Sew Much Ado

Lydia Typewriter Quilt

2012-03-19T06:30:00.000-06:00

We are officially out of boxes! That doesn't mean that we're officially organized, but I was able to find the fabric I needed to sew this little quilt last week, so I'm feeling pretty good :).

First off, although I did design the fabric on Spoonflower, I can't take credit for the actual idea for the fabric. My little sister Audy (who, like me, is due in April with a girl after having two boys), found these typewriter quilts by Petunias on Etsy, and asked me to make similar fabric for her baby's quilt. I hope she's sure on the name...

I backed the quilt with rose bud ivory minky (you can read my tips on sewing with minky here), and I have to say it looks pretty cozy!

No-Bake Energy Bites

2012-03-16T06:30:00.000-06:00

My food board on Pinterest seems to be filling up with chocolately goodness lately, and I'm determined to actually try some of the recipes I've pinned. Knowing that I'll likely eat all of whatever it is I make, I started with one of the healthier recipes on my board, No-Bake Energy Bites from Smashed Peas and Carrots. If you want to make these yourself, make sure to go directly to her recipe, where she gives lots of ideas for substitutions.

Since I don't normally keep chocolate chips in the house (they always disappear before I get to actually bake with them), I substituted 1/4 cup cocoa for the mini chocolate chips, and they were perfectly chocolatey. I'm sure I would have also loved the chocolate chips though, especially with the bit of crunch they'd add. I also substituted the 1/2 cup flaxseed for 1/3 cup oat bran, since that's what I had on hand.

No-Bake Energy Bites (from Smashed Peas and Carrots)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed (I used 1/3 cup oat bran and 1/4 cup cocoa)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I omitted)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

I thought these were quite yummy and a fun little snack. I had a hard time saving the last four till the next morning for photos, and you can believe that they were gone soon after the photos were snapped!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-03-13T20:42:00.001-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I hope you are all having a great week so far!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Car Seat Canopy Tent

2012-03-12T06:30:00.000-06:00

You didn't think I was done with Heirloom yet, did you? Of course I'm not :). There's still a few prints I haven't sewn with yet. At the rate I'm going, that probably won't be true for long though! That just means I'm being productive, right? Ahem.

I made this car seat canopy tent for my sister Ada who was due with a baby boy at the end of March. She had a nice surprise last week when her baby was born three weeks early while they were on a quick family trip in another city! Like me, her last baby was born just before the car seat canopy craze began, so hopefully this will come in handy this time for her!

I felt like there was almost too much green between the two fabrics, so I added some blue piping to break it up a bit and to give it just a bit of detail while still keeping it boyish.

There are more than plenty tutorials for car seat tents online that are super, but if you're looking for a girly version, you can go here for a tutorial of my gathered version :).

U-Create Creative Guest

2012-03-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Today you can find me over at U-Create, where I'm sharing a free pattern for this faux chenille bunny!

Go here to check it out!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-03-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

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Two More Blankets

2012-03-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

I got a couple more simple serged receiving blankets done before we moved. At the time, I was thinking I was just about blanketed-out, but now that I haven't had access to my machine for a bit, I'm ready to tackle the rest of my projects!

Both prints are from JoAnn - I bought the polka dots years ago but they still keep it regularly in stock. It was nice to use up a couple more flannel prints from my stash - it'll soon be time to start re-stocking!

Pattern Giveaway Winners

2012-03-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

The three winners of the pattern giveaway are...

Katy Rose

jac.

Hannah

Thanks to all who entered! If you're a winner you'll be getting an email from me soon!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-02-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! What have you been busy doing this week?

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On The Move

2012-02-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's official, we're on our way to Seattle! I don't know how I feel about using an exclamation mark after that sentence, actually. As I'm trying to look ahead to new adventures and settling in, I of course have a lot of mixed emotions and am sad to be leaving Utah and our friends and family here.

It will, however, be nice to be done with cleaning and organizing (lucky for us, Joel's company hired movers to do ALL the packing - I highly recommend it!). Hmm, I guess I'll always have cleaning and organizing to do, but it'll be nice to get back to a regular routine. I can't tell you how many times I've had the urge even this weekend to slice open a box or two and do some sewing. I did manage to resist though. I'm sure my sanity will thank me for it later :).

Today is also Joel and I's 8th anniversary, which I'm sure we'll celebrate with a nice dinner at a drive-through some point along our drive. We like to keep it classy. Check back tonight for our We Did It! Wednesday linky party, and the pattern giveaway winners will be announced later this week too!

Tips For Sewing With Minky Fabric

2012-02-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

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One of the most common thoughts I hear about sewing with minky fabric is how difficult it is to sew with. Many people, especially beginners are too nervous to try sewing with it for fear of diaster! The good news is that with these few easy tips, anyone can be successful sewing with minky - even you!

Minky Tip #1:
Don't allow the fabric to stretch as you cut it. This is especially important if you'll be sewing it to another non-minky piece of fabric, which most likely won't have any stretch. Let the fabric lay flat, and adding a few pins here and there to keep the selvages together (if you're cutting with a folded edge) can help to reduce it slipping out of place while cutting.

Minky Tip #2:
Pin, Pin, Pin!!! Was that clear? Whether you're sewing minky to minky, or minky to another fabric, pinning every 1" along the edges of the fabric will make a huge difference as you sew. Not enough pins means that the fabric will likely slide under the presser foot, and stretch as the feed dogs try to guide it, which can result in puckers. I'm not exaggerating when I recommend to pin it every 1". Even a 2" gap between pins can allow the minky to slip and stretch. It'll be more than worth the extra time it takes to pin every 1".

Minky Tip #3:

Use a Walking Foot, also called an Even Feed Foot. I know a lot of people who don't think a walking foot is necessary and get by without one, but they are so worth the $20-$30 investment. I purchased a generic brand on Amazon for around $20, and it works wonders. The brand I use is Distinctive, and will fit most sewing machines. A walking foot has feed dogs on the presser foot, allowing both the top and bottom layers of fabric to be grabbed and pulled along at the same rate. Normally fabric is guided by the bottom feed dogs on your machine only. Having the fabric fed evenly under the presser foot is another huge help in preventing the fabric from slipping and stretching while being sewn.

If you are absolutely against using a walking foot, make sure to sew with the minky fabric on the bottom, so it will be guided by the feed dogs on your machine. But, like I said, use a walking foot :).

Minky Tip #4:

Prewash any fabrics being sewn with the minky. Minky will not shrink, so does not need to be prewashed, but always prewash all other fabrics being used in the project to prevent any shrinking problems with your finished project.

Minky Tip #5:

Do not iron minky. If you're sewing a blanket with minky and cotton, for example, keep the heat on low even if ironing on the cotton side to prevent any damage to the minky. Too much heat can ruin any dots or other embossing on the minky.

Minky Tip #6:

Pay attention to the nap of the minky. Make sure the nap is laying the direction you want before cutting it. Also keep in mind that topstitching in the direction that the nap lays flat will give you a nicer finished product.

Following these simple tips will make your life (at least when you're sewing with minky!) a whole lot easier and more enjoyable. Do you have any other tips to add that have made sewing with minky easier for you? Please share!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-02-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Let's get straight to this week's party!

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Bunny Quilt

2012-02-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

I made this bunny quilt with the fabric I designed using Spoonflower (you can read more about my adventures with that here).

The bunny fabric is 100% cotton and I used minky dots on the reverse side so it will be nice and snuggly for my little bunny.

Bunnies were always my favorite animal growing up, and I may have taken Flopsy, my stuffed bunny, to college with me, so my little girl may have to fight me for it. That was a joke. Totally.

I learned a LOT with my first fabric designing attempt, and am excited to give it another go! Oh, and I'll soon be sharing some tips for problem-free sewing with minky, so stay tuned!

Pattern Giveaway!

2012-02-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

With a couple of new patterns in the works, I thought it would be a great time for a giveaway! Three readers will each win a PDF pattern of their choice from my shop.

You can choose from...

Cirque d'Elephant Quilt Pattern

Gathers & Giggles Quilt Pattern

Mommy & Mia Apron Pattern

Ruby Lou Doll Pattern

To enter, just leave a comment with your email address (I'll hide the entries and email addresses after the giveaway closes)! If your email address is linked to your blogger profile, you can leave it out.

One comment/entry per person. If you need to edit or add a second comment, please delete your first comment. Giveaway ends Friday, February 24th at 9pm MST. Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Sew Much Ado after giveaway closes. Open to international entries.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-02-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I hope you're enjoying your Valentine's Day and have been able to spend some time with someone special!

