Still here and still sewing

Sorry for the bit of blog silence lately. We've been keeping busy around here with lots of work and lots of birthdays. More on that very soon, but for now, let's talk sewing. I've been working on lots of little projects lately (though I'm dreaming up some big ones on the horizon).

First, I finally made a sippy cup leash for B using this tutorial from Make It and Love It (with one change: I subbed fabric for the ribbon to make it sturdier and stronger). This thing is awesome. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before he started using it, so instead, you get some poorly lit action shots.

And please ignore the vast amount of filth on it. My son is the world's messiest eater. I'm planning to make a second one this week so I can switch them out and wash them more often.

The other projects were for B's birthday party. I've been wanting to make one of the cute banners you see all over blogland for forever but have been waiting for the right opportunity. What better excuse could I have than a birthday party? (Again, sorry for the crappy pics on this one. The pictures were taken in our basement and dining room, perhaps the worst two places in the house for picture-taking purposes.)

One side was done in a mix of solids and patterns in orange, royal blue, and lime green to match the color scheme of B's monster party.

We hung it along the front of our dining room table for the big day.

The back is made up of Ann Kelle fabrics (my favorites!), along with a blue stripe from my stash.

 

This is the side that's now showing, as it's hung in its new home on the basement wall (in the "playroom" area). I love the fun and color it brings to the room.

Finally, I had to make B a new shirt for his party, so here's to our little monster!

The onesie is from H&M (FYI, if you have one near you that stocks kids' clothing, it's a great source for basics. Their plain and striped organic onesies are $4!), and I added the applique.

He got a monster on the front and a big "1" on the back (my boy's getting so big!).

And just in case you needed to see it in action at the party:

Also, I thought some of you might be interested in the template I used for the monster design, so you can download it here for personal use. Printed at 100%, it fits perfectly on a 12-18 month onesie and could easily be sized up or down. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it!