Fall Recap, through the eyes of Zac’s wardrobe

Posted in Uncategorized by

I solemnly swear that my new year’s resolution is to be a better blogger. Until then, here’s a recap of the fall through the eyes of my almost 3-year-old. The best thing about sewing and embroidering is being able to make stuff for him. I know that as he gets older, he won’t want holiday shirts, but until then, game on!!

Football is everything in our house, and Zac outgrew his UGA shirts from last year, so I took it upon myself to make him one.IMG_0688-0.JPG

Next up was the month of October. Zac’s preschool had a pumpkin patch day where they had games, a bouncy house, and even their own patch of pumpkins for the kids to pick from. He had loads of fun and looked cute doing it.IMG_0810.JPGIMG_1353.JPG

Here is the zombie crossing shirt I made him. He wore it the day our family went to the pumpkin patch, which also happened to be the day the new season of the Walking Dead premiered too.IMG_0967.JPGIMG_1601.JPG

Next up was Halloween. Zac loves Pete the Cat, so it kinda seemed like a no brainer for him to dress as Pete for Halloween. I bought an oversized yellow t-shirt that I embroidered 4 groovy buttons on, sewed ears onto a navy blue hoodie, and a tail onto sweat pants. This costume was super comfortable and kept Zac warm too. He loved it so much that he slept in it and then wore it the next day too.IMG_1375.PNGIMG_1873-0.JPGIMG_1958.JPG

Thanksgiving shirt… (Steelers colors for the helmet)IMG_2631.JPGIMG_2648.JPG

I spent way too much time on the next project, especially considering I have a million and one things that I should be doing, but today was pajama day at Zac’s preschool and he NEEDED these… I bought the pattern for the pants from GirlCharlee.com which was much easier than winging it like I have in the past. I bought the baseball tee to embroidery for the top because we have too many regular shirts and I though the colored sleeves were fun. I am doing the same type of shirt (with blue sleeves) for his Pete the Cat birthday shirt.IMG_2786.PNGIMG_2662.JPG

IMG_2837.PNGIMG_2800.PNG

Last but not least is Christmas!!! How did we get here?? I pre-ordered these sets over the summer from Blanks Boutique. I love how they’ve turned out, but I’ll be ready when they’re done. I think I had 12 total to do, and I have 6 left. Here are Zac’s and Belle’s outfits. Can’t wait to get a pic of them together in them.

IMG_2839.PNG

A Very Special Bridesmaid Dress Quilt

Posted in Baby Blankets, Kids, Quilts, sewing by

I met my best friend in February of 1986. My family just moved into our new house and Jaime knocked on our front door and asked (she loves this story BTW) “do you have a little girl my age I can play with?” The rest is history. My family moved from Ohio to Georgia in 1994 and our moms made sure we were still able to visit. She flew to Georgia to be in my wedding in 2005 and I was in Ohio when she married her husband 3 years later.
IMG_0409.JPG

IMG_0410.JPG

IMG_0408.JPG
I am over the moon excited for Jaime and her husband Mike as they’re expecting their first baby. I’ve known for over a year that when she got pregnant I was going to cut up my bridesmaid dress to make a quilt for her. I was so excited after seeing this idea on Pinterest that I actually bought the fabric before she was even pregnant. (Hi, my name is Melissa and I am a fabric hoarder…) I went neutral with greys and yellows, knowing that she wanted the gender to be a surprise. This quilt is different from a similar blanket I made last fall in that I used the satin material from the dress as slashing to go between the cotton fabric squares. I love how it turned out.

IMG_0468.JPG

IMG_0474.JPG

IMG_0457.JPG

IMG_0454.JPG

IMG_0464.JPG

Preschool…

Posted in Kids by

My little guy started preschool this week. I had great intentions of writing this post when I got home from dropping him off on Tuesday, but I spent the first hour pacing the floors, and when I got over myself and decided to get some work done, I received a phone call that he never stopped crying and it may be best for me to come pick him up. Thankfully, he had a much better day on Thursday and, to everyone’s surprise, he made it the whole day. He woke up today asking to go back. Let’s hope he’s this excited next week!!

I’m not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but here preschool registration starts in January. Yep, I said January. School starts in September… As a first time mom, I completely missed the boat on that one, and the preschool across the street from our house was full. I had a moment of panic where I actually cried, thinking this would somehow affect where he went to college, before I put on my big girl panties and started talking with friends and calling other schools in the area. They say that everything happens for a reason, and I truly love the school where Zac ended up. They have 8 students with 2 teachers in their 2-year-old classes. I don’t know anywhere else that has that ratio. Additionally, he has music and spanish classes once a week. So, we signed him up, paid our registration, and then somebody pressed the fast-forward button on life, because in the blink of an eye, this week arrived.

