Matching Sallys for Cousins {April Goal Complete}

Whew! Getting this post up on the last day of April... I finished the dresses earlier this week and now the gift is wrapped and ready for giving tomorrow. Woohoo! I was busy making other projects off and on, which is why these didn't get finished until the very last minute :)

This was my first time sewing the Sally Dress pattern from Very Shannon. The one above is for my newly adopted niece. She's being baptized tomorrow so it seemed like a good time to finally present her with a token of love for being adopted into my sister-in-law's family. We love her so much and we are so thankful that God has brought her into our lives!!

I made a size 4T for Kae and a 3T for E... They are 6 months apart in age and very similar sized, although K is a bit taller. I'm just crossing my fingers that Kae's dress will fit her at some point :)

I used a very thin pin-dot chambray from Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy, and the floral came from the local fabric store. It's a Free Spirit voile (I'll post the actual name of the fabric in the post with pictures of E wearing it - I can't find it online right now). Both fabrics, especially the floral, have a bit of sheer-ness to them, so I did make some knit shorties to wear underneath them as well. I also figured that 3 year olds will be running and jumping in them, so the extra coverage underneath will be nice ;)

Birthday Presents for Lolo

My niece turns 1 today! I was very excited to try out a few new (and a few well-loved) patterns out for her birthday gift. 

 Patterns: M4M Talor (somewhere between dress and tunic length)... SMA Skipper Top... M4M Riley Racer Back Tunic... M4M Bonny Shorties

Fabrics: Riley Blake Vivid Fireworks (Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy), Pink Ruffle Stripe from JoAnns, Riley Blake Idlewild Main (Peekaboo Pattern Shop), Denim-look Knit from Walmart, Solid Cotton Lycras from a local fabric shop

I love the combination of the Idlewild fabric with the denim-like peplum. I have no patience to thread a double needle, so the hem on the skirt is just two separate lines of stitching to make it appear like a double needle :) Don't you think the shorties will add a fun touch of pink under the skirt?!

I have used the skirt pattern of the Riley before when I made the Brooklyn/Riley mash-up for E's Christmas dress, but this was my first time making the Riley Racerback top. I may add a touch of length to the bands... and I will definitely pin/sew the bands on separately instead of pinning all of them and then trying to sew with all those pins!

I won the Talor pattern by participating in a month-long Instagram activity that Made for Mermaids organized. It is such a easy and simple pattern, but so perfect for warm weather!

I had a bit of fun and used a decorative stitch to hem it. I look forward to making more Rileys and Talors for E's summer wardrobe. The recipient of these lives in a much warmer climate, so I enjoyed dreaming of warmer weather while it was snowy and cold here :) 

Happy Birthday Lolo! We love you!

A Mermaid's Christmas

E has this little pink mermaid toy that she received as a prize at the library. So, when Made for Mermaids came out with a free pattern for a Mermaid's Tail blanket, I knew that I needed to make one for Christmas!

The fabric is from JoAnns and the pattern can be found here. It is a very quick sew - I even made the doll blanket along with it. E has wore it/played with it a few times, but I suspect that she will enjoy it more in another year or two. I could have waited to make it, but I had time this year, and I have learned that if I want to make something eventually, it's better just to get it done when I have time - no waiting around or else something else will move ahead of it on the to-do list!

Lots of Jackrabbit Hats!

With all the new babies in my college friend group, I decided to make some matching "Go Jacks!" hats for Christmas presents :)

My kiddos each received one as well. This was my first time making fleece pom-poms!

I was in such a rush to mail all the hats out, that I didn't take a picture of the big pile prior to packaging them up. In total I made 5 little ones and 3 bigger ones. I hadn't made a hat out of fleece since the 4-H days, so I enjoyed the easy construction of this pattern. I also used my snap press for the first time! Of course, I didn't decide to use snaps in place of the velcro until it was too late to put interface in the straps... next time! Always learning!

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Pattern: 

Tie Dye Diva's Aviator Fleece Hat 

Fleece from JoAnns.

Pocket Full of Posies for Miss K

Miss K is turning 3 tomorrow! Happy Early Birthday! 

And so, for my niece's third birthday, I made her a skirt... she is also getting some paint markers, a book and a shirt that I stenciled (but forgot to take a picture of it!).

