The Fruits of My Ambition

Remember the before?

(here)

I fixed it.


I managed to pull that old cover apart, carefully label it, trace it, cut the pieces out of new (much improved) fabric, and put it all back together again!

The putting it back together again was fairly simple, although I hit a bit of a snag when trying to put the bottom back on.

But, after much worrying and fretting, I decided to just deal with it. I sewed it together, ignoring the parts that aren't as pretty as the rest, and continued to be proud of myself.

The most important thing is, the girls love it.

And they love each other.

Um, just on a side note, do you see that white thing in O's hair? It's a strip of Velcro. She calls it her headbandie.

I think it is the start of a new, totally hip fashion craze. Be prepared!


I used a piece of fleece for them to lay on when the couch folds out to a bed.

It's soft and cuddly.


See, she's sleeping.

(Not really)


She doesn't like to sleep, so why would she even pretend to? But she'll lay on the soft fleece!

I know some of you are hoping for a tutorial. I thought about making one as I went along, but then decided against it. I thought maybe I should figure out what I was doing before I showed other people the way. Besides, I couldn't remember to take pictures along the way.

I would like to do another one, to perfect it a bit (ahem...a lot) more. If I do, I'll make a tutorial with that one.

In the meantime, I would just like to throw out the challenge to you. If you have the opportunity to do a project that you're not sure you can handle, then jump in and do it. It's kind of fun! And super rewarding. And, toddlers are very accepting of new toys, even if they aren't sewn perfectly.

I'm linking up with my regulars.

Pillow and Blanket Tutorial

I made this pillow and blanket set using a no-sew fleece blanket kit from Joann's.  (Why would I want to not sew something?  It's a crazy thought!)  This would work with any fleece you may have on hand, though.  The length and width is dependent upon how big you want the pillow and blanket to be.  I didn't do a whole lot of measuring, so I can't tell you how big my final blankets and pillows were.  

Using the blanket kit, the first thing I did was cut 24 inches of length off of the bottom of both fabrics and used that for the pillow.  The larger pieces were used for the blanket.

Pillow:  

The first thing you are going to need is a circle.  The first one I did was a 6 inch circle, but I wanted this one to be a little bigger, so I went with an 8 inch circle.

I took a piece of paper, folded it in quarters and, from the corner of the fold, I measured out 4 inches.

Then I just moved my ruler a little bit, keeping the end at the corner, and continued to mark it in an arc.

 Cut on the lines, unfold, and there you have a circle!

  That was my pattern to cut out 2 circles from the fleece.

 Now, to determine the circumference of the circle...I had to Google it.  The formula is diameter x pi.  So, in my case 8 inches x 3.14 = 25.12.  I rounded up to 25.5 and cut that length from my contrasting fleece.

 Now, fold that in half (Watch out for little baby feet that assume you laid the cutting mat out for her to dance on!) and sew the ends together.  That should leave you with a tube.

Take one of your circles and match it up (right sides in) as best as you can and pin it in.  

Do the same with the opposite end.

Now, sew that circle in.  I found the best way to keep it aligned was just to go slowly and keep the sides always matched up.  

I know.  My technical knowledge and skill is blowing you away.  Have I mentioned I'm pretty much a beginning sewer?  You'd never guess!

Anyway....remember to leave an opening in one end so that you can turn it and stuff it.

 Stuff it good and full.  

Little hands like this work, though they slow it down considerably.  Still, what else could you be doing, right?

Please note how I have the vacuum out where people can see it when they walk in the door.  That way they think they I've been busy cleaning.  It's a good trick.

Once it is stuffed, sew it closed and *bing* you've got an awesome little pillow.

Note:  I seem to have trouble stuffing my pillows evenly.  No worries, though.  As it has been laid on and loved, those lumps have evened out and it looks normal now.

Blanket:

Now, um....I seem to have forgotten that I was doing a tutorial.  But, the blanket was pretty simple.  Take the larger pieces, put them together (right sides out, wrong sides together), and topstitch all the way around.  I left and edge of probably about 3 inches.  

After sewing them together, cut the corners off.  Then, cut a fringe by cutting 2 inch slits, 1 inches apart all the way around.  

I got a pretty good picture of that.

Your blanket, with matching pillow, is complete!

O is in heaven with hers! 

It's good for "sleeping."

Shhhhh, we're resting.

It's good for cuddling... 

...and hugging... 

...and kissing! 

What more could you want from a pillow and blanket?

Linking up:

Night Owl Crafting 

Sweet Peas and Bumblebees

Young and Crafty

The Sassy Crafter quilt

Have you ever been over to The Sassy Crafter?

