Nola needs a bustle!

I love this dress! Kyle and I just finished watching Deadwood, the HBO series on DVD. This drama is set in the late 19th century in Deadwood, South Dakota, a growing frontier camp. There is a little girl in the series, her character name is Sofia Metz. In the second season the camp forms a school for the children and Sofia wears the most fabulous dress for her first day! I could not find a picture of the dress anywhere on the internet. It's black & white striped, knee length with long sleeves, and a BUSTLE! So now I am in love with the idea of a bustle dress for Nola. As soon as she starts walking, a cute little bustle to pad her fall, so SWEET!

Anyway, I googled "girls 19th century dress + bustle" and this was one of the images that was found. Ruffles, bows and ribbons seem all the rage right now if you look at Anthropologie and Ruche, well just about anywhere you look really. . . There are so many projects swimming in my head, I can't sit still! Plus, I fall into the abyss of the WWW and its all over. I found this "Refashion Roundup" on one of my favorite blogs and bookmarked so many projects its ridiculous. I especially like the ruffled shirts, this one in particular found here, and a very cute and practical ruffled tote. So many projects, so little time.

The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

I love this dress. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me win it. The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

Nola's Baby Sling

Nola is a snuggle bug. . . AKA she likes to be held constantly! So I decided MAYBE I could get out and about if I had one of those baby slings. I hopped on Google and searched for "baby sling pattern + PDF" and came up with several tutorials.

The result is a combination of several different websites of instructions I read but I am not totally satisfied. The opening puckers a bit and I expected it to be more snug, and if I follow the safety precautions correctly I think that this sling sits a little low on my torso. The fabric was going to be a shirt someday and I LOVE its vintage feel, so I guess I will eventually be going back to the drawing board to correct this sling so I can use it more. There has already been several inches removed from the French seem at the bottom of the pouch portion AND I added pleating at the shoulder to get away from the uncomfortable bunching. I will add this to my list of things to do, lol the longest list EVER!

Diaper Bag for Nola

I finished this bag for Nola in the nick of time! I stayed up late on May 22nd to complete the finishing touch - the changing pad. I was scheduled to have a C-Section on Monday morning, the 24th, so I thought I had all day Sunday to pack and get ready! Well, I woke up at 6am on the 23rd with contractions, oh goodness. Little miss Nola decided to come a day early! Good thing I got the bag done ;).

This pattern is from Amy Butler's book Little Stitches for Little Ones. This particular project is the Modern Diaper Bag. I've made several things from this book and have plans to make several MORE things, so it has been a good buy. However, I do caution to follow instructions very carefully because I find myself backtracking to small details at least once in each project. Overall, this bag ROCKS for functionality and all the reviews about it being "huge" are correct but right on the money for a diaper bag.

The interior of the Modern Diaper bag has 6 ample sized pockets, great organization!

This was my addition: a key ring clip attached by a ribbon at one end of the interior.

Of course I embroidered my name into the inside, why wouldn't I!?!

If I had to do this bag all over again, I would have gotten some stronger interfacing. The interfacing I used was for medium weight, but I would appreciate a little more stiffness. Other than that, the bag works great and I have gotten a lot of comments on the fabric choice and of course the SIZE. You could fit the kitchen sink in this thing. . . oh and beware, if you want to make this Modern Diaper Bag you WILL feel like you are spending more time ironing interfacing than you are actually sewing.

Babyshower Gift for Lil' Ms. Seylor

Today is Lil' Baby Seylor's Shower and I couldn't make it! I'm so excited to welcome another little Seylor niece into our family. I did manage to mail a little something to keep her warm and entertain her in the first few months.

The receiving blanket was copied for size from a blanket I had for the Brodster. Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely LOVE my new embroidery machine!?! Yeah, my husband kicks ass :).

This is a krinkly baby toy I found here by way of a blog I follow, Smile and Wave. What a cool way to recycle something so simple as a wrapper for baby wipes! Lord knows I will have a LOT of these wrappers over the next 3 years!!

Then of course I had to make this baby booties, a pattern from the book Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. I will admit that the instructions were somewhat confusing because I am too used to the complicated patterns from McCalls, Vogue and Simplicity. Once I figured it out, it was a breeze. So if you ever do an Amy Butler pattern, read through the directions once and take your time! Next I'm making the Modern Diaper Bag from Amy's book, gotta go get started. . .

Cora's Doll

I made this doll for my darling lil' God Daughter Cora for her birthday present in 2008. I learned a lot: how to make moccasins, first wing dress I ever made, and how to weft hair! It has been so long, I must apologize I cannot credit my sources, but I googled most of it. I plan on making a doll like this for the County Fair one of these days, they actually have a category just for Native American Dolls! Anyway, hope this inspires one of you. . . besides Kyle, lol.

Dahlia Polka-Dot Hat

Well Buffy didn't feel like being America's Next Top Model today, so Brody was the best looking choice in town! My poor baby boy, as if his hair isn't bad enough I gotta dress him in girl's hats and take pictures to post on the internet. Isn't he a sweetie pie though? I guess I am a little biased.

Here is the finished product though, I'm pretty proud of my construction and as usual the new sewing machine REALLY helps! (Love you Kyle) This hat is meant to be worn a little side ways and low on the forehead which distinguishes it as a Cloche. I added a bit of elastic in the back to ensure fit, this was not part of the pattern. (Thank you Curiously Crafty) There is also an added sash of fabric across the front which covers the seam where the brim meets the hat, I slip stitched this in place. I did not follow the directions to the tee, and my hat turned out a smidge larger which I planned so that I could add that elastic. Anywho, everyone go make a hat and post your pics for me to see!