Christmas Sewing Officially Begins

When I first learned to drive I didn't want to drive for very long. I would get tired of it quickly, finding it almost mentally exhausting and with sewing I feel much the same. I think it is for this reason that the projects I choose tend to offer that instant gratification of a project that come together quickly and finishes in a single sitting. When I started with diapers I could only sew one or two at a time and then I was done. Not a second more would be spent doing anything sewing related, well except during early labor, I sewed up about 7 diapers that morning.
I also have a tendency to remake all those patterns that I love. I have made near a dozen pairs of yoga pants for Meara. So I am feeling a little nervous right now, as I have chosen a bit of a bigger undertaking and I suspect it may take me a few afternoons in the sewing room to pull it all together, but of course it will be well worth it. The Amaryllis Dress, which was released this week in Pattern Anthology's Winter Wonderland bundle, is that bigger project. It is a gorgeous and reversible dress. Perfect for Christmas, don't you think?
Yesterday I spent about an hour wandering Fabricland and looking for that perfect fabric. Sure, I could order online and get a good deal, but I felt for this it was more important to feel the fabric and see it before I bought it. I needed to know I did have the perfect fabric.
I chose a beautiful cream cotton plaid with grey, pink, metallic gold, and blue in the colors. It has a casual feel that is still dressy. Because I wanted the dress to have a pop of color to it I chose the subtle blue in the fabric to be the main color on the reverse side. I had one of the associates help me pick out the perfect fabric to match, a teal blue crepe (I think, I neglected to read the info on the end of the bolt) with body and a subtle shimmer. This dress is gonna be gorgeous!
Today I am pre-washing the fabrics, and assembling my pattern pieces. I will try to get to cutting into the fabric today too, but since I am trying to finish a pair of Sadie Grace Nightgowns I already cut, I think it just might not be in the cards. Meara would have to let me have that much time for me. Dream on!
So, the nightgowns are actually the first Christmas gift that I have sewn so far. One is done and the other is just waiting for me to sew it up. I decided to use up some of the Crib Bedding fabrics that I had left on this project and to make a generous size 2. Meara is such a big little girl.
In terms of the DIY Christmas Project, I am realizing that I need to scale it back. I can't realistically sew that much in less than 2 months. So, now I am going to call it, minimum one hand made gift per person on the list, and most of that gets covered by the Christmas baking. Maybe I can sew up several Pajama Eaters for the nieces and nephews, maybe.
Well, I have spent enough time online, onto the sewing room and the many projects that await!

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 - 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...