In the Making: Box Wallets

Hi all! I've been MIA for a little while. Work (my real job) has been ramping up and it is a bit insane. May and June are pretty busy months for me and it seems it gets worse every single year. Sigh! But no chatting about work. Blah! I have not been very crafty lately. And my October show, while a ways off, is still right around the corner. So, I need to start really focusing and getting my act together. And ... I have added quite the stash to my already huge fabric collection, meaning I need to start using up all this fabric! So last week I spent a bunch of time cutting and pressing a bunch of Box Wallets:

I made a few for my last craft fair, and they were hot sellers. And interestingly enough, my sister's favorite item. So cutting I did! Fifty two wallets in all! I chose 26 fabric combinations and spent hours cutting, cutting and cutting some more! Nice stack, huh?

So next step is pressing, interfacing and tagging these babies. Wish me luck!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day and I wanted to take this moment to wish my mom a very happy mother's day!!

And you, too, Gramma!! My two favorite ladies above! I love you both! Have a great day!

Waiting for a doxie ...

I'm a super big fan of Retro Mama. I've bought a bunch of Kim's patterns and have made a few:

Yep ... just a few cuties. And I'm going to be cutting a couple more elephants later today. But look what I found on Kim's blog:

 {source}

A super adorable dachshund. And it's her soon-to-be-released pattern (she calls it her sleepy doxie). OMG! Isn't this pup just the cutest thing ever? Now you know I'm going to be one of the first in line to get my hands on this pattern, right?!!! I cannot wait for its release!!! I'll be waiting anxiously!

More fabric on its way!

Warning ... more fabric is on its way. Yes, I'm a fabric hoarder. I will post photos once my stash has arrived!

I've been busy with work (and babysitting a ton!), so haven't been blogging or creating for quite some time. Sigh! But the weekend is almost here and I vow to get some creative juices flowing!

Be back soon!

Unbelievable Fabric Stack ... and a tip!

Over the last week or so, I've been pre-washing and pressing fabrics. Remember this stack?

Well the Hubby estimated this was about 35 yards of fabric. I just said "yeah, right" and smirked. So after washing and pressing, for days on end, I'm finally done. You want to know how close Hubby was? Spot on? Not even close! 10 yards off? Ha! There was about 73 yards of fabric, give or take a yard. Can you believe it? Holy smokes. If that is over 70 yards, I can't even begin to guess what's behind closed doors and still in boxes here and there. Yikes. Can you say fabric hoarder?

Check out that stack! Washed, pressed and ready to be made in all kinds of fun blankets and bibs. I literally could not carry the entire stack in one trip ... required two trips! Not joking.

Do you pre-wash your fabrics? I usually don't unless I know that the item being made is going to be thrown in the wash. Blankets and bibs? Definitely going into the wash. The first time I ever did a pre-wash, holy smokes did my fabric get all frayed and there were strings all over the place. Now, I take the time to straight stitch each raw edge. Just a quick stitch very close to the edge. That doesn't prevent all the fraying, but I find that I don't get a ton of strings anymore. So give that a try and see if it works for you!

{Sewn} Pink Elephant

Another Retro Mama pattern sewn! Yes, I think I'm obsessed with her patterns. They are very well written and very easy to follow. My weekend is going to be filled with sewing a few more of these cuties!

Vintage-style Dolls

So I took a break from the baby bibs! After cutting a bunch, one after the other, I wanted to do something fun! I had these "dolls" off on the side for quite some time now, so I figured I would stitch them up and get them stuffed. It was so relaxing to just stuff, stuff, stuff! And they came together in no time!

Here's another view ... all lined up in a row:

I have a bunch more to stitch, but at least these got done. My favorite from this bunch is the fourth doll from the left (with short brown hair and her hand sticking out). I think I'll need to get back to the baby bibs this weekend. And I hope to start stitching up some of my blankets now that my bolt of minky arrived! What are your plans for the weekend?

On my worktable

What's on my worktable currently?

Baby bibs in various Dumb Dots by Michael Miller. Yes, prepping for that Baby Expo in October. I know ... it's 6 months away, but I'm a procrastinator, so I need to start from now and maybe I'll have enough product! And yes, you will be seeing baby stuff fill this space (it's a baby expo!!).

Can you believe I'm finding time to work on stuff during the week? Normally, I save my crafting until the weekend. But I've been able to fit some crafting in here and there in the evenings, even if it's only cutting bibs!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!! Look at that cute bunny! Yes, it's another one of Retro Mama's patterns. I made the cutie above for the cutie below. That would be my niece, aka Miss Curly Cue ... look at those curls! We had fun coloring eggs last night!

I'm off to church later this morning (Alleluia, Jesus is risen!). I hope to get a little crafting in here and there, but for the most part, I think I'll be in the kitchen. And who knows, maybe little Miss Curly Cue will stop by for a mini egg hunt before dinner! Fun!

Fabric Pile

I'm planning a huge show in October. It's not really a craft show; it's a Baby & Family Expo. But we'll chat about that more as I count down the months. So, I've been thinking about what to feature in the booth. And I'll definitely be doing a bunch of baby blankets. That means pre-washing a bunch of fabrics!

 

Yes, you're seeing correctly. A HUGE pile of fabrics waiting to make it's way into the wash. That must be at least 25 yards of fabric. Not kidding!!! And that doesn't include the yards and yards and yards that have already been pre-washed and cut. I'm just waiting for my minky order and then I'll be stitching away!