Sewing Mama RaeAnna Patterns: Valentine Cupcake Top and Pea Coat {and a discount!!}

Remember the so cute Cupcake Top that I tested for Sewing Mama RaeAnna? I still love that shirt. But, baby girl is growing and growing quickly. I am not sure how many more wears I can get out of this top! So that means, need to make some more! ;) You can go to her shop to get one.

Well, I got this cute little peacoat sweater for her for Christmas and I absolutely love the look of it and I  thought, "you know what? I could do some thing like this using this fabulous pattern from Sewing Mama RaeAnna! It had the ruffles on the bottom, and I thought having the ruffles on the sleeves would be cute.

For the Peacoat, I just cut two separate pieces for the front, but extended one side (the wrong side oops) 2 inches. I also cut out minky lining the same way, but opposite. I intended on doing ruffles for the arms and bottom, but instead it just seemed to work better with just the cuffs and waistband. She has worn it a few times so far, it is adorable over a dress!

For the top, the only thing I changed was the sleeves. Since we are still sitting in 70* weather here in the desert, it has been rather warm for long sleeves. I capped the sleeve. I also left the edge raw, I liked the curled look that it gave. I wanted to ruffle the sleeve, but decided to just go with the sleeve as it was.

I raw edge appliqued the heart. It's hard to do that when a little boy starts climbing onto the chair behind you, so it went a little crooked, but I love the character it gives it!

I haven't taken any pictures of her in it yet. I am going to make a pair of pants with ruffles on the legs to match. That and the poor thing has not been happy from her 6 month shots. She has only been happy being held, and had been comfort nursing constantly. Sunday was one of the first days that she was ok. So Nikolai and I went to the grocery store. Hurrah for a mommy and little man outing!

And now, for the fun part!

RaeAnna has a sale going on to get the pattern! Head on over to Sewing Mama RaeAnna's Shop and enter the code SWEET at checkout and save 20% off the pattern!

Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Lullaby Line: Overalls Testing

*This post contains affiliate links. All views expressed are my own.*

Oh my goodness, I feel so lucky to have been able to test so many items from the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop Lullaby Line! Last week I shared with you the Lullaby Bodysuit, Shorts and hat. Today I am sharing with you the overalls, which I absolutely adore in this fabric!

I've taken to sewing the kids clothes, as many of you know, because: 1. I am quickly running into the sizes where we don't have much, 2. It is currently cheaper (despite materials and time) to make their clothes, and 3. it gives me something to do and I'm learning new things. New things like a buttonhole...

I think I have enjoyed it as much as I have because it is a quick return on the finished product. It takes me so long to finish a quilt, but a matter of hours to complete an outfit!

For instance, these overalls I paired with the Grand Slam Tee. It took me 20 minutes to make. Granted I had the size pieces already. But I still deconstructed 2 of my old camisoles and I have made this shirt before so I knew what to do (that helps, a lot).

These overalls are awesome! They have 3 different bib options, unisex, and directions for a snap placket for easy diaper changes!

Check it out, this pic is on the yardage page!

You can get the whole Lullaby Layette bundled for $35! That is discounted $10! Head over and Click here to visit Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.

2014 Finish-A-long: Quarter 1 Goals {2014 FAL Q1}

Ok... Here is my list, pretty much the same as last quarter because I almost finished one, but not quite... Christmas presents took a lot of time. And Nikolai's birthday party. And, it was all totally worth it! :)

So here are the list of items that I am going to try to fit in between now and March, in between clothing items that is...

1. Craftsy Block of the Month 2012 quilt... Wait, what? 2 years for this one? my goodness me! All that is left is the binding. I can use my new wonderclips that I got for Christmas from my mom! :)

2. Labyrinth Lap Quilt... I am still debating the backing for this, if I really want to use it...but I have nothing else...

