Father's Day Crafting

With how long it takes me to get things done sometimes, I have to start thinking early. Martha is always a reliable source for fun ideas, and this Father's Day she and her team have done it again. Here are a few ideas I think would be fun.

Jacket Pocket card

 

Bow Tie Wrap

And from Schlosser Designs, necktie and bow tie cards:

Free Printables from 9 to 5 Mom:

Cupcake toppers and necktie banner.

Sew a tie with Purl Bee:

 

 Happy Father's Day crafting!

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The Double Needle

Have you ever sewn with a double needle? I haven't. But here's good news for people like us.

Over at Make It and Love It you can read about some basic stitches and how to use a double needle. I figured it couldn't be too hard, but I also didn't want to risk messing up my machine. Turns out it's a simple as can be. I can't wait to try a double needle now. I'll be looking for an excuse to use one!

Here's the link to her post.

Since I have no real official education when it comes to sewing, there is a lot I don't know. I never took a Home Economics class in school or anything. What I do know I learned from my mother, who was kind of tired of sewing by the time I was ready to learn. Not to mention she was juggling 6 kids. So when I find a nice little post like this, I find it helpful. Thanks for sharing, Ashley! Pin It

Not Too Shabby Knock-off

I recently saw this dress at Shabby Apple, and loved it. The price, however, I did not love. Especially for the quality. I think if you are going to pay that much for a little kid dress, the quality had better be pretty good.

 

And then today I saw this great tutorial and pattern by Kelly on how to make your very own. And it looks pretty simple!

 

Thanks for sharing, Kelly!

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Ruffle Baby Shoes (Tutorial)

Remember this striped ruffle skirt I made a while back?

Well take a look at these shoes! They are a perfect match--exact same material (and style!) And much better photos. And you can make your own darling baby ruffle shoes in any color, because there is a free tutorial! Head on over to Fleeting Thing for the instructions.

via UCreate Pin It

Little Necktie

So I've now made my first of probably many neckties for my future baby boy, using this pattern from The Little Gentleman's Closet. It was super easy and fast, and I can't wait to make more.

I plan to use this Joel Dewberry fabric for the next one, but first I have to use the bulk of it to make baby's crib skirt.

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Plum Rose Headband

Made another satin rosette headband, this time for a friend. I put just a teeny bit of adjustable elastic on it, since her baby is a newborn and her head is still growing rapidly.

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The Little Gentleman's Closet

Is there anything more adorable than a little man in a necktie? I hardly think so.

If you have a little gentleman of your own, check out Etsy shop the little gentleman's closet. These ties is that they have an adjustable neck strap so they will fit your little guy for a loooong time! You can buy one that is already made, or you can buy the pattern and customize it with your own choice of fabric. She even sends you the clip and adjuster strap when you buy/download the pattern! You can order extra clips and parts, which I will probably do because I plan on making like 10 of these. Bow tie's are also available!

This is the first pattern I've gotten from an Etsy shop, but I have to tell you, I'm super duper impressed. It's so much better than a standard store pattern! It has tons of great photos to walk you through every step. So if you are a beginner and still a little nervous about doing your own projects, this is a great pattern for you! 

Plus, no hand sewing required! Hooray! I don't like hand stitching things, it seems like it takes so long. Plus I'm always nervous about it coming un-done. Never has yet, but I'm still always nervous. Most of the necktie patterns out there require some hand stitching, but not this one!

You only need either 1/4 yard of fabric or a fat quarter (which I seem to have an endless supply of), so you can make tons of these. I can't wait to get started. My baby boy is going to be well stocked when he arrives. Oh yeah, and the pattern is for size 6 months up to 9 years old, so I can prepare now for the next few years. Or if you have like 4 boys of different ages, this will work for them all.

You can check out the facebook page or the little gentleman's closet Etsy shop!

