Ho Hum

So, what's going on around here? 

We've been enjoying the beautiful fall weather we've been blessed with.

And I am trying to figure out what kind of pouch to make for the Pretty Little Pouch Swap.

Any thoughts in this so far?

Three Little Onesies

Three little onsesies for one little girlie. 

Loving how they turned out.

An Update

Remember the post about the birthday project and the un-birthday present?  Well they finally both made it to their intended recipients.  So that means I can post pictures!  With models who cooperate!  Yes, that was an exciting moment for me.
T turned 6 last week, so this was her present from me.  Though when we went on Sunday to celebrate her birthday, she asked me if I had brought a present for her.
It fits a little big now, but better big than small.

Love the ruffle strip on the bottom.  I though two pockets would be overkill, I only put one one.

Straight ruffle in the back instead of curvy... I like it better that way.

J didn't have a birthday, but because these two girls do almost everything together, I made her a new top as well.  Fits perfect!

Love the ruffles on the front.

I had to leave the smile in.  Just so cute.

And there you have it.  The tale of two shirts.

Bottoms Up

I don't know why I am doing all sorts of clothes sewing now for D when Kid's Clothes Week Challenge is happening in October.  I should just relax now and read a book. 

Wait.  I did read a book. A pretty good book too.  The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.  Try it, you'll like it.

Anyway.  I was sewing clothes.  A bottom and a top.

I saw a tutorial for the Cascading Ruffle Skirt over at Lil Blue Boo, and thought it looked cute and I should give it a go.  A few bargain store shirts later, I had this.

Best pic I could get right now.

(Yes, sometimes I let her pick her own accessories... and clothes.)

Cute, but I am not a huge fan of it.  It'd probably look better in a bigger size maybe?  I don't know, but it looks a little like a goblin skirt to me. 
Not that that will stop me from making her wear it.  I did put the effort in to make it after all.

Then I finished a shirt that has been sitting unfinished for a few weeks now.  I love this shirt.  It is a pattern from the 01/2011 Ottobre issue.  Seriously, this shirt is just as cute as in the magazine as on my wall!  Okay, it would look cuter on a little person rather than my wall, but really, let's not be picky here.  I am working with an 18month old model, not a 4 year old who can pull a pose.

Source                                                            

Is this not a cute shirt!  I really love it - I love how not homemade it looks too. 

My iron and my twin needle were my best friends. (Until my twin needle broke and I had to let this shirt sit on the unfinished pile for about a week.)

 I used a salvaged black tee shirt for the bottom part, and I left of the pockets because with my luck they will rip off when D tried to stick her hand in.  She's not always as gentle as I'd like.

 

So far, I have made two outfits from my Ottobre magazines.  And so far, two thumbs up.  Love them.

Upper fabric is Scribble-Floral Patch-Grey, and I got it here: Fresh Stash.

An Itty Bitty Dress

My cousin-in-law and her husband just had a baby girl.  They waited a very very long time to get pregnant, and finally, in March, we got news that they were expecting!  Her husband didn't believe it for real until he saw the ultrasound pictures.  Everyone was so excited for them.

Then at the end of August, she began to have some complications - her pregnancy was poisoning her.  To make a long story short, their baby was born prematurely by C section on September7.  A tiny and healthy  2lb baby girl.

Since it is their fist baby, and a long awaited baby, I thought we should send them something special.  A little package of baby goodies.

As their baby is so tiny, I knew store bought clothes would not fit, so I made the Itty Bitty Baby Dress.  I had had the pattern bookmarked for a while and now was the perfect time to use it.

Here is the end result.

And it really is itty bitty! 

Besides the doll clothes I once made, this is the smallest dress ever.  Actually, it's not even much bigger than the doll clothes I made.  Perfect for the little dollie who will one day wear this dress.

Newish Pants

I went shopping with two of my sisters the other day and we went to Children's Place.  I found these cute fleece pants there and thought they would be perfect for D since the weather is getting colder.

Source

But it was not to be since I thought they cost just a little too much for simple fleece pants.  

Instead I made a pair.  Granted, they are not pink and they don't have the embroidery on them, and they don't have elastic at the ankles (though that could change...), but they were waaaaaay cheaper. 

 

    I had bought a pair of almost new sweatpants at a thrift store a while ago and I was going through my "clothes to repurpose" bin and found them back.  

    First I cut the top off to make shorts for my hubby.  Don't worry, they come just past the knee and don't look at all like creepy sweat pants shorts.  

