Car Seat Covers

I'm a little disappointed that now that I have these adorable little people in my life, I don't have time to make cute things for them! When they turned 4 months old it was right after I had gone back to work...and I didn't have time to make onesies like these ones. So, we improvised with duct tape. I think they are pretty cute anyway :)

Big sister is such a ham!

Waaaaaaaay back in the fall before it got too cold to go outside I wanted to take the girls out walking...but I wanted to keep them warm at the same time. So, I followed this tutorial to make a set of car seat covers. 

These were easy to make and really cute...plus they keep people from trying to touch my babies with their germy hands when we go out places. Next time someone I know has a baby, I'll definitely make one of these as a gift - maybe with an initial applique? Now I feel like I have a much better idea of what baby things are actually useful!

Wouldn't these make fun Christmas gifts?

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Baby stuff!

I have always liked making things for babies, probably at least in part because of how quickly they work up. Instant gratification! So of course it's even more fun to make things for my own babies.

So first, a hat and mittens:

 The hat is this pattern here, and the pattern for the mittens is here. I especially love baby mittens - no thumbs! They can be made really quickly. I will definitely do that again as a baby gift!

The second hat is a little simpler, but I was afraid after I knit the first one that it might not stay on a baby's head very well - no ribbing at the bottom! Of course, I haven't actually put it on a baby yet, so who knows :)  The pattern for this hat is here.

And, in the process, stash busting! So, a sweater to match.

I keep coming back to this pattern by Jennifer Hoel because it is SO SIMPLE and there is basically no finishing - my favorite kind of sweater!

I think now I need to choose another color for the rest of my baby knits, though. Getting a little sick of that yarn. 28 weeks now - getting closer and closer!

A special wedding gift

Some dear friends of mine got married in June...so I wanted to make them something really special. Here's what I came up with.

I had a special scrimshaw design made for the center, with their names and wedding date. The orchids are the type of flower they had at the ceremony.

I tried to take an up-close shot of the scrimshaw, but in my hurry to get it wrapped up I didn't do a very good job. It's still sort of fuzzy, but you'll get the idea.

I had the scrimshaw made at DELS Nantucket Baskets. They do an absolutely fantastic job - anything you want, they can make for you! (Literally, anything. Check out the samples!)

Happy wedding, Karen and Greg!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

So, I made some Christmas placemats. Mostly, I wanted to practice my quilting, so I made each one like its own tiny quilt, binding and all.

I tried out a different pattern on each one.

It was a fun project. I made some matching trivet/potholder things out of scraps too.

In the pictures, they don't look quite square...but they are, I promise :) Although I think my camera has something on the lens...

In any case, happy Christmastime!

I-Spy Baby Goodness

Two lovely ladies in my department are having babies this fall, and so I wanted to stretch my quilting skills and try a few baby quilts. I have liked the idea for awhile of doing an "I-spy" quilt, but finding all those fabrics and cutting them into tiny squares would be waaaaaay too taxing for me...so I bought some from Sew Together on etsy. They're adorable! I got a set of doubles, so I could make each quilt like a matching game (I'm a teacher, so of course everything has to be educational...)

My first quilt ever was a disappearing nine patch, and I used the same pattern here, based on a tutorial by Obsessively Stitching. (The same blog guided me through my first quilt ever!) Aren't they cute?

Since I've been reading about it so much lately in the bloggy world, I decided to sign them. It was quite tricky, but I figured out a method that worked for me.

It has become somewhat of a tradition in my department that I always knit little animals for my co-workers when they have babies, and I didn't want to disappoint on that front...but I went in a slightly different direction. For the past few months I have been obsessed with this book:

So I made some monster friends:

My mom gave this one as a gift to a friend's son who is welcoming a baby sister. This is my favorite.

After all, what could be snugglier than a giant monster? She's big enough to double as a pillow.

Knitting has been my go-to craft this month because hubby and I have been moving - we are staying with my parents for awhile while we finalize the sale on our (hooray!) new house. I just broke out the sewing machine today, so hopefully I'll have some new projects to share soon!

