the dora reward

Today I took my youngest to the doctor to have her bandage taken off. Three weeks ago she fell on a chair and wedged her fingers between the chair and the baseboard resulting in fractures and deep cuts. When he took the bandage off I was a little fearful of what I would see. But, they looked amazing (a bit gross with the black fingernail and remaining stitches) and have seemed to have healed almost perfectly. She still has fractures in her fingers, but those will heal on their own over time. As she took a nap today I decided to make a blanket for her to have when she woke up as a reward for being so dang good today and throughout the whole thing. She LOVES Dora the Explorer and it's one of the few words that she can say, so I bought some Dora fabric at Hobby Lobby that she wouldn't let go of. I am not a fan of buying stuff (clothing, fabric, shoes, etc.) with tv characters on them, but it was kind of cute when she wouldn't let go of the bolt and kept saying, "Dora, Dora, Dora." So, I gave in and found a pink and white polka dot to go on the other side. I made it like the scallop blanket in Amy Karol's Bend the Rule's Sewing book, but with just two layers and bigger scallops. It turned out fine - it was quick and she loved it. That's all I wanted.

simplicity 5695 and other stuff

I have had my parents in town for the last week and a half and it has been bliss. Totally wonderful for both me and the kids. My dad left Wednesday and I sent my mom sadly off today and am trying to help my three year old understand that I can't call her and just tell her to come back even though he wants me to. In the past few weeks I have attempted the Built By Wendy Top semi successfully because I think I need a bigger size (this does run small, right?), made sleeping bags for Webkinz, sewed some pjs for a nephew, and watched my mom make me the Emmeline Apron. After she left today, I decided to delve in to a dress for my youngest. I used a Simplicity pattern 5695. It was a simple dress and I love how it turned out. It's a 2T and she is 18 months so it's a bit big on her, but something to look forward to.

does a better apron make better cookies?

Gage had a cute lime green apron that we bought a few months ago, but we (okay it was me) decided to dress it up a bit. I did give him the choice of what animal he wanted on the front and monkey it was. Fits him perfectly - both the apron and the monkey! I think he was a better chef with this apron. We made some yummy chocolate chip cookies and even added a few dark chocolate m & ms for mom.

i tried these too - so glad i did

I think I am quite the copy cat sometimes. I do think of my own ideas (sometimes), but I like to copy what others have done because it's oh so cool. I love reading all of the great ideas out there on the web. What did I do before this? Was I more productive because I wasn't on the computer as much or less because I wasn't as inspired as much which leads to creating? Intersting thought. Well, I have seen these lounge pants made all over the web (check out the cute ones at Linaloo here) and I had the Amy Butler "In Stitches" book with the pattern so I thought I would try them out with the thrifted sheet I found at a garage sale for .50 cents. I only ended up using half, so basically these lounge pants were .25 cents (.27 if you add a bit for thread!). You can't beat that or their comfort. Yeah, I am on the hunt for more fabric to make a few more pairs of them whether that be a thrifted sheet or whatever. Anything that is comfortable will do! Love em.

yep, we finally tried it

This freezer paper stenciling is so great. I think we are the last ones on the planet to give it a whirl, but we did this week and we (the boys picked the designs) are hooked. I followed a few different posts about it - here - here - and here. There is actually a flickr group dedicated to the lovers of the craft here and I saw so many cute ideas. We just made a shirt for Gage and one for Boston. Trevor doesn't have any extra t-shirts that aren't already printed on first, so we'll have to go out and get some of those. I really love the prints on the onesies (of course) and will be branching out it that world soon I am sure. I also just bought the only fabric paint I could find at Hobby Lobby, but I read that this is the best paint for these sorts of projects. So, I'll have to investigate that. In the meantime, I am searching the closets for available t-shirts and dreaming up new stencils!

i'm in love with onesies

I love making these onesies, as you can tell. Felt is the easiest fabric for me to work with when it comes to appliques. I love it and so many colors. Unfortunately, there aren't too many fabric stores around that have felted wool, so I have been making them with the acrylic stuff (cheaper and tons of colors), but I will admit that it's a tiny bit harder to work with than the felted wool. I have been washing the onesies first and then I wash them again when I am done to make sure that everything is staying in place. I don't want them falling apart when I give them away. "Great gift Traci...it fell apart the first time my baby wore it!" That's something I fear I will hear. So, I am trying to give them run throughs and still hoping they look new. If I do a lot of stitching or embroidery on them, then I add a layer of light fusible interfacing the the inside to cover up all the thread and knots.
Here's the lowdown - 1. vintage caboose iron on transfer 2. snail out of felt 3. guitar out of felt 4. heart to patch up the tiny hole i made in the bum cause i caught it up in my machine. there's always a solution!

teddy bear onesie

Just another one to keep on hand. Of course, my friends that are having girls are slim - everyone is having boys these days. But, I can't help making some just in case and because I am in a little girl world right now.

more popcicles

We found a great steal on rotten bananas at the store (.15 cents a pound) and we froze them all. We made smoothies with a few frozen bananas, some cut up strawberries and a few spoon fulls of vanilla yogurt. The smoothies were great, but the popcicles that we made from the extras were better. I think we will experiment with popcicles all summer.

birdie tote

I had to come up with a diaper bag that the ladies at my church could easily make to donate along with baby products to a local charity. My friend, Melissa, had come up with a pattern for these cool tote bags a few years ago and we revamped it to work as a simple diaper bag as well. I beefed up the straps (on the final pattern, I made them even wider than the ones in this photo) and added a long, divided pocket on the inside that is actually sewn in the seam. It's big enough for a wipes case and two bottles. Here is the final product. I will include the instructions (I want to make sure it's okay with her first) soon since it is so easy to make.

summer days

This morning we got a break from the hot and humid weather. We went outside to eat our popcicles that we made from here and it was so breezy and nice. The kids were actually a bit cold from the wind and the popcicles. But, I told them to take it and enjoy since it won't be like this long.

