Never Too Much Fabric

Disney shirts and ironing board cover

2012-01-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

We went on a family vacation to Disney World in December and the kids wanted me to make them a couple of shirts. Between work and getting ready to go, I didn't want to make the shirts from scratch this year, so I got some blank t-shirts at Target and embroidered/appliqued/bedazzled only.

The embroidery and applique patterns were purchased from an Etsy seller who no longer seems to be listed there. If I seem them reappear in the future, I will link them up here.

Another sewing project was from this evening, and that is a new ironing board cover. The ironing board is always out when there is sewing going on, so I decided it was about time to cover that old, stained up cover that was currently on it. I used the tutorial found at Sew Spoiled. It worked out great, was easy, and I think it looks a lot better now. It's a great way to use stash fabric as well.

Before:

After:

Fabric closeup:

Halloween bag and luggage tags

2011-11-27T13:56:00.000-06:00

I don't have a picture of the Halloween bag, but I did make one! I basically used the cloth grocery bag pattern that I had made previously, but this time I used skeleton fabric. It made a rockin' Halloween bag that can hold a ton of heavy candy. Always a win as far as my son is concerned.

Today I made a luggage tag that my daughter claimed. We are going on vacation soon and I was looking for a quick and easy project to do on this long Thanksgiving break. This was both. The only trouble I had was not having a teflon foot and sewing on the plastic. It was doable but not perfect and if you look too close you can see I sewed it on a little bit crooked. It serves its purpose, though, and my daughter is pleased so that's all that matters, right?

If you're interested in making one or a few of these, you can find Morah's tutorial here.

This first picture appears cut off on one side when I insert it onto Blogger (click it to see it full-sized at Flickr), but you get the point:

birthday shirts

2011-08-07T19:53:00.001-05:00

birthday shirts, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

It's annual birthday shirt time once again. They picked out their own applique fabric and then I went to work. It's been a long time since I've done it so it felt strange at first!

Spring tunic and leggings

2011-04-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

This is the same pattern I used in my previous post for the monkey pajamas. The only difference this time is that I used elastic in the hem of the top as the original pattern called for. I like how the back is longer and curved -- it makes it interesting and different than what you would normally see in a store or something. This time, I also shorted up the neck elastic a smidge to avoid gaping when she bends over. I'm glad she likes it, as she is getting to the age where she is particular about what she will wear sometimes. ;)

2011-04-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

I used a set of Nick & Nora monkey jersey sheets that I got on sale at Target a while back as fabric from which to make some pajamas. Here is the first set done. I used #34 from the 1/2010 Ottobre, "Flower Fields" tunic top in size 128, and left off the elastic at the bottom hem. The leggings were from the 1/2009 issue, #32, also in 128 cm. Other than leaving the elastic off the hem of the tunic top, I made no adjustments.

St. Patrick's Day Skirt

2011-03-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't been sewing a whole lot lately due to business with work and well, just life in general. I've mainly been doing repair jobs and Girl Scout patches.

However, the girl and I decided that she wanted a festive skirt to wear for St. Patty's Day this year and I had some pretty good fabric in my stash for it. May I present her new skirt, made especially so her brother won't pinch her today. I used the Rendondo skirt pattern and a rolled hem on the outside to attach the panels.

Halloween Jedi costume

2010-11-01T08:40:00.004-05:00

So I finished up the boy's costume yesterday afternoon just in time for trick or treating. He's happy with it and that makes me glad.

I used natural muslin for the clothing and brown fleece for the robe/cloak. For a pattern, I winged it for the robe. I had him lay on the fold of the fleece and cut a loose robe shape with bell sleeves for the back piece. I used that to make the two front pieces. This gives a seam on the top of the sleeve; you could do it a different way if you really wanted to avoid that. For the hood, I just took about a 12 inch wide by 24 inch long piece of fleece folded in half. I sewed a seam up the back and attached it to the robe. All of the edges are finished with simple serging. Nothing fancy.

For the muslin, I used an uncut pattern I had in my stash, Butterick 5565. It's a children's scrubs pattern. The pants were used as is. I used the basic scrub top pattern, except I made the sleeves long and finished the neck diferrently. I made a faux wrap-around band that goes around the neck. Then you have the tabards and the obi (the shouder things and the wrap around the waist). The tabbards are simply long pieces of fabric sewed in half and turned and placed over the shoulders. The obi is a wider similar piece, but then I pressed the front into folds to make it appear to have layers. Wrap it around the waist over the tabards. Keep it closed with hook and loop tape, snaps, or a safety pin. Safety pins are also handy for keeping the tabards on the shoulders. Over the obi is a normal belt with the buckle placed in back that he could hang his lightsaber from. The funniest thing is that he is wearing my brown boots. They were a bit large, but they worked for our purpose. He had no shame in telling people they were mine. ;)

I'm glad he liked the final result, seeing as how I started on it the day before Halloween. There are many sites out there that can give you hints and close-up pictures of Jedis if you need them. Happy Halloween!

Halloween time again

2010-10-28T21:31:00.003-05:00

I realize it's been a long time. Life has been happening at a faster pace than before, with changes happening all around. Can't neglect to sew for Halloween, though!

