I'm in love with a skirt..

During my first week of maternity leave, I was going crazy waiting for the baby to come. So I decided to start a project to pass the time, and keep me distracted.

I found this pattern by Lila Tueller at my favorite store, Craft Warehouse. I instantly fell in love with it. I think the ruffles between the tiers is what sold me on it. I started browsing through the fabrics and saw this new line called "Just Wing It" by MoMo for Moda. It only took me about 5 seconds to make my decision.

The pattern was super easy to follow. No actual pattern pieces at all. Just dimensions for different sized rectangles. The hardest part was all the gathering. Each tier is bigger as you get farther down the skirt. So you have to gather the larger tiers to match the smaller ones, and spread out your gathering evenly. That took forever it seemed, but once I got the hang of it, everything fell into place.

I am absolutely in love with the finished product. The best part? It has an elastic waist, so I can make it smaller as I lose this baby weight.

My final decision: I will definitely be buying more of Lila's patterns in the future.

Birthday Gift

I made this gift for my MIL's cousin last week. Now that she finally has it, I can share it with you. Her daughter is part of a cheerleading team and she is one of the most supportive parents that I have ever seen. I made this keyfob and zipper pouch to help her show her team spirit.

New Bag

I made a new bag the other day. My purse has been feeling too big, and I know when I'm carrying around a diaper bag, I'm going to want a smaller purse. So I've been on the lookout for the "right one." I thought I found it, but it was $60, and I'm just not spending that much money on something that I will get bored with in a few months.

So I decided it was time to make one. I found this fabric and instantly fell in love. I absolutely LOVE these colors. And the prints? So gorgeous. Then I saw that it was 30% off, and grabbed it. I started searching for patterns when I got home, and I found this freebie at Very Purple Person. Not only was it super easy, and she gave fabulous step-by-step directions.. it was FREE!! Everyone loves free =D Bonus? It's completely reversible. I whipped this bag up in about 2 hours.

Option #1 (My Favorite)

Option #2

The next day, I decided that it was missing something. I made a fabric flower and stitched it on. Perfect! Unfortunately, this makes me lose the "reversible" factor. I guess I could put the flower on a pin, so I could switch it. BUT I like this fabric so much, I doubt I will ever turn it to the other side anyway. Haha.

Lola and Max

Remember these owls I made a while back? Well there is another pattern available from Gingercake, called Max the Owl. Very similar to Lola the Owl, just a different shape. I grabbed this fabric set a while back with these two adorable owls in mind. I thought they would be perfect in my Little Girl's Nursery. The colors are brown, green, and pink, with an owl theme. I started them ages ago, and finally got around to finishing them this afternoon. What do you think??

P.S. Sorry about the bad photo quality. It was late, and I couldn't get any natural lighting. Phooey.

My First Trade!

I recently had the joy of participating in my very first trade!! One of my favorite bloggers had been searching for a cute camera strap for her fancy new camera. I've seen hundreds of tutorials for making camera strap covers online, but I've always wanted to make my own strap, instead of a cover. BUT I don't have my own SLR yet.. just a little point-and-shoot.

When I saw her quest, I decided to take the plunge. Heck, the worst she can do is say No, right? Well thankfully, she said Yes!! I was so excited. I did my research and saw how other people were making theirs. I figured, Heck, I can totally do that! I changed the way the strap was assembled, and added some interfacing with my padding. (Two things I had not seen anyone else do yet). My first attempt was a flop.. tossed that one in the scrap bin. Attempt #2 was perfect! I literally almost jumped out of my chair when it was all done.

I'm planning on selling the camera straps in my Etsy store, I just need to round up some more supplies and get to sewing. I'll be posting photos of the camera straps when they are all done and ready to buy.

My main reason for posting though, is that I wanted to show you the beautiful jewelry that I received from her in trade. She knew I had a love for owls, and came up with this collection for me. I'm so incredibly excited! She even made them on a longer chain for me. You can visit her blog, After Nine to Five, and buy her jewelry at her Etsy Shop. This whole trade process was so easy, I definitely plan on doing it again. If you are ever interested in trading, please let me know! Leave me a comment, send me an email, whatever!

Computer Problems and a New Project

I may not be posting a photo every day, but I am still taking them! I'm determined to keep up with my Project 365, even after baby is born. I fell behind this week because I ran into a bunch of computer problems. I got this nasty virus somehow, and spent several days getting it all fixed. So Feb 22 is a picture of my computer screen, while running the second scan of the night. Feb 23rd was another night of computer repairs, so I took a picture of my companion. He wants to spend the night in my lap, and he is so darn cute when he asks. =]

Feb 22nd

Feb 23rd

Feb 24th

Today I stayed home from work for some R&R, and ran to the fabric store. I gathered up the supplies for my next project. I'm making a custom item for a fellow blogger, and I can't wait to show it to you!

