Mama Sews: Pillowcase Dresses

I wanted to make Ilona a dress to wear for Independence Day and a Clemson Tigers themed dress for the upcoming football season. Pillowcase dresses are super quick and easy to make so I went with that.

In addition to their simplicity, the sizing on pillowcase dresses is pretty forgiving so these should fit her for a while and can be worn with a shirt underneath in cooler weather or leggings once the dresses are too short.

These fabrics were found in my stash. I bought a 1/4 yard of purple fabric to coordinate with the Clemson and orange fabric I had since the Clemson fabric alone wasn't enough for the entire dress. I also bought ribbon for all three dresses.

The light blue dress was one I had made years ago and just needed ribbon to finish. This dress is a size 2T so I'll put it aside to grow into.

I always use Sew Like My Mom's pillowcase dress guide for measurements, etc.

After finishing the red gingham dress and trying it on the wiggly baby, I decided to bypass the ribbon ties on the shoulders for the Clemson dress and tried an elastic/ fabric shoulder strap instead. (I still need to adjust the straps to fit since she was sleeping when I sewed this dress.) Hopefully, it will work well. The ribbon ties are so cute but it is challenging to get the dress on and ribbons tied when your model is  a very active 7 month old! Haha!

I enjoyed my afternoon of sewing! 

The dress is adorable on her though and we got some really cute 4th of July pictures of the baby and Willie. Some great outtakes too--too hilarious not to share!

Lots of laughs during this photo shoot!

Mama Sews: Baby Sunbonnet

One of the best things about having  a little girl is that I can now sew all those cute things I've had my eye on for years.

Well...she's 6 months old and I'm just now getting the sewing machine out! This is due partly to my days being full of other things and because up to now, she really hasn't needed a lot of extras. She's received so many wonderful gifts since the day she arrived!

With summer being here in the South and the sun so bright and HOT, Ilona needed a hat or bonnet to shade her face. I'd had this bonnet tutorial from Purl Soho pinned on one of my Pinterest boards for a LONG time. Now was the time to try it!

I used some white dotted Swiss fabric for this first try. I printed out the pattern, cut everything out and had it sewed up in about an hour! Not bad for a Friday night sewing project.

I was a little unsure about how it would turn out with this being my first try at sewing head wear. But it was really easy and the instructions very clear.

Note: Definitely follow their advice and use tons of pins when sewing  the curved seams!

It really does make it easier to work with.

I used the 6-12 month size and it fits Ilona but is on the big side. I knew 3-6 would probably be the right size but wanted something she could grow into and wear a little longer. I may go back and make a 3-6 bonnet now that I know how fast it is to make!

A baby in a bonnet...oh so sweet!

I now am itching to get more things sewn up for her. Such small sizes sew up so fast and are so much fun!

A Little Crafting

I was feeling good enough yesterday to make a cute Valentine decoration for my living room. I love it! Read more details here.

Framed Initial

I've been in a crafting mood the last few weeks just enjoying making little things for the house and sprucing things up around here.

We have this cover for what I guess was a old stovepipe or something over the fireplace which isn't the most attractive decoration ever but is kind of the centerpiece of the room, regardless. I've gotten in the habit of covering it with seasonal decorations and found it looks a whole lot better and adds another little spot for something decorative. For Thanksgiving, a wooden turkey covered the eyesore and for Christmas, stockings.

So when I took the Christmas decorations down around New Year's, my thoughts immediately turned to what could be hung there. I tried several pictures but nothing was quite right.

I then remembered this cute framed initial idea that I had bookmarked a little while back. This would be perfect! I love monograms and initials so I thought framing a 'C' (for our last name) would be really cute for that spot.

First, I had to find a frame that was the right size. I put it on my thrift store list and looked the next time I was out thrifting. On my second trip, I found just what I was looking for. A wooden frame for an 8 x 10 picture. A plus was that this frame looked brand-new and was already black which was the color I was going to paint the frame. And it was only $2! Plus it came with a mat that I can use for another project!

The cast of characters.

I was determined to only use fabric from what I had on hand so I  rummaged through and came up with a combination I liked. The tan linen was a thrifted skirt bought for sewing projects and while I was working, I remembered that the red check fabric was a yard sale find a while back. Not bad!!! I already had a roll of Heat-n-Bond on hand so the frame was the only item I needed to buy.

This was a really quick and easy craft. Finding a font and adjusting it to the right size was the hardest part! The letter 'C' can be funny to find just right, some were too skinny and others looked too plain or like I was teaching kindergarten printing. I printed off one I liked, then adjusted it a bit by cutting some parts a bit wider.

The finished project.

This whole project was done in less than 30 minutes. I love it and can see many more of these types of projects in the near future. I think it'd be cute using scrapbook paper instead of fabric, too. Or with whole words instead of just letters.

So fun!

New Stuff In My Shop

There's a new batch of fun stuff in my shop tonight!

