A little of this and a little of THAT!!!

SOOO first things first....I took the week off from weighing in.  I had a CRAFTING RETREAT this weekend and so I decided to enjoy myself rather than counting calories.  I will weigh in again next week and see what harm I did my eating catered food and LOTS of candy:)  Who knows...maybe the dozen chocolate chip cookies I ate last night will ACTUALLY eat the fat cells...I am not a scientist, but it could happen!!!

Speaking of my retreat...I am already looking forward to next year.  I had  a BLAST!!!  I was hoping to get a quilt top done, but only finished 2/3 or the blocks.  I did get a sideache from laughing and a headache from staying up until 2 in the morning.  So  I guess I was a little productive:)  I also used my sewing machine...which was a big step since I have been a NON sewer for WAY too long.  I cannot remember the last quilt I worked on (sad I know), but I DO know that I got the fire started again and I will NOT be taking a long break again for a WHILE!!! 
ANDDDD last but not least...the first completed book of the year!!! 

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.  This is the 3rd book in her ROSE series.  I FLEW throught the first 2, but this one took me MUCH longer to get in to.  Her writing was as good, but I was not LOVING the characters.  They ALL had a bad side, so I had a hard time choosing who I would root for.  I didn't even know WHO I wanted to end up staying together in the end...I actually hoped for a few of them to die so that I would not have to hear about all of their troubles any more.  BUT all in all despite my disgust with the character's choices, I would give a thumbs up. 
This book was about Seamie...the last brother in the Finnegan family.  He made an appearance in book 2 where he climbs Kilimanjaro with the girl he loves(Willa) and then she falls and destroys her leg, which later has to be amputated.  She blames him for losing her leg and leaves him in Africa.  THIS book picks up when he returns to London and SHE is at Mt. Everest. He is moving on with his life (and his pregnant wife) when Willa returns to London for her father's funeral.  Everything goes down hill at that point for EVERYONE.  Everyone is telling lies.  Everyone is sneaking around.  EVERYONE drove me nuts!!!  PLUS WWI is about to break out and there are spies and mobsters running around making trouble.  If you have read the Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, you should for sure pick up where you left off and read the conclusion of the story.  It is nice to know what has happened to ALL of the other characters that we have gotten to know in the other books.  Now it is time to MOVE ON and find a new book to leave on my nighstand for 2 months:) 

Itty Bitty Bag (sleeping bag tutorial)

Before Christmas (when I still had contact with my sewing machine), I made a little Itty Bitty sleeping bag for Emersyn's BFF (and her Bitty Baby).  Em has been bugging me to make one for her dollies, so I thought I better go back to my pictures and write down what I did so that I do not have to re-invent the wheel when I decide to be a good mommy and make her one. 

SOOO here is a SUPER quick rundown of what I did.  BTW...this would be GREAT for a kid's sleeping bag too, you would just need to increase the length of the fabric to fit your kiddo!!

I started with 3/4 yards of two coordinating fabrics.  I could have made this smaller, but 3/4 is the cuts that I had, so I just went simple and left it.  I also used selvage to selvage and didn't cut, but you could make it much smaller if you wanted to use less fabric.  Next I used spray adhasive to make a quilt sandwich.  SOOO fabric--batting---fabric.  There are lots of online tutorials for that if you are not a quilter. 

 Next, I quilted straight lines about every 8 inches.  I used the lines between the flowers and just eye balled it. SOO do not look closely because it is SUPER crooked.  If you wanted to skip the quilting step, you could buy pre-quilted fabric OR use fleece.  If using fleece you would only need ONE piece because you would not need to use batting and lining.  Honestly, that might be the way to go:)

 After quilting I cut the edges even and serged around all four sides.  Serging is optional, it just keeps the edges looking clean. 

 Next, I took one SHORT end and folded it down and ironed it. 

THEN I folded it over again to make a cute border at the top of the bag. 

 I top stitched along the inner edge.

 AND then again along the outer edge.

 THEN, I folded in one of the LONG edges and top stitched along the inner edge.

 Last, I sewed the velcro along the entire LONG edge that you just sewed down.  DISCLAIMER....I have yet to find a way to sew velcro on and have it look clean and pretty and straight.  SOOO go with it and get it on there.  Remember this is for a doll:)  Repeat along the other side with the other side of the velcro.  After you have both velcro pieces on, close your bag with right sides together and sew the bottom closed.  SOOO you are putting right sides together and sewing along the last SHORT edge of the sleeping bag.  THEN just flip it right side out. and your bag is DONE. 

