Sew Much Ado

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?

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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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.

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

Gathered Car Seat Canopy Tutorial

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

Pin It

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!

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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

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I've been so excited to share this new pattern with you! It's been a long time coming, with a break over the summer and other life events sneaking up, but I'm happy to say that it's finally done - I hope you'll love it as much as I do!

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?

This is an ePattern, and will be emailed to you as a PDF file within 24 hours of purchase. The pattern includes step by step instructions and diagrams to make your own Cirque d'Elephant Quilt, along with detailed instructions and diagrams to perfectly bind your quilt! Even beginner sewers and quilters can complete this quilt with confidence!

Pattern will be sent to email address listed on your Paypal account unless a different email address is specified with your payment.

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

Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter Project: Appliqued Onesie

2011-09-09T06:01:00.003-06:00

I was SO excited when I received my Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter a few weeks ago. Being a lefty in a righty's world of sewing scissors, I've always hated cutting out my projects. I'm sure there are left handed sewing scissors out there, but I'm too lazy to look for them. When I was younger I'd really play up the whole lefty incapability part and my mom would always do the cutting for me :). Thanks, Mom! And sorry...

Enter a small, non-electric machine that will do cutting for me? Um, ya, sounds great.

One thing I love about the GO! Baby Cutter is that you don't have to be a quilter to appreciate it (although any quilter surely would). I was at Walmart the other day and found single white onesies for sale for only $2. I love to have onesie's on hand to add to a gift, and knew the GO! Birds die I have would be just perfect to give it a little something extra.

Here's how I spruced up my onesie in literally 5 minutes:

First I ironed Heat n Bond Lite to the back of my fabric pieces (which were cut to the approximate dimensions of the bird body and wing).

Next I placed the die on one side of the cutter...

Added the fabric...

And topped it off with the cutting mat.

With a quick roll through the machine,

My birdie pieces were ready!

I peeled off the paper side of the Heat n Bond and ironed the bird onto the onesie.

Lastly, I appliqued around the wing and body, about 1/8" from the raw edges so they will fray overtime.

Done! Now I have a cute onesie ready to add to a gift.

I'm off to make more!

You can sign up for 22 free patterns from Accuquilt here. No matter your taste or style, you'll find patterns right up your alley!

What would you use a GO! Baby Cutter for? Check back soon for a chance to win one for yourself!

We Did It! Wednesday

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

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend and are ready for another week!

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.

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T06:01:00.005-06:00

I hope you're having a great long weekend! We spent Saturday evening fishing, and Joel was the only one lucky enough to catch anything.

There was also making of mud pies. There may have been more mud pies going on than fishing for some of us.

Like Weston's new do? I have to admit he's not nearly as cute when he's being naughty now that his hair's short. I guess he just looks more grown up now. I think it was time to get rid of the mop top though...

And this is Wyatt's pose of choice these days. I'm not sure what he's trying to accomplish with his hands, but it makes us laugh and him smile, so it works.

I've got lots to show and share with you in the next week or two! I've been having fun with my new Accuquilt Baby GO! Cutter (and there just may be a giveaway for you to win your own coming up!), I just finished up a new quilt pattern that I've been dying to show you, and I get to show off my friend Shelly's new book, Sewing for Boys, and give you a chance to win that as well! Stay tuned...

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2011-09-02T06:01:00.002-06:00

Every now and then I come across a recipe that is just too good not to share. The Chocolate Zucchini Bread I made the other day fit perfectly into that category, so here ya go!

Other than doubling the recipe, I followed it exactly, and it was so delicious! Thanks to Our Best Bites for such a great recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread - via Our Best Bites
2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips

Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. I actually used one 8" disposable pan to give away and a larger 9" one for me and the batter divided perfectly. So you should get 2 very full 8" pans or slightly less full 9". Do one of each like I did!

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined. Gently stir in the grated zucchini.
Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.) If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it's the size of mini chocolate chips. Stir remaining flour mixture into batter and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the two pans. and sprinkle topping over each.

Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. When it's done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.
Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans. Enjoy!

Doubling the recipe made the perfect amount for one 9" glass pan and three 8" disposable pans, perfect to give away!

The best part: my kids wanted a piece so bad that they even ate their supper, which rarely happens around here :).

Enjoy your long weekend!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-08-30T21:51:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I've had a busy week, with lots of quilting and photography. How about you?

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.

Tutorial: A Frameful of Flowers

2011-08-29T06:01:00.001-06:00

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I love flowers. I love my sewing room. Flowers on my sewing room table would be a bad idea, considering the amount of fabric and supplies that's taking over my table at any given time.

I created this piece of art for my sewing room, and can't wait to make another larger piece for my living room, with the flowers spaced a bit further apart and in purple.

Something about a frame bursting with voluptuous flowers is just heavenly.

Want to make one too? Let's get started!

Materials:

Fake flowers - one "vine" from JoAnn supplied enough flowers to fill a 10"x10" shadow box (you can adjust amount of flowers based on the size of shadow box you use)

Shadow box - mine was 10"x10"

Glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions:

1. To prepare your flowers, trim each close to the base of the stem. I used only the large flowers from my vine at this point.

2. Remove backing and glass from your shadow box and glue a flower in the center of shadowbox back cardboard.

3. Keep gluing...

4. And gluing...

5. And gluing! Place the flowers as near or far from each other as you'd like. I wanted so see mostly petals, and not necessarily the middle of the flowers, so the my flowers are between 1-2" of each other at the bases.

6. Slide the shadow box over the flowers and tuck all the petals inside the frame.

7. Use any left over flowers to fill in any spaces and to get the exact look you want. I used the smaller flowers on my vine for this step, and they worked perfectly as I glued them in the corners and any other areas that needed a bit more fill.