Here is the first costume I have done for the girl child. She wanted to be a bunny this year. I used McCall's M6106 for the pattern (99 cent sale at Hancock's, of course) and let her pick the color. It had to be fleece because she wanted to feel soft. Naturally, I had to shorten the pattern quite a bit. I thought about taking it in on the sides as well, but she liked the roominess of the outfit so I let that go. Also left out were the spats. They would get filthy in about 2.5 seconds. ;)

I must warn those who use this pattern and fleece that sewing machines do not like going over so many layers on the hood -- the ears were sort of a pain. If I had any sense, I would have figured out a different way. Now I have 2 machines that I have to fiddle with because they are no longer working correctly, and I still have a Jedi costume to throw together. Time to break out the vintage foot-pedaled Singer for what I can't serge.

Just in time for Mother's Day

2010-04-26T09:48:00.001-05:00

Sew4Home has a cute retro-style apron tutorial up today. I'm totally going to make this!

One scrappy pillow...

2010-04-25T18:24:00.001-05:00

April 2010 005, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I know I seem to use this fabric a lot, but I love it. I have lots left too!

I had to make a couple of more pillows for the living room because the one lonely pillow in there looked kind of silly. The others I had made got sold or given as gifts.

With these two pillows, I've finally finished up with my stash of pillow forms bought during a great sale long ago. ;)

Another scrappy pillow

2010-04-25T18:21:00.001-05:00

April 2010 006, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

new dress for the rabbit

2010-04-03T17:19:00.001-05:00

new dress for the rabbit, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

The girl used some of her own money to buy this rabbit at Build-a-Bear over spring break. She didn't have enough for clothes and accessories, so I made her rabbit a little dress and hair bow out of some scraps. Just in time for Easter!

Ottobre 3-2007-33

2010-03-08T10:44:00.001-06:00

Ottobre 3-2007-33, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Don't mind the stinkalicious photo. This one is going to be a redo. I accidentally cut a small hole right in the middle of the front of the shirt, near the top. She's going to use it as a PJ top now, so she's happy. The open shoulders are kind of cute, though.

Girl Scout Cookie time!

2010-02-19T09:44:00.001-06:00

money pouch, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I made the girl a little pouch to hold all of her Girl Scout cookie selling stuff and money. Not thinking, I put the wrist strap on the wrong side. I doubt she'll notice but it will bug me forever. ;)

super soft pillow

2010-02-15T14:20:00.001-06:00

super soft pillow, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I made a zippered pillow cover for the girl's bed out of some of the Chez Ami dimpled velour that they had on sale not too long ago. It's so soft! Even the husband said he wanted one.

stuffed stegosaurus

2010-01-09T20:32:00.001-06:00

stuffed stegosaurus, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I got the book One-Yard Wonders from my mom for Christmas (thanks, Mom!) and the boy went through it and requested that I make him this stuffed dinosaur. In the book, it actually velcroes onto a platform with wheels which has a ribbon in order to pull it along. That's a little young for him, so we just went with the stuffed toy portion. I went with some velvet-y houndstooth patterened fabric and wool felt for the spikes. The boy insisted that his dino have blue eyes (after I talked him out of white ones).

As much as I dislike sewing stuffed things, it was worth it when I see how much he loves it!

The Decpticon shirt

2010-01-04T21:37:00.001-06:00

The Decpticon shirt, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Here is the finished Transformers shirt that I made the boy for Christmas. He's planning to wear it to his first day back to school tomorrow. I'm glad he likes it!

Working on a couple of Christmas gifts

2009-12-21T00:07:00.002-06:00

loud girl outfit, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

This is going to be wrapped up and put under the tree. She'd get it anyway, but it's fun to have more presents to open, huh?

The fabric is from Chez Ami and I used the Ottobre 6/07 issue again - same pattern as the last shirt (which I just noticed I didn't blog here), but with a hood. I also modified it to have faux layered sleeves and I bound the sleeve edges. The leggings are also in that issue.

This is a preview of what I'm making for the boy. I haven't sewed him any clothes in a while, so hopefully he'll like this shirt once it's done. He told me he likes the Transformers Decepticons (the bad guys!) which was good for me because their symbol looked easier to applique. LOL

Gingerbread men ornaments

2009-12-15T13:08:00.002-06:00

Gingerbread men ornaments, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I'm making up several of these cute little ornaments to include with teacher gifts this year. The kids think the one with the missing leg is hilarious!

The embroidery patterns and instructions for these are available over at Urban Threads. Luckily enough, these two patterns are 50% off through December 27th!

reusable grocery bag

2009-12-08T10:35:00.004-06:00

reusable grocery bag, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

The bag is lined and has gussets enabling it to hold more. I put a box of cereal, a roll of paper towels, and a big thing of oatmeal in there for the picture.

You can find the free tutorial here. Have fun!

For my pattern, I used a Target bag and that worked perfectly.

reusable grocery bag, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Here it is after being folded into itself with the pocket on the front.

raglan nightgown

2009-12-07T11:11:00.002-06:00

raglan nightgown, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

The neck looks wonky in this picture from the way the fabric fell, but it's not really. Ottobre 6/09, #36, size 116.

