Saturday Afternoon Sewing Project: Toddler Apron

I've been wanting to sew something for awhile now but the idea of pulling out my sewing machine and ironing board and setting everything up seemed like too much trouble.

I tend to lose track of time when I sew, which is not a good idea when I have little ones to watch.

But today seemed like a perfect, slow day to pull out my stuff and choose a project. Ian said he'd take over all Matthew's care so I could relax and enjoy myself.

I love that man.

My initial plan was to make a diaper wipe case thing that has a pocket for a few diapers and a pocket for the wipes. But once I got into my tote full of fabrics, I decided to make Jordan an apron instead.

I love aprons. Julie and I have each have a gorgeous apron from The Hip Hostess and we feel like we're all that when we wear them. I thought Jordan would enjoy having one for herself so she can be like us in the kitchen.

This is the fabric I chose:

Sew pretty. (Haha...see what I did there?)

Oh, I guess I should warn you... if you sew extremely well, you might just keel over and die at how I do things. Just love me anyway.

I had an old apron that Sam and Julie used to wear way back in the day that is all stained and grody now. I pressed it and used it as my pattern.

Don't groan. It worked.

I pinned the apron to my fabric and cut around it, leaving enough to hem.

Then I cut four pieces to make into the ties. Two for her waist, two for her neck.

I think the waist ties were 20 inches and the neck ties were 12 inches. But I could be mistaken. I'm very hungry right now and my focus on my belly.

I folded each strap in half, pressed it, then opened it.

Each side was folded into the centre point and pressed again.

And press...

And then folded, pinned together and sewn closed.

I set those aside and then hemmed all around the apron part.

Sew, sew, sew...

Voila!

Jordan is a happy gal.

There are some small imperfections but I'm pleased with it. I know what to do better or differently next time.

Usually when I sew something, all I see are the mistakes. I've made the decision to try new things and to be ok if they don't turn out perfectly. I admire other people's baking/cooking/sewing skills and have spent so much time trying to be like those people, and I just end up feeling like a failure.

So done with that!

I've made the decision to try new things, and to be ok if they don't turn out. I need to stop being jealous of the skills of others, and enjoy the gifts and skills that God gave me.

And that's how things are going to roll around here from now on.

Happy Saturday!

Applique T-Shirts

Ian gave me the best gift EVER this weekend.

Time for myself.

And how did I choose to spend that time?

Sewing!

I am still very much a beginner and learning as I go along. I tend to stick to easy projects that I can finish before frustration sets in, and even though they may not be perfect, I enjoy the feeling of having created something.

I tried my hand at appliqueing t-shirts some time ago. Simple letters on shirts. I put them on the Littles and no one laughed at me, so I figured maybe they weren't so awful.

After seeing all different types of applique work online I figured I was ready to try my hand at it again.

One popular idea is to applique a tie on a t-shirt for a little boy. Ian created the template for me and this is how it turned out.



I thought it was adorable and dressed Matthew in it for church the next day.



Jordan loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She loves them. Every day we have to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse about three times.

I wanted to try making something Minnie themed for Jordan, so again I called on my wonderful Ian to create a template and size it for me. This is the end result.



*sorry for the blurry shot - Jordan was in motion when I took it *

And here she is with hers on just after church.



It's an easy and inexpensive sewing project to do that turns out pretty cute.

Cost To Make: Approximately $10-$15
Time To Make: 1 1/2 hours

5QF - August 5

Anyone else amazed that it's August already? I don't even know where July went.

The children are enjoying staying up late (too late) at night and sleeping in each morning. Sam is our latest sleeper, usually coming upstairs around noon.

I'm jealous.

I find myself saying those words I hated hearing my mom say when I used to sleep in: "You've wasted half your day!!"

Meh. She was right of course.

Ian took the children to see the Smurf movie yesterday and Jordan was driving them all crazy with her "la la la-ing" the theme song. I asked if she liked the movie and she said "I LOVE IT!"

Yesterday I tried my hand at appliqueing t-shirts. It's a ridiculously easy project to do and I can't wait to do more.

Here are the ones I did yesterday. Please forgive the quality of the photos. My beloved camera, MaryBeth, is being fussy right now, so these were taken quickly with my iPhone.

This one is for Jordan.



"J is for Jornan and Jornan is ME!" she said.

And this one is for Matthew:



He didn't say anything because, well, he's a baby.

I think I'm going to stitch along the edges just to make sure the letters stay on.

It's time for Mama M's Five Question Friday which she hosts over at My Little Life!



1. Do you have siblings and are you close with them?

I have one sister and we are not close at all. She can be a very hateful and cruel woman and I have had no choice but to close off all contact with her completely. It's so sad, really. We've never had that warm, loving, sisterly relationship and I've given up waiting for it to happen. She hates me and I've accepted it. Finally.