Pattern: Pocket Full of Posies by Elliedactyl

Fabric: Pink Cotton/Lycra - local fabric store, Purple (interlock?) - Hancock Fabrics, Black Flowers Scuba Knit - Clearance from Girl Charlie (out of stock now)

Doll skirt for "Baby" was roughly made using the same pattern with a little modification. It fits E's dolly that is about the same size as "Baby," so I'm crossing my fingers! I'm also crossing my fingers that the skirt fits Miss K. I had her measurements from making the matching cousin pajamas, and the skirt fits E, so I'm pretty hopeful :)

E was actually really good about me making this skirt for K. She would ask who it was for and when I said that is was a birthday present for K, she would sometime ask where hers was... she never whined about me not making her one, though, so I was pretty happy about that :) I am actually making her a similar skirt with the scuba knit and pink cotton/lycra... but instead of purple pockets, she'll have Minnie Mouse pockets (I just picked up the Minnie fabric this week... I have a whole pile of items to sew for E now that will have splashes of Minnie on it!)

Anyways, the birthday party isn't until Tuesday, and I am so excited about her gift. I really hope she likes it! We continue to pray for the adoption process... hopefully by Christmas she will be my niece for good! :)

Three PJs in a Pod {ALYOF September Goal Complete}

The cousins love them!

I finished all three nightgowns (and two sets of under-shorts) just in time for a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's! (The heart is in place until her adoption into my sister-in-law's family is official... we're hoping for next month!)

E was pretty fond of her new "dress," but she also loved that I was making them for her cousins, too. She was always aware of which cousin each nightgown belonged to as I sewed them assembly-line-style.

Nightgown pattern: Riley's Nightgown by Everything Your Mama Made & More
Night shorts pattern: Anna and Alex Summer PJs by Peek-A-Boo
Yellow Fabric: Hancock Fabrics a year and a half ago
Pink Fabric/Purple Ribbing: From a stash I purchased through craigslist back in MT
Shorts Fabric: Pink cotton/lycra from my local Fabric Warehouse

#21 in the Goal Setting Linky

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WIP (works in progress) List

• 1 Monikered Baby Bag (fabric chosen, cut and interfaced... waiting on Mom for the name appliqué... then need to sew it)
• Christmas lap quilt (finish binding)
• E's Halloween Costume (dress/bloomers finished... just need to finish two bows/ears)
• Several dresses/tops/etc for E and me (patterns and fabric chosen... need to cut and sew)
• Burp Cloths 9cut out but need to be sewn)

UFO (unfinished objects) List...

• Twin size quilt top needing a border then quilting and binding
• A quilt top from my grandma needing quilting and binding
• 6 baby quilt tops needing quilting and binding - will need 2 done by February
• A pile of Christmas half-square triangles that need to be trimmed and then organized into a table runner/table topper/pillow/etc

WIP Wednesday and February Goal {ALYOF}

ALYOF February Goal: Finish two Easter/Spring dresses for E! I have a little bit of a start on them, but I still have quite a bit to do on them. The scraps from sewing the patchwork skirt are to be made into a pillow cover and a purse. That fabric was recently won in a giveaway, and I found matching fabrics for the bodice, sash and skirt band. The other dress is from stash fabrics. Both patterns are free from The Cottage Mama. 

Then, there are these... 9 baby quilt tops that I finished last month. Four are spoken for as I have several friends who are expecting. The others will be kept on hand for future friends' babies. With our #2 on his way, I know I won't have as much (if any) sewing time and I want to be somewhat prepared!

Do I even dare mention these? Two baby quilts ready to be quilted. One for our Gus-Gus and one to keep on hand! These need to be quilted before I can baste the four quilts needing to be done, as I don't have enough safety pins for all these quilts I need to work on!

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So, I've updated the WIP list that I started last December... lots of fun still to be had :)

(a list that does not include projects that have fabric pulled but haven't been cut into yet!)

1 baby quilt needing binding

2 baby quilts needing quilting then binding

1 lap quilt needing quilting then binding

9 baby quilt tops needing backs (then quilting and binding)

2 cotton Easter/Spring for E that are part-way done (and one matching "purse")

2 knit dresses for E that have been cut but need some sewing done(!)

1 pillow top ready for quilting and then needing a back

January Goal Finish - Two Monikered Bags {ALYOF}

I finished them! 

My January Goal was to finish these two baby bags. 

Goal Post

#29 in the ALYOF Goal Linky Party  

Lincoln and Chase now have personalized bags that they can eventually carry around with pride to the library or to church or just around the house. 

The main change from the usual bags was that I decided not to use any denim in the handles. It made it a lot easier on my machine! Each bag has one pocket on the back and one on the side... plus a corduroy one on the inside. 

The fabrics came from a variety of sources... most of them came from Instagram's #thegreatfabricdestash last winter. The striped red and green fabrics were winnings from Benartex giveaways, the other red, the blue and the bandana fabrics were from my stash.. and the green and the safari were from my mom's stash :)

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You can see other Monikered Bags that I've sewn here and here...