Adjustable strap- preview for Karin ;)

I always get a smile when I see someone who has a purse of mine wearing it every day- seriously makes me feel so cozy inside! Karin has hers strapped around her little body each day we pick up our kiddos from Kindergarten but it is time for a replacement!

She bought these beautiful fabrics and said I could arrange them however I want (woo hoo!) and I set about making a pattern for her needs. In addition to the three small pockets in the front of the bag I also made an elastic pocket on the back side of the bag. The inside is lined with elastic pockets on both sides.

Karin's current purse has a messenger strap so is hands free but this time we made the strap adjustable so she has the option to make it a shoulder bag or a messenger bag. I loved making these straps!!

Karin- I hope all of the details make it a perfect fit for you!....a good enough fit that you want to use it every day just like your other one ;). You are so sweet!! Xoxoxoxoxo to you!!

holly

Owl diaper bag- preview for C ;)

    Here is your preview C!! Thank you so much for waiting while I completed it for you!!!

Lorax costume with Trufulla Tree candy bag!

Ha ha....my son is 7 and he is all about being funny ;). If it is goofy, whacky, silly....he's on board. Getting him to stay still so I could take a picture of him-----he wasn't on board with that!

 He was DYING to be the Lorax this year but it was so much harder to find good fur than I thought! He wanted to be a "neon" Lorax since he loves neon colors (if you know him- see his Nikes ;)). Thankfully I found this luxury orange fur off Fabric.com and the yellow fur off Amazon. Both are actually super soft and easy to slide into. Fur is tricky to sew though!

To make the eyes I wrapped fabric over Styrofoam balls and then painted the eyes. I sewed the eyelid and then glued it on and hand stitched the yellow fur for the eyebrow. I did the same thing for the nose (used a teeny weeny Styrofoam ball) and stitched the mustache onto elastic that he can pull over his head.

We thought it would be cool to do a Trufulla Tree candy  bag so I actually painted that onto canvas and then put the bag together.

He also has a book report/character development project due so he did it on the Lorax as well. Here is his stuffed Lorax animal that he made for it. First he made a drawing then I cut a pattern for him using the drawing. There were several parts where I had to take over the machine for him since the fur is so tough to sew but he did most of it on his own. Stuffing those teeny legs and arms was difficult but he figured it out eventually! It turned out so darn cute!!

The "rainbow-mermaid-fairy-princess" costume

 I let my kids pick what they want to be every Halloween and then we make it- usually together if at all possible. Even though my little girl is strong and opinionated ;)- she can be indecisive at times. So when she told me last spring that she was going to be a "rainbow, mermaid, fairy, princess" for Halloween, I wasn't surprised! Shopping with her takes forEVER!

So this is what we created! First I made her mermaid skirt out of super stretchy knit- like a T-shirt. It's crazy comfy and light. Then I cut out the scallops and sewed them on. Laci actually did her bodice (except straps and elastic) on her own. She cut rainbows out and appliqued them on. Her sewing skills have really taken off lately. I don't have to thread the needle for her and she doesn't jam my machine anymore- it's incredible!! And she LOVES it. For her princess crown she used Elmer's paint pens on shells that we collected on a vacation and I glued them on with Gorilla Glue (good stuff!).

I made her seashell bag super big because last year we were running out of room (ugh....too much candy).

I hope you all enjoy getting your own kids dressed up for Halloween!! I'll post my boys soon.....
xo,
holly

Diaper bag for Grandma- she needs one too!

I have so many things to post that I've been working on but there will never be enough time to talk about all of them. I feel like superwoman when I just get all of my kid's homework done!!

This diaper bag was for a new grandmother- not the mommy for once ;). She is a co-worker of mine and is my three year old's preschool teacher. The amount of respect and adoration I have for her is immeasurable!!! Our family hasn't adjusted easily to me teaching full time- it is especially hard on the 3 year old- but his teacher has been the calm in the storm. She's amazing and has made him feel like school is his home away from home.

Her new baby granddaughter is one blessed little girl!! Congratulations again Ms. S!
xoxoxo-
holly

Sewing pillows with 3 incredible girls!!

I had a great opportunity to teach a little sewing lesson to my daughter and two of her friends recently. Whenever I plan out an actual project for my own children it hits me how much time I spend teaching other kids and that I don't get enough time to teach my own ;). Thank heavens my kids go to the school that I teach at!

Both of the other girls had attended a sewing camp over the summer so I was thrilled to see how proficient they were with their machines!! It was awesome! Little "G" even taught me how a self threader works ;). I've been sewing with Laci since she was about 3 but even she surprised me with how well she was doing.

Per my daughters request we made angel pillows. First we looked at how artists have portrayed angels and then we talked a little bit about what angels are and do (such cute conversation!).

I had the girls draw an angel pattern on paper and then cut the pattern out so they would begin to understand how patterns work. They chose fabric, pinned and cut their pieces and then they zig zagged stitched them onto a backing. Pillows are great because they get to see how items get flipped inside out to hide the seams.

Just a little stuffing later and the pillows were formed! I really didn't do very much......I think I'm still amazed how much they did on their own!!

This was such a sweet afternoon! You girls are such sweethearts- love you!!!!

Diaper bag for K

This one is for my little sister's friend, K ;). I love her color combination!