Happy Birthday, Bee!

Affectionately known as "Itty Bit," our little Bee turned TWO on Saturday! She's still roughly the size of a 15 month old, talks like a 2 year old, and races through the house like a 6 year old:) She's bubbly but demanding, adventurous but knows her own limits, sassy but sweet as sugar...basically a walking contradiction. And she's the pepper to her sister's salt. They are nothing alike, but the best of friends!


Bee has a sense of style all her own. Her favorite ensemble is her "white" dress (Snow White, that is), her flowered rain boots, and a pair of binoculars around her neck. But don't you dare come near her in a mask...she is NOT a fan!



Did I mention that she's a bit on the animated side? The facial expressions and comedic timing on this thing are unbelieveable!

And like every diva, a wardrobe change mid-event is always necessary:) I'm not sure if you recognized the dress in the pics above, but it came from none other than the famous Katy at No Big Dill, who just happened to give birth to her first little boy on my little Bee's birthday! Congrats to Katy and the entire Dill family:)

But we couldn't eat Carolina blue (is there any other color???) cupcakes in that dress. I mean, I ordered it before Bee was even ONE!

So, to complement the party theme, I whipped up this little fishie outfit the morning of the party...yep, nothing like waiting till the last minute:)

I'd say the cupcakes were a big hit, but I think that's pretty obvious:)

A while back, I confessed that Belle had a birthday party that was completely store-bought (except the cupcakes that my hubby baked). I had a lot of guilt, but she had a blast. And I learned a pretty important lesson...sometimes it's better to be the parent enjoying your child instead of the parent making things for your child.

This time around, I aimed for the middle ground. Thanks to a very busy tax season, I've had quite a bit of time on my hands in the evenings, so I used my free time to practice a new knitting technique...magic loop. Not complicated at all, but something new to me. And if I was going to be practicing, I might as well make something for the Bee's birthday while I was learning a new skill. So the "Birthday Baby" was born.

In a futile attempt to make Bee love her, I dressed her like Dora, but my goal with the doll is that it will grow with Bee. Right now she loves Dora, so a few basic accessories turn this simple doll into her much-loved friend. But with a quick clothing change she can be just about anything. I'm planning a Halloween dress next...maybe white with a ghost face on the front. Then a dress for a very special secret event coming up this winter...more on that later:)

Of course, even the totally yummy belly button couldn't make Bee interested in her doll. She quickly tossed it aside and moved on to much more exciting toys, but maybe one day she'll grow to love the doll. And if not...oh well. I learned a new technique and enjoyed the process.

So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEE! I love you more than the moon and the stars and could not imagine our little family without your spunky sweetness!

Chasing Away the Rain...

Rainy days are always a challenge, but when they're COLD, rainy days it just isn't pretty! So we decided to try to chase away the rain. Out came the colorful tissue paper and up popped some new spring blooms. Belle has a thing about always needing a centerpiece on the kitchen table. We've had everything from a pair of scissors to my husband's hat thrown in the middle of the table just to satisfy her. I think these are a big improvement! And to kill some time while we were waiting for the sunshine to arrive, Belle designed her first tee. Look how proud she is!

I had her draw a picture on white paper with a dark marker. Then we traced the outline of the shapes on Lite-Bond fusing paper. She picked the colors of fabric she wanted and we got busy with the applique. I had to do all of the ironing and most of the stitching, but she sat with me and picked the thread colors and helped when she could.

And this little gal must be a sunshine fairy, because by the time she was finished the sun was shining brightly! Thank goodness!

Make Mine Modern Please!

So I think I've explained most of the buttons over there on the right...but I'm not sure that I told you about the Make Mine Modern swap that I was lucky enough to get into.

The rules of the swap are:
* Your partner is a secret. You know who you're making for, but you have no idea who is making for you.
* You spend hours, days, even weeks stalking your partner to find out what they love and what they need.
* You create 1 hand-made item for you partner.
* You send one item to decorate your partner's sewing space (makes me wish I had one!).
* You send 1.5 yards of fabric that your partner will love.
* You can include any extras that you wish.

