My Little Girl's Closet

Why I'm a bad blogger

2010-08-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share with you what I normally look like when I blog. This might give you insight into why I don't blog nearly as much as I'd like.

I sneak everything into nap time. This little sweetheart, however, often needs to be held during her naps. She struggles to fall asleep - unless we're in the car.

(she's in my lap on a pillow in this picture)

So what have I been up to otherwise?
Well we're Home right now. Home for me is Ottawa. As much as we've made a home in New Jersey, if you ask me where I call home it's Ottawa. I hope one day the rest of my family will be able to say the same thing. Unfortunately there are certain obligations that keep us in New Jersey.

We took the girls to Park Safari. It's about a 3 hour drive from Ottawa. They have a safari where you drive around a route and look at all kinds of animals. Huge signs say "don't feed the zebras, they bite" but they were the only ones interested in the food we bought at the entrance.
We didn't feed the zebras but other people weren't as paranoid as I was.

Zebras don't eat babies do they?

We all had so much fun and T is still talking about the "seebas"

Making a Watermark

2010-07-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine lamented over twitter this morning that she wants to be able to add a watermark to photos in photoshop. (Actually she wants to learn more about photoshop, so I foresee more of these posts coming as well)
I know how to do this so I thought I'd share.

But first, a disclaimer for Etsians.
A lot of the times when I'm making a treasury I want to feature something but it has a big fat watermark that ruins the photo. Be tasteful in your watermarks. I personally always crop my images for etsy to be 1000 pixels square. Etsy will crop your image to fit 170 x 135 for the front page, as well as for treasury features. (For the finds it's 200 pixels square)
This means that in order for your watermark to not be shown in the treasury it needs to be in the part of the image that gets cropped out.
If you want to just take treasuries and front page into account and not worry about the finds here is the math:
Figure out how tall your watermark is. Mine's 100px. Multiply that number by 2 (thus 200px) Because Etsy crops evenly on the top and bottom, that is how much you need to extend your image.
A 170 x 135 image becomes 1000 x 794 when enlarged to be 1000px wide. Thus to hide my 100px high watermark I need to make my image 1000 x 994. (But I'm just going to make it square because I like it that way)
Here's what the picture above looks like in a treasury.

Onto watermarking!
The easiest way I have found to watermark is to make a layer that you copy onto every image. Unfortunately you can't save layers in jpeg, gif or png, the three formats Etsy accepts. So make sure you save an unwatermarked version of the image before you save it with the watermark. In case you ever want to go back and change your watermark, crop the image etc etc.
So first we create the image we want for our water mark. To do this we want an invisible layer and a layer with our watermark design on it. (I like using white for my watermarks but you can experiment with other colors, it will be translucent when we are done) Because I like mine white, I like to have a temporary black layer so I can see what I'm working on.

Open a new file. (I made mine square so I can play with how it'll fit on my images)

Make a new layer

Fill that layer in with black

The text tool will automatically make a new layer for your text.

Change the opacity of the layer (This might need to be adjusted after you apply it depending on the brightness of the image)

Delete the black layer

Open the image you want to watermark

Make any adjustments (see my curves layer?)

Drag the watermark layer onto the photo and drop it. Make sure the watermark layer is the very top layer. Move it to where you want it on the image and voila!

Sew Along: The Final Steps

2010-07-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

To finish the dress you need bias tape for straps.
Bias tape is cut "on the bias" which means diagonally. This means it stretches and is A LOT easier to apply along curves.

I did a great tutorial on how to make bias tape from a small amount of fabric. Bias Tape Tutorial
Once you've made the bias tape, cut it to the length you need. (you can tell from the pattern, or you can estimate - though it's definitely better to guess too long than too short!)

Once you've made your strips, Fold in half and crease enough that you can find the center. Line the center of each strip up and pin to the center of the under arms as identified by the seam.

You'll have a section over hanging to make the ties with. (This image is from a different project so you can't see the over hang here)
Sew the strap to the underarm.

Then follow the directions in the Bias Tape Tutorial for making a clean strap end.

Fold over the bias tape and sew from one end to the other.

Repeat with the other side!

And the FINAL step?
Email me photos of your work so I can include you in the wrap up!
mylittlegirlscloset at gmail dot com

A little about me a little about you

2010-07-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs Luv in the Mommyhood has posted "a little about me and a little about you!"
I'll bite. Here are my answers. Want to join in? Take the first word of each line and fill in the rest! Post it on your blog and come back and link me!

Making: plans tons and tons of plans
Cooking: nothing, I'm on clear fluids today
Drinking: vitamin water
Reading: blogs online
Wanting: a new macbook pro
Looking: at the toddler trying to put markers up her nose
Playing: Dr Mario
Wasting: time, I could be doing something productive
Sewing: my autumn collection
Wishing: money grew on trees
Enjoying: watching the baby learn to crawl
Waiting: For a package from Canada
Liking: my issue of Ottobre, I want a subscription!
Wondering: Why babies grow up so fast.
Loving: My family
Hoping: That timing works out with my friend's baby and me going to visit
Marvelling: at T standing in front of the tv naming and signing things she sees
Needing: A nap
Smelling: Febreeze
Wearing: PJs
Following: www.twitter.com/curation_nation
Noticing: The lack of humidity - as shown by the lack of tight curls in T's hair
Knowing: Time is fleating
Thinking: about two craft swaps I'm in
Bookmarking: some patterns I want to try
Opening: A new vitamin water
Giggling: At the girls blowing raspberries and giggling at each other.
Feeling: Apprehensive

Paper Cakes is having a HUGE Sale!