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Mollie Makes

2012-02-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

When I was contacted by an editor for Mollie Makes Magazine who wanted to feature one of my projects in their Valentine's issue, I was tickled pink! Mollie Makes is a UK magazine who has really filled a void in the craft magazine field over the past year, as is quickly growing in popularity around the world, including here in the US. You can find copies at Barnes & Noble and JoAnn, but only if you're on the ball - most stores sell out of the copies they have quickly. You can also download the Mollie Makes app for free and then purchase digital copies for your Iphone or Ipad.

You can imagine my delight when I opened Issue 10 of the magazine to find this, a feature of my Fabric Flower Valentine Wreath Tutorial as part of their "Romantic Looks" article.

I have to admit it's kinda fun to see my tutorial in print. If you haven't read Mollie Makes yet, do yourself a favor and pick up an issue!

Any exciting Valentine plans for tomorrow? Have a great day!

Newborn Ruffle Fabric Diaper Cover Tutorial and Free Pattern

2012-02-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

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When I received a package of ruffle fabric from rufflefabric.com, I couldn't wait to get my hands (or my sewing machine!) on it. I've checked everywhere online, and I have to say that Ruffle Fabric definitely has the best selection around. If it's available anywhere else, you'll find it in their shop, and usually for a better price! They were also a pleasure to deal with, and their fabric, as you can see, is gorgeous!

We are soon to add a baby girl to our family, and I can't imagine anything sweeter than newborn photos with a little girl wearing a ruffly diaper cover. I've heard from many of you who are also expecting a girl this spring or summer, and wanted to share this free pattern with you for a Ruffle Fabric Diaper Cover!

As newborn photos are usually taken within the first week or so after birth, this pattern is sized to fit a baby up to 9 pounds. But, since ruffle fabric is stretchy and super forgiving when it comes to sizing, many babies will be able to continue to wear the diaper cover for their first few months.

Materials:

1/3 yd ruffle fabric (you can find the pink I used here)

1/4" elastic - 1 15" piece

1/2" elastic - 2 9" pieces

ball point needle

Click HERE to download and print pattern pieces.

Directions:

1. Print pattern pieces. Ensure your printer is not set to scale the pattern. Cut pattern pieces out along solid and dashed lines and tape together along dashed lines. Normally a diaper cover could be cut on the fold, but since ruffle fabric is a bit trickier to cut out (I'll give some specific tips below), we're going to use a full pattern piece that's not on the fold.

2. Lay pattern pieces on ruffle fabric and cut out as directed, aligning top of pattern pieces just below point where one ruffle is attached (flip that ruffle up and out of the way while cutting). This will give enough width of non-ruffled fabric to use for the waistband casing.

A couple of other tips to keep in mind when cutting out your pieces:

When cutting the sides and curves of each piece, make sure that the ruffles are always laying flat as they would naturally fall.

When cutting the bottom of each piece, flip the ruffle nearest the bottom up so it does not get in the way of cutting.

A few tips before we start sewing with ruffle fabric:
* Since ruffle fabric is a knit, always use a ballpoint needle.
* Before pinning and sewing ANY seam, always make sure every ruffle is laying flat and in place. Sewing in the direction that the ruffles are laying will help them to stay put while being sewn (example: sew the side seams from the top of the diaper cover towards the bottom).
* Pin, pin, pin! I can't say that enough, especially on any curved edges, where it's more difficult to keep the ruffles in place as their sewn.
* Don't stretch the fabric as it's sewn. Allow the feed dogs on your machine to gently guide fabric through.
* Sergers work great with ruffle fabric, but I like to sew the seams with a sewing machine first and serge afterwards to give myself the opportunity to unpick any areas where the ruffles might have gotten out of place when sewn. Do what works best for you :).
* Ruffle fabric raw edges will not fray, so if you don't have a serger, you can just leave the raw edges after they're stitched - no need to zigzag.

3. Pin and stitch front and back pieces together at sides and bottom edges, leaving leg holes open and using a 1/2" seam allowance. The ruffle nearest the waistband should be flipped upwards toward the top of the diaper cover while sewing the side seams (I didn't do this, but I'll explain why you should in a later step). When stitching the bottom seam, you may have to decrease your seam allowance to avoid stitching into a row of ruffles - I only had about a 1/4" seam allowance on the bottom in this case, but use 1/2" if you can.

Your ruffles should be laying nice and flat (your top ruffle will be facing upward though, right?).

4. Turn top of diaper cover 3/4"-1" (depending how much fabric you have before the next row of ruffles) to the wrong side and pin in place, with the first row of ruffle flipped upward and out of the way of the pins.

If you had sewn the side seams with the top row flipped upward, you would not see this at the side seams, which makes it more difficult to sew the waistband casing without catching the top row of ruffles:

5. Stitch close to edge of pinned waistband, forming a casing for elastic, and leaving an opening to insert elastic. Pay special attention to keeping ruffles out of the way of the seam.

6. Pin one leg opening 1/2" toward wrong side of fabric, using plenty of pins to keep ruffles in place.

7. Stitch close to edge of pinned edge, forming a casing for elastic and leaving an opening to insert elastic. It's tricky to keep the ruffles perfectly in place as you sew around the curves, so chances are you'll have a few areas of imperfection where the ruffles got caught up. The good news is that once the elastic is in, no one else will know, so don't worry a whole lot about it (for the record, it pains me to say that).

8. Repeat steps 6-7 with remaining leg opening.

9. Use a safety pin to insert a 9" piece (you can adjust the length of elastic based on the size of your baby's thighs - take off a bit for an extra tiny baby, add a bit for a chubby baby, or if you want the cover to fit longer, you may also want to add a bit extra length) of 1/4" elastic into casing of one leg opening. Overlap elastic ends 1/2" and sew together using a zig zag stitch. Repeat with other leg opening and stitch opening of each casing closed.

10. Use a safety pin to insert a 15" piece (again, adjust the length as needed) of 1/2" elastic into waistband casing. Overlap ends 1/2" and sew together using a zig zag stitch. Stitch casing opening closed.

Great work! Your diaper cover is ready to be worn on a cute little behind :).

I'm excited to share some pics of our little one wearing her ruffle fabric diaper cover when the time comes, but in the meantime, please share pics of your covers in the Sew Much Ado Flickr group - I'd love to check them out!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-02-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Time to show off your latest and greatest!

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Nursing Cover

2012-02-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

I made this nursing cover recently, and I have to admit I love the fabric even more every time I look at it. I'm not a person that loves a lot of things, whether it's fabric, home decor, or anything that's not edible (also with the exception of my husband and lovely children, ahem), but I really do love this print. It's another print from Joel Dewberry's Heirloom line, and I may have purchased 3 yards just in case I needed to make a diaper bag out of it as well.

{don't mind the gymnastics going on in the background :)}

I think the mocha colored background is so beautiful with the pink and green. I'm really enjoying this whole sewing for a baby girl thing!

You can find my nursing cover tutorial here!

Spoonflower Fabric

2012-02-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Spoonflower? It's a great site that lets you design your own fabric and have it printed. I wasn't too familiar with it until my sister asked me to design a specific print for a quilt for her baby girl that's soon to arrive. At the same time, I thought I might as well design something for my own little bundle.

I'd say that my sister's fabric turned out exactly as we wanted it. The colors came out beautiful and I love the simple design. Can you guess what she'll be naming her baby?

Since I have a thing for bunnies, I wanted to create a design of bunnies filled with random/vintage-y prints and colors for a quilt. The colors didn't all print as I had hoped (surely as a result of my own inexperience), but overall I think I'm happy. Ya know when you've looked at something for so long and so many times that you don't know what to think anymore? That's kind of the point I'm at with it.

If you look closely, the orange bunny has a pink pattern within it, and the brown has little purple clouds, but you'd probably miss the details if you weren't looking for them or happened to be squinting at the moment. It was definitely a learning experience though, and I'll know some things to do differently for next time!

I do highly recommend Spoonflower though. They have excellent customer service, and the design possibilities really are endless. You can also purchase other designers' fabric on their site - but just know you've been warned, there are some amazing prints that you may not be able to resist :).

I'll be sharing the finished projects soon!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-01-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! 2012 is already flying by, and I'm excited to see what you've been up to!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Hit the road, Jack...

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Guess what?

We're moving...

To Seattle...

Next month!

Yikes. Joel is starting on a new project with the same company he works for now, so it's going to be a busy month (especially considering we were given less than three weeks notice about the move :)). Should be fun though, I'm ready for a new adventure, and it's nice to finally know what state I'll be having my baby in. Our first two kids were born in Arizona and Florida, so it only makes sense that our third is born in Washington, right? Hmm...

The good news is that I've got about 10 baby projects completed that I surely would have procrastinated for as long as possible, so I'll still have lots to share with you through all the mayhem that's going to be my life for the next several weeks.

