More Sweet Little Dresses

I was at it again today! My L & B dresses that is. I finished sewing three more! This time I used some of my Woodland Wonderland and Hope Valley in Fiesta.

Big Sister Bear took one for a ride on the rocking horse today.

It's perfect for cruising around in a Radio Flyer too!

Aside from making these dresses the rest of the weekend was very busy. Uncle Marine finally met Little Sister Bear. Nephew Bear had a blast playing in a tree. And much more.

Sweet Little Dresses for Sweet Little Girls

I am all about making L & B's Sweet Little Dresses right now. I purchased the patterns for the Sweet Little Dress sizes 3M - 5T in a combo package listed on etsy. I sewed up two matching ones for the cubettes. I like them so much that I've sewn up three more and have already cut out another three! These are pretty easy to make and now that I've made a few I can sew up the cubs each one of them in about an hour.

Don't they just look so adorable blowing in the breeze on the line? And in case you're wondering what the dress looks like in action...Big Sister Bear wore her dress today!

Isn't she the cutest in her Hope Valley L & B dress? I can't gush enough about how much I love these dresses.

Anticipating Autumn

This weekend marks the final weekend of summer, Labor Day weekend. What can this mean? It means that my favorite season is coming!

Oh how I love fall. Especially here in New England. The days get cooler, which means I get to break out my beloved hoodies. The crisp refreshing breeze flowing through all the open windows. Apples, pumpkins and squashes are ripe for the picking. Making apple pies, apple bread, and applesauce after our annual picking trip up north. Warm, hearty soups and stews simmering all day, filling the bear den with the scent of deliciousness. Nature walks among the changing leaves. Playgrounds are not so busy because all the kids are in school. Harvest festivities commence. It's the best.

This weekend our bear den grew by one member. We have officially become our Nephew Bear's foster home! After months of waiting and going through the application process he was finally placed with us on Friday. I was there for the moment he came into this world and our lives, brandishing his mark upon my heart forever. Me and Papa Bear have always been there for him, so it was only natural for us to step up and take him into our home when the unfortunate circumstances called for it. He fits right into our little clan as the oldest. We now have a 2 1/2 year old, a 1 1/2 year old and a 7 month old! It's been an adjustment for us, seeing that we are now out numbered, but it's also the most rewarding thing we could be doing right now.

This past Saturday we took our family for a Day Out With Thomas. That's right, Thomas the Tank Engine was visiting locally! The cubs expressions were pricless. Nephew Bear and Big Sister Bear even went for a ride on Thomas with Papa Bear while I took pictures. Big Sister Bear kept screaching, "Tommy!", while Nephew Bear kept telling Thomas to stop because he thought he was steaming away.

We all had a blast. I think I might even like Thomas & Friends more than my cubs do!

Yesterday I cut out the flags for the fabric bunting I'm making for Uncle Marine's homecoming party on the 11th. I also sewed up a dress for Little Sister Bear and have a matching one cut out, ready to be sewed for Big Sister Bear. More on those on my next post.

As Promised

It has been very rainy around these parts lately. Perfect weather for ducks and getting some sewing done. I've worked on a few things since my last post.

I made myself a nice big pincushion. The one I had wasn't quite fat enough and the pins were poking through the bottom. I went through my scraps and put it together in a log cabin-ish way.

Speaking of pincushions...Nana Bear snapped a photo of the pincushions I made her so I could share them with everyone. She's already got them all filled with pins and sewing goodies.

I also made a few Black Apple Dolls. One is for Big Sister Bear and the other is going to be a gift. I just love these dolls, they are so cute and easy to make. I plan to make many more for Christmas presents since they're the perfect companion for any sweet little girl.

I also have a late Sunday Stash post because the order didn't come until yesterday. I got a few half yards of Hope Valley in Fiesta and New Day. I also got a half yard of some adorable Kokka train fabric, Full Moon Dot in red and Meadow Dot in citrus. I ordered them from Thistle Hill Fabrics on etsy.

We also had two momentous occasions here in the Bear Den last night. Little Sister Bear started taking the spoon and feeding herself and Big Sister Bear sat in the booster seat and ate at the table!

Finally, Lucy & Norman are having an awesome giveaway for their blog-aversary here, check it out!


Whew! That was a long one, hope you enjoyed it!

Sunday Stash

This particular Sunday I have been organizing my stash and choosing wedding quilt fabrics. The pressure is on since the quilt is for my cousin (who was more like a brother to me growing up) and his lovely, soon to be bride. I've been doing quite a bit of planning for this project and want it to be perfect.

I'm also working on a few other things right now, but more about that on my next post.

Another Birthday Monster

For the about the past year and a half it seems to me that there have been quite a few beautiful babies brought into this world within our social circles. As a result there are lots of first birthdays being celebrated. The couple who introduced me and my Papa Bear celebrated their son's first birthday today. I decided to sew him up a gift.

The birthday boy got his very own, one of a kind, made by Mama Bear, rock n' roll monster. I used Michael Miller's Groovy Guitars, since his Dad is into music and aspires that someday he'll be the next Jack Johnson. The solids are Kona in coal, lime and black. I also made a buffalo chicken dip that was a hit with everybody. The birthday boy had a blast and his parents threw a great party.

Tomorrow is Nana Bear's birthday! I made her a few mason jar pincushions but, in all the craziness getting ready for the little guy's party I wrapped them before getting any pictures. She has already started using them and is wicked excited about them.

Nana Bear is a sewer as well. She makes these amazing bags made out of upcycled jeans. She's going to have a table at the upcoming Chili Chowder Fest on September 25th. She's making up some diaper bags and I'm going to make some booties for her to sell along with them. I have 34 days to make 12 pairs of boots which works out to be about one pair of booties every 2 days (which seems reasonable). I'm excited to be selling my creations for the first time and am anxious to see how it turns out. We'll have to wait and see.

Sunday Stash on a Tuesday

As you might have guessed I missed posting my Sunday Stash on Sunday this week. I was very busy this weekend and come Sunday night I was just too tired.

Saturday night we had some good friends over for dinner. I made a delicious feast of mussels (steamed in Sam Adams Summer Ale), avocado chicken burgers, couscous and salad. After dinner I had my first martini and it was amazing. Our guests brought some very tasty brownies that went well with our cocktails. I love cooking for people and having dinner parties. I find it very gratifying.

Sunday we went to a baby shower for a friend of mine who I've known since high school. The blanket and booties that I made were well received. I hope the baby who is expected sometime next month likes them as much as I do.

the coloring is off a little due to the position of the sun

reversible booties

Finally, here is the original reason for this post, this weeks Sunday Stash. This week I've posted my Christmas stash. Now I know it's not even September but, I'm starting a few projects for the holidays early for two reasons: 1. I don't want to leave them to the last minute and be stressed out about it...and... 2. I'm going to need to spread out my projects in order to work on the wedding quilt and other projects simultaneously.

Last but not least...a few totally unrelated but super cute pictures of Little Sister Bear.