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.

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!

HUGE Pool Bag

My sister asked me to make a pool/beach bag. Her one request was that the finished bag be huge enough to hold all the neccessities for her family of four's trip to the pool.

I knew that IKEA fabrics were the way to go, since my sister wanted a fun print and sturdy bag. Constanca inspired me with her beach bag made with the same Fredrika fabric. I drafted a pattern in a similar shape. For the interior, I used IKEA's striped Sofia canvas and included a large pocket (12"x16") and key fob. I added some interfacing to beef up the handles but did not add any to the body of the bag since I used the heavier fabrics.

The finished size is nearly 24" x 36"! Yes, large enough for four towels, dry clothes, diapers, snacks, purse....or a couple of toddlers!

A Kidlet for the Kid Stuff

Today, I made this Kidlet, from Jennifer's tutorial. It's a handy little bag to hang on a doorhandle or wall hook to collect the little kiddy stuff that ends up all over the room. For the main fabric, I used a heavyweight cotton with a subtle stripe effect (yep, it's an IKEA curtain panel). The lining and patchwork fabrics were in my stash. This was my first go at patchwork.

This one will hang in the hallway adjacent to our family room. I will probably make another for

upstairs. These would be handy to have during the baby days for bibs, burb cloths, pacifiers, nursing pads/cream, etc. Note to my two expecting sisters...pretend you did not read this and act surprised, okay :)

Instant Gratification

I whipped up a drawstring bag based on the instructions in Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. This was made to hold a birthday gift. I will probably make some more of these for my husband to use as shoe bags when traveling. He keeps hinting that I don't sew anything for him! The fabric is a tablecloth from IKEA. This one was $5 in the As-Is section. Lots of nice, heavy cheap fabric to use. And I like that the colors are different...unexpected.

An fyi for those using the book instructions. The photo in the book shows only one drawstring, but the instructions call for two (as shown above). I like using two drawstrings, it makes the bag easy to cinch. I used twill tape for the drawstrings. So the inside edges would be finished neatly, I used french seams.

Here is a close up of the (somewhat sloppy) zigzag technique used for the drawstring casings.

Hello, Summer! Amy Butler Pillows

Doesn't this fabric scream summer? Our family room was in need of a summer infusion. This winter, the room was painted - transforming it from cold builder-beige to warm tan. The new color warms the room so much, but it was feeling a little like fall with all the tan and brown furniture. I have orange and green accents in the room, so this fabric worked perfectly. I received the main fabric (Amy Butler Gothic Rose) in a scrap pack ordered from etsy. The cut was only a 14 inch cut, so to fit my 20 inch pillow form, I added the border (Amy Butler Olive Seeds). By the way, if you need pillow inserts, I found that IKEA is a good source. These 20 inch feather-filled inserts were only $6.99 each.

I like how the floral pattern mimics the brown vine pattern on the adjacent slipper chairs.

Rather than add a zipper, I opted for a simple envelope design and used a coordinating stripe (Amy Butler Oxford Stripe).

I would like to try the patchwork pillow on the cover of the latest Stitch magazine. I've never done patchwork or quilting, so this might be a good introduction.

Summer Blouse

Here is my finished Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. I have a few works in process from the book, so it feels good to finally finish one! After reading everyone's blog posts and viewing finished blouses on the flickr group, I knew that I would need to make some adjustments to the pattern and didn't want to use the "good" fabric on the first try. I used what I had on-hand with enough yardage, which happened to be a heavyweight cotton curtain panel from the IKEA as-is section. (I guess this is where it might be helpful to have a thrifted sheet or two or some muslin onhand.) The facings were made from a paisley home-dec remnant. Unconventional fabric choices, right? Somehow, though, they worked out!



I made a few alterations to the pattern. The neckline was lowered about 1.5" and hits just at the collarbone. I brought in the sides quite a bit and added an inch or two to the length, but unfortunately, I cannot remember how much. The book calls for a button and loop closure, but with my lowered collar that feature would not make sense.



I liked applying the facing along the neckline so much, that I went crazy and used facings to finish the cuffs and hemline. It is a nice method for hemming, especially with a heavier fabric like this. I was not looking forward to turning up the hem a couple of times and then trying to stitch through all the layers! Disclaimer: the flipped-up hem in the picture is soley for demonstration purposes! I don't plan to walk around with it flipped. I think I could pull off the flipped cuffs, though!

Today I ordered some great cotton lawn to make another version of this blouse, probably with 3/4 length sleeves and a v-neckline. It will be interesting to see a more relaxed shape using the lawn, since this finished version is so structured with the heavyweight cotton.

Frenchy Bag

This weekend, I had the house to myself, so I took advantage of the time and made a bag. This is the shoulder bag version of the Frenchy Bag pattern by Amy Butler. The fabric is from IKEA. I love the bold pattern in the main fabric. It is home decor fabric, so the heavy weight gave nice body to the bag, made for sharp pleats and did not require interfacing. I did add fusible fleece interfacing to the top portion to ensure sturdiness.

The black contrast fabric is part of a larger bird print. I decided to keep the outside clean with solid black pieces. For the inside of the top portion, though, I cut from the printed areas. I like that it is unexpected and fun.

The pattern was easy to follow. I completed the steps out of order and constructed the lining bag first. I am so glad I did, because it allowed me some "warm-up" time to practice sewing the curved seams and connecting the bottom and top pieces just right. Again, with this project, I learned some helpful tips. This pattern uses an easy folding method for squaring up the fabric...much easier than cutting. And I finally learned how to make good straps!

A creative space...found

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A couple of months ago, I was wishing for some space and I found it! Our small living room is the coziest room in the house, with great natural light, but it was, for the most part, usued space. After multiple (4, 5...I lost count) trips to IKEA, my sewing supplies have vacated the dining room and have a home. My daughter's art supplies and hubby's books are stored along with my sewing supplies in the wall of IKEA bookcases. The storage boxes and baskets cleverly hide all of our goodies and my growing fabric stash and sewing book collection. The sewing machine cover is a repurposed $3 pillow cover found in the IKEA As-Is section. The Amy Butler organizer was a find at the local Michaels store.

The room now feels even cozier and functional and has become a creative space for the whole family. We find ourselves in the room on a daily basis, reading, sewing and coloring together. Last night my 3 year old daughter was my creative assistant, snipping threads for me with her "cutty things."