UP

Posted in Kids, sewing by Sew Sassy Creations

As a family we started Saturday evening movie nights with Zac. For my husband and me it’s been a great chance to catch up on children’s movies we’ve missed over the past decade. A couple weeks ago, the move we watched was Up. Seriously- this movie needs to come with a warning to parents that it’s a tear jerker, and now in the typical Disney movie way. If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading now- spoilers ahead! From watching previews I knew the old man’s wife wasn’t going to make it, but was not prepared for the topic of infertility/miscarriage. Before Zac was born, we suffered two losses so this part of the movie (while brief) hit close to home. Thankfully Zac didn’t ask questions about why the couple was decorating a nursery and then the wife was crying in the doctor’s office. My husband and I just glanced at each other and then he went and got me some tissues.

The next morning, I was going through my stash of knit fabrics, and Zac saw my Up fabric. He was pointing out the balloons and characters and he asked me to make him a shirt. How could I say no to that? Zac always gets excited when I make him outfits or pajamas out of character fabrics, but I think this is the first time he specifically asked for something. I got right to work.

I decided I wanted to make a hoodie. Previously, I have made the all ears hoodie by Max & Meena and knew I could do the hood easily (not sure why that was intimidating to me), but I wanted to add a pocket and this pattern doesn’t offer that option. I then remembered I had a hoodie pattern from Brindille & Twig (free btw) and decided to merge the two. The Up fabric is really colorful, so I wanted to use it strategically.

I decided on using grey fabric for the body of the shirt and the Up fabric for the pocket, but first I added an appliqué.

I decided to do the arms and the inside of the hood out of the Up fabric, and make the outer hood grey to match the front (and back) of the shirt. I went back and forth on what to do for the arm cuffs and the waist band, and decided on a dark grey and I’m glad I did. I absolutely love how this hoodie turned out, and Zac does too.

The following day was Columbus Day and there was no school. My friend and I decided to take the boys to the Yellow River Game Ranch. The weather was gorgeous and it was a great opportunity to take some pictures of Zac in his new hoodie. Earlier this year my husband and I purchased a Sony a6000 camera and a 50 mm lens. It was a splurge, but I absolutely love this camera and the pictures I’m able to capture with it.

8Apr2014

Inside all of us is a Wild Thing

Posted in Kids by Sew Sassy Creations

I have always loved the children’s book, Where the a wild things Are. I remember hearing the story read aloud when I was on school, and as a teacher myself, I found any excuse possible to read the story to my students. When I found out the book was being made into a movie, words cannot describe my excitement. My husband and I went opening night and watched in awe as the story was brought to life on the big screen. I seriously wanted to name my son Max in honor of the book. At one time my husband felt the same, but when it came time to name our son he changed his mind because we have a Zac not a Max, but that’s a whole other story…

I love having a boy. I love the world of trucks, dinosaurs, and monsters. My son loves books and that’s a great thing considering we have hundreds from my days as a kindergarten teacher. I remember the first time I read, Where the Wild Things Are aloud to him. He made me read it again and again and again. My heart was so happy.

I had the opportunity to go fabric shopping alone this past weekend- a rare occasion. While browsing the aisles at Jo Ann’s I came across this-

I had to have it. At the time, I had no idea what I’d make, but I was not leaving without it. My child has more blankets than he knows what to do with. He has lots of pillows too, but that’s what I decided to make. I sketched this out in my mind, then hit the internet searching for the perfect embroidery fonts and appliqué designs.

This morning I skipped grocery shopping to go to Hobby Lobby for fabric for the appliqués, and at naptime I got to work. I am so super excited about this project. The pillowcase fits an 18″ pillow. For kid stuff, I prefer pillowcases because, let’s face it, kids are messy and cases can be removed for washing. I used a 7.5″ quilting square for the individual squares and a 2″ border. I plan on listing these in my etsy shop this week.

2Apr2014

Pinterest Inspired Bathroom Makeover

Posted in Interior Decorating, Kids by Sew Sassy Creations

I love Pinterest. I feel like I need to write Pinterest projects into my budget, because I am notorious for looking at pictures online and then recreating them in my own house. A few months ago, I pinned this picture an an inspiration for my son’s bathroom-

I love this nautical theme because it is fitting for a little boy, but still looks sophisticated for guests who will also use the space. I also like it because my son won’t outgrow this like he would if it was decorated in the Lightning McQueen theme I was previously pondering.

When I get an idea, I usually run with it. That was the case here. I showed my husband this picture and he said, “looks nice.” I took that as his permission to order fabric. I quickly ran upstairs, measured our existing shower curtain, and ordered 4.5 yards of madras fabric online that very night. I don’t think I would have been able to make my own shower curtain had the fabric not been a true madras. Because the fabric was actually patched together, you cannot see the seam. I used navy fabric that I had from a previous project as my strip across the top. I actually laid that navy piece of fabric under my old shower curtain to use as a pattern for where the holes needed to be for the shower curtain hooks, and sewed button holes there.

Once the curtain was finished, I got to work on the towels. I used scrap pieces of the madras on the bottoms and embroidered appliqué crabs on the hand towels- it is a child’s bathroom after all. Next up was artwork. I searched pinterest and etsy for inspiration and decided that I wanted an anchor and a wheel. A good friend is a graphic artist and she was kind enough to turn my inspiration into a reality and even took my barter of an infinity scarf over payment.

My very talented husband is a talented woodworker. If you’re interested, check out his blog! He made the stool for the bathroom, and I painted it. The final touches were a new trashcan and bathmat. I love how this space turned out and hope you do too!

3Dec2013

Construction Birthday!

Posted in Kids by Sew Sassy Creations

It’s hard to believe, but over the weekend my little boy turned 2. It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago that he was born. It comes as no surprise that I’m a do-it-yourselfer. My motto is why buy it when I can make it. Now that I have the embroidery machine, I decided to make his birthday shirt. My son is obsessed with trucks, and especially loves construction trucks. His favorite book is Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site. If you have a son, this book is a must have.

I was nervous making the shirt because I failed miserably while trying to embroider a baby onesie a few weeks ago. Thankfully, this project was a success and not a disaster, mainly because toddler clothes are easier to maneuver on the machine than newborn stuff. I wanted his name on the shirt, but wasn’t happy with the first attempt, so I ended up buying a second shirt and redoing it. I like the second one better, plus it’s long sleeved and he can wear it through the winter.

Prepare for a photo bomb. Included below are pictures of the shirt, but I’m also including some of the party decor and the birthday boy himself. My very talented husband made the construction barrier. Enjoy!