Craft-tastic Tuesday - Blogger Neglect and Other Projects

I have been a bad bad blogger lately, haven't I?
Sorry for all the neglect, I had intended to post a tutorial or atleast a look at my sons Halloween costume but here we are early December, it's kinda late now (plus he stained it with chocolate!).
So I have been busy crafting, and life in general. It is hard to motivate yourself to write a decent blog post when you are running on your third cup of coffee, four hours of sleep and last nights dinner (I really should eat something) but I am doing it.
My DIY Christmas keeps shrinking and shrinking, before you know it it will look no different than last year. Eek, I haven't even started my baking yet. Last year, I had all my shopping done the day before Black Friday, this year I have hardly started. I really need to get my ass in gear.
I wont be posting any tutorials today, which I am sad about as it has been too long. Today I need to go fabric shopping, and I have an "appointment with Santa" to pick out some Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers. So today you get to see a few photos of the kids pajamas that I have been sewing.
All of the pajamas that I have been making used patterns from the Sew Fab Pattern Bundle that I bought earlier this fall. It has easily paid for itself now.

This one will be Greg's, I am contemplating red cuffs.

Greg will be getting Best Harem Pants and a Vintage V-Neck. Joseph will be sporting Fancy Pants Leggings and a Vintage V-Neck. Meara will be sporting Sadie Grace Nighties. It's going to look like a reindeer puked Christmas onto my kids! Joseph tolled me that was gross but I keep saying it.

Not sewn, just started pining and got excited. Love the bum panel!

I am also going to post some gorgeous custom diapers I made, cause, why not!

I made this for a local mom but I wanted to keep it. So pretty. Luckily I could make more!

This beauty is available in my Etsy shop

Did I mention the crawling?

Wow, you know baby is tired when the alarm clock is blaring next to her and she snores right through, why can't I do that :(
Sorry, sidetracked there.
Diapers, yes I have been drooling all over WAHM made Hybrid Fitted Diapers for weeks and weeks but knowing how to sew makes me hesitant to spend 25-45 a diaper, even though they are ridiculously perfect. So I am heading to the fabric store for fleece today. Also, Meara may have 30+ diapers already, but when I found a WAHM selling these on Etsy for $12 plus shipping I bought some for under the tree.
Now she is awake. So cutting the writing short and I will feed her while adding photos to this post. Thanks for stopping by to read my ramble, more rambling soon.

I couldn't find Meara's finished Jammies photo so I will leave you with this random shot of Joseph from last Halloween.

Craft-tastic Tuesday - My Stash is Ahhhhh!!!! In Need of Help

This is most but not all of the quilting cotton portion of my stash

In some ways my fabric stash is small, I have been sewing for less than a year, it is young. And it is not. There is no balance to it, no rhyme and no rhythm. My tiny space is often taken over by the mass of fabrics everywhere.
I have bins of apparel knits and wovens, yet I barely sew any clothing. Just a few baby items so far. But I am drowning in fabric that would be perfect for my wardrobe. I really need to get brave and selfish sew.
Most of my stash comes from my Gram, who was great with a sewing machine, and made a lot of her own clothing. Every time I pull one of these fabrics from the bins I think of her and I wonder what her plan was for that fabric. Sometimes I have a good idea what she may have intended and sometimes it is less clear. I feel it is really important to use these fabrics and use them well.
I have the same Autumn skin tone, as my Gran called it, so though not all these fabrics have prints that I would have chosen for myself, they are in colors that suit me well and I will feel comfortable in. My Gram also bought multiple yards at a time so I know I have enough fabric to work with.
It is time now that I try to make use of these. I can drool over fabrics at girlcharlee.com all I want, but I need to make room in my stash and master new skills before I overload myself. So what I am going to do is post one fabric at a time and ask you, my readers, for suggestions of patterns and advice. Please help me find the right project for these wonderful fabrics that do have a lot of meaning for me. These projects can be anything from clothing for myself, siblings, and children to items to dress the home.
I will post a few photos once a month, and a description of the fabric. I will tell you if it is a knit, about its drape, if it is synthetic or not and answer any questions asked and I hope that in the comments you can suggest great projects and help me.

Octobers Fabric Selection

Here is what I know:

Type - Knit

Colour - Bright Red

Stretch - 2 way 30%

Weight - Medium  to Heavy weight

Pattern - Solid red with a diamond pattern woven in

Content - Appears to be mostly cotton

Comment below to help me find the best use for this fabric, I think this would make a great fall sweater, but I don't have a pattern in my size.

Craft-tastic Tuesdays - Crib bedding Series 4 of 4 - Crib Sheet

This is the fourth post in the crib bedding series.