Tooth fairy pillow

2009-12-06T15:36:00.002-06:00

Tooth fairy pillow, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

This time I finished the tooth fairy pillow *before* the tooth fell out. The girl is now prepared for her first tooth loss. I made this out of scraps and my imagination. She loves it!

Our Christmas elf

2009-12-05T15:05:00.002-06:00

Our Christmas elf, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

This is our very own elf that the kids named Elfie Hot Santa. He appears in a different place of the house each morning, and the kids love to search for him when they wake up. The boy loves this elf so much he has taken him to school to show him off.

You can find the elf pattern and tutorial at Make Baby Stuff.com here.

Quilt Giveaway

2009-12-01T10:12:00.002-06:00

Want a chance to win a beautiful twin-sized quilt? Head over to marie-madeline studio's blog and enter for your chance! If you win, you get to choose from two lovely quilts. How fantastic is that?

Click here to enter!

Advent calendar

2009-11-29T18:53:00.002-06:00

Advent calendar, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Finished it just in time!

I went on a search for an advent calendar tutorial without pockets. I wanted something different than the norm, something that I wouldn't have to think hard about what to put in pockets. I'm too lazy for that (and cheap).

I came across Wee Folk Art's Advent Tree tutorial and went for it. I liked the hand sewing aspect, which allowed me to stay warm by the fireplace while working on it. I also was able to use up a good bit of a box of 1" buttons I'd bought a while ago that I never used.

You might not be able to tell from the picture, but the star has a button hole, and it starts at the bottom. Each day, a lucky kid (in our case) gets to move it up to the next number. They are already stoked to begin. :)

My new file cabinet

2009-11-24T19:59:00.001-06:00

My new file cabinet, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Okay, so it's not sewing, but it does involve fabric.

This was my first time to decoupage anything and I think it turned out pretty good. It beats an old ugly putty-colored file cabinet and fits in a lot better with sewing room stuff. :)

I used fabrics from the out of print Moda Uptown line by Erin Michael, one of my very favorites. I consider myself very lucky that I had a fat quarter of all the fabrics in this line. I was real nervous and was hoping that I wouldn't be wasting my fabric on this project. Now I get to sit and look at it whenever I want. :)

Clothespin bag

2009-11-23T12:38:00.003-06:00

Clothespin bag, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I found another use for a couple of snaps! This is a clothespin bag I made using a tutorial from My Lucky Chicken. It was very simple and fast, and now my clothespins have a real home.

2009-11-18T13:29:00.002-06:00

November 2009 008, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

This was made several months ago, so I don't remember the pattern, but it's from Ottobre. :)

Kiddie snuggle blankets

2009-11-12T19:24:00.005-06:00

The kids saw that commercial for the blanket with sleeves and wanted one for themselves. I'd gone on a fleece buying spree a few years back and was happy to find a reason to use it up. Note the sideways flames on the boy's "snuggie". I was not impressed when I discovered the printing was sideways (not my fault - it was actually made that way). The boy was a little disappointed that his didn't come with a free book light. I handed him a flashlight.

The tutorials and templates for both the adult and children's versions can be found here.

50s day at school

2009-10-27T08:41:00.003-05:00

poodleskirt, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Today at the kids' school they are doing a 50s theme. They're supposed to be "twisting out drugs" or something like that. Anyway, I couldn't let this chance go by without dressing my girl up in a poodle skirt. Soon she won't let me do things like that. :)

This is just a simple circle skirt out of purple felt. It's not even hemmed, just a simple waistband with elastic. I went to all the stores around to buy a poodle applique, but being so close to Halloween, they were out of all but the tiny ones. Then I ordered one off of eBay (just me being lazy), but it still hasn't arrived. Luckily, Embroider This! has a free poodle embroidery pattern on their site and I was able to finish the skirt. The embroidery came out nicely and she was thrilled!

2009-10-22T09:59:00.005-05:00

A couple of years ago I bought way too many snaps from the Snap Source (love them!). I have more snaps than I know what to do with. So whenever I find a cute and easy project that involves using up some of my snap stash, I'm all for it!

Last night I was cruising the sewing and craft blogs and came across this cute needle book tutorial. I had the perfect fat quarter of some Japanese canvas Little Red Riding Hood fabric that I knew would be great for this.

I love the way it turned out, even if I did have to decide to close it the opposite way of the tutorial. That'll teach me to not pay attention to the direction of the fabric pattern when I'm cutting something out. Next time I'll be on the ball, I swear.

Here is my first version, because I'm definitely making more of these, the Little Letter Needle Book:

Free downloadable patterns

2009-10-14T19:11:00.002-05:00

If you haven't checked out the free downloadable patterns at fabric.com yet, do it!

Right now they have several offerings from Hot Patterns including a couple of bags and a cowl-necked top. These won't be available forever, so grab them while you can!

Another thing to check out are the videos that Hot Patterns posts on YouTube. It's pretty cool to be able to see a face behind the company, and get tips and help with your projects. Just search "hot patterns" and you'll find a bunch of videos!

