Leprechaun Catcher

Here, little leprechaun.......

O.k., here's my idea. Leave a leprechaun trap out with a tiny pot o' gold. He pays the vacation rental fee (money or money candy, etc..) placed in side the little house on St. Patty's Day for my 2 year old to find. Maybe he took the pot o' gold with him.

Wanna make your own Leprechaun trap? Here's how.....

(send me pics of your leprechaun vacation rental :microscope@ec.rr.com)

Coffee creamer with a pipe cleaner handle, glued foam squares (for filler) topped with some gold beads glued down. Another idea: You could make the pot o' gold into a little necklace, loop ribbon around the handle.

Please excuse the blurry photos.

She likes it as a necklace for fairies also...

Beach Pillow

It's cold and rainy today and I have the sniffles. (still smocking) I miss the warmer weather and the beach. Don't get me wrong, I am not a summer gal. I don't like it when the Carolina heat is more humid than the inside of a dog's mouth. It's just that a few weeks back we had some nice days. I went to the beach to collect shells the other day. It was a little chilly, which was great because hardly anyone was there. I said a prayer to the Lord that I would find a sand dollar. Then, there was a perfect sand dollar lying there in the sand for me. I love it when He answers quickly.

I wanted a decorative pillow for my slipcovered couch. So, I cut out stamps of ocean animals and shells. The idea came from Genine's Art Blog (check it out on the right side, "blogs I like", she has a tutorial). I mixed acrylics with a fabric paint medium and painted it on the stamps. I used some fabrics from shirts and jeans and cut out circles to stamp. Then, I sprayed a fabric adhesive onto the back of the circles so they would stay in place when sewn. My machine has decorative stitches but a regular zig zag or would work, just switch thread colors to add interest. A watercolor I had done became central to a collage that I scanned and printed onto fabric. An old hymn, "Sail On", is in the lower left corner. The little blue net under the crab I crocheted.

There are several ways to print onto fabric and there are tutorials on line for making your own transfer medium. I just used sheets of printer fabric I bought from Hancock's at 50% off. I stitched the fabric print on the canvas and placed the fabric circles randomly around.

The collage is here for you to use. you can print it onto fabric, or paper

to use as you like. (An apron, table runner, seaside bag are some other ideas). Please, do not post it on your site, without my permission. Links, though are welcome.

Still Smocking

After sewing frantically by machine, smocking seems slow. It goes even slower when I make a mistake and have to pull out stitches! My little girl is so excited. She wants to wear it now, I can't smock fast enough for her. The boring task of back smocking is a necessity that I dont look forward to doing. (back sm0cking ... that is when you smock the back of the smocked piece so that the pleats stay in place.) BUT, I do find it relaxing about as much I find crocheting to be. I"ll take a breath and try not to feel hurried.

My smocking teacher was Charlotte Butler, of ,"The Ghent Needlecrafter" in Hampton Virginia. The year was 1997, and she closed shop that same year. She had a beautiful shop and I used to drool over her creations. One dress in particular had little cherries shadow embroidered on a white batiste dress. She said all 4 daughters whore it, if my memory serves me correctly. My 2nd daughter was just a tiny baby. My first project was a christening gown for her. I use a pleater my mom bought years ago, a small Pullen pleater. I would love to have a large pleater to create larger smocked yokes.

Who gives a HOOT?

Owl flannel nightgown, whooooo cares

I have been practicing a rolled hem on my serger. Flannel creates a lot of lint, dirtied up my new machine. I did not have my heart in making the 2 nightgowns (at 1 a.m.) I made. It doesn't excite me. But, I have had a hard time finding a long, warm nightgown for Eliana. The plastic gemstones I had to add for the "bling-bling" obsessed.

Today, I am pleating some microcheck fabric using "Mindy" from Children's Corner. I am not sure what the yoke is going to look like. I may do some shadow work embroidery. Right now, I am smocking in peach. Love the green and peach together! I had to rush to pleat today because we may take a car trip to the RV show in Raleigh tomorrow. Hopefully I can knock out some stitches on the drive.

Flannel Nightgowns

Sometime in the fall, I had purchased flannel fabric on sale. I also bought a pattern for a nightgown that said "EASY" on the envelope. I had put off making them so that I could make other things. 2 days ago, I decided to make them because it's still winter and it would give me practice on my new serger. I ended up rethreading my serger about 6 times. So, I have that down pat. After 2 days of working on these nightgowns ( when I get the chance), I am sick of them. I cut the fabric while she was asleep at nap time, so I didn't measure. I just selected the size 3 and started construction.

The top was too wide and was sliding off of her shoulders. So, I ended up making a tuck in the back yoke, sewing with long stitches. That way, when she grows into the top I can just pick the stitches out and she will get more wear out of it. Now, if I can complete the other one.

Petticoat

In a previous post, I showed the petticoat I was working on ( vintage pattern) , it is finished. I do not recommend sewing at 3a.m. I used upholstery thread to gather the ruffles. I forgot to switch threads, oops. The ruffle attached to the 2nd row was sewn with upholstery thread (cream). I was so upset!! I had to remind myself that this is worn under a garment and wont be seen except along the hem of a garment where the lace may peak out. Although, my little tutu tot loves it to twirl in, by itself.

Knitted Gift Thank You

My brother's sweet wife shipped a vest and hat her mother made for Eliana. So cute!! She also sent a little pink drawstring bag and and necklace. Her mom knitted this vest after my neice broke her grandmother's glasses. I love handmade gifts. Eliana loves it. Thought I'd share it.

Other things I've been doing besides sewing... (rather be sewing) After searching through many blogs for activities with kids, I have seen many muffin tin uses. She enjoyed sorting and counting small objects.