My Buckeye Princess

I was invited to be a pattern tester.  And for some insane reason I said yes.  I mean, my work with clothing is limited for a reason, folks!  I see a pattern and I get a headache by the time I get to the measurements and cutting list (yep, same reason I don't quilt).

So anyway, after a couple weeks(!) of thinking over the possibilities for fabrics, I decided to make my little princess dress for a Buckeye - an Ohio State Buckeye, that is.  Yep, we live in Ohio.  And Sunshine's daddy (aka - my husband) is a Buckeye fan.  So I went for the best scarlet and gray I could find.  (Pretty sweet scarlet & gray, though, right?!!!)

So back to the whole pattern testing thing.  I figured out a lot of things through this adventure:

1.  I like to embroider, but only if I know it is actually going to be used/seen (i.e. - on a dress that won't ever fit - why waste the time?).  ps - my embroidery was not complete along the lacing in these pictures).

2.  I get nervous trying to figure out colors/fabrics.  I really can not seem to "picture" fabrics in other contexts.  Funny, huh?  I'm not a "visionary" with regards to fabrics and colors.  I guess that's got an "up" side, too - I get surprised with the end result!

3.  I get REALLY nervous cutting into "good" fabric.  You know, the kind with a designer label.  The kind you can't find at the thrift store or the remnant bin at JoAnns.  (If you're wondering, my fabric is a combination of Rendezvous and Nature Elements that I got from Julie at The Intrepid Thread.) 

4.  My designs typically come from a random idea, story, need, or even a fabric.  Not a pattern.  I am NOT a by-the-book creator.  I'm messy.  I color outside the lines.  I don't measure unless I have to.  I use "whatever" seam allowances.

5.  I get REALLY REALLY nervous about using someone else's pattern.  Especially if I know they're counting on me to follow it faithfully.  My insecurities abound, because I want to do things right.  I know the person who wrote this pattern is wanting my honest input, and I want to give it (and not screw up something she has worked hard on!)

6.  And though I knew this one before: I am only marginally better than  I used to be at sewing in a straight line!

So I struggled a bit with this pattern testing thing.  It is a sweet pattern - and it really did turn out beautiful.  And in the end, it was a good (growing) experience for me.  It gave me confidence not to shrink away from future projects that might involve patterns, exact measurements, and/or cutting into really GOOD fabric!  

Who knows? Maybe I'll try tackling a quilt one of these days...

                                                      

                                       ... but not today ;)

Here's a smile from my Buckeye Princess to you!

:) Caren

Fleecie Doll

I found this book and decided to make this lovely doll out of fleece.

Fleecie Dolls by Fiona Goble can be purchased at Amazon.com

The book has some really cute ides for dollies, but I am so short on time that I have to be really really picky about which projects I start.  Oh, and the down side to the book was that the patterns (included) had to be enlarged, which was really tricky since I had to go to the office supply store to use their machine (I had to do a bunch of taping because I couldn't figure out their machine - grrrr!)

The dress on this doll is way too big - on purpose.  I figure if my toddler is going to try to dress and undress her she might as well have a big dress on.  So far she hasn't tried to get the dress off.  I think that is because she's been too distracted with getting her socks on the doll (she's getting pretty good at that!).

I learned something from this book - did you know that if you cut fleece in skinny strips and pull it (in the direction it stretches) that it actually curls?  Oh yes!  

(And it's very much like real hair - it "uncurls" fairly quickly so some of it is curly, some of it is wavy, some is straight - just like my Sunshine's hair!)

One more thing - the fleece is stuffed just perfectly for Sprout to chew on while he's teething (sorry, I don't have any pictures of that).  Hope this little doll doesn't mind!

You all have a wonderful day!  :) Caren

Blessings and Button Joints (& a Patchwork Horse)

I received a great deal of gorgeous fabrics from my bloggy friend Brooke (Silly Mama Quilts) a few weeks ago and some of it was already pieced together.  I know Brooke makes some top knotch quilted items (mug rugs, table runners, quilts, etc.), but I decided to go altogether different with this material.  This Patchwork Horse seemed just the thing!

