Apologies and a New Project!

My apologies for abandoning the blog for the past 6 months, but I have been up to my armpits in a big project that has finally launched!

 

It all started with a fight against some developers about destroying three historic buildings across the street from where I grew up and replacing them with townhomes. Most of the neighborhood came out to fight, but after months of town council meetings the project was finally allowed, much to our disappointment.

Well, by then I had become so curious about the history of the buildings and, by default, my own town that I threw myself into research mode. Growing up in the town I was shocked by how little I knew of its history. There were so many wonderful stories that needed to be shared! People needed to be reminded of what an amazing little town we have and how it's not too late to preserve what's left.

So, I decided to start a guided walking tour of our historic district and to do it in a costume from the turn-of-the-century when the town was hitting its peak.

Lots of research and sewing later, I finally launched the tour at the end of March 2015 and have had some wonderful tours so far!

 

 

My costume came out pretty wonderfully (although I had to break down and purchase a few pieces). Of course, now that the weather is becoming a bit warmer I need to create a gown that's a little more lightweight (maybe seersucker?). I have fallen in love with the Edwardian style, it's just so beautiful without being over the top.

 

 

I will do my best to keep you updated on the progress of my summer wardrobe!

Dragon*Con 2014!

Oh my goodness did I have fun making some costumes for Dragon*Con 2014!

My step-daughter wanted to do a female version of the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and my step-son wanted to learn how to sew his own costume for Wizard Whitebeard (to match his friend who dressed up as Waldo).

 

After some Googling and discussion, she and I came up with a pretty cool design based on one of the Doctor's iconic suits and away I went! I am very pleased with the end result and wish I had gotten a better picture!

 

 

(Actually, I completely failed on pics all around this year, but you get the idea.)

 

The Wizard Whitebeard costume worked out great too and was a simple project for a beginning sewer. Of course he needed a beard as well and I found a wonderful tutorial on yarn beards over at Instructables! Had to do one for my other stepson as well for his dwarf costume. They both turned out absolutely fantastic!

 

He even wore the beard again for Halloween, but this time as a pirate!

 

 

Easy Toddler Dress Tshirt Upcycle

This is one of the easiest toddler dresses to make! Minimal cutting, two seams, and a little bit of threading and you have a roomy and comfortable dress for your little one! Could also be used to make tank tops for adults as well.

 

You'll need a rotary cutter, ruler, cutting mat, thread, pins, and a tshirt.

 

 

 If your tshirt has sleeves, start by cutting them off, leaving the arm seam intact. Then, right at the ribbed neckline, cut all the way across the top of the tee.

 

 

Fold down the top edge of the front towards the inside and pin. I did about a 1/2 inch fold. Repeat for the back.

 

 

Sew along the fold lines both front and back creating two long pockets.

 

 

For the straps, cut off the ribbed neckline into one long strip.

 

 

Using a safety pin attached to one end thread the strip through the pockets at front and back. Do a fit on your little one to check the fit of the neckline and then cut off the excess and sew the two ends together.

 

 

And you're all set! Super easy and cute! These have been really useful and stylish for us this summer and because they're so roomy they can be used again next year! Plus, if the straps ever get too tight they can always be replaced with longer strips! And they will eventually be great tank tops for your girl! ;)

 

 

 

Wedding Pillow

So, my niece just got married to a young man from Texas and I was in need of a wedding present. Since she was facing a move from her native North Carolina to Texas, I wanted to make something personal but very portable. ;)

After a bit of wandering I came across this great idea from In Between Laundry.

It's just a simple embroidery design of each state joined by a heart. It was one of my first real attempts at embroidery and it came out beautifully.

 

I wish I had gotten a better picture of it, but I finished it last minute. Anyway, check out her tutorial if you're interested in creating one yourself. Happy crafting!

Quiet Book Finished!

Now that the trip is over I finally have time to tell you about the rest of the quiet book, as well as its success on the trip!

 

So, I ended up with 12 pages all together, so I've got four new ones to show you.

 

First up was the orchard with fruit to count and a basket for...

 

The garden's crops! Tomatoes, beets, and carrots. Yum!

 

Then I added the frog with his zipper mouth and long tongue that snaps onto the flies surrounding him. :)

 

And, finally, I added the weather page with clouds full of rain and rainbows, covering a sunny mirror.