This is the finale here. I have finally completed my crib set and though I have a few small projects left on my list for Meara's room this is the end of the Crib Bedding Series. I hope that these posts might inspire a few nice bedding projects for you.
Because I happened across The Insecure Quilter's Piped Crib Sheet Tutorial which is exactly what I had in mind for this project, I would like to encourage you to read this tutorial as well before tackling this project. I took a lot of inspiration from Jamie's tutorial but there are a few small differences in the way our sheets were constructed, but our product is the same.
So with out any more of the blah blah, here we go!

Materials:
1 1/2 yards prewashed cotton for top panel
1 1/2 yards prewashed cotton for side panels
6 yards of piping (I probably used less but this is what I had estimated for the project and feel free to make your own)
1 yard of 1/4" braided elastic (you can use your preference for elastic here, I just had this on hand from my diaper making)
Basic sewing notions

You may want to buy a larger cut for your fabrics because once mine had shrunk and I cut off the fringe from washing I had exactly the length I required. I was lucky it didn't shrink more than it had.

Craft-tastic Tuesday - Crib Bedding Series 3 of 4 - Crib Skirt Tutorial

This is the third post in the Crib Bedding Series

I wanted an adjustable crib skirt, and for Meara's crib I only needed to cover the front. I had a lot of options  (pleats, ruffles.... etc.) but I decided to use this as an opportunity to practice some new skills and go with a more simple look.
I wanted one more chance to practice using piping before working on the sheet, so I decided to apply piping to the edges of my crib skirt. And since I thought using the mushroom fabric might make things too busy I decided to go with a solid purple to match the blanket and use the mushroom for an applique.
So with out any more chit chat, enjoy the tutorial.

Materials:
2 Yards of solid cotton for front
2 yards of cotton to line the back
3-4 yards of  piping
2 pieces of medium weight fusible interfacing for each applique, at least one inch larger on all sides
Cotton Print fabric for applique
Snaps, Velcro, buttons, ribbon ties or what ever you plan to use to attach to your crib.
Basic sewing notions

I decided to go with a finished height of 21" (cut 22") and a finished width of 52" (cut 53"). I also used a 1/2" seam allowance for this project.

Craft-tastic Tuesdays- Crib Bedding Series 2 of 4 - Minky Blanket

This is the second post in the Crib Bedding Series

Well, the first thing I did when my fabric arrived was start on this blanket and quite honestly, this was the one part of the project I was most scared of.
I started out thinking this was going to be easy. Then I read, and I read, and I read blog posts about how to sew minky blankets. Next thing you know, I didn't really want to make this anymore. The more you read about sewing minky, the more fear you will gain. This blanket was so ridiculously easy, I had to laugh at myself when I finished for ever having doubts.
Minky is not something to be scared of.
The advice I will give is to make friends with your pins and a basting glue stick (or spray, or tape). I had no trouble sewing and I didn't even use my walking foot (we aren't friends yet). My fabric didn't shift or bunch, and the basting worked so well that I figure I may not have even needed the pins (don't test it though).
So, without further ado, here comes the tutorial...

Materials Required for this project:
1 1/2 yards of 42" quilting cotton
1 yard of 60" wide Minky Fabric in a coordinating colour
Basting Glue Stick or similar product (optional)
Pins, thread, and basic sewing notions

Craft-tastic Tuesday - Dealing With a Temperamental Sewing Machine

Since I am still waiting on my Norwegian Woods fabric for the bedding series I decided to talk today about all the cursing and groaning that has been heard coming from my sewing room this last week.

I am still pretty inexperienced with sewing, so I have a lot to learn, when it comes to loose, loopy stitches, or knowing what stitch length and tension I should be using. It is trial and error for me. I didn't take sewing and textiles in school, as I was in the concert band instead, so all of my sewing knowledge comes from my mom, my step mom, a few books and of course the internet. Probably not the most thorough of educations, but I have been learning a lot and rather quickly.

I few months back, my step mom gave me her old serger, and after I let it collect a thick layer of dust, I finally braved up and learned how to use it. This meant, reading through the manual, threading, and rethreading (yes, cursing too) until I got it running smoothly, and then rethreading again because I still didn't know what I was doing. And, I still don't know what I am doing with that machine, but I can thread it pretty quickly with out referencing the manual now, that's something.

Not long after I started acquainting myself with the serger I decided it would be a good idea to read through my sewing machines manual and properly acquaint myself with all of it's functions as well. This time marked the end of a lot of my frustration at the sewing machine. I was no longer completely clueless as to how to adjust tension, or understanding some of the issues I have had with my stitches. Things have run much smoother for me in the sewing room since then, well, until last week.

