Contest Winnings and a Cute Little Wallet

A few days ago, the fabric arrived that I purchased with the gift certificate I won from Modern Fabric Studio.  I was so excited!  Amanda, the shop owner, always has a great sale going on, so I spent about an extra $25 of my own money so I could get even more fabric.  I think I ended up with 10 yards in all.

You really should check out her shop right now.  She's got a great sale going on, and I think all the Joel Dewberry fabrics are 35% off plus you can get an additional 10% off at checkout with the discount code on her site (that comes to $5.56 a yard plus $5 flat rate shipping)!  She always sends this adorable magnet in every package.  I've got three now stuck to my frig!  BTW, this is not a paid advertisement!

Anyway, I just couldn't resist ordering more of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection.  Every color palette this collection comes in is appealing to me, so I purchased some pieces I had not ordered before.  And I threw in a super sale piece of Amy Butler that I've wanted for a while.

Ok.  It's time to ooh and aah now.

And to make the prize even better, Modern Fabric Studio was offering a free Valori Wells pattern card with every purchase!  I chose to receive the Little Wallet pattern, and I immediately whipped up one in the Opal in Fuchsia fabric.  One pocket inside is made with Tile Flourish in Garnet.  

Isn't it sewVery adorable!?  I even had these tiny magnetic closures that I ordered a while back from an Etsy shop, and they were the perfect size for this Little Wallet.  This was such a fun, quick, and simple project.  I even made two more to give my nieces.  Now I'm all geared up to make a full-sized wallet, but I just need to learn how to sew in a zipper...

I'm very appreciative to Modern Fabric Studio for sponsoring the contest I won last month over at See Kate Sew.  Not only is it fun to win a contest, but it helps that it is something you really would enjoy!  

Because I was so lucky last month and won four contests, I thought it was time I give a little something back to the blogging community.  So if you are interested, please check out the rest of my blog and enter my inaugural contest here!

Some Like It Hot!

Just before Christmas, I came across a tutorial for making rice hot pads, and I thought these would make some great gifts for family.  I whipped up a couple of sets for my husband and kids, and they were an instant hit.  My mother-in-law is now crazy about them as well and wants to place an order for more!

I had had hopes of starting my Etsy store well before now and offering some of these for sale for Valentine's Day, but I am still working on getting things organized.  I made the hot pads shown above for the soon-to-be (hopefully this week) sewVery shop as well as these.

I also have a couple of sets made using Spiderman fabric.  And as a side note, just because I made some hot pads using University of Alabama fabric in no way means I am a Bama fan!  My blood runs orange and blue (and cotton Auburn fabric is difficult to find where I live)!

Rice hot pads are pretty simple to make, but I added a couple of extra features to make mine more decorative and easier to clean.  As you can see, some have rick rack trim or piping on the edges, and all of them have a looped ribbon on one end in case you want to hang them on a hook for storage or to carry them with after they are heated in the microwave.

A lot of the hot pads I've seen online don't provide the user with an easy way to remove the rice so the outer bag can be washed.  On my hot pads, I left one end open and added a velcro closure so the interior muslin rice bag can be easily removed and reinserted after the cover is cleaned.  This was a really important feature to me since in my house, we primarily use the hot pads to warm up our feet!

My version of rice hot pads are made using left over fabric from other projects.  Most end up being roughly 4" x 6" in the case of the Heart and Love ones above, but the Alabama hot pads are slightly bigger measuring 5 1/2" x 7".  I like to make them in sets so we can have one for each foot, or we can warm up a couple of spots in the bed, or we can put them on our achy muscles!

My two kids love these, and every night they request we have a "Hot Pad Party" and read books.  Then, before bed, we reheat the pads and put them in the bed to warm it up while we brush our teeth!  It's wonderful crawling into a nice warm bed.  

I usually heat up our hot pads for 60 to 90 seconds on high in the microwave.  They are very hot at first, hence the need for the ribbon so you can safely carry them to the bed or sofa.  Heated this long on high in the microwave, they will stay warm for at least a half hour or sometimes a little longer.  I am always very careful not to let my kids have them until they are a safe temperature to touch, and I would recommend that anyone who uses these do the same.

I've read where these work great as cold packs, too, but I have yet to put one in the freezer.  Maybe I'll get around to trying that next.  But for now, I think we'll keep them hot around here!