2010-07-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Chelsea over at Paper Cakes Finds is having a SUPER sale because she's shutting down her etsy shop while she goes on Maternity Leave.
I highly recommend you check her out TONIGHT before she is gone forever. (Ok I'm exaggerating she'll be back in September, but do you really want to wait that long?)

Almost 7 months ALREADY?

2010-06-29T06:58:00.001-07:00

(Dahlia at 6 weeks)

Where does the time go?

I'm writing up Dahlia's story. I've tried to keep it as everyone friendly as possible, but if you don't want to read about a birth skip this post. It is photo heavy at the end. So if you want to look at photos and skip the story just scroll down.

Here's Dahlia's story...
Back in the beginning of December I was exhausted. Extremely pregnant as well as being mom to a 13 month old who's seconds away from walking. (She held off until her sister was born. Then she took off) I had some serious prodomal labor for weeks. Things would seem like they were progressing but then they would stop abruptly. On Tuesday Dec 8th I was feeling hopeful that things were moving in the right direction, but chasing T around was exhausting and there was no way I'd be able to really let myself surrender to labor with her there. We asked my father in law to take her for the day. My husband stayed home and we tried to get things go by walking and bouncing on the birth ball. It seemed like things were going well but they'd keep stalling and I was losing my morale.
From about midnight to 2am I chatted online with a few friends. They really REALLY helped. Because of all the false starts I wasn't sure that this was "it". They convinced me that even if it wasn't it, I was doing great. Soaking in the tub felt SO fabulous. By 3am my contractions were only 8-12 minutes apart. (For the uninitiated they tell you to go to the hospital when they're 4 minutes apart for 1 hour and lasting 1 minute each) Labor with T lasted 30 hours so I figured we were in for the long haul.
At 3:30 I called the midwife. I lied. I said my contractions were 6 minutes apart. We were on the phone for 8 minutes with no contraction. Right as we were going to hang up I had a contraction, I'd been groaning through them for about an hour at this point. She heard me and said "I'll be right there!"
I got out of the bathtub and walked to the bedroom. I don't think it took too long. But I had 3 contractions on the way! (from 8 minutes apart to two minutes apart in 30 feet) My fabulous husband started the air pump to blow up the pool. I wanted a water birth.
That pump was incredible.
I know, you probably don't hear people gushing about air pumps very often.
The noise it made was great. When a contraction would come on I would match the pitch of the pump with my groans. On the one or two occasions I started groaning at a higher pitch it quickly turned into a panicked scream.
Only a couple contractions after our arrival in the bedroom my water broke. I was beyond words at this point but managed to yelp a little "help" and a towel showed up on the floor. With a little help I climbed into the bed and got on my hands and knees.
The very next contractions something strange happened.
I started to push.
I didn't have any control over this. The contraction started to get intense (I wasn't getting a break between them at this point) and my body shuddered and I felt like I was standing beside myself trying to convince myself that I couldn't push, the midwife was on the way and we needed to wait for her. Afterwards I shuttered and came back into my body. I reached down to see if my accidental pushing was effective. It was. I could feel the top of her head.
This time I wasn't able to yelp.
Another wave came on and I found myself standing looking at myself thinking "what is this nutcase doing??"
Fortunately this time my husband looked up from the pool inflation and realized that things were a bit further along than he'd thought. He came around in time to see her head emerge.
What he did next I find amusing. Even in the moment I almost laughed at him.
He looks me in the eye and says "Kath, the baby's coming."
As if I didn't know.
He grabs the phone and dials 911 - since the midwife still isn't here. They transfer him to the wrong dispatch, who proceeds to try to give him the phone number for the right one. He hung up and dialed 911 again. Fortunately this time they sent him to the right people. By the time he was actually speaking to someone he was also holding Dahlia wrapped in a towel.

It didn't take long for an EMT and a Police officer to arrive. The EMT didn't have everything he needed. He radioed in to have someone bring something and I asked him what he needed and directed him to the dresser, where I had all the supplies laid out. (We planned a home birth) He was shocked and quite happy to find everything he needed right there.
While he checked Dahlia out I got my cellphone out and called the midwife and called a friend. (Note: I'm still on my hands and knees afraid to move because Dahlia is still attached)

The midwife arrived shortly thereafter. She helped me get into a better position, where I could hold the baby. The EMT announced that we should pack up and head to the hospital now. We politely declined. "But you just had a baby??!!" "Yeah... but I'm not injured or sick? There's no emergency?" "Ok.. umm.. sign this?"

It was a perfect experience. It was completely peaceful. Her birth was a moment I shared with only my husband. It was empowering, it was thrilling and it was perfect. It wasn't until he called 911 that things went nuts.

It wasn't how we planned but I wouldn't change a thing.
Later that day she was captured on Skype by her grandma.