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Taking in Jeans

This is one of those much needed tutorials for something that has always intimidated me. I'm pretty scared of pants. My elephant-legged maternity pants need a different kind of makeover--but let's not go there. So for all of you who have to put your jeans in the dryer before each wear, hop on over to Freshly Picked for a fab tutorial! Pin It

Easter Crafting: Marshmallow Bunny Plushies

My hubby is a big fan of Peeps, so I might just have to make one of these for him for Easter. They are so cute I want to make one for everyone I know. (And there's a full tutorial!) Thanks for sharing, Dandelions & Lace!

I found this over at Ucreate. Pin It

Celebrating Handmade

My sister-in-law made this cute onesie for a baby shower and I wanted to share. She decided to skip the sewing machine and stitch it all by hand. She cut out her pieces and roughed up the fabric and then hand stitched it on. Idn't it sweet?

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Fancy Cuffs

Do you watch Modern Family? Cam always has fancy shirts with fancy cuffs. Do you know what I saw on last night's episode? Take a close look at Cam's shirt cuffs.

It's the very same fabric I used to make my high chair cover!

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Baby Hat & Blanket Tutorials

I'm a little scared of sewing knits myself, but these are so cute I might just have to cowboy up and try it. You can find step-by-step  hat tutorial here.

And the step-by-step blanket tutorial here.

She ordered Michael Miller knits (design by Patty Young) from Etsy, which explains the cuteness. I haven't see such cute knits around here locally. Not that I've been looking, but I periodically browse, you know. Pin It

Made It: Tea-Dyed Eyelet Baby Skirt

A few months ago I saw some darling skirts on Zulily's website. {EDIT: Guess who showed up again on Zulily today! This very skirt! The company that makes it is Hazel, and for the next few days you can buy one on sale for $28.99 at Zulily. Or you can make one, for like $7 ish. But you really should check out their other clothes because they are sooooo darling, all of them!}

From the baby blessing dress I just made, I had some leftover eyelet that was the bottom section of the fabric that was unused. But it was white. White white. So I got this little idea in my head to try something I've been hearing about. Tea dyeing. I had a boxful of lemon-ginger tea that I didn't care for, so here was a great opportunity to use it up.
I found some instructions here, and loosely followed them. My tea gave me a satisfactory ivory color.
(Sorry, most of my photos are at night--the only time I can do much is after little {A} goes to bed).


I dyed the eyelet fabric as well as a lining material:

Then into the dryer it went, to help set the color.
Next, I measured the elastic and sewed it together:

Then I measured and cut my fabrics (about double the width of the waist band). Hemmed the bottom of the lining fabric:

And sewed a basting stitch along the top of each of the 2 layers.

Gathered each layer, sewed the side seams.

Finally, pinned the 2 layers upside down and inside out to the elastic band.

And sewed it on, using a zig-zag stitch to allow for stretching of the waistband.

Flip it over, and Ta-da!

I tried to get Ava to model it for me, but had little cooperation. It's still a tad big on her anyway.

Now you try one and send me a photo! Pin It

Blessing Dress, Round 2

Remember this dress? Well this is actually dress #2! A sweet new mom of a darling adopted baby girl contacted me and asked if I would make one for her, and so here it is. I made this one about an inch and a half longer than version 1, because my original was barely long enough. And that's what I've been up to lately.

Even though I've made this dress before, I was still a little intimidated, so it took me a while. Making something for myself, I don't mind raw edges on the inside, and if something is a tad off here or there, but making it for someone else, I wanted it to be perfect. And since I don't really have a pattern, I was so afraid of messing up. But it turned out great. Phew. Pin It

Embellished Socks

How cute are these embellished socks?!

I just saw some grey & salmon striped socks at Forever 21 (sorry, can't find them on the website) that would be fun to do this with.
via Whip Up Pin It

Another Headband

I quickly made this headband one morning to go with a beautiful gold dress that Ava has. In the future I will try to take more photos of my processes and share them with you. I just used a crochet style ribbon, and two pieces of satin ribbon for the flowers.

17 months old, and that's all the hair she's got!

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