Embroidered baby bibs

We recently hosted my husband's college roommates, their wives, and their babies for a weekend of fun in Northern Michigan.  Summer is the best time to be here, and we were so lucky that everyone could make it!  We had a total of 15 adults (including us) and 5 babies (including Lincoln, with him being the oldest at 11 months!).  Needless to say there was a lot of food, babies, and fun around this house.  In preparation, I thought it'd be sweet to make all of the babies matching bibs... you know... for all the work they put into coming up.  :)

I had seen onesies with little ties on them for boys in local boutiques and thought that was perfect for the little mini-men.  For the girls, I did a simple fabric stripe and bow.  I embroidered the names of the 5 babies who were present.  There are twin girls on the way for one couple, so they got a set of bibs, too.  But, the names are not being shared, so their bibs are nameless.  :)

I started by just free-handing a tie shape onto wax paper for my template and cut the fabric to match for the boys bibs.  Always leave a 1/2" seam allowance.  For the girls, I just cut out a strip of fabric.  To reinforce, I used some fusible interfacing that I had as scrap.  I then used a satin stitch and outlined the fabric.  To add the little details that make it more fun, I embroidered the name with my machine.

Lincoln's was the first bib I attempted since I was just kind of trying it out without any real direction.  I had set the stitch width to zero, which was not right.  I had to manually pull his through, and you can see it on the stitching.  He doesn't mind, though, and I learned better for the other bibs.

For the girls' bibs I also made a bow by cutting a strip of fabric and folding the edges under, and then in half.  I attached it with a few stitches and then tied the bow.  Next time it would be better to not stitch it down in the center, because when you tie the bow, one tail end is longer than the other.  But, the girls didn't mind this, either. 

Roll them up... tie with ribbon...

Arrange in a cute little bucket...

And attach a little tag for all our new friends.

:)

Baby Sleeping Sign

As a gift for a shower, I made a baby sleeping sign.  As a mom to an 11-month old (when did he get so big and old?!!?) with two golden retrievers, I personally hang a sad yellow post-it on the door when he is sleeping.  Once that baby boy of mine goes down, I will go to great lengths to keep him sleeping.  I think all moms can admit to driving around town just to keep a baby sleeping.

So, in hopes that my sister-in-law doesn't resort to a post-it note, I painted her a little sign.  It was inspired by this one on etsy.  I figured it was super cute... and also super easy to make.

So, I got things together.

I got this piece of wood from my father-in-law's custom cabinetry business.  It was scrap to him, and perfect for me.

Line up the paint colors and choose your combo.

Lay down cardboard and mix up your colors.  I used brushes for the paint, and the ends of the foam brushes to make the polka-dots.  I drew on the letters free-hand using a toothpick.  I think the original one that I worked from used the rub-on scrapbook letters... but I didn't have them on hand, and a bit of imperfection adds a bit of character... don't you think?

I love the polka-dots and the imperfection of them.  I did have to re-do the top line 3 times.  Not quite sure why it wasn't working time after time.  The little purple dashes along the stripes were done with a toothpick, also.

I hope she'll be proud to hang this on her front door.

Add a little ribbon for the hanging...

And paint the backside and use some picture hardware to make it more finished.

And, the little details that make it more special.  I don't know baby girl's name... but a heart and the date should do just fine.

I hope that baby girl is a good sleeper... and hopefully this sign will help!

Personalized Gift Tags

I love giving gifts.  It is just so fun to think of something that someone will really enjoy, and buy it for them.  And, one thing I love to do before giving a gift, is making it even more personalized with the wrapping.  There is just something about the little details that can make someone feel that much more special.

We celebrated many birthdays in July.  One being the first birthday of Lincoln's friend, Micah; and another being our sister-in-law Lisa's 27th birthday.  I decided to wrap the gifts each in the same paper... and make similar gift tags to top them off.

These just kind of came together as I went.  And, it only took maybe 5 minutes total.  Even better.

