It Takes Longer to Unmake Them...

Just ask me...because I know!

I have a rule that I never sew anything important when I'm tired. At 10:00 pm, my brain turns to mush. I can, and do, sew A LOT after 10, but only things for my own children and never anything on a deadline. So tonight when I sat down at 8pm to begin making Belle's birthday outfit for her party this weekend, I thought I was in the clear. Surely I could whip up a pair of ruffled capris and a refashioned tee in under 2 hours, and maybe still have time for a headband before I turned into a pumpkin. Right???

Well...let's just say there's now a second clause to that rule. Never sew anything important (or time-sensitive) when STRESSED! I guess I didn't mention earlier, that not only is Belle celebrating her 3rd birthday (where did the time go???) with a backyard full of preschoolers, but Bee is being baptized, and 3 far-flung families will be in town for the festivities. Oh...and did I forget to tell you that my MIL is getting married next week...at the beach...and I'm in charge of the rehearsal dinner and the flower girl?

There is more than one pesky detail bouncing off the walls of my over-taxed brain right now, but there I sat at 8pm, completely convinced that this project would go off without a hitch. Huh!

About 3/4 of the way into the capris, I realized that something just wasn't quite matching up. I've used this pattern many times with much success, but tonight it was wonky. The curves were out of sync, and the seams were making this funny pucker when I tried to force them together. Low and behold, I discovered that I had sewn the fronts upside down onto the backs. It just so happened that when I shortened the pattern to make capris, the inseam turned out to be exactly the same length as the crotch seam. I had flipped them without even knowing.

Now if I hadn't been using my favorite fabric...which just happens to be OOP, I probably would have junked the pants and started over. But I do love Darcy, and she is hard to find, and...well, I couldn't do it. I pulled out the seam ripper and set to work. And now, I can testify to the fact that it does take longer to UNMAKE a pair of pants than it does to MAKE them.

Oh, and that tee and headband...they went just about as well as the pants, but we're finally ready for Saturday (and I'm ready for bed!). I'll share pics of the entire outfit (and maybe a tee refashion tutorial) after the party...just don't look too closely, ok?

Patchwork Pants

First of all, let me just say that I have a new favorite fabric store...Above All Fabric (www.aboveallfabric.com). This shop is amazing! The selection is out of this world, the prices are great (you should see some of the sales) and there is a rewards program that gives you money back toward your next order. Right now she is running a Go Pink sale that benefits Breast Cancer. Be sure to enter GOPINK at check-out. You get 10% off and another 10% is donated.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered the pattern for these amazingly cute little patchwork pants (see below) from Above All Fabric. As soon as it arrived, I broke out a charm pack that I had in my stash and put together the multi-colored pair for Belle (please excuse the wrinkles...I didn't think to take a pic before she had been wearing them all day, and after the day I've had, I am not about to iron them!). Of course, I had to order more fabric to finish them off...you didn't think I would complete an entire project just from my stash did you? After a successful trial run, I decided to incorporate these pants into my summer seeersucker stuff. Aren't they adorable?

Next to create a tee to match...I'm thinking white tee with red ruffle at the bottom and maybe a detachable fabric bow on the chest, but haven't quite decided. If you have any ideas, please share!

And, "the day I've had," for those of you who don't know me personally, involved my first triathlon...in a thunderstorm and mud almost up to my knees! But I finished...and with a much better time than I had anticipated:)

Mystery Quilt Buying Guide

Ok Mystery Quilters...here are your shopping instructions. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I've built a little bit of excess in to the yardage for any little boo-boos that might happen. If you are a first timer, I do NOT recommend that you buy $10/yd fabric. A nice soft $4-$6/yd will do just fine.

You are going to need 2 colors (light and dark) for this quilt. The more the two fabrics contrast the better the final effect will be. I recommend that you purchase either solid color fabric or something with a very tiny print. We are going to be cutting everything into pretty small pieces, so if you have a large print you will lose it in the cutting. If you are new to purchasing quilting fabric...head to the big wall fabrics in your local fabric store. These are going to be the quilting fabrics.

You will need:
1.5 yards of dark fabric
2 yards of light fabric
2.5 yards of fabric for the backing and binding***

***Backing and Binding Fabric Note: You can use either of the two fabrics that you have selected (light or dark)....OR, if you're feeling adventurous you can select a print that matches your two fabrics. This would technically take you out of the realm of a "two-color quilt," but if you love it...who cares???

Other Necessities:
Sewing machine - don't have one??? You could still make this quilt, but you would need alternate directions...and a whole lot more time
Thread - I recommend Coats and Clark Hand Quilting thread - yes, I know we are machine quilting, but this is still my favorite thread because it doesn't tangle as easily. Get something that matches your light fabric.
Scissors - good fabric scissors will make your life easier
Ruler - a basic one will work, but see optional materials list for alternatives
Pins - I love the long ones with the yellow heads that come in a plastic box, but amy straight pins will do.

