It has been a while since I've made a cake. I had some help with this one, and it didn't quite turn out like I'm used to. Obviously, she's happy with it!

My dear knitter friends and I enjoy a special Christmas party each year where we exchange the best gifts. This year, I included a few personalized, purchased gifts along with these handmade, hand stamped project bags.. I love this large size, cotton, drawstring bag because it holds a regular sized pattern sheet.

Our dear sweet ten-year-old colored each of the tags beautifully.

The words on this fabric are perfect for my auntie.

Pattern:

Swoon Patterns Alice Shopper Tote

The Noodlehead Super Tote. The front with the green stripe is a large pocket. There are also pockets on the inside. I love the zipper flap. I'm finding that I like using bags with zips more often lately.

 

Pattern:

Noodlehead Super Tote Pattern

Yellow Explorer Hat

This is the Little Explorer Hat pattern. It seemed to go quickly enough even though it turned out so massive!
I used smaller than asked for needles and this is supposedly the 1-3 years old size. More like 1-3 decades old.
Yarn is yellow cotton.
You can find the pattern on Etsy, Craftsy, Ravelry.

http://www.craftsy.com/user/542836/pattern-store?_ct=fqjjuhd-ijehu&_ctp=103631,542836

Sharpie Mug

If you see Pinterest, I'm sure you've seen the myriad Sharpie crafts for the holidays. I tried
to use stencils for these first. Turns out, my stencils were not flexible enough to lie flat around the curvature of the mug. I may try this again at some point because it was a fun cheap gift, if I can get them to look better. I've seen thin, sticky, flexible stencils. I'm sure I could get some great detail with these shiny markers that way.

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Obviously, I'm still working on photography. These are machine embroidered, then cut out, then embellishments hand sewn on, then sewn, then serged. A dear knitting friend and I worked for about three hours. The red was prequilted. I am so very pleased!

Tan Little Explorer Hat

Here is my second attempt at the Little Explorer Hat. This one is done in the 12 month size. Modeled on our 17 month old. I've used even smaller needles this time than last time. Soy yarn.

Pattern:
http://melodys-makings.com/

The dress on the left  is my favorite pattern from O+S, The Tea party Sundress.

www.oliverans.com

Our church has a vacation bible school each summer. This year, they ran out of shirts  for the tiniest campers. No problem! Our smallest camper preferred a dress anyway. Working with this tshirt fabric was so fun. Since it doesn't fray when you cut it, I was able to make this in a half hour.

Whipped up this "5 hour Baby Sweater" during a three day lecture for work. Organic cotton yarn.

 

I love these colors. I finished this dress just so I could do a bit of experimenting with the photos. I am glad that I can re-read advice by email. I can be a slow learner, and photography seems to seep in like tar.

I have one more size3 flutter sleeve dress cut out. I'll try to squeeze in some more midnight sewing.

 

 

I am so happy with these pictures! They are far from great, but I feel like I'm making some progress in my photo skills.

Photographer tips:
Megan Dipiero

Tote pattern:

www.swoonpatterns.com

Fabric:
www.connectingthreads.com

My model is much too small here. This is the Ramona Cross Body Bag. I found this great fat quarter of fabric that had hot air balloons, adobe homes, and old route 66 printed on it. My dear friend lived in New Mexico, so this was a fun thing to make with her in mind.

Pattern:

www.swoonpatterns.com

This is it. After a week of research, shopping (online), and even a star consultation from my friend who happens to be a professional beauty photographer. This picture. It may not seem like much, but I'm really trying to work on my lighting issues. This was my best shot out of more than twenty.

blog.megandipiero.com

Ric rac makes anything better! And sweeter, and more girly.

Sometimes I'm surprised at how far one yard of fabric can go. I made a purse and now this dress and there is still a sizeable scrap left. I LOVE this fabric. This dress is so sweet. Who doesn't love a sweet little girl in a pretty dress? (Even if she rarely lets you brush her hair)

I was feeling kind of capable after that Minnie Mouse refashion. This was a project started by a friend and the abandoned. I'm pleased with how it turned out. Its actually not as crooked as it looks.

