Bubble Skirt

Today's project was a skirt for my daughter.  Skirts are addictive and you very quickly find yourself searching for "different" skirts to make.  I came across the Bubble Skirt tutorial over at Sew Hip Mama.  Just a side note, this is a great site with so many cute, cute things.  In fact, just now as I am copying the address for the link I noticed a cute bag on there that I am going to check out when I'm finished here.

Anyway, this tutorial looked simple enough and the skirt is one of the cutest I have seen.  I love bubble dresses and skirts so of course I had to make one (or 3).

Above is the finished product.  The picture really doesn't do it justice because you lose the bubble effect but one day I'll have the DD model it.  It took me about 2 hours start to finish but that included everything as well as me running back and forth to the computer to read the next step and recheck to make sure I was doing things correctly.  The next one will probably take about half the time.  I ended up buying way too much fabric but no worries, I'll just have to make one for someone else!  I also have more fabric to make another one.  My little girl already has so many clothes and now all these handmade skirts.  I think she may have to wear 2 outfits a day to compensate!!

Another awesome thing about this skirt is that it is completely REVERSIBLE!!!!

This is the "inside" but I like that it has a contrasting waistband, it adds a bit more interest.  The whole fabric selection revolved around me wanting to make her an outfit for St. Patricks day but wanting it not to be screaming St Patricks day.  Essentially I wanted a green skirt that she could also wear all year.  I saw this green fabric and thought it was very cute and then had the fun task of picking a coordinating fabric.  I kept going back and forth at the store (like we all do) and wasn't sure them but now that I see them together I love it!

I hope to make another one by the end of the weekend.  Better be careful or I'll end up in one before you know it!

Birthday Present

BEFORE:

AFTER:

So the pictures are pretty explanatory.  I made a skirt from a womans medium t-shirt.  Super easy, basically all you do is cut it as long as you want the skirt plus about 1.5 inches to make a casing for the elastic.   No need to hem the bottom since thats the bottom of the t-shirt ans is already done.  No need to sew the sides because your using the tube the t-shirt creates.  All you need to do is sew the casing, insert elastic, sew elastic ends and opening for elastic, flip and your done.   This was made for about a 1 year old child but to make it larger/smaller just buy a larger/smaller size t-shirt!

As you can see the top was a long sleeve but since the recipient lives in SC they don't have many days where they need a long sleeve so I turned it into a short sleeve and made a ruffle from the leftover orange t-shirt just to give the shirt more interest.

I am very pleased with how the outfit came out and by the fact that it cost $1.75, literally!  The orange shirt was clearenced for $1 and the striped was $.75.  I am also going to whip up 2 pairs of legwarmers using Alexis' Little Legwarmers in 6 Easy Steps over at Full of Knit.  I figured they would be good in the spring for cooler nights and the unexpected cool day.  Also in the package will be a few of my barrettes.

A birthday box full of easy handmade goodies all for about $8!

Easy Peasy Barrette Tutorial

 Ok so here is the long awaited (maybe) barrette tutorial, I know only a week later than I was suppose to post.  Anyway this is a very simple project that only requires a hand full of materials.  The only thing to keep in mind is if you want to make tiny ones for babies you will have to order those.  I haven't seen them in any store but they do have the bigger ones, although they are much cheaper online.  I ordered them from Trimweaver on Etsy, the shipping was fast and prices very reasonable.

Now on to the tutorial.  It's very picture heavy because it's more of a look and see kind of project, it's hard to explain sometimes.

Materials:

alligator clips (also called french clips)

3/8 inch wide ribbon

glue - you want something that holds quickly so hot glue or a quick grip glue are good 

 **I used Quick Grip all purpose glue and find it works perfect for this.  There are no strings like in hot glue and it grips very quickly but also is movable for a bit if you have to adjust something.  Also one of the cheaper ones!**

scissors

embellishments

Instructions:

First open the clip and place a dot of glue inside way down by the spring.  Attach ribbon, hold until the ribbon stays.

 

  

Next place a dot of glue on the end of the clip, both inside and outside.  Making sure your ribbon is even go down the inside edge, turn the corner, close the clip and go down the outside edge.  By closing the clip it will help hold the ribbon in place until the glue holds.

It's hard to see but this one shows where the glue is.  Place some on the very tip, then at the other end put a bigger dot.  You can also put a very small amount in the middle if you want to make extra sure.

 

 This is what you barrette will look like so far.

 

 Now this is what I think is the most difficult part (although not hard).  You want to put a decent dot of glue on both sides of the inside of the spring part, the part you push to open the barrette.  This has to be a generous dot of glue but take care not to get any on the spring in the middle.  Line up the ribbon and using one of your fingers just push the ribbon down and hold your finger there until secure.  Below shows what it should look like.

  

 Now just place some glue on the outside and down the top side of the clip and attach ribbon.  After the ribbon is glued to the top fold the ribbon over the bottom of the barrette to "measure" where to cut and cut the ribbon from the spool.  This is demonstrated below.

