Stockings

I absolutely love the challenge of a new project. Two sweet friends had me make their families' stockings for this past Christmas. Both projects were very different from one another, and it was a really fun to dream and create.

Church bags

My 3-year-old is at the age now when she has things for Sunday school that need to be carried back and forth each week between church and home. She has a backpack that we use often, but we always switch it out with her Leapster and accessories, her Tag reader and books, and her Sunday school things. When we showed up to church with her Tag reader and books sans Bible and Sunday school supplies one Sunday, I knew it was time to get a bag that's solely for Sunday school. Of course her brother had to have one too. I picked up some plain canvas craft bags at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 (and half off!). Then I grabbed a handful of fabric scraps, backed them with Heat-n-Bond, cut out some letters and shapes (I used this tutorial for the flowers on Hannah's bag), and decorated a bag for each of them. Hannah's carries her Bible, her memory verses, and a snack or two. And Parker's holds a couple of diapers, wipes, snacks, and a toy. I already love that they are always packed and ready to grab. And the fact that the whole project was less than $8 for BOTH bags is a win for sure!

Infant Carrier Tent

I'm so sorry for my blog hiatus. Life just sneaks up on me sometimes, and I can't find a spare moment. I'm hoping to be a bit more disciplined now that Fall is almost here and things have started back into a much more normal routine.

For now, I wanted to share my latest project. We had some friends in town last weekend, and they brought their precious twins over one night for dinner. A friend had made them infant carrier tents that I thought were so clever! I had never seen one before, and I instantly knew I had to make one for one of my good friends who actually delivered baby #2 this morning. The twins' mommy went over the features she loved and the features she thought could be improved upon. And I set to work...

I love the finished product (so much so that my baby fever hit an all-time high after completing this! I better get out to meet that new baby asap to cure the fever!).

I copied the binding on the twins' tents, and I think it is precious. Basically I just sewed the top and bottom pieces together wrong-sides facing. Then I cut the edge into fringe. It should fray a bit when washed. So cute and unique.

I also gave the straps a little ruffle decor which I think adds so much to what could be a very plain piece.

Since my friend plans to nurse, I made this strap that matched which can be thrown in the diaper bag to turn any blanket into a nursing cover.

I love whipping up quick, easy, and precious baby goodies!

est1930

My sister and I have always talked about opening an etsy shop together. A few months back it became a reality with est1930. Our Grandma Trudy was our crafting legacy. She taught us to knit, sew, cross-stitch, cook, bake, etc. When we were at her house, we were always creating. Born in 1930, she is the inspiration for our store's name. We just wish she were still with us to receive the honor.We are slowly but surely (I have 2 kids 2 and under, and my sister teaches language arts at a performing arts middle school) stocking the store with goodies. Please visit, look around, and let us know if you have any special requests!

Handmade Christmas 2010

Continuing the annual tradition, I made most of our Christmas gifts again this year and wanted to showcase them here.
First up, my baby boy. I decided to make a quilt for each of our kids for their first Christmas. I tried quilting my son's but it didn't turn out the way I would have liked, so I'm ripping out the quilting and starting over. Here is the top, though.
Our 2 1/2-year-old daughter is very into mommy-ing. We saw the doll bed that I posted about here, and had to make it for her. My husband and I made the bed, and I made a bedding to complete it for her.
For my nieces, one in college and one in high school, I made ruched scarves.

For my sister-in-law and her family, a "Table Talk" jar filled with dinner time conversation starters. For my 4 1/2-year-old nephew, a drawstring bag with a tic-tac-toe quilt and bean bags to use in place of the x's and o's.For my almost 2-year-old nephew, a bucket filled with magnetic fish and a fishing pole.For my oldest nephew (9-years-old), I made a magnetic bag and pencil/pen holder with a composition notebook and a fun daily writing prompt book inside.

