Modern Cloche (it's a hat)

Another project down, 257 to go! I thought maybe I would share some of my design theory that went in to this one, since that's what all the bloggers are doing these days (see my list of blogs to the right).

Becky, Buffy and I went to Bumbershoots 2008 and one of the vendors from Portland had really cute recycled hats with flowers on the side. Buffy tried one on and looked WAY cute in it, so I have been thinking since then that I would make a hat for her. WOOPS, that gives away the surprise doesn't it. . . Oh well, you just have to wait to see the end product! Anyway, I waited until last minute as usual and looked at several different patterns before eventually picking the first pattern I found last year. I have been sketching what I wanted for 2 years now-projects float around in my head for a LONG time before fruition!

Brody got a hold on this picture!!

I googled fabric flowers and found several patterns I like from Martha, this Fabric Dahlia is the one I used. Anthropologie hats are very inspirational, of course most everything is inspiring from their website since I can only window shop! I also like these old school hats like one found in this cloche tutorial. Humble Bumble B has lots of cute hats and she even has a tutuorial on Threadbanger if you google it. I liked her tutorial, but didn't think Buffy would wear something quite so 'vintage' haha. Anyways, it took me all day today but I got the hat done! I keep talking about making things to sell on Etsy. Honestly, I have got to speed things up quite a bit to make any money, 8 hours for one hat is pretty unreasonable! Check out some of the hats on Etsy, I searched out "hat patterns + sewing" to weed out the knit patterns. For you knitters, have at it and keep me in mind ;)!!!

I hate to say what my next project will be; really I fly by the seat of my pants and we all know it. Here is some juice to get you going though, this paintaing is called Ojibwe Floral Buds and its by my favorite native painter Daniel Ramirez. Who is your favorite painter?

Valentine Photo Frame and Pillowcase

This was a busy weekend! I love Valentine's Day, an excuse for my husband to buy me a really good box of chocolates. He bought me Godiva a couple years back and we both liked it so much he can't resist but to keep buying them every year! I'm going to get so sick of chocolate by the end of the week ;). So my last minute gift to him was this quick photo frame for the card I made him on Shutterfly. I cheated a little on the construction with a hot glue gun when I put the muslin pocket inside for the card, but hey it turned out alright! The fabric is actually a pair of pants I bought at Value Village, I added some texture with pleating and perpendicular straight stitches. Turns out my Brother SE-350 has a pretty good selection of stitches, too!

Then I did this simple pillowcase for Trevan's Valentine present. I missed Christmas, kind of skipped it by choice because of money and stress. I've really come to dread Christmas and hope to teach my children that its not all about the presents. . . Anyway, I printed a picture of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to iron on, then let the Brother do the rest! Hope Trevan is excited, he's crazy for TMNT, no REALLY.

I told myself I would blog something today, so even if I don't get to my list of crafts to finish at least I got one thing done! Kyle has been doing well on his eating habits (me, not so much!) and mentioned that his Muscle and Fitness magazine had some kind of article on Oats and how good they are for you. I like oatmeal alright, but its a difficult sell to a Toddler. So I thought about my Finnish days: breakfast was usually Makkara (Finnish sausage more like pate) on Rye, Weetabix, or yoghurt with granola. I have recently rediscovered that I LOVE yogurt and granola! So, I Googled 'homemade granola' and found all kinds of recipes. The one I chose has cinnamon, honey, brown sugar, salt then I add a nut (Walnuts in this case) and raisins. Now if only I could purchase yogurt here like they have in Finland, its much less sweet and I really liked it better that way.

Still in the works on that Maternity top from a recycled shirt of Kyle's. I bought

Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified by Cal Patch yesterday (Potter Craft, 2009). Apparently Cal was a designer for Urban-outfitters, so I'm excited to delve into this one. She warns in the first few pages that if you don't follow from beginning to end, you may have to jump back to beginning projects to complete a project later in the book. That bummed me out, because the first pattern is for a skirt. Let's face it, I'm a huge whale right now and no one wants to see ME in a skirt. Oh, the joys of pregnancy!! Perhaps I'll focus on baby girl clothes, lol.

