Sewing desk

I have dreamed of having a sewing desk for as long as I've been sewing. I've always thought how nice it would be to have a desk permanently set up with everything I need and a space to leave a project out mid-stitch. Well, just having the desk wasn't the only problem. I also needed a spot to stick one.

When I re-did our old laundry room into our new library, I snagged the perfect opportunity to claim a spot under the window for a desk. Now, to build it...

The desk is essentially 3 simple bookcases put together with a table top. I had 6 wicker baskets, so I built 2 bookcases with 3 cubbies each to fit them. I turned one toward the front and one toward the side.


On the right-hand side of the desk is another wider bookcase to hold fabric. It faces the side and so I was able to add my thread organizers onto the bookcase's side, which now faces the front.


I added a rectangular piece of 3/4" plywood, screwed all the pieces together, and painted it white.


Please ignore, by the way, the clutter. I thought about cleaning it all off for the picture, but then I decided to keep it real. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Anyway, you can see Meagan & I's newest project...a braided denim rug. That one is going to take a sweet forever. We contemplated changing it to a doll-sized rug, but we are going for the big one.

Another prairie dress

A long time ago, I made this dress for Meagan. I didn't know a whole lot about sewing, especially pattern sizes, so it was entirely too big. Well, the girl has been growing like a weed since then and now it fits.

And my, but she does look cute in it. She absolutely loves it.

For her birthday, she got a gift card to Hancock Fabrics. She wanted to make another dress, so she and I were digging through my fabric to see what we already had. We found some pink floral fabric, enough for the dress and bonnet, so she used her gift card for the pinafore. I've spent the last several days sewing away.

Here it is...
The pinafore fabric is a little thicker than the blue I used for the other dress, which is good because she's not exactly the type of girl who sits around with her ankles crossed. I've had to repair a button that pulled out on the blue pinafore.

One more winter project that I can cross off my list!

Recycling jeans into a ruffled skirt

Over my little blogging hiatus, I crafted this skirt for Meagan using an old pair of jeans and some on-hand material. I googled directions which I cannot seem to find again now. I thought I bookmarked it, but it is nowhere to be found. Anyway, there are plenty more sites out there with directions. The basic idea is to cut off the jeans just above the inseam, and then add ruffles (cut to whatever length works for the total skirt length desired), which each measure about twice as long in circumference as the tier above it. So, if the bottom of the jean tier measures, say, 25 inches around, then the first fabric tier would be about 50 inches around and the 2nd fabric tier would be about 100 inches around. I made them a bit less to lessen the flounce and it still gave a nicely shaped skirt.I made the first tier a little shorter than the second because of the amount of material I had for each. It just worked better that way. If I had to do it over again, I would've made it a bit longer...probably 3 tiers. Because it's ruffled, it flounces just a bit too much to be as short as it is if Meagan is going to keep it down. Luckily, I scored several more pairs of jeans from Goodwill, so I can make her another couple. In fact, I have plans for one with a matching shirt for her birthday. She would rather wear a skirt over jeans any day of the week, so it is the perfect project for me to do for her. And because the complicated part (the top part with the waistband, zipper, pockets, etc.) is already done for me, I can whip one out in a short evening's work.

Sew Crafty Friday

Just in time for the weather to change, I finally found the time to finish Meagan’s dress. This was the one made from the fabric we scored from my Grandma. I had hoped to get it done in time for a party she went to in July. Then, I hoped it would be done by her birthday. Then I thought I might get it done so that she could wear it to meet Don’s folks at the airport. I then foolishly thought I might get it done before our potluck. But, alas, it is now done, many moons later. And the weather has dropped from 90 degrees last Monday to 60 degrees and raining. Fall is most definitely here and her summer dress will not see the kind of action I know she had planned. On the positive side, I do believe it will still fit her next summer, so all is not lost. And, if nothing else, Abby will wear it.

Here it is:The yellow floral fabric was what was given to us and I bought the green to match. We also picked up some cute sunflower buttons for an accent on the straps. I used this pattern (McCall's Easy Stitch 'n Save M4567) before when I made my first dress. It isn’t exactly a simple dress, with poofy sleeves, a zipper, and collar. It wasn’t too bad, though. As a matter of fact, it went much more smoothly than the last time I did it because I didn’t have to tear out seams after sewing the sleeves on inside-out.

