It’s been a while..... a LONG while!

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Wow - it has been a LONG time!

I promise they're ALL excited about their sister's arrival! :)

Since I last blogged, our family has grown - twice. We have moved - twice.  We have done big ol’ home remodel projects. Life has gotten more hectic but also awesome. I have gone through waves of creativity followed by severe creative droughts. At this point I’m pretty sure “balance” is a make-believe word..... but I do strive to include all areas of my life - creative, Mom, wife, friend, fitness enthusiast, ice cream lover - daily.

Our little Adalynn wearing a dress named after her - The Adalynn from Mamma Can Do It Patterns

I have missed blogging, and have been doing lots more sewing recently, so I’m going to try to get back to sharing about life / my creative endeavors as much as is possible with 4 kids ages 4mos - 7 years!

I hope you are doing well, too!

Pattern Review: Almost One Size Truly Scrumptious Pant

First: let me challenge you to say that pattern name 10 times fast!  5 times?  Twice?!?!?!  Ha!

When Chrissy from Muse of the Morning asked for bloggers interested in doing reviews of her patterns I browsed her selection - and was intrigued by these pants.

Here's why (from the pattern listing):
"Children from approximately 6 mos up to 7 years old can wear them! There is ONE pattern piece, which is cut at the appropriate length."

Oh reeeeeallly!?

So here's what I found out when I gave them a go! {please keep in mind I was given this pattern for free in order to participate in this blog tour / review - but my opinions are honest and not influenced by that monetary savings!}

The Pattern
Sizes: "Baby Bloomers" (looks like about a 6-12 month size) through 7
Options: Basic Pants, Basic Bloomers, Patchy Pants, Strippy Pants (strips of fabric..... c'mon!), optional ruffles on the bum
Pattern Pieces: ONE if you're making the basic pants; 2-3 if you're making the patchy / strippy option.  For EVERY size.  Really, truly.  They all have the same width / rise - - - with length cutting lines for each size
Time to sew: I'd say under an hour for the patchy / strippy pants; 30-45 minutes for the basic pants (and that includes taping the pattern together.... and distracting the kiddos with "really cool" toys so you can get back behind the sewing machine)

What I Made
I cut out four pairs of pants - two pars of basic pants, and two pairs of strippy pants.  One of each style in both 2T and 4T.  As for what I sewed..... here's a little glimpse into the life of a work-at-home, handmade business owning mama.....

The truth is - - - my children do not understand deadlines.  Or "mommy NEEDS to work".... or.... "please-do-not-body-slam-your-brother-into-the-floor, I just have ONE more hem to finish up."

So I had the best of intentions when signing up for this tour - I was going to rock it.  I was going to finally make pants {lots of them, obviously!} from the LARGE selection of fabrics I have been storing up for my kiddos.

But life comes up.... and my plan to get this done WAY ahead of time - well, I failed.  Then it was Monday morning, and despite telling my kiddos (and myself) that I had a deadline to meet - - the sun came out and obviously we had to play outside.  So the Wednesday morning deadline was getting closer and closer by the second and I WASN'T SEWING.

But... the moral of this story?!  These pants are FAST to sew up!  Even the strippy ones!  I cut them out Monday afternoon, ironed all the pieces, then didn't get a chance to sew them up until Tuesday morning (after breakfast was consumed and the kiddos seemed to be happily playing for at least a few minutes).  I put the pedal to the carpet and my machines kept up with my "must sew all the things - FAST" pace.

Then I bribed the kiddos with a picnic lunch outside if they would pleeeeeeeease allow me to take a few pictures.  We got a few.... and I KNOW they love their pants because despite the 80 degree temperature outside I could NOT get them to take them off and swap 'em out for shorts.  So they played in them - enjoyed our picnic in them - and smiled the whole time!

After sewing up the two pairs of strippy pants - and getting them on my boys, I can say that I love that this pant has so many options - all that can be pretty simply incorporated into the base construction / design.  It's great that I can print the pattern ONCE, cut it out at the biggest size, and then fold the pant leg up at the line for the size I'm making!

I did feel like the rise of the pant was a bit long on my 1.5 year old (size 2T), and the legs are definitely a bit wide on him.  Not so much that it's an issue.... just not as "trim" of a look as I'd prefer.  For the basic pants I think I may trim down the legs a little bit!

The pattern pieces printed well - and I loved the use of a variety of symbols at each page overlap.  Between the page numbers and the symbols, you should have NO problem getting this taped together!  The instructions were very clear - and construction was a breeze.  I actually put 1" elastic into my boys' pants because they are pretty skinny and the 3/8" that the pattern calls for often doesn't feel like "enough" (in other items I've sewn) - really just a personal preference thing, but thanks to serging (rather than turning the raw edge under) I had the flexibility to do this and not alter the fit from the pattern as written.

This pattern does not have a cutting chart for the elastic.  For many that probably isn't an issue - but for people like me who are most often sewing for customers / kiddos that they don't have in front of them and ready to measure - this means needing to reference another pattern's cutting chart or a table online.  Not a BIG deal - - - but just something to keep in mind!

