modern handmade child

I've recently become a member of the EtsyKids team, and wanted to share with you their amazing magazine.

http://modernhandmadechild.com/

Featuring all handmade, high-quality children's items! And not just clothes...there are party ideas, costume ideas, crafts, tutorials, and even recipes. Check it out!

it's here!!!!!

My Heather Ross goodies came! I was so excited to get home on Saturday to find my package! And inside......

Race cars, bicycles, horses, flowers, and this really cute Japanese print. Along with some wool felt, ribbons, bias tape, thread, embroidery thread, and lots of buttons. All kinds of goodies!

Love me some bikes!

Seriously, how cute is this?

Unlike many, I didn't request any one thing. Because honestly, I couldn't decide at the time. But now I really wish I had requested some Goldfish I Have Loved (in the bags). Anyone out there have any? Anyone interested in a bit of a swap? I'm excited to see what others have gotten!

Thanks Heather!! You rock!

treasury!!!

On etsy, it's usually a pretty big deal to be included in a treasury. They are filled with gorgeous items grouped in various ways...often by color, theme or whatever strikes a person's fancy. The hope of course, is that your treasury will make it to the front page, resulting in a gorgeous front page for etsy, and lots of visibility for those lucky enough to be included in one.

Well....it happened for me! I received a convo and figured it was the usual "quesion before a purchase" that I sometimes get, and was surprised (and thrilled) to find out it was a convo of the curator who included my item in her treasury! I was so stoked!

Check it out!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=84221

fabric sale!!!

I just received an email update from the etsy shop that carries a few of the patterns I use, and this woman used to have a fabric shop. The fabric shop is now closed, but she still has LOTS of fabric left over, so she's offering Amy Butler for $6/yard! Plus it's a grab bag - which I think is just fun (like scrap bags!). Check it out here.

Now....where is my Heather Ross stuff? Hmmmm....

progress

Now that I have finished Lilah's quilt and Noah's hat (never mind the new one I have to start now for Derrick...) I've been wanting to get back to the quilts I started and haven't touched in a while. Opening the shop took a lot of time initially, and getting as many orders I did (in the shop and outside of the shop) was surprising and time-consuming. Since then I've had a bit of a lull, which to be honest I haven't minded, since I'm finally able to work on some things for "me" again!

First up...I volunteered to make one of Amanda Jean's blocks for the quilt she's doing for Quilts of Valor. She wanted them by the end of the month, but I didn't want to wait that long, since with the shop, I never know how busy I'm going to be. I put it together yesterday and I'm sending it off tomorrow!

Next up is my Arcadia quilt. I saw this style (and tutorial) over at Carly of Quiltville's blog (and she had one for sale in her shop at one point) and fell in love with it. I LOVE the Acadia fabrics and just HAD to make this quilt when I saw it. This one is a gift as a very special "thank-you".

And on to the 9-patch quilt-a-long. I'm using the Arcadia fabrics for this one as well...and I have to admit - I'm not loving it so far. Problem is, Amanda Jean's 9-patch that she posted was so fantastic, and it sounded like so many of the ladies used scraps for theirs, and I honestly just didn't have enough scrap variety at the time to go that route. We'll have to see though....once I get them all done and add some white sashing it could really change things for me.

As for progress...? Well, the 4 blocks you see was all I had done. And we're on day 63 according to Amanda Jean. Since taking the pic I've made 5 more, but obviously have a ways to go if I'm going to get caught up and finish by next Sunday!

And I also have a very special baby quilt I'm hoping to make and complete in the next 2 weeks! More on that later! Don't want to ruin any surprises!

giveaway winner!

I decided to enlist some very important help for this giveaway. I had Noah pick the winner for me!

Here he is....had to get some chicken and potatoes dinner in first!

And here is the winner! #10 - Ashley! Congrats Ashley! Email is forthcoming!

Nite! We're trying our first ever "movie night" tonight! Noah doesn't ususally sit still for that long... ;-)

this dress...

has really gotten the better of me! Now in this beautiful eggplant print - for sale in the shop!

princess and the pea

I did quite a bit of sewing yesterday. 2 dresses, a shirt, and 2 skirts. I've been wanting to use some of my Far Far Away fabrics to make something for Lilah since I received them a while back but like many, had trouble cutting into it!

I ultimately decided to make this dress:

I love love LOVE how it turned out!!! At first, I thought the print might be a bit large for the size of the dress (I made a 2T - so nothing she'll be wearing anytime soon!), but I now think it's perfect!

Isn't she cute?

