making the old new again

I was looking for a rocker/glider type chair to use for the new baby but didn't want to spend $200 and up on it.  After asking around (gotta love facebook) I had a good friend offer up this rocker/glider chair that she no longer had the use or space for.  So it was completely free to me.  It works great and is pretty solid but I wasn't crazy about the fabric cushions and considered painting the wood.

I decided to save myself a whole lotta headache and leave the wood alone. Instead I would sew new cushion covers for the chair.  I was looking for a soft yet durable home decorator's fabric at a fantastic price (in fear that I would mess up and waste a ton of money onthe fabric).  So I went to Jo Ann's and just so happen to find the last 2 yards of the perfect clearance fabric that was an additional 50% off.  I paid $6 for the fabric.  Fantastic, right?

Here is the chair now. 

I should have taken photos of the process but I was kinda figuring it out as I went and doing it all with a toddler in my way.  I basically covered the old cushions tightly with the new fabric inside out.  I then pinned it, sewed it, and turned the fabric right side out and sewed the back or bottom seams.  I tried to follow the layout of the old cushions but also make it more modern by skipping the buttons and trim on the new cushions.  I think it turned out better than expected.  And the ruffled pillow (from Pier 1) helps add a little pizazz as well.  Not bad for $6, right?

fabric resolutions

If you follow my blog you know that I sew a lot and happen to have a huge stash of fabric.  If you don't follow my blog or just wanna see my huge fabric stash click here. 

 It's a sickness. 

BUT there is hope yet for me.  This year I've decided that I will refrain from buying any new fabric (unless absolutely necessary) and I will sew through ALL of the fabric I already have.  By the end of the year I hope those shelves are bare.  The reason for this?  My craft room is always a mess and I feel so wasteful just buying new fabric all the time.  It could also be an early case of the 'spring cleaning bug' taking over me.  I'll keep my scraps cause I always use those but will have to find a better way to orgnanize them. 

 If there is such a thing. 

Most of my fabric is about a yard or two long.  Perfect length for toddler pj's.  I made these spring pajamas for my daughter.

(notice that I've mentioned spring twice so far...yes, I'm ready for winter to be over).

I'm proud to say that I've been sewing clothing without a pattern and as challenging as it may be at times it's also very rewarding.  I usually will just use a piece of my daughter's clothing to give me measurements for the new item I'm making.

I picked up this Eddie Bauer wrinkle free women's button down blouse at my thrift store for $1.  I loved the design (but would never wear the shirt) so I made big plans to design my own toddler dress out of it.

And here is that same shirt in a toddler's size 12 month dress.

and the back.

Hey, it's hard to keep a toddler still.

And if you're wondering about the bathroom I'm happy to announce that we are over half way done. We are waiting on a contractor for some drywalling but aside from that and our closet area everything is moving along nicely. 

Here is an action shot of my hubby ripping out the old vanity.

H-O-T!!!

happy birthday to...

me. 
Yup, today is my birthday.  It's been a great day, too.  I woke up to 29 reason I'm lovable (all written by my dear husband) taped to the cabinets in our kitchen. 

Actually, my 6 year old son woke me up asking me if these were clues to a toy hunt taped to the cabinets.  Ha Ha Ha...kids are great, huh?

My husband also reloaded my i tunes balance (love me some music) and helped me reorganize my craft room/studio.  He hung a curtain rod for me to hang the purses I make once they are completed.

He also put up some frames and shelves to hold all my junk treasures.

Oh, and he bought me this table and put it up all in the same day.  It folds flat when I'm not using it.

(Nevermind the ugly wood trim.  I'm hoping to paint it one day and hopefully replace the carpet too)

Here is my little sewing nook.  I plan on painting my sewing table a fun color but haven't decided what color yet.  Well, and I haven't had much time to worry about painting it.  I've got a ton of sewing to do people.

I refolded ALL the fabric I have in the closet (which is a lot).

It's stacked top to bottom.

The cool thing about refolding it all was finding fabric I forgot I had.  It's like it's all new all over again.  Happy Birthday Lacy!

sewing

 One day after finding out I was having a little girl a huge wave of excitement hit me.  I get to make girly dresses and fun bows for MY little girl. 

 I say one day cause that's how long it took me to accept that she was in fact a girl.

I love having a little boy and I've sewn my share of items for him but you can sew SO MUCH MORE for a little girl.  And now that's she's one and running around (cause it's hard to put a crawling baby in a dress) I've started sewing her tops and dresses.

Here's her 1st dress I made her a few days ago.

 From left to right: brown pillow dress/top (I made an inbetween version to wear with leggings), her dress pictured above, and a fall colored pinafore made from a pattern date 1964.  Cool, right?

