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under the sun

so this past week we basked in the florida sun and had lots of fun as a family...but...

i couldn't leave my sewing projects behind, so they came with me! i am feeling overwhelmed with all the projects i need (maybe "want" is a better word) to finish before august and baby, so most of what i tried to work on while away relates to the girls' new bedroom. i did sneak in a little clothing sewing... but spent most of my time doing craft projects... that required no sewing!  first up--decoupage letters for the girls' soon-to-be-repainted walls!
i can't find the tutorial i used, but this is pretty self explanatory...i found the letters at hobby lobby for $1.99 each. i chose my favorite fabrics that will feature in the girls' new quilts, turned the fabric face down and traced the letters upside down on the fabric with a pencil. i cut out the letters and then applied modge podge to the letter, placed the fabric on top of the letter and added a few coats of modge podge--a quick nap-time project!

next up...i needed to get working on the quilts...i have two twin size quilts to make and having never quilted before, i really need to get going! so on our second day at the beach while the kiddos napped, i cut out 335 (!) 6x6 inch squares for their patchwork quilts. i just love the fabrics, all from heather bailey's pop garden fabric collection, so even though it was a pretty monotonous project, it wasn't boring because these prints are so colorful and fun!
on day three, i finally got the chance to try out a tutorial i have wanted to use for a while now! this is such a simple project and doesn't have to involve sewing if you don't want it to! i saw these fun fleece flower pillows here and couldn't be happier with how these two turned out. the girls love them so much and i have plenty of fleece leftover to sew a few more.
it might not seem like i accomplished much, but it feels good to at least have a few things checked off the list!

we came home last night and i found several packages of great new fabrics waiting for me (pictures soon!)! i won this giveaway at one of my favorite fabric shops for a beautiful set of fabrics...i am not a quilter, but as the prints came already cut and ready to sew into a quilt, i figured that there was no excuse for me not to sew a crib quilt for baby three too. these are all big experiments for me as up until now i have only sewn clothing. until i can get a good way through the sewing of the quilts, i won't take on any orders in large quantities... hopefully i can open up orders again the first bit of july. i will post ready-to-ship items weekly until then, so be sure to stay tuned! and if you have special requests or need something custom before july, feel free to email me at chickadee chickadee at gmail dot com. i just might be able to squeeze other little projects in!

kids clothing week challenge

last week a fabulous seamstress and blogger hosted her annual kids' clothing week challenge. the rules: spend an hour sewing garments for your kids each day.
i've checked out the challenge and the delightful projects that others have completed during the week in the past, but already up to my elbows sewing children's clothing for at least four hours a day in the fall, i never participated until now. this year, with a few projects crossed off my list earlier in the month and orders under control, i decided to try to make at least one thing for the girls each day. it was really fun sewing for them, as i far more often sew for others (which i also love doing!) and i snuck in a project for myself too--a maternity skirt! {don't worry, i have been working on the romper and maxi dress orders all along the way and most all of them will ship out by the end of the week!} so here are the projects i completed last week during kcwc!
day one: shorts...i attempted to make a ruffle pair and a knot pair...the knot pair looked goofy on little m, so i chopped off the knot part and made them straight leg shorts (with a little flair).

day two: the knot shorts pattern was just too cute to not try again, so i worked on a pair for big girl r and i love them! and she loves them despite the fact that there is not a hint of pink on them (the only bargaining tool that really works when i want her to try on a new project--it must have pink!).

 

knot shorts were the nap time project and hats were the evening one! i didn't receive even so much as a mother's day card this year :( so in my pity party state of mind, i splurged and bought myself several cute sewing patterns i have had my eye on! first up...made by rae's sunbonnet for little m. starting this project had me breaking out my new (but still unused at that point) bias tape maker. now i am so addicted to bias tape making that most of the rest of the projects i made this week have some bit of bias tape figured in!

 

day three: i loved the bonnet so much that i decided my niece needed one to protect her against the hot georgian sun (which has altogether vanished the last few days!) and that a sweet little newborn my friend is expecting to arrive any day also needed one to match the romper she is going to wear home from the hospital. so those were fun too, and i can't wait to make more! we tested out the hats at the centennial park fountains!
  that's my niece in her new bonnet!

all these hats are handmade! my sister made my oldest niece's hat!

day four: while i was making a customer order in this peasant top style,i cut one to sew for miss r! i wasn't sure about the fabrics together and as a top, but i really think i do like it now that it is all finished!

i made two pairs of coordinating pants...the pink and brown knit straight leg capris i like...the chevron yellow ones...not one bit! they're going in the re-do pile!

day five: baprons! just what exactly is a bapron, you ask? i had no idea myself until my sister sent me a link to a tutorial for a baby bib/apron that i think is the best bib style around! i was in love with our baby bjorn bibs, but my mom lost one and i knew i needed a solid replacement...enter the bapron! viola...another great excuse to make cute bias tape!

i captured her mid-banana, but you get the idea! had to sew up another matching one for my niece since we had a lunch date the next day! (i used oil cloth left over from a toddler table cloth and mess mat project i made last year)

day six: had to find another reason to make more bias tape...i remembered a cute smocked dress that incorporated bias tape from prudent baby. since i was already smocking rompers and maxi dresses, i went to work on a shorter version of the dress. so quick and a fun way to reinvent lovely pale aqua sheets that we no longer use!

 

day seven: didn't sew for a complete hour, but i decided that little m needed matching pink/cocoa knit capris like big sister (and incidentally, the skirt i made for myself is also made with the same fabric). i don't have many good shots of them yet--the girls wore the pants to the finale of daddy's big adventure race and they were running in all sorts of directions the entire time so this is the only picture i got that shows even part of her legs!! after four days without him while he played race director at his race,
we were all glad to be reunited yesterday!    

and some more photos for you...i didn't work on these in time for kcwc, but i still want to show you!  please ignore grumptastic's post nap expressions in these photos...

  and ignore the messy, fresh-from-waking-bowless hair...

 and i also got some new fabric in over the weekend! i think these prints will be dreamy for fall!!

hats off to summer!

 

down here in the south, spring is pretty much gone...summer is here! the pools are open and it is full-on sprinkler-running and swim-suit-wearing season now! with a week of temps in the 80s and 90s forecasted, i decided it was time to sew the girls' summer hats! a bucket hat for big girl r

and a sunbonnet for miss m!

  

i had so much fun sewing the girls' hats that i turned out two more this afternoon (yea for 3-hour naps!!)...a newborn bonnet (that just so happened to fit miss r's bitty baby perfectly!) and another sunbonnet for my niece!