Me being me, I made sure that Zac was ready with all the personalized school gear that one embroidery machine could create. I made him a shirt and matching shorts for his first day of school, I embroidered his name on the fire engine lunchbox he picked out, and then I embroidered an appliquéd patch and his name on his book bag. Let me talk a minute about this backpack- I posted a picture of this on Facebook and immediately had friends requesting them too. They’re now listed on Etsy and quickly became my top seller. They are so easy to do, so I need to remember this for next year. Last, but certainly not least, I need to introduce my newest baby- the Silhouette Cameo. This machine really needs her own post, but I’ll work on that for next week. It was a complete impulse buy, but I used it to slap Zac’s name on his water cup for school, as well as make a little welcome gift for his teachers too.

If you have questions about any of the items pictured below, please leave me a comment. I need additional practice with the Silhouette, but I hope to create some things to list on Etsy for the holidays. Till next time, friends!!

IMG_8925.JPG

IMG_9781.JPG

IMG_9782.JPG

IMG_8725.JPG

IMG_8681.JPG

IMG_9783.JPG

IMG_9784.JPG

IMG_9669.JPG

Jersey Knit Pajama Pants, tutorial

Posted in Kids by

Earlier this spring, I purchased a serger. I justified this purchase by telling my husband I could start making clothing items for Zac and to list on Etsy. Easier said than done… Well, last month I ordered him a pair of jersey knit lounge pants from another Etsy shop and I made a shirt to match.20140806-072315-26595662.jpg

After looking at the pants and others we have here, I realized that I needed to bite the bullet. There are lots of sellers that make embroidered and appliquéd shirts, sellers that make pants, but few that do both.

I searched and searched for a pattern to make the pants and came up empty handed. So, I decided to make my own. I cut up an old pair of Christmas pajama pants and saw that this wouldn’t be as difficult as I thought.

20140806-072734-26854538.jpg20140806-072735-26855349.jpg20140806-072735-26855760.jpg

Looking at a pair of existing pants was incredibly helpful. I serged the legs of each piece of fabric, and then (carefully) pieced the two together and stitched the front/back/crotch together. Word to the wise: the serger will cut through straight pins, so remove them as you sew (lesson learned the hard way).

20140806-072927-26967047.jpg20140806-072944-26984457.jpg20140806-072952-26992775.jpg20140806-072958-26998614.jpg20140806-073931-27571258.jpg

Next up was the waste and leg cuffs. I cut 7 inches of the polkadot fabric, folded it over and serged the seam. I measured the waistband of another pair of Zac’s pants and serged one to match. I did the same with the leg cuffs.

20140806-073149-27109942.jpg20140806-073155-27115632.jpg20140806-073324-27204647.jpg20140806-073338-27218592.jpg

I was so anxious to finish at this point that my last pictures were taken after the fact. I lined up the waste (seam in the back) and serged that on, pulling it tight as I went. I repeated that with the legs, making sure the seam lined up with the inside seam of the pants.

20140806-073522-27322106.jpg20140806-073528-27328523.jpg

I designed the shirt to match and used some of the polkadot fabric from the pants too. I am in love with this set and I can’t wait to make more!! I am working on making a downloadable pattern for the blog, so check back soon. Until then, don’t be afraid to cut up a pair of pants and make your own!! For those who don’t sew, this set will be listed on Etsy soon.

20140806-073809-27489629.jpg20140806-073808-27488781.jpg20140806-073810-27490462.jpg

My model was less than cooperative…

20140806-073921-27561327.jpg20140806-073921-27561687.jpg

 

Going back to school in style

Posted in Kids by

I don’t want to believe it, but my little guy starts preschool in just a few short weeks. I am mixed with emotions over this, but decided to channel my energy for good. I started looking at backpacks that I could embroider with his name. After all, what good is an embroidery machine without using it myself? I found this backpack at Walmart and my son fell in love. He carried it around the store naming all the trucks. Because the pattern is so busy, I knew I’d need an appliqué frame to help the name stand out. I was scared to hoop this bag and embroider directly on it, but the front zipper came down far enough that it was fairly easy. So easy in fact that I went back to Walmart to stock up and picked up a girl bag too. These are for sale in the etsy shop, and don’t forget about the code SUPERBLOG for 15% off!

20140802-132558-48358082.jpg

20140802-132610-48370253.jpg

20140802-132618-48378767.jpg

20140802-132637-48397490.jpg

20140802-132649-48409508.jpg

I swish my cape at you!

Posted in Kids by

I am the mom of a 2-and-a-half year old boy. My house is filled with planes, trains, and automobiles. We are also a lover of the Disney movies Cars and Planes. I’m not ashamed to admit that I often bribe my son on shopping trips, “if you sit nice, we’ll walk past the toy aisle on our way out…” Well, on a recent trip to Walmart, they had all the new figurines for the Planes 2 Fire & Rescue movie. I think the folks at our local Walmart took this as an opportunity to clean out their storage room because they also had figurines from the first planes movie too. Let me introduce you to El Chupacabra.20140730-122442-44682694.jpg

Next to Dusty Crophopper, El Chu is my son’s favorite character from the movie. I have been looking for the El Chu toy for awhile and with the release of the new movie, haven’t been able to find the toys from the old movie. Needless to say, we haaaaad to buy him.

