Denim ~ a Wardrobe Staple ~ and a new toy!

Today was "Testing Break" day, a much needed day off of work.  I started my day with clearing off sewing surfaces.  Once that was done, I introduced myself to my new brother! 

The poor baby had been sitting in a box for two weeks.

I rewatched the videos and started playing.  After I felt comfortable enough, I made a little baby skirt from here, using the serger for finishing the raw edges of the side seams and for attaching the waist band.

While serging, one of my threads broke.  The instruction manual wasn't quite clear, but the DVD walked me through easily rethreading the machine.  I'm also beginning to learn how to adjust the tensions for different weights of fabric.  Now to buy thread.  Lots and lots of thread.     

 

I looked at various sizing charts for children's clothing, so I'm hoping this skirt is about an 18-24 months size.  

After completing this, I cannot believe that I've lived this long without a serger.  My sewing life has changed!

  

Somewhat Simple

Scrappy Easter Grass Basket is Filled!

And gifted!  A couple of weeks ago I started filling this basket.  That one little fabric egg looked rather lonely, don't you think? 

I came across this pattern and tutorial for the bunny in the center.  Since I was going to be filling it with fiber fill instead of something else to make a sachet, I thought I would see what it looked like with stuffing the ears.  Next time, I'll leave the ears alone, but I was on crunch time to get it done and didn't have the time to unstuff the ears. 

Joy loved her little Easter basket.  But after a long and challenging week at work (um...challenging weeks!), I think I got the better gift from her...a bottle of wine with a relevant label that was hysterically funny, considering one of my bigger challenges that is now finished.  Thanks, Joy!

 

Somewhat Simple

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub Gifts

It's that time of year for support staff recognition at school.  Although the cutesy things that the students make are totally adorable and welcomed by all, they don't last long until they are tossed out.

A couple of weeks ago I saw this recipe for a lemon sugar hand scrub.  (Why is it that I keep wanting to write "lemon pepper" instead of "lemon sugar?"  Maybe I'm hungry?)  It will be a great gift for several people without breaking the bank, or this teacher's budget.  (Doesn't the fabric on top look like fried eggs?)     

I told Joy, my partner in crime, what I was going to be doing, and sent her a file asking if she could print the gift tags in color.  I need a new printer, but that's another story.  Of course she said yes.  She brought me the copies and before I even looked at them, she told me that she had given them to her husband to print out on his great printer at work.  She said that when he opened the file he wanted to "fix it."  She told him no.  He said that the words didn't fit.  She firmly told him that the way the file was must be the way that I designed it and to leave it alone.  So he printed this on card stock and vellum, 40 tags worth:   

It took me a while before I realized what had happened. I had designed these tags using a free font that I had downloaded onto my computer.  When his computer opened this file it didn't have this font installed, so it substituted.

I told Joy that we would make it work.  Then we laughed at my feeble attempt to play the princess saying that this wasn't what I wanted and it just would not work ~whine~whine~whine.  She told me that I needed to work on my princess factor, because it was just not working. 

So in my best passive-aggressive manner, I secretly made the change with re-labeling the jars, because I did not like the labels and honestly could not think of a way to make them work...to my liking.     

Now that I think of it, the printed tags may have a use.  I can cut them to show just the graphic on the front, and on the back I can write that this little gift is from 3rd grade.  Hang that little tag onto the gifts and it will be fine. 

23 more days, but who's counting?!

Retro Rabbit!

The Easter Bunny brought me my bunny when I was three.  The little guy is decades a few years old.    

My older siblings hated my bunny.  Rather, they hated the beast I turned into when I couldn't find my bunny at naptime or bedtime.  So I'm told.  I simply remember rubbing noses with my little bunny. 

Now my very own Velveteen Rabbit has become a family joke.  My sister Susie even adds a very nasty adjective when speaking of my bunny.  Or when I post a picture of my bunny on her FB page.  So, I have a little something for her soon-to-be first grandchild.

Introducing...

Retro Rabbit!

Not too bad of a job, if I must say so myself.  After running into a technical difficulty, Retro Rabbit needed the bow on the front.

Just in time for Easter!



Amy's Baby's Quilt

This actually has been done for a while, photographed a while ago, but I am just now getting around to showing it.  Oh yeah...and it still needs to be sent.  I think that's the story of my life!

I had limited Amy Butler fabric left from the bibs that I made earlier, but knew I wanted to have some of that fabric in the quilt.  Most of the other fabrics were from my stash.  I'm pleased with the result and it was my own design!  Woohoo!  Maybe one of these days I'll find and then make the time to actually get some patterns written up.  

   



Fabric Scraps Easter Grass

Today was one of those days when inspiration smacked me in the face.  I've been wanting to make these fabric eggs for a while, but was unsure of what I wanted to do with them.  Then I remembered that I had a chicken wire basket, and the light bulb turned on.  Fabric eggs need fabric Easter grass!

I went to my stash and picked fabrics scraps.  I heavily starched scraps of fabric and cut them into 1/4 inch strips.  Voila!  Easter grass.

Then there was more looking at my scraps to come up with fabrics for the eggs to grace the grass.  I cut some fabric and made one to see how it would look.  I plopped this one into the fabric grass for a picture, but I still need to hand sew the opening.  So far I am really liking the result!

My goal is to soon add a picture with more eggs in the basket, but with the way my day job is going, that may or may not happen.