Craft-tastic Tuesday - Crib Bedding Series - 1 of 4

At days shy of 5 months (how did that happen so fast?), we finally have Meara out of her cradle and into her crib. She absolutely loves her crib. Probably because now, she can roll around and it is a  lot comfier to be on a mattress than that thin cradle pad.

The Skip Hop Complete Sheet

I needed sheets for the crib, and after deciding I didn't have appropriate materials on hand  I came across the beautiful Complete Sheet by Skip Hop and thought, "I want to do that." Me, being me, I decided that she needs a nice matching bedding set. So of course, I have fallen in love with a nice set of coordinating designer fabrics, the Michael Miller Norwegian Woods Collection. I have ordered four 1 1/2 yard lengths from Etsy seller Spiceberry Cottage for a pretty good price and I have at least designed in my mind what I will be doing.

I have ordered 1 1/2 yards each of these four fabrics from Michael Miller's Norwegian Woods collection

Today's post is more a list of links and inspirations and a telling of my plan. This will be a series of posts as I put my crib set together but I have a feeling I will be posting the tutorials with an increased frequency (weekly, rather than biweekly) because I am just to darn excited for this.
I have decided not to make a bumper pad as I find them unnecessary, they are a SIDS risk, and after a while they become a climbing hazard. So meh to bumper pads, I will be sewing a sheet, crib blanket lined with minky, and a crib skirt (possibly pleated).

 Details after the break...

Craft-tastic Tuesday - Etsy Pattern Review - Brindille and Twig Baby Yoga Pants

photo from the Brindille and Twig Etsy shop

One of her more trim fitting diapers

Well, I have been very very busy sewing but that didn't add up to another tutorial this time. I have sewn up a few gifts so I can't give the surprise away just yet, instead I have decided to share a story about Thursday and finish off with a review.
It all started on Thursday morning when I again became frustrated with Meara's pants. Being a cloth diapered baby we had a common problem - Bubble Butt. Her pants are hard to put on, even the larger sizes. I usually hold her by the waistband and jostle her into her pants. A dressed Meara looks a little silly, her pants are only fitted to her diaper, and no matter the inseam we always have to roll up the legs, and turn her around and the diaper will play peek-a-boo.

Craft-tastic Tuesday - Plastic Bag Storage

My big brother and my big sister took possession of their first houses at the end of June so I decided I had better get in the sewing room and make up some kind of housewarming gift. It took a bit to figure out just what to sew, but then I settled on plastic bag holders. Just what you need to keep your kitchen organized. Next I might need to design one for storing all the reusable bags (that I always forget to use so the boys just use them for going to the pool and sleep overs).

Craft-tastic Tuesday - Baby Headbands

This is a really easy craft. Today I am going to show you how to make a headband using FOE (fold over elastic), thread, a button, and a silk flower. You can use a glue gun when making these but I have found that the results are a lot cleaner with thread.

The first thing you need to do is take your flower apart. You wont need the center just the petals. Reassemble using a button to hold the flower together as shown in the photos below. You can use a safety pin to keep the flower together while you ready your headband.

Teaser - What I'm Working on Now

Well, I have another really cute craft to show you on the next Craft-tastic Tuesday, but since that isn't until the 18th and I am so proud of these I thought I might share a photo or two or more.

Blogging Resolutions

Last week I came across a blog while searching for a pattern to make a sheet for my change table. When I had a little more time this weekend I read through many of the posts and I must say I did get inspired. Jennis Just Trying to "Make It" is a mommy blog, she is the type of mom that I must admit I am envious of, the kind of mom I try to emulate. She is crafty, her blog is full of posts of creative gifts she makes, recipes she loves, tips on being frugal and how to be more environmentally responsible.

The inspiration I took from this blog is the idea to post a regular project and ideally I would like to do this every week but knowing myself that is shooting pretty high. I am the type of blogger who only randomly remembers she has a blog to post on. So instead of saying that every Tuesday is Craft-tastic I will aim for every other Tuesday but I do intend to have Photo Fridays.

Craft-tastic Tuesdays will be variations between quick projects with a photo tutorial, to updates on the projects I am working on to those little crafting afternoons with the boys where we just play with pipe cleaners and construction paper. I am going to try my hardest to keep up with a biweekly post, even if that means making a few in advance and saving them as drafts.

Photo Fridays will be me posting a few photos every week of the kids and brief family updates. The idea is that between all the random bigger posts there will always be a little something posted on a regular basis.

The final change I intend to make is with the recipes that I have posted. Instead of having a tab with recipes galore I think I will make the recipes a regular blog post and the Recipes tab will have links to the original blog post. Also look forward to the addition of a Crafts and Projects tab.

Now, before I end this post I am going to share with you a photo of tomorrows Craft-tastic Tuesday project.