Recent Craftiness

I have been busily sewing, knitting, crafting and creating this month!  Here's a brief run-down of what I've done since Dec. 1st.

• 7 Christmas-themed hostess aprons (plus a pending request for 3 more!!!)
• 4 Hostess aprons, including a mother-daughter set that turned out adorable - that I forgot to photograph before shipping out!
• 1 Birthday party for my favorite 5-year-old, including a racecar-themed variation of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"
• 4 Gift cards purchased for our teachers (I'm the Teacher Appreciation Mom for both classes, so I spent a Wednesday driving all over town to pick up cards for their favorite restaurants)
• 4 Custom gift bags for those gift cards
• 2 Pillowcase dresses
• 1 Appliqued onesie
• 36 Reindeer candycanes for school friends
• 1 Cheeta-and-denim purse
• Plus cookies for our MOPS cookie exchange, treats for our family, countless meals and snacks for our family ...

I've also attended the MOPS Steering Christmas party, my MOPS small-group Cookie Exchange (hosted at my house), the Women's Group dinner at church, Mitchell's Christmas program at school, Paul's company holiday party and my mom's annual get-together (in Baytown!).  Tomorrow, Paul's parents and brother arrive for Christmas at our house.

'Tis the season!

Sewing for a Super Hero

Mitchell asked me to sew him something. I thought long and hard about what I could make for a boy. So, I whipped up a special cape. He offered his creative input (switching the flames fabric to be the lightning bolt and the oval to the yellow lightning bolt fabric). It took no time at all, and he's hardly taken it off since I finished.

Meet Bernie

This month is "Sewing Machine Month" on Sew, Mama, Sew. To kick off the month, they're asking us "regulars" to answer a few questions about our own machines.

What brand and model do you have? Bernina Virtuosa 160

How long have you had it? At least four years. It sat unused in the closet until this January!

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I don't know what it cost when it was new, but I've seen them online from $750 to $1,200 used.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I'm still quite new to sewing, so I've tried a little of everything. I use it mostly for handbags and aprons.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I try to sew a few hours each week, if possible. It varies, based on what we've got going on and when Noah naps (and how tired I am at night!) Before it was mine, the machine was used a lot by my MIL.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? I love my machine! I love the ease of use (since I read the manual and learned!). I love all the decorative stitches.

Does he/she have a name? Bernie (it's a boy)

What features does your machine have that work well for you? I like that the outside of the presser foot is 1/4 inch from the needle - and that the inside is 1/8 inch. Little things like that make it easy for me to know what I'm doing!

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? Only when I wasn't confident using it did it drive me nuts - because I was doing stuff wrong!

Do you have a great story to share about your machine? We want to hear it! My MIL gave me my machine. She's an expert quilter and upgraded to a new machine (also a Bernina).

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? Yes. It can do so much, and it's really easy to use (once you take the time to learn).

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? Make sure it does what you want - and a little more. Once you start using it, you'll be amazed at how much you want to try new things!

Do you have a dream machine? I'd love to have an embroidery machine. I'd love to be able to add monograms and extra decorative special things to the aprons I sew.

Gina's Apron

I just completed my latest sewing order - an apron for Gina. Years ago, she and I worked together and reconnected via Facebook. She asked if I'd sell her an apron.

Her requests were that it be brown and pink and that it have pockets.

I tried some new things with this one. I used D-rings at the neck so it can be easily adjusted for a comfortable fit. The waist tie is super long so it can be tied to the front - but it's still short enough that it didn't hang down too far when I tied it to the back.

Notice that kicky little ruffle at the bottom hem. Yep, that was a new technique as well. And, that little loop thingy at the waist is to hold your dish towel while you're cooking. (Paul pointed out that it could also holster a pair of tongs and asked if I'd make him a Man-Pron for when he's barbecuing. He said he'd let me know where to place things so his tools are handy.)

I also did some rousching on the waist band to give it some shape - and it goes up in the middle for definition.

All in all, I'm very, very, VERY pleased with this project. It was - hands down - the best binding job I've ever done, and I like all the extras.

Gina has already said she loves it based on the photos. Guess there's no chance of her changing her mind so I can keep it!

P.S., thanks to my fantastic photographer, Paul. Poor guy probably rolls his eyes when I ask him to take the photo of the finished item. Then again, wasn't that one of the vows? You know - in sickness and in health, in lameness and in coolness. I think I remember that one.

Next up is a mother-daughter hostess apron set - also an order via Facebook. This one is for my high school friend Mika to give to one of her college friends for her birthday in June. I can't wait - It will feature Alexander Henry's Spotted Owl in Green Tea. How cute is that?! I might try a new hostess apron pattern.

Ale Has Landed

Meet Ale, our new alien.

This afternoon, Mitchell asked me to make him an alien. I searched online for some alien graphics and then let Mitchell decide which he wanted. Then we hit my fabric stash, where I had this sort-of planet-y fabric. Mitchell picked out buttons for his eyes while I cut the fabric.



Mitchell hasn't put him down yet! Not bad for a few minutes and scraps of fabric! He's pretty wonky, but I couldn't imagine him crisp and perfect!!!