Fancy Nancy costume

2009-10-12T16:13:00.002-05:00

Fancy Nancy costume, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Here is a costume I made on request by a friend. It's a Fancy Nancy costume, for those who aren't familiar with the children's book character. The skirt was a challenge, being costume satin and all. I hate slippery fabrics! Another challenge was getting the applique to stick on the satin, since I couldn't use high heat toapply the iron-on applique. I used fabric glue and it seems to be doing the trick so far. The underskirt is made from tulle - another favorite fabric. /sarcasm One new technique I did with the skirt was to use 20-pound fishing line in with the thread as I was doing the rolled hem. This helps the skirt to stand out a bit more despite the weight of the applique and the fabric.

I hope she likes it!

Tooth fairy pillow

2009-08-24T09:41:00.002-05:00

August 2009 149, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

The boy lost his first tooth the other day. I didn't have much time to whip him up a tooth fairy pillow but I managed. The bandana fabric makes up not only the little pocket for the tooth, but the back of the pillow as well. I tried to make the pocket tooth-shaped, and I made sure to sew across the tops of the roots so the tiny teeth wouldn't get lost or stuck.

It worked out fine and the tooth fairy was able to retrieve the tooth and leave some cash. :)

Shorts!

2009-08-22T22:46:00.002-05:00

August 2009 151, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

This is actually the first pair of shorts I made with the Little Smarty Pants pattern, but I just now got around to taking a picture. She has a pink shirt they go nicely with.

Birthday clothes

2009-08-06T11:31:00.006-05:00

I've been neglecting this blog way too much. I have several items that I've yet to photograph and post. I'll try harder!

Today I managed to get some pictures of the birthday clothes I made for the kids. They are turning 6 this weekend and it has become an annual tradition for me to applique their age on a shirt for them and take a picture. It's neat to compare year to year and see how much they've grown and changed.

Here are the shirts for this year. I was a little lazy and bought the tees from Hobby Lobby. I can't believe the size I bought for the boy is already almost too small. Yikes!

I also made some matching shorts for the girl using some Chez Ami fabric and the Little Smarty Pants pattern by Favorite Things. These are the second pair I've made - of course I haven't yet taken a photo of the first pair. I really enjoy this pattern because I think it's more stylish than any of the other shorts patterns I have.

Mushrooms!

2009-07-19T22:51:00.003-05:00

My kids want a Super Mario Brothers themed birthday party this year, so I made these to surprise them. Unfortunately, the girl spied me uploading pictures so she already knows about them. She promised to keep them a secret...we'll see!

WolfDreamer off the Hook offers this free pattern on her site as well as a few other Super Mario inspired crochet creations!

Motherload of bag tutorials

2009-07-19T20:53:00.001-05:00

If you're in the mood to make a bag, start here!

2009-06-29T21:29:00.002-05:00

It's a shame, but I really haven't been in much of a sewing mood lately. I did make a t-shirt and knit shorts for myself as sort of lounging around clothes. Purple tie dye fabric that I got on clearance forever ago. Mainly I wanted to try my hand at making a v-neck. It was depressing seeing how much fabric it requires to cover this body. I guess I'm too used to sewing for kids.

If you're looking for something to sew, this site has a DIY headband collection that rocks!

iTouch cozy

2009-06-03T21:33:00.003-05:00

I crocheted a cozy for my iTouch out of some scrap yarn I've had for years. I think I actually bought it when I was first re-learning to crochet (I hold onto things way too long)! Yes, it already is in a plastic case, but the plastic case needed protection too, darn it.

I have the ipod pulled out a little in the picture - it fits inside nice and cozily. I might add a button closure or something. Or not.

The husband made fun of me for this. He fully expects me to start covering the house in doilies now.

My first quilt

2009-05-30T13:18:00.002-05:00

May 2009 079, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Oh boy...I started this a few months back and threw it aside out of frustration with the quilting part of things. My daughter kept seeing it sitting there untouched and hounded me to finish it for her so I finally did. She doesn't care about all the mistakes and it makes her happy so I am satisfied. I can't say I'll be making another quilt any time soon, though!

It's made out of scrap fabric except for the backing which is yellow flannel. I started out on this adventure to see if I could do it. I read lots of instructions on the internet and went for it. Sometimes that's just what we need to do to learn and grow. I'm sure the next one will be better, right?

New swimsuit

2009-05-23T15:50:00.004-05:00

A new swimsuit for the girl. Ottobre 3/09, #38, size 116. I like that it doesn't ride up her rear end. She picked out the fabric last weekend when swimsuit fabric was on sale for 50% off.

A real bad t-shirt

2009-05-19T12:53:00.001-05:00

May 2009 049, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

This simple curved raglan t-shirt that the boy requested ended up giving me fits when it came to using my coverstitcher (Brother 2340CV) on it. I was going for a three thread exposed coverstich and the machine wouldn't work without skipping stitches constantly. After changing needles, rethreading, adjusting the pressure screw, I switched to a 2 needle narrow coverstitch and that was that. Doesn't look very good but I was ready to throw everything out the window by that point! He likes it so I'll take it.

You know, just about everything I've read from Brother coverstitch owners has been so positive. I have had so much trouble since I got mine over a year ago. I find myself avoiding it and dreading its use and that sucks. I got mine used, so maybe that has something to do with it. The only time it might not skip stitches seems to be when I'm sewing on interlock, and that's only if I'm using two needles, not three. Three is always a disaster. I've changed the needles and adjusted everything I could think of to adjust. Anyone have any other ideas other than the obvious one of getting it serviced?