 

If you haven't been following my blog, I'll catch you up: I like making soft toys!  I ran across this Patchwork Horse pattern in a book entitled "More Softies Only a Mother Could Love", and knew it was time to try my hand at this thing called button jointing.

(Please excuse my off-kilter photography - my point and shoot skills are pretty basic.)  The buttons on this horse are not just for show.  I threaded my 3-inch doll needle with some extra strong thread and sewed them completely through the body, to the opposite leg.  When it's all said and done, the legs can move around!

See?!!

If you can't tell from the photos, the fabrics are all Christmas-y (Basic Grey's Fruitcake, Figgy Pudding, etc.).  The legs, mane and tail are all from a vintage pillowcase.

Look at that MANE!!!  It's spectacular.  I really like the raggedy, raw edges.  And the ears - I chose one red and one green.  Don't think anyone will notice, but since it's a Christmas horse I thought it fitting (maybe I should have made reindeer instead?!!!)

Patchwork Horse (pattern by Abby Glassenberg - http://www.whileshenaps.typepad.com)

I am really excited about button jointing now.  It won't happen with all of my soft toys, but I love having a new "tool" in my toolbox.  So thanks, Abby, for the instruction, and thanks, Brooke, for sending me such a wonderful assortment of fabrics, and for quilting with quality (I'd have been really bummed if the stitches didn't hold up to my stuffing - I really pack it in there!)  

Charm Pack Peacock

I don't have any stunning photos of this little fellow, but wanted to share my new little friend with you.  He was made from several different fabric charms (thats a 5" x 5" square) in the Terrain fabric line.  

A while ago I won(!) a Terrain charm pack from Julie at The Intrepid Thread (http://intrepidthread.blogspot.com/).  She's got a sweet online fabric store (look her up at TheIntrepidThread on Etsy).  Seriously - I could look at her fabrics for HOURS (if I could - but since my kiddos are so high maintenance I don't have the time - which is probably a good thing, because I can't be drooling over my keyboard - my little Sprout is teething so there's enough drool in the house already!)  (Can you say "run-on sentence"?!  Aack!  Where has my education gone? :)
Anyway, this little peacock is palm-sized.  In the photos he's sitting on my windowsill.  Poor little thing can't even see outside!  Do peacocks live in cages?  I don't think I want to put him outside.  I'd hate for him to fly away....

Oh, and breaking news:  I'm having a giveaway!  Not today, but in a week or so.  I'll keep ya posted!!!

Meet Dazzle! (my new elephant)

Have you ever made something from scratch and it ended up WAY better than you thought it would?

That's what happened with this elephant. I got the pattern drafted, pieces cut out, and started sewing.

It turned out much better than I thought it would!

I like the ears.







And that cute little tail!

The fabric was one of a bunch that I got in the mail last week. It's a fabric line called "Dazzle" (hence the elephant's name) by Melissa Averinos for Andover. So beautiful.

In fact, I was so excited about the fabric that I forgot to wash it. That creates a bit of a problem in the stitching quality of the final product (I had to do more hand-stitching than I usually do to cover some of the issues), but Dazzle is definitely one I plan to make more of.

So squeezable!

I have linked up this post to the Sundae Scoop Link Party from http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ . I, being not so technically savvy, have not figured out how to a link, but please, there are some REALLY cool crafty sites in the link party so go check 'em out!!!

Show and Tell

I got a surprise last week in the mail. A bloggy friend of mine sent me a USPS box stuffed to the gills with designer fabrics. Like A HUGE stash. Big pieces, small pieces, and everything in between! Talk about being blessed! I mean, I have a pretty good stash of thrift store fabrics (shirts, skirts, sheets, etc.), but WOW! I'm talking DESIGNER fabrics. I'll introduce you to my generous friend in a future post, but for now, I'd like to show you just some small bits from my new stash (which now has been re-named "the GOOD fabric store"). So let the show and tell commence: