Pete, the Pumpkin Penguin

My brother-in-law's girlfriend absolutely loves penguins. Every time I see a penguin, I think of her. I was browsing blogs this past week, and I came across this penguin pumpkin... I knew right off the bat who I was going to make it for.

Making this little pumpkin was easy, and it sure was therapeutic after a hard week at work. If you get the urge to make one, the directions are on the Wyldhare's Hollow website.

Have fun, and Happy Halloween!

Camo Tag Blanket

It's been a little while since I've had time to sew. I had some leftover Mossy Oak hunting camo fabric from 2 years ago. I used it to drape over a gift that I gave Aubrey on our wedding day. It's doing no good just sitting, so I chopped it up and gave it a purpose.
I was thinking I could also do a blanket with hunters orange ribbons all around the blanket instead of alternating colors. Aubrey gave me the idea of doing sports colors like Alabama (crimson and white) and Auburn (blue and orange) around, too. Good idea!

Instead of sewing my tag on the front of the fabric, I sewed it into the blanket like one of the ribbons. Since this is a dark "boy-ish" fabric, I thought it would be an eye-sore if it were on the front. I think I like this idea. I may start incorporating it like this on all of the items I sew. We'll see.

Now the men have no excuse not to bring their babies hunting. Um, well, I guess being still and quiet may be a challenge.

Happy Mother's Day

Tailor-Made Tea Bags

Wow! I haven't made a post since 2008... This is loooong overdue.
I saw this idea in the Martha Stewart magazine, and I knew it's what I wanted to make my mom for Mother's Day. She loves tea, especially mint.

I didn't use the embellishments that Martha used (yes, we're on a first name basis) because I really didn't want to spend money on tools that I probably wouldn't ever use again. I had some of these flowers left over from scrapbooking, and they worked out perfectly. However, I did buy the cotton string.

I wish I would have bought a larger tin so more tea bags would have fit, but I've promised the rest of the tea bags at a later time. I cut out some scrapbooking paper to fit the inside of the tin's top so the tea bags could be labeled.

Each flower represents a specific tea flavor

I used cheesecloth for the actual tea bag. I cut out a rectangle (8-in x 16-in) and put 2 TBSP loose tea at the center of the top. I rolled it up and folded both sides over and tied with the cotton string. Then I put a flower at the tip of the string and tied a knot so the flower wouldn't fall off.

Painted Herb Pots

Aren't these herb pots the cutest!?! I've seen them for sale in places, but it's MUCH cheaper to make. I bought these terracotta pots at a craft store and the black chalkboard paint at Lowes. I painted the rims of the pots as well as a rectangle in the center of the pot. I used tape to outline the rectangle so it would be clean and sharp.

When I got home yesterday, I found these herbs in my carport that my mother-in-law left for me. I got dirty today and transplanted them into my little pots. These are perfect to sit inside my kitchen window sill since it's too cold outside for them to live. It will save me lots of money because fresh herbs are pretty expensive in the grocery store, and I love cooking with fresh herbs.

Burpies

This is my first burp cloth to sew, and it's so cute. My sister's roommate wanted a burp cloth to go along with the bib (made with this same fabric) I made for her to give as a baby gift. I used the Alexander Henry 2-D Zoo fabric, and I think it's so cute for a boy. They look like little animal crackers on fabric. I bought the fabric from ebay because I can't find it in fabric stores where I live.


I used chenille on the back of the cotton fabric because it's very soft AND absorbent.... practical for it's use. It's about 8.5 x 15-inches.

While sewing this, I ran out of thread on my bobbin (bottom spool). Well, I spun the thread on the bobbin, and when I went back to sew, my needle went crazy. I took the whole bottom of the sewing machine apart only to find that I didn't thread it right. Mercy! Well, at least it was a quick fix. Whew.... thank you Lord!

Pillowcase Dress

I've always loved these little dresses. I think originally they were made out of pillowcases, but now most of them are made out of cut fabrics. This one was not a good first one to make because it was a little hard getting the circles straight. I think I did okay, though.

This little dress is great because it acts as a dress for baby girls and a long shirt for older girls... so it's not one of those pieces of clothing that only lasts a season. During the winter, the child can wear a turtle neck and tights underneath. It's perfect for all seasons!

Bibs

My newest project is sewing bibs. I've only made 2 so far, and they are pretty easy. I haven't mastered putting on a snap (I think there may be a tool for that), so I did a velcro attachment. These are pretty large bibs. I did a medium size one... maybe for a big baby (like I was) or a small toddler. For the back, I did terry cloth because Hobby Lobby doesn't have chenille fabric. Terry cloth is less expensive but not as soft. The soft minky fabric would be a good backing, too!

I used a fabric from the Sandi Henderson collection for the pink bib, and the polka dotted fabric is from Hobby Lobby.

These will make great gifts for the mom-to-be along with some matching burp cloths (later project) and appliqued onesies.

Baby Shoes

Look at these cute little shoes. I bought a pattern for shoes, and this is how they turned out. The pattern says that it will take about 30 minutes to make, but it took me a good 3 hours. Um, can we say s.l.o.w.... My 2nd pair took 2 hours.

I'm not sure how comfortable these would be for a baby because of the seams inside the shoe, but they sure will look cute. Maybe socks would help with the comfort??? I also think that the ribbons will come untied really easily, but a double knot may work better.

I got the pink and brown fabric and the zebra fabric from Hobby Lobby. Small prints work better since the shoes are so small.

These sizes are for newborns, but next I'll probably make them bigger. What if the babies have big feet?

Tag Security Blanket

These security blankets are one of the main reasons I wanted to start sewing. I know that sounds crazy. Most people want to make clothes or pillows, but for some reason I fell in love with these precious little things. I know exactly why... When I was little, in order to go to sleep I would have to have my thumb in my mouth and the fingers on my other hand would be rubbing a ribbon together. It had to be a certain kind of ribbon, too. Either a grosgrain ribbon or a satin ribbon with a rough back side. It had to make a certain noise and have a certain feel. I was very picky with my ribbons.

I put all different kinds of ribbons on these blankets... just in case the child has a special preference like I did. They measure about 12-13 inches square. The front of the blanket is a soft cotton, and the back is the soft minky material.

I love these fabrics shown. They're from Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market collection. They can be pretty expensive, so I try to get a better deal from ebay sellers. Hobby Lobby has some really cute fabrics (and 40% off coupons on their website and in Sunday papers), as well as Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Robert Kaufman, Heather Bailey, and Joel Dewberry.

Applique Onseies

These are the most creative gals I know. Elisabeth and Meredith (my sweet friends) made the cutest onesies for our friend, Alison... actually for her baby. They bought plain onesies and did applique by hand and some hand embroidery, too! Elisabeth has a book that has directions for several types of stitches, and they were sweet to teach me how to do this. Meredith and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby and bought a ton of embroidery thread, fabric, and lots of other tools for me to have on hand for my appliques.

These are some onesies that I made for another friend of mine whose baby shower is this weekend.