Raggy Angel

I haven't done much sewing with minky dot fabric, but I love how soft it is. So, when a friend offered me some minky dot that she had found I thought it would be fun to make her little girl a simple pair of pants with it and then use some of the scraps for a little swing top. (I adore those from Wal Mart!) I don't think I will be doing alot of sewing with that particular fabric anymore. I love how it appliques (but for you other embroidery gals out there, I did find out that you need to treat it like terrycloth and use a piece of water soluble stabilizer on top of it) but that stuff is not fun to sew with! It rolled, frayed, slipped and puckered all over the place! I finally gave up on the sewing machine and did it all with my serger which made the task much easier. Anyone else had that much difficulty or is it just me?


Now, onto the Raggy Angel...I purchased this design from one of my favorite sites, Embroidery Boutique. She has some precious applique designs and her "raggy" series is too cute! The fabric has a piece of flannel sandwiched between it and the shirt, so when you snip around the design and "raggy" it with the edge of a dull pair of scissors it has an entirely different look than a regular applique! I love this little shirt, and like the girl's snowman patch I did it on the bottom off to the side. Matches the pants perfectly! I can't wait to surprise my friend with this little outfit!

More Market Baskets

A sweet friend asked me to monogram market baskets for her sisters and mother as Christmas gifts. These are the collapsible ones I posted about earlier and they turned out so cute! Email me if you are interested in ordering...I have a few colors and 3 damask patterns left in my stash!

Ice Cream and Cake

Not alot of sewing going on around here lately...I thought it would only be fair to let you know why...

We are a family that embraces tradition...even those that probably need to be done away with. For example, I have always made my children's birthday cakes. And each year, I always swear that next year I will simply call a bakery and order one. It wasn't such a big deal early on, but as the years progressed (and more and more children kept on showing up) the cake requests have gotten more elaborate. I blame alot of this on my daughter's obsession with all things Food Network and those "cake challenge" shows. I try to point out to them that those people are bona-fide pastry chefs...they have industrial sized mixers, fancy equipment, at least one assistant and never on any episode have I seen any children running around under their feet as they try to work. But on those occasions when I mention calling a bakery I am instantly met with wailing protest, so I keep on baking and frosting...usually with no idea of how this thing is going to turn out and the phone number of the nearest Publix bakery posted nearby in case of emergency. About a month ago, I was presented with the request for a "sports cake". That's it. No more description given. "Something with baseballs and footballs", he said. I instantly pictured in my mind a sheet cake with little plastic baseball and football players that I could buy and stick on top. Hooray! Finally something easy! "No," he replied. "Not players, just the baseballs and footballs. Made of cake."

Huh?

"How on earth do I do that?" I wonder as I promise to block Food Network with our parental controls.

But bake I did, and I must say that after 2 naptimes, one late night and more glasses of wine than I care to mention here is the result: (drumroll, please...)


The large baseball on top was butter-yellow cake made in the Wilton sports ball pan, and the bottom "field" was a 2 layer chocolate cake. The footballs (Oh. My. Word.) need to have their own food group because they are so yummy and are Oreo Truffles. You can find the recipe at www.Bakerella.com.
It was a fun day filled with lots of great kids (and their awesome moms who brought them and stayed to chat and help!), great gifts, lots of fun and some yummy cake.

I have survived to bake another year.

Have a blessed week! K

Brothers Snowman Shirt

Here is the brother's shirt that will go with the pink snowman patch shirt that I posted yesterday. I love the fact that I can use the exact same fabrics for the applique on both shirts so they truly match. These will make adorable Christmas card picture outfits!

Snowman Patch

Here is the newest design I purchased from Applique Cafe, and I have to say that so far it is my favorite design from them! I stitched this onto a Garanimal swing top (from Wal Mart!) but because of the high yoke I stitched it off to the side of the bottom. This would be so sweet with a cute pair of leggings or even just blue jeans! This pattern can be sewn in the 4x4 or 5x7 sizes. Here, it is in the smaller size because it works better on a toddler-sized shirt. I think my favorite part of this pattern is that it would be perfect for a girl or boy outfit so it will make a great matching brother/sister set. I also plan on using it for some fingertip and guest towels for some hostess gifts this Christmas season.
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to email me with any orders or questions you might have!
Make it a great day!

Monogram and Petal Patch

A friend asked me to monogram and applique some shirts for her little girl and sent the cute little leggings for me to match colors. The shirts are by Monag and have little ruffled sleeves and another ruffle around the swing-style bottom. The pants were both really brightly colored and had a really bold pattern so I didn't want to overpower them with anything too busy. This little petal patch from Applique Cafe was the perfect adornment and a vermillion colored monogram will tie the whole outfit together. So fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly's blog

If you've never checked this sweet momma's blog out then you should! Kelly over at Kelly's Korner (www.kellyskornerblog.com) is hosting a "Show us your life...what do you make" post. I have never done any of these "Linky" things before, but Kelly's blog is one that I keep up with on a regular basis. (Read just a few posts and you'll see why...you'll feel like she lives next door to you! So grab a cup of tea and go sit with her for a spell...) How fun that she is thinking like so many of us these days! It appears that I'm not the only one trying to "think outside the mall." Just in time for Christmas!
I will warn you, however, she really loves her Hogs, so if you're an SEC football gal (like me) her blog can get a bit "red" on the weekends! Have fun checking out all of the links to some really creative mom's sites!

