And then she was three.

All she wanted to mark the occasion was a Dora party, so a Dora party she received, complete with a Dora jump castle.

And what Dora party would be complete without Backpack and Map? 

My saint of a sister stayed up with me the night before, cutting out mouths and eyeballs from foam as I sewed the backpacks together.  The idea is not original, so don't be so impressed.  I got the idea from the Nick Jr. website and modified it a bit.  I also learned that sewing with craft foam is not fun, for me or for my cheapie Singer.  I'm still picking out purple pieces!

I digress.

Back to the party.

I have a thing for making the birthday cakes for my chickies; I don't know why, but for some reason this is important to me.  Aforementioned saintly sis also helped me with the cake, chocolate per the birthday girl's request.  My sister found the hot air balloon idea from a cake-decorating website and we went with it.  The balloon basket is made from the little sponge cakes sold in the bakery section at the grocery store.  The balloon itself is attached with string tied to pieces of spaghetti.  The rest is buttercream heaven.

My girl couldn't wait to get "her candles" on the cake - she'd been taking them out of the pantry all week, adoring them.  Little did she know that Swiper would steal them away!  My big brother donned a blue mask and swiped the candles away while we were setting up the cake... all part of the master plan with Backpack and Map!

We then told the kiddos to go get their backpacks so we could find where Swiper hid the birthday candles.  After everyone had it, the question was asked: "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?"

"THE MAP!"

They all then removed their maps and headed to Puzzle-Land, where they had to complete the puzzle before heading to the next location.

Once complete, they went to the Lollipop Forest, where they had to collect all of the lollipop trees (dum dums stuck into the ground).

The birthday girl was prepared for her adventure with her pink cowgirl boots.

Then, it was off to the sleeping troll (played by my brother-in-law), who was holding the candles in a special box.  They all pulled the maracas from their backpacks and shook them to wake him up.  Then, they had to say "Por Favor" for him to give up the special box to the birthday girl.

At last, she would have her beloved candles!

Happy Birthday sweet girl... and many more. 

Tutorial - Trash Bag for your Car (or Truck!)

Sooo... here it is!

  The Trash Bag Tutorial!

What you'll need:

1 Fat Quarter of Fabric A (cotton/quilting material) - if you use a print, be sure to line up patterns during assembly

1 Fat Quarter of Fabric B (PVC,nylon material)

  From Fabric A, cut two 9in x 12in rectangles and one 9in x 2.5in rectangle

From Fabric B, cut one 9in x 12in rectangle and one 9in x 10in rectangle

Take the 9x2.5 piece.  Fold hem under 1/4 inch.  Repeat.  Press seam and sew using straight stitch.

When you are finished, it will look like this:

Now, set this piece aside.

Place one 9x12 (B) and one 9x12 (A) with wrong sides together -set aside.

Now place second 9x12 (A) and 9x10 (B) with wrong sides together.

At top of piece, fold Fabric A under one inch, then fold down another inch so the fabric overlaps Fabric B.

Pin the seam and press.

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew a straight stitch.

Repeat on opposite edge.

It will look like this when you are done.

Now the fun part!

Layer your fabric pieces in this order:

9x12 B (right side down)

9x12 A (wrong side down)

9x10 sewn piece (A right side down)

Pin fabric layers together at sides.

Your layered pieces should be in this order:

Then, pin 9x2 A to top of piece (right side down)  Your edges should meet all nice and tidy...

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew a straight stitch or serge around the outer seam.

Note:  I prefer a serger for this to keep the edges from fraying, but I'm showing this with the straight stitch for the purpose of the tutorial.

Trim corners and turn piece right side out.  Use a chopstick to help push out the corners, but don't use too much force or you'll risk tearing your threads!

Press seams.

Now, this next step is optional, so you may skip it if you choose... but I prefer the look of a topstitch, so I'll add one in here along the outer border.  Stay as close to the seam as possible.

(If you don't have a serger, this also helps reinforce those frayable edges...)

You're almost done!

Now, you just need to add a buttonhole.

Important!:  Check your car to see how large of a buttonhole you'll need.  (This will depend on where you plan to hang the trash bag.  I hang it from my lighter and sew a 1.5 inch button hole.)

On top flap, fold fabric in half length-wise and mark line with fabric pen.

Now sew along the line using the button hole feature on your sewing machine.  Trim the opening.

That's it!  You now have a fabulous trash bag for your car!!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  If you have any questions or feedback, please contact me - I'd love to hear from you!

