Thimbles and Thread

Simple Halloween Skirt

2011-10-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello! I hope you are all getting ready for a spooktacular Halloween! I know I am! We took the kids to the corn maze/pumpkin patch last week and while we were there I saw some girls in some cute skirts, so it made me itch to make one for Emma! I found all of my fabric choices at Hobby Lobby and while they aren't Hallween prints, they work! I knew I wanted a black and white, green, orange and purple so I looked high and low to find the perfect prints. I try and do all of my sewing while the babies are napping, so I knew I had to make it quick.

For the top, I simply sewed strips of quarter yard fabric together in each of the five prints. For the bottom, I cut 5 inch squares of all of the fabrics, sewed them together in a line (like a quilt) and then folded it in half, pressed it and sewed it to the top portion.

I really liked how the different seams came together to give it a quirky look.

Once that was done, I was able to sew the printed ribbon to the bottom. It is from Martha Stewart and I have been hoarding it for years. It was the perfect project to use it on. After the ribbon was in place, I sewed the whole thing into a tube. I made a simple elastic waistband and I was done.....well....almost. I had to add a few buttons to the bottom. I chose to add one where each of the large panels intersected with the bottom band. I alternated between black, green and white. I think it gave it just the right amount of extra for a simple skirt! LOL!

Forgive me for the photos...I took them in the morning before school, so the light wasn't right, yet. The thing I like about this skirt is that you can turn it whichever way for the front or back depending on what shirt you use. I had so much fun making it and I have some left over fabric that I might make a table runner with it. We shall see......

We are having a Halloween party this Saturday for my kids and their friends so I will be busy. I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Thank you Emma for being such a great little model.

Sweet Divinity Baby Bib

2010-11-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hello! It's me again! Shocking I know, but here nonetheless! I am excited to share the baby bib I worked on yesterday. I used the scraps from my quilt from my last post to make a quick bib. It is the same as all of my Cute as a button as far as the squares being constructed, but I made a few changes on this one. Since I am right in the middle of putting bibs on my little one at least 3 times a day, I decided to add a snap for the closure. I usually put double fold bias tape and have a tie, but sometimes you are just in a hurry, baby is cranky and tying a bow is the last thing that you want to do. I hope that the snap holds us. I used the Prym-Dritz snap system and I have had trouble before on another project, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the snap will hold up!

I also changed things up and did the decorative stitching vertical, rather than on the diagonal. I chose to do it this way simply because of the pattern of the fabric that I ended up using right in the middle. I didn't want to compete with the diagonal pattern that was already going on. I added a felt flower and a button, which I know is a choking hazard, but I will tell her that she can clip it off if she feels like she needs to. I didn't tack it down to tight, so it be easy to clip it off. I just couldn't resist! The flower die, felt and Buttons are all from Papertrey Ink.

I made a card to match the bib and quilt! I just couldn't resist! I had already made her a card, but after it was all said and done, I had to make one to coordinate! I will be working on some Onesies next, which I will share when I am done!

If you would like more details about the card, you can visit me here. Have a great day and Happy Sewing!!!!

Sweet Divinity Baby Quilt

2010-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is adopting a baby any day now and I wanted to make her a quilt for her new little bundle. I absolutely fell in love with this beautiful fabric from Riley Blake Designs called "Sweet Divinity". The sample at the store used pinwheels on their design so I decided to use pinwheels for mine as well. I have done pinwheels before, so I didn't have to fiddle at all. I wanted a smaller, more blankety quilt; something that she could throw on the baby while in the car seat or cuddle up with. I have had larger quilts and because of the bulk, they really aren't comfortable or practical. I didn't use regular batting, either. I opted for diaper flannel and it worked out perfectly.

When I found out that the quilt shop was 3 months out on machine quilting, I decided to do it myself. I used my walking foot, so I couldn't get too fancy. I added the rick-rack to liven it up and I really like how it turned out. You have no idea how much I wanted to add buttons, but they are a choking hazard, unfortunately. A friend of mine has her daughter machine quilt her things at the high school for free. I might have to check into that in the future.

I told the kids to put in a movie last night, so that I could sit down with them while I finished handsewing the binding. It went quicker than I thought since it is a smaller project.
I had so much fun making this quilt and I will be making a few bibs with the leftover fabric, so I will post those when I am done. I have always found that when my creative well runs dry, it is nice to switch mediums to get them flowing again. My papercrafting well has been running dry lately so it was nice to sit down to the sewing machine. Have a great rest of the week and happy sewing!