After I finished the dress, I whipped up this clothespin bag. Meagan found this vest at Goodwill. The vest was downright hideous. Not only was it made out of this busy farm print, but it was absolutely covered with buttons in the shapes of farm animals. Meagan loved the buttons, though, and since it was dirt cheap, I decided to buy it and tear it apart. I took off all the buttons for her and then decided that with a few snips and a few new seams, I could turn it into something useful quite easily. And so that hideous vest has found new life as a clothespin bag, which I happened to really need.

And that is all for this week! And given that my to-do list is still quite long and cold weather is coming on quickly, that will likely be the only Sew Crafty entry I am able to finish until the cold days of winter. I’m thinking I will get my sewing machine tuned up in anticipation of all the work I will put it through. Visit Shereen at Waiting for Him for more Sew Crafty creations.

Sew Crafty Friday

We had some rainy weather and so I got to spend some time inside getting things done. It was a welcome break after all the digging in the garden.

My grandmother gave me 4 yards of fabric the other day while we were visiting her. She had bought it for my cousin, who just had to have it at the time and was convinced that Grandma could just sew her a dress without any pattern, and then hadn't done anything with it. My grandmother is not known to be a packrat to any extent. In fact, she is regularly throwing things away. She is compulsively neat and tidy and abhors clutter. And as she ages, it's gotten even worse. She now is determined that there be as little as possible for her sons to have to go through after she dies, so she is getting rid of everything. The fact that this material didn't get tossed years ago is a miracle. I'm just lucky I happened to be there when it crossed her mind to get rid of it or it would've been sitting in the dump.

With 4 yards, Meagan and I decided that we could manage to get a dress for her and a skirt for me. In fact, as I cut it, I realized that I will need a bit of coordinating fabric for the bodice of her dress, as it wasn't quite enough. But still, a great deal! So given that I need some extras for Meagan, I made my skirt first.
I used the Simplicity pattern #4189 (view F) that I snagged for a dollar at a JoAnn's sale last year. It is a very simple skirt with only 4 pieces of fabric and an elastic waistband.

I decided to model it with my new T-shirt I picked up at the farm store. I just couldn't resist it. It says "We dig chicks". And the green matches the skirt. I think it'll be a cute outfit for working out in the garden and such this summer.

Visit Waiting for Him to see more Sew Crafty Friday projects!

Sew Crafty Friday

Well, I've finally gotten the projects for this month's birthdays finished. Just 7, 12, and 23 days late. Oh, boy. This is so unlike me. I'm normally hyper-prepared. I've been known to have all birthdays for the entire year purchased for, wrapped, and packaged for shipping by February. Obviously, I've slacked off. But, I took the time to finish these up this week and I can now rest easy for a few weeks.

First up is a present for my oldest niece, Carly. She turned 6 this year, and according to my 6-year-old, this is a fantastic present, so hopefully she will like it too. If you'll remember that for another niece, Zoey, I took a man's shirt and transformed it into a dress. Well, this is very similar, but instead of a dress, I changed it into a skirt. Carly is very long-legged, so a full dress was out of the question. It'd barely cover her bum. I used the button-up front of the shirt as the front of the skirt, so it, too, buttons up the front. For the back of the skirt, I used the back of the shirt. On the shirt, it has that double layer across the top. Well, I used that (about an inch of it) to contain a strip of elastic. It was a very simple transformation.

I paired the skirt with a cute little 3/4-length sleeved white button-up top. I love the final look. I hope Carly will too!

And for my sister-in-law, I made this. It was once a placemat. I loved the fabric combination for the placemat, but I really love it as a purse too. I got it at Target, by the way. Simple seams up the side & short ones to make a bottom, add some purse handles attached with ribbon, and it was done. Meagan is begging me to make another one for herself.

I had received a placemat purse several years ago from a friend, but was inspired to make this one for Don's sister after seeing another blogger's submission for a previous Sew Crafty Friday. I can't remember who it was, now, but there are some really talented ladies out there! Check out the other projects this week at Waiting for Him!

