August Organization

I can't believe it's August already.  There are a lot of things on my list that have been there for months and that I suspect I just won't do because I'm out of the zone... so it's time to take a look:

• Refashion dark gray striped shirt
• Refashion light gray striped shirt
• Apron for me (I have some fat quarters that would be good for this) - Partially made. I need more fabric and bias tape. Not extremely happy with it, but I had to try it.
• Aprons for the girls (I think I'll let them pick out the fabric and they'll be pretty simple)
• Re-refashion the Goodwill dress
• Refashion other Goodwill dress
• Work on lengthening some of Izzy's pants
• Make a pair of scrubs (I really want to try this)
• Barbie Organizer Started, but on hold.
• Noodlehead bike basket for Olivia
• Crocheted leg warmers for the girls Made a pair, Izzy thinks she looks silly in them and the other two don't care, so I think that's it for the leg warmers
• Corset top for Tammy  Done
• Something for ME  I did make myself something!  I made a cute top, but no pics.  That would involve me being in a picture =)
• Make a pleated dress (it's in my head and I've sketched it, ready to go to town on it)
• Make something with my Laura Gunn fabric.  It's GORGEOUS!
• I have an idea for another style corset top I can make for my BFF
• Cow beanie
• Crocheted blanket (if I can figure out the pattern, the person I got it from isn't the best pattern maker)

The stuff in italics are things that I don't know if I'll ever get around to finishing/working on any time soon.  The moment has passed =)  I didn't cross much off of the list, but I have actually been super productive.  I've made several crocheted projects.... character beanies, a cute little set for my cousin's upcoming grandbaby, and I've even sold 2 things.  I guess I keep up with a list to remind myself of my plans when I feel like I don't have any ideas on what to work on, because in general, I'm kind of spontaneous with my sewing and crocheting.  I'll get an idea and have to complete it right away, no matter what else is on tap. 

So that's that.  Let's see what I can do this month!

Oh Noooooo!

So, here's the background:

My husband goes by Bill, and quite often I call him Mr. Bill because it's funny.  To me.  He looks nothing like THE Mr. Bill, so it's just me being dorky.  Imagine that =)

The other day, I told my husband I was going to change his facebook profile picture to Mr. Bill, but we had computer issues and I couldn't.  When he got home from work, he went ahead and changed it for me.  His sister mentioned that she had seen Mr. Bill dolls at a store recently and from there I had the idea to make this:

That's her "Oh no!" face

I think I need to get back to my sewing machine a little bit before coming up with new hats.  It's not like we need them =)

I'm so proud!

I have been crocheting hats.  Hats, hats, hats.  I love cute hats.  I want to make a blanket soon, but I keep finding or coming up with hats.  No matter that it's 105* and that even in the winter, it's rarely cold enough for me to insist on putting hats on the kids.  They're cute, they keep me amused, and that's all that matters =)

I made a  Cookie Monster hat and an Oscar the Grouch hat (sorry, no good pics yet...).  When we were at the store buying yarn, my oldest picked up some fuchsia yarn and said "Mom!  You can make me an Abby Cadabby hat!"  That's great and all, but I didn't have a pattern for one.

So I had to wing it.

Duh, duh, duh....

Wanna see it?  (if not, you better move on, 'cause here it comes....)

so stinking cute!

It's mine!  All mine!  No pattern whatsoever!  Not too shabby for someone who has only been crocheting a little over a month.  (Yeah, I'm tooting my own horn.  I can't help it!)

I'm going to sell it in my zibbet shop.  Not this particular one, a custom-made one.  My daughter would be so mad at me for selling her Abby.

I'm even more excited about my next hat.  Also my own design.  I just need to go get some more white yarn.  It's going to be so awesome (probably only to me, but that's OK).

Isabelle

I mentioned before that I had found some fabric in a line named "Isabelle" and , of course, had to buy some for MY Isabelle.  I only had 1/2 a yard and I racked my brain for something to do that was not  pillowcase/bandana style or a corset.  Then a tutorial popped up yesterday for an adorable top, and I decided it was perfect.  It's by Sew Totally Smitten.

And here is my version of her Cinderella top:

Pretend the pants match, she was really excited and wouldn't wait for me to find other pants - it was this or underwear for her =)

 

I love it =)  I made a couple of mistakes when I enlarged the pattern a bit, totally my fault and the result of me trying to think at 9pm at night.  It used every bit of my 1/2 yard - I seriously only had little scraps left over.  I am definitely going to make another one, making it a dress, I think.  I had never tried pleats before and they were kinda fun =)  A little bit more work than gathering up ruffles, but easier and neater to sew onto the garment. 