Autumn's Peasant Romper Pattern Review

As some of you may remember, last month I scored big with four contest wins!  Woo-hoo!  My winnings from Project Run & Play contest included three patterns of my choice from Create Kids Couture.  I had been looking around for a really cute romper pattern for Ella for a while, but I couldn't find anything I liked until I won this contest.  I had never heard of Create Kids Couture, but their patterns are for the most adorable boutique style clothing for girls.  And they had two romper patterns!  I picked these three:

Autumn's Peasant Romper    

Anika's Ruffle Capri Romper

Caroline's Princess Top

In my last post, I left you with a little teaser of what I would blog about next.  Here's the pic again. Have you figured it out yet?!

You guessed it!  It's a romper--Autumn's Peasant Romper Pattern to be exact. This was my favorite pattern of the three I won from Create Kids Couture, so I tried making it first.  The pattern was in pdf format and was accompanied by very detailed instructions with color photos.  The thing I loved about this pattern was that all the pieces are just rectangles (they specify the dimensions of each rectangle according to size) and the only pattern pieces are for parts of fabric you cut out of the rectangles. Does that make sense?

I used more of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection fabric from my stash, so this definitely should look familiar if you've read any of my other posts lately.  You'll see even more of it again soon!

Plus, the patterns created by Create Kids Couture cover a wide range of sizes (18 months to size 6), so you can use the same pattern over and over again as your child grows!  To make sure I used the correct size for Ella, I measured a pair of pants that fit her well in length and then compared that measurement to the pattern sizing chart.  I decided to go with a 3T although I have been making most things in 4T for her when I use store bought patterns.

This outfit looks like it might be complicated to sew, but it was actually sewVery easy!  The most challenging part was the shirring on the bodice and sleeves, and that was only challenging to me because I had never shirred anything before!  I checked out a quick YouTube video and along with the settings suggested by the pattern, I had it figured out in no time!  Then, I tested it on a scrap piece of fabric to make sure the elastic thread would draw up correctly when spritzed with water and then hit with a hot iron. Worked perfectly!

See the shirring at the waist in this picture?

And see the shirring on the sleeves in this picture?

Doesn't this outfit just make you want to smile?  Not to mention the cute little girl wearing it. She just loves beautiful flowers, and we happened to find one lonely daffodil blooming in the yard.

The only thing I added to this outfit were some removable belt loops.  After giving the outfit a test run and play around the house for a couple of hours, we discovered that the sash just would not stay up--at all!  I made the belt loops out of some fuschia bias tape that I had made for another project.  I wanted to be able to remove them if she wears the romper without the sash, so I put buttonholes on the belt loop pieces and sewed buttons on the sides of the romper.  This addition definitely helped to keep the sash up better, but I think the bow is just a little heavy in front and just wants to droop. When I tied the bow in back instead, it stayed up just fine in front.

All total, it probably took me a couple of hours (maybe three) to print the pattern, cut out the pattern pieces, cut out the fabric, and sew it all together. I imagine next time will go even faster since I've figured out how to sew with elastic thread.

Ella got so many compliments the day she wore this outfit, especially from men!  One dad at my son's basketball practice even proclaimed that was the cutest outfit he had ever seen!

I definitely will make this outfit again, and I highly recommend that you check out Create Kids Couture's blog and pattern shop; and if you have a precious little girl who loves to dress up, then I hope you'll purchase one (or two or three) of their patterns, too!

Here are a few of the places where I am linking up this post this week. Please check them out!

      

Simplicity 0386 or 2205 Sweet Pea Tote

UPDATE!
This bag has just been featured by KoJo Designs.  If you are visiting here by way of Kirstin and Jordan's blog, then thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll come back again and follow along on my sewing adventures!

I finished up another great Sweet Pea Tote bag last weekend, but I hadn't taken any pictures of it until today.  There were several things I needed to photograph, including Ella in a new outfit, and although it was a beautiful day here, my photos just didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

Hopefully, you can look past all the flaws of my photography and see this wonderful bag!  It really is quite nice, and I am again very impressed with the bag design and pattern by Sweet Pea Totes sold by Simplicity as Pattern 0386 or 2205.  Like the last Sweet Pea Tote I made, I picked up this pattern at Joann's on sale for just $1.  (BTW, Joann's is having another sale on Simplicity patterns starting on Feb. 17th).

I used some of my Heirloom by Joel Dewberry fabrics (Rose Bouquet in Sky and Tile Flourish in Garnet) that I picked up for a great deal just before Christmas at Modern Fabric Studio .  I love, love, love this fabric and just ordered some more with a gift certificate I won there.  I hope you all like this fabric as much as I do, because you will definitely see it again in the coming days as I post about some other items I've made.