So, any of you from Seattle? Please tell me I'll love it and that you've been waiting for a new best friend to move into town :).

Della Flannel Blanket

2012-01-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

I had enough Della flannel left over after making my niece a blanket to make another receiving blanket, so I got that checked off my list this week.

I decided to use pink jumbo rick rack, which always gives a simple blanket the perfect touch, doesn't it?

Now I just need to use up the rest of the fabric and make some burp cloths! It feels so good to be using so much girly fabric and I'm even more excited to get to use the finished projects soon - just over 12 weeks to go!

You can find my tutorial for a rick rack receiving blanket here!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-01-24T21:04:00.001-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Sorry for the late start tonight, I was at the fabric store and lost track of time... Good excuse, right?

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Pinterest Love...

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

With Valentine's Day just over a month away, the Valentine's pins are beginning to flood into Pinterest (you can follow me here).

Here are just a few fun Valentine-sy things that I've pinned...

Print from LoveSugar on Etsy...

Valentine oreos from Thirty Handmade Days. Why does it seem like a pink cookie would just taste better?

Valentine cards from Grace & Ivy...

Valentine pretzels from Love From The Oven...

Lace hearts from Michelle Made Me...

Kneader's raspberry bread pudding from Purple Chocolat Home...

And lastly, a paper mailbox template for Valentine cards from Simply Modern Mom...

I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be trying the edible projects first, how about you?

Simplest Serged Receiving Blankets

2012-01-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

I bought this fabric years ago on clearance and was pleasantly surprised to find it in one of my fabric bins the other day. It's Michael Miller's Disco Dot, which is still one of my favorite flannel prints. It also comes in pink and gray which would be on it's way to me right now if it wasn't on backorder :).

I had enough yardage to make two large single layer receiving blankets. I made a couple before Wyatt was born, and they were some of my very favorites when he was little, especially in the summer when it was hot (surprise, surprise, his were also made out of Disco Dot, but in blue).

Making these blankets can't get any simpler. I cut them as large as the fabric width would allow - about 40"x40", and serged around all four sides.

I've never found blankets close to 40" in stores, so for me these are a staple! They are the perfect size for swaddling a new baby without adding a ton of bulk.

What's your favorite blanket for swaddling a baby? Anything that's a must for you?

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-01-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I've spent the last few evenings working on some designs to be printed with Spoonflower, and can't wait to get them in the mail!

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Your Peasant Dresses

2012-01-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today I'm excited to share a few peasant dresses made by YOU! I was so lucky to have help from some great testers before I posted the official pattern, and I think you'll agree that they did a great job!

Amy is due with a baby herself right away, but made a dress for her best friend's little girl (and blogged about it here).

Am I really going to have one of these soon? I hope mine's as sweet!

I love the pleated hem that Sheri added to her dress...

I'm pretty sure this baby could make anything look cute!

Marty sewed this cute red dress:

And doesn't every baby need a little animal print in her wardrobe? Here's Lilly in the dress her mom, Dina made for her.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your dresses! If you've used the pattern (available for free here), be sure to share some pics in the Sew Much Ado Flickr Group!

A Bit of Organization

2012-01-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Don't even the smallest changes feel so good sometimes? If you haven't noticed, I reorganized my tutorials page the other day and I have to admit I've clicked on it a few times myself just to see it in it's new state.

Rather than scroll through the long list of tutorials in random order, my tutorial are now grouped into three categories: For Little Ones, For Her, and For The Home.

You can go here to check the new page out - my hope is that you'll have an easier time finding what you're looking for, so let me know what you think!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-01-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I'm ready to knock a few more things off my to-do list this week, so wish me luck! Last week I finished up the Infant Peasant Dress Free Pattern, so check it out if you missed it. I was lucky to have some great testers give me some feedback before it was posted, and I'll be sharing their dresses with you soon!

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Infant Peasant Dress Free Pattern and Tutorial

2012-01-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

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Doesn't every baby girl need a dress that's just as sweet as she is?

This simple peasant dress pattern is sized 0-3m (approximately 8-12lbs), and is an easy project that is great for all sewing abilities, even beginners.

The elastic neckline makes for an easy on and off, keeping both you and your little one smiling :).

A peasant dress pattern with more sizes and plenty of options may be coming soon to my shop, but enjoy this free infant pattern in the meantime! Please remember that this pattern is for personal use only :).

Materials:
3/4 yd 100% quilting cotton fabric (45” wide)
1/4" wide elastic – approximately 30”
optional: rick rack for trim hem (40" in length)

Click HERE to download pattern pieces.

Instructions:

*All seam allowances to be 3/8" unless otherwise noted.*
1. Print pattern pieces. Make sure your printer is set to print at 100% and not to scale the file down in size. Lay out fabric with both selvage edges folded in to center of fabric (creating two folded edges - on on each side with the selvages in the middle of the fabric) and right side inward. Cut out fabric pieces as directed on pattern pieces. If you prefer a plain hem rather than rick rack trim, add an extra 1/4-1/2" to the bottom of the bodice pattern. The length of the dress is designed to hit midthigh so it can be worn with tights or legwarmers, so feel free to add some extra length if you wish to make it longer!

2. Right sides together, pin and stitch one sleeve piece at curve to armhole curve on one bodice piece.

3. Right sides together, pin and stitch remaining sleeve piece at curve to remaining curve on bodice piece.

4. Serge or zig zag raw edges and press seams (technically seams should always be pressed toward the bodice, but I pressed them toward the sleeves so take your pick).

5. Right sides together, pin and stitch remaining curve on sleeves to armhole curves of remaining bodice piece. Serge or zig zag raw edges and press seams.

6. If using a serger, serge bottom of each sleeve, removing ¼" of fabric. If not using a serger, press bottom of each sleeve ¼” toward wrong side of fabric.

7. Press bottom of each sleeve ½” toward wrong side (if not using serger the bottom of each sleeve will now have two folds). You can do this step after you sew the side seams in step 9 if you wish, but pressing them now gives more room to work with and I personally find it easier.

8. If using a serger, serge around neckline, removing ¼” of fabric. If not using a serger, press top of neckline ¼” toward wrong side of fabric. Press neckline ½” toward wrong side (if not using serger the neckline will now have two folds).

9. Right sides together, stitch dress together at each side from bottom of dress through folded edge of sleeve, unfolding pressed edge on sleeve. Serge or zig zag raw side seams and press seams.

10. Fold each sleeve back along pressed edge and stitch close serged/folded edge of fabric, forming a casing for elastic and leaving a small opening (it'll be a bit tricky to maneuver around your sewing machine so take your time and it'll turn out great).

11. Stitch close to serged/pressed edge of fabric at neckline, forming a casing for elastic and leaving a small opening.

12. Cut 2 pieces of elastic, each 7" in length. On each sleeve, insert elastic through opening using a safety pin and stitch ends together using a zig zag stitch, overlapping elastic ½” on each end.
Note: 7" of elastic will allow for a chubby baby's arm circumference. If after inserting your elastic it looks a bit loose for your baby, you may want to trim 1/2"-1" off the elastic before stitching the ends together.

13. Stitch opening closed on each sleeve.

14. Cut 12” length of elastic. Insert elastic through opening using a safety pin and stitch ends together using a zig zag stitch, overlapping elastic ½” on each end. Stitch opening closed.

15. Serge bottom hem of dress, removing ¼” of fabric, or press hem ¼” toward wrong side of fabric (if you're adding rick rack to the hem you'll also want to zig zag stitch the raw edge before pressing it).

If not sewing rick rack trim at hem: Press hem another ½” toward wrong side of fabric. Stitch close to folded edge around entire hem of dress.

16. For rick rack trim, align outer scalloped edge of rick rack with bottom edge of dress and stitch around entire circumference of bottom of dress down center of rick rack. Overlap rick rack at beginning and end and trim excess.

17. Press rick rack to wrong side of fabric, leaving one scalloped edge exposed on right side of dress. Topstitch close to edge of fabric around entire hem of dress.

Great job, you are done!

Be sure to share your finished dresses in the Sew Much Ado Flickr group!

A little help?

2012-01-05T17:09:00.002-07:00

I'm happy to say that with the coming of the New Year, I seemed to have regained some lost sewing mojo. I've spent my sewing time this week working on this...

And this...

And more importantly, as you requested, the free pattern to go along with it! The 0-3m pattern is pretty much complete, and I'm hoping to share it with all of you on Monday.

If you have a 0-3m old (approximately 8-12lbs) of your own, and want a quick weekend project (the dress takes about 1hr to sew), I'd love to have a few of you give the pattern a go before I post it, so I can make any final sizing adjustments if needed. I'm always a little anal about details like getting the elastic armholes sized just right, so it would be great to have some feedback from some of you who can actually try the dress on your infant. If you're interested and could complete the dress by Sunday, just ~~email me~~! Update: Thanks so much for the great response! I've sent out emails and info!