3.  My band shirt memory quilt... Still trying to find backing fabric for this...

4. This is baby girl's baby shower quilt. Nope, still sitting on the wall... Just like this...  I am thinking of just foregoing trying to get other people to write on a square. I'm kind of negative in thinking about this... I love it, and I love that it is messages for her. I love her. This is something that potentially can be with her for a very long time. (I even have background!) I haven't pursued having people writing on a square because no one is responding, yes it has been a while... (Maybe I can bring some squares into the guild?) ... She is going to wonder why some people close to her never wrote on a square. Oh well ... maybe it wont be so hard when it is finished?

5. This is still meant to be a checker quilt. I discussed sizing with Brandon and he doesn't want it bigger than the table, because he doesn't want to play on the floor... But... I found the line at the local quilt shop in Sahuarita!!! So it can be bigger than the table! ;)

6. Jelly roll quilt... I still need to fins a good enough yellow... Separate the rows and add in the sashing...

7. My new project... We got this for Nikolai's birthday. Brandon decided he wanted to get him and rc car so it got pushed back to Christmas. But, because I wasn't given time on the weekends to work on it. I was just barely able to get the other gifts done, and they turned out awesome! So this one is just for whenever it gets finished. 

We found this panel at the quilt shop in Sahuarita and it was the only one! Had to get it! It took a while to decide what to do. Just decided to border then quilt it with minky on the back (Nikolai loves fuzzy!)... So I have one more border, quilt and bind. He still hasn't seen it!

So, for now these are my quilting goals... I hope to at least finish the BOM and the Dino quilt... But clothes for the kids is a little top on the list. Samara grows out of things so fast! We are starting to enter the 6-9mos. sizes! We see how big she is on Wednesday!!! :)

Linking up at The Littlest Thistle

Lace Cuffed Arm Warmers {Snowflakes & Lace}

I am so excited to be given the opportunity to share something with you for the Snowflakes and Lace series hosted by Sewing Mama RaeAnna and Sew Very. I have to say that when I got the e-mail from RaeAnna I was so excited to be included, but honestly had no idea what to do! I had to rummage through my old clothes to find something usable. Luckily I have quite a bit of lace and eyelet! :)

Those that are coming over from the series, Welcome! 

I am sharing with you a pair of arm warmers with a cute Victorian-like styled cuff, and the way that I made them in case you wanted to do a pair for yourself too! In the desert it gets cold enough for a jacket and then you get warm inside. I wanted a cute pair of arm warmers to go under a jacket to keep you warm and easily can be removed for comfort inside.

Bonus, I love the way they look under my jacket! 

So here is how I did it! :)

You need:

- a shirt for the sleeves and one for the cuffs

- rotary cutter/scissor

- cutting mat and ruler

- sewing machine

1. Cut off the sleeves from the shirt. I used my rotary cutter and tried to get as close to the shirt as I could but still keeping it straight.

2. Slide the sleeves over your arm and pin. I didn't have help and took it off then put it on again to pin it in. If you have to do that, please be careful! I pricked myself more than once. 

3. Trim off the excess. I sewed first without thinking, but to put the cuff on you kind of need to not sew it yet. I left enough for 1/2" seam allowance.

4. measure your hand from the wrist to the knuckle on your thumb (mine was 4"). Measure the wrist opening of the sleeve (mine was 6.25")

5. Cut from your lace. I used the distance from my wrist to my thumb knuckle as my starting point, for the width. I added a 1/2" for seam allowance so totaled 4.5" ...

I doubled the measurement of the wrist opening on the sleeve because of ruffling, though I didn't want it too dense. I cut 12.5" for the cuff.

6. Ruffle your lace. make sure you have the right type of needle for the fine fabric :)

7. Sew onto the wrist, right sides together using a zigzag stitch. (I don't have a serger, but you could serge too.) if you sew, use a zigzag stitch to keep the lace from fraying. Top stitch the seam to the sleeve.