This was the alien clip art that was my inspiration for Ale.

BTW: Mitchell named him Ale. I think because it sounds like the first syllable of alien.

Bohemian Bag: Finished!

After much cursing, several broken needles and probably too much stress, I finished my Bohemian Bag!

Drum roll please ...

I made Lila Tueller's Bohemian bag pattern with her Soiree fabric - my favorite!

I love how it came out, except next time I will start making my panels with the boring fabrics so the super cute ones don't end up on the sides. (I didn't even think about this when I was laying out the fabrics. As a result, my cute green and yellow floral fabrics are on the sides instead of the front.) I'll also make the pockets shorter on the inside - they were a little too close to the top so I kinda stitched them by accident when attaching the handles.

This was my first attempt to quilt and to use clear thread. I think my quilting came out pretty good, and the clear thread was a pain the you-know-what.

But, I was so proud when people commented on my bag yesterday, and I'd say "Thanks. I made it." (There were several who said it looked like a Vera Bradley! Yeah!!!)

And, on a somewhat related note: I commented on Lila Tueller's blog that I was frustrated with sewing the bag, and she so kindly responded with some tips and advice. How cool is that?! (Okay, I don't know that many people would think that's cool, but I did!)

Just Hatched!

Meet Chickie - the new member of my creative family!

I was getting a little frustrated with my Bohemian Bag, so I decided to take a little break. Those great gals at Sew, Mama, Sew! offered this mental vacation just at the right time. Yesterday evening, I started sewing up Chickie. I finished her up today and added a few touches of my own (notice her pink bows with the pearl centers?). I wanted to add some eyelashes, but I didn't have any black embroidery thread.

This is a great way to use up some scraps. For the comb and feet, I used some scraps from Lila Tueller's Soiree. Her body and wings are some fabrics I picked up to make the hostess aprons for Mitchell's school, and her beak is a scrap from Sandy Gervias's Celebrate Spring.

Mitchell named her Chickie, and we're debating whether she's a girl or a boy. I say Girl. I mean, hello - look at her! Mitchell keeps insisting that it's a boy.

Anyhoo, I think I'll use her as a pin cushion on my sewing table. She's so cheery and sort of matches my Chic Chick Boutique logo.

If you want to make your own spring chick, click here for the oh-so-easy instructions. Thanks Sew, Mama, Sew!

Now Working: Bohemian Bag

I just started a new bag, this one from a pattern. I've chosen Lila Tueller's Bohemian Bag with her gorgeous Soiree fabrics.

Here's the bag in Lila's Woodland Bloom fabric (not the fabric I'm using).

I'm using these fabrics (from Lila's Soiree collection), plus the coordinating polka dots to transition between the pattern.

I'm really excited about this bag. It's too cute, and it uses some techniques I've not attempted before. Just today, in fact, I did a little freehand machine quilting using the walking foot and clear thread. I think it's coming along quite nice. Oh, and the seams are sewn to the top, and the fabrics are backed with fleece so you get a soft, shaggy edge between each piece. Cute!

I ran out of clear thread when I was half-finished with the quilting, so I'll need to pick up more before I can do anything else. As soon as I'm finished, I'll bore you all with photos!

(BTW: I'm sewing this bag as a "prototype" for a diaper bag for my little sister, Kimberly. If she'll ever choose some fabrics, I can get working on hers! Her little boy will be here mid August - I'd like to be able to give it to her as a shower gift. I thought it was best to try out the pattern once or twice before doing her bag, just in case I couldn't do it! Oh, and I bought some iron-on vinyl to coat the interior, because we all know how messy baby bags can get!)

A is for Adorable

For our friend Audrey's first birthday, I made her the tutu. I also made her a sweet little shirt with an A (for Adorable Audrey, of course!).

I used a scrap of fabric from another project then fused it on. Added a pink zigzag to enclose the edges. For a little more cuteness, I added little pearls to the centers of the flowers (the green centers on the fabric were a little too bright). The little pearl-centered pink bow at the neck was the perfect final touch.

Tutu Cute!

I finished a tutu for our friend's Audrey's first birthday. I hope she loves it! It was lots of fun to make, and I think I'll add them to my etsy shop.

Audrey's tutu is pale pink and white tulle with pink satin bows tied around the waist plus pearl-centered tiny satin bows sprinkled in.

To complete her first birthday gift, I'm appliqueing an A on a onesie. I have some cute scraps of pink and white floral fabric that I'm using.

Purse for Stefani

Stefani (my step-sister and very, very longtime friend) said she'd love to have a camo purse. So, I scoured Hancock and picked out the prettiest camo I could find. Right near it was some denim, and I thought the two would work well together.

I added a little gimp and some rhinestones for sparkle - and voila! A chic camo handbag.

The back and inside are all camo, and the straps are camo on one side and denim on the other. After a little (HUGE!) snafu, I think it turned out quite nice.

It's fun to step outside your "comfort zone" sometimes and work with something you wouldn't normally. (Camo isn't really my thing, but Stefani tells me "it's the new black." She may be on to something!)