Sew Crafty Friday

I finally got the first of the dresses done that I need to make. This first one is for my niece Zoey. Her birthday is coming up very soon and though it is snowing here, I think it should be warming up nicely where she lives.
I bought a man's shirt at the thrift store in a rayon blend. It was an extra-large. Using the front of the shirt for the back of the dress and the back of the shirt for the front of the dress, it was really quite easy. (Even though saying it is a mouthful!) The bodice on the front of the dress comes ready-made on the back of the shirt, though you have to look hard to find a man's shirt that doesn't have that really big fold & loop on the back. Then, the front of the shirt comes complete with buttons that make the back of the dress a breeze. I used the sleeves and a bit of elastic to make the dress straps.

The whole thing is spelled out much clearer than I can make it here. I originally found the directions through the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog way back in November. I knew it was something I was going to want to do and I've ended up being very pleased with the results.

Go visit Waiting For Him for more Sew Crafty projects!

Umm, better make that Sew Nothing Friday

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, I don't know if I'd go that far, but I'd could say that the road leads to not having a Sew Crafty Friday post yet again. I guess I could blame it on Leap Day...I thought there was a day between Thursday and Friday this week?

I've been working on dresses for my nieces this week, but wanted to finish the first one this morning. But when it is 50 degrees, sunny, and wind speeds of 10mph or less, you gotta get those outside chores done. Like they say, you better make hay while the sun is shining. I wasn't making hay, though. I was making a rabbit hutch.

We spent the morning picking up supplies for a 4-rabbit hutch to hang up in the barn. That, along with the 2 cages we already have, will be enough for winter housing for 6 rabbits. And after lunch, Meagan and I got to work building it. I've gotten the bottom and sides done and am now working on the partitions. I'm only inside now because Abby needed feeding. She spent the afternoon sleeping on a blanket outside in the sunshine. She loved it. The chickens, the cats, and the dog all came to check her out. Luckily, the 2 nasty Black Giant roosters stayed away. (They are scheduled for the chicken plucker tomorrow.)

Well, it's back to work I go. I've still got another hour and a half, at least, of sunshine. I will hopefully have time to work on the dresses tonight. Or at least get them finished by next Friday.

Sew Crafty Friday

To see more Sew Crafty projects, head on over to Waiting for Him. And, while you're there, enter your own crafty project!

This week, Meagan had her very first sewing lesson on the machine. Prior to this, I had taught her to sew a button, but that was it. Just a bit before Christmas, she bought this doll dress sewing kit from Vision Forum. She was so excited to get started, but the time just wasn't right until this week.

The kit was great. The dress was simple to make and included the fabric we needed. Although the instructions were fairly clear and simple, it definitely needed some sewing experience to be able to decipher some of it. Of course, that's what I'm here for!
Here she is working on it. She was having so much fun. And yes, her tongue always sticks out like that when she's working.
And here is the final product. I'm very happy with how it turned out. Meagan, of course, is now planning enough projects for the future to keep her busy indefinitely.

Sew Crafty Friday

I decided to participate in Sew Crafty Friday this week. I hope to be able to every week, but sometimes things like kitchen remodels or dinner parties without a kitchen sink may get in the way. Not if I can help it, though!

Thanks to Shereen at Waiting for Him for hosting! Go check out the other crafty projects this week.

Here is what I was working on this past week. I actually only took 2 days of sewing for me, plus a day of cutting. Which isn't really too bad since I only worked after the big kids were in bed and that happens to be the time that Abby is the crankiest.

I just made up the pattern. I wanted it to be this size (about 30"x40"), so I looked through my trunk full of cloth that I inherited from a neighbor years ago and found some stuff that coordinated well. The cloth with the rabbits just really lent itself to this final layout. However, I completely ran out of fabric for that center square so I improvised. I found some white fabric and blue fabric paint and decided to put Abby's footprints on there. I like how it turned out.

While I was digging through the fabric, I found some totally adorable Noah's ark fabric in blues & browns and some matching brown fabric. Oh, man, I can't wait to turn that into a quilt. I hope I have a boy next!!

I just can't resist this smile

Abby has truly captured the hearts of everyone in the family. Caleb mentions frequently that she is so cute that he just can't stop looking at her. I know exactly what he means.
The smiles. Oh, the smiles. I'd pay money for them. Luckily, she hands them out, even in her sleep, for free. This is one of my favorite outfits on her because I just love the little pockets for her hands. So cute.
She is growing by leaps and bounds. I can't believe this is the same little baby from 7.5 weeks ago. Of course, she wasn't that little then, either. But, look at her! She's getting the rolls on her legs and arms that I remember from Caleb and Meagan so well.