    I had just enough length left to make a pair of pants for D.  There is no waistband as I simply sewed on wide elastic.  This kept the bulk down and allowed me to keep the length. 

On backwards, but who cares.

She loves them.

Very Good

Growing up, I was the baker child in the house.  I had three sisters, all capable of making cakes and cookies, but I loved doing it enough that I assigned myself the job of baker every Saturday.  

I would go through my mom's old and stained cookbooks, many of them Company's Coming oldies, like 150 Delicious Squares. I loved trying new recipes, even though the family liked the tried and true ones.  

Once I thought to make a white cake for Sunday.  Too bad for me the oven wanted black cake.  The bottom element stopped working and the top one went in overdrive and instead of white cake, I had made 'crow' cake, as my sister nicely dubbed it.

Anyway.  Being a mom and having a working husband means I can't only sew these days.  I also have to bake.  We all like a tasty snack so now and then.  

I thought I would share my favourite cookie recipe.  

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

I learned from my mom and labelled recipes from okay to very good.  This one is very good.

Mix the margarine and sugars together, beating them until they can be beat no more.  Really.  You have to whip as much air as possible into the mixture for truly chewy cookies.

Beat in two eggs and vanilla, again mixing and mixing really well.

Then add oatmeal.  Not instant oatmeal, but at least quick.  If you don't have quick, only old fashioned, the kind that takes quite a while to cook, just throw some in the blender, give it a few pulses, and measure out two cups.

Mix it really well.  I use my beater for this part yet. 

Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and some baking soda and cinnamon.  If I continue to use my mixer, I end up with a pretty white counter.  My counters are black, so it gets pretty messy looking.  So instead, I use my hands for this part.

Then throw in some raisins.  Mmmmm. 

You can also add walnuts, but I really don't like the taste of them together with raisins.  That and my one year old spits them out.  

Because I am lazy and should much rather run after my kid than spend my time watching and baking tray after tray of cookies, I press the whole works into a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350° then another 5 minutes with foil over top.  This will keep the edges from getting too crispy while letting the middle bake.

What you end up with is a beautiful pan of oatmeal raisin goodness.

Very goodness.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1+ tsp cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream margarine and both sugars together in a large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla. Mix

Stir in oatmeal.

Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Mix well.

Add raisins and walnuts.  Mix well.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, spacing them about one inch apart.

Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes until just lightly browned.  Remove to waxed paper.

An Un-Birthday Present

Last post, I told of my niece who is celebrating her sixth birthday this month - this Tuesday.  She has a little "stister" who, at the beginning of school, felt a little left out.  She wasn't going to school yet; she was home alone; everything was about her older sister going to school and she was feeling a little down.  So I thought I would make her something too!  Then, this time when it was all about her older sister, she would still have something new too.

This little top began as a pillowcase top.  Very standard, except I finished the armholes with white piping for a more finished look.  

I know there are a million tutorials for these kinds of tops, and somehow, I picked the wrong one.  I made up a size 5 and it was looking waaaaay too wide under the arms.  Seriously wide.  I had to fix it.

I cut the top in half from top to bottom.  

Then I sewed the two sides together and had to think of a way to hide the centre seam.  Nothing a bit of ruffle and ribbon couldn't fix.  Right?

Well, after I sewed the two sides together again, I kinda thought the whole thing looked a little boring.  

So I cut the bottom off about 2 inches under the arms.

Then I cut a rectangle on bias from the fabric and with a teeny tiny bit of gathering, I sewed that on the top.  

I think it turned out rather cute.  I like the angled stripes contrasting the vertical ones.  And I am loving the bit of ruffle on the front!  I skipped the ribbon in favour of a piece of the fabric cut, ironed, and sewed down over the edges of the ruffle, and I used the ribbon for the tie. 

Sure hope it fits now.

It's always easier making clothes when you don't do it spur of the moment and have no measurements on hand.

Fabric - thrifted.

Thought I would also try this out... Getting brave over here!

No Sew

Well, I haven't been doing any sewing around here lately.  I have been busy though.  

I have been scrapbooking D's first year.  I am three pages from being done.  

Never mind that she is nearly 18months. 

I have been busy with applesauce making.  Yum.  I think I may have almost 40 cups worth of applesauce in my freezer now. 

And we have been enjoying the last bit of summer. 

Or should I say the first bit of summer.  We haven't really had a summer over here.  Too much rain.