All in all - I love how these strippy pants turned out and I'm excited to get the basics sewn up as well.  The boys love them, too!  This was the perfect pattern for that busy but AWESOME OSU Beavers fabric - I definitely wouldn't want a whole pair of pants from it.... but the strippy accent is GREAT!

If you made it through all of that... you should be rewarded, right!? :)

Well you're in luck!

If you click over to the first day of the tour you'll find a giveaway!  Chrissy is giving away TEN patterns of the winners' choice - wow!

Also, she has an active coupon code to celebrate the blog tour!  Head over to the Muse of the Morning Pattern Shop and enjoy 30% off any (or all!?) of her patterns through May 17th using the coupon code BLOGTOUR30.  Wowza!

Thanks again to Chrissy for asking me to participate in this blog tour / review - it was fun!

Etsy Feature Friday

Happy Friday!

One of my goals is to keep working to stock my Etsy shop - - - but it's tough to do while I'm staying nice and busy with custom orders and fun sewing! (not complaining, not at all.... this is a GOOD problem to have - one I've been lucky enough to have since I started this adventure a little over 3 years ago!)

While my Etsy shop is mainly ready-to-ship (RTS) items, I also have some custom items available.

One favorite listing is "The Messy Baby" gift set.  Perfect for a new mama-to-be (or daddy-to-be!), to prep for YOUR little one's arrival, as a new grandparent gift (have some of the essentials at Grandma & Grandpa's house for visits!) - or just because!

This set is comprised of three burp cloths and an over-sized patchwork bib.  Made in the color scheme of your choice - or to match your favorite in-stock fabric.

The set pictured is one I made for a friend to give as a baby shower gift - - - I also made a matching nursing cover and tie onesie!  So fun! :)

Hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend - lots of sewing and family time planned here!

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!

ALYOF January 2014 - finished!

As it was my first month of A Lovely Year of Finishes, I made my January goal fairly small / simple - making a stop sign pillow for little man #1's new "big boy bed".

Can you tell he likes it?  I went to take pictures and he said "Are you going to take the picture of the pillow with me??"  Umm.... how could I resist?!

The pillow is about 15.5" across.  I used applique for the letters.. and after consulting some pictures (and a quick chat with the hubby) determined the white band around the outside was necessary.  That took a little more time / effort - but I think it was worth it!

I didn't have enough stuffing (since I've been making some adorable plushies recently!) - but I did have an older throw pillow that we no longer use.... so I cut that sucker open and used the filling from it.  I didn't have *quite* as much as I wanted.... but it works!  

I purchased the red blender fabric from Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting (it's not solid red... though it looks that way in the photos!).  The white is actually muslin (yuck, so thin... but it's what I hand and I'm not allowed to buy fabric until I make 62 more items.... so I made do).  I used two layers of the muslin (to help it be a *little* less see-through) for both the applique and the border.  

So excited to have sewn something for one of my little dudes - I'm thinking next month's goal will be something for Little Man #2 :)

This month's ALYOF is closed (goals have to be posted / linked up by the 7th) - but you can join in next month!

Handmade Holidays 2013

Thanks to making the tough decision to close my shop for a bit at the end of last year, I was able to complete a BUNCH of projects that had been on my "maybe if I end up with time {HA!}" list.

On that list {in a very general manner} were Christmas gifts for close family / friends.  Did I think that would happen?  NOPE!  But...... I was actually able to find a little bit of time at the end of the year - and this is some of what I came up with!

A personalized zippered pouch and matching mini wallet (made using this Modest Maven tutorial) for my brother's girlfriend {the fabric is one she
picked out herself, and with my help sewed up a cover for her kindle.... so I knew it was one she liked!}

Three sets of hanging kitchen towels (also sold in my Etsy shop - though I really need to add in some non-holiday ones!) - for my parents, my sister & brother-in-law, and my brother

A set of two coffee sleeves for my parents (also available in my Etsy shop!)

And... of course.... the 7 pairs of PJ pants for my boys!

I also sewed our family custom stockings this year - finally - after having stashed fabric for a couple years now (that I didn't end up using!) - and after realizing we must have just grabbed a "sample" stocking for Little Man #2 last Christmas (yup... mom of the year!).  I used the Stockings With Style pattern from one of my FAVORITE pattern writers, Tie Dye Diva Designs.  Can't wait to share more pictures of those very soon!

"String Along With Me" - FINISHED!

Yes.... finished!

Obviously I was *just a bit* excited about the start of Project Quilting!

Plus... the idea I had was something for OUR home - for a space that I had been meaning to make / display SOMETHING in since we moved in {you know... almost a year ago!}

I had some great sewing time thanks to good naps from the boys yesterday - and it being the weekend so the hubby was home.  I meant to take a break last night and finish up the rest of the week.... but somehow I managed to finish the whole thing and then realized it was WAY past my bedtime! :)

When I left you last I had sewn together my strings in orange, green, grey, brown, and yellow.  And I had a bolt of solid medium blue fabric just hanging out.