She is one of my favorite craft blogs.  Recently, she asked for volunteers to test out a new baby quilt pattern she had made and I jumped at the chance!  I was beyond thrilled when I was chosen to test the pattern!  

Wahoo!

The pattern was really quite simple and her instructions were very precise.  

I used a quilt kit I had found on clearance at Joann's and I think the colors were fantastic together.  

I'm so proud!  My first quilt actually looks like a quilt!  

I picked the borders out with the help of a very supportive employee at Joann's who encouraged me to stick with bold.  

I think they are my favorite part!

And, I used a solid hot pink for the backing which also turned out awesome!

I admit I was a little bit terrified about the binding.  But, I swallowed my fear and did it anyway.  The quilt would have looked funny without it, and it really wasn't that bad!

So, thank you so much, Mrs. Sassy Crafter!  I had a blast making this quilt!

If you want to get your own copy of the pattern, you can click on her link and leave her a message.  She's offering it for free!

a pillow with a blanket

A while back (maybe around Christmastime...) I bought some no-sew fleece blanket sets for my girls.  

I was originally going to tie them together just like the instructions said to, but I guess that seemed too easy.  I wanted them to be something unique.  I've been holding on to them until I could think of just the right thing.

Then, a few days ago, as I was laying down to take a nap, inspiration struck!  Doesn't that always happen right before sleep?  Crazy.  

So, I got up and went to work.  

I cut a pretty good-sized chunk off the bottom of each piece of fleece and set that aside.  

Then I sewed the 2 big pieces together and cut a fringe, making a blanket. 

*Bing*

Then I took those two chunks and made them into this lumpy little pillow. 

Isn't it cute?

O likes it. 

It's good for sleeping...

...and waking! 

I have another blanket set that I am going to do the same thing with.  Do you want me to show you how, or is it pretty straightforward?  

Easter dresses!

I have, for years before my daughters were even born, always wanted to sew for my kids. 

Unfortunately, my sewing experience, while not nonexistance, is very little.  I'm working on that. 

Here's proof.

I made this!

I actually made 2 of them!

By myself....Without any help (not counting tutorials).

The straps are crooked.  And the hem isn't straight (I have yet to be able to sew a perfectly straight line.  I don't think it's possible).  But, hey, I'm still proud.  And my girls love them!  That's enough for me.

Here's how I did it:

Using pre-shirred fabric and following a project sheet from the fabric store, I cut the bodice.

Since O's chest measurement was about 20 inches, I subtracted 3 inches (to allow it to fit snugly) and cut it at 17 inches.

Next, I folded it in half (right side in) and sewed a straight seam up the back. 

Flip it right side out and *bing* there you have it!

The next day, I remembered their torso's aren't that long, so I measured how long I wanted the bodice (from armpit to bellybutton) and cut the bodice to size.

The tutorial I followed for the skirt can be found over at Made.  (I l.o.v.e. her blog!  It is fantastic with so many great tutorials!  I really want to try and make this skirt for myself.  Every girl, no matter the age, needs a good twirly skirt.)  This tutorial was really easy to follow.  The only thing I did to modify it was that in place of an elastic band I used the shirred bodice.  It worked just fine.

Here's the circle all cut out.  Isn't it pretty? 

Also, because the bodice was cut from the chest measurement and skirt was cut from the waist measurement, there was more of a difference in size between the two.  To make up for that, I folded the fabric over at a few places along the waist.  It still looks good.

Once I had the skirt and the bodice sewn together, I added straps. 

For these, I cut 3-inch-wide strips of the fabric, 8 inches long (the measurement from the front of the armpit to the back). 

I folded each strip in half lengthwise (right side in) and sewed it up the length.  Then I flipped it right side out and ironed it. 

I don't particularly enjoy ironing, but in this case it was necessary.  If you don't iron, you get a tube.  If you iron, you get a flat strap.  That's what I wanted. 

I sewed the straps onto the bodice.  I measured where I wanted them to go while O was wearing the dress, but it was still crooked.  No matter, it isn't that crooked. 

I didn't take a picture of it, but I hemmed the skirt all the way around with a zigzag stitch.

Finally, I put the dresses on the girls and took pictures!  We would have gone outside, but it was pouring rain.  (And, yes, I have a tablecloth on the ground in my living room.  We were having a movie day and eating lunch while we watched.  This is easier than cleaning the carpet.  =))

I asked her to smile.  This is what I got!

Then I asked her to twirl.

There's a smile!

L was in on the fun too.  

A little uninterested at first...

Then she copied...

And joined the twirling!

Whew!  All tuckered out (yes, that tablecloth is clean.  We hadn't eaten yet!)

Happy Easter!