LSU Crib Set Order

Well, I think I am happy with how the ol' blog is looking...so it is no longer under construction. :D

So here is the order I got from someone who lives in Baton Rouge!! She and her husband drove all the way here to Lafayette to pick it up...so sweet!! They saved me from the Post Office...YAY!!!



This was my first attempt at a crib bumper, and it was somewhat challenging! But in the end, I was pretty happy with it...and so was the expecting Momma! I used foam padding instead of batting to make sure it was good and firm. I used the tutorial, so generously offered at Craft Hours, but obviously not patchwork...it was work enough with just a solid piece of fabric, whew!! And thankfully, this is what my customer preferred. Anyway, I was able to get through it and think the next time will be easier. Isn't that always the way?


The quilt is just 6" squares sewn up with my signature wonkiness *ahem*, with some machine embroidery sprinkled around on the solid pieces. The paw print squares are fleece, and the backing is a solid flannel. It ended up measuring approximately 40" x 60", which is the perfect fit for when the crib gets converted to the toddler-sized daybed.


And there you have it, enough cuteness to turn any baby into an instant FAN!!! Geaux Tigers!!

I am very humbled when someone happens upon my blog and likes what they see enough to place an order with me! Thank you so much Dawn for being patient with my 50 questions and also for the time line you gave me to complete it! :) As most of my sewing friends know, starting and completing projects with small children is a task within itself. Add in the fabric and materials collecting and the process and labor itself...whew, miracles are happening!! ;) It makes me really appreciate the patience I receive from customers AND my family!

Anyway...if someone else is "happening" on my blog someday and is interested in placing an order, this crib set with LSU team fabric and specialized monogramming is priced at $200. It comes with bumper, skirt, and an approximate 40" x 60" quilt. Fabrics will vary with availability, but we can talk about that later....hence the previously quoted "patient with my 50 questions"!! :D

Hope you all have a safe and fun-filled Labor Day weekend, I am off to the beach!! Until later...

Welcome 2011!

Sorry...I know I am ELEVEN days into 2011, but I've been trying to keep my resolution to keep my house cleaner and more organized!! I know, I know...it is my resolution EVERY year!! But you know how it goes..."if you don't first succeed, try, try again!!" I am trying!! I've got my Christmas stuff down and put away...YAY!! I also spent a WHOLE day going through my THREE children's closets!! I was tired of tripping over BAGS and containers FULL of clothes that needed to be sorted and put in the attic! It was giving them an excuse to NOT keep the room clean! And this is a 20x20 foot room ya'll!!! Now I just need to go through all of the toys and throw out the broken ones!!! And you know how I HATE to throw stuff out!! :)

So anyway...I promised to be back with the gifts I made for some adults in my family...so without further ado....for my Momma:



I did all of the mouse ears on my monogramming machine, then sewed them onto the tee shirt. I wanted them to be BIG and DRAMATIC! What do you think?




And one for my lil' sister...


My daddy is not going to Disney World with us! :( We will get you off the porch ONE DAY, daddy!! xo



I had a hard time trying to think of something for my daddy!! But then I thought...PEPPERS!! He LOVES hot stuff! He grows his own peppers and makes his own hot sauce...that's some dedication ya'll!! :)


Did ya notice the pocket? Can't have a tee shirt withOUT a pocket!! HA!

Ok...so the last gift has been about 2 years in the making!!! Not because it is sooooo hard, or BIG even...but because I am the WORSE procrastinator in the WHOLE world!!!

My momma's sister was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. When I found out, I knew immediately that I wanted to make something for her. She lives in Texas, so we couldn't be with her during all of her Chemo and then Radiation Therapy. My idea was to make something she could have with her that would give her the feeling that we were all there "wrapping" our love around her! I know, sweet right? The problem is that I just didn't get it done!! She only has one child..but that child gave her three really great grandkids!! But because my Aunt is soooo full of love, she has always thought of my siblings and me as her own...just like my mom does my cousin...so of course our children are her extended grandchildren!! Makes sense, right?