A week later:

At 1 month

At 2 months

At 3 months

At 4 months

At 5 months

At 6 months

At almost 7 months on a skype call with my mom

Sew Along: Popover Sundress Week 3

2010-06-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

So now that we have all the fabrics cut out we're ready to sew! This dress comes together so fast you'll be amazed!

We'll work one side at a time. Take out one yoke and one dress piece. Set aside the other two pieces for now.
First, pin the yoke (the small piece) to the top of the dress with the right side of the yoke facing the wrong side of the dress. (like in the picture)

Sew these piece together along the top edge with a 1/2" seam allowance. Fold the yoke up and iron it.

Flip it over. Fold the top 1/2" of the yoke down and iron.

Fold the Yoke in half and iron.

Pick your trim - this is optional. Before we sew down the yoke we'll need to sandwich the trim between the two pieces nice and straight. I have a bunch I'm trying to choose from. Once you've got it in there, pin the entire "sandwich' together and sew the folded yoke and trim together really close to the edge of the yoke.
Repeat all of this with the second set of pieces. These become the back and the front of the dress.
Place the back and front together with the right sides of the fabric together. Sew the side seams.
The dress is almost finished! We'll talk about the bias tape next time. If you want to make it check out the bias tape tutorial here.

Help me pick a rickrack color? I'm leaning towards white...
orange:

black:

white:

pink:

light pink:

Sewing Baby Girl Clothes

2010-06-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

One of my crafty friends learned recently that she's having a girl. I have several other friends who are expecting girls as well. When I first heard, I thought I would put together a collection of some of my favorite free patterns. This is not even close to a comprehensive list of all the patterns available out there. Not. Even. Close. These are just the ones I've made myself.
I've decided to share it here so other people can enjoy the love too.

There are several blogs that are absolute gold for finding sewing patterns and tutorials.
Check out:
Made
Made by Rae
Luv in the Mommyhood

As for particular projects that I love, I've only included one from each source. But browse around each source! There's plenty more!
Check them out! (The images are links to the projects)

(used with permission)

If this isn't enough, also check out Craftster, Burda Style or browse around links in those blogs I mentioned. I really can't recommend them enough. I can get lost spending hours and hours clicking through from blog to blog.

Sew Along: Popover Sundress Week 2

2010-06-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

OK I'll admit it. I've been neglecting you. I'm sorry. Things got a little crazy around here. The new shop has been keeping me busy. We made the front page twice last week!
I also redesigned the blog. What do you think?

But onto the task at hand.
Hopefully if you're playing along you've already printed and cut out your pattern. (And resized it if needed)

Remember to prewash your fabrics before you cut out the pattern. I'm going to be using two quilting cottons for this dress.

When I was learned to sew my grade 7 home-ec teacher had us pin the patterns to the fabric. I blindly did this every time I've sewn anything else ever since. Recently I realized that it was a load of busywork. That's right, I said it. My home ec teacher knew that it would take us a full class or two to pin and cut out all the pieces. And she was much happier reading a book.

My secret? It's crap. Seriously, I use the random things near me as pattern weights. Lots of people just go to the hardware store for heavy washers. (One day I'll make the trip and customize a set for myself)

This time I used my mason jar pincushion and my giant jar of buttons. (don't let a glass jar of buttons fall and land on your toe. It hurts.)

I like to do this on my ironing board because I can just walk around the board while cutting if any of the angles become awkward.

Don't worry about cutting out the straps. We're going to make some bias tape later for that. But if you want to jump ahead you can always refer to my Bias Tape Tutorial. (We'll be using the same method to make the straps for the dress as we did to make the bias tape.)

Remember to put the edge marked Fold along the fold. (And it's ok to refold the fabric so you're not cutting it out of the middle.) For most of the sizes if you're careful about how to fold it you can actually cut the pieces out beside each other.

Cut out two of each piece. The dress looks really sharp with contrasting fabrics for the yoke and the body.

Make sure that if your pattern has a definite direction you cut both pieces the same way. (a dress with right side up cupcakes on the front and upside down cupcakes on the back is going to look a little funny)

We'll actually start sewing soon! (I'm not going to wait a week before posting again, I promise.)
I'm going to assume that people know how to use their machines but if you have any questions just shoot me an email (see my new snazzy contact me button on the side?)

Tutorial Grading a Pattern Version 2

2010-06-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ok so now that you've tried the first way to grade a pattern I'm going to show you an even easier way. This way isn't always appropriate. For instance I find it's better for grading up than it is for grading down... It's much better for larger pattern pieces than it is for smaller ones

I managed to do all this AND blog about it during the girl's nap-time!

First you'll need to collect your supplies: Paper, pencil and your pattern. (Good light helps a ton too)

Lay the paper on top of your pattern and trace the largest size. I also like to trace the next size down so I know how much to adjust between sizes. This is going to be a template for you to use in the next step.

Once you're done tracing, lay the pattern on top of the template. Line up the largest size on the pattern with the second largest size on the template so that you can see where the next size up belongs. Trace the template onto the pattern. You'll need to extend it in the same areas where the size goes up between other sizes - this means you have to do this in sections.

Use this template to extend all the edges that need to be extending (again any edges on the fold doesn't need to be extended)

Voila!

