Woodland Animal Snow Globe ADVENT

An advent for my sister (and I made one for myself at the same time and Emily helped make the animals on both). This is the "Woodland Animal Christmas Snow Globe" ADVENT from SugarHouseShop on etsy. 

I love this advent!! Love it! I made this for my sister because I had made her an advent in the early 90's that is really outdated. I think my sister still loves it because she puts it out each year but I don't love it 😉

(SKIP ALL THE WRITTING BELOW IF YOU DON'T CARE HOW IT WAS MADE)

I made some alterations though after looking at these advents made by other people:

1.  The sides of theirs pulled when the pockets where full. 

So I made pockets with gussets. Totally solved that problem.

2. It's see through. And the felt looks cheap when see though. So I ironed Pellon Shape Flex interfacing (SF101) in white to the back before putting everything on. Totally Solved that problem.

3. I trimmed about 5" off the top white felt so there was less white showing between top of globe and dowel.

4. I only hand sewed the animals and embroidered the numbers. The instructions say to hand sew the the globe, tree, snow and base on to the background--I machine stitched. Also to hand sew the balls closed after inserting the magnets. I used a glue gun.

5. I didn't use any sequins. I'm not a sequins kind of girl.

6. I ironed on Wonder Under between the globe, tree, etc so they stayed on while I machined sewed. I used pins too but the thing still sags a little.

At the end is a picture of the plastic slip cover I made for it when it's being stored for the year. It's like a giant pillow case and the snaps are on the top so if any ornaments fall off the are caught in the bottom of the bag. It can be hung for storage or rolled.

MÉLILOT SHIRT (Swans)

MÉLILOT SHIRT

I've had this swan fabric for 2 years or so and have only made Emily a dress (click here). The reason is I love this fabric SOOOOO much and finding rayons that have a cool print is hard to come by. I don't understand why there aren't more. If they put out a fabric with a cool print then the color is odd. 

Anyway....I finally found THE pattern. I was looking through Jenny Gordy's instagram page (wikstenmade) and saw a photo of her and her husband. She was wearing a shirt that looks just like this one (the style not the print and it was buttoned at the neck)! I trolled the internet for a pattern and even bugged Adrianna to see if she knew of one. Then I stumbled on this shirt pattern from Deer and Doe. It's the Melilot Shirt.  If you saw the shirt I was inspired by you'd say I did good finding something similar!! Even the sleeves look the same. I included the line drawing of the shirt so you can see the seams. I made view B and the collar from view A. I made a large but maybe could have gone down a size. Because of how the sleeves are, it fits weird when I put my arms all the way forward so if I went down in size I was worried I wouldn't be able to move my arms. It's made from a really drapey rayon challis bought on etsy from a shop in Hong Kong I think. About 2 years ago.

Below is why I cut my head off . Angry much? The sun was in my eyes. Sort of. that's actually my RBF.

So  below I'm showing it buttoned up. I won't be wearing it like this I don't think. 

And below is the pièce de résistance! A hidden placket! Because of the placket but mostly because I have to do this for fit, I made a toile. It helped me figure out what the instructions were trying to say regarding the placket. I loved the pattern but my only complaint is the instructions aren't as detailed as I like and I haven't done a hidden placket since the 90's! So making the top (without the collar) in a cheap fabric really helped. I don't make the whole top when making a toile. I usually do one sleeve and if it has a collar I leave that off. I don't do the buttons or zippers (I do zippers if it's a really fitted item) and don't hem it. I only  make it to see what size I am. I'm curious what others do. You should see my toiles! This shirt I think is made from a yellow cotton and a hunter green cotton. It's hideous! I just made the Carolyn pj shorts from 3 different green cottons.

peek-a-boo!

Lovely Little Forest and Gnome quilt (re post)

I've had several inquires over the years about this quilt. It's my most looked at on FLICKR!

 The pictures on Flickr are the original ones from December 2010. 

So I have put together a little diagram showing the layout. These measurements are APPROXIMATE!! I must stress this. These measurements are also including the 1/4" seams. 

I say approximate because it's very hard to measure blocks and sashing on a finished quilt. Nothing really adds up perfectly. I made 4 of the purlsoho "lovely little forest quilts" exactly as the instructions except adding in some gnomes and then laid the quilts on the ground, slightly offset to see how I wanted it. I added some white sashing between the quilts and around it. 

FREE Lovely Little Forest Quilt pattern/instructions from purlsoho (click here)

FREE Paper pieced Gnome pattern from artisania (click here)

Please let me know if I am off on something or something doesn't make sense.