Zac and El Chu were inseparable for a few days. Everywhere we went, he came with us. During this time, I was working on a superhero cape for an Etsy order and showed it to Zac. His face lit up and he said “Cape!!! I, I swish my cape at you” (a line from the Planes movie). I made two capes for Zac last summer and he had no interest in them whatsoever, until now. Now he wants to wear a cape because it makes him like El Chu.

He’s worn this cape multiple places over the past few weeks. It’s been worn to a birthday party, grocery shopping, on evening walks, and today he wore it to his Gymboree class. Zac’s latest “trick” is running circles around the house and making his cape fly. Secretly, I love it!!

Shameless plug- the red superhero capes are available for order in my Etsy shop. Today I also added a superhero onesie. I think these would make an adorable combination for a big brother/little brother photo session. Use the code SUPERBLOG for 15% off any order.

20140730-122110-44470012.jpg

20140730-122122-44482677.jpg

20140730-122152-44512423.jpg

20140730-122158-44518875.jpg

Upholstered Headboard, revisited

Posted in Interior Decorating by

I realized today that I never updated the blog with the completed upholstered headboard. To give it a finished touch, I hammered in bronze furniture nails. Easier said than done… I’m not sure if it was the plywood, the nails, my lack of muscle, or (most likely) a combination of the three, but this took FOREVER!

I realized quickly that I lack the ability to eyeball a straight line, so I used my water soluble embroidery pen and a straight edge to make a guide. I then used my thumb to space out the nails. The burlap was forgiving and hid all the holes from the many (MANY) nails that needed to be removed. Most nails would go in fine until at first and then bend. After the fact, I talked with a friend who does this often and said she pre-drills holes.

So here it is- the good, the bad, and the ugly. No blood was shed during this project, so I consider that a win, and I love the finished product, but I’n in no rush to use finishing nails again.

20140729-145817-53897600.jpg20140729-145818-53898450.jpg20140729-145819-53899440.jpg20140729-145820-53900002.jpg

 

 

 

Let the Wild Rumpus Start

Posted in Baby Blankets, Kids, Quilts by

It’s no secret that I seriously love the book, Where the Wild Things Are, so I was over the moon excited when an etsy customer asked me to create a custom quilt for her newborn’s nursery. Working together we chose 10 coordinating fabrics, and here it is!

20140725-161845-58725612.jpg
20140725-161235-58355152.jpg
20140725-161234-58354769.jpg

The quilt measures approximately 42″ by 48″. It’s backed with navy blue flannel and I used 100% cotton batting between the layers.

New Pillows

Posted in Interior Decorating by

I recovered the chair in our front sitting room (which is quickly becoming a playroom…), and quickly realized that my green pillows on the sofa didn’t match. What is a girl to do?? I went back and forth on whether I should use the same fabric from the chair to cover the pillows, and when that was on backorder, my decision was easy. I choose a coordinating print and I am oh so glad I did. I had a rectangle piece of chair fabric left and decided to use that for a third pillow and I love the asymmetricalness (yep, just made up a word). So, here it is-

 

20140630-091216.jpg

20140630-091311.jpg

20140630-091324.jpg

The Tale of 3 Chairs…

Posted in Interior Decorating by

It all started because the chair in our front room needed help. I recovered that chair myself 7 years ago, and 2 dogs and a toddler were more than it could handle. Recovering that chair was one of the toughest sewing projects I’ve taken on, and I really had no desire to do it again, so I sent off to find myself a new (already covered) chair. I purchased the vintage rocker, but when I brought it home I didn’t like how the colors looked with the curtains. Curtains are expensive to buy, even more expensive to make yourself, and so that’s when I decided to switch up everything. The rocker went upstairs into the guest room which was getting made over anyways, and I decided to bring the chair that was upstairs down into the front living room. Those colors didn’t match either, so I faced my fears and recovered it to match.

One mistake I made with the original chair was not using a sturdy enough home decor fabric. The fabric I used this time is almost canvas like, and I think it will withstand the day-to-day tortures of our household. This chair doesn’t have arms, and as you can see- it’s a very simple design. I was able to recover this in the 2 hours my son napped. Next up on the agenda is to make pillows for our couch with the same fabric. The jury’s still out on what to do with the original chair. Currently it’s in our family room. I am considering recovering it again… Never say never, right?

 

20140530-075236.jpg

20140530-075255.jpg

20140530-075307.jpg

20140530-075328.jpg

20140530-075346.jpg

20140530-075406.jpg