Custom Sewing and Alterations
If you name your baby boy Linus, he's got to have a Linus diaper bag. He's just got to. And that's why I made this Linus diaper bag last month. This diaper bag is for a little guy named Linus whose mom found this fabric on www.fabric.com. I used a pattern that I'd found on Pinterest for this bag, and I like the way it turned out. I hope Linus likes it, too. This bag is very roomy with interior and exterior pockets. The flap closes with a magnetic … [Read more...]
Last Friday when I was at Walmart, I was in the fabric department buying some interfacing when I saw their display of Valentine's Day fabrics. Since Aaliyah was coming to our house to visit the very next day, I decided right then and there that I was going to make her a Valentine's jumper. I was confident that I could find a suitable pattern in my pattern drawer at home, and I was sure that one yard of fabric would be plenty. Their Valentine's fabric selection consisted of about seven … [Read more...]
I really wanted to make a smocked dress for Aaliyah to wear at Christmastime, but I just couldn't make a decision about which fabric, pattern, and smocking design to use. When Thanksgiving was upon us and I realized I still hadn't started a Christmas dress, I knew it was too late. There was just no way I could start a dress at the end of November and have it ready for December. My procrastination forced me to move to Plan B. This is Plan B:Plan B is this green corduroy jumper with a … [Read more...]
When it comes to dressing up your baby, a smocked bishop can't be beat! You'll have to agree after seeing this sweet little girl in her yellow floral print bishop. The term "bishop" refers to this particular style--a round yoke that is smocked the whole way around the neck of the dress. This is the best style for a small baby, and it is the only style of smocked dress that I have made so far for Aaliyah. For this particular bishop, I used a 100% cotton floral print from the … [Read more...]
It's been a long, long time since I've done any applique work, but what better reason to brush up on applique skills than a new baby granddaughter? For the past few months, I've been collecting patterns and fabric that would be suitable for baby girl dresses. Today was the day to let the sewing begin! I started off with three small cuts of coordinating fabric and one New Look pattern. These fabrics are 100% cotton coordinates from Riley Blake. I had one yard of the … [Read more...]
Sewing is one of my favorite ways to spend my time, but once in a while, I go through a real dry spell where I have absolutely NO motivation to sew. This is fine for a few days, but for someone who has a sewing business, this is not a good thing. Exactly how does one get in the mood to sew? I have a few tricks up my sleeve that have worked for me in the past. Today I tried my #1 method for getting back in the mood to sew. 1. Clean up and organize my studio For me, a … [Read more...]
I remember when a Polly Flinders brand smocked dress was the baby gift of choice for baby girls in the 1960s and 1970s when my older sisters were having children. Though the Polly Flinders company is no longer in existence, a hand smocked dress is still a treasure that every baby girl should own. I remember twenty years ago seeing a little girl at church wearing a dress that her mother had smocked and sewn for her. I knew then that this was an art form that I wanted to learn. That … [Read more...]
Just last fall my granddaughter requested a cupcake diaper bag for her baby girl. I made her a diaper bag that she really liked. I recently had a request for a duplicate of that special diaper bag, but by now, the fabric that I used for my granddaughter's bag had been discontinued. After a bit of searching, I found this pink cupcake print from Robert Kaufman fabrics, and I paired it with a brown batik that has the look of a sprinkle print in a shade that resembles chocolate … [Read more...]
A changing pad may not seem like a glamorous gift to give to an expectant mother or a new baby, but a changing pad is certainly a practical gift that will see a lot of use. In September, I made a number of baby gifts for my new great-granddaughter who made her appearance in October. Of all the things I made her (most of which are pictured on the early blog posts here), her parents like the diaper bag and changing pad best. Both mother and father have told me personally that they love … [Read more...]
It's amazing how many free tutorials and ideas are available for handmade gifts for new mothers and their babies. Over the past few months, I've compiled a large list of links in my "Baby Gifts" folder in my list of favorites. Many of the gifts were made from flannel--one of my favorite fabrics! My favorite place to buy flannel is in the Big Valley at Buchanan's Fabric Store. The flannel fabric that they sell is a much higher quality fabric than the flannel from the chain … [Read more...]
