Baby Bibs & A Piping Fail

I am finally sewing some things for the baby and not myself! :P I found this free pattern for "Little" Baby Bibs online a while ago and decided to make some since they will fit a newborn best. I went to JoAnn's and got a 1/2 yard of fun flannel for about $1.41 each.

I have made two so far and really like the size and shape of them. They are a quick sewing project: probably about 20-30 mins per bib.

"My City" flannel

back-flannel

I really wanted to add this lime green piping since I had it in my sewing box and it was the perfect match to the fabric, but I am not great at using piping when it comes to what to do with the ends! It ended up looking like this and I just added some fray check to the raw part to keep it from getting all fuzzy.

I plan to make more bibs (maybe 6-7?) because I really don't want to go buy any. 

Diaper Bag Fabric

I found just the right mix of baby-ness and something that caters to mommy's taste in fabric! This is MoMo's Oh Deer! collection for Moda called "Sparrow" in "Bark".

So me, right?

I like that it has the blue for a boy included yet is modern and fun enough to not scream "I AM A BIG SMELLY DIAPER BAG!!!"

I would have liked to get the matching large dot print fabric for the lining, but it would have been way out of my price range to buy both. So when this bird fabric arrives I am going to go to JoAnn's with my trusty coupons and get some sort of polka dot or solid for a price that is easier on the budget. Or I might do something crazy like orange polka dot for the inside, or this mushroom print I found earlier.

So fun to plan this out! Now to cut all the pieces and see if I can figure out the pattern!

Nesting Sewing

I am in my third trimester now! This pregnancy is flying by! Probably thanks to my toddler who keeps me busy. I haven't sewn ANYTHING for my sweet boy #2 who is coming in late May, and I feel awful! Not sure why. I still have time....

I still haven't picked out a fabric for his diaper bag yet, either! I keep changing my mind and going between a fabric I'd like or a fabric that is nursery-ish. I just can't make up my mind!

I have a board on Pinterest of ideas I found for baby stuff. Here are a few I'd like to try, even if I can just get one or two done. I want him to have handmade stuff, too. I really don't have any bibs and would like to make a lot of them. 

My mom has made him an amazing quilt, so that is taken care of. I don't know if I'd have the patience to make one as elaborately as she did, so I'm thankful she took care of that! I will have to post a pic sometime...

A lot of this stuff I am posting is in girly colors, so just imagine them in cute boy fabrics! :)

Source: stubbornlycrafty.blogspot.de via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: interweavestore.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: cloverandviolet.com via Sarah on Pinterest

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Source: purlbee.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Door Latch Cover & Silencer (My First Tutorial)

My son just turned two and one of his favorite things is going in a bedroom and shutting the door behind him...aaaaand sometimes locking it. This brings him great joy. Not for Mommy. Mommy FREAKS OUT! So I decided to halt all previous sewing projects to take a quick 15 minutes and make this door silencer/latch cover that I saw on Pinterest. I did not find a tutorial so I made my own up. If you are interested in making one, I wrote the best instructions I could at the end of this post. It was a really easy and quick project that only takes 2 scraps of fabric, 1 piece of batting, and 2 hairties. Great naptime sewing project! Most crafters will have those things on hand, so I encourage you to make one if you have a newborn and want to keep the door quiet or if you have a sneaky toddler like mine. :)

(Please excuse the messy carpet and moving box. We are in transition...again.)

The door can still shut like normal without any latching going on! Great, huh!?

Instructions to Make Your Own:

1.) Cut two squares of fabric measuring 2 1/4" wide by 2 3/4" tall. I used quilting fabric.

2.) Cut one piece of fusible or sew-in batting using the same measurements. (I use sew-in)

3.) Place the batting on the wrong-side of one square of fabric and pin or fuse.

4.) Take a hairtie (the thin kind) and pinch it and place it along the edge and in the middle of one of the short ends of the square. Make sure the long end of the hairtie is in the middle of the square, not directed outward. Hold it in place until you get to your sewing machine.

5.) Do a tight zig-zag stitch to secure the hairtie in place in pinched position.

6.) Repeat for the other hairtie on the opposite side of the fabric square.

7.) Place the two squares together with right-sides facing.

8.) Sew a 1/4" seam around the square leaving about 1" to 1 1/4" open for turning inside out.

9.) Clip corners and any hairtie bulk sticking out.

10.) Turn rightside out, using chopsticks or something pointy to push out corners. Press opening.

11.) Stitch a 1/8" seam around the edge, enclosing the opening as you go. 

12.) You're done!

I hope that made sense and please comment if it didn't! Have fun!

Adjusting to a Different Kind of Crafty Life

Hello! This morning I want to take you on a little tour of what's going on around my sewing space. I am not going to beat a dead horse (too much) and talk about the shop closing. All I can say is it is the end of one era and the start of a new one for the way I approach sewing and what I sew for. No longer am I sewing for the sake of money, but for creating gifts for others and items that I can use every day in my own life. It is such a weird feeling to be able to do that now, but I must say it feels pretty good. I will admit I have always dreamed of the day when I could sew whatever I wanted for whomever I wanted without that nagging feeling of needing to sell it in the shop. There is quite a bit more freedom in this. I never sewed NOT for money. It started out that way, but I shall not end that way! :)

So, that being said, here's what's going on in my world:

This is a basket of fabric waiting to be made into things. I have a 1/2 completed clutch, some baby gifts, and handbags that I am going to make. There is also a charm pack of squares waiting for a baby quilt to be made.

This is my latest crafting book that I purchased with some leftover birthday money on Amazon. Oh, how I love Amazon's cheap book prices! I went to B&N to check them out there and they were at least 40-50% more expensive off the shelf. 

This book is total eye candy and has some fun projects I'd like to try. The colorways inspire me because they are a tad different than what I am used to but I love how she uses all warm tones.

My crafting notebook. This is a list of things I want/need to get done by the end of December. I keep adding to it! I need to stop!

Here is what I ended up purchasing at Target to hold my patterns. I didn't get the fancy schmancy one because it was pretty but not functional for what I need. It would only hold a certain amount and I needed more space. I fit more than 21 patterns in this thing, though!

As you can see, there are many shoved in there. This is perfect and will be easy to store. When will I ever stop? A girl can never have too many patterns. :) 

I think that after Christmas I will try to share pics of what I have actually been sewing. I just have to wait until they are given out to people so I don't ruin the surprise. I'd like to do posts where you craft along with me on projects, so maybe that will be a goal for 2013!

Giraffe for Baby

I figured out what to do with the argyle fabric! I decided to make a giraffe since it is an easier shape than an elephant. It came out pretty good. I always make stuffed animals too thin and they have skinny extremities! Next time I will make them fatter. It was fun adding ribbon and rickrack for little textures for him to grab and play with.

Next up I'd like to make an owl...