Impatiently waiting...

While I am waiting for my serger to come I have tried to make things that don't really need it... until today, I just couldn't resist making a summer skirt! I haven't sewn with this kind of material before and it took some getting used to. I think I am going to shorten it a bit because it ended up pretty long, and I didn't finish off the elastic waist band because... I have lost 12 pounds in the last few months and I am planning on losing more, this way I can take in the seam on the sides a little and cinch up the elastic and it will last longer! hooray!


Yeah, looking at this picture it looks way too long...

This is what the pattern actually looks like... the camera had a hard time capturing it

No, sadly I don't have any announcements to make... I just saw this bib and LOVED it!! it was sooo easy to make, I plan on doing some more... maybe start up a stash of go-to baby shower gifts, not that I go to very many, but hey, it seems like a good excuse to me

The garden side of things...

So I am now OBSESSED with felt!! It is so cute when it is all made up and my kids absolutely love it! Oh, I decided to show them now because I wanted to sew more than one hour a night after they go to sleep;) It has been so much fun planning it out, it is pretty much all I think about ;) I started with the garden side of the playhouse and so here is what I have so far:

The corn can be removed from the husks, the bird and lettuce are attached to velcro so they are also removeable. The carrots are "planted" in the soil, and I am trying to decide what else to make, there are lots more plots to sow! that weird looking plant at the bottom right isn't a weed, it is a strawberry plant, I just haven't had time to make the strawberries yet. And I cant decide what to put on the sign... any cute ideas?? Well, off to sew some more!!

The perfect kind of day

I just love this kid!! He has become a pretzel MONSTER the last few days! He has devoured half a bag in two days... hmmm, thinking back that may be a little too much salt for him... anyways, he was so cute this morning with his milk and pretzels yelling at Dora;)


I have been blogstalking some crafty websites and kept seeing felt food come up, so of course I decided I must make it! So I started googling patterns and saw this adorable felt playhouse... so yeah, I am totally making my kids one! I wanted to do it for Abby's birthday, but I may not be able to keep it a secret for that long;) anyways, I started last night on making some stuff for the outside, I am going to make a vegetable garden on one side so I started with a few of those...

Some lettuce and carrots, and a cute little squirrel to scamper in the tree I am planning for another side of it... It is soooo addicting! I am going to try and do it only when the kids are asleep so it will be somewhat of a surprise, I may make it for Jack's birthday in a few weeks, I could probably keep it a secret until then;)

If you want to see my inspiration... check out this site : http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/10/felt-playhouse.html

This one is for you Sydney...

This is a tutorial for a checkbook cover... super easy! In fact, I made dinner and this tutorial in about an hour! Can't get better than that;)

I don't know how to re-order the pictures after they are loaded... so we will start with the two I already made;) The inside of this one is lime green...

The inside of this one is that pink on the flower petals




First things first, gather your supplies
1/4 yard main fabric
1/4 yard lining
1/4 yard medium weight interfacing
and all the other typical sewing supplies





Cut all three layers 7x13
so, 1/4 yard will make two with some left over... great gift idea... mother's day and such... hint hint;)

If you are using fusible interfacing, attatch it according to directions on the package

Then pin your main fabric and lining right sides facing together

Ignoring my random projects behind the machine... Sew with a 1/4 inch seam, leaving an opening for turning. Backstitch at the opening

Trim all four corners

Dont mind the ironing board cover either... I am recovering that tonight... ;) Turn right side out and press

Topstitch all the way around, backstitch in the begining and when you get back around to the start

Just in case you don't know what a topstitch looks like;)

Fold the ends up at 2 3/4 inches and pin

On both sides

Sew down one side, getting as close to your original seam as possible. Then repeat on the other side

Fold in half and iron. voila! you are finished! Embelish as desired.

Not to toot my own horn...

Okay, well maybe just a few toots... like two or three;) I LOVE the way this dress turned out!!!

fabric up close

This picture really doesn't do the dress justice... it looks sooo cute in action!!

Dad's rig

Ben had to go out of town last week for work, and since this blog isn't private I decided not to post anything about it until he got back. Before he left he brought his rig home and let the kids play in it. They loved it!!

Not only is it a cool big truck (Ben even has to climb up stairs to get into it) it also has a cool driver seat that goes up and down with the push of a button... yeah, they played with that for probably thirty minutes! Then Ben kicked them out because they were using all the air (to make the chair work)... Honestly, what did he expect when he showed them that cool trick;)

Ew! They got a bath right after;)

Just to prove he exists... he always says I only take pictures of the kids, so here you go!

Four temper tantrums later...

Just in case I havent told you yet, Jack is VERY stubborn! The kids were outside a few mornings back and I heard crying... It looked like Jack had fallen off the swing. I helped him up and started to walk away when he threw himself on the rocks and began crying even louder... I helped him up and he did it again (seriously child?? What the heck?!) So I took him in the house, he went back outside and did it again!!! No joke! So I thought fine, he will figure out it hurts and eventually not do it anymore... kinda mean, but I was getting frustrated... He did stop and got some nasty cuts from it. He got a giant bruise on his noggin, and a cut above his eye that you can't really see in this picture and this nasty thing on his cheek.

Just because I thought it was cute;) I have been trying to capture this face for weeks! The camera comes out and he immediately stops doing it!