t-shirt re-fashion oops!

re-fashioning clothing is all the rage right now, I had some shirts that my twins had out grown and thought I would make the sleeves longer so they would get one more season out of them. Here are the shirts and fabrics I plan on using.

This is the second time I have tried to use thermal material and again without success!

The fabric stretches and gets out of proportion, so it did not work, I used a stretch needle and a stretch stitch so I don't know what happened but as you can see it did not turn out well.....

so....I decide to stick to t-shirt materials, using a long sleeve boys shirt and an old whit t-shirt I make new sleeves and a band for the waist, success!

neck roll

the perfect gift for anyone......create a warming neck roll for those cold days when you have worked hard and want to relax, just pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes and then rest it on your shoulders and warm up as you relax your muscles.

cut 2 pieces of fabric 5x19" each. I used a cotton top and a fleece backing, sewed Velcro in the top for ease of washing and then sewed the three sides up. Fill with dry beans, rice, wheat, flax, buckwheat, you can even add some herbs like lavender or rosemary.

peggies

As you may know I love to give handmade gifts. I wanted to give a family gift that small children would enjoy as well as adults, so I had the idea of a personalized game. I made the game in cloth book form and found little peg people on a clever etsy shop naked peggies. You can buy the peggie people in natural wood or have the artist create a personalized set for you.

handmade christmas count down

sew mama sew is one of my favorite sites to visit, they have posted a handmade holidays master list. This list is wonderful for finding ideas for the right person...check it out.

I adapted this Toy Bucket into an Art Bucket by adding a crayon roll type pocket to the front instead of the toy pocket. Following this tutorial it sewed up quickly and the instructions were accurate, I think I will be making some more, and will definitely be tucking this pattern in the quick gift ideas box.

happy birthday!

It was time to pull out the birthday banner again, I love this banner and the idea of it.

This banner is made up of old jean pockets from the whole family, I then wrote on the pockets with a paint pen, I did not like the look, so I sewed on some binding over the marking and think that was a better match for the denim. My friend who was making theese with me used the paint pen and they turned out great, it was just a difference of fabric. Give these a try they are fun and easy.

baby boots

Apparently I love to make shoes, there are so many easy fast and cute patterns that I can't resist. What I like most is taking a pattern and making it my own. Found this boot on this cute blog, saved it a few months ago waiting for the time to use it....well my cousin had a baby boy and they live in a cold climate so....camo boots for baby Trevor.

weekend sewing frustration

I love getting books from the library, thumbing through them and looking at all the beautiful pictures, and projects created by professionals. These books make us think we can do it too....well sometimes we can and sometimes we can't. I had a problem with The Guest Room Slippers, I made the largest size, I stood on the pattern to see if it would fit and it seemed close but I was willing to give it a shot. I could not find anywhere in the book or the on the pattern pieces if you should cut a seam allowance or if it was included, also when piecing the she together there was not reference to a seam allowance, so I made the smallest that I could since they were already close to not fitting, some of the instructions were confusing but I have made enough shoes to keep going. In the instructions she refferes to a buttonhole and a carpet in the last step, I have no idea what she is talking about? Well the shoes came out cute as can be BUT THEY DON'T FIT! So I loved them enough to modify the pattern and give them another try...I am pleased with the result but as you can see in one of my pictures I have the first pair which is the smaller one and then the revised size, its not just a little.....it's SO small..... still love the book and will try some more projects with caution.

More Birthday Pressents

YES, ANOTHER BACKPACK! Can't stop making them, check out the Flicker Pool on Toddler Backpacks that I have been contributing to. (see I'm not the only one)

Found this adorable monkey pattern super cute right? Only problem is I need a boy, so....I took an old sweater of my sisters and used it for the body sleeves and socks for the monkey, the pattern called for a hat dress and shoes, we just left that out, A ball cap would have been cute but I was under a time crunch. This is an easy to follow pattern and I will be making more of these cuties, since my 3 littles were eyeing it the whole time I was working on him.