Lola the Owl @ Gingercake

Lately, I have picked up a little obsession with owls. Not the realistic kind, but the cute cartoon kind. I have found several things to add to my baby room, and it has only fueled the fire. When I stumbled upon these cutie pies at Gingercake, I decided that I had to make them. You can buy the pattern for "Lola the Owl" by clicking here. OR You can buy the pattern for "Max the Owl" by clicking here. Both patterns are only $6 each, and super duper easy! All of the stitching for the pockets, face, and wings, is just a zigzag stitch. No folding and ironing. And it's a simple straight stitch to join the front and back pieces. I whipped these gals out in 30 minutes each. (It actually took longer than that to stuff them, but the sewing was really fast). These two purple girls are gifts for some twins coming into the family soon. I plan on making another one for my little girl, and I'm also going to try making "Max the Owl" too!

Baby Stuff!!

Saturday, my Mom took me to Baby's R Us for some shopping =] We finally have our stroller and carseat! Woohoo!

Feb 19th

Sunday (Today) I finally finished a project that I started a few weeks ago. These adorable stuffed owls for some babies on their way soon. Aren't they cute??

Feb 20th

WHW: Sewing

As I am typing this, I am stuck at work. There is a stack of new fabric at home, beckoning to me. I want so desperately to go home and sew! Now that I am finally almost over this nasty cold bug, my itch to create is back in full swing. And that fact that I'm having a little girl in a couple months is only adding to it. I have so many cute things that I want to make for her!

Wanting to Play

Feb 7th

I got to buy new fabric today! I was super duper excited. I haven't been able to go fabric shopping in months. I've been a good girl and I've only been using the fabric from my stash. BUT when I started a new project for my little girl's room, I noticed that I didn't have any fabrics in the right colors. What a shame ;-) So off to the fabric store I went! I'm sooo excited to dig in and start my project, but I helped Hubby clean out the garage today instead. Lame. Haha.

Purple and Pins

Feb 6th

Today was a nice lazy day at home. I finished one of two gifts for my cousin. She is having twin girls around the same time I'm having my little girl. I finished several other crafts this week. I can't wait until they all get their gifts, so I can share them on here. I'm so impatient! Haha

Caiti's Wallet

A couple weeks ago, I got my sewing machine back from the repair shop. I was so excited to get back to work. I had visions of dozens of completed projects dancing around my head. But then I got sick.. bugger.. Any extra energy I had went to doing the dishes and laundry. Last night I finally finished my first wallet since being back on my wonderful machine. This wallet was a semi-custom order. (I don't usually do those, so don't ask haha) This one was for a dear friend of mine, Caiti. She has been so incredibly patient with me, and I couldn't be more grateful =]

During Creation

   Today I spent most of my day working on another wallet. Half of the time spent making a wallet, is absorbed by ironing, cutting, and more ironing. All fabric is ironed, then all the pieces are cut, and then all of the stabilizer is cut and ironed onto each individual piece. It's time consuming, and definitely my least favorite part of the job.

Reunited

   I got my sewing machine back today! She has been at the repair shop for a few weeks now.. and before that she was broken for a couple months. I have missed her terribly. BUT we are back together again =] I must get back to work.. I have so many things to do!!!

My Wallets

One of the main purposes of my new blog, is to share my wallets and get some more business for my Etsy shop. I started making these wallets a couple years ago. I was growing increasingly frustrated that I could not find a cute wallet at any of the stores I shop at. Everything was boring, and one solid color. I wanted a cute fun print. So I started searching the web for a pattern. I couldn't find anything that fit my needs perfectly. I'm a picky person. So I started combining several different ideas I had seen, and threw in a few of my own. After about 6 "concept" wallets.. Voila! 

 Handmade clutch style wallet. Velcro closure.

Features:
- Three separate pockets for cash, receipts, and checkbooks.
- One zippered pocket for coins.
- One pen loop
- Ten credit card pockets.
- One transparent ID pocket.

All pockets are fully lined. Made with 100% cotton fabric and fully interfaced. All pieces are carefully topstitched and all seams are reinforced.

I posted a picture on Facebook.. and it only took a couple days before I had friends asking to buy one of my wallets. I had no idea how quickly things would take off. By Christmas, I had made 3 dozen wallets, and I had orders in process for about a dozen more. Eventually, I had to take a break. A few months later, I started things up again with my new Etsy shop.

Click here to go to my shop =]

I had a couple special requests for wallets with additional features. One of my close friends asked for an extra flap with more credit card slots, and an in-law asked for an extra flap with a fourth pocket to fit an extra checkbook. This 'extra flap' was definitely a challenge, but after a couple failures, I got it! These wallets are slightly larger to accommodate the extra contents. They have proven to be more popular than the originals!

I have several plans in mind for new designs. Including: a smaller pocket-sized wallet, a men's wallet, a cosmetic bag, and a checkbook cover. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I have them ready to release!!