DIY baby gifts and birthday bags

It's a rare occasion when I sew for someone other than myself and here I am posting my third and fourth not - made - for - me project in less than two months! Truth be told, I'm dying to sew more for myself again, but this pregnancy weight is just not falling off fast enough. Anyway, I had fun making this baby blanket with matching burp cloths for a friend who is expecting a sweet, little girl. I paired a rose printed flannel fabric to a hot pink fleece for the blanket and just love how it looks together! Oh, little girls are such a treat; I'm so excited for my friend to become a mommy!

When I was done with that, I made a bag for Auntie's birthday. I'm getting braver about adding detail and I hope she likes the lace applique hearts and the knotted front.

Taggy Rug

Yea, that's taggy- not tacky!

Inspired by a baby blanket my sister in law made me when my daughter was born, I turned a piece of pink home decor fabric from my scrap bin into a rug for my daughters room.

 Just some loops and a zig zag stitch around the perimeter...

 It has been dubbed the official picnic spot.

Baby Blessing

Our precious baby boy received his name and a blessing in church this past Sunday. 

We planned on a small circle of only a few friends that we have made here to stand in support with my husband; after all we do live ten hours away from any family members. To our surprise, two of my brother in laws thought they'd drive up for the occasion. As it turns out, we only knew about the two of them coming because one of their wives couldn't keep a secret, (it's ok, I'm the same way.) Apparently, the rest of the wives can however, because Saturday night five of my six brother in laws just showed up! (The 6th is totally excused as he would have had to fly a very long way to get here, though he was missed!) What a crazy, fun surprise! We were thrilled. They surprised my husband at his job, stopped by to see me and the kids, and then the guys all went out to dinner. The next day, we all went to the church for the blessing, came back home for some finger foods, and then they all hopped in their vehicle and- bless their hearts- drove the 10+ hours home! Whew- wee! Aren't they the best though for wanting to do that? I'm really glad one of 'em snapped some cell phone pictures since I didn't have my camera out. Boo.

Aunts are more fun than moms

January flew by (thank goodness); is it summer yet? Anyway, January's last week was filled with a fun visit from an aunt whom my daughter quickly realized was a whole lot more fun than mom! Little girl figured out she had better luck if she asked her aunt for sweets, and was met with less resistance if she bossed her around the play room. What can I say? She's one smart cookie! We all enjoyed the visit. Honestly, it felt like a week long slumber party for me! I loved all the adult conversation and the girl to girl giggles!

Sweater Refashion: Project Headband.

I took an old, boxy sweater...

... and turned it into a couple of headbands.

There is plenty of sweater left over, I may just have to make a few more headbands. They're super easy. I just cut out a strip and sewed it into a tube! I'm totally loving ribbon flowers I added to the one head band. May have to post more about that another time!

Mommy Daughter Maxi Skirts

 I made myself a red, gathered maxi skirt this past week and had enough fabric to make a little maxi skirt for my daughter. She LOVED it! I had her try it on for size yesterday and I could hardly get her to take it off so I could finish stitching it up! My skirt is essentially a large rectangle sewed together at the sides, gathered at the top and attached to a waistband. The stretchy knit fabric makes zippers and hems unnecessary. Hers was a much smaller rectangle, sewn halfway down the side (I chose to leave the bottom of the side seam open creating a slit that makes running, climbing and all sorts of toddler play more possible), and a rolled skirt top into a casing in which I threaded 1 inch elastic. We wore our matching outfits to church today. I'm glad she still thinks I'm cool enough to dress like!

 Getting her to stand still and look at the camera was a battle this morning...

 She's just too silly and energetic for Sunday morning portraits!

2 months old

This cutie pie is two months old already! The chalkboard photo prop pretty much says it all: His weight has doubled since we brought him home from the hospital; I adore those chubby cheeks! SJ is holding his head up pretty well and looks around at his surroundings. He makes eye contact and gives the biggest grins; he smiles with his eyes just like his daddy does. Poor guy's being treated for acid reflux, and is much happier now that he gets medicine, though he is still officially the spit up king. He can also burp the loudest, most impressive belches I have ever heard come forth out of anyone- baby or adult! He loves being on his tummy and he loves to be held. Such a sweet; cuddly little child! He rarely cries, which is just amazing in comparison to his older sister who, poor thing, had colic something fierce there for a while. Instead, he grunts and whines and sleepily fusses until someone picks him up. Most of the time, he sleeps all through the night, sometimes even 7 hours in a row before wanting to eat! And, luckily- he falls right back to sleep after he eats. We're all still so in love and enjoying watching him grow!

Reversible Bag with Pockets!

I'm at it again! And, what's better than a reversible bag??? A reversible bag with pockets! Loving these quick- to- come- together- projects! (Tutorial here.)

The One Hour Reversible Bag

Isn't it cute? 

Little girl stood beside me and watched me sew up the straps, "right sides together!" I explained and thus before she has even turned two, she's had her very first sewing lesson. Maybe in a couple years she can make her first bag... This would be a great project to start with. Not too difficult and comes together very quickly. You can find the pattern and tutorial here at Very Purple Person. I think it's great for using up fabric scraps so you can bet you'll be seeing more bags around here!

Top 5 posts in 2012

Thank you all so much for visiting my blog and following along with me on my threaded journey!

I have had more fun with this little family and sewing blog!

It means so much to me that others have also found it to be enjoyable...

And now, the top 5 posts from 2012 (determined by number of page views):

1. DIY Belly Band Tutorial

2. Gender Reveal Scratch Ticket

3. 1930s inspired Dress

4. First Year Outfits turned Flower Quilt

5. DIY Bubble Skirt

And my personal favorite...

Little Girls Chef Attire