I used two pieces of bias tape (ribbon would work better) to make straps.  I just sewed BOTH pieces to ONE of the top edges of the bag about 1/4 of the way in from the edge.

ALLL ready for a slumber party!!!

Then you can just fold it up and take it along....just like a BIG GIRL sleeping bag. 

 Trust me...Your baby doll with be SUPER happy to have her own little sleeping bag.  AND YOUR little DOLL will LOVE you for making something cute for her dolly:)

6 months (and a week)

A little over 6 months ago I started a quilt.  A simple little quilt for my SOON to come baby boy.  ONLY one problem.  I didn't QUITE get it done before he arrived.  Life happened and I got the top done, but didn't get it quilted.  I had REALLY good intentions of getting it done within weeks of his birth, but somehow FAILED.  Then I planned on getting it finished before he had surgery....FAIL.  SOO a little over a week ago I decided I would get it done by the time he turned 6 months.  Now (only a week late) I got it finished.  PHEW!!!!

It sure would have been easier to get a picture of a newborn.  This guy does NOT hold still for 1 second.  He spends his days trying to perfect the whole CRAWLING thing.  YIKES!!!

The pattern is Little Man from Camille's book SIMPLIFY.  The fabric is (pretty sure) a little Authentic by Sweetwater, a little Michael Miller, and a few.....something or others.  I just grabbed what I liked. 

I think my boy kinda likes it too:)  NOW that is a happy little boy.....LOVE IT!!!

The backing is my favorite.  I love the gray and the dots.  LOVE. THE. DOTS!!!!  I do not love the crooked quilting line down the green strip, but.....it is what it is RIGHT??? 

Man a lot can happen in six months......

And there he goes....

PHEWWW!!

 SOOO you might not believe this but.....I ACTUALLY FINISHED SOMETHING!!!! Yes I Did!!!  Well I can only take half the credit, but still.  Something that I worked on GOT FINISHED!!!  Me and my Marcie  made this cute quilt for a graduation gift (congrats Miss April). 

 The pattern in skipping squares from Cluck Cluck Sew and the fabric is....I will have to get back to you on that. (sunkissed by sweetwater)

 This was a fun and easy quilt to start with.  I will for sure use this pattern again. It came together so fast because you had very little to match up...I love that. 

 Uh Hum....is the back not so cute.  I cannot wait to get some more of this fabric to make a dress for Emersyn.  It is just so darn cute and springy or summery or girlie...or whatever. 

Nothing better than accomplishing something.  Good by cute little quilt.  Have fun at college!!!

Another finished quilt....pretty much in love with this one:)

I SOMEHOW managed to finish another quilt....I was on a bit of a time crunch.  This one is for Pink A Night To Remember, which is an auction for Breast Cancer that my Aunt helps put on.  I donated 2 quilts last year, but only managed one baby quilt this year.  Actually I tried to work on a different bigger quilt, but I kinda ruined it....so this is what they got this year.  ANYWAY...

The fabric is one of my favorites, Riley Blake, but I am not sure what it is called.....Delicious is what I call it:)  Is it not super cute boy fabric????  Love it!!!

I grid quilted it....I promise to try free motion again someday.  I did do something a little different this time though.  NO TAPE...I used the little extension do-hickey that goes on my walking foot.  Worked like a charm. 

The backing is my favorite...I pretty much love the stars!!!

It matches baby E's room pretty well....too bad it can't stay there:)  I promise the A is coming soon....it is on order. 

The pattern is from THIS book.  Thanks Marcie!!!  This is the same pattern I used for Baby E's quilt...different fabric though.   If I EVER actually finish it I will share a picture.

This might be my last accomplishment for a while, so I am sitting here enjoying the finish....kinda like I just won a state championship....small things:)

First quilt of 2011

SOOOO.... my computer has been out of commission for a few weeks...YES WEEKS!!! and I have not been able to post, or look at blogs, or even access many of my patterns.  YUCK!!!  But a while back I finished 2011's very first finished quilt.

I made this quilt out of some of the scraps from my vintage linens from THE SHOP.  I really liked some of the colors and patterns in the linens that I had, so I decided to try it out.  I kinda LOVE the way these linens are in a quilt.  Because they are used and washed multiple times, the quilt is THE SOFTEST thing I have ever made.  It is so snuggly and soft. Seriously!!!  

ANYWAY...I used THIS pattern from the Moda Bake Shop.  

I quilted it using masking tape and grid quilting (nothing new there).  Seriously in 2011 I am going to perfect my free motion quilting.  SERIOUSLY!!!! 