Tutorial - Grading a Pattern Version 1

2010-06-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Grading a sewing pattern means resizing it to fit your needs. I have never been taught how to properly grade a pattern, I sort of worked it out on my own. I've got two methods I use, the first works best for small sizes and small pattern pieces. The second is best for larger pieces - but I'll show you that another time. Both of them are really easy to do. Here's the first method. I'm going to use the Popover Sundress we're sewing in our current Sew Along.

Some of the steps are optional and you should be able to figure out which steps they are on your own, but I will mark them with the words optional step. This is more to give you an insight into my personal processes.

Optional Step 1 Set the kids up with something to distract them

Step 1 - Assemble your supplies. You will need the pattern printed out, scissors, tape, a ruler, and a pencil

Step 2 - Tape the pattern together, matching the letters

Optional Step 2 - Realize that the Toddler should not be within arms reach of the baby while playing with markers

Optional Step 3 - Move her

Step 3 - Look at the pattern and notice how the pattern changes with the different sizes, with this pattern the difference betwen sizes is pretty consistent until you look at size 2T to size 3T. Don't worry too much about that. we're going to take 1/2 inch off of the 2T size. Also notice that the line for the fold does not change with each size.

Step 4 - Using what you learned in step 3 we're going to start editing our pattern. Draw the straight lines. You want to make your changes similar to the ones you see between the sizes that have already been graded.

Step 5 - For curves, mark dots the appropriate distance away from the lines.

Step 6 - Connect the dots

Do this for all the edges that need to be graded. Notice, however, that any pieces that are against the fold, the fold does not change. Only grade the edges that are graded for the other sizes.

Optional Step 3 - Clean up the mess

Sew Along: Popover Sundress Week 1

2010-05-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Recently a couple of people have asked me for a simple sundress pattern they could sew for their little one.
I think it would be fun to have a sew along! I'll take it really slow for all the beginners and anyone who wants to pass where we are please feel free. Email me photos of your creations by June 30th and I'll share with the group!
Let's make this pattern. It's free and easy enough for the beginning sewers among us. To get started you'll need some fabric consult the following to see how much you'll need.

Main Fabric
Size 2T - 1 yard
Size 3 or 4 - 1 1/4 yard
Size 5 or 6 - 1 1/3 yard
Size 7 or 8 - 1 1/2 yard

In a contrasting fabric you will need a fat quarter regardless of size. (For the new sewers, a Fat Quarter is a 1/4 yard, but instead of it being 9" x 44" it's 18" x 22" Most craft stores carry fat quarters in their quilting section.) The pattern says you need significantly more, and while it's slightly easier to just use the layout they show, the way I suggest will waste a lot less fabric. We will either make our own bias tape from this or you can purchase double fold bias tape for the shoulder ties.

Make sure you have thread for your sewing machine in a color to match either the main fabric, contrasting fabric and/or the straps. (And if you're hand sewing this Bravo you have significantly more patience than I do!) You'll also need some pins, fabric scissors, an iron and ironing board, a printer and some paper.

If you want to add a little rick-rack or lace between the yoke and the main portion of the dress you'll need about 3/4 yard of it.

Photography Before and After

2010-05-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Recently there was an Etsy article about Before and After photos. I decided I needed to put together a comparison.
The first image was shot in my yard. I had T stand in front of the shed because I didn't want a bright green background. Unfortunately there was very little cloud cover so all the shadows are really harsh and it really darkened the image. When I tried to lighten it in post processing I discovered that the contrast between the highlights and the shadows was too big for me to be able to do much with the image.
So I searched.
I searched for a place to shoot. My wishlist was rather long, and I had to go several miles from my house to find the perfect place but I'm thrilled with it now.
* I wanted somewhere outdoors so there was an abundance of natural light.
* I wanted somewhere shaded from direct sunlight so that even given the brightest day the light would not create such harsh shadows
* I wanted somewhere with a neutral colored background with some architectural interest. I didn't want just a plain white background (plus how do you entertain a toddler with a plain white background?)
This is what I found. It's perfect.

Over the past week I've reshot everything here. Dragging the dress form out is not convenient but I think the end results are worth it.

The Bear

2010-05-23T06:39:00.001-07:00

I don't consider where we live to be "in the country" but we're definitely not in the hub of civilization. New York City is about 30 minutes away. We have just over a quarter acre complete with a fabulous artificial hill made by our septic system. Eventually when it's in the budget and we have the time we're going to re-fence the yard with a white picket fence and I'd like to plant a few fruit trees and some raspberry bushes. Right now we have 4 or 5 different types of fencing surrounding our yard. Weeds everywhere and so many of our bushes and trees are in desperate need of pruning. We are slowly getting to the yardwork that needs to be done. Yesterday Justin trimmed the bush that was blocking the gas meter.
Last August Justin and I got married. While we were away on our honeymoon our friends who were staying at our house discovered that we had another visitor as well. A bear. This bear made a few appearances but I guess he was returned to somewhere appropriate for him to be because by September he was gone and we haven't seen him since.

Last night the ice cream truck came by and the whole neighborhood came out to indulge. It's amazing the sense of community that a frozen dairy treat can bring. One neighbor that our friend the Bear made his presence known yesterday morning. He's back.

Welcome to summer!

What does summer mean to you? Are your summers full of ice cream, neighbors and bears?

Tutorial - Shirt Front Placket

2010-05-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

First photo

plack·et (plāk'ĭt)
n.
A slit in a dress, blouse, or skirt.

