Crafting Draught

I haven't been doing much crafting lately, I have started knitting 3 blankets but I haven't finished any of them. Today I whipped up this belt (I got the idea from Capricious) because I am in desperate need of something to hold up my pants. I made a similar one for Chase with paw prints on it.

Drawstring Backpack

They recently started sprinkler days at Chase's daycare so I wanted to make him a little backpack to carry his swim gear in.  I made a little drawstring bag.  It has two pockets outside, one pocket inside, and is lined with orange and black.  I was very happy with how it turned out.  I wanted to take a picture of it on Chase but I just haven't gotten around to it.

I haven't managed to finish any of the other billion crafting projects that I have recently started - I am apparently in a starting projects mood lately.

Bag and Baby Shoes

Yay!  Finally some time to update my page with a few projects I recently finished.

Dew Drop Bag

I saw a picture of a bag like this online and I am very excited because it was my first attempt at making my own bag pattern from a picture.  I think it turned out quite well.  I would do the handles differently next time because they aren't as neat looking as I would like but overall I was happy with the project.

Here are some baby shoes I recently made from a pattern I found online.  I love them because they are quick and easy and they don't use a lot of fabric.  I made these for friend who is having a baby shower next week.

Amy Butler - Birdie Sling

I was surfing  the web the other day and I fell in love with the Amy Butler Birdie Sling - so I ordered the pattern and TADA here is my new bag.  I am very happy with how it turned out - I think if I were to do it again I would make the strap a little shorter.  Also I wasn't very happy with how my top stitched turned out at the top of the bag it was a bit sloppy.

Scarves

One of my neighbors is a total rock star seamstress (www.handmadebyhooli.blogspot.com) and yesterday I went to a craft fair that she was having.  I bought an adorable kiddo apron and I won a really cool scarf in a raffle (the first picture below).  I love the brown and blue together!  Well the scarf inspired me to learn how to make button holes and make a few scarves of my own.  The first one is for Chase and I used a nickel instead of a button - I think it is adorable.  The second one is for me - I used flannel on the front and fleece on the back so it is reversible.  I also like that it is a bit more light weight (and can be used during the fall) since the other one is really warm and is more of a winter scarf.  So thanks to my neighbor for the great idea!!!

New Sewing Room

I have a new sewing room now!   We converted our empty room to have two tables set up for me at all times.  Now I will be able to sit down and sew while Chase naps or when I get a 20 minute break here and there.  I am so excited - I hope this enables me to get to all of my crafting projects.

A Sewing Learning...

Chase absolutely loves tags so I decided that it would be a good idea to make him a tag blanket.  It didn't really turn out well and it was a bit of a disaster.  A few things I would do differently:

1)  Skip the tags on the corners

2)  Maybe add some kind of decoration to the fabric

3)  Use safety pins to pin the tags rather than straight pins

Yet Another Tote

So I am apparently addicted to totes...

Here is my latest one.  I used a heavier fabric which I was pretty happy with and I did a bit more decoration such as the cream stripe on the tote.  I also add a bunch of pockets inside so that I can use the tote as a diaper bag.  Overall, I think it turned out well.

My First Embroidery Project

I finally finished a project using my embroidery machine!

Check out this quilt.  It is 40 x 60 which I think is a nice size for a baby quilt or a throw.  The front is made of cotton and the back of the quilt is fleece.  I have never backed a quilt in fleece before but I was really happy with the results, it made the quilt very snuggly.  I did pretty minimal quilting on this because I didn't want to clutter the look of the front, I can't decide if I should add more or not...

Here are some examples of the embroidered blocks.  I thought they were perfect for a kid blanket and I love how detailed they are.

Overall the machine was definitely worth getting!  I can't wait to finish more projects with it.

Back to Crafting

Well  I have finally returned to the crafting world...

Here is the second tote that I have made.  I actually like this tote A LOT better than my first attempt.  I made it a little wider which I liked and I also made short straps which I think looks better.  The only thing I was disappointed in was that I wanted to do a bit of decorative stitching where the two fabrics meet and I forgot.  Otherwise I was very happy with the project.

Recent Sewing Projects

I have recently been really into sewing...

Here is a wall quilt that I just finished.  It was the first time that I tried applique.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out but it did bunch in a few places.  One of my crafting friends recommended that I make my stitches a bit bigger when I do my quilting so I will have to try that next time.

The other project that I recently completed was a tote.  I don't like my fabric choice and there are a lot of things that I would do differently such as making the outside fabric a bit smaller so it doesn't bunch and using some kind of interfacing or a heavier fabric but it was good practice and I intend on making more totes in the future.