2. Would you rather be slightly UNDER weight or slightly OVER weight?

I'd love to be slightly under weight just to know what that feels like. I've battled with my weight my entire life so experiencing the other side of things would be a welcome change.

3. What's your favorite State Fair food to splurge on?

We don't have State Fairs here, so I'm just going to tell you what kind of food I like to splurge on.

All kinds.

Except for seafood because seafood is gross.

4. What are your thoughts on your kid(s) going to school in a few weeks?

We're right in the middle of our summer break and it's right about this time that I start wondering (read: obsessing) if I've provided enough entertainment or day trips for them while they've been home.

My mother has rented a cottage at Sherkston Shores again this summer and she's invited us to come and spend a few days with her and my nephew. YAY! That will definitely be the highlight of the children's summer. Mine too. When we were there last year I went to sleep each night so happy because everyone I loved most in the world was (were?) all under the same roof. Can't wait for that to happen again.

Once the last week of August rolls around we're all ready for a new chapter to begin. I'll miss them while they're at school but I'll be busy at home with two little ones to care for, and that will make the days pass quickly until they're home again.

5. Pool or Ocean?

Pool! No one has ever been bitten by a shark or had the flesh stripped off them by a piranha in a pool. No little fish swimming into your leg or creepy, slimy seaweed touching you. Nope. Just glorious, shark/piranha/fish/seaweed free water.

Just a side note... an old neighbour of mine used to have a sign on his pool deck that said "Please don't pee in our pool! We don't swim in your toilet!"

And it makes me laugh to this very day.

Have a great Friday!

Head on over to Mama M's blog My Little Life to join in on the fun!

Saturday Afternoon Sewing Project: Toddler Nightgown

I've been itching to sew lately, so I pulled out a project I started a few months ago but ended up putting away.

Remember when I made this nightgown for Jordan?

It was hard! All sorts of gathering and itty bitty arm holes.

BAH!

This time I chose the nightgown on the bottom left of this pattern.



(Ignore the big pink arrow, that was the first night gown I made)

I had cut the pieces out a few months ago and then packed it away. I'm glad this part was already done because not only does it take (me!) a lot of time to cut out the pieces, it makes me very nervous in case I do it wrong.

I pulled out the instructions and decided to work on it for as long as I could before I needed to place a 911 call to my mom for help.

About ten minutes in I gave up on the instructions because I couldn't make sense of them and decided to just wing it. How hard could it be to sew a few pieces together?

I'd love to be able to insert a tutorial here (ha ha ha!) but I don't think anyone would be too impressed with how I completed this project! Both my mother and my mother-in-laws are fantastic sewers (or is that seamstresses?) and they would have just sat shaking their heads at me the entire time.

And here it is, all finished:

**special thanks to Ian for making my pic look all pretty!

Jordan was dancing around while we took pictures, and was so excited when I put it on her. It was about two inches off the ground, which is good, but it kept getting tangled around her feet when she was climbing all over the couch. Every time her toes got caught she'd yell "Ow!Ow!Ow! HEP! HEP!"

Eventually she stopped asking for help and started trying to free herself, end ended up ripping the skirt part from the bodice.

Sigh.

Oh well. I'll fix it eventually.

While it is far, far from perfect, it does look like a nightgown, and I did it all by myself.

Throughout the process of making these two nightgowns, I have learned that I don't like sewing clothing. I prefer to sew things with straight lines.

Someday I'd like to make curtains for my kitchen. That should be a good Straight Line Project!

Sam's Birthday

Yesterday was Sam's 11th birthday, and as I always do on each of the children's birthdays...I cried.

It's so hard to believe that I've been a mother for 11 years already. I look at Jordan racing around and it seems that Sam was that size not very long ago.

He is such a great kid. Quick witted and kind.

I'd love to be able to post a picture of him here, but he doesn't like having his picture taken.

BOOOOOO!

He showed me his birthday wish list about a month ago, and guess what he had written on it?

A pillowcase made by Mom in a sports theme.

*tear*

What my boy wants, my boy shall get!

I decided to make him three cases, so he could have a choice and to be able to swap them out whenever he wanted.

I had leftover fabric, so I decided to pick up a couple of towels and sew a strip of fabric on each to match his pillow cases.



He loved them. He changed his pillowcases right then and there and declared he'd be having a bath soon and using one of his new towels. I was worried he would think it was a dorky gift, but I shouldn't have been. He was so excited.

Being a novice at sewing, it was really, really exciting to make something for someone else and have it turn out and be appreciated.