Car Seat Cover-Up

2010-03-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Before Rowan was born, I really wanted to get a car seat cover made. I quickly whipped this up and I am so glad that I have it. The genius that came up with this idea really needs to be congratulated. The last time I used a baby seat, I just put a blanket over the top and called it good. These are so handy and they stay in place and don't slip off, etc. etc.....

I don't know the line of fabric for the top, but the lining is fabric from "My Mind's Eye". I had to laugh that of all the fabrics, I would pick one from a paper designer as well. I like having the darker fabric on the bottom, since it makes it nice and dark when Rowan is sleeping in there.

When I was buying my fabric, I asked the sewing shop clerk if she knew the dimensions that I should use (at this time, we hadn't bought the car seat). She told me to make my cover 42 inches by 42 inches with rounded corners. The extra fabric was used to make the handles, which really need to be measured based on what car seat you will be using.

I also added some super jumbo ric-rac to the edges, which I really like. It gives it some extra detail which I like.

The clerk suggested I use velcro for the handles, but I didnt have any that wasn't sticky back, so I simply made button holes and sewed on some buttons. Easy, Peasy and I didn't have to run to the store for extra supplies.

Of course, this is the best part...getting to see the sweet little bundle underneath. I get compliments on the car seat cover and the baby everywhere I go! LOL! I actually have been wanting to make another one, so that when I have one in the wash, I have another one to use.

Crayon Carry-All

2010-01-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

The other day I got a little bee in my bonnet and decided to try my hand at making a bag for my daughter's friend for one of her Birthday gifts. I had made her a card and thought that a coordinating sewn project would be fun. I had a couple of fat quarters lying around that I had purchased a few years ago to make some bibs. I decided that they would work perfectly for my project.

I had seen a bag similar to this a while back at the sewing store, but it was made with loud, bright colors and wasn't my cup of tea, if you will. Since I don't have a pattern, I just had to make it up as I went along. The only goal I had was that it would be large enough to hold coloring books and that the small slots would be the right size to hold crayons; mission accomplished. Since I had the four fabrics, I decided to use each pattern for an element on the bag. I really like how it turned out and I hope she likes it.

I used one of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine for the top of the crayon pockets, which worked out well, because I was able use the pattern as a guide for how wide each pocket needed to be. When it was all said and done, it ended up that you can fit two crayons to a pocket. Go figure! Oh well...that way she will have more crayons at hand. Also, I only put crayons on the outside that match the bag, but I am sure once she uses it, it will be filled with mis-matched combinations! LOL!

The photo on the left shows what it looks like without the crayons and you can get a better idea of how it is constructed. I added some buttons to the bottom for some added detail and fun.

Here it is, with the tag and card, which was the inspiration for the whole project.

If I make another one, I will make note of the dimensions and measurements that I use. After making this one, I know what worked and what didn't and what I would change. Thanks for visiting!

"Cute as a Button" star bib

2010-01-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

I had some extra fabric left over from another baby project that I still need to share. I also had a baby project that I needed to put together for Papertrey Ink, so I decided to incoporate the left over fabric into the project to create a theme. You can see the sneak peek here. The bib is one of the projects housed inside the box. When I sold these bibs in the various boutiques I did, I called them "Cute as a Button" baby bibs, hence the title of today's post.

I created a tag to accompany the bib, which you can see in this photo. As I have mentioned before, I don't have a pattern for these bibs. I have just made it up as I have gone along, but I will give you the basic instructions.
Step 1: You will need (11) 3 1/2 inch squares of assorted fabrics. You will also need enough fabric for the back. You will also need double fold bias tape for the neck and tie.

Step 2: Create a 9 patch square, assembling fabric as desired. Add the two extra squares to the right and left top sides. Press seams open as you go.

Step 3: Lay the bib front, right sides to together, over the top of the back fabric and cut out. I like to pin the two together for the next step.

Step 4: Fold the entire piece in half and "round" the corners. I just eyeball it and hope for the best. Also, cut a hole for the neck as well, keeping it as symmetrical as possible.

Step 5: Sew around the entire bib using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave an opening to turn the bib out. Before turning it out, fringe cut the seam allowance around the neck hole, rounded corners and trim the corners on the two top sides of the bib. These simple cuts will allow the bib to turn out better and have nicer seams. I use a bone folder to turn out all of my seams on all of my sewing projects. Press.

