sewn

I finished sewing the handiest little pincushion. The pattern comes from Anna Maria Horner's Seams to Me book. If you decide to tackle this project make sure you read the corrections for the project on her website.  I had to make some adjustments, meaning I had to exercise the math part of my brain (scary) figuring out circumference and I even used Pi. What's really weird is that I enjoyed it, most likely because there were some really cute results at the end of all that math.  

And another project completed. The only math needed for the sewing machine cover was measuring-easier math and more cute results!  This was a Home Ec. class project. There's my handy little pincushion in the background.  Both of these projects were well worth the effort, the process was just as enjoyable as the finished results.  You can sign up for the Sewing class here.  And find Seams to Me here.

A quick note:  I am an Amazon Associate.  The links to books in my posts will take you to Amazon and where you can purchase them. We receive a small percent for each purchase made from my links and that small percent is a huge help to our family while Jeremy is in school! Thanks for your support!

A Pretty Table Runner

 

 I am a little bit fascinated with table runners, especially the ones made from antique french grain sacks.   Oh my, they are just so beautiful.  As much as I am fascinated by table runners, I don't have a single one to adorn our dining table. I've been waiting for the right fabric to come along.  On my last thrifting trip I found a pretty vintage curtain panel that was perfect for an Easter table runner.  Then, I found the gorgeous green vintage trim and the springy zigzag ribbon at this local fabric store. 

To make the runner from the square curtain panel. I cut the panel in half, sewed the two short ends together. Then, I hemmed the newly created long edge. Lastly, I sewed the two trims onto each end of the runner, folding the ends of the trims over onto the backside of the fabric for a clean finish.

Quick projects can be so satisfying!

Stella's Unicorn Party

Way back in September, Stella turned 5, we waited to celebrate with a friend party until after we moved into our current apartment.  The new place was mostly settled and the birthday girl was happy to invite her friends into her new home.

The party was right after school on the day that I nannied away from home, so everything had to be set up the night before and the morning of the party. It was a little bit crazy that day, but I like to think it added to the excitement.

Stella is a girl who knows what she wants and she had some very specific requests and plans for the party.

-go on a hunt for something, unicorn-ish, like our last party

-snap a group photo of her and her friends: both smiling and silly photos

-play a game

-serve cupcakes in a jar with pink frosting

-include colored pictures (made by her) for all of her guests in the favors

-display her hand drawn unicorns as decorations on the day of the party

For the hunt, I made little Unicorn hair clips for all the girls, inspired by these.

The girls played "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn" (or "Pin the Corn on the Uni" as Jeremy liked to call it. "Shouldn't it be called a Unihorn?  I mean, that thing on its head isn't a corn, right? Pretty sure it's a horn" he says.).  I painted the unicorn and then cut horns out of felt.

It was simple. I wish I had snapped a photo of the table, but I'll blame that on the party being right after school and my being away from home before hand. That photo wasn't one of the birthday girl's requests anyways. ;)

We keep our parties pretty simple and try to pull off something memorable and special for the kids while keeping things under a very small budget, Jeremy is in school after all, so our whole life is under a very small budget.  Sometimes having such a small budget can be frustrating, but other times it stretches my creativity and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

One more thing:  the banner in the first photo above has become a part of all the parties we throw. That project and the finished bag I shared in my post yesterday are projects from this sewing e-course. The bag and the banner along with this are some of my favorite things I've sewed and I can't wait to start my next project, a sewing machine cover, maybe I can start that one this afternoon.

If you need me, I'll be in the studio,
Diane 

Saturday + Sunday

1. icy wintery weather 2. birthday celebrating 3. in the kitchen

4. he got up there all by himself 5. quilts for keeping cozy 6. studio time

7. starting projects 8. finishing projects

Our kids are spending the week at their grandparents house in Oklahoma.  It has been so fun enjoying a week with just the two of us, but we sure do miss those kids.  It always takes me awhile to feel at home when the kids are gone, everything feels weird and sometimes there is just not a lot of motivation to cook or clean.  This week I made a list of all the projects I hope to complete while they are gone. The list has helped redirect me when I'm wandering around the apartment feeling out of sorts.

One of my projects for the week is to finish decorating and organizing the office/guest room. I just have two more items to hang on the wall and Jeremy promised to tidy up his desk for me so I can take pictures and share.  The photo above is a little sneak peak of the space.  Hope you have a lovely Thursday!

weekend projects

Last weekend was cold and rainy. So we spent a good bit of our time hanging out together and making stuff.



Jeremy worked on a lamp for our living room. Now I just have to find a shade for it.



The girls and I made some dolls. They received this adorable kit, that I mentioned here, for Easter from their Grandparents. They were so excited to get some mail all the way from The Netherlands!



