What we've been up to!

I know it's been ages since I blogged, please accept my apologies! It's been a wild ride the past few months and we still haven't truly adjusted to our new home..or finished unpacking...

The bonus of moving is that I get to see my kids sleep. We generally don't risk waking them up by peeking into their rooms at night, so it's wonderful to be able to just lie there and watch them in peace and quiet.


 In the past few months we were surprised with the news of a last minute move to a small town. We had to say good bye to our sweet chickens as town ordinances wouldn't allow for us to keep them unless we had a huge lot, and when you're renting in a town without many rentals available, that's just not an option. We moved into our rental and adopted our first dog, Daphne! She's a total Daddy's girl and she is a total sweetheart who thinks she has to clean us daily! She's got a few bad habits to work on, but don't we all?! ;)


I have been sewing, I just haven't been sharing on the blog, sorry! I'm very active on Instagram, so feel free to follow me on there as "RooibosMom"!

I've just finished up my first BIG twin-sized quilt, and it only took me 1.5 years! Ha ha ha! To be fair I took many breaks from it, and only recently powered through the quilting to finish it up. Missy loves it and I am so happy with the finished product! It's a not-very-scrappy Scrappy Trip quilt. ;)

Front

Back

Close up.
Sorry it's rotated to the right, I swear my flamingos and mermaids etc are really right side up!

A few of the other items I have completed, as well as a few snapshots from the past few months:






 And I promise to blog as often as possible and keep everyone updated with what we're up to!

When you cut out two left legs...

Then the only logical thing to do is to make 2 sets of matching, color blocked pajamas instead of 1!

I see you Mom!

The other matching pair.
(The pants are front side down, as I was trying to show the tag placement in the back. And I swear the legs are the same length. I was just trying to rush the photo before little fingers invaded, lol!)
Pattern is the Lazy Days Lounge Set from the fabulous Fishsticks Designs.

Isn't he just the most adorable little boy? *sigh* He's getting too big already.
And yes, for those with a discerning eye, that's a stuffed Darth Vader with Easter bunny ears. It's how we roll. ;)

Birthday Bunks!

Have you ever gotten the feeling that a project will N.E.V.E.R. end?

That was this project!

But before I get into that, let's first take a peek at the finished product:

JBug, 10 yrs old, gets the top bunk and he's 100% Agent P up top there!
Sorry, even with my back flat against the opposite wall I couldn't get the whole set in the picture!

Down below is Missy, 4 yrs old, and she is all decked out with Minnie Mouse!
Fret not, she has another blanket coming. Until then she's borrowing big brother's Agent P blanket that you saw hanging over the footboard above.
I simply haven't managed to finish her quilt yet, but as soon as it's done I'll be showing it off. I promise!

I do still need to go back and touch up over the screws and odd places that the finish got damaged a little during assembly. Aside from that, it's finally done!

Poor thing. Waiting up until 11pm to be able to go to sleep was just not possible. She decided to cuddle up on her toddler bed in the hallway, and promptly fell fast asleep.

I bought Ana White's Handbuilt Home book at the end of last year, and the hubby and I decided upon the Classic Bunk Beds to make for our two oldest. You don't need to purchase the book as the link will take you to the free plans on her site. Thanks Ana!

But back to the issues we had.

Honestly, it's no fault of the plan or the plan's creator. I simply made several beginner mistakes along the way. Mistakes that I am still (a week later) swearing to myself I will never make again!

Like what?

Well for starters, I suggest you watch a few YouTube videos of the new tool or gadget you recently acquired, but have never used before.
For example:
Know how to properly position the depth collar on the Kreg Jig drill bit....if you don't use it, even on 1.5" thick lumber, you WILL make the holes far too deep. Which means you will get awfully stressed out and your husband will have to dash out, mid-assembly, to buy shorter pocket hole screws.
What? You didn't expect me to go out in my jammies did you?! What do you mean you don't do woodwork in your jammies?! What strange people you are!