For my 7-year-old nephew, we made a spy kit with all of the necessities for spying.There is a caution tape and twine dispenser:

A notebook for collecting clues and a secret envelope with papers to create secret spy codes:
A couple of bags with fingerprinting tools and evidence collecting necessities (tweezers, tape measure, etc.):

As always, it was a ton of fun to put everything together and to gather ideas for all of the kids. Each year I start earlier and earlier, and I'm already putting together some ideas for next Christmas. =)

Patchwork Colored Pencil Roll

I love this project! Crayon/colored pencil/marker rolls are all over etsy right now, and I thought I'd try my hand at a pieced version for my nephew's birthday. I love the way it turned out, and it was super easy if you're looking for a quick project.

Personalized Tag Blanket

I LOVE this idea! I can't wait to make one for one of the many, many babies in my life.

One of my favorite projects ever!

One of my very best friends is preparing for the arrival of her second sweet son. I saw a similar quilt somewhere (can't find it now to give credit where credit is due!), and I knew it would be perfect for her. I immediately got to work, finished this quilt weeks ago, and couldn't wait to give it to her this morning at her shower. I love, love, love how this turned out! It was so much fun to make too!

Recent Projects

I have been sewing and crafting up a storm lately with little time to blog about it. Here are the contents of one of my latest boxes I shipped the other day. A great college friend of ours has a very sick baby girl. She's been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately they were out of town when she got sick, so their two boys are at their grandparents' house. They haven't been home in weeks. This is probably my favorite tag blanket ever. It's a prayer quilt/taggie to comfort their sweet baby girl. I also made a set of alphabet bean bags (each bean bag has a button that the letters can be attached to) with a drawstring peek-a-boo bag to hold them. I loved both of these projects and had such a great time making them. I hope the recipients are blessed by them!

Holiday Craft-along

Can you believe it's time to get started on Christmas crafting? Hobby Lobby certainly can as their aisles are already loaded with green and red, sprigs of evergreen laced with shiny ribbons, and thousands of glittery ornaments.

I just ran across this Handmade Holiday Craftalong link that already has some amazing ideas. I plan to follow along and sew up a storm in the next few months, and I thought it may be helpful for some of you! Here's the link.

Alphabet Pillow

(Photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com)

I just ran across this idea on Craft Gossip and think it is so cute! It's an easy sewing project that packs a learning punch. I can't wait to make this in colors that compliment my daughter's room. As a lover of letters, she would love this!

What I'm up to

Loving this quilt for one of my favorite boys!

Mother's Day

I found a great post linking to TONS of Mother's Day crafting ideas. It's not too late to get started making something for mom. I'm dogearing this for future birthdays as well. Enjoy!

I see this in my baby boy's future...

(Photo courtest of The Creative Maven)

What a cute project! You can find the tutorial for this toolbelt using a placemat here.

Crinkle Bots

(Photo courtesy of PrudentBaby.com)

I think I need to make one of these this afternoon. LOVE them for a little boy. You can find the tutorial here.

T-shirt Quilt

My niece graduates from high school this May. She spent all of her 12 years of school in the same small private school, and she's saved an assortment of t-shirts from all of her years and activities. One of the graduation events is a banquet where each graduate displays memorabilia on a table for family and friends to see. My sister asked if I'd make a quilt of her t-shirts for the table, and I was thrilled to do so. I finished this afternoon during a rare moment while my family was running around without me. I'm in love with the result, and I can't wait to get started on the next t-shirt quilt in the wings - a quilt for my cousin made of his shirts from races he has participated in.

Reusable Swiffer Duster

(Photo courtesy of SewMuchAdo)

Like the creator of this tutorial, I love cleaning products. I used to buy the Swiffer disposeable duster pads at Sams, and I used them like they were going out of style. They work so well and are incredibly convenient. A few years ago I caved and bought a microfiber washable duster instead. It was a bit pricey (in my humble opinion), but it was economical as it can be reused. Lately that duster has lost its luster, and I'm in the market for some new ones. I wanted to buy a handful this time since it always seems to be dirty when I need it. But when I ran into this tutorial I realized what my day held in store for me. I LOVE this idea, and I already have a stash of flannel. So the total cost of the project for me is $0. I'll let you know how it works.