Happy Birthday to my nephew!

 my latest duffle addition.

After I got this books I have been making Duffle Bags like mad!

I made the bottom duffle first for my daughter with Amy Butler Garden Maze and Happy Dot, then I received an order for the Novaue Trees and Martini, and I just finished the Joel Dewberry Deer Vally/ Antler Damask, Archetectural Barnwood and Lodge Lattice, so far I think this is my favorite. And I have fabric in the closet waiting to be used in my next duffle.

Give her bags a try they are simple and straight foreward patterns.

check out Cindy Taylor Oats Easy to Make Totes With Zippers its great:

found this new blog, she has alot of great projects and sewing advise as well as links and give aways-fun!
http://http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/09/made-by-rae-jackpack-backpack-guest.html

love the birdie sling

I made the Amy Butler Birdie Sling for my Mother -in-law, she chose the colors and fabric, fantastic Amy Butler choice don't you think?

I enjoyed using this pattern, it took some time but the finished product is well worth it, the bag is lined and has fusible fleece inside so it has a nice weight to it. The strap is one piece so it fits nicely on your shoulder and you don't have that one pesky strap that always falls off to deal with.

For those of you who are not familiar with Amy Butler and her products I would encourage you to check out her web site, its full of sewing inspiration. http://www.amybutlerdesigns.com/

new style soft shoes

I was ispired by a customer to create a new style shoe, and this is one of them, I started with a free pattern that I downloaded from this web site, and then modified it to the new style I wanted, you can adjust this pattern in many ways, let your creativity be your guide.

easy wrap skirt

sorry I have been away.....busy sewing and not posting.

this wrap skirt is a perfect first sewing project or for a beginner...something that looks store bought and not homemade.

Tip-when making clothing, pay close attention to your fabric choices it will make or break the homemade or store bought look.

I used this tutorial: http://www.bigredcouch.com/journal/archives/2007/03/wrap-skirt.html

I am not a mathmatician and this was simple...really

picnic lap roll

another roll?????? yes..... they are practical, functional, and a great way to keep organized.

made these for a buyer but will be making more for me and gifts, used the pattern out of this book. Borrowed of course from my sewing buddy.

backpacks by rae

backpacks for the boys because..... I didn't think they needed to be carrying their sister's purses anymore......


easy pattern to follow, I added a few of my own touches like lining and seam binding, took a few hours but very satisfying results....give it a try.

I will be purchasing a selling license from rae soon and will have backpacks to buy on my etsy shop, check back.

Pj's designed by my "little"

my little 4yr old was shopping with me in the fabric shop and saw pink silky fabric with large white dots similar to what is on Minnie Mouses dress and asked if she could have some "pink minnie jammies"? how can you resist that? When we got home she proceeded to tell me how the jammies should fit, where to cut, hot short for the shorts, and oh, don't forget the princess sleeves mom!

I believe that smile says it all!

summer top

you can never have too many summer tops when you live in California!

my best sewing buddy and me spent the afternoon making tops using made by raes ruffle top tutorial now we just have to make a few more! watch her blog for her top soon!

pencil roll

today I needed to make a gift for my duaghters frined

alot of my projects are born from necessity...... to not have to go to the store for a gift

handmade gifts ARE better....right?

a personal touch is always nice!

this project came from a inspirational book that I borrowed from my sewing buddy

free lounge pants

Browsing the Internet one day for free patterns, and found this. t-shirt surgery

What is better than a free pattern? Upcycling an old item into something new, one of my favorite things.

So it took 30 minutes....seriously. try it! We used a micro-fiber t-shirt and an old tank top for the raistband. This is an XL women's shirt for my 11 year old daughter.

Now we are looking around to find more t-shirts to cut up.

Hello!

Hello, to all the crafter's out there.

I am starting this blog to share sewing and craft projects, I enjoy searching through sewing and craft blogs and decided to start my own, sew.....here is what I made today!