Happy big boy during the reveal.

When you use Minwax Paste Wood Finishing Wax:
Buy the Special Dark Paste version - even if you have to order it off Amazon - especially if you stained your wood with an onyx stain. Because if you don't, when you think you've wiped it all off, it will dry in light patches anywhere there are rough sections, or knots with slight indents. This means your black finish, won't really be black all over. Oops.
On the same subject:
Do NOT attempt to coat all pieces with the wax before going back to wipe off the excess. It MUST be wiped off BEFORE it dries or it will dry with a matte finish and clumpy all over. Trust me...I know. Just do coat 1 to 2 pieces at a time, and by that time the recommended time will have passed and you can go right back to wipe off the excess and buff it nicely.

She was so happy her bed was done that she didn't even look at it, she just snuggled in!

I know what you're wondering. How did we fix that? Well....as it turns out I do not have enough "elbow grease" in my very tired (by this point) elbows to buff that dry, excess, wax off the wood. So my smart hubby suggested that I buy a hairdryer (why yes, I am a 30 yr old female without a hairdryer, lol!), use it to heat sections of the wax and then buff with some old shirts. Believe me when I say, after having to do this, just stick to following the instructions on the wax and do it right the first time! You do not want to have to do this ladies and gents. It takes A.G.E.S. I'm serious. You will be very tired and very grumpy, not to mention slightly concerned that you may possible set the wax on fire...is it flammable?? Plus, there is always that chance that the brand new hairdryer will overheat from being run for 5 hours straight! $18 or not, I'm rather relieved it didn't!

Agent P!!

Oh, and if your husband has recently had shoulder ligament / tendon surgery, and you have a possible torn ligament in your thumb. Be prepared to hurt...a lot... by the time this is all done! Especially if you're using an orbital power sander, and both of you are hurting on the right side of your body...and you're both right handed. Yes, it probably would have been funny to watch. ;)

She eventually did look around and was AMAZED her big brother was sleeping ABOVE HER! And she has Minnie Mouse all around her!! Then she snuggled down with her precious pink Hello Kitty and was happy to drift off to dreamland.

But I'm starting to ramble on. So let me finish off by saying that all in all, I recommend these plans to anyone willing to give it a go! The kids will love them!

Handmade 52: Items 23-34 - A Dozen Ottobre Panties

Yay! They're done!

I am very much a fan of assembly line sewing when I have multiples of something to sew up. And that's exactly how I finished up these. Thankfully panties are small so serging multiple side seams or leg bands in a row doesn't actually take that long.

Once again I used the Ottobre 4/04 panties pattern. Size 104 with seam allowances except for the leg openings. Also, you will see that 11 of the 12 have the That Darn Kat style leg bands. They simply work better for Missy. She doesn't mess with them, they provide a tiny bit more modesty to her undies, and they're super simple to sew in, which is a bonus!

The last pair has been mailed off to a new home. The leg bands done the way Ottobre directs, simply don't feel comfortable to her. Once again, there is nothing wrong with the Ottobre method at all, it is neat and soft to the touch when done. It simply doesn't work for Missy-girl.

Also, if you don't have the Ottobre pattern book I used, and don't feel like waiting for a copy to arrive in the mail, I highly recommend the That Darn Kat pattern for undies. It includes boy and girl versions, and I know many a mama that swear by this pattern for a great fit every time!

The stack!

11 of the 12 pairs.

Close up of the top row fabric choices.

Bottom row fabric choices.

The pair that had to find a new home.

And as you can tell, this girlie isn't only into princesses and castles! Pretty much any print is fair game. I just love that!

Handmade 52: Item # 21- Backpacks are fun!

They're even better if they're made from a little girl's beloved Hello Kitty fabric!

This is another super, fun, FishSticks Designs pattern: The Playdate Messenger Bag for Mom and Backpack for Tot!