Optional Things That Will Make Your Life Easier:
Rotary Cutter - looks like a pizza cutter
3.5 inch square ruler - You can find these in the quilting section at the fabric shop, or you could use a larger one if you already own a bigger size (I'll probably be using my 6.5" square)
Rotary Cutting Mat

Some Color Combo Suggestions: DO NOT THINK YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THESE. I just thought it might help to spark some ideas. Obviously, the easy answer is white/ivory with something else.

Red/Black
Light Blue/Navy
Light/Dark Pink
White/Black (very graphic)
Ivory/Navy (very traditional)
White/Orange (funky)
Red/Navy
Turquoise/Purple
Maize/Rust
Light Pink/Brown
Bright Pink/Navy
Light Blue/Red (nautical)
Turquoise/Black

When you've finished your shopping, come back and comment to tell us what you've picked...personally, I'm having a lot of trouble deciding!

Strawberry Goodness!

Strawberry season is just about over here, and I am hoping to get one more flat of my favorite berries before the fields close. If you're anything like me, you always pick more than you can eat, so here is a super simple and super delicious recipe for preserves. [And as I type this...Belle's face is pretty much covered in these very preserves...she's a big fan!]

Easy Strawberry Preserves
3 qts. berries, hulled and sliced (though I never actually hull them and they always turn out fine)
3/4 cup sugar
2 T. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Cook over medium high heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occassionally, for 45 minutes or until thickened.

The preserves will last 1 month in the refrigerator.

Enjoy...and you if make any, please share!

Bee's Britches!!!

HAVE MERCY! Bee's Britches are the cutest thing I have ever seen!

I'm especially proud of these because I created the pattern myself. Bee has a pair of the sweetest little baggies that I put her in as soon as they come out of the dryer every time. I just love them, but since they came with a pretty hefty price tag, they are the only pair that I am willing to buy. When this Darcy fabric by Anna Griffin arrived in the mail a few days ago, I knew instantly what my first project would be.

I pulled Bee's baggies out (from the dirty laundry basket, of course) and began work on creating the pattern. It took me 3 prototype trials to get the proportion of the leg correct, but eventually I had a pair of scratchy, remnant-bin, blue seersucker baggies. As soon as the prototype was finished, I started cutting on the Darcy fabric. It took me two evenings to get them put together (and those pockets gave me a run for my money), but the result is PRECIOUS!

And, I've already cut out the next pair...

You Have to See This!

There isn't much time left to enter the various Sew Mama Sew Giveaways...you had better hurry to the link below!

Oh, wait...do I really want MORE people to be entering to win this one??? Oh well, I guess I must share the good news anyway!

http://www.leilaandben.blogspot.com/

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky:)

I was determined to put Belle's sweet little fingerprint caterpillar on a tee for this summer! I scoured the shelves of 4 different mass-market stores looking for plain white tees in size 3T. Just 3 weeks ago, they were everywhere, but I didn't need them 3 weeks ago! I was just about to give up and order them (and spend a whole lot more money!), when I saw a small stack of white tees on the bottom shelf at a store more than 30 minutes from my house. WHAT LUCK! I needed 4 white tees (for the caterpillar and various other projects and orders) and there were exactly 4 white tees in size 3T in that little stack! I was feeling like I had won the lottery when I turned around and spotted these super-cute plaid shorts. My luck just doubled! Could you dream up a more perfect pairing than the tiny caterpillar and this vivid plaid??? So...sometimes you just get lucky!

So how'd I do it? The caterpillar that is.

This project is perfect for the non-sewers out there...as long as you have some basic computer knowledge and a color printer. I do recommend that you do a couple of test runs before jumping in to the final project.

1. Open the Paint program. Scan your child's art to Paint. Size it as appropriate.
2. Then you need to mirror image your pic. Under the Image menu, select Rotate, then Flip Horizontal. Save your mirror image.
3. Now you have a choice...Do you have other things that you want to create transfers of? [poor grammar...I know!]
NO 4. Put the transfer paper in the printer and print.
YES 4. Follow the same process for every image you want to transfer. Then create a Word document with all the mirror-image pics that you want to print. Put the transfer paper in the printer and print.
5. Cut out the image. Be sure to cut close to your pic.
6. Follow the transfer directions to iron the image to your garment.

NOTE - If you are planning to transfer to a dark fabric, be sure to purchase transfer paper made for dark fabric...you won't need to mirror-image your pics with this kind of paper.