We Did It! Wednesday

2012-01-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Happy New Year! What's on your list to get accomplished this year? I won't start on mine, it's way too long :). I'm excited to see what you've been up to as we start 2012!

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Doll House

2012-01-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

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Today's post brings me back to being young again (insert sigh...). I grew up playing with a dollhouse that my Uncle Ken made for us, and have such fond memories of it. The dollhouse still sits in my parent's basement, and now all their granddaughters love to play with it when they visit.

My mom used carpet, wallpaper, and paint from my sister and I's bedroom when we were small, and it's pretty sweet to see the next generation playing with it now.

Although I have to wait a few more months to have my own daughter, a couple of my nieces are at perfect ages to play with dollhouses, and my sister Ada had her husband make two dollhouses before Christmas - one for their daughter Olivia and one for my brother's daughter, Scarlett.

Ada and my SIL Angie wanted the dollhouses to be built just like the one my Uncle Ken made for us, and got just that! I think Ada would have to give her husband props for following her directions so well, hehe. He built the houses, and Ada and Angie did all the decorating and furnishings for each of their own daughters.

Today I'm sharing a close look at the dollhouse Angie decorated. It was too cute to not have a post of it's own. Ada's is equally as cute and pics of it will be soon to follow! All photos of Angie's dollhouse are courtesy of her :).

The flooring is extra carpet and laminate from Angie's house, and the "wallpaper" is Mod Podged scrapbook paper.

Angie was pretty proud of herself for making this little bed all on her own. I was pretty proud of her too, anything involving sharp objects usually doesn't end well with me.

Have you seen anything more adorable than the tiny chandelier in the dining room? Angie found it randomly in the Christmas isle at Walmart. It was meant to be a tree ornament, but is pretty perfect for all of Barbie's dinner parties, I think :).

Angie made the table and chairs with some scraps of wood and some small precut wood pieces from the hardware store.

The red curtains are the perfect addition to the dining room, aren't they?

I love the fireplace and mantle she made for the living room. Couch also compliments of Angie's wood working skills.

And doesn't every dollhouse need crown molding?

The small frames were found at Michael's (and Angie added the monogram), and small beads used for the door handles.

The cozy striped bedroom...

I like the contrast that the white trim on the windows and scalloping creates next to the dark stained wood.

I remember loving playing in the attic, and with the ladder that leads up to it.

Scarlett was a happy girl this Christmas (although she did comment she wanted a dollhouse with an elevator), and it's endearing to think that her dollhouse will probably get as much use as ours' has over the last 25 or so years!

Hand Sanitizer Holders

2011-12-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

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I made a few of these hand sanitizer holders for Christmas gifts this year, and now that they've been given, I can show you!

I used Christie from A Lemon Squeezy Home's hand sanitizer holder tutorial, and it was great!

They were simple and fun to make, which is always my favorite type of project :).

Christie suggests to use buttons and velcro for closures, but my laziness decided to use snaps instead. It seems like my laziness runs the show around here lately...

This is one of those projects that's great to keep in your back pocket for when you need a gift, and I'm sure I'll be using Christie's tutorial again!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-12-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! Let's get straight to today's party!

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Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Regardless of your religion, I hope you are able to spend this time with family, friends, and remembering the reason for this wonderful holiday.

Easy Canvas Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

The winner of the 8"x10" photo canvas from Easy Canvas is...

emily eve!!!

I'll be emailing you, Emily! Thanks to all who entered!

I also have to say thanks on all the great feedback on the infant peasant dress I made recently. It sounds like you'd all like the pattern, so I'll be sharing that with you soon!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-12-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Any last Christmas projects that you're still finishing up?

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Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

We had Joel's brothers and their wives over the other night and made gingerbread houses.

Due to everyone getting ready to leave town for Christmas, we ended up changing our plans to make the gingerbread dough ourselves and opted for graham crackers. I also figured that the miniature houses would be a safer bet for my kids :).

Weston loved decorating his tiny house and as long as it had candy canes and butterflies, he was happy. Bed head and shirtless-ness courtesy of photos the next morning :).

We learned a few things along the way, like the fact that we bought WAY too much candy (kind of sounds like an oxy moron, doesn't it?). We probably only used about a tenth of what we bought, but at least we didn't run out, haha!

Wyatt's house somehow turned into a train, which is no surprise if you know the kid... It was fun to see him working so hard to build it.

I love doing things like this with kids and letting them have free reign. Things don't turn out perfect, but they're still as happy as can be, which is something I hope I'll one day learn for myself. My only regret is the sugar coma I've been in all day, which unfortunately hasn't stopped me from eating the extra candy. Yikes.

Little Peasant Dress

2011-12-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. You see, before I knew that we were expecting a girl, I had visions in my head of everything I wanted to make if we found out we were having a girl. I knew that as soon as I heard the words "It's a girl!" I would be bursting to get started on a million different projects, which would all be completed in record time, of course.

Well, lucky for me we did find out that we're having a girl, but instead of me being on a sewing fast track, I was more like a dear in headlights! I'm not sure what it has been, but it wasn't until today that I finally made something for the little one coming. I think it has something to do with the fact that everything I imagined is now on the to-do list rather than the would be fun to-do list.

Knowing me, if I sit down and write a list of everything I'd both like to and need to get accomplished, I'll feel relaxed and have a great time knocking things off the list, but up until now it's been more of a feeling of anxiety. Can anyone relate?

I already feel so much better after making this little dress. I think I just needed a start perhaps. I drafted up the peasant dress pattern, which is yet another thing I've wanted to do for a long time, and it was sewn up in no time.

I sized the dress to fit 0-3 months, which is always tricky because every baby is so different. If she's extra tiny, it'll just fit for longer, right?

One thing I love about peasant dresses is they're so versatile and can double as a tunic to wear with leggings and often even as a shirt as the little girl grows.

I kept the dress super simple, and added rick rack at the hem for just a bit of detail.

Here's my question for you... Would you like me to share a pattern for this dress? I'm thinking of offering the 0-3 month infant size as a free pattern, and then follow up with more sizes and some cute options in a full PDF pattern. Let me know your thoughts :).

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-12-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?! I am so excited, and also so grateful for online shopping! I don't think I bought even one thing from a brick and mortar store this year. Gotta love Amazon, it's made the season so much less stressful and more enjoyable :). How about you, are you almost ready for Christmas?

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Easy Canvas Giveaway

2011-12-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Joel and I ventured out to take photos of our boys. We really should have done family pictures, but I had been sick the whole week before, and I figured it would be better to get pictures of them than no pictures at all.

We headed out of town to some fields and gravels roads. I decided I didn't want to go the old building/colored brick route for a location, it just didn't seem to fit my boys as well.

Thanks to Joel being the entertainment (the no potty talk rule goes out the door when you need kids to smile for a picture), Wyatt and Weston both did really well and I was surprised at how many good shots we came out with.

When I received this canvas in the mail from Easy Canvas, I was so glad we took the time to do pictures. It's always worth it in the end, isn't it?

I was thrilled to see the quality of the colors on the canvas. I've ordered canvas' from other companies before and received them with color distortion, which can be disappointing.

One thing I liked about the ordering process from Easy Canvas is that you have the ability to move the photo around to adjust the area that will be cropped or wrapped around the edge of the canvas, which some companies don't offer. It was really nice to have that option, as I was able to position my photo perfectly on the canvas.

Want to create a photo canvas of your own?

Easy Canvas is giving away a free 8"x10" canvas to one lucky Sew Much Ado reader!

Giveaway Rules:
* Leave a comment telling me what photo you'd love to put on canvas!
* Leave your email address if your Blogger profile is not linked to your email address so I can contact you (really, please do - with our last giveaway I had to pick three different winners before I picked one who I was able to contact).
* For ONE additional entry, follow Sew Much Ado (leave a separate comment for each entry)!

Maximum two entries/comments per person. Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 9pm MST. Winner will be picked randomly through random.org and announced on Sew Much Ado shortly after.

Good luck!

Ruffled Christmas Tree Tutorial

2011-12-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

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In case you missed me over at The Southern Institute last week, here's a new holiday tutorial for you!

I saw this idea for ruffled Christmas trees at Home Goods a month or so ago, and knew they'd be super easy and fun to make on my own. Ready to make your own ruffled, fabric Christmas tree? Let's get started...

Materials:

styrofoam cone - (in this tutorial I used the largest size that JoAnn, Micheal's, etc carries)

wooden star

gold metallic acrylic paint and sponge brush

glue gun and glue sticks

1/3 yd fabric (45" wide) - I used cotton but knit would work well too if you don't want the frayed look :)

Instructions:

1. Cut strips of fabric 2" wide. Using a large styrofoam cone, I used 5 strips that were 2" x 45" (the width of my fabric).