The pattern is the Kyla pattern from Froglegs and Ponytails and is available in her shop here. I already use her Caroline pattern as my pillowcase dress (and yes, she allows her pattern to be used to make items for sale! Gotta respect copyright!) and I LOVE both of them. Her patterns are nicely laid out, easy to follow, easy to cut, and are finished beautifully! And being a pdf, they can be printed anytime you need a new size to cut, which I then save in my templates drawer in my organizer. Very nice!

This dress is actually a reversible dress, and although I did create it in the reversible style, I don't really plan on reversing it. The double gauze fabric is really thin and light (but oh so soft!) and I felt the white muslin on the inside would be a good lining.

I will say -working with double gauze is interesting. It's kind of.....sticky. Know what I mean? Not literally sticky silly! But that - catching on another fabric that it rubs against kind of sticky. So, when you're doing certain things (like trying to slide the exterior into the interior to sew it shut and properly line up) is a total pain, but then it also works in your favor as well - like not having to pin quite as much once you get it all nicely lined up because it stays quite well on its own! And once it's done - it's a dream! Super soft, nice drape - just really cute!

I changed up a few things - like the tie straps (and think I might try this one with snaps next time), and the bias tape. I simply used some white that I had laying around (does anyone else love working with bias tape as much as me?).

Anyway - I really love it and I totally wish she was able to wear it now!

So guess what...GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! Yep! I'm keeping this one for my little girl, but my giveaway will feature this dress, just as I have made it here, in the fabrics shown below! I'll make this dress in a size 12-24 mo, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 - using one of the Far Far Away fabrics shown with white cotton muslin for the lining and a white cotton bias tape at the bottom.

Shown above are unicorn in orange & blush, and princess in blush, pink and blue/orange. Please leave a comment in this post to enter and comments will close on Friday September 18th at 7PM. Good luck!

COMMENTS CLOSED - WILL ANNOUNCE WINNER SHORTLY!

I L L - I N I !

That was the inspiration for the first hat I knitted. I made it for his father's day gift (and yes, he's an alum of Illinois). A bit early for cool weather, but he loved it...and so did Noah! He promptly asked me for one of his own. So, right away I started Noah's hat. And then it was put down. And then I prepared for a baby. And then I had a baby. And so the hat sat longer.

But it was time to finish the hat - and I finally did! On our drive home from my in-laws this past weekend, I put the finishing touches on the hat - I really only had the crown to finish at that point.
For both hats I used this ribbed beanie pattern from Wooly Wormhead (I had originally found it on ravelry), and made a few adjustments. I wanted to knit on circular needles, so I did - and only switched to DPN's at the crown. For Noah's had I also made it a bit smaller than the pattern indicated - making the appropriate reduction in multiples of 8. The yarn I used was Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes in Midnight Blue and Nectarine. They really were the closest "Illinois" colors my yarn shop had.

Only problem? Well, the hat on Noah wasn't quite as large as I would have liked. So, we tried Derrick's on him and it fits pretty great. So, looks like we're going to hand Noah's down to Lilah, daddy's down to Noah, and I better get knitting on a new hat for daddy! (and maybe one for myself while I'm at it!)

no hats....yet!

Okay, I know I promised hats. But it (meaning pictures really) just hasn't worked out. The boys have just been go go go every day and I have yet to nail them down together (mostly means my son won't sit still or put the hat on!). I promise tomorrow! ;-)

So, I thought I'd post about the mini-hexes I worked on over the weekend!

They're coming along nicely! I really do love working on them. I have a few things that are really calming for me. Knitting is one. Yoga too. Mowing the lawn is another (and one I'm not proud to admit. Horrible for the environment...really unnecessary...an exercise in vanity really, but I love seeing overgrown lawn get cut down row by row in such an orderly fashion. Anyone guess my birth sign? ;-) ) Vacuuming also - though can vary with children underfoot.

And now paper piecing hexes as well!

It truly is calming. Aneela's original post on this said "I have discovered the tranquility that is......... handstitching paper pieced hexy's!". I totally agree - and get it! Even the cutting for these wasn't bad! (and I despise cutting...)

This pile is what I worked on over the weekend. And more have been done since. Today I sat in the shade of the garage while Noah rode his trike around Lilah and I in circles. Lovely! We had a truly lovely late summer day. I'm so lucky to be home with them!

I'm still not sure what they'll become. I had lots of ideas while falling asleep last night. There is still the absurdity of a quilt in the back of my mind. My next task is to determine exactly how many of these that would take and then go from there... ;-)