Twirler Sweat Suit

Now that the weather is colder, Dorothy can't wear just her leotard when she goes to gymnastics and baton twirling lessons.  Changing her out of her regular clothing (typically, a dress with tights) was getting old fast, so I ordered two sweat suits with zip up jackets.  Now she can put the on over her leotard, and we don't even have to redo her hair since it doesn't pull over her head.  So much better!

I ordered plain sweat suits, and appliqued the first one last night.  Hopefully, I'll get to the other one soon, but at least one was done quickly.  Since two out of the three times she needs the sweat suits is for twirling, I made her a "twirler" one.

It is hard to see the embellishments on the front, but there are crossed baton outlines on the left chest and the lower right pant leg.  Excuse her disinterested expression.  Trying to have her pose after gymnastics and before lunch was probably not the best idea.

 Close-up of the pant leg.  I wish I had gotten it placed a bit more to the side, but it doesn't look bad in the middle.

 The left chest of the jacket.  This one could also stand to be placed a bit more to the left (closer to the zipper).  The shape of the hoop makes it seem like it is closer to the left than it really is.  I'm going to need to practice getting a better placement.

 The back of the jacket.  I'm happy that I seem to have gotten the baton and lettering on straight, and I'm glad I went a little low on the placement.  The hood still covers up a fair amount, but the baton completely shows, and you can see a few of the letters.  She tends to pull her hood up anyway (or accidentally gets it tucked inside).  I would have preferred a jacket without a hood, but they are impossible to find right now.

 A better look, with the hood pulled out of the way.  I really like the colors, and all the fabric I used was scraps of things I already had.

Close-up of the applique.  I had a tiny bit of trouble with the bottom edge of the baton.  The fabric shifted when it was tacked down, and I didn't notice at the time because it was just a tiny bit.  I'm going to see if I can clean it up a bit more after it is washed.

I think it turned out really cute and think she looks darling it.  Dorothy is less impressed though and wants to know when she can put a dress back on.  *sigh*

Rapunzel

My daughter really wanted to be Rapunzel for Halloween, so I agreed to make her costume.  I used the Simplicity pattern #2065, and hit up Discount Fabric Warehouse in Chicago for the fabric.  It is easily the most complicated thing I have made, but was completely worth it, and is so much nicer than one I could have bought in a store.  When she put in on for the first time, she kept saying, "Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!"  Love!

 It's hard to see the ribbon stripes on her sleeves, but they are there.  There were so many little details on this dress that make it special.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice that her sleeves were rolled up, so you can't see the gorgeous lace trim on the cuffs.

 I also made the braid, which she loves.  I wove ribbons into it and hot glued flowers all along the braid.  It's so cute and fancy!

 Of all the different parts of the dress, adding this trim was the hardest and most time consuming.  It is actually three separate pieces; the white and silver swirl ribbon in the center and the white with purple ribbon on each edge.  I almost didn't add the second side of the white and purple, but I'm glad I did.  The extra width gives it enough depth to show up nicely.

 The bodice is just full of details.  The light purple brocade, with the dark purple taffeta with velvet flocking under, the grommets and ribbon lacing, and the lace at the neck and waist lines.

 The same lace is on the cuffs.  It's so dainty and delicate.

It was really windy (and cold), but it's a super twirly dress.  It was so cold, she had to wear a coat over it for trick-or-treating, but there were a couple of parties last weekend where she wore it without having to cover it up.  She's also going to wear it for her princess birthday party in a couple of months.

The only part I didn't make was Pascal, the chameleon from Tangled, on her shoulder.  He's a puppet that a neighbor gave us a few years ago, when her grandchildren outgrew them.  He was a perfect addition to her costume.

New Sewing Room!

My sewing room has been in desperate need of an overhaul for a very long time.  In July, I started messing around with the layout and thinking about new ways to organize the space.  I wish that I had taken pictures before I started moving the furniture around.  For a couple of weeks, I would move things around after the kids were in bed, until I finally hit on a layout that mostly worked for the way I sew.  I kept that layout, but replaced my old cutting table and ironing board, then got rid of one or two shelving units and brought in some others.  Here are a few before and after photos:

 Before.  Piles of stuff on the floor, and note the cutting mat on the floor in the front.  My cutting table was such a poor fit for me that I actually found it easier to use the floor instead.  Madness!

 After.  Not quite the same angle, but pretty close.  I took this picture to show the best new thing in my room; the lighting!  My husband spent a couple of very hot days up in the attic installing a light fixture for me so I could get rid of the million lamps that weren't doing much anyway.  I current;y only have two of the new, fancy, full spectrum bulbs in it, and it is already 1000x better than before.  I need to go to the store to get the other two, and it will be blindingly bright in there.  The colors look so much better with the new bulbs.