8. Sew down the length of the sleeve and finish the top end. and there is your arm warmer. Repeat with the other side!

Don't forget to check out what these other participating bloggers have to show you! You can find their intro on Sewing Mama RaeAnna and Sew Very.

If you have a project you would like to see, check out the link-up Snowflakes and Lace Giveaway or see what the prizes are...

And now, For your chance to win the giveaway! Follow these bloggers and enter a chance to win some fantastic prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Got a Button. Grab one

I made a button! it's 125px by 125px

What do you think? It's the image of a barrel cactus flower in the background.

:)

Grab a code, it's on the sidebar!



or.. here is the code...

<div class="The-Berry-Bunch-button" style="width: 150px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://bunchoberries.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniX5EhXNTmTcwkLdMElSWlsT1wVt_GBp5yT_AhreqAUTlDihcLBnViIQutrlRHEo4tz6LVRYtv8I6RThaid-9CAx6P1NmbYhxrBocJghBAR4w8cHE6tMR4ZDA8IHykRmY5_c02PmNFHY/s125/barel%2520cactus%2520flower%2520-button%2520-%2520bunchoberries.png" alt="The Berry Bunch" width="125" height="125" /> </a> </div>

Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Lullaby Line: Bodysuit and Pants Testing

*This post contains affiliate links. All views expressed are my own*

I know I've said this before but, I love testing patterns made by independent designers... The release of the Lullaby Line over at Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop is due sometime today is now available! I am so excited to share these with you!

The bodysuit is a lap neck, which I think for squirmy babies, sometimes is so much easier to get over their heads!

The shorts fit nicely over a cloth diaper and I plan on making several more pairs of shorts and pants.

I re-purposed an old stretch t-shirt for the bodysuit and the shorts. The shirt I used for the shorts I also used for the hat and scratch mitts, which I used more to keep them a little warmer and came off immediately because she would not leave them on!

Go look for the new patterns over at the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop! Stay tuned, I'll show you the overalls!

The whole Layette Line is available for $35! That is discounted $10! so...Click here to visit Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.

Happy New Year, Welcome 2014!

Wow! Cannot believe that it is 2014! Just, Wow!

Hope that you, readers, had a fantastic holiday! Ours was way crazy as usual! I was busy sewing up some homemade gifts up until last minute. Is there any other way?

Here are some of the things that I made...

Pajama Eater pattern by Sew Fearless... The middle one is a sock monkey!

Cloth Monster Bookmarks - 3 total

It was a busy time, though enjoyed with family. :)

I do look forward to this new year though! So far I plan on continuing with the Virtual Book Club for Kids! I still think Nikolai enjoys the books and activities. Just reading together is fun!

I am preparing a post for this fun sew along hosted by RaeAnna of Sewing Mama RaeAnna and Veronica of SewVery. You can look for the post on the 16th of January! :) Eeek, I am so excited! :)

All the lovelies are going to have some wonderful projects for you, so don't forget to check them out too on the week of the 13th-17th! :)

Sew Like My Mom

Get Your Crap Together
Kid Approved
Shaffer Sisters
Welcome to the Mouse House
Paisley Roots
House of Estrela
Ali Cat & Co.
Climbing the Willow
Handmade Martini
RanaMamaDesign 

Also, I have started the planning for what I am going to sew up for the Kids Clothes Week the last week in January! Ambitious? I think so, but then you have to start somewhere right? It's mostly 6-9 month stuff for Samara. You know, because I don't like to do laundry and try to push it to at least once a week. Oh, and a couple more pants for Nikolai.

At least planning means I might be more likely to accomplish some of it. At least, that is, if I can get to the store and pick up some more thread (I just cannot bring myself to use variegated thread, or my thread already set aside for quilting, on clothes)...

What's funny, is that aside from a few things, most of these patterns are Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop patterns! (affiliate link)

I also have a pattern test to show off once the pattern is released! Also from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. (affiliate link)

I am very excited about this upcoming month and I am sure hoping that the rest of the year comes in pretty similarly.