Birthday Tie for Jesse

I made Jesse a tie a couple years ago and haven't made anything for him since (besides some minor suit alterations and patching a few holes). I've been planning on making him a tie for a long time. This new tie is long overdue.

He has been wanting some new ties recently, so I figured I would make him one or two for his upcoming birthday!

He has been noticing that bright floral ties are very popular lately. His tie he got from my brother is colorful and has some leaves and snails on it, but he has never had a floral tie.
I wanted to ease him into the floral trend with something fun, yet subtle.

When I said "subtle" I meant it! Hardly any flowers visible

My mom brought this fabric back from her recent trip to India. She got me a yard or two in a few different fabrics that are all so beautiful.
I've been waiting for the perfect project for this teal fabric.

The tan floral fabric I used for the lining was also from my mom's India trip

I used the same pattern that I have used for all of the ties I've made, including Jesse's first tie I made him. I think it is a great width for a tie.
I hand stitched the lining to the tie and also hand stitched the back closed. The reinforcement on the inside of the tie was from an old tie I got at a thrift store. I love to buy old, ugly ties and take them apart to reuse the interfacing.
I have grown to really like making ties. It only requires a little bit of hand stitching and some pressing and pinning. I will be making a trip to Goodwill soon to get some more old ties to reuse.

Baby Kempler!

BABY BOY KEMPLER DUE IN MARCH!

We can't wait for this sweet baby to arrive! I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to sew anything new, but now that my body is so rapidly changing, all the more reason to sew for my baby!

This picture was taken the week we found out we were pregnant (in July). I was so convinced there was already a bump, but there definitely wasn't one yet!

I love sewing for babies and I'm so happy that I now have the perfect excuse to do more of it. I love the soft knit fabrics and the fun colors that come with children's clothes. Plus, they are always comfortable, durable, and easy to clean. 

The same week we found out we were pregnant I went through my fabric stash and pulled all the knit fabrics. I have a pretty good stash already, but I'm sure it will grow over the next few months. 

My mother-in-law gave us this little dresser for the baby's things. I immediately found the right corner for it and filled it with the few things we already have.

 

Now THAT is a bump! This was taken in October right around our half way mark! 

Wedding Dress: Final Draft

Jesse and I got engaged in June 2014. It came as a total surprise to me, so I was NOT prepared! Our engagement was three short months, so I got to work immediately on my dress.
I used my dress form throughout the whole process. It doesn't have my exact measurements, but it is pretty close. Even still, it made the whole process easier. I matched it to the height I would be with my wedding shoes on - a whopping 6'3" - so I could make the skirt the perfect length. 

The raw silk in ivory and the lace in white turned out beautiful. The slight color difference adds detail to the lace and makes it pop much more than if they were the same exact color.

I spent so many hours on this dress! I tried it on every day as I worked on it to make sure it fit me perfectly. 

The darts on the bodice were fitted to me perfectly. I was unhappy with how the first dress fit, so I made sure this one was just right. 

I hand stitched extra lace flowers onto the bodice. I wanted the whole thing covered.

One of my favorite details: the belt!

The perfect belt!! From BHLDN

I love looking back at our wedding pictures! 

From our pre wedding shoot a few days before the wedding. I was still doing some finishing touches on the dress on the drive to the beach for pictures! So stressful.. 

My biggest mistake was wearing brand new shoes. My feet were toast after two hours!

Wedding Pictures by Nickell Blair Photography

Whenever I visit my parents' house, I end up going to my old closet and looking at my wedding dress for a few seconds.
I'm so glad I didn't pass up the opportunity to make my wedding dress. I probably could have saved myself the trouble and bought a better-made, better-looking dress elsewhere, but I'm so glad I didn't. I've got this new sense of pride in what I did. I learned so much and I am a better seamstress now than I was before.
Plus, it's one more thing I have in common with my wonderful mother-in-law, Jennifer, who also made her own wedding dress!

Baby Bow Ties

For our wedding, I had a very specific idea of how I wanted everyone to look (pretty standard for one's own wedding). I didn't want anyone to match, just coordinate. There is a HUGE difference.
However, when it came to my two sweet nephews, I wanted them to match! I imagined them in tan pants with a blue collared onesie and a bow tie. I searched and searched for the perfect little shirts and finally found them!
Their bow ties are made by me. I was a little nervous because they turned out MASSIVE, but they looked so stinkin' cute.

Jesse and I feel lucky because we have a special bond with all of our nephews: We were dating when Henry was born, we were engaged when Luke was born, and little Fredrick was born a week ago! I'm so lucky to have such adorable nephews and such awesome sisters who keep having babies! 

Wildlife Wednesday

In my textiles class, we learned about all sorts of textiles, weaves, knits, synthetic fibers, natural fibers, and dyes. I learned some very useful things about fabric. It has made me a better seamstress. 