A slightly better view of the actual room.  I'll talk more about the different pieces in some close up pictures, but note the new cutting table (with storage!) and the new ironing table (also, with storage!).

 

Sewing area, before.  More piles, and a better view of the cutting mat on the floor (with the green fleece on top of it).

Sewing area, after.  Sorry it is not the same angle, but look at the nice, clear surfaces.  I also added a clock that I can see easily from either the sewing area, or the ironing and cutting area, where I spend most of my time.  Before, there was only one, tiny clock on an up high shelf, behind me, and it was impossible to see.  I have left the little clock on the shelf for now, but if I discover that I don't use it, I will probably get rid of it.

Embroidery area, before.  Cluttered, and tons of stuff stacked on the cutting table because I hated using it.

Embroidery area, after.  The ribbons that were hanging on the cane on the wall are now under the ironing table.  Now, the cane holds paper for pattern tracing.  The rack on the far left on the wall is now storing dinosaur dresses for my shop that are partly done.  Before it was just fabric storage, and it wasn't nearly large enough.  My embroidery hoops are hanging on the wall so I can find keep the close without having them taking up table space.

 Another view of the new embroidery area. 

 Closet area, before.  Note the piles of fabric in the lower left corner (I had already started folding it into bolts by the time I thought to take "before" pictures) and the overflowing laundry basket in front of the closet.

 Closet area, after.  The closet still needs a little work, but it is much better.  I have a few projects to complete, that will help a lot as far as getting some large things out of the way.  Just above the green and pink striped bins are two wire DVD baskets that are perfect for keeping my patterns.  Each pattern is slipped into a clear comic book protector, then placed in the bin.  With the plastic protectors, I don't have to get all the pieces shoved back into the tiny paper envelopes, and they are large enough to hold the extra pattern pieces I trace onto paper and cut out.  I love that I can easily keep all those pieces together now.

 

 Cutting table, before.  Like I said, I was actually cutting things on the floor, and not using the cutting table I had.  It was a little too tall for me and I could not reach all the way across.  It also had casters.  Even though they locked, the casters liked to slide on the hardwood floors, making it unstable.  It took up a ton of space and had no built in storage.  A couple of small cubbie units did fit under it, but it was far from ideal.

 Cutting table, after.  It is two IKEA shelving units, back to back, with a large IKEA desk top on top of it.  I love how I now have room for my rulers and templates right on the side, so they are close at hand, but not in the way.

 I folded all my fabric onto comic book backing boards, and they are just the right size.  To hold the fabric in place, I used vinyl coated jumbo paperclips.  It is great being able to see all my fabrics at once.

 There are fabrics on both sides, sorted by type and color.  This side has my lyrca, knits, corduroy, home dec, apparel, holiday, and batting and interfacing. 

 This side is quilting cottons and flannels.  My cutting mat fits nicely between the table and the wall.

I got rid of my old, standard ironing board and built this table instead.  The table is also from IKEA, but it only came in black, so I painted it green.  Then, I covered the top so I can iron on it.  It has a larger surface area than my old ironing board, and I'm really enjoying using it.  I love having the drawers to store little things that I only use at the ironing board, like my bias tape maker, and the fusible lining I use on embroidered clothing.  I also added a white board to keep track of what projects I need to be working on.  I had a shopping list in the upper right corner, but it is gone in the photo because Dorothy and I hit the fabric store yesterday.

I love this little shelf!  I spray painted regular terracotta pots and they are perfect for keeping my scissors, pens, and pencils, close but off of the cutting table.  I added a hook to the side for my tape-measure.  I had been keeping it in a drawer, and rolling it back up after each use which was a pain.  It is so much easier to just grab it and hook it back when I'm done.

I'm not sure how I feel about the hanging jars yet.  For now, they are storing things I don't need too often, and i love how they look.  I think they would be annoying to have to get into all the time.    

 The bakers rack I had no longer fit, so I brought up the two little shelves on the left from the basement.  The bins hold dresses and shirts for my shop; both finished, and plain ones waiting to be embroidered.  On top of the shelves are other supplies I need for my shop, and I love that it is all together now, instead of spread out in three or four different places. The baskets on the right are three different quilts that are in progress.

I'm ready to start sewing up a storm!  I finally have a space for everything, and even a few empty bins and trays, so I can adjust things if need be.  I tried really hard to think about how and where I use certain tools to keep it easy for me to get things out and put them away.  Here's hoping I can keep it this nice while still getting stuff done in there.

Matching Manatees

This is a very late write-up.  I made a manatee shirt for Malcolm a couple of months ago, but didn't blog about it because I planned to also make him a second, different, shirt and thought I'd put them both in one post.  Well, the second shirt never happened, so I might as well just show off his cute manatee shirt.  Sorry, kid.  Better luck next year!

