Random Thoughts

I'm leaving for a weekend Passion Parties training in New Jersey this weekend, so I'm just going to leave you with some of my random thoughts. I'm excited about the training--they're bringing in Elizabeth Hagen in to share how to organize and simplify my life. Boy, do I need that. Reports from other Passion Power training locations are that she's fabulous! I get a weekend away from the family while hubby gets lots of one-on-one time with Sophia. I can't wait to see my Mid-Atlantic Passion Diva colleagues!

Last week I made some fabric bookmarks for a tea swap I'm a regular in on Paperbackswap.com. They're pretty easy to make. Why make one when I can assembly line 10 of them? I don't use bookmarks, but my swap receiver loved her bookmarks and the teas I sent her. The swap is a great way to try new teas without committing to an entire box. The easy thing about the bookmarks is that you can make use of those scraps you can bear to throw out!

I'm a huge fan of Whole Foods and just discovered (via their blog) Clementine art supplies. It's a line of all natural supplies for kids. I can't wait to pick some up to try. I love the colors of the play dough. I know it's easy to make your own play dough, but I never got around to it. I wonder how their tempera paints smell. After working at summer camp for several years, the smell of regular tempera paint makes me want to puke. (photo via Clementine Art)

Have a great weekend!

Sewing Underwear

Yes, I'm crazy. Or at least my friends I hang out with here tell me so. Why? Because I've sewn some underwear for myself. I thought it be fun (it is) and pretty easy (for me). It's also fun to say that I've sewn my own undies.

I'm not making crazy fancy lingerie, just little cotton undies. I bought a grab bag of elastics a while back from Kathy's Elastics, and decided I should use the pretty lingerie elastic I got from it. (If you want some elastic grab bags, join her Yahoo Group to get them. She also sells fabric & lace too--all at great prices and fast shipping.)

I traced a pattern from a pair of Sophia's underwear and came up with these. See those cute ruffly elastics? They are made from knit fabrics. (That's my ironing board in the background.)


DH showed them to her in the morning (because all my sewing is done late at night watching old episodes of Law & Order), and she immediately put them on! I consider it a sewing success. So far 2 of the clothing I made for her this summer, she's only worn once.

Truth be told I wouldn't normally bother to make underwear for a 3 year old, but I just wanted to do it for fun. They went together really fast (thanks to my serger and how small they are).

I also made 2 pairs for me. Why not right? I wanted to use some t-shirts that DH brought home from the Spy Museum Store (where he works), but my ass is too big for those size small baby doll t-shirts. At least for me to cut out the undies with the print going the way I wanted. The Mata Hari shirt will languish on my sewing table until I think of something else for it. Thankfully I had some black t-shirt fabric I just bought from the fabric store. And cute lilac elastic. (Sorry about the overexposed pic.)


The last time I made underwear (I keep wanting to type panties, but I guess underwear sounds better) for myself, I used fold over elastic. It was my first time using FOE. I cut out the size for my measurements--according to the pattern--but they were too big. A bit disappointing so I didn't make anymore. Can't have your underwear sliding down as you walk right?

This time the results were much much better. And it took less time to make them than before. I guess now I know what I'm doing. I'm loving the lingerie elastic a lot more. The underwear (almost said panties) looks much more like "store-bought" undies.

I also made myself some pregnancy belly bands. The first time I was pregnant, I thought they were silly, since they're mainly advertised a way to continue wearing your pre-pregnancy pants. Basically you wear your pants unbutton and put the band over the waistband to hide the fact and to keep your pants up.

The belly bands definitely help with my lower back paint. Especially by the end of the day when my baby belly just feels so heavy. There's a great tutorial here. I actually made mine self-lined so there's no seams sewing (overachiever that I am).

Sophia now wants her own belly band so she can be just like me. LOL. Only it has to be pink. I'm going to miss it when I'm not her pedestal anymore. Teen years right?

New Fabric, New Ideas

As you can see, I've gotten the sewing bug again. Which means window shopping at online fabric stores and lurking at sewing forums.

I was lucky enough to do a trade with a fellow sewer. I had a pattern she wanted, and she had some bright but fun fabrics to swap. She was super generous. Just look at that gorgeous fabric! I'm thinking a dress or 2 for Sophia and maybe some skirts for me.