That's not what I wanted...

I checked the mail today to find a package waiting for me.  Excitement!  I was waiting on my gorgeous Laura Gunn fabric, so I ripped into it and -

Wait a minute, this looks funny

Well, it's a Laura Gunn print, but not the one I ordered.  Bummer.  I've sent the etsy seller a message, haven't heard back yet.  I don't hate the print I ended up with and if she offers to let me keep it, I'd certainly use it, but I definitely want the right fabric.

I don't seem to have the best track record with etsy sellers.  Out of 5 purchases, 2 have had problems.  I bought some crochet patterns and it took me a week to get them emailed to me, and only after I reported the problem to etsy.  The seller offered me a free pattern for my trouble, but that mysteriously never arrived - and it wasn't worth the trouble of dealing with it to try to get it.  I hope this is my last issue with a seller and I hope it's resolved better than the last problem.  I understand human beings make mistakes and I'm not upset about it, and won't be if it all turns out for the best.  Good thing I have other things to work on and that I hadn't come up with a definite plan for the fabric yet, or I'd be chomping at the bit ;)

Mad Dash

Olivia and Isabelle are going to a dance day camp this week - at least 3 days this week, anyway.  Tomorrow is the last day, and they have a fashion show.  I had assumed the director had dress up clothes or something for them to wear, but the note she sent home today said we were to bring something for them to wear.  Honestly, my kids don't have much in the way of fancy or dress up clothes.  I have made them pretty practical clothes to wear and we hardly ever go anywhere that anything nicer is needed.  And, of course, if my kids are going to be in a fashion show, they MUST wear something that I made.  I mean, come on.  It may be the only time my creations are ever on a runway.  =)

I racked my brain all afternoon, taking a mental inventory of what they had.  I debated on Easter dresses, but I was never in love with those.  I remembered this cute little outfit I whipped up for Isabelle last month:

Too cute =)  And I figured it was pretty much perfect for the fashion show.  It took me a while to find it - it was buried in a hamper under a comforter (along with a bunch of other missing laundry), so I've washed it up and need to iron it.  Ick - I hate ironing if it's not a part of sewing.

I couldn't think of anything else, so I decided to make something.  I have a ton of bandanas and I decided to experiment with making a corset dress out of a white bandana and some black fabric I had.  No picture yet, because corsets don't look right unless something is filling them out.  It only took me about an hour from start to finish.  I hope it is cute on her, but we'll have to wait until the morning to see.  I probably should come up with some back up outfit just in case.  And shoes for them to wear.  We have a billion shoes, but never anything that goes with anything - how is that?

Oh, and I got a picture of Zoe in the crocheted dress:

She's such a cute little nut.  The dress is cute, but the crocheted part stretches more than I thought it would - especially the straps.  Maybe when I wash it, it will shrink a bit

Mixed Media =)

I have been crocheting a lot lately and neglecting my poor little sewing machine.  I need to get some really good pictures of the hats I've made, but my models aren't extremely cooperative lately.  I can get them outside to take the picture, but once outside they could care less about what I want.

I was thinking as I was finishing up the latest hat about a tutorial I saw somewhere (Prudent Baby, maybe?) where they made a crocheted collar for a little shirt.  I didn't really like the exact shirt they made, but the idea got me thinking and I decided to experiment.  I wanted to make a dress - the top crocheted.  I found some fabric on clearance at Hobby Lobby last week and didn't have any real plans for it yet, so I found some soft baby yarn that would go with it and I crocheted up the top, just winging it.  It's simple, just rows of double crochet, but I liked the effect - the edges were a little scalloped and it has a bit of a herringbone texture to it.  I made it so it buttons up in the back and the straps are adjustable.  Then I just whipped up a simple skirt and sewed the two together.

I really can't wait to get it on one of the girls to see how it looks on them.

Sewing yarn was trickier than I thought - it didn't feed all that smoothly and it stretched a bit, but it worked out just fine.  I think I might try it again, try a different or more elaborate design for the crochet, experiment with different fabrics.

I discovered a line of fabric named "Isabelle" last night and had to order a little bit of one of the designs.  I've found Isabelle fabric and Olivia (not the pig, although there is that, too) fabric, so now I need someone to design some Zoe fabric.  That would just be perfect.  I also ordered Laura Gunn's Climbing Lantern Pods in lime - I've had my eye on the design in turquoise for about a month, debating on ordering it.  Then I saw it in lime and fell in love.  It's going to make a GORGEOUS dress, I just can't wait =)