ed emberley alligator quilt

November 18, 2013November 18, 201315 Comments

i snagged a couple naptime hours this weekend to clean up my utter disaster of a sewing room…and in the process, i got inspired to do some stashbusting and a project i’d delayed for far too long – a cozy quilt for O!

the little guy doesn’t realize it, but i’ve felt bad for a long time because i’ve never made him a blankie of his own. i made his sister a quilt, and multiple cozy flannel/minky blankies for snuggling/school, but none for him.

it’s not like he’s blanket-deprived – he was gifted a number of handmade and store bought blankets at baby showers and has actually adopted my baby quilt as his own…just none made by ME. and i believe that there’s nothing more special a mother can make than a cozy blanket for her kids. you’re literally wrapping your little one up in love!

it was when his unborn baby brother was gifted a beautiful CINO quilt that the guilt really started to set in. O needed a home sewn quilt! NOW!

i had gotten this Ed Emberley for Cloud 9 alligator print at Bolt last year with the intention of using it for a blanket for him…

…and same plan with the super soft light blue minky on the back.

it’s hard to see in photos, but i did irregular sawtooth quilting on the alligator print and straight horizontal lines across the solid color blocked top and bottom rows. it looks like alligator teeth in person! there is no batting, but due to the minky it still has a nice weight to it.

the top and bottom rows (scraps cut 8” high to extend this directional print a bit for more coverage) are a mix of Kona and Moda Bella solids from my stash in colors that pull from the print. the quilt measures 35” x 50” which covers him very nicely.

the binding is Amy Butler’s full moon polka dots in tangerine (still available here)! think i may have gotten that at Bolt too. 😉 it’s finished by zigzag stitch, both for speed and to mimic the sawtooth quilting / alligator teeth motif.

love how the colors look when they all drape together, it feels bright and happy but still boyish.

i showed the in-progress quilt to O when he woke up from his nap, only partly quilted, and he was very excited about it, rubbing the minky side on his cheek, etc. i promised him i’d finish it when he was asleep that night, and i did. i laid it on him while he slept and when he came to our room in morning, he had wrapped himself up in it! he proceeded to “Linus around” with it for a good part of the day. GREAT SUCCESS.

does fall make you want to quilt too? i feel like the knitting and quilting bugs hit me hard when the weather gets cold (still haven’t picked up the needles yet this year, though)!

** i have emailed Lara, the winner of a Gingercake pattern. thank you to all who entered the giveaway! **

spider man lunchbox (and giveaway!)

November 12, 2013November 11, 201342 Comments

as you know, right around Halloween, O got super mega obsessed with Spider Man. barely a day has gone by that he hasn’t worn (or requested to wear) his hoodie – that superhero love that so many little guys seem to have has been awakened.

so when my new sponsor, Virginia of the lovely Gingercake Patterns, asked me if I’d join her holiday pattern tour, i thought there couldn’t be anything much more perfect than making this fella his own Spider Man lunch box!

this is Gingercake’s Love Your Lunch Box pattern. Gingercake first came to my attention last year when Gail made this adorable one for her little gal. it’s the perfect size to hold lunches for kids to carry, and i love the idea of customizing the fabrics to what your kid is into, since lunch boxes inevitably get gross and need to be replaced pretty regularly anyway.

spiderman lunchbox

in O’s case, what he’s into right now is spiders (and webs).

the “web” fabric is topo in navy from architextures by Carolyn Friedlander, one of my all time favorite fabric lines. so cool, so versatile. i think it’s is supposed to suggest elevation lines on a topographical map, but it works as a web too, right? then i stuck a little spider appliqué on there.

the inside is a sturdy seersucker/ticking i’ve used a few times. i thought it could be more washable than laminated cotton (either is suggested in the pattern). it was clear and quick sew, though probably not a super beginner project just because it gets tricky sewing a gusset around tight curves, but no biggie if you’ve made some things.

he really does love it! he even wanted to pack his own lunch, he was so excited.

and i’m pumped to have a go-to lunchbox pattern that i can make again a year from now with whatever his obsession is then.

> > > : : THE GIVEAWAY! : : < < <

would you like to win a Love Your Lunchbox pattern of your own? it’s a great one to have for little gals or guys in your life, and not too hard to enlarge for adult lunches either, i wouldn’t think! customize it up and it’s a fun gift to give for the holidays.

to enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite pattern over at Gingercake Pattern Shop (there are such cute ones…you know i’ve got my eye on the Lucky the Elephant for Em).

giveaway is open until Friday, November 15 at 8pm Pacific Standard Time. winner will be chosen at random, contacted by email, and will receive the PDF pattern from Gingercake. one entry per person, void where prohibited by law.

good luck and thanks for entering!

bicycle basket

November 8, 2013November 8, 201313 Comments

i don’t often do “commissioned projects,” but my uncle asked me to make a divided basket for a co-worker’s baby shower and i went for it! so this is the project that snuck up on me during KCW.

i said yes to his request because first of all, i was flattered, but also because he wanted a Noodlehead divided basket (something i love to sew), and gave me lots of creative freedom (“rich earth tones”)…and originally the timeline was generous too (a game of family telephone suddenly made it urgent, hehe).

