By my math, it means that I have been sewing for 14 years, since Dan and I are days away from leaving on a Disney cruise, a 10 year anniversary gift 2 years late. (Elly was our 10 year anniversary present and a wonderful present at that).

So, I have been sewing long enough to know the rule of right sides together by heart. How I managed to mangle this muslin cover leaves me shaking my head and giggling at my stupidity.

I know where I went wrong. I was so close to finishing the cover that I pinned the top side to the bottom first thing in the morning before I even had time to finish my morning tea. Then, I dashed into my sewing room and ran a straight stitch all around without really paying attention to what I was sewing. I was elated to be finished. It wasn’t until I was pulling the cover around the seat cushion that I noticed my mistake.

I refuse to fix it. Once I make the slip cover for the cushion, nobody will ever see it.

It is a good mistake. I’m glad I made it now. It will force me to take my time while constructing the slip cover.

Despite the lovely description on the quilt label, I had no intention of ever making Elly a rag quilt. It was all a happy mistake.

Hand embroidered by Quilted Lovelies

Last year while browsing around on the Etsy site, I found this pattern to make quilt from baby clothes. It was perfect for preserving all the clothes I had made during Elly’s first year. I had been dreading storing the clothes for 30 some odd years only to have a 50/50 chance that they would be used. What if Elly had a son or if she decided to not have a family at all? The clothes that I had so carefully stored would be thrown out. A quilt is such a nicer option.

Not wanting to buy new fabric for the background squares (I knew my MIL would be bringing me bags and bags of fabric when she came down for Christmas), I started to cut up Elly’s receiving blankets. Halfway through I began to doubt my decision. The receiving blankets were made of thick cotton flannel. The dresses I wanted to preserve were made of medium-weight cotton. The pattern instructed me to applique pieces of the dresses to the background squares. Layering the fabric like so would make the quilt terribly heavy, resembling a stiff interfacing rather than the soft blanket that I wanted to wrap Elly in.

It was then I decided to make a rag quilt. I’m so glad I did! It was fun and it allowed me to learn a new technique.

Rather than quilt simple X’s onto each block and you know actually finish the quilt in time for Christmas, I opted to teach myself how to free motion quilt. On Amazon, I purchased the book Quilt as Desired. Following the exercises given by the author, I quilted each of the squares. You can watch my progress in the pictures below.

I’m doggone proud of the last few blocks. I finally found my rhythm and my confidence.

This quilt was a joy to make! From cutting up the receiving blankets Elly had used as an infant to learning how to free motion quilt to fraying the edges, I was sorry to see it end.

Since I have no more receiving blankets to cut up, I have started saving Dan’s old flannel shirts to one day make another rag quilt.

Nook and iPad cases

Made for:
Dan got the Nook case

George (my SIL’s beau got the iPad cover)

Pattern:
The Original Padded Nook/iPad Cover
by Birdiful Stitches

Fabric:
recycled men’s clothes

Alterations:
Rather than edgestitch all around the cover, I opted to only edgestitch in between the corners. My reason for doing this was based on the fact that the cover fit quite snug on the Nook before the finishing details. I was concerned that the edgestitching would steal up to an 1/8″ away from the corner tabs and the Nook would no longer fit. After stitching all the way around the inside of the area that would hold the Nook, I couldn’t resist repeating the stitching twice over, each 1/4″ apart.

I just love the look of quilting.

Review:
This pattern was quick and easy to make. The dimensions are accurate; my Nook fits perfectly.
Yet, I wouldn’t recommend this pattern for a beginner sewer. Some steps are assumed, such as the turning and pressing of the loop closure, and thus not included in the tutorial.

Review from Dan:
He loves it. However, he wishes that there was an opening for the headset jack … and so I am making one post-haste.

Pattern:
Basic Child’s Apron
by Sew Liberated

Fabric:
Home Decor fabric purchased several years ago from Wal-Mart

Review:
The design of the pattern is perfect for a young child. I love the elastic neck tie and the velcro waist closure. It makes putting it on and taking it off a breeze.
Plus, the apron went together very quickly once Dan entertained Elly giving me uninterrupted sewing time.

The only negative I have about the apron is how snug it is. Based upon the pictures of the models, I had assumed that the apron would fit loosely. The pattern states that it can accommodate waists up to 24″ in the smallest size (3-5 year old). Elly has a waist of 23″ so I felt comfortable making her the smallest size. It’s true that the apron fits. However, if Elly was of the age where she could put it on herself, I think she would have trouble wrapping the waist tie around her back.

I should have gone back and made the waist strap longer, but I was so proud to have finished a sewing project. I couldn’t bring myself to rip it all out and start over again. Next time, I’ll do better.

Pattern:
none

Fabric:
apron purchased at my favorite store in Pottstown, Memories & More. It’s a cute little consignment shop on High Street.
back fabric purchased on Etsy (I have a hard time turning a blind eye to the fabric destash listings)

Process:
Simple really. First, I washed the apron several times in an effort to remove all the stains and mildew spots. I wasn’t completely successful. I only hope the few remaining stains lend it character.