The backing fabric is my favorite.  It is SOOO soft.  There is also a strip of "stacked coins" pieced into the back.  I don't usually piece the back, but I liked that little addition. 

Since it is not really a "manly boy" quilt, I didn't think it was quite right for Little Baby E (who will arrive in less than 2 weeks).  SOOO I put it in the Etsy shop.  We shall see if anyone loves it as much as I do:)  I have a few more finished projects to share and a couple little cuties in the works, but I am still getting back into this century and need to go get caught up on some more important computer stuff.....like blog stalking and online shopping:)

 

maternity sweat pants--MUST HAVE!!!

Long time no blog huh????  Well as the count down to baby gets closer, my desire to do....ANYTHING gets smaller and smaller.  I have a feeling that in a few weeks it will disappear all together.  BUT I must say that this latest endeavor has been my BEST IDEA EVER!!!  For me that is....it may not have ANY use for you, but I thought I would share anyway.  I may have mentioned this before, but I get ENORMOUS pregnant.  Not the cute litte basketball belly disappears before you leave the hospital pregnant.  OH NO....I am talking almost double in size, unrecognizable as the same person BIG.  Like cannot go into public without people asking questions big.  In the last 2 days I have had a little boy at the mall point at my belly and ask(ever so politely) "WHAT do you have IN there???"  AND a little old lady in a scooter at the grocery store asked if I needed her to help me grab something off the shelf.  YES pregnancy for me is a VERY humbling experience.  That being said....I will get back to the topic at hand.  SWEAT PANTS. As a stay at home mommy I try to avoid wearing sweats EVERY day, but as a huge pregnant about to give birth mommy I am pretty much in them all the time.  BUT they are not as comfy for me for 2 reasons.  1.  I have a c-section scar that gets rubbed by them because they sit right under my belly....not fun.  AND 2.  I sometimes end up looking like this nice gentlemen....

Not Pretty!!!  ALSO...I remember after my last c-section I had a hard time finding things to wear that did not hurt my incision.....SOOOO really long story a little shorter.....I decided to hack up my sweats and make them into TRUE maternity sweats (with a full belly panel).

If you have managed to read through that monster story and are interested in your own maternity sweats.....here is what I did.

You will need:

sweats that fit (even if the waist band is snug)

an old t-shirt that fit before you were pregnant (needs to have some spandex in it)

sewing machine and maybe a serger

about 15 minutes

First, I cut the waist band off of my sweats...try to keep track of the front because it is lower than the back of the pants....this will help the panel hit in the right spot. BTW.....sorry for the blurry pictures.  I allowed my 2 year old photography nut help take the pics...she is still learning:)

 Next, I cut the bottom off of an old t-shirt.  I cut right under the arm pits because I wanted a long panel and my shirt was pretty short....you might want to measure how long you want your panel and cut accordingly. You will be using the BOTTOM hem of the t-shirt as the TOP hem of the panel, so cut with that in mind.  The shirt needs to have some spandex in it so that it streches, but does not stretch out.  I used one of my old favoriteTarget t-shirts that has the double layer in the front (anybody else have these in every color and go back every spring for more???)  I also know that GAP t-shirts are nice material to work with....but not cheap to cut up sometimes:)

 Next, turn your pants inside out and put your t-shirt tube down into the pants (right sides touching).  SOOO your bottom hem of your shirt should be DOWN in your pants and your raw edge should be lined up with the raw edge of your pants.  Then line up your side seams on both sides and pin.  This will make your panel match up to your pants and not look so HOMEmade. 

 Then, find as close to the center of your tube as possible and pin that to the center of your pants.  Next, try to match up the edges and pin.  You wanna spread the shirt evenly around the pants (although they might not match up perfect) so that you don't get huge pleats.  You may however have to stretch it here and there and have some small pleats....no biggie. Then I just sewed around the top edge with a 1/2 inch seam.  And finally serged around that seam with my serger to make it even more sturdy.  If not using a serger I would zig zag around the edge or double stitch your seam.  Maybe it is just my enormo tummy, but I need my panel to be EXTRA sturdy.  My self esteem could not handle a belly panel ripping off right now....just sayin!!

 VOILA...just turn your pants right side out and you have the most comfiest pair of sweats you can imagine.  I now have 2 pairs and seriously as soon as my other sweats get out of the wash I will be doing this to everything I can get my little hands on. 

Good luck...and btw...I won't judge you if you make these for your not pregnant self either..shhhh it will be our little secret;)