Colored Pencil Rolls

This Christmas I made these adorable colored pencil rolls for for my two boys and my niece. They all love drawing and I thought how perfect this gift would be for them all. They have already come in handy on our road trip to Texas. I hope they'll be a favorite for years to come. I used the cut dimensions from You Go Girl's colored pencil roll tutorial. I did my interfacing different, replaced the button/elastic closure with ties, and added top stitching instead of binding. I'm very pleased with the results. I bought the kids each a drawing book that just gives you the beginning of a picture and prompts you to add something imaginative, The Boys Doodle Book by Andrew Pinder, Do You Doodle by Nikalas Catlow, and Squiggles by La Zoo.

Outside

Inside

Matching Pencil Sharpener Drawstring Bag

I made one set of the Ninja Turtle rolls for each of my boys.

Butterfly Skirt and Reversible Toddler Purse

I'm thrilled with the way this little set turned out for my niece. I hope she has fun stuffing her little girl treasures in the purse. I used a sheet I bought at a thrift store for the skirt and scraps I had for the purse.

4T Butterfly Skirt and one side of purse

Reversible side of purse

Christmas Coffee Cozies

A selection of coffee cozies I made for gifts this year. They are insulated, adjustable, reversible (with a different pattern on the other side), and save waste. A few friends have encouraged me to make more to sell. Feedback...what do you think? Would you use them, buy them, or forget them?

Sweet Little Halter Dress

My first time sewing with knit fabric was sooooooo much easier than I expected. I made this sweet little dress for a sweet little girl's 1st birthday. I can't wait to see a picture of her in it. This was also my first time doing lettuce edging on my serger and it was great. It seemed to work best with a slight-medium amount of resistance to stretch the fabric. Too much and too little were both bad. I also made the bias tape with the knit fabric and it worked out great. I needed the general measurements and sizing because I don't have any little models at my house, so I took a little of this and that from various patterns to come up with this dress. This Toddler Halter Top Tutorial was the main inspiration.

Sundress for Ella

My dear friends were in town, from out of the country, to have their new baby girl. I feel so thankful for the time I got to spend with them. To celebrate her birth, I made Ella a very tiny little sundress with a halter tie. It was my first time shirring and working with elastic thread. All the inside seams were finished with the serger and I used a fat quarter I had been saving for something special. The dress turned out great and I hope it will last Ella a long time.

Simple Bandana Dress

Here is an adorable and easy dress I made together with a friend for her sweet little daughter. This Simple Bandana Dress Tutorial was easy to understand and I LOVE how the ribbon ties in the back. Also, it was fun, and kinda hypnotic, to singe the edge of the ribbon to keep it from unraveling. I didn't know you could do that.

Sock Monkey

Happy 2nd Birthday to Ben! One sock monkey made from a pair of men's socks I picked up at Target. This sock monkey pattern worked out great. It seems like there are more tutorials now with pictures. I didn't find those when I made this over a year ago. My inspiration came from looking at the wonderful creations made by Siansburys's Super Sock Monkey Shop on Etsy. I thought the sock elephant pattern was adorable, but I doubt I'll ever make it. This sock monkey was really the trial run for the way cute one I have in the works with bright colors, star patches, and a super hero cape. The problem was I got tired of hand sewing before I finished the one I intended to be Ben's gift. Oh well, maybe when he turns 4. He's 3 and a half now...hmmm...that doesn't leave me much time.

Katja for Emily

This is my first try at a knit piece of clothing. It was for my niece's 1st birthday. It was fun to knit and I couldn't wait to see her in it. The pattern is Katja from knitty.com.

Dress Set for Ksena Eve

A 3-6 month set I made as a baby shower gift. They all turned out great and Ksena Eve looks adorable in it all. The shoes and headband turned out to fit her a little later, so she wore them with a little orange dress.

Free Itty Bitty Dress Pattern by Made By Rae

Reversible Sweet Little Mary Jane Shoes Pattern
I purchased from mysweetlittle's etsy shop

http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/HoorayforHeadbands.pdf

Blankets, Burp Clothes, & Binkies

I love super soft snuggliness and beautiful fabric. The obvious solution is to make beautiful, yet practical, gifts for my dear friends and families new babies. I'm big on practical, as any of my friends can tell you. I used minky fabric for the back sides of all these blankies. It's the softest stuff in the world.

Set #1

Set #2
Set #3
Blankie #4 (click to enlarge, the pattern is adorable)

Bibs

My own creation, made with terry cloth to be extra absorbent and useful while still being completely cute. It was my first time making my own bias tape and I never want to go back to store bought. I love it. I used velcro this time as the bib closure. It worked out very nicely. This bib will best fit a toddler, as modeled by my Ben.

Bend the Rules Sewing Bib Pattern. A perfect fit for a baby. I love the catch all pocket on the front. I lined the back with a cloth diaper to make it useful and chose a cute pearl snap button for the bib closure.

Beanies and Booties

Some knit infant goodies from over the years.

My own creation for my own little sweetie.

Patterns below from the book, Adorable Knits For Tots, by Zoe Mellor

Curtain Top #2

Here is a 5T top for another niece. It turned out quite nicely. I also made this one with the adjustable straps on the inside.

Curtain Top #1

I made this for my niece last Christmas. I followed the free tutorial for a kids curtain top at stitchlounge.com, but the site seems closed now. The pattern is for a vintage valance top, which I didn't have, so I just used new fabric. I winged the dimensions for a 3T shirt since my niece lives far away.

I added button holes to make it adjustable so it can grow with her.

Tops For Me

I did it! I made my own shirt. And the best part is, it's made exactly to my own measurements! This is the Spring Ruffle Top Pattern by Made By Rae. It was great, although I did get confused once or twice. I'm sure it had nothing to do with it being my first attempt at a top or that I was working on it way too late at night. I love it. I also got to do a rolled hem for the first time with my new serger I got at the thrift store. The best find EVER! The serger has been an adventure trying to figure it out and get it to do what I know it can. I'm loving the results. It's 10 years old, but the previous owner obviously took very good care of it. It came with a carrying bag, the manual, labeled attachments, and a laminated stitch guide.

I attached the straps in a bit on the back because I have narrow shoulders and straps tend to slide off them.

This next shirt is my own creation. The decorative bit at the top was inspired by my friend's shirt. To make this, I took a shirt that does fit me, folded it in half, laid it on a big piece of paper, and traced the body to create my own pattern. I took another shirt and traced the shape of the sleeves. I attempted to make a scoop neck that attaches with buttons and button loops in the middle of the scoop, but it didn't work out. There was too much fabric in the decorative portion. So, I sewed the middle into a V and cut off the buttons and loops. That seemed to do the trick. This was a trial run anyway. The fabric is a very old yellow sheet. I serged all the edge seams in black, which contrasts very nicely with the pale yellow. Now I think I know where to do some modifications to make the next one work how I intend it to. I'm learning so much! This was my first time ever doing sleeves and I didn't even have a pattern. Yea! It was a lot easier than I anticipated. And for a bonus, my trial run shirt is a keeper. I really like it.