One of our projects was creating a stencil and transferring it to fabric. We traced our stencils on freezer paper because it is waxed on one side and can be temporarily ironed onto the fabric. 

I chose to make something for my new boyfriend, Jesse. 

If you knew Jesse, you'd know that he loves snakes! I found a really cool image of a snake online, traced it on the freezer paper, traced the outline with a razor, and ironed it onto the shirt. Then I painted it, starting with light blue and progressing to black. 

He even wore it on a Skype date during our semester apart!

Unintentional coordination! Dressing up for Wildlife Wednesday when we were in college was HUGE.

It's kind of cheesy, I know, but Jesse is so sweet, he would happily wear anything I make for him, no matter how embarrassing! 

Color Block Baby Sleeper

A few weeks ago I went to my sisters baby shower. I realized the night before that I didn't have a gift! I hurried and dug up my fabric collection and layer out all of my knit fabrics. I had some patterned, some pink, some stripes, and a LOT of blue. I decided to use all of them!

With baby clothes, I'm never picky about my fabric because it requires such small amounts and I use whatever I have already. I have noticed that I tend to go with the color block, straight-out-of-the-90's style (exhibit A). 

So much blue! Perfect for a baby boy outfit.

A few of my baby patterns. I decided to make a sleeper because it had the most pattern pieces for color blocking.

I never take pictures mid process, but I did manage to catch one.

Work in progress!

Sleeve detail

Foot detail

And the finished product! I used a grey zipper because it was all I had.. 

The adorable elbow patches were Jesse's idea! I loved the idea so much, I almost cried! Now we can consider it a team effort, right? 

I was really happy with how it turned out and my sister loved it, too! Her due date is a week away and I can't wait to see him in it!

Small Green Pillows

Jesse and I are both suckers for a good pillow. In our short time living together, we have managed to accumulate quite a few of them. On our bed, we had two small white pillows that came with the quilt and shams. After a while (even after regular washings), they started looking pretty dingy. As an alternative to throwing them away, I found some old fabric in my collection and made some pillowcases. Now, they are even easier to clean and it adds more color to our room! 
I used a green flannel material with a geometric pattern on it. I got the fabric years ago from DI. 

The center pillow is a teal velvet fabric with painted gold polka dots from Anthropologie. The two gold faux suede pillows are from Bed Bath & Beyond. The two small green ones are the pillows that I covered. 

This is what our bed looks like when I make it vs. when Jesse makes it. We always have a good laugh when this happens and make a joke about how he is "just expressing his creativity."

A Tie for Jesse

One of my favorite things about Rexburg, the small town in Idaho where I went to college, was the thrift store, Deseret Industries. I used to shop for clothes there and every once in a while I would find something I liked. Eventually, I would go straight to the unorganized shelves in the back and search for bunches of fabric. Most of the time there was nothing but old sheets, but every now and then I could find a bundle of super cool, unique fabric.

This green/brown fabric is from the DI. It is really thick and has fibers of green, brown and black in it. I knew immediately that I wanted use it to make a tie.

The floral cotton lining is so beautiful and there was just the right amount for this project.

To make the pattern, I traced a tie of my brother's that, in my opinion, was the perfect width. Pattern making has become one of my favorite steps of the process. Having the skills to draft a simple pattern makes me feel as though I can make anything!

From our engagement photoshoot (Allie Lindsey Photography)

I gave the finished tie to my husband a few months before we got engaged. He still wears it all the time and it makes me so happy!

This last Christmas (and just in the nick of time) I made ties for my father and father-in-law with the same pattern. Someday I'll master a 100% handmade Christmas! Someday.

Burgundy Baby Quilt

My most recent project has been a baby blanket. 

One Friday night, my husband and I were brainstorming date ideas. The movies just didn't appeal to us, so we had the idea to sew something together! I always have a list of projects in mind, so it was between a blanket and a tie. We chose the easier of the two.

I've been saving this fabric for about a year now. My brother went on a two week service trip to Cape Verde, Africa last year and brought me home this beautiful yard of fabric. He knows me so well!

We keep telling ourselves that we will give it to our first niece (we have two nephews), but I'm certain I will end up keeping it for our first baby girl.

The batting is cotton and the backing is the closest color match we could find to the floral print fabric. 

For the quilting, we traced the flowers so the back would be as beautiful as the front. 

It was extra difficult because I don't yet have a darning foot that allows you to make designs free hand. I used by regular foot and shifted the quilt as I made the design. I've ordered my quilting foot and I can't wait for it to come and make my life a whole lot easier next time around

Jesse, my husband, helped with serging, ironing, and even traced a flower! 

(He is such a good sport)

We have yet to finish it. All we have left is the binding and then we are done! 

We will now be starting a "For Babies" box in our closet.