I ironed, cut and sewed the fabric.

They turned the arms, legs, and bodies.



and stuffed.



and stuffed.



They are so proud of their new dolls that they made.  The kit also comes with patterns for making a dress, a coat and underpants.  It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I guess we'll be doing some more sewing this weekend.  We'll share pictures soon!

my first zipper

During our hunkering down for the winter storm this week, I walked myself over to my friend's apartment one night (being outside on a snowy night is the best btw) for some girl time and some sewing time (Jeremy, being the gentleman that he is, walked my sewing machine over).  I am proud to say that while I was there, I installed my first zipper and made this fully lined zipper pouch! Halfway through, I realized I was using white thread on the navy fabric and I failed to bring my navy thread with me, so I just went with it and used the white that was already loaded in the machine and that is totally okay-we were hunkered down remember?

I plan on making some more of these, it was such a simple project from the Home Ec class. My mom also shared a helpful tip for my next zipper installation and I am happy to share it with you. You can hand sew a long basting stitch attaching the zipper to the fabric, then go back and attach the zipper with the sewing machine. When you are finished, remove the hand sewn basting stitches.  This will eliminate bulky pins while you are trying to attach your zipper with the machine. Does that make sense?

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

awesome giveaway over at Smile and Wave

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Rachel Denbow, the creative woman behind the awesome blog, Smile and Wave, is generously giving away her Modern Patchwork E-Course to three people!  I hope to take this course myself someday and am crossing my fingers that she will draw my name.

Head on over there  to see how you can enter to win too!

Today I Love...

Volumes

by Anna Maria Horner

I have loved this fabric from the moment I first laid eyes on it.

I love the colors, I love the pattern, I love that it is 54" wide.
 There are so many beautiful ways to sew with Volumes.

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 I love it as a clutch

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 I love it as a dress

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 I love it as pants

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 I love it as a bag

and I love it as Lincoln's bumper.

What is your favorite line of fabric?

on sewing

My mom taught me to sew. My very first sewing project was a purse, my second project was a drawstring skirt. My very first sewing machine belonged to my Grandma, though she barely got to use it before she passed away. My parents saved it for me and I brought with me when my husband, Jeremy and I moved into our first apartment. At first, I focused on decorative sewing projects like pillows and curtains, and eventually evolved into making things like burp cloths for baby gifts. Over the last year, though, my machine began to wear out. So in November, we traded in my first machine for a new one, and it has been a dream to sew on. I just wish I had more time to sit down and use it.

Everytime I sit down to sew I can't help but think of my mom, my grandma and my mother-in-law. These women all have a part in what I create while I sit at my machine. I think that is one of the things I have loved about this hobby; I have learned how to sew from these women in my life.

This week I spent a little bit of time at my machine making a few fun projects. One is this new nursing cover. I used this great tutorial I found at Prudent Baby. It was a fun, quick project...I LOVE those kinds of projects.

If you have found any other tutorials online share them in the comments. I am always looking for more opportunities to practice.

I hope to find some time this weekend to sit back and be inspired and if I can squeeze it in, make something. I am also planning a fun DIY to do with your kids-which I will share next week. In the mean time, head over to your local bookstore and browse through one or two or all of these books.

One-Yard Wonders

Green Crafts for Children

Kid Made Modern

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

Have you made any fun crafts with your kids lately?

catching up...

This girl loves to color, just like her big sister. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, paper, chairs, walls, pantry, face. . .you name it.


A big d. reeves design house order shipped out last week. That and two little ones staying up WAY past their bedtime as well (11 pm and midnight almost every night!) made for many opportunities for sanctification and patience testing during the day.

11:00 pm

I did manage to finish up Emma's ornament box. As I was wrapping up her ornaments to store inside, I thought I would share these.


Made by my sweet sister in law, Kelly. She made these for the tree in Emma's room and they coordinate beautifully with the bedding. The bedding in the girls room was sewn by both my mom and mother in law. Jeremy and I picked out the fabrics, from Moda's Paris Flea Market line a few years ago. These ornaments are just perfect for the room and such a treasure to us.


I also created a little thank you gift with the d. reeves 3x5 clear album. You can see more photos of the inside here.

And now for some sweet photos of Stella with her very first pigtails.

And finally a bit of a follow up on this post. A splash of turquoise, the pressed tin used to be brown and rusty. Jeremy used a paint brush to apply the paint since we could not find the right shade in spray paint. Love it!

I am so happy this girl moved to town, just a few blocks away from me too! We got to hang out and talk scrapbooking which I love to do. Speaking of scrapbooking, I created my first layout in months, so I thought I would share.

I hope to catch up on reading my regular blogs today. It has been awhile.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!