The lost shirt

2009-05-19T12:45:00.001-05:00

May 2009 045, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I made this shirt a while back but lost it, never to be found until I was organizing my fabric. I don't know why I set it aside - maybe to get a picture? I'm just glad it still fits for a bit.

Teacher appreciation week

2009-05-03T17:00:00.006-05:00

This coming week is teacher appreciation week. On Friday the kids brought home a paper that gave them ideas for something to do for their teacher each day of the week. Monday's idea is to bring a little treat for her, so we came up with a couple of cute things that I could sew and they could give.

First up is this cute patchwork apple made from more of my Moda Uptown scraps. I used the basic instructions from the tutorial at The Wool Food Mama's blog here. I did the leaves a bit differently. The girl is happy to give this to her teacher tomorrow!

The other item is for the boy to gift. We bought a composition notebook and made a cute cover for it as in this tutorial at Joy's Hope. It was easy and fast and is super cute. I want to make some for me!

2009-04-26T11:52:00.003-05:00

I just finished a new outfit for the girl. I'm trying so hard to use up fabrics from my stash. I can't remember the last time I bought fabric! Most of that is because I was in a sewing slump, so I was able to avoid it. Lately, though, I've loaded up my cart at the Chez Ami fabric clearance and emptied it more than once. The temptation is huge!

Anyway, on to the outfit. I bought this stripe a long time ago. I believe it's a cotton/lycra blend; it's very drapey. I thought the yellow accents and the green of the pants went together pretty well.

The girl likes it and is sitting next to me going through my Ottobres and making me a list. 99% of the items on her list are skirts and dresses, things I don't make a whole lot of for her. I guess she's decided to take charge!

My ego's been given a boost lately because the boy and the girl have been wanting all the sewing done for them. I had to tell them that I will alternate. So just for the record, I did make him three pairs of boxer briefs in between the heart skirt and this newest outfit. He prefers mom's underwear over the store bought underwear, I think because the elastic is covered by fabric in the mama made ones. It's pretty good when you can beat out Batman underwear!

Try out a purse pattern for free!

2009-04-21T11:23:00.002-05:00

Ottobre Design Magazine has several patterns for free to try out on their site. The latest one is called the Pea Pod Linen Purse. Try it out and let me know how it went!

"Hertta" skirt

2009-04-13T23:29:00.003-05:00

Here is the "Hertta" skirt from the 1/2009 issue of Ottobre Design. This one is a size 116. The only change that I left out is the petersham drawstring ribbon. I could just see that thing coming undone, untied, and the girl can't tie a bow yet. I envisioned a big knot mess or else it being pulled out altogether. Maybe a sewn on bow on the front of the waistband would be better.

Speaking of waistbands....ick. I'm really not fond of them. Maybe it's because I'm not good at them. What's the matter with a normal elastic waist treatment on a skirt like this? Next time that's what I plan to do.

The girl will love this. She was so excited watching me sew it up this evening. The next step will be to make up a top to go with it!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T17:06:00.002-05:00

I just came across photos of these fantastic fabric Easter eggs on Flickr and retro mama has been generous enough to post a tutorial on her blog. You must see these - so cute!

2009-03-27T08:47:00.002-05:00

We're back from vacation to Disney World and had such a great time. With the warmer weather coming I'm sort of in the mood to clean my sewing room. Whether or not it will get done is another story!

Today I'm going to try out this ear warmer tutorial. Yep, I said ear warmers. The kids both have soccer games tomorrow and for some reason lately it's been really cold on Saturdays around here. Their league never cancels games and I don't want a repeat of the day we went to watch our kids play in weather that was 34 degrees with the wind chill. It was awful. So we'll see if I can get 3 pairs of ear warmers made today.

Car organizer

2009-02-22T16:49:00.002-06:00

We have an upcoming car trip. A reaaaaalllly long car trip. I'd been meaning to make a set of these car organizers for some time, and there's nothing like a long trip to kick me into gear.

I used the tutorial as a guide but did the construction a bit differently. For once thing, I used my serger to finish the raw edges and then folded over, pressed, and stitched instead of the double folding of the hems. This was so that I could cut down on the bulk significantly. Also, instead of hemming first and then adding the pockets, I added them first and then hemmed the whole thing with all the layers together.

What I don't like is that mine isn't hanging very well. One reason is the car has a sort of plastic bar thing across the back for the passenger to hold on to when I take those crazy corners. Another reason I think is that my daughter put a bulky stuffed animal in one of the pockets. I think another tie or something about midway down wouldn't be a bad idea. The only thing is, the front of the seat is concave and I wonder if a tie across there would be annoying on my back as I'm driving.

Another thing I might do differently is round the corners at the top. Rounding the corners would need a bias binding for the edges instead of hemming. I wonder what that would look like. Hmm.

Does that Snow White doll scare anyone else?

