Happy Mother's Day!

Hope everyone has a lovely day!

I really enjoyed the March & April fab shop hops! In March I won a $10 gift certificate to Heart of Dixie Quilt Shop. I used it to buy some of the "I Love you Zoo" fabric I'm going to use in the baby quilt I have to sew (soon, I don't know when they'll have the shower).

The next Hop starts June 1, if you like to browse fabric stores online this will be a blast (or very expensive!).

I also picked up a bunch of fabric at Wal-Mart this month. There is a nice brown with copper details that I bought enough of to make 4 dresses, and a green with black knit. Now I just have to find the right patterns, that's always the hard part for me. Cutting and committing to a pattern, even when I only paid $1.50 a yard, is not so easy a task for me! I don't have this problem with quilts or with clothes for the kids, just me. I have lots of stash fabric that I just haven't found "the right pattern" for. Anyone else have this issue? Or am I just whacky???

My must haves for 2009!

Sewing Room Wants for 2009...


Singer® 151 Adjustable Dressform - Medium


A good selection of Home Decor Fabrics
I have 19 windows to sew treatments for, 4 chairs to re-upholster and new pillows for the couches.

A bunch of cutlery caddies and the rail to hang them on.

I would rather have a collection of Longaberger wall pockets, if money were no object of course!


Desk Chair
To replace the one I stole from hubby's desk.

Buy one of these...

I have 2 45mm (one pinking, one regular) rotary cutters and it just isn't large enough some times! I'd also like to pick up a
Clover New Slash Rotary Cutter-28mm
I made a "slash" trivet/hot pad when I worked at the sewing store, it was a fun project

Today's projects

I couldn't believe it, the bandana skirt is now doll clothes... The Princess has a large Dora doll & it fits her perfectly. Of course my Princess is a petite thing & it still fits her waist, it just isn't even close to appropriate length!

I made my first 3D paper snow flake, just as a trial and error. Didn't need to it's so simple & looks so beautiful. here and here are some good tutorials. I have some 2 sided wrapping paper that I am going to make some out of next!

I am also going to attempt a mushroom ornament collection. I have the fabric cut for 3, but we'll see how the first one goes! My sister will love these if they turn out!

I also have a dress I'd like to recycle for the Princess for Christmas. It's a size 10/12 & she is a 5! But the fabric is perfect & it shouldn't be too hard to fashion a smaller outfit out of it.

We also will be Christmas cookie baking, so we'll see just how much I can actually get done today!!!

Misc Project Links

Collection of easy sew girls skirts

Twirly Skirt tutorial I think I've linked this one before, but it's a good tutorial!

Part of the Handmade Holidays series.

Twirls for Girls - Toys for Tots

Twirls for Girls is back!!!

Use your talents & some of your stash to give to a child in need! These skirts are adorable and look easy enough to make. I am going to try to make 2 today and see how long it takes.

There is a form and instructions for donating them to "Toys for Tots" so they will know what it is & who it's for.

~Remembering back to our own girlhoods, some of our most cherished gifts were handmade clothes for our beloved dollies. Whether they were made by moms, grandmas, aunts, or even purchased from craft bazaars, they were unique and special, just like the women who created them.~

I can whole heartedly agree with this quote from the website! I still have most of the handmade doll clothing I received or purchased at craft shows. Now my little princess is dressing her dolls (and mine) with them! They are special and usually very well constructed.

Sewing Room Re-organization

Well the cooler weather has chased me inside & I am greeted with my disorganized sewing space every day. My Frugal efforts have lead to accumulations of stuff (old clothes, towels, blankets, scraps, bits & pieces, etc) and they are just everywhere.

I broke down and cut squares out of a pile of old t-shirts. I cut up about enough squares to sew 2 twin size quilts. Woohoo! Squares take up far less space than t-shirts. I also cut a pair of shorts for the prince out of an old polo shirt. I cut up 2 old flannel blankets that I was going to cut into rags "SOMEDAY." Well that day finally came! Now I have enough rags to last for a while.

My next step will be to organize my denim collection & then my actual fabric!

I found some help from The Domestic Diva's Disasters and I'm an Organizing Junkie. Lots of creative ideas here for storage of all the STUFF, and links to pictures of REAL studios, that's always a help! Sometimes I see a room & think, yup it'll never look that good again!!!

I'm also purging too, trying to finish some UFOs & generally cleaning the room up! So if ya don't hear from me for a long time, send help, bring shovels!!!

Halloween Costumes

How cute are these!!! I am giving them until the end of September to decide what they want to be, just so I have plenty of time to get them done!!!

I'm not sure what they are even interested in for Halloween. Neither one of them has said a word. I'm hoping the Prince will be obvious, Football player???? I can only hope!

I'm sure the Princess will want to be a Princess, but we do have fairy wings already...