florida apron

I am gearing up for the all my family (sisters, sister in laws, brothers, parents etc.) birthdays in May and June.   I came from a family of eight where everyone's birthdays were in April, May, and June except for me and my brother.  Then, I married in to a family with the exact same situation.  My husband and I get old every year in December while the rest of our family members  do that in the spring and summer.  So, it's like gearing up for Christmas, I am trying to get some things made and sewn early.  I found this Florida fabric and knew I would make something for my sister in law in Miami with it.  I started out making a tote bag, but then last night as I went to cut it out, I thought it needed to be an apron.  I took my favorite apron (the emmeline apron my mom made me) and made a pattern based on that shape.  I didn't have the guts to follow the true emmeline apron directions and make bias tape and pleats that it calls for.  Someday.   I have some sewing fears that I need to get over and hand sewing bias tape (especially making my own) on something is one of them.  

The apron is reverseable with the Floirda fabric on one side and navy gingham on the other.  I liked how it turned out, but I need to fine tune the pattern a bit for the next apron I make.  

wooden girls

I have wanted to paint clothes pin dolls for awhile. There's a tutorial on my sidebar that was waiting to be followed from the going sew crazy blog. I have also wanted to make some little wooden doll candle holders for the top of cupcakes. I have managed to do make a few of these. The little doll heads and bodies have been sitting in my kitchen for awhile because it's one of those projects I do a little at a time. I paint a coat of hair...leave it to dry....add some eyes...paint another clothes pin body...you get it. I have probably had these out for 2 weeks. Finally I got some sprayed with lacquer and had my husband drill some holes in the top of some of their heads. The candle holders still need a few things, so I will post those soon, but here's what I did finish...





A little girl's necklace for Gage's friend's birthday (he says she loves him). She also got this kidlet (with out a pocket - that's another story) filled with classic Golden Books full of Disney princesses that I found at my beloved Half Price Books.




I also finished several clothespin dolls. I am trying to figure out a way to add a skewer to the bottom (or something) of the clothespin dolls to make them cake toppers. Or drill a hole in their heads for a candle. We'll see. I actually plan on putting a few things in an etsy shop soon. Just the extras that I make around here that I don't end up giving away. Nothing much, but soon perhaps.

*Oh, and thanks for the suggestions on the boy craft/sewing projects. I am going to collect them and post a link for all of them soon.

did you know i have boys too?

I will admit, I generally (always) sew and craft around the youngest - our little girl. But, I do have boys and I am constantly trying to find things I can make for them that they will truly like. They have many pairs of pj bottoms, pj shorts, and t-shirts that we have made. But, I am still on the look out for things a 10 year old, a 7 year old, and a 4 year old will wear or use. Let me know if you have any of those projects. I do care for them as much as I do for Mallory, but I will admit that I have really enjoyed sewing for Mallory much more. Dresses and dolls are fun to make. But, I know that I will find some projects for those boys soon. I thought I would share a few photos of them from our egg dying on Saturday. The oldest is trying to grow up fast and thinks he is a bit old for these sorts of traditions, but I am not letting him out of them for as long as I can. You have to let them feel young for as long as possible because growing up does come quickly and you can't go back. So, here are a few photos of Trevor, Boston, and Gage - my boys.







And, here is what the youngest looked like by the end of the day after she had raided the candy in her basket. The Easter Bunny was kind enough to bring her that Dora hat!

irish bread pudding with caramel sauce

photo from Cooking Light

Here is the edited recipe for the Irish Bread Pudding. Now, it is from Cooking Light and I have made all the substitutions to take out the alcohol. You can find the original here. It is supposed to be Caramel-Whiskey Sauce, but seeing as we don't have alcohol in this house or use it ever, then, I substituted in the apple juice in the bread pudding recipe and out the whiskey. In the Caramel Whiskey Sauce, I took out the whiskey and put in imitation rum. The sauce ends up tasting like butter rum LifeSavers. So good. It also makes a lot, so be prepared for extra sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light butter, melted
• 1 (10-ounce) French bread baguette, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup apple juice
  
• 1 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Preheat oven to 350°

Brush melted butter on one side of French bread slices, and place bread, buttered sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake bread at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes, and set aside.
Combine raisins and apple juice in a small bowl; cover and let stand 10 minutes or until soft (do not drain).

