polkadotbug

Hoot Hoot

I love Pottery Barn Kids.  I often flip through the catalog of fantasy bedrooms and love everything I see.  There are two things I know for sure though - 1. I could never keep a room in my house that clean and tidy and 2.  I can’t afford to buy anything there.  So, that is where the craftiness comes in.  I fell in love with the owl pillows in one of the more recent catalogs.  Even if I could afford them it’s so much more rewarding making them, especially when there are so many incredible fabrics to choose from!

For some reason I also had this insane desire to make a small flock of birds.

They are so quick and fun.  There’s a free pattern for them here and one of my bloggy friends made some too.  You can see her cuties here.  Thanks for posting that Sarah! I wanted to keep going but I had to refrain. Andrew came home and seemed surprised by my excitement over them.  He asks “what are they for?”  Who the heck knows?!  They’re just so cute!  Geez, I can’t even begin to explain why I get excited about these kinds of things.

Ok, I was gonna save this for another post but I am too excited.  I made my first “quilt.”  I feel like I can’t say it for real, cause it’s not a real quilt, but it’s the closest I’ve come to one.  I made a baby size rag quilt in Patty Young’s Andalucia and a little blankie sized quilt in boy prints by Michael Miller.  I can’t stop getting harassed about the boy stuff so I am trying harder.

They’re such a good project for me because they’re quick and I’m all about quick.  I’m also kinda embarrassed for you real quilters out there to see this.  You are all so nice though and I know you won’t make fun!  :)  I completely messed up the placing of the squares but didn’t feel like undoing the stitching once I realized it.  I definitely love that you don’t have to be perfect about the stitching – because perfect I am not.

The worst part is the snipping - by far.  I didn’t think it would be too bad but my snippers were so dull and weren’t working at all.  By the time I was half way through the first quilt my wrist was popping with every squeeze and I had calluses!  Although, once it washed and dried I decided that it was definitely worth it!   I just went out a got me a brand new pair of snips today because I intend on making more of these little guys.  They are so snuggly with fuzzy flannel on the backs. I’d wrap myself right up in there - if I were 2 ft tall.

Go Buffalo

I had to do it. It seems that people around here are just eating up the Buffalo items.  There’s City Love, an entire store dedicated to Buffalo merchandise, and now the "Believe in Buffalo” apparel is rapidly becoming a hit. 

We all know that appliques are popular, so why not a buffalo in fabulous fabric on a cute little tee or onesie? 

It would be even cuter on Abby but I keep forgetting to put it on her and take a picture.

I also had a little project to work on for a friend of mine.  Her friend is having a baby boy and she wanted some gifts.  I found this adorable robot fabric by David Walker and ran with it.

I made 2 bibs, 3 burp cloths, a diaper and wipe case, and even a little ball and bunny.

Hope she likes it!

For all of you fabric and craft addicts, Fabric Family and Fun is having a great give-away.  She runs the wonderful Above All Fabric shop on Etsy that I frequently purchase from.  As always, feel free to enter and give the stuff to me if you win.  :)  I still haven’t won a give-away yet!  Too many darn eager crafters to compete with. 

Look Out Elementary School

Well, there’s the big girl standing in front of her school this morning.  She did so well.  It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that I was pregnant with her and now she’s already in school!  I only cried a little bit, so I was proud of myself too.

Besides preparing to send Molly off to school, I have been chugging away at crafting things for the Art Festival coming up.  I thought I would see how much stuff I could get out of one yard of fabric.  I think I did pretty well. 

I started with a Buffalo Bonnet and matching fleece lined bib.

 

I finished by squeezing out one pair of reversible pants and a little matching purse.  I love this Kokka print with the big bold flowers.  They look just like the flowers that Molly draws with the huge centers.  The reverse side of the pants is Anna Maria Horner, from her Garden Party collection.

Let’s hear it for the boys!  I even went out on a limb and churned out a lounge pants/bib combo that’s made for a boy.  I didn’t do so hot finding designer fabric that I thought would be great for a boy, so I went to Joann’s. I got a neat dinosaur print and this puppy/dog house print.  I thought it was cute.  It is so different than anything I am used to working with so I did feel a tad strange.  These pants are also reversible with a very comfy gray knit on the other side. 

Hope everyone got the kids off to school without a hitch!

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P.S.  If anyone out there is interested in food (who isn’t?!) and wants to take part in a little challenge, my husband won last month’s Paper Chef food blogging competition and this month’s is underway now – the ingredients and rules are here.

Molly and Jessie

Isn't this funny?  These are some of the first things I made when I decided that I wanted to try and sew.  They have been stuffed in a basket in the corner since they were made.  This past weekend I moved all of my crafty stuff out of the dining room so we can begin demolition and Molly discovered the basket of firsts.  

The bonnet is Amy Karol's pattern.  It's where I started with the bonnets.  I was very proud of my first bonnets but my stitching wasn't so hot and it was still snowing so Abby couldn't actually wear it.  Since that time my bonnets morphed into a new shape and it's the perfect weather to wear them.  So now we are all happy!  I also made the little skirt that I had no idea what to do with, so it sat in the basket as well.  That's all Molly had to find was a matching shirt for Jessie.  She dug through her baby clothes bin (which is composed of old "real baby" clothes) and found a onesie to match.  I found some fabric scraps and ironed on a matching patch to complete the outfit.  

"Isn't she SO cute Mommy? " Is what I heard from Molly.

