!

Blocking the Early Bird/Kitchen Window quilt

Empire Waist Cinch for me from Handmade Beginnings

Baby shower gifts for several friends

Nursery bedding for the biscuit

Other biscuit-related projects

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week. And be sure to click on the button to check out other great WIPs for more inspiration!

Baby gifts go prehistoric

This weekend, I finished another set of gifts for a friend's baby shower. I stuck with the same set I made from Castle Peeps: pants, a bib, and a burp cloth.

The pants are the Quick Change Trousers from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book. These came together even easier than the first time. It's such a great pattern!

They're completely reversible, too! The front is a dinosaur print I found at Hancock's Fabrics, and I paired it with a navy gingham. Don't you love the dinosaurs?

Then, I made a bib and burp cloth to match. I used the gingham on the front of the burp cloth, with knit jersey from a t-shirt for the backing. The measurements and the idea to use the jersey backing were taken from Made by Rae's burp cloths tutorial.

The bib was made from a pattern in Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol, a great book for beginners. It's fronted with the dinosaur fabric and backed with terry cloth for easy clean-up. I used sew-in Velcro for the closure, with one longer piece for variable sizing.

The entire set! I can't wait to get it in the mail.

Thankful Mondays #19

Happy Monday! Each Monday, I'm writing about things I'm thankful for. This is week 19. Read more about it here.

271. good rain
272. walks with my husband
273. a great sewing weekend
274. bunny sightings
275. finishing several sewing projects faster than I expected
276. discovering and trying foreign candy (Anyone care for an "Ordinary Miracle"?)
277. that the circus isn't just for kids
278. counting down to seeing my family this weekend
279. hearing songs that bring back memories

280. being more than halfway to the finish (21.5 weeks!)
281. fancy dinners
282. pedicures
283. gum
284. my new baby thank-you cards
285. so many good online tutorials

Making the Itty Bitty Baby Dress reversible

A little while back, I posted pictures of several gifts I sewed for a friend's baby shower. One of the items was my version of the Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made by Rae.

I strayed a bit from the original pattern to make the dress reversible, and I had some comments asking how I'd done it, so I'm going to try to tell you. BIG DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I didn't make notes at the time, and I no longer have the dress with me to refer back to, but I'll do the best I can.

First, here's what I did the first time. Originally, I thought the dress was reversible (because the bodice is lined, so I assumed the whole thing was), so I cut my fabric and followed the directions as written until I got to step 9 (see the original pattern here), when you're supposed to attach the skirt. It was at this point that I realized my skirt clearly wasn't long enough to double up and therefore wasn't going to be lined. My solution was to cut a second piece of the lining fabric in the same measurements as my outer skirt. Next, I gathered it in the same way. Then, I followed step 9 (attaching the skirt to the bodice) twice, once attaching the outer bodice to the outer skirt, and then attaching the inner bodice to the inner skirt. This got a little awkward because the bodice pieces had already been sewn together on the sides, but I made it work.


The only other modification I made was in step 10 (attaching the bias tape to the bottom edge of the skirt). First, I pinned the two skirts together along the bottom and then secured them using a basting stitch. Then, I sewed the bias tape over both skirts to hide the stitch and create a clean hem. The basting stitch isn't necessary, but I think it made adding the bias tape easier and ensured the skirts stayed aligned.

Now, here's what I'd do if I was making the dress again. Basically, all you really need to do is make two dresses, an inner and an outer dress, and then sew the bodices together along the curved edge. Make the following modifications to the original tutorial:


1. Cut all of the fabrics the same way except in step 3, where you should cut four rectangles (instead of two): two in the lining fabric and two in the outer fabric.
2. Steps 4 and 5 should be done to both skirts.
3. Skip step 6 for now.
4. Do step 7 to the inner and outer bodices (sew the front and back inner bodice together along the sides (not the curves) and then sew the front and back outer bodice together along the sides).
5. Complete steps 8 and 9 on the inner and outer dresses.
6. New step: Slip the outer dress inside the inner dress, right sides facing. Then, sew along the curves of the bodices using a 1/4" seam allowance to attach the dresses to one another. Clip the seams at the curves, turn the dress inside out from the bottom, and press.
7. Pin and baste the bottom edges of the skirts together and then sew on the bias tape as discussed above.