I just free-hand drew some letters on the extra wrapping paper after cutting it to the size of the gift.  Put it through my trusty sticker maker (which I love... and works like a champ at its ripe 'ole age of 9 years... at least!), stuck the letters to cardstock, cut it out with fun scissors, outlined in permanent marker and added an eyelet to make it feel a bit more finished.

And, of course you have to add ribbon... real ribbon... in colors to suit the special person!

I think that these will become bookmarks.  Even better.  The cuteness lives on.

Baby Elephant Quilt and Goodies

2 years.  Really?  How has 2 years gone by without a post?  Not to mention that I didn't do a good job at getting the posts going.  Oops.

I have done projects.  Lots and lots of projects.  So, I guess it is time to catch this blog up so that I can keep keeping track of what is going on. 

I recently made a baby quilt for a new baby girl in the family.  Momma likes bright colors and daddy loves elephants.  So, I found this quilt and pinned it, knowing that it would soon become a project.  Here is a pic of the inspiration...

Source:  www.sew-much-ado.com

There was a tutorial for the quilt above, but I like to just wing it.  It kind of feels more creative, or fun, or maybe just allows me to make mistakes and not feel so bad.  I'm sure that I recreate the wheel at times, but I guess that is how you learn best.

We originally thought that we would do 4 squares and each one would be made by me, one by grandma, one by another aunt, and the last by another aunt.  But, instead we did it all together, and bought all the fabric together.  We kind of did it assembly-line style with cutting, ironing, measuring, and I sewed it together.  Oh, and I just free hand sketched an elephant based on the picture above.  Maybe I should post that to this post for reference... huh?  I will make a note of that. :)

We ended up buying a LOT of fabric.  Not sure how we calculated...or miscalculated... the fabric to end up with so much extra, but it made for a few cute extras.

Here is the final products!

Here is our quilt.  I didn't even measure how big it was, but each square in total was maybe 16 " x 16".

On the back, we put a super-soft, super fun yellow fleece.  Different textures are so stimulating to growing babies.

A little detail we added, that I don't think was on the inspiration quilt, was elephant ears. How fun for a little one to discover the ears!  I think it makes the quilt, really.  Oh, and we left the edges of the elephants raw so that they would fray when washed over and over.  We thought it would add a fun detail, and we kind of had to when our first plan failed.... miserably.

Also, we included a satin border.  Again with the different texture thing.  My little man loves satin-y textures, so hopefully this little baby girl will like it, too!

A layer of Warm & Natural batting in the middle makes it super cozy.

And a close-up of each square.  Don't you just love this bird fabric?

Super bright and lots of contrast for baby's developing eyes.

The paisly-stripe square is my favorite, for sure.

More patterns, more bright colors, and more contrast!

With some of the leftover fabric, I made a little mini-blanket.  You know, to take along in the car, or have in the crib as a security blankie... and it is full of texture (soft yellow on back) and contrast again.

So fun.

And, because I just can't help myself, I had to make an elephant pillow.  But, it ended up looking more like an anteater with a nub for a tail.  :)  I still think she is pretty cute.

And, of course, soft yellow on the backside.

I love the skinny legs.

All layered up and ready to go!

Kitchen Table Makeover

So you know when you just buy your first house right after getting married?  And you take in all of the hand-me-down furniture you can - because, frankly, houses are money-pits and it's hard to do all the improvements that you want and still save as much as you want.

Our kitchen table is one of those items.  It was the kitchen table that my father-in-law grew up on with his seven siblings, which is actually kind of cool to use the same table.  Let's just say that it has been used well.  And it must have been very stylish...in the 1960's.  And furniture from 50 years ago seems to be more sturdy than furniture today.  So, it is functional, and my husband is logical, and so we have a kitchen table.  Complete with golden wood finish and lime green vinyl cushions. 

Here's a little glimpse...

Oh, yes!  Despite the sweet puppy and crisp white table cloth, you just cannot hide that 1960's vibe! 

There is a saying in my family about furniture... if it's ugly...paint it white!  It has always worked for those garage sale pieces that I found to furnish my room during college.  And, I am proud to say that my furniture painting has expanded beyond just white.