This is a sneak peak of the main part of the package for my partner. I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is, but it makes use of my current obsession (DMC perle cotton) and has hours and hours of hand-stitching in it. Wondering about the fabric??? Kona solids from here. You can create your own Kona solids fat quarter bundles in various sizes...and they're really reasonably priced for Kona.

I'll share more of the goodies headed to partner in the next few weeks...I really hope she likes them!

Welcoming a New Baby

Welcoming a new baby is always fun! Those tiny toes, that sweet smell, the feathery hair....mmmmmm!

And every baby deserves a little something special, made just for them!

And a cute little cupcake on the bum can't hurt either:)

ROAR!

I am lucky to have a group of very lovely and very loyal, local customers. I've done everything from birthday party t-shirts, to holiday skirts for these super sweet ladies. And even though I don't know their children, I feel like I am watching them grow up through their clothes, toys, and bedroom accessories.

I "met" Davis through his birthday party t-shirt quite a while ago. You may remember that one with the giant 2 on the front. I even had to privilege of helping him announce his new "Big Brother" status when his mom found out she was expecting. And now that his little brother is about to arrive, Davis is getting a big boy bedroom. His super-creative mom has designed quite a room complete with dinosaur wall decals and a hand-painted growth chart. And I got to add these adorable pillows to the mix.

The dinosaur pillow has a corduroy applique design on the front. The Charlie Brown pillow was made with this tutorial. It is really simple, but really tedious! All the measuring, clipping, and pressing of those tiny points just about drove me bonkers. But it is so cute now that it's finished, that I think it was totally worth it!

I hope Davis likes them...and his new brother:)

I've Been a Busy Little Bee

REALLY! I have, I promise!

There have been LOTS of orders.

And lots of tees!

And lots of late nights!

And some really poor photos taken in the middle of the night!

I just didn't want you think that I had abandoned you. Remember me being buried alive??? Well, these are just a few of things I've been churning out recently. Don't you just love that train? It kinda makes me wish there was a little boy in the mix around here. KINDA.

Now...BACK TO WORK! There's a mostly-finished football jersey calling to me from the table:)

Making Do Monday - Cover Those Stains

Somehow with all the holiday hullabaloo, I just forgot about Making Do Mondays. I promise to at least try to do better:)

We're a messy house...clementine juice running down our arms, paint splattering across our chests, garden soil ground into the knees of our pants. It just happens. We seem to have no control over it. So we make do:)


Both of these shirts featured lovely stains on the front (strawberry and chili if I'm not mistaken).

A quick sketch, a light iron to fuse, and a few rounds through the sewing machine and they were good as new...actually, better than new!

All you need are a few scraps of fabric and some of this.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It's interesting to be on the other side of the Christmas rush...I always used to get a little freaked out when I started to see Christmas decorations in stores before Halloween was even over. Especially since I've moved to the South, we often start to see Santa Claus while we're still wearing shorts.

But now that I'm on the seller/blogger side of things, it starts even earlier! I took my first Christmas order in early October. And I know that moms are starting to shop for the perfect little outfits for holiday card photo sessions...I know, because I'm a mom doing that very thing.

So this year, I had to give in and start the Christmas madness before Halloween. I'm really hoping that by getting a jump start, I might actually have some down time to enjoy the holidays this year, but I'm realistic enough to know that will NEVER happen.

Belle + Bee is going with a MODERN HOLIDAY theme this year. Fresh takes on traditional colors and symbols. I'm having a lot of fun with this collection! The bright colors and bold prints make me smile:)

So here's a sneak peek at some of the first pieces. What do you think???

Making Do Monday - Birthday Bash!

It's Making Do Monday again and we just happen to be celebrating Bee's 1st birthday, so I thought a Birthday Bash theme would be appropriate:)

On Wednesday of last week I realized that little Bee's birthday party was on Saturday and, well....ummmm....I was TOTALLY unprepared. I had made no plans, bought nothing, made nothing, and was basically in denial of the fact that my baby was turning 1. It was time to get busy!

Belle helped me decided on a theme. Can you guess????

DINOSAURS!

