Leg Warmers How-To

i have always bought babylegs leg warmers for my kids and was looking for a more cost effective solution to my leg warmer addiction for the kids. so one sunday when i was admiring my friend jordan's daughter's leggings she told me how to make my own from socks. i think i was the only momma on the block that didn't know how to do this.

first you need knee socks.

at the ankle cut the foot off. there you have the leg warmer. now we have to make the bottom cuff.

take the foot and cut the middle out. this will make the cuff of the warmer.

fold them in half, right side out.

take your leg part turn it inside out and put your cuff inside of it, all raw edges together.

sew those raw edges together to make the leg warmer bottom cuff.

ta-da! enjoy.

Project Restyle

i made these curtains 8 years ago for juniper's nursery. now i use only one panel and so i had another panel left for scrap. i got inspiration from cakies to make a baby doll for popi. juni has a baby i made her, and bee has baby beila made for her from valerie. well popi needed a baby too. she-she is who i came up with made from the old curtain. i think she is kinds cute. now she needs some clothes:)

Twirly Skirt Tutorial

this skirt is made with one yard of fabric for any size. this one i made for popi, i am making the same skirt for bee next. you can use a coordinating fabric for the ruffle and waistband if you want, sometimes i do, sometimes i don't. the waistband you use a yard of fabric and the width is up to the size of the elastic you use. you wan to make sure when you wake your waistband there is room for the elastic to go through. the ruffle, which you can use or not, is about 2 yards.

first i made the ruffle. the width depends on how much ruffle you want. fold your yardage in half giving yourself about a half inch for sewing, and that will be your ruffle width. i wanted about a 2 inch ruffle so the width i used was about 5 inches. i folded it in half and ironed it to make it stay and sewed the opening down with the largest width stitch on my machine all the way through without any back stitch. you take your thread end and ruche the fabric down to the other end making your ruffle till you have a little over a yard ruffle.

pin your ruffle to the bottom of the skirt. again, the length of the skirt is determined by who you are making it for, hold the fabric up to your child and see where it hits and add a couple inches for edges.

see? all sewed on!

you then take the waistband fabric and sew it inside out on the edge and then you turn it right side out and iron it flat.

i had sewed the skirt together before putting the waistband on, but you don't have to. you pin the waist band on in the inside of the skirt and sew it on leaving the ends open. you can sew the skirt together now or before, just remember about the open ends.

all together.

i have a nifty elastic threading tool, but you can also put a safety pin on the end of your elastic to fish it through the waistband. just measure your child's waist to see how much elastic to use. make sure to leave a couple inches of elastic so to make it easier when you sew your elastic together. when you have fished it all through, pin the elastic together and sew. then you can hand sew the waistband ends together.

here is my finished skirt. i sewed a flower on it. i don't know if i'll keep the flower on it or not.
it looks super adorable on my popi!
i used some alexander henry fabric and joann's fabric.

Am I Becoming My Mom?

i never thought i was like my mom. i still don't, well i kinda don't. okay, let's be honest here, i was going to talk about seed catalogs and fabric. they are 2 of my addictions. then i realized i was giddy about seed catalogs and buying seeds, and planning my garden. i looked around me and saw all the booklets filled with seeds, i could be at my parent's house. then there is the whole fabric thing. where did i learn how to stalk fabric online? where did my taste for marimekko come from? this all stems from my MOM.....oh goodness. guess who i go to beekeeping with. yup, my mom.
when i was little i remember running around a back yard with a raised garden. there was always something growing at our house, if it wasn't food it was plants, bulbs, trees, flowers. when i moved out on my own it just seemed normal to have a garden. i planted tomatoes, bell peppers, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and my ex-husband always planted roses for me. i planted a tree and cannas, then dug up the cannas because they spread like wildfire. i always have something growing, now i have a bigger house and my garden has only grown bigger too. corn, okra, asparagus, peas, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, raspberries, and blackberries, i love to garden. i love to have my hands in the dirt with the sun beating down on my back. i can only assume i get this from my mom. my mom does more flowering plants now than vegetation. she knows everything about plants, she does have a degree in botony.
then there is the fabric obsession. i have to be careful. it is so easy to go out of control when buying fabric. there are so many beautiful choices out there, and for a pretty penny too. my mom sewed me dresses from when i was very little to when i was about 12, i think. she also knit me blankets; i love yarn as well. she use to drag me to fabric stores when i was little, i remember climbing in the middle of those bolt holders, hiding from her. fabric shopping with my mom was so boring, i had to do something to take up my time. the girls hate it when i tell them we are going to the fabric store, it's like i'm taking them to go get shots or something. how can i get mad at them, i can almost relate. buying fabric feels naughty to me now, like a forbidden love. but no one forbade me, i just think it is the $12 a yard price tag that comes with the decent looking fabric choices. and i can't just buy one yard, like i can't just eat one potato chip. you know what i'm talking about.
i don't know if i'm becoming my mom, or if it has always been me. but if i am becoming my mom, i'm glad it is she i am becoming, because you know what? my mom rocks.

Oh Crafty Girlfriends

i seriously have some of the most talented friends in the world. and with the Greek goddess coming soon i get to see more of their handy work up close. goodies for me! errr, i mean the baby:)

by now you know i have talked about my friend valerie numerous times. she is very into quilting right now, and of course is very good at it. knowing my love for chickens she made the little one a quilt with fabulous french chicken fabric. the girls running around on the fabric are reminiscent of henny penny. wonderful! i can't wait to put her down on it.

this is the other side of the quilt, dontcha just love the funky chicken?

i woke up one morning with a yellow package on my doorstep. upon opening i found this flannelicious baby blanket with a hand appliqued real fuzzy rabbit. it is so yummy and soft. it will be great this winter to wrap the goddess in. my awesome quilting friend miranda made it.

kristen is an artist. a for reals gallery artist. but besides paints, she uses all sorts of mixed mediums. her work is beautiful. no fair. for years she has been waiting to do a belly cast of "our baby." i think she enjoyed herself with this. it was so odd feeling. when it hardened and i would move or laugh it would pull away from my skin and make me laugh more. it turned out great and it wouldn't have been done if she hadn't come over and done it.

i have the best friends in the world. they are all so different and talented. all of them are. how did i manage to surround myself with such caring, like minded, and crafty people? it's crazy how we can attract what we need.

Sewing Tension.

yes i have tension. i am trying to chill out and sew a quilt panel for my sewing bee group but my tension level is rising because my tension is off. it was fine the whole time i made the baby curtains, now it is a loopity loop mess. i have taken it to the shop and paid $80 to have it fixed and i guess that did nothing. i should sit this day out.

Window Panels

out of my $1.99/yd polka dot ikea cloth i made 4 window panels for the Greek goddess' room. i thought i was going to make gathered curtains, but i fell in love with the way the panel showcased the polka dots. it's a bit more modern looking than a gathered curtain too. it was not the easiest thing the measure it all out correctly and line them, but i did. i'm suppose to be taking it "easy", and sewing is the perfect way to accomplish tasks sitting down!