Paisley and Dots purse

Last night, I needed a little sewing therapy so I whipped up this cute purse. It starts as three fat quarters (which I have tons of now!), so I picked three browns. I love this paisley fabric, so I made it the main one for the bag.

You start by cutting strips of different widths then sewing them all together to make the front. The shape is accomplished by trimming a triangle off both sides then creating a box bottom at the end.

Here's the back. I like the shape enough that I think it's really cute even in a single fabric. Maybe a Swiss dot fabric with a funky ribbon sewn across as an accent? Or, ribbon and a bow to make it a really girlie look? Or denim with a wide pink ribbon and some rhinestones? I could think of a million variations!

Here's a detail of the front fabrics. I didn't look at the big circles before cutting or I would have left room above and below on the top piece. Live and learn, right? (This is a detail that probably no one would notice but me! Also, I would have centered the big dots on the skinny strip so they looked better. There was quite a bit of this fabric left over, which means I could have tailored it to be just right.)

Here's a shot of the interior. I added a pocket at the last minute (dummy!) and placed it too high. Next time, I'll plan ahead and sew in the pocket before I start assembling the purse. Also, I did a magnetic closure instead of the flap and button suggested in the pattern. (That's too much of a hassle when you need to dig around!) And, I made the straps longer - the suggested length was awkward.


BTW: These fabrics were cheapy fat quarters that I picked up at Hancock Fabrics. I bought the paisley and the big dots to make an eye pillow, which turned out so cute that I went back to buy more. I bought the small dots to make into a burp cloth - but then I decided it complemented these really well.

Orange Purse

I sewed my first purse today. I'm quite proud, if I say so myself!

This month, Sew, Mama, Sew! is featuring fat quarter projects. This little cutie began life as two fat quarters. The exterior fabric is Petal Party Autumn from Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market line. Side note: I won this fabric as part of an orange mix fat quarter pack on SMS!

You can get the instructions on the SMS blog.

The purse's lining is Lila Tueller's Soiree Sun Party Favors. I just got a huge stack of fat quarters from this line and am in love!!!

You all know that I love learning new things, and boy did I learn lots of new stuff with this project! I'm most proud that I did the flat bottom variation. I also modified the size of the project to be more my style. The leather button and faux tortoise shell handles came from Hancock Fabric.

Noah totally agreed that the bag is fab. He quickly snatched it up during my photo shoot, checked out the inside then took off running with it while shouting "Bye."

Red, White & Blue Apron

Ta-Da! I finished my first real sewing project today. (By real, I mean that it wasn't a kit and I had to cut and use a pattern.) I love aprons and wanted a new one, so I decided to make one!

I made the "Full Contact Apron" from Anna Marie Horner's beautiful new book Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing. The instructions were so well written that even my novice self was able to make an apron I'm proud to show off!

I loved working on this apron because it was like a hands-on lesson. I had to select three different fabrics - and I love the three I chose. I had to cut the pattern pieces out then had to cut the fabrics, modifying them to my specific size. I had to make bias strips and buttons, two things I've not done before.

I didn't have to make button holes because I can slip it off easily, but I learned how to make them anyway. I also learned how to make an inverted pleat (on the bib) and gathers (at the waist). The hostess aprons I've been making have a continuous waistband, but this one has a decorative front and ties that I had to sew and pull through in the sides.

I'd like to make another soon because I can already see ways to improve what I did (wrong!). I would make the waistband taller. I sewed it backwards and had to rip it off and do it again; then I realized that I didn't flatten out my edge so I sewed it about an inch shorter than it should have been. Then, I had to modify the ties to match the smaller waistband.

I'd also do the pocket in a different fabric. It was supposed to have been the same as the neck ties, but I cut the other fabric by mistake and didn't realize it until I had it sewn into place.

I did make a few modifications to make it "me." For instance, I love zig-zag stitches, so I used them to edge the pockets and waistband.

For a first big project, I'm pretty pleased. Of course, I'll forever look at it and notice that I sewed the binding in the wrong place, that I put a little tear in the waist tie when I was turning it right side out ... you know, all the stuff no one else would notice!

(Please don't make fun of me in the photo. Yes, I took it in our powder bath. It was the only room with a mirror so I could see the reflection in the camera screen that I had it in the right place. Usually I make Paul photograph me with my head chopped off, but he won't be home until tomorrow night and I'm too excited to wait! And, no, the pocket and bib aren't off center - it's an illusion because of the way I'm standing with my hands on my hips.)

My First (& Second!) Sewing Projects

One of my goals for this year is to learn to use my sewing machine. So, I decided to make a rag quilt for my girlfriend Kristen's baby shower. I didn't take a photo of it after I washed it, so the photo below has big fringe. The finished blanket (after washing it) has nice, fuzzy seams around each square. Very cute and very soft!



And, today, I made an apron for myself this afternoon. I found this "Apron in an Hour" pattern and was so excited to get my fabric in the mail today (didn't pick up my mail yesterday!). I love how it came out!

Bernie, my machine, and I are very well acquainted now!