It's surprisingly quick to sew up, and now that I've made one I will be sure to keep an extra set of the strap hardware and other supplies on hand. Why? Because this would be a great gift to whip up for "that birthday party you just remembered is coming up this weekend and you haven't bought a gift yet"!

I desperately need a fun bag for myself, as my current diaper bag is just too big to grab if I am dashing out of the house alone. So I'll be making the messenger bag for myself soon. I wonder which fabric I'll use? :)

The straps stay on her shoulders beautifully. And even thought she's already in a 4T/5T for clothing, the straps still have room left to lengthen out some more as she grows.

I just love the flap! It's a great spot to add a bright splash of colour. Here you can also see the loop on top for hanging on hooks or in cubbies. As you can see the bag is big enough to hold plenty of treasured objects, without being too big for them to carry or put on themselves.

And lest you think that she always is well behaved for photos. The majority of our photos this year look more like this!

Her "I'm a model" pose.

This one is called: "I'm too cool for the camera" ;)

**Sorry for the bad photo editing. I'm afraid that until I stop editing on a laptop, my results will be a bit hit or miss!**

Handmade 52: 17, 18, 19 & 20 - Little Girl Undies

Do you have little ones that just don't fit perfectly in some items from the store? For Missy it's panties. Don't get me wrong, she can get them on just fine, and they stay up...but the leg elastics just aren't very comfortable for her. I got tired of watching her constantly readjusting the leg elastic on the inside of her thighs every 20 minutes, no matter where we were, who we were with, or with any regard as to who was watching her.

So I pulled out my That Darn Kat - Children's Undies Sewing Pattern (there's a boy and girl version included in the pattern) and got to work! I was puzzled as to which size to make, so I made a size 4 and a size 6. And for those about to make a pair and happen to have a similar fabric stash to mine: See that purple pair below? Don't use that fabric for undies! It may be easier to sew because it doesn't stretch as much, but it doesn't stretch as much when they're wearing it either! Oops! Lesson learned ;)

Left: Size 6 & Right: Size 4
That Darn Kat Pattern

 The size 4 fit her just fine, and will most likely fit even better when made out of stretchier material, but they don't leave much room to grow on her. And yet the size 6 is far too big on her tiny frame. We have the same problem with store bought panties by the way, so please don't think this is an issue with the pattern! She's really stuck at an in between size right now, and it makes shopping for her a tad bit difficult.

She does LOVE her new panties though. And guess what? She hasn't adjusted her undies, not even ONCE, when she's wearing her new pair (the pink ones have been put up until she grows into them)!! It is wonderful!


But wait, that's only 2 items and the title notes 4!

So in true advertising style:

But WAIT! There's MORE!

I wanted to try another pattern to see if I could find a better fit with a little more room to grow. With all the upcoming sewing, building, birthday party, and Christmas projects coming up, I didn't want to end up needing to add another batch of panty sewing right in the middle of all the chaos!

I decided to brave an Ottobre Magazine pattern. This pattern is often recommended when someone asks for a great fitting girl's pattern, and because they don't come only in even sizes, there is a greater chance of finding the particular fit I am looking for. The particular pattern I used is pattern # 34 in their 4/04 magazine.

After consulting the handy dandy measurement chart (I recently forced the kids to endure seemingly endless measuring), I decided to try size 104. European measurements are different in their size numbers, but that size essentially boils down to a US size 5. See! In between sizes!

There are 3 versions of the pattern, and as it turns out, after making these two, there is at least one more way to do the legs! I by mistake finished the legs in the same way That Darn Kat does, instead of the binding method that Ottobre was calling for, oops. Oh well, she loves them and I am happy to say they FIT! And by fit I mean they fit well now, and are comfy enough with room to grow! Yippee!