 We were out on a hike, and I told him to hold still for a second so I could get a picture of his shirt, and he struck this pose.

He wore these shorts last year, and they still fit, but the shirt that went with them was too small.  It took a while, but I finally found a red shirt that was a pretty close match, and I used a deep navy thread for the shadowing details on the manatee.  I really like how it came out.

 I'm a dork, and purposely had both kids wear their manatee shirts on the same day (only once though).  I had forgotten that I had flipped Dorothy's manatee because of the little loop on her shirt.  I didn't notice until they were side by side, and they had been wearing their shirts all day.  It is a little hard to tell, but Malcolm's manatee is larger than Dorothy's.  Because of the size of the shirts, I was able to turn the hoop sideways for his so that I could orient the manatee lengthwise and keep it as large as possible, which looks better on the larger shirt.  I'm not sure how many more shirts I'll be able to do for Malcolm since the largest hoop my machine takes is a 5x7, he is starting to need larger designs to look good.

Also, why is it so hard to have two kids stand still, look at the camera, and smile? 

The height of seven year old humor; bunny ears.  I remember doing it as a kid too, but I don't remember why we found it funny.  I guess it's timeless to them though.

I'm glad that he wanted me to make this for him.  I tend to make more for Dorothy, and he gets so excited when I make him something.  I have some plans for some flannel pajamas that he should love.  I already have the fabric (space themed that glows in the dark) and I'm waiting on the pattern to get here.  I had to order it because it had been discontinued. 

Watermelon Dress

I finally finished a watermelon dress for Dorothy.  I bought the fabric over a year ago, but never got it made last summer.  I cut out all of the pieces this Spring, determined to make it for her for the summer.  Then it sat for a long time, and I finally got it done this past weekend.  She loves it, which is great, but I'm not sure I like it.  I'm not happy with the way I sewed the gathered layers, and I think the pattern needs a little tweaking to look better.  I have an idea for a different version that I think will look better, so hopefully I can get to it before she outgrows this style of dress.

 It is a peasant top, tiered dress, which is a good look for her, but I'm not entirely happy with how I sewed it together or my fabric choices.

 I don't think there was enough difference in size between each of the tiers.  When I laid them out, before sewing them together, I wondered if the few inches difference would allow it to lay right.  I should have gone with my gut and made it fuller.

 All the fabric is from one line, but I'm not liking the green tier.  I wish I had stuck with just the red and the watermelon fabric and not used a third fabric.  It's not bad, but it could be better.

 I happened to catch her as she turned quickly.  If the tiers were fuller, the dress would twirl better.

 The cut of the top is really cute on her though and I want to try this one again, but changing the bottom of the dress.

Even though there is a lot of fabric, it doesn't slow her playing down.

Applique Shirts

Last Fall, a friend gave us a big box of hand-me-downs for Dorothy.  Inside were some darling shorts, but no shirts that matched (or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to make matching shirts).  The shorts actually fit around her waist, which is pretty rare, so I came up with three shirts for her to wear with the shorts.

 

 These are the very cute watermelon shorts that I wanted to match.  I looked through the shirts I had on hand and found a plain red shirt that matched color-wise.

I already had the watermelon applique design for my machine.  The red fabric is a scrap from a dress I am currently making her (I cut it out a long time ago, and have just now started sewing it).  I also already had the green fabric for the rind, leftover from doing a few Kermit the Frog shirts.

 Close-up of the watermelon.  I need to practice with some different camera settings to get sharper pictures.

It looks great, and is perfect for her to wear to her baton twirling class.  She practicing the routine so she can march in the Forth of July parade next week.

 I love this little hedgehog!  She's so cute and happy.  My pink fabric isn't a perfect match, but it is close enough.

 I did have to buy this shirt but it is such a good match that it looks like it was made to go with these shorts.  I think the stripes and the pink binding give it some much needed interest.

The shorts are pink, but have a little yellow trim on them.  I was happy to find that the pinks and yellows were so close that they went together even though the shirt and shorts are different brands.

 I have been wanting a manatee design for a very long time, but most of the ones that I could find didn't look much like manatees.  I loved this one, but it didn't come in my machine's format, and it was huge.  It also cost more than I usually like to spend on designs, but there was simply nothing else out there, so I decided to give it a try and I would modify it.  I'm so glad I did!  It stitched out great even after all my tinkering.

I wasn't sure if I was really liking the green outline on the manatee that Dorothy picked out, but it matches the stripes in her shorts really well and we have gotten a few positive comments on her shirt already.  Malcolm likes it so much that he has asked for one, and I hope to finish his this weekend.  Manatee shirts might become a summer tradition for my kids.