I've been doing a little sewing again, now that Christmas is over, the butchering is done, and things have settled down some. Yesterday, I finished Abby's stocking.
I had done the cross-stitch part a while ago. I can't remember when I finished, but it was before we moved. Anyway, I didn't finish the stocking part before Christmas, but that was okay because the midwife gave her an adorable "Baby's First Christmas" stocking. So, I just finished it now. I thought about just putting it away for later, but if I did that, I would forget about it until next Christmas and it wouldn't get done. Besides, I'm hoping to need another for next Christmas. That is, if the Chinese adoption process doesn't slow down any more. Of course, if it slowed any further, it'd be going backwards. But, I digress.

Next on my sewing table is a quilt for Abby. Just a small one to snuggle with, like Meagan's.

Christmas bags

Here is a little something I'm currently working on. They are Christmas gift bags. In an effort to reduce the amount of waste we generate, I had this idea of making cloth bags for our gifts. That way, we can reuse them every year and we don't have a trashbag full of wrapping paper at the end of the day. I hate the phrase "going green", but I suppose that's what I'm doing.
Anyway, the bag is really easy to make. I just finish the edges that will be the top open part by folding over twice & stitching. Then, I face the insides together & stitch around, leaving the top open, of course. Turn right side out, iron it out, and add a ribbon, which I stitch on about 2 inches from the top (leaving room to gather it together & tie). It takes about 10 minutes once you have the fabric cut out. Here is what it looks like.
And here is a bag stuffed with a gift & tied up.
I love the look of them & it makes me feel better to not waste all that paper. Besides, I have tons of Christmas fabric that was desperate for purpose.

Sewing, diapering, and gratuitous cute baby pictures

If you are here to find Abby's birth story, go down a few posts! Otherwise, you can catch up with the new & exciting right here.

I have been sewing a little since Abby's birth. I was able to get 3 Christmas presents finished. It has been something I can do while still sitting and recovering. Here they are:
These first 2 are aprons that I made out of dish towels. The idea came from the Sew, Mama, Sew blog. They were super easy and I think they turned out really cute. They will go to our 2 older nieces, ages 5.5 and 3.5. I think they'll enjoy them. I bought matching oven mitts to go with them. They are adult sized, but really, I don't think they'll be handling too many hot things anyway...they are more for play.
The next thing I did was finish the little bluebonnet hat for our good friends in Texas. They just adopted their 2nd baby and since I had made a bluebonnet bonnet for their older child, I thought this little hat would be cute. Unfortunately, it's a little big. I cut it out and started stitching it together before Abby was born, or I would've known that it was going to be too big. Oh well, she'll grow into it. I used the hat from Simplicity pattern #9784.

Recovery from the C-section has been a long road, but I think I'm nearing the end. I've made great improvement in the last few days & am pretty much up to normal capabilities. Of course, normal capabilities did not include wearing a bikini! Otherwise, I'd be out of luck.

Anyway, while I was recovering, Don was able to get more work done on the garage. But, that meant he was outside a lot. He would take his phone & I'd just call when I needed him to help me get up or to change a diaper. During that time, I took a shower. I know, I know, stop the presses! But, with Don outside, I decided to take Abby in the bathroom with me, as it seemed a little much responsibility to put on Meagan so soon. So, Meagan helped me rig up a spot to put her & this is what we came up with.
She's in the laundry basket, lined with blankets! It was the only thing I could think of to fit in our bathroom. She slept through it all and I got to do the new-mommy thing...checking on her every 2 seconds to make sure she's alright.

Wait, I just can't resist...
I just threw those in there for fun. Isn't she cute??? I love the swaddling. It's like some sort of magic drug. She just can't resist the power of the swaddling!

Tonight, my dad came in and took us to the movies. Abby's first! She slept through the entire thing. We saw Bee Movie. Not particularly superb, but there was a really good line in there about lawyers & blood-sucking parasites.

We finally ran out of the disposable diapers we had purchased to get us through the meconium stage. So, we are now on cloth diapers. Meagan is thrilled and has taken over diaper duty...

So, there are a few random thoughts. Really, though, I don't think you can expect more from a mother of an 11-day-old baby!