Next, I cut strips of the solid blue that were 1.75" and 2.5" wide.  I sewed 6 of them together, alternating between the sizes.  Then I went over to my cutting table and cut 6.5" wide strips at an angle.  I'm not quite sure the angle - - - I just eyeballed it and then repeated - it was 3.5" from where my ruler met the bottom and the top of the strip. Half of the strips were cut one direction, the other half the opposite direction.  The 6.5"???  Yup... done because my ruler is 6.5" wide and it was easy! :)

Okay.... did that sound like a bunch of gibberish to you???  I didn't take a picture during the process... but here's one I just snapped of the concept.  See how the point where the ruler meets the bottom of the fabric is 3.5" to the left of where it meets the top of the fabric?

And if that's still clear as mud - here's a GREAT tutorial done by one of my FAVE quilting bloggers - Maureen Cracknell Handmade {and seriously, you should check out her beautiful quilting / blog.... AMAZING!} - I actually used the tutorial / concept for last year's PQ "Page 28" challenge!  Then I cut each strip of zig-zags to 9" tall - and sewed the two strips together.

I ironed on some fusible fleece for the batting - I like using fusible fleece for wall hangings, etc., because it's a bit stiffer than standard batting (and I have it around & ready to use - I use it for stockings and coffee sleeves!).  I cut a piece of the solid blue that was bigger than my pieced "top" and spray basted the top / fusible fleece piece to the backing.  I went with the solid blue for the back as well because it was going on the wall - so I didn't care what the back looked like!

To help take the chevrons (which I felt did a pretty good job representing water / waves) look even MORE like ripples in the bathtub I quilted some wide horizontal wavy lines.

Somehow I took NO pictures of the applique process - I think because it's something I do SO often - and I was on a roll!  But.... I think I will do a post on my applique process in the near future - it's something I get questions about on a regular basis and I have done TONS of applique over the last 3 years!

For this project, I used Heat & Bond Lite ironed to the back side of the strings, then cut out each letter, ironed them on, andused a pretty wide zig-zag stitch to stitch them down.  I kept my integrated walking foot on my Janome (LOVE that foot) because it was pretty thick and it really helps move smoothly in spite of the layers.

Here it is all quilted and ready to square up / trim - then bind!

Font used: BD Cartoon Shout - find it here

I squared it up to approximately 16" x 25" - then I cut binding strips from various navy fabrics and pieced together a scrappy roll of binding.  Then I machine bound the wall hanging.  I briefly considered adding a hanger (for display) - but I wanted it to stay nice and level... so I just opted to use push-pins to put it on the wall!

I just love how it looks up on the wall - the colors pop, it coordinates great with that shower curtain I LOVE, and I sewed something for US! :)

It's not too late to join in on this week's challenge!!!

"String along with me" - day 1

Yippee!  Project Quilting Season 5 has started!

This week's challenge: String along with me - you can read about it more here...
Each week's submission MUST include at least one of the following: patchwork, applique, or have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine

This week, we also have the following requirement: the entire project must be made from strings {strings are defined as strips of fabric no more than 2.5" wide}

Almost immediately I had an idea... and so I took a picture of my "inspiration" and got started!

I had a general idea.... and sketched out a few concepts - but I'm not going to share those here {mainly because my "sketches" look like something my 3-year-old could have drawn.... but also because the concept has changed a few times since, and I want you to see the creative process, not me creating an end result you already knew was coming!}

Next.... I spent at least 15 minutes sorting through my scrap bin.  It amazed me how many scraps I had to pick from.  On a pretty regular basis, I send scraps to a friend who makes hair accessories, etc., so I was sure I was going to have to cut some "scraps" to supplement.  Nope!

As I sorted I grabbed out smaller scraps in the colors I planned on using: orange, yellow, green, blue, brown, grey, black, and red.  Once I pulled the scraps I took the (HUGE) pile back to my inspiration piece and decided to remove the red and black.  The picture below is about 1/3 of the pile of scraps I was considering

Then I headed back down to the dungeon my sewing studio and did my least favorite job - - - Ironing all of

 those little scraps.  As I did that, I sorted the scraps by color.

Awwww.... don't they look pretty all ironed and sorted?!

Next, I moved from color to color cutting the scraps into "strings" - no bigger than 2.25" and no less than 1" wide.  I needed pieces that were at least 6" long for what I have planned for them.

Ooooh - look at how nice those oranges look all trimmed up and ready to sew!

Then, I sewed each color of strings together completely randomly until I felt like I had a big enough piece.  I ironed each seam open {bleh, more ironing!} which produced this nice array of colors.

But what's going on with that bolt of solid blue fabric?  

.... guess I have more sewing to do!

Want to know more about Project Quilting?  Head over and check it out - and join in on the fun!!!