In our family, we don't do big parties with lots of little munchkins until the age of 3 (totally arbitrary rule that we created completely on accident, but we like it, so we're sticking with it), so I didn't need crazy numbers of things to occupy 20 little tyrannosauruses. Just a few party favors for the kids in our life who qualify as "family" even if they aren't actually related. The backyard, all the new toys, not to mention the pizza and cake would provide plenty of entertainment.

We decided that a dinosaur party needed to be green, but then added in a little pink to make it more girly. I raided the stash and came up with a pile of pink and green fabric that was taller than Bee. During nap on Wednesday I drew a few big dino pictures for Belle to color while I cut out all the things we would be making (more on the magic dino pics in another post) .

After 2 days of cutting, pinning, sewing and stitching we were able to put together an entire party with just the things on hand. That's Making Do at its best, if I do say so myself!

As always, if your stash isn't as generous as mine, all the directions below include general guidelines for what you might need to buy.

Table Bunting:

You will need - lots of pieces of fabric (you can make as many flags as you want in as many different fabrics as you want...mine has 15 flags of 15 different fabrics all backed in white), a long piece of ribbon

1. Create a triangle pennant pattern. I did this with a large sheet of paper. Fold the paper in half hot dog style but crease only about one inch at the edge of the paper. Make a small mark at the very edge of the paper right on your crease. That mark will be the bottom point of your pennant. Then using a straight edge, draw a line connecting that point to each of the top corners of the paper. Cut the excess smaller triangles off and discard (or give to your child to color).

2. Trace your pattern onto the backsides of your fabric pieces. You will need TWO triangles for each flag. You can make the front and back match or pick coordinating fabric for the back sides (I just used white).

3. Place each pair of traingles right sides together and pin down the two long sides.

4. Sew down the two long sides of each traingle, then clip the point at the bottom off (be careful not to clip your stitches) and turn the flag right side out.

5. Press the flag and, if necessary, trim so that the top (RAW) edge is straight.

6. Line the flags up and put them in the order you want them to hang. My flags are all about 1 inch apart. Place the ribbon over the top edge of the flags and pin in place. Be sure that the raw edges do not show above the edge of the ribbon.

7. Use a wide zigzag stitch to sew each flag to the ribbon. If you are using satin ribbon, as I was, it is easier to sew each flag on separately and clip the threads between each one. If you are using grograin ribbon you can sew one long stitch line down the entire ribbon.

8. Be sure to clip any loose threads or strings from the raw edges.

Your bunting can be secured with packing tape to your table, high chair, or mantel. It can also be tied to deck rails, fence posts etc. for an outdoor party.

Gift Bags:

You will need - large rectangle of fabric (2 per bag), ribbon or cord

1. Decide how large your finished bag needs to be. Mine are 12x16, but you will not likely need one that large for most types of party favors.

2. Add seam allowances...this is a bit of tricky math so I'm going to show you mine:

a. Double the length 16x2=32

b. Add 2 inches to the length for foldover 32+2=34

c. Add 1/2" to the length for seam allowance 34+1/2=34.5

d. Add 1 to the width for seam allowance 12+1=13

e. Cutting measurements are now 13x34.5.

3. Cut TWO rectangles for each bag.

4. Place the two rectangles right sides together and using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew all the way around the edges leaving a 4" opening for turning.

5. Clip the corners and turn the bag right side out. Press flat and be sure to press the raw edges of the opening under so they will be sewn closed in the next step. Fold the short ends down 1" to form the ribbon casing and press in place. Then fold the bag in half hamburger style and press...you will now see what your finished bag will look like.

6. Sew across the bottom edges of the ribbon casing. Then, using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew down the two sides of the bag from the bottom edge of the ribbon casing to the bottom of the bag. DO NOT SEW THE RIBBON CASING CLOSED!

7. Cut a piece of ribbon that is the width of your bag + 6 x 2 (12+6=18, 18x2=36, so cut 36" of ribbon). Use a safety pin to thread it through the ribbon casing. Tie the two ends of the ribbon together in a small knot. If you are adding a bag tag - wait to tie the ends together until after you have put it on.

Bag Tags:

You will need - small scraps of felt, embroidery thread, small piece of ribbon

1. Draw the shape of your tag on a piece of paper and cut it out. Use this to trace a front and back for each tag you want to make. Mine were dinos, of course.

