Toddler Ruffle Apron

I finally got around to making an apron for Ellie. She just loves helping me in the kitchen and always wants to wear my apron, so I figured it was time for her to have her own. It's supposed to be part of her Christmas present, but I just had to have her model it for the pictures. I followed a tutorial for it here at Babblings and More. It's not perfect, but it's made with a lot of love. I ran out of pink material, so I used white ribbon for the ties instead. It's so girly and cute. I think she looks just adorable in it!







Linking up to
>

Toddler Ruffle Skirt (T-shirt upcycle)

I am a total rookie when it comes to sewing. I have not a clue what I'm doing 99% of the time, so I am very happy when I find awesome tutorials for easy, cute projects. I used this one from Sew Much Ado to create this ruffle skirt out of 2 old t-shirts. It is far from perfect, and I even messed up so badly that my fabric got caught in my sewing machine, which required me to dismantle my machine and put it back together. Ugh. That was not fun. Anyway, despite the imperfections, I think it turned out rather cute!

Linking up to Raising Homemakers

Ric Rac Receiving Blanket

On Saturday I decided to try my hand at a little sewing project, and I think I can now say that sewing is my favourite of the "handicrafts". A few months ago, I found this tutorial for sewing a ric rac receiving blanket, so on our holiday to the USA, I picked up some flannel fabric and ric rac for the project. I'm really kicking myself for not picking up more fabric while I had the chance. Fabric here is so expensive and the nearest fabric store is 3 hours away. I am very much a sewing beginner (as in, I barely know anything about sewing), so this project is perfect for people like me who like to sew but aren't very skilled at it yet. The tutorial has awesome step-by-step instructions, and the blanket is a very nice size - not too big or small. Originally I had planned to give this blanket away as a gift, but I'm thinking I may just keep it for a future baby boy we might have someday.


Both my mom and my mom-in-law are talented seamstresses. I really wish I would have taken the time to learn more homemaking skills such as sewing when I lived at home. Thankfully, it's never to late to learn (although it's a lot harder to find the time)! Even though it might not be economical to sew these days, I think it's good for homemakers to know the basics of sewing. Besides that, it's a fun little hobby, and handmade things are always so much more special than store-bought.

*I'm linking this post to Raising Homemakers*

Re-purposing Sewing Projects

Here are a few projects I'm hoping to try out this fall and winter (After I get all my canning/blanching/freezing done).

Re-purposing Sewing Ideas

Got an old pair of jeans? Follow this tutorial to transform them into an adorable little girl's jean skirt. Or, make a cute twirly jean skirt following these instructions here.

Got an old t-shirt or two? Check out this really easy tutorial for a cute ruffled skirt for a little girl.

How about some scrap material? Try out this easy elastic skirt.
Find French seam instructions for it here.

Receiving Blankets

Now, here's a project, a ric rac receiving blanket that even I can make. (I think!) I even bought fabric especially for it! There's another tutorial on this same website for a rag edge receiving blanket, too.

Now...I must get back to my beet pickles!

Pillowcase Dresses and Button Down Dress Shirt Dress

Pretty sure I`m not skilled enough to make these, but I might just have to try. I came across "the pillowcase dress", which looks fairly simple to make. For it, you use either a pillowcase or some leftover material to create a cute little dress. You can find a tutorial (the one I plan on using) here. I also like the tutorial for it that I found here. The other idea I came across is using an old button-down dress shirt to make a little girl`s dress. This one looks a little more challenging for a novice like me, but I think I might have to try it sometime, too. I find that fabric is pretty expensive these days compared to buying clothes, but these projects transform one item into another. So, if you pick up the items at second hand stores or garage sales for a dollar or two, it`s very inexpensive to do these projects. I hope to get around to trying these projects in the fall. I am finding that summer is really busy with gardening, yard work, and canning. Part of the reason for me blogging this is simply so I have access to these tutorials whenever I do get around to trying them. I often come across an idea over the internet that I really like, and I think I`ll remember where I saw it, but I never do. Plus, I`m not a fan of bookmarking pages. By linking the ideas to my blog, I will actually be able to find the websites when I do get around to the projects.
*I should clarify, I am not the skilled seamstress who make the pillowcase dress in the picture, but I sure would like to try making one sometime!*

Sewing Project

We just returned from a great weekend visiting some friends of ours. While our daughter played with their 2 youngest girls, I had a chance to learn more about sewing from a friend and fellow sister in Christ. I brought my sewing machine along, so that I could learn more about it and put it to good use. My friend was kind enough (and patient enough!) to offer to teach me some sewing basics, and we did a simple project together. Other than the little instruction I received in grade 8, I know next to nothing about sewing. We had a great time visiting and sewing away for a few hours. We made a cute little apron bag-holder thingy (I don't know what else to call it!) to hold plastic bags. It has "prettied up" my pantry quite nicely! Thanks, dear friend, for teaching me several things about sewing. I had a great time!

The finished project before I stuffed it full of bags.

Here it is in action.

I have a cute little dress pattern that I'm hoping to tackle next time. Thankfully, both my mom and my mother-in-law know how to sew, too, so maybe I'll get their help with my next project!

My First Sewing Project

I finally finished my first sewing project with my own sewing machine - curtains for our bedroom. They are very, very simple curtains sewn out of two bedsheets. Far from perfect, but I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I hardly had any clue as to what I was doing. I just "winged it" for the most part with a few tips from my Mom along the way. I had to read through my manual to refresh my memory as to how to thread the sewing machine, but once I got going, I really enjoyed it. One thing I did learn - make good use of the iron and press as you go as it makes sewing much easier. I'll probably have a few pairs of pants to hem and then after that, maybe I'll try sewing an outfit for my baby girl.

Well, my husband is off work for 5 days now after working 26 out of the past 29 days (I think), so I'll be taking a short blogging break and enjoying our time together. He told me today, "Our holidays start today, so don't be afraid to have a treat!" LOL.

Sewing 101

I have tried knitting...and failed.
I have tried crocheting...and failed.
I have tried scrapbooking...and failed.

Now I'm going to try my hand at sewing with the hopes of discontinuing my negative pattern of failing miserably at the art of "hand crafts"

My mom gave me her old sewing machine to use and I have been waiting for her to come over and give me a few lessons. Back in the day I did sew a pencil case, pajama pants, and a shirt in home ec., but since then I have forgotten many things. Yesterday my mom came over, we set up the sewing machine, and she took me shopping for a sewing kit (my early Mother's Day gift :-) ). It was very exciting, and I could hardly wait to get started on sewing some curtains for our bedroom. Then when we got home the crazy machine would only sew backwards! Kind of disappointing. So now I am planning on getting myself a new sewing machine. I'm not sure what kind to get, but I'll probably just get a pretty basic one to start with. I have a couple patterns for really cute dresses that I can't wait to try out on my daughter. Not sure when I'll get around to buying one, but I hope it will be soon!