Step 6: Use a zig-zag stitch, straight stitch or any desired stitch and top stitch around the entire bib front. Next, use decorative stitches on the diagonal across the top of the bib.

Step 7: Pin double fold bias tape in place around the neck hole leaving enough for the ties. Zig-Zag stitch.

As you can see, I didn't add any ric-rac around the edge of this one. If you are going to add some, simply sandwich it between the two layers before you start sewing.

Have fun and I would love to hear from you if you make one!

Dots and Damask Rag Quilt

2010-01-09T12:35:00.001-08:00

As promised, here are the photos of the rag quilt that I made for my baby. It has been sitting here done for over a week now, but the sky has been so hazy that getting a good photograph has proven to be tough. Today, the sun has peeked through for a while so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos.
I have a bajillion blankets from my oldest, but of course the new baby needs new things that are just for him. I had a lot of fun sewing this and picking the fabrics. I asked the sales lady at the quilt shop if the patterns looked too girly and she assured me that they didn't. Now that it is done, I don't think it looks girly. They had the same fabrics but with pink and brown and I am itching to make a girl one as well. I don't know of anyone who is having a girl, but I could always make it and save it for the next baby girl.
This particular quilt is 8 squares across by 8 squares down, rather than the 9 that I normally do. I was one square off from having enough to do 9, so rather than going and buying more fabric, I just made the quilt a little smaller. Since I used 4 fabrics, the lady at the quilt shop recommended that I just get 3/4 of a yard of each rather than the full yard I get when I use 3 fabrics, but it ended up by not being enough by one tiny square! Go figure! Oh well. It is large enough for my needs since my baby is no doubt going to be a little peanut! LOL! I have some other projects that I finished this week that I will be sharing as well.

Crocheted Baby Girl Headband

2009-12-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Back in the fall, I fell in love with a baby headband, and knew that I could (with the help of my dear Mom) recreate the same idea. I mentioned before while I was working on my baby gifts for my SIL that I had commissioned my Mom for a project. Well, here it is! My sweet Mom crocheted the beautiful flowers for the headband and all I did was hot glue them to the stretchy lace and add the half-back pearls.

I really love how it turned out and while I didn't find the exact lace that I wanted, I did fall in love with this Tulle/Eyelet lace elastic that I did find.

I really love the different colors of crochet thread that my Mom used as well. We tried matching it to the lace, but in the end I suggested using multi colors so that it wouldn't matter so much. I also realized that it might work for more outfits that way, too!

I was in a hurry to get the basket of gifts all put together so that I could bring it to our family Christmas party on Christmas Eve, so I simply stretched it across a Lullaby CD that I had included with her gift. While I would have loved to create a sweet box for it, I simplified and made due. I thought it looked cute anyway. I am thrilled with all of the things that I was able to accomplish for her gift and I had so much fun making them. Now, I can focus on getting the sewing projects done for my little bundle as well. I just finished one of his quilts last night as the kids were playing the Wii that my son recieved for Christmas. It was nice to just sit and hear them giggle while playing and knowing that there were no more deadlines. I will post the quilt after I get it photographed in the next day or two.

Handmade Bib

2009-12-08T07:37:00.001-08:00

Years ago, before my daughter was born, my Mom was given a bib by a friend, who's mother had made it and was found after her death. She gave it to me and I was inspired. It was retro, to say the least; retro in the 70's calico kind of retro, so I never used it, but knew that I could recreate my own bibs using all of the fun fabrics available. I have made many bibs over the years since then. I have made oodles for my daughter, for gifts and I even sold them at a few Christmas Boutiques a couple of years ago. They are super fun to make.

Of course I needed to make one to accompany my SIL's baby gift ensemble that I have been working on over the last few weeks. I found some cute fabric that matched the dress that I will be giving her. I decided to add some ric-rac to the outside edge for some added detail and I really like how it turned out.

I am fortunate that my sewing machine has quite a few fun, decorative stitches that have come in handy over the years. I think adding the diagonal stitches really add to the overall design.

Since I was only given the bib and not a pattern, I have had to fiddle and learn through mistakes what works and what doesn't, so unfortunately I don't have a resource for a pattern. If you are interested in instructions, I could possibly put together a tutorial and post it here.