Now all I have to do is re-thread my serger (one of the threads broke at 3am the other night and I refused to re-thread it). Then I'll serge off all the raw edges and wash my fabrics! These are mostly cotton so I'm going to wash and dry them to pre-shrink them. Also it removes any treatments the factory adds to the fabric, so they'll soften up.

Did I mention that I have order from Fabric.com coming in tomorrow too? I ordered that before the swap happened. Some of that fabric will be a new baby carrier!

Have a great 4th of July weekend! We're headed out for blueberry picking tomorrow.

I'm Not Really Super Mom

Last night I stayed up until 4am sewing matching Heather Ross Mendocino Sundress for Sophia and me. The first one I made totally hooked me. (See bad pic of me & Chef Egg) For some reason, with this pregnancy all I want to wear are dresses.

I know the moms in my playgroup think I'm Super Mom because I'm crafty, and I like to cook. I'm not doing all of this to because I have a type A personality. Which I do, but I've relaxed a lot. Ask my husband.

I craft because I have to. If I go too long without crafting, I get antsy and restless. Somehow with this pregnancy, the urge to craft has been stronger. Maybe I'm nesting already.

I'm totally in love with this faux smocked dress that Heather Ross featured on her blog. Even Amanda Soule Blake made one. The first one I cut apart an old dress. It was so comfortable, that I wore it 2 days in a row. (I did wear it with a strapless bra since my boobies aren't quite so perky or small).

I've been digging through my stash and remembered I had this cute rayon print I bought back in college. Thankfully I had the forethought to prewash 8 years ago. From cutting out the fabric to finish, it took me about 3 hours--with lots of pee breaks in between.

I didn't use a pattern. Basically, I took a rectangular piece of fabric and cut the sides to a slight A-line so it's not so wide at the top, but leaving room for my big belly. You can definitely download the free pattern from Heather Ross. I'm just too lazy to print it out. For Sophia's dress, I just used 2 rectangular pieces.

Heather Ross also recommends that you draw your stitching lines for the shirring on your top. I'm also a bit lazy in this department. The good thing about this design is that it's very forgiving. If you don't do it exactly right, it'll still look good and fit!

Here's a trick for the shirring. It's exactly 1/4" from your needle (in its normal position) to the right (or left) edge of your sewing foot. I just used my sewing foot as guideline. Just line up your previous shirring line next to the edge of your foot.

I wanted to add a ruffle to the bottom of Sophia's dress, but at 3:30am, it was too much work.

I've never thought I'd make matching dresses for my daughter and I, but it was fun wearing them out today. We got lots of compliments. People kept asking me where I bought our dresses. I guess it's a compliment from non-sewers since they don't look handmade. Sadly most ready to wear clothes aren't made as well as the clothes I make for me.

Thank goodness Sophia liked her dress. She did complain that it wasn't long enough. You know, not princess-y enough. Can't win I guess. But she enjoy dressing like her mama. That and making funny poses for pictures.

Now that I have 2 of these dresses, would it be too much to make a 3rd?

Tomorrow is my big ultrasound. If the baby cooperates, maybe we'll see if it has a penis or not.

Big News & A Bit of Daydreaming

Now that it's spring--okay in DC it's more like summer since it's been in the 90s for 3 days-- I've been doing a bit of daydreaming. When the weather gets warm, I start looking at pattern catalogs. Dream about all the cool new clothes I can make.

When in reality I don't have time or the energy to sew something that will take over an hour from start to finish. I'm not being lazy. I'm pregnant! I'm in my first trimester so it means lots of naps and nausea. Mmmm, aren't you jealous?

I did sit down and do a bit of crafting yesterday. I got a short new haircut right before I left for Vegas in March. Now it's grown out and I have bangs again. I haven't had bangs since, I don't know, middle school. So I've been wearing those elastic head bands to keep them out of my eyes.

I started to make started to make a flower that I could attach to the headband (store bought plain black elastic headbands), but I got ambitious and it turned into a hair clip. While I watched House, I did a bit of beading on it. I think it's fun and it has a vintage button on it. Sorry about the bad self-portrait. I have bad lighting in my bedroom, where the only big mirror is.