She is Nana to all of the children!!

I did the big kids' hand prints with fabric paint on cotton jersey fabric. The little ones got their foot done! :) I started this when my brother's daughter was 2 months old!! She will be 3 in July!! I do have a little bit of defense for why it took some time...my cousin was pregnant with her oops third child at the time...so I needed to wait until after she was born so I could include her. Also, my family lives about 2 hours from me...not an ideal way to get everything I need! :)

The backing is a really soft cotton jersey fabric with a black damask-like print!! LOVE IT!

So I FINALLY finished it and gave it too her for Christmas!! Of course, she cried...which had us all tearing up!! She has been in remission for over a year now...we are blessed!!

I want to thank the generous givers at Sew Forum for the embroidery designs I used! I LOVE the little pink ribbon bird! I still haven't ventured into actual "quilting"...maybe this will be the year! Because of all of the super soft jersey I used, I wanted this quilt to be more like a fluffy comforter! It is smaller than what I originally intended...hey I had to cut corners to get it done!!! HA! Obviously 2+ years was not enough time!! ;)

Well...that is all for now! I have done a lot of sewing the last couple of weeks, and my SMS giveaway winner received her package...after a failed attempt..UGH!! So I will be back soon with more! Ms. Priss got an American Girl doll for Christmas...that should tell you what I've been sewing...I am REFUSING to spend $30 on DOLL CLOTHES...sheesh!! I know I will give in and look for sales because when you buy outfits, they also send charms that go on her necklace...I can't make those! :P So if any of you know of any AG doll clothes tutorials out there...send me an email and LINK!!! Until later...

Did Someone say GEAUX LSU??

At least, that's how the Cajuns around here say "Go!" Well I'm back!! Did ya miss me? I have been a sewing fool lately! Sew much to do, and sew little time! On the right is an order for a little girl's 1st birthday outfit! As you can see, the parents are CRAZY for them Tigers!! This is actually a "make up" order. Around this time last year, a proud GrandMa put in a request for an LSU quilt and two pillowcase dresses. I found out about 6 months later, that the dresses didn't fit!! After apologizing profusely, then "yelling" at them for not saying something sooner, at which the response was, "but they were just so cute"!! Really? I have the sweetest customers....but if I buy something that doesn't fit, you can bet I would be asking for my $$ back...or at least an exchange!!! So that is what I told them, then asked what they would like as a "make up" order? This was it!! Pretty cute, huh? So the moral of this story is.... Custom order or not, if it is not what you want or doesn't fit.....please let me know!!



Here is an up close look at the crown front:


And the back of the crown.


Another reason I was kinda upset that the ladies never said anything about the dresses not fitting sooner, is that through them, I've gotten many orders! They are so sweet, and really "spread" the word of my creations. I made a quilt for a baby boy a while back that they gave as a shower gift. The grandmother of said baby loved it so much, that she promptly put in an order for her other grandson. Here is his quilt:


Because of all of the wonderfully talented quilters I follow, Amy, Marguerite and Allie to name a few, I have been trying to make more of an effort to actually LINE up my squares!! I think I am getting a tiny bit better at it!! I did the middle applique a little different this time, going down instead of across.


Here is a picture of the back, as you can see, I don't actually "quilt" my quilts. I know it is hard to see in my pictures. I will try to work on getting better photos. It is pretty sad since I have a really good camera and use Photoshop! My friend Melanie gives a good explanation on how to get "good" pictures. And she makes AWESOME Polymer Clay creations. I am going to be getting something that my Momma is going to FLIP over this Christmas....ssshhhh Daddy, it is a surprise!! Anyway, I like a more "comforter" type quilt, so that is how I started making my quilts. Maybe one day I will venture into the actual free motion aspect of quilting.
Well, I'm back to sewing....until my LIST is cleared, I will be a busy girl!! I did, however, finish my girls' jammies for Sew Mama Sew's September sew-along, and check out WHO they featured.....some of my Sweeties!! Way to go, girls!! I am just waiting for Ms. Priss to get home from school to try hers on! I'll post soon!! Until later.....