In order to fit a shirt over a head there needs to be some extra give to the neckline. Sometimes this happens because the material has a stretch to it - like with T shirts. Sometimes, with dresses in particular, there's a zipper. Recently I've learned how to make a placket that looks really sharp with a collar. It's like having a button down shirt except the buttons don't go all the way down.

First you need a pattern for your placket. You might be using a store bought pattern or you can figure out the size of the pieces you want. First figure out how long you want the placket to be we're going to call this number Y. You want to make sure you've left enough room for several buttons. You want to cut one rectangle 3" x Y.
The next shape is a little bizarre you can see what it looks like in the following picture. Draw this on paper before cutting into the fabric. Draw a rectangle 3" x (Y+1"). Cut it out and lay it facing you with the longer edges on the left and right and the shorter edges on the top and bottom. Draw a line 1/2" in from the left edge. Mark a point 1" up from the bottom along this line. Mark a point along the bottom 1" in from the right edge. Connect these two points. Mark a point 3/4" up from the bottom along the right edge of the rectangle. Connect this point to the one on the bottom. This will form an arrow, a little lopsided but we're taking some seam allowances into account. Draw a line from the left edge to the first line 1.5" up from the bottom.
This is what it will look like (this photo includes the interfacing which we will do in the next step) :

You need two pieces of interfacing. They're both going to be 1" x (Y-1") Iron them on 1/2" away from the left edge on the weird shaped one and 1/2" away from the right edge on the rectangle.

Line them up along the the right side of the front center as in the photo.

Sew the placket pieces to the front of the dress 1/2" away from the center. Stopping a half inch from the bottom of the rectangle and a half inch from the bottom edge of the other side.

Fold the seam allowance away from the center. and mark a dot a half inch up from the bottom of the rectangle, another dot horizontal and another dot 1/2" up from those two dots along the center. Like this:

Cut the front of the dress along the center line to the dot along the center line then cut from the center dot to each of the side dots. Forming an upsidedown Y.

Fold and iron the seam allowances like you see in the photo.

Now we're going to work on the side with the rectangle attached. So fold down the other side so it's out of the way.
Fold the rectangle in half with the right sides together, interfacing out. Sew just above the interfacing to the seam - which is 1/2" then clip the seam allowances like this:

Turn it right side out and iron

Do the same thing on the other side. This will form the point. You will probably need to fiddle with it to get it nice looking.

Edgesew (sew close to the edge) around the rectangle one. Draw a line an inch and a half up from the bottom point. Edgesew around the sides and top of the pointed one starting and stopping just below the line. Layer the pieces bottom layer, the little triangle flap of the front of the dress, then the top layer. Sew these layers together by sewing across the line you drew and then edgsew around the bottom portion of the placket.

Add button holes and buttons if you're using them. Finish the neck line with whatever collar you want to finish it with.

Cupcake Jump Rope Dress

2010-05-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm sewing the Oliver and S Jump Rope Dress for a friend. This required me to learn a whole new skill set. Plackets.
More to come...

Tutorial - Making Labels

2010-05-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm sewing for my shop, I need to label my stuff. I thought I'd share my label making process here.

Materials (all available at a craft store - twill tape is available at fabric stores):
Printable Iron on Transfer Paper
Computer and Printer
Iron
Scissors
Twill tape (I use 1/2" thickness) or satin ribbon

Directions:
1. You will need to create a design to put on your labels. Something simple which includes your shop name is best. (I decided that since googling my shop name does not bring my shop up in the first 3 hits I would also include the shop address on the labels.) This needs to be slightly slimmer than the twill tape, so if you bought 1/2" twill tape make the image about 3/8"

2. The image needs to be mirrored to print as an iron on transfer. I also highly recommend repeating the image to fill the page. This will waste less of the paper.

3. Print. I like to print on regular paper first to make sure that the image isn't too big for the ribbon. If it is make the necessary adjustments and check again. Assuming everything is how you want it, print on the iron on transfer paper and cut out the images to fit.

4. Carefully place the image face down where you want to iron it on. make sure there is no overlap of the transfer beyond the ribbon.

5. Iron. (Follow the directions on the transfer paper you bought.)

6. Once cooled remove the paper backing and your image should be transfered onto the ribbon.

7. Cut the ribbon to the lengths you want the labels to be.

8. Seal the ends from fraying with heat. To do this: hold a lighter in your right hand and the ribbon in your left. Light the lighter and slowly bring the ribbon towards the flame. You will see the ribbon react to the heat. Be careful not to burn the ribbon (or yourself). The ends of the ribbon will melt and seal themselves from fraying. (if you've never done this before practice a bit before you do this to your labels)

(This shows the difference between a sealed end (left) and a freshly cut unsealed end (right)

9. Sew onto your work!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

This morning I was woken up with breakfast in bed. Stuffed French toast with cream cheese and strawberries.
Yesterday I got some sewing time. Finished up the Ice Cream Dress View C (it's a blouse) that I'd been working on Friday and made another co-ordinating one.

I made the smallest size in the pattern - 6 months. It seemed really big - as most home sewn projects do... Turns out it fit T, so I took her outside to snap a few photos. Had to make it really quick though, since I intend to sell the blouse and it was raining.