This bag went together pretty easily; however, I made a mistake (the pattern shows it correctly and I didn't follow them as I should have) and sewed a couple of the pleats in the wrong direction.  At first, I thought it was no big deal, but after I attached the top band, I realized that the pleats on the edge were meant to be folded toward the outside.  So, I grabbed my handy dandy seam ripper and picked out just enough of the seam to flip the pleats.  Now I will always (hopefully) check my pleat direction before basting and attaching other pieces!

Unlike the first Sweet Pea Tote I made, this bag has a flap that completely covers the bag opening.  It is secured with a magnetic closure.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the inside of the bag, but the lining is made from a coordinating solid pink cotton fabric with a large pocket.

The strap was a little more difficult to make than on the other bag because the interfacing made it so stiff that it was hard to turn inside out after sewing it together.  I struggled with it for probably 15 minutes and even had to use some small pliers to help pull the ends out!

All in all, I think this is a great, medium sized purse.  It's definitely one that I plan on making again!

Now, I've got one more Sweet Pea Tote that is almost finished.  I just need to run to Joann's to pick up the hardware called for on the pattern and sew the handles on it.  Both Michael's and Walmart (stores closer to my house than Joann's) don't carry purse making supplies anymore.  What a bummer!

And here is a sneak peak at an upcoming post!  The fabric is familiar, but can you guess what it is?

Also, I've got a contest going on right now.  You can enter here for a chance to win this cute Little Wallet I made using more of the Joel Dewberry fabric.

Free Beautiful Flower Top Pattern & Tutorial

I finally finished the Beautiful Flower Top Pattern and Tutorial!  Sorry it has taken me so long, but this was the first time I have ever tried to make a clothing pattern.  I hope it all makes sense, if not, please leave me a comment or email me.

After making the original pattern and top, I found that I needed to tweak a couple of the pattern pieces, so I headed back to the drawing board to remeasure and draw.  The part I had really messed up with before was the placket, but now I think I have it all figured out.  

I then needed to test the pattern again, so I found this cute piece of red calico fabric and some really soft denim in my stash.  This time, I wanted to make an entire outfit.  But we'll have more on that later.

Anyway, without further delay, here is the free Beautiful Flower Top Pattern and Tutorial by sewVery!  The pattern fits a size 4T.  

And here is the new Beautiful Flower Top that I made in the process of revising the pattern.  The construction of the latest version is much better than the first.

We made a quick trip to the zoo a few afternoons ago because the weather was so warm and pretty, but as soon as we got there, I realized that Miss Ella should have stayed home and taken a nap instead!  So, although she may not look very happy in these photos, she really does love her new outfit!

I just love the buttons I used on the top.  They are vintage Pearl buttons by Costumakers.  These came from my grandmother's collection of sewing notions.  I've been wanting to use them for a long time, and this was the perfect project.  I wish I had a slightly smaller size of the same button to use on the skirt, but I don't.  Oh, well.

And the buttons were even Made in the U.S.A.!  Wow!

We walked around the zoo and saw a few animals--the meerkats, elephants, monkeys, and even this...

Mr. Red River Hog was quite smelly, prompting already fussy Miss Ella to do this!

Remember I mentioned I made her an entire outfit?  Well, here is the skirt I made from a vintage Butterick pattern that was in my mom's sewing stuff. Butterick 5845.

I dubbed it the Groovy Skirt!

I decided to leave the pockets off the skirt since the Beautiful Flower Top already had two similar ones.  The denim is so soft, and even though the skirt is a little big right now since it is a size 4, I'm sure it will fit her perfectly come summer.

We continued on our brief walk through the zoo and ended up at the historic home and farm.  I thought the old buildings and gardens might be an interesting spot to take a few more pictures.  While the area was nice for picture taking, Ella was still in a bad mood.  Here are a few of the better pictures I took of her in the Beautiful Flower Top and the Groovy Skirt.

I just love these boots.  Although I bought these in the fall, I picked up another pair in a larger size last week at Target when they were on clearance. She'll be wearing the same style again next year!

And at the last minute, we decided to dash over and see the beautiful flamingos!  My kids love to see them because you can get so close to the birds.  Plus, there is a really fun swinging bridge they can run across.

Finally, no visit to the zoo would be complete without sitting on the stone lions.  Connor had been sick with a stomach virus for two days, so I was sewVery glad to see him out having fun and smiling!

As for Ella, well, she just needed a nap.  Here she is in the last picture finally sporting the matching headband I made to go with her Beautiful Flower Top.

Thanks for stopping by, and I would love to hear what you think about the pattern and tutorial!  And if you choose to make a Beautiful Flower Top, send me a picture of your version.  If I have enough interest, I'll create a Flickr group.

I'm linking up with these wonderful sites this week.  Check them out, too!