Combine 1% milk and next 4 ingredients (1% milk through eggs) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add bread cubes and raisin mixture, pressing gently to moisten; let stand 15 minutes. Spoon bread mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pudding. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until set. Serve warm with Caramel Sauce.

• Caramel Sauce
  

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup light butter
  • 2 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel) (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 cup imitation rum extract
    
  • 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

Combine sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat. Carefully add butter and cream cheese, stirring constantly with a whisk (mixture will be hot and bubble vigorously). Cool slightly, and stir in rum extract and milk.

happy easter

I hope your Easter day was beautiful. Our day was so nice - filled with sun and time together. I will have to share the dessert we had last night for dinner with you. It's one that I can't help eating too many servings of - Irish bread pudding with caramel sauce. I'll share the recipe soon.

for good measure

One more. I think I am done sewing her these dresses for now. I will wait and save the rest of my husband's discarded shirts until she needs a size 3. Then, I am sure that I will be sewing many again. This one I really like. I keep saying that about all of them. I think the daddy daughter thing has a lot to do with it because this one and the last one were two shirts that my husband wore a lot. So, seeing her in it makes me smile. I made the sleeves like the last few shirts I have sewn with the ruffle on the end with the elastic gathering above that. I added the matching fabric band to the bottom because I wanted to add a bit of length so maybe this one can last until next summer. Overall, this upcycling project really gives you a great dress with so little effort. Love it.

another amazing (do i use that word too much?) tutorial

photo from the polka dot chair

Melissa is a awesome seamstress. She has another tutorial on her blog for a skirt. This one is made with a charm pack. She used pink madras plaids which looks so preppy and sweet. Check it out here at the polka dot chair blog.

the others

Before I show you the other two shirts, you have to check out the tutorial by dana at made for the shirt dress. It is so clear and easy to follow, not to mention the shirt she used was sear sucker which turned out adorable. You will love making these. They are addicting. And, thanks for all you nice comments about the strawberry shirt. It's one of my favorites. The fabric was so great to begin with, so anything made out of it would have been cute.




I made a brown and pink one and cut out a little girl to applique from the Paper Dolls line from Windham Fabrics. I liked it and then I added the applique and I really liked it.





I had left over fabric from a vintage sheet that I used for a pair of lounge pants earlier and I loved the yellow tulips. I paired it with this yellow sear sucker that a lovely person sent to me from England. This shirt reminds me of the wall paper I had in my room when I was little. It was yellow floral, but it was textured and felt fuzzy when you touched it. I loved it and it was the 70's so this shirt seems to have that 70's vibe.


I quickly added these butterflies to one of Mallory's shirts. I was watching Martha while working out the other day (started a new program with my sister that I am really hoping to stick to) and saw that she used this butterfly template to iron on some patches on to stained clothing. Easy. I can do that. Simple in the key here!

my machine is taking a break

I found this pattern in my stash and I decided to try out this past weekend. It is Simplicity 5118 and I made view C. I had some vintage strawberry fabric that my mother in law gave me (she has so many treasures that she give to me). I paired it with this white with black polka dot fabric. I didn't want to add the flounce on the bottom (and left out the ties on the back as well) so I just added another band of the white and black fabric. I love it because it had a nice peasant style fit plus it took so little fabric. So, I decided to cut out two more so she could have a few for the summer to wear with capris. I used a vintage sheet, some sear sucker from a friend, and a few other scraps to make two more shirts. When I was at the very end of enclosing the neck casing on both of them, my machine kind of decided it was on vacation. I get it...I have used it way too much and I am not always that nice to it. It just involves a loose screw and a spring that I am pretty sure my husband can figure out, but it amazing how weird I feel knowing it can't be used. I will post the other two tomorrow when I finish the neck casing. I am counting on sun tomorrow too.