Housewarming

My brother is in the process of buying his first home, so I made him a few little goodies to make it more friendly. Since I'm pretty sure he has no interest in my sewing blog, I'll post them here :)

coasters and a potholder - scrappy goodness!

 I'm pretty sure he owns neither coasters nor potholders, so hopefully these will fill a need.


While I was making coasters, I put together these brown ones as well - I really like this fabric :)

Possibly the coolest thing I have ever made...

Simple things amuse simple minds...and I think this toy is amazing :)

I bought this kit at a local shop called Knits and Bolts while I was up in Vermont. They had a sample of this toy by the register and I was mesmerized by it. It was actually easier to put together than I had thought, although the whole thing is finished with invisible thread from the outside. I have discovered that I do not like invisible thread.

I'm not sure the pictures can do it justice, but here goes:

The whole thing can be opened and closed different ways so that you get different fabrics on the outside. I just think it would be lots of fun for a kid to play with! Especially if you picked different i-spy type fabrics :)

Home Sweet Home!

And back in front off my sewing machine!
I have a few projects in the works, but Rufio likes this one the best.

More to come!

Handmade Gifts

For your consideration: (full article here)

"A wedding, the birth of a child, a new home, an important birthday... All of these are events that mark our lives forever and should be celebrated with a gift you can cherish for a lifetime. Although mixers and vacuums are invaluable tools in our society (as I learned while trying to clean the house with a broken vacuum and in-laws on the way) they just don't do justice to the important milestones of a life. Items that are handmade don't usually end up in the trash bin in five years once they break or become outdated. Handmade goods, like a beautiful clock I once received, become heirlooms that hold memories of special times and people.
Handmade goods also have a personality that a toaster can't really match, even if it is hotrod red. When an item is handmade, a little part of the creator of that piece goes into it. Artists put their ideas, personality, style, and often blood, sweat, and tears into their work. When you find a handmade gift that is just right, you find a gift that speaks volumes about who you are, who the recipient is, and the connection between you."

I have always loved giving and receiving handmade gifts, but recently I was given a gift that really hit home for me and reminded me why handmade things are important. A handmade gift is personal - as a crafter who cares more about process than product, I appreciate more than anything the time and effort that goes into a handmade gift. It isn't so much the thing itself as what it represents.

A handmade gift requires that you put a little bit of yourself into it. A student recently made me this beautiful bookmark as a thank you - and the fact that she would take the time to put her skills to use to make something for me means a lot.

Have you ever received a particularly wonderful handmade gift? What made it special?

Look what I made!

Yesterday, I tried to put a zipper into a dress I've been working on.

I put it in. Realized it hadn't gone in right. Took it out. Ripped about a billion stitches.

And then needed a reassuringly simple project, to make me feel better about the hours I had spent accomplishing nothing.

So I made one of these!

~grocery bag!~

 But the best part is, it folds up into this!

~all folded up!~

Tutorial here. This was cute, fun, and easy. I'm thinking they would make great little gifts - you could keep one in your purse for an unexpected shopping trip!

Now, I'm going to try and put that zipper in. Wish me luck!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

My mom, all fancied up for my wedding!

 In honor of Mother's Day, of course I had to do some crafting. I made a few of these... (tutorial here) So cute, and so easy!

Tiny covered notebooks

 One of these... (tutorial  here) because my mom has a pocketbook full of cards...

Loyalty card holder

 And some of these! (tutorial here) My mom has a blackberry, but she is notoriously bad about leaving it places. I thought maybe if she could attach it to her keys, she might be able to keep track of it :)

Cute little pouch

 Finally, for my mom and grandmas, some sugar scrub. I have to admit, I was skeptical about this concept at first, but this stuff is AWESOME. Even my hubby loves it, because he comes home with gross rough hands and likes to smooth it all away! Tutorial here.

Sugar Scrub

To all the moms out there - Happy Mother's Day! Hope you have been having a relaxing day!