March Madness

My apologies for not blogging as often as I should folks. Things have been busy around here the past few weeks. Lots of sewing and quality family time.

I finished my Pattern Pact for March, the O + S Popover Sundress. This dress was very easy to sew. I made a second one (not photo yet, very windy here lately) and have a third cut out. I can't wait for warmer weather so that the girls can model them.

This one is a size 6 for our friends daughter who lives upstairs.

Here's a peek at the contrast stitching on the yoke and ties.

And it wouldn't be complete without a label.

I've also been practicing paper piecing and doing a fair amount of scrap busting. I made a couple of potholders, hot pads and a plastic bag holder for my cousin and his new bride. All of which I did not get photos of before gifting them. I am happy to report that they were well received and match the napkins I made them for their shower.

This month is my birthday month. My birthday was used as an excuse for lots of stash building which I'll post about sometime this week. This year was the first year I didn't really want to make a big deal out of my birthday. 27 doesn't seem to be a very monumental year, but who knows.

Music Class Skirt

I finished my Pattern Pact for February with five days to spare! This month I chose the Oliver + S Music Class Skirt. It's going to be Big Sister Bear's Easter skirt, because it reminds me of Easter eggs.

This pattern was a breeze to sew up. Even the pleats were easy peasy (and I was petrified of doing them)! I will be making more of these. Most likely with some of this...

...my anniversary present from Papa Bear. Eighteen and a half lovely yards of Liesl's City Weekend.

I also got an early birthday present today that I feel I should share since it goes along with the Oliver + S theme of this post.

Liesl's new book! And I have already picked out a few projects to start right away.

Funny Story

February has about a week left and I still haven't started my Pattern Pact for the month! I started the month out on a good foot and sewed up a few Lazy Days Skirts for the girls.

I did this for a few reasons:

1. We had a taste of nice weather to remind us New Englanders that spring is coming.

2. I wanted to sew something spring-y...fast.

3. I wanted to warm up before making my Pattern Pact choice for the month, the O+S Music Class Skirt.

4. These skirts are wicked cute and very easy to make.

On a side note I had labels made!

Now for the story part.

When I made the skirts I ran out of 3/4" elastic which is what my Pact pattern calls for. I went to the local fabric store last night and picked some up. Only to realize 5 minutes before the store closes that the clerk didn't put my elastic in the bag. So now tomorrow I'll have to head back there to pick it up.

I would've gone today but we had a big surprise for Nephew Bear.

Toy Story 3 on Ice!!!!

We had such a great time. He was so into his new toy that he wouldn't even look at the camera.

One of the Best Things

One of the best things about having children is having an excuse to decorate for many holidays. With Valentine's Day right around the corner I figured some heart garland was in order.

It was pretty easy, just cut them out and sewed them in one long, continuous line. Using this tutorial.

They were very easy and fun to sew. So much fun that I ended up making four of them! The kids had fun deciding where to hang them up.

Today is the last day to enter your patterns for the February Pattern Pact. Don't miss out Beth has a super cute giveaway for this month.

I'll be sewing the O + S Music Class Skirt for February's Pattern Pact. Looking forward to seeing what everyone makes.

Pattern Pact 2:12

Pattern Pact is off to a great start. I can't wait to see what people are going to be working on for February. Beth made a snazzy group button for members to proudly display our pact.

This month I managed to pull off two pact projects! You can read about the first one here. This was possible, in part, due to having two gift giving occasions in the same month. That coupled with the fact that I enjoy giving handmade much more than store bought.

I bask in those moments when one of my handmade gifts is opened and people start saying things like, "Did you make that?" or "Oh, how lovely!"

What can I say? I take pride in my handmade gifts. I feel if you're going to give a gift then you ought to take pride in it, especially if the gift is handmade.

Enough about that. Without further delay project #2...

...Mixy-Matchy Napkins from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing

This was an extremely easy tutorial to follow. I whipped up this set of 10 napkins in about an hour. I made them larger (16" square) than the tutorial because I wanted a dinner size napkin and stitched them with a contrasting thread.

These were a bridal shower gift for my cousin and his fiance. I wanted to incorporate both their favorite colors (red and purple) which was tricky because that color combo does not always work. I also had to include 2 napkins in Michael Miller's Love Birds for the happy couple. The pressure was on with this gift because my cousin is a stickler for color coordination. I'm confident that I chose well.

I will be making some napkins for our home very soon. They were so easy to make and paper napkins are so wasteful. Plus I have a ton of Kona solids that I think would be perfect.

Pattern Pact 1:12

Pattern Pact 2011 has officially been kicked off! Our flickr group can be found here.

Don't know about Pattern Pact 2011? Read about it here.

On to my first pact project of the year. The Mermaiden from Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls.

I bought the book ages ago when it first came out and had many plans for making these adorable dolls, but never got around to it.

Our friend's daughter who is 3 weeks older than Big Sister Bear had a birthday party a few weekends ago. I was short on time and wanted to give her something handmade. I thought the Mermaiden would be quick and simple to whip up...and it was!

Hillary's instructions are clear and easy to follow. I used a fuchsia 21 wale corduroy remnant I found at Joann's for the hair and the fin fabric is from Jay McCarroll's Woodland Wonderland fabric line.

She was a big hit and will be well loved. I plan on making more of these for the cubs with some fun embellishments.