Pleats Make Me *Smile*

I love my round breakfast table, but the top is mosaic tile, which doesn't jive too well with two little girls who like to spill things. A lot. I've used store-bought round cloths, but the fabric is usually longer so when my girls go to sit in their chairs, they inevitably pull the tablecloth down with them. So, I decided I needed a tablecloth that was more like a slipcover and this idea was born. And what would a slipcover be without pleats? If that doesn't make you happy, I just don't know what will...

I made mine out of unbleached cotton so it would go with anything, and hopefully it will outlast the many spill challenges it will be up against.Ahhh... can't wait to sit here in the morning and have my coffee!

In fact, I like it so much I might be tempted to make another and do a tutorial. What do you think?

Grocery Bag Dispenser!

This project turned out great - and it didn't take a lot of time or materials to make since save for the batting, everything from fabric to elastic was from my stash! I got to try my hand at quilting and have decided that I need a stippling foot before trying that mess again (unless I'm quilting in straight lines). But the best part? Now, I've got this great little way to store my plastic grocery bags. (So much better than the previous overflowing basket at the bottom of the pantry...)

What's that? You need a plastic bag? Why, I just happen to have one right here...

Thanks Moda Bake Shop for a great tutorial!

This Ain't Yo Momma's Playhouse...

Welcome to my girls' new playhouse - won't you come on in?!

Sorry for the lighting - I finished it this evening and couldn't wait to take pictures!! Maybe tomorrow I can get some with better lighting and with the girls.

Okay, details. I used this tutorial from Sew Much Ado on how to measure for the sides and "roof". After that, I sketched my ideas for each panel and went to work! The green body fabric is chino curtain material from Walmart (it saved time not having to sew a hem). The rest of the fabric and felt was from my stash, except for the vinyl - oh, the vinyl. We'll talk more about that in a bit.

For the front panel, I cut out a door and sewed pink binding for the doorframe. Then I added a felt mailbox and light and a fabric applique bush.

The back panel is a fabric applique tree with fabric/felt birdies that can be velcroed to the tree when the girls are playing.

One side window panel has a round cut-out window with pink binding and is flanked by fabric applique and felt topiaries.

The other side panel has a vinyl window with a fabric applique windowbox and hand-sewn felt flowers. Now, the vinyl. Hmmm, where do I begin? First of all, I have never sewn with vinyl, so that should have been my first clue. Secondly, I didn't research sewing with vinyl (as I normally would have any other day...)! Let's just say that many ripped seams and curse words later, the window is done, with ribbon on the outside covering the awful sewing job hiding underneath. Thank goodness for fabric glue.

I absolutely love how it turned out, and I think the girls will enjoy it. I may still modify it some by adding some more details on the outside (maybe some bird nests for the tree?), a name plate above the door, and maybe add a fabric door that can be rolled to open and close. We'll see.

I used my new serger on the interior seams, and I think I'm in love. Is there much better than an overlocking seam? I think not!

So...

Curtains: $16.00

Vinyl: $7.00

Stash fabric: Free (essentially)

Making an adorable playhouse (and learning how not to sew vinyl): Priceless!

Finally - a Twirly Skirt for Mom!

I finally got around to getting the right size elastic for my circle skirt and I finished it off so I could wear it today... and I totally dig it.


Pretty, right? I used Amy Butler fabrics from the Midwest Modern 2 line. The skirt is Orange Dahlia in ivory/poppies and the waistband (which you can't see :() is blush/martini. After making some of the girls' skirts from Walmart fabric, it was nice working with great material. There is such a huge difference in the way it feels and the way it comes together!

The pattern was easy to follow and this skirt was cut and pieced together in an afternoon. Love it! I can already tell there will be more of these poppin' up in my closet... And just for my girls, I had to test out the Twirl Factor...

I think it meets the standard, don't you?!

Oh... I almost forgot! Dh surprised me with an early birthday present today - a serger! Now - off to figure out how to use it!

My Girl Likes the Twirl

Big Sis loves wearing skirts... but not just any skirt. It has to twirl. Seriously - I have tons of cute skirts she won't wear because they're not "twirly enough". Luckily, I discovered the Girly Skirt Pattern from Pink Fig Patterns. Now that I've made several of these, I can whip them up pretty quick.

I made this one this weekend for K, and she loves it. The twirl, the wild colors - they're very her. Not too shabby for Wal-Mart fabric!

Now to make one for Lil Sis!!