Christmas Aprons

I am doing this little apron for a friend's daughter as part of her Christmas gift. This is a premade apron, but still very cute. They also have lots of other colors available and the mom's apron as well, which would work for an older child. I think this particular size would work for a little girl 10 years and younger. Older children would probably need the adult size. These would be perfect for helping mom in the kitchen or for some imaginary play as well! The picture really doesn't really do this colorful little apron justice, but I had difficulty trying to hang it so it didn't fold over on itself!
As always, thanks for stopping by!

Market Basket

These market baskets are so fun and functional! I did this orange one with maroon thread in the Monogram Wizard Plus "Arebesque" font and it should be perfect for my sister in law to carry everywhere. She and my brother are both Virginia Tech grads and she actually works there on the VT campus. They both love the orange and maroon hokies, so this should be perfect for her to use for tailgating and just about anywhere else she needs to go. And like I showed you before, these collapse and fold so they take up very little space when not is use! Have a great Columbus Day!

Serves Me Right...

If you know me well, you know how much I loved and admire all the things that my grandmother did. She also had a little set of rules that she chose to follow during her life, and she chose to keep Sunday as a day of rest. That said, onto the rest of my story...

The Hubs had asked me last night to make a baby gift for a friend who lives out of town. He and his wife just had their second child, a boy, about 2 weeks ago. (and y'all know how I love a new baby!) After the way the Hogs beat my Tigers like yard dogs yesterday in Arkansas, I was hardly in the mood to be creative last night. Today, however, I had some great ideas and new designs that I wanted to try, so after the boys went down for their naps and the two older ones headed off to practice, I went down into my "cave" to sew for a bit. I wanted to put one of these new button letter applique patches onto a 3-6 month onesie (which, by the way is tee-niny and a real challenge to hoop and get under a machine) but I was determined to get this gift in the mail tomorrow. I finally got the little bitty onesie under the machine, had the perfect thread and fabric picked out (I LOVE the combo of aqua and red, and I just found this little car print fabric a few weeks ago!) Isn't it cute?

So now I digress...

Remember what I told you about my grandmother?

She never sewed on Sunday.

Not a stitch.

She always said that every stitch you put in on a Sunday, when you got to Heaven, God would make you pick it out with your nose.

I thought about that when I pulled that sweet little onesie out from under my machine to admire it in all of it's cuteness. Notice anything?


Yup. Sideways. I flipped the onesie and I forgot to rotate the design after I put it into my machine.
I turned off my machine and closed the door for the evening.

See y'all tomorrow.

Spirit Wear!

I warned you earlier...I am one of those moms. I would wear a picture of my kids as an accessory if I wasn't afraid that someone would report me to Stacey and Clinton. Anywhoo, I love it when other moms ask me to make some spirit wear for them to wear to their kid's games! Especially when they say, "Oh, just do whatever you think would be cute!" and hand me a freshly washed T-shirt. (Insert a squeal of delight here) I had fun and was so excited that I forgot to take a picture of the first few, but I just finished this one and had my camera close by. I hope she likes it as much as I do.
Have a great weekend! K

Trick or Treat!

I have finally gotten to the bottom of the pile of things I needed to get done for other people, so I took some time to do some Halloween shirts for the twins. By the way, Wal Mart has an adorable selection of long sleeved Garanimals this year...both crew neck and turtleneck, and for the girls there are the most adorable swingtops! I will post a picture of the one I picked up for my niece when I get the chance. I heart Garanimals...not only are they very true to size, but they stitch up well and really hold up in the wash. I bought one in every color for my younger two! Here are the designs I did for them, very simple but they have gotten so many compliments today when they wore them!

I am starting to get a few orders for Christmas gifts...WOW! It is hard to believe that we are only 10 or 11 weeks away? (Oooh...that fills me with a bit of anxiety as I type...I'd better get a move on!)

I am off to finish up a few more orders and then some quality family time this weekend! Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed weekend! K

Sippy Cup

Here is a completed sippy cup. It actually has a straw built into the lid that snaps down when not in use. I love the little paw print fabric but it is a very soft cotton and doesn't have much thickness to it, so I serged it onto a stiff canvas. The great thing about these is that they are completely customized to suit you! Since all daycares and nurseries want you to have your child's name on all of their things this is a really functional item. (And WAY cuter than using a Sharpie marker!) They can be done very boyish or very girly for a gift that any child (and their mommy) is sure to love!

Fun New Embroidery Blanks!

Here are just a few of the fun things I ordered: First, 3 styles of insulated mugs for toddlers, older kids and grown ups! These can be customized with any monogram in any font. Also, I prefer to stitch onto fabric instead of the embroidery paper (it just seems to hold up better) but I serge the fabric onto a cotton canvas to give it a bit more body. You can pick your fabric and thread colors for a one-of-a-kind gift that any friend, teacher or child is sure to love! Also, so many people have asked about the new European Market Baskets...the last group I ordered sold out quickly! These are so incredibly fun and functional. Mine has been to the ballparks, on picnics, to school to carry class snacks, to deliver meals to a friend, to deliver goodies to the bake sale, to the grocery store...the list goes on! I actually have 2 of them, and one I keep in my car as an on-the-go snack basket so the kiddos always have crackers, juice, fruit snacks when we are running from activity to activity. That snack basket has saved me from many a drive-thru!! I have also seen people use them to tote books, dishes, toys and even their sewing and crafting supplies. But here is the best part about these...


They collapse and fold when not in use! That means they take up less space in your cabinet or pantry! Again, with a monogram or name embroidered on it, this basket makes a great gift for a teacher, mom, sister or new bride!

As always, thanks for all of your sweet comments and creative suggestions! Let me know if you'd like to place an order!