So if I had time to sew, here are some fun things I'd make for me and Sophia. Plus it seems silly for me to make clothes that won't fit me in 2 or 3 months when that baby bump gets big. Or that's my excuse anyway.

I'm a sucker for dresses.

And of course this totally cute skirt for Sophia!

Panties & Yogurt (not at the same time)

My word of the year, focus, is fresh in my mind since I finally chose it. That means, I'm getting some sewing done!

I finally finished the last of the Christmas pj bottoms. The only ones not done by Christmas day was mine and hubby's. All they needed was elastic in the waistband. Of course it took me 2 weeks to do that. But they are done and I'm wearing my comfy flannel pj bottoms as I type this.

My big accomplishment was last night I made my first pair of underwear! No, not your grandma's underwear. (It feels wrong to say panties on my blog.) Since I decided to starting making them at 1am this morning, I accidentally cut 1 size too big. I made them out of some fuchsia cotton knit I got off the clearance rack at Joanns about 3 months ago. I'll spare you the pictures of my underwear.

I used Stretch & Sew F829 (now discontinued I think). The pattern is very easy. 3 pieces. It gave me a chance to use foldover elastic. So the panties (yikes I said it) have a nice, commercial finished looked. I used purple elastic. I bought a huge grab bag of FOE from Kathy's for only $15 with shipping a while back and have been trying to use it every chance I get. You can read some reviews and see some pics of the pattern at Pattern Review.

Am I crazy for making my own panties? Maybe some of the moms in my moms group think it's a little crazy. It just feels good to say you made your own panties. It only took me an hour, from cutting to sewing. Not bad for the first one. Now that I know what I'm doing the rest will go much faster. I think it might be fun to make some and Gocco something cheeky on the backside. I'll save that for another day.

My Easiyo Yogurt Maker arrived from Amazon last week. I've made my second batch of yogurt last night. Yum! It's much easier than I expected. The Easiyo works like a thermos, so no plugging in required. My first batch was a bit runny as Easiyo doesn't provide directions for making your yogurt from scratch (they sell mixes--too expensive and full of sugar). I just googled for some recipes. You don't even need a starter. Just buy some plain yogurt from the grocery store that says "live cultures" on it. I used this recipe, just didn't have any heavy cream, so I left it out. I used 3 cups of 2% milk and 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt.

I had some with honey and granola this morning. I'll have to try Not Exactly Bento's yogurt with frozen blueberries next. While you're there, try the grilled cheese sandwich with apple she talks about. Yum!

Before I leave, I need some fun sayings I could Gocco on the backside of my panties (yet to be made of course). What do you think my butt should say?

My Word of the Year: Focus

True to my Libran self, I've been rather indecisive about my word for the year. I settled on the word mastery for a few days, but it just didn't feel right. Tonight as I was soaking on the tub, the word focus came to me.

Why focus? I've always been a self-professed ADD (attention deficit disorder) crafter. I love learning new things so I'm always trying new crafts. It's fun, but that means lots of unfinished projects and wasted money. Heck sometimes, I'll even buy supplies for a new craft and never touch it. Maybe decluttering my craft supplies will help too.

This past year, I've been meandering back to sewing. I'm going to pick a few areas I enjoy crafting and focus on mastering the skills in them. I want to be really good at a few crafts instead of a beginner in many. Sewing is definitely one of these. I'm not going to pick what other crafts I want to focus in. I think they'll present themselves to me.

Focus will be a good intention for my Passion Parties business too. I'm ready to take it to the next level. I just need to be consistent and to stay on task. I'm going to keep doing my mantras since they worked really well for me this past fall.

Other than that, I haven't really thought about what I want to accomplish in 2009. Setting my business goals are on the to-do list.

What about you? What's on your list?

photo by ihtatho via Flicker

Five Minute Headband Tutorial

Sophia has great hair. Sometimes it's a bit unruly. Headbands are the easiest way to keep it out of her face. I bought some ribbon & elastic headbands at the dollar store, but of course, the pink one is missing. The world is not right in Sophialand if everything isn't pink.

