I've been....

Sorting...   ... all of your scraps. thank you for your generosity. still working on the project. Meeting...   ... Heather Ross. truly as sweet as she seems from her book. Quilting...   ... hop on spot. even more finished than it looks here. Buying...   ... lots of fabric!

Tutorial: "So Big!" Growth Chart

My first tutorial! I entered this project into the OhDeeDoh Amy Butler contest. I was so happy with how it came out, I thought that I would make a tutorial for anyone else who might want to make it. This is the first project tutorial/pattern that I have ever written, so please let me know of any suggestions you have! Enjoy!! Pattern

Outfit for Annie

I purchased the Britches and Bloomers Pattern, by Jackie Clark, a while ago, but had not yet gotten around to actually making any britches or bloomers. The pattern needs very little fabric, only 1/2 yard for the smaller sizes, so it seemed like the perfect way to use up some of the fabric in my stash.

I made the pants first. I had some very soft brown corduroy left over from another project, but not quite enough for the full length pants. I dug around and found the aqua print, which I think came from Joann (bleh). This was the first project that I have actually used the overcasting stitch on my sewing machine, and it worked nicely to finish the raw edges. The only tricky part was making the blue cuffs even, but even that wasn't too hard. The pattern was easy to follow and the directions were great, even for a beginner like me.

After finishing the pants, I really felt like they needed a little top to go with them. I had enough of the aqua, so I made a pattern from a shirt that Annie already had that fits her pretty well. Figuring out how to line the top was tricky, but I figured it out. Adding a lining in the top part meant a lot less raw edges to finish. The lining also helped stabilize the button holes. I used my old friend Heat and Bond Lite for the applique, stitching around it with a zig zag sitch. For the bottom, I used some bias tape that I had left over from a quilt, but binding a single edge did not work quite the same as binding a quilt. I can't figure out why, but it just didn't fold-over right. Next time, I think I need to use double-fold instead of single fold.

Catch Up. . . Annie's Bedding

These first few posts will be dedicated to past projects, in an effort to try and bring the blog somewhat up to date.

First up, Annie's nursery bedding. I should start by explaning what a crazy pregnant person I was. Crazy actually doesn't even begin to describe me. I was obsessed with being completely and utterly prepared, and for me this included making custom bedding for the baby to come. I was due in late June, and started working on all of this in, um .... May? Didn't leave myself much time, which will explain why I was frantically sewing during the two weeks prior to her birth and during any "spare" time afterwards.

I chose an Alexander Henry apple and pear print in pink and green. To coordinate with this, I bought many, many fabrics, but I ended up using primarily solid pink, solid green, a green polka dot from American Jane Building Blocks, a pink swiss dot, and a mottled pink dotty print. I still have plenty of fabric left over and definitely bought fabric I never used. Making your own bedding is not a time or money saver.

I made a bumper, crib skirt, two throw pillows, and a quilt. I didn't really use a pattern for any of the pieces, but just kind of winged it. A pattern did come with the bumper inserts, which was kind of useful. We ended up not using the bumpers at all and they were a huge pain to make. Because of this, I would never make them again. Consider yourself forewarned if you attempt to make bumpers.

The completed nursery was featured on Apartment Therapy's nursery site, http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/bedding-blankets/followup-kristens-homemade-nursery-bedding-034190.

Here are some pictures: