Red Baby Outfit

This is a new outfit I tried out and think it turned out great!

This is a size 6 month outfit with a small portion of the chest smocked. I added the bows because this is for a baby girl. I can make these "ready to smock" too.

Has a nice button closure in the back and all serged seams inside. Also, it sports a snapped inseam for easy diaper changes! And it is already sold to a teacher at Ashley's school for a baby shower.

This is the one I was telling you about Tracy.

More Purses

These three girls are going to be delighted with their new purses on Christmas morning -- My friend Missy bought these for her daughter and nieces, they all have their name on one side and that famous palmetto tree on the back.

How fun!

I think I really like the band of ribbon across the top...really brings the whole purse together.

Madison's A Line Dress

One of the teachers at my daughter's school asked me to make a cute dress for her niece for Christmas -- We couldn't find just the right fabric to make her a Gamecock dress (thank goodness because I'm a tiger to the bone!) so I came up with this one. I hope she likes it.

I used that hand crocheted trim on the hemline of this dress -- I really like the way this comes out -- I am actually thinking of sewing some of this trim around the neck, wrists, or waistline of a couple of store bought shirts -- wouldn't that be cute? It almost looks like feathers.

Striped Shirt

The girls spent two nights this weekend at Grandma's house so I had some time on my hands -- and after finishing the snowmen, I cut out two and finished one of these shirts -- The other one will have to wait a couple of days, real life has set back in -- carpool, dance practice, setting the alarm...

Anyway, I think this turned out cute with the bias cut cuffs and pocket -- size 6 McCalls 4910

If you click and look up close there's an idea for the sewers out there -- I use a little piece of ribbon as a tag in most of the stuff I make (when I remember!) the kids like it, and with elastic waisted pants, it is an easy way to tell the front from the back -- which is virtually impossible without a tag.

Candybar Snowmen

Just in case you thought I went the whole Thanksgiving weekend without crafting -- WRONG -- here they are -- presenting the 50 candy bar snowmen I made for all the kids we know. Take a Hershey's candy bar and wrap with paper, decorate with markers, fleece and a bell tied with a ribbon on the hat. Oh yeah, some lipstick off my index finger as the blushing cheeks, but they don't show well in the photo. The girls helped of course!

These are so supercute -- it looks like a little army just sitting in my room waiting for December to come!

Plaid Sisters and Brother Set

Click on the picture for an up close view of that monogramming!

Believe it or not, I started these after church on Sunday when a lady gave me an idea that she wanted me to make for her son and two daughters for Christmas...I think they turned out really well.

The A-Line dresses have a piece of black grosgrain running straight down and across the dress and where the meet I put a double bow with a button in the center that matches the buttons on the shoulders. They have french side seams because it is not worth the hour it would take to change the white thread on the serger out to black -- so they are really well finished inside too. They are size 8 and size 6.

The little Jon Jon is completely reversable and the inside will match his big sisters for Christmas then once the season has passed, he has a monogrammed jon jon to wear the rest of the year. At least as long as he fits this size 2! I applique/embroidered the little red beetle on the green side -- the red, silver and black areas are actually fabric appliqued on with the embroidery design -- the black is satin, the red is plan broadcloth, and the silver is a piece of that belt from my Halloween costume -- now you know why I love saving fabric scraps = you never know when you will need that little piece of silver!

I will be using this idea again with the ribbon on the dresses -- kinda makes it look like a wrapped present doesn't it?

Criss Cross Coasters

I'll be trying these soon too -- thanks Tracy!

http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2006/11/crisscross_coas.html

Grocery Bag based lunch sac

I plan to make a couple of these -- I'll post how they turn out after I get around to it -- isn't this a cool idea!?! thanks for this idea little sis!

http://supamb.com/supafine/2007/10/06/how-to-lunch-bag-based-on-plastic-grocery-sack/

Journey Bag

My oldest daughter made this journey bag in school this week - a lunch sack, folded over twice, hole reinforcements and a string -- they named them journey bags because they are studying the Pilgrims. I thought this would be a cool idea for a kid craft then you take them out in the yard and collect leaves in them -- They are worn like a purse, but put it over your head so it won't fall off.

This Year's Dress

I went simple this year -- just whipped these up yesterday -- I think they turned out darling. Had some of the fabric on the bottom that I picked up in February for 25 cents a yard -- can you believe it! Got some light blue this week after I had the inspiration of what to do this year. I didn't want to make something red or green so I came up with these. Nice ric rac along the bottom because the blues weren't exactly the same color -- then found this christmas tree free online, and embroidered it with my Futura machine -- you should visit annthegran.com online you can find almost anything there!
I think we'll sport a long sleeve white shirt underneath -- I think this will be good for visiting Santa a the mall...

More Christmas Bags

More scraps means more of these reusable christmas bags. My youngest had the job of turning them all right side out and pushing out the corners -- my oldest had the job of lacing the ribbons through the tops -- they turned out too cute!

Monogrammed Backpacks

Aren't these cute? My mom got these backpacks on clearance at Wal-Mart for herself and her painting buddies, formerly known as the "Ya Ya Painters," now known as the "Candied Yams." They enjoyed using these backpacks on their annual shopping trip to Hendersonville, NC. All I did was embroider their names on the packs -- aren't they cute?

click on the photo to see them up close

Wacky Ribbon Pants

I'm really happy with how these cuties turned out! I started with a pair of hand-me-down jeans that must have been too long because the entire bottom hem was ripped off in the back...I, the thrifty mom that I am, held on to them waiting for just the right treatment to be able to still use them...Saw this idea on Ebay.

First cut off the jeans in the desired length. Serge or zig zag that edge to prevent fraying. Then you apply the ribbon that is the polka dotted one in my photo. You only sew the top edge of the ribbon and just line up the bottom edge of the ribbon with the serged edge of the jeans. Then you have various widths and colors of grosgrain ribbons in about a 3 inch length. I take a lighter and slightly melt the edges to seal them so they will look forever new even with repeated laundering. Now, you sew the bottom edge of the polka dot ribbon to the bottom edge of the jeans and as you go, you insert the ribbon pieces between the polka dot ribbon and the jeans -- that's it...aren't these fun? I have also seen these made with ribbon loops instead of the short strips, but I think this is easier and cuter!

Missy's Purse

My Friend, Missy, of course, asked me to make her a purse, but didn't know what she wanted -- this is what I came up with -- it has a velcro closure and is lined with two interior pockets...I hope she likes it!

Now that I am finished with this first one, I think I'll run that pink ribbon all the way around the top next time -- jazz it up a little!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

Now isn't this a cute idea -- I did not make these, but my dear friend did and wasn't she a genius? She took a roll of toilet paper and then wrapped a long orange streamer through the hole enough times to cover the paper - then added a stem make out of craft foam with felt on top and a little pipe cleaner squiggle for the vine -- then set it on a little bed of moss (I'm sure she got out of the yard!) and viola -- recyclable fall decorations...great kids craft idea!