 

These all came out so well. I was really feeling it by this point!

 

So, here's the final layout of all of the pages.

 

Now that they were finally done, I sewed two pages together, right sides facing, and then turned them inside out, finishing off with a top stitch. Each set of pages also had three ribbon loops attached to the side for gathering together in the cover.

 

 

The cover was one long piece with holes in the middle for binder rings to hold all of the pages together. And it all buckled together at the front with a ribbon.

 

I even added a pocket at the back for any miscellaneous bits.

 

And boy, was it a success! She's had so much fun playing with it! Even uses her tools from her overall page to "dig" in the garden. Too cute!

Granted, it took a ridiculous amount of time to make since a lot of it ended up being hand sewn, but it was totally worth it. We're gonna keep this one for a long time and I've already got more pages planned! ;)



Quiet Book Immersion!

Oh my goodness! I am so unbelievably involved in the world of quiet books at this moment that I don't even know what to do with myself! I started making one in a desperate attempt to keep Nia occupied during a 13-hour road trip at the end of this month. However, now that I've started, I can't stop!

 

Of the 13 pages I have planned so far, I've gotten 8 done! And, for my garden loving girl, they are all garden/farm themed. Here's what I've got so far:

 

 

You can't garden without the right outfit and tools, right?

 

 

 

Gotta tend those flowers!

 

 

The hen's eggs are hatching! Get the chicks under her wing! (This one is a favorite for my baby obsessed girl.)

 

 

 

I loved this idea for a barn with finger puppet animals inside and had to make a field for the animals to play in.

 

I think this pond is one of my favorites so far. Nia loves turtles and counting to 5.

 

 

 

 

And it wasn't complete without a field of flowers for a bee to harvest!

 

I've still got a garden gate/orchard scene, crop field, frog catching flies, weather, and wheel of the year planned, as well as putting it all together with a cover. But I've still got a couple of weeks to go. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

Toddler Tshirt Dress Upcycle

Sorry for the hiatus, but I've been swamped making my products for our local Farmer's Market. The market is in full swing and the beautiful weather is contributing to some great days!

 

I've of course been doing a few projects for myself and my family too, but none of them were especially noteworthy until now. Yesterday, my mom gave me a white adult tee that had the best graphic on the front, hoping that I could alter it for Nia's use.

 

As you can see, I couldn't pass this up. Normally I'm not big on white fabric in general since we're fairly messy people, but I figured that stains would actually contribute to this outfit, so I went for it!

 

(Measurements are approximate and should fit a 3T. All seams are 1/4 inch unless otherwise specified.)

 

I decided to cut out the part of the graphic that I wanted since it was also an advertisement for a local garden supply company. I cut off the sleeves and up both sides so that I could work with the front and back independently. Once I cut out the graphic that would be my centerpiece, I then cut a strip from the bottom of the same side (including the hem) that was 8 inches tall. This was just big enough to fit my graphic piece, which I then appliqued in the center after turning it upside down so that the hem was now at the top. (By the way, in this case, I just stitched an 1/8 inch from the edges all the way around and left the edge raw, just to add some interest.) And with right sides together I stitched up the back seam. Now I had a tube.

 

 

For the skirt I took the front of the shirt and measured up about 13 inches from the bottom, once again including the hem. So, this piece was 13 inches tall x the width of the shirt (which was an adult large I think). This would be the front part of the skirt.

For the back, I didn't have a large enough piece left to match the front, so I cut the two sleeves at the seam, pieced them together, cut the top even, and then added another strip tall enough to match the skirt front.

 

 

Right sides together, I stitched the side seams to combine the front and back pieces of the skirt. Now I had another tube.

I did a basting stitch around the top of the skirt so that I could gather it to fit to my bodice (right sides together). Lots of gathering and pins later, I stitched the bodice and skirt using a narrow zigzag to give it some stretch.

 

With the remainder of the sleeve material (with hems attached) I cut two pockets (about 3x3) and appliqued them to the front of the skirt.

 

 

Finally, with the last of the large scrap pieces, I cut two strips that were 2x8 inches and stitched a seam down the length with wrong sides together, leaving the edges raw. I then placed these evenly at the front and back of the top, stitching along the existing "hem" stitch line to make my straps.

 

 

Now, time to get it stained!