Heartseams CD Holder

I'm starting this year off on a good foot, two projects in the first month!! The pattern for this CD holder came from One-Yard Wonders, by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins, 2009. This particular one will be finding a home with my cousin Willi better known as my Wilsmy! He loves, loves, LOVES Lady Gaga and I must admit I've grown somewhat smitten with her since her Oprah Interview. While listening to Speechless repeatedly, this one line stood out to me "you popped my heartseams." Obviously anything with the word SEAMS is going to stand out to me, since I'm such a sewing fiend. Well, I couldn't use the embroidery option this round because the small hoop I ordered didn't work out and I'm in the process of exchanging through Ebay-you know how that goes.

Anyways, for a first go 'round on this projects it turned out alright. Hopefully Willsmy fills it with lots of Gaga CDs! Now what's next on my craft agenda? I really want to make a maternity shirt out of one of Kyle's old t-shirts. The Selfish Seamstress had an inspirational post on January 22nd and turned me on to Magashoni. Would you look at some of those tops!?! I love that ruffles, bows, flowers, etc. are in style. I'm thinking some kind of square neckline with a ruffle treatment, slightly elasticized puffy sleeves, an empire seam to make room for the baby, and a cute embroidery at the bottom-perhaps something like the sparrows from this pattern. I don't know, so many ideas so little time!

PS- hopefully we find out the sex of the baby TOMORROW!! Cross your fingers that baby doesn't have cord looped back and forth between the legs again :/. If its a girl-I'm going all out French, nothing but Mon Chaton, Eiffel Tower, and Sucre Creme!

Booties for Kadynce

I finally took some time to make my own "light tent" for taking pictures. A little Photoshop goes a LONG way, but the light box definitely adds a professional touch. To top it all off, I finished another project! Just this morning I put the finishing stitches on a pair of baby booties for Kadynce, my niece-in-law who will be 1 in March. I hope they fit her, they turned out smaller than I thought.

I found a free baby bootie pattern a couple months ago. It's actually a pattern from the archive of Molly Chicken. Great jumping point, and I added heel pulls and of course my own embroidery (gotta put that new machine to work!).

Must I say that adding my signature to everything really makes a project look complete for me! Every day that I sew, I am praising Kyle for the machine: "It's the best present EVER!"

Quail Clutch

I know, it's been WAY too long. Here it is, my most recent completed project. Hopefully Becky has received her gift in the mail by now, otherwise I am ruining your surprise and I apologize!! I just couldn't wait to post any longer, if I procrastinate too long it will never get done. I had the idea for a bag for Becky on my mind for the last year, but I was originally going to do a shopping bag. Then Kyle got me a Brother SE-350 for my birthday and I had all kinds of embroidery ideas!!

This sewing machine is a dream come true compared to my old $80 special! I had no idea how easy life could be ;). Anyway, it took me all day to make this clutch because I wanted to put my name on it so obviously I could not use someone else's pattern. This clutch is from scratch, my own pattern, design, sewing, the whole works from beginning to end! I know it didn't come out absolutely perfect, Beck, but I hope you find some use for it!!

My sister gave me an Ebay gift certificate for my birthday, so I had fun last night searching out accessories for the embroidery machine. I cannot wait to use my new concealed zipper foot, it really would have come in handy on this Quail Clutch. I also bought the 2' x 1.5' hoop since I love to work with small details. Although I don't have $800 for the PEDesign software, you can bet that I will figure out a way to use this machine to create my own embroidery designs. My hand embroidery looks like a Kindergärtner did it, but I have so many ideas that I need to create!

Baby Wrap for Jaci

I FINALLY got another project done, slowly but surely. It's even more difficult to focus with the sun out so much now. Plus, I've got 2 scholarships I need to finish applications for AND my application for Grad School. PHEW! I need: 1 maid, 1 millionnaire husband so I can quit my day job, and 1 4-pack of Bud Light Cheladas :).

Anywho, I made a baby wrap for my good friend Jami Phillips. She welcomed her second child into the world last month --> Jaci Lee Ann, on May 4th. What a sweetie pie!! Little Jaci deserves to be wrapped in style. So I used another pattern out of my Amy Butler book Little Stitches. Here were the results!