Long time no post

 

While absent from posting, I have been busy behind the scenes.  Since the summer, I have been developing patterns for and teaching sewing classes at Beehive Sewing Studio and Workspace.  It's an amazing drop-in studio developed and run by one very talented lady (you go, T!).

It has been such an exciting endeavor for me - combining my professional (teacher, pre-kids) and crafty lives.  It has been a good challenge to think of projects that are appropriate for a workshop format, and then writing up directions to support beginning sewists.

If you are a local reader, be sure to check out Beehive Sewing - there are all sorts of classes, both project-based and technique-based, for every level of sewist.  And, the new Halloween calendar is up!  I'll be sharing an adorable trick-or-treat bag perfect for your little one's loot, as well as an appliqued bunting for your Halloween decoration stash.

Last but not least, stay tuned for an AWESOME giveaway coming up at the beginning of October. 

Hope you are finding new creative outlets this fall!

P.S. In the midst of all the sewing classes and back-to-school frenzy, somebody in our house turned 3!  I'll be posting photos and a new tutorial soon!  

Bike Bucket Birthday

It's the summer of bike buckets! 

We had four friends' birthday parties this weekend, and they all received their own, handsewn bike bucket.

Three of the friends received new bikes, and one inherited a bigger bike from her brother.

 

 It was so much fun to pick out fabrics to match their tastes and latest interest (guess which one was for the six year old boy!).  We hope E, A, C and E have many wonderful adventures with their new bikes and new bike buckets! 

Happy Birthday!

Up, up and away!

We had friends over the other day and one of the boys was dismayed to not have any dress-up clothes (apart from all the dresses!).  Remembering Jill's post about a set she made for a friend, we sprung into action to remedy our dress-up stash void.

Apart from some slippery fabric that wanted to pucker, I think our superhero friend will love it - I can already imagine him flying around his yard, deflecting his older brother's lasers.

Now, can I get away with making and wearing one of my own?  Some days, I just need it! 

Wishing you a superhero kind of day!



Doggy love sunhat

 First off, thank you for all the lovely comments about my spring top.  I didn't win, but I honestly feel like having it be a finalist was such an honor!  There are two more weeks, so maybe my color block top will find its way into the judges favorites, or I'll get my act together and actually sew one of the MANY ideas floating around in my head. 

I also wanted to share a quick project: another Oliver + S sunhat.  This time, it is a bit more "boy" - for a little friend who turned ONE yesterday!  Happy Birthday, little man!

The party theme was dogs so I thought this print was perfect!  The blue is Robert Kaufman Whiskers and Tails "Dog Park", and the green magically coordinated (from Joann's).

I love the pop of red - I think that white dog does too - sniff sniff! 

Hope you have a tail-wagging kind of day!

Rainbow birthday - all the rest!

You've seen the craft and the decorations. Here's what else we did to help little E celebrate big FIVE!

Coloring pages (from here)...

...rainbow scavenger hunt: balloons of each color were hidden with coordinating stickers.  The kids had to find each balloon and sticker their paper.  When they found all six colors...

...they received a little bag of gold (and silver) at the end of the rainbow!

Fabric party hats (found here), rainbow-style...

...twirl rainbow pops...

...rainbow relay: the kids lined up in teams of six.  They had to put on the rainbow wig, run to the other side of the room and color in one color of the rainbow.  When done, they ran back to their team, pass the wig and the next child runs down to color.

 

The rainbow cake (recipe here), but we didn't make it for the kids' party because a certain five-year-old didn't like it. We made sugar cookies with frosting and rainbow sprinkles instead.

...a rainbow of fruit..

...the dress (handmade by me, am loving the finished look of the double needle!).

I think it was a successful party.

The five year old looks pretty happy!

Rainbow birthday - the craft: rainbow garland from upcycled cardboard tubes

Is it the crafter in me, the artistic birthday girl, or the 12 children in the house on a winter day that called for a rainbow party craft?
I love that little E was soo proud of our enviro-friendly craft - the first thing she announced to everyone as they sat down at the table was, "It's made out of toilet paper tubes!"  Not paper towel tubes or wrapping paper tubes (which are both true!).  She's a crafter and an enviromentalist!

Here's what we did:

Materials: washable paint, glue, 8 rings (cut from upcycled cardboard tubes from you-know-where), paintbrush, hole puncher, yarn needle and yarn, cotton balls, large beads

1. Punch two holes on either side of each ring.

2. Paint seven rings (eight if you want to do a white coat under the cotton ball). With the lighter colors, you may want to do more than one coat.

3. Pull apart the cotton balls for a cloudy effect.  Glue them on the remaining ring.

4. Thread your needle.  If you double up the yarn and push the loop through the eye of the needle, you'll end up with a loop to hang the project when you are done.  Handy, eh?

5. Alternate bead and tube (oops - no cotton on that one - I glued it afterwards - with the kids, we skipped the white paint and glued the cotton before stringing everything so the glue could dry a bit).

6. Have fun and be creative with your color choices.

All strung...

...and ready to hang.

Perfect for a rainy day, or any day you need a little extra color!

Handmade Fabric Doll for Miss M.

Our friend turned one at the beginning of January.  What better way to recognize this milestone than with her very own dolly.

This one looks just a wee bit like Miss M - blonde hair, blue eyes and super cute all over!

Her eyes are hand-embroidered, courtesy of this tutorial over at Sublime Stitching.

 I love these little feet - just like our friend who is about to master cruising all over!  And, the dress fabric is a sweet corduroy print my aunt sent from her stash (I should say, she sent along WITH her stash - all 70+ pounds of it!).

I hope Miss M. loves her dolly as much as little A. loves hers (see here).



Rainbow birthday - the decorations, part 2

Once the holiday decorations come down, it's time to decorate for our January birthday girl.  That poses a bit of a question of what to put on the doors. 

This year, I found this yarn wreath in Stash Happy: Felt.  I tweaked the directions a bit (I'll show you how tomorrow) to make these two wreaths.

I love the pop of color against the natural color of the yarn and our weathered doors.  I think these fall right into the birthday decor and will be a favorite for years to come.

Wishing you a pop of color in your day!