2. Cut out an initial for each tag if desired.

3. Stitch the initial (or other design) to the front of the tag. I used a back stitch, but you can just use a regular running stitch if you want.

4. Put the front and back together WRONG SIDES TOGETHER. Fold a small piece of ribbon in half and insert the raw edge end between the two layers of felt at the top of the tag. Pin in place. Stitch around the outside edge being careful to use neat, even stitches.

5. Slip the ribbon loop over the ribbon of your gift bag and then tie the bag ribbon ends together.

Softies:

You will need - fabric scraps, felt scraps, stuffing, embroidery thread

1. Design a simple outline on paper. Cut out your pattern and use it to cut two pieces for each softie. Use felt to design embellishments if desired (eyes, spots, spikes etc.). You will need to stitch all embellishments to each piece before putting the softie together. Things like plates or spikes will be sewn in during the final construction step. You can also embroider eyes, patterns etc. at this point.

2. Place the two pieces right sides together and pin. If you are adding spikes they will need to point down into your sandwich and be tucked in completely before sewing. Sew all the way around your softie leaving a 2-3 inch opening to turn.

3. Turn your softie right side out (your spikes will stick up now) and stuff well. Fold the edges of the opening under and slip stitch the opening closed.

Applique T-Shirt: I decided to try to protect the party dress (I'll do a dress post later...I think you'll LOVE it!) from the mounds of cake icing, so I put this together for Bee to wear while she ate her cake.

You will need - a oneise or tee (I keep a stock of the plain white Carters onesies in my stash, but you might need to buy one of these), fabric scraps, iron-on fusing paper (available at craft stores)

1. Draw out your design on plain paper. Be sure that it fits on your tee.

2. Trace each individual piece on the iron-on paper. This will actually end up as a mirror-image, so if you are doing a name or something else that is direction specific, be sure that you create a mirror image of what you want the finished project to look like.

3. Cut around each piece...you don't need to cut on the lines at this point, just cut close to your piece.

4. Place each piece on the WRONG side of the fabric that you have chosen for that part. Follow the package instructions to iron onto the fabric. Now you will need to craefully cut all of the pieces out on the lines you drew.

5. Peel the backs off of all of your pieces and arrange them on your tee. Follow the package instructions again to iron the pieces to your tee.

6. Use a straight or zigzag stitch to sew around the edges of all of your pieces. When you need to make a sharp turn, be sure that your needle is all the way down in your fabric, then lift the presser foot, turn your fabric, and put your presser foot back down before continuing to sew. If you have a lot of small pieces it is easier to use a straight stitch. Large, simple pieces look cute with a zigzag.

TIP - you can use the hand wheel on your sewing machine to sew one stitch at time in small sections if necessary.

Add some ballons and a few pizzas and have a blast at your birthday bash!

What did you do last night???

I'd like to say that I went out with friends, had a date, or at least had an occassion to wear heels...

But in the absence of exciting adult events, I guess these will have to do:)

A super simple striped pumpkin for my little pumpkin.

A bright and colorful rainbow.

And maybe my favorite tee ever...the Rockin' Dino! Don't you just love his little red corduroy car???

Remember those posts a while back about my highly literal clothing designs for boys??? Well, I've really been working on it. How do you think I'm doing?

Knit Applique

I don't think I can even count the number of applique tees I have made! It's a habit that I just can't seem to break. I love the way a basic white t-shirt can be turned into a roaring lion, a jiggly jellyfish, or even a wallaby:)

But with all the tees I've created, I have never worked with knits to create the design. That seems hard for me to believe...I mean what better fabric with which to work? It is super-soft, doesn't fray, and is as rugged as you can possibly ask for in a kids' tee. But you see, I have a felt stash and a stash of basic quilting cottons, but I just don't have a knit stash...until NOW!

I was asked to put together a tee for a little boy's birthday party. He was turning 2 and needed something to help him celebrate the occassion...not to mention a tee that would look fantastic in his party pics.