8. Replace any other backing you have for your shadow box and secure it in place using the tabs on the back of the frame.

Enjoy your new piece of art!

Hang it on your wall...

Use it as a centerpiece for your summer party...

Or make a few in different colors and display them all together! Have fun and be creative!

First Harvest

2011-08-26T06:01:00.001-06:00

After planting our garden late this year, we're finally beginning to enjoy the ~~fruits~~ vegetables of our labors.

Although a lot of our garden was a flop this year, the cucumbers definitely weren't! I've got a day of pickling ahead of me today, wish me luck!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-08-23T19:20:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I feel like this is the week for me to get back in the groove of sewing after a lot of summer business (and fun!), how about you?

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.

Amy Butler's Fashion Fabrics

2011-08-22T06:01:00.001-06:00

Have you seen any of Amy Butler's new fashion fabrics? I was lucky enough to preview them at Market last spring, and I can say that they are all gorgeous!

Amy has combined her beautiful Soul Blossoms line with rayon, corduroy, and voile, to create fabrics that anyone would love to wear.

The rayon has a beautiful drape on anything from dresses and skirts to tops.

When I first felt the corduroy, I was surprised at how it's softness matched its great looks! It really is perfect for a child's playroom or even playwear. I think I may have decided on Amy's corduroy for Wyatt's bed quilt :).

Ooh, and don't get me started on the voile...

It doesn't get much better than these fabrics, am I right? Now I just need to get my hands on some for myself and start sewing!

(All photos in this post courtesy of Amy Butler.)

Filing Cabinet Before and After

2011-08-19T06:01:00.000-06:00

Before:

Remember this filing cabinet I showed you recently?

It's had a makeover! Here's how it looks now:

I was planning on keeping the original hardware, but obviously didn't! I'll be using this in my sewing room for patterns and paperwork, and thought the glass pulls were a perfect touch of feminity to the cabinet. They make me happy every time I look at them.

I kept the distressing fairly light, just enough to look subtly worn...

I decided on the same apple green paint I had leftover from this dresser, and overall am super happy with how it turned out! I can't wait to get my patterns organized and fill it up!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-08-16T20:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday, Sew Much Ado's weekly linky party!

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.

Review: OnStar FMV

2011-08-15T09:53:00.004-06:00

I am a huge fan of The Celebrity Apprentice, are you? Last season one of my favorite episodes was when the contestants were challenged to create and film a commercial for OnStar's new service, FMV. When I had the chance to try out OnStar FMV for myself, I of course jumped at the chance. In the past, OnStar was only available on GM vehicles as a pre-installed feature, but FMV stands for "For My Vehicle," which means that many different makes and years of vehicles can now enjoy OnStar service, even my Honda Ridgeline.

The technology comes in a rear-view mirror, with buttons to connect you with everything from directions to emergency response, and even to make hands-free phone calls.

I was excited to see the box arrive on my doorstep, and after opening the box, was pleasantly surprised. I had expected the mirror itself to be fairly bulky and wondered if it would be an eyesore, but it is actually only a touch larger than my previous mirror, and once installed, looked right at home in my truck.

As you know, I have two little boys, ages 2 and almost 4, who are my pint-sized back seat drivers.

Heaven forbid an emergency would happen while I'm driving, Automatic Crash Response can automatically alert an OnStar Advisor if I’ve been in a crash, even if I'm unable to respond. In more common "emergencies," OnStar can send someone to unlock my doors or to change a flat tire, and I can even make a phone call when I've left my cell at home. If you know me, you know these features will be well used :).

Our previous GPS unit had a touch screen, with a map to view directions, and since FMV uses voice-only directions, that's one feature I was sure I would miss. However, the first time I pressed the blue button to find directions, I instantly enjoyed that I didn't have to put the address in by hand like my old GPS directions required.

If I'm looking for a new quilt shop, I can let the advisor know the name and city and they'll look up the address for me and get me on my way - so convenient! I can push the button as I'm pulling out of my driveway and not waste any time fiddling with a touch screen.

Joel and I have been married for 7 1/2 years, and in that time have lived in 6 different states and one province! If only I had FMV's turn-by-turn navigation 7 years ago, it would have made the many moves so much easier, from finding the closet grocery store, to travelling from state to state. We will be moving to Washington (hello, state number 7) in the upcoming months, and I can't say how excited I am to have my new best friends to keep me from getting lost at every turn!

Although I love having a real live person at my fingertips whenever I need directions or help, one difficulty I have with OnStar is keeping Wyatt and Weston quiet enough in the background while I'm speaking with an OnStar Advisor. I can't say I blame them though, I'm sure the friendly voices in our vehicle are a bit strange to them! I'm sure they'll get bored of it soon enough and stop feeling the need to join in on the conversation :). Fingers crossed...

I'm thrilled with the Directions and Connections plan that I have, but if you're only looking for emergency type care, they also have a more limited (and more economical) Safe and Sound plan available.

I have to say that I really do feel more safe and secure with OnStar FMV in my truck. I love the turn-by-turn navigation, and have already made use of the hands-free calling, but the piece of mind that comes with knowing that my family and I will be taken care of in an emergency is priceless.

Visit the Facebook page to learn more about OnStar FMV, and visit your local Best Buy to get one for yourself! You can also read other reviewers' reviews by visiting the Prizes and Promotions section at Blogher!

Good Times!

2011-08-12T06:01:00.007-06:00

Well, the past week has been full of family, girls' camp, and now more family! I couldn't have fit more great things into one week if I tried. I'm off to enjoy my birthday, which means I'm going outlet shopping with my sister! I'll see you all on Monday with a new project to share!

We Did It! Wednesday

2011-08-09T20:01:00.002-06:00

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I'm looking forward to seeing everything you've created recently!

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.