In the basket we also found one of the first dresses I made.  It just happened to be in the same fabric.  I obviously did a lot of experimenting with the apples and pears pattern.  It was a very cute pillowcase style dress but too short for Molly.  She was so excited to wear a matching outfit with her baby so we just threw some shorts on and she wore it like a tank top.  Now she was all ready to go to a birthday party with matching baby in tow. 

We had a great time at the birthday party/picnic.  It was Rosie's 3rd birthday.  Julia (my very dear friend whom I've mentioned in the past) and her mom (hi Judy!) throw a party for her at a local state park each year.  We always have a ton of fun and Molly loves the beach.  The weather also turns out perfect each year (normally weather and perfect cannot go in the sentence when you live in Buffalo).  Molly would've loved to stay in the water all day.  It was breezy and the waves were pretty big so I am glad Andrew was there to go in the water with her.  Bathing suits and I don't get along very well.  Little Abby thoroughly enjoyed her first experience with the sand.  Overall it was a great day and fabulous to see everyone.  Happy 3rd year Rosie, we hope it's a great one for you (and your parents)!!

Oh yeah, that's our backyard (that I mentioned needs a lot of work) in the background.  If you look over Molly's shoulder you can see our cute little garden that Andrew built.  We are all very proud of the veggie garden!     

Do Drink and Sew

I finally sat back down at the sewing machine tonight and actually finished a project!  Everything has still been packed up since we returned from our trip last weekend.  I really haven't been super motivated lately but this felt great to be productive again.  I even conquered a new dress style.  I saw something similar and really enjoyed it so I decided to give it a shot.  And once again it's a reversible dress in Heather Bailey fabrics.  Shocking. 

It's just like my classic reversible dress but it ties in the back instead of on the shoulders.  I must say that I don't know how to do the top trim where the ribbon slips through.  It came out a little sloppy.  Cute, but sloppy.  Good thing that the friend of mine who requested it hasn't a clue about sewing so she won't know the difference!  It bugs the crap out of me though.  I'd really like to know how to do it better. 

I also must share that I had a little help with my motivation tonight. 

Andrew prepared a fresh, icy, and delicious mojito for me.  What can be better than a refreshing ice cold mojito while you sew??  Answer: a refreshing ice cold mojito sitting pretty on Amy Butler fabric.  Fantastic!  It was even made with freshly picked mint from our herb garden.  I have it made.  That's all I've got for now.

relief!

Well my 30 seconds of fame is over.  Thank goodness.  I truly had a stomachache every time I thought about seeing my own mug on television. It wasn't too bad and I only sounded somewhat dumb and not completely dumb. I was so worried because I would think of they day Lindsay was here interviewing me and I remember talking but had no idea what I was saying.  I hate cameras.  It's like a deer in headlights (very bright headlights). Thanks to Caren for calling me directly after it aired laughing hysterically.  My own husband burst out laughing the instant my face appeared on the tv.  Don't worry folks, it's not like I have a complex or anything! 

You did a great job Josie and your blog is fabulous!  Your lovely accent made you sound one hundred times better than me!  That and the fact that you make amazing things.  I am so happy to be considered one of the local blogging crafters with you!  Perhaps you will teach me how to make a quilt? :) 

Thanks to Vicki for recommending my blog.  Hollyhocks (a fantastic blog) has brought me lots of traffic since you have added me as a favorite.

I thought that I should add a picture of something that I made to this post for anyone who is here for the first time.  This is a bonnet/bib combo in Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabric.  I am in love with this stuff.  This one was made as a gift set for a baby shower.

Thanks for checking out my little place on the web.   

Tons of Tutus (Tying Tulle Tonight)

Yet another Tina project for the market, if you can't tell.  I don't typically sit around tying tons of tulle knots just for fun.  The tutus are so easy to put together and turn out so cute.  It's great to see them all together when I finish.  Every newest one becomes my favorite. 

I was really surprised at the amount of tutus I sold at the last market.  I know they are cute, but I didn't think they would sell like they did.  I planned on having a lot more for this one, but my time is running short.  Andrew even helped with these tutus.  He cut the lengths of tulle while I pieced them together.  He thought he would attempt to put one together, but apparently it's difficult for large fingers to tie delicate knots of tulle.  Thank you Andrew! 

Just like a baby girl needs a bonnet, a young girl needs a tutu.  How's that for a sales pitch?  It just makes them feel so fancy.  I love how when Molly puts one on she immediately does a little dance.  The first tutu I sold was for a little girl on her second birthday and I was told she slept in it that night!  How cute is that!?  That's the greatest feeling, knowing that something you did made someone else really happy.  Oh the joys!   

Who wants to make a reversible dress?

Well everyone, I have finished the reversible dress tutorial!  You can find it here.  I hope that I have made it clear and easy to follow.  I am certainly no pro at making dresses (who knows if my techniques are even right), but I have made quite a few of this kind and they turn out incredibly cute.  I would really appreciate feedback if the tutorial has been helpful to you, or even if it hasn't.  I am definitely willing to answer any questions you may have if you get stumped along the way.  I hope you don't get stumped though! 

I am now thinking of a new reversible dress that I would like to give a shot.  I will definitely share once I get a chance to try it.  I think I see a reversible pants tutorial in the future as well.  The possibilities are endless!  I seem to be gravitated towards this whole reversible thing.  Maybe it's because I don't have a serger and I like the look of the finished reversible clothing.  That and the fact that you get 2 choices out of one product!

Ok, get dress making and let me know how it goes!