2. Right sides together, stitch all strips together end to end, into one long strip using 1/4" seam allowances. Press seam allowances open.

3. Using a basting or gathering stitch (longest stitch length on your machine), stitch 1/4" from the edge along the entire length of your fabric strip. To make gathering easier, you can adjust your machine's tension to a 9 (or highest tension setting), and it will form soft gathers as it stitches.

4. Pulling on top threads only, gather length of strip, or adjust gathers as needed if you let your machine do the work :).

5. Loosely wrap the gathered strip around your cone to ensure you have enough length to cover the entire cone. If your strip is a bit short, you can release some of the gathers and make them less full to add more length.

6. Using your glue gun, place a few inches of glue near the gathering stitch on the wrong side of the fabric strip. Attach the glued area to the bottom of the cone, with the bottom edge of the fabric strip aligned with the bottom of the cone.

7. Continue glueing a few inches of the gathered strip at a time to the cone. With each new round, place the gathered strip so it just covers the top of the strip below. I liked the look of the gathering stitch showing, but you can adjust and place your rows closer together if you prefer.

8. When you reach the top of the cone, glue your gathered strip so it covers the top of the cone. It can stick up a bit in the center, which will give the star a better place to rest :). Trim any loose threads.

9. Using your gold metallic paint and sponge brush, paint your wooden star on both sides and allow to dry.

10. Using a couple of dabs of glue, attach the star to the top of your tree along the bottom edge of the star.

That's it, great work!

Enjoy your new little Christmas tree!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for reading!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-12-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I had my ultrasound yesterday, and can say there will be a lot of upcoming ruffles, little dresses, and pink projects! It's been so fun to have two boys, and adding a girl to the mix will definitely keep things exciting around our house, I'm sure :).

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Shabby Apple Dress Winner!

2011-12-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Shabby Apple dress giveaway is...

Kate!

Kate commented, "I'd wear it to church...and anywhere else. I like them on facebook too... :)"

Congratulations, you'll be getting an email from me soon!

Confession

2011-12-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to go here and enter the Shabby Apple dress giveaway!

When I shared this tutorial for a gathered car seat canopy recently, I mentioned that both my sisters are pregnant and I was hoping that at least one would be having a girl. That was true. The part that I left out is that there's more than two sisters in my family pregnant, there's three! I've been secretly hoping that the canopy will be used by me and not by one of my sisters.

I'm due in April, a month after my sisters are both due, and am so excited (and just as nervous to have a third child)! I've kept it quiet around this blog to hopefully not prolong the entire pregnancy, and give me less opportunities to complain, which has been good for me :).

My doctor did a quick ultrasound at my appointment this week after having a concern (everything is fine), and has a guess as to whether my boys will be getting another brother or a sister, but I'll have my official ultrasound on Monday and will hopefully know for sure.

I'm crossing my fingers for an explosion of pink projects at Sew Much Ado, but will of course be just as thrilled with another boy. So there you have it. It feels good to let you all know, and I'll be sure to fill you in after Monday!

Guest Posting at The Southern Institute

2011-12-01T06:25:00.001-07:00

Today you can find me over at The Southern Institute. I'm sharing a new tutorial to make this ruffled Christmas tree! Go check it out and say hi to Jenny, she's pretty nice :).

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-11-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Thanksgiving is over and now Christmas is just around the corner, how exciting! It'll be here before we know it :).

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

2011-11-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

You ladies are going to love this. You already know that Shabby Apple is the place to go for women's dresses, and now, just in time for Christmas and holiday parties, Sew Much Ado readers have a chance to win one!

The Bali Ha'i' dress is a form flattering fitted shape, and just happens to be made in my current favorite color! It has just the right details to make it a perfect dress for any of your holiday happenings.

To enter to win the Bali Ha'i' dress, simply "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know where you'd wear the dress!

If your email address is not linked to your Blogger profile, make sure to leave your email address with your comment (I will hide all email addresses after the winner has been chosen) so I can contact you!

One comment/entry per person. Giveaway is open to anyone with a US mailing address, and ends on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at 9:00pm MST. Winner will be chosen randomly through random.org. Good luck!

Black Friday Pattern Sale - 50% Off!

2011-11-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Alright ladies, since I have no motivation to leave my house during Black Friday this year, I thought I'd bring a sale to you all instead!

~~For a~~ ~~very~~ ~~short time, you can go~~ ~~here~~ ~~and purchase~~ ~~Sew Much Ado PDF Patterns for 50% off with code THANKS50!~~ Sale has ended, thanks to all who took advantage!

Note: The link will take you over to my Etsy shop, where the discount code will work. Didn't know I had an Etsy shop? Haha, I originally listed my first pattern with Etsy, but soon brought it and my subsequent patterns home to my blog. I left my Etsy shop open for cases like this, where discount codes can be used. If you try to purchase patterns through this blog rather than Etsy, there won't be an option to enter the code.

This is a perfect time to get a great deal on some patterns, and just in time to make some handmade gifts for Christmas!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you live in the US!) and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-11-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I'm so looking forward to Joel having a few days off work and doing a whole lot of nothing (which won't happen, I'm sure, but just having the option is a nice thought, isn't it?). What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Will you be travelling? Staying home? I'd love to hear what you'll be up to!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Three Down, One To Go

2011-11-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

When I went to pick up more of this print from Ikea to make another throw pillow or two, I was so disappointed to see that they didn't have any in. I didn't want to make a separate trip later to look again, and decided to see what I had hiding in my stash.

I was soon reminded that I had bought some of Amy Butler's Midwest Modern Home Dec Fabric in orange when it was on clearance more than a couple of years ago. Lucky for me, I had just the perfect amount (literally within 1/4 inch of fabric) to make two more pillow covers for the sad pillows that came with our couch.

Instead of using the envelope method, I decided to use invisible zippers. You can find an excellent tutorial for making pillow covers with invisible zippers here at Sew Katie Did, and she also gives a great tip to use an invisible zipper foot. I can't say I knew those existed, but I found a generic Coats brand package at JoAnn, which was only a couple of dollars. Unfortunately, none of the attachments worked on my Janome machine, but I would bet that you'll have better luck :). For the price, it's at least worth a try!

Orange isn't my favorite color, but it is nice to have another chunk of fabric gone from my sewing room, and is even nicer that I only have one more pillow to make a cover for!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-11-15T20:24:00.001-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Random question of the day... What's all of your opinions on when to put up the Christmas tree? I'm thinking we'll do ours over the Thanksgiving weekend, but we'll see. Wyatt was asking for a "real" tree tonight, and Joel said that he'll only get a real tree if he can cut it down himself (I'm married to a mountain man), so that could prolong the timeline :).

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Gathered Car Seat Canopy Tutorial

2011-11-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

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When Weston was born two and a half years ago, car seat canopys were just coming into existence. It's funny how almost every infant car seat I see now at Walmart or the gym has a canopy. I remember when nursing covers were the same way too, a brand new idea that became a staple for any new nursing mom.

I know what you're thinking... I have two sons, who are well past the age of infant car seat. But, I have two sisters that are both due to have babies in March, and I'm taking my chances that at least one of them will have a girl. Between the two of them, their last four babies have all been boys, so it's not too bad of a gamble, right?!

I've had this idea for a car seat canopy in my mind for months, and when Material Girls tweeted that they just got Sandi Henderson's Secret Garden line in, there was no decision to be made :). It was done.

First off, there are about a million car seat canopy tutorials in blogland, and they're great. I'm not one to try and re-invent the wheel, but there's a few tricks to adding the gathers, which I guessed I'd get questions about, so I thought a tutorial would be the best way to go, showing the step by step process.

Let's get started...

Materials:

1 1/2 yd main fabric (100% quilting cotton recommended)
1 1/2 yd coordinating fabric (100% quilting cotton recommended)

4" sew in velcro (3/4"-1" wide)

5 yd rick rack - 1 3/8" wide was used in this tutorial (optional)

Pieces to Cut:

From main fabric:
see step 1 to begin instructions for cutting gathered panels

straps: 2 pieces 2 1/2"x8"

From coordinating fabric:
reverse of canopy: 36"x42"
center strip on top of canopy: 7"x36"

straps: 2 pieces 2 1/2"x8"

Velcro:

from both hook and loop sides: 2 pieces 1 3/4" long

Instructions:

1. First, we'll make our pattern that we'll use to cut our pieces for the gathered panels. Remember that each car seat is shaped a bit differently, so it's best to have your car seat on hand to measure before you cut your top panel pieces, and please make adjustments as needed. The first few steps are the trickiest if you're new to pattern design, so hang in there and you'll be golden! If you read through the steps before getting started, that should help as well to visualize what we're doing.