Here's a  sampling of what you'll see:

Cute little wallets

Drawstring purses

Be checking back the rest of the week as I'll be listing more each day.

**I will refund shipping to you if you're local and would like to arrange your own delivery. 

A Frugal Handmade Gift

We were invited to a college graduation party for two lovely young ladies last weekend.

What do you give for a graduation gift besides money and cars?!?

I decided on something small (and frugal)that they would be able to use.

These notebook holders looked like fun to make and use so I whipped up two of them for gifts. These were very quick and easy to make!

I love Hobby Lobby's fabric section. Unlike my own stash of fabric, they always have a nice selection of coordinating prints. I love this funky flower and stripe combination!

The directions are written with European measurements/size notebooks so I skipped their measurements and figured out my own measurements for a standard journal or medium-size notebook. (I used a smaller notebook for the gift since that's what I had on hand but the pouch will hold a regular-size journal.) This can be easily adapted to any size notebook or coloring book.

I can't wait to make one for myself to use for my Bible study materials! And some more for sweet and frugal gifts, too!

**This post is part of Life As Mom's Frugal Fridays!

A New Skirt

I made myself a new "Ruffle Skirt" over the weekend. I had been wanting to make a couple skirts for summer and when I saw this free tutorial, I decided to try it.

I used fabric that I had on hand. I didn't have anything to coordinate for a contrasting ruffle so I just used all of the same fabric. I like how it turned out! Not bad for a $1 piece of yard sale fabric!

The directions were pretty easy to follow and I finished it within a couple of hours. I really don't care for making ruffles-all that gathering makes me a bit crazy- but it looks so cute that I'll deal with it!

The only trouble I had was with the elastic waist. One section of elastic keeps wanting to roll and bunch up. I think I'm going to take it out and try putting it in again, since no amount of turning and pushing it around has helped!

I definitely plan to make another one or two of these skirts. It's really comfortable to wear! Because of the way the directions are written and how you make the skirt/pattern according to your measurements, this can be made to fit any size lady or girl. I'm thinking that my nieces who are 5 and 8 years old would love a ruffle skirt of their own!

I recommend trying this pattern!

A Stocking For Rock

Alternate Title: The Rocking.

Andy and I both have fleece stockings that I made for us the first Christmas that we were married.

Then, we went to Wal-mart and spent a considerable amount of time picking out the right fleece and embellishments. They were/are a simple design. Just sew around the edge, then blanket stitch with crochet thread. I added pom-pom fringe for me and a green ribbon on Andy's.

Fast forward a couple of years and we have a 3rd family member to prepare a stocking for--our sweet dog. I mentioned a stocking and Andy wasn't too sure at first. Then he said that would be fine if I made one instead of buying one that would be more expensive.

I have definitely grown in frugality since that first Christmas. I didn't even buy fleece. Or bother with purchased embellishments. The leftover thrifted red fleece blanket used to back one of these blankets worked perfectly. A brown scrap of felt and a bone-shaped cookies cutter provided the cute bone applique.

I positioned the pattern against the edge of the blanket to take advantage of pre-done blanket stitch for the cuff of the stocking. Then I used the same white crochet thread for the outside of the stocking as what was done on ours. Except for the hand-sewing, this stocking was completed in about 10 minutes flat!

**I still would like to embroider all of our names on our respective stockings.

Rock probably won't care about the stocking. But it looks cute to us and makes us happy.

He will like the bag of treats that will be inside come Christmas morning, though!

Recycled Magazine Gift Bows

When I saw this tutorial online via Tip Nut, I knew I would have to try making some of these bows!

What a great way to use magazine pages instead of simply throwing the magazines into the recycling bin! These are really fast and easy to do. I've found it is a wonderful craft to work on while watching TV in the evening.

It's pretty addicting, so watch out!

Sewing Crayon Pouches

I've been sewing these crayon pouches for gifts. Kids (and moms) love them!

These are so much fun to make. I've adapted the directions to fit colored pencils instead of crayons, too. Next, I want to make marker-sized ones.

Here are the directions I used to make my pouches.

Fleece Blankets-Done!

I've finally finished the fleece blankets that I pieced from scraps last year.

I used thrifted fleece throws as backing instead of buying new fabric. I'm not sure why I had never thought of this before; it worked really great!

With no tying or quilting, these blankets finished up very quickly!

Tote Bag For A Gift

One of my husband's coworkers had a brand new baby boy this week. I wanted to take a gift along to the hospital when we went to visit. My usual baby gift has been a simple handmade tote bag filled with diapers or other baby items that I have on hand. The diapers are always well-received and the bag can be used for a diaper bag or as a bag or purse for the little mama. Either way, it's practical and I do love practical.:-)

Unfortunately, all the ready-made bags I had in my stash were pretty feminine looking, so I quickly went through my fabric to find some "boyish" colors and whipped up this tote bag during nap time.