Luckily, I scored some pink grosgrain ribbon at a Joann's that was closing. (As well as some corset and underwear patterns! Woohoo). I just used the dollar store headband as a model to make the new ones. It's super easy. I recommend making one straight through and then you can just make the rest assembly line.

You'll need:

• ribbon long enough to go around your head- I recommend grosgrain as it's stronger. But you can use anything. Just don't use anything slippery as it'll slide out of your hair.
• thin elastic- I used elastic 1/4" but you can go up to 1/2" without being to obtrusive. It doesn't even have to match the ribbon. I used white because that's what I had. Black would've blended in with Sophia's hair better
• thread
• a sewing machine isn't necessary to make these. You can hand sew them but it might take longer than 5 minutes

First, measure your head (or whoever you're making the headband for) just like how you're going to wear it. Measure all the way around your head. Subtract 2" from that number. Cut your elastic 4" long. Whatever measurement is left, cut the ribbon at that length.

Line up your elastic to one end of your ribbon. Place the elastic on the right side of the ribbon (if there is one). Fold the sides of the ribbon over the elastic and pin. Like this:


Do the same to the other end, making sure the elastic isn't twisted.


Place your pinned ribbon and elastic under your presser foot, with the pin still in. Once I lower the presser foot, then I'll pull the pin out. When it's folded, it's too small for me to put it under the foot the way I want it. I don't recommend sewing over the pin in this case. Since my elastic isn't very wide, I put my machine on a smaller stitch setting.


Stitch over the folded ribbon and elastic. Back stitch and go over back and forth a 3-5 times. Sometimes, my vintage sewing machine doesn't like elastic, so the back of my stitching looks like a bad hair day.


All you do is take your trusty snips and trim it all off. Like a haircut. Go ahead. No one has to know. Besides it'll take way too long to take the stitches out. Then it won't take 5 minutes to make right? I know, it's not pretty, but no one will see it when you're done.

Go ahead and stitch the other end the same way. Hopefully your stitches will come out better this time around. Mine did. Thank goodness. After it's all stitched, grab the elastic and pull so that it turns inside out. The ribbon might need a bit of help to turn inside out. Do the same to the other side.


This is what it'll look like after you turn your seam inside out. The folded part of the ribbon hides your stitching.


Voila, now you have a ribbon headband! Or in my case, a lot of headbands! (Don't you love my new ironing board cover?)


You can also embellish your ribbon with buttons, fabric or silk flowers, beads, whatever your want! Pull out the hot glue gun or needle and thread. Go to town! If Sophia wasn't at my side pulling on the headbands, I might have done that.

So for about 15 minutes of my time (including Sophia's help cutting down the ribbon), I now have 8 new headbands! Thankfully she didn't mind that I sneaked in a lavender one.

Let me if you make one! I'd love to see some pictures.

Ready, Get Set, Sew!

I finished my holiday shopping last week (thank god for Amazon Prime Shipping). DH is going to wrap the gifts tonight while we watch season 1 of Criminal Minds. I'm not a die hard fan but I catch episodes when I can. Now, I've got DH hooked, so we're going to catch up on the series, all 3 seasons. (It's currently in its fourth season). Since most of our usual shows go on hiatus until mid-January, I think this will be fun for us. Earlier this fall, we caught up on a fun Sci-Fi show, Eureka.

So I decided a few days ago, that I would make pajama bottoms for everyone. Just in time to lounge around in for Christmas Day. Am I crazy? It's all thanks to Betz White, who inspired me with her pajama bottoms. I figured that I can thread the 4th spool of thread onto the serger and just assembly line those suckers! I've been wanting new sleep pants anyhow. Sophia's going to get an entire pj set though. The pattern I bought for her is pretty simple.

I'll let you know how it goes! Tonight I'm going to cut out all those fun flannels from the picture. Tomorrow night I can serge. Tuesday night I can hem and put in the elastic. Or that's my plan at least.

I had my last Passion Party this past Saturday. Whew! It's been an amazing year for me. It had its ups and downs but overall, it was very successful. Now I'm going to take a bit of a break before we gear up for our busiest season. You got it! Valentine's!

Don't worry, I'll give you a sneak peek of the goodies soon. I promise.

