2011 Kids Clothes Edition

Now that 2012 has arrived I thought it would be nice to take a look back at the stuff I sewed last year for the kiddos. There are pretty much multiples of everything since I usually make things in twos and threes.

2011 kids clothes, originally uploaded by mamabearmakes.

It is so hard to pick a favorite but if I had to choose I'd go with the sweet little O+S ruffled halter (3rd down on left) that I made for Big Sister Bear.

There are so many things that I didn't get photos of (take more photos is on my list of resolutions) like all the Bedtime Story pj pants I made this year. 10 pairs total and I still have 2 more cut out!

Up next: 2011 Patchwork and Toys

Ruffled Halter

I sewed something O + S (shocker)! What can I say? These patterns totally rock my world. They are fun, fresh, classic and easy to follow.

Without further delay, the O + S ruffled halter for Big Sister Bear.

She was perfecting her "Queen wave".

The back view.

I think she likes it. Or she likes hamming it up.

This is the face she makes every time she knows you're going to take her picture.

And then Caillou came on.

Papa Bear is backpacking this weekend so I'm hoping to get my Pattern Pact finished before I run out of time. Better get started!

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.

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.

The Triple Threat Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated all three cubs birthdays! Since their birthdays fall one week apart it made sense to just have one big party.

So now Nephew Bear is 3...

Tomorrow Big Sister Bear will be 2...

And Little Sister Bear will be 1 tomorrow...

The party went well. The cubs got great presents...

Had some very yummy cake...

 

And had their first pinata experience. Which we did not get pictures of because it took both me and Papa Bear to manage the pinata and kids.

It was a great day! And the cubs looked adorable in their appliqued shirts and tutus I made.

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.

Staying Positive

That is what I've been trying to do all day.

Today is the two year anniversary of my Dad's passing. As he would want (and as I usually do) I am trying to remember him and be happy for the time we had. This is hard today since I end up dwelling on what is being missed. Not so much by him but by me as I feel he is always with me. I can't help but think of things like that I never got to see him hold my girls or see my cub's faces light up when I say, "Pepere's coming over!" On this day I can't help but think like this.

I know that he wanted me to live my life and be happy. Which I do. I remember him for the great man he was and the full life (though short) that he had. I'm grateful for how much richer his life became in his last year of life. For all those little moments I had with him because I was back at home and out of work. Seeing how goofy happy he would get watching Big Sister Bear party in my tummy or the peace that would pass over him as he put his ear to my belly to "listen" to his growing granddaughter inside my womb. Priceless.

So on this day I will try to fulfill his wishes and stay positive.

Last night was the first night of four that Papa Bear is on a trip. Since he was not here to bother while he was sleeping I worked until the wee hours of the morning on the girl's Music Box Jumpers. So far I am breezing along on this O + S pattern. It is very clearly written and the directions are easy to follow. I am intimidated by making buttonholes but I plan on doing a few practice runs at it before attacking the actual garment. Both bodices are finished and tomorrow I'll be starting the skirts and Papa Bear's top secret Christmas present (which I'm hoping to complete before he gets home). I'll also be wrapping gifts in between to give myself a break from the machine.

More holiday happiness from the bear den to come...stay tuned.

Stuffed: A Thanksgiving Sequel

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. The first half of the day was spent at Nana Bear's, where we had a delicious dinner. Then we headed to Nonni and Binky Bear's where Papa Bear had a second plate of turkey and such. I held out for the dessert which I shared with Big Sister Bear.

I was amazed (and somewhat disgusted) by the amount of food my cubs stuffed their faces with. I thought for sure someone was going to get sick, thankfully no one did.

Today I cooked a second dinner. There were 10 adults, 1 child, 2 toddlers and 2 infants total! Everything went off without a single snag.

It was a feast to say the least. And the food went so fast that I didn't even get a chance to take any photos of our spread.

I get much enjoyment from having the Bear Den be the hub of celebration and family. There is something so sublime about having the ones we love gathering in our home, eating and enjoying each other's company. This is why I delight when the holiday season finally arrives.

I did a bit of Thanksgiving sewing. I made myself a retro-style apron and Little Sister Bear got a turkey shirt hand sewn by her Mama.

Now the time has come to get in gear and start my Christmas sewing and decorating. Once this turkey coma wears off that is.

Appreciation and Preparation

This past week has flown by me. The cubs have been grumpy due to all of them having colds. Other than three sick little ones the week was busy, but good. I did some sewing and a little appreciation is in order.

Beth over at modernJax had a great giveaway last month. What was she giving away you might wonder? Her scraps of Riley Blake's Rainy Days and Mondays. I entered and won!

Now I have been looking at this line for a while, but had not purchased any due to my self-imposed ban on all things fabric. I received my package on Tuesday and all this drool worthy fabric was inside.

That's not all! Beth very generously included a few boys prints for Nephew Bear. How sweet was that? It's like she knew I was planning a blanket for him. Thanks again Beth!

I finished the fabric bunting for Uncle Marine's big bash this past Saturday. I used various patriotic prints and will also use them to decorate for Memorial Day and Independence Day. I love that they are reusable and reduce our carbon footprint. I enjoyed making the buntings and look forward to making more for the cubs birthday extravaganza next year. Here's the guest of honor, Uncle Marine, in front of one string of bunting.

Today I cut into my Nicey Jane stash. I've been debating what to do with it and kept coming back to the same thing...a picnic blanket. Since we're kicking of our start to fall with an apple picking trip and picnic this weekend there couldn't be a better time to make it. I'm hoping to have it washed, dried and crinkly by Saturday morning.

While I was taking these, Papa Bear and Little Sister Bear decided to pose for a few pictures.

Earlier in the week Big Sister Bear decided she doesn't like to wear certain clothing items the way they were intended to be worn. She also hides her binkies from us so she can have them even when she's not supposed to.

Nephew Bear is having a blast and has settled right in. He's very happy.



I am also planning a fall challenge of sorts for myself. I've mentioned the wedding quilt I've been planning for my cousin. After all my plotting and planning, it will be ten rows of eleven 10 1/2" squares, for a whopping total of one hundred and ten squares. My challenge is 110 blocks of fall. The goal is to make 110 blocks between September 22 and December 21.

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.