It is shown here filled with diapers and tissue paper, ready for gift-giving.



I used brown corduroy for the outside of the bag and a thrifted green plaid tablecloth for the lining. I had coordinating rick-rack for trim but since I was pressed for time, I opted to make use of a tip I had seen in blog land and fold down the top of the bag so that a couple of inches of lining showed.(Add a couple of inches to the top of the bag when cutting fabric.) I then used buttons to add a decorative touch and to hold the handles in place. What an easy way to add a decorative touch! I probably wouldn't try sewing the buttons through so many layers of corduroy again,though. It was quite difficult, but with a darning needle and muscles, I got it done!

Tote bags such as these are simple to sew. No pattern is needed; I have made my own rectangular patterns for different sizes. For the bag pictured, I made a slightly different shape simply by copying the measurements on my favorite Vera Bradley tote bag.

Happy sewing!

This post is part of Sew Crafty Fridays hosted by Shereen of Waiting for Him. Visit her blog to see more handcrafted items or to join in!

Fleece Blankets

I've had a big bag of fleece scraps sitting in the house for over a year now. Finally, out of disgust for continuing to store them and not doing anything with them, I decided to put them into the yard sale pile and just get rid of them.(I am constantly torn between decluttering and resourceful frugality!!!) These scraps were from several service/sharing projects I helped to do with the kids at church last year.

I felt really good about getting rid of them, but since they were still setting in my house-by the back door this time- I was still walking past them every day. Last week, while thinking of some easy projects to work on while recuperating from my wisdom teeth extractions, I remembered the fleece and decided to go ahead and cut squares out of them and make a throw blanket or two to give away.

With about 2 hours of work, I had all the squares cut out and arranged into 3 different throw blankets-one clearly for a girl, one for a boy(Andy loves how this turned out to be Redskins colors! It wasn't planned this way-that's just how it turned out.:-), and one smaller sized blanket to use up the rest of the blocks.

I got these out last weekend and was thrilled with how fun they were to put together. This turned out to be the perfect project for learning to use my new sewing machine which I have had for a year now without using it!

I will be backing these with a solid piece of fleece;hopefully bought on sale or with a 40% off coupon at Hancock's. Instead of quilting the blankets, I just plan to tie them instead. These will be so warm and cuddly when finished-I can hardly wait!

Works For Me Wednesday-Sewing Tip

Here's a simple little tip for those of you who sew. I was finding that it was taking me so long to cut something out with all the pinning and such, so I looked around to see what kind of weights I could use. Big heavy magnets were the key! I put them around the edge of the fabric I'm cutting and it is quick and easy and works great! No more dealing with little pins! And they can be conveniently stored and used on my refrigerator when I'm not sewing.

Note: This doesn't work well with small items; the magnets get in the way and move around too much. So I use pins for the little things I'm cutting out. But this is a real time-saver for large pieces!

Be sure to check out Rocks in my dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

$1.59 Jacket

Several years ago, my mom gave my husband a brand-new jacket (uni-sex)that had been given to her and was too big. It fit him perfectly. The only problem was that her name was embroidered on it and unfortunately, mom and dear hubby don't share a name. And for some weird reaon, he didn't want to wear a coat with a woman's name on it(can't imagine why!!!).

Taking out the embroidery would have been quite time-consuming and most likely would've looked pretty bad by the time I was done. So we found an iron-on applique at the fabric store that fit over the name and I sewed it on over it.(I didn't iron it on because of potentially damaging the fabric.) It literally took me a minute to complete and Voila! he has a brand-new jacket for winter that only cost me about $1.59.

Too bad it only took me 3 years to get this simple project done.

In My Sewing Room- Flower Pincushions

Thanks to Tori for sharing the instructions on how to make these cute little pincushions!

I love finding projects that use supplies that I already have on hand. I already had fabric, buttons, stuffing and thread, so the only thing I needed to buy was felt for the backing. Taking into account that I used scraps of fabric and buttons I had on hand, my cost for each of these is about 12 cents! These take, literally, only about 15 minutes to make. I am making a bunch of these to give to all my sewing friends.

Tip: I used a small dessert/salad plate (about 6 inches in diameter) as a pattern to cut out the circles.

OOPS!!! After making these, I realized that the "flowers" don't have enough petals! Oh well, I'll make sure the next ones are done the right way! I still think they are cute though. :-)Be sure to look at Tori's pincushions to see how they are really supposed to look!!

Free Curtains!

After cleaning the office/craft room/guest room on Saturday, I felt like beautifying the room with some new curtains. When things are clean, pretty and somewhat decorated, I am more motivated to take care of it! So I went through my stash of fabric and found this plaid piece that was given to me last summer. I hadn't noticed it before but the colors go so nicely with the blue walls.

Curtains such as these are very quick and easy to make. I think it took me just under 2 hours to sew both curtains. I was very pleased to use something I already had and my husband loves the way the room looks now!