Next, I fused interfacing to the wrong side of the apron to beef up the light-weight fabric and to help preserve the embroidery work.

Then, I removed the pocket as it had seen better days. Using the old pocket as a template, I cut out 2 more pockets. After positioning the pockets, I basted them to the apron by hand because I didn’t trust my ability to sew them on straight in one try.

Then came the fun part, piecing the apron together. With right sides together, I stitched all around the apron leaving only the top edge free.

Upon turning the apron right-side-out, I ironed the crap out of it. The only thing left to do was make the ties. I made them in the same manner that I made them for my last 2 aprons. As a friend of mine always says, “Why reinvent the wheel?”

It’s a subtle change, but I think my tweaking will allow this apron to be worn with pride for another few years.

Unfortunately, it can’t be worn by Elly. It’s a bit too long for her.

Pattern:
none

Fabric:
main fabric recycled from a jean dress that no longer fit
yellow fabric used in ties and the stars was recycled from a pajama shirt
bias tape was purchased from local sewing store

Process:
Simple really. First, I cut the bodice of the dress off. Then I trimmed the skirt so that it measured 18 inches in width at the waist and 20 inches in length.

Next, I sewed the bias trim all around the sides and bottom of the skirt encasing the raw edges.

Then, I cut 4 stars out of the yellow fabric using a cookie cutter. Using light-weight fusible paper, I adhered the stars to the skirt. With a satin stitch, I sewed around the edges of each star. Buttons were sewn into the middle for added interest.

To make the ties, I cut out 4-inch wide strips from the yellow fabric. I then sewed the strips together to make 1 long strip that measured approx 72 ins. With wrong sides together, I folded the strip length-wise and pressed. Then, I folded the raw edges of the strip into the crease made with the iron. I pressed again for good measure. Finally, I centered the tie over the skirt, pinned it in place, and topstitched near the edge.

Voila! In just a few days, I made an apron. This one I will be giving away at Christmastime. It’s a pity that Elly isn’t big enough to wear it because she was terribly proud when Daddy helped her tie it on.

Pattern:
Nana’s Reversible Half Apron

Fabric:
The Madonna square was purchased in Playa del Carmen. Fabric content is unknown. Since it was very light-weight, I beefed it up with some fusible interfacing.
The yellow fabric is 100% cotton. It was purchased from Marie Madeline’s online fabric store.

Review:
Crystal’s tutorial is great! She doesn’t include a mountain of step-by-step photos. It’s simple and straight-forward. The tutorial lists the materials and basic instructions. It might not be detailed enough for the beginner sewer, but it worked for my needs. I didn’t follow it to the letter, opting not to gather the top since it would have hid the Madonna’s face.

Pattern revisited:
Ruffled pants
by Little Lizard King

This was my 2nd time using this pattern. I had more fun this time around due to the addition of 2 embellishments.

Fabric used:
100% flannel cotton
It was purchased from JoAnn’s Fabric shop during their Black Friday sale.

Adjustments:
I cut the ruffle 1/2″ shorter than instructed. Rather than make a typical hem, I encased the raw edge with pink bias tape.
Using a cookie cutter as a template, I cut out hearts in the white flannel fabric and sewed them onto the pants using a satin stitch. Even though Elly almost never crawls anymore, I couldn’t resist.

I have enough flannel fabric to make her 2 more pairs. However, it’s Spring. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to sew more flannel clothes. Soon it will be too warm to wear them. So, I’m switching over to cotton fabrics and to new patterns.

Maybe in the winter I’ll come back to this pattern and the flannel fabric.

When shopping leaves me frustrated, I turn to my sewing machine.

Pattern:
Ruffled Pants
by Little Lizard King

Fabric:
100% flannel cotton

Review of pattern:
I was thrilled to find this pattern. It offers the ability to pick and choose the width and height measurements – just what Elly needs.

The tutorial is long, heavy on the pictures and overly thorough. It is written for a beginner sewer. If you are an intermediate sewer like me or better, much of the tutorial can be skimmed over.
I found it easier to draft a pattern piece based on the measurements given. It had the advantage of only having to measure once no matter how many pairs of pants I cut out. I do plan to make her at least 2 more pairs. Before I do so, I’ll shorten my pattern piece by an inch to keep Elly from stepping on the hem of the pants.

In conclusion, the pattern is easy to follow, easy to adjust for a custom fit and quick to make.

It’s not the most impressive list ever, but it’s pretty darn good considering my main goal for several months was to just take care of Elly. Or as Dan says, “Our goal is to not kill her.” Thankfully, babies are pretty resilient.

My list of sewing projects to tackle in 2011 is even longer and the year has just begun. Let’s hope I can be a bit more productive.