So to give this sturdy, reliable, family heirloom a quick makeover, only a few steps and tools are necessary.  Find yourself some home dec weight fabric, a staple gun, paint brushes/rollers,  primer, and a high-gloss paint.  (high-gloss is said to be sturdier than a flat finish).

First you start with taking off the cushions by unscrewing the screws that hold them in place.  Then keep going with sanding down all the wood.  You don't have to sand too much, just enough to make scratches in the old varnish finish.  Then wipe the wood down and slap on a coat of primer.  If going with white, or a light color, a white primer will do.  If going with a darker color, you will want a tinted primer.  Once the primer dries, put on a few coats of paint.

Cut out your new fabric by laying a cusion down on the fabric.  Be sure to leave yourself with enough extra fabric to come up over the sides of the cushion, and then a few inches to work with on the underside of the cushions.  It is always better to have a little too much.  Cover the seat cushions with new fabric, pleat around the corners to give it more of a tailored look and around any curves to hold the fabric closer to the cushion.  Staple it down with a staple gun.  (...a strong husband may be a necessary tool when using the staple gun.  Those things just aren't made for comfort!)

Once all paint is dry, eagerly screw the custions back onto the chairs and...Viola! 

A whole new kitchen table!

Add a textured rug, and a few fake miniature apples in a wicker bowl, and it can change the whole feel of the room!

After all that hard work, don't you think it's time to sit back and enjoy a cold, fresh fruit smoothie on the last days of summer... yum.

Personalized ball pillows, wrinkly toes and sweet treats.

So today I got to meet a very special someone. 

She has delicate eyelashes, wrinkly toes, and pudgy knees.  Oh, and she was only 17 hours old and her name is Maggie.  Precious. 

My good friend, Sarah, had her baby girl last night.  You can see other posts (here, or here) related to baby showers and baby gifts for this much-anticipated little girl.

I came home totally energized about the miracle of perfectly formed babies... and had to channel this energy somehow into something productive.  My husband can only hear about the wrinkly toes so many times before he is convinced that I am crazy.

So, I started with some of these....I like to call them boy cookies.  They are chocolate walnut.

And, while I was at it... why not make some girl cookies (white chocolate cranberry)...

And, who can resist a few more ball pillows.  Personalized with an 'm' for Maggie.  (See the first round of these adorable pillows here)

Let's get a little close up of the 'm' detail.  Aren't details the little things that make life happy? 

Yep, details make me happy.

And, to keep me focused a little longer, let's put it all together in a picnic basket with a personalized tag.

There we go.  Energy channeled into goodies for mom and baby.  I can't wait to secretly drop these off on the doorstep to greet mom, baby and dad as they arrive home from the hospital tomorrow.  :)  Hooray!

T-Shirt Blankets

If you are anything like me, you have tons of t-shirts sitting around that you hold onto for the sentimental reasons... but you just don't wear them anymore.  And, you have friends who have the same pile of t-shirts.

A few years ago I made a t-shirt blanket out of my pile of shirts... maybe that will make a later post.  And, this year for Christmas, I played crafting 007 to make a blanket for my best friend. 

I emailed my best friend's mom (her mom lives in TN) and asked if she could sneak the pile of t-shirts out of my best friend's house (which happens to be in FL) and send them to me (in MI).  It was a multi-state plot necessary to make a great Christmas present.

So, once the t-shirts arrived, it was time for the cutting, interfacing and sewing to begin!  I think I cut my interfacing in 16x16 in squares. (The blanket ended up being pretty much the size of twin-bed quilt.) Iron them onto the t-shirts, otherwise the t-shirt will stretch and pull every-which-way when sewing.

Once the interfacing is ironed on, cut the shirts to the size of the interfacing.

Once you get all the t-shirts prepped, you can begin to really personalize the blanket.  The pattern of shirts, the fabric used to outline the shirts (if any), and the thickness of your border can totally be up to you.

I followed the way I made my blanket - clean and simple with the fabric borders.  I like to add a little spice ot the back so that if you want, you can always flip it over and have a fun blanket.

There you have it!  A brand new blanket and perfect way to keep all those shirts lying around.

Fun, spunky, colorful, and cozy.  Perfect!