I have one more pair of shorts to make a matching shirt for, but I haven't gotten out to get a shirt to match.  Malcolm has two shirt requests in and I have Dorothy's dress that needs to eventually be sewn to also finish, so we'll see if I get to another shirt for her or not.

Project Linus Quilts

Earlier in the year, I made quilts with each of my children's classes that were donated to Project Linus.  I have been meaning to make more blankets for them, and I finally have a batch ready to go!

 All stacked up and ready to go.  I'm going to try to drop them off in person at one of the many get-togethers the local chapter holds.

 They look so pretty all nicely folded.

 This quilt is being donated in honor of a friend's baby that was born with a heart condition and survived for 23 days.  His favorite thing was his duck blanket/comforter, and he happened to have a fair amount of blue striped blankets and clothing.  His name will be attached to this special blanket when I turn it in.

 There are three different backgrounds for the ducks and all were fabrics I had that were leftover from other projects.  This one says, "I love mommy" and, "I love daddy on it."

 I had a surprisingly hard time time finding blue striped fabric, so I had to improvise a bit.  This one is very pale, but is a white and light blue stripe.  

The other background is just a solid medium to light blue.  The ducks themselves are all different, and I learned that I do not use much in the way yellow fabric and was bailed out by a friend who delivered some yellow scraps to my house so I could finish my last yellow duck.

 The backing is a bright yellow ultra cuddle that is super soft and snuggly.  I used the ultra cuddle for most of the blankets and my only complaint about it is how much it fuzzes all over when cut.  After trimming the backs to size, I look like I have tangled with a Muppet.

 I'm not a big fan of the current chevron craze, but I think it is really striking as the binding.  I was hoping it would look sort of stripe-ish.  It doesn't, but I still really like how it turned out.

 This one was too large to get in one photograph, but hopefully you get the idea.  It is a single piece of dinosaur flannel with a blue ultra cuddle back.  It is a yard and a half of fabric, and the largest of the blankets in this batch.  I made this one right after purchasing a new walking foot for my machine.  I wanted to practice on a single piece of fabric instead of a pieced top, in case I really messed it up. 

 Instead of binding the blanket, I folded the ultra cuddle over.  I like it, but had some trouble with the corners.  Some went pretty well, while others would not lay right no matter what I did.  I will probably try this method again, but I need to work out the kinks.

 Since this one was so simple, I appliqued a dinosaur on the back to make it a little more custom made.

 With the exception of the binding, this one was all scraps left over from other projects.

 It is a little hard to see, but there are tiny stars on the blue fabric and on the bear fabric.

 A closer look at the stars.

 The backing on this one is a thin, almost furry, blue and white stripe fabric, and I embroidered, "Twinkle, twinkle little star," on the back.  The backing fabric was left from my diaper making days.  It made a great lining and I stocked up when it went on clearance.  I had used a fair amount, but still had quite a bit left.

 This is another blanket made of pieces of leftover scraps.  The big red squares are a minky dot fabric that is very soft and nice to pet.  I was nervous about using red and white next to each other, but since everything was pre-washed, I went for it.  It came out of the wash fine, but now there is some bleeding on the left side.  This one has been done for a while and was sitting a plastic bag.  I wonder if some condensation got in and it bled then?  I would have noticed when I inspected it after washing and drying, and it wasn't there then.  I'm going to see if I can get it out before dropping it off.

 You can see the raised bumps on the minky here.  The pale green squares have little farm themed pictures on them.

 The backing is another ultra cuddle, but this time I went with the bolder dots pattern instead of a solid color.

 It makes a very vibrant backing.

 This was a pre-quilted panel that a friend gave me.  Her boys had long since outgrown Thomas the Tank, and she asked if I could find a use for it.  All I had to do was bind the edges and I had plenty of the blue fabric left over from my son's class quilt to do this one too.

 The back was already on since it was pre-quilted.

 It's very bright and colorful.

 This was another piece of Thomas material my friend gave me.  My kids aren't really into Thomas, but it's perfect for making a blanket to donate.  I left the piece she gave me full size, then added a border using more of the fabric from my son's class quilt. 

 The green, blue, and yellow matched perfectly and are a great finishing touch for this blanket.

 The back is ultra cuddle scraps I had leftover from other blankets.  I pieced them together and used them for the backing.

My husband saw me folding this one and all he could see was the back.  He said it was very German.  I hadn't thought about that when I was putting it together, but he's right, and now all I can see is the German flag.


If time and money allowed, I would love to make more blankets for Project Linus.  I have a few more in various stages of progress that I will keep working on.  In the meantime, I'll get these turned in, and hopefully they will find their way to some kids who really need them.