Day 10: Energy zappers and juicers

How appropriate was today's topic? I've been exhausted lately. It's all my fault. I haven't been getting enough sleep or taking my 15 minutes to slow down and read my book. The lack of sleep is catching up with me. I had less patience for today's tug-of-war with Sophia. Anyone have suggestions on discipline and raising a 3 year old? My parents were mainly the yell at you and give the evil look type. I think I need better methods.

Have a messy/dirty home is my main energy zapper. When the the kitchen sink is full of dishes or I'm running of clean chopsticks. The clutter drives me crazy. Internet surfing is another one. It's also a time zapper for me too. I love finding all the new things from my internet surfing, especially all the crafty inspiration.

What about energy juicers? A nice, relaxing hot bath makes me feel so good. When I don't have time for that, a cup of hot tea with a book or magazine makes do too. When I'm out doing my parties, I feel revitalized. Sewing and crafting are the best energy juicers for me. Why don't I make time to do more of them? I don't know. I guess I don't make them a priority, except for my parties. Or maybe I feel guilty if I do too many of these items? I guess just listing and thinking about them is a start.

That's my sushi messenger bag I made a few years back. I loved making it and love wearing it.

Day 5: Attached to clutter?

I'm a bit late reporting Day 5. I definitely felt rushed. I was late to our Mocha Moms support meeting. We had a mini-preschool fair. I didn't want to miss it. Thankfully it started late. I realized that we're too rich for HeadStart. Ha! That gave me a chuckle. And it also made me wonder how a family of four can survive on $21K a year in our neck of the woods. I am thankful that doing Passion Parties allows me to stay at home with Sophia.

I was invited to speak to some students at George Mason University Wednesday. The event was Sex in the Lounge and I presented a mini-Passion Party after the sex educator. I got to see her in action. She did a great job talking about sexually transmitted diseases in a way that the students could relate too. Of course since it was a coed audience, there was a lot of nervous giggling too. I had fun talking to the students--hopefully I gave them some good tips to make sure that both parties are satisfied in the bedroom!

I felt rushed all day and didn't take time to breathe like I should have. I had a conference call, then had to jump into the car right after into horrible traffic. A 45 minute drive took 1 1/2 hours. I was thankful for that traffic. It made me slow down--not just literally but mentally too.

I took a mental walk around my apartment. Denise Linn spoke of how clutter can bring your energy up or down. I guess my kitchen doesn't count as clutter, but whenever I think I about tackling that pile of dishes, I feel down. LOL. I love to cook but I don't really enjoy the clean up. My piles of books sometimes bring me down too. I feel guilty for having them all. Even though I was able to purge the other night, I probably still have too many books. Baby steps, right?

One area that does make me feel good is my sewing area. We acquired a new to us table a month ago. DH fixed it up for me. I bought a few containers to help organize. It needs a bit more organization, but looking at it makes me happy. I can see all the possibilities. I can see myself in that chair sewing up the funny little projects that pop up in my head.

Now to make the time to actually make them!

Day 1: Breathing & decluttering

I recently turned the ripe old age of 30 last month. I thought I'd have a crisis, like many 30 year olds. Am I happy with my life? Have I accomplished what I wanted to by age 30? and so on. However I didn't. I barely took the time to reflect on what I've accomplished the past 30 years. My birthday was a whirlwind week of dinners, meetings, and a party. I guess I was just riding the wave.

So for Day 1, I took the time to reflect. Taking the time to slow down and breathe. I remember the plans I made in high school: degree in computer info systems, have a great career, and at 30, get married and start a family. I got a degree in costume design, married my college sweetheart at 23, and now have a 3 year old daughter. And I have a great career in Passion Parties. I never planned on being a stay at home mom, but I love it!

What I feel lacking is more creativity in my life. I read all of these great blogs, read great craft books and have all these fabulous ideas swirling around in my head. Then, I'm so overwhelmed, I create nothing. Sometimes when my brain is so cluttered with ideas, it keeps me awake at night. I'll have to put them to paper so my brain can rest.

Last week, while I was creating my daughter's princess dress, I felt so alive, so focused. It didn't matter that I was cutting and sewing until 6am. It was like calling a girlfriend you haven't spoken to in 6 months. Yet, as soon as you say "Hello" the conversation resumes like no time every came between us. That's how it felt with me and my sewing machine. Like putting back on leather gloves that have molded them around your hands--a perfect fit no matter how often you pull them on and off. So why don't I do it more? I don't know. I just have to get started. Once I start, I'm in the zone.