*I took so long writing this - I got the kids in bed in the mean time - that my wonderful husband has already fixed my sewing machine. Hurray!

a few tips for starting your dress from a man's shirt

I wanted to share a few tips on how to get started on your dress from a man's shirt. I know you are going to make one because it is so easy to do. I don't sew anything that is hard - someday I will challenge myself more, but for now it's all about getting it done quickly.

When picking a shirt, the bigger the better. The more fabric you have to work with, the easier it will be to cut out. This will also make it so you have enough fabric in the sleeves of the shirt to make new sleeves for the dress.

Taking off the pocket - if there is one, unpick it off. Gently press the area where the pocket was with steam to minimize the holes that might be left. If they are too large, you can always turn it around and put the buttons on the back.


Cutting up the shirt - go right along the side seam and cut. Go along the seam until you reach the collar. Cut off the collar.


Cutting off the sleeves - cut off the sleeves following the seam as close as possible.



This is what you will have - a front and a back panel to use to cut the dress out of.


Now, with the piece of fabric that has the buttons down the middle, fold in half as close to the middle as possible. Iron in between the buttons. Now, pin it together so that it stays in place while you cut out you pattern piece.


Now, here is my homemade pattern piece based on the Simplicity pattern 5695. I have taken view D and added 4 inches to the bottom of the dress. I eliminated adding the ruffle on the bottom that it calls for as well. I also widened it about 1/2 from the middle of the pattern piece down to the hem. But, other than that, I pretty much follow the directions from the pattern.

One last tip - take the sleeves from the shirt that you cut off earlier and cut along the bottom seam to open them up. There should be enough fabric there to get two sleeves for your new little dress.

Since I follow the pattern for the rest of the directions, I can't really qualify this as a tutorial. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I will help you as much as I can.

the first kidlet

This is the first kidlet I made from jc handmade's tutorial. It is the one I made that made me revamp the measurements and come up with this. I gave it to a friend who is expecting a new baby boy soon and used it as the gift bag for the outfit. I think if you had hooks above the change table and had these hanging from them full of lotions, diapers, and other baby essentials, it would be so cute. I like the beefed up version for books for older kids because my kids books are heavy and they have A TON.

dad's madras plaid - not any more

the before photo of the shirt

I took another shirt out of dad's closet (this one was on it's way to Goodwill) to make it in to a dress for Mallory. I have fallen in love with this one. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because I remember him wearing it in the summer and now to see her wearing it is really sweet. I took some photos of the process which I will share in the next few days. I promise, it's simple. I got the great idea for the red and white polka dot waist band from dana at made. I love red and white polka dots and this added a nice feminine touch. This time I put the buttons in the back and I kept turning it around wishing they were in the front, but in the end after I added the red band, I liked them in the back.

a few sweet buys

I am really trying to not buy too many things on the internet when I am home during a week of rainy days. I then rationalize with the fact that I haven't been out to the grocery store that week, so surly I could squeeze a few dollars out of the budget on something fun. Last week I did just that. I bought two sweet things on etsy and they have already arrived and I am very happy with my purchases. I bought this cute vintage button necklace from doe-c-doe's etsy shop here. It is the perfect color - a light aqua. The love tag on the back is an added bonus.


Then, I have seen Jodie's cute dolls on her blog vintage rick rack for the last year. She made a pattern for the girls and I snatched one from here. I have to be prepared to make some more girl dolls for future birthdays - whether they be in this house or those of friends.

make this skirt

Like I said, this skirt is too easy not to make. I did say that, but you probably didn't hear me. I even went and bought a pink, green, and purple bandanna last night to make some more. Plus, I found the cute leggings in her closet that match all bandannas - black. I just couldn't get her to put on a cowboy hat for some reason. Go here for the tutorial the from v. and co. blog. My friend