I'm working on the matching bows and already picking out my next pattern.  I'm hoping to make more fall clothes and get ahead for next summer too.

taking the plunge

I have been very busy lately (which is why I haven't posted) with the openning of my new Etsy shop.  After years of being told, "you should sell that" by friends and family members I have finally taken the plunge.  I'm starting small though since my time is limited with two kids a high maintenance baby.

I'm starting my shop off with my sweet tooth fairy pillows.

I originally made one for my son before lost his 1st tooth and it was a hit.

I got many requests from friends to make more but was 9 months pregnant and had more on my mind at the time. 

10 months later....

I've got a small army of sweet tooth fairy pillows made and more on the way.  I am trying to get them all completed to list on esty or to sell locally.  I've even added some girly tooth fairy pillows to the bunch.

I've got some other stuff for sale as well on Etsy and even more on the way.  It's all a work in progress but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction.  Here a link to {my shop}.

momma's got a brand new bag

I have been trying to find the time to make a new purse for quite some time with no luck.  When it comes down to it making myself a new purse really doesn't take priority to other 500 million things on my daily to do list.

I know it'll get easier as the kids get older and I'm looking forward to that.

But last week I finally had to put myself first and I spent a few hours sewing up this baby.  Thanks to the hubs for keeping the monkeys kids out of my way.

I used the market bag pattern that I've used a few times now by {Sandi Henderson}.

super easy pattern to follow with great pictures

I modified the bag a bit by taking off the large outside pocket.  This fabric by {Anna Maria Horner} is just too beautiful to cover up with a pocket.  This is my 3rd time making a bag/purse with her fabric.  I LOVE it.  It's so my style. 

I added two pockets inside the bag.  1 large and 1 medium one for all my much needed junk.

I love my new bag. 

 I just hope it doesn't take another 6 months or more before I finally get around to making myself another one.

6 years old

It's kinda ironic that my last blog post was about birthdays because yesterday my son turned 6 years old.  Sorry no great birthday decoration photos to share. 

This year we had his party at an indoor water park and they supplied everything.  No joke...we couldn't bring anything in.  At first I was a little bummed about it cause I've always made the decorations, invites, party favors, etc.  But the closer to his birthday we got the more relieved I was that I didn't have to make all these things.  My parents flew out from Arizona to visit and my 8 month old daughter got pretty sick within days of his party and I seriously don't know how I would have put together a party with everything going on around here. 

And you wanna know something?  He didn't care that his party decor wasn't handmade.  I doubt he even remembers what his invites look like.  But one thing he will remember is all the fun he had.  He didn't even make it home before passing out in the back seat.

I did however make one special thing for him to wear on his birthday.  His shirt sporting his new age...6.  I actually made it the night before the party.  Wanna know how?  Sorry no photos due to complete chaos while making this but maybe next time since I use this method often to personalize his blank tees.

1. I printed out a number six in a font I liked in Word and then cut it out
2. I cut out a square of fabric for the 6, and a square of double sided fusible interfacing (you can get it at JoAnn's)
3. You want to iron the back of the fabric square to textured side of the interfacing square BEFORE you cut out the 6 or decal (this makes it much easier to cut and keeps your fabric from fraying)
4. pin the 6 to the outside of the fabric so it's not backwards and cut out
5. peel off the back of the interfacing and iron it on to your shirt
6. I sewed a sloppy line around the 6 to reinforce it but it really didn't need it
7. you're done

new hair + other things

Well, since my title says it all, I guess that's all for now.

I kid, I kid...but I do like my new do.  Isn't it funny how just geting some highlights or a new haircut can make you feel so great.

I haven't posted in a while because all this snow

has finally melted and the grass is green.   Here is a picture from last year when we bought the house. 

I need to take a new picture soon because in no time our home will once again be covered in snow.  So now that the snow is gone (woo-hoo) we are spending countless hours outdoors getting our garden ready, doing yardwork, and playing.

Aside from playing outside I have started teaching sewing lessons to my 5 year old son who just HAD to sew up a pillow for his zhu zhu pet to sleep on.

Ok, I know I'm his mom and should praise all his many talents daily but I am gonna be completely honest when I say that he picked up sewing faster than some adults I have taught.  More importantly he enjoyed it and was so proud of himself.

Oh, and my sweet baby girl turned 6 months old since my last post.

Isn't she cute?  She's such a handful.  A very happy baby with a very short temper.  Isn't it amazing how God gives us so much patience, love, and endurance to make it through motherhood.  We're still not sleeping through the night but I am hopeful that she will sometime before college.

So that's what I've been up to.  I'm hoping to have some projects to share with you soon but I can't make any promises.

Did you know...

that you can basically spray paint anything?  Seriously.  Of course, I haven't tried to spray paint every single item in or around my home but you get my point.  Surprisingly, I never thought to spray paint fabric.  I have painted fabric with a sponge and paint but I have never spray painted it.  So when I came across this tutorial on how to make yourself an easy pillow using spray paint, I knew I had to try it.