So this is where I am. Where will this Soul Coaching take me? Who knows. But this is what I've decided for the next 28 days:

I give myself permission to

• REST
• RELAX
• READ

I will treat my body the way it deserves to be treated. I will give myself permission to nap, read that frivolous book, and relax with a cup of hot tea. And breathe of course. I will remember to breathe deeply and fully.

What should you give yourself permission to do?

Don't forget to breathe

Yep, I gave in. Those who know me well know that I don't like pink. I even requested no pink items at my baby shower. And my daughter's favorite color is. . .you guessed it! Pink! And now she loves princesses! We're even having a princess birthday party next week. I figure, why fight it? It's just a phase right?

Halloween was such a beautiful day: blue skies, warm sun, and of course, candy! Sophia loves her princess dress. By the time Halloween rolled around, she had already worn it everyday for 3 days. I'm so glad the day was beautiful enough for pictures outside. As you can see, she loves taking pictures. These are the candid shots, between her princess poses.

This dress was a result of 3 all-nighters. I'm the queen of last minute projects. I started Sunday night and finished it early Wednesday morning. The pattern is Vogue 7819. I'm very pleased with how it came out. I loved how the directions had me bag the lining for the bodice. I've never done it that way before--it would work really well with vests too. The sizing on this pattern was very true to size. Sometimes other pattern companies, the ease in the finished garment is so big, I have go down a size. Hopefully she won't outgrow this dress too quickly. It'll be making another appearance at her birthday party.

I think I'm addicted to being busy. I love looking at my calendar and seeing all the days filled with things. All day I run around and try to cram in as much housework and other work as I can. And I forget to breathe and be present. To enjoy the time of just sitting with my thoughts or being fully present with my daughter. So I've joined a Soul Coaching group, found via Leah (who is an amazing artist, btw. Check out her blog!). I joined the group because I need the accountability. Every day I'll post a few thoughts on the process. As suggested by Denise Linn, I've gotten a composition book to record my progress in. I think on Monday, during nap time, I'll decorate the cover and make it mine.

The search is over

Being a bit of a perfectionist, I decided that I would use a glue stick to assemble my Anda pattern instead of taping it. I figured this way if I needed to iron the paper pattern (which I like to when I pull it out of storage as I fold my paper patterns up to fit in envelopes). That way the tape won't melt when I iron the pattern.


When I was in college, this guy that worked in our costume shop (who incidentally was married, but I swear, I thought he played for the other team, if you know what I mean. Heck most guys I meet who work with costumes for the theatre play for the other team.), would iron those Big Four tissue patterns so they would fit back in the original envie, just like when you bought them. Now that's anal retentive.

Anyway, so I sketched out how I'm going to change the pattern for the Mini Challenge. I went to JoAnns today to look for fabric and you know, their apparel fabric selection stinks. I ended up pushing a sleeping toddler in her stroller, wandering around the home dec section (I like making clothes from home dec fabrics) . I did find some gorgeous drapery fabric but didn't want to pay $30 a yard (even at 40% off) since I needed about 3 yards.

Hubby came home early and took the toddler to the park so I got to wander around this fabulous fabric store in Langley Park called Sarah Fabrics. It's a little hole in the wall and you can barely walk around it, there's so much fabric. After walking around the entire store (no small feat for not so skinny moi), in the last batch of fabric, I found this beauty. Yep, it's bright green and purple. I'm going all out, baby! And the purple satin is going to be a sash and band for the sleeves. (No, the Anda pattern doesn't have sleeves, but it will when I'm done).


I can't wait to get started! I know I'll have enough fabric to make Sophia a dress too. A mini-Anda dress, anyone?

Ready for some late nights?

A big HI to all you visitors from Jessica's blog. I hope you come back to visit.