Another play dress

2009-02-21T17:19:00.003-06:00

I cut this one out at the same time as the Valentine play dress, hence the reason they're pretty much exactly the same. Saves time and energy even if it ends up being kind of boring. I find I tend to sew more things that will get worn on a regular basis and that are comfortable because I want my kids to wear what I make and I also don't like to iron very much. It seems like everything "fancy" I've made ends up hanging in the closet with only one or two wears and that makes me sad.

Valentine's Day dress

2009-02-13T08:36:00.002-06:00

I needed some motivation to sew and Valentine's Day was it. I decided that I had just enough Chez Ami hearts fabric left to make the girl a cute little dress for her school's Valentine's Day activities.

The pattern I used has become quite the standby in our house, as it's easy and fast to make and the girl loves the style because it's so comfortable. Well, actually we only use the knit dress part of the Farbenmix Olivia pattern, and I often alter it a little bit with this time being no exception.

I made it into a curved bodice style instead of all one front piece. I also left off the hood and the pocket. I shortened the short sleeve a bit and finished the edges with binding instead of hemming. I used a size 110/116 cm here.

She woke up and was thrilled with her new little dress!

2009-02-11T09:00:00.002-06:00

I have a son that can't seem to wear a pair of jeans more than 5 times without ripping holes in the knees. Everyone says that's just what little boys do. Well, long pants weather will be gone very soon. I really don't want to buy more jeans in his current size for him to only be able to wear them a few times before the colder weather is gone!

I wanted to find a way to patch his knees that was different. I came across this video tutorial on Etsy's handmade blog, The Storque, and I gave it a shot.

Here are my results.

What I like about this technique is that it allowed me to avoid hand sewing the patch on. His pant leg was just big enough to fit over the free arm of one of my machines (whew).

He wore the fixed up jeans to school today and hopefully he doesn't come home with a new rip!

The top 100 tutorials of 2008

2009-01-21T10:41:00.001-06:00

The Long Thread blog has posted a great list of links to the top 100 tutorials for 2008. It contains everything from baby and kid items to things for the home. Definitely check it out when you're in need of some inspiration!

Hershey Kiss cookies

2008-12-18T20:50:00.001-06:00

Hershey Kiss cookies, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

Obviously not sewing, but yummy! This is what I'm working on tonight - Hershey Kiss cookies.

Free holiday embroidery patterns

2008-12-13T14:19:00.002-06:00

Urban Threads is offering some super cute gingerbread man embroidery patterns and clip art for free through the end of December. There are patterns for both machine and hand embroidery. Don't miss these! Be sure to check out the other stuff they offer - these aren't your mom's embroidery patterns!

Pretty simple but cool site

2008-12-08T09:07:00.001-06:00

Voor Nop seems to be the name of the site, but whatever it's called it has a bunch of free patterns for baby and toddler clothing. What's great is that many use repurposed adult clothing! What do you have to lose in trying?

Love it.

Advent calendar tutorial

2008-12-01T14:15:00.001-06:00

It might be a little to late to get a start on a handmade advent calendar this year, but I'm definitely keeping Purl Bee's tutorial in mind for next December.

How cute is this?

Blogs, potholders, and tutorials

2008-11-29T13:57:00.001-06:00

November 2008 024, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! I took a little break from blogging and sewing to just sit back and enjoy time with my family. Now, I'm anxious and ready to get back to sewing!

First, I wanted to mention a blog I came across recently which I love. Well, more than the blog, I love the things they create and show in it! Beautiful handcrafted items from a pair of sisters down under. They publish their own patterns as well.

Melly & Me

Here is one of the potholders I've made to replace my own ratty ones that needed to be tossed. I used more of the Moda fabric that I've had for far too long. I think I'm going to see just how many things I can make from this fat quarter collection. The tally so far is 3 pillows, three potholders, and one bag.

A tutorial for making potholders like the one I made can be found at BubbaChic, along with more cute ideas!

little frog

2008-11-18T09:59:00.001-06:00

little frog, originally uploaded by pearljamfanatic.

My son has been asking me to make him this little amigurumi frog for Christmas for about a month now. He doesn't know it's done but I hope he likes it! I can picture it sticking out of the top of his stocking ready to jump.

Embellished Travel Tissue Holder

2008-11-16T20:47:00.003-06:00

Here's a fun and unique little gift to make for someone you know. It's a holder for those little travel tissue packs!

Embellished Travel Tissue Holder

You could make these as simple or as fancy as you want. I made several a couple of years ago and gave them as little gifts to my military wife friends at a meet up that we had. I wish I had taken pictures to post here, but I didn't. I will say they are easy and quick, especially made in assembly line style!

Utilitarian sewing

2008-11-14T08:47:00.003-06:00

Last year's PJ pants were starting to look more like PJ capris on the kids. For that reason, I whipped up a couple of pairs for the girl out of fabric found in various nooks and crannies of my sewing room.

The boy will be getting a pair or two next.

This very well may be the last year that I can get away with making a pair of pants for them out of only one yard. :(

Free doll skirt patterns

2008-11-12T10:52:00.003-06:00

YouCanMakeThis.com is once again offering free doll skirt patterns as a way to help with charity sewing. The Toys for Tots programs was started with one woman who handcrafted a doll and couldn't find a place to donate it.

These doll skirts are another great way to use up small cotton scraps!