Ryan Top 2

Another Ryan Top by Whitney Deal. My 2nd most favorite top like everrr!(here's the 1st favorite) I used a rayon challis from Cotton and Steel called fruit dots.  Again I made the large but I dropped the neck about 1/2" (can't even tell) and cut off the sleeves to make them shorter. I cut off about 2" at the top of the sleeve, tapering down as I went. I bound the neck and the sleeves with the same fabric bias binding. I love sewing it to the wrong side then folding it to the right side--I love the way it looks. I put the top on straight out of the dryer so it's a little wrinkled. I think this kind of neck and sleeve finish is very nice. I also did it here on Emily's swan dress. 

Oh I also made the back piece (not the bodice) 2 pieces. I didn't want to waste yardage because it's only 45" wide and it would have made long skinny scraps after I cut everything. So I made it two piece. I was worried it would look bad but I think it looks fine.

Ryan Top 1

My most favorite top yet. I have worn this the most out of any top I've ever made! The pattern is the Ryan Top by Whitney Deal in a size Large after making a muslin (I have a 36d bust and am 5'7") It calls for neck facings but I don't care for that kind of facings so I lined the whole bodice part in the same fabric as the top (only because it is a super lightweight fabric) . I used no interfacing. I did roll up the sleeves and top stitch them down. The fabric is the most softest, lightest lawn ever! From Mood. I feel like I'm not wearing anything when I wear this shirt. 

These photos are from me wearing it all day so it's rumply.

I love this top! The pattern is super easy and quick depending on how you face/line the bodice. I made another one and used bias binding at the neck and arm. I'll post that next.

Mini Briar #1

A Mini Briar Sweatshirt in size 6/7. Emily is 10 and thin (this fits Ava as well who is 8. It's just longer on her). Pattern by Megan Nielsen. The fabric is a really lovely knit terry that is nice and stretchy. I bought this and other colors at G Street Fabrics in Maryland.  I used a kangaroo pocket from another pattern and curved it to match the hem of the Briar. Ava is really into kangaroo pockets right now.

I decided to do a freezer paper stencil with acrylic paint and fabric medium instead of heat transfer using my Silhouette because I'm getting irritated with the heat transfer not sticking as well as I'd like. This is the first time I've done a freezer paper stencil and found it to be really easy. BUT!!!! As I was painting it, I got "spazzy" (according to Emily) and slung paint several times so that's why there are extra hearts on the sleeves (her idea). There are supposed to be big hearts as elbow patches but the little ones are because "I did what I tell the girls not to do" (spazz) according to Emily...

You have to tear off a big piece of freezer paper way bigger than the image you're going to cut so when you iron it on, the excess covers the rest of the fabric and should you drop some paint or spazz, it will fall on the freezer paper not your fabric.

I don't like how the neck kind of pulls but I think that's just how I sewed it. The next one I made I rounded the neck a little more and it helped. Also, I loved rolled/raw-edge hems but I think I'm going to add sleeve cuffs at least to this. I got the bunny design from the internet ages ago so I don't know who's it is.

I saw this pattern after Kristen (from Skirt as top) posted one and was instantly in love! 

I think this pattern is super easy and well written. I had no issues with it and have made it twice now. I also have the adult one to make myself some sweatshirts. 

Felt Campifire

A felt campfire for my sister! 

My sister is a 4th grade teacher and every year they do something called Westward Expansion/the Pioneer trail in her class (Emily did it in her class a couple months ago) It's an interactive game where students role play as settlers heading west on the wagon train. For one part of it my sister has the kids sit around a campfire. She had a paper campfire but it was falling apart sooo I made her a new one!

It was also her birthday present.

*

I made this from looking at the one on the landofnod.com website, etsy sellers and tutorials/pictures found searching google. I'm contemplating making a pattern because mostly people are selling them already made. If you are a sewer it's really hard to buy finished products when you can sew it yourself! For cheaper. But I hate writing patterns so it may never happen.

The fire is in two parts and has one layer of Timtex in between the felt. Emily suggested I not sew down the orange fire and let it be floppy.

The logs are my favorite! 

The rocks are all sewn onto the mat because kids are little turds and will play with the rocks. In a classroom this is not good. Besides it makes clean up really easy as everything folds up and goes  neatly in an ikea shoe box. 

The log with the branch and leaves is my favorite of the 3 logs.

I used mostly wool blend felt from Benzie felt on etsy. The red and the brown are the only 100% wool felt from achildsdream.comhttp://www.achildsdream.com/ **Holland wool felt

Sew Together Bag #2

Sew Together Bag pattern by Sew Demented bought on Craftsy. 

The fabric is Melody Miller for Kokka, Ruby Star Shining 

*

I made this bag for the mom of the kids I made the two circle cases for in the previous post.

We became good friends when I moved back home to San Diego. Her kids went to the same school as mine and it turns out we went to the same high school just different years and we even lived down the street from each other then. Moving so much makes it so I meet some really awesome people but it also means I move after meeting them. The last three places we were stationed were 1.5 years each. (insert sad face emogi)

I thought this pattern was good but it was better when I did the sew along. Now when I make this I just pull up the sew along and make it.