The finished size of our canopy will be 35 1/2"x41 1/2". Most car seats will need the panel where the top of the car seat is to be shorter than the panel that covers the bottom portion of the car seat. I took a 42" blanket and determined that I needed 4 extra inches from the handle to the bottom than from the handle to the top of the car seat. Using newspaper, make a rectangle that is 36"x20 1/2", which will be the pattern for the bottom gathered panel. The pattern for the top gathered panel will need to be 36"x16 1/2", but you can just use the larger pattern and cut it down to 16 1/2" after you've used it for the 20 1/2" piece.

Here's a couple examples of an adjustment to the pattern: If you measure your car seat and decide you want the bottom panel only 2" longer that the top panel, you'll need your bottom panel pattern to be 36"x19 1/2" and your top panel pattern to be 36"x17 1/2". If you want a 3" difference, subtract 1 1/2" from the 20 1/2" side and add 1 1/2" to the 16 1/2" side. Basically, whatever difference you need between the top and bottom panels, divide that number by 2, and then subtract that number from 20 1/2", and add it to 16 1/2" to get your new measurements. Feel free to ask questions if that's still confusing :).

2. Cut slits approximately 2" apart across the widest side of the pattern, leaving 1" uncut along the opposite side. Sorry, Rudolf :(...

3. Place the 36"x20 1/2" pattern on your main fabric. If you're fabric is directional, you'll want the side with open slits toward the top of your print. Pin the middle strip to the center of fabric at the top and bottom, and then gently curve the bottom (where you did not cut), and pin the bottom corners. To get the most gathers for the width of the fabric, pin the tops of the outermost strips to the edge of the fabric, making sure the strips are as straight as possible. You'll notice that the bottom curve of the pattern will buckle a bit, but that's fine. Spread the remaining strips, pinning so they have fairly equal spaced between each one.

If your fabric is non-directional, you can even turn the pattern piece 90 degrees and spread the slits out even farther apart, which will give room for fuller gathers.

Note: Wonder why all this fuss to make our gathered panels? Remember that we only want gathers where the main fabric meets the center contrast strip, but not at the top or bottom ends of the canopy. If we were to simply add width to the piece, we'd have the extra width at the top and bottom of the canopy as well. With this technique, the bottom and side measurements will remain the same, but we'll have added fullness to the top "outward" curve, which will give us room to gather that edge. Now that you know the method, you can use the same steps to add gathers or fullness to any pattern piece - it works great on shirts and skirts, and is the same method I used to create the flounce on the bodice and hem in this dress!

4. Cut along pattern edges, forming a gentle curve around the top and bottom of the strips.

5. To cut the top gathered panel, you have a couple of options. You can take your pattern and cut it down to 16 1/2", removing 4" off the top of each strip, and repeat steps 3-4. Or you can use your bottom panel fabric piece, fold it in half, and use it as a pattern to cut the top gathered panel. If you cut the top panel the same as the bottom panel, you can just trim 4" off of the outward curve afterwards and it is a big time saver. Remember that this time the outward curve should be at the bottom of the print if it's directional (opposite as with the bottom gathered panel).

6. Phew! You're through the worst of it! It'll be smooth sailing from here... Sew two lines of basting or gathering stitches along the outward curve of the bottom panel, at 3/8" and 5/8".

7. Gather the outward curve to approximately 36", and pin to one side of center contrast strip, right sides together, and adjusting gathers.

8. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, stitch along pinned edge. Use a seam ripper to remove 5/8" basting stitch that is visible on right side of fabric.

9. Press seam allowance toward center contrast strip and topstitch 1/4" from seam.

10. Repeat steps 7-9 with top panel piece. This will now be our canopy top piece.

This is a good time to check the general fit with your car seat and adjust anything if necessary.

11. Fold canopy top piece in half and half again, matching the 4 corners. Using a large plate, trace a curve onto the corners and cut.

12. Repeat step 11 with canopy bottom piece (coordinating fabric).

13. Next we'll add our rick rack detail (if you're not using rick rack, skip to step 15). Align the inner curve of the rick rack along one raw edge of your canopy bottom piece as pictured, and sew (use a basting stitch) onto all 4 sides of fabric using a 1/8" seam allowance, and leaving a 2" tail at the beginning. You can adjust the 1/8" seam allowance and placement of the rick rack depending on how much you'd like to show on your finished canopy, but 1/8" worked well for me.

14. Allow end of rick rack to overlap beginning tail, and trim excess.

15. Right sides together, pin canopy top piece to canopy bottom piece, matching raw edges and curved corners. You may trim the excess rick rack first if desired, but I like to leave it as is to add a little bulk and weight to the sides of the canopy.

16. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, stitch around all four sides of pinned pieces, leaving a 6" opening on one side.

17. Turn canopy right side out through opening. Press sides flat and topstitich as desired around entire canopy, close to edge, enclosing opening.

18. Right sides together, pin one main fabric strap piece to coordinating fabric strap piece. Stitch around all four sides using a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving a small opening. Trim corners.

19. Turn strap right side out through opening and press flat. Topstitch around entire strap, close to edge, enclosing opening. Topstitch again around strap if desired.

20. Repeat with remaining strap pieces.

21. Place velcro pieces close to ends of each strap (make sure to sew vecro pieces to opposite sides of strap as pictured so it will make a loop when attached), and stitch around edges. Stitch an "x" from corner to corner to add stability.

22. Measure width of canopy to find exact center point of contrast strip (will be 17 3/4" in from each side if you used the seam allowances mentioned). Measure approximately 3" from center point to each side and pin straps in place (double check with your car seat handle that 6" apart is best).

23. Stitch each strap in place as pictured, forming a rectangle approximately 1 3/4" wide and 1 1/2" long on each strap. Stitch an "x" from corner to corner to add stability.

Great job, you are done! Try your canopy on your car seat and enjoy keeping your baby safe and sound from... well it's probably a long list, so I'll leave it at just enjoy :).

Remember to keep your baby ventilated when using the canopy, and always keep a close eye. Just sayin...

Printed Cirque d'Elephant Quilt Pattern

2011-11-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

You could say I drug my feet a bit, but I'm happy to say that the Cirque d'Elephant Quilt Pattern is now available as a printed pattern! I've just shipped out the first batch of orders, and it feels good! I've got a good start on my next pattern, and am excited to share that with you soon, too.

If you're a quilt shop owner, you can email me for more information on wholesale orders. If you're in the Salt Lake City area, here are a few shops that carry some or all of my printed patterns:

I can thank Material Girls for even having the thought to turn Ruby Lou into a printed pattern. I can't believe it has been two years! I was buying fabric to make some dolls for my PDF pattern, and one of the girls encouraged me to make it into a printed pattern as well. When I actually did, and took my bag full of nerves into the shop with my printed pattern, they were so supportive and have been ever since.

I don't know what direction this will all take in the future, but I do know that I love what I do and feel so lucky to have such great encouragement and support from all of you. Isn't the blogging community amazing? I feel so lucky for all the friends I've made through this blog, even though most of us have never met in person! You are wonderful people that I admire and respect for many different reasons, and that alone has made this blog more than worth it for me :). Really.

Have a great weekend!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Sorry for the late start this week, it took me a while to realize that today is Wednesday morning and not Tuesday :). On a more positive note, have you heard of Heartsy? It's a fun daily deals type site that offers great deals to Etsy shops, and if you want a chance to purchase Sew Much Ado patterns at a steep discount, you can go here and vote for my submission!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Whole Wheat Bread

2011-11-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, we awoke to this outside our window...

It was the first real snow of the season, which somehow automatically makes me want to stay indoors and bake. I can't even remember the last time I made a loaf of bread (and I've never been that great at making it, even when I've tried), but the smell of fresh bread on a cold morning was too appealing to resist.

I decided to try a fairly simple whole wheat bread recipe from my Betty Crocker recipe book, and it turned out just as I'd hoped! I know, I'm as surprised as you are, haha!

It was the perfect lunch for a chilly day.

Luckily, the recipe made two loaves. The first was eaten entirely for lunch, mostly thanks to me (another reason why I don't bake as often as I used to). Really though, is there anything better than fresh bread with butter and honey on it?

Nope, there isn't :). Happy Monday and thanks for reading!

Raglan Long Sleeved Tee

2011-11-04T06:01:00.000-06:00

Joel cleaned out his side of the closet last week (thank you!), and had quite the pile of t-shirts that he was ready to donate to a charity project his work is participating in. I made sure to raid the pile before the rest was bagged, and came away with about 10 or so t-shirts that I knew would be great for repurposing projects.