How's that? Clear as mud? :) I'm sorry I don't have better instructions or pictures to go with them, and it seems everyone else I know is having boys, so I don't have a reason to re-make the dress right now. I do hope this helps, and if you try it out, let me know if it works okay or if you find a better way. Good luck!

WIP Wednesday #9

Hello, Wednesday! The WIPs are coming along nicely, and I gotta admit I'm enjoying having such a good to-do list. (In case you've missed out, I'm following along with Freshly Pieced's W.I.P. (Work In Progress) Wednesday series as a good way for me (and you) to keep track of what's going on around here.)


Completed this week:

Kindle cover for my brother-in-law's birthday (made using my tutorial)


Started this week:

Hide and Seek Spectrum baby quilt — I picked out the fabrics for the "windows" and need to pre-wash


In progress/On the "to do" list:

Hide and Seek Spectrum baby quilt
Blocking the Early Bird/Kitchen Window quilt

Empire Waist Cinch for me from Handmade Beginnings

Baby shower gifts for several friends
Nursery bedding for the biscuit

Nursery curtains for a friend
Other biscuit-related projects


Hope everyone has a great rest of the week. And be sure to click on the button to check out other great WIPs for more inspiration!

Hide and Seek Spectrum Quilt

While I have several baby gifts I'm still working on for friends, I wanted to show you a little more of a quilt I'm getting started on for my own little biscuit. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I bought Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book. I'd been wanting it for a while, but it was hard to justify purchasing it until we knew we had one of our own on the way.

Anyway, as I was flipping through and deciding which projects I "had" to do, I found the Hide and Seek Spectrum Quilt and decided it would be the perfect "tummy time" quilt (and a much better alternative to those plastic play mats they sell for babies).

I loved the rainbow of colors, the "peek-a-boo" nature of the flaps on the quilt, and the fact that it could be a learning tool if you used fabrics with pictures behind the windows.

I started off with some help from the ladies at Sew Fresh Fabrics, who put together this awesome rainbow bundle of Kona solids.

Then, I had to find my picture prints for the windows. Aren't they great?

I wound up using a combination of scraps from my stash, as well as prints I picked up from Joann's and my local quilt shop.

We originally wanted an all-animal or all-food theme, but that proved tricky, so we ended up with a combination of foods, animals, and a few planes and people thrown in. 

 Now, I just gotta get them washed so I can get started!

Man, I love that pig. :)

UPDATE: For a list of the solid colors I used in the quilt, see this post. 

Thankful Mondays #18

Happy Monday! Each Monday, I'm writing about things I'm thankful for. This is week 18. Read more about it here. In honor of Father's Day, this week's post is dedicated to the newest father-to-be in the family, my sweet husband. I'm thankful for a husband who...

256. actually suggests a trip to the fabric store so he can help me pick out fabric for the biscuit's baby quilt
257. makes the most delicious meals

258. has a passion for making our family healthier in every way
259. loves going to the movies with me

260. helps me fold the laundry, clean the bathroom, and a million other chores
261. wants to be completely involved in everything involving the baby
262. makes me smile

263. makes me laugh
264. remembers when I mention things I like and tries to get them for me
265. loves the Lord
266. wants to spend the night at Borders looking through baby food cookbooks

267. loves his mama
268. appreciates good food

269. loves my family

270. is going to be the best father ever! :)

Viva la Mexico!

Several weeks ago, Matt and I got to take a wonderful vacation to Cancun with my family. Our parents both own timeshares in Mexico, so we've been many times, but this was our first trip to Cancun.

It was absolutely gorgeous. The ocean is so much clearer and bluer than on the Pacific coast (where we usually go), and the beach was soft and delightful.

We spent most of our time by the awesome resort pool, but we ventured out on two days to explore Isla Mujeres, a small island 8 miles off the coast.

It had the best beaches, and we spent time wading out and snorkeling.

This is how you get around the island. Awesome, no?

We cooled off at the end of the first day with paletas, delicious frozen coconut milk treats.

 On the ferry to the island

 Post-snorkeling off the coast of the island

 Gorgeous waters

 View from our hotel balcony

We had a great time and can't wait for next year (wink, Dad!)!