Something Old and Something New

Happy Memorial Day! Now that summer vacation is officially here, I thought I would post this creation I made for my niece last summer. It is made from a standard beach towel. It worked well for her since she is long and lean. But I think for someone my size or a little more curvy, I would have more of an A-line cut. The shorts were actually made from a BABY BLOOMER pattern that I modified slightly!! That is how small this chica is!! But she got back, so I had to do a little expansion! :) I actually monogrammed her name too low and had to go back and manually remove all the stitches! I won't be doing that again! At least not with that font, it is tough! She is still wearing it this summer, but this was made before I got my serger, so the terry cloth at the front seam on the shorts are starting to run! But she has already requested new colors for this year, so...

Here is the something NEW! I finished the 40x40 quilt I have been working on! I just want to thank the recipient again for being so patient with me! If anyone ever wonders why I don't have an Etsy store or make sales over the internet the answer is TIMING!! The few brave souls who do order things from me are so kind and understanding when it comes to timing! I tell them to give me at least a month notice! Some things I can whip out quickly, but others, especially things I've never done before, take a while to figure out. And then I have to factor in my mess ups!

So next on my list...an embroidered shirt, a monogrammed onsie/ bloomer set, a surprise for Elizabeth, something for a mom-to-be to TWINS, a "baby shower" gift for my sister to give, finish up the aprons for GS, and think of something to make for my kid's summer picture this week!! So what is your summer going to be like? :) Until later...

My favorite quilt...so far

Not to take away from any of the other quilts I have done, but this by far is my favorite. I don't know if it is the material or the pattern or even because I decided to do applique, but I think this quilt just pops! I sure hope the receiver of this quilt likes it, because I would have kept it for myself if I hadn't monogrammed it already! So anyway, on to other things. I made it through the week and got everything done that I wanted to do. This week I plan on working on Valentine's outfits for the girls and an outfit for my niece "beauty". It is, I've been told, an old pattern, but I just "discovered" it. It is an A-line reversible, with a criss-crossed back. I can't wait to see how it sews up. The pattern is ONE piece, so I have high hopes of unbelievable ease! Here are a few of the other things I finished last week.


A three piece pillowcase set for my cousin's new baby. The bloomers are interchangeable with either dress. The last couple of pillowcase dresses I've made were cut to fit, so they wouldn't have an excess amount of material like traditional pillowcase dresses made out of actual pillowcases. The problem was they were too narrow and looked more like a tube. So to not have that problem again, I used the measurements of a pillowcase, now I think the dresses are too wide! But that's just me. I hope to find a happy medium, so I will be practicing alot more.


This next creation was a challenge, which I enjoyed! I wanted to put an alligator applique on the hooded towel I was making for a birthday gift, but couldn't find one I liked. The Boy has an outfit that has the cutest alligator, so I decided to trace it and make my own applique. It came out pretty good, if I do say so myself! Here is a picture of the applique up close, I've added the the hooded towel and the rest of the creations to the slideshow on the left.
I have a week without the Middle Child, so I hope to get alot accomplished. I will post as I get things done. Until later...

Another LSU quilt

Good afternoon! I managed to have some free time since both of my at home children are napping! So I am taking this opportunity to post my newest creation! Yes, it is another LSU quilt, but it seems to be a popular request! I have one more I am working on, but it is for a boy so it will be a little bit different. I used my new serger to put the quilt top together and it went a bit faster. Hopefully the feedback is good on how it holds up. I've been told it was the hit of the baby shower, so I am happy. This one is also done with a flannel backing, but the next one will be a palette quilt with a cotton backing. I am excited to see how it comes out. I have been scouring the fabric stores and websites to find different yellows and purples so they won't all start looking the same. This one has two new fabrics I found, but it is hard to tell in the picture. I just ordered some purple and yellow stripe material that looks good online. Hopefully it will be just as good in hand. That's the thing about ordering online, you can't "feel" the fabric beforehand. You just have to trust that it is quality and not be too disappointed if it is not.

