Baseball Shirts!

I am *trying* to do more sewing for my kiddos - it's one of my recurring goals each month.  They are amazingly appreciative EVERY time I do.... and I always love seeing things I make actually being used (but don't get to see this often because most of what I sew is sold and ships to my customer and I might get a picture back - which always makes my day - but I don't get to REALLY see it being used).  Making things for my kiddos allows me to see the item in action - being played in / on, snuggled with, thrown through the wash who-knows-how-many-times.  Love it!

When I saw Alyssa's pattern review for the Old Tyme Baseball Shirts I knew it was going on my "someday" list.  You know the list..... "Someday I'll sew that.  I might even buy the pattern today.... but someday I'll actually get around to sewing it."

Well.... then my friend Eileen contacted me about being a guest boutique for a themed auction group - and guess what one of the themes was?!  Yup - "Take me out to the Ballgame" - perfect!

We are coming up on recreational softball league season around here - and our boys LOVE cheering on Daddy's team, the Yard Dogs - so I thought I'd make them shirts in his company colors - black & yellow (yes, like the song).  If you want a giggle.... check out this remix done by someone from my hubby's company (it's clean... and makes me laugh because he definitely drives a "bumblebee" - yellow truck, black hood)

To say they love them would be an understatement, for sure....

I may have had to bribe them with the new super-duper-massive-sized bubble container to get them to take the shirts off....

I loved sewing these up - and this was my first attempt at piping (it went well.... I learned a ton.... and the second shirt went even better)

We have one left-handed lil' guy.  We started noticing this around 7 or 8 months old - as he was starting to feed himself little snacks.  Sure enough.... he's a leftie!  Partway through last softball season we got him his own glove.  I ordered it on Amazon because I wasn't finding anything small enough for him locally.  I wasn't about to pay twice as much for colors that were more traditionally "boy" - so he has a black and pink glove.  And he loves it.  Then again, we have lots of pink around our house! :)

We are pretty sure B-man is right handed..... check out his form!

This picture cracks me up.  They were both being a bit.... uncooperative.... with the photo taking (can you blame them?  The sun was shining so they wanted to be PLAYING!) - so I told them there was a monkey inside my camera.  He's looking for the monkey in the lens!  Tehehehehehe

A few detail shots - love the curves at the front - and the piping!

The hem is also curved - longer in the front and back, shorter on the sides - just like a traditional jersey - so cool!

This design will be one available for custom order - - - or you can bid on your own custom shirt(s) at the When You Wish Designs Auction (it's a group on Facebook.... they just recently started using the group in an attempt to increase visibility and communication) - their Facebook page is also used for previews / advertisement. 

The auction runs Tonight through Thursday! :)

ALYOF - February Finish!

I finished up my February goal - a pillowcase (and small blanket) for Brendan - before we left on vacation.  I was still trying to decide what "theme" to go with for his room... so I went with construction because both boys love all things tools / trucks / construction.

The pillowcase

The blanket

But then we went on vacation..... and the fourth Project Quilting challenge was posted.... and I found a really cute space-themed fabric.... and created a great kiddo-sized blanket.....

....and Brendan went to bed last night snuggled up in that blanket.

So I'm thinking his room theme might change - again.

But hey - I finished my goal item(s) for the month!

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Linking up over at Sew Bittersweet Designs for the ALYOF February Finish Party

"From another universe"

Even before the Project Quilting Challenge #4 - Across the universe - was posted, I knew it was going to be a fun & funky challenge for me.  We have been on vacation since last Saturday, visiting my in-laws.  We don't fly home until tomorrow morning, so I knew if I was going to participate I would have to do 100% of the challenge while on vacation.

My mother in law has a sewing machine - she assured me of that - and even had a rotary cutter and {very, very small} cutting mat (and yes, after this week, she now has a more appropriate sized cutting mat (18" x 24") and a 6" x 24" ruler).

hehehehe.... do you see those pictures in the bottom left corner?  Yup... that's the hubby just *a few* years ago! ;-)

The challenge was posted at 10am CST on Sunday, while we were exploring the Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City - actually right before we walked through an astronomy portion! :)

My original thought was to do something using dark blues / purples / blacks - very celestial - but when we visited the fabric store I just couldn't pull those fabrics.  I tried, I really did.  I think my recent fabric diet (I've now made 73 items - out of the 100 I need before I can buy superfluous fabric) may have something to do with that!?

eeeek - another cute pic of the hubby in the background! :)

We walked through the prints and I saw a fun spaceship and stars fabric that I just couldn't resist.  I pulled some solids, and headed to the cutting table.  Since I was having to buy fabric (I considered this very similar to a  "custom order" - thus not breaking the fabric diet), I wanted to buy as little as possible - both so I didn't have to haul tons of "extra" fabric home with us on the airplane (in addition to a quilt), but also so I felt less guilty about "breaking" the diet.

I got home..... and drew up an idea - incorporating a few blocks / techniques I have seen recently that I wanted to try out.  

Then I got to cutting, and sewing.... and then found I was going to have to change plans (see my post about that here).

Well.... I just went with more of an "improv" style and kept sewing away.  The machine I was sewing on was not what I'm used to (and a little strange to me..... I even had to use a pedal for the first time in a while - wink!) - - - but it came together pretty well!

The finished quilt is 40" x 48" - perfect for one of my boys (or both?!).  It is three layers of cotton - the top is pieced, middle is a layer of quilters cotton, and backing has a little bit of piecing because I ran out of the spaceship fabric.  I went with cotton for the "batting" for a few reasons - I didn't really WANT a thick quilt.... and didn't want to have to squeeze a thick quilt into a suitcase.... and didn't trust the unknown sewing machine (that was doing GREAT) to quilt / handle that thick of a project!

I named it "from another universe" because of the space-theme, and the fact I felt like I was creating far from my comfort zone / universe! :)

This quilt was created while on vacation - in Riverton, Utah

ALYOF - February Goal!

February already?!

Since I made something for Colby last month, I felt it only fair that February goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes would be for Brendan.  So..... what do you make for a 16 month old?!

Just this past week I put a pillow in his crib for the first time.  He was REALLY congested thanks to a nice lil' cold - and since he moves around his crib SO much during the night, I didn't figure elevating one end would really help much {though now that I think about it..... how is the pillow really ANY different?!  I guess that's the quality logical thought process you get on wake-up #5 or so of the night....?!}

So... this month's goal will be to make a few fun pillowcases for Brendan's pillow!  While this may seem like a simple goal..... and it is a relatively simple one, it also will force me to think about what fabrics I want to use - - - seeing as I never made him a nursery set, I may take this as the jumping off point for a bedding re-do..... we'll see.... but if nothing else, it will get SOMETHING sewn for him!

Plus... we will be on vacation for 9 days during the month - so a "smaller" goal will be good!

Oh.... and even though we are only supposed to have ONE goal for the month (for ALYOF - I have LOTS of other goals in general.... like keeping my house cleaned up - not just when I know people are coming to visit - HA!  not happening!) - - - my second goal is to make another lovey / security sized blanket for him - cotton on one side, smooth minky on the other, satin binding - as he now LOVES the one I made back when I had the lofty plans of making him a custom dinosaur nursery.  But we have one blanket.  What happens if that blanket needs to go in the wash?!  So yes.... another similar blanket is a must!

Yup..... this little dude needs some mama-made bedding!!! :)

What are YOUR goals for the month?!  Share them here (I love to read your comments!) - join in ALYOF!

Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours - in our Christmas jammies! :)