From the yearly archives: 2008
The last few weeks have been a crazy sewing frenzy around here — my side of the family decided to do a handmade Christmas and I had so many projects going I had no time to blog. We’re feeling alot better too, so that’s helped alot.
So now that the Twelve Days of Christmas are here (we’re on Day 3 for those of you keeping track), I’m going to show off a few of the presents I made. These were for mom:
Pattern: Heather Ross UPDATED (11/10): This pattern is no longer available from the original link I provided here; it can now be found in Heather’s fabulous book, Weekend Sewing.
Fabric: Heather Ross Mendocino (outer), purple fleece inner
Modifications: The
I’m afraid we got the ick over here. AGAIN. This time it seems to be really hanging on, so not alot of sewing to report I’m afraid. Most of the projects lately have been of the “oh the baby needs clothes!?” variety.
Above are a couple of onesies I stenciled so he’d have something to wear with the pants I made (here and here). I love designing stencils for onesies. It’s a good family activity with the holidays coming up and all, although it helps if your family has some rudimentary artistic ability. I’ve also heard of people doing these as a baby shower game alternative, which I bet would be great fun.
Another necessary project as the weather got colder…
Sorry about the lull here lately…I’ve been sewing, but some of it is secret projects that I can’t talk about blah blah. I suppose I could say I’ve been busy chasing one danger-loving toddler around and trying (unsuccessfully) to prevent injuries. But sometimes you just have to take a break, you know?
I’ve been sewing for the boy over the last few weeks — a hat and mitten set, a pajama set, and this kelly green waffle-knit hoodie.
[pout is no doubt the result of yet another injury | please ignore all drool marks]
The fabric is from my friend Steph (who moved to NC…so sad for me) who gave me a bunch of fabric her mom wasn’t using any more before she left (yay!).…
As promised, pics of E in outfit I made (vest, pants, bowtie) for Rob and Allie’s wedding:
Here’s a quick peak at the dress I made to wear to the wedding (pictures of the little blighter in his bowtie will be forthcoming):
I bought the yellow raw silk at Haberman’s of Royal Oak…I think it was in the Home Dec area and perhaps others would look at this and think “drapes!” I looked at it and thought “dress!” I actually made another version of the dress for seester Krick’s wedding a couple years ago, but it was too low-cut to be bending over and chasing a toddler in. And also I might just weigh an eensy weensy bit more than I did then…ahem. So it needed modification.
As usual there is no pattern for this, although I will…
: : This year’s Halloween decor : :
: : Last year’s mantle decor : :
: : Bat garland instructions here : :
: : Pumpkin Lanterns a variation on this idea : :
I was all ready to post with pictures of my Halloween decorations, but then I got too excited about the outfit I’m almost finished with for Elliot to wear this weekend. Mr Rae’s brother is getting married this weekend, so I wanted my little boy to look spiffed up.
I find it very frustrating how hard it is to find decent dress clothes for little boys. Janie and Jack has the cutest little suits (wool gabardine…dry clean only… thankyou-very-much-but-are-you-insane?) if you’re willing to spend $200. I’m not.
I had the khaki fabric (organic cotton, JoAnn’s) already with plans to make some sort of khaki pant for Elliot — it’s lightweight and a little stretchy. When I discovered that my Ottobre (5/2006, get it…
Here’s something I whipped up one afternoon recently:
The fabric was a seven-yard score from a thrift shop in Bloomington whilst visiting seester Elli.
There is no pattern, but now let’s talk about how to make this shirt yourself, because it’s just so easy. The pattern consists of two pieces, both rectangles. The first one is a rectangle that you cut as tall as the line from the bottom of your neck to your bust + 1 inch and as wide as your shoulder width plus about 8-10 inches, depending on how long you want your “sleeves” to be (spread your arms and hold a yardstick up to see where they will hit). I cut 3″ rectangles off each side, sewed the trim…
Thought I’d keep you up to date on the latest arrival in my shop, cloth napkin sets:
: : All packed and ready to go : :
: : Spiff up the dining table! : :
: : Set of 4/$19 : :
: : Available in oranges, golds and other earth tones : :
After getting this book for Mother’s Day this year, I wanted to try out the patterns. So I bought some stretch needles (not ballpoint; I was specifically informed by the experienced women at my sewing center that stretch is better for fleece and jersey) and some super-stretchy aqua jersey and made the basic t-shirt to get started.
It was so boring I wanted to die. Don’t get me wrong, for the beginner sewist, I’m sure making a t-shirt is a triumph. However, when you can buy one for $5 at the Gap it’s hardly worth the effort unless it’s going to look awesome. So I ruffled it up and I really like the result. And the best thing is, you could do this…
For you to sew!
about Rae
Hi! I'm Rae, Head Boss Lady of Made By Rae Enterprises. I love to sew. This blog is a showcase for my crafty stuff.
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