what did i do this summer? warning: photo heavy

I can't believe the summer is over.  As usual, I had lofty goals and planned to sew lots of items for the baby, as well as for all my friends currently having kids of their own.  However, the days passed fast, and it is hard to believe she will be here in just 7 weeks!  We are so excited to finally meet her, but also anxious about all that we have left to do before her arrival.

Still, I was able to get some of my goals accomplished, finished some gifts for friends, and finally opened an Etsy store, which felt more like taking a huge leap off a very tall building.

So, here goes.

Some custom gift sets...

Lots of personalized burp cloths...

Many an embellished onesie...

iphone sleeve with applique

I bought my first iPhone a few months ago.  While it has a rubber cover, I still don't like the fact that I can't safely toss it into my bag or purse without it getting scratched, cracked or dinged.

So I decided to try making an easy sleeve/cozy/cover for my phone and thought I'd make one for my sister's phone as well.

She is a Fleetwood Mac fan.  In fact, I think she should have been a teenager in the '70s because she is the queen of classic rock.  We are going to see Fleetwood Mac next month, so I had an idea for her iPhone sleeve that I thought she might like.

First, I drew a little cassette tape (sadly, none of my third graders know what this is).

I cut the paper into individual pieces and traced them onto a sheet of Wonder-Under.  I love that stuff!  

Then I pressed each individual piece onto fabric to create some iron-on applique.

I used two strands of embroidery thread to hand stitch around the borders (which is incredibly relaxing, but time-consuming!) and also added some extra details and embellishments to make it look more realistic.

Finally, I sewed a simple sleeve for her phone.  Safe and sound.

For my phone sleeve, I drew this little gnome, but have yet to get started.  Daylight savings threw me for a loop today, so hopefully I'll get started on it sometime this week...

snow day

It feels good to have a day off.

It feels even better to be productive on that day off.

I woke up this morning and made some bibs with matching washcloths.  I can't wait to give these as gifts to the mother-to-be.   

For the bibs I used this pattern from Sew She Sews.  For the washcloths, I hastily measured 8" x 8" squares.  Next time I'll try cutting them a bit straighter.

I found a white beach towel that I had never used.  While soft as velvet, it had a silly logo.  So it was just another item headed for the Goodwill pile.  However, it works out perfectly as a backing to all the bibs and washcloths, and I'm glad I could repurpose it.

In hindsight, white thread would have been more aesthetically pleasing (duh!).

I have a little left over, so maybe I will add burp cloths to finish the sets.