Once the bib was done, I got to work creating a gift box for it. I simply used a template that I have used for years, which is meant to hold A-2 cards, but has been used for bibs as well. I used the same colors, supplies, etc. that I used on her card to keep the theme going. I only have one more project to get done for her and I have commissioned my Mom for a project that I can't personally make, so I will share those when they are done and then the baby stuff will be complete. Just in the nick of time, too, since she is due in a few days. I will then begin on my baby boy projects that I am itching to get started.

Corduroy Rag Quilt

2009-12-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been over a year since I have posted anything here. The funny thing is that the project I am sharing today is also a rag quilt. My SIL is having a baby girl in the next week or 2, so I wanted to get some things made for her before I began on my own baby projects. I am hoping to post a bit more here since I have some fun projects lined up to make. I don't know what it is about babies that gets me motivated to sew. I also have a few Holiday projects that I am hoping to get done as well.

I purchased this baby wale corduroy a couple of months ago at Hobby and Lobby and fell in love. I wasn't sure how well it would work up into a rag quilt, but the results were fabulous. As I mentioned in my previous post, flannel has a tendency to pill, which drives me nuts. The corduroy is just as soft and perfect as it was prior to washing. The only "complaint" I have with the corduroy is the mess that it makes. I was covered in tiny pieces of fabric, my craft area was completely fuzzy and I was tracking it all over the place as well. It is now neat and tidy, but it was a mess. I actually washed and dried the quilt twice to try and remove as much of the threads as possibe, checking the lint trap on my dryer occasionally to empty it.

I love the colors in this fabric and actually found a cute outfit to coordinate with it. I hope she likes it. I cut all of the squares 5 inches and used a 1/2 inch seam allowance. The quilt is 9 squares wide by 9 squares long. This fabric is a bit thinner than flannel, so I was debating whether to add some warm and natural batting to the quilt. I opted against the batting and I am glad I did.

Of course I had to create a handmade tag to coordinate as well. I used the same colors and elements in the fabric to tie it all together.

I went to the fabric store yesterday to purchase supplies for project #2, so stay tuned for that....and I promise it won't take a year! LOL!

P.S. pretend that I wasn't lazy and actually ironed the fabric for my backdrop! LOL!

Rag Quilt Instructions!!

2008-11-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it has taken me since June to post something else? Anyway, I posted a quilt on my other blog www.flutterbyatomicbutterfly.blogspot.com/ and I promised instructions here. I stopped taking photos the further I progressed in the quilt because I doubted I would really post it, but I decided to in the end. If you have any questions, email me at kellyrory1@msn.com and I will try and answer them. The size of quilt that I will be posting instructions is a square baby size that fits nicely over a car seat or to lay down for play.

Before Beginning, you will need:

Cutting Mat and Rotary Cutter

Acrylic square quilting ruler as seen in my photo

3 yards total Flannel. I chose 3 different prints one yard each

*I like getting the best Flannel available because it doesn't pill easily)

good pins

Sewing Machine and coordinating thread (one spool will be plenty for this size of quilt)

Good scissors for clipping fabric

Washing Machine and Dryer

Step1: Cut your fabric into 5 inch strips and then into five inch squares using your mat and rotary cutter. You want to keep the fabric folded in half like it comes on the bolt so that when you cut your squares, two are together with the wrong sides together and the right side out. make sense?

Once you have all of your fabric cut, arrange them into piles for easy construction.

Step 2: Start Sewing! This is the funnest part because each square you sew you are that much closer to the end! LOL! I use a 1/2 inch seam allowance for these quilts. When putting your quilt together you can either start a pattern or grab them for a staggered pattern. With only 3 fabrics, I would suggest a pattern. If you choose more fabrics then you could stagger them easily. I always start my patterns going from lightest to darkest; I started with the blue dots, the brown stripes and then the dark chocolate with the animals. Each row has nine squares across.
After each square has been sewn together, I take my good scissors and clip each seam allowance every 1/2 inch or so up to the thread. YOU DO NOT WANT TO CLIP YOUR THREAD! This is not good....try and stay clear of the thread. Now...you do not have to clip at this stage, but let me tell you from experience that I would rather clip as I go, then have to sit and clip every seam at the end. Let me tell you, your clipping hand will be killing and you won't even want to finish the quilt. LOL! You can see my clipping in the next photo. *****NOTE***** Before beginning your next row, you need to figure out which pattern should come next. You will not begin with the same fabric as your first row. If you scroll down to the finished quilt, you will see that my squares move across in a diagonal pattern.