That's a pretty big responsibility if you ask me. Birthday party pictures last a lifetime. And when he is all grown up with children of his own, his mom will look back through her (probably digital) albums and reminisce about the sweet little boy he was, while marveling over the amazing man he has become. OK - I'm romanticizing this a bit too much, I know. But I get a little misty-eyed when I think about how fast Belle and Bee are growing up, so this is an emotional topic for me:)

Anyway...back to the point!

I knew that I wanted a tee that would really pop in pictures, but would be soft and comfy so this little guy could really enjoy his big day. So...I went on a search for KNITS!

I don't have easy access to a really good fabric shop and this was a rush order, so getting what I needed from Above All Fabric wasn't an option. So I did the next best thing...I went t-shirt shopping. I scoured the local stores for the softest knits, of the best quality, in the brightest colors I could find. I fell in love with the tees that eventually became this super-cute applique because they were so stinkin' soft! And I just love this color palette.

To create the applique I followed exactly the same steps I always follow with my cotton fabrics. I designed the tee and then created mirror images of all the pieces (obviously I didn't need a mirror image of the all of them...the circle, for example). I traced the mirror-imaged design pieces onto my fusible paper and cut them out. Then I ironed them to the reverse side of the knit fabric, peeled the paper backing and ironed them to the tee. After the pieces were all fused in place, I selected a color for the stitching and embroidered all the pieces by hand. A cute new tag on the back was the final step in this ADORABLE tee.

I can honestly say, this is my favorite tee I've ever made...even more than the jellyfish, I think! I will definitely be investing in more super soft tees so I can create new knit applique tees in the near future! Oh, and there are some other applique design options in this palette coming soon...

Easter Egg Appliques

I remember that as a kid I loved to draw Easter eggs. The endless possiblities for combining squiggles, stripes, polkadots, and zigzags in a pretty much no-fail design was highly appealing. As long as you could get the outer shape to look sort-of egg like, then you were going to end up with a beautiful piece of kid-art.

As Easter approaches, I sat down to create some eggsellent designs. How quickly I was whisked back in time to 3rd grade! I just couldn't resist that drawing of old...the egg outline, a narrow stripe here, a wide polka-dotted stripe there, and a squiggle for good measure. I traced and cut out a set of the resulting pieces in both shades of pink and shades of blue. Stitched to brightly colored tee, these are a slightly fresh take on the pastel versions of old.

You can easily create Easter egg tee of your own using the applique tee directions I posted a few days ago. Start with a basic egg shape (you can find tons of templates for these in a google image search). Add your own flair with stripes and dots. New to applique...add just a few large polka dots. Experienced embroiderer (is that a word???)...pile on the decorations and embellish away. Too busy to sew...order one from Etsy today (see shop above).

Have fun...and I would love to see some pics of your results!

Felt Applique - How To

Creating a felt applique tee for your little one is super easy and the results are super cute!

1. First design your applique. I always do a pencil sketch that includes both the shpaes and the embellishments.

2. On another sheet of paper, trace the shapes that you will need to cut using a felt tip marker. Cut these shapes out.


3. Place your pattern pieces on the felt. I always try to minimize felt usage by placing the shapes as far into a corner as possible. You never know when that 1 inch scrap of felt might be the star of your next design:) Trace around your pattern pieces with a pen or marking chalk, then cut out the felt pieces.


4. Embroider each piece with the embellishments from your original design. You can use basic running stitches, back stitch, french knots, etc. to make each piece uniquely yours.

5. Place the pieces (starting with the background pieces) on the t-shirt. Be sure to center the design where you want it, then pin it to the shirt. Make sure that you pin only through the top layer of the tee.

6. Use your choice of stitch to attach each piece to the t-shirt. The basic running stitch is the least noticeable. A back stitch or whip stitch will figure more heavily into your design. Try to keep your stitches neat and even. Continue securing pieces until your design is finished.




* I do not use a fusible webbing on the inside of my shirts because Belle thinks it is itchy, but this is an option to protect your knots and stitches.

Wild Flower - The Outfit

I was so excited to share my Wild Flower tee that I had to post it before the entire outfit was ready. So here is the result. The pic isn't great...I was in a hurry, but you can still see how adorable it is! Look for a Fun Felt Applique How-to coming soon!