The older boys went out to collect bugs in their newly made t-shirts. In the spring we made ones with the iron on crayons, but after a few washings, they faded which disappointed the boys. This time I had them draw with markers on a sheet of paper. I scanned them in to the computer and then printed them out on the iron on transfer paper from HP. Much brighter and they love them. Plus, I don't think they will take a hit in the wash like the others did.

rag time baby blanket tutorial

Go to kneedles and pins for a great tutorial on rag time baby blanket quilts. I have had one for each of my last two children born and both they and I LOVE them. They are so easy to make and so much fun with a little chenille and some great fabrics (flannel, homespun, or anything that frays really well and is soft). And, the best part is the tutorial is from my mom!

more onesies

I haven't been crafting as much since the kids are home from school. I am trying to hang out with them as much as possible and plus, the room upstairs where I like to work is really really hot because it's over the garage and it's summer here. My six year old wanted me up there with him the last few days because that's where he likes to play, so he told me to make something and hang out with him. I saw two onesies left in the package and came up with some appliques for them. The cherries have a double set of leaves because I accidentally snipped them a little when trimming the stabilizer on the back. That's when I had to the add the second, lime green set of leaves to cover up the tiny hole. My three year old kept asking me if he could help with the cutting and I said, "no, you might cut the shirt." Just a few minutes later it was me cutting it!

thanks zia

I received this wonderful package of fabrics and birdies from Zia at Zia Koko in the mail yesterday. She was giving away some extras from her stash and I am happy to be the owner of someone's extras! I have great plans for the yellow searsucker that involve a dress for the babe. The little birdies that she included were so sweet. Thank you! Boston and Gage got the mail and helped me open it. Boston said, "Is this because you were in an apron club?" No, I said it was from someone who was kind enough to share.

pudding pops

Do you remember Jello Pudding Pops? I loved those as a child and would try to save my lunch money at school so that I would have enough to get one at least once a week at the cafeteria. Yummy! We decided to make our own and we did lemon pudding in this batch and the boys decided a different flavor would be better. So, chocolate it is! You don't have to twist my arm. Mallory thought the lemon was absolutely the best. Even when her pudding pop was all gone, she cried when I tried to take away the stick. After three boys, I am trying to get used to this very frustrated, yet wonderful girl. Is this girls or just a fourth child who is smart enough to know what she wants because she sees what everyone else gets? Time will tell. She screamed (it was a fit) both times I took her out of the pool today although she had been in for almost an hour each time. So, I will make more pudding pops to stop the screaming if at least for as long as the pop lasts.

a few gifts

the shrug

Here's a photo of the shrug that came in the package from my mom last week. It turns out I can't get my hair out of a pony tail, hence the neck down pose. I love the color and can't wait to wear it somewhere besides my backyard. And, don't mind the baby tummy - even the best posture can't seem to take that away! I love being the beneficiary of such talent. Thanks mom.

*PS* the pattern can be found here.

so, i'm thinking....

I am thinking about turning all these doodles in to PDFs to use as embroidery patterns. The only trouble is that I am computer challenged when it comes to refining my sketches, PDFs and all that stuff. I hope they will be fine the way they are. Do I need to get a copyright? I am not sure about that either. I looked at the embroidery patterns for sale on etsy and the artists have copyrights. So, I printed up the forms to do it and I have cold feet. I am so new to all of this and maybe I am in way over my head and should just keep drawing and stitching them for my enjoyment. Maybe it's not as hard as I am making it out to be. Suggestions?

my apron came

My apron from the Sassy Apron Swap arrived last week and I was so excited. I love getting packages anyway, but this one was especially fun because it was a surprise. You don't know who your partner is (or at least, who has your name) or where they are from. The woman that I got my lovely apron from is from South Carolina and her name is Jennifer. She made the prettiest reversible half apron with colors that I just love. She embroidered my name on one of the sides and told me that even though it's a half apron, she wears hers like a baby doll dress at the top so that she can keep more of herself clean. I love it like that as well as around the waist. What a cleaver idea. She sent a hand towel with it that she embroidered a flower on as well. What an amazing seamstress and person. Love it!

budding artist

I sat down to draw some embroidery doodles (that might never come to be) today and my nine year old sat by me and started to draw some of his own. I was so impresssed by his animals. I asked him where he came up with all of these and he said he had just seen them in books and in his head. Love it. One of my greatest joys is to see my kids being creative. So, I thought I would share his talent with you.

package from mom

My mom loves to knit and crochet and she is amazing at it. Mallory and I got a package in the mail the other day and this cute little sweater came for Mallory. I love the color. I just wish that it were a bit colder so I had a reason to keep it on her all of the time. Now I am looking forward to Fall just because of this. My mom made me the most beautiful apple green circular shrug from this pattern at Peony Knits and I haven't taken a photo of it yet. I always try to find a day when my hair isn't in a pony tail and with the heat (and my laziness), it doesn't look like that is happening soon. So, a photo is soon to come pony tail and all.