I can promise you they look a lot better on than they do here, but forgive me for having not the photos to prove it...a little girl's privacy and all that. ;)

Ottobre 4/04 #34. Size 104
They are both technically the same size. However the top pair I cut out and then realized I'd forgotten to add on a seam allowance. So instead of folding down the top and hiding elastic, I used some picot edge elastic I had bought from Joann Stores the other day.
I've never used this type of elastic before so it's less than perfect, but both my daughter and I love the look of it when it's done!

The back. The slight size difference is more noticeable in the back, with one having seam allowances added on, and the other not. But the size difference while on is hardly visible, so don't worry too much if you forget to add them on like I did the first go round!

3 pairs of undies will most certainly not be enough, so together we went through some of my fabric stash. She picked out many new fabrics, from dinosaurs and ninjas, to butterflies and purple stripes. No stereotypes in this house! ;)

I am excited to get started cutting them out. Stay tuned for a panty stash update soon!

Handmade 52: #12- Redneck Sprinkler!

"Redneck" Sprinkler

I found this idea on Pinterest!
Original Sprinkler Pin on Pinterest

With Little Man's first birthday (sniff) fast approaching I asked hubby to see if anyone at work had two empty 2-liter soda bottles for us. Why two? Well, I often make mistakes the first time I do things, and I didn't want to risk being without a sprinkler on the big day. It's really hot in Texas in May, and several big kids getting hot and bored at a baby's birthday party would never be a good thing!

I bought a male-to-male brass fitting at the hardware store (about $6 in the plumbing department - if you can't find it then ask someone, I had to ;) ) to attach to the end of the hose...and then I went to town on the empty bottle the with my drill! Weeee!

Several holes, a little bit of wrangling the soda bottle to get it to screw into the brass fitting correctly, hubby daringly climbing the itty bitty tree branch to get it into the right spot, and this is how it worked:

From this shot you can get a rough idea of where I decided to make the holes in the bottle.
Don't stress out and measure, I definitely didn't!

The water pressure was up quite high for this photo.
It made it lovely wide sprinkler, but it was still easy for the kids to get drenched!

The great thing is once you're done playing with it, you can unscrew it from the hose, let it dry, put it away and use it again! But what if it gets trampled on by the children and you can't salvage it? Why, simply recycle it and drill holes in a new one! Don't forget to remove and store the brass fitting before you recycle the bottle.

Our children have accidently broken several really good lawn sprinklers by stepping on them in the middle of their fun, and not even realizing until the spray arm no longer moved. Now I'll save those for the lawn, and use this one when they are playing outside and need to cool down. :)

If you're like us and very seldom buy 2 liter sodas, then don't forget to ask at work / neighbours to see if they  can give you an empty one!

Actually, one of the neighbours saw our sprinkler over the top of our privacy fence and loved the idea so much that he asked us to tell him how to make his own! Isn't that great?!

Handmade 52: Items #10 & #11 - PJs Full Of Love

PJs Full Of Love

A few MONTHS ago I cut out a couple pairs of Lazy Days Lounge Set jammies for Missy. And a couple weeks ago I finally got them all sewn up. *hiding from shame* I haven't been the best as finishing UFOs (Unfinished Objects) this past year or so, and I am determined to fix that!

Funnily, Missy is into more and more 5T clothing at the stores because they are always short and tight. But Fishsticks Designs patterns always seem to have enough room to grow and move around, without me having to size up. I love that. Not only does that mean I waste less time trying to figure out how on earth to lengthen  pattern pieces* without messing up the shape, but it means that I get more use out of her patterns over the years and through sizes, than we get use from store clothes. Don't get me wrong, the majority of her clothes are bought. I simply don't have the time YET to sew the majority myself. Let's hope she still loves "mommy-made" by the time I have more free time to sew regularly!

*I know most people can lengthen / alter patterns easily, especially for children. However, I simply do not have this gift! It's a major upheaval and headache for me to alter a pattern, which means that if I have to do it  I will probably never use the pattern. *more shame*

Missy loves her little ballerinas!

I usually use a solid color for the back. It's stretchier than the jersey I use on the front and  that makes it nice and snuggly at night.