I can't wait to do this...

2010-05-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

While I've been searching out patterns and reading various blogs about sewing. I discovered something amazing.
Before sending her off to kindergarten her little girl found out about the tradition of new school clothes... so she made a series of drawings of the clothes she wanted where it becomes amazing, and something I'm REALLY excited about doing with my girls is where she takes these drawings and actually makes the clothes! Check it out here and here.
I'm really excited about doing this with the girls. I think we'll end up making it our annual summer project. Once they are old enough I'm looking forward to their help too!

Front Page Excitement!

2010-05-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last night from 6-7pm there was an excitement in my house. This fabulous "high" created by discovering one of my etsy shop's listings made it to the front page. I'm in a new group on Etsy and we're slowly growing. This treasury was a way to feature our fledgling group and who knew it would be so popular!
My Runaway to the Circus T shirt made it. I had looked at it earlier in the day and saw that it had 172 views and 7 hearts. After making the front page it now has over 400 views and 20 hearts!!

Pictures to share

2010-05-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned the sheet set I'm working on for T. Here's what the pillowcase looks like. I'm excited to work on the flat sheet but I'm waiting until I have some child-free time to do that.

I completed a shirt from one of the vintage patterns. I love it! I'm looking forward to making a few more from that pattern.

detail of the puffed sleeves...
The gathers are at both the top and the bottom of the sleeve, I think this give it the retro feel...

The Quest for Toddler Bedding

2010-05-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

T has moved to a toddler bed. Her bed however is lacking bedding. Every single "toddler bedding" set I've found is either prohibitively expensive or Disney. Now I have nothing against Disney, but I think that it's crazy that I can only find Tinkerbelle and Cinderella sheets for my 18 month old.
Fitted sheets are easy to find in solid colors because they're just crib sheets. Where I've been running into problems is finding a flat sheet - or a set that includes a flat sheet. I've decided to make her a sheet set. (And to make as many copies of the set as I can from the fabric I have - since I'll want the two girls to have matching sets when D moves to a big girl bed.)
I've been browsing around trying to find the "right" fabric for a while. Found a pink fabric with the alphabet on it and a coordinating striped fabric on clearance at Joann's. Turns out right now their clearance fabric is 50% off too. So at $1.50/yard i bought what was left on both bolts. (5.75y of the alphabet and 2.5y of the stripe)

Today I used this tutorial to make a pillowcase. It went quite well, though the pillowcase was a little large - which was an easy fix. I have pictures to post when I get to uploading them from the camera.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to find the time to make the flat sheet. Only if it rains though, because if it doesn't we're going to the zoo.

My new dress form still doesn't have a name. Any ideas? Trying to decide between a boy's name (I don't know why I keep thinking of it as a "he" when "he" has never worn anything but dresses...), a Mobster type name - given the shady situation I got it in or one of the names that my husband vetoed when we were trying to name our daughters... What would you name it?

Oliver and S Puppet Show Dress and Tunic

2010-05-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I was working on the Oliver and S Puppet Show dress.
Now that I have a dress form (who still needs a name!) I thought I would show you what I've made.

The first one is actually tunic length and has matching shorts in black with the darker blue bias trim. I still haven't sewn on the buttons or hand sewn the hem.

After making it I gained the confidence needed to play with the pattern a little. I decided to try upcycling a men's shirt. It worked out beautifully. There's even a pocket on the bum of the dress - I didn't want to remove it, I wanted to leave the integrity of its origins in tact. And the best part? No need to sew on the buttons or do the hem!

Shady dealings and the best customer service I have ever had

2010-04-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

I want a dress form.
Not one so I can sew for me. I need one that is the right size for toddlers.
I've been searching ebay and discovered that while the prices are reasonable, everyone wants $20-$30 for shipping. Somewhere in my searches I managed to find a local warehouse that had one in stock. They would even let me pick it up! I called ahead and they said they could help me bring it to my car - a must considering I had to have both the girls with me.
So I drove out to the shady warehouse district in Newark NJ... I called to say I was at the front entrance and was directed around to the side of the building. A guy comes down the freight elevator with a black trash bag. I hand him some cash, check to make sure all the parts are there and toss it into the trunk.
I'm sure somewhere a security camera caught that and in a few weeks someone will come knocking on my door to ask me about my connection in the disappearance of some mobster...

So now I'm the proud owner of a new dress form.
What should I name her?

Visit to Grandma's

2010-04-06T09:15:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things about visiting Grandma is going through her stash.
Fabric, notions, patterns...
I have a jar of buttons that I got from her. She's of the generation that never threw anything away. In the jar are buttons from old shirts, buttons from pants and fascinating buttons with an unknown and mysterious history.
This trip, I perused vintage sewing patterns. Grandma let me take all the patterns I wanted! I can't wait to get started on some of these for the girls.

She also has a collection of McCall's Needlecraft Magazine dating back to 1948. She said I could have it! I took the first twenty home with me. Reading old adverts from 1948 really highlights how different the world is now.

Tutorial: Making and Using Bias Tape

2010-03-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Bias Tape intimidated me for a long time. And for a long time I was applying it wrong. So I've put together this little tutorial to help others use bias tape better.
I'm going to show you how to make bias tape, how to finish the ends for something like a strap (like in the Oliver and S Popover Sundress), how to attach to fabric for a trim and how to connect it to form one continuous piece around a circle.