  

 Place some glue on the inside and finish lining the barrette.

  

 All that's left to do is embellish!  You can use anything for this, silk flowers, felt shapes/flowers, beads, buttons or my newest obsession:  fabric flowers.  I googled to find a tutorial on these and found a great one HERE at Pink Paper Peppermints.  They are super easy and come together very quickly.  The "hardest" part is cutting out and ironing all the squares.  My other newest obsession are fabric covered buttons!  I have always thought they were cute but now I simply can't get enough!!  

I made this fabric flower up today and used it on my barrette.  The result was CUTE!  I cracked the code on crocheting hearts and flowers with the intention to use them on the barrettes but now I have fallen in love with something else.

  

 This is the back side.

 

 And finally find a beautiful little girl to wear it!

  

More Projects!!

So the past 2 days have been very productive. I'm not sure how I have found any time but I guess cartoons did buy me a bit of time. Anyway I managed to complete a skirt for my daughter, a mystery project which is a gift and will be posted after it's received, and the last was a bench cushion for my son's table.

Below is the skirt for my daughter I made this morning. It's purple corduroy, but very fine, and I added a ribbon trim to the bottom. I think it looks so much better with the ribbon, it was cute without it but plain.

This is just a close up to show the detail of the ribbon.


The other thing I made tonight was the bench cushion. I must say it's so FABULOUS when the stars align and your project comes out just the way you imagined!! And on the first attempt at that. Lets face it, it doesn't happen very often.

For the cushion I wanted to make the cushion and the cover separate. With my son being almost 3 it's inevitable that something will get spilled on it at some point and then I can also make more covers in the future to switch out. I only got 1 made today but intend to make another one for the other bench to replace whats on there now.

If anyone would like a tutorial on these just let me know. The directions would apply to any size bench or chair. It's also surprisingly easy too!

The picture below is of the actual cushion. For this I went the cheap way and used high loft batting, doubled instead of foam. You could also use a thinner foam as well. I simply cut 2 rectangles of muslin (you could also use plain cotton) to the desired dimensions. I layered the rectangles right side together and then the 2 layers of batting then simply sewed 3 sides leaving one of the short ends open. I then flipped, turned in the edges and sewed the end shut. Remember this doesn't have to be perfect as it will be covered.

Here is the cover I made. I added ties to secure it and a zipper on one end to get the cushion in and out.

This picture just shows the cushion inside the cover. I will get a picture of the cushion on the bench tomorrow and post but my son was already in bed when I finished! I am so pleased with how this turned out, it's very cute!! Not to brag but I must say it looks like it was bought. The more I sew the better and more adventurous I get!

The Other Skirt

Just a picture of the other skirt I made.

Go Ravens!!

FINALLY I have done some more crafting. It's been over 2 months but I am officially back in the crafting world, although casually. It feels so nice to be sewing again!! Now not a whole lot will get done as I am still dealing with the demands of an almost 3 year old and a 6 week old but something is better than nothing.

What better way to kick off than to make an outfit for the upcoming football season...and just in time since I think we are going to watch training camp on Friday! I made a simple little skirt to go with the "My First Ravens" tee I bought Emma. Here is the completed skirt...it is super CUTE! Even better is that it was super easy. It probably would have taken less than an hour had I not had a screaming newborn and bedtime to contend with.


Here is the whole outfit, now Emma is ready for the season to start! I can foresee many more of these skirts will be made, in every size and color.

Pictures of Hats

So here are the pictures as promised. The first one is my first knit for my baby girl who will be debuting in early summer. This was actually the pattern on the skein of yarn and as you can see it's adorable. It will be perfect for summer, especially since it's baby weight yarn so it's nice and light. I may end up knitting one without the eyelets for summer use so she won't have a spotted head and perhaps a few more in various sizes because they are quick and super cute.

This next one was one I knit in a day using a small amount of leftover yarn. Turns out I loved the ruffle so much, and it's so easy to do, that I just knit a basic hat and added a ruffle. No pattern needed. I didn't write it down and am not sure how I did it but the decreases turned out in such a way that the hat looks like a flower. It even ends in a slight point. I knit this initially for a fellow Mommy to match the shrug I had knit but it will depend on when I see her next and if the hat will still for her little girl. If it's a bit before I see her it will be used for my baby girl. Good thing is it won't go to waste!

This is a view looking down from above so you can see the decreases. Again, really wish I would have wrote this down because it looks so much like a flower!

The only other news is I finished knitting the birthday present last night and I sat down yesterday and "designed" the quilts I need to make. Nothing fancy, basically just serves as a blueprint so I know how to sew it together and how many squares of what color and size I need to cut.

I also have begun a quest searching for pink and brown fabrics to see if I can find one I absolutely LOVE. If so then I may just make the crib set myself, or at least the comforter and curtains. A plain crib bumper is easy enough to find.