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.

Pretty as a Picture Dress

Little Girl #2 is on the way, so I am motivated to do some baby sewing.

This is from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book. The skirt is pieced to highlight a panel of special fabric, but I went with the paisley lawn all over. Since the lawn is so lightweight, I lined the skirt in addition to just the bodice which the pattern calls for.

The size is 0-3 months, so the dress is tiny and cute. Let's hope for a relatively hot September so little one can wear it.

BBB Pants in Giraffe Fleece

Earlier this year, I made another pair of Rae's Big Butt Baby Pants. These are done in fleece from my stash. These are my third pair of BBBs. The pattern sews up quickly and is perfect for fun kid prints.

These were cut in the 12 month size, but in the spring they were too large for my nephew ...and now that fall weather is approaching and the boy is growing, the pants are likely too small! In an attempt to make them still wearable, I cut off the bottom hems and added the 3 inch gray bands to the legs.

How cute is this giraffe??!

The Crepe

So. I didn't quite adhere to Gertie's Crepe Sewalong schedule. I started with Gertie in December....and finished nearly eight months later. I just didn't want to rush things...or more accurately, I am a procrastinator who allowed the near-finished dress to hang on my dressform for months because I hate hemming.

The pattern is the Crepe by Colette Patterns. My fashion fabric is a medium-weight cotton purchased from Denver Fabrics online (still available here). The navy and cream cross-hatch pattern is set on the diagonal and is incredibly flattering and wearable. I underlined the entire dress with a navy cotton batiste to add body and opaqueness to the dress.

Along the way, I made a few adjustments to the construction to make the dress my own and suit my personal style. The simplest alteration was adding length to the ties (about 6 inches) so that I could tie them in front rather than back. I knew that a back bow wasn't my style necessarily and would not allow me to add a cardigan on top. I also removed the curve from the sweetheart neckline. Finally, I cut about 3 1/2 inches from the skirt length for a knee-length hem.

I hesitated adding the pockets concerned about adding bulk in the hip area, but they really are *essential* to making this a great dress. I love them...not that you can tell from my so-so expression in the picture!

Fitting the bodice of my Crepe was a long process. My first issue was that I just started with the wrong size. I cut my first bodice muslin as a 10 and quickly realized my mistake. Next I cut an 8 and still made many adjustments. Some of my adjustments were apparently lost during transfer to my pattern, because once the fashion fabric was cut and the bodice sewn, there were still significant fit issues to overcome. At that point, in my head, I heard Tim Gunn saying "make it work"... and that I did. I just started pinching and tucking the excess fabric and realized I could carry those tucks directly into the line of the sleeves (on both the bodice front and back) creating a more flattering sleeve shape in the process. An unorthodox method, but it somehow worked for me! With the busy fabric it is difficult to see what I did, so I will take some detailed pictures another day and show the adjustments.

The new sleeve shape and neckline is much more flattering for me.

I love the finished look that the underlining adds. This was my first time following the steps of a sewalong and I learned some great techniques, such as underlining and using silk organza to stabilize the neckline. Because I enjoyed Gertie's instruction, I recently purchased her online Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress class on Craftsy.