stripes + dots

here is another baby gift i finished. i wanted to keep it for avery!! i better make another set for her.

 i got this polka dot fabric on fabric.com...they no longer carry it and i am so sad.  i mostly use it on trims and little details so the 2 yards i still have will last longer...so these little pants were a splurge. i liked it with the copper/ecru stripe though (also fabric.com). 

 little stamp tag marking it as part of the stamp collection

 metallic stripes with a copper glint.

KCWC 2

 disregard that funny little spot--just spit up.

i made this little shirt for avery.  i love it on her. i wish the pics were better--it's cuter in action-- but still cute.

KCWC 1

so i'm a little behind on the kids clothes week challenge....but better late than never:
                               

i made this little tunic for my baby.  i think it will start to fit her soon and i can't wait to see it. 

fabric: mustard linen blend from joann (i want to hoard this fabric!!) 

trim: from golden d'or in dallas

buttons: ebay

pattern: made by me

christmas in may

last december we were living in my parents' basement, and my mom asked if i'd like to help out with christmas decorations. i said sure, and we decided it was time for our family to get a new batch of stockings. my mom was planning ahead and wanted one for each person in our family and then one for each of our spouses/future spouses...which totalled to be 12 stockings. we bought all the supplies and i got started....but never finished. we used old mismatched stockings last year.

the new year rolled around, and i was still in school, and the stockings got put on the back burner.  in may, when i asked my mom what she wanted for mother's day, she said she'd love to have the stockings finished. so i did.

i don't have a full tutorial for them... but i can explain the basics.

1) draw a large stocking shape. the shape is based on preference and the size depends on what you like to put in them. our family usually puts grapefruits in the toe (i think this tradition evolved from the classic christmas orange??) so we tried to accommodate for that. this "pattern" also needs to have room for seam allowance (1/2" or so extra on all sides).

2) design your stocking. i did ours out of burlap and cotton crochet trim and/or doilies.  sew on anything you want to the pieces before putting the stocking together.



3) cut out. if you want to line your stockings (like i did--notice the red striped ticking) you will need to cut TWO stocking pieces and TWO lining pieces from your fabrics.  also, cut the stocking fabric about 1" taller than the lining fabric. (as you can see in the photos, the stocking fabric will fold over to the backside so the lining does not show from the front).



3).  sew together. sew both stocking fabric pieces together, with right sides facing. backstitch at both ends. flip right side out.  REPEAT for the lining fabrics, with right sides facing.  you will have two completed stocking-shaped pieces.

4). this is the tricky part to explain.  with your stocking piece RIGHT side out, and your lining piece INSIDE out, put the stocking inside the lining...this will mean that rides sides are facing.  match up the side seams at the top of the stocking, and pin.  sew around the top, leaving a 2-3" gap. make sure to backstitch.  you can trim the seam down to 1/4" for less bulk.

5). flip the stocking through the small gap in the stitching you left. tuck the lining down inside of the stocking. iron, so the stocking fabric folds over a little bit to the facing side, like shown in the pictures. it should resemble a lined stocking now...almost finished!

6). hand stitch the gap of the stocking and lining fabrics together. you can topstitch around if you like.

7)  add a fabric or ribbon loop on the side to hang the stocking.

8) do it 11 more times! ...just kidding. only if you're me.

newborn baby gift

i've said it before and i'll say it again.....i'm a little snobby about baby clothes. i think i like them to look like miniature adults.  that being said, i think newborns deserve to spend most of their time in soft, comfy clothes.

here's a baby gift i made for a friend's newborn daughter. i can't wait to see these striped legging/sweats on those skinny little baby legs.

also, i love this long sleeve tee...it has the look of a onesie....without any snap setting necessary. also thought the subtle contrast with the polka dot turned out cute.

master list of gift ideas

gift set ideas

1. painted round cork coasters w/ bottle martinelli's

(paint w/ polka dot effect using stencil made from binder hole reinforcement and sponge brush?)

2. recipe box w/ finished printed recipe cards (laminated?)

3. apron w/ recipe (or baking implement, cupcake kit, etc.)

4. apron in a jar "recipe"

5. hot pads set w/ baking implement

6. doily clock? kit?

7. 3 terra cotta plants, soil?, 3 seed balls, 3 garden markers kit

8. baby onesie, pacifier clip, leggings, bibs, diaper cover, etc.

9. baby foot stamp kit--shadow box? design. $1 stamps from michael's?

10. at christmas time, small polaroid style calendar

11. wrap soaps and give in glass jar, give w/ washcloth set

12. liquid hand soap + lotion set w/ homemade dish towels

13. placemats w/ dish set

14. buy skillet, give w/ homemade hot pads

15. dottie angel style permanent birth announcement

16. zookie dishes w/ recipe (and homemade potholders?)

