Spring Project Updates

A few friends have asked me recently if I have been working on anything fun with my sewing...and the sad news is no.  You would think with this crazy spring we have been having I would have found some time upstairs in my sewing room---but that isn't the case :(

I have been working on a few things here and there, but they have been long projects.  Track has been busy with meets being canceled and rescheduled, and I just finished my first year of National Boards for Teaching!  Whew...that was quite the undertaking.  I won't go into detail about that, but basically it has been busy.

So, of all the things I have been up to, sewing unfortunately hasn't really been one of them.  Here are just a few things I have been slowly working on.

Project #1:  Portrait Wall in hallway going up the stairs to my sewing room.
Last summer my mom and I found some really cool old metal grates at a few different antiques stores, and I had been just waiting and waiting for the time to put them up.  (Here is my original post of where I got the idea).  Finally over spring break I was able to start to gather pictures from my mom and mother-in-law, and I could begin the hard work of assembling my picture wall.

 I love this wall. It has such sentimental meaning to me.  Starting at the top (11 o'clock) and moving clockwise:  Dortie (Seth's grandmother and Annette's mother)  Serena (my grandmother and Mona's mom)  My mom (Mona)  Serena on her wedding day with women who were helping in the kitchen at the wedding (bottom) Far Left: Annette Snedden (Seth's mom and my mother-in-law).

I am still planning on adding a few more pictures of the amazing women in my life and Seth's life--but tracking down more pictures does take some time!

Take careful notice of the magnets.  These were old clip on earring from Seth's grandmother and great-grandmother.  I took the backs off of them and glued on magnets.  Now I can enjoy them in another way other than wearing them!


Don't you just love this picture? It is of my father-in-law! 

Project #2:  Baby Afghan
A few months ago on Pinterest I saw a tutorial for a plush, baby afghan. With all my friends and family being pregnant, I thought it might be a good idea to try out the pattern and make a few.  This pattern couldn't have been easier or turned out any better.  The texture is soft and plump, making it really cozy and quick to make.  I did this one in Aqua, Gray, and Cream.  I am currently working on another one with Pink, Orange, and Cream. I love them both and can't decide which one is better. I will post a final product when it is complete.

Project #3: Truck Onesie
One of my dearest friends is throwing a baby shower this upcoming weekend and needed a little something special for the party. She sent me a picture of this adorable onesie with a dump truck on it with large tires and asked if I could make something similar.  Immediately I was up for the challenge and couldn't wait to try something new.  Here is the final product.

My Brother's Hat

I finally got around to crocheting a hat for my brother. I only promised him like 3 months ago! Looks good on him. He looks like Zac Brown!

Hats!

Take a peek at Sam and Harper in their new hats! Adorable....

I finally have some real babies to model for my pictures. These are my dear friend Jen's, twins.

Now I just need to finish the hats for my other friends set of twins:)

Baby Blanket

Over the years I've made several baby blankets with my mom. Most of these, however, have been tie quilts. While I love tie quilts, I wanted to try something different: an actual quilted blanket.

About a month ago when I was on my sewing retreat I cut the squares to make a baby quilt. Finally this weekend I got around to putting it altogether!

Sewing Retreat

A few weeks back-February-I had a little sewing weekend getaway with some friends. While they all scrap booked I spent the weekend working on lots of new projects!

My goal for the weekend was to make a few new patterns I had never tried before. I've always admired Anna Marie Horner's "Baby-In-Hood" jacket and figured a weekend away with time to create would be a perfect opportunity to try it.

I made the 9 month old size jacket for a boy and a girl. I made the girl jacket first and thought for sure it would be my favorite. After all, the soft voile, pastel colored fabric was very feminine--not to mention the intricate pink buttons. However, I quickly fell in love with the boy jacket. The dark blue sturdy corduroy fabric became my favorite with the bright orange hues really adding to its overall look.

The little pants were actually constructed with left over corduroy fabric my mom gave me. She had once used the fabric on a dress she made for me as a little girl. We are in the process of trying to find the dress!

The sleep sack turned out really cute and was also an Anna Marie Horner pattern.

I also had a chance to work on crocheting a few more newsboy style hats!

All in all---it was a great weekend.

Crocheted Newsboy Hat

I love this new pattern for the newsboy hat. It would have looked adorable to model on a real baby, but my old doll does the trick!

I can't wait to make more in other fun colors.

Also, take a peek at some other fun hats I've been working on. I love the flowers!

Travel Wallet

We are headed to Ireland and Scotland this summer and I wanted to make something that would hold all of our travel paperwork: passports, boarding passes, maps, etc.

I used my One Yard Wonders-2 book for this handy pattern!