Download the free patterns, a twirl or wrap skirt, here.

Project Linus

2008-11-10T09:03:00.002-06:00

Project Linus is a wonderful organization that makes blankets as comfort items for children. Here is part of their mission statement:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Save your cotton scraps and make a small quilt for a child to love on!

Sense and Sensibility Patterns

2008-11-07T09:15:00.003-06:00

Sense and Sensibility Patterns is a small company that produces sewing patterns for historic, beautiful clothes. Because of so many requests, they're now offering many of their patterns in digital form. No waiting for the mail! Instant gratification - I love it! The prices are very reasonable too. There are items for adults as well as children and even dolls.

Check their new e-patterns out!

2008-10-31T10:52:00.003-05:00

Here's a model shot of the Little Red Riding Hood costume for tonight. She spilled a little bubble juice on the apron, but you get the picture. She hasn't decided whether to carry her jack-o-lantern bucket or a basket for trick or treating. Such tough decisions!

What's old is new

2008-10-30T19:49:00.004-05:00

Check out what the UPS guy brought to the house in three large packages yesterday!

The husband got it for me for Christmas, although his surprise was ruined because one box had an old rusty bolt sticking out. I knew he had bought me something on eBay and it was large and that I'd been talking about my grandmother's old treadle Singer. I only had to put two and two together. :)

It's a Singer 115, dated 1915. You should see all the cool attachments that came with it - ruffler foot, tucking foot, binding attachment, what looks to be the original manual, and more. Here's a picture of all that stuff.

The machine is in working condition already, though I had to order a new belt. The cabinet is in pretty good condition but I need to do some cleaning, same with the machine itself.

I'll be sure to post new pictures once we get it all done!

Burdastyle

2008-10-28T21:20:00.002-05:00

BurdaStyle is a wonderful open source sewing site. There are tons of free patterns to download as well as a blog, forum, how to's, and user creations. Burda is a well known pattern company, so when they came out with this site a while back, it was very exciting! The site has evolved to involve a lot more of its users' content and that is just cool. Check it out!

Little Red Riding Hood costume

2008-10-27T09:15:00.004-05:00

For Halloween, my daughter finally made up her mind and decided to be Little Red Riding Hood. I ended up morphing some tried and true Ottobre patterns together with some improvisation by me and it turned out super cute!

2008-10-27T09:07:00.003-05:00

I stitched out the Obama pattern onto a red t-shirt and it came out okay. I hooped it like I normally do with knit fabrics but the whole pattern didn't line up perfectly. Also, I think the design is a bit too dense for t-shirt knits. Overall, though, I'm happy to have my own Obama shirt!

Now, check this cute tutorial out. We're talking a super cute idea for a holiday gift for a lucky kid.

Fabric Dollhouse

I can think of so many variations on the theme - police station, school, store, gymnastics class, dance studio... the possibilities are endless!

Free political embroidery designs!

2008-10-21T08:47:00.002-05:00

Apex Embroidery has both Obama and McCain embroidery designs available for free download. There are two designs for each candidate, in a variety of download formats. I'm planning to use an Obama one on a red t-shirt today; I will post my results later on!

Click here for free downloads

Knit One, Save One

2008-10-01T20:10:00.002-05:00

Save the Children is hosting their Knit One, Save One campaign again this year. It's a great project for anyone that enjoys knitting or crocheting, or even craft groups. I sent off a hat last year with a note attached, and they sent me a postcard this year to inform me that it's that time again. Neat!

If you're interested, check it out!

Great use for leftover flannel scraps

2008-08-28T13:41:00.003-05:00

My kids just started kindergarten and have been taking their lunches to school. For the first few days I was sending along some paper napkins that we had from their birthday party. Well, being the novice lunch packer that I am, I failed to realize that putting a paper napkin in an insulated lunch box with an ice pack doesn't work so well. The condensation gets the napkin all wet.

So yesterday I went though my scrap fabric bin and pulled out all the flannel I had in there. It wasn't a lot, but I had enough to make some lunch napkins for the kids. I just cut out some kid sized squares, sewed them right sides together, turned, and topstitched.

They turned out cute and the kids love that they have their own little napkins. It also saves trees and cuts down on waste.

The added bonus is that if they get a little wet, it will help them wash the lunch off their face a little better. We'll see if my son comes home with spaghetti sauce on his face today!

2008-08-20T23:39:00.003-05:00

Here is a snapshot of what a pattern sheet looks like in Ottobre. I use lightweight sew in interfacing as a pattern medium. I previously used that tracing material with the dots on it (sorry don't know the technical name), but I like the stiffer interfacing better. It's all personal preference.

Other patterns that need to be traced look like this as well, but are often all in black and white. Sometimes the lines for each size are slightly different to help with tracing.

Lots of people are intimidated by the aspect of tracing after looking at these kinds of patterns. It's really not too bad! And if you do mess up, so what? Try again!

2008-08-17T17:09:00.003-05:00

I love this fabric. I'm not really into camo all that much but I bought this fabric probably because it was on sale knowing me. I can't really remember to be honest.

When I received it in the mail, however, I fell in love. It's so girly and the colors are vibrant. I think it will remain vibrant after many washings.

