A New Bag From Scraps!

While at retreat, someone turned up with some upholstery fabric samples.  As it's hard for me to throw anything away (did I just admit that out loud?!?) (But seriously, if I can't use it, I can always put it in a dog bed.), I brought the samples home with me.  After trimming off the paper label end, I had some nice rectangles.  So I used up eight of them to make a tote bag.  

I even boxed the bottom corners, to give the bag some dimension.  

As there were unfinished seams inside, I decided it needed a lining.  I used the bottom of a black San Francisco Giants t-shirt for the lining!  (I tried to take a picture, but a photo of black?  Doesn't work so well.)

And the handles are from a piece of leftover bedsheet fabric.

Below is the other side the tote.

These shots show the pretty pattern of the fabric.

There are some more upholstery fabric squares, so maybe I'll make another one of these!

Number 2 Shirts (and a Christmas shirt) for BabyStitches

back before i broke my arm i was able to sew some "number 2" t-shirts for babystitches.  her birthday is in early december.  and i also sewed a christmas tree shirt, like i made for granddaughterstitches quite a few years ago.  i found the idea on pinterest.  i just cut a tree-shaped triangle out of green lace, with the curly edge as the bottom of the tree.  fused it in place.

then i used some beading thread to sew on some sequins, topped by little seed beads.  i think buttons could be used, too, for the "ornaments."

i really love this little pink piece of fabric (moleskin?) that is specifically for holding beads.  it does a great job of holding them in place where i want them until im ready to use them.

and here is the finished christmas shirt!

i have never before bought t-shirts from amazon to make these.  I've always been able to find a t-shirt in a store.  this time, however, i hadn't been near a store for quite a while, so i ordered them from amazon.  and you know what happens when you buy a kids t-shirt from amazon, right?  you can't order just one! so i had six shirts and decided to decorate them all.

i made this cute salmon-colored t-shirt.

and a green number on this gray shirt.

the same green number as i put on this green shirt.  i used all batik fabrics this time, to hopefully help with fraying.  and after fusing each number,  i went around each one in machine blanket stitch.  

then i decided to put a letter "e" on one shirt, as her name starts with "e" and she's learning her letters.  i used a cute red print, and there wasn't very much left.  barely enough to save.  but it was a long strip, so i added a ruffle to the bottom of the shirt.  

real simple--gathered the strip by pulling a thread, then sewed it to the bottom hem of the t-shirt.

here is babystitches, modeling one of her t-shirts,

and another one.

A Perfect Ten!

Quite a milestone!  GranddaughterStitches has turned ten years old!  So here, of course, is a shirt to commemorate the accomplishment.  

I found a very pretty batik fabric for the two numerals.  As usual, fused on and then blanket stitched on the machine.

Quite the model's pose, don't you think?!?

I told GranddaughterStitches that I could remember my DadStitches making a big deal out of my being a "two-number girl." 

And here is a tag I added onto the back of the shirt.  I have learned throughout the years that these tags are often scratchy and uncomfortable, and therefore tend to get removed from the garment.  So this time I added the label onto the outside of the shirt.

It's That Time of Year Again

It's that time of year again when I make a new "number t-shirt" for GranddaughterStitches.  The number this year is Seven!  How can she be this old already!?!  

I purchased the necessary t-shirt in the appropriate size, then searched through my computer fonts for a suitable number 7.  I decided to use the CurlzMT font, which gave me this number 7.  I like the 
curly-que at the bottom, and I think GranddaughterStitches will, too!

After I had printed out the 7, I took my pen and added a little more width to some of the narrow parts of the number.   And I ended up with this image.  

  I thought that would give me a little more fabric to attach to the t-shirt.

I then fused the number 7 to the center front of the t-shirt.

After that came the machine blanket stitch all the way around.

And here is the final result!

I opened up a few stitches on the side and added this little tag that says 

"PS I love you."

Happy Birthday, GranddaughterStitches!

Some Clothes for GranddaughterStitches

I recently sewed some new leggings for GranddaughterStitches.  She loves leggings, and almost needs to have them custom-made.  She is tall and slender so those long enough are too big around, and those that fit in the waist are capri pants!  

Here she is modeling her zebra leggings!  I saw this fabric and just knew it would be perfect for her.

Here is a closer shot of her zebra pants.  Perfect for every social situation, you know.

Another thing I thought I would try is making slashes in the back of a t-shirt for her.  I'm still finding out how wide to make them and where on the back they are best placed.  Fortunately, she has a little lavender tank top which looks great underneath it.

A Butterfly Shirt for GranddaughterStitches

We were excited to go visit GranddaughterStitches (and her parents) over Halloween.  It was fun to spend Halloween in her kindergarten classroom with her, seeing all the kids in their cute costumes, and to witness the excitement in the whole school.  It was also great to be able to assist in DaughterStitches's 2nd grade classroom.  The whole school was decked out in costumes!

Anticipating our visit there, I embroidered a little pink t-shirt for GranddaughterStitches.  I found a pattern on the internet (can't recall where I found it) for a redwork butterfly embroidery.  So I used that pattern, but added my own colors to the butterfly.

Here is a close-up of the butterfly.  I used blue, light green, and light blue for the colors.  Everything was sewn with backstitch except for the dots, for which I used satin stitch.  I backed the embroidery area with a nice soft fusible web to stabilize the embroidery.

It actually went quite fast, and I soon finished the embroidery.  Then I thought, "That was too easy.  I need to do something more."  

So I moved on to the bottom of the t-shirt and proceeded to make little embroidered flower and leaf motifs.  I added some colors to my palette for the flowers!

And here is GranddaughterStitches wearing her new pink butterfly shirt.  

I think it suits her just fine.