Stroller Accessories

The double stroller we just got for our expanding family is awesome. We love everything about it except for the price of accessories - through the roof! It doesn't have a 'parent tray' or a place to hang the diaper bag, so I set about solving that problem. I made an all-in-one diaper changing station that folds up easily to hang. I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and I'll definitely be making more of these. I'll promise to, at some point, make a pattern available here (for free, of course!).

Here it is folded. There's a pocket on the front for diapers.

And here it is open. The two white rectangles are pockets that velcro closed for wipes, diaper rash cream, hand sanitizer, etc.

Those pockets fold out to the side leaving plenty of room (25" x 16") to use as a changing pad. It's quilted with batting in the middle, so it's comfy too!And here it is hanging on the stroller.Here's the stroller satchel I made. It's got two large pockets (for wallet, keys, etc.) and one small outer pocket for my cell phone. Simple, yet practical.

How to Hem Jeans like a Professional

I am 5'2" necessitating LOTS of hemming and shortening of pants, skirts, and dresses. I just can't find anything the right length. If you've ever priced the cost of professional seamstresses (and add in the time it takes to get your clothing back), it costs a fortune to have everything you buy hemmed. I learned years ago how to hem pants and skirts, but jeans always gave me grief. A couple of years ago my older sister showed me a pair of her jeans that she had hemmed professionally, and it was easy to see how it was done. The difference is that jeans typically have a worn edge. The hem is decorative, so cutting that edge off to shorten them takes away part of the character you're paying for. So I developed a tutorial for hemming jeans the way professional would. Hope you find this helpful!

What you'll need:
sewing machine
dark thread to match the jeans
iron
straight pins
measuring tape
scissors

The Process:
You'll need to measure the desired length of the jeans. The easiest way I've found to do this is to have the person stand on a chair and scoot back so the heel of their shoes is even with the edge of the chair. It might be helpful to note that you definitely need to have them wear the shoes they'd typically wear with the jeans. I prefer to hem the jeans to the ground. So, using a safety pin or water-soluble marking pen, mark the desired length (in my case, where the shoe ends and the chair begins).

Next, measure the amount you'll need to shorten them from the edge of the current hem to the mark you've made. In the jeans in this tutorial, they needed to be shortened 2 1/2 inches.

Lay the jeans flat on a hard surface, and measure up the desired length (2 1/2 inches here) from the stitching on the current hem. Since the current hem will remain in place, that half inch or so will also remain. So, if you measure from the edge of your jeans, they'll still be a half an inch too long after hemming. Make sense? Now place a straight pin to mark.

Next you'll fold the edge of your jeans up into a cuff matching the current stitching to just above the pin like this. Pin in place.
To check your accuracy, divide your total amount needed to shorten (2 1/2 inches for me) by 2 (equalling 1 1/4 inches in my case). Measure from the fold to just under the current stitching making sure this amount is half of the amount you need to take it in.

Next, keeping this length consistent, pin all the way around the cuff. Measure as you go to make sure you're still consistent. Repeat these steps on the second leg.
When both legs are securely pinned, move the pants to your sewing machine. Carefully stitch in the ditch just along the fold of the current hem. Make sure to get as close to this fold as possible being careful not to sew on top of it or across the current stitching.
Stitch all the way around backstitching where you stop and start. Repeat this step for the other leg.

Remove your jeans from the machine, and turn the cuff up to the inside of the leg like this.
With a steaming hot iron, press this new seam from the inside all the way around each leg.

Now turn the pants inside-out revealing the new cuff on the inside of the leg. Using super sharp scissors, cut the cuff about a quarter inch from your stitching.
Turn the jeans right-side-out, and iron again if necessary to reveal your finished hem.

Easy, and your seam is almost invisible!

As always, please feel free to comment with questions, and I'll do my best to answer.