Step 3: Once you have two rows completed, it is time to sew them together. This is when it gets fun because you can actually visualize the quilt coming together. You can see how each seam allowance is clipped in this photo, also. Before sewing, I suggest pinning at each intersecting square. Can you see my little yellow pins sticking out on the right hand side? I like to pin them, so when the quilt is finished, all of the squares line up correctly. Some poeple can do it without pins, I can't. I learned my pinning technique years ago from a Fons and Porter quilting show. I have loved it every since. I didn't take pictures of that, so I am sorry that I can't help out a bit more with that. Also, when sewing over that much fabric, I try and have the top row clipped fabric go forward and then bottom clipped fabric go backward. That way, you aren't sewing over 4 layers of fabric. I hope that makes sense.

Step 4: When I sew my two rows together, I put my sewing machine in the needle down position. You can slow down as you near your pins, take them out, and it will still be held in place. It is a good idea to run your machine slower over these intersections as well because it gets quite thick. Once you have the rows put together, clip that entire seam allowance, just as you did your smaller squares. This quilt has nine rows across and nine rows down. Once the entire quilt has been constructed, you will need to sew a 1/2 inch seam allowance around the entire quilt. You will also need to clip around the quilt as well. This is when I put on a good movie that I have seen 100 times and just clip away.

Once that is done, you can throw your quilt in the washer and start to see the fruits of your labor. Some people take their finished quilt to a laundromat because of all of the fringe you get inside of your machine. My machine is old and so I don't bother with that. Once it is washed, clean your machine out and put it into the dryer. This is where you need to be careful. Clean your lint trap out completely and check it a couple times throughout the drying process. Once it is dry, ENJOY!!!! You are now done, unless you need to pull of extra fringe. This particular quilt took two washes and two dry cycles and it still needed a lint roller. Like I said, the better the flannel, the less lint it will leave. I really do suggest getting the best that is available. The extra cost is worth it in the end!!! Have fun! If you get around to making one, leave a comment and post a link to your quilt! I can't wait to see your quilts!!!!!

A Quilt and a Card

2008-06-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Wow! Who knew it would take me 3 months to actually post to this blog. I am really in the mood to sew and get my hands on some yummy fabric. I decided to share a quilt I made back in 2003 before my daughter was born. It now hangs on my son's bedroom wall. It has some *personality* if you will. LOL! I see lots of things I would have done differently, but I can't change it now. I *think* the fabric is from Moda, but I can't remember exactly. I am sorry for not having a source. I also added a card that I made today using the new Hen image from The Saltbox Studio. I absolutely love it. I designed this card from a quilt I saw on a Windham Fabrics magazine ad. I loved it. I pulled out some of my Old School pattern paper from 1999 etc. It just goes to show that you never know when you are going to need some of that older stuff! LOL!

Sew it Seams

2008-03-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hello! This feels really strange to be starting a second blog. I decided to start a new blog in conjuction with my current blog to showcase another part of my life. I absolutely love to sew and to create using fabrics rather than paper. The fabric store is equally as exciting and enticing as a row of pattern paper. Through this blog I hope to share my sewing and needle art projects that I have already made and those that I will make and share in the future. As much as I would have liked to have shared these projects on my other blog, I felt that these projects needed a completely new forum. I hope you enjoy sharing my journey as I create and hopefully inspire others. I really wanted to title my blog "Sew it Seams", but it was already taken, so I decided to use it for my first entry.

A little history; I began taking sewing classes back in Jr. High School and liked it okay. I then took sewing classes in High School and fell in love. No...not with the projects that we were supposed to be making, but rather taking my fabric and making something new, something else. At the end of the semester, I hadn't really finished my *required* projects, but that meant I could get extra credit making things I *wanted* to make. I picked my own fabrics and trim, and made a few projects without patterns because I could see them in my head. I hadn't done much sewing since then until my husband, with the help of my in-laws surprised me with a new Bernina Sewing Machine for Christmas about 5 years ago. I have been in heaven ever since. I have used it in my card making, my scrapbooking, my needle art, making quilts for my daughter and my son, making quilts for friends and family, making dresses, bonnets, bibs, etc. I am hoping that by starting this blog I will take more time for one of the things in my life that I really love. Thanks for sharing the adventure!