Doll bed makeover

Well, I thought today would be the big day, as I was awakened by contractions last night. As I was laying there timing them (they were wildly unpredictable, by the way) and wondering what to do, I decided that I would try to go back to sleep and see if they woke me up again. Well, here I am. They did not wake me back up. I'm a little disappointed, but it does mean that I was able to finish this project that I had going on...
This is an antique canopy doll bed that Don's mom gave to us a while back. It had been stored away because Meagan was just a little too young for it at the time. Then, with our moving into a rental, it REALLY got stored away. Well, now that she has her American Girl doll, I thought it was a perfect time to bring it out.

But first, it needed some updating. The linens it had were clean, but quite old. And the mattress and pillows were all but falling apart. So, I bought some new foam and fabric and got to work. I used the old pieces as a sizing guide and just pretty much was winging the whole thing. I'm immensely pleased with the outcome, though, and know that she will adore it. I mean, it is pink, after all!
It will be Meagan's big Christmas gift from us this year. I can't wait to see her face when she sees it!

Simple summer skirt...in November.

Abby's due date is 9 days away and I am ready. Very ready. I've now run out of nesting activities. In fact, last night, I decided to make a skirt for Meagan. Why? Well, because every girl needs a summer skirt when the overnight temps are freezing. The fabric was sitting there & I was bored. So, here it is.
I just sewed two wide rectangles together, put in a hem & put elastic in the top. Very easy. I have enough fabric left over to make a matching skirt for Abby, which I think I will do.

Meagan was shocked that I got an article of clothing done in one night. She is used to me taking weeks to finish something. I do love the look of the more complicated things I've made (like the prairie dress or the nightgown), but I must admit that I'm much more likely to sew something if I can get 'er done quickly. I'm really looking forward to TeamBettendorf's dress tutorial video that has been promised. She makes adorable, simple dresses for her girls that I know Meagan would love. Plus she promises that any nincompoop can make it, so it's right up my alley!

I've also been eagerly eyeing the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog, as I love to get ideas of things to sew for gifts. It will have a new sewing project idea for gifts for every day in November. In 2007, I made a bunch of bonnets for birthday girls. Christmas is coming up, though, and I'm REALLY behind in gift ideas. Usually, by now, I not only have everything purchased, but wrapped & packaged to ship, if needed! But, this year, I guess I decided I wanted the challenge of getting things ready with a shorter timeline and a new baby in the house. Sometimes I wonder about my sanity.

The joys of diapers

The diapers have come! In all their soft sweetness. Meagan loved the unpacking of the package & the inspection of all the pieces. Her conclusion? Diapering is going to be LOTS OF FUN!!! Before this package came, she was adamant that she would have nothing to do with diapers. But now? She's all over it. Won't she be surprised when the sweetness is replaced with explosions.
Here are the wipes I am making. I just took some cheap washcloths and sewed flannel to them, so one side will be good for a little extra scrubbing & the other is soft and smooth. No, the pink does NOT mean that we know the gender. It just means that the washcloths came in a variety of colors & that I did the pink first.

It took me so long, she almost grew into it!

I finally finished Meagan's prairie dress outfit. I had the dress done back in the Spring, but didn't get the pinafore done until today. Whew. I wasn't in a big hurry because it is outrageously too big. I bought the pattern before I knew that a size 7 pattern doesn't translate the same as a size 7 in the store. Oh well. In a couple of years, she'll have a great dress! The pinafore is open in the back except for 3 buttons at the top.

A Texas Bluebonnet Bonnet

Here is my latest sewing project. It will go to the daughter of a very good friend who lives in, you guessed it, Texas! If you are looking, C, mums the word!

Itty bitty diapers

My first cloth diaper will see no messes. Meagan was having problems with her baby doll's diapers falling apart. Her doll is named Lucy, by the way, but was named long before Lucy the dog arrived and was in fact named after Lucy from Narnia. Anyway, I told her I would make her a cloth diaper & she was thrilled. We picked up some flannel that happened to be in the remnant basket at Joann's and on sale. I think I paid $.34, or something like that. It is a striped flannel in pastel baby colors. I just laid out a newborn-size Pampers and drew around it, sewed it up, added velcro tabs & it was finished. Very easy. I made a second diaper for her other doll, but that doll was bigger than I remembered & her diaper is a little tight on her.