The first project was a no-brainer. I'm also planning on it being my second and third project... and maybe fourth. If you read my review of Sewing for Boys, you may remember seeing the raw edged raglan tee.

I've really been wanting to use this pattern since I received the book, and once I had a pile of shirts waiting to be given new life, I finally sat down and made one! Note to self: Wyatt and I are both so much happier when I give him the creative freedom for photos.

I wish I would have made one so much sooner! It only took about an hour or so to have the shirt made, including tracing the pattern - and with two boys at my heels, turning the sewing machine on and off repeatedly.

Wyatt was super excited for his new shirt (especially knowing it was made from his dad's old shirts - I think he thought he was getting away with something naughty), and picked out the colors for the sleeves and body.

I decided to keep the raw edges on the inside rather than the outside of the shirt, which was a simple change, and added an inch of length to the body so I could have room for a hem. Next time I'll likely go for the raw edges though. I think they're just as cute.

For the sleeves, I used the hem of Joel's shirt, so I didn't even have to worry about adding a hem which was a nice time-saver.

My favorite part about this shirt? The fit. I did go up a size for Wyatt and made the 6/7 as opposed to the 4/5, because he's so long bodied, but the shirt is cut nice and slim, but still plenty long. Don't you hate short and wide boys shirts? Not to mention any names, ahem, Old Navy. Anyway, this pattern has a perfect fit, and turned out exactly how I hoped it would.

Shelly and Karen do such a good job of creating patterns, and now I'm excited for my next project from their book! I'll have to get over my raglan tee affixiation first, but it'll happen... eventually.

If you're looking for Sewing for Boys, you can find it here, or here at Amazon.

Happy Friday!

Twig Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-03T06:01:00.000-06:00

The winner of the Twig Jewelry Giveaway is...

Adam

(judging by the email address I think it's safe to assume it's Adam's wife, Sharon, who entered :))

Congratulations! You will be contacted shortly! Thanks to all who entered. If you weren't lucky enough to win, you can still use code TWIGFAN to get 10% off your order from the Twig Shop!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-11-01T20:45:00.004-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Have you recovered from Halloween yet? I'm hoping I will be by tomorrow, haha!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

A Caveman Halloween

2011-10-31T06:01:00.000-06:00

I wasn't planning on making any Halloween costumes this year... Until my sister mentioned that she wanted to make caveman costumes for her whole family. I immediately pictured Weston in little caveman faux fur undies, and there was no turning back!

I had made myself a caveman costume last year, but the thought of our whole family matching was too fun to resist. I think I even mentioned that I'd be happy to wear the same costume for the next 20 years - apparently I'm on my way!

I made Weston's bottoms using Dana's Diaper Cover Free Pattern, which was awesome. It was so nice to not have to make my own pattern for that. They turned out perfect for his costume, and he thought he was wearing real underwear (and obviously felt pretty cool). I heard him randomly mumbling "underwear" to himself a couple of times throughout the night.

Wyatt's costume was a simple one-shouldered tunic. He initially wasn't a fan of the leggings, since they're "for girls," and I had to explain that it's okay to wear them once a year for Halloween if it's part of his costume. Then he was somewhat okay with them.

I made leg warmers and headbands for all of us, and wrist cuffs also for the boys.

I of course spent a while backcombing (and a longer while later that evening undoing the damage), and after dirtying our faces up a bit and losing a couple of teeth, we were a family of cavepeople ready to go! Joel was a great sport, despite the fact that dressing up in a costume is not his favorite thing. He's a natural caveman though, don't you think?! I guess I wasn't supposed to be smiling in these pictures, I didn't know everyone else would get so into character!

My favorite part about these costumes? They were SO quick to make. I had them all done within a few hours, which was fantastic.

In the end, my sister didn't make caveman costumes for her family, but I'm sure glad to have gotten the idea from her - she can borrow our costumes for next year!

Happy Halloween to all of you! I hope you have a safe and fun day!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

2011-10-28T06:01:00.000-06:00

My friend (thanks, Jen!) made these candy corn sugar cookies last week, and when I saw them on her blog, I knew I had to make them too! Other than getting our costumes made, I've been pretty un-festive this Halloween season, so it was fun to make these together with Wyatt.

We can thank Our Best Bites yet again for great instructions on how to make these cookies. They're super easy, and I love that they don't need to be iced. It was also nice to not have to roll out any dough, unlike usual sugar cookies.

I left some cookies plain, with just a sprinkle of sugar.

The others were dipped in white chocolate covering the white part of the candy corn.

I'd say they're pretty delicious either way. Any recipe for sugar cookies will work, and you can find the instructions here at Our Best Bites!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-10-25T20:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I've finished our Halloween costumes, and can't wait to show you! But that will have to wait of course - mainly because most of them haven't even been tried on yet :).

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Jewelry Giveaway!

2011-10-24T06:01:00.000-06:00

I have a fun giveaway for you today! Michelle and Steve are the creative team behind Twig, and I think you'll love their shop as much as I do :).

Wouldn't your child love to play with this Pixie Wooden Toy Camera?

And how clever is this anaPad?

The same dimensions as an Apple iPad, the anaPad has a magnetic white board and app magnets!

Michelle also creates fantastic earrings and necklaces.

Feeling lucky? Twig is giving one lucky reader this necklace and post earrings!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post!

If your email address is not linked to your profile, make sure to leave it with your comment so we can contact you if you win! One entry/comment per person. Open to residents of the United States. Giveaway ends October 28, 2011 at 11:59MST. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Sew Much Ado.

Can't wait? Use code TWIGFAN to get 10% off your Twig order now!

Surprise Harvest

2011-10-21T06:01:00.000-06:00

I hate to admit it, but as our summer got busier and busier, and the closer fall came this year, the less attention our garden received. I had pretty much given up, but when my mom was visiting this week she harvested a few things.

You can imagine the pleasant surprise when I cut open this cantaloupe!

It was perfectly sweet and ripe, and really tasted so delicious.

I had a bite or two, and Weston ate the entire rest of the cantaloupe -- in just a few minutes. I guess tomorrow I need to go and pick another one, now that I know that there's still hope!

What have you been harvesting from your garden lately? Enjoying anything fun from your local Farmer's Market?

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-10-18T20:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I hope your week is going well. My Mom got into town last night for a few days, so mine is going great :). We might head to the fabric store later today, which will make it even better!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Pumpkin Halloween Roundup

2011-10-17T06:01:00.000-06:00

I've been pinning a ton of cute pumpkin ideas for Halloween, and am sharing my favorites with you today! Enjoy!

First, enter the painted pumpkins...

All You Magazine

Eddie Ross

Ladies Home Journal

Five Whites (would you believe these are Mod Podged?!)

Confessions of a Plate Addict

AZ Central

Family Fun

Happen to have A LOT of extra thumbtacs laying around?

It's tempting to forgo the mess of carving a pumpkin, huh? I'm sure we'll still carve one or two, but I'll have to use a few of these ideas too. I especially love the masks, they seriously make me giggle everytime I look at them. What's your favorite?

Throw Pillow Makeover.

2011-10-14T06:01:00.000-06:00

Our living room couch came with some not-so-pretty throw pillows. You know the kind I'm sure. They are labelled as "contemporary," but really are just unattractive. I've tried my best to hide them away and replace them with a couple throw pillows that I made, but somehow the kids pull the 4 big ugly pillows out of the linen closet daily. Apparently they're better to make forts with than the smaller pillows that I made. Of course they are :).

When I pulled out my Ikea fabric to make this apron the other day, I thought it would also make a pretty little pillow. Better yet, a pretty big pillow! I could either find a new hiding spot for the ugly throw pillows or give them a makeover. If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

I picked up some orange piping, and made a simple cover for one of the pillows. I hoped I had enough fabric to make at least two pillow covers, but was way wrong on that. I guess I can handle another trip to Ikea, if I have to. I may also have to grab some other fabric while I'm there, since I'll still have two pillows needing a boost :).

I originally planned to make a white ruffle to go down the front of the pillow, and as thoughts of jumping boys and more forts came to my mind, thought I'd be happier to keep it simple and functional. In the end, I'm really happy with how it turned out, and am glad that I left the ruffle off.

I made the back of the pillow a pocket similar to these tutorials.

It's comforting to know that I can quickly remove the cover throw it in the washing machine whenever I need to. I'm guessing it will be sooner rather than later...

And just because...

Make sure to hug your kids a little extra tight tonight, okay? Happy Friday!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-10-11T20:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! You've really been wowing me with all your Halloween decorations and costumes, and I can't wait to see more! Or if you're like me and haven't done anything Halloween related, link up whatever else you've been up to :).