First, what is bias tape?
Bias tape is a strip of fabric cut on the bias. It can be single fold, double fold, thick, thin. You can buy it premade or make your own. I use the premade when I want a solid color and make my own when I want a more interesting visible trim. Some people use bias tape to finish seams. It's also useful for straps, hems, and binding. The reason it is cut on the bias is to give it more stretch and flexibility. Sometimes if I'm making a strap for a dress or something where the flexibility is not important I won't cut on the bias. But anytime you're going to use it to trim, particularly around curves and corners, cutting on the bias will make it so much easier to use.

Making Bias Tape
So many times I've been laying out patterns on fabric to find that the only reason they want as much fabric as they do is because there's a long strip of bias tape. With a little extra effort I've found a way to use significantly less fabric - as long as you don't mind a few seams in the bias tape. Here's how:

Assemble your materials. You'll need: a rectangle of fabric - I'm using half a fat quarter, coordinating thread, scissors, and a ruler.

Lay the fabric out and fold one corner to the opposite edge to create a right angled triangle.

Cut the triangle out and place on the opposite edge

Place right sides together and sew to create a solid trapezoid of fabric.

(alternatively you can simply cut a trapezoid out of a larger piece of fabric, but this method leaves no scraps.)

Decide how thick you want your finished tape to be and multiply by 4 to figure out how wide the strips you will need will be. I want half an inch so I need to make 2 inch strips.

Cut a series of strips that width.

To sew the strips together place right sides together like in the image.

Sew across where the two fabrics cross.

Unfold, press and trim the excess fabric and thread. Repeat with all the strips to create one long piece.

Fold in half and press (iron) to mark center line. Unfold and fold the edges to the center line and press. Re-Fold along the center line again and press. This will create a strip of fabric that is 4 layers thick.

Making a strap
To make a strap some sources will tell you just to fold in half an inch and sew. This is method is a bit more complicated but it leaves a beautiful finished end.

First fold back along the center fold so that the center is folded the opposite way it naturally creases

Sew across the edge, and clip.

Turn right side out, allowing the center to fold as it should. To get a nice corner use a blunt object that will not damage the fabric to poke out the corner.

Sew close to the edge.

Voila, a strap.

Attaching bias tape as trim

Lay out the section you want to attach the bias tape to. In this example it will trim armholes of a shirt to create a nice finish on a sleeveless top.

Unfold and pic the raw edge of the bias tape to the raw edge of the fabric. it doesn't matter which side of the fabric you pin to because this seam will be hidden.

Using a small seam allowance, sew the bias tape to the fabric, being careful not to extend past the fold line.

Fold the bias tape over the raw edges

Sew close to the fabric along the bias tape to finish

Connecting to form a continuous loop
Some places you'll need to connect the bias tape. For instance when used as trim on a hem. Here's how to line up the connection with another seam.

Pin the bias tape all the way around leaving a little room near where the join will occur.

Bring the bias tape together and create a fold where the seam you want to blend in with is.

Press with fingers or iron to create a guide line.

Sew along the guide line, trim edges.

Open, finger press and pin seam before continuing, by sewing to the raw edge, folding over and sewing close to the fabric along the entire continuous piece.

The two seams should line up.

Enjoy!

Button Woes

2010-03-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

I hate sewing on buttons. The dress is done, I just need to get out the needles to hand stitch the hem and the buttons.
I love the dress though! So I'm going to try an experiment. I bought a men's shirt, I'm going to see if I can make the dress from that. Also since I just got the shirt at a thrift store for $2.50 it was actually cheaper than buying fabric...
I've been trying to get some stuff ready for my etsy shop's grand opening. I'm going to have a sale of some sort to celebrate, but I need to get everything organized and a few more things sewn before I can open shop.
T, the toddler, is sick so everyone in the house is miserable from lack of sleep. Last night I ended up making a 2am run to get infant tylenol. When I got home I just sat still in peace and quiet for 10 minutes. I almost pulled an all nighter sewing but decided sleep was the smarter option. I love my girls dearly but the thought of having even just 6 hours with no demands on my time makes me giddy. Too bad that's not going to happen in the foreseeable future.
I have several things to show off including a couple great tops and a couple dresses... But it'll have to wait. Coordinating the kids, camera and uploading is more than I can handle today.

In progress: Puppet Show Dress

2010-03-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

My pattern arrived! Because I'm constantly chasing my two girls around, I don't get a lot of sewing time per day. Saturday I cut out all the pattern pieces and the fabric I needed. Sunday I assembled most of the tunic. I just need to sew on buttons and button holes now. The pants are ready and waiting for me to sew them.

In other news, we are redoing the girl's room. My husband stripped the entire room right down to the studs. (And in some places discovered that he needed to rebuild the studs too!) The closet finally got it's last coat of paint and the new hardware installed this weekend! I can finally hang things up! My big plans for today include putting away a ton of clean clothes. I've got two different colored hangers so it will be easy to identify who's clothes they are.

I can't wait to get their old room back! I'm going to move all my sewing stuff in there!