17. cupcake kit

18. gift wrapping set

19. stationary set

20. terra cotta + bell jar terranium (or plate, bell jar, and bird/other trinket under)

21. fresh bread, homemade jam, with cute labels

22. cookie in a jar kit with labels (add measuring tools/whisk)

23. pie in a jar with labels (add measuring tools/whisk) (or napkin set)

24. buy set off flip top bottles, make homemade italian soda/simple syrup sodas, etc. give w/ gift tag and flower

25. kid--give homemade velcro wallet and coins, or money

26. toddler--popcicle memory game

27. toddler/baby--felt food

28. toddler--felt play mail kit

29. homemade assortment cookies, candied nuts, caramels, craisins, (could be partly or all store bought items) etc. boxed in kraft box from H.L.

30. handmade cute zipper pouch (plastic lined?) w/ some favorite or homemade makeup/lip gloss

31. teacup candle (homemade) w/ cute match boxes in glass bowl

32. homemade granola w/ cute bowls

33. simplified hot cocoa bar idea (like mom's)

34. sewing kit in a jar

35. any tutorial in a jar--with all supplies and instructions gathered

hot pads

apron

36. buy a toolkit and paint w/ stripes (enamel)

37. try painting wooden spoons w/ stripes (durable) and give as set

38. blank cute recipe card set w/ recipe box

39. "the vegetable box" recipe set

40. covered button earring card

41. yarn wrapped letter

42. homemade bias tape (as part of sewing kit? or part of hot pad kit?)

43. baby--embroidered alphabet wall hanging -- framed or hung

44. homemade vanilla in fliptop bottles w/ label

45. early christmas gift--cute advent calendar

46. general craft kit given in a cute box--vintage muffin tin, old tool box, etc.

47. kid gift--fort kit in a duffle bag

48. spa kit--homemade cosmetics, eye mask, etc.

49. kid gift--tent or tepee

50. baby--handmade stuffed animals

51. kid--homemade flashcard set (alphabet, etc.) using vintage pictures, stenciled letters, cool graphic design idea, etc.

52. families w/ fireplaces: fire starter kit, wood, etc. in homemade carrying case

53. family s'more kit, with wood burned initials on sticks (ashley ann photography)

54. gardening kit w/ homemade bag

55. hot chocolate kit w/ homemade marshmallows

56. kids..growth chart kit

57. anybody...pinata, with candy/small toys for kids, candy/craft supplies, etc. for adults

58. candles in a vintage muffin tin set

59. girl-- homemade pouch w/ back to school supplies

60. flavored salts/spice rub assortment, w/ labels

61. baby gift set--months 1-12 onesies

62. homemade tie and box for men

63. camera strap

64. homemade butter w/ bread

65. baby handprint ornament kit

66. kid: any art supply kit

67. kid: any easy sewing kit (pillowcase, drawstring bag)

68: kid: handmade crayons with notepad

69: kid: quiet book for church

70: kid: outdoor explorer kit

71: kid: science kit

72: party in a box kit

73: initial stamped jewelry

74. washcloths "monogrammed" with words on my sewing machine

75. big birthday idea...send envelopes with days (however many you want to do. 30 for a whole month, 7 for birthday week, 10 for a countdown, 6 for turning 6 yrs, etc.) each envelope has a small suprise...($5 gift card, small piece of jewelry--like covered button earrings, a website to a special playlist for them, or website to a blog entry for them, printed photos, postcard, cute note, stickers, small notebook, recipe for a treat, i'll pick you up at noon today for lunch/ice cream/lemonade--if local-- etc.)

76. scavenger hunt gift: kid--give envelopes around house/neighborhood (depending who it is) adult--give scavenger hunt for around the internet (playlist here, photos here, redeem gift card here, choose item and ship w/ this CC#, etc.)

77. birthday in a box...cake mix with toppers, streamers/garland, birthday hat/bib/other, favorite drink and treats, etc.

part 2

(see part 1 here)

i talked about the book natural patchwork in the part 1 post. the hot pads made by author suzuko koseki were one of the main reasons i bought the book. i love them:

my hot pads were loosely inspired by hers, but i'd like to make another set that are as identical to these as possible!

here are mine:

 close ups

these two have pockets on the back to slip your hand into when taking a pan out of the oven.

 my binding didn't go on as smooth as i wanted, so i did a wide zigzag stitch in a contrast color around all 4 sides. i ended up loving how it looked. some mistakes are happy accidents i guess!

i made these with insul-brite heat resistant batting from hancock fabrics, so they should be pretty safe for handing hot pans or going underneath something hot.

these were part of a wedding present given to a friend of mine.

we are in our new apartment now.  somehow we only got here with one hot pad. (????) the other night we had some friends over, and i was making homemade fries in the oven at a high temp.  the smoke alarm kept going off (even though there was no smoke in the house) and it was such a loud noise. to top off all the commotion, i couldn't find our one and only hot pad. it was pretty funny.

that hot pad is still AWOL. so i have a set of homemade hot pads at the top of my to-make list.

and in the mean time, if anyone sees a lone green hot pad, tell it to come back home :)