One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish...

So we ventured in to new territory...I am sewing a lot of new things... and enjoying every minute of it. But I've never done a quilt. Nope not ever. That has always been my big Sis' territory. She makes BEAUTIFUL quilts. My favorites... the one she made me for high school graduation and our wedding present quilt.

This summer the girls and I have frequented a few fabric stores.  And we have had so much fun making plans and doing lots of craft projects together! And then we walked in to a new shop we hadn't been to (which has now become our favorite shop) and well we fell in love with some Dr Seuss fabric...Sweetpea dreamed up doing a quilt and well it looked easy enough. At first I relented in buying the fabric thinking "sure... we'll do that someday... well someday came... and there was no getting out of it.

Sweetpea picked out ALL her fabric, she sewed much of the blocks together, the rows of blocks together, and finally I did the quilting and binding. It was such a neat project for us both to work on together. I did A LOT (I mean A LOT) of research on quilting, tying, and the biggest part - the actual QUILTING. And what did I go for? Normal just stitch-in-the-ditch quilting... o no... I had to start with free motion quilting and... the result?  I LOVED IT!!!!

Well you tell me? How'd it turn out?

We sewed it together

Sweetpea organized the blocks

Here's her layout

All our blocks are sewn together

Sweetpea picked borders

Small border matches kite string of Thing 1 & 2

Pleased kiddo with it sewn together!

Almost done and LOVING how it turned out so far...

Teeheehee

She REALLY loves how it is looking (can ya tell?)

Really... trying... to Free motion Quilt... (forced smile)

True feelings...trying to quilt 3 layers...

LOVE the fun Free-motion quilting

Almost there!!

Last step - adding the binding on the quilt!!

So close (and had to finish before our vacation to SC)

My trusty helper asleep on the job...

DONE!

This pattern was one of my favorites!

Loved this one too... Cyndi Lou-Who reminds me of my sister!

Fun colors worked well with King Tut's rainbow thread!

What an extremely fun project to work on with Sweetpea, new material, new thread (King Tut - rainbow variegated thread - gorgeous), and just a crazy fun pattern... Not bad for our first quilt EVER!!
Now it's time to get moving on BooBoo's quilt - (what I do for one... I OF COURSE have to do for the other...). Only this time it's harder... PINWHEEL'S!! YIKES! Another learning curve!

Bunnies and Pinwheels YAY!

Foggy Fast Forward

So I haven't been writing like I should... I wanted to write so many times - but it just seems like the last few weeks have been a blur no matter how I am trying to slow them down... First I've been sick with a bad head cold for 5 days. THAT IS UNHEARD OF for me... I HATE being sick and I actually have slept 2 mornings COMPLETELY away. I feel like I am looking through life right now through a foggy veil of haziness. It's all I can do just to focus. Also it the end of the year activities with the school. Both girls have had a lot going on... a lot of helping at the school, end of year class trips, school plays, school luncheons, school, school, school!! The hardest part my Sweetpea's coming to an end of her elementary school career... it's super hard to imagine her heading off to middle school (6th grade) next Fal - so hard it brings tears - stinging my eyes. How fast these years have flown by? I am trying to make a dress for her for her "graduation" next Thursday and I have to add FIVE inches to the dress! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? FIVE inches? When did my lil' baby girl get to be so big?

I've been working on outfits for the summer for the girls... especially after Sweetpea said to me "Mommy you've made so many things for other people... you haven't made ME anyyyyyything in a lonnnnng time"... well time to put my babies FIRST on my list... after all THEY are why I am staying home... and THEY are my very top priority... AND THEY are the loves of my life! Sooooo outfits we started - I used Jona G's (from Fabritopia) patterns - EVELYN skirt for the girls.
Take a gander at these beaut's (if I do say so myself - although the girls' smiles speak wonders as well)...

BooBooBear's skirt and tank top made with Riley Blake's Summer Song complete with homemade tree applique

ABSOLUTELY love this photo...

And the back...

Sweetpea's skirt made with Dena Design fabric and apron in Heather Bailey

 

Loving her outfit...

We LOVE the birdies on the fabric!

Here's her tank top with our homemade birdie applique! LOVING the cap sleeves! A cute modest touch!

And now am working on dresses for each of the girls!
I love sewing for them... I am happy and sad of the changes... it just seems to me that life has suddenly been put on this crazy Fast Forward. It just seems that time keeps on marching by... despite the fact that I want it to slow down, to make a still shot of these moments, to let me relish this time with my girlies...

Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (only with photos of it COMPLETE on Boo!)

Oh my goodness... oh my goodness (quote from Annie)!!! I am really thrilled with how these beautiful ruffle pants for BooBooBear turned out! She tried them on (after I had to do some adjusting... they were a bit long for her...she's 8 and I made the size 10...) and I am just in love! Now don't get me wrong... there are mistakes... oh yeah MANY mistakes I had to fix... - but I learned with each one of them and hope to only get better!!!