I am also proud to say that Bundle of Joy is now selling my Mardi Gras tu-tus. I brought some by yesterday and the owner thought they were good enough to carry in her store. I am honored because they have such nice things She only bought two, so hopefully they will sell so she will ask for more! I am not sure how many of you follow the "Handmade" news, but there is new legislation starting in February that will put a big dent in the small business industry of handmade items. There is a link on the left side of this page that, I think, will take you too the latest information concerning this. The limited info that I have read up on is that with the new restrictions being put on anything made and sold for children under 12, it has to go through some very expensive testing to ensure the amounts of lead in all materials used is below a certain level. It doesn't matter if the fabric or material has been tested by the company you buy it from, or the fabric shop that sells it too you, it is still your responsibility as a seller to test all items. In fact, you must have a certificate of testing for each item sold. So this will either put many of the moms who sew out of business or make the cost of anything locally handmade way above what an average consumer will be willing to pay. There is a petition to get the legislation to add some type of exclusion or clause that will hopefully save the handmade industry. Anyway, just a heads up, for more in depth and accurate information you can click the link or google it, if you are really interested. Maybe by my next post I'll have an actual link if my scattered-brain remembers it!

In other exciting news...I turned 37 today! WooHoo! My how the years are flying by. Good thing I have kids to keep me young! Speaking of my dear wee ones...back to mommy duties. Until later...

Producitve Weekend?

I don't feel like it was even though I managed to finish a couple of quilts for an order. And I did manage to get the lights on the tree. As you can see, it is just the lights. And the star is unlit. I am not sure why it is being so stubborn, considering I used the same lights last year, the same star, the almost same configuration. So WHY is my STAR NOT LIGHTING? I had to replace two strands of lights already on the tree, I mean already ON the tree! Wow! How much fun was that? We will do the ornaments tonight, and I hope to have our new stockings done today so we can hang those too. I really wanted to have all of this done during the week, but that just wasn't going to happen. So I guess that is why I don't feel like it was a productive weekend. I did manage to get stuff cut and arranged ready to be monogrammed or sewn, but only time will tell if I have time to get everything ready for Christmas! The quilt order is a *spoiler alert* because the intended customer has not received, nor seen them, so if you are reading this (you know who) I hope you like them. And now we just have to figure out how to get them too you! Because of the flannel backing they are way heavy, and I'll have you know the children tested them out and gave their approval. And now they are washed and ready for delivery. I added the pictures to the slideshow on the side, but here is a looksee

I tried the flannel backing because I wanted to see how it would do, plus it made it heavier and warmer. It also added to the thickness, so it makes it a good winter weight quilt. I feel ok posting these, because 1. I know she can't wait to see them, and B. They are gifts for kids that I don't think will be reading my blog. All the gifts I make for Christmas won't be posted until after all the receiving and overall jolliness of the holidays are over.

Speaking of gifts. We are getting an early one this holiday. Our, almost 21 this week, son will be returning to the nest. Albeit it is only temporary, I think it will be good and bad. The good, it will give me a chance to move both "the boys" into the big guest room so I can FINALLY get the last downstairs bedroom redone. The bad, it will add to my already LONG list of things I have to get done in a hurry! So if I am absent from this blog for some time you will all understand why. I will try to post new completed items as soon as they are done, but we will have to see how time will treat me. Until later...

*Snow Day update. I have to say how jealous I am of everybody who got MORE snow than we did! And I think that is EVERYONE judging by the awesome pictures I've received.