Buttercup Bag & Cosmetic Bag

If you are still following along with me *I am still here*, I've just been in a sewing rut. Well, a little project has completely broken that free and now I am hooked again!

Here are two peices I have just completed. One is the Buttercup Bag from Made by Rae, love this bag! It took me a trial bag to get it just right, I will be working on that first one to fix what went wrong and will repost later. But for now~~~ Taa daa~~~

The other is just a cosmetic type bag that I have been promising someone for quite some time now. I hated {HATED} the pattern I originally had and gave up on it. So this was the result which took away hours of painstaking annoyance from the last one. I threw in some fun sea mist green liner to add some WOW to it! I am debating about cutting the tabs off.. they stick out rather than fall down, which is due to making the tabs too thick! or perhaps I will just let the reciever decide to cut them off or not.. hmm..

Pillow Sham

I have been working on redecorating Caity's room. Nothing big and fancy, just a little here and a little there. I started with purchasing a comforter; one that was suitable for her age but also something she could grow into, not an easy task when all she wants is Princess. However, Walmart has a new line of Princess inspired bedding decor. The comforter has a quilt look without the quilting and has just enough blocks to make it little girl princess like, but not too much. You can see what we picked HERE. It's also reversible, showing a bright pink and hot pink damask, very nice. I was a bit mixed about this comforter, as it's from Walmart.. not the best quality, but I also figure that IF it lasts more than 2 years that's good enough. Plus Caity wouldn't let me remove it..

So now onto the reason why I am posting in the first place.. I made a sham to go with the new colors. Nothing fancy, just a simple pink & white polka dotted sham. It really adds to her room though & she loves it! I got this pattern from HERE.

Ariel Dress

This was one of those pre-made dresses where all you have to do is sew up the sides and add straps if wanted. I had some unused lace edging leftover and used that up for the straps. Caity loves it of course and it only took me 10 minutes to measure and sew. Plus the fabric was on sale!

Sewing Tips and Information

There is so much information on the internet now and I am personally so thankful for all the people who have been willing to share their knowledge. I have recently come across someone who wasn't willing to share any information, probably because she didn't think it would benefit her (that's my guess), but by not helping me out it has made me aware to not trust or go through this person again.

Most of what I have learned is through the YouTube videos, or countless other tutorials online. Sometimes if I have a question and I'm in Joann's or Hobby Lobby I have been able to ask the ladies a question and get a really great answer.. not always mind you! Some women just don't like to share! Since I like to share I thought I would share a few simple tips and techniques that I have learned over the past 6 months.

• French Seams- it's sewing WRONG sides together and then RIGHT sides. Why use it? Because you will get a cleaner inside seam and it will be stronger! Forget about serging try a french seam instead.

• Sewing Vinyl- use the paper wrap that comes with it so it does get stuck in the feed. If it didn't come with the paper, then use tissue paper. Just cut it to the size of what you are sewing and cover both sides of the vinyl, then when your project is done tear the tissue paper off and voila!

• Do you iron? I didn't at first, but it makes a BIG difference! Ironing and using premium starch can make all the difference in making a project look more proffessional like.

• Iron on Vinyl- it exists, but it's not all that great. I used it for a project and got the job done fine but there were some problems. First of all, I had to turn the project inside and out a lot in order to get all the linings and pockets etc into it.. that caused the vinyl to "break", it looked aweful! Thankfully you can just iron those spots out, but it was a very tiring project.

That's about it for now. I know I learned a lot more, but can't think of anymore at this point. I will more than likely just write up several different "tips and information" when needed or can be done. If you have any questions I am always willing to try my best to answer, if I don't know I will tell you and try to find the information somewhere else. Thanks!

Nightgown for Caity

Made this one a bit too big for her... she's really much too small for her age! Cute though!



You can have one for your little princess for $15-18, depending on size. Made of stretchy cotton, machine wash warm and dry like colors.

Baby "on the go" Set

Another awesome request made for a friend. I love that! It's a complete set; Diaper bag, changing pad and nursing cover!

Diaper Bag 17x10" ($35)
Nursing Cover 24x36" ($18)
Changing Pad 24x15" ($7)

All machine wash cool, gentle cycle. Line dry or low heat. Please remove bottom liner to diaper bag, this is not washable!

The diaper bag even comes with a hard bottom that you can take out to wash your bag safely. (hard bottom is NOT washable) Closes with velcro, (this can be changed to person's needs, say instead a zipper) at the top. Lots of pockets all around, including two pockets inside of bag.

I have also updated my nursing covers so they no longer have the elastic, it is now adjustable! Includes a corner piece of flannel for wiping milk off mouth or where needed. Still comes with the boning to view down at baby while nursing.

Changing pad made of cotton, padding, and soft flannel.

Nebraska Messenger Bag for Father's Day

This was a requested Father's Day gift for a friend of mine. I laminated the Nebraska fabric to make it water resistant for protection plus with 5 layers of fabric and padding this messenger bag should be good to go for any amount of hard carrying. Includes a zippered pocket and a patch pocket. Closes with a large flap and velcro closures. This project wasn't as easy as my first tote I made. I had much research and playing around, then reworking the pattern to get what I felt was right for the job. I hope that the receiver really appreciates their messenger bag!

Size 15"x14"x5" Price.. TBD cost was over $35....