Instead of complaining that I can't find cute big girl clothes (=plus sized) when I'm clothes shopping, I'm going to make myself a new dress! I think. I'm joining BurdaStyle's new mini challenge. It's pretty easy. You just take the Anda pattern (which is a free!) and make it your own. I'm printing it out as I type this. The only caveat to a free pattern is that you have to print it out and tape the pages together. But how's that for instant gratification? I don't have to drive to fabric store, drag around Sophia (who wants to see everything) and fight traffic to come back home and then find time to cut out my pattern pieces. I'll get back to you later on that after I tape all 30 pages together. :)




What do you think? Give it a try. It's an easy to sew pattern (there's only 4 seams, shoulders and side seams. If you can sew a straight line on your sewing machine (or not so straight, this pattern is forgiving), give it a go. I'm not really sure how I'm going to alter it yet, but look at the cute things other BurdaStyle members have done with it.

Hoooo's there? And a tutorial

I've been itching to craft something but everything I want to work on seems to take too much time and setup. Or I'm just being lazy. Sophia was rummaging through my catch-all box of sewing supplies and found this cute owl I bought from the thrift store ages ago. It was in a bag of random seiwng supplies. (It's a bit washed out from the camera's flash.)

As she ran around the house with it, yelling "Owl! Owl!" inspiration hit me. My daughter, my muse. Instead of complaining of how I can't find cute, non-grandma-looking plus sized clothes, I could applique this guy to a t-shirt! It took me not even 10 minute including taking pics as I went along.

I'll show you how I appliqued this cutie on my shirt. Now I have another excuse to go thrifting. Especially since my muse wants one!

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You'll need a t-shirt (or whatever you want to embellish), applique, scissors, thread (color can match, complement or highlight your applique), hand sewing needle, straight pins (or safety pins work too), and an embroidery hoop (optional but very helpful). I also recommend that you wash your t-shirt before you begin. That will take the sizing out of it and help it finish shrinking. That way, there won't be any surprises later.

Next position where the applique onto your t-shirt. Pin it to your shirt after you've decided where you want it. The next step is very important. If you pin the applique over your lady lumps area, try the shirt on before moving on to the next step! (Don't ask me how I know to do this). You don't want the applique to, ah, accentuate your nipples or anything like that! Be careful of the pins! Keep the pins in until you're done stitching.

I put my shirt in an embroidery hoop. This part is optional, but if you're using stretchy material, I highly recommend it. Just make sure you're not stretching the shirt when you put it in. Just make sure the fabric is taut. Thread your needle. Here I opted to go with the light blue thread--not a match at all but I thought it worked.

Decide what stitch you want to use. I used a blanket stitch because it's pretty secure. This stitch is visible so make sure you're happy with your thread color. Neatness won't matter as much since everyone will be blinded by the sequins. The split stitch is also a good one. Handsewing tip: Don't cut your thread too long. It will tangle and make you say *(&$%^#, especially when you're almost finished with your work. To use the right length of thread, , hold the end of the thread in your sewing hand between your thumb and forefingers and unwind it until it reaches your elbow. If you're doubling your thread over, do it again. There, wasn't that easy. Repeat after me: I will not thread my needle with thread longer than I am tall. Even if you're not tall, like me.

Pick a place to start and stitch! Here's me trying to take an action shot by myself. Let's just say these lady lumps come in quite handy. You might have to undo your hoop and reposition the t-shirt so the fabric stays taut. If you notice your hoop is leaving impressions in your shirt (only be scared if it's a Mary or Jesus impression--or you can just stop where you are and put it on eBay).

Once your stitching is complete, take the hoop out. You'll notice that the hoop might have left impressions in your shirt. Mine left several as I moved the hoop a few times. I forgot to take a picture of it. With a warm (not hot!) iron, carefully, I do mean carefully, iron around your applique. If your applique is looking a bit funny, put a presscloth (or in my case, hubby's clean t-shirt was the first thing I saw) over it and quickly iron it. Here's what my stitching looked like in the back. Usually I'm a bit anal retentive with my hand stitching but I just wanted to get it done so I could wear it today. If you are usiing something heavy, I would recommend interfacing your shirt so it doesn't sag.




Then you can proudly show it off! This picture I got hubby to take. Thank goodness you can't see the cat hairs! Okay, there's ONE! Just one. Ignore it.