We always give a gift to Julie on Sam's birthday (and a gift to Sam on Julie's birthday) so I gave her a towel as well.



We went to my mom's house for burgers and cake for Sam's family party.



The table was so loud with the kids talking and joking. I love loud & happy family dinners like that. I am so crazy about my family.

This week I will be doing the children's laundry and getting them packed and ready to go to their grandparents for the weekend. My inlaws are coming for them on Thursday afternoon and we'll pick them up on Sunday to bring them home. I'm sad already. I miss them when they're away. Jordan will be home with us, and we're hoping to find someone to watch her for a few hours so we can go and see a movie.

That's all....Happy Monday!

Saturday Night Sewing Project

I don't know what came over me today, but I was overcome by the urge to sew something. My beloved sewing machine, Sassy Susie, has been at my mom's house since my last sewing project.

So... I decided that today I would try to sew something all by myself, something I haven't done before. I have always sewn under parental supervision.

Hi Mom!

I've been told by a couple of people that pillowcases are easy to make, so that's what I decided to do.

Before we even started looking at fabrics, I was distracted by this piece of adorableness, just as I was when I was there last week:



I wondered if Sassie Susie would fit in it so I could transport her easily since I don't have a carrying case for her. The starting price was $45.99 marked down to $22.49.

I couldn't say no.

Good thing I didn't because Susie fits perfectly inside.

Score!

After looking around for a short bit, Julie and I chose these prints and I purchased a metre of each:



She liked that the pattern was summery. I liked that it was only $3.00 / metre.

We swung by my mom's to pick up my machine and headed home. Once the girls were in bed, I set up the ironing board and iron, and plugged Susie in.

I turned on my ipod and got into the zone.

I was really surprised at how quickly I finished the first pillowcase.

I wanted to squeal with self-satisfaction but didn't, because I didn't feel like putting the kids back to sleep again.

After fitting a pillow into the case, I discovered that not only was it too long, but it was too wide. I ripped out my stitches and took the width in by a few inches.

Here's Julie's pillowcase:



Oh yeah, I was on a roll, so I sewed Jordan's pillowcase as well:



Pretty easy!

Sam wants me to make one for him too, so I guess I'll be heading back to the fabric store tomorrow.

If you're looking for a weekend sewing project that doesn't take up too much time or effort, this is the way to go.

My Not-Sew-Easy Sewing Project

I think I am now sufficiently rested enough to tell you about my arduous sewing project.

Ok it wasn't that bad. I just have a short attention span and I get frustrated quickly. Good thing my Mama is such a patient lady.

Saturday morning, Ian dropped us all off at my Mama's and he headed into the office for the day. After a short break, Mama cracked her whip lovingly suggested we get started. She had taken Sassie Susie to Singer the night before so that the tech could show her how the pesky bobbin goes in and to re-attach the presser foot that had fallen off in my hand.

Did you catch my terminology there? I said presser foot. I'm not fooling around here, peeps.

Here's another shot of my new BFF Sassie Susie:



She's lovely, is she not?

Here is the pattern I chose:



In case you can't tell, it's a nightgown. I chose pink flannel as my fabric.

My wrinkly crinkly pattern fresh out of the envelope:



I ironed it then cut it out:



Pinning it to the fabric took me awhile because I had to make sure my pins were perfectly aligned. I kept pricking myself. I didn't like that part so much.



After repeatedly asking my Mama if it was pinned correctly and was she absolutely sure it was ready to be cut, I said a last-minute prayer then cut out the pieces:



Oh heck yeah, I was on a roll.

Until I looked at the instructions.



I was all "what the..." so I decided my Mama would be the Keeper Of The Instructions and I would just do what she told me to.

I don't have any pictures of me actually sewing because I was so incredibly frustrated on fire that I didn't take any.

I did, however, learn how to re-thread my machine. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Here is my Mama pinning the sleeve-to-be into the arm hole:



I hated sewing those sleeves-to-be into the tiny armholes.

I did like sewing this little lacy hem type thing along the edge of the sleeves-to-be, however:



This project took all day. All.day. I made a lot of mistakes and had to rip out a lot of stitches. I wanted to fire it across the room a few times. But my ever patient Mama kept me on track and I finished.

See?



When I was finished sewing the last bit and turned it right-side-out, I started to cry. It was far from perfect, but I finished it.

As soon as we got home, I put it on Jordan. We were all telling her how pretty she looked and she just beamed. She kept rubbing her hands on the front of it and swishing all around while she walked.



Again, far from perfect, but I wasn't expecting perfection. I can see what I did wrong and what things I will do differently next time. I'm going out tomorrow night to buy another piece of fabric to make another one, just to get used to it.

So...whatcha think?