I REALLY want a pair all to myself... I am RUFFLE CRAZY now!! (LOVE my ruffle foot for my sewing machine... truly I do - it's a match made in heaven!!!)!!!
OK without further ado... Here is Boo in her new owl... ruffle... Rosie Posie (by PinkFig - love her! Thank you so much Chelsea!) pants!!

Close up of the ruffles (excuse the cord - it was hard getting her off her PC game!)

THERE SHE IS! WOW looking STUNNING! (and the pants are so cute too!!)

Don't you just love how she poses for her Rosie Posie ruffle pant photo?

"Now a sitting photo Momma!"

 And there ya go...I am so happy with how they came out! I am very proud of myself! My first pair of pants ever!! But most of all... BooBooBear is happy as can be - and that is all that matters!!!

TA DAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

I finally finished... I wanted to get these pants done sooner... but the art show and cleaning and well... just life got in the way! But they are done now... I am so thrilled with how they turned out. I cannot wait to try them on BooBooBear... She will L. O. V. E., love them! I will had to do a few adjustments as they will be a bit long on her. The ruffles are just DARLIN'!! (If I do say so myself...)... Chelsea of PinkFig... you've outdone yourself on this pattern!!! Thank you for ALLLL your help!!!

I love them so much I want to make MY OWN pair!!!! I just have to find a pair of pants of mine that I can take apart and try to use!!!

Ok... here's how they look so far... I have to really get my super cute model to show you how they REALLY look... but for now... since I cannot wait... Take a look...

Working on the last (fourth) ruffle...

Almost done... 2nd leg...

Last seam...and...

TAaaaaaaaaaaaaa DAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Up close and personal... RUFFLES galore!!!

I am pretty darn proud of myself... not too shabby. (I won't tell you that there were a few things I would change on how I did them...) I am trying to get better about certain things... but I am getting there!

LOVED working on these pants... CANNOT wait to see lil' Boo in them!!! Will add photos of her in them tomorrow... I just couldn't wait to post...

Funky, Fun Aprons oh my!

I had a lot of fun with these two projects! I know many people thought my fabric choices were kind of crazy (but I am! so there!) - but I had a FANTABULOUS time picking out fabric with my eldest Sweetpea. We mix & matched like two goofy girls! I could have spent probably another 2 hours PLUS in the fabric store (however limited it is here in Western FL...GAWRSH I miss Logan's fabric stores!!!) but Sweetpea reeeeeally (said with a bit of a whine) wanted to go and get her craft to do while I was sewing - from Michael's... so off we went.

It really was a lot of fun to ooooo & ahhhhhhh over different textile wonders. I loved all the different prints. I did write earlier how obsessed I am of fabric now right?! If I didn't have at least SEVEN totes filled with fabrics from Gramma San...

Sooo we start with my oldest's apron... She surprised me with picking a French-ish theme for her main fabric! But she added her usual pizazz with a funky, retro-striped, swirl for the ruffle, waisteband and pockets and a flashy purple, multi-colored polkadot for the straps!

main fabric, waistband, & ties



the dreaded placement of the pocket

(ratsin, fratsin thing took me 45 min to place... darn perfectionism - at least that's what i am calling it)

The colors complimented each other really nicely - I was initially concerned about the 'busy-ness' of it. We also used the same fabric for the front panel and the back panel - so she could wear it with or without pockets - depending on how she wears it.

final product - complete with 2 pockets!

My youngest, Boo Boo Bear, loves yellow. EVERYTHING has to be yellow. It is her all time FAVORITE! But I didn't want to do every single fabric choice for her apron in yellow. I wanted to incorporate some whimsical design in to her apron. With help from my eldest Sweetpea... we came up with these four designs:They were funky and fun, still adding the element of yellow, and birdies were a major theme this summer for us - so it added a neat character into the mix. The striped fabric became the ruffle (it's colors going so well with both the main fabrics). The yellow on yellow, tiny daisies - became the apron ties and the two birdie fabrics became the front and back panels (yes folks... a REVERSIBLE apron). Also the carrot/bird fabric was the waistband!

I even learned how to do some new stitching on the pockets! Mr Safety-Man said that they even looked like little birdie steps! Aaaaaaaa they do!!!! I was pretty proud and it gave the pocket a little element of SNAAZZZZY-ness!

Finished product...
This one has one big pocket - off-center on left side of photo (she's right-handed so would work better for her).

BOTH girls were overjoyed with them and truly were excited (which made my day!). BooBooBear kept asking me when hers was going to be finished (which was after she went to bed last night). So I put it on her chair for breakfast and she was so excited she brought it to school to show her teachers! AAaaaaaa! I didn't get a photo of the little one in her apron - but will today.
Here's a shot of Sweetpea in her apron...