Matchbox City

I have been working on this project for a LONG time. In our family it is know as a Matchbox City. I remember playing with one as a child. My mom made it for us. It is a car play mat specifically to use with Matchbox cars. They are small enough to fit inside the doors of the houses/buildings. I added an airport, an extra house, and an orchard because my piece of fabric was a little bit bigger than my mom's. I thought about labeling the buildings but then decided it would be more fun to pretend they are whatever you want them to be. I wish I had a tutorial for all of you, but I still barely have time to finish my projects while the girls are sleeping.

See how fun. Little houses for the cars.

doll diapers

I made a few doll diapers the other day. I used this tutorial, but I made mine with a little dart to give it a rounded shape in the bottom.

My Homemade Christmas Gifts

This year I didn't have many plans for making Christmas gifts, but I really wanted to do something. Thanks to a suggestion from my friend, Stephanie. I bought the book, Wee Wonderfuls, and LOVED it. 

I picked out three projects - one that I thought would fit each of my girls - and got sewing. 

I was happy to find that they weren't too much work. I finished in about 4 days and I was just sewing at naps and night time. I varied the patterns a little bit to my own liking and I think they turned out great for my first doll making projects.

CK's ribbon haired doll:

 L's topsy turvey doll (she was the most time intensive because of a lot of hand sewing):

 And C's Ellie bag (I added a ribbon bow to the back):

By far my favorite gifts to give the girls....and they actually like them.

Oh! and the best part, I just used extra fabric/supplies I already had so they were priced just right.

Halloween Costumes

These took me all week, but I finally finished the girls Sleeping Beauty Fairy costumes.

Witches Britches

I finished the girls "Witches Britches" (aka bloomers, pajama pants, Hammer pants made with Halloween fabric) just in time for their witch party tomorrow. Luckily, my mom taught me how to make cotton shorts back in the early 90's because I made these without a pattern. I also didn't hem them because I was going for a rough "witchy" look. At the last minute I decided to sew on ribbons so we could tie plastic spiders onto them. Pretty spooky!

Cowgirl Chaps

I finished the girls chaps just in time for the party. I would love to have a tutorial for you because they are so easy to make, but at this point of my life, I am lucky just to get them made. They are cute, though. I especially love the back view with Lucy's skirt hanging out. Can you wear skirts with chaps?

Washcloth Mitts

Since I only made one bath towel with each of the hand towels, I had 3 half hand towels left over. I trimmed them down a little, folded them in half and sewed two of the open sides together (leaving the nicely finished side as the opening. The result: these washcloth mitts that the girls can use in the tub.

Happy Washing!

Monogrammed Hooded Towels

I had great plans for these towels/hand towels I got for $2.00 a piece after Thanksgiving. I was going to make  "monster" towels and they were going to be cute, but week after week I kept putting it off. Finally, I couldn't stand having the unfinished project in the corner anymore so I sewed the towels together using this tutorial, ironed on the girls initials with wonder under and extra fabric I had, and stitched around them. 

They aren't monsters, but they're cute and they are finished and that's all that matters.

(And if we don't use a "K" name for our new baby, I'll send the "K" towel to whoever does).

Cowboy Chaps

Last week when I was visiting my mom, we made a couple pairs of these cowboy chaps. My mom had made some for my brothers when they were younger, so we used the old pair as a pattern. They were really easy to make (but they were a little bit time consuming). All you need is 1 yard of medium weight vinyl (This will make 2 pairs: size 3-4), two snaps, and old belt buckle, 1/2 of a leather shoe lace and thread. I figured we made each pair for under 5 dollars. Not bad. Aren't they cute? I haven't had anyone model them yet, because I may be using them for a birthday. 

I also added a little fringe to the back of mine:

Valentine's Day Pillowcases

These are nothing to brag about but I'd thought I'd post them anyway. I made these Sweetheart's Week Pillowcases as a fun holiday reminder for the girls. Lucy cannot wait to put hers on her pillow.

Kids Aprons

Another item off the Christmas check-list. Hooray! Here are the aprons to go along with the girls Christmas surprise kitchen.

Lu's:

I made an adult pattern into a child's size with a pencil and parchment paper (I know, it's the only thin paper I have!). Then I just followed the regular instructions.

Charley's:

I made this pattern up. It has raw edges so it will get that frayed look.

BYU gear

Just in time for the game tomorrow. I probably should have been cleaning instead...oh well!

I know I'm way behind the crafting scene on these two things:

appliqued shirts and korker bows.

Believe it or not this was my first time making either

(and why did I ever buy those bows from Gymboree? These are so easy to make and much cuter).

