Braided Pacifier Clips

Friday, January 6, 2017

On my most recent trip into LA with my sisters in law, we got a few suspender clips and lots of leather trim to make these braided pacifier clips. The leather trim was extremely cheap ($1 for 5 yards) but the suspender clips ($0.50 each) are cheaper online. 

One of my sisters has a five month old baby and another is expecting a baby a few months after me, so it has been so fun to craft and plan with them! Those three cousins will grow up to be best buds!
We each made a few pacifier clips together on Christmas. 

The two colors that I got were teal and tan. 


The end result!


I have a lot of leftover trim and have plans to buy some more suspender clips online. I think this is a super easy and cute gift I can give to other friends who are in the baby-making phase of life. 

Unforgiving Corduroy

Thursday, January 5, 2017

I love being pregnant and couldn't be more thrilled to become a mom soon, but I am also excited to have a waist again!

So here I am reminiscing about projects past. 
This is a skirt I made three years ago. 
This corduroy fabric I found at DI and its a gorgeous bright blue/green color.


As part of an assignment one semester, I had to create a clothing line, complete with sketches, fabric swatches, inspiration, and a title. The idea for this skirt stemmed from one of my sketches. 

My storyboard. I had imagined a line that was simple, yet beautiful that would effortlessly make any woman the best-dressed one in the room. 
The issue with the fabric is that it has ZERO stretch. 
I used my sloper pattern to create a simple pencil skirt pattern with darts at the waist. Sadly, it may not fit me well post-pregnancy. The fabric has no stretch. 
Hopefully I will be able to adjust the darts and side seams if needed to get a little more use out of this pretty skirt. 

Forrest Green Moccasins!

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

My first attempt at making moccasins turned out surprisingly perfect. 
In comparison, my second pair was a bit of a disappointment! 

I was so excited about the dark green color and pieces of leather I found were softer. Turns out, the soft leather is a little harder to work with because it isn't as easily manipulated under the foot of my sewing machine. It proved to be pretty difficult when I was sewing the fringe pieces to the heel and the toe pieces. 

Pieces cut out!


Overall, they still look cute. Plus, they turned out a bit smaller than the other pair, so my baby will have two different sizes to wear!

Baby Sleeper Pattern Adjustment

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Like I mentioned in a previous post, the proportions of the baby sleeper pattern need some adjusting. Since I have been accumulating tons of clothes for my baby, I was easily able to compare my handmade sleeper to other clothes to determine how it needed to be adjusted. 
The body width and length would fit a six month old, but the arms and legs only fit a three month old. 

The sleeve and the bodice/legs pattern pieces
If I add about an inch to the arms and legs, They would be better proportioned to the body. 
I cut both pattern pieces and added an inch and a half length. I made sure to cut them in an area that would only be sewn at the arm and leg seams. I did not want to affect the way any pattern pieces were attached together. 

Bodice cut, extra paper added to the sleeve
Here are the before and after comparisons:






Super simple and quick fix! 
I think this small change will make a bid difference in my little sleepers. 

I went to LA with my sisters in law a few weeks ago with grand plans for projects I had in mind for myself. However, I ended up coming home with only fabric for my baby, so I have lots of options to choose from to test out this new and improved pattern.


Cape Verde Tie

Monday, January 2, 2017

A couple of years ago my brother, Lane, went on a service trip to Cape Verde for two weeks. When he came back he brought a strip of brown and white fabric and a yard of fabric for me. I made a baby quilt with my yard and Lane requested I make him a tie with his small strip of fabric (not sure why, because he also sews and the ties he makes are flawless!). 

I recreated the same pattern that I used for Jesse's tie. In my opinion, it is the perfect width!
One trick I've used a few times is using the lining and structural reinforcement from an old tie for my new ones. I go to thrift stores and buy a few ties for dirt cheap and then take them apart.

The old tie I took apart next to the new fabric

Here is the project almost completed with maroon lining. 

One huge mistake I made with this project was not leaving enough fabric as seam allowance in the back. If I had left it as it originally was, It would have been a much thinner tie, but I didn't want that. I added a strip of fabric and tacked it onto the back to cover both raw edges. 
It made the tie a little bulkier and I bet my brother kind of regretted asking me to make it after seeing the outcome!

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