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Birthday Apron

2011-10-10T06:01:00.004-06:00

We hit a really fun milestone this week. Wyatt got invited to his first birthday party! I may have been as excited as he was, especially because it was for a little girl. A friend and I just had a conversation last week about how it would be fun to make an apron for a girl's birthday present, so I instantly knew what I wanted -- er, Wyatt wanted, to give his friend.

I used our Mommy & Mia Apron Pattern, and made a few changes. I bought the blue main fabric at Ikea months ago with the intentions of making an apron out of it, before the Mommy & Mia pattern even existed. When I was looking through my stash and saw the fabric again, I knew it needed some eyelet lace to give it the perfect girly touch, so instead of making the neckline and bottom ruffles, I used the eyelet.

Since I wanted plain white bias tape, I replaced the usually handmade bias tape with pre-made. I also left the waistband off, and extended the bias tape for waist straps, similar to our Little Apron Free Pattern.

Instead of two pockets, I made one larger pocket and trimmed it with two rows of eyelet lace. Amy Butler's dots will never go out of style, I'm sure! They always seem to be the perfect contrast fabric for my projects - how is she so smart?!

I found the cutest little play baking set at Target to pair the apron with, and even got to tape the set's packaging back together after Weston snuck into my room and, well, you can imagine the rest. Classy. At least kids don't care :).

Wyatt had a great time at the party, and hopefully the birthday girl will have lots of fun pretending to bake!

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family! How was your weekend?

Folding Templates

2011-10-07T06:01:00.000-06:00

My friend pinned these folding templates by Carla (AKA The Scientific Seamstress) recently and I thought it was such a great idea that I had to share it. They would make folding and pressing fabric more precise and so much faster!

If you click here, you can find the link to download the free templates at Carla's blog, which include both straight and curved guides. So handy, right?

I pretty much eye-ball everything when I'm pressing, so I could really use something like this. How about you?

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-10-04T20:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I finally found my way back to my sewing machine for a few minutes this morning and made Wyatt some new sweats, which I'll post about after I get some photos taken!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins

2011-09-30T06:01:00.009-06:00

The boys and I spent the other morning making Banana Bran Muffins, and I thought some of you might enjoy the recipe. My mom has used the recipe for as long as I can remember, and it's a favorite of my sisters and I.

It's a great way to add fiber to your diet, and the chocolate chips make it a hit with any child. I'm not usually a fan of adding sugar to a healthy recipe to get kids to eat it, but hey, I love the chocolate chips as much as my kids do, so for now they get to stay :).

Banana Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins
yield: 12-18 muffins (I quadrupled the recipe and ended up with 4 dozen large muffins and 24 mini muffins)

1 1/2 c bran
1 c flour (I like to use 1/2 c white and 1/2 c whole wheat flour)
1/2 c packed brown sugar (to decrease on sugar, I normally don't pack it)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c chocolate chips

2 eggs
1 c mashed ripe bananas
1/2 c milk
1/2 c melted butter (can substitute half or whole amount with applesauce)

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients and stir with dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon into paper-lined muffin cups. Bake 400, 17-20 min, until top springs back when lightly touched. Enjoy!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-09-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I haven't been feeling super great this week, and haven't got much that's productive done, so I'm extra excited to see what you've all been up to!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter Winner!

2011-09-26T06:01:00.000-06:00

The winner of the Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter giveaway is...

Kristin, who said,

"I *need* the circle dies! I am inspired by a quilt on pintrest and I *need* to make it! Thanks for the chance to win!"

Congrats, Kristin! You'll be receiving an email from me soon! In the meantime, you can pick out your 3 dies that Accuquilt will send you with your cutter (or your circle dies and two others, haha)!

Thanks to all who entered!

Sewing For Boys Winner!

2011-09-23T06:01:00.001-06:00

The winner of the Sewing For Boys Giveaway is...

Megan @ Simply Thrifty!

Congrats! You'll be receiving an email from me soon!

If you haven't entered our Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter Giveaway yet, there's still time! Go here to enter. The giveaway will be closed to new entries on Sunday night.

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-09-20T20:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Thanks for the great response this week to our new pattern, the Cirque d'Elephant Quilt Pattern. It's nice to have you all share my excitement!

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter Giveaway!

2011-09-19T06:01:00.000-06:00

Want to win an Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter of your very own?! Of course you do :). I already told you how much I love mine, and now you have a chance to find out for yourself!

Even better, Accuquilt is also giving the winner their choice of three dies!

Will you pick the GO! Birds like I did?

Or maybe you're getting in the mood for Christmas?

I have the GO! Circle die and can't tell you how great it is to not cut out my own circles anymore!

Your project list just grew, didn't it?

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post! One comment/entry per person. Giveaway is open to residents of the United States, and will be closed to new entries on Sunday, September 24, 2011 at 11:59 MST. Winner will be chosen randomly. If your email is not linked to your blogger account, make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win! Good luck!

Cirque d'Elephant Quilt Pattern!

2011-09-16T06:01:00.001-06:00

Pin It

The Cirque d'Elephant quilt is a generous 40.5"x40.5" when finished, and the modern design is perfect for both baby girls and boys! Who wouldn't want to snuggle up to a bunch of cozy elephants?

Pattern is an instant download PDF file. The download link will be instantly sent to the email address that is on file with your Paypal account, so please ensure that Paypal has your correct email address on file. You'll also have the option to download the file from a pop-up window that will appear immediately after your purchase. Either way, make sure to save the file to your computer for future use. Also please be aware that if you pay by e-check through Paypal, the payment will take 5-7 business days to process, and the download link will not be emailed to you until that time. Let me know if you have any problems or questions along the way!

Cirque d'Elephant PDF Quilt Pattern - $7

If you are interested in purchasing the printed Cirque d'Elephant Quilt Pattern wholesale, please email me.

Copyright Info: This quilt pattern is for your individual use only. You may not copy or distribute this pattern to any individual or group. You may not produce derivative works of this pattern. If you would like to sell quilts made from this pattern, please email me regarding a Limited Commercial License.

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-09-13T19:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! If you haven't entered to win a copy of the book "Sewing for Boys," make sure you go here and enter! It's a book that is a must-have for anyone with boys in their life!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:
1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Sewing for Boys Book Review and Giveaway!

2011-09-12T06:01:00.015-06:00

When I got to meet Shelly in real life at Market last spring, she asked me to be a part of her Sewing for Boys book blog tour, and I had been counting down the days since till I had the book in my hands. As a mom to a 4 year old boy and 2 year old boy, this book is right up my alley. It's full of practical, fun sewing projects for boys, which we all know can be hard to find! Plus, Shelly and Karen's patterns, Patterns by Figgy's, are some of the cutest you'll find, so I knew I'd love the book.

The second the book arrived on my doorstep, I began paging through, trying to decide which project I would make first. It seems like every page I turned changed my mind, haha!

Would it be the Goodnight, Sweetheart Pjs?

Or maybe the Just-Like-Dad Flannel Robe?

But how could I resist the short sleeve raglan tee (the Tee for Two pattern has been on my list forever)?

In the end, I decided to let Wyatt decide. Funny enough, he picked one of the most simple projects in the book, the Hold 'Em Up Belt.

He specifically wanted a "camping and hunting" (AKA camo) belt. Luckily I had just the fabric in my stash, and we got to work.

10 minutes later...

He loves the belt, and asked if he could keep wearing it for a little longer. I guess he's used to me making him try things on and then taking them away, poor kid!

Shelly and Karen are not only some of my favorite people in the pattern world, they are also good at what they do. Their instructions are clear and concise, and the illustrations are simple and informative. If you have any boys in your life, this book is a must! I know I'll be using mine for years to come.

Thanks to Wiley Publishing, one of you lucky readers will win a copy of Sewing for Boys for yourself!

To enter, just leave a comment. Make sure to include your email address if it's not linked to your blogger account so I can contact you if you win!

One entry per person, and open to international entries. Giveaway will close on Sunday, September 18 at 11:59pm MST.

If you can't possibly wait, you can also find Sewing for Boys here on Amazon, and here at Etsy :). Good luck!

Don't forget to also check out the other stops on the blog tour! There's been some great projects already shared and I'm sure there are some more great ones to come!
September 5 Made by Rae
September 6 Sew, Mama, Sew
September 7 The Southern Institute & Film in the Fridge
September 8 Elsie Marley
September 9 Noodlehead & Oh, Fransson!
September 10 I Heart Linen
September 11 Anna Maria Horner
September 12 Craft Buds, Pink Chalk Fabric , Prudent Baby , Sew Much Ado
September 13 Very Purple Person, Quilt Story & Sew Sara
September 14 The Long Thread
September 15 Susan Beal
September 16 True Up
September 17 All Buttoned Up & Bolt Fabric Boutique
September 18 MADE & Wiley Craft