I hope you decide to give this a try. It's a good way to embellish some fun clothes that's all you! Heck once you get good, you can make your own applique instead of thrifting it!

Work in progress

Besides keeping busy with Sophia and Passion Parties, I've been sneaking this during her naptimes.

Now to get her to nap more!

Actual Crafting Was Accomplished!

That's right, I actually got some crafting done. I just didn't think about it, but I created it. You know that feeling you get, that itch and you just HAVE to make something? Well, I realized that I have yet to sew clothes for Sophia. So voila, the summer dress! I know, summer is almost over.

She *loves* the dress. I'm so glad. When I was really young, I loved all the clothes my mom made me. However, as I got older, she wanted to dress my little sis and I alike. Welllll. . . sis was the skinny one and I was the chubby one. You see where I'm going? Sophia has worn this dress three times since I made it about 1 1/2 weeks ago. No, I'm not making her wear it as often as she can before summer ends. She picked it out herself.

Okay the directions are easy. I would say this is a experienced beginner (meaning you might have 2 or 3 sewing projects under your belt). I took one of Sophia's tank tops and traced it on some paper (I have large pieces of paper just for patternmaking). Then I added about 1 1/2 inches on each seam since the tank top was a knit and stretches. My fabric is a woven cotton blend and doesn't stretch. The 1/2 inch is my seam allowance. (I have no idea why commerical pattern companies use 5/8". It makes it sooo hard to do math this way. Maybe I'm just not good at fractions.). I also made the bodice shorter than the tank top--I placed the tank against the sleeping toddler (did I mention I made this at 1AM?) to eyeball how long I wanted the bodice to be. I also made the front neckline a bit lower than the front (for comfort). The front is cut on the fold and the back is 2 pieces so she can get her head comfortably through it. I also self-lined the bodice (but you don't have to) by cutting double of the each piece. Sew side seams and shoulder seams. Leave the center back seam open.

The skirt was easy. I only had a piece of fabric about 3/4 yard. I wanted the stripes to run vertically, so I cut the fabric into 3 equal pieces. I sewed the vertical edges together and made a tube. I then ran a gathering stitch ( set your machine on its' longest stitch setting, usually 4 or 5) at 1/4" from the edge. And another one 1/4" from that one. Tip: from the middle of our presser foot to the edge is usually 1/4". I then attached the skirt to the bodice, pulling the gathering threads as needed to make it fit. You want the skirt to be a bit larger than the bodice it's bit more flow-y. I added buttons to the back of the bodice, hemmed the skirt and voila! Instant dress! You can do snaps, zippers, or ties in the back if buttons and buttonholes aren't your thing.

I also cut out some applique pieces for the front of the bodice but haven't gotten around to attaching it yet. Some day. Maybe before she outgrows it. HA! I like this pattern/design because when it becomes to short to be a dress, I can just use it as a top. Thinking ahead. . .

Monster Attack!

I've been busy doing Passion Parties and chasing Sophia around so I haven't had the energy to post. My sister and I (that includes hubby and Sophia by default) took a vow not to buy anything new for 90 days. Of course we can buy food, toiletries, and undergarments. LOL. I'm NOT buying used undies. So everything has to be secondhand.

We were invited to a birthday for 2 young boys (they turned 2 years old). Well, I could not for the life of me figure out what I could give them without buying something new. I mean, I usually make jewelry or sew purses and things like that for gifts. But not for 2-year-old boys! Late one night, as I bemoaned my dilemma to my friend Sharon, she says, "Monsters!" After doing a search on Flckr for them, I created these guys. They have no names as they were gifts. I had a great time making them.

I've helping out with a Swap-o-Rama! If you're in the Washington, DC area, you're invited! What is it? Bring a bag of your unloved/unwanted/unused clothes and swap with the other attendees! We'll have embellishments, sewing machines and other supplies for you to alter your "new" clothes. I'll be womaning the sewing table. Come and meet some new people and get some new-to-you clothes. We're also looking for volunteers. So if you have DIY altered t-shirt project or cool ideas you want to share, send me an email!

Here's the info:

July 14, 2007 from 12PM to 5PM
8713 Plymouth Street, Silver Spring MD

For more info you can post a comment or email me at kim @ kimstoys.com (remove all spaces).