Still working on lighting. Here is that Minnie Mouse fabric. This one passes the test. She loves it. I changed the top and cut off the stirring. Adding the flutter sleeves is what makes her happy. Since there are no fasteners, she can take it off and on herself.

I didn't think I'd be making any more flutter sleeve dresses. Turns out, I was wrong. She seems to really like this style. I also didn't think I was in the business of making any more little girl dresses. Turns out, I was wrong again. I'm going to spend some time this week looking for patterns and actually figuring out how to make these the right way. This was made from a woman's pajama top.

I pieced together scraps for this one. It is missing the zip pocket inside because I simply forgot.

This is by far the most expensive fabric I've ever purchased. A sweet girl who was with me at the fabric store just HAD to have Minnie Mouse. Guess what? She won't wear it. We've tried it two times and it is too uncomfortable for her. Today I might cut it up into one of those flutter sleeved numbers. Or, I may save it and make her wear it as a wedding dress because the price of this fabric is comparable.

This little cutie is the second attempt at this pattern I ended up modifying the original quite a bit to make it work for me. Part of the reason was the slippery ucky lining fabric.

Pattern:
http://lillyella.com/2014/12/05/sturdy-fabric-basket-tutorial/

 

A flutter sleeved peasant dress. This was my first attempt at flutter sleeves. Things didn't go so well. I ended up using foldover elastic on the neckline. A dear friend gave me a blob of eyelet trim. I LOVE the look of that stuff! I thought my days of making little girl dresses were over. This little girl ran to the fabric store with me to pick up interfacing yesterday for another bag and couldn't leave without this fabric. She actually chose 2 fabrics.

 

An impromptu set of pictures. Everyone was wearing something I made this morning.

 

Patterns:

Kwik Sew 3776

O+S Teaparty Sundress

 

 Over the years, my sewing area has changed many times. Usually due to moving to different houses. This time a change was needed because our family has grown. Again. In every instance, my machine has been set up and always ready for use in the main action area of the house. When it was time for this change it still needed to be where I am, so I can sneak in even a few stitches at a time. Our house is woefully short on storage space so we have armoires in each room. This one is in the living room.

I put a peg board along the back wall for all of my supplies. They are easy to grab and use. This unit is intended for a television, so there are a few outlets right inside. I have a lamp in there for late night sewing. The machine is on a part that slides out so I can sit on one of our bar height chairs if I have time for a longer project. Usually I just stand.

Here it is closed. No kiddos bother it. The drawers and bottom cupboards are full of crayons, puzzles, and other kiddo arts & crafts. On the outside are our 3 favorite family rules.

 

My first real purse. The lining didn't fit well, so I tried to hand tack it in. It is a gift. I made sure the strap is long enough so it can be worn on the shoulder or across the body.

 

Pattern:

www.swoonpatterns.com

 

Coraline is the Swoon pattern name of this wristlet. It went together pretty easily. Maybe I used too stiff an interfacing, I'm not really loving it. Another project to send to the Salvation Army.

Gingham Diapers

I really love gingham diapers! 2 pink and 5 blue. I like the blue ones better. We truly have plenty of diapers for this kid, but when I saw this fabric I couldn't resist.

I had super customer service from Diaper Sewing Supplies. I added onto my order just as they were packing it up and were happy to help. By the way, if you are thinking of ordering, they offer a 'free gift'. I don't suggest the scrap of pul choice. It really was a scrap and useless.
http://www.diapersewingsupplies.com/

Teaparty Sundress

From the unfinished bin. This one is sad and wonky. I used what I had on hand- one bodice of one size and a skirt of a different size.
http://oliverands.com/product/OLV-OS001TP.html

Seashore Sundress

My last Seashore Sundress for a while.

http://oliverands.com/product/OLV-OS024SE.html