Tutorial - Pouch Sling

2010-03-19T14:20:00.001-07:00

I LOVE to wear my baby. Dahlia snuggles right in and gets comfortable in our pouch sling. She is happiest when she is cuddled right next to me and able to choose between viewing and interacting with the world and napping. I can even nurse in this sling - and hands free too! And Dahlia loves the sling too, sometimes she even drools on it...

After posting a couple photos of Dahlia passed out in the sling I had several requests for a tutorial. So I've put one together. And I think the timing of it is perfect. Pouch slings are getting a bad name in the media these days. User Error has, tragically, caused the deaths of 14 infants in the past 20 years. Because of this, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning to be cautious using an infant sling for babies under 4 months of age. Fortunately they posted an image showing the proper way to carry a baby. Your baby needs air. Making sure that they are breathing fresh air and not air they've just exhaled is the key to knowing if they are in the sling appropriately.

The other key is having a sling that fits your body perfectly. My husband and I can not use the same sling because we are different sizes. This means I have the freedom to choose fabrics I would like to wear without having to worry about sharing with him.

Onto the tutorial! All photos are links to the photos on flickr, so if you need to see something closer please click away!

1) Assemble your supplies.
You will need:
2 yards of the pretty fabric of your choice. (I prefer quilting cotton because you can get it in a HUGE selection of prints)
2 yards of a bottomweight like, corduroy, denim or twill. (avoid stretchy fabrics though, they will mess up the ever important fit)
Sewing machine
Thread
Measuring tape (or a string will do in a pinch)
Scissors
Iron (and ironing board)

2) Measure from your shoulder to above your hip bone, diagonally across your body. You want to measure where the sling will sit against your body. I measure 28".
Take this measurement and add 3" to it. Multiple the result by 2. So for me the end number would be (28" + 3") x 2 = 62"

3) Cut both fabrics into rectangles that are 22" (usually this will be half the width of your pretty fabric) by the number in step 2. (mine is 22" x 62")

4) One fabric at a time. Fold the fabric in half twice so that all the corners meet.

5) Cut a curve off the corner. You want the curve to come in 3" along the long side. You can stretch it as long as you want across the short side, this determines how steep the sides of the pouch are. I like mine pretty steep so I keep the curve fairly short. Do this for both fabrics. (I like to use the first fabric as a template for the second)

6) Unfold everything and place the fabrics right sides together. Sew the fabrics together along the long sides. This creates a tube.

7) Turn the tube right sides out and iron. (Trust me. Iron it now.)

8) Figure out which fabric you want facing out most often. (the sling can be worn either way, but one way has a little flap that you'd have to hand sew down if you want it to lay flat) Fold the flattened tube in half so the fabric you want on the inside is together. Sew the ends together. (This seam is weight bearing, so please make sure you back stitch at the beginning and end)

9) Turn the sling the other way, so the inner fabric is outside. enclose the seam by sewing another seam with a slightly larger seam allowance.

10) Wear with pride!

Oliver and S Popover Sundress

2010-03-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Oliver and S make some of my favorite patterns. A couple days ago I received a shipping confirmation that said the puppet show tunic and shorts pattern has shipped to me! It doesn't say who bought it for me, but I think I know who it was. I'm super excited to make it!

While I was exploring free patterns online I found the Popover Sundress pattern.

It was super easy and super fast to make. I was even able to use some remnants I've had laying around for a while. I made my own bias tape which was the most time consuming part of the process.

The pattern was a size 2T so it will be a while before either of my girls fit into it. The pattern includes up to size 8. I expect this will become a staple of my girls' summer wardrobe for the next 8 years.

Playdate Dress

2010-03-16T09:34:00.001-07:00

We have a St Patty's day themed playdate to go to today. Everyone is supposed to wear green. T didn't have anything green to wear so I wanted to make her something fun. I went to Joann's to buy fabric and ended up buying a pattern and a whole stack of remnants. I love that most remnants are big enough for me to use for clothes for the girls. This beautiful batik was almost a full yard so there is plenty left over for me to make a matching kerchief.

I'm so glad spring is finally here!

Habitual kimono and JCaroline pants

2010-03-15T10:49:00.001-07:00

habitual kimono and JCaroline pants, originally uploaded by mmmcrafts.

Kimonos are a super cute piece to add to your children's wardrobe. Because they wrap around they are much easier to get baby into than a wiggle in top. As they get older they can look cute as pajamas or as a top. Sewing a kimono is fairly easy, and altering the pattern to make a dress instead of just a top is really easy as well. There are a quite few baby and children kimono patterns available online.Even Martha Stewart has one. My favorite one is: http://habitual.wordpress.com/kimono/I made a bunch of them when I was pregnant and I love them! The pattern is super easy to follow especially with all the photos to help out!There's even a flickr photo group for photos of ones people have made. http://www.flickr.com/groups/816319@N21/

My Little Girls

2010-03-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

I have two beautiful daughters. They are 16 months and 3 months old. People often call me crazy for having them so close together. I think I'm blessed. With such a small age difference they will be such good friends.

I joke that it also means I don't have to give up my sewing room yet, but alas, it seems I already have. That doesn't stop me, however, from pulling out my sewing machine and trying to create in the rare times when both girls are asleep.

I've started this blog to share some of my favorite patterns and tutorials from around the web. I'm also hoping that, by some miracle, I will have time to include some that I've created myself.