Pattern is from Ottobre, 3/08, #12, size 110cm.

This is the shirt that gave me fits yesterday

2008-08-17T16:59:00.006-05:00

See? I told you it was just a simple peasant top.

I think it turned out cute even after pulling out and re-doing all the shirring. The body of the shirt was shirred too tightly after the first attempt. I pulled that out and went with a blue ribbon (same color as the bow in the photo) across the front that tied in back. It was very cute and then I pressed the shirt after it was done. Can you see where I'm going with this?

Yeah, the iron was too hot for the ribbon and it melted it a little bit. I couldn't believe how dumb I was. So I got my trusty seam ripper and took the ribbon off. I decided to go back to the 2 lines of shirring for future practicality purposes and rewound the elastic thread on the bobbin to be a bit looser. After that I was *finally* done and glad for it!

This pattern is from Ottobre 1/2007, #16, size 110cm. I modified it a bit to lengthen it and did away with all the lines of shirring (how many times in the last two posts can I say shirring?) at the bottom.

Sometimes things just go wrong

2008-08-16T18:39:00.003-05:00

You think you're just going to sew a simple shirt. Then as you're constructing it, every step just seems to go wrong. I think no matter how long you've been sewing everyone has days like this.

Today was a day like that for me. I'm in the middle of making a simple peasant shirt. I've made many of them so no problem, right? Shouldn't have been! From sewing the back on sideways to the sleeve (which amazingly matched in length to the wrong edge I attached), to shirring too tightly, to incorrectly lengthening the front and back pieces... Maybe if I'd had a few it would go along better.

On top of that, I went to remove a needle from my serger to do a rolled hem and can't find my allen wrench anywhere. I always keep it on my magnetic needle tray - that thing not only attracts metal but my son as well. No matter how many times I tell the kids to not touch Mommy's sewing stuff they can't seem to help themselves.

So now my serger's allen wrench is missing, probably at the bottom of his toy box or that place where lone socks go. Super hubby came to the rescue with a little set of allen wrenches so all was not lost.

Thankfully, all the errors are fixable and I think it will come out even cuter after a certain design change. I will be sure to post it when it's finished.

On a good note, I sewed the matching headband correctly on the first try. Woo!

Material Mama's sewing resources

2008-08-11T12:31:00.003-05:00

Material Mama has an awesome page of sewing resources. I use several of those sites on a regular basis and she has them nicely laid out in an organized fashion. Everything from online fabric stores to snap sources. Great stuff. Don't forget to check out the Material Mama podcast as well!

5th Birthday shirts

2008-08-09T20:37:00.003-05:00

Here they are for birthday number 5 - the annual number t-shirts!

This year I used an applique design from Embroidery Library instead of "freehanding" it. I think they turned out nice.

Capes and more capes!

2008-08-08T21:32:00.002-05:00

When I was laying in bed the other night, not able to fall asleep, I was thinking about what I could put in the treat bags for the kids coming to my kids' birthday party. I didn't want to put candy or junky plastic things made in China that would get lost or broken within 10 minutes.

I thought about how cool it would be to make capes for them, but since it was only a couple of days away I figured it was too late. Surely I wouldn't have time to sew them up with family coming to town and all that.

Well, today we were at the craft store and the satin happened to be on sale and in a moment of craziness I decided to go for it! So here they are - five reversible capes. It's not my best sewing, but it was among my fastest! One is for my daughter so it's a more girly purple.

I'm sure tomorrow will be a flurry of 4 & 5 year olds running around like lunatics. But they'll have something to take with them that will last and provide lots and lots of fun and an outlet for their imaginations!

(Pattern is from Ottobre Design, 4/04 issue)

Ottobre Design

2008-08-07T10:23:00.004-05:00

One popular magazine dedicated to children's clothing designs is Ottobre Design. I have found that a subscription is very much worth the cost, especially when sewing for more than one child. Since I do sew at least half of their clothes these days it's always great to have inspiration and new patterns on hand.

You can view inside every one of their issues online, find some free patterns, and even subscribe online if you wish. Pattern sizing is a little different being a European magazine, but not hard to follow. Sizes in each issue range from newborn to teenager and there are probably 30-40 patterns in each issue! A couple of times a year they have a women's issue as well.

You can order individual issues either from Ottobre or stateside from Sewzanne's Fabrics (super fast shipping!). Ordering from Sewzanne's also helps a WAHM!

If you do decide to get into Ottobre sewing, make sure you check out the Ottobre Flickr group as well as the Ottobre Yahoo group.

Moda Uptown Pillows

2008-08-07T00:09:00.005-05:00

These are a few of the pillows I made to sell at Zakka Craft a couple of months ago. I loved the way they turned out with these fabrics. If you look closely you can see the elusive paint by number birds in it. I had no idea how sought after that fabric is until I went to try and buy more of it! I love it and it seems I'm not the only one. It's funny that I bought the entire line in fat quarters on clearance a long time ago. Lucky break!

Free Heather Ross pattern!

2008-08-06T23:06:00.003-05:00

Heather Ross, fabric designer extraordinaire, has posted a free sundress pattern on her blog that's available for a limited time. It is super cute and a perfect way to use some of her new Mendocino fabrics!