I just used some leftover fabric from some curtain panels I made and some spray paint I happened to have on hand to try it out.  Now that I know it works and looks good, I will be making a pillow that actually matches my living room.  Check out the rest of v & co.'s tutorials.  She is one crafty lady.

quality fabric

I LOVE rag quilts.  They have a loved and worn look to them that makes me want to cuddle up in one.  When we lived in Arizona a cozy blanket was really only needed for 2 months a year so it wasn't until we moved up to North Dakota did I really value my beloved rag quilts.  And it wasn't until we moved up here that I started making more of them.

One thing I have realized when making them is that if you use poor quality fabric it will make a HUGE mess in your washer and dryer.  I've had to clean the lint trap out several times in one cycle.  Not only that but the fabric (especially the flannel) will fade and pill so fast.  It's really a shame after all the work you put into them.

This last quilt was made with good quality fabrics and it really shows.  I didn't even have to clean my lint trap out and the colors are still so vibrant and the flannel looks new after two washes.  I didn't have all the fabric choices I wanted to use and didn't want to buy it online and wait for it to ship so I was resourceful.  I cut up an old sheet we can't use anymore and used that. 

I also used some minky fabirc because minky fabric is so soft and deserves to be used in almost every blanket. 

I used Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market line for this quilt (including the flannel) and I just never get sick of this collection.  I love it and now that I have a little girl I am constantly using the scraps pieces of what I have left from her line.  It's just too precious.  Here are a few other things I have made from her fabric.

 I'm linking to:

  

burgundy

We are so close to being done painting my craft room (just need another gallon of paint for one more coat) and it's so much brighter. Hopefully sometime in the next 5 years when it's all done and put together I'll share a picture of it with you. I'm not a blue person so that shade of blue was new thing for me and I am glad I chose it now.

Speaking of color...I have been obsessed with burgundy. I am usually a green and brown kinda gal. You know what looks great with green and brown? Yup, burgundy. I made this scrunchy scarf out of jersey knit cotton in and the color goes with everything I wear. I just love it and it's lightweight enough to wear year round. Here's the tutorial if you want to make one yourself or if you want to see how cool it looks on (cause I am not modeling it for you).

A few days ago while shopping I came across this beautiful cotton yarn in burgundy and so I bought it. I have been wanting to make a neck warmer/ cowl for a while and it looks pretty easy to do so I gave it a try.

Here's a picture of the style I was going for. This one is for sale on Etsy. This is not me or my neck warmer. She has a lovely neck and warmer so I thought I would share hers with you.

And here is my finished neck warmer modeled by my lovely lamp.

You can wear it open or shut. I love the way it turned out and actually plan on making a navy one next using some vintage sailor buttons I came across. Maybe navy will be next next favorite color

my favorite things

I am blessed with a husband who loves me dearly. So much in fact that he watched the baby while my son and I went into town to grocery shop (and buy some fabric). We live in a small town with no major chain stores, fast food, or big restaurants. It's all mom and pop shops around here. Our closest city with a mall, Target, Starbucks, JoAnn's (because these stores are all I need to get by in life) is about 75 miles away.

So my boy and I headed to get some groceries, get the oil changed on the car, get a car wash (where I managed to freeze the trunk shut by not wiping it off immediately after the wash), we got our groceries, return some items, and go to Jo Ann's craft store.
And color me surprised... all the clearance fabric was 50% off the sale price. I didn't pay over $5 a yard for a single item and I even picked up some jersey knit and minky fabric. If you sew you know how great this is, right?

Here is some of my new fabric.

And I even found some shabby chic cotton to complete my collection that I am putting together for my daughter's rag quilt. I am planning on having it done in 4 years when she moves into a big girl bed. I like to give myself even time to finish it. lol

Now I didn't NEED all of it since I still have this messy stash of fabric waiting to be cut into.

Oh, and this over here, too. (can't wait until we go to Ikea and get me some shelves so I can get my craft room organized)

But the fabric was on sale and it will eventually all be put to good use.

finally got a little sewing done

It seems like I am always altering clothing and never sewing anything fun so when my husband was off work I took advantage of his help and got sewing.

I saved a pattern a while back for a simple fabric ball and so I pulled that out and made one for the baby with some scrap fabric I had. I added a bell to make it a bit more entertaining.

I also got a new purse done for myself with some Anna Maria Horner fabric I had been holding on to for a while. Sometimes I love the fabric so much I don't want to cut it. Crazy, huh? I used a Simplicity pattern for the bag and altered it a bit to work for me.

And last but certainly not least I made a car seat cover for the baby. We have a few different covers and they all rest on her face when closed which I am not crazy about so I drafted up this one. I made an opening for the handle and used a minky fabric to line it so that it would be warm.

That's probably all the sewing I will be doing until after Christmas but at least I got my fix.