Charlotte's Puppet Theater

I have (almost) finished the doorway puppet theater I'm making for Charlotte's birthday. I looked and looked on the Internet for a pattern but never found one that I loved...so, I made one up. For me, that translates into some mistakes along the way, but I'm satisfied with the results anyway. Want to make one, too? Here are some awesome guidelines. I will admit, I didn't read or follow all of it (mostly because I have to see it rather than just read it), but it does have some great pointers like making sure to have a dowel directly under your stage or else it will droop.

I used a total of about 5 1/2 yards of fabric because I lined the back. One 40" tension rod. Two dowels. About 4 yards of ribbon. 1 yard of beaded trim.

Hope she likes it.

Charley's Blankie

Just a quick blankie I wanted to post.

Sewing Books

This past week I got two great sewing books from the library.

Beginning to Intermediate sewers. 

I like this book because it encourages everyone to sew and emphasizes trying and "bending the rules". It also has all of the basic information you would need to sew most projects (terms, techniques, etc). 

Includes many projects and instructions.

If you have a bit of sewing experience, nothing will be "new" information for you, but it has good instructions and is good to remember techniques.

This one says beginning to intermediate sewers as well, but it doesn't give the basic sewing information like the other book (at least not at the beginning. I believe there are instructions throughout for some things), so I would suggest having another instruction book if you're not familiar with sewing. However, the patterns are cuter and the instructions are great. There is a pocket in the front with patterns. She does have a section on selecting and caring for fabrics - especially vintage fabrics. I love Amy Butler fabrics so I thought this book/photos were nicely done.

All this said, I have yet to make a project from either book...I didn't think it would be a good idea to start more things when we're supposed to be moving in a matter of weeks.

Lulu & Charles

Brigham and I refinished our first items of furniture.

We bought these cute, little green chairs at an antique shop:

And turned them into this fun pair:

Named Lulu and Charles after our two girls.

It was a lot of work due to layers of paint and stain and all the round pieces. There was a point where it didn't seem worth it. But then it all came together and it feels so good to know that we have two chairs that no one else has and we recreated them ourselves. Work always makes things more worthwhile.
I also made the seat cushions. The fabric is from Henry Glass designed by Barbara Jones. It's her Bubblegum Basics line and it is very cute! I actually ordered it from her. She lives in Bountiful, Utah.

To make an easy seat cushions:

Trace the seat of your chair onto a piece of paper. Calculate seam allowance and thickness of your foam pad. I used a 1 inch pad and a 1/2 inch seam allowance so I drew my pattern 1 inch wider all around the original seat shape. Also, make where you want the ribbon to come out to tie onto the chair back. Cut out the pattern. Lay out and pin onto your fabric (which should be folded wrong sides together). Mark fabric where ties should be. Cut out. Baste ties/ribbon onto marking. Pin right sides together making sure the ribbon is on the inside. Begin sewing on a normal stitch. Leave an opening at the back to put foam. Clip curves for a better shape. Turn right side out. Push out curves and corners as best as you can. Cut out a piece of foam with the original sized seat cover pattern. Put foam inside seat cover. Slip stich opening closed.

I still need to finish that tablecloth and then we're done!

Pettiskirt #2

Remember my first pettiskirt? I finished Lucy's pettiskirt a couple of weeks ago. She recieved it for her birthday yesterday and loves it. Fortunately her favorite color became pink (this began yesterday).

I'll try to fix the flipped picture later.

Sugar-free Jelly Bean Bags

I saw this cute idea and thought it would be a great alternative for Easter candy this year. They were easy and turned out great. If I did it again, I would cut my beans out a little bit fatter. Just a suggestion for those who want to make some, too. Also, I used cotton prints instead of felt due to my lack of Easter colored felt.

Pettiskirt #1

So remember when I entered that contest for the pettiskirt? Well, I didn't win. Bummer for me, but I had already decided that I was going to make some for the girls either way. This one is for Charleston Chew and it turned out so cute. When I picked out the colors all I kept thinking about was Sunshine Generation. Do you remember that singing and dancing group? I always wanted to be in it. Anyway, now that the skirt is finished it keeps reminding me of a chick...perfect for my little chickie, Charley. Yellow seems to fit her.

Just so everyone knows, this skirt isn't as hard to make as it looks. In fact, it was a lot of fun although it was time consuming because there are a lot of ruffles to sew. I used the instructions from Martha Stewart and the tips from the Grosgrain blog. I know Miss L's will go even faster now that I've done one. Shhh! They are for her birthday party in April.

*I got the fabric here for $1.52 a yard...but shipping was $10.00. I need to look around because I'm sure they have this at fabric stores. I'm wondering if it goes by a different name because it's more like tricot then chiffon...I'll stay on the lookout.