A super adorable bird's nest tag from Night Owl's Menagerie.

I just LOVE these hearts! Thankfully so does she!

Yup, you guessed it! Night Owl's Menagerie again! Nope, I don't think my addiction is a problem ... just wait until you see all the cute ones I have, lol!

This interlock is lovely, soft, and has a nice weight to it. So it was great to use for the back  as well. 

As you can see, most of the time I pair my cute knits with a solid, and most of the time it's from JoAnn Stores, bought with a 40% or 50% off coupon. Sorry JA, I refuse to pay full price. ;) The blue solid is a knit interlock, and the purple in the jammies above, is a cotton/spandex rib knit. Almost all the rib knit you see me use has spandex in it. It bounces back better and survives many, many, washes better than the rib knit without it.

Little Man was determined to have in on the photo shoot but we kept moving him out of the way. So he started blocking the camera with his cute face and smacking it! Don't worry he was laughing not throwing a fit. What else is a mama to do, but capture that gleeful "I just got your camera, Mom!" face! Love you sweetie pie!

Handmade 52 Items #7 and #8: Marvin Goes To Mars

I realized the other day that Little Man has been a bit neglected, being the third child that he is. He had been using one of our pillow cases on his pillow, and when I put it in the wash the other day I realized I didn't have a single spare one to replace it with. Mmmm....what else is a sewing mama to do but sew him some! :)

A while ago, oh I guess about a year or so, I stumbled across some super cute fabric on www.fabric.com . A line called "Marvin Goes To Mars". I grabbed a bunch of it with the plan to make a quilt and pillow case set for JBug (aka Booger), possibly even add some trim to a bought sheet set to go with it. But these days he's more into Iron Man than cute little aliens and boys in rocket ships.
Thankfully we have another son, one who happens to be in desperate need of bedding. And wouldn't you know it? I just happen to have a stash of super cute fabric, just begging to be used! Win!  ;)

See having a fabric stash really IS useful!

Now comes the fact that I don't think I've sewn a pillow case in YEARS...possibly since the throw pillow covers of my Home Ec classes in school! Ha ha!

Never fear, I know just the tutorial for the job. Enter the Fishsticks Designs, 9 1/2 Minute Pillowcase Tutorial!

And yes it really is that easy. See for yourself:

Two adorable pillowcases done in record time!
Please ignore the fact that the top one is wrinkly and needs a wash - I couldn't very well force my sick baby to wait for his pillowcase until after I had taken photos. So just pretend it's all cleaned and ironed, ok? ;)

And great timing too. Once they were done a sick Little Man I know was contemplating a nap, and was oh so eager to lie down on his new pillowcase, on Mommy's lap, for a nap. Awww, too cute!

Poor tired guy.

Of course that means Mommy had to wrangle said (30lb) baby, and his newly covered pillow, all the way back to his bed, and get them both in and down without waking up Little Man. Thankfully watching Mission Impossible paid off, and together with my USMC hubby's stealth training, it ensured nap time was a go!

Oh and did you see the tags I used?

Night Owl's Menagerie tags - they're woven and foldover.

They're a foldover tag with "Handmade" on the one side and a cute heart lock on the other. They're designed and sold by Night Owl's Menagerie on Etsy. You also need to see the amazing creations she has available for you on Zazzle.
I can't say enough about her talent...I wish I could design beautiful things like she does. However, my Grandmother's artistic talent was NOT passed on to me, and so even my stick figures run in terror from their reflections, ha ha ha!
I'm not kidding...sadly.

Those are not affiliate links. I simply want to give credit where credit is due. And I also want to make sure everyone can enjoy her crafty goodness. I could write an entire post on my woven / satin tag addiction - in fact I might - but for now I simply want to pass on my love of tags!

