Prefontaine Shorts for my girls

This summer, I made two pairs of Prefontaine Shorts by Made by Moxie. I bought this pattern as part of the Perfect Pattern Parcel.   This is such an easy pattern to sew up, with big results.  Love these shorts.  The shorts are bound with strips of t-shirts. Genius!  Cutting and applying the binding was so easy.  I immediately starting thinking of other applications.

 This floral pair is one of the Briar Rose prints from Heather Ross.  This is the smallest size and fit my almost 2-yr old perfectly.  The teal pair are for my oldest daughter.  The fabric is upcycled from an old summer dress of mine and is the softest cotton.  Both pairs received alot of wear this summer.

And the pockets are a hit with the toddler set!

Pea Pod Baby Carrier

How cute is this Pea Pod Baby Carrier that I made last fall?  It is a free pattern by Sascha Romeo featured on sewmamasew in 2010. The Pea Pod is designed to carry an older baby on the hip. This was easy to sew and a fast make – my favorite kind!

 

The fabrics are both home dec weight from IKEA. I’ve had that grey print since I first saw it popping up in bags and other makes on the interwebs a year or so ago. I love the burst of white and like the corner placement I chose on the carrier.

I didn’t have fusible fleece on hand so I just used some warm and natural batting and added the random quilting lines to secure it to the orange lining piece. The buckles were ordered online from Strapworks

 

This orange and grey combination makes me happy  . I haven’t used the colors together before but after i made this realized I have several things pinned with this combination. And I recall watching a Tennessee Vols football game recently and admiring their orange and grey uniforms. It’s what you notice when you watch football, isn’t it? Use of color and pattern and……

 My baby is 14 months in the photo. The fit is nice for her and comfortable for me.

Embellished for Baby

Last summer I picked up three relatively plain baby shirts from Old Navy. I liked the simplicity of the patterns and muted colors, and I knew they could easily be embellished. As with my last few projects, these shirts were quick and allowed me to play with colors, patterns and shapes. The top stitching got a little tedious, though!

When I started sewing again a few years ago, I went a little crazy buying fabrics, especially as I discovered all the amazing modern designers. Doesn't everyone want to buy everything in sight when they first get started? So I have a fairly decent stash of some quilting cottons from a couple of years back, not much yardage but enough to play with.

Little did I know that each designer offers new collections every year and that some fabrics become so coveted they require frequent google, etsy and ebay searches and bring premium prices! I occasionally search for Anna Maria's Small Gathering. So sad that I didn't scoop any up although I loved it so.

The fabrics used here are some favorites- from Amy Butler's Love and and Erin McMorris' Park Slope

The cute little green pants are the Quick Change Trouser from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings in my favorite Park Slope print lined with a flannel. These seem to run a tad big. I cut a 3-6 month size and they fit my seven month old. They will be nice during some of the chillier spring days ahead. I will make more of these for sure in larger sizes.

AMH Patchwork Sleeping Sack

For Christmas I made the sleepsack Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book.  The floral on the back side  is a Renate duvet from IKEA which I bought specifically for baby room projects. For the front patchwork, I combined the Renate with several prints from the Washi collection. I enjoyed making the patchwork and the process reminded that I really should try some modern quilting.

One variation from the book pattern was continuing the bias tape along the bottom. It creates a nice finish and encloses all the raw edges.  I also cut the patchwork strips in various lengths and with a 3" width, rather than the 2"x2" squares the pattern specifies. For the lining I used a green and white check cotton flannel from Joann.

Although Ella has outgrown the sleepsack already, I may just hang it in the nursery so I can still admire it. My older daughter remarked that the sleepsack actually looks like a dress, so I may refashion it at some point.

Nursery Sewing

I sewed a few items for Baby's nursery. And my sister sewed an adorable block set for Ella for Christmas. Simple and sweet projects. These fresh colors and modern patterns make me happy!

 

Baby Playmat

I'm enjoying sewing for the littlest one. For a quick Christmas gift, I stitched up a playmat. The two IKEA prints (ANNAMOA) were scored a year or so ago (from an enormous bag of bolt ends scored from the as-is section for just $5) and seemed perfect for baby with the various animals and graphic prints. Initially, I planned to use just one fabric panel and back it with fleece but soon realized that would be a major lint collector. Instead I pulled out the sea animal print and made a reversible mat. I did add a fleece layer inside for some cushion.

Rounded corners, packaged bias tape and a few ribbon loops for hooking on toys finished this cute playmat.

And of course it is the cutest with a smiling baby on top!

Happy Trees

I saw the inspiration for this pillow on Pinterest months back and my finished pillow is quite similar to the one pinned. When I went back to the original pin, i realized it linked to etsy. Not realizing this was an original design, I want to credit the designer (who sells some lovely bags in her shop).

For the pillow base, I used linen. I lined the front panel with some fusible fleece to keep the surface smooth, because the existing pillow I'm covering is tufted. I especially was glad that everything I needed for the project was on-hand...no need to run out and break my streak of productivity. For the back panel I used a simple envelope closure and even used the linen selvedge as-is for the visible edge.

This pillow was a nice, quick project. I have come to realize that small projects that allow me to play with color and pattern are the ones I need to keep my sewing mojo. For awhile I immersed myself in garment sewing and nothing else and have little to show for it. The tedious fitting and finishing of garment sewing brought my motivation down a bit. I still have plenty of clothing on the to-sew list, but will be sure to pepper in some happy, colorful instant gratification projects, too.