from cutting out the pieces to finish, this took me 1.5 hours. timed myself. it is my FOURTH divided basket though (one, two three) and i barely have to read the instructions anymore. such a great pattern by Anna. 🙂

the fabric is Echino bicycles in brown (a gift from Cherie from the LA fabric district) with my go-to Denyse Schmidt for JoAnn gold “solid-not-solid” as trim. the inside is a celery-colored kona or moda bella solid, not sure which. figured bikes were a safe bet here in Portland, often named the most bike-friendly city in the U.S.

i emailed my uncle a list of my favorite “essential” baby items and a couple favorite board books, which he stuffed in there and gave to his co-worker.

fun, quick little commissioned project, though i STILL haven’t made one for myself yet! maybe once we start pulling my new little guy’s nursery together (i started an idea board on pinterest, wanna see?).

handmade halloween 2013 : spider-man & skeleton fairy

October 31, 2013October 31, 201329 Comments

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

i ran out of days in the week to post these separately, so you get a double dose of Halloween costumes here on the blog today. mostly photos, less talking, since i’ve previewed both already. but now – they’re done!

presenting skeleton fairy and Spider-Man!

dun dun DUUUUUUNNNNNN!

okay who’s first…um….let’s go with skeleton fairy.

Em is normally such a little sweetie pie, but she really embraces the spooooookiness of Halloween. initial “pink princess” and “pink fairy” costume plans suddenly turned macabre after i bought her some skeleton pajamas, and her idea of a skeleton fairy emerged.

i posted about her skeleton suit here; it’s a flashback skinny tee and sunki leggings with freezer paper stencils that glow.

her tutu i posted about here, from little things to sew (affiliate link).

…with the awesome ribbon. can i admit i really enjoyed sewing in only black and white for her? it was totally refreshing!

her wings and glitter wand are from party city (somewhat ironically, they’re “angel wings”). and her fairy crown is loosely based on the one from aesthetic nest (thanks for the suggestion!).

the make up was all her idea – she asked for a white face with black eyes, a black nose, and black around her mouth. i went and got some glitter eyeshadow to sparkle her up a bit more for Halloween itself. this was a trial run.

she totally gets into character in this costume – slightly freaky but pretty cute too.

and now….Spider-Man!

this one all started with the felt mask from Jess, part of a superhero set she gave O. he hadn’t really been into much of the superhero thing until he got those masks, and then declared he wanted to be Spider-Man for Halloween.

happy to oblige, buddy.

his shirt is a hacked bimaa hoodie with freezer paper stenciled spider and drawn-on webs. i talked about it more here.

i ended up adding a drawstring to the hood, because it was pretty huge on him. when i first sewed the hood on, he was so upset about it, he said he didn’t want to wear it! so i sat him down with some classic ‘60s Spider-Man episodes on YouTube to show him that the real Spider-Man ALWAYS wears a hood, otherwise he’s just Peter Parker!

he was sold. now my kids are addicted to watching classic Spider-Man, which is admittedly hilarious. and i’m addicted to the meme (often NSFW…but this one’s my favorite i think).

anyway, every time we’ve let him wear this hoodie, it’s a fight to get it off so it’s not ruined by a meal/playing outside/pumpkin carving before the big day. i’m sure once Halloween is over, he won’t want to wear anything else, but that’s okay – i made it out of “real fabric” and ended up finishing all the hems, so it should last.

i’m most proud of the color blocking at the shoulders.

i actually realized at the last minute (post photoshoot) that he didn’t have a treat bag, so i whipped one up out of felt with classic Spider-Man’s back logo on it. it’s got just 6 legs and looks more like a fat potato bug, but hey, whatever ‘60s.

i’ve got two pumped up, fully costumed kids…

NOW LET’S GO GET SOME CANDY!

kcw fall 2013: day 7:: parsley green parsley pants

October 28, 2013October 27, 201310 Comments

KCW BONUS PROJECT!

once those costumes were finished i just felt like i wanted to sew something for everyday. and since my little guy needs pants and i knew i could sew some up pretty quickly, i did just that.

meet straight-up-from-his-nap mr. mcgrouchypants and his parsley green parsley pants.

as the post title suggests, i used the parsley pants pattern by Rae in a 2T. love this pattern – i helped test it in April, and back when i did that, they were pretty huge on him. for some reason i thought they might still be big, but now the fit is PERFECT. huh. i guess kids must grow or something.

i chose the pintuck option for the first time and love how it takes the pants up a notch and makes them look a bit retro too. also went for the front patch pockets, they’re fun.

the fabric is a soft medium weight green twill from Hancock Fabrics that i got when i visited Jess. twill is one of my favorite fabrics to sew little guy pants with – sturdy but still soft.

i was super inspired by Laura’s green banyan pants and also stumbled on Sabra’s green jeans post from last fall, and styled my guy to match those two dapper little fellas. gray cardigan and a white shirt with green pants, check!

now i REALLY feel like i participated in KCW – i usually sew basics that end up getting worn a lot and this project fulfills that.

although, based on his reaction to his spiderman costume and utter refusal to take it off whenever he tries it on, i might have just made a “basic” there too, eh?

thanks for following along!