Handmade 52 - Item 5 - Missy's Dress

One of my all time favorite designers, Samantha from Little Comet Tails, designed a dress for a her daughter called the "Spin Around Dress". It has the most adorable sweetheart neckline that just looks so cute on our little girlie. And because Samantha's such a sweetie, it was (and still is) available free from her blog in a size 2T.

Well, recently she went back to that pattern and graded it to fit a sz 4-6 as her daughter, Molly, had outgrown the original size. And what does she do? She offers it as a freebie on her Facebook page! All you have to do is "Like" her FB page (linked above) and you'll be able to download this awesome dress pattern. Trust me, it's well worth it. Plus, there's always something wonderful going on over there!

Anyway. I decided to jump in and make Missy a new Spin Around dress! I'd been hoarding this beautiful "shirting" fabric from Joann for a while now, and decided it was time to use it. Hubby gave his suggestion on what colour to use for the sash (off the kids and I went to Joann for the sash fabric), and then the cutting and sewing began.
On a whim I swapped the skirt portion out for a full circle skirt, cut out based on this tutorial from Dana Made It. I've been wanting to try a circle skirt for so long now, but I keep getting busy with other things, so instead of waiting for another time I just went for it!

The end result:

 Just a quick check on brother mid-shoot. Too cute!

Mia is definitely at the small end of the sizing, but thanks to the lovely sash it stays on beautifully and will fit for a couple years to come! Which is great by the way, because did I mention I LOVE this fabric?! ;) Thanks Samantha! And the next one I make will have the original skirt and probably cap sleeves from her free sleeve pattern to fit this dress.

Handmade 52 - Item #4 - JOE!

Handmade Item #4

Poor Joe. He's been stuck in my UFO pile since about ... well, I'm not 100% sure. I'm guessing around 2009?
Who is Joe, you ask?

Joe started out as a monster, drawn by our son, on paper. I then traced the main lines onto my "Easy Pattern" material so that we could turn him into a stuffie. A special stuffie that my son could say he had designed. We cut him out of the fabric Booger chose.....and then he lay there, being moved from pile to pile, and even to a new house, until this month.

After I finished the crayon bag for Missy I asked Booger who I should sew something for next. After some thought he asked me to finish his stuffie for him. And feeling rather embarrassed that I'd left it this long, I agreed!

So after several sewing sessions, and a surprisingly large amount of stuffing, Joe was finally done! Yay!

So without further ado, let me introduce you the monster of the year....

JOE

as drawn by "Booger"

Joe likes to scale tall...umm..mountains.

And be carted, in clenched teeth, by silly monkeys attempting to climb where they shouldn't!

Joe, as you might have realized, is rather special.

You see, he has one normal arm, and then one arm shaped like a hammer. And his legs and feet are also not even. One big, and one small, just like his eyes. There's several things that are rather unique to Joe...but one of my favourites has to be his hiney "tattoo"! ;)

Week 4 of 52

20-26 November 2011

What a week this was. Hectic to say the least. Thanksgiving week and yes, I COMPLETELY forgot to take any photos on Thanksgiving day! Whoops. It's also a week filled with Ethan waking a lot at night from a stuffy nose (mama is soooooo tired right about now), and the washing machine breaking down the day before thanksgiving and us not realizing until the day of...  you know...  once the washing had already started piling up. The washer got replaced this past Friday with an oldie off the local yard sale site. It's not that pretty, and needs a good clean, but it works and that's the main thing! ;)

It was also Black Friday this past Friday, which means I indulged in a few actions for editing in PSE (Photoshop Elements) and presets for LR (Lightroom).  I haven't dabbled with my PSE ones yet, because let's face it, I'm clueless on PSE right now...good thing I have a PSE "how to" book on my Christmas list for Mr Santa ;)

So, for now, I've been playing with the LR ones. I'm especially loving the Film Art presets from Clickin' Moms. I also used some presets from My Four Hens Photography, the "Flatten" action from the Pioneer Woman, and the storyboards from Paint the Moon Photography.
And without further ado, here's this weeks photos: