Vintage Spools of Goodness

Over the weekend I made a little something.

Okay, more than a little something...to me? It's a big something.

If you follow me on instagram, you got a little sneak peek of my vintage spools of thread:

They are vintage spools passed down to me from both of my grandmothers. One I knew very well and the other I never got a chance to know very well at all. But both were extremely important to me.

I've had the spools sitting is some containers in my sewing/craft studio for some time. I happened to be going through some old craft magazines when I happened upon a picture I had noted that I thought was awesome. I then KNEW what I was going to do with all that lovely vintage goodness!

I grabbed the spools, some scrap wood (that my son's taekwondo school generously let me have) and a glue gun.....

and VOILA!

I now have a fabulous handmade treasure full of thready goodness. :)

I took all the materials and just eye-balled it. Honestly, the trick for me was to NOT over think it. I tend to do that...ehem....

I love it. And I have to be honest, I'm pretty sure there are some tears mixed in with that thready goodness. I miss my Gramms. And I miss that I didn't get a chance to know my dad's mom. I'm sure I would have loved her. Meanwhile...I'm thankful I have memories and sewing treasures to remember them by.

Almost Got Caught!

Funny little story...

The other day I was busily sewing away in the Little Bird studio when time quickly got away and it was time to go get my boy from school!

I started to walk out the door and did one last check in the mirror before walking out....

Hehe...good thing I did! This is what I was about to walk out the door wearing. Can you see what items should probably not join me?

One would be my rosette pincushion ring...and the other my measuring tape! Ha! I cannot tell you how many times I have almost done this.

Funny thing is...I still had felt pieces clinging to my jeans anyway....

Yeah, I am sure the other moms at school think I am a dork. I am OK with that. :)

Little Laptop Gift

I am a little delayed in posting this, but better late than never, right?!

This is a little gift I made for my fabulous Mom-in-law for Christmas.


She received a laptop last year and, of course, needed something to keep it cozy when not in use. So, I whipped up a laptop sleeve for her.

I don't have a pattern, but used the laptop (or my laptop, rather) for measurement and used some fusible fleece between the outer and inner fabric to cushion it a bit. Then I quilted it a bit and finished it off with a pretty button my son chose just for Nana!

Fun stuff. I love being able to have some handmade items mixed into all the gift giving during the year.

How about you....got any fun handmade gifts you are making or planning to make?!

A Glimpse of Her

A couple weeks ago I was going through some boxes my dad had given me that once belonged to his mother. My grandmother.

A grandmother whom I never really knew. She is his mother...his adoptive mom.
(over HERE is a little more about this story...about the distance that once was)

I think I truly would have loved her. I feel we had a lot in common, blood related or not.

With all the sewing things was this box.

I opened the box to find an array of different items like buttons, some dice (not sure what for?!), sewing needles, knitting and crochet needles and hooks and an old wool felt pin cushion.

I stared at these items, getting just a glimpse of this woman who raised my father. A woman I so, so very much wanted to know and know more about.

I know she was from Spain and her name was Zulia. I know she loved sewing and knitting and crotchet work.

I know we would have gotten along well and I would have loved to learn just some of the things she knew about sewing.

I know that, even though we were not related by blood, that we would have had plenty in common to talk about while we sewed.

I also know that, even though she is no longer with us, I have a glimpse of who she was within these items....I know I would have loved her.

We would have gotten along splendidly.

Did Ya Know?!

Did ya know it's National Sewing Month?! Well, it is!



Be sure to go check out the Official Home of National Sewing Month for some fun projects, contests and giveaways!

Do you have a sewing project you are working on, wanting to start or wishing you could complete?! Have you been wanting to learn to sew, but haven't begun the process of learning?! Well, take the time this month to try something new! Start small, dream big and see what happens...

OH! And please share any fun things you are working on or have plans to work on! Feel free to share a link to it as well.

Happy Sewing to you!!!

Lovin' It

What I am loving today? This jelly roll fabric I picked up. It's Hunky Dory by Chez Moi for Moda Fabrics.

Love it. Love, love, LOVE it!

I plan to use it to make THIS quilt. I plan to make this quilt for Songbird.

I should probably get started on it too. But first, one more week of Summer and snuggling my boy before he heads back to school!


Do you have a sewing or quilt project you are working on?! Feel free to show&tell!

The Thread That Wasn't

So, I needed to sew some patches on my boy's TaeKwonDo uniform. I have used invisible thread (yes, there is such a thing) before for similar things in the past and thought it would be super handy to use for this! Problem is, I didn't have any on hand. So, to the fabric store I headed. I needed a few other supplies anyway.

They had the invisible thread that I needed. I bought it and went on my way.

Somehow between getting it home, thinking I put it up and the spool holder with all my other thread, and the several days that passed before I got around to actually sewing them on, it disappeared. I have no clue where it disappeared to, but I could NOT find it ANYWHERE.

So, today, I went back to the store and grabbed some more.

I got home, swear I took it out of the bag and set it down right next to my sewing machine and when I went to use it to thread the machine....it.was.GONE! I am not kidding. I seriously thought I had lost my mind. I searched all over my craft studio...everywhere! It was just gone. Disappeared again. I know it's called invisible thread, but come on! It's not actually invisible. I thought maybe it fell off the sewing table, on the floor, but no. It's was just gone.

So what's a gal to do?! I sat down and cried. Just kidding (no seriously I did...it was awful). Then, I took a break and went and grabbed a piece of my Dove dark chocolate from the pantry. Chocolate always helps, right?!

So, I sat and enjoyed my little chocolate moment. Then, I pulled on my big girl pants and went back in that studio and was bound and determined to NOT be beat by this.

I took a long hard look at my thread and just made it work with what I had. There was black on the outside of the patch and the uniform is white, so black for the top thread and white for the bobbin.

I made it work. I refused to be beaten by disappearing invisible thread darn it!

And typing disappearing invisible thread just made me giggle....

SO there ya have it. Patches are on and I am happy I made it work. However, I am not happy that I bought two spools of thread and have nothing to show for it. Bummer.

What crazy sewing mishaps have you had lately?! Or non-sewing mishaps?

I stopped thinking and just started doing...

So, this is a little peak at my son's quilt before it was finished. I had picked out, cut out and thought about it for weeks! It could even be months to be completely honest.

It is my first official quilt. Never done this before, but my son had been asking for one and I was determined to make it happen! He wanted it to be a total surprise, "don't tell me anything about it mom, okay? Surprise me!", is what he said.

SO that is what I set out to do. But, I tend to over think things. All.the.time. Ask any close family member of mine, they will totally back me up on this, especially my sister. :)

I really didn't want to screw this up. The fabric had been bought and there was no more like it at the store. None. So, I had to make it work with what I had. I think it paralyzed me for a bit. I would just stare at it wondering how to place it, piece it and the like. Almost too afraid to do anything with it.

Then one day I stopped staring at it. I just started doing! I just relaxed and started laying the pieces out one by one, just kinda following my own little rhythm. It was nice. It was almost therapy like. And before I knew it, I was done. Well, laying it out anyway. Then I started sewing and ironing and sewing some more.....it was awesome!

And voila! FInished it. Just in time for Christmas morning. Whew. Well, finished except for the hand binding of the binding part....but it was all good with the child. He LOVES it! Makes this mama happy.



I am determined this year to set out on another quilt adventure. For our daughter in Russia this time. Hopefully it won't take quite as long....

So, how about you, any paralyzing sewing projects you tend to over think? Or did over think and then just got over it? Do share!

Superhero Cuffs!

A little while back, my son's best friend came for a visit and we made some fun Superhero Cuffs!

Since they were so fun and easy, I just had to share the how-to's!

What you'll need:

-some felt
-velcro
-sewing machine and scissors (or rotary cutter)

Take your felt and cut it two 3 in. X approx 7 in. (depending on size of wrist). Measure around child's wrist and mark where you would need to adjust.



Take your velcro and place on cuffs. sew.





Tada!





Now, go Save the Day!!!

Note: this is the simple version. These could easily be personalized with initials, etc. Fun!

Matryoshka Love

There is no doubt about it. I simply love these types of little dolls.



These are some I made last year out of felt.





I hand embroidered the design in burgundy on an ivory background.



I had originally done the design to make some Matryoshka dolls to put up in my Etsy shop, but they never actually made it there. I still have plans to do so, just not sure when.



These are actually much smaller versions made into an ornament.



I really had a lot of fun making these. I have thought about putting together a pattern for them because they are so much fun to make and are also a nice addition to the tree. Or anywhere really you would want to place them. Who says ornaments can only be out during the holidays?

The Celebration Banner

Wow, what a whirlwind, crazy few days (maybe couple weeks is more like it) I've had here! Our power went out a few times last week when Hurricane Dolly passed through. Not major power outage, just enough of a two second blip (several times) to throw things off whack and cause me frustration. Then, found out we had to get a new modem (or whatever you call it...my hubby is the tech guy, not I). Which meant I was not able to get internet for a long enough time to drive me a little crazy. Add to that my lack of a computer story (long one, so I will spare you the details for now), which means I have been having to grab my hubby's laptop whenever he's not at work or using it for work when he's home.....yeah, that's fun. Then, there was the birthday for the very special, now five year old, that I call my son. Crazy I tell you. However, I tried to best use my time by getting some much needed house work finished, cupcakes baked, laundry piles conquered and lots of fun time in the crafty room, also known as my studio. Let me tell you, it felt SO great to get some new designs out of my head on paper, have fun with picking and choosing fabrics and getting some personal family sewing done! Like this banner that we now call the "celebration banner"





I have been wanting to get this finished forever! Now, it's done and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. The Monkey Boy and I collaborated on it together, which makes it that much more fun. He made sure I had some pink in it for his mommy since it's a celebration banner for our whole family....even the dog's birthday he said.




I wasn't sure if I was going to add "Happy Birthday" or "Celebrate" to it or not, but I added enough pennants that if I decide to in the future I can. It's also reversible. So, really I could put "Celebrate" or whatever on one side and leave the other without anything and just have the pretty fabric. Works for me.

Very nice feeling I must say getting this finished along with some new ideas and designs for the SHOP this Fall. I am pretty excited about it. I am bringing some things I made in past years back, which will be their first time on Etsy. Some for babies, some for toddlers, some for big kids. Most focused on style and function, practical and great for either gender, which I have always tried to accommodate with so many of my friends not finding out the gender before their little bundle arrives! As always my son inspires so much of what I design. He also has no problem letting me know his opinion, which can be pretty darn helpful at times. After all, he's a kid and knows what kids like, right?!


K, so I will try to pop in from time to time and will hopefully have my own computer again soon! Whew. Meanwhile, I will have (hopefully) some time to get some more designs made up and listed. Fun, fun.

Where have I been?!

Enjoying the Summer and a nice little vacation with the family. Then there was the Fourth of July (hope you had a safe and happy one!). And in between there we did a little of this:

We made some freezer paper stenciled gifts for friends. I love how kid friendly this project is! The recipients really liked them too. Fun stuff. I also did more of THIS cause, clearly between freezer paper stencils and bandana pants, I am obsessed. Clearly. 

I am taking it easy this Summer, just enjoying time with my son before he starts kindergarten and also getting some new designs and ideas together for the SHOP. I will be popping back in from time to time, but for now, before the Summer is over, I am enjoying some simple things. 

Today, that will most likely involve swimming....again. 

Bandana Pants!

::Welcome to my blog! This seems to be a popular page for those searching for bandana pants. However I invite you to check out the rest of my blog too to see what else is happening and for the occasional GIveaway!::

I found this great little tutorial over here for some super fun bandana pants. I went to Hobby Lobby and found some great bandana prints to use.



I might have gone a smidge overboard on the prints, but when you have the actual child that you are going to make them for with you, narrowing it down can be a bit overwhelming. However, I am loving the chili peppers!

I decided to change it up just a bit from the tutorial itself. Once you measure, cut and unfold, I decided to sew up each leg individually like so:



Then I turned one leg right side out, placed into other leg with right sides together...



Kinda like a tube. Does that make sense? Basically, looks like one leg. Pinned it, and sewed together. You can make a reinforcement stitch here if you'd like. Then, when you turn it back out, you should have something like this:



Tada! Then I turned down the top to make a casing, stitched that up and inserted the elastic. Super easy!



Voila! Chili pepper bandana pants!

Then, I couldn't stop there.....I made more!



These are how they look on the Monkey. A little long, kinda like ankle biters or samurai style pants. He likes them a TON!



Super comfy too.



I think what I like best about these is how they make seriously great play pants. Can do double duty as lounge pants too, no worrying about getting them dirty or how hard they play. Very inexpensive and SO easy! I think I had three pairs made up within one Veggie Tales showing.

Now, I wish I could have some nifty bandana pants!

Vintage Fun

I bought this vintage trim years ago on ebay and just could not wait to get it! I was so disappointed though when it arrived in the mail. It looked nothing like it did in the picture and it arrived in a rumpled up ball like the one pictured here. Not that I didn't think it, I did. Just not for the project I had gotten it for. I remember spending a good part of an afternoon trying to get it all untangled, only to get so frustrated with it I put it back into the bag it came in and tossed it in the back of a closet. I discovered it again this week and just fell in love with it! Does that ever happen to you? See something, love it. Get it, its awful and then re-discover it only to finally see it's beauty and potential? That's what I did. It was still all tangled like this, so I spent about an hour yesterday untangling it. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I immediately thought of a great project for it too.



This is a baby jacket my great-grandmother completely handmade for my mother ages ago. This picture really does not do it justice. It's beautiful though with her hand embroidery, satin lining and crotchet work on the edges. There is not one machine stitch on it. OH, to be able to embroider and sew like she did! I never met her, but I've been told we're very similar in looks ad personality. Must be where I get my love of hand-sewing from. Anyway, I am planning on drafting a pattern based on this jacket she made and use some of that delightful vintage trim on it. I will post more about it as I go along. I just hope I can get the vision in my head out on paper and fabric the way I would like.